Without a Front: The Warrior's Challenge (Chronicles of Alsea Book 3)

by Fletcher DeLancey

  “Is it voyeurism if we’re not actually looking?”

  Salomen was too distracted by their rise over the mountains to respond. She was reaching out, looking for other forms of life now that they had left the inhabited lands behind. They found no winden this time, though they were highly entertained by a family of treecats. The mother’s exasperation with her kittens, who refused to come down from their tree, was surprisingly similar to the same emotion in an Alsean parent.

  Tal was curious as to whether they could influence other life-forms, so she gave one of the kittens an empathic nudge. It promptly skittered down the tree and was received by its mother with a mixture of affection, relief, and irritation. Soon the other two came down as well, and the entire family moved off as the mother’s brain shifted into hunting mode.

  “That was incredible,” Salomen said. “The emotions are the same. Not nearly so complex as ours, but undeniably the same general feeling.”

  “Are you ever going to be able to slaughter a fanten again?”

  “Oh, no. Not like this, to be sure. Suddenly I’m relieved that we have to Share to reach this level.”

  “Me, too.”

  They passed the final peak and found themselves soaring over the rain forest that stretched from the southern mountains to the coast. With experimentation, they discovered that if they did not use energy focusing in on specific life-forms, they could move across the emotional landscape more quickly. They were already farther than they had flown the first time, but Tal’s hope of reaching the ocean was dashed. Their awareness faded along with the glow of their hands, and they dropped their tired arms to the bed.

  “It’s so strange,” Salomen said. “What was normal now feels…confined, somehow. Like being in a skimmer with the doors and windows shut, so you can’t hear anything outside.”

  “And just think, we’ve been in that skimmer our whole lives and never even known there was anything to be heard outside.” Tal rolled onto her back and stared at the carved ceiling. “What a gift.”

  “We need to know more about it.”

  “Agreed. But I’m not sure where we’ll find the information. Aldirk did an entire literature search and didn’t come across anything like this.”

  “But he wasn’t looking for it.”

  “No, but he would have mentioned it had he seen it. I’ll talk to him tomorrow. I’ll call Lanaril, too. She might have something in one of those ancient texts of hers.”

  Salomen’s hand curled over hers. “And what will you tell her?”

  Tal rolled over again, taking in the features of a face that had become precious to her. “Every detail, of course,” she said, just to elicit one of those lovely smiles.

  It worked. “In that case, I want to be there for that call. Because I don’t think you could do anything of the sort without blushing.” Tracing soft designs on Tal’s arm, Salomen added, “That was wonderful. All of it. Even without the unbelievable Sharing, this joining wasn’t like any I’ve ever had.”

  “Part of it was because we were so connected. I felt everything you felt.” Tal began her own caresses. “But that wasn’t all of it. The rest was just you. You’re incredibly beautiful.”

  Salomen caught Tal’s hand, brought it to her mouth, and kissed it. “So are you, tyrina.”

  “It was worth the wait, then?”

  “You know it was. Even though you made me wait much longer than necessary.”

  “I have no idea what you mean. We were joining almost before the door shut. How much faster do you want it? Oh—did you want to join in my office? You should have said something.”

  “Don’t be obtuse. You dragged things out until I had to ask for what I wanted.”

  “And you have no idea how sexy that was. I suspected you would have no difficulty telling me what you wanted. You did it often enough in the fields.” Tal yelped and grabbed for Salomen’s wrists as fingernails raked up her ribcage. “No!” she laughed. “Stop it!”

  “I swear you’re a grainbird sometimes.” Salomen was fast, her hands seemingly everywhere while Tal batted them away. “I think the true lie of the Lancer is that you’re grown up at all.” She surged up, grabbed Tal around the shoulders, and rolled herself on top. Smiling down, she added, “And I love that you show that to me.”

  Tal wrapped her arms around her back. “You and Micah, you’re the only ones. You’ve singlehandedly doubled the number of Alseans I’m truly comfortable with. Though I’m getting closer with Lanaril.”

  Salomen’s smile faded. “I thought I was the lonely one. How could I not have seen it in you?”

  “Because we were lonely in different ways. And you weren’t looking for it. I didn’t see yours either, not at first. Both of us are very good at hiding it. We’ve had a lifetime to practice.”

  “I suppose that’s true,” Salomen said after a moment’s thought. “I never considered that there would be different varieties.”

  “Of course there are. And you aren’t the only lonely one in your family. Not since Nashta’s Return.”

  “No, we’ve all been lost without her. Mother was the glue that held our family together. We had our own relationships, some better and some worse, but Mother was always the center of it all.” A spark zipped through her emotions, and she rolled them onto their sides. “I’m sorry, I keep forgetting about your back. Is it all right?”

  “It’s fine. You’d feel it otherwise. Don’t worry.”

  Salomen raised an eyebrow. “You realize that I’ll be worrying about you until the day of my Return, don’t you? That comes with the deal.”

  “I know.” Tal brushed a strand of hair off Salomen’s cheek. “That’s part of your character. And I suspect it was part of Nashta’s as well.”

