Chapter 4 #2
“No, that’s a brilliant decision on my part because I’ve fallen in love with you,” she said.
“I meant more like not realizing to get to the damn cove I had to antigrav jump and zipline and climb cliffs. I looked at the pretty holos and said yeah, I want to be there. I’ve gotten to know you, my heart knows your heart and I’m sure this is right. ”
He tapped the new mark on her chest. “Do you want to know what this is?”
“I thought we decided it was a bruise?” She craned her neck to see it and was surprised to find the spot had grown much more defined, almost like a miniature pawprint.
“You called it that,” he corrected her gently.
“It’s a fated mate mark. It means you and I are fated mates, which is a thing among the luckiest of my people.
Not everyone meets their fated mate but two people can fall in love and marry and be wildly happy without the extra symbol.
One of my brothers is married to the girl of his dreams and she doesn’t carry the fated mate mark. ”
“What if I’d said no?”
“The mark would fade and go away over time,” he said sadly.
“What if this brother of yours meets a woman who does have the fated mate mark?”
“He won’t. It doesn’t work like that. Once an Ardannan man commits to a woman the whole fated mate question is closed forever, one way or the other.”
“That’s reassuring. How about you, do you get a mark?”
“No.”
Helaine suspected he wasn’t telling her everything but she didn’t care.
Being a human from Earth who read a lot of romance novels, she found it exciting to have Latham’s fated mate mark but she wasn’t going to worry about him not having a matching one.
He could get a tattoo. It was a topic for later.
“A bit sexist, don’t you think?” she teased.
“It’s genetics, sweetheart, not in my control,” he protested.
“I was kidding, mostly. Is it just me or is the islet getting smaller?” She eyed the sandy boundary nervously.
“I think you’re imagining it but I’m ready to pack up and go if you are. If we want to see the waterfall the Harlecky folks were talking about, we’d better get back and change.”
“And hike. Oh goody, I can wear my favorite hiking boots again,” she said with sarcasm.
“It’s a short hike and I think you’re sexy in the boots,” he said.
“Really?” Helaine gave the footwear in question a critical look. Maybe he liked laces?
“I think you’re sexy in anything. Or nothing.” He nuzzled her shoulder.
Although flattered Helaine was getting anxious about the idea of the tide covering up the islet while they were lingering, so she kissed him on the cheek and got up to fix her clothing.
The beach at the cove was deserted as Latham steered their boat to the dock.
“The Harlecky contingent must be having one of their meetings,” Helaine said as he handed her out of the boat.
“Judging by what we’ve seen they’ll take a break soon enough.
” He made the rope fast as she walked toward their bungalow.
When he finished the mundane task, he stood for a moment eyeing the beach.
It felt too quiet to him and the back of his neck tingled the way it used to on combat patrols right before the enemy attacked.
No enemies here, he reminded himself fiercely.
Glancing at the bungalow, he saw Helaine had gone inside already and was singing a song as she put away her things from their excursion.
Reaching a decision, he headed in the other direction.
Several of the bungalows’ doors were open which was odd and he lengthened his stride, heading for the big hut where meetings were held.
He lingered outside for a minute or two but heard nothing so he knocked and then entered.
The room was in disarray with papers strewn on the floor as if someone had dropped them, half drunk cups of coffee and partially eaten snacks on the tables.
One chair was knocked over. A holo of concepts for buildings flashed in the center of the room, revolving slowly, heedless of the lack of audience.
He backed out of the room and ran to the nearest bungalow, shoving past the half open door. The interior was bare of anything personal. The next hut was the same, although he spotted a sock lying on the floor forlornly as if the owner had been too rushed to pick it up.
“Latham?” Helaine called from the other end of the walkway. “The power’s off.”
He raised a hand to indicate he’d heard but his attention was caught by a disturbance in the pristine white sands of the beach.
Vaulting over the rail to the sand, he trotted to the area and squatted to examine it.
“As if a big flyer or a shuttle hovered here on antigrav,” he said out loud.
“What the seven hells happened here while we were gone?”
Now seriously alarmed, he sprinted to the bungalow, surprising Helaine with his rushed entry. ”They’re gone.”
“Who’s gone? You mean the corporates? Did they tell us they were going on a hike today?” She pushed the hair out of her face.
“No, I mean packed up and gone, left, out of here.”
Now she frowned. “Weren’t they supposed to be staying a few more days and going out on the ship with us? Did they finish their retreat early?”
“Harlecky left everything in the meeting room—binders, notes, papers, the holo still running. I don’t like this, sweetheart. Pack up our stuff while I go to the utility hut and see if there’s a note or a com from IDA.”
“Pack our stuff?” She repeated, clearly puzzled by his urgency.
“Things are seriously wrong here. I wish the damn corporates had taken five seconds to leave us a note but my gut is telling me we shouldn’t stay here either or at least not until we know more.
Grab a few survival rations and water bottles and stuff them in my rucksack but hurry.
” He went to her and gave her a hug, rubbing his hand up and down her back in an attempt to reassure her and then a kiss. “Trust me, okay?”
“Okay.” Not bothering to hide a frown, she moved to pick up her clothes and fold them to go into the backpack. He’d kept his stuff mostly in his bag but a few things were lying around the bungalow.
“Be ready to go in ten minutes,” he said. “I’m going to run over to the utility shed and check for any messages or coms.”