Tempting Flame (The Jendari Book 1) Read online

  Stripping off the hated suit, he headed to his master bathroom and turned on the shower. He pulled the pins from his hair, shaking it lose and scrubbing at his scalp until it tingled. After having his hair bound so tightly all day, it was a relief to feel it swing free around his shoulders. Humming to himself, he walked to the oversized shower stall and stepped in, ducking his head under the hot spray. Using the soap that was hand-milled at the settlement in New Havilah, he washed his work day—and his worries—down the drain.

  After he'd dried off and dressed in a pair of loose trousers he made his way to the kitchen to address the needs of his rumbling stomach. Like the rest of the penthouse apartment, the kitchen was generously proportioned, pleasing to the eye, and very comfortable. No Jendari liked city living, but for the duration of their tours at the tower, they were expected to stay close. The Elders had purchased real estate under the anonymity of shell companies, and the properties mainly housed humans. As a result, most Jendari living offsite used the transit pads to enter and leave their homes. Tallis had the luxury of living in one of two penthouse suites in his building and, as the other belonged to his friend Deasun, they enjoyed more freedom of movement than most.

  Tallis loved the security of the top floor, but the distance from the ground tore at his Jendari soul. He tried to compensate by having indoor plants on almost every flat surface, but nothing could compare to having his boots on the earth and the smell of fresh air and forest filling his lungs.

  He made his way across the kitchen and into the walk-in pantry, his bare feet soundless on the hardwood floor. Perusing the shelves, he was trying to decide what to have for dinner when a deep feline cough came from the kitchen. Smiling in expectation, Tallis hurried out to greet his visitor.

  Itohan sat in the middle of the floor, looking dainty despite the heavy muscle and thick fur of his feline body. His triangular head came up to Tallis's hip, and his long ears curved towards the ceiling, giving him an extra three inches in height. His long silky fur was silver-gray, with black dots and swirls that provided camouflage in his native habitat of a Jendari forest. A long, fluffy tail curled around his body, obscuring the enormous paws that could disembowel any prey. His luminous green eyes pinned Tallis with an expectant gaze.

  Tallis nodded politely. "Good evening, Itohan. How are you this evening?"

  Hungry.

  "What a surprise."

  Itohan was one of the me'hendra, a race of large cats that could communicate mind to mind with a rhe'hashan—if they chose to. The me'hendra were stubborn and single-minded, and once they attached themselves to a warrior it was impossible to shake them off. Not that Tallis had tried. Itohan had been his friend for many years, coming and going at his leisure.

  The me'hendra were loyal to a fault. When there was a battle to be fought, they were always at the side of their rhe'hashan partner. And when the seed ships had fled Jendar, every me'hendra who'd paired with a rhe'hashan boarded the vessel without question.

  Leaning a hip on the counter, Tallis folded his arms. "You're always hungry."

  Dinner me.

  Tallis snorted. "I will not. You're a fully grown male, perfectly capable of catching your own prey."

  Food. Now.

  Tallis shook his head. This was the downside of the me'hendra learning to use transit pads. Technically they shouldn't have been able to access the pads because only a Jendari song could trigger the device. But somehow, the me'hendra managed to circumvent that requirement and nobody—not even the people who designed the tech—had been able to figure out how.

  "I'm not feeding you. Get your own bloody dinner."

  Itohan was a male cat, which meant he wouldn't hunt if he didn't have to. If Tallis let him, Itohan would spend the rest of his life lounging around the penthouse being hand fed. He'd take over the most comfortable pieces of furniture and live like a king, while Tallis would be relegated to the position of cook/cleaner/slave.

  Itohan curled a lip and growled, showing an impressive array of teeth. Tallis growled back.

  With a huff of disdain Itohan rose to his feet and padded to the refrigerator. Pawing at the door until it opened he moved his body in close, sat down, and lifted one paw—claws out—to the middle shelf.

  "What are you doing?" Whatever it was, Tallis knew he wasn't going to like it.

