The Bond That Ties Us Read online

  Suddenly, she sat upright in bed and knew that Kamran was on the move and coming in her direction. Strange that that it took only a few rounds of mind-blowing sex to awaken one’s sixth sense.

  She thought she should close her eyes to concentrate on his movements, but it turned out that she didn’t need to. Her awareness, coupled with her memory of the station schematics, made it more than easy to track his progress.

  He wasn’t happy, more antsy than aggravated. She smiled—that must be her fault.

  No, that wasn’t it. Haylie frowned, not used to the strange sensations she was now experiencing. The more she concentrated, the faster she lost the feeling. All she knew for sure was that Kamran was on his way to her.

  She took a deep breath and concentrated on relaxing her tensed neck muscles. Nothing seemed to work. Her body was hyperaware of everything. And somehow she was even more aroused than before. Her nipples hardened and she felt the moisture building in her pussy once more.

  Haylie knew the second he entered the long corridor that led to her quarters. Her heartbeat began to trip over itself. Not fair. Why the hell wasn’t her brain in control of her body anymore?

  As suddenly as his journey to her started, something halted it. What the hell? Haylie threw the blanket off, but struggled to get her sheet untangled from around her feet and get out of bed. She hopped on one foot and somehow managed to keep her balance. She’d have to remember to take her shoes off next time.

  Her short delay with the bedding was enough to prevent her from making it to the hallway in time. She could already sense Kamran going away. She froze for a second, indecision keeping her locked in place until she gave her head a shake. Like she would let him get away that easy.

  Haylie slammed her hand against the door sensor and took a step into the hall. She looked up in time to have Sara run smack into her.

  “Oh my God, are you okay?” Sara held her forehead as she spoke.

  “Other than my newly acquired headache, I’m great.”

  Haylie had to give her head a shake to try and clear away the burst of pain.

  “Did I hit your nose? You’re bleeding. Let me see.”

  Haylie swatted Sara’s hands away from her face. “Can we at least go inside first? I don’t want to bleed over the hallway.”

  “I wonder if the food dispenser can manufacture some ice.”

  Sara shoved her way past Haylie and made a beeline for the console along the back wall. Within minutes, Haylie was sitting back on her bed with a cloth full of ice cubes.

  “Do I tilt forward or back? I never remember.”

  “Here. Like this. And stop talking.”

  Sara adjusted Haylie’s head until it was tilted slightly forward, but not too far down. A newfound tension in her neck started to scream at her.

  “Well, that’s comfortable.” Haylie didn’t even bother to hide her sarcasm.

  “I could run back to the med bay and get a cauterizer, but the bleeding would have stopped by the time I got back.”

  “I’ll be fine. But if you broke my nose I’ll kick your ass.”

  “Stop talking. And it’s not my fault you weren’t looking where I was going. Where the hell were you going in such a hurry, anyway? I figured you’d be sound asleep by this time. Wait, don’t answer. Hold that thought for five minutes. I don’t want you to talk until the bleeding stops.”

  The last thing Haylie wanted to do was explain the evening’s events to Sara right now. The five-minute delay gave her a small amount of breathing room. At least long enough to come up with a lame excuse.

  “I thought I heard something…outside. I was going to investigate.” Haylie said as she pulled the now wet and bloody cloth away from her face, allowing Sara to examine her injury.

  “And you complain about me never taking it easy. Heard something outside of a soundproofed room. Crazy girl.” Sara’s frown deepened as she cleaned the remaining blood from Haylie’s face. “Man, I didn’t hit you that hard. Not hard enough to cause this. Did you do something earlier to your nose?”

  “No. Could be the dry air?” Haylie cringed. She didn’t remember hitting her face during her sexual escapades earlier that night. A side effect to great Briel sex?

  “Maybe. Keep an eye on it. You’ve been acting weird since we arrived. I may want to run some tests if strange things keep happening. And don’t bother to try to argue this time.”

  “Yes, Doc.”

  “Good. Now that we have that settled, we need to find you a man.”

  Haylie started to cough. “What?”

