The infinity cure, p.5
The Infinity Cure, page 5
The woman gave him a bright joyful smile, but she pulled her hands away and knelt on the floor. “Just a second, Louvin,” she said. She wrestled with the round plate and latched it in place over the portal. Then she stood and threw herself into his arms.
Hiroe watched with an unidentifiable pang. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt romantic jealousy. That wasn’t what this was, not exactly, but she felt foolish about her attraction to him as the two beautiful creatures clung to one another.
Finally they withdrew from the embrace and Hiroe tried to affix a smile onto her face, or at least a neutral expression. “Thank you for saving us,” she said to the girl. Villanna’s smile broadened even more.
“I heard you out there,” she said. “I mean”—she looked back at Louvin—“I heard you.”
Louvin was grinning. “I didn’t even think about that,” he told the girl. “Everything happened so suddenly, I was just trying to get in by myself.”
“It was so faint, I was lucky I could find you,” she replied. “I’m glad you’re all right.”
“I’m fine, but I don’t know how long I could have kept—I’m sorry …” He looked over at Hiroe, and she said her name, not able to remember if she’d ever even introduced herself to him. “—kept Hiroe alive.” His face looked haunted for a moment as if reliving the last few minutes in the water.
Villanna turned toward Hiroe. “I’m glad there was a little bit of my connection to this loser left over from when we were kids,” she said, jerking her thumb at Louvin with a dismissive gesture. “Hi Hiroe, I’m Villanna.” She bent forward and stretched a delicately webbed hand with slender fingers toward Hiroe. “I’m his sister.”
Their hands clasped, and then Hiroe was pulled to her feet with a surprisingly strong tug given the girl’s waifish appearance. No giant herself, Hiroe nevertheless felt gawky once she was standing next to Villanna.
“So you, what? Have some kind of psychic connection?” Hiroe asked.
Villanna shrugged. “There’s probably some scientific explanation for it, but my people aren’t interested in being studied like lab rats about something that doesn’t need to be explained. All aquean kids can tell when our siblings are in trouble, within a certain distance at least. It wears off—or at least, should’ve worn off—by our early twenties.”
Hiroe nodded, fascinated, but something else occurred to her before she could question that. “And what about the—” she made a curved shape like a bubble with her hand in front of her face. “Is that something every aquean can do?”
“Oh, yeah,” Louvin said. “Well, I’d heard of it being done, but I’d never had a reason to try it myself, so I’m glad it worked.”
“It’s incredible,” Hiroe said.
“Yeah, it’s a trick we developed as we started interacting more with humans. We can get our oxygen from water, so we can concentrate it like that, and the bubble—sorry, this is gonna sound gross—is mucus. It’s not ideal air for humans, though. You shouldn’t have any side effects or anything now that you’re breathing normal air again, but I wasn’t sure how long it would keep you going.”
“Well, thank you, both of you. Again.” She frowned. “I wonder what happened to the thing we were riding in?”
Louvin shook his head. “Kind of scary that it doesn’t have any fail-safe mechanism, safety equipment, or anything.”
“Actually,” Villanna said, “if you were using one of the water cars, they all have scuba gear stored inside them.”
Louvin looked stricken. “Holy shit,” he said. He turned to Hiroe. “I’m so, so sorry. I can’t believe I risked your life like that when I could have—”
She waved her hand and cut him off. “Don’t even. It’s not like I knew that equipment was there either, so I’d have died for sure if I’d been in there alone. You saved me. Period.” She turned her attention back to Villanna. “Did you two come here together?”
The girl looked surprised, then laughed. “Oh, no! No, I actually work here. I’m Mrs. Benedict’s nurse—well, one of them.”
“My sister decided to sell out and work for not only a human, but one of the richest humans in the world,” Louvin broke in.
Villanna’s beautiful golden eyes flashed with annoyance. “Oh, and what are you doing here? Working for free?”
“I’m not doing this for the money,” Louvin shot back.
