"I did not." She tossed back her hair and started stuffing the remaining slave clothes into a sack. "I don't know what's wrong with you, but we have to get moving if we're going to help those women."
Gren closed his eyes as she bent over again.
"Although," she paused and straightened. "Now would be an ideal time for you to come clean."
"Excuse me?"
"I know you're either telepathic or empathic, and maybe something else."
He stared at her, wondering where the hell this was coming from. I distinctly feel a woman's presence in your mind, Lurin's words echoed in his thoughts. Then he recalled entering her dream, feeling the strong hold she had on her dreamworld reality. It appeared Temis had mental powers of her own.
"You 'know' I'm telepathic? Seems like I should be accusing you of the same."
She shook her head. "I have no such gifts. But I know you do. Don't try to deny it, Gren. There's no way you could have gotten me off Lady Justice the way you did unless you drugged me, and I know you didn't. Then there's the fact that you look in perfect physical shape despite the savage beating you took only two days past."
She waited and he knew he'd have to tell her something. She was too intelligent not to notice his differences.
Damn Sernal. Why had the peacemaker demanded Temis work with him? The situation was growing annoyingly difficult. That a Thesha had to go so far to hide his powers....
"You want to know my secrets?" Gren glared at her, pressing her mentally to accept his explanation. "I'm a telepath with strong empathic traits. I don't know why, but I've always been a fast healer. And I don't like my gifts advertised because it makes people less inclined to share information. And information is power in my line of work, but more than that, it's a lifeline."
He focused hard, harder than he should have had to, and saw her frown and reach for her temples. Sensing her pain he immediately withdrew his mindtouch, taking with it the hurt he'd caused.
Because of his nature, the pain he received tripled, and it took all of his concentration not to appear injured.
"Okay," she said slowly, staring warily at him. "I believe you." She tossed the bag of clothing at him. "Now what?"
"Now you wait while I finish my food." He cursed all peacemakers to such torture and replenished his energy with several succulent fauve fruits. Aware of her stare the entire time, he kept his attention on the food.
Once he finished, he swept the remaining fare into the bag and tossed it and her clothing bag over his shoulder. He then opened a hidden storage cabinet in the wall and pressing the necessary security keys, withdrew a long, sharp saber and scabbard.
He turned and noted the angry expression on her face.
"Missed that, did you?" he asked blandly. He shoved the blade into the scabbard and affixed it to his waist. Then he withdrew the silken leash and collar he'd hidden earlier in his pocket.
"What is that?" she asked suspiciously.
"This is your handler's way of holding onto his property." He stared at the items with disgust. "It's a common slave practice and one I've adopted because it's necessary, not out of any desire to degrade you," he added softly.
She eyed him warily, but must have sensed his aversion to the practice for she slipped the collar on without a murmur. She attached the leash and walked to him, placing the end of the strap in his hand.
"Well, handler, what are we waiting for?" Temis gave him a cocky grin before she schooled her expression into one of vague adoration. She stroked his bicep, curling her fingers over his muscle. "Let's show Reykhold your captive peacemaker."
Gren stared at her, aware at this moment that though he held the leash, she somehow held the reins.
Chapter Nine
The walk through town made Temis want to cringe every time she thought about it. Men appeared out of nowhere on the sparsely populated street, all begging to touch, to sample her delights.
Gren managed an arrogant yet frighteningly intimidating demeanor, stating boldly that he had other plans for his tasty little slave anytime asked.
Tasty little slave.
She eyed him through narrowed lashes in the private smoke-filled room, waiting on her knees docilely by his side, while his friend Ceril tried to see through her clothing.
"By Feru's balls, Gren. That is the finest set of tits I've ever seen," Ceril said, managing to conceal the drool no doubt pooling between his fat jowls. The large man made her want to cringe in embarrassment. Not only did he smell awful, but he spread his legs wide, making no effort to hide the puny erection beneath his barrel of a belly.
