Close Encounters (24 page)

Could it be…?

I let my eyes go unfocused and concentrated. Sure enough, for every Buri moving about the village, a strand moved in conjunction, and they all seemed to be attached to me somehow.

Shaking my head in puzzlement, I let my vision go back to normal. If I was seeing the life force of the Buri, why were there so many of them? Even if I assumed some Buri were staying out of sight in caves, I figured there were less than a hundred Buri surviving on Orpheus Two. More than that, and they would have left signs of their occupation. But there seemed to be thousands of strands. It made no sense at all.

Admittedly, the majority of the filaments were clumped together, unmoving, so bright it was hard to distinguish individual strands. Maybe it just felt like there were more than there really were. Or maybe the extra Buri actually numbered in the thousands and were all wadded up in a ball, holding still just to fool me, I thought sarcastically.

A thought occurred to me. Could this clump be “the others” Auntie Em had referred to? And what about Elder’s request to “wake them up?” A slithery feeling of prescience slid down my spine, but before I could follow that line of reasoning to its conclusion, another phenomenon surprised me into losing my train of thought.

Gossamer strands attached to me somehow. Thor doing something that felt like a yank on our bond. Oh yeah, the pieces were falling into place.

Experimentally I searched for the strand that linked me to Thor. It wasn’t hard to find since he was standing right beside me, looking on with interest. Plus, his strand was denser and brighter, more substantial than the others.

I closed my eyes and mentally reached out, careful not to be too harsh or abrupt. It was the oddest feeling, kind of like trying to grasp a slippery eel that wiggled to get away. But I held on, gave it a gentle tug, and was rewarded for my effort when Thor jumped.

I released it and opened my eyes to find him smiling at me.

“You learn fast, mate.”

“Yes. I do. So tell me, am I mated to all the Buri?”

His smile faded to a frown. “No. You are my mate alone.”

“Then why am I seeing strands that correspond to all the Buri’s life force?”

“You are Shushanna.”

It was all I could do to keep from screaming in frustration. “Yeah, I got that.”

Before I could continue, he changed the subject. “Your talk with the others went well?”

“I suppose you could say that.” Reaching out with one hand I touched his arm. “Thor, you need to prepare your people. Dynatec won’t let anything stand between them and ownership of this planet. I’m afraid they plan on wiping you out. If you have weapons other than spears, now is the time to start keeping them with you.”

He nodded. “I have suspected as much. I will tell those with swords to arm themselves.”

“Good.”

“Now come.” He headed toward the kitchen again. “The food is prepared.”

“Is food all you ever think about?” I groused, following him.

He shot me a teasing glance from his ebony eyes. “No.”

Well. That sure came across loud and clear. A wave of lust flashed through my body. I suppose being his mate did have
some
perks. And frankly, I could hardly wait to enjoy them. “So why are you walking so slowly? Do we have to stay until everyone has finished eating? I mean, I’d really hate to break some Buri protocol, but…”

My voice trailed off as Thor laughed. It was the first time I’d ever heard him laugh aloud, and it gave me a warm melty feeling in my middle. “I’m being too pushy, aren’t I?”

He smiled down at me. “I like it that you show what you feel. Especially when it comes to making love.”

“Nope, not a shy bone in my body. Are you sure we have to eat first?” Just thinking about dragging him to bed was getting me all worked up. “I mean, we could eat in, say, an hour or two. Three at the most.”

A sigh lifted his broad chest. “I must be there to hear reports.”

Well, damn. Okay, I could tamp my libido down for a while longer. And anticipation did heighten the pleasure, right? Right. My sigh echoed Thor’s. “Let’s get this over with.”

All the Buri that weren’t on guard duty were in the communal kitchen, but they’d left space for Thor and me at the main table. We squeezed in just as the dishes of food began to make the rounds, and I helped myself to something that looked like roast beef and gravy. Thor assisted by dumping a large spoonful of green leaves on my plate, along with some tubers.

I took a tentative bite, realized it was good, and dug in. It never hurt to replenish my strength, after all. Especially since I planned to expend a lot of energy later.

We were nearly finished when Auntie Em leaned across the table and spoke to Thor. “Is she ready to assume her duties yet?”

The bite I’d just taken went down wrong and I almost choked when I realized she was talking about me. He gave me a solid swat on the back before answering her.

“She does not know what her duties are, and we have no other Shushanna to teach her. Have patience. She will learn.”

Auntie Em made a harrumphing noise before turning to speak with Churka. I wanted to know what the two females were talking about, but Thor was chatting with a sandy-colored Buri and paying no attention to them.

