Chapter 10
Jon barely noticed as the cascade of turquoise and brown balloons flowed around him, rebounding cheerfully off of food-laden tables, empty chairs, and cheering observers. The hollowness in his heart made him unable to hear the applause, to take in more than a general sense of movement.
It was over. She was leaving.
The thoughts circled his mind, baffling him, refusing to settle down into any logical sense. How could it have happened so quickly? One moment he was pinning the diamond on his breast, was standing shoulder to shoulder with the other men, was so close to Nicole that he could breathe in her intoxicating scent. A heartbeat later she was shaking hands with Xerxes, was accepting a congratulatory embrace from Martin, and all too soon she would be shimmering out of sight. Her ship, and the men in it, would retreat to the distant reaches of the galaxy, and she would be gone.
It was almost too much to fathom.
She made a spiraling motion with her hand, and Jon’s feet were in motion before he realized it, pushing his way through the crowd to her side. As he approached he saw Richard on his right, Stephen on his left, and the other two quickly arrived as well.
Her gaze was apologetic as it came around to meet his. “I am sorry, Jon, but I need to talk with the others alone for a moment.”
Jon’s cheeks flushed with heat. “Of course,” he bit out. He was not one of them. He was not sure why he thought her call even included him. He stood still as she turned and moved the men into a side conference room, one with the word “Cybian” still embossed in amethyst letters on the door. And then that door closed solidly shut.
He stood staring at the door, oblivious to the swirl of music and celebration around him. A green-suited waiter was at his shoulder, offering a flute of Champagne, and he absently shook the man away. Were they planning how far to sail away this time? Would it be a year before they came back toward the core?
At long last the door opened, but only Sean slipped out, moving through the throngs to stand at Marcus’s side. A whispered comment in his ear and Marcus was nodding, accompanying Sean back to the conference room. The door sealed behind them.
Jon shook his head, desolation soaking into every bone, but he could not turn, not move away to sink into meaningless conversation with the laughing, joking people on every side. If all he could do is be this close to them for these final few minutes, then he would do it. He knew that in the mere beat of a heart it would all be over.
Long moments passed while his darkness swirled and thickened. Then the door pressed open and Marcus was standing in the entryway. He scanned the crowd, spotted Jon, and waved him in. Jon nodded in acceptance. They would be making their farewells now. A few words, some handshakes, perhaps a brief, formal embrace, and then only empty space would remain.
He stepped through the door into the room. An ivory marble table had been pushed to one side. Seven plush chairs in a rainbow of colors lined the opposite wall.
Nicole stood in the center of the room, the four men behind her, all still decked out in their silver phoenix outfits. The screw through Jon’s heart turned even more harshly. Her honor, her strength, called to him with a power almost beyond his comprehension. The men behind her would be more than brothers; they would be comrades in arms, men he could rely on with his life.
Nicole’s brow creased as he came to a stop before her. She started to say something, gave a slight shake of her head, and then asked in a low voice, “Is everything all right?”
He steadied his face to be even. “I am fine.”
The look in her eyes said that she did not believe it, and she glanced at Marcus for a moment before speaking. “This might seem an odd question but … what do you think of our group?”
What did he think of them?
The pain of the imminent loss, the gaping hole, nearly threatened to pull him in. He looked down at the diamond badge on her breast. It was all he could do to grind out, “You apparently are an immensely effective negotiator.”
Far too efficient.
She blinked, and a flicker of nervousness shimmered behind her eyes before she pursed her lips. “Thank you,” she returned, her gaze carefully drawing over him. “I was thinking more in terms of …”
She hesitated, and his eyes automatically went up to hers. A wave of longing hit him, so powerful that it nearly buckled his knees. Her mouth opened in surprise, and a sigh escaped from her lips. He could almost feel its warmth wash over him, and it was all he could do to remain in place, to not take the short step that would close the distance between them, to take her in his arms and never let her go.
Her words came out in a rush, as if some inner barrier had been overrun. “We want to attach ourselves to your ship. We want to become liaised with your crew, for a month, and then we can see –”
The words, their meaning, and the mixture of desire and hesitancy in her eyes all hit him with the force of a deluging waterfall. His voice came out of him as a low groan.
“Oh, Nicole …”
Richard’s voice came from one side, holding a lilt of amusement. “I take it that is a yes?”
“Gods, yes, yes,” murmured Jon, staring down into the green eyes before him. He could become lost in those eyes, become completely submerged and he would never wish to surface.
The door pulled open, a cacophony of noise came with it, and Zaggat stormed into the room, his small eyes gleaming with frustration. Nicole stepped away from Jon, turning to face the man, her movements sharp with annoyance.
Zaggat’s face twisted. “Nicole, there you are,” he snapped, pulling up before her. “It took me long enough to find you. Enough of this lolly-gagging. We need to get going.”
“Going where?” asked Nicole. Jon could hear the effort it took for her to keep a civil tone.
Zaggat waved a hand toward the sky. “To Sygma Eight, of course! The trade negotiation between the Xyler corporation and the Capotans is of critical importance. We must leave immediately.”
She gave a shake of her head. “I know all about that negotiation. It is a minor but tedious issue that needs months to untangle. It can easily be handled by a junior team.”
Zaggat took a step toward her, and Jon restrained his urge to move with him. Around him he could see the other team members come to alert, their shoulders tensing, their hands flexing.
Zaggat’s finger raised to point in her face. “I swore to the Xylers that you would be there to protect their interests,” he growled. “You will be there in three days if I have to hog-tie you and drag you there in chains.”
