Close Remembrance

Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Mia stared at the gorgeous Krinar male who was now softly rubbing her hand. What he’d just told her was pure insanity. They were lovers? She’d lost her memory? Out of all the crazy scenarios running through Mia’s mind, this hadn’t even been on the list of possibilities.

Was he toying with her? If so, why, and what was the real story? Mia tried to control her panic long enough to think, but it was like a part of her brain was filled with fog. Even recent events—spring break, the exams—seemed blurry in her mind, as if they’d happened long ago instead of in the last couple of weeks.

“You don’t believe me, do you?” the K asked, his amber-colored eyes watching her with unsettling warmth.

“No, of course not.” Her voice was surprisingly calm. All things considered, Mia felt like she was handling this reasonably well. She wasn’t crying or screaming, and she was actually carrying on a conversation with an alien who had most likely kidnapped her. An alien who might or might not drink human blood—and who was now stroking her wrist in a way that made her belly tighten with strange excitement.

Why wasn’t she more afraid of him? Everything she knew about his kind suggested she should be terrified for her life.

But she wasn’t.

She was freaking out because she didn’t know where she was or how she’d gotten there—or why she was with a K who claimed to be her lover—but she wasn’t truly afraid. If anything, she found his presence oddly comforting, his touch both soothing and electrifying. Had he done something to make her react this way?

“Of course not,” he repeated, giving her an understanding smile. “How could you believe something so crazy without proof, right?”

Mia nodded, unable to tear her eyes away from that smile. The dimple in his left cheek fascinated her; it was so boyish, so incongruous with the rest of his appearance.

“All right, my darling.” His voice was disconcertingly tender. “Let me show you proof.” And still holding her hand, he gestured to the side, where a three-dimensional holographic image suddenly appeared in mid-air.

Mia gasped, startled, and then she saw that the image was of herself and the K beside her. They appeared to be walking on the beach, talking and laughing. The K reached down and picked up the girl in the image, lifting her as effortlessly as if she was made of air. She laughed again, then wound her arms around his neck, kissing him with such passion that Mia’s cheeks heated up.

“What is that? Where did you get this video from?” Mia felt herself furiously blushing as the K kissed the girl back, holding her up with one arm and using the other to reach underneath her dress.

“It’s just a recording from one of our satellites,” the K named Korum explained, watching her with an unusual golden gleam in his eyes. For some reason, Mia could feel herself getting turned on by that look, her heart starting to beat faster and her n*****s hardening underneath the thin fabric of her dress. She desperately hoped the K didn’t notice; it would be embarrassing—and potentially dangerous—if he knew how much he affected her.

And then she realized what he just said. “Wait, your satellites were spying on us?”

“Our satellites are always recording everything,” he explained, those sensuous lips curving into a smile. “But don’t worry, my sweet, only our computers get to see it, unless someone places a specific request—the way I did.”

Mia’s pulse quickened, this time from anxiety. “Are you saying we never have any privacy from you?”

“Of course not,” the K said casually. “You don’t have much of it from your own government either. You know that, right?”

Mia blinked. She did know that. GPS and cell phones had made it practically impossible for a person to hide, and she knew that various government agencies used all the means at their disposal to track down terrorists and other criminals. As a law-abiding citizen, she’d never thought much about the fact that all her activities—from browsing the Internet to placing a phone call—could be monitored if necessary. She’d just accepted it as a part of life in the twenty-first century. But, for some reason, the idea of Krinar satellites watching her every move was more than a little disturbing.

Frowning, Mia realized she was acting as if the image being shown to her was real. There was absolutely no assurance of that; as advanced as the Krinar were, surely it would be child’s play for them to conjure up whatever video they wanted, three-dimensional or not.

“How do I know you didn’t make this up?” she said, gesturing toward the image where the couple were now engaged in a full-blown make-out session. Her blush deepening, Mia looked away again.

