My head felt funny. Kind of fuzzy, as though I’d slept too long and too hard. And there was a dull ache that made me wince when Lurran ran a comb through my hair and efficiently rebraided it. When had it been loosened? My head hurt too much to figure it out.
We were still inside the geode, but everyone was talking and laughing now, happily dressing in the fancy, colorful kechics I’d seen the two new women weaving. Something silky moved against my skin, and I looked down in time to see Churka settle a kechic belt low around my hips. It was the red one. The one that looked like living flame.
Instead of the usual wooden clasp, this one was gold. It matched the armlets that already encircled my upper arm. And the skirt, once in place and adjusted to Churka’s satisfaction, went all the way to my ankles, leaving the sides of both legs and my hips bare.
When she and Lurran were finished with me, they stepped back and silence fell over the gathering as the women turned in my direction. In unison, they bowed, and I couldn’t even muster up enough curiosity to wonder why. Slowly, with a great deal of effort, I dipped my head in return. The movement made the walls spin lazily, and I must have swayed, because Lurran and Churka each took an arm to steady me.
I was only minimally aware of being led from the geode and through the tunnels, all my concentration focused on putting one foot in front of the other. It was as if I were moving through sludge, like time had slowed to a crawl.
Only when we neared the entrance did I gradually become more responsive, and I credit that more to concern over Crigo than myself. His low, anxious growls echoed off the cavern walls in a steady rumble, and I pulled away from my escorts and stepped outside.
The sun was so bright it hurt my eyes, and I blinked for a second, then looked around. The foliage in front of the cave had been trampled flat from Crigo’s pacing. He must have been there all night from the looks of things.
When he saw me, his growl changed to a roar and he bounded toward me. Then came to an abrupt halt a foot away, his nose wrinkled to the point where his fangs were visible. Gingerly, almost as if he weren’t sure it was me, he extended his neck and sniffed. And then he did the strangest thing.
He rubbed up against my legs, a loud purr erupting from his chest.
Hesitantly, I dropped my hand to his head, ready to snatch it back if he objected, but the purr only got deeper.
“Kiera?”
Max. My forehead wrinkled. Wasn’t there something I wanted to tell him? Something vitally important? Whatever it was, I’d forgotten. Oh, well. It would come to me sooner or later.
“Kiera, are you okay? You’ve been in that cave all night and half the day. It’s after noon.”
“I’m fine, Max.” I smiled serenely as I stroked Crigo’s warm fur.
“What happened in there?”
“I think I slept most of the time. And then they gave me a bath.” The other females were out of the cave now, and we headed toward the village. Every time my hand moved away from Crigo’s head, he’d nudge it back into place.
“You think?” Max’s alarmed tone washed over me without ruffling my calm. For the first time in my life, I literally felt it when he used one of his satellites to scan me. Satellites. Something about a satellite…
“How’s your satellite?” I asked him.
“It’s operational again. Kiera, you aren’t fine. There’s something odd about your brain’s electrical activity. You need to come back immediately and let me do a full neural workup.”
“I’ve just got a small headache. That’s probably what you’re picking up. Honest, it’s nothing to get excited about.”
“You never get headaches.”
I thought that over. “I think maybe it has to do with those crystals.”
“Crystals?”
Oh, yeah. That was it. The crystals. “You should have seen them, Max. They’re so beautiful. Did you by any chance check the planet for surge crystals during your original scans?”
“No, of course not. Surge crystals are only found on one planetary system in the universe. Scientists believe the planets were formed during the collision of the system’s double suns—” His words broke off suddenly, and I knew he had made the connection. If two galaxies collided, it was almost certain that stars within those galaxies did the same.
“Scanning.”
We were almost at the village when he spoke again, a touch of disgust in his voice. “Orpheus Two is riddled with quartz. It’s everywhere. But I’m detecting nothing different about it other than the fact it’s coesite quartz. It certainly is not surge crystals.”
