Rainscape

by Jaye Roycraft

  Come, now. Is that any way to greet someone whose help you profess to so badly need?

  Damn! She turned around slowly and focused her gaze on the place she knew him to be. First she didn’t see him, hidden in the shadows as he was, but she kept staring until he stepped forward into the light. She removed her hood, preferring to look at him eye to eye.

  Rayn walked toward her with a slow, easy gait and followed her into the shade. He ran a hand through his dark hair, but it fell stubbornly back into his face as it always did. He finally looked at her, but said nothing, waiting. His eyes were narrowed to golden sparks, and Dina noticed deep creases between the thick brows. No smile curved the sensuous mouth, not even one of arrogant amusement.

  Why did he have to be this way? Well, two could play. Her mental guards were raised, but she wondered if they were of any use against a dens. Her guards, her psychic shield, was nothing more than the programming of her own mind, reinforced by practice over the years. Her shield had served her well, but she had never tested it against a creature of this power. She simply didn’t know if she’d be able to protect herself from unwanted energy of the magnitude a dens could generate.

  “Thank you for meeting me,” she said in her most professional tone.

  “Let’s not go through this again. Why did you insist on seeing me?” he asked, without preamble.

  “Why? You know why.”

  “I told you I can’t help you. And you obviously think of me as little higher than an slug on the evolutionary scale. That doesn’t leave much, except curiosity. The non-dens are always curious.”

  His stubbornness was aggravating, but as an enforcement agent, she was used to dealing with aggravating humans. Except that she didn’t know how human he was. “I’m curious, but that’s not why I wanted to see you, and you know it.”

  “Forgive me. Yes, I do know why you sent for me. Because I can touch you in a way no one else can.” One brow hitched upwards, as if his own words surprised him.

  Dina was surprised as well. Honesty was the last thing she expected from a dens. She didn’t try to deny his statement. “And you? Why did you come? At our first meeting you told me I have nothing you need.” She wondered how truthfully he’d answer this time.

  He cast his gaze away from her face and ran his hand through his hair again. His eyes studied the knurled, ashen rock behind her, then flicked back to her. “I have my reasons.”

  So much for honesty, she thought, with renewed bitterness.

  “So you want the truth? Tell me, whose truth do you want, yours or mine?” Rayn’s expression hardened, and his eyes seem to glitter. “You see me as a creature driven by the need to control, possessing powers the extent of which you can’t understand and have no defense against. Therefore I’m nothing but a calculating beast to you, capable of committing any and all crimes, including murder and mayhem. That’s the truth as you see it. Am I right?”

  The venom in Rayn’s tirade caught Dina off guard, but its content was surprisingly close to her true feelings for the dens. So close she couldn’t bring herself to deny it. “Yes, you’re right. But it’s not just my truth. Your description of the dens has been borne out in documented events time and time again.”

  “‘Documented events.’ Tell me, does so much hate and distrust on your part stem from your reading or viewing of ‘documented events?’”

  “No, of course not. Any feelings I have regarding the dens stem from personal experiences.”

  “Ah, I see. Then that, of course, justifies your feelings. Aside from myself, have you ever even met a dens?”

  Gods, but he was aggravating. “No.” She bent down and picked up a small black, metallic rock. “But I don’t have to stand in a meteorite shower to know where this came from.”

  “Answer one question. If it’s ‘no,’ then you and I can both get on our skimmers and go our respective ways, with no reason to ever see each other again. Are you willing to learn ‘truth’ from another point of view? Mine?”

  Her eyes locked with his as she contemplated her answer. The gold sparks became molten, trapping her, holding her, as if, in letting go, she would be carried on a current to a place she had never been. She shuddered and looked away, afraid his eyes could compel her even if his mind didn’t.

  She considered his words. Gone was the cool facade he had shown her inside Sanctuary. The passion in his voice now betrayed a deep need. Good, she thought. He wanted something from her. She knew it. Dina knew what she wanted. Perhaps a bargain could be struck after all. She swung her eyes back to his.

  “‘Truth.’ Don’t make me laugh. You didn’t meet me here to be understood. I say again, dens, what do you want of me? Why did you come here?”

  Rayn laughed, and the echo that rebounded off the rocks seemed to mock her. “You are afraid of me. Don’t deny it again.”

  “And what would I be afraid of?”

  “Touching my mind.” The mouth, as quickly as it had exploded in laughter, settled back into a sensuous curve.

  “For me to touch your mind would be sheer stupidity. Common sense is not fear.”

  “Then we are at an impasse, are we not? As I said, we have no reason to continue this meeting.” He took a step away from her, as if to leave.

  She couldn’t let him go. Not without getting what she wanted. “Yes, we do. You can answer the damn question. What do you want?”

  “I want you in my head.” The sound of his voice was more a purr than words.

  She could feel her own blood. It raced through her body, thundering in her ears, flushing her skin. “No.”

  “That’s the deal. Take it or not.”

  “What will you do for me in return?”

  “I’ll cooperate with your investigation. I’ll give you access to Sanctuary and to my men for questioning.”

