Keeri stopped the SUV in front of the cabin and shut it off. They’d spread their spare blanket on the floor of the rear of the SUV to lay the man on and Jessi had sat with him during the drive, rubbing his arms and legs to try to warm him up.

  

Keeri ran into the cabin and headed for the smaller of the two bedrooms, the one Jessi used. On the way, she stopped in the bathroom and grabbed all their extra towels. She pulled down the bedspread and laid out the towels so the bed wouldn’t get wet.

  

She ran back out and helped Jessi carry him in. They placed him in the bed and Keeri held him in a sitting position as Jessi peeled off his wet T-shirt. Keeri lowered him to the bed and took off his shoes and socks as Jessi worked on his jeans. Jessi didn’t stop at the jeans and Keeri raised her eyebrows as Jessi pulled off his briefs.

  

“Bare skin is best for getting a victim’s body temperature back up,” she explained professionally.

  

Keeri pulled her eyes away from the view and started going through his jeans’ pockets. She found a water-logged wallet and pulled it out, along with some change and keys. Kerri threw the wet clothes into the corner as Jessi pulled the comforter up and cocooned the man in it before looking up. Ajani, who had been watching at the door, jumped onto the bed and lay next to the man as soon as Jessi had him wrapped up.  Both girls ignored this, and let the large, wolf-like dog stay.

  

“Is there an ID?” she asked as Keeri opened the wallet and started carefully taking everything out to lay them on the nightstand.

  

“Yes.” Keeri held it out so Jessi could see it as well. It had a good picture of him and Keeri had to admit to herself he was good looking dry. “His name is Jaze Tillet. He’s twenty-five.”

  

“Anything else?” Jessi reached over and sifted through the items. There was a credit card with the same name and a few restaurant receipts. The heavily printed names were the only thing still visible on them. No insurance card or In Case Of an Emergency Call card either. There was also nearly fifty dollars. “Guess he’s not rich.”

  

“Are you sure we shouldn’t have taken him to a hospital?” Keeri was more than uneasy about having Jaze Tillet in their cabin. They knew nothing about him or how he had ended up in the river.

  

“He didn’t want to go,” Jessi pointed out as she checked his pulse.

  

“So?”

  

“Keeri, do I need to remind you how much you hate hospitals?” Jessi looked at her pointedly.

  

“He could be a criminal.”

  

“He could be a cop,” Jessi countered.

  

Keeri shook her head in exasperation and gave up. “I’m going to make some coffee and get on my laptop to search the wanted posters.”

  

“Check missing persons too,” Jessi requested as her sister left the bedroom before turning her attention back to Jaze. He was shaking some, probably still chilled from being in the river. She went back to work on his limbs, talking to him to try and get a response.

  888 

Two hours later, Keeri rubbed her eyes and hit the page down key yet again. She heard footsteps and turned as Jessi came out of the bedroom.

  

“How’s our guest?” she asked, hanging her arm over the back of her chair.

  

“In and out.” Jessi grabbed a chair from the small dinette and pulled it over to sit beside her. “Not talking. I got him to drink some of that energy drink you had under threat of going to the hospital. He really doesn’t want to go there. Next time, I’ll try to get him to eat some of a meal bar, see if he can keep it down. Ajani is still lying with him.”

  

“So he didn’t give you any other information.”

  

Jessi shook her head. “It’s not uncommon for concussions. His brain is scrambled. Hopefully, he’ll start coming around more over the next few hours.” She pointed at the laptop. “Any luck?”

  

“Nope.” Kerri pulled the band out of her hair and shook it out. It was several shades darker than Jessi’s honey color, but still had some natural summer highlights. “I checked all of the wanted posters by name and then looked at them in case he’s using an alias. He doesn’t look like any of them. I’m still looking through the missing persons.”

  

“It could be no one has noticed he’s missing yet,” Jessi suggested and Keeri nodded.

  

“That’s what I was thinking. Most people have pictures of their family in their wallet or purse. He didn’t have any.” She sighed. “We can check again later, I guess.” Keeri grabbed her lower lip and squeezed it out. Jessi knew that meant she was thinking hard. “Is it possible he’s an off-worlder? There have been rumors for a while that the area above the falls has been a hotbed of alien activity.”

  

Jessi shook her head. “Not with those slanted eyes, skin tone and eye color. They’re purely Gantesen.”

  

“That’s no better. They’re always stirring up trouble and that puts him a long way from home. Why would he be here?”

  

“We’ll have to ask him,” Jessi said and got up to get a cup of coffee.

  888 

“What are you looking for?”  Jessi asked as she watched Keeri rummaging through the closets a few hours later. It had started to cloud up and the distant roll of thunder echoed around the cabin.

  

“The shotgun Dad gave us when we moved,” Keeri answered from inside the closet. “I know we put it up in the back of this cupboard somewhere.”

