Stolen Dreams (4 page)

 

It had taken Shara a long
time
after that to let any man get close to her. The fear that they were
interested in her only as a freak of nature was always with her, and
she thought she had become adept at interpreting men's ulterior
motives. But one day another man slipped under her guard. Although this
one had dark hair and eyes, he was still extraordinarily handsome. Her
instincts insisted he was interested in her as a woman, not a breed,
and she fell again, a lot slower, but the landing was familiar.

 

Her
second experience at love proved that her instincts were never to be
trusted again. True, this one didn't care that she was of mixed blood,
but his attraction to her still had to do with her parentage. He was
politically ambitious, and once Romulus helped him get a position he
desired, his devotion to Shara dwindled rapidly.

 

It
was bad enough that Gabriel Drumayne had interrupted her and was so
gorgeous he made her insides flutter, but when he made a reference to
her father, he committed his third and most serious offense. Shara had
always made sure that her accomplishments were her own rather than due
to her fathers influence, and she was extremely sensitive about it.

 

Recalling
why she automatically reacted to the professor the way she did relieved
her of any guilt for her poor manners, but it didn't remove the
problem. She had agreed to talk to him tomorrow morning. Considering
his position, he probably carried as much influence as she did to
recommend who went on the trip. And considering the way she felt about
history, a historian would be a logical choice for the companion she
promised to take along.

 

Perhaps there was some quirk in his
personality that would justify her refusing to accept him. Maybe he was
really a brute after all. She realized he had had a distinct advantage
over her at their first meeting because he had gotten information about
her beforehand. In order to take away that advantage, she would have to
find out a little about him. Ten minutes and several telecommunications
later, she located a friend who could introduce her to the professor's
clerical assistant, Ferrine.

 

"Thanks for meeting me on such
short
notice, Ferrine," Shara said, smiling across the table at the tiny
female with the bright orange hair.

 

Ferrine twitched her
freckled nose and smiled back. "I've been wanting to try this new
dinery, but my mate's been away and I didn't feel like coming alone.
You didn't have to bribe me with a meal, though."

 

Shara's
smile faded. "It wasn't—"

 

"Oh,
don't worry. I'm joking. Your friend Kiku told me you wanted to get
some background on my chief, and I figure that's only fair, since he
was checking on you first. Don't get me wrong. I'm loyal to Gabriel,
but there are times when I have to do what I think will be best for
him. You know he spends most of his time journeying, don't you?"

 

"Actually,
I don't know much more than his name and title." And that he's annoying
and egotistical, she added to herself.

 

"Well,
let's see. In spite of the title, he spends very little time lecturing
and only a fraction of his time procuring antiquities. His primary
function—and his life's passion—is researching primitive civilization.
He's compiled a number of monographs on the subject. From time to time
on his journeys, he comes across a valuable artifact and acquires it
for Norona. Because of the remote places some of these research
journeys take him, he's often without human company for months at a
time. But it doesn't seem to bother him. Even when he's here, if he's
involved in a project, he's liable to forget there are people around.
Sometimes I have to remind him to eat and sleep."

 

"So he's a
loner and dedicated to his career." Shara couldn't find fault with that.

 

Ferrine
nodded. "He's not shy or introverted; he just doesn't go out of his way
to encourage relationships. Of course, the way he looks, he's never had
to encourage female relationships anyway. Women tend to overlook his
lack of interest and readjust their schedules
to suit him. As far as I can tell, the only thing he gets excited about
is his work. Personally, I can't imagine making love to a man whose
mind is off in another time or place, but I guess there's no accounting
for taste." She noted the slight flush on Shara's cheekbones and added,
"You really confused him today."

 

Shara's eyebrows lifted a
notch. "I beg your pardon?'

 

"I
don't know what happened when he went to see you, but he came back and
asked me what I thought he should do to make himself more acceptable to
you. Knowing Gabriel, I assumed he meant in a working sense, not
personally."

 

"Uh, yes, he intends to work with me on a
project,"
Shara said, trying not to care that he might not be as sure of himself
as he had appeared.

 

"And again, knowing Gabriel, he probably
forgot certain amenities like saying hello or excuse me, or introducing
himself."

 

"Well . . ."

 

"Believe
me, I know," Ferrine said with a laugh. "But I'm used to him. Truly,
he's not inconsiderate. It's just that his mind is sometimes miles
ahead of his mouth. When he's not distracted by a project, he's quite
pleasant, and actually fun to be around. He really seemed anxious to
get along with you."

 

Shara gave a noncommittal shrug,
realizing she
had been hoping for some negative information and wound up talking to
the professor's one-woman support team instead.

 

"Listen,"
Ferrine
said, leaning closer and lowering her voice. "He wouldn't want me to
tell you this, but it's not as much of a secret as he likes to believe,
and it might help you to give him a little more leeway, as far as his
behavior is concerned."

 

Shara tilted her head expectantly. A
secret about the professor could be just what she needed.

 

"He
was born in Parson's Colony."

 

That
simple sentence told Shara more than enough to fill her with panic. She
thanked Ferrine for her time and returned to her lab, but her mind was
occupied with thoughts of the experiment that had taken place at
Parson's.

 

Although it was not widely publicized, as a
geneticist she
had studied the few details recorded. Six couples with exceptionally
developed mental abilities had formed a group family in which no one
spoke aloud. All communication was by thought and all minds were always
open to the others, the theory being that together they would form a
dynamic mental union.

 

Most Noronians were trained to
communicate
mentally by pressing two fingers to another's temple and concentrating.
Despite having a Terran mother, Shara had been born with a few
exceptional mental abilities. Though she couldn't discern another's
thoughts without making physical contact, she could send specific
thoughts or simple instructions, usually without the receiver being
aware of it.

