Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Amellia wasn’t enjoying her evening out as much as she’d expected to. About halfway through dinner she got a sudden raging headache and her stomach cramped ominously. “I think I’d better go home,” she said to her friends.
“Your cheeks have gone terribly pale,” said one.
“Let me get you a groundcar,” said another.
The group gathered around her, escorting her outside the restaurant, finding her a taxi, exhorting her to rest, suggesting various folk remedies in a cacophony that made her head hurt even more and issuing exhortations to call them in the morning.
Then as her vehicle pulled away from the curb, her friends rushed inside to continue their night of merrymaking.
Amellia sank against the groundcar’s cushions with a sigh of regret and gritted her teeth against the headache, praying to make it home before her dinner reappeared in embarrassing fashion.
Once safely in her apartment, she took several over-the-counter remedies, changed into her coziest pajamas and curled up on her couch with her cat.
Idly she keyed up the latest episode of ‘Planet of Entwined Lives’ and let the trideo play, in hopes the convoluted plot would distract her.
“I guess it’s a good thing Hagan didn’t ask me out tonight after all,” she said to the cat, stroking its soft ears. “It would have been so embarrassing.”
Thoughts of him made her feel better so she indulged in a few daydreams about what it might be like to spend time with him out of the office.
She wasn’t up to her steamier fantasies, not tonight, but there was no denying Hagan was a gorgeous guy and so considerate.
“He’s always so nice to me,” she told the cat, who purred serenely. “He even brought me a present today.”
The trideo adventure story was moving into total unreality, and her head was spinning too much to follow all the twists of who was betraying who and why, so she flicked the holo off and decided to go to bed.
The notification panel for her front door chimed and she glanced at the clock in disbelief. Who would call on her at this late hour? Her friends were all off enjoying themselves, where she should have been.
The door chimed again, longer and more insistently.
Maybe one of the neighbors needs help. Shoving her feet into her fluffy faux pombatt slippers because the floor was cold, Amellia made it to the door and checked the vid. “Hagan?!”
Hastily she opened the portal. “What are you doing here? How do you even know where I live?”
“I apologize for disturbing your peaceful evening,” he said with a formal air. “May I come in? I’ll explain everything but I’m afraid I have bad news to impart.”
He did look a bit peaked she noticed as she retreated and he moved into the light in the living room.
His usually bright green skin with the iridescent scales was faded and a few scales were missing.
One popped up on his forearm and fell to the floor as she watched.
“Are you all right?” she asked. “Do you need a glass of water or anything?”
“How do you feel is the more important question.” His emerald green eyes glowed a little as he scanned her up and down.
Blushing because she was wearing her pajamas with the anime characters and the big slippers, she held her robe closely around her and mentally said goodbye to any hopes she’d ever had of dating this man, much less going to bed together.
“I know I must look a mess. I have a migraine and an upset stomach.”
“Oh no.” For a moment Hagan doubled over as if he’d taken a blow to the gut and then stepped forward to grab her arm so suddenly she was flooded with adrenalin and uttered a squeak. “When?” he asked urgently. “When did this start?”
She twisted awkwardly in the direction of the chrono. “I don’t know, maybe three hours ago? What does it matter? What is going on with you tonight?”
He slid his hand down her arm and clasped her fingers. “Don’t be alarmed—I’d never hurt you. But I do have bad news to impart. May we sit?”
“Of course.” She drew him to the couch and the cat departed with a hiss, making room for them to sit.
“I had so much I wanted to say to you at the proper time,” he said, holding her hand a bit desperately. “You’re special, Amellia. I’d never met any woman like you before and I was—am—so powerfully attracted to you. I think we’re fated mates—”
“Like—like instalove?” She let out a gasp, wondering how to handle this revelation. “I mean, I find you attractive and I won’t deny I’d love to go out with you but we barely know each other outside the office.”
He nodded, his face set in serious lines.
“My people believe on occasion a fated mate will be granted to a fortunate individual by the gods. I never heard of it happening with a human but I knew the instant we were introduced you were a woman I could so easily fall in love with. And while we were working together, I did. But now in my attempt to do the honorable thing, I’ve brought utter disaster upon both of us. ”
“Does this discussion have to do with the box you’re holding?” She pointed at the container gripped tightly in the coils of his tail.
