Soul Dancer (7 page)

Shamefaced, he nodded. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“You were spying on me,” she accused him.

“If it helps make you feel better, I didn’t hear what you two said.”

Her eyelashes feathered her cheeks before she gave him a look of forgiveness but said nothing.

He went on. “Kierra, I promise. I swear by everything holy, I won’t let the bossman come for you.”

She toyed with a button at the top of his collar. Her full concentration seemed to be on the circle. When she lifted her gaze to his, he knew she’d made a decision, but what had she chosen? To go with him or force him to find some way to take her with him?

“Okay. I’ll go.”

His heart sank. The crestfallen manner in which she’d spoken warned him she really didn’t believe she could leave, that she really didn’t believe in him. And that fact hurt.

In the silvery moonlight, Kierra danced, swaying back and forth, her hands held in elegant positions as Jamar had taught her when they were young. She heard the measured music in her head, played with instruments that set her heart singing. Violins, the slow beat of a drum, castanets, and the haunting sound of a flute in the background. Her feet, encased in the best shoes she owned, stepped lightly from one patch of ground bordering the swamp to the other, but the music and the sinuous rhythm of her body’s weaving was the primary tone in her head.

For the first time in her life, she wore a dress constructed of silver cloth, a going away gift from her mother. The fragrance of the wild roses wafted upward, joining in her joyous dance. The dress’ hem fluttered in the mild breeze.

Jamar had promised to meet her here, to spirit her onto the spaceship that would fly them away to Praadar and a new life. But he was late. The moon had begun its downward trek toward Dead End Mountain and would soon be lost behind it.

Kierra continued to dance, moving her arms and legs gently from side to side, her eyes half-closed. Jamar’s heavy-handed persuasion had worked to transform her mind. She wanted to be free, not to be looked down upon and mistreated for being a kattanee, although that was all she’d known in her life.

Exhausted from lack of sleep, worry and excitement, she finally sank to the tree stump. She had to accept the fact Jamar wasn’t coming. He’d never been late, not even once.

Tears began to stream down her cheeks. She’d made a choice, so where was Jamar? Why hadn’t he come to take her away from Becutan? Had he played a cruel joke on her or had he simply decided he wouldn’t risk his life for a kattanee? That had to be it. Friendship on the Becutan lands went only so far. Everyone was the enemy, and no one could be trusted.

Backhanding the stream of tears away, she stood, straightened her shoulders and walked toward the cabin she shared with her family. This one time Jamar wasn’t going to keep his promise.

* * * *

The room was still warm from the sun even though darkness had fallen. A cold chill ran down Jamar’s spine. With his heart crying but the lines of his face set in stoic lines, he faced his father who had burst into his rooms several minutes earlier and angrily demanded quick answers. Jamar wasn’t willing to give them. He had to protect Kierra, and if it meant with his life, he’d give it for her, he realized grimly. She might accuse him of being a dreamer, but his heart was in the right place.

Bara held Jamar’s GCD against his palm. “Didn’t you think you’d have to pay the consequences if you took this kattanee to Praadar?” His hair was thin and gray, his shoulders permanently stooped and his belly rotund as a result of living a luxurious life.

“You’re monitoring my communications,” Jamar said quietly, unable to fathom why his father would do such a thing. Didn’t Bara trust him?

“I had hopes you’d turn away from the kattanee girl as you got older and, I was thinking, wiser. Now you’ve had sex with her, and that goes beyond forgivable.”

Jamar wished he could get to Kierra and warn her she needed to flee Becutan. Maybe her mother would help her escape when they discovered her life was in jeopardy. If they found out in time. Bara always acted quickly and decisively.

“You are confined to your room until I figure out what to do with you.” Bara turned on his heel and stalked out. Behind him, four guards took up their positions in front of the door.

So they would watch his every movement. Fine. Standing erect with his head canted to one side, he wondered how in the hell he would get out and take Kierra away.