“But I bet you didn’t turn it down.”
Hiroe knew the beginnings of an endless sibling fight when she saw one and broke in. “So do you know about the guest who broke her leg?”
That did the trick. They instantly forgot their argument. “What did you say?” Villanna asked.
Louvin explained why they were there. Villanna’s face cleared. “No, yeah, that lady’s in the infirmary. She’s fine. I think the weird thing she said must’ve been because she was going into shock from the pain.” She looked pityingly at them. “Shame you almost died for nothing.”
Hiroe felt a mix of disappointment and relief at the news. “Lesson learned, I guess?” she said. “Any idea what we should do about the car we trashed?”
Villanna waved her hand. “Don’t worry about it. She’s got a garage full of them. Besides, obviously something was already wrong with it if it let you guys start it without a code. I’ll call someone from maintenance to get it.”
“Thanks,” Hiroe said, relieved. “You’d think I’m old enough to know better than to run around taking stupid chances, but …” She laughed ruefully. “I guess we should get back to the auditorium, huh?”
Louvin nodded reluctantly. “You coming, sis?”
“Can’t,” said Villanna. “I’m on duty.”
“Oh yeah, that reminds me,” said Hiroe. “Is Faith okay? We haven’t seen her yet—at least, not in person.”
“Yeah, she’s okay,” Villanna said. “Probably waiting until later to make her official entrance, for dramatic effect or whatever.”
“That’s what I figured,” Hiroe said.
Louvin looked unwilling to let go of his theory that something was being covered up about the lottery winner’s mysterious transmission, but when Hiroe turned to go—after asking Villanna for a way back that wouldn’t involve getting in the water—he followed her.
CHAPTER TEN
They traveled along a tunnel with no moving walkway for several minutes. Hiroe felt her breathing become more labored.
She masked the sound of it as best she could. “At least our clothes might be mostly dry by the time we get back,” she said, only sounding partly out of breath.
The tunnel ended at a door. Louvin held it open and Hiroe strode through, attempting to move briskly.
They seemed to be in the main home, judging from the finishes made to look like wood and velvet that reminded her of decor she’d seen earlier. Or it was just another outbuilding decorated to match the main one.
She felt lightheaded. She attempted to push through the feeling by quickening her pace, but her feet tangled together and she fell forward. Her hands instinctively reached out and broke her fall, which kept her face from hitting the floor. Luckily it was carpeted so her palms only suffered a rug burn.
She rolled over and lay for a second, frustrated and disoriented. Suddenly Louvin’s pale green face was above her. Her cheeks burned and she attempted to stand. As soon as she did, a headrush threatened to topple her again. This time he caught her in his arms and lifted her off the floor.
She felt humiliated but held onto his shoulder with one arm so she wasn’t completely limp. He carried her, with little apparent effort, through a faux but convincing mahogany door and into a room decorated like a study in some Victorian period piece. The walls were made to look like dark wood and the furnishings, like the chaise lounge Louvin laid her on, looked and felt like velvet.
The walls were lined with bookshelves containing what appeared to be real paper books. It seemed risky to Hiroe to keep such belongings underwater, even though the mansion was watertight. Hiroe found herself wondering in her lightheaded state what Louvin’s people read, those who were still in the ocean, living underwater and in damp subterranean caves. Would books survive those conditions?
She realized he was watching her closely, his face tense and worried, and attempted again to snap out of it. She sat up a little. “Fuck!” she said to try and break the heavy silence. She attempted a tone of humorous self-deprecation. “Guess I’m getting too old to have adventures like this.”
Louvin sat on the edge of the lounge. She felt bad but somewhat gratified by how concerned he looked. “That’s not it,” he said. “You’ve been breathing the wrong kind of air for too long. And you’ve been through a traumatic experience. I’m sure you’ll recover. You just need to rest.”
