Return by Jordan Summers Page B

chest and shatter. What was the matter with her? How could she feel so much for a man who in all likelihood was deceiving her?
    The word “link” slammed into her mind. Brigit shook her head in denial and closed her eyes a second. They were not “linked”. He was not from another planet called Zaron. And there was no spaceship.
    “See you soon,” she said a little too cheerfully.
    Orion hesitated, then dropped his hand away and turned to stride across the room. People stepped aside to get out of his way, their gazes darting nervously in his wake. He paused in the doorway, his knuckles turning white as he clasped the frame. Brigit half expected it to break off in his hand.
    He glanced back to look at her one last time. His eyes met hers. The longing in their depths nearly knocked Brigit to her knees. Something akin to panic struck her, but she refused to move. She had to wait until he was out of sight. She couldn’t risk him catching her. Brigit inhaled and counted to ten. The next second he was gone. The wrenching sensation she felt in her heart was all too real. At that moment, Brigit wasn’t at all certain she’d survive the separation.
    * * * * *
    Orion forced himself to leave the building when every instinct told him to stay. He’d delivered his message as ordered. That part of his mission was now complete. It was time to find the Seer and Coridan. He wasn’t proud of his behavior with Brigit, but would be Atlantean enough to do what was right for them both. He’d leave this place and allow Brigit to get on with her life, find a human mate and settle down. They had no place in each other’s worlds.
    And he’d keep telling himself that until he believed it.
    His jaw clenched as he reached the clearing and punched a button on his wrist. The woods were quiet and a warm gentle breeze stirred the air. The ship appeared before him a second later. Orion hit another switch and the portal opened with a slight swoosh, allowing him entrance.
    Brigit accused him of lying. She didn’t believe her friends resided on Zaron. She didn’t even believe he had a ship. Orion stared at the control panel, knowing it would be so easy to prove his words if he brought her aboard. But he wouldn’t. He didn’t dare. For that would mean acknowledging their link . And Orion flat-out refused to be bound to an Earthling, no matter how beautiful, sensual and obstinate a creature she was.
    Why had he said the ancient words? Orion still could not believe he’d done so. Never in all his years had he acted so foolishly. His behavior went beyond foolish and straight to reckless. No one uttered the words of binding without weighing the consequences first. It was as if he’d been unable to control himself. What for the love of the Goddess was he going to do now?
    Orion hit several buttons on the control panel in order to display a map of the planet. The holographic image swirled before him as he searched for the jungle. He entered the coordinates his brother Ares gave him and found the location the Atlanteans lived in before their exodus .
    It would only take a few minutes to reach the deserted village. He could retrieve the Seer and Coridan and return to Zaron before Brigit was any wiser. Prior to that, he’d contact Cassandra to see if she’d had enough of this planet. Goodness knows he had. Brigit’s face fluttered before his eyes and his body tightened.
    The thought of the redheaded spitfire brought an unexpected pain to his chest. He ignored it. He’d suffered far worse injuries on the battlefield. Like those, this would eventually heal. But even as the thoughts filtered through his mind, Orion wasn’t convinced of their truth. He’d survived many wounds, but none quite as deep as those caused by the fear and disappointment he’d witnessed floating in Brigit’s green eyes after he’d told her the truth.
    He entered the coordinates into the onboard data system. The ship hummed to life and rose silently off the ground. He cloaked