Page 4 of Unfinished

Jesthi’s crown feathers wavered and shuffled, partially lifting before he stilled them. “You’re our high priest…do you truly question your purpose?”

He hadn’t.

“No. My life belongs to the Lady, but there are moments—have you never longed for a mate of your own?”

The lost, bereft expression cleared from Jesthi’s comfortably familiar face, the scales at the corners of his gem-bright green eyes crinkling as he grinned. “Priests can take mates. Many of our own brethren, even the highest priests of Xithilene, have recently bonded with human women. It is possible, R’kash. It’s unfortunate about the child, but we will find a place for her.”

He had to bite back the first words that came to mind. It wasn’t Jesthi’s fault that the very idea of getting rid of the child stirred a fury inside of his chest like he’d never known before. The suggestion was logical—expected, even, but R’kash knew he couldn’t let it happen. For better or worse, if the girl was his, she would stay.

He tasted the tang of blood on his lip and let its sharp bitterness coat the tips of his forked tongue. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to happen. Children of their blood weren’t considered burdens, and the girl, Veesha, would be no different. He wouldn’t allow it to be otherwise. He suspected she’d be a challenge, but that didn’t change the fact that her presence here was also a gift.

3

Sienna flickedthe holo-doc floating above her wrist. It went from almost fully translucent to readable as it reactivated. A week had passed since she’d first started writing it, tipsy and riding high on adrenaline, seated beside Tasha in a midtown bar. The goals she’d listed didn’t seem nearly as achievable anymore.

She was taking an automated transport—hired by her mother, of course—on her way to her parents’ house. She could’ve just caught a train like a normal person, but that wasn’t good enough for Lark Prescott. No, practicality wasn’t high on her mother’s list of virtues.

Sienna’s finger passed through number three on her rather optimistic to-do list.Date men you wouldn’t normally consider—have fun.Just reading it made her jaw lock up and her breath hitch. Tasha would tell her it was easy if Sienna would just get out of her own way, and she knew her friend was right. Maybe if she hadn’t approached dating Edgar like she was selecting a candidate for a job, their relationship would’ve worked out a lot better. No maybe about it—it would have been over by the third date, and she could’ve saved both of them some time and spared herself the heartache.

She leaned against the side of the transport, letting her cheek press against the cool glass. Her face tipped upwards, her eyes scanning the shiny silhouettes of tall buildings, each melding to the other, made monstrous by her fishbowl perspective. She should sit up straight, have a little dignity, but she didn’t feel like moving.

A flicker of bright color caught her eye just as the transport slid into an abrupt halt. She adjusted her seat so that it swiveled towards the front view window. Most of the other vehicles surrounding her were manned, but there were a few other automated transports whirring around like agitated bees as they tried to access an automated-only lane to their left. Her own vehicle was locked in place, entirely blocked by manned transports. It looked like there must’ve been an accident ahead if the traffic was any indication. That wasn’t what had captured Sienna’s interest.

The entire street-facing side of the building opposite her was lit up by a multi-story advertisement. She wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the vid-loop currently playing was what had caused the back-up on the road. Sienna’s lips parted, her jaw dropping as she stared at the men leaping across the screen. Shadow kissed scales gleaming iridescent blue and green—oil-slick colors that rippled and shifted with each movement. Powerful, sculpted muscles and bright eyes. Chests that glittered with layered ropes of jewelry and broad wings in bright colors that snapped out to a silent rhythm.

Xithilene.

Sienna’s heartbeat echoed in her ears, just as its pulsing throb resonated through every limb. Her suddenly dry mouth had her licking her lips. If there was ever a man she wouldn’t have considered dating, it would be a Xithilene. A snake-like alien from a species half a galaxy away, from a culture that, if the stories were true, practically worshiped human women.On their knees.One of the dancers on the vid-loop spun into a sudden stop, head bowed and wings extended behind him. He slowly lifted his face, and his bright yellow eyes seemed to look directly into her own.

