Stolen Dreams (7 page)

 

"The leaders of the movement called themselves
Friends and
preached a return to the old ways, before technology removed the
challenge of survival from their lives. In their minds, this also meant
a return to the time when there was no Ruling Tribunal or central
planetary government. They wanted to give the people more freedom by
putting the power back into the individual provinces. Naturally those
leaders were ready to take control of the new local governments to
ensure harmony.

 

"By the time the crisis ended, the Friends had
gone
from dreaming of change to believing they could force their wishes on
the population. Despite the fact that peace and love were supposed to
be the basis of their movement, legal protests gave way to attacks on
government-owned property. A large portion of the administrative center
of First Province was destroyed before the rebels were brought under
control."

 

Shara found herself so fascinated with his tales
that the
afternoon sped by. On the way back to their rooms, she didn't hesitate
to accept his suggestion that they dine together. Several of the crew
members joined them shortly after they arrived in the dining area and
the evening turned out to be surprisingly enjoyable.

 

The
next two days followed a similar pattern. All Shara had to do was ask a
few questions and Gabriel was pleased to educate her. When he had
covered every aspect of the rebellion and ancient Noronian history, she
urged him to tell her about his journeys.

 

The day before they
were
due to arrive on Norona, Gabriel was determined to bring their
discussion back to the present. They were once again in the biodrome,
walking along the winding path and sharing his stash of Caresses. "I
think we should make some contingency plans, in case we get separated,"
he began.

 

While he outlined a procedure that he thought would
be
workable, Shara's mind wandered. Although she had come to appreciate
his company and his vast knowledge, she hadn't lost sight of the fact
that they had opposing goals. As far as she was concerned, it was still
in her best interest to make the time-hop without him. For the past
several days, she had successfully sidetracked him. Surely she could
manage it a little longer. The moment he concluded his idea for
regrouping, she asked, "Tell me about yourself. You know everything
there is to know about me, and all I know about you is your work."

 

Gabriel
narrowed his brows in confusion. He could not comprehend the connection
between their plans and his background. Thus far, none of their
discussions had veered into personal areas. Under the circumstances,
there didn't seem to be a need for an exchange of trivial information.
On the other hand, Ferrine had assured him that shared confidences
could put Shara into a more cooperative mood. "What do you want to
know?"

 

She
figured some basic questions could get him started talking about
himself, and then, as he had with other subjects, he'd carry on from
there. "Where were you born? Do you have siblings? What do your parents
do?"

 

He was automatically suspicious about what prompted this
line
of questioning. He had stopped revealing any information about his
origins long ago, after he realized how uncomfortable it made most
people. And yet, what greater confidence could he share? "Parson's
Colony, one older sister, diplomatic councilors."

 

Shara hadn't
expected him to be so forthright.

 

He noted her surprised
expression and nodded. "My parents were two of the original twelve."

 

"That
must have been an incredible experience," she said with sincere
fascination. Though the possibility of him having superior mental
powers frightened her, she also had the desire to know more about it,
from both a professional and personal standpoint. "If I remember
correctly, for a short time Parson's Colony was considered one of the
greatest brain trusts in the galaxy, then it abruptly dissolved.
Several reasons were officially cited—personality and control conflicts
and something about a problem with the offspring." She scrutinized his
head of soft golden curls, past his beautiful blue eyes, and down over
his well-developed form, and said the opposite of what she was really
thinking. "You seem fairly normal to me, Professor."

 

He
shrugged his
shoulders. "Normal is a very relative term. Our parents thought open
mental communication was perfectly normal, even healthy. As children
we never had to be warned of dangers because our parents' eyes were on
us whether they were with us or not. If I was about to trip over
something, that item would vanish or I would be caught by invisible
hands in midair and gently set on my feet.

 

"We never had to go
to
academy because all of their joint knowledge was automatically imparted
to us. They had expected the offspring to have even greater mental
powers than the parents, but only a few did. My sister, Janna, was one
of them. Others inherited abilities equal to their parents. Some
acquired none at all."

 

Shara asked the question that had been
on her
mind since Ferrine first mentioned his birthplace. "And what abilities
did you inherit?"

 

Gabriel gave her a sly smile. If he truly
wanted
to gain the upper hand with her, he could let her wonder
indefinitely—worrying that he could hear her every thought whether she
directed it at him or not, fearing that he could send thoughts or
suggestions without ever touching her, and she'd never be the wiser.
Reminding himself that he wanted to gain her cooperation, he revealed
the truth.

 

"Some of the skills developed within Parson's
Colony were
so powerful that outsiders began to fear that the colonists might
misuse their abilities. The group finally broke up due to the pressure
of those frightened outsiders. Your reaction to where I was raised was
one of intellectual curiosity, but I assure you it is much more common
for someone to become immediately distrustful of what I might be
capable of doing to them.

 

"Just so you know you have nothing
to fear from me, I'm going to tell you something I usually keep secret.
I didn't inherit any of my parents' extraordinary talents. Unlike most
Noronians, I can't even direct specific thoughts to you if I touch your
temple. Unfortunately, I also lack the ability to block out other
people's thoughts. I'm what they call an open receiver."

 

"Are
you
telling me that you hear what I'm thinking all the time?" Shara's
stomach knotted at the possibility, and his laughter did little to calm
her.

 

"No, your privacy is intact." She didn't need to know
that once
he figured out the color key to her moods, her eyes would tell him all
he needed to know without hearing her thoughts. "You mentioned that the
offspring had problems. Imagine what it would be like to have
twenty-three other people in your head at all times. That's how many
open minds there were after each couple had two children.

