An hour later, drenched in sweat, her muscles trembling from the effort and energy she’d expended, Vari put the weapon away and set the spar bot to recharge for whoever wanted to use it next. She grabbed a towel and a bottle of water from supplies stored near the door and drank it in careful sips while pacing the room to cool down.
Several minutes later she left the room and turned toward the stairs, glancing idly through the observation windows as she passed them. She stopped in mid step, her breath stilling in her lungs at the unexpected sight of the Dracon-Bats through a viewing window to her right.
They stood in a circle, each holding two practice swords. Declan sparred with Kai using the sword in his left hand while, at the same time, he sparred with Jay using the sword in his right hand. Jay sparred with Kai using his right hand so that all three of them fought two battles at the same time.
Their movements were so fast they looked slightly blurred. She couldn’t hear any sound through the thick window, but the power of the practice swords clashing against each other was visible in the way the weapons recoiled and vibrated.
It was an absolutely astonishing sight to witness, and it drew Vari right up against the window without her being fully aware of it. She’d never even heard of anyone doing what they were doing.
She was caught by more than the swordplay alone, as astonishing as that was. The way they moved, so smooth and effortless as they acted and reacted to each other. It looked as though they were performing an impossibly intricate dance, but at such speed that she had to watch intently, and even then she knew she was missing a good deal of it.
The words graceful, elegant, and beautiful had always been inherently feminine in her mind. Until now. There were simply no other words to describe them. She was so entranced that it took her a full minute to notice that they were all stripped down to their black leather pants and boots, leaving their upper bodies bare.
Once again she was mesmerized, this time by their ripped, powerful bodies. Her eyes followed the flex and release of Declan’s heavily muscled arms and shoulders until he shifted position enough for her eyes to catch on a rivulet of sweat trickling down Jay’s chest. It glittered brightly in the overhead lights as it slowly traced the ridges of muscle that spanned his stomach until it merged with a line of silky black hair that dipped below his pants. When they shifted positions again she found herself staring at Kai’s back, the thick plaits of his glossy black hair sliding back and forth across the sweat slicked skin with every movement he made.
Her nipples hardened to the point of pain, and her pussy got so wet that she knew it would’ve been running down her thighs had she been naked. Her entire body shook with the force of her need and desire, forcing her to lean against the viewing window just to remain standing.
Over the course of just a couple of days her arousal had intensified at a steady rate. Now, as she watched them, it exploded into something so powerful that it actually frightened her.
Despite her fear, her body was demanding that she go into that room. That she put herself in the center of that circle of powerful, beautiful men who were her destined mates and cede absolute control of herself to them in every way. And she wanted to do it, too. She wanted to feel their bodies pressed against hers, surrounding her so completely that she couldn’t see or feel anything but them. She wanted to touch them, taste them, inhale them so deeply that she would never get their scent out of her lungs.
She opened her eyes, surprised to find that she’d closed them in the first place. Her forehead was pressed against the window and she was breathing in short, rapid pants. A flash of amber light caught her attention and she looked down at it. Blinking in confusion, she watched her hand press repeatedly on the door panel even though the amber light indicated that it was locked. She stared at her hand in surprise, then yanked it away from the panel as though burned.
She always thought twice before making a decision. Despite the depth of her desire and need, she had not decided to go into that room. And yet, somehow, her body had completely bypassed her brain and attempted to go in anyway. If the door hadn't been locked…she shuddered at the thought.
She stood straight, no longer touching the window, her body now shaking with fear instead of arousal. Without allowing herself to look through the window again she backed away and started to turn just as someone bumped into her from behind, then grabbed her arm as she stumbled. Her brain instantly burst into a raging inferno that obliterated all thought, all desire, all sense of who and what she was. All that remained was pain.
***
Declan, Jay, and Kai froze as a scream filled with unbearable agony reached them despite the thick viewing window. “Vari,” Declan whispered as he dropped the practice swords where he stood, spun around and raced to the door with Jay and Kai at his heels. The sight that greeted them as they stepped into the corridor was terrifying, confusing, and infuriating all at once.
Vari was lying on the floor, her body shaking uncontrollably, eyes wide open and staring emptily at the ceiling while blood trickled from her nose and ears. A young crewman knelt on the floor beside her, his hands hovering above her uncertainly, face white with horror.
The moment Kai stepped into the corridor the combined scents of Vari’s arousal, fear, and pain slammed into him with the force of a physical blow. His cock hardened, his blood heated, and rage filled him at the sight of Vari lying helplessly on the floor with a male hovering over her.
His dracon leapt forward and Kai’s head shifted into that of a dark brown dracon with long, razor sharp teeth, blazing eyes, and smoking nostrils. The dracon’s mighty jaws opened wide and it roared furiously, causing the plasti-glass viewing window behind him to crack as it trembled in its frame.
The moment Kai’s dracon retreated, he reached down and wrapped one large hand around the throat of the man kneeling much too close to their berezi. He lifted him straight up until his feet no longer touched the floor, then slammed him against the window, his chocolate eyes glowing with rage.
