Challenges

by Sharon Green

  “That’s a good idea,” Rion agreed as Tamrissa matched Lorand’s nod. “The chances of Twimmal knowing anything worthwhile are minimal, but even the smallest crumb will give us more than we have at the moment.”

  “And speaking of more than we have at the moment, Vallant has agreed to be reasonable,” Tamrissa said, giving a brief glance to the man she referred to. “At least he’s being partially reasonable, since he still insists on making his agreement conditional on getting the same from Lorand. So now it’s up to you, Lorand. Do we make our Blending more effective, or do we go ahead as we are and work under a handicap?”

  Lorand gave her a sharp glance, but there was really no need. Tamrissa alone would never have spoken like that, so that meant she currently touched the power. Why she’d felt it necessary to do that he didn’t know, but a more important thing he didn’t know was how he would answer.

  “Before Lorand responds to that, I’d like to say something,” Jovvi put in, apparently surprising the others as much as she did Lorand. “Everyone has been talking about needs and desires and restrictions in relation to all of us lying together, so I’d like to add a requirement of my own. I’ll lie with Vallant only on the condition that tonight I’ll be able to spend the night with Lorand. If that turns out to be too much to ask, we’ll simply have to manage with the bonds we’ve already established.”

  Lorand joined the others in staring at Jovvi, and her return stare seemed defiant enough—if you failed to notice the faint suggestion of trembling beneath it all. Lorand studied her for a very long moment, and then had to show the smile which had grown inside him.

  “I’ve always suspected there might be a benefit in being surrounded by demanding women,” he said, unable to take his eyes from Jovvi’s face. “Now, at last, I believe I’ve found that benefit. In other words, with everyone else willing, how can I refuse?”

  The others all made some comment or other, but Jovvi simply returned his stare with the shyest smile he’d ever seen her show. Lorand hadn’t intended going near her again until and unless he found a solution to his problem, but he couldn’t stand to see her in pain from thinking she’d caused the rift between them. He would spend the night with her and gently explain the truth in a way she would have to believe, and then they’d be able to go their own ways until he became the kind of man she so much deserved.

  “If we’re goin’ to do this, let’s do it right now,” Vallant said, breaking the spell which had held Lorand’s gaze to Jovvi’s. “There’s plenty of time until dinner, and after dinner I mean to nap. We have a lot to do tonight, and after it’s done I don’t expect to be sleepin’ alone either. Rion will have our new resident ghost, so everybody ought to be happy.”

  “We won’t know that for certain until tomorrow morning,” Tamrissa put in blandly, proving she hadn’t yet released the power. “But as far as right now goes, I agree with Vallant. Once we have this behind us, we’ll no longer need to spend hours talking about it.”

  “I believe my own role has suddenly become lookout,” Rion said, rising from his chair. “I’ll watch for the air displacement which usually means the approach of a human being, and head off any servant who means to search out one of you. Are we agreed that none of us is going to be available to visitors until further notice?”

  “I’d better be the only exception to that,” Lorand said as he also stood. “I’ve promised to pay my friend Hat’s coach fare home, so he or that man Meerk ought to be stopping by. If one of them does, make arrangements for him to come back after dinner.”

  “That won’t be difficult,” Rion agreed with a nod. “I’ll simply pretend that I’m maliciously intruding in your affairs by seeing a visitor meant for you. May I see to anyone else’s affairs?”

  “I’d say we’ve come to the time where we’ll all be seein’ to our own affairs,” Vallant told him dryly, holding out his arm to Jovvi while most of them chuckled. “I’m at your service, dear lady.”

  “Yes, you are, aren’t you?” Jovvi returned with a mischievous smile, walking over to take the offered arm. “If you don’t mind, we’ll go to my bedchamber. Later, of course, you’ll want to make other arrangements.”

  There was another general round of chuckling, during which Rion, Jovvi, and Vallant left the room. When the door closed behind them Lorand became aware of Tamrissa, who hadn’t joined in the last bit of amusement. She stood staring down at her hands, which suggested something to Lorand.