  

“You mean the shotgun that you told Dad we didn't need because you shoot animals with cameras not guns?”

  

“Yes, that one, now where is it?”

  

“I loaned it to Brandt a month ago,” Jessi said casually.  “He was taking his kids out to learn to shoot and needed an extra.  I didn't think you'd miss it.”

  

Keeri stopped and turned around to stare at her sister.  “Now what are we going to do?”

  

“About what?”

  

“If he's Gantesen, how are we going to protect ourselves?”

  

“Look, I don't agree with the Gantesen government any more than you do, but just because he looks Gantesen doesn't mean he's going to hurt us.”

  

“It doesn't mean he won't either.”

  

“I don't think he has the strength right now to do much of anything,” Jessi sighed.  “Liquids are staying down, but nothing solid.  It could be the head injury, it could be something else.  I'm not a doctor, I'm a firefighter: my training is in triage and stabilizing for transport, not diagnose and treat.  It will be awhile before he's strong enough to hurt us, and by then, maybe you'll have found out more about him.”

  

“Why are you so quick to defend him?” Keeri charged.  “You're the one who brought up that he is most likely Gantesen.  Why cater to his whims?  We should just load him up and take him to a hospital.”

  

Jessi slid down the wall and pulled her knees up to her chest.  “My first week on the job was right after some Gantesen extremist blew up a building downtown in reaction to some stupid proclamation or other political crap.  We got this call.  It came over as a simple medical aid, no other details.  When we got there, the paramedics from the hospital's ambulance company and a few cops were standing around staring at this guy who'd been burned.  No one was helping him.  We did the work ourselves, transported him on top of the hoses, and watched him die on us.

  

“The ambulance drivers and cops knew some of the victims from the bombings: hell so did half of our station.  The guy was a refugee from Gantese, and his only crime was being Gantesen.  For that someone decided he should be burned alive.  They don't have a monopoly on trouble or cruelty.”

  

“Jessi,” Keeri said softly.  “Why didn't you say anything?”

  

“I did, just not here,” Jessi laughed a little.  “It was the only counseling session I ever fully participated in.  After that, I think they were rather happy that I either slept through them or tried to at any rate.”

  

“You don't?” Keeri laughed and Jessi nodded her head to indicate that she does.  “Okay, so what do we do with him?”

  

“Well, I'd start with washing his clothes before they start to mildew.  Unless you want him to walk around in nothing or just sheets or towels once he can stay wake for more than a few minutes.”

  

“Can't he just stay in bed?”

  

“And let his muscles atrophy? Not a good idea.  He’s fit: I’m betting he works out regularly. Besides, think of it this way: he wakes up, remembers who he is, we get him to walk without exhausting himself, and we can take him into town and put him on a train if that's what you want.”

  

“Those clothes are starting to smell, aren't they?” Keeri agreed.  “Okay, I'll keep looking to see if I can find anything on him yet, you wash his clothes and make sure he doesn't attack me.”

  

Jessi bit back several sarcastic comments to that.  The simple fact that Keeri appeared to back off of the Gantesen paranoia for now was a good concession.  As she walked into her room where Jaze was and picked up his clothes to wash, she looked at him sleeping on her bed and hoped that Keeri was wrong about her fears.

  888 

It had been three days since Keeri and Jessi found Jaze Tillet a little below the base of the river's waterfall.  Keeri was still attempting to find out more information about him, while Jessi was charged with being the primary caregiver, despite the grousing that the job was beyond her field of expertise.

  

“Find anything yet?” Jessi asked as she came out of the room where Jaze was sleeping.

  

“No, nothing.” Keeri looked up from her computer, rubbed her eyes, and then looked back to her laptop.  “There are no Tillets in Donotrep, or Palporta, for that matter.  The only reference I can even find for a Tillet was an ambassador to the off-worlders' Federation.  But that guy never came back and didn't leave any family behind.  The only connection between them is the name and the fact that they’re both Gantesen.”

  

Jessi went into the kitchen and grabbed two bottles of water and two meal bars.  “Any chance that he's a descendant that came back to trace his roots?” She asked on her way back in, handing Keeri a water and a bar.

  

“Not likely,” Keeri said.  “I'd have found that if it were the case.  The outpost is supposed to keep the public informed of all off-worlders visiting or living among us.  Plus, wouldn't he have gone to Gantese instead of Palporta?”  Keeri took a bit out of her meal bar and made a sour face.  “What's the longest you've ever lived on these things?”

  

“About ten days last summer on the Ridge Fire,” Jessi answered, eating hers without problem. “But, anytime we've been out for more than three hours, Brandt makes us eat one and drink a bottle or two of water on the trucks on the ride home.”

  

“Well, as soon as he wakes up, we're going to town and get some real food,” Keeri said.