* * * *

As Kierra changed from the lovely silver dress to her ragged cotton one, Eden edged around the makeshift beds on the floor. “Kierra,” she said softly, furtively. “He’s been locked in his room by his father. The bossman will come for you next.”

Kierra’s eyes widened in surprise. Her head spun with the news. “How did bossman find out?” Her heart did a quick somersault. Jamar hadn’t been able to come for her. He hadn’t broken his promise. He couldn’t leave his suite!

Eden lifted her shoulders in a half shrug. “I don’t know, but my offer to find another place for you elsewhere is still open.”

“No, not without Jamar.” Kierra’s mind raced. What would Bara do to Jamar since he’d so obviously discovered Jamar was sleeping with Kierra? Would he beat him? Would he kill him? “A man wouldn’t kill his own son, would he?”

She didn’t realize she’d been talking aloud until Eden shook her head. “I don’t know. Anything can happen when you’ve been defiled by a kattanee.”

“Defiled?” Jamar’s love for her had defiled him? “I refuse to accept that,” she said stubbornly, pulling the cold, cotton uniform over her head. The fabric fell over her like a shroud and instantly chilled her to the bone. She trembled from head to foot.

Eden pressed her lips together in a tight line, her signal she didn’t want to talk about that any longer.

Kierra tugged on her sleeve. “Have you heard of the injections to change skin color on Praadar?”

Warily, Eden inclined her head. “I have.”

“Is it here on Manitee-a? How can I get my hands on some?” Kierra feared she was jumbling her words together and her mother wouldn’t understand.

“I pulled a favor, and can get you one injection’s worth, Kierra, but no more. That means you’ll be able to change to black skin only one time.” She ran her tongue over her lower lip. “So think carefully before you act.” Eden turned her back.

Kierra thought she’d heard the slightest of admonishments but chose to ignore it.

Eden swiveled around, her expression one of consternation. “I don’t know how you’ll react to the injection or how long it will last. The effects are proving to be unpredictable in some cases. It might kill you. Do you still want it?”

Kierra’s throat swelled with emotion. “Jamar’s in trouble. I have to take that risk.” She’d become Jaquill by virtue of her skin color and be able to spirit Jamar away. Once she got him out of his room, he’d know where to go to catch the spaceship he’d been talking about. If it was still there and waiting.

Eden didn’t have far to go, Kierra mused. She walked across the semi-dark room, drew out one of the drawers from a badly scuffed chest and rummaged until she found a small needle and vial.

As Eden neared her, Kierra said, “You knew I might choose this, didn’t you?”

Her mother simply nodded. “If and when the time came, I wanted to be able to help you.” She hugged Kierra. “You’re my daughter, and I always knew you would end up with Jamar, even though he’s not one of us.”

Kierra swallowed hard and felt a deep ache in her throat. Eden loved her and had always supported the decisions she’d made. With the largest one of her life looming above her, Kierra gave Eden a big hug and squeezed her tight. Then she stepped back and extended her arm. “Will here be okay?”

Her mother simply smiled as she raised the needle.

* * * *

Kierra couldn’t allow herself to be nervous. According to her skin color, she was Jaquill and had to act with self-assurance. As she made her way to Jamar’s suite, she’d decided her name, as Jaquill, was Areka, she was from Praadar and had come to visit poor, lonely Jamar. The first thing she had to do was get past the guards, but that shouldn’t be a problem, should it?

She paused at a floor-length mirror in the hallway outside his room and examined herself.

Creamy rose lipstick. Checkmark.

Clinging silver dress that conformed to her curves. Checkmark.

High heels. Checkmark.

Black skin. Checkmark.

She was all set to go and hoped Jamar would like the effect. Absar, at Eden’s humble request, had even made a pic of her on his GCD and sent it to Jamar’s device as if it had come two months ago but hadn’t until now reached its destination. Curvaceous, bodacious Areka from Praadar was on her way.

