Alarin lay on the floor not far from them, propped against the couch. He opened his eyes when Merran moved. “Damn,” he moaned. “Am I alive?”
Merran managed a smile. It was about the only thing that didn’t hurt. “Don’t ask me, I’m not in any better shape.”
“Is she all right?” Alarin didn’t move, obviously in some pain himself.
“Greg says she’s Awake and functioning, but hurt like we are. She’s still unconscious.” Merran looked back at her. “What I’m more worried about are her sensibilities when she wakes up.”
“Ahhh.” Alarin crawled to a sitting position and looked down at himself. “Do you mind if I borrow some clothes? I think I’m going to need a shower. We don’t need to tell her, do we?”
“It’s going to be pretty obvious from your psi and your aura that you shared what we went through.” Merran raised an eyebrow.
“She doesn’t need to know how much of it I shared, does she?” Alarin made a face. “I think you’re right. She’s going to be pretty upset as it is. She doesn’t need to know what I shared with you. It will embarrass her terribly. She asked me to tell her about my Awakening experience today, you know.”
“You told her?”
“I gave her an edited version.”
Greg came into the room. “Janille’s handling it. Good, you’re functional.”
Alarin winced. “If you can call it that.”
“Greg, are you feeling strong enough to get Tamara into my room, so she wakes up covered and in some privacy?” Merran glanced down at Tamara, who stirred slightly. “Otherwise, we’re going to have some fast explaining to do. I don’t think she’s going to remember much of anything, but she’s pretty vulnerable right now.”
Greg nodded. “Yes. Go, Alarin. Take a shower first. I’ll get Tamara into bed. You get yourself into bed, too, Mer. Waking up next to you won’t traumatize her, and if you’re in the same state as she is, she might not feel so vulnerable. I’ll clean up in here and call Mellis to bring Alarin a change of clothes and some painkillers for Tamara, although I doubt they’ll work now that she’s fully Awake.”
Merran nodded. He got up, though the effort nearly made him pass out again. Alarin looked as unsteady as he felt, using the wall for support.
Merran got himself to the closet, found Alarin a change of clothes, and dropped them in the bathroom where Alarin was showering, then tottered to where Tamara lay on the bed. He stood for a moment gazing down at her. She looked as though she were in normal sleep, her color coming back a little. Greg had tucked the covers around her. Merran climbed into bed beside her.
It felt wonderful to be lying in bed, although he knew he did have a phone interview shortly. I will just close my eyes briefly, he told himself. Just for a little while.
Tamara came back to awareness slowly, feeling very strange. Her head ached but not in the same way as it did when she had a migraine. Instead, it felt like someone had taken a red hot poker and shoved it into her brain. She moved slightly and found herself sore elsewhere too. Between her legs was another poker, burning and sore. What had happened? The last thing she remembered was this deliciously warm feeling as she held her walls open and listened to Greg’s voice. She decided to risk opening her eyes. She was lying in Merran’s bed, she realized, under a sheet. She moved and the sheets slid against her skin in a way she’d never felt before. She realized with a start that she was naked under the covers. Moments later, she realized that Merran was sprawled, snoring slightly, in the bed beside her. She flushed. Had they? They must have. He glowed light brown, blue and green swirled through it so thoroughly that the effect was really more of a hazel tone, telling her as well that she must be Awake. There were some sounds from the other room; she decided to try to listen.
She gasped and had to blink away tears as her head throbbed, a sharp shooting pain lancing through her. Curling up into a fetal position, she tried to ride the pain.
Merran woke up with a start to Tamara’s little moans of pain. He propped himself on an arm. “Tamara? Greg! She’s awake!” He yelled the words, rather than use his mind, something that didn’t really impress on her right away.
But which Awake does he mean? The thought shot across Tamara’s mind somewhere underneath the pains. Not long after, a soothing warmth slid through her, dulling the pain just a little. She uncurled and opened her eyes.
Greg ran his hands up and down her body, although he didn’t touch her. “How are you feeling, Tamara?”