“I’m not sure any mechanical test could pick up the difference, Max. The crystals aren’t emitting on the same frequency that normal surge crystals do. As a matter of fact, I’m fairly sure they’re emitting on a frequency that only an organic brain would pick up. That’s probably the reason you haven’t noticed anything odd about them before.”
The effort of thinking coherently was more than I could manage, except in short bursts. With a sigh, I stopped trying. “Colors,” I told him dreamily. “They’re all different colors, Max, not just clear, like the usual surge crystals. And so beautiful. They were all around us, singing to me.”
“Singing?” He sounded alarmed again. “Kiera, I order you back right now. We have no way of knowing what effect those crystals had on you.”
But I’d spotted Thor and Elder waiting at the edge of the village, and my full attention shifted to them. “Later, Max. I have other things to do now.”
Thor’s gaze locked on me and I could feel a mixture of anticipation and urgency when we reached him. He spoke to Auntie Em, his words echoing in my head in a way they’d never done before. I could almost understand what he was saying, as though it were garbled Galactic Standard, spoken from the other side of a thick wall.
When Auntie Em answered him, her words, too, echoed in my mind, and she radiated smug satisfaction. Thor immediately relaxed, his lips curving into a smile. Without looking away, he reached for my hand.
Which is why I saw him flinch away at the exact same moment that a shaft of pain jolted up my arm from his touch. Keeping his distance, he questioned Auntie Em again. Apparently, whatever she said satisfied him, because he nodded and then turned toward the center of the village. A village that had been transformed into a fantasy wonderland overnight.
Flowers of every shape and color decorated the buildings, hung from trees, lay draped over rocks, and wound around platters and bowls heaping with food on makeshift tables that sat in the clearing. Their perfume filled the warm air until I walked through an ocean of aroma, inhaling with pleasure. I could almost feel the fragrance against my skin as the other females dispersed to join the males.
The only discordant note was the dark blue of a spacers jumpsuit, and I lifted my gaze to see Claudia Karle coming toward me, Ghost at her side.
“When you asked me to meet you today, I didn’t know there was going to be a party.” She stopped and swept me with a wide-eyed look of amazement. “Dang, woman. All you need is a spear and you’d look like Ziffa, Warrior Queen of the Jungle. It suits you, though. Gives you this weird glow.” She squinted and peered closer. “Wow, you really are glowing. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I assured her with a smile. “I hope you didn’t have any trouble with the Buri when you arrived.” What had I wanted to talk to her about? I couldn’t remember.
“Not a bit. I think this one recognized me.” She jerked a thumb at Ghost. “He’s not letting me out of his sight.”
“You’re more than welcome to join us. Would you like to borrow a kechic?” I asked politely.
“Kechic?”
Coming from her, it sounded more like a sneeze than a word. I ran a hand over my skirt. “One of these.”
“And run around the jungle half naked? I don’t think so, but thanks anyway. So what’s going on here today?”
“I think it’s some kind of religious ceremony.” Auntie Em tugged on my arm, and as I drifted in the direction of a table, I spoke
over my shoulder. “Just stay with Ghost. He’ll take care of you.”
Her presence faded from my awareness like fog in hot sunshine as I took my place at the head of a table. Thor sat across from me at the opposite end, and there was a brief scramble as the other Buri found their seats. When everyone was settled, Elder stood from his position beside Junior at the center right of the table and spoke for a few minutes, all the Buri listening intently. As he finished and sat down, a spontaneous cheer erupted, and I caught many surreptitious grins aimed in my direction.
I sat quietly while the others dived into the food spread before them. There was a hollow ache of emptiness in my middle, but the aroma coming from the food made me slightly nauseous. Neither Thor nor Junior had touched the food either, I noticed.
My fingers curled into Crigo’s fur as I waited, the rise and fall of his purr keeping time with his breathing, the rhythmic quality of the sound making me drowsy. My gaze wandered to the new stone building, drawn by an irresistible urge. There was an odd glimmer near the back that rippled and wavered as I watched. It fascinated me, called to me in a way I’d never experienced before.