Luckily, the man was Citizen Jasani, a human born and raised on Jasan alongside Clan Jasani boys his own age. He understood their natures, and was careful not to struggle or meet Kai’s gaze. He wasn’t in any real danger since he hadn’t actually assaulted the woman lying on the floor. It would just take a few moments for that to be sorted out. He hoped.
Pandora appeared seemingly out of thin air. She took one look at Vari, then flew over to Kai and hovered directly in front of his face.
“Release this man,” she said sternly. “He did nothing wrong, and Vari needs you. Right now.”
Kai barely heard Pandora until she said Vari needed him. “What?” he growled, fighting to rein in his anger.
“He didn’t harm Vari,” Pandora said, turning to look at the young man who was turning an alarming shade of purple. “All you did was touch her, and it was accidental. Is that right?”
The man did his best to nod as speech wasn’t an option at the moment. Pandora turned back to Kai. “Let him go.”
Kai released the man’s throat, then took one step back. The man’s feet hit the floor and he stumbled a bit, but managed not to fall. Kai waited for the man, who he now recognized as one of their newer crewmen, to catch his breath. “Tell us what happened,” he ordered through clenched teeth.
“I was walking down the corridor when she backed into me,” the man gasped. “I grabbed her arm to keep her from falling. That’s when she screamed but I didn’t grab her hard. I honestly don’t know what happened.”
“It’s all right,” Pandora said, scowling at Kai. “You did nothing wrong.” Pandora turned to Declan. “Let this man go, pick Vari up and take her somewhere private. Then I will explain.”
Declan looked at the young crewman. “Go on,” he said with a jerk of his chin. “Leave this to us.” The man nodded, then hurried away, glancing worriedly over his shoulder as he went.
Declan bent to pick Vari up, her blank, staring eyes feeding his fear and anger. It had taken all of hi
s formidable will not to shift as Kai had, but the moment he held Vari in his arms his dracon backed off so as not to arm her. Declan pulled her close against his chest and stood up. “Should we take her to the infirmary, Pandora?”
“Not unless you want to see her get really angry and trust me, you don’t want to see her get really angry. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, smart people take shelter.”
“I don’t want to make her angry, but if that’s the price of doing what’s best for her, then I will pay it.”
Pandora hovered in front of him for a few moments. Then she nodded. “I understand and appreciate that, Commander Declan. There really is nothing that can be done for her in the infirmary, though. She is not injured or ill. You should take her to her room.”
Declan nodded. “We will be using Air, Pandora, so you may wish to hold onto Vari.”
Pandora landed on Vari’s shoulder and gripped her shirt in both hands. When Declan was sure she was ready, he turned and headed up the corridor using Air. Within moments they were in Vari’s room.
He laid her gently on the bed, Kai removed her shoes, and Jay covered her with a light blanket from the closet shelf. Declan went to the bathroom, found a clean cloth and wet it, then used it to wipe the blood away from Vari’s upper lip and ears. When he was finished, they moved to stand at the foot of the bed where they could watch her.
“Pandora,” Declan said, his eyes never leaving Vari’s face. “Please tell us what is happening.”
Pandora patted Vari lightly on the cheek, then rose up to hover in front of them again. “I assume you’ve noticed that Vari keeps her distance from people.”
“We noticed she keeps her distance from us,” Kai said. “I can’t honestly say we noticed her keeping a distance from other people.”
Pandora rolled her eyes. “It’s not just you. She cannot bear the touch of any sentient being.”
“Why not?” Declan asked.
“Her telepathy is too strong.” Pandora turned and looked sadly down at Vari before facing them again. “Coming into physical contact with another person, even the lightest and briefest of touches, causes her mind to instantly lock onto the other person’s mind. Her mind tries to absorb whatever is in the other person’s mind, while rejecting it at the same time.
“It took the Tigrens a couple of years to discover what was actually happening to her during these…episodes. Neither they, nor anyone else, has been able to figure out why it happens, or how to stop it. No one’s been able to find a way to stop the pain she experiences either, which is excruciating.”
“Why did her nose and ears bleed?” Declan asked.
“It’s a symptom of the pressure in her brain.”
“Why doesn’t she tell anyone?” Jay asked. “Why didn’t she tell us?”
“Vari doesn’t like to be treated as though she’s different from other people,” Pandora said. “She had enough of that as a child.”
“But every time she steps out of her room she risks this happening,” Jay said.
“Yes, she does, and she’s fully aware of that, but she refuses to isolate herself. She had enough of that as a child too, even if she does understand how necessary it was.
“Vari accepts that accidents can and will occur. The last time it happened was over a year ago, and she lost consciousness for nearly thirty two hours. But that didn’t stop her from living her life the way she wants, and neither will this.”
“Does it damage her brain when this happens?” Kai asked.
“Doc and the Tigrens have monitored her closely her entire life. So far they’ve not detected any change or permanent damage, thankfully.”
“We are grateful to you for explaining this to us, Pandora,” Declan said. He frowned. “If she’s going to be out thirty two hours we can’t very well transport her to the Leaper.”