She moaned. “Squashed. Like someone just ran me over with a boulder. Twice.”
Greg smiled and perched on the side of the bed. “Congratulations. You’ve successfully Awakened. I’m sorry you’re in so much pain, but I can’t Heal you.”
Tamara kept the covers up to her chin. “What happened? The last time I remember anything I was drifting quite pleasantly and listening to your voice.” She frowned, “then—”
“The old trauma you had was still there, Tamara. Under all the mental layers.” Greg motioned to Merran. “You tensed up and blocked the energy flow out, creating a backlog. You would have done some serious damage to yourself had Merran not stepped in at that point. Your attraction to him allowed you to focus on something else. The rest, well, I suspect you know that part.”
Tamara flushed. So they had done what it felt like they had done. All she remembered was building energy, sharp and painful, and maybe pleasurable. Maybe.
“You might want to be sure she won’t get pregnant, Greg. I don’t know that I was thinking clearly enough to have done it myself,” Merran interjected, propping himself against the pillows and leaning back. Tamara had a sudden very sensual image of kissing his chest—she blushed and clenched the covers over herself.
Greg lifted a hand, hovering over her abdomen. She felt a warmth in her uterus and a weird clenching. “What are you doing?” She wanted to scramble away, but her state of undress held her firm. Although she suspected neither of the young men in the room would care, she did.
“I’m killing the sperm, and forcing you to ovulate early so I can kill the egg right away. It’s something you can learn for yourself, once you’ve healed enough to use the psi you now have access to,” Greg replied. “Azellian women do not get pregnant by mistake. And I suspect in the future, your Azellian partner will not be quite so distracted and be sure his sperm are dead before they leave his body.”
Tamara shot a glance at Merran and flushed. He didn’t tease her, for which she was profoundly grateful.
Greg stood up. “I think you look pretty good for someone who just Awakened rather violently. Your psi channels are still pretty inflamed, but they are considerably less than they were, and I think you’ll be up and about in about a week.”
“A week? I have classes!”
Greg shook his head. “Healer’s orders. You are confined to these quarters, which are shielded and will prevent any more stimulus getting into your mind than you can handle.”
“But how—what do I tell my professors? I can’t be out for a week!” Tamara started to shake her head, then thought the better of it. “What about Justern?”
“That’s what I told him,” Merran said dryly from the other side of her. “But he didn’t listen to me either.”
“You deserve each other.” He glared at them both. “You both are confined to this apartment, and I mean that. There will be no arguments. Not this Monday, but next Monday morning, if everything goes well, you can return to your normal routines. As for Justern, I suspect there won’t be much you can do for him in the next week except make sure you don’t burn yourself out and finish what you started.” He leaned over and looked Tamara in the eye. “You have Awakened and are now going to heal, but I want you to know, Tamara, that you very nearly burned yourself, Merran, and Alarin out. All three of you will remain in this apartment to heal. Is that understood?”
She blinked at his intensity.
“Good. When I’m feeling better myself, I’ll be able to speed some of the process along. A
week is not that long.” Greg straightened and included Merran in the comment. “No complaining about it, as I’m going to be stuck here with the three of you, understood?” He turned. “Now, do as you will, but I am going back out into the living room to try and relax. We’ve had a very busy morning.” He walked out of the room, leaving Merran and Tamara alone, closing the door behind him much more gently than Tamara expected from his obviously exasperated state.
That left her alone with Merran, a state she found herself much more nervous about than she’d expected. “I, uh, are you all right?”
“I’m sore,” he replied. “But I’m fine.” He cocked his head and looked at her. “But I suspect you’re more sore than I am.”
She flushed. Does he mean what I think he does? “I’m okay.”
“I’m sorry. I know I was a little rough, but things were getting a bit—we were running out of time and I didn’t have time to be as gentle as I’d have liked. Awakenings are not always pleasant memories.” He pulled his knees up to his chest, the sheet preventing her from seeing anything.