I’d noticed this particular Buri worked in the fields a lot, and it seemed he was having problems with small, scaled herbivores eating his crops. By the time he got close enough to use his spear, they spotted him and fled. He’d considered a fence, but doubted it would do any good since the creatures were agile climbers. Plus, by the time they built a fence for all the land they’d cultivated, there wouldn’t be any crops left to protect.

Both Thor and the other Buri were at a loss as to how the problem should be handled, other than placing guards at strategic locations around the fields at night.

Maybe I could help a little. “Max, do we have bows left from that trip the Cygnus sector?”

“Only three, Kiera, and ten arrows each to go with them.”

“Ten arrows each will be enough if they recycle them. Put them near the hold door and I’ll pick them up tomorrow.”

Thor turned to me, one brow arched in question. “What is a bow?”

“It’s a device used to shoot small spears over a greater distance than you can throw your bigger ones.” I formed a mental image of a person shooting an arrow from a bow. “It should allow Gardner here, along with two others, to hunt the herbivores without getting close enough to scare them off. But it does take practice to be accurate, and they’ll have to be careful not to lose the arrows.”

With a nod, he explained everything I’d just told him to Sandy. The Buri gave me a brief smile and dipped his head before leaving.

During the next thirty minutes, four more Buri approached Thor, three males and one female. Since the conversations appeared to be routine reports that I couldn’t help with, I finished eating and then just waited.

About the time I got my hopes up for an escape, Churka walked over and sat beside me, then peered around me at Thor. “She can understand me now through the bond?”

“Yes.”

To my surprise, she smiled and took my hand. “As eldest female of my family, it is my duty and privilege to welcome you, sister. We”—she gestured around at the other Buri—“knew you would come, but did not realize you would be the mind mate of my brother. I am pleased that it is so.”

I returned her smile before what she’d said sunk in. “Whoa! Back up a sentence or two.” My glare landed on Thor. “What does she mean, you knew I’d come?”

He returned my gaze calmly. “Our grandsire was descended from a long line of Shushannas and had the gift of foretelling. He said that when our need was greatest, a Shushanna with hair the color of the sun would come to us, and she would be the greatest Shushanna we have ever known.”

My mouth gaped for a second, and then closed with a snap. “That’s why you decided I was a Shushanna?”

Churka was watching us like a spectator at a spaceball match, a puzzled look on her face. Thor and I both ignored her while he answered me.

“I suspected it when I first saw your hair. My suspicion was proven correct when your leg healed. Only a Shushanna is capable of such a thing, and if it had not been true, the Demantti would have had no effect on you.”

Even though my teeth were clenched, I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. We’d been over this, after all. He couldn’t have told me before because we couldn’t communicate. He hadn’t withheld the information deliberately. It wasn’t his fault.

Forcing a smile, I turned back to Churka. “Thank you. I too am pleased to have a new sister.”

At least I didn’t lie. It would be kind of nice to have someone around I could claim as family, even if it was only temporary.

Thor nudged me, his gaze warm. “
We are both your family now. All of us are your family, your tribe. We belong to you as much as you belong to us. No matter where you go or what you do, that will never change.”

At that moment, I could state positively that Naturals who think GEPs have no souls were wrong. My eyes misted up and I couldn’t speak for the lump in my throat, but my soul yearned with every fiber of its being, because Thor was offering me something I’d never dared to believe would be mine. He was offering me the chance to fit in, to be part of a greater whole than I’d ever been before. Not only did they accept my strangeness, they embraced and celebrated it, something I’d never managed to do for myself.

If I hadn’t already fallen in love with him, I would have then. And the surprising thing was, it didn’t scare me this time.

I still didn’t see how things could work out in the end, but at least I was willing to entertain the notion that we might be able to reach an agreement that would suit everyone. I’d have to think about it some more.

Thor had finished eating while I mulled that over. Placing his wooden utensil on the table, he turned to me. “The reports are done. Are you prepared to leave?”

“Yes.” I jumped up so fast I almost knocked over the bench, grabbed his hand and towed him out the door behind me. But when I headed for my quarters, he pulled me to a stop.

“No. We will go home.” He gestured at the stone edifice.

Home? That’s our home? I whipped around to stare at the graceful structure. The Buri had constructed that magnificent building for Thor and me?

“I am leader, you are Shushanna, we are bonded. My people were pleased to so honor us.”