  Without moving the bulk of his body, Itohan peered over his shoulder, his hard eyes burning green. And then he pulled on the shelf. Slowly, deliberately, his glare leaving no doubt he meant business.

  The sad thing was, Tallis knew Itohan would pull out every shelf and ruin every bit of food in the house if he didn't get his own way.

  "Badria's teeth, you are a pain in my ass."

  The paw of destruction stopped its inevitable glide. Dinner me?

  "Yes. Even though you don't deserve it you lazy, blackmailing—"

  That's as far as Tallis got before Itohan joyfully launched himself. The cat was as tall as Tallis, and twice his weight. The impact of clashing bodies forced the wind from his lungs and he grunted as he wrapped his arms around the thick bulk of the me'hendra's torso.

  Itohan pushed his nose into Tallis's neck, nuzzling and sniffing, offering the occasional affectionate lick. Then he froze, sniffed again, and pulled his head back to meet Tallis's gaze.

  Smell female.

  Of course he did, despite the fact that Tallis's shower should have washed Jasmine's scent from his body. "Yes, I met a woman today. A human who was trying to help some sick cubs."

  Itohan sniffed again. You like her. You mate?

  "No, that won't be happening." Tallis had no intention of being in any kind of relationship, ever. His oath to the clans was sacrosanct, and he couldn't let anything get in the way of his duty. Having a mate split a warrior's loyalty, and Tallis had firsthand experience of the tragedies that could occur when the wrong choice was made. So he stayed away from women who were looking for something serious, and kept his liaisons brief. Casual and uncomplicated was what he needed from a woman, and Jasmine Teale was neither of those things.

  You smell like want. Itohan tried to bury his nose in Tallis's neck.

  Tallis pushed Itohan away until he dropped all four paws on the floor. Damn cats and their enhanced sense of smell. That shower should have washed him clean, and whatever Tallis might or might not feel for Jasmine, it shouldn't be coming out of his skin.

  "I'm not talking about her." Tallis held up his hand to forestall further argument. "Do you want to be fed or not."

  Yes. Food.

  With a contented chirp Itohan took himself over to a counter on the far side of the room—a place Tallis never prepared food—and jumped up. Squeezing himself onto the too-narrow space, Itohan lay down, rested his head on the paw that wasn't dangling over the edge, and settled in to supervise meal preparation.

  Hurry. His ears twitched and his long, striped tail swung like a pendulum.

  "It takes as long as it takes," Tallis said, heading for the recently rescued contents of his fridge. "If you want to eat any sooner, you can go back to the settlement and catch your own dinner."

  Itohan gave him a baleful glare. Still hungry.

  Tallis ignored the whiny cat and began preparing their meal. Truth be told, he was glad of the company. Today had been too full of surprises—none of them good—and he wasn't happy about how much of his life was currently out of his control.

  And to make matters worse, he had a feeling that today was only the beginning of his troubles.

  Chapter Five

  The week leading up to the hospital visit was a busy one for Tallis. He'd spoken to Jaz on the phone several times—more than he should have and for longer than was good for his peace of mind. His fierce determination to keep his distance from her was constantly undermined by the appeal of her clever brain and her ready laughter. He tried not to think about her, but she popped into his mind several times a day. Sometimes he caught himself smiling at some remembered snippet of conversation, and when that happened he
had the urge scrub out his brain.

  He had no interest in a relationship, and he had no intention of forming any kind of attachment to Jasmine. The man inside him was on board with that plan for the most part, but the tigaren aspect of his personality had no interest in honor, duty or oaths. The cat had taken an instant liking to Jaz, and every time Tallis spoke to her—or thought of her—the tigaren purred and stretched in an attempt to get closer to the human.

  Thankfully his work at the Tower had kept him busy. Jasmine's show-stopping protest had gone viral and her performance in the lobby had been given airtime on mainstream media. Unfortunately it had also given the fringe element all kinds of ideas and humans from both pro-alien and anti-alien factions had kept the security teams busy.

  On several occasions the clashing demonstrations had spilled from the sidewalk onto the busy streets. The subsequent traffic jams had only incited more interest in the tower and what went on inside. It was a self-feeding frenzy and Tallis couldn't wait until something more newsworthy came along.

