“Fascinating,” Grady Prime said, inspecting the broken feather at the other man’s invitation. The whole idea had him captivated.
Sinclair Prime tucked his wing back behind him and resumed the tour. He showed Grady Prime the barracks and the guest room he’d been assigned, where his pack had already been stowed. Sinclair also showed him the mess hall, break room and other facilities, introducing him to a few others as they went through the various public areas. All of the winged soldiers seemed surprised to see non-winged Grady Prime in their sanctuary, but they were welcoming for the most part.
Not all were of the Sinclair bloodline. Grady Prime met a few Hanlons, a Shaugness, a Lear and some Malens as well. Each had wings in varying shades of blond and brown with otherworldly markings along the long shafts of improbable feathers. The men were soldiers, well built and long of limb with varying lengths of wing that would support them in the air. Grady Prime also noted patrols flying or resting in the trees, watching over the compound below.
“You run an impressive operation here, Sinclair Prime,” Grady complimented the other Prime with genuine admiration as they neared a structure set apart from the others.
“We do all right, though we sometimes miss the company of females. None were created with wings. The Patriarch brings some of the non-winged brethren to visit us here once in a while. Some among them are female and do not object to our altered bodies. And of course Mara Prime has his lab techs who see to us on a regular schedule.”
Grady Prime didn’t comment on the new, chilly feelings he got when he remembered his own encounters with lab techs and the few women who didn’t mind servicing soldier stock. Every encounter except that last one with Jaci 192 was tainted in his memory. But Jaci 192 had given him something none of the others had ever shown him. She’d given him a glimpse into what sex could be like between beings with feelings. She’d been under the influence of the gene-altering agent at the time, though nobody had known then about the laboratory accident that had exposed her. She’d begun to feel. She had shown him true responses of a woman who enjoyed what her partner demanded of her and participated fully in both the physical and emotional side of lovemaking.
Later, when he’d found her frolicking with her true Resonance Mates, she’d given him hope. He despaired of ever finding a woman who could resonate with him on such an intimate level, but now that he had emotions, he found he couldn’t kill the small kernel of hope that insisted on living in his previously cold heart.
The one-story square structure they entered was different from the others. Grady Prime felt the echoes of something…strange…in this new building as he entered. There was a small outer room that led to a large, bare, rectangular hall that had a very high ceiling and no fixtures to speak of. One long wall was covered with mirrors and the opposite wall was made up of floor-to-ceiling doors that were open to a fenced-in courtyard beyond.
Sinclair Prime led him around the edge of the large open space to the outer wall and into the courtyard that was sparsely populated with long, cylindrical plants reaching for the heavens only on the perimeter of the walled area. In the center of the outdoor space, a long table had been set up with several chairs and laden with covered platters, plates and place settings. It looked like a feast had been prepared.
“Welcome, Grady Prime. We dine well this night, in your honor. I have long admired your work.”
The Patriarch had snuck up on him again and Grady didn’t like it. Of course, if anyone were going to sneak up on him, it wasn’t too distressing that the fabled Zxerah Patriarch would be the one able to do it.
“Thank you for your invitation, Patriarch,” Grady Prime said politely. Behind the Patriarch, two more winged soldiers filed in, followed by two without wings and most shockingly, a small human woman.
Grady Prime tried not to stare. Something about the woman set off all kinds of internal alarms in his mind.
“Please be seated in the place of honor, Grady Prime.” The Patriarch indicated the place opposite as he sat at one end of the long table.
Grady Prime moved to the other end of the table, as requested. He waited to be seated until everyone else had found their places, as good manners demanded of the lower ranked. Then they all sat at once. He was pleased to find the woman seated on his right and Sinclair Prime on his left. The others ranged down the table, toward the Patriarch.
All eyes turned to the Patriarch as he signaled to them to join hands for the ancient prayer. It was unusual, but some Alvians still practiced the old ways and Grady Prime had witnessed such ceremonies before. He took Sinclair Prime’s hand with only slight hesitation. He was eager to touch the pretty human female’s skin. The eagerness alone was something to savor—a precious emotion he’d only just learned to appreciate.
It shouldn’t have come as such a shock then, that when he took her hand, a delicate, musical Hum reverberated through the air. Grady Prime’s heart stopped as his eyes widened. He looked at the beautiful woman, then to the Patriarch who recited the ancient prayer, speaking of the forefathers and the blessed home crystal of Alvia Prime. A slight nod from the Patriarch was the only indication Grady had that the other man had heard the miraculous Hum. It was obvious the human woman heard nothing—the tone was most likely too far out of her natural range of hearing. But the other Alvians all had varying degrees of interest on their faces as Grady Prime looked down the table and started to breathe again.
The prayer ended and he, regrettably, had to let her go. Immediately the Hum ceased.
“You are no doubt surprised to find a human among our number, are you not, Grady Prime?” The Patriarch didn’t mention the Hum as the covers were removed from the serving dishes. They all began to hand the platters around the table, serving themselves.
“I am, Patriarch.” Grady Prime took his cue from his host. If the Patriarch didn’t mention the Hum, neither would he. “Of course, until today I had no idea the Zxerah Brotherhood still existed. This seems to be a day of discovery for me.”
He couldn’t keep his gaze from the lovely creature sitting on his right. She had dark hair and eyes, her features angular and fine, her bone structure neither symmetrical nor ordinary. Instead, she was extraordinary in almost every way. Her petite frame was lithe and sleek from what he could tell under her plain dark clothing. He wondered what her skin would look and feel like without the concealment of cloth and felt himself grow unaccountably warm.
“Well said, Grady Prime. Allow me to introduce Gina, the first human I encountered on this planet. She was the first of their number to be inducted into the Brotherhood, but hardly the last.”
The woman turned to look at him fully, and Grady Prime’s mouth went dry as their eyes met. She spoke, and her voice sent shivers down his spine. He’d never reacted so strongly to any female—but then he’d never Hummed with any female. Ever.
The Hum was the first of the resonance tests. If a couple Hummed, they could then proceed to the next tests to see if they were in fact, Resonance Mates. While a male might Hum with more than one woman, few would pass the second test—the Kiss. And it was said only one woman for each male would receive the Embrace with a positive result, confirming that they were indeed, true Resonance Mates.
Grady wanted to try the next test with this human woman, and he wanted to try it now. It was so unbelievable that he should find any woman to Hum with him, that he wanted desperately to see if she could make the crystals glow like the sun, confirming their resonance. That could hardly be done at the dinner table, especially on such short acquaintance. He’d have to find a way. Soon. Or go mad.