“You don’t, of course,” the Krinar said. “I could make this up if I wanted to. I have hundreds of other recordings I could show you, and you’d be smart not to trust any of them.”

Mia laughed nervously, surprised by his frankness. “Okay then, how can you prove any of this to me?” She couldn’t believe she was even entertaining the idea that this could be real. How could any rational person believe this? Surely she would remember if she’d had s*x with a gorgeous alien... or even just had s*x in general.

The K smiled again. “There are a number of ways,” he said. “Let’s start with the fact that you understand me right now, even though I’m speaking to you in Krinar.”

Mia gaped at him in shock. She had definitely understood what he was saying, even though he’d said the last sentence in a language she was sure she’d never heard before. “Wait, what?” Her words came out in that same language. “You’re talking to me in Krinar?”

“Yes, and you’re answering me in Krinar too,” he said, his smile widening. “And now I’m talking to you in Italian. You still understand me, right?”

Mia nodded, her head spinning from the impossibility of it all.

“That’s because you have a tiny implant that acts as a translator,” the K explained, this time in English. “I gave it to you as soon as we came here, to Lenkarda. It allows you to speak and understand any known language, both human and Krinar.”

“But—” Mia didn’t even know where to begin. “How do I know you didn’t just give it to me now? And wait, did I hear you say before that it’s June? The last thing I remember is in March. How would I have lost a chunk of my memory? This makes no sense—”

The K sighed and raised his hand, gently tucking a stray curl behind her ear. “I know, Mia,” he said softly. “I know this is going to be difficult for you to accept. Let me tell you a little story, and then I’ll demonstrate to you that I’m not lying. Okay?”

“Okay,” Mia agreed, mesmerized by the warm look on his beautiful face. How could someone that gorgeous be her lover? Maybe this was all just an unusually realistic dream. Could she even now be sound asleep, with her unconscious creating this stunning creature? If he was indeed her lover, then she was the luckiest girl in the world—though she still didn’t see how such a thing was possible.

“Good,” he said, his golden eyes gleaming. “Then let me tell you about us starting from the beginning...”

And for the next twenty minutes, Mia listened in shock as he went through their initial meeting in April and detailed the tumultuous affair that followed as a result. When he began to explain about her involvement with the Resistance, Mia’s jaw simply dropped.

“I was spying on you?” Where on Earth had she gotten the courage to do that? Although he was being gentle with her now, Mia had a feeling this particular K could be quite dangerous if provoked. In general, his kind weren’t known for their forgiving nature, their violent streak amply demonstrated during the fights of the Great Panic.

“You were,” the K confirmed, his jaw tightening a little. “But I was at fault too, because I knew you were doing it and fed you false information.”

Mia gave him an incredulous look. “And you’re saying we’re lovers? After all that?”

“We’re more than lovers, Mia. You’re my charl.”

“Charl?”

He nodded. “It’s our word for what you are to me. The best approximation would be something like human mate.”

“Like a wife?” Mia could hear her own voice rising in disbelief.

He smiled. “Not exactly, but you could think of it that way, yes.”

Mia stared at him. “But you said I met you in April and it’s only June now. When did we have a chance to get married?”

He hesitated for a second. “It doesn’t work like that, my darling. There is no formal ceremony in a charl-cheren relationship.”

“So then how does it work? How is this different from just being boyfriend and girlfriend?” Not that she could even picture this beautiful creature as her boyfriend. But a husband? Her mind boggled at the thought.

“It’s different, Mia, because I couldn’t give a mere girlfriend what I gave you,” he said quietly. “Because by claiming you as my charl, I have brought you fully into our world, with all that it entails.”

Mia’s heart started beating faster again. “And what does it entail?”

“A much longer lifespan,” he said softly. “Freedom from aging and disease. Immortality, as you like to call it.”

Korum could see her eyes widening, skepticism warring with excitement on her face. The curl that he’d just tucked away behind her ear came loose again, refusing to be contained. He loved that rebellious curl; it always lured his fingers to her hair, making him want to touch its soft, thick mass.

