9. Kaelus
KAELUS
Kaelus was relieved when they reached Titus Four and the com-link squawked a warning at him that someone was hailing them.
“Hello, friend,” a warm, mellow male voice greeted him when he opened a communications channel. “Welcome to Titus Four. May I know your name and planet of origin?”
“This is Doctor Kaelus and his mate, Doctor Clair Donovan,” Kaelus said. “We have come from the Kindred Mother Ship by permission of your Council of Elders to study the Savage Syndrome.”
“Ah, you mean the Love Virus,” the voice replied to him. “For so we call it here.”
Clair leaned forward.
“Why do you call it that?” she asked eagerly. “This is Doctor Donovan, Kaelus’s mate,” she added.
“Ah, there is much to discuss when it comes to the virus that infects us all to our benefit and gratitude,” the mellow voice replied. “Please, land at the coordinates I am sending you. I will meet you and your mate there and then we may talk to our hearts’ content.”
“We can’t wait to meet you,” Clair said sweetly.
Kaelus felt a burst of possessive fury rush through him and then realized what he was feeling. What was wrong with him? It seemed that talking about being mated to Clair had almost made him feel like she was really his.
Stop, he ordered himself. She’s not yours and besides, she’s only being friendly.
And even if she wanted to be his, she never could be. Hybrid Kindred could almost never Bond a bride to them. It was one reason Kaelus had decided to bury himself in his work and forget about women completely—what was the point of longing for something he could never have?
So he pushed the thought of Clair being his aside and concentrated on landing the long-range shuttle at the coordinates he had been given.
Once down on the ground, Kaelus took a moment to study their surroundings before opening the shuttle hatch. Titus Four had looked green from orbit, but that description hardly did it justice.
The landing platform was set on a high plateau overlooking a wide valley filled with enormous trees with pale silver trunks and spreading crowns of blue-green leaves.
Long vines covered in clusters of brilliant yellow flowers wound between the trees and hung from their branches, while in the distance, jagged mountains rose against a lavender sky.
Twin suns hung low on the horizon, one larger and golden and the other smaller and almost white, bathing the entire landscape in warm, shimmering light.
There were buildings scattered among the trees, but unlike the gleaming metal structures of the Kindred Mother Ship, the structures here appeared to have been built from some kind of smooth, cream-colored stone that blended naturally into the landscape.
Their roofs were curved and covered with living vegetation, and wide terraces spilled over with flowering plants and trees, making the entire settlement look as though it had grown organically from the surrounding forest.
“It’s beautiful,” Clair breathed from behind him.
Kaelus glanced back at her and felt the usual uncomfortable tightening in his chest. She was looking out through the front viewscreen with wide brown eyes, her face filled with the same wonder she always showed when confronted with something new.
That expression was one of the things he had admitted he liked about her during their ridiculous questionnaire, though he wished now that he hadn’t told her so. Ever since their conversation on the way to Titus Four, things between them had felt subtly different.
Too much had been said aloud—things Kaelus had been perfectly content to keep locked inside himself.
He had told her he admired her intelligence and kindness, admitted that her scent drove him to distraction, and even told her that if she were truly his mate, mating twice a day would be insufficient and that he wanted to taste her!
He still couldn’t believe he had said that.
“We should proceed cautiously,” he told her, forcing his thoughts back to the mission. “We know very little about the inhabitants or their customs beyond what Commander Sylvan was able to tell us.”
“Oh, come on, big fella,” Clair said, giving him a smile. “They call Savage Syndrome ‘the Love Virus.’ How bad can they be?”
“That kind of reasoning is precisely why you nearly dissolved your own skin with molecular solvent,” Kaelus growled.
“And there he is,” she said brightly. “I was beginning to wonder if Titus Four had somehow replaced my grumpy lab partner with somebody pleasant.”
Kaelus chose not to dignify that with an answer. Instead, he rose from the pilot’s seat and moved toward the shuttle hatch. He had every intention of going out first and making certain there was no danger before allowing Clair to follow.
Though the male who had contacted them had sounded friendly enough, they were still on an unfamiliar planet populated almost entirely by males infected with a virus known to cause violent sexual aggression.
Commander Sylvan had assured them that none of the Titus Four males displayed those symptoms, but Kaelus preferred direct observation to assurances.
“Stay behind me,” he told Clair as the hatch slid open.