Gren grinned and stroked her shoulder, petting his slave before his friend. She wanted to bite his hand off. As if he sensed her turmoil, he eased his hand lower toward her breast in warning.
She immediately calmed herself and focused on Gren. She knew meeting his 'friend' Ceril hadn't been necessary, but a test to see if she could pull off her ruse. The only thing making her feel slightly better was that she could feel the open hostility lingering around Gren like full body armor.
He disliked parading her around as much as she hated it. And though he hadn't joked any more about it, she knew he wanted her with every breath he took.
She leaned closer to his touch and he moved his hand to her shoulder, letting her know he'd received the message that she was in control of herself.
Temis sat on her knees waiting for him to finish small talk with Ceril. She still didn't believe Gren's tale of being a "telepath with empathic traits." She'd never heard of a telepath being able to cause telepathy in another. And she knew for a fact she had no psychic abilities of her own. Controlling dreams was one thing. Hearing another's thoughts, feeling another's feelings, was a distinct impossibility for a woman with her background.
The fact that she still felt Gren's desire so strongly, that every now and then she heard a glimpse of his powerfully projected thoughts, captivated her imagination and she knew she would do whatever it took to learn his secrets.
When earlier he'd thought about relieving his aching arousal in town, she been enraged enough to protest. That he'd mentally heard her answer had shocked her into instant retreat. That and the fact she was jealous in the first place.
Ever since she'd shared intimacies with Gren, she'd been acting like a stranger to herself. And hearing voices, sensing his sexual desire, was more than a foreign concept. It was downright scary.
Though a strong woman, Temis had never thought she might have to face such challenges in her lifetime. Being tortured or taken hostage, forced to kill in order to preserve life, those instances she had easily imagined and come to terms with. But sharing another's thoughts?
She still couldn't be sure Gren wasn't hearing her. Yet the solid barrier she'd erected earlier in the day held fast. She'd felt his tentative probe several times along their walk but refused to yield.
A tugging pulled her attention back to Gren and she stared up at him with a hazy expression.
"She sure is beautiful," Ceril said.
"I know. But you should have seen her before I dosed her food with mernal. A peacemaker with attitude who couldn't see herself as anything but the law." Gren's full lips curved into a grin that made her catch her breath. "Of course, after a night with me she toned down quite a bit." Ceril chuckled and she wanted to bite Gren wherever she could reach him. As if a night with him had tamed her. Ha. "And with the drug, well, my friend, let's just say there's a core of fire running through her blood."
He trailed a hand over her nipple and a burst of heat exploded in her core. Stunned, she couldn't contain a moan of pleasure, and saw Ceril fairly leap out of his chair.
"You're sure you have to leave now? Just an hour with her, Gren. Okay, a half hour. Ten minutes?"
The man pleaded but to no avail.
"Sorry, Ceril. Those peacemakers are breathing down my neck. I guarantee the minute I leave here they'll be on me. No. Better I get her safely aboard the shuttle and gone before they come after you for helping me."
C
eril nodded dejectedly. "Good point. But damn me, she's got me so ready.... Carrna, come here, girl!" he called to a pleasurer lingering outside the small room. "Good luck, Gren. And let me know how things turn out."
Gren waved and stood, careful to wait until Temis stood with him. The leash between them wasn't very long, and could easily hurt her as tight as the collar felt. Once she'd attached the leash to it, the collar had tightened to automatically cinch her neck. Made of Nebe silk, it didn't pinch, but it left little room to escape.
"Come, love," Gren cajoled as he pulled her toward him. She stared straight at him, conscious of Ceril's moans behind her. She couldn't help a blush, nor the niggle of irritation at hearing Gren chuckle.
He took her with him out a side exit and immediately guided her into the darkened portion of the alley away from the main street. Pressing her into the steel wall of the building, he ground his iron hard arousal against her belly.
"What--" she whispered before his lips closed over hers. Immediately a wave of desire hit her with such intensity it knocked her knees from under her. Only Gren's firm grasp kept her upright against the wall.
