Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Lila
I’ve spent the last three days trying to master the abilities from each of the creatures I mimicked. My grandpas’ personal ship has a well-equipped gym that Xavier moved all the equipment out of and then basically bombproofed everything so I could practice.
When I wasn’t practicing physically, I was reading or watching videos of each different species.
Tirrian made me admit to Xavier that I had also mimicked the Madovian, and after much ranting and raving from him, I also had to study them.
Now that was nauseating. I think he found the grossest and ugliest stories or information he could find on them just to punish me, or maybe there isn’t a single redeeming quality in the whole race.
Who knows, but if they suddenly disappeared from the galaxy, I don’t think anyone would be upset.
I am now pretty proficient on lightning cat, both Elementi, the Barcoa, and warlock abilities, as well as the Celestian I accidentally mimicked when it first happened.
Their healing ability came in handy when I accidentally burnt Xavier when my fire Elementi became a tad angry again.
It’s the dragon’s fault. He was there, deliberately trying to make me mad so I could learn to control it.
I didn’t practice my Aquilian abilities, though, because there was no pool for me to be able to change into that form, so that’s a problem for another day.
Xavier has become a drill sergeant, and not even my naked body between shifts could distract him from the task at hand.
Apparently I had involuntarily shifted into a couple of others when I’d first been struck by lightning, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t recreate it.
Silac suggested that maybe it was because I didn’t actually see them and have not been able to lock their form into my mind. I mean, it makes sense.
I’m still short two Elementi, a dragon, a naga, and the mysterious necro they talked about, but there will be other opportunities to find willing or not so willing volunteers.
I pull the last bag of Saxon’s blood out of the fridge and stick it in the replicator to heat.
I’ve gone through a lot more than we anticipated, my mimic abilities needing even more than I normally would.
I am going to have to feed from Xavier while we are here, but hopefully not so heavily that he becomes incapacitated.
He muttered something about asking the dragon and snake to donate, but I haven’t heard anything about it, so I’m assuming they declined.
Maybe we can buy some bagged blood somewhere in Rilu.
The replicator beeps, signaling that it finished heating the blood, and I pull out the mug before taking a seat on the couch in the living/dining area of the ship.
I watch in fascination as the ship approaches the landing pad in one of the only cities on Rilu.
Bright orange sand stretches as far as the eye can see, and smack-dab in the middle is a futuristic-looking city with tall buildings all made from a glinting silver metal and glass.
Silac told me it’s their main trading hub and is mostly for tourists and businesspeople.
It’s the heart of their gem trading business.
The mines of Rilu are so prolific, they never expect to run out of the precious resources.
Something about the desert sand keeps the gems perpetually growing.
Once one mine has been exhausted, they move onto another.
In a few years, they will be able to return to the previously exhausted mine and start all over again.
Most of the residents of Rilu are miners and larnuk traders, and they live in small nomadic villages much like the bedouin from Earth.
We will be traveling from the city to the small oasis that sits above the gem mine that we need.
Zala will be meeting us there, but she has a contact in the city meeting us to help us with the journey across the barren, ever changing sands.
I feel our ship set down and hear the now familiar sound of clamps securing us in place as I take a sip of the delicious, rich, spicy blood of my mate.
A pang of yearning hits me as his flavor crosses my taste buds, and I feel a tear form in my eye.
I’ve been separated from the rest of them for five days now, and the ache in my soul is fierce.
The quicker we can get this job done, the better, but somehow, I doubt it’s going to be straightforward and easy—when is it ever?
I drain the blood, and the familiar buzz it gives me starts to race through my body, making me ready to face what is to come.
Putting down the glass, I stand up and run my hands over the outfit Xavier produced for me to wear on Rilu.
I feel like a harem girl. It’s one long piece of material that wraps around my body and ties around my neck, creating a loose dress that covers me from head to toe.
There’s also a separate piece that wraps around my head to protect my face and shoulders from the blowing sands.