Yup, he does. She could feel herself turning redder. “I can’t remember it actually. I have patchy flashes every now and then, but I can’t recall it in any detail.”
“You’re lucky. I remember mine far more clearly than I’d have liked.”
Tamara frowned. “Alarin’s seemed to be pleasant enough.”
Merran closed his eyes. “Mine was hell.” He opened them again. “I also suspect Alarin’s version was edited. Awakening is not pleasant because it’s not always easy, not for psi as strong as we are, especially if we resist our Awakenings.”
Tamara took his hesitancy as her cue to state what was going through her mind. “It just feels strange. Unlike what I expected. To be Awake, to suddenly not be a virgin anymore, but to not really remember it … I feel awkward, strange. And sore.” She smiled at him. “I didn’t have time to get used to the idea that I am half-Azellian, and now I have to be an adult too. You know what I would like?”
Merran looked at her quizzically.
“For you to just hold me.” She looked back at him from across the gulf that had opened between them. “I’m weirded out by all this and I just want to lie still for a while.” It was also going to be an experience, touching him without any clothes on.
Merran smiled and moved, opening his arms. He had a layer of hair across his chest running down toward the sheets and to the regions she didn’t remember. She was a bit too shy to really look, but she shifted herself so she was resting against him. His arms came around her stomach and he rested his chin on her hair. Her bare back on his chest felt nice—warm, cozy, and as if he could hold all the horrors of the world away. Tamara held his arm against her stomach, wrapping her fingers around his muscular forearm. “Azellians aren’t normally as physical outside of sex as humans,” he murmured into her hair. “I could definitely get used to it, though.”
They lay like that for a while. She rested there, almost dozing, and sensed that he was too, when a knock on the door startled them both.
“Yes?” Merran’s voice vibrated through his chest.
“I don’t want to disturb you, but did you intend to have your interview, Mer, or would you rather put it off until tomorrow? Janille’s on the phone. You are supposed to be on in twenty minutes.” Greg’s voice.
“Shit!” Merran tensed. “No, I’m coming. Tell Janille I’ll be ready.”
Tamara shifted to look up at him. “Is this about Justern?”
He nodded. “One of the PR handlings I have to do.” He sighed. The sheet slipped off her chest, and his eyes drifted down. He lifted a hand and gently traced down her chest, following his fingers with his eyes. His eyelids drooped, making him look almost sleepy. The look made her stomach clench and the parts of her she would have sworn were too sore to do anything at all react. “I’d much rather stay here and hold you. By the grace of the aarya, you are beautiful, akila.” He lowered his head and kissed her.
The kiss was meant to be short but turned into something else quickly. Merran didn’t think he would have it in himself to react to her again so soon, but he did. Her response, shy but growing more confident, drove him wild. She fell back and he followed.
He drew away gasping, his heart racing wildly. “Whoa! We have to stop or I won’t be able to, and twenty minutes is way too short to do what I want to do.”
A part of her was sorry, but there was another part of her that was glad. She was a little too sore to really continue what they were doing. It felt good, though, and the pressure of him through the sheets was very exciting. She reached down and touched. “I don’t want to be a tease. Can you stop now?”
“Not if you do that.” Merran pulled himself free and rolled off her. “As for being a tease, I started it.” He stood up, fully naked. Tamara found herself watching him intently. There was something incredible in the feeling that she’d caused this kind of reaction. Merran also had an ease about being naked that she envied. He walked into the bathroom.
“Are you taking a shower?” Tamara asked, not quite confident enough herself to follow. Topless is one thing. The rest is something else entirely.
“No, just washing off from our earlier exertions. I don’t have time for a full shower.” Merran appeared in the doorway, holding a washcloth. “You may want to take one, though.” He washed himself unselfconsciously as Tamara watched, then disappeared into the bathroom again. When he came back, he had a folded towel that he handed to her as he walked to the closet. “Greg told me Mellis was headed over with a change of clothes. You can borrow some of mine until she gets here.”
