“You are our water baby,” his grandmotherhad joked.
At Fleet Academy he had been the captain ofthe swim team and had won every medal offered many times over. His senior yearhe had represented his country in the Coalition of Federated Worlds UniversalGames held in Bhreatain and had come away with fourteen gold medals—the mostany swimmer had ever won.
Now, he thought as he sat looking at hisrippling reflection, all he could do was stare hungrily at the water, tryingday by day to find the courage needed to dive into the water.
A sharp, agonizing pain stabbed into hisright kidney and he bent forward over it.
“Leave me alone. I’m not going to jump in,”he whispered to his queen. Her jagged bite pierced him once more then fadedaway.
He heard the ship before he saw it. It wasa low drone that shook the ground beneath his bare rump and when he looked upat the sleek silver belly of the Class 7 LRC as it sailed past overhead, hefelt strong vibrations coming from it that made his testicles tighten.
Getting to his feet, he watched the ship,tracked it with his amber gaze, until it disappeared momentarily behind thetall canopy of the trees. With his eyes trained on the high summit of MountKorak, the LRC came back into view and soared over what the inhabitants ofTheristes called the Wings of the Raven—the two-mountain range that had formedin the shape of a giant flying bird, its wings arched gracefully from a tallcentral peak that resembled a bird’s beak in profile. The striations down thetwo mountains caused by the winds looked like feathers carved in rock.
As the long-range cruiser glided downbehind Mount Korak, the Reaper stood there for a moment longer. His heart wasthudding painfully in his chest. He knew whoever was on that ship had come toTheristes for him. His fate awaited there. For good or bad, his knew his lifewas about to be disrupted still again.
* * * * *
Shanee was stunned at the beauty of thepeople gathering on the grassy veldt to welcome them to Theristes. Not a stitchof clothing in sight, these gorgeous humanoids seemed unconcerned with theirnakedness and genuinely pleased they had visitors. They were smiling,waving—long limbs gleaming in the sun, lush breasts jiggling, heavy genitalsbobbing…
“Stop!” Shanee ordered her imagination asshe stared in openmouthed wonder at the tall man who had stepped forward togreet them.
“That is Tariq,” the captain of the LRC Midiantold her. “He is the Prime Reaper, the leader of his people.” He loweredhis voice. “And a captive on R-9 for…”
“Over fifty years,” Shanee said. She’d doneher homework and she knew all about the man the Alliance scientists had calledthe djinn. She also knew the statuesque white-haired beauty at his side was hislady-wife Bahiya.
It was Bahiya who held Shanee’s attention.Though she’d seen other women with white hair like her own, those women hadbeen well past their prime, into their golden years. Never had she seen anotherof her thirty-odd years with such hair. And the Reaper’s woman was tall andlithe and perfectly proportioned. Standing beside her husband, they were themost beautiful people Shanee had ever seen. Not even Rory Quinn could hold acandle to Tariq. The Reaper was prime indeed.
Shanee saw the Prime Reaper grin and hisgaze met hers. She blushed—knowing he had intercepted her wayward thought. Herface felt as though she had opened the door to a fiery furnace and stuck herhead inside.
“Welcome, Captain Bartlett,” Tariq said,coming toward them with his hand out. As he grasped the captain’s forearm in astrong grip, his eyes slid playfully to Shanee. “And a most gracious welcome toyou, Lieutenant Colonel Iphito.”
As soon as his hand gripped her arm, Shaneecould feel the strength of power that ran through this man. He was intenselysensual with his handsome features and all-seeing eyes, but it was theundercurrent of authority that passed from his body to hers. She knew this manwould make a formidable opponent.
“There is no conflict here, Colonel,” Tariqsaid. “You and I will become good friends.”
Shanee blinked. “You believe so?” sheasked, casting a quick look to the stunning woman at the Prime Reaper’s side.
“I know so,” he said. “Your fate lies hereon Theristes.” He looked down at his wife. “Doesn’t it, beloved?”
Bahiya nodded. “It does.” She steppedforward and stunned Shanee by embracing her as a sister or mother would.“Welcome, sister.”
Shanee had never been hugged by anyoneexcept in a moment of careless passion. Her own ken did not behave in such afashion and it embarrassed her for a moment before she realized that thefriendship offered by Bahiya and her mate was genuine and extended withoutexpectation of anything but its return in kind.
“You have come to speak to Ailyn,” Tariqsaid.
Once more Shanee was taken aback. Shehadn’t known word had been sent to Theristes in preparation for her arrival.
“Reapers know these things, Shanee,” Tariqdeclared then lifted an eyebrow. “May I call you by your given name?”
“Aye,” Shanee said, lost in the goldensparkles flashing in his kind eyes.
“I am Tariq and this is Bahiya, as youknow, and these are our people.”
Shanee nodded to the beautiful crowd whowas gathered around them.
“So he is here?” she asked to hideher embarrassment for her recalcitrant glance had dipped to Tariq’s verywell-endowed package.
“He is and he knows you have come to seehim. His abode is beyond Mount Korak and the way is perilous after nightfall. Isuggest you stay here for the remainder of the day, meet our people and eatwith us. Tomorrow I will have someone lead you to Ailyn.”
She turned to the yeoman who hadaccompanied her from the ship. “Tell the captain to let General Strom knowLieutenant Harmattan is here and that I will be speaking to him tomorrow.”
“Aye, aye, Ma’am,” the yeoman said. Heturned to head back to the ship.
“You will be spending time with us,Shanee?” Tariq asked. “A month of rest?”
“Aye,” she said, staring into his eyes.
“You
