Gemini Xander pulled the long dark blue strands of her hair over her shoulder and nimbly braided them with her long, slender fingers. Behind her, she heard the creak of the mattress as Ulric climbed from the bed to dress.
“Why do you do that to your hair?”
She smiled. “Because—” she sighed, and turned her head to the side to peer at him from the corners of her eyes, “—if I don’t pull it back, it gets in my way.”
He moved to stand behind her and smoothed his hands over her bare shoulders. “We can’t keep doing this.” His softly spoken words were quiet, yet they held the power to sting.
She knew what he said was true, but it didn’t make it any easier for her to hear him say the words. They worked together. Ulric was her boss. It was a bad idea from the start, and he was right. Gemini knew it without a doubt. She nodded her head. Better to cut and run now before she lost her heart to the big lout. “That’s fine by me.” She tied off her braid and stood. Determination to get away before he pressed her further fueled her actions.
“You’re taking this well.”
She moved to the bedside and retrieved her clothing, making certain to take her time in straightening. Gemini shrugged. “I’m a big girl, Ulric. I knew this relationship was doomed before I walked into it.” Gemini stood and stared straight at him. “Mixing business and pleasure is never a wise move.”
“And yet we’ve indulged numerous times.”
She shrugged again, preparing to dress. “I’ve always said I like to live on the dangerous side.” Gemini stepped into her pants and slowly tugged them up her legs. “How did you expect me to act, Ulric? Drop to my knees sobbing as I begged you to change your mind? Sorry. I’m not that kind of woman.”
“I never expect anything where you’re concerned, Gemini.”
She had the impression he wanted to say more, but when he remained silent, she fastened her pants, pulled on her top, and worked to lace up the front without looking at him. Her nature was to ignore that which she couldn’t change. Besides what did it matter? She stepped into her boots. Propping her foot on the bed, she worked at fastening the latches on her boot then switched to the other and repeated the process. She straightened and picked up her Icsantheze daggers, the only thing she had left from home, then headed for the door where she paused.
“If you need me, I’ll be in the training room.” Before he could respond, she turned her back on him and the conversation. If she took the time to examine her feelings—those bothersome emotions she locked away many years ago—she might find that his ending of their affair stung more than she wanted to admit, but she refused to let those feelings out. They were useless in the greater scheme of things and only served as an unwanted distraction from the job. Gemini made her way through the maze of corridors to the recreation center of the Web and the holo-room.
Pausing at the door, she pressed in a series of codes on the key pad. A panel beneath the electronic lock opened and she reached in to collect the rest of her gear. Gemini strapped her twin laser pistols to her upper thighs and slid her daggers into their sheaths in the edges of her boots. Then she waited for the computer to download her program from the Web’s central computers and for her session to begin. Once the room was properly prepared, the holo-room door slid open.
A jungle scene awaited her on the opposite side of the thick metal door. Gemini smiled and strode into the prepared environment. Drawing in a deep breath, she let it out slowly and closed her eyes allowing the atmosphere around her to seep into her pores. A subtle breeze blew and she soaked up the information rich air, processing the data at a rapid pace. Her amber eyes flew open and her smile widened. Her quarry was much closer than expected. Regardless, she knew the hunt would be fun and would aid her in relieving the stress building within her.
Her blood sang through her veins. She blended into the scenery, becoming one with the thick foliage around her. Hunting gave her something that her life otherwise lacked—feeling. On the hunt, Gemini allowed herself to feel the high that only came from stalking her unsuspecting prey. After the turmoil on her home world of Icsanthia, Gemini cut herself off from her emotions, which was part of the reason she didn’t feel hurt when Ulric ended their relationship only minutes before. Nevertheless, on the hunt—on the hunt she felt alive when nothing else could penetrate the shield she built around herself.
No one here knew about her past, not even Ulric—at least not the whole story. Born of royal blood, she was raised a princess. Her destiny was to rule her people, bring them into a new era, and she had failed. When the Cintealios invaded her home world, she had been too weak to stop the onslaught of terror that rained down upon her kingdom. Like a coward, she fled her home and never looked back.
Gemini pushed her morose thoughts of the past to the back of her mind. Remembering proved little more than a distraction and while on the job that was something she could ill afford. To be distracted was to risk making a mistake, and in her line of work, mistakes were oftentimes fatal.
The wind shifted. Her hands fell to her sides and wrapped around the grips of her favored blades. The golden daggers slid soundlessly from their resting places to become the lethal weapons they were. She weaved her way through the jungle making nary a sound and stepped into the clearing to find it empty. Her brow furrowed. Surely, her instincts weren’t that thrown off by the unexpected trip down memory lane.
A subtle shift in the air was her only warning. She tumbled face first toward the moss-covered ground. Gemini moved forward with the motion, curled her body and rolled, coming up on her feet. She spun around to face her attacker. She widened her stance and kept her blades up, ready to lash out at the first available opportunity.
The man before her laughed at her, a deep sound that rumbled low in his chest. She narrowed her eyes on him and her nostrils flared. Dark brown, near black hair hung roguishly onto his forehead. Deep, blue eyes stared at her with something she couldn’t place reflecting in their depths. His broad chest didn’t heave with his breaths. How could this be?
This isn’t right. The program acted odd. She couldn’t recall it ever behaving in this manner before. Straightening, she yelled, “Computer, disengage program.”
The man lunged forward, wrapped his arms around her waist, and knocked her backward. She landed hard on her back with him atop her. What the fuck?
“Boo,” he whispered in a very deep, husky tone that skittered down her spine leaving whirls of fire in its wake. He then had the audacity to laugh at her.
Gemini bucked her hips, throwing him off her and up over her head. Lifting her feet high into the air, she threw them down hard and catapulted herself upright. She rolled, catching hold of her daggers, and turned in a crouch facing the man as he slowly climbed to his feet. “Who are you and how did you get in here?” He wasn’t anyone she recognized and she knew every hunter employed by Bounty Hunters, Inc. no matter if they used a PHD—personal holo-graphic device—or not.
He stepped backward, deeper into the foliage. “No one.” Then he disappeared.
Coming soon to Ellora's Cave.
