by Jenny Foster
“We need to get out of here,” she said to Shazuul, expecting him to welcome the news with gladness. Instead, he tilted his head to the side and his little eyes looked at her in reprimand. “What?” she snapped, reacting to the unspoken accusation. “I will never let anyone tell me how to live my life, not even the man I love. Especially not the man I love.”
The silence that followed was strangely meaningful. Cat was irritated for a few seconds by the amused sparkle in the Sethari’s eyes, until she understood why he was so amused. “Damn it all,” she cried, “I cannot believe that I really said that. Fine. You are right. I love him.” That seemed to satisfy him, but not quite. “What else?” Cat sighed softly and look at him quizzically.
“Talon not himself,” Shazuul said haltingly.
“I know,” Cat said and made a face. “He thinks the air here is making him emotional. I think it’s more likely that the bond between us has clouded his judgment.”
“Not everything,” Shazuul said. For the love of God, it really was difficult to understand what he was really trying to say in his short little sentences – if you could even call them that. If it weren’t so exhausting to communicate with him in her thoughts, she would limit herself to that mode of communication.
“Are you trying to say that there is something else that has changed him? How do you know?” Cat’s heart started to race as she wondered what it could be. Shazuul said nothing. He seemed to be searching for the right words. He made an impatient gesture with his snout at her head, and she felt him knocking at the door – even though his request to enter was more like a fist banging on a closed door. She shrugged. “Fine, but just for a moment. You do realize that it really tires me out when you walk around in my brain, right?” He nodded, and before she could open herself all the way, he was inside her head.
Cat noticed the change right away. He had seemed strong to her when he had forced her to come to him out in the snowstorm, but that was nothing compared to the mental power that was in him now. He was practically vibrating with strength and energy, an energy that seemed strangely familiar to her. Then she understood, and her knees went soft. She could feel the small amount of energy that Shazuul had taken from her earlier. There were so many things she didn’t know - things nobody had told her. Or maybe these were things even her former colleagues from the Mind Reader Academy didn’t have a clue about? Shazuul seemed to feel that the overflowing power that was emanating from him was too much for her, because he dampened this… how could she describe it… vibrating glow that surrounded his thoughts a little.
Cat could feel that he wanted to show her something, and nodded. In a flow of feelings and images and smells and sounds, he sent her his memories from the time when he had been in Talon’s head. Cat became dizzy. This was overwhelmingly intense, as if Shazuul experienced the world with senses that were a thousand times more sensitive and receptive than her own. It was hard for her to not lose herself in the many sensations that Shazuul experienced when he jumped into someone else’s head. She wondered if this had anything to do with the way in which he took in nutrition. Then, as if Shazuul realized what was happening to her, she felt a slight pull at her attention, as if he were telling her to concentrate. With a sigh of regret, Cat turned away from what was coming at her, and focused on what Shazuul wanted to show her. And there it was, hardly noticeable, but present, nonetheless. Another consciousness. One that had no reason to be in Talon’s head. She held her breath and tried to see if she could recognize the person’s signature. Unfortunately, since she was seeing the memory from Shazuul’s vantage point, she was unable to recognize who it was. Every time she thought she recognized something, the feeling went away again. Then, just as quickly as he had jumped into her head, Shazuul said goodbye and she was alone again.
Strange. She had really thought that she was alone. Not just “herself again” but actually alone, like being lonely and deserted. On top of that, Cat realized with surprise that she didn’t feel weakened. Quite the opposite, because Shazuul had given her back some of the energy that he had taken from her earlier. This surprising realization would have to wait until later. Right now, the main thing was finding out who had dug into Talon’s head and why.
Cat pointed to the blankets, and Shazuul scooted over, so she could slip in next to him. “You don’t know who it was, do you?” Actually, the question wasn’t necessary, because he had already showed her the answer, so she wasn’t surprised when he shook his head. “But you think someone is influencing him?”
“Definitely,” Shazuul responded and looked at her intently. “Someone like you.”