She swallowed tightly. What would it be like to touch that scaled arm, to feel the corded muscle beneath? Would his scales be cool or warm? Would they slip against her skin like satin, or rasp lightly, the texture coaxing each nerve-ending to exquisite, decadent life?

The transport shifted forward before it ground to a stop again. Sienna shook her head as if that might knock loose the unexpected thoughts running through her mind.

Really though, what would it be like? The Xithilene didn’t have hair like humans or Earth mammals—just sleek, ornamental feathers. The mens’ were long enough to brush their shoulders, but the alien women’s were shorter, and looked as if they’d been purposely cropped close to their scalps. Both genders were beautiful in their own ways, but it was those graceful, scaled men who only had to exist to entrance her.

Sienna could feel the heat burning beneath her skin. She’d watched the news-vids. She knew all about the Xithilene, at least as much as anyone else who kept up with world affairs. It was silly to let a little advertisement throw her so off-balance. Even so, she found herself lifting her comm device towards her face so she could search for one of their performances.

“Xithilene dancers, showtimes in the Chicago Metro-State,” she said, bracing her body as the transport finally began to move again. She drifted further from the advertisement as her comm device fed its answer back to her.

“No current performances from the Xithilene Cultural Exchange Initiative available in the Chicago Metro-State or surrounding areas. Performances closed earlier this year when the alien dance troupe returned to Xithilene. No future performances yet scheduled.”

She sighed and shook her wrist, deactivating the device. It figured that with her luck the ad was out-of-date, although it was a shocking expense to waste that screen space on a show that wasn’t even available. Well, it was none of Sienna’s business—back to her list, item number three:date men you wouldn’t normally consider.A Xithilene man might meet the criteria of the challenge, but it wasn’t likely she would encounter any here. The Michigan City side of the Chicago Metro-State was a lively area, but they weren’t important enough politically to have frequent visits from alien dignitaries. She was sure her mother would’ve been the first to inform her if anything of the sort had ever happened.

So…what kind of human men had she avoided before? If she could have any type of man, what would he be like? Who would be the opposite of Edgar? Sienna found herself grinning. This could be fun, if she let it be. She’d just channel her inner-Tasha and let her imagination run wild.

Hmm…maybe a man who looked like he worked for a living. Edgar had a trim, toned body with only a little bit of softness around the middle, but looking at him and touching him had never made her start to salivate the way a single minute staring at those Xithilene men had. Maybe she needed some broad backs and thick, tree trunk thighs in her life. Maybe the kind of man that would make her mother faint and declare she wouldn’t want to meethimin a dark alley would be exactly the right Mr. Right-Now.

Maybe someone kindhearted. A man who wasn’t afraid to tell her she was important to him, who didn’t think his loving words were currency she had to earn. A man whose warm eyes made promises—you can trust me, I’ll always be here, I won’t lie to you—and who kept them.

Sienna wasn’t grinning any longer. What she wanted, really wanted, wasn’t that complicated. It shouldn’t feel so hard to find. She swallowed over the tightness in her throat and let her seat swing back towards the center of the transport. Sienna leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She wasn’t going to think about item number three on her list any longer. In just a short while she’d be arriving at her parents’ house, and she’d need to focus all her energy on figuring out just why she’d been summoned home. Any possible future lovers would have to wait their turn—Lark Prescott always took precedence.

* * *

Sienna could barely believeshe’d dozed off in the transport, but when a soft beep had her snapping her eyes open, there was no denying it. The last time she’d looked out the window, she’d seen the packed in silhouettes of tall buildings, each fighting for their place in the crowd, but now the familiar facade of her family home loomed above her.

The house was one of the older buildings in their neighborhood, its style a compilation of the past century’s highlights, and it looked just as chaotic as it felt. Double doors announced the main entryway, and lonely looking columns marked each end of the front porch. Brick work butted up against sleek, envirotech siding, the windows worked in between the seams. Sienna had always found it extraordinarily ugly.

She grabbed one of the handholds above the nearest door and swung herself out of the transport once it came to a full stop. The automated vehicle was already turning the corner by the time she hopped up the three steps leading to the porch, and the door opened before she could lift her hand to wave to the entry-cam.

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