My heart-rate jumped, and my stomach fluttered. I was only seventeen. I did like him and felt things for him I'd never felt for anyone else, but when he mentioned the marriage of his great-grandparents it startled me. It was too much too soon. If he came from here and didn't need to protect a princess and could devote all his attention to me, I might be thrilled about it. I worried too much about my heart being broken when he left. There was no way my parents would let me marry him now, not that I wanted to, but who knew about what his culture was really like. Maybe he would want to get married right away. And yet, if he left, I couldn't follow him.
I knew he felt what I did through our joined hands. I recognized the changing of his emotions. It concerned him that our conversation bothered me.
Looking at our joined hands he said, “Great-great-grandfather wrote he and Great-great-grandmother took a while to get used to the flood of emotions they felt from each other. Sometimes it was a bit embarrassing when they would radiate feelings they would have rather kept to themselves. Eventually the sharing of feelings became as familiar as their own.”
Did he say that to reassure me, or himself?
“I suppose it will take a while to get used to this.”
“I feel terrible you are in this situation in the first place. I wouldn't blame you if you feel angry at me at any time for what I have done to you.”
“I'm not angry with you,” I explained with a sigh. “But I am a little concerned. What will happen to us when you leave?”
The feeling of sadness from him almost overwhelmed me.
“That bad?” I whispered.
He took a moment before answering. “I can't say for sure, but the thought of it just about tears me apart. From the first night I saw you, I knew there was something special about you. I tried to fight my interest, but couldn't help myself in getting to know you and wanting to spend time together. At the end of each day, I wondered how I could bear to leave when the time came to take Amira home. Now I honestly don't know what I will do. It will be torture for me to leave you, but I don't know for sure what it will do to you.”
I felt his love for me as I held his hand. His misery at the thought of leaving me was overpowered by the feelings of love. I marveled again at the strength. How could he love me this much in so little time? My own feelings for him were getting stronger, but they were nowhere near the same intensity as what came from him. I wished I could give him the same feelings he gave me.
I looked down at our joined hands. “When we're touching I feel your emotions. Does it work if we're not touching?”
“I'm not sure. Should we see?” He let go of my hand and slid over slightly so we didn't touch at all.
I still felt his presence there more than just the awareness of him being next to me, but the strength of the emotions was gone.
“I believe the contact of our skin allows us to communicate that way,” he said. “I think the more we get to know each other, then we will be able to feel things without touching. It's even more intrusive than hearing each other’s thoughts, isn't it?”
“Yes,” I agreed. “But I guess since the Bonding is related to love, then it shouldn't be too bad if we know how the other feels. Hopefully we'll never hate each other,” I teased.
“I don't think I'll ever feel badly toward you,” he replied.
“Oh I'm sure you will eventually,” I told him with a chuckle. “But this kind of communication would sure let us know when to fix things.”
“That is a mature way to see it,” he said.
“Oh, I'm very mature for my age,” I replied with mock seriousness, adding a smile at the end to let him know I was kidding, just in case he still didn't get my brand of humor.
“Do you mind if I come closer again?” he asked shyly. “I miss the feeling of holding your hand. I can't seem to get enough of you.”
I slid over closer to him, tucking my arm under his. I laid my head on his shoulder and breathed in slowly. “You know, the first time we touched, when you took the cookies, I felt a shock from you. Did you feel it too?”
“You did?” he asked.
“Yeah, and then when we shook hands, I felt a tingle. I couldn't stop thinking of you afterward,” I admitted, looking up at him.
“I didn't feel anything.” He furrowed his brow and frowned. “If I had, I may have known Bonding was a possibility. I would not have kissed you then, and you would still be free of me.”
“No! That would be awful,” I said, sitting up straight, turning and staring at him. “You'd have tried to stay away from me, and I'd have never gotten to know you guys.”
He wrapped his arm around me again, inviting me to lean back into him, then squeezed my arm softly, giving me a taste of his emotions. I knew he was still glad we'd gotten to know each other, even with the complications involved. We sat in silence for a while.
My mind was spinning. I didn't fully understand my own emotions and the added feelings from him took a lot of concentration to sort it all out. I was falling for him more every second, but was afraid to let myself go completely.
“Tell me honestly what you plan to do,” I said. “I don't want to let these feelings get any stronger and then find out you are leaving tomorrow. Wouldn't it be better if we didn't let this progress?”
“Maybe.” He nodded. “You are probably right. If your feelings aren't too strong right now, it would be better for you to not see me too much.”
I felt his sorrow. What he left unsaid I translated from his emotions. He was completely in love, and no matter when we parted, he would be devastated. He didn't want to cause me any more pain or stress when he left for good if he could prevent it by causing himself the pain of early separation now.
I felt a surge of tenderness toward him. I wasn't sure if I could stand to leave him alone. Maybe I was in too deep already.
“Is there any way you could stay?” I whispered. “I know it’s selfish of me, but does Amira still need you? She has Marshal and Delilah, and Ryad seems to be completely devoted to her now.”