Cat noticed that the color was draining from her face. Shazuul touched her carefully with his snout, trying in an attempt to calm her down, but also in question. “Mind Reader?”
“You know them?” It shouldn’t have surprised Cat that the Sethari knew her former colleagues, since his own abilities were so well developed, and because he had never let her out of his sight. Shazuul nodded and managed somehow to attach an expression of reluctance to that nod, but then he shook his head.
“Shazuul and Mind Readers old acquaintances,” he said. The phrase “old acquaintances” sounded like a mantra he had repeated over and over. “This here... different. Hard to grasp. Fast. Faster than Shazuul.”
“Slow down,” Cat begged her new friend. “Someone snuck into Talon’s head. Someone who is quicker and better than you.” Shazuul was the best and fastest mind traveler she had ever met. So, if the person inside Talon’s head was stronger than him, then there was little hope of chasing him or her out of Talon’s head by force, but she had not arrived at all of her conclusions yet. “And this someone is influencing Talon in a way that he – well, what? Fights with me and separates from me? That he reacts more emotionally than usual?” Shazuul nodded, but his nod carried a question with it. How was he able to express so much with one gesture? “I think someone is trying to break us up. The only question is if that person cares about me or Talon.”
Talking with Shazuul had a near meditative quality to it. The Sethari’s presence definitely helped her think more clearly.
“There are the Krak, who want to take their revenge on Talon’s king.” She held up one finger. “Then there are my former colleagues, the Mind Readers. They have it out for me.” Two fingers. She thought for a bit. “Tell me… why did you show up at exactly that moment, even though you had stayed in the background for all those years?” A hint of mistrust went through her head. That really was a strange coincidence.
“Cat fine on her own,” he said in fragments. “Long time. Not now. Now Shazuul helps. The Krak – dangerous. Not trust. Talon’s king – worse. Much worse.”
“How do you know all of that?” Cat secretly thought that it was a little creepy how much the Sethari knew.
“Shazuul good observer,” the Sethari said proudly. “But now Talon. Important. Not separate.” Cat didn’t realize how relieved she was until he was done speaking. She had made a spur-of-the-moment decision, had fought with her beloved and had provoked him – and now they would make up again. It was just strange that she herself hadn’t reached that conclusion. It had taken Shazuul to show her the right path.
“One problem,” the Sethari interrupted her thoughts. Cat’s mood had improved dramatically at the thought of making up with her beloved, but now it was sinking to an almost new low. Not another problem, she prayed in the depths of her soul. The weight resting on her shoulders right now was more than enough.
“Talon no trust. Talon not alone.”
Okay, that was one thing she hadn’t thought of. Whoever the person was who had nested in Talon’s head, they came and went there as they pleased. Cat didn’t know if that person was always there, or… wait a minute. She closed her eyes and tried to bring her racing thoughts to order. Other than the Mind Readers, who were limited to reading someone else’s thoughts, and the mind travelers who could cover long distances to the “object” in a split second, there were also the mind twis
ters. If mind travelers were unusual, then you could say that mind twisters were extremely rare among those who could read thoughts. Cat had never had a deep relationship with those whom she had met, and for good reason. Most of them were twisted creatures who entertained themselves with creating the most perverse illusions in the heads of the innocent. Hadn’t she herself thought about mind twisters the first time she had been in Shazuul’s head? If her beloved really was under the influence of a true mind twister, then they needed to be extremely careful. Talon would not be able to tell the difference between reality and an illusion, or between his own perceptions and foreign, implanted feelings.
The next thought shocked her. Talon’s feelings for her – were they even real, or had someone forced feelings of love for her on him? She cursed softly for never having spent much time learning more about the mind twisters. Cat had always been satisfied knowing that she could recognize the dark work of a mind twister, without having to ask about their mechanisms or procedures. That would have to change now.