  

“I know you're hungry, but give him a day or two,” Jessi laughed as her older sister continued to make faces while eating the meal bar.  “As long as he's been asleep, it wouldn’t be a good idea if we try to over-exert him upon waking.”

  

“Are you this over-protective with everyone you rescue?”

  

Jessi shrugged.  “Never stayed with them this long.  Usually pull them out of whatever mess they're in and then pass them off to someone else.”  She paused.  “Ajani's asleep with him.  You okay if I take a shower?”

  

“Unless I want to continue smelling you, I'm going to have to be.” Keeri's voice was lighthearted, but Jessi could tell it was forced.

  

Keeri quickly turned her attention back to her work as soon as her sister had left.  She had taken a break from looking for information about Jaze Tillet and was currently doing research for her doctorate.  It relaxed her and allowed her to temporarily forget the stranger in her house.  The sound of the shower running in the bathroom was reminiscent of the waterfalls.  It was not long before she was completely lost in her work with no concept of time.

  

“Where am I?”

  

Keeri jumped at the voice behind her.  She turned around and saw Jaze attempting to stand, bracing himself heavily on the door jamb separating the bedroom from the living room.  The comforter was wrapped around his waist looking like a long sarong. Ajani was standing beside him, just looking at her.

  

“Where am I?” he asked again.

  

Keeri put her computer down and was about to answer him when he slumped even further into the door.  “Jessi, get out here!”

  

Jessi had not had a real shower since her vacation started, but she'd kept herself clean.   Between caring for Jaze and her sister's paranoia, she just didn't have the time until now.  The warm water felt good as it ran down her body, relaxing tense muscles that she had learned to ignore. She had barely got the shampoo rinsed out of her hair when she heard Keeri's panicked yell ring out over the water.  Knowing that Keeri rarely, if ever, panicked, Jessi turned the water off, wrapped a towel around her herself, and ran out to see what had startled her sister.

  

Keeri was barely holding up Jaze, who was awake and demanding answers despite not being able to stand up properly.  As she watched she thought it was just like at the station:  all the calls seemed to come whenever she was asleep or in the shower.  Why couldn't they come during chores or drills?

  

“Where am I?” he groaned again, his pale blue eyes rising to look at Jessi. They didn’t seem to be totally focusing on her.

  

Jessi helped Keeri keep him upright, ignoring his questions as she did so, and took him back over to the bed and sat him down.

  

“Our cabin in the Eostel National Forest of Palporta,” Jessi finally answered as she handed him his clean and dry clothes.  “Put your underwear on, while I go and get dressed and after I check your wounds, you can ask more questions.”  She reached into her dresser drawer and grabbed some shorts and a tee shirt and left the room.

  

Jaze stared after her, looking confused and then he looked up at Keeri as she hovered over him, afraid he was going to pass out. “Who are you?” he asked as Ajani moved to his leg and nudged it, whining. Jaze looked down at the dog, frowned, but then reached over to pet him. Ajani licked his hand and Keeri could hardly believe it. Ajani had taken to him immediately and Ajani normally took to no one but family.

  

“Do as my sister says, Jaze,” Keeri said, not knowing what else to do. “You're here and not in a hospital because of her.” She left so that he could have some privacy and paced the living room, butterflies in her stomach. It was one thing to have him unconscious, another for him to be demanding answers to his questions. She had questions of her own.

  

He stared at the door the women had gone through, swallowing convulsively. His head was hurting so bad he could barely see, he could swear the bed was swaying and he thought he might throw up. He was naked and had no idea where he was or why or who the two women were.

  

He didn’t want to be naked in case he had to leave, but would he even be able to leave as dizzy and sick as he felt? His head was so muddled he just couldn’t think. He stared at the clothes and grabbed the briefs, barely managing to get them on without keeling over. Then he just stared at the door, unable to do much more than push the comforter off him onto the bed.

  

The door opened and the young woman with the lighter hair came in, the one who had ordered him to put on his briefs. He tried to look at her but the lights seemed like strobes and added to his nausea.

  

“What am I doing here?” he asked in bewilderment as she walked in.

  

“I told you, I'll answer questions after I check your wounds,” she said as she looked at his wrist.

  

“Are you a doctor?” he asked. He just couldn’t focus from one moment to the next. The way his head was feeling, he had to have a concussion, but how did he hit his head?

  

“No,” she said, but her voice sounded more puzzled than sharp. He didn’t know what she was looking at. She shifted her attention to his side and peeled back the bandage he hadn’t even noticed and frowned harder. “Keeri, come in here, please,” she requested.

  

“Who's Keeri?”

  

“My sister.”

  

“Is she a doctor?”

  “Not yet, and not that kind of doctor.” 

“Who are you?”

  

“Jessi,” she told him.

  

“What?” Keeri asked as she came in. She glanced at him and then away. He had the urge to grab the comforter and cover himself at her obvious unease about his being in his underwear.