“I cannot break my oath to her father,” he whispered. “I vowed to keep her safe and return her home to him. I am bound by that oath. Breaking it is impossible.” The strength of his oath was apparent to me through our connection. He was torn between his duty and his desires. My heart hurt for his distress.
“I guess we'll have to see what happens.” I tried to sound up-beat. “If Shander comes here after her, you'll take care of it then. You could always take her home and come back here, right?”
“If there are still medallions.”
“For now, I guess it's enough to spend as much time with you as possible,” I whispered.
We sat there interpreting each other’s emotions until it was time for me to leave for work.
“Will you come back here after you get off?” he asked.
“Yes. I couldn’t stay away from you if I tried,” I admitted. “Just feeling the hurt you imagined if I stayed away was awful.”
A surge of joy came across our linked hands, and I returned it. He looked at me and then leaned his forehead toward mine until they touched.
“May I kiss you?” he thought.
“What will happen if you do?” I thought back with a hint of teasing.
“I don't know for sure, but I'd like to find out,” he said.
“Me too,” I agreed.
He brought his lips to mine slowly. The anticipation I felt registered with him, and then his anticipation increased. It was so exciting that I didn't really want it to end, but at the same time I was dying for the kiss to begin.
When his lips finally touched mine, I felt a hint of a shock like before, but nothing as incredible as that first time. Something from him built and grew, faster than my own feelings, but soon mine matched his, making me as excited as he was. Just as I was getting into it, I felt the strength it took him to stop the kiss. I was disappointed when he ended it and looked at him, amazed to find myself sitting on his lap. When had that happened?
“We are going to have to be extremely careful if those feelings take hold on us.” His voice was low. “We seemed to build on each other's emotions. That was almost too hard to stop.”
“I know.” I felt breathless still.
We held hands for a moment longer and then I stood up to go. Jai stood as well and gave me a hug. The warmth from him was irresistible. The next thing I knew, I was kissing him again, trying to press myself closer to his strong body.
This time it was me who put an end to the kiss. Jai groaned, sounding not quite painful, but definitely disappointed. I was soaring with the joy of my newfound power over someone as amazing as he.
Today I hated having a job. I'd always enjoyed working for my parents because the job was so flexible and pretty easy for the most part. I wished I could call in sick to work, but my parents would never let me get away with that. Especially since I wanted to spend the evening with Jai.
“I'll see you soon,” he promised.
“I know, but I really wish I didn't have to go,” I said in almost a pout.
“Me too, but we'll go do something when you get back.” He smiled, kissed me lightly on the lips, and brushed a loose strand of hair back behind my ear.
I climbed onto my bike and headed to work. While peddling away, I could still feel his presence there. I knew when he started to walk back toward his house, though I didn't turn around to watch him. Even at the end of the street and around the corner, I still knew where he was, but I could feel the strength of the connection lessening.
It never disappeared completely. I even felt aware of him at work all morning long. I didn't know for sure if he was in his house or across town. I just knew he was still here.
Chapter Fifteen
Languages
“I can't believe you are such a bad player.” Ryad joked as we played a board game in the basement. “Are you distracted today, or are you always this bad?”
I laughed. “I’d rarely win the game at home, but I think you have an unfair advantage.” Over the last few days, I had gotten more comfortable being around him. He didn’t seem like the same person who had kidnapped me from the theater.
“And what would that be?” Ryad asked, counting out the money I handed over after landing on his property with a hotel.
“You’re probably using all your freaky alien talents to beat me,” I teased.
“They’re not freaky.” Amira frowned.
“I don't really mean freaky.” I counted my remaining funds and frowned at how little I held. “It’s just that you can do things we can't do here. Who knows what you are able to do that I can't.”
“Like what?” Jai asked.
“Well, like her Visions,” I suggested. “I don't know of anyone who can do that.”
Jai rolled the dice. “There are examples of people on Earth who are able to predict what will happen, or have dreams that come true. Don't you think it is similar?”
“It's not the same,” I said. “And what about your ability to Heal others?”
“We have learned how to improve our natural abilities,” Jai said as he paid his fine to Amira. “Haven't you ever noticed when you hold a sore spot on your body or rub a stiff muscle, that you feel better by having that touch? If you studied hard, you could learn how to do it.”
“Yeah, right.” I didn't believe that at all. Doubting I would be able to argue effectively against Jai since he could feel my emotions, I turned to Ryad. “What about your ability to find other people?”
Ryad rolled the dice. “You can find Jai. It's not the same exactly, but I can feel a person’s presence when I search for them. It's similar to how you know where to find him.”
“What about you guys learning languages so fast by being around other people?” I asked.
“You have the ability to learn other languages,” he countered.
“Not that fast. It takes us forever,” I said.
Ryad looked at me. “I could teach you our language without too much effort. I would need a few days of a little more than thirty minutes at a time and your undivided attention.”