He set the box on her coffee table as she watched in fascination. “Did you know my people are born of eggs?”
She blushed. “I might have done a bit of research when you were assigned to the office.” Nervously she ran her hand through her hair and focused on the box, licking her lips. “To make sure I could provide you the best support.”
“Of course. Your thoroughness is an attribute I admire greatly,” he said but his involuntary assessment of her other, more physical attributes was highly appreciative.
With a self-conscious cough, he averted his eyes and straightened.
“When clutches are laid at high born Houses, there’s a ceremony known as egg matching, whereby certain individuals are entered into alliances by their parents—”
Amellia hadn’t seen any references to this ritual.
Actually she’d stopped doing research after discovering the Zackmarune were egg layers.
She’d done a little checking on whether human women could mate with a male from the alien planet, got discouraged by all the scientific mumbo jumbo and checked it out on an interstellar chat board, where she’d learned they could, and could even have children with a bit of medical intervention.
None of the information helped tonight with this bizarre conversation.
“Before they hatch? How do the parents know who to put with whom?”
“There are subtle markers on the eggs, which skilled priests can interpret through the use of sacred lanterns. The thing is, I was egg matched with one who became Sharshanna, a beautiful but spoiled daughter of another House.” He flicked a glance at her and smiled ruefully.
“I fled my planet at adulthood and joined the Sectors military to escape our match truthfully. We’re long lived and there was plenty of time to be tail fasted.
Honestly, she was such a schemer and climber, I hoped she’d manage an alliance with royalty and jilt me. ”
Watching his face, Amellia was struck by the tension in his clenched jaw and the pulse beating hard at his temple. “But she didn’t?”
“Oh, she schemed and maneuvered with the best of them no doubt but hadn’t quite achieved her goals.
I must explain in these modern times it’s common and quite accepted to sever the egg match once adulthood arrives.
My taking the course of action carries no shame or dishonor for either of us.
I think many people were probably surprised I’d waited so long to take the step.
She’d certainly provided enough provocation. ”
Reassurance seemed necessary so Amellia patted his hand. “I believe you.”
Hagan responded earnestly. “I wanted to be free to court you with honor.”
There was silence. Hoping to advance the conversation and get to the meat of whatever Hagan believed he needed to tell her, Amellia pointed at the box. “Is this what was delivered to the office while you were out in the field?”
“Yes.” He stirred the leaves with the tip of his tail, pulled out a coil of red vine and dropped it distastefully. “She took my actions badly.”
“How badly?”
“She’s cast a curse on us.”
Jaw dropping, Amellia couldn’t help herself and burst into laughter.
“I’m sorry,” she gasped, trying to smother her amusement as Hagan blinked.
“A curse? Really? And that’s what has you so worried?
In this day and age I hardly think we need to give it a second thought, even if she did send you a funky old box full of rodent skulls or dead flowers or whatever.
Unless she hired D’nvannae assassins too, we’re probably going to be fine. ”
Hagan remained serious. “I could handle the assassins—let them try to get past me to harm you. But this curse—there’s nothing to be done. At dawn we’ll both die.”
An awkward silence fell. Amellia took a deep breath and rose from the couch. “I’m going to make us some coffee. I’ll even break out the good stuff, none of the synthetic caff beans, and then we can go over the details of this problem again. Are you hungry? I could throw together sandwiches.”
“Without fail you’re so kind and considerate,” he said. “I wish I’d gone ahead and courted you from the moment I first arrived.”
“I wish you had too,” she said before she could stop the words. “But cheer up, I’m sure we’ll be joking about this tomorrow night. I’ll treat you to dinner to celebrate.”
He shook his head, dislodging two more of the beautiful scales.
Her cat emerged from under the couch to chase the shiny octagons as they bounced on the carpet.
“We’re doomed. By this time tomorrow our families will be mourning us.
” Slamming his fist on the table, he made her jump in surprise.
“I wish I’d never brought this curse on your head. ”