  “This is just a guess, mind, but I think I ought to be thanking you for releasing the power,” he said softly. “If I’m right about that, please don’t be worried. I intend to make very certain that you have pleasure and not pain.”

  “That wasn’t what I was worrying about, but I still appreciate what you said,” she replied with a wan smile. “And you’re right, I did release the power. How did you know?”

  “I suppose I’m learning to recognize your two selves and tell them apart,” Lorand hedged, preferring to say nothing about how he knew. “Would you like to sit down and talk for a while before we … do our duty? The distant practicality of it all must be hard on you.”

  “Actually, that isn’t at all the hard part,” she disagreed with a better smile. “I’m more nervous than I expected to be, but I really do believe that you won’t hurt me. And no, I’d rather not sit down and talk first. I think I’m more in need of being held in the arms of a friend.”

  “I’ve just been struck by insight,” Lorand said as he studied her, his sudden guess feeling more right by the second. “You’re worried about Vallant being with Jovvi, aren’t you? Is that because you know something I don’t?”

  “No, it’s because I have no confidence at all in happy endings,” she replied with a sigh, back to looking miserable. “Not to mention having almost no confidence in myself. What if he decides that he is happier lying with Jovvi than with me? You’ll have nothing to worry about, not with Jovvi being as crazy about you as she is, but what will I do? It’s too late to forget about him…”

  By then she was staring down at her twisting fingers again, and Lorand found it difficult to know what to say. Telling her she had nothing to worry about would be futile, as she had obviously not gotten what he had from their brief time of Blending. The link between him and Vallant and Rion had shown him the kind of men his Blending brothers were, men just like himself. Vallant was no more casual or indecisive than he was, not in the least likely to tell a woman untruths just to get her to lie with him. And lying with a woman wasn’t the most important part of a relationship…

  “Tamrissa, we’re going to have to find you a hobby,” he said at last with his own sigh. “The one you have now is just about guaranteed to make trouble for you and everyone else, so I’ll appreciate it if you consider giving it up.”

  “Lorand, what are you talking about?” she asked, now looking and sounding completely bewildered. “I don’t have a hobby.”

  “Of course you do,” he disagreed with a wry smile. “It’s called ‘borrowing trouble.’ You can’t know that Vallant will prefer Jovvi to you, but here you are, worrying about it anyway. And not only worrying about it, but making yourself miserable over something that might never happen. Have you ever considered knitting or sewing? If you choose sewing and put as much effort into it as you do worrying, we’ll never have to have our clothes made by outsiders again.”

  The look she gave him then was rather odd, since she obviously struggled between laughter and indignation. After a moment the laughter won, and she shook her head ruefully.

  “You, Lorand Coll, are terrible, but something tells me I’m worse,” she said. “Worrying about something that hasn’t happened yet is rather silly, especially when you can’t do anything about it. And considering what we’re about to do, I should be paying some attention to you. Will you … kiss me?”

  “With pleasure,” Lorand responded, meaning every word as he stepped closer to take her in his arms. His heart and essence belonged to Jovvi, but his feelings for Tamrissa we
nt well beyond fondness. He shared a bond with her and more, mostly what people usually called friendship, although the word was pitifully inadequate. There was love of a sort between him and the small, beautiful woman in his arms, but a comfortable love rather than a romantic one.

  So the kiss he began was warm and tender, coaxing her shyness into joining his effort. Her arms stole gingerly around him, the touch on his back hesitant, and it seemed that he now knew what it would be like to hold and kiss a doe. Wide-eyed with nervousness, ready to run at the first frightening event, trembling very faintly with anxiety over what she was about to do… He would have to be exquisitely careful and gentle to keep her from bolting…

  And so he was. He began by having her help him take his clothing off, which made taking her own things off a bit easier. They alternated one item each, and her blush was bright even before they were bare. At the last she seemed to be forcing herself not to clutch her clothing to her, a battle she may have won only through sheer stubbornness. In order to distract her Lorand lifted her onto his bed and quickly followed, then began to kiss her all over while he touched her lightly here and there with his talent.

