C j barry unearthed 01, p.7
C. J. Barry - Unearthed 01, page 7
“Do you ever think before you speak?” There wasn’t an ounce of humor in his voice.
Tess licked her lips nervously. Mental note: the man had excellent hearing. Now was not the time to push him no matter how sweet the temptation. “Occasionally, but I find it dulls my rapier wit.”
She watched as he folded his arms across his chest. Muscled arms across massive chest, she corrected herself.
“Is that what you call it?”
Rudely torn from admiring his chest, she batted her eyelashes at him. “We all have our gifts. I think yours is not wearing a shirt.”
Feeling more than a little punchy, she crossed her arms like his and asked, “So what do I call you? Cohl Travers or Cohlman Trae Salle?” She raised one bold eyebrow. “Or simply Your Royal Highness?”
His yellow eyes caught in the moonlight, narrowed but shining. “Cohl Travers is the name I go by. Trae Salle is too well known. I’ve found that people tend to treat me differently when they find out I’m royalty.”
She smiled. “Really? I hadn’t noticed. So, when were you going to let me in on the fact that your parents are the rulers of a planet? It’s not just your father’s life on the line here, is it?”
There was a beat of silence. “No. If he dies, it will affect Yre Gault.”
“Why did you leave them?” she asked.
The air around her took on a chill, and an eerie silence followed as Cohl took a step toward her. She stepped back, her instincts sensing trouble. His voice was dangerously soft when he said, “I had my reasons. It’s time to go to bed, Tess.”
She stepped back again. “I’m not sleepy.”
He moved forward with her. “Yes, you are. My mother said you were exhausted at dinner.”
“When did you talk to her? You weren’t even there.”
“I had business to take care of. It didn’t go well, and I’m in no mood to argue with a stubborn woman who hasn’t slept in twenty hours.”
Tess glared at him and dug in. “Well, I’m not moving, but you can go inside. Don’t worry about me. I’ve already hit my mugging quota for the year.”
The next instant she was dangling upside down over Cohl’s shoulder, the air knocked from her lungs. Her fists made useless contact with his hard, muscled back as he carried her back into the residence.
“Damn you, Cohl. Are all aliens this bossy?”
She looked down, dizzy and suddenly too tired to fight. Exterior stones gave way to interior floor tiles, then the familiar pattern of her guest room. Abruptly her world was upright again, then horizontal. When her head settled, she was lying on her back, her feet dangling over the edge of her bed with Cohl looming over her. His body cut a menacing shape against the faint moonlight through the window. She suddenly felt small and defenseless.
He whispered, “Now, are you going to behave, or do I have to wrestle you into submission?”
Tess’s heart pounded. “You can’t treat me like this. You have no right”
He interrupted, his voice sharp. “I don’t want you outside the residence without an escort. It’s too dangerous.”
Tess blinked at him. “You said I was safe here.”
“You are, as long as you stay with me.” He looked down at her, his face shadowed and serious. “Make no mistake, Tess. I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe.” Then he turned and disappeared into the shadows.
She lay still in the darkness as her heartbeat returned to normal. His parting words echoed in her mind and the unspoken message stunned her. He’d keep her safe so she could complete his mission, save his people and his father. He’d protect her from the Traka-Sou and the other dangers they would face in getting the amulet. As long as he needed her, she would be safe from physical danger.
But the big question was, who was going to keep her safe from him?
Cohl strode back to his dark room next door. Pitz illuminated a far corner by the open balcony doorway.
“Did you return Tess to her room, sir?”
Cohl stalked past him out to the balcony and into the cool, clear night air. “Yes. She’s back inside.” He slammed his hand against the railing. “Damn it, I can’t believe Mil-Ops hasn’t figured out how the Traka-Nor took my father out of here without anyone seeing or hearing a thing!”
Pitz hummed softly from behind him. “Perhaps you should remain with Tess at night.”
Cohl nearly choked. “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She asked too many questions; she made his hands itch and he would never get any sleep.