"Don't move," he growled against her mouth. "The peacemakers are at the end of the alley waiting to take you from me. Just go along with me to distract them."
"Are you sure this is all for their sake?" she asked in a soft, breathy voice, angry that he so easily stoked her passion. "I don't think--"
"Yes, sura," he said softly and thrust against her, giving her the full feel of his growing cock. "But I admit it pleasures me as well." He nuzzled her neck and the need to come burst through her as heat welled in her center.
She began moaning and pressing closer to him as he pumped against her belly. Odd sensations filled her mind, visions of intimacies with Gren so shocking they could only have come from him.
Definitely more than a telepath, she thought as she exploded into orgasm, right there in a public alleyway still wearing what little clothes she'd been given. Before she could say anything Gren left her sagging against the wall.
She dazedly stared at the scene before her, not sure any of it was real. Gren fought two peacemakers, whom she recognized as Rorn's men, taking both men down with ease. He used his bare hands to disable both peacemakers before leaving them in a heap on the ground.
He turned to her and she saw a ferocious glow in his eyes, a blazing green light that called to someplace deep within her.
Then he blinked and returned to her side.
"Are you alright?" he asked in a husky voice.
"Just fine," she answered before yanking his head to hers and sealing their mouths with an aggression that surprised her.
He tasted so sweet, so full of life and energy. She thrust her tongue inside his mouth and heard him groan. She needed to feel him, to touch the very center of his being.
Reaching between them she burrowed her hands into his trousers, sighing when her palms closed around his turgid length.
"No, Temis," he gasped and pressed helplessly into her. "No time," he whispered as she began pumping his cock.
"Yes, Gren," she said as she stroked him, sending back the images she'd recently viewed. She felt him harden further, his warmth burning through her palms and making her wish for closer contact. "Now's the perfect time," she purred and fastened her mouth to his.
She couldn't explain her desperate need to touch him, to bring him to the edge of desire and further. But touching him was like a drug, addicting as it pushed her higher and higher. She was conscious of nothing besides his pleasure.
His large hands grasped her shoulders as if to push her away, but instead he held her tight as she primed him, readying his climax.
"Oh, sura, I can't take any more," he groaned and spilled into her hands. He tensed as warm cream filled her palms and she smoothed it over his aching shaft. She fondled his sack, sucking on his tongue and felt him shoot a second time over her hands.
Then a burst of energy filled her, a joyous flare of power that made her feel stronger and more alive than she'd ever felt before in her life.
She opened her eyes and stared at Gren's harsh face thrown back in bliss. He seemed to glow, his body bathed in a preternatural light that lit the alleyway.
His breathing was unsteady when he finally opened his eyes, and his fathomless black gaze pulled her until their souls seemed to touch.
She must have blacked out, for the next thing she knew, she laid in a small cabin aboard a foreign vessel. As she sat up, she wavered, lightheaded yet in no way pained.
Gren's voice floated to her from another part of the ship, and as soon as she regained her footing she joined him in the small cockpit of what looked like a shuttle-fighter hybrid, a Mornian craft judging from the steel construction around her.
"Hello," Gren greeted her with a husky voice, his eyes lingering on her breasts before lighting on her face. "Feeling better?"
"I feel amazing," she admitted and sat next to him in the only other seat available in the narrow room. She stared at him hungrily, confused and yet wanting him again. "Did you drug me?" she asked bluntly, needing an answer for her odd desire.
He gave her a sharp glance. "No. Why? Do you feel ill?" He set the autopilot and turned to her.
"Not ill, exactly," she hedged. How the hell was she supposed to tell him she still lusted after him without feeling extremely foolish? This made no sense.
"Tell me, sura." His voice sounded strange, an odd echoing of slightly different pitches, and she found herself nodding, content that her answer would soothe the ache inside.
"I can't stop wanting you." Saying it out loud lifted a giant burden off her chest. "What I did in that alleyway." She paused. "I've never done before. In public! I can't believe I did that." She stared into his eyes, the deep green of his gaze darkening with desire, and she felt herself grow wet. "Gren, what's happening to me?"