  Her response took a moment or so to appear, but once it did she matched his mounting passion perfectly. Her kisses were hot as she stroked his body, and very quickly it felt to Lorand as though his blood were on fire. The flaming boil forced him to more frenzied activity, which in turn brought him to the point of no longer being able to keep from entering her. Being gentle as he did so proved horribly difficult, but for her sake he accomplished it.

  And again her response was a bit hesitant, but then she moaned in pleasure and began to join him wholeheartedly. He slowly increased the speed and intensity of his thrusting until they both tried frenziedly to fuse their flesh, her intense pleasure merging with and increasing his own. It was mindlessness that they quickly slipped into, so it wasn’t possible for Lorand to know how long it took before he exploded in the ultimate ecstasy. Tamrissa had found her own ecstasy more than once, he knew, and after giving her a final kiss he lay beside her on the bed and tried to catch his breath.

  “That was … really very nice,” she said tentatively at last, obviously having difficulty thinking of the proper thing to say. Her tone accomplished what her words hadn’t, however, which he found instantly amusing. “Lorand, why are you laughing?”

  “I’m laughing because that wasn’t ‘really very nice,’” he explained, turning on his side to look at her fondly. “It was absolutely marvelous, and I suspect that your talent had something to do with it. Where did you learn to set a man’s blood on fire like that?”

  “Lorand, stop,” she protested with a delightful blush that also seemed to be delighted. “I did no such thing.”

  “You most certainly did,” he disagreed firmly, brushing a damp strand of her hair aside. “Didn’t Rion mention it? I’d say it’s a good thing that I feel the way I do about Jovvi, otherwise Vallant would have company in courting you. You’re a very special woman, Tamrissa, and I feel more honored than ever to be considered your friend.”

  “You’re more than just a friend, Lorand, and always will be,” she replied as she took his hand and squeezed it, a light sheen of tears in her lovely eyes as she smiled. “If the two years of my marriage was the price I had to pay in order to have you and Rion and Jovvi and Vallant, I’d be willing to pay it a second time just to make all this possible. And now I think it’s time for me to dress and leave.”

  He agreed with a nod and his own smile, exchanged a final kiss before she arose, then leaned back and closed his eyes to give her privacy for dressing. And to give himself a chance to think about later tonight, when Jovvi would be beside him in his bed. He very much wanted simply to hold her, and dream about a time when he would be free of his problem. Then he would give every man in the world a run for his gold in courting her…

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Vallant followed Jovvi to her bedchamber, exchanging nods with Rion when the other man made for his own bedchamber. And he couldn’t help noticing how odd it was to associate with Rion at a time like that. No suggestive winks or grins, no self-conscious embarrassment, nothing but an attitude that said nothing at all unusual or different was about to happen. From all it was possible to tell by Rion, Vallant might be on the way to having a pleasant chat with Jovvi.

  “What are you thinking about?” Jovvi asked curiously as he closed the door behind himself. “Your face is wearing the strangest expression.”

  “I was just thinkin’ that strange is a really good word for some of the things Rion does,” he replied, running a hand through his hair. “But strange good instead of strange bad… And I ought to say that you didn’t do badly yourself. You got Lorand to do exactly as you wanted without touchin’ him even a little with your talent.”

  “You seem to be sure I didn’t touch him because you’re sure of me, and I thank you for that,” she said with a dimple-filled smile. “Touching him with my ability wouldn’t have been fair, but I was almost ready to do it anyway if that trick hadn’t worked. And to tell the truth, it wasn’t completely a trick. I’m just about desperate enough to do exactly as I said I would. Because of my big mouth.”

  “You couldn’t help it any more than Lorand can help feelin’ as he does,” Vallant said, moving closer to put a hand under her chin. “Neither one of you is to blame, so stop thinkin’ about what was and start thinkin’ about what will be. But not everythin’ that will be.”

  The last of his words was something of a mutter, and he turned away to keep his expression from betraying him. With anyone else the effort would have worked, but Jovvi tended to look at people with more than her eyes.