“How is she going to get into my room?” Tamara asked, still watching him and not reminding him that she’d brought a change of clothes over already.
Merran stuck his head around the closet door. “You have just Awakened, haven’t you? Locked doors are not all that difficult to get into if you need to.”
She made a face at him. “All right, all right, rub it in.”
He came out of the closet fully dressed and walked over to her. He leaned down and placed his hands on either side of her on the bed. “I’ll show you a few applications of our abilities, if you like.”
She looked at his eyes, only inches away from her face. “Is that a promise?”
He kissed her. This time he didn’t let it get too far. “Yes. And as for the rest, we’ll see if we’re up to it later.”
She smiled. “It’s a date. What about Alarin and Greg in the other room?”
He straightened. “What about them? The room’s shielded. If we don’t make any noise, they won’t hear us. Unless you want them to join in?”
She flushed. “Uh—”
He laughed and kissed the top of her head. “I’m kidding.”
“Ugh!” She pulled the sheets up and watched him leave, closing the door behind him. She wondered suddenly if Azellians had more than one partner at a time regularly, then shook her head and banished the thought. She got up and went to take her shower.
When she came out of the bedroom, she elected to wear nothing but one of Merran’s t-shirts that fell to her knees. He was quite a bit taller than she was, but the t-shirt must have been huge on him, too, because it made a passable dress on her. She’d scrounged up her bra and a clean pair of underwear from her duffle—she actually had a change of clothes in there, but she wanted to wear his shirt. She’d also found a belt, and cinched it around her waist. The t-shirt covered everything it should and didn’t even look that odd.
Greg was perched on the couch watching some program on the flat screen, now suspended from the ceiling. Alarin walked in from the kitchen, carrying a plate of some kind of fruit as she stood shyly by the door.
“Feeling better?” he asked her. Surrounded by a brilliant turquoise glow, his hair gleamed in the dimness of the room. Green with lovely blue and even a few brown streaks, creating a hazel overtone, he joined Greg on the couch. “Come, join us. Greg’s watching some medical show. It’s very gory.
Just what I want to watch while I’m snacking.”
Greg growled something in response.
She frowned as she looked at him. “Isn’t your aura usually green? Or am I remembering that wrong?”
Alarin nodded. “Normally, yes.”
“Then what’s all that blue in it? And brown?” she asked, suddenly remembering a conversation she’d had with Greg on the subject. Merran’s aura was hazel—normally brown—but add her blue, and some green, and you got hazel. Her own was probably hazel, too. From Merran. Right?
Alarin shrugged. “Side effect of helping you Awaken.” He walked to the couch. “I managed to find some fruit. Let’s get Mel to do some food shopping too, shall we? I’m going to starve staying here.” He looked back at Tamara. “Are you joining us?”
Tamara thought quickly back to her talk with Greg. Auras intermingle whenever a couple has any type of intimacy, usually physical. I don’t remember the sexual part of my Awakening. Actually, I do remember dark hair. Merran, then? But do I remember Alarin? I remember him from earlier, but where did he go when Merran stepped in? I don’t remember.
“Tamara?” Greg poked his head over the couch, either sensing her unease or knowing her well enough to know what she was thinking. “Stop freaking out about it. It’s not really all that complex. It took the two of them to channel you, especially as Merran was doing all the physical part. If I’d been able, I would have helped with the mental part, too. The channeling left Alarin with both your and Merran’s auras on him. The effect will fade. Now will you come and sit down?”
Greg’s matter-of-fact tone and Alarin’s casual behavior made her relax somewhat. She walked into the living room, hearing Merran’s voice coming from his office as she passed. He looked relaxed, but his fingers off-screen rubbed a pencil, speaking of internal tension. She walked the rest of the way into the living room.
“Sit, before I hit him with that plate.” Greg patted a spot between himself and Alarin. Alarin grinned at Greg. “Try some fruit. You’re going to be hungrier than usual the next couple of days.”
Alawahea Page 31