  Now, on his first day off since the madness began, he wasn't relaxing at his penthouse apartment like a sensible male. Nor was he having a couple of days away at New Havilah, the Jendari settlement in Washington state.

  No, he was spending his morning getting ready for the Sick Cub Mission. The off-the-books, Borini-inspired insanity that was likely to leave Tallis crushed in the dirt like an abandoned toy. And to make matters worse he could hardly wait to see and smell and touch Jasmine. He tried to deny it, even to himself, but there was no mistaking the anticipation that had been surging through him since he woke up this morning.

  Mentally ringing a peel of doom over himself, he did his best to get mission ready. Pulling a large satchel from an overhead cupboard, he carefully packed the flowers and plants that he'd lied to acquire from the clan botanists. He also picked up a large envelope of printed images that showed his home world in all its glory. A time before the war and the devastation it left behind.

  At Borini's suggestion, Tallis wore the rhe'hashan version of work attire, sans weapons. Borini hoped the uniform would look alien enough to interest the human cubs, but be identifiable enough to put them at ease. Heavy, knee-high boots buckled up the outside of Tallis's leg and the hidden scabbards only held a couple of his favorite knives. His black pants and long-sleeved top were made of a special, butter-soft leather they called dragon skin. Light-weight and supple, it acted as a kind of body armor and could compensate for extreme weather conditions. Tallis finished his ensemble with a low-slung belt that had a multitude of pockets and pouches, all filled with standard rhe'hashan necessities.

  Looking at himself in the mirror, he couldn't decide if he was too much or not enough. Even though he was weaponless—mostly—he still looked pretty intimidating and he had no idea if that was good or bad. In an effort to soften his effect, he left his hair loose except for a small section at the top, secured with a thin leather tie at the back of his head.

  Figuring he'd done the best he could, Tallis made his way to the back wall of his walk-in closet. Moving aside a panel he placed his hand on the bio-scan. After a moment the wall in front of him slid aside and Tallis sang his song, activating the crystal in the black-leafed zaldi bush. He stepped into a small space that could accommodate two rhe'hashan in a pinch and submitted to yet another scan. Then he stood in the center of the transit pad and sang his own unique song. Keeping the tower basement foremost in his mind, he found himself halfway across town between one blink and the next.

  After exiting the tower sub-basement, Tallis made his way through several corridors until he came to the elevators that would take him down to the car park. The vehicle he'd been assigned was sitting in the fourth row, looking just like any other black fleet car. However this one was bullet and bomb proof, hack proof, and wouldn't unlock or start without the correct bioscan.

  Tallis gripped the door handle firmly, waiting until the sensors recognized him as an approved user. As soon as the driver's door unlocked, he threw his gear into the passenger seat, strapped himself into the driver's side, and used a smaller scanner to start the engine. As he pulled out of the car park into the Saturday traffic, he flicked on the radio and settled in for a congested drive.

  All Jendari, including those who never left the settlement, had to undergo training so they could function in the human world. During that training Tallis had learned everything from how to use a knife and fork to accessing the internet. He'd also learned to drive a car and, as rhe'hashan, he'd completed several advanced driving courses. He was competent behind the wheel, but he didn't like it. He felt too hemmed in by vehicles, buildings, and traffic. Despite the tinted windows, he felt overly exposed as he moved along with the stop-start flow.

  It took him an hour and a half to drive to the children's hospital. He pulled up at the south entrance and handed his paperwork over to the security guard. The man did his best to remain professional, but his eyes widened and he lingered a little too long over Tallis's permits. Tallis knew the guard had been told to expect a Jendari, and all the appropriate non-disclosure agreements would have been signed. However that didn't stop the human from scanning Tallis as though he might sprout horns at any minute.

  He understood the man's curiosity—Tallis was part cat after all—but he didn't enjoy the scrutiny. Eventually Tallis was waved through and he drove into the underground car park, heading for the section that was reserved for doctors only.

