Duel Citizenship Read online

  Violet, though. Violet had it in for Sarah.

  She had never heard of a lizard with a strong personality, which was part of why she wanted to know what they were. But any time she tried to get a picture of one, it would vanish. Her lizard friends were remarkably camera shy.

  Cerulean let out a hiss from his spot on the windowsill. Sarah turned just in time to see Violet knock a cookbook off the shelf.

  “Dammit, Violet!” Sarah leapt out of the way as the heavy book bounced off the counter and narrowly missed crushing her toes.

  “Is everything okay in here?”

  Sarah spun around to find the stranger standing in the kitchen doorway.

  “Yeah, just...problems with the wildlife.” She gestured toward the shelf where Violet had just been lurking, only to see it empty. Sure enough, the windowsill was vacant as well.

  She let out a deep sigh. “There really were two lizards here a moment ago.”

  “I believe you.” He gave her another thousand megawatt smile, laugh-lines framing his lips.

  Very nice lips…

  “I’ve seen dozens of small reptiles running around outside,” he said. “They’re everywhere. It’s incredible.”

  Definitely a tourist.

  “I’m not talking about the little anoles. These guys are big. Huge. I have no idea what they are. They just showed up one day and made The Old Oak their home. I mean, not the restaurant. Though they do tend to hang out here. But they live in the tree, and…I’m rambling.”

  She never rambled. Unless she’d had a couple of drinks, which she hadn’t done in years, actually. This guy was hitting her system like a double shot of whiskey.

  He smiled at her in response. Probably didn’t want to set off the crazy lizard lady. That’s what one of the yoga instructors had jokingly called Sarah when she mentioned the lizards that no one else ever seemed to see.

  She should raise the rent on the deck space below when they wanted to use it for classes. But that would be petty.

  Sarah picked up the cookbook and stared at the high shelf. Normally, she would climb up and kneel on the counter to reach it. She wanted to avoid doing that in front of a handsome stranger, even if it would put them at more of an even eye level. And lip level.

  She shook off the thought and said, “I don’t suppose you’d put this back up there for me, would you?”

  “Sure.”

  Her request turned out to be a mistake. At least, if she wanted to minimize the effect he was having on her. He stepped forward and took the book from her hand, filling the kitchen with his presence.

  The room was small. That made preparing food easy when she was working in it alone. She barely had to take a step to reach every surface, every storage space she needed. With him inside, it seemed miniscule. There was no place to go to give him room.

  His shirt brushed against her, surrounding her with the scent of him. Soap and…evergreen. Not part of the soap. He smelled like the pine needles and snow in the mountains where her parents lived.

  She tried to step out of his way as he put the book on the shelf, but ended up tripping over his foot. He caught her, his hands warm on her bare arms.

  “You okay?” he said.

  She might be, except that she couldn’t stop thinking about how soft and strong his hands felt. Her belly flooded with warmth, tingles building between her legs with a speed that shocked her. He was setting her off in ways she had missed more than she realized.

  She should really get out more.

  “I’m fine,” she said. She even managed a smile and an awkward laugh.

  “I’m glad to hear it.”

  He was dusting his thumbs across her skin. She didn’t think he was aware of it, the way he was staring down at her.

  Maybe he was thinking about kissing her. She really, really wanted him to be thinking about kissing her. But then he laughed and shifted away, back toward the door to the restaurant.

  Damn.

  “Actually, I should probably go,” he said. “I just arrived in town and need to find a place to stay.”

  She tried not to let herself be disappointed. This guy was an Adonis. He was covered in muscles. His clothes were brand new and very high end, even as casually dressed as he was.

  Sarah’s hair was held up in a quick ponytail. Her tank top and shorts undoubtedly showed off both her overly abundant curves and almost total lack of muscular definition.

  She couldn’t tone up anywhere no matter how hard she tried. And she had tried. She’d had dreams of competing in the Olympics when she was a kid. Before several ill-timed growth spurts, her gymnastics teachers had thought she had a chance.

  In the two decades since then—had it really been that long?—she’d worked out sporadically, but only really started taking care of herself after selling her startup company and retiring at a ridiculously early age. She’d made peace with her body, her focus shifting to feeling healthy rather than trying to meet society’s standards. If she wasn’t this guy’s type, she wouldn’t hold it against him.

  It was a shame, though.

  “There’s a hotel right across the street,” she said. “It’s a little Bohemian, but the owners are really nice. Or there’s another place closer to the main part of town. You’d probably want to call a cab to go there. It’s a bit of a hike.”

  He smiled at her and her train of thought came to a screeching halt. Somehow, she knew that smile would always stop her dead in her tracks.

  “The place across the street sounds great.”

  “Let them know I sent you.” It probably wouldn’t make a difference. She was still rambling.

  “I’ll do that.” He turned and headed out the door.

  She took a few deep breaths. Her body was tingling all over and she had the strongest urge to run after him, grab him, and kiss him, just to see what would happen.

  She didn’t even know his name.

  “I really need to get out more,” she said.

  When she turned around, she saw Cerulean sitting on the windowsill again.