  

“Look at his wounds,” Jessi requested, motioning at his wrist and side. He looked with Keeri as Jessi pointed out the butterfly band-aids lining his side. The skin under them was perfect.

  

“What wounds?” Keeri sounded confused. What were they expecting to see? All he could see was a pale ring around his wrist and his side looked fine.

  

“Exactly,” Jessi answered.  “There's no way they could have healed that fast.”

  

“I was hurt?” He tried to study his right side, but his eyes weren’t cooperating. “Where?”

  

“You had a gash in your side. It looked like a bullet wound. I had to use butterflies to seal it up.” Jessi traced the butterflies just below his ribcage.

  

“I was shot?”

  

“Yes.” Keeri sat down on the bed on his left. “We found you half drowned along the river and got you out.”

  

He turned to her, the movement making stars flash in his vision. He closed his eyes, bile rising. “What river?” He really didn’t know what they were talking about.

  

“What river? Are you kidding?” he heard Keeri snap.

  

“Hold on, Keeri,” Jessi said. “Jaze, look at me,” she ordered. He squinted at her, not recognizing the name. Was that his name? It didn’t sound right, yet it did. “Jaze, what’s the last thing you remember?”

  

His head was still pounding out a rhythm he could barely deal with.

  

“Jaze?”

  

“Yeah.”

  

“Talk to us. What’s the last thing you remember?” He took a shuddering breath and reached up to press his fingers to his temples and rubbed. He tried to think and push the pain aside. Food, he needed some food on his stomach. Steak. A salad. He could see it and the table cloth. It had been green.

  

“A restaurant,” he answered. “I had a steak.”

  

“Good.  Anything else?” Jessi pressed. He continued to search his memory. It was so fuzzy.

  

At his silence, Jessi patted his arm and stood. “I’m betting you’re starving. You’ve been in and out on consciousness for three days. I’ve been trying to keep you hydrated. I’m going to get a meal bar and some more water for you. You’ll feel better if you eat. Keeri, give me hand?” she requested and motioned with her head at the door. Both women left the room and moved far enough away from the door not to be heard.

  

“He’s got memory loss,” Jessi said right off the bat. “He doesn’t remember what happened.”

  

“Is that normal for head injuries?” Keeri looked at the door nervously.

  

“Depends on the injury.” Jessi sighed. “Let’s get him fed and resting. Hopefully his memory will start to come back over the next few days.”

  

“What if it doesn’t?” Keeri wanted to know.

  

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Jessi promised and went into the kitchen to get the meal bar and water.

   888 

Mark, wearing his civilian clothes, paced in Anderson's office.  It was the first place he went after the Phoenix arrived at Center Neptune three days ago and he’d seldom left since, except when he was ordered to do so.  Princess sat on one of the sofas watching him.  Tiny had taken Keyop to the small fishing village that he grew up in, mostly to keep the youngest member out of Mark's hair, something for which Mark was extremely grateful.  The last thing he needed right now was Keyop trying to cheer him up, or worse not being able to handle the disappearance of a teammate again.

  

“Mark, would you please sit down,” Princess pleaded.  “You're going to wear out the Chief's carpet.”

  

Mark looked at Princess and then down at the carpet.  He stared aghast at the dirty track he'd left on the rug.  First he leaves a teammate behind, his second in command, his best friend, and now he was ruining the Chief's carpet.  He wanted to cry, to laugh at the absurdity of it, but all he could do was pace.  He couldn't even go back to Demeter and look for Jason. 

  

The team was grounded until the Chief ordered them on a mission, which meant they were back to waiting for Spectra to attack.  It had been nearly a month since the last attack from Spectra; that was why the Chief had authorized the reconnaissance mission on Demeter.  All intelligence seemed to point towards either an attack there or an attack from there.  Unfortunately, the mission turned up little other than signs of a Spectran infiltration of Palporta, which was already suspected.

  

“Oh, Mark, if you could see your face,” Princess giggled.

  

“Not funny, Princess,” Mark said sternly.  “He's got to allow me . . . us to do something.”

  

“What would you like us to do?” Princess asked.  “Go back to Demeter and risk losing someone else if Spectra has captured him?”

  

“They haven't, Princess.  If they had, Zoltar would be all over the place gloating.  And if they do have him and don't know who he is . . . .”  Mark paused, not finishing that thought, but changing direction.  “If they don't know who he is, then they won't know the rest of us.”

  

“Mark, the outpost on Demeter knows he's missing.  If he turns up in a hospital, they will let us know.  They put a trace on his cover credit cards; if they are used, we’ll be alerted right away.  There are several hundred thousand people in Donotrep alone. How are we going to find one person in all of that if we couldn't find him before we left?”  She stood up and put her hand on his cheek. “You did what you had to do.  We did everything we could to find him.  No one blames you.  There's nothing else you could have done.”