“But it’s too much!”
My protest was damn near a wail, and I forced myself to calm down. Max was the closest thing I’d ever had to a real home, and until now I’d thought it was enough. I’d been wrong. Because the thought of a real, solid, unmovable dirt-side home filled me with such a deep longing that my eyes stung with the effort not to weep.

“Compared to the hope you have brought my people, this is a small thing.”

“What hope?”

He held out his hand. “
Come. We will not be interrupted here. I have explained ‘honeymoon’ to my people. They agree it is a wise habit to cultivate.”

With a groan, I walked across the clearing with him. That honeymoon thing was coming back to bite me in the butt. But if it bought me time alone with Thor, I’d live with it.

Accepting his offered hand, I followed him inside. “What hope?”

He looked down at me, a smile tilting the corners of his expressive mouth. “Is it not your purpose to find a way for my people to reproduce?”

Suspicious now, I squinted back at him. “Yes. That’s part of my job.”

“Because we have so few, children are precious to us.” He stopped and faced me fully, serious now. “Your purpose brings renewed hope to my people. They know you will give them their hearts’ greatest desire.”

Oh, sure. Nothing like a little pressure to encourage a girl’s fear of failure.

You will not fail.

T
he room we entered was huge, with arched windows and doors that allowed any stray breeze to wander through. Low wooden tables in different sizes and shapes were strategically placed to make up individual conversation areas. Large colorful cushions were tossed around each table on the polished tile floor, adjusted for maximum comfort and style.

Decorative ironwork was set into the stone on each side of the windows and doors, and I realized they contained oil lamps. Matching lamps sat on the glossy tables beside beautiful flower arrangements.

And that wasn’t all. On the most prominent interior wall, water danced and played down the stone to a catch basin near the floor. Flowering vines that filled the air with their perfume framed the marvelous little fall.

Delight rippled through me as I turned in a slow circle. I’d been in palaces on dozens of worlds, lush places that reflected their owners’ wealth. But none of them had moved me the way this room did.

“You like it.”

I caught feelings of pleasure rolling from Thor, and for a second was taken aback. In the furor over the mind bond and our marriage, I’d somehow forgotten I could read emotions. Now that I’d remembered, I felt better. It was something familiar to hang on to in my suddenly turbulent world.

“It’s beautiful, Thor. How could I not like it?”

“Churka will be pleased.”

“Your sibling did this?”

“All contributed items, but she decided what to use where.” He took my hand and led me to the table nearest the waterfall, where a tray containing a pitcher and two glasses rested.

“Why wasn’t I allowed to come inside while they were working on it?”

He poured the glasses full of a clear golden liquid and handed one to me. “It is tradition for the male to bring his mate inside their home for the first time after the Rellantiim Ceremony is sealed.”

“Kind of like carrying the bride over the threshold, huh?” I sniffed the liquid, decided it was fruit juice, and took a cautious sip. Yep, juice. I took a bigger swallow.

“These brides cannot walk?” His head was tilted in puzzlement as he regarded me.

“Of course they can walk.” Although, considering I’d had trouble remaining in an upright position after the ceremony, I could see how he might get that idea. “It’s an Old Earth superstition. No one knows for sure why it’s done, though. One explanation I’ve heard is that it’s bad luck for the female to fall when entering their home for the first time. Another one is that if she steps into the new home with the left foot first it’s unlucky. Why press your luck when you can avoid the possibility by being carried? A third explanation is that it was handed down by the remnants of a clan that acquired females by stealing them and carrying them away from the protection of their fathers and brothers.”

Thor’s eyes glazed over, and I realized I was rambling. Taking a deep breath, I put the glass of juice back on the table. “Why don’t you show me the rest of the place?”

“Of course.” He took my hand and led me to a wide hall.

On each side were smaller, more intimate rooms decorated much like the room we’d first entered, minus the waterfall. Through the mind bond I picked up a blurry image of Buri meeting with Thor or myself. Kind of like offices, I decided.

Next came sleeping quarters, all beautifully decorated. Some had two sleeping platforms, others had one large one. But my attention kept returning to a curtain-covered opening at the far end of the hall.

Ever since returning from the crystal cave I’d felt a subtle pull toward this building. Now that I was inside, it was getting stronger, and there was no doubt in my mind that the attraction came from whatever was behind that kechic-like curtain.

I ran a sweaty palm down the outside of my thigh and glanced at Thor. Either he wasn’t picking up my nervousness, or he was ignoring it. Since he’d picked up on everything else that had so much as flitted through my mind, I figured it was Option B. The question was, why? Did I really want to know?