In general, he was both surprised and pleased by her reaction thus far. She was naturally cautious, so some wariness was to be expected, but she was far less frightened than he would’ve expected her to be. She didn’t cringe away from his touch, nor did she seem to object to his nearness. Somehow, despite her lack of conscious memories, she must still recognize him on some level, must still trust him not to hurt her.

“You have the ability to make humans immortal?” she asked, a small frown creasing her smooth forehead.

Korum sighed, not wanting to go down that path again. “We do,” he said patiently. “But not all humans—only those that become a part of our society. I’m currently trying to get an exception for your parents and sister, though—”

“You know them?” she interrupted. “You’ve met my family?”

“I do, and I have,” Korum confirmed, glad that it was the case. It would’ve been much worse if she’d lost her memory before their Florida trip. “And that’s how you’re going to know I’m telling you the truth, my sweet. You’re going to speak to Marisa and your parents.”

Mia looked startled at the idea, and then her face lit up. By now Korum knew her well enough to understand that he’d just managed to dispel whatever fears she harbored over being separated from her loved ones.

Her strong attachment to her family was one of Mia’s main vulnerabilities, and Korum had not hesitated to exploit it in the past—to use it to bind her even closer to him. It had been surprisingly easy to win over both her parents and her sister. He had carefully researched everything about them before their meeting, and they had reacted exactly as he’d hoped, their initial distrust fading as they saw that Mia was happy and loved.

And that made Mia even happier and more attached to him.

Rightly or wrongly, Korum knew that he would do anything to keep her that way. She might not remember it now, but she had loved him once—and she would again. For now, though, he needed to prove to her that he was neither crazy nor playing a trick on her.

“Here, use this,” he said, giving her a new wrist computer he’d made a couple of hours ago. This time, he’d added visual capabilities to it, to make it even easier for her to stay in touch with her family. Showing Mia how to operate the device took another minute, and then she was connecting to her parents’ Skype account, her mother’s voice and image appearing in the room.

Smiling, Korum walked across the room and sat down in the corner, giving the two women some privacy. He could still hear everything they were discussing, however, and he listened with a great deal of curiosity.

As usual, his little charl seemed very concerned with not causing her parents any worry. Instead of letting on that she lost her memory, Mia kept the conversation light and generic, inquiring about her parents’ health and asking how Marisa was doing. Grinning, Korum listened as Ella Stalis blithely chatted about the latest developments in Marisa’s pregnancy (three pounds gained!) and how much they’d enjoyed having Mia and Korum in the area.

Though her sister’s pregnancy had to have come as a shock to Mia, she gamely oohed-and-aahed at the right moments, acting as if everything was normal. She even managed to laugh and promise to come for a visit again soon, as though she remembered the last trip perfectly. Korum couldn’t help admiring her for this; he knew how lost and anxious she must be feeling right now, and he was more than a little impressed with her composure.

Finally, Mia finished her conversation and looked at him. “Do you want this back?” she asked uncertainly, indicating the wrist device he’d given her.

“No, that’s yours to keep.” Korum got up and walked toward her. “Did this help? Do you believe me now?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered, and he saw the pain and confusion on her face. “If this is all true, then what happened? How did I manage to lose such an important part of my life? Did I hit my head or something?”

“Or something.” Korum tried to push away enraging thoughts about Saret’s betrayal. The last thing he wanted was to frighten her right now. Raising his hand, he gave in to the urge to stroke her cheek instead, reveling in the familiar feel of her soft skin underneath his fingers.

She blinked at him, her thick lashes sweeping up and down like dark fans. To his immense satisfaction, she didn’t flinch away from his touch. If anything, she seemed to lean toward him, as though she was also craving physical closeness.

Unable to resist any longer, Korum bent his head and kissed her, holding her face gently with his hands. Just a kiss, he promised himself, just one small kiss...