Nicole’s face went still, and Jon wondered that Zaggat remained so close to her, that he did not see the clear warning signs of the danger he was in. Her voice, when it came, was deceptively cool. “That may be how you treat Xyler’s wife, when you seduce her in that grimy love-nest you take her to, but you will never lay one hand on me.”
Zaggat’s face flared crimson, and his hands balled into fists. “You will not speak of Agatha,” he growled. “Her husband is a jealous man; I will not have you recklessly endanger her.”
Nicole shook her head, staring at Zaggat with more attention. “Surely you realize that the woman is putting on an act, in order to get you to support her husband’s cause,” she stated, half in surprise. “Her husband knows all about your liaisons and if anything is frustrated that she has not gotten you to act more quickly. The only reason she has spread her legs –”
Jon’s world staggered into slow motion. Zaggat’s hand raised, then swung with all the force of his body’s weight behind it toward her head. Nicole began her dodge with the lightning-fast reflexes he had seen in action at the bar. And yet, inconceivably, she stopped, held still, and Zaggat’s half-closed fist connected solidly with the side of her skull.
She went down hard to the floor.
The world spun up into motion. Jon slammed Zaggat’s right hand into the far wall in perfect time with Richard pounding the left in place. Stephen’s gun was out, and the gleam in his eyes indi
cated he was strongly tempted to use it.
Sean dropped to Nicole’s side, his hand carefully cradling her head, looking attentively into each eye.
“Are you all right?”
She carefully nodded, but it was a long moment before she put her hand up to his arm and allowed him to help her to her feet. She moved to stand before Zaggat, a hint of a smile tweaking the corner of her mouth.
“You do know you just assaulted a superior officer,” she calmly informed him.
In quick succession Zaggat’s face moved between pride, confusion, and nervousness. “But you are a captain, as am I,” he finally stuttered out in a defensive tone.
Nicole raised her left hand to her shoulder, sweeping her hair up and away from her collar. Jon could see now that the three dots of captain were actually the four dots of an Admiral position.
Zaggat’s eyes widened with fear for a moment, then he swallowed and dragged a look of satisfaction back onto his face. “So I will be punished for a short while,” he stated with pride. “I would gladly do that for my Agatha. I will talk with my father, and he will force the committee to send you. Especially now that you’ve lured me into this damaging action.”
Nicole’s smile grew wider, and her hand moved down to the insignia pin. With a twist it was off in her hand. She dropped it down onto the polished surface of the ivory table.
One by one Sean, Ian, and Stephen followed suit. Richard took one last look at Jon, then released Zaggat’s arm, stepping away from him to move to Nicole’s side. His pin followed the others.
Zaggat’s voice rose to shrill heights. “You cannot do this! How will you leave? The scout ship is Collective property!”
The door slid open, and Xerxes stepped into the room. He looked around first with interest, then with growing seriousness as he sensed the emotion of the room.
Nicole nodded at the man Jon still pinned to the wall. “I am sure Xerxes can explain everything to you, Zaggat. The ship is mine. And now, my time is my own as well. I wish you the best of luck.”
She turned then to Jon. Her gaze held satisfaction, regret, and something more he could not quite pin down. Perhaps the faintest spark of a teasing wink?
Then there was a shimmering, a fading, and they were gone.
Jon was left in the empty room, his heart echoing hollow, and his sense of loss was complete.
The vision of her eyes filled him …
Determination fired within him, a small kindle at first, and then it billowed into a searing flame. His hands clenched in determination. Whatever it took, however long he had to search, he would find her again. He knew now why his heart had ached all these long years.
She had found him. She had opened his eyes to what life could offer. And now it was his turn to prove he was worthy of being by her side.
But first he had to find her.
Thank you for reading Aquarian Awakenings! The sequel to this is Betelgeuse Beguiling –
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Dedication
To Ruth, who always offers wonderful feedback and suggestions.
To Wil, whose sci-fi stories inspire me.
To Gemma, who offered wonderful feedback on an early copy.
To my sweetheart, Bob, who inspires me daily.
Most of all, to my loyal fans on Facebook Goodreads, Google+, Twitter, and my other feeds. It is thanks to your encouragement that I write my stories!
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Glossary
Avignes – planet near destruction due to its local star.
Collective – pact of peace involving over 800 planets, designed for mutual defense and sharing of research.
Cybian – cloud dwelling race with a focus on elegance and refinement.
Glandy – resort planet often chosen for hosting diplomatic events.
Glasblade – transparent, glass-based knife with a razor-sharp edge.
Hun – warrior culture ruled by a dynasty system tracing its roots for a thousand years.
Luxor – lighter-than-Earth-gravity planet. Native race has violet hair and six arms.
Mercodians – legendary assassins with a fierce reputation.
Nikita – legendary Hun queen who supposedly first ascended the throne a thousand years ago, and who reincarnates through successive generations.
Patar – cave dwelling race which values manual labor and hard work.
Raisa Dwa – planet torn by civil war.
Vercador Sept – slum planet of factories and smugglers.
About the Author
Some of my earliest memories are of watching reruns of the original Star Trek show. I loved dreaming about far off planets and exotic species. When I was seven, Star Wars hit the big screen, and I went to see it ten times in the theater. My obsession was fully hooked.
I love stories that explore how humans in all eras of history share the same basic fears and dreams. It doesn’t matter what type of technology we develop or how far we roam. We still have the same core hopes – to love, to feel cared for, and to find meaning in our existence.
We might live longer. We might travel further. We might tap into senses we barely knew existed. Still, at our core, our souls will remain the same.
All proceeds from the Aquarian Awakenings / Collective Saga series benefit local battered women's shelters.
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