The Vulpirans' Honor: The Soul-Linked Saga

by Laura Jo Phillips

  “Now, let’s get out of here, please,” she said.

  “Yes, lets,” Maxim said, reaching out to pick her up. Once she was safe in his arms he stepped to the side and they disappeared. Loni picked up Summer’s bag, then he and Ran followed.

  ***

  Xi-Kung was more than worried. He was nearly frantic. A short time earlier he had been ecstatically happy, but that hadn’t lasted long. He wondered if the pressure was getting to him, then discarded the idea. His current state of manic nervousness was perfectly normal considering the stress he’d been under of late.

  It had been several weeks since Xi-Tarq had been dispatched on his mission to Jasan, and he’d heard nothing from him or the Messenger since then. He did have to congratulate himself for thinking of using a Receiver, though. It was a stroke of genius, if he did say so himself.

  Unfortunately, coming up with the idea was the easy part. It had taken days of combing through useless data from fellow Xanti ships before he found a random Receiver on its way to Jasan that he could put to use. Thank the Supreme Mother for the Xanti procedure of implanting all beings who displayed interest in the Xanti, just in case. His current situation was precisely why the procedure had been implemented.

  All he had to do was wait for the Receiver to reach Jasan, then find a way to get it onto the ranch. Planning ahead, he’d already prepared several methods of accomplishing that long before the Receiver’s ship arrived. Then, much to his shock, the Receiver had gone directly from the Jasani spaceport to the Dracons’ ranch without any effort on his part whatsoever. It had happened so suddenly, and so unexpectedly that Xi-Kung had barely had the presence of mind to activate the Receiver before it crossed the barrier.

  After that, he’d spent an hour celebrating the results of his excellent strategic maneuvering. Then he’d begun to worry whether or not the Receiver would leave the ranch before it was too late.

  What was it about that ranch that seemed to swallow everyone and everything that entered it? First Xi-Tarq. Then the Messenger. He should have heard from one of them by now. He should have heard from one of them several times by now.

  No, he amended to himself. It was entirely possible that Xi-Tarq had been successful and was in place, as planned. Xi-Tarq wouldn’t be able to cross the barrier and leave the ranch without risking discovery, so obviously he could not send a message himself. Which was why a Messenger had been placed on the ranch in the first place.

  The plan had been for Xi-Tarq to transmit messages to the Messenger once he had taken the place of the woman running Arima House. When the Messenger left the ranch, the accumulated messages would automatically be sent to Xi-Kung’s ship via one or more data-bursts, depending on how much time had passed. At this point, it would take hours worth of data bursts to cover all of the days they’d been inside that be-damned barrier.

  Those data-bursts were the only reason Xi-Kung continued to orbit Jasan, day after day, week after week, risking discovery by the Jasani patrols at any moment. That his ship was equipped with the newest Blind-Sight system wasn’t as comforting as it once would have been. The Jasani were fully aware of the existence of Blind-Sight now, and that made his position more precarious than he liked. But he had no choice. He had to remain, and he had to find out what Xi-Tarq’s status was.

  Had he succeeded? Or had he been discovered? Destroyed? Detained? What of the Messenger? Why had he not left the ranch? Was he even alive?

  There was no way for Xi-Kung to know. Nothing he could do but wait and see if the Receiver was able to download messages from either the Messenger, Xi-Tarq, or both, and then leave the ranch so that they could be sent to the ship.

  Unfortunately, the longer he waited, the worse his situation became. The deadline for his status transmission to Xaqana-Ti was rapidly approaching, and so far, he had absolutely nothing to tell her. And that, he knew, would not do. No, that would not do at all. She’d have his stinger for daring to tell her that, after all this time, he had no news at all.

  Xi-Kung paced his quarters endlessly as he struggled to think of a solution to his dilemma aside from this infernal waiting, but nothing came to him. He should have remained on Onddo, he admonished himself repeatedly, though of course he’d never had a choice. When one’s Ruling Female tells one what to do, one obeys. Just as his brothers Za-Linq and Za-Queg had obeyed. He shuddered at the thought of following in their wake.