She sighed.
“I’m not made of glass.”
“I am aware.”
She put a hand on her hip.
“Then stop treating me like I’m going to shatter if somebody looks at me sideways.”
“I will stop treating you as though you are in danger when you stop repeatedly placing yourself in danger,” Kaelus told her.
“That could take a while,” Clair admitted and gave him an impish grin.
Kaelus gave her a pointed look in return before stepping through the hatch and descending the ramp.
The warm air struck him immediately. It was humid but pleasant and carried the scents of rich soil, unfamiliar flowers, and something spicy he could not identify.
Kaelus inhaled deeply, allowing his heightened Kindred senses to sample the environment as he scanned the landing area.
There were three people waiting for them near the edge of the platform—two males and a female—and though all three were humanoid, there was no mistaking them for humans or Kindred.
The people of Titus Four were tall and slender, though not as tall as most Kindred. Their skin was a pale, luminous shade of blue-gray which seemed almost silver beneath the light of the twin suns.
Faint iridescent patterns traced their temples and cheekbones like natural tattoos and their eyes were unusually large and slightly tilted, with no visible whites—only jewel-bright irises that ranged from copper to deep violet to emerald green.
Each of them had pointed but delicate ears and thick hair in unusual metallic shades.
The male standing in front had hair the color of polished pewter, while the female beside him had long, flowing hair of deep midnight blue streaked with silver.
But it was the way the older male stood with the female that caught Kaelus’s attention.
His arm was wrapped comfortably around her waist and her hand rested on his chest as though it had been there a thousand times before. They were both smiling warmly, and the affection between them was so obvious that Kaelus felt oddly intrusive merely looking at them.
The second male stood several feet away.
He was younger than the first—perhaps the Titus Four equivalent of middle age—with dark copper hair pulled neatly back from his angular face and gleaming copper eyes to match.
Unlike the other two, he stood alone with his hands clasped behind his back.
His expression was courteous, but something about it struck Kaelus as cold.
Kaelus descended the ramp completely before turning toward Clair. Unfortunately, she had already followed him. She was carrying her scientific case in one hand and her personal satchel over her shoulder.
“I told you to wait until I made sure it was safe,” he growled under his breath.
“No you didn’t—you just said stay behind you—which I did,” she pointed out brightly. “Now come on, we’re being rude. Let’s introduce ourselves.”
“Fine.” Kaelus gave her a warning look and then turned back to the group who had come to greet them.
He noticed that the older male’s smile of greeting had faded slightly.
Had they done something to displease him already?
Kaelus hoped not. They needed full cooperation of the Titus Four scientists to make this mission a success.
“Doctor Kaelus?” the older male asked.
“Yes.” Kaelus inclined his head. “And this is my mate, Doctor Clair Donovan.”
“My wife and I are honored to welcome you.” The male placed one hand over his heart and bowed. “I am Doctor-Magistrate Varell, Chief Medical Magistrate of Titus Four and head of the Council of Biological Inquiry. This is my wife and goddess, Doctor Maera Varell.”
The female beside him smiled.
“It is a pleasure to meet you both,” she said warmly. “I have read some of your work on xenobotanical symbiosis, Doctor Donovan. Your paper on the medicinal pollination cycle of the Avarian moon orchid was particularly interesting.”
Clair’s face lit up.
“Oh! You read that?” she exclaimed.
“I did,” Maera said. “I’m a physician and epidemiologist, but I have always been fascinated by the way environmental biology affects disease.”
Clair was already halfway down the ramp by then.
“That’s one of my favorite areas too,” she said eagerly. “I’ve always thought people separate botany and medicine far too much when really they’re completely interconnected.”
Kaelus watched her descend, carrying both her bag and the large scientific case, and was about to suggest that she slow down when Varell cleared his throat.
“Doctor Kaelus,” he said.
Kaelus looked at him.
“Yes?”
Varell’s violet eyes moved pointedly toward Clair…then toward the case in her hand…then back to Kaelus.
“Are you injured?” he asked.
Kaelus frowned.
“No.”
“Your arms are functioning properly?”
“Of course.” Kaelus nodded.
Varell glanced at Clair again.
Kaelus still did not understand.
Beside him, the younger male’s lips twitched as though he found the situation—whatever it was—amusing.
Clair, however, did understand. Kaelus could tell by the way her mouth suddenly pressed tightly together as though she was attempting not to laugh.