At first she was stiff, her mouth closed against the intrusion of his tongue. He could feel her heart beating frantically in her chest, sense her momentary panic, and then her lips softened, parted a bit. Her hands came up, pressing lightly against his chest, as if uncertain whether to push him away or hold him close.

Her response, when it came, was much more tentative than usual, but it was enough to drive him insane. The taste of her, the smell of her, was intoxicating, like a drug surging through his veins. He deepened the kiss without realizing it, one hand slipping down her back to press her closer to him, his c**k so hard he felt like he was about to explode.

It was only her quiet whimper that brought him back to his senses. Lifting his head, Korum looked at Mia, his breathing hard and uneven.

Her pale cheeks were flushed, her lips swollen. He could smell her desire, feel the heat rising from her skin, and he knew that if he reached between her legs now, he would find her wet and slick, her body ready for him. But her mind was a different matter, Korum realized, and the look in her eyes now was that of fear and confusion.

His own body raging with unfulfilled need, Korum fought for control, knowing that he needed it now more than ever. “I’m sorry,” he said, forcing himself to let her go. “I wasn’t going to do this so soon...”

She took a couple of steps back and stared at him, her small chest moving up and down, drawing his attention to the hardness of her n*****s underneath her dress. Korum swallowed, remembering their pale pink hue, the way they tasted in his mouth, how they pebbled under his tongue.

No, don’t f*****g go there now. Lifting his eyes back to her face, Korum said, “I know you’re not ready for this yet, my sweet. I won’t hurt you, I promise...” And he meant it. He would sooner lose a limb than do anything to traumatize her while she was so vulnerable.

She bit her lip, then nodded, crossing her arms around her chest in a defensive gesture that sent a pang of regret through Korum. He hated it sometimes, the all-consuming lust he always experienced in her vicinity. She was so tiny, so delicate, her body unsuited for the hard demands he often placed on it. No matter how careful he tried to be, he knew he wasn’t always the most gentle lover, his overwhelming need for her constantly testing his self-control.

“So what happened?” she asked again, still watching him warily. “Why don’t I remember you, or my sister getting pregnant, or any of this? How did I lose two months of my life?”

Korum took a deep breath, trying to control the anger still boiling in his veins at the thought of Saret. “Someone I knew and trusted—a man who pretended to be my friend for a long time—did this,” he said evenly. “This person wiped out a portion of your memory as a way to get at me... and because he also wanted you.”

“Really?” Her eyes widened. “Another K?”

“Yes, another Krinar,” Korum confirmed before explaining the whole story, starting from Mia’s internship and ending with Saret’s betrayal. Not wanting to overwhelm her, he downplayed the part about Saret’s ultimate intentions for her people, as well as some of the complexities of Council politics. She didn’t need to know everything all at once; as it was, he could see that it was already almost too much for her. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her, soothe her distress, but he knew she wouldn’t welcome it now—not after the way he’d almost attacked her earlier.

The best thing to do right now was to give her time, he decided. Time and space to think about everything she’d learned.

“I have to go now,” Korum said, his heart squeezing painfully at the look of relief on her face. “There are a few things I have to take care of. Why don’t you relax, take it easy for now? I’ll be back in a couple of hours and we can have lunch. If you get hungry in the meantime, just say what you want out loud and it will be given to you. Unless you’re hungry now?”

She shook her head, her dark curls moving around her shoulders. “No, I’m fine, thanks.”

“Good. Feel free to explore the house if you wish. I know everything’s going to look strange to you now, but it’s all fairly intuitive, so it shouldn’t be too bad.” He smiled, remembering how much Mia enjoyed that aspect of life in Lenkarda. “All the furniture is intelligent, so don’t be startled if it conforms to your shape. The house is intelligent too, so feel free to ask it for food or anything you need.”

“Okay,” she said, giving him a small smile in response. “Thanks.”

Pausing for a moment longer, Korum drank in that smile. Then he walked out, leaving her alone to process everything she’d just learned.