Nope. No. Sure didn’t. Call me the Queen of Denial, but I’d had about all the surprises I could take for a while. The only thing I wanted right now was to find our new sleeping quarters, jump Thor’s bones, and then get some rest. It had been a long, unsettling day.

With a distinct gleam in his eyes, Thor tugged on my hand. “Through here.”

He led me into a room on the right and I stopped abruptly, my jaw dropping at the sheer beauty in front of me. “This is our sleeping quarters?” I couldn’t help the awe in my voice.

“Yes. The design was mine, but I thought you would approve.”

“Approve” was an understatement, if I’d ever heard one. I took another step forward, trying to see everything at once.

The sleeping platform to my right was large enough for an orgy of epic proportions, and covered with dozens of pillows in the bright colors the tribe favored. On either side were shelves filled with my clothes and supplies, interspersed with beautiful jars and bowls. Someone, probably Churka, had unpacked for me.

Halfway across the room from the end of the platform was another small table with flowers, lamps, and cushions for sitting.

On the outside wall, arched openings led to a covered terrace, allowing the evening breeze to find its way inside.

But it was the far end that shot trickles of amazement through me. For here the waterfall from the front room was recreated on a much grander scale.

“It is for bathing,” Thor told me. “Come, I will show you.”

He stopped at the side of a crystal-clear pool and gestured to the fall. “It hits a wide shelf suitable for standing on, so you can let the water shower over you. Then it goes into the pool. There is an opening on the far end that lets water escape, so the pool stays clean. Would you like to bathe now?”

“I’d love to bathe—” My answer was cut off when a dragon bird zipped through one of the arches and hovered in midair, letting loose a startled squawk at our presence before darting back out. I couldn’t stop a grin at the creature’s antics. “They come inside?”

Thor watched his retreat. “They love to play in water anywhere they find it.” With a gleam in his eyes, he turned back to me and reached for the fastening on his loincloth. “We will bathe now.”

Sure worked for me. Only problem was I had on more clothes than Thor. As a result, by time I’d divested myself of my jumpsuit, boots and weapon, he was already under the shower. Yanking the tie from my hair, I took a step forward just as he moved out from under the water. And there he was, stark naked, water glistening on his body. My mouth dropped open just as he held out a bowl containing soft, creamy soap.

“Would you mind cleansing my back?” he said mildly. He turned around, waiting.

Mind? Did I mind? I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the hard muscles that rippled just under his skin. Or the tight cheeks of his bottom, or the long, full legs. He was so gorgeous it was almost impossible to think. And he knew, damn it. Knew just what I was feeling.

“Come.”

Almost as if I were in a trance, I took the soap from his hand and moved onto the ledge. Maybe if I didn’t look I could get through this part without drooling all over him. Hastily, I closed my eyes even as my hand reached his back. It didn’t help. Even with my eyes closed, I could see every perfect inch of him etched on my eyelids, would probably see him that way till the day I died. Might as well enjoy the show. I opened them again, and damn near stopped breathing. Under my hands, he was warm, slick with the soap. If seeing him naked hadn’t been enough to start heat coiling through me, touching him like this would have. His texture was like nothing I’d experienced before. The heat extended to my breasts and then lower, causing a pleasing, resonant throb between my legs.

With a muffled oath, Thor grabbed me and dragged me completely under the shower with him. Hands gripping my elbows, he lifted me to my toes before his mouth crashed down on mine and plundered until I was limp. “Open the bond, feel what you make me feel.”

“No.” Panic hit me, taking the edge off my pleasure. I was used to sensing my partner’s emotions when I made love. But opening up to actually letting
him
feel every touch, experience my every sensation, scared me, made me too vulnerable.

“Do not be afraid, my heart,” he whispered, his eyes holding mine. The water hit us both, soaking our hair until it was plastered to our shoulders like a second skin. Slowly, his eyes moved down my body, taking in the erect nipples straining to be touched. My heart pounded frantically against my ribs at the heat in his expression. Gradually, he lifted his head until his gaze came back to mine. “I will protect you. Please, do not deny us this sharing.”

“I’ve never…I don’t know how.” My voice wasn’t quite steady, and I looked away.

“The truth.” He raised my chin with one hand, forcing me to face him. “Why do you fear the bond?”

My teeth were suddenly chattering in spite of the fact that the water wasn’t all that cold. Get out, I told myself. Get out now while you still can. “You.” The words slipped from my traitorous mouth. “It’s you.”