My attention was yanked back to the Buri when several of the males broke out instruments and began to play an eerily pitched, wavering melody. I was mildly startled to realize enough time had passed for the tribe to finish eating.
At the first note, the majority of females rose, moved away from the tables, and formed a circle facing outward. An equal number of males joined them, making a larger circle outside the first. I felt Thor’s gaze on me, and when I glanced at him, he tilted his head toward the dancers. With a return nod, I stood.
Churka smiled as I approached, then squeezed over to make room for me. Junior was across from her in the outer circle, a slightly dazed expression on his face. When I took my place and turned, it came as no surprise to find Thor waiting for me.
Luckily for me, the dance was a slow stately affair. A good two foot of space separated the inner female circle from the outer males. Arms remained at the sides, bodies straight and eyes downcast. Only the feet and legs moved, and mine fell into the rhythm as if they had a mind of their own. I don’t know who was leading, but my movements and Thor’s mirrored each other exactly.
I was vaguely aware of people leaving the circles periodically, to be replaced by others. At one point, Claudia Karle danced beside me, radiating waves of self-consciousness at Ghost, who partnered her. There was no impression of hours slipping away, no sensation of tiredness, but I could feel Max scanning me every few minutes with what I can only describe as anxiety.
When the music trailed off with a few discordant notes, I stumbled, caught myself, and then checked to see what everyone was looking at. Elder and Auntie Em stood solemnly in front of the pool, the last rays of the sun creating long shadows that stretched eastward. He held a cloth-covered tray bearing several objects I couldn’t make out, she held another tray on which three cups rested.
The Buri silently gathered around them in a half circle, taking me with them. When everyone in the village was accounted for, Elder motioned Junior forward. He went nervously, and stood, shifting his weight from one foot to another, in front of them.
Elder eyed him for a second, then barked a command. Instantly, Junior snapped to attention, head up, back rigid. The older Buri nodded in satisfaction. With a smile, Auntie Em lifted a cup from her tray and handed it to Junior. Holding it in both hands, he tilted it to his lips and drank deeply, not stopping until the cup was empty. He blinked twice, swayed, and then pulled himself together enough to resume his stance.
Auntie Em retrieved the cup from his grasp and put it back on the tray while Elder stepped forward. He lifted an object from the white cloth and handed the tray to another Buri, who was positioned near his elbow. After a few words, the older Buri reached up, grasped Junior’s right earlobe, and punctured it twice. Junior didn’t so much as flinch when the needle pierced his flesh, but when the two black-stoned earrings were pushed through the holes, his eyes closed and his knees buckled.
Apparently, his reaction was expected. Brownie and Dusty caught him before he hit the ground, and half carried, half dragged him into one of the huts. A few minutes later, Dusty returned alone and took up his former position.
Somehow, I knew it was my turn. Without waiting for Auntie Em to beckon, I moved forward. Thor stayed at my side, waves of pride and excitement pouring from him. My skin felt hypersensitive, the silky softness of the kechic almost painfully abrasive as it swung around my legs.
Auntie Em, looking pleased at my initiative, handed me one of the remaining cups and gave the other to Thor. We shifted to face each other, and I slowly lifted the cup. The fruity aroma that assailed my nose was familiar, and I recognized it as the concoction that Auntie Em and Churka had made from the roots.
“Kiera! Wait!” Max’s voice had overtones of panic. “The liquid has unknown properties. We don’t know how it will affect you. Don’t drink it.”
“I have to,” I told him with a certainty that sent a tingle of surprise through me. “It will cure my headache.”
He was still protesting when the rim touched my lips. As Junior had done, I drained the cup, lowering it at the same instant Thor lowered his. The liquid had a smooth, musky taste, not at all unpleasant. It slid down my throat and pooled in my empty stomach to generate a warm glow.
Max had fallen silent, but he was scanning me continuously as I waited for something else to happen. It didn’t take long.
