by Ann Durand
"How?" she asked finally, as if she didn't trust her tongue to wrap around another word.
"In a stargate. Felipa has enough money to build one, so she's sending us back. She wants to go with us." Mike paused. "She has cancer. She's not going to live much longer."
"Cancer?"
"Yes. She wants to go back with us, so she can be buried with her husband."
Katera blinked. "Go back with us?"
"Yes, to Parallon." Katera looked dumbfounded, so Mike tried again. "You're going home. You're going back to Parallon-back to your parents and Rorken. It'll take me a couple of weeks to assemble a stargate. Then we're gone. We'll be leaving for 3540 BC."
For a split second Katera's face registered an expression of limbo, as if the risk in believing his words were equal to the risk of not believing. And then, it hit her as if a huge ball of air smacked into her middle. She staggered backward a few steps and caught herself, her feet planted wide. Her hands flew to her chest, one over the other. She rocked forward, and then back again, lifted her head and stared open-mouthed at the ceiling. A small noise gurgled up from her throat, or was it a laugh? A sob? Maybe it was both. Yes, he could see her face as she drew her head down. Happy tears streaked her cheeks as she laughed out loud. She walked unevenly to him, her eyes dancing, and flung her arms around his neck.
"Oh, Mikolen."
He leaned over and pressed his face into the side of her head, into the soft, thick curls of her hair, and pulled her to him. At that moment, he would have died to keep her this happy. Whatever it took-move a mountain, build a stargate-nothing was too much. She gazed up at him. Her breath was fragrant, sweet.
"You're coming back with me, too, right? You'll stay with me in Parallon, won't you?"
He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her body closer. "Only if you promise to marry me," he said, huskily. "Will you? Will you marry me in Parallon?"
She flashed a quick smile, her eyes flickering with verve. "If that's what you want, show me you mean it," she commanded. "Kiss me. Prove to me that you're willing to leave your world and stay with me forever."
She flipped her head back daringly and closed her eyes. Wearing a small, expectant smile, she licked her lips. A primitive urged stirred within him as he soaked up her presentation, at once seductive and innocent. He wanted to ravage her, and with great restraint, lowered his lips slowly to hers. She met them softly, lip brushing lip. He used his tongue to tease hers further apart, tasting, possessing. Her mouth opened, and he took in several honeyed sips as waves of heat unleashed into his body.
"Mikolen."
Her voice was silky, low. He didn't remember ever feeling this keenly aroused-arousal spiked with a razor-edged tension generated from almost eight months of covert foreplay made intense by the denial of its power over him. His body was demanding payment. He felt her arch against him, felt the soft yield of her mouth, and he kissed her, drinking deeply. Her supple form twisted beneath his hands as she rubbed against him. He struggled to stay focused and rational. Wary of grabbing too much too soon, he fought the urge to thrust his hands under her skirt.
She's a virgin, Leno . Go slow for Chrissake.
But Katera wasn't going slow. Standing on tiptoe, she nipped his ear with her teeth, dashed her tongue lightly around his lobe, and slid it down his neck. His senses reeled, and unable to control the impulse any longer, he slipped both hands under her skirt, grasped her bottom and lifted. She gave a little hop and wrapped her legs around his midsection. His constrained arousal pressed against her. He tried to say to her name, but a moan fell out of his throat instead.
He carried her to the bedroom, her legs still wrapped around him. New sensations erupted inside him every time she squeezed her legs, nipped his neck, his ear. He reached the suspension bed and fell forward onto the cushion of air with Katera under him. Gazing into her eyes through the growing darkness, he reached one hand over her head and snapped his fingers. A soft, dim light enveloped the room.
"Mikolen," she said, "I…"
She did not finish, because he'd rolled off her and pulled the release tab located over her solar plexus on her form-fitting top. It was opening along diagonal seams like the petals of a flower, peeling away. He watched, breathless, until her white breasts and tummy were fully exposed. He sighed and let his fingers glide over the smooth skin of her tummy, up the center to her firm breasts, small and round. He cupped the one farthest from him and let his mouth slip over the pink tip of the other. Katera's breathing deepened, and beneath his fingers he felt small tremors streak through her body. Her hand moved past his head to the fastener on her skirt, but he reached for it and stopped her.