Kierra knocked on Jamar’s door sharply. “Jamar, are you in there?” she called out as if nothing was amiss on the other side.

She heard shuffling from beyond the door before Jamar opened it a fraction of an inch. Kierra got the impression the guards were nearby. All she could see of him was his worried face.

“What do you want?” he whispered, just a moment he must have realized who she was. His eyes widened and a small smile played on his lips. A slim gold chain that was merely a deterrent to intruders ran from the door to the frame.

“Ah Jamar,” Kierra said loudly, enjoying her new role, “don’t you remember me, Areka from Praadar? Don’t you remember fucking me several nights in a row?” Was she overdoing the acting a little bit?

“Oh yeah,” he replied in a sultry voice. “I didn’t recognize you with your clothes on.”

One of the guards near him broke out in a fit of coughing used to mask snickering. Too bad for him.

“Can I come in?” she inquired. “To keep you company. I’m sure you know how to take my clothes off. All of them.”

“Are you going to dance for me? Naked?” Now he was into the act too.

“Well, big boy, you’ve got to let me in for that. I’m certainly not going to strip out here in the hallway.”

The chain dropped off the door. Jamar grabbed her arm and unceremoniously hauled her into the room. Three burly kattanee guards stood to one side watching intently.

“Oh,” she said, pretending to be suddenly shy. “I didn’t realize you already had company.”

“Maybe once father realizes you’re here, they’ll do their disappearing act,” he muttered, turning hostile eyes in their direction. He turned his back and seated her in the same armchair where she’d sat in his lap naked the night before.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said to me when you were on Praadar,” she continued in a conversational tone. Her voice was loud enough for the guards to hear easily.

His eyebrows furrowed together. “About marriage?” he asked, with a blatant wink the guards couldn’t see.

“Well, yes.” She laced her fingers together. “I’ve given some thought to your proposal.” She paused, as Jamar and the guards waited expectantly. She moistened her suddenly dry lips. “Yes.”

Jamar swallowed hard. The guards clapped and cheered and hooted. Then the room quieted. “I’m glad you did. Now my father can get this ridiculous idea out of his head that I was—” He shook himself as if restraining himself from saying what he had on his mind. Holding out his hand, he whispered, “Dance with me.”

The music began, slow, sensuous and peaceful. Perfect for twining her arms around his neck, pressing her thighs against his and dancing with their hearts close to one another.

* * * *

Bara interrupted them as they slowly danced to the music that was never played on any instrument. The melody’s sweet strains could hardly be imitated to any degree of accuracy. Kierra and Jamar had given up trying. The music died away. Kierra stood at Jamar’s side, and he felt her pulse racing in the wrist he held.

“Jamar,” Bara said pleasantly. “Why didn’t you tell me about Areka?” He beamed at Kierra and nodded his approval.

“You were too fixated on…” Jamar didn’t want his father to think about Kierra, the kattanee but about Areka, the Jaquill.

Bara held up his hand, palm forward. “No need to explain. You two are getting married?”

Kierra’s pulse tattooed. Jamar nodded. “We’ll live here part of the year. The rest of the year, we’ll live on Praadar.”

“How soon will you tie the knot?”

“Within the next couple of days.” Jamar turned to Kierra. “That is, with your approval. I know weddings can be a lot of preparation and worry for you women.”

“I’m sure I’ll manage,” Kierra volunteered, keeping her lovely gaze fixed on his face.

Jamar was proud of her. She didn’t flinch nor did she back away from his father.

Bara clapped his hands together, startling Jamar. He jumped. To her credit, Kierra didn’t move a muscle. “Here or on Praadar?”

“Praadar,” Jamar responded. The faster Kierra and he were away from here, the better he’d feel, and he bet, she’d feel the same way, too.

Kierra Vonne, aka Areka, and Jamar Q’ellan became man and wife the next day on the beautiful planet of Praadar. They had been unwilling to take the chance that Bara or the authorities would find Kierra missing and figure out she was with her Jaquill lover.