“Sure you could.” I laughed. “I could barely learn my tenth grade Spanish.”
“You could do it,” Ryad said.
“Prove it,” I said.
“You give me permission to teach you?” Ryad put his pile of play money down.
“Sure,” I agreed. “Why not.”
“I would need to touch you.” He didn't look at me, but at Jai.
I frowned.
“You are going to have to get her permission, not mine,” Jai said. Good thing he was smart enough to know that. I sent a quick flash of pride to him and felt his thank you in return.
“Of course.” Ryad turned to me. “I'm sorry. I wanted to let him know I meant you no harm.” He waited expectantly.
“Okay, you have my permission to touch me as you try to teach me your language.”
Ryad came closer to me, slid the game board to the end of the coffee table, and sat down directly in front of me. Our knees touched. “Please lean forward and place your forehead against mine,” he instructed.
I did as he asked, feeling a little awkward.
“Now put your hands in mine.”
I did and sat there quietly and waited. Nothing happened.
I smiled smugly at Ryad, and the skin around his eyes wrinkled. Then all of a sudden, all kinds of new information bombarded me. The smooth-flowing language I'd heard him speak when he first mistook me for Amira ran through my mind. Nothing made sense, just a multitude of confusion.
I was astounded when I started to recognize some of the words repeating themselves over and over, and the English translation coming with them. Before long I understood most of it. My mouth hung open, yet every time I shut it, it would drop open again as the words kept coming at me.
When it ended, Ryad let go of my hands and leaned back away from me. I dropped my hands to my sides and slumped back against the couch, my head bent forward onto my chest. I couldn't think of anything to say in response to what had just happened. I stared at Ryad and then looked to Amira and Jai.
“That happened much quicker than expected,” Ryad thought to the others.
I stared at Ryad then looked at Jai and Amira.
Jai leaned forward, peering into my eyes. “Are you alright?”
“I think so.” I nodded slightly.
“Did you understand all of that?” Amira asked, bending over with her head tilted to look at me as well.
“I don't know.” I blinked hard. “It was a lot of stuff to learn, but it started to make sense to me.”
“So what do you think of your ability to learn a foreign language in such a short time?” Ryad asked.
“Well, I heard it all,” I shrugged, “but I don't know how well I know it. I don't think I'd be able to talk to you in it.”
Jai and Amira glanced at each other, then at Ryad then they all looked back at me.
“I'm sure if you did a few more lessons like that I would have it in no time. That was pretty amazing.”
They all kept looking at me, Ryad with a wide grin. Jai’s mouth hung open in surprise, and Amira smiled down at me.
“What?” I sat up.
“You are speaking our home language right now,” Jai said.
“No, I'm not.” I shook my head. “I'm speaking English.”
“No. You are speaking Rommaderian. It may sound to you like you are speaking English, but you are speaking our language.”
“What?”
“It's true,” Amira said.
I touched my ear and asked, “Why do I hear you speaking in English, and I speak English, but you say I'm speaking Rommaderian?”
“We are speaking Rommaderian,” Jai said. “You learned our entire language.”
“The cool thing about what I just taught you is your mind is now open to the interpretation
of languages,” Ryad explained. “You are most comfortable and familiar with English, so that is your base language. Eventually you will be able to hear what another person is saying in a different language, and when you hear enough words in enough situations, you will be able to understand and speak it as well.”
“Will I start talking to my parents in Rommaderian and accidentally give you away?”
“As long as they say something first in English, you will respond in the language they are speaking. If you remember, Jai asked you the first question and he spoke Rommaderian. You heard that and knew what it meant, so the English part of your language popped up and told you what he said. Your mind responded in what you thought was your language, but it was the right language in response to what you heard.”
“Is this the way you learned it?” I looked at Jai and Amira.
“It took us longer.” Amira sighed. “Many days of intense lessons. Ramal's talent is apparently not as strong as Ryad's.”
“Well, I think Holly's mind is open to it,” Ryad said with a nod to me. “You told me how fast she picked up the telepathy and could keep her thoughts to herself so soon.”
“Wow. That is amazing.” I stared at the wall for a few minutes, running through the new words in my mind. “Do me a favor. Talk about anything in your language.”
They began talking to each other as I sat and listened.
I tried to hear the words they said. Not just the meaning, but the words themselves. It was easy to understand everything, but I listened closely and eventually picked up little sounds that made me realize I could hear a different language and even speak a different language.
After a few minutes, a huge grin spread across my face. “Well, there is one thing you can't deny now,” I said.
“What is that?” Ryad asked.
“You do have some freaky alien talents,” I said.
****
Every free moment was spent with my new friends. Mom seemed happy, but still acted a little unsure. As long as one of Jai’s parents were home, she was fine with me being over there, so I took as many opportunities to visit as possible. One afternoon I stopped by after work. Jai and Ryad were playing a game of cards on the front room coffee table, laughing and joking like they'd been friends since childhood.
Eye on Orion Page 14