Baffle Read Free Page A

activities.”
    “So, I am a breeding option?” Sinder blinked in surprise.
    “No. Not precisely. In addition to being the lord of the High Nalu, I am also the Avatar from this world, and as such, I was presented with a rather unusual situation.”
    He leaned back and tented his fingers. “Crixox is a good world, a sound planet who enjoys us as occupants. However, that being said, Crixox is not the only mind on this world who needed a body to make herself heard.”
    “A she?”
    “Indeed. A portion of a dying world rippled through space and landed here with one request, that she be found a suitable body so that she can walk Crixox as the other inhabitants do. She laid out the description of the body, what she needed you to do, and what you had to be capable of on your own. The Nalu wedding was the best place to start, because the initial demand was that the body was not susceptible to the vocal seduction of our kind.”
    “Handy thing in an Avatar.” It was not lost on her that he referred to her in all of his descriptions of qualifications. Apparently, she was the chosen one.
    “Very much so. The meteor also demanded that you be strong, elegant, fertile and have a good grounding in your own mind so that she would not run you over.” He tented his fingers together.
    One of the qualifiers made her raise her brows. “Fertile?”
    “She wants a child to carry on her power. Transferring her energy via pregnancy is the best option for her. Of course, it need not be immediate. She will extend your life by centuries.”
    Sinder had an intense headache. She was about to blast him with a shriek of fury when one of the cowled men arrived with a tea tray. Her outrage got stuck in her throat as her host poured her a cup and handed it to her. She sipped and tried to calm her seething thoughts.
    “Sir, I believe that you have forgotten one very important thing.”
    Her host blinked in inquiry. “Yes?”
    “It is illegal to kidnap Terrans.”
    His lips curved in a grin, and she saw his teeth, startlingly white and sharp. “You will soon not be a Terran, so I fail to see the problem.”
    That was it. She pulled her talent together and struck him with a ball of power. He rocked back, blinked and the red in his eyes faded until a pure blue was in its place. His posture changed, and she winced as she realised that she had triggered the planet into the forefront of his Avatar.
    “You have much power, Lady. Geor is stumbling around his own thoughts right now. What precisely is your talent?” Crixox’s voice was deeper with a particular inflection that she couldn’t place.
    “Confusion. I can baffle the most intelligent of beings. It has been useful in my line of work.”
    “Ah, as a Hunter?”
    She sighed and shook her head. “No, I am a Retrieval Specialist. I would beg of you to allow me to return to my work and my assignments, Crixox.”
    He shook his head. “I have been looking for a companion for my Avatar for centuries, and your people are known to be excellent hosts. Kema will easily slip into you and take up residence.”
    Sinder got angry all over again. “I am not going to just be handed over to a strange planet and let it invade my mind.”
    He sat back. “You will have no choice. Meet Kema and speak to her. See if she is not worthy of an Avatar considering all she has been through.”
    “I want to file my location with the Alliance at the very least. They will send folk in search of me.” She cleared her throat. “After that, I will meet with Kema.”
    Crixox smiled. “I can accept that as a fair compromise.”
    The ease at which he agreed confirmed that it was not a compromise at all.
    He stood up, causing her to crane her neck as he approached her height and surpassed it by a foot and a half.
    She took his hand and swallowed her sarcastic comment about him truly being the High Nalu.
    Her fingers fluttered in his. She tried to keep herself calm as they left his office and were immediately surrounded by