Abruptly, the warm glow inside me exploded, heat lightning streaking along my nerves to encompass every molecule of my body. Behind my unconsciously closed eyelids, fireworks erupted, and I swayed before forcing myself still again.
Someone called out my name, and I opened my eyes. Thor’s image wavered in front of me, obscured by the detonation of lights occurring in my head, lights that were reaching, seeking.
There was a movement to my left, and a small stinging sensation in my earlobe. But instead of taking an earring from his tray, Elder moved to Thor’s side and removed one of his.
Understanding how quickly I healed, the older Buri hurried back to my side and thrust the earring through my lobe.
And the lights finally found what they were searching for.
Images spun through my mind, too rapidly for me to grasp as the light coalesced around the black stone, shot across the space that separated me from Thor, and bound us together with a vibrant black cord of radiance.
With the last of my consciousness, I felt two strong arms close around me and lift, cradle me close to a warm muscular chest as one word with very masculine overtones reverberated in my head.
“Mine.”
CHAPTER 11
I came to as I was being lowered onto a sleeping platform, a feeling of lethargy pervading my senses. Where the hell was I, and what was going on? And why did my ear feel funny?
You wear my rellanti.
Rellanti? An image of the earring with the black stone floated through my mind. Oh, that was right. Elder had pierced my ear.
Something tugged on my kechic, pulled the belt loose, and I forced my heavy eyelids to rise enough that I could see what was happening. There was a vague sense of disorientation when I realized I was inside my adobe hut. And an even greater one when I realized it was Thor removing my kechic.
Now wasn’t this just wonderful? He finally decides to make whoopee, and I was too damn tired to move.
Male amusement touched my mind. It is not required that you move.
“But I’m trained at this stuff,” I told him. “Really, I could make your eyes roll back in your head. Just let me…” A frown furrowed my brow as I tried to lift a hand to assist him. My arm felt like it weighted a ton. “Am I drunk? What was that stuff Auntie Em gave me?”
It is given to facilitate the forming of the bond.
“Okay.” Still frowning, I tried to force my fuzzy brain to function. “Does that mean we aren’t going to make love?”
Penetra
tion must be achieved for the completion of the bond.
“So you’re going to handle the penetration and I don’t have to move?”
Correct.
Huh, so I could relax and enjoy. This should be a novel experience. I’m usually the one who does all the work.
Thor’s big callused hand skimmed slowly down my body, pulling a purr of delight from deep inside my chest. The sound seemed to spur him on, because suddenly his weight covered me. There was a brief feeling of pressure between my legs, and then nothing.
Kiera.
I snapped awake, heart pounding, mouth dry, and stared around at a lush green paradise. It was my dream again, and I turned, already knowing what I’d see. A black hexagonal building made from crystal, floating just above the ground.
Well, hell. Thor was probably boffing my brains out back in the real world, and I was sleeping through it. But if I had to miss the fun and games, I was damn well going to get inside that building, and this time, nothing would stop me.
Back straight and chin lifted, I moved forward, the hip-high grass brushing my bare skin as I walked, the sweet scent of growing things perfuming the air. Disturbed by my passage, thousands of yellow butterflies rose to flutter around me, their delicate wings tickling my arms and shoulders like fairy’s breath. Enthralled by their beauty, I lifted a hand and several lit on my fingers, clinging briefly before rejoining the others to dance along the rays of warm sunlight.
Distracted by their joyful gyrations, I reached the hexagon sooner than expected. It loomed over me, prisms of color sparking from its many facets. An ache of longing filled me, so intense my eyes welled with moisture as I stared at the crystalline surface. It was mine, created just for me, and I wanted it the way I’d never wanted anything before.
What if it vanished again, or I woke up too soon? The thought sent a shaft of fear straight through my middle.
Trembling inside, hands shaking, I reached to touch it. But instead of resting on a cool, solid surface, my hand passed through the crystal as if there were nothing there. Startled, I yanked back, wiggling my fingers to make sure they still worked. Everything seemed to be in order. And this was, after all, just in my head. Nothing here could hurt me.
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