"No," he said, hoarsely. "Leave it on."
The skirt looked gorgeous on her, and he wanted to admire her in it a little longer. He sat up and shifted his body, straddling her, then reached under her skirt and snagged the top of her panties. She lifted her hips, and he moved off the bed taking her underwear with him, slowly past her muscled thighs and shapely calves, past the tiny slipper-shoes and onto the floor. When he glanced back at her, she was tugging at her skirt, pulling it back over her hips as if gripped by sudden shyness.
He realized he was fully clothed and, in a flash of understanding, felt her vulnerability. Immediately, he unhitched his pants, stripped them off, shed his shirt, shoes, underwear and stood up, completely naked. A column of hard flesh fell between them. With some relief, Mike knew he didn't have to worry about the visual effects of an erection with her-she'd seen plenty of them on the young men who paraded nude while working in the fields of Parallon. The ease in which they produced an erection was a fact-of-life in her village. Still, he didn't think she'd been this close to one, and he knew she'd never touched one.
"I didn't think it was fair that you were the only one to undress," he said, crawling back onto the bed. The diversion seemed to work. She appeared calm and interested.
"Yes, well, I do think you've outmaneuvered me."
Her eyes shifted to his groin. A delicate flush rose to her face, and her chest heaved. He laughed, pleased with her response.
"Would you like to touch it?" He rolled onto his back. She reached out gingerly. "Go ahead. You're not going to hurt me."
She touched lightly at first, then wrapped her fingers around and squeezed. Mike exhaled. Maintaining his composure would not be easy. He buried his mounting compulsion to toss her skirt over her head with a deep inhaled breath. He allowed her to explore, prodding and squeezing, dragging her fingers over the surface while he fought for control through a thinly managed tempest of desire. She squeezed him again.
"The skin is soft, but it's hard underneath," she said with perfect innocence.
Another sensation rocked him. "Katera," he moaned, and rolled onto his side facing her. "Please."
Through the fog of his brain, it registered that she was studying his face, her eyes soft and knowing. She sat up, reached for the hem of her skirt, lifted. Slowly, she carried it with her as she lay back down, her head sinking into the pillow. She dropped the hem, letting it fall to her waist. Only the vaguest sense of control remained as Mike reached for her, groping for the secret treasures now exposed. She opened her legs, and he cupped her there, inserted a finger…felt the layer of skin inside that he would soon break…felt the wetness…heard her moan.
She's ready , he thought. He didn't want to wait, not this time. It had been so long. Later, they'd explore…later when his brain would allow him to savor and relish her. Right now…
He rose over her-over the rustling folds of her skirt ballooning from her waist, over her trembling breasts and luscious inner thighs. He lowered his body, aimed, and pushed. And hit a wall.
"Again," she huffed into his ear.
He shoved. The membrane burst and fell away. Katera cried out as he slid past, driving deep into her body from the force of his thrust. He paused, buried to his groin in soft velvet…and waited. She moaned.
"You okay?" he breathed. She moaned again, rota
ting her hips. "I'll take that as a yes," he said and withdrew, slowly, then plunged.
Katera arched her back. Again, he withdrew and plunged, listening to the sounds of their lovemaking. Katera caught his rhythm and matched him, riding the wave of their heat. He picked up the pace, fisting his hands in her hair, devouring her mouth, murmuring incomprehensible things about love that not even he understood. Guttural sounds pulsed from her throat, and Mike lost every ounce of reserve. He let himself go and drove mindless into her flesh, without thought or reason, melding into her as one. When Katera called out, deep in the throes of her own ecstasy, he released.
When he rolled off and drew her into his arms, he felt like he'd just delivered his heart, his body, and his soul to her.
