Stolen Dreams (24 page)

 

A better question came to her immediately.
How
were they going to extricate themselves from the rebels before they
were sent to Earth? She cursed herself for not keeping the tempometer
on her person, regardless of how much curiosity it might have attracted.

 

The
crackling fire rapidly spread as burning sparks leaped on the wind from
one residence to the next.

 

One
of the officers assigned to guarding the rebels spoke into a box in his
hand, then called out an update to the other officers: The rebels were
all captured; most of the city was on fire; casualties were mounting;
every available medic and fire control squad had been put to work, but
there just wasn't enough help to go around.

 

Gabriel leaned
close to
Shara and murmured, "My guess is the spy knew about the plans to take
over the residences and Administration Building, but hadn't stayed at
the Summit long enough to find out about Hades' so-called distractions or Athena's
illusions of force."

 

As
if similar thoughts had occurred to a number of the corraled Friends at
once, a man's voice broke the numb silence. "Someone betrayed us, that
much is certain!"

 

"Stating the obvious is not going to help us
now,"
a woman replied. "Forget increased freedoms. The Tribunal will have our
heads for this."

 

"But I never agreed to any killing!" another
protested.

 

"Nor the firebombs!"

 

One
after another voiced objections and speculations, near panic evident in
every statement. No one dared guess who the Tribunal's spy had been,
but it was generally agreed that Hades alone was responsible for the
massive destruction.

 

The loud drone of an engine overhead
temporarily distracted the rebels from their fear. A large, oval-shaped
balloon moved into the airspace above the fire and hovered there. As a
snowy substance began pouring down on the flames, relief swept through
both factions of the crowd.

 

The fire was extinguished a short
time
later, but nothing was left of the beautiful residences that had
previously graced this section of the city. The balloon lowered to the
ground and the injured were taken inside first. Once that was
accomplished, the captured Friends were ordered to board.

 

Gabriel
reached for Shara's hand as the group moved forward, but she held it
away from him. She didn't feel like holding hands with the man who was
planning to stand in the way of her goal.

 

"Give me your hand,"
he ordered.         
 

 

"No." She crossed her arms in front of her and
tucked her hands under them.

 

"Fine," he said, putting his arm
around her and pinning her to his side. "We could get separated. Be
reasonable for a change."

 

Shara
held her retort rather than start an argument in front of so many
observers. The whole situation was unreasonable. Why should she be any
different?

 

Using his body as a wedge, Gabriel managed to get
the two
of them next to a window. As the balloon rose into the air, she noted
that he kept his one hand on her waist but his other hand was aiming
Beauty at the disaster on the ground.

 

Whole buildings had been
reduced to rubble. Others were standing but blackened with soot and
there didn't appear to be a glass window left intact anywhere.

 

Sections
of the overhead rails were twisted and bent. At least one large
transport had crashed to the ground. From the abundance of activity, it
appeared that rescue operations were under way throughout the city, but
it was too late for a great number of people.

 

A park had been
converted into a temporary detention center for the rebels, with
security officers posted every few meters around a cordoned-off area.
Looking down on the group below, Shara surmised that the Friends' ranks
had been reduced by at least a third.

 

The balloon descended
and the rebels on board were escorted into the park with the others.

 

"I
hope you have a plan to get us out of here," Shara murmured to
Gabriel.            
 

 

He arched one eyebrow at her. "Me? This is your
adventure. I'm just along for the ride. Remember?"

 

She made a
face at him. "Do you want me to admit I'm in over my head?"

 

"That
would be a good start."

 

"Fine. I admit it."

 

"I think
you can do better than that."

 

She
angled her head at him, trying to guess what concession he wanted. "And
I admit that the only reason I've made it this far is because of you."

 

His
expression softened. "Anything else?"

 

"And I'm terrified out
of my wits. Gabriel, please, do you have a plan or not?"

 

"Maybe.
I need a hug first." When she inched away instead, he said, "If I tell
you to do something, I have a good reason. If you balk, it could mean
the difference between escape and spending the rest of our lives on
ancient Earth."

 

She swallowed her pride and wrapped her arms
around
his waist for the hug he requested. The moment he held her close, she
knew she had needed this more than he had. "Thank you."

 

He
gave her
a squeeze. "If we're going to make it through this, we have to trust
each other without question from now on. Agreed?"

 

"Agreed,"
she said, but privately added, except where my goals are concerned.

 

"That
reminds me, thank you for trusting me about the paralyzer rod back
there. For a moment you looked like you were going to fall apart."

 

"I
almost did. I was so frightened, I couldn't concentrate well enough to
use my power of suggestion to get us out of there."

 

"It
probably wouldn't have helped. There were too many of them between us
and freedom." He gave her one more squeeze, then released her. "Here
comes Zeus. He obviously doesn't know when to quit."

 

The
big man was working his way through the crowd. As he neared, Shara
could hear him offering condolences while at the same time reassuring
the Friends that their fight for freedom wasn't yet over. She thought
it was interesting that Hades was nowhere in sight.

 

"Shara and
Gabriel," Zeus said, greeting them each with a pat on the shoulder.
"Glad to see you made it in one piece. What of Athena? I heard the
situation went badly."

 

Gabriel answered, "Athena was injured,
but alive. Several others weren't so fortunate."

 

Zeus
bowed his head for a moment, then said, "Their lives were not lost in
vain. This day will prove to be to our advantage in the end."

 

"Have
you heard what's to be done with us?" Shara asked.

 

Zeus
nodded. "We will each be questioned. Speak the truth, for they will be
able to know your thoughts. Take the opportunity to reiterate the
peaceful motives of the Friends." After another shoulder pat, he moved
on.

 

Shara turned to Gabriel and murmured. "Did you hear that?
They
will know our thoughts! They're bound to be suspicious if they can't
read us."

