Elizabeth Raines Read Free

He’d always been the responsible one in their relationship. Whenever Jake and Kimini had wanted to do something daring, Luka had always been the voice of sanity.
    Each time he thought of the family he’d lost, the heartache resurfaced. Time and distance had dulled it, but Jake would always miss Kimini and what he and Luka had shared when they’d been on Fraiqua.
    Syla had been a healing salve to his soul—a bit ironic since her species was known for their healing touch. She’d helped fill the hole in his life left behind when Kimini died and Luka returned to Earth.
    Sure, Luka had asked Jake to join him in isolation, but the invitation lacked sincerity and had probably been offered solely out of obligation. When they’d been a Fraiquan family, their passion for Kimini and for each other had flamed brightly. Once she was gone and they’d both become human again, the fire seemed to just…die. When Jake told Luka he wanted to go back undercover, Luka had declined.
    They had different ways of dealing with their devastating loss. Luka coped by disappearing from the world. Jake needed more, and he knew if he’d followed Luka into seclusion they would have come to hate each other.
    That , he wouldn’t allow.
    So they’d kissed and parted ways, heading on to new lives. Luka had his farm while Jake dove into work, taking on assignments that were foolhardy and far too dangerous for most IDEA agents. He’d tried to live through his work, but he missed Kimini and Luka more than he could sometimes bear. Then he’d done a favor for a good friend and taken a job as a bodyguard to a princess, which eventually led him here—right back to Luka.
    Fate was a fickle master.
    Settling back down, he let Luka run the scanner over his body. Now that he’d gotten Syla out here in the wilderness, he might finally be able to relax. Knowing that Luka was at his side again helped more than Jake could have imagined. Together, they could protect her.
    Flipping the scanner off, Luka frowned down at him. “A couple of cracked ribs. A nasty bump on the head. But that’s about it. You’re damned lucky.” He glanced to Syla. “I should scan you, too.”
    She scrambled to Jake’s other side and tried to squeeze herself behind him. “No. You no touch.”
    Luka frowned. “I’m not gonna hurt you.”
    “She’s just skittish right now,” Jake said. “It’s been a rough couple of days. Give her a little space.” He held out his hand for the scanner. Damn it if it didn’t tremble. “I’ll scan her.”
    “You don’t trust me?”
    Jake snorted. “Of course I trust you. Shit, Luka, I trust you with my life—with Syla’s life. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”
    “Syla? That’s her name?”
    Jake nodded. “Let me scan her. She’ll warm up to you quick enough. She’s just frightened after everything we’ve been through.”
    Luka handed him the scanner. “That was a helluva crash. I’d be shaken up too.”
    While he shouldn’t allow Luka to believe that was all that had happened to Syla, Jake skipped recapping the drama for now. Once they were settled back at Luka’s farm, there would be plenty of time to explain the odyssey that had brought them here. Then he and Luka could put their heads together to try to find a solution to her problem.
    Nudging Syla to his side, Jake winced. The ribs were tender, and each breath was agony. He pushed the pain aside, ran the scanner over her, and then read the results. “She’s good. No injuries.”
    “She’s damned lucky too. What the hell happened?” Luka asked. “I mean…how in the hell did you end up all the way out here?”
    Since Luka’s seclusion was supposed to be secret, Jake knew he was asking about more than why the Beltane had crashed. “Long story. Really long story.”
    “This wasn’t a lucky accident, was it? You came looking for me.”
    Jake gave him a curt nod.
    “No one even knows I’m here.”
    “Betinsa does.”
    Luka’s eyes widened.
    “You’re safe,