* * *
A thin strip of morning light escaped from the groove between the window covering and sill, landing on Katera's face. Merciful Lupana. Blessed lady of the moon. Did I dream? Did it happen? She opened her eyes and smiled, ruminating over the details of the night before. A vague soreness pinched between her legs, but she didn't mind. She felt luxurious, utterly relaxed in a cozy afterglow. I'm not a virgin any more , she thought. Raka tan. Thanks for that. Because if that's what I've been missing, I've waited too long.
Another thought struck her, and she sat bolt upright in bed. Neya pak hostan. I'm going home. Her hand flew to her bare chest. Home. My beautiful Parallon. She turned to Mikolen, still sleeping beside her. Was he really coming with her? It seemed too good to be true. What if he got to Parallon and missed his home the way she missed hers? Would he leave her? Would he escape in the time machine and return to the future?
Why did it have to be so complicated? Why couldn't they both have been born at the same time and in the same place…or at least the same age, so they wouldn't have to deal with so much culture shock. True, Mikolen had lived in Parallon for ten years, but not as a villager or a citizen. And he sure didn't look like he belonged there any more, not with his short hair and shiny, clean-shaven face.
She leaned over him and inhaled the musky scent of him. His eyes rolled under his lids like large marbles, and she realized he was dreaming. What, or who was filling his dreams? Was it she? Was he watching her image dance across his eyelids? She propped herself up on one elbow, and with her other hand lifted a strand of hair from his forehead and threaded it back over his head. What would she do if he changed his mind and left her? No. She didn't want to think about it any more; not after last night. She lowered her face toward his until she felt his warm breath on her lips. She lingered, reliving the night before, recalling flesh to flesh, the passionate thrusts.
A hand jutted out and caught her on the back of her neck. She squawked in surprise as Mikolen pulled her lips to his. He pressed hard, devouring and hungry-a kiss that demanded more. Lines of hot pleasure radiated from her hips.
"Katera." His voice was breathy, deep. His chest heaved. "Katera, climb over me."
He wasn't asking. It sounded like he'd used up his last rational thought to utter those few words. For some reason, she could not resist. He moaned again as she lifted a knee over him, dropped it on the other side and lowered herself.
Chapter Thirty-Three
A flurry of activity didn't describe the past two weeks. A hurricane of epic proportions was more like it. Working round the clock, grabbing tools and materials and jamming them together to reconstruct the design, working the plan at a frenzied pace, and finagling technicians to do the same, had fatigued every cell in Mike's body. As he made the final adjustments to the control panel of his third stargate, Gryhpon, he breathed a sigh of relief and stretched his curled and stiffened spine.
"Are you ready for this?" Juan Noriega, a technician, approached him holding out his hand. Mike spotted the EM Sphere cupped neatly in his palm.
"Yes. We're ready for it. Gryphon is finished."
"Amazing, Dr. Leno." Juan handed the sphere to Mike. "I never would have believed it possible…building a stargate in two weeks. What a feat."
"Wouldn't have happened without you and the rest of the team," Mike said, sliding the Em Sphere into the curved slot under the translucent control panel. He stepped back to admire their work.
"It looks great," Juan said. "Exactly like the other two, right?"
"Yes, except for some added emergency icons and safety features, it's the same."
"Well, no need to improve on success." Juan patted a smooth, curving wall.
"Right," Mike agreed. "Especially with only two weeks to get it done."
Several other technicians, who had been making last minute adjustments, laid down their tools and joined Mike and Juan to stare at the finished stargate. They stood back in silence, savoring the satisfaction of the completed task.
"I haven't worked that hard in years," Alice Turner, an older technician, said. "And I don't think I ever will again."
Several heads nodded, laughing.
"If I'd pushed myself any more, they'd have entered my name under martyr in the dictionary," said Maria Costas, untying the knot of hair behind her head and letting it fall. She looked at Mike. "So, Dr. Leno, now that it's ready, when do you plan to go?"
Mike drew in a deep breath. "Tomorrow morning, providing Felipa agrees. She's pretty anxious for me to get it done. I think she wanted to leave yesterday."
"Tomorrow morning should be just fine, Mike."