 

"We may have to allow them access, but there's no
way to
predict how they'll react. We'll simply have to wait and see how things
go."

 

"That's your plan?" she asked with a skeptical smirk.
"Wait and see?"

 

He ginned at her and shrugged. "It works for
me."

 

In the following hours, two rebels at a time were taken
into the park shelter where the Security Services had set up temporary
headquarters. Shara couldn't help but notice that when some of the
Friends returned, they had a very strange look about them, as if they
were walking in their sleep.

 

"What do you think is happening
in that building?" she asked Gabriel nervously.

 

"I
don't know, but it doesn't look promising. At this time, the Noronian
method of reprogramming disturbed minds was in the early experimental
stages. Electricity and personality-altering chemicals were still being
tested. It could be that there's more than questioning going on in
there."

 

"Dear heavens! We've got to get out of here before our
turn comes."

 

Ping!!!

 

 

Gabriel
and Shara both froze at the warning sound.

 

"Not now!" Shara
whispered, as panic made her pulse race faster than it already was.

 

Gabriel
touched his pendant and murmured, "Beauty, display body temperature."

 

Shara
stood in front of him so that no one but she could see the numbers
appearing on the mirror. "You're barely up half a degree. Why did it go
off?"

 

"I reprogrammed it this morning. I thought we might need
more time. Check yourself."

 

Placing
her hand between Beauty and Gabriel's chest, she requested her own
reading, then groaned softly. "This can't be happening! I'm having a
terrible nightmare, that's all." She closed her eyes and took a deep
breath. "I am going to wake up now and I'll be perfectly safe in my own
bed." She felt his hand touch her cheek, and she opened her eyes.

 

"You're
hot," he said, his voice slightly scolding. "Why didn't you say
something?"

 

She lowered her lashes. "I was hoping it was the
fire."

 

Shaking his head, he muttered, "You are the most
unreasonable female I have ever encountered."

 

Instantly her
mood changed from shy to bristling.              
 

 

"Go
ahead, insult me! That will certainly—" His mouth came down on hers so
swiftly, she would have lost her balance if he hadn't been holding her
up. As soon as her eyes focused on his, she realized he was silencing,
not kissing her. Ashamed that she had let her runaway emotions endanger
them, she closed her eyes and leaned into him in a gesture of
submission. She hated being so out of control, but it really wasn't his
fault.

 

When he was certain her tantrum had been aborted, he
raised
his head and loosened his hold. One glance around let him know that no
one particularly cared if the lovers were having another little quarrel.

 

Shara
looked up at him apologetically. "I don't feel well, Gabriel. I should
have told you."

 

"And I should have known you wouldn't."
Suddenly his face lit up. "This could be a blessing in disguise."

 

She
wondered if the fever was affecting him more than her.

 

"It
might get slightly embarrassing, but I think it'll work."

 

Her
gaze darted back and forth to the people on all sides of them. Images
flashed in her mind of she and Gabriel coupling in wild abandon on the
grass while everyone casually looked on. Slightly embarrassing?

 

He
kissed her nose. "Trust me. I'll have us somewhere private before we
lose control."

 

She
tried to give him a trusting smile, but her lower lip didn't cooperate.
His finger traced her mouth, then he slipped his hand beneath her hair
to stroke her neck. His touch was gentle, but when his fingers trickled
down her spine, she stiffened. "Please don't. I don't want to be rude
again, but when you touch me like that, well ... I mean, it's
very nice, but my skin is getting more sensitive by the second."

 

Gabriel
placed his mouth against her ear. "That's the point. I'm trying to
arouse you." She shivered, either from his words or the heat of his
breath, and he nipped her earlobe. 'The faster the fevers symptoms are
visible, the faster I can set my plan in motion. Let me see your eyes,
sweetling." She met his gaze and the rich shade of chocoberry told him
all he needed to know. "Don't take those pretty eyes off me now. Try to
forget that there's anyone around but us. We're all alone here."

 

He
drew her close so that his thigh wedged between the juncture of hers,
and she gasped at the intensity of her body's response to the expertly
applied pressure. The thin material of their tunics was as nothing
between them. She bit her lip as an imperceptible shift of his leg
caused her to involuntarily arch into him.

 

That's it," Gabriel
whispered, slowly rocking her lower body against his. "Do you know how
badly I want to be inside you right now? As deep as you could take me.
Sliding in and out. Driving us both out of our minds with pleasure. I'd
try to go slowly, to make it last, but you're so hot and tight, it's
impossible."

 

Her response was a whimper of pure sexual
frustration.

 

"Give me your sweet mouth, Shara, like you did
this morning. Don't hold back. Take whatever you want."

 

She
pulled his head down to hers and dove into an eating kiss that
increased rather than satisfied her desire. She was on fire with raw
need clawing at her body and her mind. His tongue in her mouth was not
enough. She wanted all of him inside her, or she would surely die.

 

Gabriel
almost forgot where they were and what he was supposed to be doing. Her
peaking fever was raising his, despite all his efforts to remain
conscious of his actions. With tremendous determination he eased her
away from him. The corneas of her eyes were blood red as she tried to
recapture his mouth.

 

He swept her up in his arms and rushed to
the
security officer he had noted was close to his size. He was also an
older man who probably had firsthand experience with the mating fever.

 

"Please
help us," Gabriel said to the man in a raspy voice he barely recognized
as his own. "We are in our mating fever. Allow us a few minutes of
privacy. My shalla is very shy. If I take her here, in front of
everyone, she may never forgive me."

 

The officer touched
Sharas
cheek and lifted her eyelid, then glanced at Gabriel's blatant arousal.
With an understanding nod, he let another officer know he was escorting
the two prisoners into the shelter.