  

“Princess, I . . . .” before Mark could finish his sentence, Anderson came in.  Mark broke away from Princess and rushed toward the Chief.

  

Anderson put his hand up to stop the younger man.  “Before you ask, there is no word yet.  They have double checked with all the hospitals, clinics, and police stations in Donotrep and the surrounding villages.  No one using his ID or matching his description has been seen by the authorities.  At this point, the next step would be to file an official missing person's report.  However, we have chosen not to do this.”

  

“What?”  Mark and Princess asked together.

  

“Why not?” Princess continued.

  

“Because of the Spectran presence,” the Chief explained.  “They heard reports of a possible shootout between suspected Spectrans and a local in the area where you found Jason's rental.  We feel it is a highly probably that 'local' was Jason.  We also believe that they recognized Mark's plane flying over the area.  At this time there is no indication that the Spectrans have captured Jason, but the last thing we want is to confirm anything by filing a report that will not only confirm that he is missing but that they can use to identify him.”

  

Mark stood, still absorbing what the Chief had told them, his desire to find their missing teammate at odds with the tactician who trusted the Chief's decisions implicitly.

  

“How do we know they will put together the missing person's report, the shootout, and the plane?” Princess asked, breaking Mark out of his revelry.

  

“All we need is one of the goons on that ridge to see the missing person's report, and that report will be headed straight to Zoltar, Princess,” Mark growled, his anger at the situation coming out.

  

“Exactly,” the Chief agreed.

   

“So what do we do, Chief?” The stability that Princess had while Mark was distraught earlier seemed to be vanishing, slowly.

  

“We wait,” he answered.  “Commander, I know you’re all anxious and none of you sit and wait very well, but under no circumstances are you to take the Phoenix to Demeter without my direct order.”

  

“Chief?” Mark asked, while Princess started sobbing quietly at the Chief's order.

  

“You heard me, Commander. Now the two of you are dismissed.  Please leave my office.”

  

Mark escorted Princess out of the room, pondering the Chief's order.

  888 

Jaze followed Jessi out of the cabin, stopping a few feet outside the door as Keeri locked it. He took a deep breath of the fresh air, his heart telling him he was lucky to have gotten the chance to do so again. He was still weak but so ready to get out and do something after two further days of recovering, even if it was just to go to the grocery store. Five total days of inactivity had taken a toll.

  

Jaze walked towards the SUV and turned towards Keeri, his hand out. “Keys,” he requested.

  

Keeri looked at him in surprise. “I don’t think so.”

  

“You shouldn’t be trying to drive yet,” Jessi added over her shoulder, opening the front passenger door.

  

“I always drive,” Jaze protested and then stopped. The statement had slipped from his lips before he realized it. His hands were literally itching to hold onto the steering wheel and he looked down at them. He could almost imagine them in black gloves with white piping.

  

“Are you remembering something?” He pulled away from the thought and focused on Jessi where she stood, not getting into the SUV. She was watching him with concern.

  

“It’s more a feeling than anything else. I love to drive.” He felt amazement at the thought.

  

“Concentrate on it. See if any other feelings come up,” Jessi suggested and motioned for him to get in. “You take the front seat. You’re much less likely to get motion sickness from there,” she said and opened the rear passenger door. Before he could protest, she climbed in and closed it.

  

Keeri chuckled as she headed for the driver’s side. “Do what she says. You throw up in my truck and you’re walking back.”

  

Jaze turned a scowl on her but got in. He’d already learned Jessi took her EMT training seriously and Keeri was still only tolerating his presence. Doing as Jessi asked tended to keep Keeri happier and he wanted them happy. He owed them a lot and was trying to come up with a way to pay them back for their kindness.

  A half hour into the drive, Jaze understood why Jessi had insisted he sit in front. The road started out as a one lane gravel driveway, which widened slightly a half a mile later with lots of ruts and sharp turns for a few miles. By the time they came to a paved road, Jaze’s head was pounding again and his stomach rolling. He stared out the window, consciously willing his stomach to settle down. 

Nausea had been a constant problem since he’d awakened two days earlier. His head hurt more often than not, only making the nausea worse. Dizziness was the third remaining symptom. He’d been on a constant aspirin regimen, which he was sure wasn’t helping his stomach.

  

Yesterday morning, Jessi and Keeri had insisted he get up and get a shower, regardless how he was feeling, complaining he was starting to smell like a dead fish. To his consternation, Jessi had gone into the bathroom with him and watched to make sure he didn’t pass out. He hadn’t liked being babysat and had voiced his opinion. Jessi had crossed her arms under her breasts and offered to take him to the hospital again. That threat shut him up. He couldn’t go to a hospital. He wasn’t sure why, but he couldn’t.

