Oath of Challenge Conquering Kate (6 page)

Tair came awake slowly, aware suddenly of an absence in the bed. Kate was nowhere to be seen. He felt an immediate desire to find her and enact a passionate repeat of last night. His mind filled with images of how she’d looked, arching upward against his mouth, lost completely in pleasure.

As his cock, already hard, throbbed in response, Tair reached out telepathically to read Kate. The answering response he received was so mentally loud, his hands went to his head instinctively and he winced.

“I know you are awake in there, thanks to this wretched merging! Come and face me you horny, low-life, despicable, morally-bankrupt louse of an alien!”
Her words were shouted mentally and the anger behind them gave them real telepathic strength.

Tair sighed. Throwing up a mental block to shut her out, he pondered the best course of action. Kate was awake and ready and he was still cloudy with sleep. He had barely slept last eve, restlessly waking and wanting her.

She had felt so warm and sweetly desirable, sleepily cuddling in his arms. Grimacing, he wondered if she would ever be that defenselessly sweet while actually conscious. Determined to let her rest, he had been careful not to wake her or make any demands.

Thinking about it now, he wondered if the restraint had been a good idea. She was refreshed and determined and he was barely functioning. Getting out of bed, he headed to the bathroom. He would face her when he was awake and showered.

No male could be expected to deal well with a female in full fury – especially an unpredictable Earth female -- without some preparation. With Kate, being less than awake would be a major mistake. Feeling misused and grumpy, he wondered what had led to her mood. Earth females were entirely too emotional. He stood under the shower and leaned blearily into the
vara
.

Kate needed to understand that she was not the one in control. Whatever it was that had led to her fury, he decided he would learn soon enough. And deal with it…when he was awake…in just another moment…or two…or ten...

* * * * *

Kate felt his mental withdrawal with profound relief. Concentrating and mentally screaming at him had been a calculated risk. As she heard the shower running, her shoulders relaxed. She had a little more time to plan. Looking at the screen in front of her, she continued to jot down notes.

Twenty minutes later, refreshed, grimly ready for battle, and fully alert, Tair stood in the archway and peered cautiously in the kitchen. Kate had her hair tied back in an Earth-style knot and was wearing some of the Shimerian garments from the sleeping chamber closet. There was a flush on her cheekbones, but her face was otherwise pale. Her lips, in major contrast, were painted a deep, dramatic red.

She looked beautiful and passionately intense. She was sitting at the table using her personal tech unit. As she scribbled with the stylus on the small screen in front of her, he wondered if he should try to scan her before she was on her guard again. Kate looked up and the opportunity passed.

Kate felt her breath catch at the sight of Tair in the doorway. His hair was a little curlier from his shower and he was dressed in a black shirt and black pants. He was barefoot and leaning casually in the archway watching her.

The look in his eyes was completely intimate, and intensely male, as if he was recalling her body in vivid detail. She remembered what had happened the previous night between them and felt warm desire flood her. Her nipples tightened in response.

Suddenly worried that he would read her thoughts, she demanded flatly, “I want your oath that you’ll stay out of my head for this discussion.”

Tair thought about it for a moment. He asked curiously, “Why should I do as you ask?”

Kate lifted her chin. With cool precision, she said, “Because if you don’t, I’m going to scream at you mentally, and I mean constantly. I will give you the worst headache known to science. And you will have gained nothing. Your choice.”

Tair considered her words. She would do it. What she didn’t realize was that he was an expert prober. Eventually, he could get past her surface thoughts and seek the information he wanted. He had done it many times with criminals in his capacity as a Guardian.

However, it might be easier to do as she requested. It would spare both of them a headache. He would appear to be acting very reasonably and making an effort to accommodate her. It was a small concession with potential rewards.

Nodding his head, he said lightly, “Upon my oath I will not scan your thoughts while we have this conversation. However, after this conversation, I promise nothing.”

Kate felt triumph flood her. She was over the first hurdle and it had been a big one. Gesturing at the chair across the table from her, she said, “Okay, then. Why don’t you take a seat and we’ll get started.”

She was trying to control the situation from the beginning. He knew what she was doing and was not in the least surprised. Playing along with her for the moment, he strode across the room and took a seat. Reaching out and grabbing a
nidsu
from the bowl on the table, he bit into it with a loud crunch.

Kate watched him warily. Chewing it slowly, he swallowed, and then said casually, “I believe you have been quite busy. I see you have managed to find firstmeal and are working already. Was your tech unit in your purse?”

Ignoring the way his tongue came out to get the juice from the fruit off his upper lip, she kept her attention on his eyes. It wasn’t easy. With a brisk nod, she said, “Yes, I had it in my purse. I wasn’t about to leave it on Earth. It’s very useful for organization.”

Tair nodded in agreement. He knew of her fondness for organization already. He was merely easing into the situation cautiously. Leaning back in his chair, he asked, “You
have
eaten?”

It was time to go to war. Kate said flatly, “Yes, I’ve eaten. I’ve explored the house, pushed nearly every button, and learned quite a few things.”

Tair had a sudden sinking feeling. She had been up for quite some time, obviously. He needed to assess the damage. “How long have you been awake?”

Kate gave him her best glacial smile. “Long enough. About three hours. “Giving him a significant look, she added, “I am no longer fatigued.”

Tair winced mentally. Three hours, it was too long. With studied indifference, he asked, “I suppose you found our home computer?”