  “There you are. Where were you a minute ago, when I looked like a crazy person talking about giant lizards?”

  Cerulean cocked his head to the side in a quintessentially reptilian fashion, then blinked. The blue stripes along his sides deepened and he straightened his front legs, letting her know he wanted a ride.

  “Fine, but only while I’m cleaning inside. When I’m trimming the tree, you need to give me space to stay safe.”

  She let out a frustrated sigh as she walked to the window and held out her arm. He climbed up quickly and perched across her shoulders.

  “I can’t stay mad at you.” She ran a finger gently over his cheek. “Violet, though… She’s on my shitlist.”

  Sarah swore Cerulean’s lips pulled up in a smile.

  “I am a crazy lizard lady.” She shook her head and got back to work.

  Chapter Three

  This mission was going to be more complicated than Ari had thought. The readings seemed to be centralized around a tree. An inhabited tree. He had never heard of such a thing. Earthlings certainly were innovative with their living spaces.

  There were thousands of different species in the Coalition of Planets, but he didn’t know of any who lived in trees. Not even the Tau Ceti, whose planet was a swamp covered in enormous vegetation.

  He’d wanted to ask so many questions, but was afraid she might grow suspicious of his ignorance. The hotel owners had been forthcoming enough to satisfy most of his curiosity.

  According to them, living in a tree wasn’t all that common on Earth, either. The Earthling—Sarah—lived and worked in the house that had been built into the enormous plant. She operated a restaurant on the lower level and lived above in what was called a loft.

  Ari liked the small spaces in her home. They reminded him of the spaceships where he’d spent most of his life. The natural materials of the building added a warmth that he particularly enjoyed.

  The large deck that surrounded
the base of the tree was used by people in the community who taught classes on health and something they called “spiritual wellness”. Apparently, Sarah had designed the entire thing and had it built when she moved to the area.

  Her accomplishments beforehand also impressed the hotel owners, but Ari didn’t quite understand what they were talking about. Something about owning a materials company and holding her own in a global marketplace. He’d kept smiling and nodding, which seemed to mask his ignorance.

  The owners of the hotel had spoken of Sarah warmly while showing Ari to where he would be staying. They had apologized for the size of the room, not realizing he was used to having only a bunk with a regen bed to sleep in and a tiny storage locker for his backup uniform.

  All he had asked for was a room that overlooked the “treehouse”. The rest of the details were insignificant. He needed to get more readings. He needed to study the dwelling. Ari had been amazed when he first saw it, staring more at the building than the data his watch was feeding to him.

  The deck underneath the restaurant was decorated with colorful fabrics and small candles and sculptures arranged in a manner that was oddly pleasant to look at. He had felt an unfamiliar sense of peace from simply observing the setting.

  A few tables with built-in benches were scattered about the open ground surrounding the tree. They reminded him of the tables in the Arbiter’s mess deck.

  A spiral staircase led up to the restaurant. He wasn’t sure how the loft above was accessed. He needed to get closer. He needed to study the structure. But that meant he needed to interact with the Earthling more.

  That was a problem.

  Maybe it was the odd emotional effects of viewing the treehouse, or the shifting ground beneath his feet, but Ari felt something when he was with Sarah. Something strong enough to divert his focus unacceptably.

  The Arbiter had been full of rumors about General Serath—Adam—and his bondmate. Soldiers said they would come across the pair kissing in corners of the ship.

  Ari hadn’t believed any of the stories. Why wouldn’t they wait to reach the General’s private quarters to kiss? The need for discretion would surely be stronger than their bodily urges.

  Then he had come across them himself—huddled in a corner, forms tangled as they seemed to be trying to press themselves as close to each other as possible. Ari had retreated quickly, wondering what could drive them to do such a thing.

  At the Department of Homeworld Security headquarters, Vay and Henry were always holding hands or touching when in any kind of proximity—even though it was impractical to hold hands while walking. And Ari had come across Zemanni and Brooke in more compromising positions than he wanted to remember. None of it had made sense.

  But after meeting Sarah…

  Ari could imagine kissing her in the corridors of the Arbiter. Or in the closeness of her kitchen.

  He’d never encountered anything like the softness of her arms. Sparring with his fellow Sadirian soldiers, his opponents felt solid, muscles taut right beneath their skin. Their flesh didn’t yield like Sarah’s had—almost as if it were inviting his touch.

  “What is it about this place?” he said.

  He wanted to touch more of her.

  Her skin was gold from the sun, like the highlights in her brown hair. Her eyes were dark, like his. And her smile…

  He shook his head. He shouldn’t be thinking about her smile or her skin or how hearing her gentle voice made him want to do nothing more than listen to everything she said. He had a mission.

  Activating the scanners in his watch, he headed outdoors again.

  The heat was a welcome change from the chill of Brendan’s mountain estate. His room at Homeworld headquarters was uncomfortably spacious compared to where he’d be staying during this mission. Ari was even getting used to the shifting sands, especially after walking around the tree to pinpoint his readings.

  He glanced across the street and halted.