  

Keeri pulled up in front of a relatively large building with a large front porch. A sign above the porch simply stated ‘General Store’. Three other vehicles were parked there as well. She looked over at him as he swallowed hard and resisted the urge to press his fingers into his throbbing temples.

  

“You okay?” she asked with genuine concern. He must look horrible to get that out of her.

  

“Give me a minute. I’ll be okay,” he insisted as Jessi got out and opened his door.

  

“The more fresh air, the better and the more you move around, the more strength you’ll get back,” she told him, patiently waiting.

  

After a few minutes he felt better and slowly got out and to his feet.

  

“They carry a little bit of everything.” Keeri motioned at the store as she joined them. “Get some more clothes so you don’t have to run around in a towel while we wash what you have.” Jaze looked down at the tear in the right side of his T-shirt, marking where he had been shot. He knew it unnerved them when he was only in a towel, but he hated owing the women even more than he already did.

  

“I’ll figure out a way to pay you back. I swear.” He made eye contact with each of them to ensure they knew he was serious.

  

“I’ll hold you to that,” Keeri promised as they walked the steps up onto the porch. Jaze slipped past her to get to the door first and opened it. “Thanks.” Keeri smiled a little at him and Jaze found himself smiling back.

  

While fighting the headaches, dizziness and nausea over the last two days he’d also tried to remember more. He still had no idea why he’d been near the river or how he’d ended up in it. He still wasn’t sure Jaze Tillet was his real name, regardless what the ID said, although he hadn’t told them that. Keeri had looked up rapid healing on the internet and showed him her findings, which hadn’t been much. Mostly just experiments conducted by the Federation over the years that had had mixed results on chimpanzees. All he had was vague thoughts and ever vaguer images.

  

The sisters headed for the counter nearest the door as he started looking around. As they said, the store did have a little of everything. They were going to grab some real food, as Keeri put it, while he got his clothes. Jaze got underwear, socks, two pairs of jeans and a few T-shirts in various dark colors. He could probably use a new pair of shoes as well. He placed the clothes into the cart and looked for shoes.

  

“Who’s the hunk?” the young woman at the counter asked when Jaze was out of earshot. Keeri shrugged.

  

“A colleague,” she lied, pulling out a list she had made from her short’s pocket. They had decided a mix of the truth would be best if anyone asked. Since Jaze had no memory of what had happened, they didn’t know who had shot him or why. “He climbed up the fall’s trail and slipped. His pack landed in the river, so he needs to replace his stuff.”

  

“Colleague, huh?” The young woman was about Keeri’s age and blonde. She wagged her eyebrows.

  

“Belinna,” Keeri chastised. “I thought you were Imprinted.”

  

“I am. Three suitors now.” She smiled brightly. Jessi gawked at her.

  

“Three? Why haven’t you Enthralled?”

  

“They’re all old and already have wives. I want to be Number One.” She pouted and then giggled. “But they’re all well off. I could do worse.” The sisters nodded. Some women insisted on being First Wives so they had a period of time when they didn’t share their husband, but it never lasted.

  

Belinna looked the sisters up and down. “Are either of you Imprinted yet?” she asked hopefully. Jessi and Keeri looked at each other, wondering how to answer. “Or is he really more than a colleague?”

  

Keeri found herself turning to look for Jaze. The thought hadn’t occurred to her that he might be Imprinted. He wasn’t Enthralled – there was no Enthrallment Knot tattoo on his right wrist. He was twenty five, according to his ID. Their father had already been Enthralled to their mother by that age and their older brother Haro born only a year and a half later. Were there one or more women out there worrying about Jaze? The thought made her uneasy. Surely he would remember something like that?

  

Jessi ignored Belinna's question.  She would not allow herself to think about that possibility until she knew that he was well.  Looking at her sister staring off after him, she wondered what Keeri was thinking.  Hopefully, it was how to get away from Belinna and her gossiping.  Most likely everyone on the mountain would know that they had a man staying with them by the end of the day.

  

“Yes, he’s just a colleague,” Keeri told her.

  

“Sorry to hear that. You’ll both find your man soon enough, I’m sure.” Belinna smiled at each of them and turned to take care of something.

  

Keeri lifted her list and pushed the cart she had grabbed at the door towards the rows of food, Jessi on her heels.

  

It didn’t take long to fill it since they were shopping for three. Some steaks and chicken, along with plenty of vegetables. Keeri hadn’t gone fishing, not wanting to leave Jessi alone with Jaze, but now that he was up and didn’t appear to be a threat, she planned to do so to supplement their meals.

  

She was just about to suggest they see how Jaze was doing on his search for clothes when a loud, familiar voice interrupted her thoughts. Keeri cringed and looked at Jessi, who looked equally unhappy.

  

“What does he have? A radar?” Jessi groused.