“Our calculations indicate we’ll reach the Leaper tomorrow morning,” Jay said. “If she doesn’t recover by then, we’ll have to postpone.”
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” Pandora said, flying back to Vari’s shoulder. “She’s doing surprisingly well. I think she may recover quite soon, in fact, which has never happened before.”
“Why didn’t she react to my touch when I carried her?”
“Because she was unconscious.”
“How did you know something was wrong?” Jay asked.
Pandora hesitated. “Vari and I are…bonded.”
“Bonded? Is that why you’re able to touch her when no one else can?”
“Yes, it is, and I do not wish to discuss that subject further.”
“I apologize, Pandora,” Jay said. “I did not intend to press you on a personal matter. I’m just trying to understand what’s happening to her.”
“I understand, Commander Jaydan.”
“Look,” Kai said. “Her eyes are closed now, and her trembling is lessening.” They all watched her carefully, their tension easing as Vari’s body began to relax.
Pandora reached out and touched Vari’s cheek again, then looked up. “The pain is nearly gone already. She’ll probably sleep for a while. An hour, maybe.” She looked up. “I’ve never seen such a mild reaction or quick recovery. I wonder if the strength of her current shield has something to do with it.”
“Whatever the reason, we’re grateful for it,” Declan said, allowing his shoulders to relax a little. He glanced down at himself, almost surprised to find that he wasn’t even wearing a shirt. Neither were his brothers. He felt sticky from their swordplay earlier, as well. “Pandora, if you’ll remain here with Vari, I think we need to get cleaned up.”
“Of course, Commander Declan. When Vari awakens she’ll want to do the same.”
“We won’t be long,” Declan said. He watched Vari for another few moments, reaching out to her with his senses. Satisfied that she was sleeping peacefully now, he turned and left Vari’s room with Jay and Kai.
Pandora touched Vari’s cheek again. Assured that the pain was gone and that Vari would be fine, she turned the vid player on, selected something to watch, and settled down to wait.
Ten minutes later Vari’s eyes opened. She felt sore and her head hurt but she couldn’t remember why. She sat up, pushing the blanket away, surprised to find that she was dressed in her workout clothes.
“Pandora?” she asked softly. Pandora turned around in surprise.
“That was fast,” she said. “How do you feel?”
“What was fast?”
“Some poor crewman bumped into you in the corridor on the rec deck,” Pandora said. “I thought the Dracon-Bats were going to eat him for breakfast.”
“Why?”
“Because you screamed, and when they reached the corridor you were lying on the floor with the unfortunate young man kneeling beside you.”
As Pandora spoke, the memory of standing in front of the viewing window watching the Dracon-Bats returned to her. As did the pain she’d felt when the man tried to keep her from falling when she’d backed into him.
“How long was I out this time?”
“Not even thirty minutes.”
“Thirty minutes?” Vari asked in surprise.
“Yes, amazing isn’t it? Your new and improved shield must have something to do with it. I can’t think of anything else that’s different.”
“Me neither,” Vari said. “They didn’t hurt the man, did they?”
“No, but he was really lucky that it was Kai holding him up against the wall by the throat instead of Declan.”
“Kai did that?”
“He did.”
Vari tried to imagine that, but couldn’t. She gave up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. “I think I’ll take a shower.”
“Not a bad idea,” Pandora said, frowning. “Are you all right, Vari?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said unconvincingly. “Nothing a hot shower can’t fix.”
“Call if you need anything,” Pandora said just before Vari closed the bathroom door. She continued t
o stare at the door for several minutes before turning back to the vid screen. She was too worried to pay attention to it so she turned it off and kept her ears tuned to the bathroom.
Vari leaned against the bathroom door, taking a moment to just breathe. As strange as it seemed (and it seemed very strange to her indeed) the pain she’d suffered from being touched had little or no effect on her sexual frustration.
She pushed herself away from the door and stripped off her clothes before stepping into the shower and turning on the water. She stood beneath a freezing spray, letting let it pour over her as she tried to clear her mind. Despite her efforts, an image of the Dracon-Bats as she’d seen them through the viewing window refused to go away.
Since the cold water wasn’t helping, she turned the hot water up and began running complex mathematic computations through her mind while letting the hot spray beat down on the back of her head and neck for a while. When the heat became too much she adjusted the temperature of the water once more, and then reached for the shampoo.
A few minutes later she set her body sponge on the shelf and stepped beneath the spray again to rinse. She was startled by the deep, heavy sobs that suddenly racked her body. She tried to stop them, but it was a losing battle. Eventually she gave in and just let the tears flow while acknowledging the reasons behind them, knowing they wouldn’t stop until she did.
She understood that she’d been given difficult but powerful psychic abilities, and that there were important reasons for them, even if she didn’t know what those reasons were. She understood she had an important destiny, though she didn’t know exactly what that was, either. She understood that she could choose not to follow that destiny if she wanted to, but then she’d just die right alongside every other living creature in the Thousand Worlds. She understood and accepted all these things to the best of her ability.
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