“Perhaps I could guard her,” Pitz offered.
Cohl cast the robot a glance and shook his head. “I doubt Tess would like that. No offense, but she hasn’t exactly warmed up to you.”
Pitz sighed dramatically. “And I have tried so hard.”
Cohl gave a short laugh. “Don’t feel bad. I’m not doing so well myself. Station yourself in the corridor near her door and monitor her room. Wake me if you hear anything suspicious.”
“Yes, sir. Good night.” Pitz whirred out.
Cohl contemplated the moons of Yre Gault, the small yellow and the giant red. He’d seen them in every formation and partnership during his life on the planet. Tonight they were side by side and although the yellow one was farther away, they appeared to be a mere kiss apart. He looked at the red moon. Don’t do it. She’ll drive you crazy.
He braced his hands on the railing and hung his head. He couldn’t even begin to describe the panic he’d fell when he spotted Tess standing in the courtyard alone and unguarded. He should have treated her with more consideration, but as usual, she’d pushed him. So he’d dumped her unceremoniously into her bed. Her hair had fanned out, soft in the moonlight. He’d wanted to touch it, gather its heavy weight in his hands, feel its coolness against his face. He’d wanted her and in a most unrefined way. It had taken all the willpower he possessed to walk out of her room.
He rubbed the back of his neck. With the lack of sleep, the pressure of this mission, and pure sexual frustration, he’d become one miserable man. And unfortunately for him, she would not leave his sight starting tomorrow. Especially after the exasperating day he’d spent with Mil-Ops.
They still had no idea how his father could have been abducted from his office right under their noses. No one entered the premises. No one exited. No clues. How could someone have gotten close to his father without an alarm going off? The hair on the back of Cohl’s neck stood up. He knew his father would never succumb to a kidnapper without a fight. Yet his office had appeared undisturbed.
The only thing Mil-Ops knew for sure was that his father was last seen working late into the night.
Cohl shook his head. For as long as he could remember, Montral Trae Salle lived on four hours of sleep a night. The other twenty-six belonged to Yre Gault.
Cohl could only imagine the conditions his father was enduring in the hands of the Traka-Nor. With the repair delay, the situation was becoming even more serious for him and Yre Gault. There was a very good chance he would never speak to his father again. The prospect chilled him to the bone. Yre Gault would lose their leader. He would lose a man he never even said good-bye to.
He gripped the railing. The last argument had been a repeat, over duty and responsibility and birthright. But all Cohl ever saw was the endless hours, sleepless nights, and thankless tasks. There had to be more to life than that and he hadn’t been ready to fulfill his destiny until he’d tried everything else first. Once Yre Gault was his, the opportunity would never come again.
Leaving had been easy, easier than he could ever have imagined. Just find a ship and fly off with a head full of legends to pursue and conquer. The successes had come quickly along with a few memorable failures. He grew to love his life with Speculator as his only home. He could control everything in his little world without losing himself in the process. After a few years, the idea of returning to Yre Gault had faded.
Then the call had come from his mother, alarmed and shaken like he’d never heard her before. Please come home, Cohl. Something terrible has happened. We need you.
The words tore through him, dragging him back into the past with terrifying speed. Duty had finally caught up with him.
He gazed out over the darkened courtyard. No matter how many times he took in this view, it never felt like home. The picture of him as king never solidified in his mind. The crown was just too big, too heavy. Suffocating. Frankly, he couldn’t wait to leave.
“Wake up, Tess.”
The annoying words broke through her dream. Tess swatted at the pest and rolled over, dragging the covers with her. “Go away.”
Cohl’s low chuckle rumbled beside her and the bed dipped under his weight. Tess opened one eye to find him sitting on its edge with Pitz hovering behind him.
“What are you doing here?”
He sat bathed in sunlight with an arrogant smile on his lips. “Getting your beautiful butt out of bed.”
Tess regarded him warily, but there was no sign of the sullen man she’d dealt with last night. Then she smiled back. “You think it’s beautiful?”