“Why?”

In spite of his solemn tone, I could feel him, hard with arousal, pressing against my stomach. My breath caught on a half sob. “Because I’m afraid of getting even closer to you. If I do, then when I lose you, I don’t know how I’ll stand it.”

“You will never lose me,” he murmured. “If you cannot stay with my people, then I will go with you.”

My heart was suddenly doing its damnedest to throttle me, clogging my throat until I could barely breathe. “You’d leave your home, your family, tribe, for me?”

“You are my family, my heart. Without you, there is nothing left for me here.”

As his lips descended on mine again, I hesitated. Was he telling me the truth, or only telling me what I wanted to hear so I would cooperate? But he wasn’t giving me a chance to figure it out. A shiver ran over me as he teased my mouth, gently but firmly forcing my lips apart. And then his tongue slid inside, exploring, searching, savoring. When it touched mine, the heat that had filled me before detonated into raging incandescence.

“I need you,” he breathed into my mouth. “Put your arms around me,” he commanded softly. “Touch me.”

Helpless to disobey, I snaked my arms around his neck briefly while his lips found mine again. This time I needed no urging. My tongue sought his urgently, needing so much more, as I freed my hands to roam over him. Our bodies touched all the way down and I pressed more tightly against him, my erect nipples rubbing the hair on his chest.

Ecstasy. Glorious, wonderful ecstasy. Skin sliding over skin. Even in my wildest dreams I’d never thought it would be like this. I couldn’t get close enough to him. He was touching me, holding me. He was making love to me.

He was opening the bond.

Another bolt of fear shot through me, warring with the need to give him what he’d asked of me.

“Kiera,” he groaned. “Just relax. Let me do this, please. I know what you need.” His lips moved over my face, blindly, desperately. “As much as I want to be inside you, I won’t do it. Not until you’re ready to fully share through the bond. Without it, this would only be a release, nothing more.”

He was telling the truth. I could feel it as though his emotional shields were completely gone. The fear drained away from me, and I didn’t even have to tell him. He knew the instant I stopped resisting and opened the bond. I went down without a fight. His tongue traced my lips and then plunged inside, our minds molded together as closely as our bodies. His hands slid up my hips, and then around, cupping my bottom before pulling me more tightly to him, once, twice in a rhythmic motion that had me moaning aloud. I could no more have shut off the bond than I could have cut off my right arm.

“That feels good,” he whispered, “but you need more. You need this.” His hands cradled my breasts, his thumbs slowly stroking my nipples until I was almost crazy. And the whole time, his mouth stayed on mine. “And this,” he breathed. One hand moved lower. “This is what you want, what you need. Hold on tight.”

His fingers parted me so gently, touched me, and then moved up slightly. Even with his warning, I wasn’t prepared.

“Yes,” he groaned. “Right there. Let go, my heart.” His fingers caressed me once, and then again, while his tongue caught mine.

Everything I experienced, he shared. What I felt, he felt. And even as my need increased his own desire, his feelings merged with mine and amplified my own.

With a sob, I climaxed, pushing myself harder into his hand. And he was with me. My orgasm triggered his, which in turn intensified mine. My hand closed around him convulsively and he pulsed against my stomach and spilled over, each of us creating an echo of pleasure in the other that seemed to last forever.

Waves of smug satisfaction rippled from Thor as we stood there under the water, snuggled together. And not just from the sex, either. In spite of myself, I smiled without lifting my head from his chest. “Think you’re pretty smart, don’t you?”

“Yes.” I felt a rumble of content under my cheek. “Now you know the bond will not hurt you. You can stop fighting it.”

“What I know is that if we don’t get out of the water soon I’m going to look like a prune.” I sent him a grossly exaggerated mental picture of the wrinkled fruit and he chuckled.

“We have something similar. It is called a
yapanya
. I do not like them.” He pried me gently away. “What did you do with the cleanser?”

I shrugged one shoulder. “Must have dropped it.”

He vanished from under the waterfall for a second. When he returned he was holding the bowl of creamy soap. “It floated into the pool.”

We did a quick scrub down, and then went out onto the terrace to drip dry. Orpheus’s moon was full, a big round orb that limned the night with bluish shadows. Across the clearing, I heard Brownie’s little boy jabber something in a high-pitched voice, followed by the soothing tones of his mother.

It all felt so normal, so right. Until Crigo padded onto the terrace, sat down, and glared at me.

“Stop pretending you couldn’t find me,” I told him. “You keep track of me better than Max does.”