He touched her hand, then took it between his after a slight hesitation. “I think we’re a ways from where everything’s happening. You don’t have to rush things. I saw how many speakers and performers there are—this shit will go on for hours tonight, and continue tomorrow.” He smiled tentatively, but she thought she saw his lower lip quiver. “Just relax. I couldn’t—I don’t know what I’d do if you were seriously hurt because of me.”
Even in her current state, Hiroe felt a tingling warmth spreading from his hand through her body. But she pulled away and sat up a little more. “I’m fine. Really. Why don’t you go back to the party? I’ll come in a little bit after I rest some more.” She smiled. “Go have fun. You don’t want to spend the whole time looking after some old lady.”
Louvin shook his head with a little laugh. “Why do you keep saying that?” he said. He reached out and touched her cheek with his fingertips. His hand strayed up and stroked her still-damp hair. “You’re amazing. I’m sure you know that, but just in case you don’t …”
He bent toward her and brushed his lips against the same spot on her cheek, then trailed them to her mouth and pressed against her lips. Taken by surprise, Hiroe nearly froze. Her heartbeat seemed to double in speed.
He drew back. “I mean, you’re all right for a human.” He surprised a laugh out of her. “I hope I didn’t freak you out,” he said.
“No, not at all!” Hiroe protested. “It’s just the first—I mean, I’ve never kissed a—someone so much younger than me,” she finished lamely.
It was his turn to laugh. “You can say it, it’s not offensive or anything. Hell, I’ve never kissed a human before either.”
“Really?” Hiroe felt relieved. There was a clear political divide between those who objected to human-aquean relations and those who were open-minded about it, so she’d been afraid she’d appear to be in the former category.
“Never, until now,” he said. He smiled down at her. “It was good though.” She melted a little inside, and he must have seen something in her eyes, because he leaned down again until their mouths were less than an inch apart. “Did you think so?” he said in a softer voice.
Hiroe couldn’t muster any real will to resist, or even think of a good reason why she should try, when his eyes were searching hers with such frank interest. Instead she lifted her head to claim his lips in another kiss. Her eyes had closed, but she felt Louvin’s body slowly lower onto hers until she was pinned down on the lounge. Their clothes, still damp, felt chilly against her skin at first, but they soon warmed up as their bodies pressed together.
She ran a hand under his loose shirt and felt the impossibly soft skin of his waist and back. She wondered if he always felt slightly damp or if it was just because they hadn’t dried off from their ordeal. Whichever it was, it made his skin feel smooth and almost slippery. Wherever she touched, his body, cool at first, warmed under her hand.
He slipped his hands beneath her sequined top and traced his way from her belly to the underside of her left breast. Her breath caught in her throat. It had been over a year since anyone had touched her this way. She told herself it helped explain how overwhelmed she felt.
Louvin sat up and pulled his shirt over his head, and Hiroe drank in his greenish-blue skin, like the surface of the ocean on a cloudy day. The voice telling her this wasn’t her usual behavior in a strange place, or anywhere anymore, was very faint and easily disregarded. She felt in a kind of daze as he helped her stand and slip off her clothes down to her underwear.
He did the same with his own clothes and Hiroe shivered as their bodies touched. His hands, webbed about halfway up his long fingers, roamed over her body, and she imagined every inch of skin he touched became as smooth and soft as his.
Hiroe’s breath came in sharp gasps. Everywhere they touched, wherever their bodies made contact, pleasure bloomed and spread across her skin, permeating her body.
Louvin’s mouth locked with hers, and their tongues explored one another’s mouths. His was narrower, smoother than she expected, but she relished its feel against hers, its probing insistence. She felt herself slowly being moved backward; her bare feet stepped back one at a time until she felt velvety cloth and, under that, the solidity of the wall.
Then Louvin pushed his whole body tightly against her. She would have collapsed but for the wall and for one of Louvin’s arms firmly encircling her waist. She couldn’t stop herself from moving against him, reacting to each wave of pleasure that his body sent into hers.