It has a pretty pattern on it in orange, reds, and yellows.
Xavier said it’s what most desert people wear to protect and camouflage them against the sand and the major predator that roams the desert, which is an honest to goodness sandworm, just like from Dune.
Well, kind of. This one apparently looks more like a hairy millipede with millions of legs, and it spits lightning and is mostly blind, which is why it’s attracted to vibrations in the sand.
I’ve been told that if we come across one to stand very still.
With their terrible eyesight, they get blinded by the sun, so they rely on movement and a lucky strike of their lightning to hunt.
We don’t have time for sandworm encounters, though, so I’m praying I won’t come across one, but the plan is to change into lightning cat form if we do and fight lightning with lightning.
Apparently there are certain paths through the desert that a knowledgeable guide will be able to lead us through.
These paths follow a limestone ridge, and as such, there is no sand flowing underneath them.
If we were to venture off these paths, then we’d become fair game to the sandworms, who restlessly hunt the desert in search of meat to sustain them and their families.
“Are you ready?” Xavier asks as he enters the room.
He’s wearing a similar form of dress, but he has pants under his.
I asked him why he didn’t give me any, and he winked and told me he liked the teasing glances he got when I walked and my legs became exposed.
I replied that I better not get sand rash anywhere important, and he provided a pair of Lycra shorts for me, which I accepted as a compromise.
“Yes, let’s do this. I miss our family, and I want to get Grandpa John sorted so we can get the circus back on the road.”
“I wouldn’t worry too much. I’m sure the performers are all enjoying the impromptu paid holiday, but I agree about the rest. I miss the devil spawn. Who would have thought that I would miss having them wake me so early in the morning?”
“It’s because they wake you with love and kisses and hugs. Don’t think I haven’t heard the giggles coming from your room in the morning. You love it as much as they do.”
He pretends he is unaffected by our children, but he adores them, and one day, I can’t wait to give him one of his own. His grin is huge, and he doesn’t argue about it. He just holds out his hand. It’s then I notice a slight tremor in it.
“Are you okay? Do you need to feed?”
He shrugs. “The station was a riot of emotions, and I fed deeply, but it is starting to wear off.”
“I would have thought that with Tirrian and me at each other’s throats all the time, there would have been plenty for you to feed from,” I say as we make our way to the exit of the ship.
“You know I don’t like to feed from individuals without permission. The station was different, but Tirrian hasn’t given me permission to feed from him.”
I raise my eyebrows in surprise. “You asked?”
“Yes. When we first left Skarr, I asked both of them if they would allow it. Neither of them were keen, much like they don’t want you to mimic them.” He sounds thoughtful.
“Why do you think that is?”
“You mean apart from the dragon being an asshole? I would guess it’s because they don’t want me to know how they are feeling.”
“Can’t you just feel that anyway?” I ask him. When we were practicing, I was bombarded with everything he was feeling, which was mostly frustration and a heavy dose of lust.
“No, I have enough control that I can lock that down. You will too eventually. It’s an invasion of privacy when you think about it. It’s like being able to read someone’s thoughts.”
“Yeah, I guess it would be. I know I try to hide what I’m feeling at times so I don’t upset or influence anyone.
I hadn’t thought about it that way. Is that why you wouldn’t let them in the room while I was mimicking a warlock?
You know I got nothing off them the other day at the station when I did. ”
“I’m guessing you were pretty distracted by everything else that was going on that you didn’t even pay attention.
Had you, you would have picked up a lot more,” he explains as we arrive at the now open boarding door.
Silac and Tirrian are already waiting down at the bottom of the stairs, and I can feel a hot, dry blast of air coming through the open doorway.
“Whoa, that is hot.” I put my hand up against the blowing breeze.
“Very different from the weather on Skarr at the moment. What are you going to do? Would you like a quickie before we get going so you can top up?” I ask him, putting my hand out to stop him from leaving the ship.
“I’m sure the guys can occupy themselves while we knock out a fast one. ”