“Oh,” she murmured.
Kaelus looked at her.
“What?”
She lifted the scientific case slightly.
“I think Doctor-Magistrate Varell is wondering why I’m carrying this.”
Kaelus frowned.
“We are on a scientific mission—it makes sense for you to bring your scientific case.”
“Yes, but apparently Titus Four husbands don’t let their wives carry their own luggage.”
Varell looked mildly horrified.
“Certainly not,” he said. “A goddess should never be burdened when her husband has strength enough to carry what she requires.”
“I am perfectly capable of carrying my own case,” Clair told him.
“Of course you are,” Maera said quickly. “Our customs are not based upon a belief that women are incapable. Quite the opposite. A man who is blessed enough to have a wife simply considers it an honor to ease her burdens wherever he can.”
Clair looked at Kaelus and he saw that her brown eyes were dancing. She was really enjoying this.
Kaelus growled under his breath. Then he reached for the scientific case.
Clair surrendered it willingly. But her satchel remained over her shoulder and Kaelus noticed that Varell continued staring at him. He sighed and held out his free hand.
“The bag as well,” he ordered.
Clair handed it over.
“Why thank you, darlin’,” she said sweetly.
The copper-haired male made a sound that might have been a suppressed laugh.
Kaelus looked at him pointedly.
“And you are…?” he asked.
“Doctor Sendar Rax,” the male replied, bowing slightly. “Deputy Keeper of the Blood Archive and senior virologist to the Council. I expect we shall be working together if Doctor-Magistrate Varell finds you suitable.”
“If?” Kaelus raised his eyebrows at the male.
Sendar’s smile widened.
“Our Blood Archive contains the biological history of nearly every family on Titus Four going back many generations. Such material is not given freely to outsiders unless they prove themselves worthy.”
“We were told your Council agreed to grant us access,” Kaelus said, frowning.
“It agreed to consider granting you access,” Varell corrected gently. “There is an important distinction.”
Kaelus felt his irritation rising—they did not have time for ceremonial nonsense! Women were dying on Glenvarren and every day they wasted gave the virus more time to spread.
Before he could say so, Clair touched his arm. The simple contact calmed him more effectively than it should have, which irritated him again.
“We understand,” she said, speaking to Varell. “And we appreciate you meeting with us. It was very kind of you to take time out of your busy schedule.”
Varell smiled at her.
“You are quite gracious, Doctor Donovan. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“We should begin the interview at once,” Sendar suggested. “Time is precious, after all.”
Kaelus agreed with him about that much.
Varell nodded.
“My transport is waiting,” he said. “Please come with us.”
The group started toward a long, low vehicle parked beside the landing area. Kaelus automatically stepped ahead of Clair, wanting to examine the path and vehicle before she reached them.
Behind him, Varell cleared his throat again.
Kaelus stopped—he was beginning to dislike that sound very much.
“Is there another problem?” he asked.
Varell gave him a look that was genuinely puzzled.
“Why are you walking ahead of your wife?”
Kaelus stared at him.
“To ensure the path is safe, of course,” he said. “Shouldn’t that be evident?”
Maera smiled.
“That is understandable. On Titus Four, however, the goddess walks first.”
Kaelus frowned.
“But what if there is danger? I don’t want my, er, mate to get hurt.”
“If he suspects danger, then her husband walks beside his goddess,” Varell replied. “Never ahead.”
Clair came up beside Kaelus and they resumed walking.
“This is going really well,” she murmured.
Kaelus glared down at her.
“You appear to be enjoying yourself.”
She gave him a sunny smile.
“Maybe a little, sugar-booger. Do you think you could act just a bit more affectionate? We are ‘married’ after all.”
“Fine.” He transferred both of her bags to one hand and placed the other at the small of her back.
But the instant he touched her, her warm scent rose around him.
Kaelus clenched his jaw. Goddess-damn it—why did she have to smell so enticing?
Clair looked up at him.
“Everything okay, big fella?”
Could she see the tension on his face? Kaelus forced himself to relax.
“Nothing,” he growled. “Except that apparently I am required to walk beside or behind you.”
She winked at him.
“Well then, I suppose you’d better stay close.”
Kaelus bit back an irritated retort. She was definitely enjoying herself. He would have to find some way to pay her back for this…he just didn’t know how.