ROMULUS (The Innerworld Affairs Series, Book 1) (40 page)

The whoosh of the door broke her concentration. Aster sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed with a sly grin.

"I received your invitation," he rumbled as he removed their rings and then his clothes. "Why are you so overdressed?"

"I wasn't sure you'd know what I wanted," she murmured innocently. She openly admired him as he dropped his pants to display the proof that he knew precisely what she wanted.

Two days later Aster closed the book and set it aside for the last time. Parts of the joining tradition were simple to follow and she could easily understand the symbolism. Other sections were purposely vague and bordered on the occult. He had only explained that those parts would be clear when the time came.

As if he sensed the completion of her task, Rom returned to the cabin. "I sent a message to my parents. They'll be meeting us. We'll be expected to spend the first day with them and then I'm to appear before the Tribunal the next day."

"Have you thought of how you're going to get me in there with you?"

"We're going to be defending ourselves, not just presenting a request for a waiver of the law. You have every right to be present. I'll insist on it."

"Can you prepare me for that?"

"Unfortunately, I'm not sure what they're going to throw at us. You just keep in mind how I feel. We will be joined the following night regardless."

"I've already accepted that, Rom. All right, tell me about your parents. I want to make a good impression."

Rom turned her around and pulled her down onto his lap in a chair. "You can't help but do that. Just be yourself. Their names are Marcus and Yulan. They are uncomplicated, friendly people, who love each other and their only son without question. And they're going to love you too, you'll see."

"I only pray I can get through this next week without having a nervous breakdown."

"After what you've been through recently, this'll be child's play. Now, what do you say we work a little more today? You were so close this morning. Let's work on words without images this time. If you have to, try concentrating on seeing the word spelled out."
What's your name?

A-S-T-E-R
, she thought, slowly picturing each letter.

Very good. I especially like the red heart at the end. What's your favorite color?

B-L-U-E.

Where did you live before you came to Innerworld?

S-A-N... San Francisco... California.

What do you want to do when this lesson is over?

Make love to you.
Aster's eyes opened wide. The way to send a whole thought at once suddenly came to her. It was so easy she didn't understand why she hadn't figured it out before. She finally knew the difference between regular thinking and directing a specific thought outward. Her attempt had been shaky but she had conquered the concept.

Rom gave her knee a squeeze. "You felt it this time, didn't you?"

Aster hugged him so hard he choked. "I did! I—"

Rom placed his finger on her lips.
You're not finished with your lesson yet. Don't get cocky just because you managed to think one sentence. Although I definitely approve of the thought.
Rom brought her face close to his and kissed the corners of her mouth. As his tongue traced the outline of her lips and snuck between her teeth, he prodded her to continue her practice.
Well? Tell me something else.

When he kissed her like that, Aster could barely think at all, let alone sharpen her new-found skill. The only thing in her head was how he made her feel. It was easier to stick to the subject at hand.
I love the way you kiss.

Thank you. Go on.
Rom found her tongue and sucked it into his mouth. His hand crept under her shirt to fondle her breast, causing Aster to shift uncomfortably on his lap.

You're not playing fair. I don't want to do this anymore.

No? What do you want to do?
he asked, deepening his kiss.

Rather than answer his foolish question, Aster sent him an explicit depiction that spoke louder than words. Rom deactivated their rings and wasted no time before switching from mental to physical pursuits.

Chapter 23

"Aster, wake up! I want you to see something. Hurry up!"

"Good grief, Rom. How do you manage to wake up so damn chipper? What is it?" She stretched and struggled to wake up for him.

"I was just on the bridge. I could see Norona!" Rom sounded like a little boy on Christmas morning. "I want you to see it before Kertus transforms the shields."

"Are we that close? I need time to make myself presentable before I face your parents."

"We've still got about an hour but I want you to see this first, then you can come back here and fuss all you want."

She donned yesterday's clothes and he hustled her to the bridge. At the window, he pulled her into the circle of his arms with her back snug against his wildly beating heart. Resting his chin on her head, Rom sighed quietly.

"There it is, love. That's Norona."

The planet did not look so different from Earth, except for a complete lack of cloud cover. The greens and browns of the land and blues of the water sparkled in the early-morning sunshine. There seemed to be much more land mass than Earth possessed.

Soon the captain had to reactivate the shields in preparation of their entry into Norona's atmosphere. Rom remained on deck while Aster returned to the cabin. An hour later, Rom showed up to hurry her along. His pacing in the close quarters did not help her building case of nerves.

The landing was no less interesting than their takeoff had been, but Aster was too worried about how Rom's parents would receive her to pay close attention. As they exited the craft, Rom kissed Aster's icy fingers and whispered, "They'll love you." Aster straightened her shoulders and gathered her courage as they approached the man and woman waiting at the bottom of the ramp.

"Rom!" his mother exclaimed and walked into his open arms.

Aster fixed a smile on her face as Rom returned the maternal kisses and hugged his father. Rom's mother was attractive, in a mature way, and as tall as Aster, with brown hair and eyes. The man at her side was an older version of Romulus. The two men were clearly father and son.

Rom stepped back beside Aster and put his arm around her waist. "Mother, Father, this is Aster Mackenzie. Aster, Yulan and Marcus."