  

“Let’s head back to the clothes. Maybe he’ll leave,” Keeri suggested. Jessi shook her head

. 

“He saw your SUV. He won’t leave until he hits on us.”

  

Keeri closed her eyes and sighed heavily. The last thing she wanted to do was talk to Divalan Sontier.

  

“Let’s just get it over with. Belinna can add up the food while we tell Div to take a hike.” Jessi put on her poker face, turned the cart and pushed it towards the front of the store. Keeri followed her with a sick feeling in her stomach.

  

“What do you know,” the same voice called loudly as they cleared the shelves. “The Donigel sisters. What a delight to run into you.”

  

Keeri tried not to make a face at the tall, heavyset man who had been trying to convince them to become his wives ever since their father bought them the cabin. Sontier was in his early forties and at last count had three wives and seven children. Keeri knew if their race was to continue when genetics gave them a five to one ratio of female births, all men had to have as many wives and children as possible, but she also thought there were some men that really shouldn’t reproduce. Sontier was one of them.

  

“Wish I could say the same,” Jessi muttered and stopped the cart beside the counter. “Belinna, can you total these?” she asked with a plastered smile on her face.

  

“When did you girls arrive?” Sontier asked, leaning back against the counter, effectively blocking their way to the door.

  

“Last week,” Keeri said and glanced over her shoulder. Where was Jaze?

  

Sontier chuckled, crossing his arms over his protruding stomach. “It’s been a while. You’ll have to come over for dinner, meet my newest wife. She’s a sweet thing. It’s a harmonious household. I know you’d both like it.”

  

“That’s okay.” Jessi waved the idea off with a green tinge to her skin.

  

“Div, we appreciate your interest, but were not ready for any commitments.” Keeri put as much steel into her voice as she could. They next time they came up, she was going to drag Haro, their older brother, with them to tell Div to leave them alone. 

  

“Hey, Div, they’ve got a guest.” Belinna interjected with a grin as she counted the steaks. Keeri shot her an angry look. “A male guest,” the woman added.

  

“Male?” Sontier pulled away from the counter. “You Imprinted?” Before Keeri could react, he reached out and grabbed her right hand.

  

“Let go!” Keeri pulled back, hardly believing he had the audacity to touch her. He was too strong for her to break away as he forcefully splayed her fingers.

  

“I don’t see any Enthrallment Knot.”

  

“Let her go!”  Jessi advanced on him with flashing eyes, her hands fisted but before she reached him, Jaze was there, his hand chopping down on the big man’s wrist with blinding speed. Div howled as he lost his hold on Keeri, pulling his hand to his body as Jaze pulled Keeri behind him and interposed himself between the man and the sisters.

  

“You had no right to touch her,” Jaze warned, his pale eyes like flint, his lips thin with barely suppressed anger. “They said they weren’t interested.”

  

“I didn’t mean anything.” Div cradled his throbbing hand against him. “I just wanted to see –“

  

“You have no right to see. Leave them alone, do you hear me?” Jaze leaned in towards the larger man, menace in is stance. Div nodded and began to back away. Jaze turned towards the sisters and Keeri drew in a breath. The look in his eyes chilled her. “Are you all right?”

  

She could only stare and nod even as she realized he had just implied he had some kind of claim to them. He turned towards her sister.

  

“Jessi?” he asked. She nodded, too.

  

Div continued to back away until he was near the door. He turned and pushed it open, walking out.

  

“Wow.” Belinna had backed away from the counter and now returned. Her eyes raked over Jaze appreciatively. “You got a wife?” Jaze’s head swiveled to give the woman an annoyed look. Her smile faltered.

  

“Bel, could you finish tallying?” Jessi asked as she licked her dry lips, her heart still racing. She couldn’t believe what Jaze had just done. She looked towards Keeri and could almost see steam coming out of her ears.

  

Belinna totaled their purchases and bagged them up as fast as she could as Jaze’s eyes stayed locked on the door, his body still tense. When she was done, Keeri snagged Jaze’s arm.

  

“Carry some,” she growled at him as she took two bags and marched towards the door. Jessi took two as Jaze turned to take hold of the last two. He followed them out.

  

Keeri headed straight for the SUV, practically shaking with anger. She yanked the rear door open and dropped her bags in, turning to glare at Jaze as Jessi slid past her to deposit her bags. She quickly got out of the way for Jaze to get his turn. As soon as he put his bags down, Keeri exploded.

  

“How dare you,” she spit out, her chest rising and falling as she gulped air. “You practically implied we’re Imprinted!”

  

“He grabbed you,” Jaze retorted, folding his arms over his chest.

  

“That’s not your problem! We are not Imprinted!”

  

Jaze stared at her in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

  

“You have no right to be possessive. We are not Imprinted!” Keeri repeated with more force.

  

“Imprinted? What is Imprinted?” Jaze extended his confused look towards Jessi. Keeri could only stare at him.

