Under the circumstances, Shara thought it would be better to ignore him than make a scene. But when his meaty hand slipped under the table and onto her knee, she changed her mind. As his fingers inched their way beneath her tunic and up her naked thigh, she leaned close to Zeus's ear and murmured, "If you wish to continue fathering your dynasty in the future, I'd suggest you remove your hand from my leg."
His hand stilled uncomfortably close to the juncture of her thighs. "You would risk your love's life over a trifling?"
Shara met his gaze with a smile. "No, I wouldn't tell him that you took his warning as a joke. I would handle the matter myself."
He continued to stare at her for several more heartbeats then let out another roarlike laugh as he brought his hand back to his own lap. "Gods above, I like you, Shara. You could be one of my own."
I just might be, Shara thought. We'll find out the truth soon enough. As she turned away from him, she caught sight of Gabriel glaring at her as if she'd committed some terrible offense. Even after she resumed her conversation with Hestia, she felt him staring at her.
Despite his obvious displeasure with her however, she hadn't expected him to do anything about it in front of so many people. She was wrong.
With a few words to those around him, Gabriel rose and came to stand at Shara's side. "It was a pleasure meeting all of you," he said, grasping Shara's upper arm and practically lifting her upright off the bench. "We are especially grateful for your kind hospitality, Zeus and Hestia, but we traveled a great distance today, so we must ask that you excuse us until dawn."
Shara barely kept her balance as he started to pull her away before she had climbed over the bench.
"Aah, the mating fever strikes again!" Zeus exclaimed, much to everyone's amusement, except Shara's.
She was going to strangle Gabriel the moment they got out of here. By the time he stopped by their bags to fetch his sleeping pouch, she was certain every person in the entire lodge assumed the same thing Zeus had—that they were rushing outside to couple before the fever reached a peak.
Walking rapidly toward the hill from where they had first seen the commune, neither she nor Gabriel said a word until they were a good distance away from the lodge. The exercise did not mellow his irritation with her however. "Hadn't I told you enough about him? Or had I told you so much that you were tempted to try him yourself?"
"What the drek are you talking about?" Shara shot back as she lengthened her stride to keep up with him.
He came to a stop so abruptly, she was several steps past him before she halted as well. "I'm talking about the way you were toying with Zeus. For someone who claims to have no interest in coupling without establishing some sort of bond first, you certainly were anxious enough to share your gifts with him!"
Shara's mouth dropped open in shock. "You can't really believe that."
"No?" He threw the sleeping pouch onto the ground. "I told you about that special nectar of his. It was a rare, addictive aphrodisiac that not only kept him potent, but made his women so desperate for relief that they didn't mind sharing him with every other woman who caught his eye. And there you were, ready to accept his invitation to share a cup or two with him!"
Shara propped her fists on her hips and glared up at him. "I am not brainless or lacking in recall. I wouldn't have drunk any of it. It would have been a perfect opportunity to test him."
Gabriel narrowed his eyes at her. "Oh? Then perhaps you'd like to explain why you practically had your tongue in his ear after dinner?"
Shara gasped. "I have no idea why you think you have the right to question anything I do or with whom but you are completely out in space on this one." She took a step closer and poked him in the shoulder. "I'll have you know, that vile man was sliding his hand up between my legs as if it were nothing more personal than a handshake. The only reason I was anywhere near his ear was so that no one else at the table would hear me threaten to castrate him!"
The stiffness went out of Gabriel's stance. "Really?"
"Look at my eyes, if you still doubt me."
The moon illuminated her face sufficiently for him to see the yellow flecks of anger and no hint of olive. He took a deep calming breath. "I'm sorry. I overreacted."
"I'll accept your apology if you'll tell me what I have done to make you think I am completely without common sense."
"I don't think anything of the sort," Gabriel retorted. "I was simply worried about you. Zeus is of a time and culture very different from ours. He was the type of male who considered a smile from a female consent enough to act on his desires. It was not beyond him to use force to gain whatever he wished, including women."
Shara still thought the excuses he was giving for his irrational behavior in the lodge were only part of the truth. "I see. Then I suppose I should thank you for preventing me from getting raped a second time in one week." She turned to walk away from him but he caught her arm and pulled her back.
"A second time?" Gabriel felt the tension vibrating between them and was furious all over again that she could cause him to lose his self-control so easily. "I thought we were past that but if you wish, we can rehash the entire sequence of events... including my rape!"
Her eyes widened and she was about to hurl a more direct insult at him when he pressed his fingertips to her lips.
"Hush. I'm sorry but this isn't rational. Listen to us. Sniping at each other like spoiled children." He traced her mouth then brushed her cheek with the same fingers.
The soothing touch made her realize how foolish they were being... again. "You're right. I'm sorry I overreacted as well. I swear I'm not usually so unreasonable."
His hand trailed down her throat and around to the nape of her neck beneath her hair. "Nor am I usually prone to jealousy."
Angling her head, she leaned a bit closer. "Jealousy?"