He laughed and shook his head. “Do you always wake up in a good mood?”
Tess rolled onto her back and stretched under the covers. “Not before coffee, I don’t. God, I really need a cup this morning.”
“It’s almost midday, and what’s coffee?”
She froze and looked at him, horrified. “Don’t tell me you don’t have coffee?”
Cohl shook his head from side to side. “Nope.”
Tess sat straight up clutching the blanket to her chest as another more urgent, unconscionable thought invaded. “What about chocolate? Do you have that?”
Cohl’s gaze lingered on her bare shoulders. When he spoke, his voice was husky. “No chocolate either.”
She flopped back on the bed and pulled the covers over her head. “Shoot me now. It’s not worth living.”
Cohl swatted her leg. “No, you don’t. We’re leaving as soon as you dress.”
She yanked the covers back down to her neck. “We are? Where?”
He stood up and his expression darkened. “I figure the only way to keep you from escaping at night is to give you a tour of Yre Gault.”
Tess eyed him, unsure how to take that comment. “Is this a truce of some sort?”
Cohl gazed down at her and paused just long enough to make her fully aware of her nudity. “Let’s just say it’s my way of thanking you for deciding to help us.”
Then he turned to leave. “Be ready in thirty minutes, Tess. I hate to wait.”
Her mouth dropped open in disbelief at his casual audacity. “You know, just because you look like Mel Gibson doesn’t mean you can order me around.”
Cohl stopped and turned to face her with a speculative look. “Pitz?”
Beside him, Pitz clicked and purred. “Mel Gibson. Famous male actor and entertainer. Considered handsome and desirable by millions of women on Earth.”
Cohl smiled.
Tess groaned and buried her head under the covers. “Heaven help me.”
Distraction number one: She slept naked. The thought kept returning at the most inconvenient timeslike right now while he was weaving through Caldara’s inner city traffic in a ground shuttle. Cohl had guessed that, but still, the actual confirmation of it this morning was more intrusive than he had expected.
Staring him in the face was distraction number two: Her nicely curved rear. Tess was hanging half out of the open shuttle window on the passenger side, captivated and enchanted by the city of Caldara. Every few seconds, she’d pop back inside and ask another question.
Cohl shook his head and returned his attention to the traffic in front of him before he ran over some poor, unsuspecting pedestrian who couldn’t possibly understand his predicament.
Distraction number three would be Caldara itself, although not much had changed here since he’d left what seemed like a lifetime ago. Not that much could. Caldara occupied every square meter of space it could squeeze from the top of the mountain from which it was carved. Like all the island cities on Yre Gault, it had been painstakingly cultivated from the solid rock. Every structure, road, and causeway had been preplanned before a single stone was cut. Then, from the flawless white stone of the mountaintop, the city was born. A perfect metropolis emerged like a flower from the earth.
He guided the ground shuttle around a stack of crates being unloaded on the side of the street. The workers waved as the shuttle skirted them, their tapestry uniforms brilliant in the sunshine. Tess waved back.
She turned to him and nearly caught him staring at distraction number two. “When are we going to get out and look around?”
“We aren’t. It’s too dangerous.”
She gave him a look that he recognized all too well. That I-don’t-like-your-answer look. He shrugged. Too bad. It was dangerous, that much was true, but there was another reason that he didn’t want to discuss with her. The last thing he needed was an angry mob recognizing him, converging on him and Tess with accusations of abandonment and questions he’d rather not answer. That’s why he’d chosen this shuttle with its one-way view. Except for Tess’s open window, no one could see inside.
He glanced at her again. She was hanging out the window, but he could tell by her stiff posture that he hadn’t heard the last of that issue. He resigned himself to the inevitable and concentrated on driving. The traffic was a little worse than he remembered, the streets a bit more crowded. But it was still spotless, still incredibly stunning in its simple architecture and style. He hadn’t found another more beautiful place in all his travels.