  “It was. She worried about all of us. Herot most of all.” The thought brought a shard of regret. “I wish he could have known you like this.”

  “I don’t!”

  Salomen chuckled. “You know what I mean. I wish he could have seen you as you really are, instead of just the Lancer. It would have made all the difference.”

  “Perhaps. But I didn’t trust him from the moment I met him. And where there’s no trust, there’s very little of me beyond the professional.”

  “Believe me, I know that.” Salomen slid her fingertips across Tal’s shoulder and down her arm. “I’m not saying you should have done it any differently or that he didn’t create this mess all by himself. I’m just…sad that it happened the way it did. And sad to think that if he knew you the way I do, he’d like you. At least, the Herot I used to know would have.”

  Tal watched her in silence, absorbing her shifting emotions. She felt the tears rising before the first one slipped free, and her finger was there to catch it. “I’m sorry, tyrina,” she whispered.

  “I know.” Salomen sniffed and wiped her cheek. “And I’m sorry to be so maudlin on this night of all times.”

  “Come here.” Tal shifted onto her back and tugged her over.

  Salomen came willingly, nestling her head on Tal’s shoulder and sniffing again.

  Her heart aching in sympathy, Tal stroked her hair and kissed her forehead, projecting love and support until she felt it taking hold. “You don’t ever need to apologize for your emotions,” she said. “Not to me. They are what they are. And if you could write off your brother without a second thought, you would not be the person I love.”

  Salomen pulled up the sheet and used it to dab the tears from her cheeks. “I hate this. Half the time I want to kill him myself, and the other half I’m worried sick.” She wrapped her arm around Tal’s torso. “And I’m angry that he’s interfered with so much of our time together.”

  “Not to mention worried about Colonel Razine’s report.” Which, unfortunately, had been twenty ticks of outlining where Herot was not, rather than wh
ere he was. They had traced him as far as Napoline, a port city on the southern coast of Argolis, and after that he had vanished. Searches of all the northern ports of Pallea had shown no sign of him.

  “Yes. How is he doing this? Herot doesn’t have the skills to evade high empaths. He doesn’t know anything about staying out of the system. I don’t understand how he could still be out there after five days. That more than anything else makes me question my belief in him.”

  “We’ll find him, tyrina. One way or another, we’ll find him, and then we’ll know.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  Tal kissed the top of her head. Relaxing into her pillow, she ran her hand up and down Salomen’s back, firmly pushing Herot out of her mind and focusing on the woman she was holding right now. As her fingertips traced patterns along soft skin, a memory surfaced and she smiled.

  Salomen stirred in her arms. “What is it?”

  “I was just remembering a fantasy I had about you the night of our first date.”

  “Oh, really? This I have to hear.”

  “It’s not what you’re thinking. Actually, it was relatively innocent. I was walking across the field to my transport, and I had a sudden vision of you in bed, covered by a sheet. You were waiting for me, smiling up at me, and your shoulders were bare, which was the most alluring thing I could imagine. And then I picked you up for our date—”

  “And I was wearing a dress that left my shoulders bare,” Salomen finished. “No wonder you were stumbling all over yourself.”

  “I was not stumbling.”

  “You were. I’m sorry, o great Lancer, but you were. And it was impossibly endearing.”

  “Humph.” Tal tried to pretend annoyance, but Salomen laughed.

  “So bare shoulders turn you on?” she asked, pushing up on one elbow.

  Tal’s gaze slid from her shoulders to the shadowed breasts visible beneath the sheet. “Yours do. Among other things.”

  “Tell me about those other things.” Salomen nuzzled the side of her throat. “Tell me what it takes to make these ridges come out again.”

  The mere words had Tal shivering. “With you, not much.” She closed her eyes as Salomen pulled gently at her earlobe while sliding a suggestive hand down her pelvic ridge.

  “Come, my Lancer. I know you can be more specific than that.”

  It was difficult to think with that voice in her ear. “Are we going to get any sleep tonight?” she asked, stalling for time.

  A soft chuckle sent more shivers down to her toes. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”

  As it turned out, Salomen had a great deal to say.

  CHAPTER 13:

  Warrior types

  The morning dawned gray and rainy, a perfect day for staying in bed. Tal wished she could do just that, but unfortunately, she and Salomen weren’t on a bonding break. Since no one knew they were recently bonded, they had no excuse for not going about their days as normal. And Tal’s day had quite a bit packed into it.

  But she still had time to indulge in her current favorite activity, and accordingly, she propped herself on one elbow and gazed at the slumbering form next to her, taking the opportunity to study Salomen in every detail.

  She had never seen her asleep before. In a way, it seemed an even greater vulnerability than a Sharing. When they Shared, they were in it together, but a sleeping Salomen was alone and without defenses. Lying on her side facing Tal, her dark hair spread on the pillow behind her, she appeared innocent of all knowledge of an imperfect world. This relaxed face could not belong to someone who had nearly died at the hands of an assassin. Nor could it belong to the experienced and professional head of one of the largest holdings in the district, a woman responsible for more than fifty field workers as well as her own family. This face belonged to a different woman altogether—one whom the rest of the world would never see.

