Nikki crept closer to Jaron. Then he felt her hand on his arm. “This is normal for him.” He bent and whispered the words into her ear, not wanting to distract Ayran or Velmar. “It looks destructive, but he is in control.”
As if to prove Jaron’s point, a visible flow of energy traveled across Ayran’s palm then down his finger. The stream protruded from under his fingernail by about a centimeter the phenomenon no wider than a couple of hairs.
“Here we go,” Ayran announced then touched the top of the collar with the energy stream. It hissed and smoked, but didn’t look as if it were penetrating. Ayran made some sort of adjustment, and the stream glowed even brighter, gradually transitioning from red to blue.
Ayran groaned, supporting his right arm with his left as he poured energy into the controlled stream. The torch slowly liquefied the alloy, sinking through the collar millimeter by millimeter. A bead of molten alloy formed beneath the flame. It quivered there for a moment then ran down over the collar and onto the blanket.
Velmar flinched, clearly feeling the heat despite the blanket.
Nikki pressed her hand over her mouth, stifling whatever sound she’d been about to make.
Jaron tensed as well. Despite Velmar’s stoic endurance, this was excruciating to watch.
With practiced focus and undeniable skill, Ayran continued working his way through the collar. Another drop formed and then ran. Again Velmar flinched but made no sound. The third time it happened, he hissed, gritting his teeth. Apparently, the droplets were hitting the same patch of skin so the pain was exponential.
Nikki clutched Jaron’s arm, her other hand pressed against her throat. Velmar had been nothing but rude to her, so her compassion reflected well on her character.
Jaron wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. She tensed for a moment then accepted the comfort with a soft sigh. It felt nice to have her in his embrace, surprisingly natural. Her scent, fresh and lightly floral reached his nose as she pressed against his side. Another wave of need passed over him, but this time it lingered making his entire body ache. He didn’t understand the reaction. Yes, she was beautiful but so were most of his pleasure partners. Why was he reacting so intensely to this one?
Ayran finally cut through the collar and staggered back as Velmar ripped the offending halves from around his throat. “How badly did I burn you?” Ayran wanted to know.
“It’s off. That’s all that matters,” Velmar insisted. He started to throw the halves into the jungle then handed them to Ayran. “Someone should examine it. Figure out who the Cretzians stole the technology from.”
“Why do you presume they stole it?” Jaron wanted to know. Was Velmar just lashing out, or did he have information they needed to investigate?
“I saw two of their ships and three different labs.” Velmar rubbed his neck as he went on, “The rest of their tech isn’t nearly as sophisticated as the collar. And Hastos is the only one who used magic in my presence. They were either going to a great deal of trouble to give me the wrong impression, or his abilities are rare.”
“I’ll make sure Malik knows.” Jaron needed to update the military commander on a great many things.
“And I’ll take care of this.” Ayran held up the ruined collar.
Now that the danger had passed, Nikki moved away from him. Jaron felt bereaved by her absence but had no reason to continue the embrace. Jaron gave himself a firm mental shake. He couldn’t explain his reaction to Nikki, but he would not be controlled by it.
Jaron looked at Velmar, almost afraid to ask the obvious question. “Did it work? Are your powers back?”
Velmar nodded. “It’s like blood flowing back into a numbed limb. It will take some time to determine if there is any lasting damage, but I felt the difference immediately. I’m going to bed.” With that, he climbed back onto the ship.
“That was amazing,” Nikki told Ayran. “And thank God it worked. I can’t wait to get back to Earth.”
“Is there something pressing awaiting you there?” Ayran challenged lightly. “You just learned that ‘elves’ are real. Aren’t you curious about us?”
Apparently, Jaron wasn’t the only one who’d noticed the change in Nikki’s appearance. Ayran was flirting with her and Jaron didn’t like it. Possessiveness thrummed through his system, unexpected and unusual. He didn’t offer females a commitment and didn’t expect one in return. He was the antipathies