Mike whirled around. Felipa had entered the room on a FloaterChair. She glided across the room in it, coasting like a bird headed for a landing. She slowed gradually and stopped in front of Mike, guiding her chair to the floor. Her skin looked sallow, waxen, and her cheeks, nose and chin held harsh edges, devoid of extra padding. Dark circles surrounded both red-rimmed eyes. Christ, I hope she makes it to tomorrow .
"We can leave first thing," he said. "Katera and I will be here at 6 AM for a prompt departure."
Felipa smiled feebly. "I'll be here, ready to go."
"Alright," Mike said, softly. "Anything you need to bring, give it to the technicians to pack in tonight."
"Yeah, I'll be here for a while longer," Maria said. "We have to clean up."
The others nodded, offered their support.
"No, thank you," Felipa said. "I'll be traveling light." A nasty cough intervened, shaking her slight frame violently. She leaned forward, hand over mouth, hacking. Mike reached into the pouch over the back of her chair, pulled a water bottle and handed it to her. "Thanks," she said, her voice strained. She downed a hearty swig and looked back at Mike, smiling. "Will you show me the inside of Gryphon, Mike? I'd love to know how it works."
"Sure, would you like to bring your chair in?"
"No, I can walk."
Wishing she'd asked to include her chair, Mike held out his hand. Felipa grabbed it, and he pulled her up. Leaning heavily on his arm, she shuffled into the stargate. Inside, he offered her a seat, but she insisted on standing in order to see everything on the control panel.
"And what does this do?" She pointed to the TimeSet icon.
"This is where we program it for the exact time we want it to arrive. You can set it down to the second with this. Look." He fiddled with the icon. "There. Now it's set to arrive a day after Katera and I left Parallon. We're ready to go."
"You can't set it much earlier, right?"
"No. If we do, Katera and I would meet ourselves and cause a time warp."
"Then we'd all go spinning off into another universe?"
Mike nodded. "That's right. I've already done that once. It can cause changes in the new universe-in matter and lower forms of life. Did you know there were no rocsadons in my universe, the one I was born in?"
"It's so strange to think there's another whole world spinning around with us in it," Felipa said. "Without rocsadons, of course. Guess the world could do without them, even if they have become an endangered species."
Mike laughed. Felipa pointed to another icon displaying a set of coordinates.
"What's this one do?"
"That's where you pro
gram where you want Gryphon to land. You enter the coordinates like this." He punched the numbers in. "See? It's set to land back in the caves where I kept Silver Gate."
Felipa asked dozens of questions, standing the whole while and trembling on uneasy legs. Mike obliged her, though he thought it was a little much given the strain it obviously exacted from her. Finally, she seemed satisfied and allowed him to guide her back to her FloaterChair. Settled, she powered the chair off the floor so that her head was level with Mike's.
"Whatever happens, I want to thank you for this, Mike. No matter what."
She's nervous , he thought. Nervous and excited . He reached out, laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Nothing's going to happen, Felipa. We'll have a safe ride. We'll land in the past and the first thing I'll do is to help you find Greg's grave."
She inhaled, exhaled hard. "Okay, fine."
She opened her mouth, closed it again, and gave Mike a blank look before spinning the FloaterChair around and aiming it at the exit. With her back to Mike, she poked a hand in the air as she shot away.
"See you tomorrow."
"Sleep well, Felipa," Mike called.
Mike watched with the technicians as her retreating figure floated out the door.
"Well that was…aloof," Alice observed.
"You'd be aloof, too, if cancer had invaded every organ in your body," said Juan.
"Yeah, I guess." Alice didn't sound convinced." It's not like her, though, not to say something to us. She always thanks every one of us at the end of a long day around here."
"Maybe she's having second thoughts," said Maria.
"This is what she says she wants to do," Mike said, pricked with guilt. "It was her idea."
Juan patted him on the shoulder. "You're doing a good thing, Dr. Leno. She's dying-that's what's wrong with her. You can't expect a dying person to act like the rest of us."
"And when is acting like the rest of us such an endorsement anyway," Maria joked. Mike chuckled, feeling reassured, though an odd feeling gnawed at his gut. "Why don't you head on home, Dr. Leno. We can finish up around here."