Yulan stepped forward first and embraced Aster, kissing her lightly on her cheek. "I'm so happy to meet you. Welcome to Norona. I've heard a lot of good things about you."

Aster raised her eyebrows and glanced at Rom, who looked equally bewildered by his mother's comment.

Yulan laughed. "After Marcus sent you his letter, we received a rather lengthy missive from Marya and Frank. You pleased her very much by visiting her that day, though you should do so more often. At any rate, they were both very impressed with Aster. Marya passed along the latest Innerworld gossip, so you've been spared a lot of time bringing us up to date."

Rom's father stepped toward Aster and took her hand. "We're very glad you came to visit us, even if it took my practically having to order it to get you here." He smiled warmly at Aster then gave his son a look that blended fatherly approval with pure male admiration. "Let's go home."

As they glided along, Marcus said, "We'll go straight to the farm. You've seen Car-Tem, Aster, so you already know what our city looks like. There it is on the horizon to your left."

Aster leaned toward the window and saw the crystal prisms of the taller buildings reaching toward the lavender-blue sky with its large, ringed sun.

"The air is cooler, though isn't it?" Aster asked.

"That's because we have real seasons here, not prefabricated like that artificial environment in Innerworld," Marcus answered emotionally.

Rom chuckled. "I told you he wasn't very fond of my adopted home."

Yulan quickly changed the subject. "I thought you might prefer to stay in your sanctuary, so I had it cleaned up and installed a supply station for you."

"That's terrific. Thank you. We'll appreciate the privacy." Rom pulled Aster toward him and kissed her softly.

She blushed instantly. She was proud that he did not hesitate to be affectionate in front of Yulan and Marcus but, after all, they were his parents and it didn't seem right even to suggest that they needed privacy. "Did you say sanctuary?" Aster asked to hide her momentary embarrassment.

Yulan smiled. "That's what we always called it. When Rom was a boy, he had one place on the farm where he went to be alone. He built himself a shelter there. He wasn't like other little boys. Little Romulus tended to be a bit stuffy and introverted. At least we always knew where to find him."

"I was not stuffy! And I'd rather you didn't spend the rest of the day reminiscing about my childhood," Rom warned.

"Well, now that I see that it bothers you, I'll make a point of remembering all the worst things you ever did, so that Aster knows all about you. Tell me the truth, Aster, didn't you think he was stuffy when you first met him?"

Aster muffled a laugh. She already liked Rom's mother. "Very stuffy, and egotistical, and overbearing... and absolutely irresistible." She winked at her love.

Marcus shook his head. "I can see you two are going to get along great. Here we are. Welcome home!"

When Aster stepped out of the hauler, she gasped. "It's an exact duplicate of Marya and Frank's farm."

"You're wrong there, Aster. My sister copied ours!" Yulan tucked her hand under Rom's free arm as they walked to the house. "My parents used to live here. They spend all their time traveling now. I doubt if there's a habitable planet in all the universe they haven't visited at least once."

The day sped by as Yulan wanted details of the gossip Marya had written about and Rom and Aster filled them in on the events of the past weeks. His parents rode an emotional roller coaster while they alternated between laughter and sadness.

Yulan prepared their meal from home-grown foods. She rarely used their supply station, she explained to Aster, since she liked to cook and Marcus preferred his food being prepared that way.

"Everything's delicious," Aster complimented seriously. "I agree with Marcus about this homemade bread. The computer can't match it."

"I'm glad to see that you're such an astute young woman," Marcus said, smiling at Aster. "Now, son, it seems to me that we've covered every subject except the reasons you're here. Are the two of you intending to join?"

Yulan sent her mate a look of disapproval for his bluntness. Aster knew they did not have to speak to communicate but Yulan's face gave her thoughts away.

Rom laughed. "I wondered how long you could wait." He reached over to take Aster's hand. "I never completely understood about finding one's soulmate... until Aster came into my life. She may not be Noronian by birth but that didn't prevent her from getting the mating fever. That alone is unheard of for a Terran. She also experienced the separation during her first visit to the pyramid. Long before she entered Innerworld, she had dreams of me. I felt her soul call to mine the first time I saw her and she wasn't even conscious. It seems impossible that I have lived all my life without her." His adoring gaze spoke even better than his words.

Marcus and Yulan became serious as they pondered their next questions. Yulan looked to Aster. "Dear, you may be exceptional but you are still not of our race. Joining is not simply a legal bonding, like your marriage in Outerworld. Has Rom explained what is involved?"

Marcus interrupted his mate. "Besides challenging the law, which is no small matter, there are possible complications, dangers to your sanity. Have you read the book?"

Rom's impatience began to show as he opened his mouth to answer. Aster squeezed his hand firmly and replied confidently, "I have read the book. I understand the ritual and the consequences and I accept it. We've discussed the risks. At this point I believe the only threat to my sanity will be if we are not joined. We have almost lost each other twice and I thought I would lose my mind without him."

"Aster's extremely intelligent, Father," Rom said more calmly than he felt. "On the way here, we started working on her mind control, using the homing devices. She's already able to receive and send clear thoughts. That part had me worried at first but not anymore. I'll bet by the time we get back she'll even be blocking out my thoughts." Rom stroked her cheek.