  “Don’t do that, or you’ll start your nose bleeding again. You need a man. Someone who will take your mind off things.”

  Oh, if only she knew.

  “You know how I am on the dating scene.”

  “Roger doesn’t count. He was a jerk, anyway,” Sara said and waved her hand in the air as if she were swatting a fly.

  “Yes, well, according to him, I’m a cold bitch who generates as much heat as an ice cube. I believe that’s an exact quote.”

  Sara leaned in close. “Did he say that before or after you arrested him for smuggling?”

  She had a point. “After. But our relationship was faltering before that.”

  “Gee, I wonder why.” Sara rolled her eyes. “You need a real man. Speaking of which, you’ll never guess who just stopped me outside the door. Don’t bother, ‘cause you won’t get it.”

  Haylie didn’t miss a beat. “Ambassador Kamran?”

  “No, it was Ambassador…hey, how did you know? You’re not going all psychic on me again, are you?” Sara inspected her through squinted eyes.

  “No, it was a lucky guess.”

  “How the hell do you make a guess like that?”

  Haylie gave a noncommittal shrug. “Easy. I figured out who you thought the most unlikely person in the world was to come visit me and said that name. Hence, Ambassador Kamran.”

  Sara harrumphed. “I guess that’s why you’re in security.”

  “Now what did he want?”

  “Who?” Sara grinned.

  “Smart ass. The ambassador.” Haylie grinned back and remembered to unclench her teeth so she wouldn’t look vicious.

  “Well, he first told me to call him Kamran.” Sara fluttered her eyelashes. “Second, he said you needed to have this.”

  Sara retrieved a data pad she’d set down next to the food dispenser on her way to gather ice.

  The cool plastic of the thin device seemed strange as it touched Haylie’s fingers. She could feel the residual warmth of his hands clinging to the device. Impossible. Haylie tapped her fingers along the bottom edge just below the control buttons. Why would he send her this?

  “Did he say what this was for?”

  “No. But I’m assuming it’s for something or other related to security. Why else would the Briel ambassador send you a data pad?”

  Haylie cringed, “True.”

  “Look, I’m beat. I’m going to pop into the bathroom for a quick minute to clean your blood off my hands and get a warm cloth so you can wash your face. Read your message and then we both need some sleep. Doctor’s orders.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Haylie waited until Sara left the room before activating the message. The backlight on the pad was bright, causing Haylie to squint for a second before her eyes adjusted.

  Ms. Bond.

  It was a pleasure to meet you this evening. I’m sorry that we had to cut our meeting short, but I hope we can continue our conversation in the future. Here is the information you requested on the background of my people. I hope you find it an interesting read. I would also like to discuss with you the potential of pooling our security resources. I hope you will be able to fit me into your schedule sometime tomorrow. Thank you for your time.

  Ambassador Kamran.

  A history lesson and an excuse for another date. She remembered what he had said about the Briel not having casual relationships and smiled. Maybe this was his way of getting to see her w
ithout raising suspicion. She knew he wasn’t going to be able to stay away. She could tell by the way he stood back in her office. His body was taut, like he was concentrating extra hard to hold still. She hadn’t meant to push him earlier, but she couldn’t resist. It had taken every ounce of her self control not to touch him, but the look on his face as she’d pulled away had been worth it.

  “You look like the cat that ate the canary. Did he ask you out or something?” Sara said tossing her a warm cloth from the bathroom.

  Haylie looked up fast from the data pad and barely managed to catch it. Better not to lie to Sara. She’d know anyway. “Briel don’t date. They find their mate through some weird biology trick and stay with that person forever. The ambassador and I were…ah…discussing it earlier tonight.”

  “Really? Damn.” Sara actually looked disappointed.

  “Why?”

  “Oh nothing. There was a really nice Briel doctor that I met tonight. Never mind.”

  Interesting. “Hey, I’m not entirely sure how it works. Don’t give up on your doctor yet.”

  Sara waved Haylie’s concerns away. “So you met up with the ambassador? I leave you for a few hours and you develop a social life? What else did you do tonight?”