  Tired of pacing, he climbed the wall to his favorite corner and tucked his legs beneath him. He reminded himself that so long as he was in orbit around Jasan with Blind Sight engaged, he was ordered to high-range transmission silence. Even the low range transmissions from the Receiver would be risky, if they were lucky enough to get any. They’d have to begin scanning the moment they began receiving.

  The only good thing about his situation was that he could not contact Xaqana-Ti even should he want to. Nor could she contact him. Not until the deadline, when he would leave Jasani space to report. Until then, he had time. Plenty of time. Days even.

  ***

  Honey bent down to kiss Nica lightly on the forehead, then walked quietly across the room and closed the door carefully behind her. She stood outside in the hall for a few moments, listening, before deciding that Nica was well and truly asleep. She sighed tiredly and walked up the hall to the bedroom that she and Michael would share during their visit.

  They’d had a very nice afternoon and evening with the Falcorans, and she was happy that she and Aunt Berta had been able to spend some time alone together. She wished that her mother were still alive. She would have dearly loved knowing Aunt Berta.

  The only thing that bothered her was the Vulpirans. For some reason she couldn’t seem to get them out of her mind. Nor could she banish the ache in her heart that seemed to flare up every time she thought of them. Why she felt anything regarding those three men she did not know, and it was beginning to worry her.

  She opened the bedroom door and peeked in, not wanting to awaken Michael if he was sleeping. She smiled to see him sitting up in bed with a book. Typical Michael, always had his nose in a book.

  “Is your headache better?” she asked as she closed the door and went to one of the two dressers in the room. She opened a drawer, took out a pair of cotton pajamas, then closed it and went to sit on the edge of the bed.

  “Yes,” he replied. “It’s completely gone now. How’s the imp?” he asked

  “She’s sound asleep, finally,” she said. “I didn’t think she was ever going to wind down.”

  “She had a very busy day today,” Michael said. “I’m not sure who had more fun though, Nica or the Falcorans.”

  “Yes, I noticed they seemed to truly enjoy her,” Honey agreed. She studied Michael for a moment, noting the way his eyes seemed half closed in a squint. He always did that when he was worried.

  “What’s wrong, Michael?” she asked.

  “I don’t understand the Vulpirans’ behavior this afternoon,” he said. “I asked the Falcorans about it, but they had no answers for me. I wonder if they’ve changed their minds about inviting me here.”

  “I don’t think they would have brought a ground-car to the airfield if they had,” Honey said. “They apologized for intruding, so maybe they were just embarrassed. They didn’t realize that I was Berta’s niece.”

  “Yes, maybe you’re right,” Michael said, though he didn’t sound convinced. “Did you have a good time with your Aunt Berta?”

  “I’m not sure I would call it a good time,” she said. “I understand now why Aisling didn’t want to tell me about Berta’s life. It was truly horrific, and I’m sure she left out the worst of it. I’m happy that she has the Falcorans now, and a second chance at a full life. But aside from that, yes, I enjoyed our visit very much. I think that she and I are going to get on very well together.”

  “So what is it that’s bothering you?” Michael asked.

  “You know me too well.”

  “Yes, as you know me,” Michael said, flashing the smile that
always melted female hearts. That, and those big, soulful brown eyes of his made him irresistible to most women. The blond hair and classic good looks didn’t hurt either.

  “She asked me if I had any psychic abilities,” Honey said.

  “Really?” Michael asked, closing his book with a frown. “Why would she ask you that of all things?”

  “That’s what I wanted to know,” Honey replied. “She was very matter-of-fact about it. She told me that women who are genetically predisposed to become mates to Jasani males, like herself, always have psychic abilities.”

  “Did you tell her?”

  “Yes, I did,” Honey admitted. “I don’t want to start off my relationship with her with any more lies than absolutely necessary.”

  “What did she say? Was she angry?”

  “No, not at all,” Honey replied. “They see such things far differently here than on Terien, apparently. She asked Nica and I to come to Arima House for lunch and meet the berezi.”