She licked her lips and saw his eyes narrow on the movement. "I feel hot everywhere, but at the same time I feel powerful, full of energy."
He frowned and closed his eyes.
At once the greedy want within her faded, replaced by a soothing need to sleep. Her concern left her and she blinked up at Gren tiredly.
"Sorry, sura. I should have realized you needed rest."
He gently drew her to her feet and led her to the bed at the rear of the ship. His gaze was shuttered as he lowered her to the blankets and tenderly tucked her inside.
With a soft kiss to her forehead, he whispered, "Pleasant dreams."
* * * *
He stared at her in concern and bafflement, not able to understand what Temis experienced. In all his years, he'd never seen a woman so affected by Theshan bliss. Nor had he ever been so absorbed in a female. It was as if she were Thesha and he her hapless prey.
Shaking his head, he sat beside her on the bed, trying to piece together the puzzle.
All day he'd been trying to read her thoughts and been rejected each time. Only with Ceril distracting her had he glimpsed a hint of her troubled feelings, and of her disturbing ability to read him.
Wanting to exert control over her, he'd sent her a wave of sensual energy, more than pleased when she'd responded.
Then outside in the alleyway, he'd initially thought to use her to distract the peacemakers after them. Knowing Temis, he decided to avoid an argument and used his gift to bring her to a quick and satisfying orgasm. He hadn't counted on the effect her pleasure would have on him.
Once the peacemakers had been dealt with, she'd sucked him into her bliss with an aggressiveness that shook him. That a virgin's hands could still his common sense, could bring him such ease unnerved him.
And then to watch her absorb his energy! He'd stared in astonishment as Temis bathed in wainu, then glowed with his energy. Thankfully she'd passed out and didn't seem to understand what had occurred.
More and more around her, his Theshan abilities were being brought into the open. How foolish he'd been to take pleasure with her in an open alleyway where anyon
e could have witnessed the energy transference. Yet he'd been helpless to refuse her. Once in her grasp, he'd been her willing puppet.
Grimacing at the remembrance, he tried to recall any history of similar occurrences between Theshas and their partners. The few mated Theshas he'd met experienced a mental and spiritual joining, but he didn't think the women had ever absorbed their lovers' energy.
Gren swept a lock of golden hair from Temis' face, fascinated by the silken texture. Sitting so near her wasn't smart, but at least unconscious she presented much less a threat to his sanity.
Though aroused, he felt a distinct tenderness for the spirited woman lying under his protection. And that fast, he realized he was beginning to feel deeper emotions for her. Admiration mixed with frustration, sexual attraction with a genuine caring. He stood abruptly, eyes wide, as he realized the danger she presented.
Once again he saw his future spiraling out of control. A master Thesha, a skilled warrior felled by an erotic, young woman at odds with herself. He strode from her side in dismay at how out of sorts he felt.
Swearing aloud, he moved as far from Temis as possible and signaled Mara's Light from the ship's controls. Catam answered and Gren waited while he fetched Lurin, in no mood for the smart-mouthed Xema.
"Lurin here."
"It's Gren." Pass this information to Catam and have him send it to Sernal right away.
He shared the information he'd gathered with Lurin and gave his friend his ship's identifiers, should Lurin need to get in touch with him.
Gren? You don't sound right.
He shook his head. It's nothing. Just a woman I can't understand.
He heard Lurin's whistle of delight. Now that's something new. Rumor has it she's gorgeous. Go figure. You and a peacemaker. Must be fate.
Laughter was the last thing Gren needed right now. Just make sure Sernal knows I'll get him the where when I know more.
Now don't go away mad, Lurin teased. Sernal passed along he has proof of Rorn's involvement. But he doesn't have enough yet to put the bastard away for good. Rorn needs to be caught in the act at the sale. That's the only way to get around Fenhal's lofty contacts in the peacemaker realm.
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