  Images of Kamran devouring her breasts sent a tremor straight to her clit. Squirming where she sat only increased the sudden buildup of desire. If she didn’t do something to relieve herself there was no way she’d get any sleep.

  It took a minute for her head to clear, but she felt her face heat. Thank god, Sara was too busy getting changed to notice the blush. “I went for a short walk and ran into Administrator Donaldson. He told me to call him Sean,” She tried to mimic Sara’s earlier announcement and was rewarded with a giggle from her friend. “I then ate at a Briel restaurant and…ah…spent some time in the observation room before coming home.”

  “Wow, you’re on a roll. An ambassador and the colony’s administrator in the same day. And you’ve only been here, what, seven hours? I’m thinking coming here was a good idea for your sex life.”

  Haylie couldn’t help but laugh. “You have no idea.”

  A now changed Sara collapsed on to her bed. “I don’t think I’ll move for a week.” Her voice was muffled by the pillow.

  Haylie shook her head. She’d been so wrapped up in her own affairs, she’d selfishly neglected her friend. “I’m sorry. How is your patient? I heard there was a problem with an environment suit.”

  Sara rolled onto her side and yawned widely. “The miner will be okay. Some sort of freak accident with the oxygen controls. I’m going to go back early tomorrow to check on him. Hopefully, I’ll get to squeeze in a tour of the entertainment district once I’m done. This is quite the station.”

  “You’ve got that right. Get some sleep. We can chat at lunch tomorrow.” As Haylie spoke, she swung her legs under her own sheets.

  “Sounds good. Maybe you can take me to that Briel place you found tonight.” Sara managed to say through a yawn.

  “It’s a date. Now get some sleep.”

  Haylie watched her friend pass out from exhaustion, before turning off the lights and closing her own eyes. Sleep conquered her quickly.

  Despite what he said, her dreams didn’t focus on Kamran. It was a strange sensation. She knew she was dreaming but couldn’t quite force herself to wake up. It was like seeing herself on one of the security vid screens. The dark halls in her mind mirrored the station. In her dream, Haylie watched as she walked down a narrow corridor, leading to a room at the end. That wasn’t in the schematic. Was it?

  The door was locked. She didn’t have to try to open it to know. What was behind it?

  Open it. Administrator Donaldson spoke in her ear. He stood behind her, causing goose bumps to crawl across her skin. His nearness was familiar yet alien at the same time.

  Haylie wanted to run away, but Donaldson prevented her by wrapping his arms around her body.

  Go on. You have the key. I know you want to see what’s inside.

  She shook her head violently from side to side. Why was she so scared? Haylie wanted to tell him it was locked, but she knew he wouldn’t believe her. She closed her eyes and found her back was being pushed against the corridor wall. Donaldson stared at her, expressionless.

  Since you don’t want to see what’s behind the door, maybe you’d rather be with me.

  Her mouth opened, but the words of protest didn’t come. Donaldson slid his face close to hers with the steady persistence of an ant. She couldn’t move. She hated not being able to do anything. She watched, trying to scream at her other self to get out of there, but with no success.

  Donaldson kissed her. Haylie felt the contact of his skin. The cold methodical way in which he moved his lips against hers. There was no passion in the press of skin against skin, no butterflies in her stomach or pleasure humming from her core. It was like he wasn’t really human, only a husk of a man.

  When he pulled back, he smiled. It was then that Haylie saw that he was missing all of his teeth. She watched her own mouth open in surprise and quickly turn to horror as Donaldson morphed into some kind of monster.

  She began to run then, the Donaldson monster only a few feet behind her.

  Quickly turning a corner, Haylie found herself suddenly bathed in soft amber light. The monster couldn’t enter the room and it howled in rage at the loss of its prey.

  Haylie couldn’t quite make out the shapes in her dream room. They appeared tall, but shapeless. She tried to call out to them, but her voice still wouldn’t work.

  Haylie.

  The voice that called her name was familiar and she struggled to place it.

  Haylie.

