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2020-12-22 04:55:23Giving her a look, he slipped the tools from her damp fingers and did the honors. Blinking in surprise, she slid into the room, unsurprised when he kept her picks.
He drew her door key from his pocket and tossed it on the bedside table. “You’ll feel better having that, though there’s little point, is there?” He looked at the bed and his brows rose. Moving closer, he frowned at the piles of folded clothes and the foreign currency resting on top. He glanced at her.
“I paid you back,” she said defensively. It wasn’t much money, but it was all she had.
“Did you put a price on your rescue, too? I could present you with an itemized bill, if you like.&rdq
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Golden Bell 8
Fallon relaxed a little more as she stared at Kirk, comprehension emerging. Certain she was no longer going to attack, he moved off her, sitting beside her on the chaise. “Bad dreams. What were you dreaming of?”She slowly sat up, shivering. The borrowed shirt barely covered her thighs, and it was cool by the window. “The night my father died.”Fallon snagged the throw blanket and covered her. “What happened?”“We were swarmed with Haunt. My father sensed something and made me go down the emergency chute. He didn’t have time to follow without being seen. I didn’t dare go back because they were watching the house. I saw what happened through t
Last Updated : 2020-12-22Golden Bell 9
ay, “Too young, too green, too available, my friend. This one will trip you up yet.”Uncomfortably aware of just how well Kirk knew his usual tastes, his usual liaisons, Fallon frowned and concentrated on eating. He’d seen what a fresh young thing had done to his jaded friends; not that it was a fate to fear, but it certainly wasn’t something he had time for. As an ambassador between worlds, he wasn’t looking for a young consort, and this one carried a lot of baggage.Baggage that was going to get publicly rifled through in about fifteen minutes.He waited until she finished her toast before speaking. “The Council of Elders will be meeting very shortly. It’s a video con
Last Updated : 2020-12-22Golden Bell 10
“Interesting revelation, but to my mind it makes little difference. You’ve got our blood. As rare and impossible as that may seem, when combined with your susceptibility to the male charmer, it makes you our responsibility. I do not believe you will be happy here. Indeed, it’s clear that you’ve been miserable for some time. I move to extradite you to the Dark Lands.” One by one, the Elders voted to send her through the gate, sealing her fate.Her lips parted on a silent protest. They were crazy! She was not about to meekly go along, dumbly complying with their stupid decree. She knew nothing about the Dark Lands, only that it had a creepy name and was inhabited by a race of beings her father had warned her wouldn’t appreciate her existence. Gritting her teeth, she fought the urge to tell them where they cou
Last Updated : 2020-12-22Golden Bell 11
Someone on the Council had committed murder to possess it, and if she weren’t careful, she’d be next. Stealing was the least a man could do with the gate at his disposal. Murder would child’s play if he could learn to set it. Imagine the devastation if the Bell fell in the hands of an assassin. She wasn’t blind to the potential disaster.Unfortunately, she couldn’t destroy it; physically couldn’t do it. Her nerves went weak every time she thought about smashing it…the thing had become her lover. The resonance bound even as it gave sweet pleasure, and like a puppet, she danced attendance. God forbid a man should ever have such sensual power over her.Shivering at the final whisper of notes, she closed her hand over the Bell. Br
Last Updated : 2020-12-22Golden Bell 12
He’d originally intended to take her straight to her quarters to settle in, and then slowly introduce her to his world. Seeing the wonder in her eyes changed his mind. Why not build on it? This magic, the mystique of stepping into an alien world that was now her own, this is what she needed. Let her first moments be full of pleasure and the rest of her days would be colored by it. Tossing aside his mental itinerary, he took her hand, threw her a grin, and headed for the path that led to the market.The path through the woods wasn’t long. Rain’s eyes lit up when she first caught sight of the colorful tents and booths nestled against the curve of the Citadel’s stonewall, facing the bay. Rows of merchants selling everything from produce and crafts to weapons and livestock greeted shoppers with cheerful invitations to try
Last Updated : 2020-12-22Golden Bell 13
Wondering what she looked like, for she’d yet to see a mirror, she drew back the curtain.Fallon glanced at her and froze. Very slowly, he inhaled, his eyes wandering from her head to her feet. By the time they met hers again, they were a glowing, brilliant green.Beaming, the shopkeeper took her arm and pulled the breathless Rain in front of a full-length mirror. Rain gasped.That had to be her, but she couldn’t believe it. Her hair was prettily braided and swept up from her face in a princess’s coronet. She hadn’t paid much attention when the shopkeeper had applied makeup, other than enjoying the attention and praying she wouldn’t look like a clown when she was do
Last Updated : 2020-12-22Golden Bell 14
Heavy with irony, his tone only made her feel lower. Panic attacks with claws could be deadly enough, but she’d never attacked a friend before. Of course, she’d never had a friend to attack, and even now, she wasn’t sure that Fallon was one. That didn’t stop the sickness tearing up her guts, however.Fallon didn’t need to hear an apology, not with her bowed shoulders and hidden face shouting it out. A surge of pity mixed with lingering irritation. Her half-change was unsettling. Their kind was either-or, not an odd mix of both states, and by the look on her face as she’d changed she had no control over it. Maybe that had contributed to her fright. In human form, Haunt had human senses, except for sharpened hearing. In Haunt form, they had the keen senses of wolves coupled with superior strength, speed and a
Last Updated : 2020-12-22Golden Bell 15
Rain thought about it, thought about the Haunt outside her room. “Uh, the books sound good. Could you bring me a stack? And if you know anyone with a broken gadget, I’d like to have it. Tools, too, if you can borrow some.” She never had a gofer before, but Rain didn’t hesitate to use her services. If Fallon wanted to pay for a servant, fine. He was part of the reason she was stuck here, anyway.“Yes, mistress.”“Thanks.”Rain went back outside to look at the fish as Malian cleared the table. When she was sure she was gone, she took out the Bell and set it. Now that she was here, she could flash back to Earth anytime, at any of the various points sh
Last Updated : 2020-12-22
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Golden Bell 37
“She’s not!”“Fine, but she did us a service just the same. Don’t punish her for it. Have you considered that she might be hurting? Killing is never easy. For all you know, she’s afraid of what we’ll do if we find out.”“We won’t do anything! Well, I might spank her blue, but…”Keilor actually shook him, smoothly dodging Fallon’s thank-you punch. “Fine, now that you’ve got your aggression out, you’d better plan what you’re really going to say to her,” he snapped, and then his face softened. “I’m trying to help you, cuz.”