He nodded and held her gaze with his. As his one hand continued to stroke her neck, the other moved to her lower back and urged her closer still. "Yes, jealous. A perfectly reasonable response, given the facts of the situation. You rejected my attention, yet you appeared to be welcoming another's. My male ego was bruised. I'll stay aware of it in the future."
She wanted to tell him she understood and appreciated his honesty but his hands were working some sort of magic on her spine, and the way he was looking at her made her forget the words she would have said. His head lowered ever so slowly and she willingly tipped hers in anticipation of his kiss. The thin layers of material separating their bodies could not conceal the physical changes occurring as they came together more fully but this time those changes weren't quite as alarming to her.
Ping
Shara and Gabriel both started at the faint sound that arose from between their chests. Since he knew what had caused it, he recovered more quickly than she did.
"Yes, Beauty," he said, lifting his triangular recorder so that he was looking at its mirrored surface.
"What is it?" Shara asked anxiously. "A warning?"
"Of sorts," he said with a frown then pressed the back of his recorder against his inner wrist. "Beauty, physiological analysis. Display pulse rate and body temperature."
Shara read the illuminated data as they appeared. His readings were in the high-normal range.
"It must have been you," he said with a crooked grin. "Hold up your hand."
She wasn't sure why he was doing this but she obeyed. With Beauty held against her wrist, he turned her arm so that she could see herself in the mirror.
Shara's anxiety increased as she noted the new readings.
Her pulse rate was slightly above normal and her temperature was up 1.2 degrees.
Chapter 9
Crossing her arms defensively, Shara said, "I have admitted that I'm... responsive to you. If you'll recall, I once asked you not to take advantage of my weakness by purposely seducing me. I think it's rather unkind of you to request a computerized confirmation of my vulnerability versus your near indifference to me."
His expres
sion was one of stretched patience. "What is unkind is that you believe I would do such a thing. A moment ago you were close enough to me to know very well that I am far from indifferent toward you. I programmed Beauty to warn me of any rise in my body temperature over one degree, because I knew you would deny any evidence that the fever was still with you as long as possible. Given some notice, I thought to make the cure more acceptable to you. Beauty alerted me of the temperature rise but it was you she was reading, not me."
"One degree does not necessarily mean it's the fever. We were walking very fast, then we were arguing and then..." She shook her head. "A slight increase in pulse and temperature is perfectly normal under those circumstances."
"All right," he said calmly. "Let's just sit down here and talk for a while. No touching and you choose the subject." He unrolled his sleeping pouch on the grass and lowered himself onto one end. "If you're correct, our bodies' readings will both stabilize in a few minutes."
She sat down facing him and picked an impersonal topic. "Hestia told me a lot of gossip that you might want to add to your notes."
"That could be helpful," he said in the same passive tone he'd used before. "Tell me what you learned."
* * *
From his perch in the tree where he had hidden after following the strangers out of the lodge, Misha continued to observe them for a while. It had been a lovers' quarrel just as it had appeared to be.
And yet, in the moment he had touched the female's mind, he sensed something alien about her, as if she weren't Noronian. Not being able to read the man at all caused him even greater confusion. No one knew them and they gave no sect affiliation. Athena had automatically assumed they were spies for the Tribunal, but if that were the case, Misha would have been officially notified by his superior.
Satisfied that they weren't leaving the commune, Misha climbed back down the tree and returned to the lodge. He didn't believe there was any new information to be picked up but he couldn't stay away for long without someone questioning his whereabouts. Among the Friends, trust was in short supply, even within the family. And Zeus's habit of ruthlessly eradicating suspected enemies was legendary.
What had begun as an exciting assignment had quickly become tedious. The constant tension was beginning to unnerve him and the farm chores were demeaning, but if tomorrow's Summit proceeded as he had warned the Tribunal it would, Misha promised himself he'd be on holiday by sunset.
* * *
All the while Shara related what Hestia had told her, she worked hard to shut out any thoughts that might cause her any agitation. But her efforts seemed to have the opposite effect. The more she tried not to think about what the increased readings meant, the more nervous she became. When she lost her train of thought in midsentence, she gave up the struggle. "Show me your readings again."
He held out his arm so she could see what Beauty had to report. His pulse rate and temperature were only a fraction higher than they had been before, but the fact was, they should have been going down, not up. Unless he was ill.
Or his mating fever had been triggered.
"Your turn," Gabriel said, removing Beauty from its chain and handing it to Shara. When she hesitated to request her own readings, he asked, "Would you rather wait until you're mindless, like the last time?"
With a sigh of resignation, she asked Beauty for an update, even though she could feel a burning sensation behind her eyes and her heart was beating as if she'd just run a race. As she had guessed, the increases in her readings were greater than his had been.
"Analysis?" Gabriel asked with one raised eyebrow.
She suspected he kept using scientific words and phrases for the same reason she did—to keep her from thinking of their relationship in emotional terms. But the truth was, her emotions were in a greater state of upheaval than her body. If she could just keep the two separate, it might not be so disturbing.