  

“You can’t be serious.” She took a shuddering breath and turned away, walking off a few steps before twisting back around. “How can you not know what Imprinting is?” She rubbed her face with her hands and looked towards Jessi. “How can he not remember something that important to us?”

  

Jessi looked on with a mixture of shock and confusion.  She wondered if it was possible that he'd already Imprinted on one of them and didn't realize it.  “I don't know.  I think we need to take him to Dad's for dinner in a few days.  Maybe Dad or Haro would understand: they're doctors after all.  Maybe we should've taken him to the hospital regardless of wishes.  I just don't know.”  Her voice held a touch of guilt and sadness.

  

“Oh, all right,” Keeri said angrily.  “Just get in the truck so we can get home and get the grocery's put away before they rot.”

  

The ride back to the cabin was one long silence.  Keeri's anger seemed to ebb a little, but neither Jessi nor Jaze risked saying anything in case it brought her anger back.  Jaze sat uncomfortably in the front seat, still confused on what he'd done wrong.  He also wondered how he could have forgotten something that seemed so important, but part of him wondered if it had been important to him before.

  

Jessi sat in the back seat feeling lost and out of her element, something that made her very uncomfortable.

  

Back at the cabin, once the food was put away, Keeri packed up her fishing gear. “Trout or salmon?” she asked.

  

“Either,” Jessi answered.

  

“I don't like fish,” Jaze said softly.

  

“Figures,” Keeri muttered.  “You can't remember Imprinting, but you remember that you don't like fish.  Jessi, you deal with him.  I'll be back in a few hours.”  With that she left.

  

Jaze went outside to sit on the deck, followed promptly by Ajani.  Jessi watched him go outside and the way the dog happily followed him as she straightened up the kitchen and prepared some yellow squash, zucchini and peppers to go with whatever fish Keeri brought back.  When she finished, Jaze was still outside on the deck.  After pouring two drinks, she went out to join him.

  

Silently she handed him a glass and he accepted.  “Thanks,” he said, but his eyes were on a bird soaring above the trees and mountain ridge to the west of the cabin.  “That's a Condor of some sort, isn't it?”

  

Jessi looked up at the bird.  “I think so, but you really need to ask Keeri.  She's cataloged all the animals in this area.  She even has names for some.”

  

“Why can I remember that I love to drive, that I don't like fish or sea food, and that although I don't remember ever seeing that bird before, there is something familiar about it, but I can't remember anything about this Imprinting?”

  

“That’s a good question.” Jessi sat down beside him on the top step. “Imprinting is a fundamental part of our lives.”

  

“What is it?”

  

“Its how me find our mates.”

  

Jaze stared at her and then recognition flared in his pale eyes, followed by embarrassment. He turned away.

  

“No wonder she’s ready to kill me, but that guy was threatening both of you. A man should never grab a woman like that.”

  

Jessi wasn’t sure how to address that. It wasn’t that Div had threatened them so much as he was annoying as hell and had gotten into their personal space. She herself had wanted to deck him for grabbing Keeri. Could she really blame Jaze for his actions? There was a difference between questioning them and grabbing one of them. Div had crossed the line.

  

“Keeri and I can handle things if given the chance,” she told him. He reluctantly nodded, resting his arms on his thighs.

  

“What other really important things have I forgotten?” he asked softly.

  

Sighing, Jessi wondered if he wanted an answer to his question.  Finally, she chose to answer his question with a question, “Would you be willing to be seen by a doctor, if it didn't involve a hospital?”

  

“Why?”

  

“Because, I'm not a doctor.  I know nothing about amnesia other than that you have it and it defies my previous understanding.  My father's a doctor and my older brother is in his last year of residency for emergency medicine.  I can arrange to have you see them.  They can check you out completely and answer your questions better than I could.”

  

“I'll think about it,” he said, his eyes still on the soaring condor.

  

“Thanks,” Jessi smiled.  She got up and walked to the door.

  

“What if I've already Imprinted on one of you and don't even know it?” he asked as she opened the door to go inside.

  

Stopping in the door, she responded, “We'll deal with that when you know.”  Going inside and closing the door, she wondered why that thought didn't upset her as much as she thought it should.

  

Two hours later Keeri returned with several trout on a string. “Where’s Jaze?” she asked, taking the trout into the kitchen.

  

Jessi looked up from the book she was reading. “He’s out on the deck.”

  

Keeri opened a drawer and pulled out a hand-made wooden cutting board and laid the trout on it before heading for the deck. She opened the door to find Jaze sitting on the steps, petting Ajani. He looked over his shoulder at her. “You can either go hungry or eat trout. You’re choice.”

  “Then I guess I’m eating trout,” he responded as he got to his feet. Keeri didn’t wait for him. She returned to the kitchen to filet the trout.