  The reality of his ‘deal’ slapped at her. She took two steps backward and felt the smooth, wind-ravaged rock press against her back. She hadn’t anticipated this. Inside the mind of a dens. She’d been lying when she told him she wasn’t afraid. Could he sense her fear? Surely he must, as fear was the most easily detected of all emotions.

  “Well?” A small smile tugged at a corner of his mouth.

  The bastard was enjoying her discomfort. Hell, he was probably getting high off her fear. She wouldn’t back down. She wouldn’t go running back to Aeternus with her tail between her legs. If she did, she would have gained nothing but humiliation.

  “How do I know you won’t try to compel me or destroy part of my mind?”

  “You don’t.”

  “You sure know how to sweeten a deal,” she said, a mock smile on her lips.

  He arched his brows. The gesture widened his eyes, making them appear warm and harmless, and his smile grew to match the openness of his gaze. The experience will be sweet enough.

  She closed her eyes and shivered. A dark part of her soul found the Voice seductive, and an equally dark part of her consciousness yearned to touch the mind that could generate such a Voice. She had to do it. She had no choice if she were to get what she wanted.

  “All right. But in return, you let me interview the ex-miners in your band. You give me access to Sanctuary, and you give me the cooperation I ask for. And if you do anything to mess with my mind, so help me, I’ll find a way to bring you down.”

  “Agreed,” he said mildly. He paused, his features relaxing a little. “Tell me exactly to what degree your ability extends. Tell me also if you’ve ever . . . interacted with anyone else who has the ability—not a dens, I know, but perhaps another telepath.”

  She took a deep breath. This was something she simply hadn’t discussed before. “I’ve probed minds, never deeply, just enough to pick up thoughts . . . well, emotions really, that are close to the surface. I’ve never interacted with another telepath, have never received anyone
else until I heard you in the mine.”

  He raised one eyebrow. After a moment he replied. “Come. There’s more to Kathedra Kap than I’ve shown you.” Rayn circled the outcropping and led the way to a good sized cavern, its entrance cleverly hidden by the shade of a large overhang.

  Inside, Rayn removed his tunic, again revealing a cooling vest over his otherwise bare chest. His tanned skin stood out in sharp contrast to the white diamond pattern of the vest, and Dina could see curls of silky dark chest hair both above and below the front edges of the vest. Snug fitting trousers were tucked into the soft heather boots.

  Dina felt the wash of heat to her already sun-warmed face as her body reacted to the physical attraction her mind had been trying to deny since her first meeting with Rayn. She was thankful for the disguising spots of sunburn on her cheeks and nose, and just as quickly despaired, realizing the futility of hiding anything from this creature, even traitorous thoughts that she buried as deep as she could.

  As Dina stripped off her outer weather suit as well, Rayn went to the back of the cave where several cooler units were recessed into the floor and returned with packaged cleansers and drinking water. He tossed her several of the packets and handed her a large bottle of water.

  This is dangerous, she said to herself over and over. She knew she should simply get up, put her suit back on, and leave. It would be the smart thing to do. But even as she told herself there was still time to escape, she picked up one of the packets and tore it open.

  Her thoughts were directing her to put a stop to this, but her body seemed strangely detached, as if it had a mind of its own, and she mirrored Rayn’s motions of rubbing the cold cleansing cloths over her exposed skin. The cloths, with their scented cleansers, removed the stickiness from her body and refreshed her with the clean fragrance of mint, but she still felt as hot as when she had been sitting outside the kap. Pulls of the cold water quenched her thirst, but did little to cool her.

  “Sit here,” he commanded, motioning to the cushions against one wall. Dina obeyed, her heart pounding. Time was running out. She occupied herself with adjusting the cushion just so, and making herself as comfortable as possible. Rayn sat next to her, facing her. He looked at her and waited until she met his gaze. Time was up.

  “Lesson number one. To be close to me is very dangerous.”

  As hot as she was, a tiny shiver bit the back of her neck and skittered down her spine, like a newly hatched creature. Born of fear, or something else? Was he probing her mind, or merely picking up her thoughts? She had not felt his mind touch hers. “I know that.”

  She was close enough to him to inhale the cool mint of the cleansing cloths he had just used, and she realized the sharp fragrance was the scent she had detected during their previous meetings. Cool mint mingled with hot male flesh. It was as intoxicating as sweet mocava laced with Cygian brandy.

  “No, you don’t. You don’t know what I’m capable of. I could burn you in less than a minute without even touching you physically.”

  “Burn?”

  One corner of his mouth cocked, almost imperceptibly. “That’s what we call it. It can happen on either the sending or receiving end. You’ve probably never probed anyone deeply enough to experience it. The mildest is a kind of sensory or emotional overload and produces involuntary physical responses, no permanent damage. More severe burns can cause loss of memory, insanity, a catatonic state, or death. Those more experienced aren’t as susceptible to burn because they’ve learned how to handle the feedback. You, as a novice, would burn very quickly. If you were smart, you’d put your weather suit back on and leave now.”

  “Are you trying to scare me, or just trying to absolve yourself of any responsibility if I’m injured?”

  “I take full responsibility for whatever happens. I just want you to be aware of all the possibilities, good and bad.”