She became gradually aware that the inside of his arm around her, from slightly above the wrist to his underarm, had a different texture than the rest of his skin. She touched his other arm with her hand, ran her fingers curiously over the row of raised circular somethings. As she touched the smooth concave middle of one, it contracted around her fingertip slightly.
She gasped. She remembered now that aqueans had suction cups on their limbs similar to those on octopus tentacles. Every one she’d encountered so far tonight had been wearing long sleeves and it hadn’t occurred to her before, but she found it didn’t bother her. She ran her hand up and down his arm. They felt as good as the rest of him.
Louvin moved his arm away and she was worried at first that she’d hurt or annoyed him with her caresses. But then he slid his free hand under the waistband of her underwear and pushed them down so they slipped to the floor.
His fingers brushed against her and his hand continued between her legs until she was practically straddling his forearm. Another gasp escaped her as she felt her clitoris enclosed in a smooth, soft trap. The gentle movement caused a tingling sensation, an almost unbearable feeling of pure pleasure.
Hiroe clung to Louvin as the sensations began to gather intensity at her core. It built quickly and she had little time to anticipate its climax before her knees buckled.
She depended on the wall to help her stay upright as Louvin slowly released her from his embrace. She slumped against it, panting.
She suddenly felt exposed and retrieved her clothing from the nearby lounge. She felt his eyes on her as she dressed, and felt unable to stop taking peeks at his slender but muscled physique as he put his shirt back on. She already ached for the feel of his cool, fast-warming flesh on her bare skin again.
“Hey,” he said. Hiroe looked up and met his eyes reluctantly. He moved toward her and gripped her waist with his whole arm again. How often had that happened just in the past hour or two, she wondered, remembering with disbelief her rescue from the water that her clothes hadn’t even completely dried from yet. And everything that had happened since then.
She couldn’t exactly feel the suction cups through both of their shirts but now that she knew they were there, she imagined she could detect their texture all around her midsection.
“Thanks,” he whispered.
Hiroe laughed, feeling awkward. “I guess I should be the one thanking you,” she said, trying to sound lighthearted. “I didn’t do anything for you.”
“Not yet,” he said boldly, then looked unsure, as if he thought his presumption would offend her. She was flattered by his interest and oddly charmed by his combination of swagger and insecurity, but she tried to mask it.
“We should get back,” she said briskly. She thought she saw a flash of disappointment on Louvin’s face, but if so, it was gone almost as quickly as it had appeared. He nodded and hoisted his ever-present rucksack over his shoulder.
“Are you feeling up to walking?” he asked. “I don’t know if many of the hallways over here have conveyors; I don’t think I’ve been in this part before.”
Hiroe nodded. She actually did feel recovered; whether it was adrenaline from their encounter or she was really better, she couldn’t tell. “I probably look like hell, but there’s nothing I can do about that,” she said. She hadn’t even brought a handbag; all her beauty supplies were in the suitcase that had been taken as soon as she arrived. She ran her fingers through her pageboy in an attempt to restore order. Louvin reached out and helped her, smiling.
“You look great,” he said, and she found it impossible not to return his smile.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
With a few wrong turns into dead ends, they eventually made their way back to the main part of the house where the large gathering spaces were.
They found the foyer and from there the moving walkway to the auditorium. Others were emerging from various rooms and hallways and taking the conveyor back with them, so they blended in quite well. The clumps of people in front of and behind them were chatting animatedly, but Hiroe and Louvin were silent, lost in their separate thoughts.
In the auditorium, Hiroe spotted Demonte almost immediately, standing in the back. She had a sudden visceral desire that he not detect anything between her and the poet. She stopped and Louvin hesitated, giving her a questioning look. “Well, see you later,” she said in a bright voice that didn’t sound like her own. He hunched his shoulders a little and she felt a pang of pity. But he straightened and flashed a confident grin.
“Okay, bye,” he said, and continued down the aisle. She feasted her eyes on his tall slender frame once more, then looked away—directly at Demonte, who was watching her with an assessing manner.