  Nearer now. The glow of the room dulled into a brown wash. It was then she felt the touch on her shoulder.

  “Yo, Haylie. Wake up already.”

  Sara gave her one final shake before Haylie managed to pry her eyes open.

  “What?” Her voice was gravelly, but she was relieved that she was able to use it.

  “What do you mean, what? Time to get up.”

  Sara stood in a crisp jumpsuit, her new uniform. Haylie gave her head a sharp shake, trying to clear the cobwebs.

  “What do you mean, ‘time to get up’? I just closed my eyes. This better not be one of your jokes, ‘cause I’ll flatten you.”

  Sara quietly walked over to the wall console. “Computer, time please.”

  “The time is zero eight hundred hours and fourteen minutes.” The clipped sanitized voice promptly replied.

  “Holy crap.” Haylie threw the covers back and bolted to her trunk.

  “I think the travel and all your excitement yesterday, pardon the pun, did you in. Want some breakfast from the food dispenser? It does a reasonable impersonation of bread. Oh, and they’ve perfected coffee!”

  Haylie hardly heard as she ripped apart her clothing trunk. “What…oh yes. Bagel, please. With butter.”

  “Trying the fake dairy. Brave girl. You know the two of us are going to have to remember to unpack sooner or later. I’ll never find a man if I’m dressing in my uniform all the time,” Sara said as she slipped her medical coat on over her jumpsuit.

  Ignoring her friend, Haylie quickly set to work cleaning up. The image in the mirror was nearly as scary as the monster in her dream. Mentally pushing those thoughts away, she tried to focus on preparing for the day.

  In record time, Haylie slid into her new uniform. The sleek, composite body armor was still stiff and rubbed her in interesting places. If the thick coating wasn’t so important in keeping her safe from laser blasts, she would have changed into something more comfortable. Now that she was officially on duty and people would recognize her, the chances of her being a target had increased. Next, she set about tackling the mess of hair and managed to force it into a thick braid.

  Sara thrust a round, darkened blob that looked like bread under her nose. “Here, eat. You still have lots of time to make it.”

  “I hate being late. E
specially on my first day.”

  “You’re not late. Well,” she fixed the collar on Haylie’s uniform, “not yet anyway. Eat, get a coffee. Give yourself a few minutes to wake up.”

  “I hva metn aa nin.”

  “And I’m supposed to know what you just said? I know your father told you not to talk with your mouth full.” Sara smiled.

  Haylie swallowed. “I said I have a meeting at nine. I have to haul ass.”

  Haylie gave Sara a quick hug and shoved the rest of the bagel in her mouth.

  Sara’s voice chased her out of the apartment. “I’ll come find you at lunch. You can take me to your spot.”

  The echoes of her footfalls bounced around the corridor behind her as she moved in record time toward her office. She would have thought it would be an easy record to break, considering she’d walked it slowly the last time. Things were never that easy for her. The corridors were filled with people moving about doing their daily tasks. The halls that were dead a few hours earlier, now buzzed with life.

  She heard hellos from some of the new arrivals and waved as she zipped past them. The sun shone through the small windows in the hall of the living area, casting shadows on the floor. Haylie jogged in and out of the light and dark patches on the floor, wishing she’d had a few minutes to stop and take in the sights of her new home.

  She passed the hallway that led to the entertainment section and paused. There were two human guards flanking the entrance and neither looked impressed. It seemed a useless assignment for a security team that was dangerously understaffed to begin with.

  Haylie smiled. She couldn’t pass an opportunity to introduce herself, and to see how her new crew would react. Spinning on her toes, she made her way to the guards.

  “Gentlemen,” she said briskly.

  The first guard barely paid her any notice, but the second straightened immediately.

  “Good morning, Chief.”

  “Shit,” the first guard said and also straightened. “Morning, ma’am.”

  “Gentlemen. Why are you posted here?”

  “Ma’am, Administrator Donaldson wanted the bar down the corridor closed for a twenty-eight-hour time period. We had an incident last night where a miner was killed in a fight.”