  Sarah was up in the tree. High up. She was climbing along the branches, holding some sort of tool. Her movements were graceful as she weaved among the branches, but she still should be using a safety harness.

  If she’d been over the treehouse or the soft sands, he wouldn’t have been as concerned. But she was out at the edges of the tree, with nothing but the deck thirty feet below.

  This was not his world. She had to know what she was doing.

  But physics worked the same everywhere.

  He forced his attention back to his watch, scanning for more of the strange readings, trying to ignore the unsettled feeling in his stomach. Moments later, he heard Sarah scream.

  He ran toward her without thinking, his heart pounding as he watched her fall through the branches. They slowed her descent, but not enough. He was too far away to catch her, and with her velocity and the hardness of the deck…

  Five feet before impact, her body slowed. By the time she landed on the deck, most of her inertia was gone. She hovered above the wood for a moment, then lowered onto it, like someone was gently setting her down.

  An antigravity field. No wonder she’d felt safe working in the tree without a harness. But where had she obtained it?

  His stomach twisted. What if Sarah was the invading alien he was looking for?

  Many species would modify their appearance over generations after entering the Coalition until they looked almost indistinguishable from Sadirians. The Tau Ceti were a prime example.

  They had modified themselves to the point that they could walk among Sadirians—and Earthlings—without being noticed. Which made it easier for them to prey on humans.

  Since humans were from a lost colony ship that had crashed on the planet millennia ago, humans didn’t need to change their appearance to look Sadirian. Technically, Sadirians and Earthlings were the same species—if Sarah was an Earthling.

  He shook himself. If she wasn’t, then he would arrest her. It was as simple as that.

  When he reached her, he realized it was complicated.

  Her eyes were wild, her chest heaving. Tears streamed down her face. As he knelt at her side, he could see her entire body was shaking.

  “I’m alive. How am I alive?” she gasped. “I don’t understand.”

  “Stay calm.”

  He tapped his watch quickly, activating the scanners to check her for injuries. Slowly passing his hand over her body, he found that she was unharmed, aside from a few mild lacerations from the branches hitting her back, legs, and arms as she fell.

  Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, then let it out slowly.

  “Nothing hurts,” she said. “And I can feel my legs.”

  “That’s good. You have some scrapes and bruises, but otherwise you’re okay. Let me help you up.”

  “I’m a big fan of Reiki, but I think I’m supposed to lie still until the paramedics arrive.”

  Bringing in other authorities might scare off whatever aliens Ari was hunting. He needed to avoid that if possible, and he knew that she was uninjured.

  “What is ray-key?” He asked the question to buy time, but was gratified when she laughed.

  “You’re definitely not a local. Reiki is a healing technique. It’s a form of ‘laying on hands’.”

  “Humans can heal each other through touch?”

  “‘Humans’?”

  Moons, a slip like that could jeopardize his mission.

  “Oh, that was weird,” he said. “Seeing you fall has shaken me. I can only imagine how you feel.”

  “I feel…fine, honestly. A little awkward, though. I want to sit up, but if the adrenaline is covering injuries that aren’t hurting yet, that could be very bad.”

  “You aren’t in danger due to your fall.” Other sources… He wasn’t sure yet. He locked her gaze with his, then picked up her hand and squeezed it. “I promise to keep you safe.”

  He wasn’t sure where that had come from, but he meant it.

  “How crazy is it that I believe you?” She laughed briefly, then s
he pulled on his hand, starting to sit.

  He wrapped his free arm around her as he stood, bringing them both to their feet. She burrowed against his chest, wrapping her arms around him. That was…unexpected.

  Warmth spread through him. He held her close, offering comfort as she calmed herself. He’d seen Kira and Brendan stand like this, and had thought it strange. Experiencing it himself, he understood their affection much better.

  After a moment, Sarah pulled back and looked up at the tree. “Seriously, how am I okay?”

  She truly didn’t seem to have any idea what had happened. But then, how was she okay?

  “The branches must have slowed my fall enough to protect me,” she said. “I was looking for dead limbs that needed to be trimmed. Thank God I had only just started, or I would have fallen on a pile of pointy sticks.”

  She still wouldn’t have been injured. Someone had used technology not available on this planet to stop her fall. But who? And why?

  The Coalition provided soldiers with handheld antigravity units that could be used both to move small heavy objects and to immobilize prisoners, depending on the setting of the device. They could easily be concealed in someone’s hand. But no one was in the vicinity.

  Whoever it was had protected Sarah. Very likely saved her life. There was more going on here than he understood.

  “Let me help you inside,” he said.

  “I’m okay. I think I’m going to go upstairs and lie down for a while.”

  He wasn’t sure which bothered him more—not being able to study her environment and conduct more thorough scans, or not being allowed to help her.

  “But—”

  She reached up and touched his cheek, silencing him. He felt her trace his lip with her thumb, the touch feather-light, but hitting his senses like a shock cannon. His skin tingled as if an electric current was passing close. Blood rushed to his groin.

  He leaned closer.

  She was still breathing quickly, adrenaline no doubt flooding her system, obscuring her judgment. He didn’t have an excuse for his own reaction to her.