 

"There
were other open receivers like myself, who could never block anyone or
sort out the individual voices. As children, we never knew a moment of
quiet, let alone privacy. Before the group disbanded, they invented a
jammer for the less fortunate minds." He pointed to the plain gold cuff
on his left earlobe. "With this on, my reception is effectively jammed,
and I'm protected against any unscrupulous person trying to invade my
mind without my knowledge or permission."

 

The last he added as
a
warning, in case she should get the idea that she could manipulate him.
Already having broken at least two laws that he knew of, she could be
capable of more.

 

Though she still didn't trust him and would
rather
not have to deal with him professionally, Shara felt deep sympathy for
him and those other children. It was
impossible for her to imagine growing up without ever having time to
herself, the chance to dream private dreams, or to keep special secrets
that only one or two dear friends shared. No wonder Gabriel spent most
of his adult life alone and journeying to civilizations where they had
no telepathic abilities. He was making up for lost years.

 

"Any
other questions?" he asked without looking at her.

 

She
had plenty, but if the answer to a simple question about his birthplace
could cause her to want to reach out to him, she was afraid of what
might happen to her good sense if she learned anything else. "Not at
the moment."

 

As they strolled along, she contemplated his
account of
his childhood. She wasn't sure he was being completely truthful about
his lack of skills. After all, it would be to his advantage to keep her
in the dark about that. At least she now knew why she hadn't been able
to get through to him back in her lab.

 

If he was being honest
about
his background, however, she realized, he'd be even more distrustful of
her if he discovered the extent of the extrasensory abilities she
possessed. She wondered whether it was her or Gabriel who really had
the upper hand.

 

"All right," he said after a moment "It's your
turn.
I already know your parents are the Co-Governors, you were born in
Innerworld, and you haven't ventured far from the cocoon."

 

"There's
nothing wrong with that," she said in a tone that let him know she was
ready to defend her way of life.

 

"I didn't say there was, but
you must admit you've had a fairly charmed existence so far." He
realized he was baiting her, but he couldn't seem to help himself.

 

She
stopped dead in her tracks, with her hands fisted on her hips.
"Charmed? Do you think you're the only child in the universe who had a
difficult time growing up? You don't understand anything about my life.
Yes, my parents are important people and wonderful to me. I love them
very much, but—as with you—because of what my parents wanted out of
life, I have had to live with the consequences."

 

Gabriel
stepped
closer, wanting to confirm the color her eyes took on in anger, even
though he didn't understand the cause. The hazel was now sparked with
yellow. He pushed a little harder. "I'm sure being the center of
attention all the time would make life simply unbearable."

 

Rather
than rage at him, her voice quieted as she turned away. "There is a
vast difference between being the center of loving attention and the
focus of hatred."

 

His hand raised and stroked her hair before
he
remembered his promise not to touch. When she didn't pull away, he did
it again. "I shared a confidence with you, Shara. I can't read your
thoughts, but I can tell I've said something to offend you again. Why
would you think you were the focus of hatred?" His fingers slipped
through the dark, silky strands at the nape of her neck, and the way
her head tilted suggested she liked what he was doing. "Why?" he
repeated.

 

She turned to meet his gaze, but his fingers
remained
tangled in her hair, gently kneading the back of her neck. If it hadn't
felt so good, she would have stopped him. "I assumed you knew all
important data about me, Professor. My mother is a Terran."

 

His
hand stilled. "And?"

 

Studying his face, she decided he was not
being obtuse on purpose. "And that makes me a mixed-breed, an oddity
... a freak."

 

He
was well aware of the prejudice she referred to, but had not connected
it with her. How could anyone call this exquisite creature a freak? "It
also makes you rare, like a black orchid-rose." With the slightest tug
on her hair, her head tipped back, and his free hand came up to caress
her cheek. He watched, totally fascinated, as her eye color softened to
the shade of rich, dark chocoberry. And, oh, how he did love the taste
of chocoberry.

 

Shara held her breath, knowing he was going to
kiss
her, knowing she shouldn't allow it, yet knowing she didn't have the
willpower to resist something she suddenly wanted so badly. As his lips
brushed hers, a tingling sensation caused her to gasp. She inhaled his
Caress-tinged breath, her eyes closed, and her arms snaked their way
around his neck.

 

His tongue teased hers until she shivered
with the
pleasure he was giving all her senses at one time. Taste, touch, and
smell blended together in his kiss. The sound of need coming from deep
in his chest spurred her passion in return. In her mind she pictured
his gorgeous face and the muscular body that her fingers were suddenly
free to explore.

 

He deepened the kiss, and she felt his hands
easing
down her back, bringing her closer. The pressure of his splayed fingers
on her bottom held her firmly against him and she gave in to the
temptation to rise on tiptoes to better fit their bodies together. Her
hands roamed impatiently over his back, relaying her own wish for more.

 

Tearing
his mouth away from hers, he whispered in a voice hoarse with rampant
desire, "Someone could come in here at any time. We should go back."

 

She
swayed in his arms as the sweet fog cleared from her mind. Holy stars!
What had she done? Her body continued to throb with the need for
immediate satisfaction, but her mind was jangling alarms. The moment he
released her to retrieve the bag of sweets he had dropped, Shara
hurried back the way they had come.

 

Gabriel smiled as he fell
in
behind her and quickened his own pace. After their rough start, he was
reassured to see her in as much of a hurry to seek privacy as he was.
He must not be as unappealing to her as she had led him to believe.

 

His
reassurance was abruptly shattered as she entered her sleeper and the
door slid closed before he could follow her inside.

 

"Shara?"
When she didn't respond, his tone changed to a demand. "Shara! Open
this door." It whooshed open again, but she stood blocking the doorway,
as if she could keep him from entering if he really wished to do so.
The sensuous chocoberry color of her eyes was marred by streaks of
angry yellow. "What's going on?"