  “A dens taking responsibility. That’s good. All right. I understand that this is everything I’ve been trained to avoid, but you saved my life. I suppose it wouldn’t make sense to hurt me now.”

  The corners of his mouth lifted in a wry smile, noticeable this time. “Are you saying you trust me?”

  “Hardly. Get on with it.”

  “It’s a beginning, but you are going to have to trust me enough to obey my commands.” It was an order, not a question.

  Annoyed, she nodded nevertheless. “Tell me what you want me to do.”

  “First, there’s one more danger, perhaps the greatest of all, that I should warn you about. Thus far, with the exception of the two of us in the mine when you were trapped, all you’ve experienced is the cold touch. One-way communication. The hot touch, two-way communication, done with the wrong partner can be a horrible experience. It’s like an invasion, a kind of rape. The hot touch done with the right partner, on the other hand, is supreme ecstasy, for there’s no more intimate experience in the galaxy.”

  He paused and closed his eyes.

  She drew a ragged breath, and tried not to think about the ache that had been building since he sat down next to her.

  His eyes opened and speared hers. “I’m not quite so arrogant to believe I would be such a partner for you, given your distaste for me, but it’s something to be aware of. The hot touch, with the right partner, can create a bond which is nearly impossible to break, and if broken, has devastating consequences. As I’m here illegally and you’ll be leaving as soon as your investigation is complete, our chances . . .”

  “Never mind the rest. I’m not about to bond with a dens. Can we just do this?”

  He reached out a hand to her face, but she reared back.

  His fingers froze, but he didn’t pull back from her. “You’re going to have to let me touch you. The physical contact makes the mental connection easier for novices.”

  She glared at him, but eased her head back toward him. His fingers moved again, lightly tracing the frame of her face until his fingertips rested at her temple. Dina shivered at the light touch but didn’t move.

  “You’ll have to touch my face as well,” he breathed.

  She raised her right hand and skated the tips of her fingernails along his cheek.

  “Touch me, Dina.”

  She tilted her hand, the palm as well as the pads of her fingertips pressing against his skin. The physical reaction was immediate. She tried to jerk her hand away, but he whipped his free hand up and held it over hers, preventing her retreat.

  It was like nothing she had ever felt. His skin was hot, and yet she felt a cool breeze flow over her hand and along her arm, a breeze that carried cool blue sparks with it. The sparks landed on her and pricked her with a taunting heat that was almost painful. A chill ran through her, but at the same time, she felt warm, about to break out in a sweat.

  Her hand twitched under his, sudden fear like a lit match in her palm, ready to burn her.

  Trust me. Gently he wrapped her hand in his and brought it to his temple, forcing her palm back against his skin. Relax.

  The tension in her body eased as she obeyed the gentle, compelling command, and she realized what she was feeling. His aura. She had never felt an aura like his before. Her own had always been nothing more than visualization. Power that could produce an aura detectable by the senses generated fear, but her fear was held in abeyance by his will. The ache that started forming deep inside her intensified, and it was all she could do to keep from shaking. What was happening to her? She hadn’t even started probing him yet.

  “You can feel me, can’t you?” His question was a feather, borne to her on the cool blue wind. He released her hand, and this time her trembling fingers stayed put.

  She knew what he meant, and there was no point in denying it. It was all she could do to nod.

  “I’m impressed. Not many can, even this near to me. You know what it is.” The statement was soft, but there was
no hint of a question.

  A tiny nod was again her reply. The blue lights, like cool fireflies, skimmed over her skin, not biting now, but teasing in their slow flickering dance.

  “Your power, your protection. Your aura.” The words were barely a whisper. She shivered again, and the blue lights seemed to jump with the goosebumps on her skin. She glanced at his face. His head was tilted back, and the mesmerizing eyes were closed. His lips parted, and as they did, the web of lights melted into a solid film of blue flame, a phosphorescent glow that seemed to shimmer just above her skin. She could feel her heart pounding in the silence.

  Rayn cracked his eyes open. “I know the word of a dens means nothing to you, but you have nothing to fear from me today. I promise you that.” The soft words made the promise, but there was an edge to the smoothness of the voice that made the back of her neck prickle with warning.

  The small hairs on Dina’s arms felt the burning of the sheet of blue flame, but then as quickly as it had appeared, it shimmered, broke into thousands of sapphires, and was gone. A bead of sweat slalomed down her spine in agonizing slowness. She swallowed to relieve the dryness in her mouth, but her pulse hadn’t slowed and swallowing was difficult.

  “Dina, you must relax. Come on, slow your breathing.” He waited, then strengthened the command. Relax. Slow your heart rate. She shuddered, but her breathing quickly became less ragged, and the pulse in her throat quieted to a slow, steady beat. “Good. I’m going to open my aura for you. My mind is open to you. Send out the smallest, narrowest probe you can, and go slowly. If I tell you to pull out, do it. Ready?”

  It was all she could do to dip her head in assent.

  Thought is the Creator. The Creator is energy. Unleashed, this energy can never be destroyed. The mind can never die. The palpable Voice seemed to condense inside her, prodding the shiver to again stretch its legs and scurry up and down her backside. Go ahead.