With that thought in mind, she gave the analysis he'd requested. "Both our pulses and temperatures are rising, though mine are increasing at a faster rate. I suspect it has something to do with our different attitudes toward the problem. It appears that the mating—er, mutated fever did not disappear with the time-hop. Thus, we have no basis for a supposition that it will go away with the next hop either."
He gave her a moment to continue, and when she didn't, he said, "You didn't mention the one other very important factor. The timing between attacks was shorter this time. There were about twenty-three hours between the first and second attacks. Nineteen between the second and third. If it follows the fever's standard pattern, the periods of relief will continue to diminish until we are forced to—"
"That's not going to happen! We'll be back in our own time and seeking medical treatment long before we lose all control."
"You sound very sure of that but the fact is you have no evidence on which to make that statement. There is no record of a couple fighting the mating fever for any length of time without medical assistance. But it is known that eventually coupling will not be sufficient to cool it. If we do not get treatment and we do not join, we may both fall into a coma from which there is no return.
"In this time period we don't have many options, as far as I can tell. There is no known treatment here and a formal joining ceremony cannot take place without two of the couple's parents to act as witnesses. Add to that the fact that we are in a volatile situation, probably being closely observed, and may not have the freedom to find privacy before the mindlessness forces us to seek relief wherever we are. I think we should consider returning to our time immediately and—"
"No! If we go back to be treated, we may never get the opportunity to return. You may be satisfied with the recordings you've made of this period, but I—" She stopped herself from reminding him of her goal. "I'm not ready to go back yet." She was glad she hadn't yet mentioned the additional probe during dinner. That would probably make him more determined to return. "At any rate, how can you even consider returning before tomorrow morning's meeting? Think of the invaluable research for your monograph."
He had been thinking of it but he hadn't wanted to be the one to bring it up. "Then that brings us back to my earlier question. If we don't go back for treatment, we have only one cure available to us here. So what shall it be? Oblivion or conscious pleasure? Personally, I'd like to be aware of what we're sharing for a change, but I'll leave the choice to you... this time."
When Shara had previously agreed to couple with him to control the fever, she had been certain it wouldn't actually be necessary. To wait for oblivion to make the decision for her was too painful and clearly dangerous to her sanity. However, she knew conscious pleasure could be almost as dangerous for her. Once she allowed her sensual nature to surface—and it would if she repeatedly shared her body with him—it would only be a matter of time before her heart became confused and thought she was in love again.
But it was a risk she would have to take. She could not go back to be treated and give up this chance to confirm her heritage when she was so very close to the answer. The only thing she could think to do to protect herself was to withhold her emotional participation from the biological act.
With her lashes lowered, she murmured, "I too would prefer consciousness." Keeping her gaze averted, she removed her belt, tunic and sandals then lay down on her back on the pouch.
Gabriel grimaced at the picture she presented. She looked as though she were about to be sacrificed. Her body was stiff, her hands balled into fists at her sides and her eyes were squeezed shut.
And even like that, she was more beautiful than all the stars in the heavens. He felt his fever rise a degree as his body strained to be joined with hers.
Shara opened one eye. "What are you waiting for?" When he simply cocked an eyebrow at her, she thought she understood the problem and sat up. "Oh. I hadn't thought you would require my assistance. You seemed quite... capable of performing a few minutes ago. It would probably be most efficient if you would tell me precisely what you'd li
ke me to do to prepare you."
"Efficient?" he asked, bewildered by the stilted words that had no correlation with the fire building in his blood. He removed his own covering and knelt beside her.
She quickly scanned his body and looked away again. "You don't appear to need any help."
"No, I suppose not. But I'd like you to touch me." His hand caressed her breast. "As I want to touch you. The fever isn't near its peak yet."
She gingerly set his hand from her. "Please don't. If it's not absolutely necessary, I'd rather we skip any... peripheral contact." She scratched at her arm. "My fever is building and I'd like to get this over with as soon as possible."
Gabriel's mouth fell open. He could hardly believe what she was saying but he could see for himself she was being honest with him. She really didn't want him to give her pleasure, just the physical joining needed to cool the fever. It was so cold and insulting, he was tempted to walk away from her. Let her suffer from the fever's symptoms until she mindlessly attacked him again. The problem with that was, in spite of her insult, the swelling and throbbing of his genitals was becoming more uncomfortable with each of his heartbeats.
"All right, Shara. We can do this efficiently. Lie back and open yourself for me. I wouldn't want to contact you more than absolutely necessary."
She heard the hostility in his voice and knew she had hurt his manly pride but he would get over that much easier than she would get over a broken heart. Closing her eyes, she positioned herself for his entry. When he didn't proceed immediately, she worried that her attitude had cooled his desire for her, but then he slipped inside her and began pumping without completely lowering his body onto hers. As she requested, he was touching as little of her as possible.
The act did not take long and Shara managed to keep her mind elsewhere while her body received what it required. As before, the fever cooled once it was fed. She had gotten exactly what she asked for.
And it was more repulsive than when he had unknowingly raped her.
GABRIEL (The Innerworld Affairs Series, Book 4) Page 13