  After settling on a parking space two rows over from the elevators, Tallis spent the next twenty minutes doing visual and sensory sweeps of the area. And then Jaz arrived, right on time.

  As the cab came down the ramp the cat inside Tallis stirred, prowling against his skin. The windows of the taxi were tinted, but he knew she was in there. His heart picked up speed and he leaned forward in his seat, straining to get his first look at her in over a week.

  When she stepped out of the cab he had to scramble to hold onto his good intentions. Despite the brevity of their friendship Jaz called to him on a level that was both wonderful and terrifying. He wanted to leap out of the car and wrap her in his arms just as badly as he wanted to peel out of the car park and never see her again.

  She taunted him. Confused him.

  She made him yearn for things he knew he could never have.

  As she walked to the bank of elevators to wait for him, Tallis gave himself one minute of complete indulgence before he got to work. Concealed as he was in the car, he permitted himself a miserly sixty seconds to drink her in. His mouth watered, his hands itched to touch her silky-soft skin, and his cock stirred with a speed and vigor that made him wince. She looked different today than she had at the tower—softer, more strokable. Both man and cat growled in pleasure.

  This relaxed side of Jasmine was even more sensual than the previous version that had been keeping him up at night. Gone was the scraped back hair and ugly suit, and in their place was something far more alluring.

  The lower half of Jaz's honey-blond hair was died bright pink, falling in wild lose curls all the way down her back. Tallis traced it with his eyes, which naturally led his gaze down to her spectacularly curved ass. Her lower half was showcased in a full skirt that somehow managed to cling in all the right places, giving a tantalizing hint of strong legs and soft thighs. Jaz turned, scanning the car park, and he savored feminine lines of her indented waist and lush breasts. His cock throbbed and his hands burned to creep under the hem of her skirt and glide upward.

  Trying to exercise the brains Badria gave him, Tallis put a lid on his wants and desires. It took him another minute to get himself and his unruly cock under control, and he took several long, deep breaths to slow his heart rate to normal. Once he was as ready as he could be, he opened his car door, grabbed his satchel, and climbed out. He prowled between the rows of cars, closing the distance between them. When Jaz saw him her eyes widened in surprise, then heated with interest.

  He had to choke down the purr that tried to burst
from his chest.

  "Tallis, hi." Her voice was tight and she sounded out of breath. "You look gorgeous. No, I mean amazing … no I—" She frowned and covered her face with her hands. "Fuck."

  Her confusion so matched his own that Tallis felt himself relax. Plus, she was adorable when she was flustered.

  He smothered a grin and moved closer. "Thank you." Before he thought better of it his hand was running over her hair, crown to waist. "You look beautiful as well. I like your hair."

  She peeked out from between her fingers. "I like yours, too." Dropping her hands she took a breath. "Though I'm not sure I should, seeing it's nicer than mine."

  He smiled at that. "But not as pink."

  "No." She gestured to the elevator. "Shall we?"

  "Yes."

  Jaz led him to the doors and made a phone call. Hospital security had manual control and they would send the lift down for them, ensuring they had a non-stop trip to the sixth floor. Everyone involved in this excursion had been required to sign non-disclosure agreements, but the idea that so many humans knew about this mission made Tallis's spine tingle. Too many things could go wrong—and if they did, he and Borini would be the ones to take the fall.

  He followed Jaz into the lift, the enclosed space intensifying her scent. His tigaren half writhed in frustration. It couldn't understand why they were keeping their distance. The touch-hunger was almost painful and Tallis had to fight to stay in control. Leaning against the side wall he gripped the steel handrail and forced the cat into quiescence.

  As they travelled up, Jaz filled him in on what to expect and he fought to keep his mind on the job.

  "There's a garden room of sorts where the kids and their families can hang out," Jaz explained. "We've cleared it for a couple hours so it will just be us, the medical staff, and twenty or so kids." She turned to him, her blue-green eyes searching his face. "Be prepared. These kids are hooked up to machines, some of them are bald, some have lesions and bruises, others look as sick as they feel. It can be quite confronting the first time around."