  “Berezi?” Michael asked.

  “That’s a word for women who are genetically able to become Arimas, but aren’t yet,” Honey replied.

  “I see,” Michael said. “That’s the house she runs here on the ranch, right? The one for future mates of Jasani males?”

  “Yes, that’s right,” Honey replied.

  “So did you agree?”

  “Yes, how could I refuse?” Honey replied.

  “I’m glad you won’t be sitting around here all day,” Michael said. “Honey, do you think she suspects you’re a...what was that word?”

  “Berezi,” she said. “And I don’t know. She’s one, or rather, she was one. Now that she’s linked with the Falcorans, she’s an Arima. Since it’s a genetic attribute, I assume she thinks that it’s possible I’m one as well.”

  “Do you want to take the test to determine whether or not you are?” Michael asked.

  Honey shook her head. “No, I don’t. Why would I want to do that?”

  “You never know what could happen,” Michael said. “All of the Jasani we’ve met so far are good people. Plus, your aunt lives here. Maybe we could have a future here. I don’t think we should rule anything out just yet.”

  “We’ve only been here for a few hours,” she replied. “I don’t think we should start making plans just yet, either.”

  Michael sighed. “I only mean we should keep open minds, Honey.”

  “I know,” she said. I just want to be careful, that’s all.”

  “Agreed,” Michael said. “Are you coming to bed now?”

  “Not just yet,” Honey replied, standing up. “I think I’ll take a hot shower first.”

  “Good idea,” Michael said. “I’ll be done here and ready to turn off the light when you’re finished.”

  “Thanks,” Honey said as she walked to the bathroom. She closed the door, marveling at the room’s size. She’d never seen one so large. Nor had she ever seen such a large bathtub, or shower. Considering that the Jasani mated three brothers to one woman, it made sense. Which was a subject she most definitely did not want to think about.

  She reached in and flipped on the shower taps, then kicked off her shoes, an image of the Vulpiran brothers filling her mind despite her best efforts to prevent it. She admitted to herself that she found them extremely appealing. More so than any man, or men, she’d ever seen before. They weren’t classically good looking like Michael, but they were big, strong, and very striking. Even so, her real attraction was to something deeper than their appearance. She already knew that they were very intelligent, but somehow she sensed that they were also thoughtful, considerate, and honorable men. She didn’t understand how she knew that. Just like she didn’t understand their behavior.

  Why had they been so stunned to learn that she was married to Michael? Michael had to get special permission from the Terien Scientific Federation to bring his family to Jasan, which was granted only after the Jasani Council agreed to it. So the Vulpirans could not have been surprised at her presence. Besides, they’d exhibited no surprise when they’d met Nica. No, they’d been surprised that Michael was married to her specifically. But why?

  Honey finished undressing, pulled the pins from her hair and uncoiled her long, thick braid before stepping into the shower. She stood beneath the spray and let the hot water pour over her, sighing with pleasure. It felt so good she just stood there for a few minutes before stepping back and reaching for the shampoo. As she poured a healthy dollop of it into her hand, her thoughts returned to the Vulpirans.

  Why had she sensed their emotions? How had she known they were shocked and, a few minutes later, how had she known they were hurt, and angry? She didn’t doubt herself, even though such a thing had never happened to her before. Her feelings had been far too intense and distinct for her to have imagined them. What bothered her most was that she had any feelings concerning the Vulpirans at all.

  Day Two

  Lariah Dracon kissed her eldest son lightly on top of his silky head, then handed him to Garen who accepted the precious bundle with the sure hands of an experienced father. She couldn’t get over how much their sons looked liked their fathers. Straight blue-black hair, sturdy bodies, and just a hint of the defined bone structure they would one day have beneath their cinnamon tinted skin. She found it interesting, but not surprising, that Saxton had Garen’s golden eyes, Paxton had Trey’s blue-green eyes, and Marxton had Val’s deep gray eyes. The same was true of their daughters, though aside from eye color, they were small replicas of her with red-gold hair, fair skin, and delicate, petite builds.