“What do you suggest? Is there a way for us to chase the stranger out?” She grimaced. “I know it sounds a lot like an exorcism, but you know what I mean.” And that was true. It seemed like Shazuul didn’t need to read her thoughts to know what was going on inside her.
“Better not. Wait for him to show himself.” This was the most complete sentence she had heard coming out of his mouth yet. She grinned.
“It won’t be easy,” she added. “Talon hates you, or should I say: The mind twister in him hates you. He barely has himself under control, and if he really wants to kill you, he will make it happen, sooner or later.” Shazuul nodded, looking exceptionally unhappy.
“Shazuul leave. Not far. Always here. Talon and the other…” he searched for the right words.
I understand. You want to give him a false sense of security until we know what his plans are, and then we move in. The only question is how we will know when the time is right, and then there are the Krak.” She thought about it. “Can you communicate with me, even from a certain distance?” Shazuul’s answer consisted of a confident smile. It took a lot of the burden off Cat. A plan started to emerge in her head. “This is what we will do. I will tell Talon about the Krak and that we need to go into the city, because we will be able to make contact with his king more easily there. In the end, we want to lure him to Earth, so he will receive his just punishment, right?” She could still see the images of the Krak woman dying. They still echoed inside of her and prevented her from feeling any sympathy for Ferthoris. “That should give us enough time to find out who the mind twister is and what he wants. At the same time, I will be keeping my promise to the Krak.” She remembered that Shazuul had warned her about the fish creature, so she looked at him. “You think they are up to something else, don’t you?”
“Be careful. Stay vigilant.” That was all that Shazuul said. Then he got up, shook the warm blankets from himself and looked at her one last time. Shazuul always there. Not forget.”
A lump started to form in her throat, and Cat swallowed. “I won’t forget, don’t worry. You, neither.” Was she seeing things, or had a treacherous look just flashed in Shazuul’s eyes. Before she could figure it if she had been mistaken, however, he turned around abruptly and left the room. The sound of the library door falling shut echoed in her head for a long time.
Cat was alone once more.
Chapter 6
Not long after Cat had left, Talon started to feel calmer. Calm enough, at least, to wonder what the hell was going on with him. These horrible mood swings needed to stop as soon as possible, before his life derailed completely. To achieve that, he needed to get out of here right away.
He would not leave without Cat though. She was his companion, whether she wanted it to be true or not. If necessary, he would throw her over his shoulder, get on the nearest ship and flee Earth’s poisonous atmosphere once and for all. He didn’t enjoy the thought of himself, Talon Delkhari, fleeing from anything, but if he wanted to have a happy life with Cat, then he had no choice. He would do anything to have a chance at that life.
He heard a soft knock and Cat entered the room. He was more than surprised. He had secretly counted on her holing up in her favorite corner by the romance novels, until he came to her and asked for forgiveness. Even better. She looked worried, and even a little contrite, but one thing in particular gave him hope: she was alone. The damned Sethari was nowhere in sight. Could it be that she had taken his words to heart, and had picked him over Shazuul?
The looked at each other for a minute. It felt like an eternity. Then they took a step, and another, and finally she practically flew into his arms. “Let’s get out of here,” she whispered. The fabric of his shirt became wet, and her voice sounded strangled. He couldn’t see her face, since she was buried in his chest, so he gently raised her face to his.
“It was unbearable without you,” she whispered haltingly. She was telling the truth. The bond between them told him as much. Words were not necessary between them, he thought, and admitted to himself that he was immensely relieved to feel her. Without her, he was incomplete. She stretched a little until her lips met his. The sweetness of her kiss took his breath away, and now that nothing was standing between them anymore, Talon wondered how he could ever have considered leaving her. Had he really forced her to choose between him and Shazuul. That had been really dumb, he thought, and completely unnecessary. Deep inside, he knew that he and Cat belonged together. Something that had been a hard and icy lump in his chest, melted under the tenderness of her touch, and he started to feel a little more like himself. Talon pulled Cat closer to him and it felt like their bodies had been waiting for this one moment to explode. He threw his arms around her, and at the same time, she put her arms around his neck. It was, he thought in astonishment, like perfect choreography in which there was no hesitation, just trust that the partner was ready to take up the motion and to continue it. His heart raced, but not because he was heading into battle, and the predator inside him purred, growled, and sighed with lust.