Golden Bell 36
Rain closed her eyes against the flash. When she opened them, all that remained of him was a pile of rust colored dust. Her hand clenched on the Bell, closing the connection.Her room was neat and empty. There was no way to trace Azion’s death to her.She felt a little sick. She’d let the man reach out to his own destiny, but knowing he was dead wasn’t the sweet relief she’d hoped for. Abruptly, she got up and left the room.***Fallon was in Jayems’s study, examining a printout of Azion’s rooms. He’
Golden Bell 35
He kissed the top of her foot. “His brother gave their parents the parts list. He can’t wait to make his own…Guess rifle, was it?”“Gauss. Wait. You mean DJ and Malix are brothers?”“Yes, twins. His dad’s proud of him for not hitting a girl, but he promised to give him pointers about making her stop without hurting her. He also told him to stop teasing girls.”She smiled at that. “Who’s his father?”“My cousin, Keilor.” He snuggled up behind her on the wide wooden lawn chair. It was a tight fit, but not claustrophobic. With his hand low o
Golden Bell 34
Relieved to have the whole business over, Rain nodded and started hobbling back toward home, going the long way around. She didn’t feel like trying to scramble over the wall again.The kids followed her.“Whatcha doing?” Bracelet kid asked.“Going home. You should, too. What’s your name, anyway?”“I’m Malix.” He grinned at her, showing off his missing tooth. He nudged the unknown boy, another red head. “This is Twix. He’s Carri’s older brother.”Rain grinned. Twix, was it
Golden Bell 33
Kial did as Fallon directed. The change itself wasn’t dramatic, just a simple melting of form, accomplished in seconds. Underneath all that fur, Kial was an unassuming brunette of average height and looks. His expression was a little hesitant as he addressed her. “Good morning, my lady.”She stared at him without blinking, wary as a kitten suddenly dropped into a box of pit bull puppies. Her abused muscles were screaming at her to relax, but her mind wasn’t listening. She’d run hurt before.Fallon gestured for Kial to sit. “So tell me, are you still thinking about getting your red sash? You’re more than eligible.”“I don’t know if I wan
Golden Bell 32
Rain opened her eyes and found that she was alone. Lovely. She’d had unpleasant dreams and would have welcomed a distraction, even if it were Fallon’s scowling face. Not that she could blame him. She felt a creeping embarrassment that she’d thrown herself over a four-story waterfall without a good reason. She shifted and winced. She must have hit every rock in that blasted river.The current had been fast, and she was amazed that she’d survived. There had been a couple of times she’d been sucked under and nearly drowned. Maybe somebody upstairs was watching out for her, because there was no way she should have made it out of that river.If a higher power had saved her though, she couldn’t fathom why. Fallon was mad at her, for one. Y
Golden Bell 31
“My lord, later,” one of the medics snapped at him. “Let’s make sure she lives first.”“I’ll live,” Rain muttered, but it was clear she wasn’t fully sensible.They wouldn’t let him inside the operating room, so Fallon paced. Keilor joined him, keeping silent vigil as they waited for news.“Maybe a flashback?” Fallon offered, when over half an hour had crawled by. “She has panic attacks around Haunt.”While Keilor had not yet met Rain, he’d listened just that morning as Fallon had spilled his guts about his wife. “Maybe.”
Golden Bell 30
The park was too crowded, though by no means full. She felt exposed as curious eyes tracked her progress. It was as she entered the orchard and achieved the seclusion she’d hoped for that she began to worry. Something wasn’t right. Shouldn’t her bodyguards have said something by now, questioned her choice of wandering in the woods? She expected someone to appear, ready to chew her out.A familiar pain gripped her as the change came over her, lengthening her nails, sharpening her teeth and her senses. This time she rode it out, using her nose to test the wind before the change dulled it, blessing the ears that picked up sound unavailable to mere human ears. She stood still, looking, scenting as shiny red fruit swayed gently in the breeze. Something…
Golden Bell 29
She’d hurt him tonight; wanted to hurt him. Part of her was angry with him for making her come here, for railroading her into a relationship she wasn’t ready for. They were both going to cross some rough roads to get to a place where this marriage he’d started could work. He’d taken advantage of her, but she was to blame, too.She hated admitting that, but she was nothing if not fair. Now, they were stuck. She was stuck, because she’d willingly given up her ticket off this planet. For what? To soothe Fallon’s fear. Why had she done that?Maybe it was because she understood fear. He had been kind to her. Maybe the only thing he felt for her was desire, but he’d been generous about sharing that, too. He didn’t make her feel