 

She had several other extraordinary skills
besides
that, but only her immediate family knew about them. The curious
attention she drew by being a mixed-breed was bad enough; she didn't
want her special skills being talked about as well.

 

However,
those
abilities could be useless against someone from Parson's. The professor
could have the power to manipulate her to do whatever he wanted.
Although she had no problem blocking an

 

average
intrusion, such as her brother had occasionally attempted, she had no
way of knowing if her mind was strong enough to hold off a more
talented trespasser. She would just have to keep her guard up around
the professor at all times.

 

Her reasons for making sure he did
not
accompany her had now doubled. But she thought it would be best to let
him think she was being cooperative while staying a step ahead of him.

 

The
next morning she arrived in the dining room precisely at 0800 prepared
to pretend she was open-minded. By 0900 she headed to her lab, more
annoyed with the self-centered boor than before. He had not shown up,
nor canceled their appointment.

 

Her morning took another
downward
turn when she received notice that a highly skilled research assistant
had chosen to work in another department rather than accept her more
generous offer. This had happened before during the years she ran the
genetics research lab in Innerworld, but only once did the prospective
employee let it be known that Shara's questionable breeding had
affected his decision. After that, she always wondered about the true
reasons when she lost a qualified employee or when a choice assignment
was passed on to a geneticist on Norona.

 

Three hours later,
Gabriel finally appeared in the lab. This time he stood quietly beside
her until she looked up at him.

 

The
explicitly graphic directions she had intended to deliver if she ever
saw him again slipped away. It was impossible to curse at an angel. The
only thing missing was his halo. She decided to let him have the first
word, because she fully intended to have the last.

 

Rather than
speak, he handed her a brown leather pouch. Shara glanced suspiciously
at the small bag, then back at him.

 

"It's for you," he said,
loosening the drawstring at the top of the pouch.

 

Turning
the bag upside down, Shara shook the contents onto her worktable. A
gray, crescent-shaped stone about two inches long fell out with a thud.
"You're giving me a rock?"

 

Gabriel frowned and shook his head
at
her. "That's not a rock. That's the foreclaw of an Umerian trenchrat."
When she still looked skeptical, he explained. "In ancient times on
Norona, if one person offended another, it was customary for the one to
offer the other a gift that held sentimental meaning for the giver."

 

"Let
me get this straight. This .. . thing . . . has sentimental value to
you?"

 

"Very
much so! It saved my life. I was on the planet Umer when I accidentally
met the gaze of one of the amazons there. It isn't that I didn't know
better, mind you, but she caught me by surprise. Before I could blink,
she had me half entranced. Let me tell you, if that trenchrat hadn't
attacked me right then, I might never have escaped. I killed the beast,
but this claw broke off in my back. I've had it for years."

 

Shara
wondered if he could be making up the story. The thing still looked
like a rock to her. But Ferrine had said his journeys took him to
distant places on a regular basis, so his tale could be true. And she
had heard of the hypnotic powers of certain Umerian females. Just as
she had heard that some men went there hoping to be forced into their
exotic brand of captivity.

 

"I could show you the scar,"
Gabriel said seriously. "I never had it repaired."

 

She
tensed at the thought of his removing his shirt for her to inspect his
back. "No. That's not necessary. I was just thinking about your story.
I've never been anywhere but Innerworld and Norona."

 

"Then you
are
probably in need of this adventure you're planning. Oh, I almost
forgot. I apologize for missing our appointment this morning. I'm
afraid I started translating an ancient Terran scroll last night and
failed to note the time until a half hour ago."

 

"You mean you
haven't been to sleep yet?" Shara asked, remembering what Ferrine had
said about his forgetfulness. More than likely, it was Ferrine's
suggestion that he apologize.

 

"No. I'll catch up with it
later. I
always do. Since I missed our breakfast appointment, would it be
possible to have our discussion over lunch?" Rather than attempting to
sway her with the boyish grin and dimple ploy, his expression remained
sincere.

 

She preferred not to have the discussion at all, but
she
reminded herself that it would behoove her to play along. "That would
be satisfactory." After putting the claw and pouch into her desk
drawer, she gave her computer instructions to run a program while she
was gone.

 

Neither spoke until they had ordered a meal; then
Gabriel
got right to the point. "As I understand it, you have a time-travel
device in your possession and substantiating evidence to justify its
use. Do you have a good case?"

 

"Excellent." Shara had already
decided to fill him in on the situation. It would not be that difficult
for him to find out on his own anyway, and she wanted him to believe
she was accepting
him.            
 

 

Meanwhile, she stayed alert for any attempt on his
part to touch her mind.

 

He
paid close attention as she told of Lantana's insistence that she go
back in time to prevent one rebel from being sent to Earth. By the time
their meal arrived, he knew as much as she did about the reason for the
trip.

 

"And what about the device? It won't matter what you
intend to do if you can't operate it."

 

Her
study of the tempometer was still a secret, but she didn't dare lie. "I
think I'll be able to manage. Once approval comes through, of course."

 

"Of
course." Gabriel couldn't prove she was withholding something, but the
irises of her eyes had changed color twice since they sat down. They
started out a soft brown-green hazel, but turned bright emerald green
as she talked about Lantana's appearance and her plan to go back in
time. Then, just as suddenly, when he asked about the time device, they
darkened to a dull shade of olive.

 

Not for the first time,
Gabriel
thanked the heavens that he had not inherited the emotionally reactive
irises common to so many Noronians. Of course, without that trait, the
Code of Honesty would be difficult to enforce. But he had never seen a
pair of eyes in which the changes were as drastic as Shara's.