Cat pressed herself against him. Her fingers slid down, pulling at his shirt. Impatiently, he pulled it over his head and enjoyed watching Cat’s eyes roam over his naked chest. As if she had been hypnotized, she stretched out her hand and ran her fingertips over his muscles. Then she stepped back, her eyes sparkling, and undressed painfully slowly under his burning gaze. He was tempted to help her, but it was lustful torture to watch her undress.
Within seconds, she was standing naked in front of him. It was a sight that filled him with awe and thanksgiving for his fickle fate. Had he really ever considered delivering her into Ferthoris’ hands? He pushed any thoughts about his king quickly to the side. Cat sank to the floor. She didn’t even seem to notice how cold the scratched hardwood floor was, or maybe she didn’t care. The tips of her breasts were hard and so stiff that they were practically begging him to take them in his mouth. He did just that, after removing his annoying pants. She strained her breasts to him provocatively, but it was the look in her eyes, so trusting and yet filled with a certain wildness, that went deeper than anything else, and made his predator growl. He swore to himself that he would never let anyone hurt Cat. He would rather die.
As gently as his lion would permit, he entered her. She spread her legs and took him in without hesitation. She closed her eyes, and at first he thought he might be hurting her, but then she arched her back, taking him even further in, and he relented. He saw her lids flutter, and her mouth twist in helpless, complete surrender.
Cat loved him. He was sure of that now. The relief, and the absence of dark doubts, made him moan softly, until he finally let himself fall completely.
Later, much later, they had risen and gone to Cat’s favorite spot. They hadn’t done much more than put on their shirts and had snuggled under the blankets. Cat was lying relaxed in his arms. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was regular, but he could tell from the movement under her sweet, almost see-through l
ids that she wasn’t sleeping. “Let’s really get out of here,” he said into the relaxed silence.
Cat smiled without opening her eyes. “Immediately, if it were up to me, but there is something I need to tell you.” She sat up. Her bare shoulders were much too small, almost bony. Talon thought the light brown speckles on them were adorable. He sat up and lowered his mouth to a gathering of these little dots that looked like an unknown solar system. In this moment, it seemed to him that every single one of these dots were a promise of their happy future together.
“The Krak, right?” Talon had known that this sober moment would come and listened without stopping what he was doing.
“So, you promised them that you,” he stopped and corrected himself quickly, “that we will lure Ferthoris to Earth, so they can take their revenge on him.”
“I would call that an accurate summary.” Her tone contradicted her flippant words. “You have to understand,” she began, but Talon covered her mouth with a new kiss. He just couldn’t get enough of her, and of the taste of her on his lips.
“Don’t forget that I was there,” he said with a raw voice. It seemed just like yesterday to Talon. Had the moment when he had cut the helpless Krak woman’s throat marked the beginning of his rebellion? The point when he had stopped being unconditionally loyal to Ferthoris in his thoughts and actions?
“Does that mean that you aren’t angry at me?” Her voice trembled slightly.
“Cat,” he said, saying her name purposefully, “my Cat. The Earth awakens the worst in me, but if I am angry, it definitely isn’t at you. How could I be angry at the wind that blows a kernel of sand into my eye, or at the sun when it burns my skin? You can never think that. If it is necessary for us to lure the king to Earth, so the Krak can have their revenge on him,” he swallowed, “then that is how it has to be.”
Her eyes showed so much of what she was feeling. He would have been happy to just lose himself in them for the rest of his days. “Do you have any ideas for how we can make that happen?” she asked. Something darted through her eyes. It was a feeling he couldn’t exactly put his finger on. It had disappeared so quickly that Talon thought he must have been mistaken.