  “We just got a message from Olaf Gryphon,” Trey said, holding his hand terminal in one hand while cradling Pax in the other. “They request a meeting between all Clan Consuls and their Arimas to take place in thirty days from yesterday in the Hidden City.”

  “Do they say why?” Garen asked as he rocked Saxton gently while walking back and forth across the nursery.

  “He says that Aisling is working with Elder Vulpiran to extract the data from the memory crystal they retrieved from Rathira. She needs thirty days to review the data her father collected so that it can be compared with other data. His words.”

  “Is there any mention of the oraculum?” Garen asked.

  “No, not unless that’s the other data he’s referring to,” Trey replied.

  “If so, why not tell us?” Val asked from the changing table. He lifted a freshly changed Marx from the table and kissed his forehead before carrying him to another rocking chair and taking a seat.

  “Olaf won’t mention the oraculum in an unsecure message,” Garen said. “I doubt he’d do it in a secured message, all things considered.”

  “We could speed-travel over there and ask him,” Val suggested.

  Garen took a seat in yet another rocker as he thought about that.

  “I don’t think you should,” Lariah said. All three of her men looked at her in surprise.

  “Why not?” Trey asked.

  “I think that if they’d wanted to tell you, they would have speed-traveled here and done so,” Lariah replied. “They didn’t. If you go over there and ask, he’ll tell you because you’re the Prince. If you trust the Gryphons, I think you should let them do this their way.”

  “You’re probably right,” Garen said. “We’ll let it be. Trey, contact the council and set up the meeting, then let all of the Consuls know.”

  “Speaking of messages,” Lariah said, “I got one from Hope a little while ago asking me to come visit her.”

  “Good,” Trey said. “You haven’t been out of the house much at all since these little guys arrived. It’ll be good for you.”

  “Trey’s right,” Val put in. “There’s no reason for you to be here every minute. Between the three of us and the nannies, we can handle things just fine without you for a little while.”

  Lariah hesitated. She’d barely left the house since the birth of her sons, so it felt almost wrong to consider it now. Then she rolled her eyes at herself. Her men c
ould take care of the babies as well as she could, and there were three nannies as well.

  “You sure you guys don’t mind?”

  “Of course not, sharali,” Garen said. “Would you like one of us to speed-travel you over there?”

  “Actually, I’d like to fly,” Lariah said.

  “All we ask is that you fly low, and that you vox us before returning,” Garen said.

  “Of course,” Lariah said. There’d been a time when restrictions on her movements had grated on her, but with the birth of her daughters three years earlier had come a change in her viewpoint. “I’ll check on the girls on my way out.” She bent to kiss each of her men, and her sons, before leaving the nursery by the garden door.

  She was very pleased with the new nursery, which was actually an entirely new wing of the house which extended along one side of the garden. It consisted of the baby room set up specifically for infants, and several new bedrooms on two floors that the babies would eventually move into when they got older. The girls shared another large room next to the nursery set up for toddlers, but they would soon graduate to new bedrooms upstairs.

  There’d been some changes made in the garden as well. It was much deeper now, and Pater had moved a lot of the plants and flowers to the far end, clearing an area just off the patio for a playground. They’d brought in white sand and installed swings, teeter-totters and a big jungle gym with slides and a little playhouse built into it.

  “Mommy! Mommy! Watch me!” Tani yelled the moment Lariah stepped outside. Lariah smiled as she watched her youngest daughter hook her legs in one of the rings on the jungle gym, then swing back and forth while hanging upside down.

  “That’s very good!” Lariah said, laughing as she watched Tani reach up, grab the ring and flip herself around. Lariah shook her head at the obvious strength it took to perform such a feat, yet Tani took that in stride, thinking nothing of it. It never failed to amaze her how mature her daughters were, both physically and developmentally. They seemed more like five year olds than three year olds to her. The Dracons had told her it was normal for Jasani children to mature quickly, which made her a little sad. She was in no hurry to see her children grow into adults.