  “It’s bothering you that Tamma stayed behind with Lorand,” she stated, just as though he’d said the words first himself. “You aren’t jealous, just … bothered. Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “You can move the day along faster so that it’s bedtime tonight,” he replied with a faint snort of self-ridicule. “I need it to be that time so I’ll know if she really will be sleepin’ beside me. Right now I keep expectin’ somethin’ to come along and make it impossible.”

  “When I say I know exactly how you feel, please believe I mean it in every sense of the words,” she agreed with a sigh. “I won’t believe that Lorand is back beside me until it actually happens, and waiting for it to happen is killing me. You … don’t really mind that we’ll be lying together, do you? I know you agreed to go along with the necessity, but I also know you still have certain reservations.”

  “None of which has anythin’ to do with you,” he assured her at once, turning back to touch her cheek gently. “I keep flinchin’ at the thought of Tamrissa turnin’ her back on me because of this, even though she was the one who forced me into it. A man would be crazy not to want to lie with you, Jovvi, and my craziness runs in another direction entirely. Would you like to begin?”

  “No, I think I’d rather continue to stand here torturing myself with doubts,” she said, then laughed aloud at what whatever his expression must have looked like. “No, Vallant, I’m just joking. I would very much like to begin now.”

  She came into his arms with a smile then, and began to raise his interest with a kind of coaxing-teasing combination that he’d never experienced before. It felt perfectly natural and real, as though his mere presence excited her passions, and his response grew faster and more intense. He felt tempted to think that it was just her expertise as a courtesan at work, but something told him it was much more than that. His feelings for Jovvi were surpassed only by his feelings for Tamrissa, and he suspected she felt the same about him in relation to Lorand.

  Their kissing quickly progressed to caressing, and then they began to rid themselves of their clothes. Jovvi was an extremely beautiful woman, and Vallant hadn’t been lying about how desirable he considered her. She aroused him completely in a very short time, and once they were entirely unclothed he did the same for her. When she was fully ready fo
r him he entered her, and the pleasure was long-lasting and very intense.

  Afterward she lay with her cheek on his chest, her saity a full match to his own satisfaction. They spent a few moments simply breathing, and then she chuckled.

  “I hadn’t realized sooner just how odd this is,” she replied when he made a sound of inquiry. “I’ve spent years as a very popular courtesan, but not once in all that time did I come across a man as … all-around satisfying as you and Rion and Lorand. Nothing for years, and then three at once. I’d like to know what I did to attract such marvelous luck. If I can figure it out, I’ll certainly continue doing it.”

  “Odd may not be a strong enough word,” Vallant said slowly as he digested the idea with brows raised. “Tamrissa started out as a woman who cringed even if her hand was touched by a man, but she’s already lain with Rion, is in the process of lyin’ with Lorand, and apparently intends to lie with me at some time. Lorand and I are so deeply into this thing that I doubt he can think about other women any more than I can. And Rion… Goin’ from bein’ a virgin to bein’ the first among us to lie with both of you … and the fact that Lorand and I were more concerned about his well-bein’ than jealous of him… No, odd is definitely not a strong enough word.”

  “You’re absolutely right,” Jovvi said with a frown, having straightened to sitting so that she might look at him. “My first thought was that the Blending had caused it, but that can’t be true because much of that happened before we Blended. So what did cause it?”

  “You’re askin’ if somethin’ brought us together and is now keepin’ us together,” he responded, having no doubt that that was what her question actually meant. “All I can say is that I wish I knew, at least as much as I want to know the answers to the rest of our questions. Maybe we’ll find out before this is all over.”

  “Somehow I have the feeling that we need to know this answer as soon as possible,” Jovvi replied as she ran both hands through her hair. “Not that our needing it will bring the answer on magical wings. I think I’m getting very tired of discovering mysteries we can’t yet solve, and I’m no longer in the mood to just lie here oozing satisfaction. What I need is a bath, and maybe even a bit of a swim. Please feel free to stay as long as you like, even if it means still being here when I get back. I won’t mind.”