  She reached out to caress Salomen’s arm, half wishing she would wake and half hoping she wouldn’t. She was enjoying the protective intimacy of the moment. Salomen had shown time and again that she could take care of herself, but right this moment she could not, and Tal felt a guilty pleasure in her guardianship.

  When she brushed back an errant lock of hair, Salomen twitched slightly. Her eyes blinked open, taking a moment to focus. Slowly, her face lit with the most beautiful smile Tal had ever seen.

  “Good morning, tyrina,” she said in a sleep-roughened voice.

  “Good morning.” Tal continued her caresses. “Has anyone ever told you how lovely you look when you’re sleeping?”

  Salomen shook her head. “Never heard it before.”

  “Then your past lovers were fools, every one of them.”

  “Not all of them woke up with me.”

  “Ah. You don’t care to share your bed when the joining is done.”

  “Not usually.” Salomen rolled onto her back and stretched luxuriously before turning to her side again, looking far more awake. “Sleeping is a whole different game than joining.”

  “I know what you mean. Joining doesn’t necessarily involve any intimacy at all. Sleeping does.”

  Salomen nodded. “Besides the fact that I don’t sleep well with another body in my bed.”

  “We have that in common, then.” Tal leaned down to kiss her shoulder. “But I slept like a rock last night. It might have had something to do with being so worn out.”

  A smile of pure satisfaction crossed Salomen’s lips, dissipating any image of her as a slumbering innocent. “I did notice that the warrior had a hard time keeping up with the producer.”

  Tal pounced, tickling her mercilessly in all the sensitive spots she had discovered the night before.

  Laughing, Salomen tried to squirm away. “Stop! This isn’t fair, I just woke up!”

  “That didn’t stop you from making nasty aspersions before your eyes were even all the way open. Why should it stop me from an appropriate response to them?”

  “Because I’m your tyree, and I had a very hard night.”

  “That’s a pathetic excuse. You’re lucky I’m so in love. That will wear off, you know, and then you’ll have to do a lot better.”

  “By then I’ll be more in practice,” Salomen said unrepentantly.

  Tal leaned down to kiss her. “Juice?”

  “Is that a hint?”

  “Not at all. But I need it, so I’m happy to bring back a glass for you.”

  “Yes, please. Don’t you have staff to wait on you hand and foot?”

  “No,” Tal said as she threw back the covers. “Not in my own quarters. This is one of two places on the planet where I have any real privacy, and I don’t want anyone coming in here unless I invite them. Especially not when I’m asleep.”

  She padded through the living area into the kitchen, pulled several pre-cut fruits from the bin in her cooler, and tossed them into the juicer. A tick later she was making her way back to the bed, surprised to see Salomen out of it. “What are you doing?”

  Salomen straightened from where she had been rummaging in the clothing organizer. “Looking for this.” She held up a small wrapped package and climbed back onto the bed.

  Tal joined her, handing over one of the glasses as she sipped her own.

  “Thank you,” Salomen said. “Oh, that’s good.” She gulped down half the glass, then nudged the package toward Tal. “This is for you, in case you needed something to do some evening when you aren’t swamped by your duties…or by me.”

  “Thank you, tyrina. I didn’t expect anything like this.”

  “I know. That’s the point.”

  “May I open it now? Or do I have to wait?”

  “Would I be so cruel as to give you a gift and tell you that you have to wait to open it?”

  Tal looked at her, and th
ey both burst out laughing.

  “All right, don’t answer,” Salomen said, still chuckling. “Just open it.”

  Tal gleefully tore off the paper, then went still. With a far more careful touch, she opened the elegantly bound book to the first page and read the inscription in bold handwriting.

  I always did have a soft place in my heart for strong, adventurous warrior types.

  ~ Salomen

  She looked up, her throat tightening. “I never finished it.”

  “I know.” Salomen brushed a hand across her cheek. “I wish I could have given you the one you were reading. Mother would have liked that. But it burned along with your bed, so this was the next best thing.”

  “Thank you.” Tal turned the book over, running her fingertips along the beautifully tooled binding. “This is a gorgeous edition.”

  “I wanted it to last a long time.”

  “It will.” She caressed the binding again. “I don’t know what to say. I don’t think I’ve ever received a more thoughtful gift. You’ve taken something from that night and made it…special.”

  “The most special thing about that night is sitting right here,” Salomen said softly.

  “I could argue that.” Tal put the book and her glass on top of the clothing organizer, then plucked Salomen’s glass out of her hand and set it aside as well. “But I’m too busy.” She pushed onto all fours and indulged in a slow, deep kiss before pulling back just enough to say, “Mm. Juice.”

  Salomen chuckled. “I knew you had an ulterior motive.”

  “Of course.” Tal went back to those soft, smiling lips, breaking off to nibble her way down an equally soft throat. “What a wonderful way to start my day.”

  Salomen made a purring sound of agreement, but then her mood turned serious. “I meant what I said about that night. As horrible as it was, it also brought me the gift of understanding just what I have in you. Remember our first night of training?”