Rings of connected buildings around the central plaza glistened in the sun, their stone facades unblemished and timeless. In the center, watching over all of Caldara, were the giant statues of the Great Kings of Yre Gault. As long as he could remember, they had stood here as reminders of great men of a great world.
Tess craned her head to gaze up at them as the shuttle circled. “They must be fifty feet high. Who are they?”
“Yre Gault’s kings,” he said.
“Is your father here?”
He turned the shuttle away from the shadows of statues and onto a side street. “They stopped adding kings a long time ago. Now the plaza is used for ceremonial functions.”
She twisted around. “They are certainly impressive. Your people must have loved them.”
Cohl nodded absently. They had been loved and with good reason. He’d studied them all, from the first to his father’s current reign, and been overwhelmed by their greatness. Powerful, fearless men who ruled Yre Gault through good times and bad with absolute confidence and courage. Men who’d taken responsibility for millions of lives, men who cared. Men who had been willing to sacrifice their lives and their dreams.
Unselfish, wise, and ensnared by duty.
“Stop!” Tess screamed suddenly.
He slammed the shuttle to a dead stop and looked around for the problem. There wasn’t any.
“Damn it, Tess. Don’t do that.”
She was already out the door and running down an alley they had just passed. Cohl swore and jumped out to follow her, leaving the shuttle behind.
For a small woman, she could sure move. He didn’t catch her until she had cleared the other end of the alley. Then he glimpsed her destination: a quartet of street musicians on the corner. They were playing a lively instrumental with a strong beattypical Yre Gault music. How the hell had she heard their music from an entire street over?
“A band!” she exclaimed as she pointed to them, her cheeks flushed from the run and her green eyes brighter than he’d ever seen before. The smile on her face could send a proud man to his knees. It was the music that did this to her. Her dream, her calling. He doubted there was another thing that could bring that much life to her soul. For some reason, the thought made him jealous. Would she look like that for a man she loved?
She turned and ran across the street. He walked along after her and watched her jump right into the midst of the band. She picked up the beat, clapping her hands and dancing to the music, her body becoming a channel for the rhythm. The musicians seemed to sense one of their own because they accepted her intrusion with delight. She moved with such utter ease, swaying and swinging her hips as if the song emanated from inside her instead of from the musicians’ instruments.
After a few minutes, she broke into song, making up her own lyrics as she went. Cohl nearly stopped breathing. Her voice was ten times more amazing live than it had been on the transmission he’d heard across the galaxy. So pure and clear, untainted and unspoiled. The song for the song’s sake. In her face, the joy of the act was too beautiful for words.
The musicians reveled in her voice, playing the song on and on. From nowhere a crowd closed around them, all smiling and clapping and moving. Before long, Tess’s lyrics were being echoed down the street by a chorus of voices.
Cohl found himself lost in the moment, captivated by her. She was a performer, through and through, drawing them into the show, freeing their inhibitions. Beautiful. Perfect.
A sadness stole over him. This was what she was born to do and she knew it, allowing herself to be lost to it. He doubted anyone or anything could draw that much light from her soul.
“Aren’t you the prince?”
The small voice came from his left side. He looked into the face of a young woman who was smiling brightly.
Cohl frowned. The last thing he’d needed was for someone to recognize him, but it was too late. Face after face in the crowd turned his way. Their eyes lit up as they realized who he was. Shoot. Here it came. They would hate him for abandoning them. They’d probably drive him out of the city. He’d better find an escape route and fast.
“You are the prince. Welcome home,” the young woman said, her smile growing in radiance.
Cohl blinked at her. Then one by one, the others welcomed him by nodding or shaking his hand or by verbal greeting. The crowd seemed to squeeze around him as they peered over each other to get a glimpse. Questions popped up. Where was he staying? Had he found a mate? Could he do something about the export problems?
He smiled numbly at them, completely confused. Something must be wrong. How could they not hate him? They acted as if he’d never left. They acted as if he were here to stay.