Kate’s smile widened. Oh boy, had she found the computer. And what an informative session it had been. She said somewhat smugly, “Why, yes I did. I even realized fairly quickly how to request the English translation. You
are
very good with preparations and details.”

The situation was getting worse by the moment. Tair felt a sense of dread. She had found the culture tutorial. He knew it. Arching an eyebrow he asked, “And the security password?”

Kate remembered that moment of triumph and flashed him a triumphant look. “It was easy to surmise that my ID card went into the slot. It turned on and gave me a blank screen.”

She sat back in her chair. “Then, I tried typing ‘Tair’, ‘Liken’, ‘Sharon’, ‘Jadik’, ‘Kate’, and ‘
sheka’
. I had almost given up. “

“Then, I typed ‘Deva’ and I was in.” Her smile was all teeth and she knew it. She could almost forgive the little rat for scaring the hell out of her last night in light of her triumph this morning.

Tair cursed mentally. He knew it was poor security to use a pet’s name as a password, but he had been thinking at the time of making it easier for Kate to remember. He had planned to show her the computer, and at the appropriate time, he would have shown her the cultural tutorial to help her better understand her new home. But she had accessed it now.

He had to know. The time for game-playing was done. With simple directness, he said, “You accessed ‘sexual practices’.”

Kate knew her anger was clear on her face. She had been curious about quite a few things, and that one had been near the top. However, she hadn’t needed to type in “sexual practices.”

She stared at him. “No, actually I was looking at mental abilities when I saw a reference to linking.” Remembering with fresh horror what the tutorial said, she stated with arctic, final emphasis, “I will not link with Jadik or anyone else.”

Tair sighed in frustration. Earth females were so impossible when it came to this subject. Sharon had been very difficult about it, too. He did not understand why it was so upsetting. It was perfectly natural and expected. It was Shimerian law, and a time-honored and important part of their culture. Why did Earth females react so violently to the idea? It was no wonder that Shimerians made sure it was kept a secret from humans. Scrubbing a hand over his face, he said, “I knew you would react in this way.”

Kate remembered the cold weight that had settled over her when she read about linking. Human females were completely defenseless against mind rape by a Shimerian. With merging, apparently Tair had placed a mental shield around her mind. Theoretically, the Shimerian pactmate chose a male friend or relative to “link” with his mate. The ‘link’ used his mental power to add an additional mental shield to protect the female.

In addition, the link had a “connection,” like a door, that could be opened at will. The door was really a small barrier that would be breeched instantly if the female became severely distressed. In times of great emotion, the female would be more or less “shouting” and the link would mentally hear. It was for the protection of the female.

Linking was not required only of human females either. Even Shimerian females each had a link. Shimerian females had a natural mental shield. However, in a society that treasured and protected females, having a pactmate and a link was a way to ensure the highest protection. Essentially, two male protectors were considered better than one.

The problem was that the “linking” was done at the female’s point of orgasm, when her mental defenses were completely down. Basically, there was a sexual threesome “linking ceremony.” That Tair would even consider sharing her with someone else was insulting. It proved quite effectively that he did not care for her in the least.

She was fine with the notion. If a part of her was cold and empty at the thought, it was merely a leftover sense of emotionalism from the intensity of last night. She didn’t care what the tutorial for Planet Kink explained. She was not participating in a threesome. And Tair was a louse.

Tair watched the emotions play over Kate’s face. She was hurt under all that anger. He knew it, but had no idea how to sooth her. With a great deal more sympathy for Liken’s struggle with Sharon over the topic, he tried to find the words to make her understand.

He began in a gentle voice. “I have no desire to share you with another. Linking is a very natural thing. It is a ceremony of great tradition and honor. Your protection is my uppermost importance. The sexuality of it is a harmless thing. It only occurs once.”

Kate raised a skeptical eyebrow. She said sarcastically, “Let me make sure I understand. You and I have sex with Jadik, but it’s harmless. And, oh, yes, it’s all for my benefit.”

Tair placed both hands on the table and leaned forward earnestly, “Kate, you and I will make love, with Jadik there in the same room. At the point of your orgasm, I will work to lower the shield I have put in place around your mind. Jadik will work to build a pathway from his mind to yours and place his shield over mine. As your link, he needs a way to receive your thoughts if you are in distress.”

Kate rubbed her neck absently in an attempt to ease the ache. He was saying pretty much what the information on the computer had said. The “link” was a kind of backup if the pactmate was injured, dead, or unable to aid in the even of an emergency to the female.

She was smart enough to understand rationally that she was on a different planet and the culture was very different. It didn’t make it any easier for her to understand from her own cultural point of view. She could see the sincerity in Tair. He truly did not believe there was anything wrong with linking.

It was confusing to her emotionally. Uncomfortable with the sensation, she said coolly, “I understand it’s to keep criminals from attempting some kind of mind rape. As a human, I’m especially vulnerable without any natural shields.”

“Now that we’re merged…” She gave him a killing look. “…I have a single shield that could still be breeched. Unlike before, however, the amount of power needed to rip through that shield would do a lot of damage. A second shield is greater protection.”

She rubbed her forehead wearily. She should never have agreed to a merge. She had heard rumors of telepathic powers, but had not considered the full implications. What a big miscalculation on her part it had been to assume it was temporary -- an extra sense that came into play during sex.

The merge was permanent. She’d like to blame Tair for not telling her, but she had not even asked. It was her own fault for allowing it. When she had realized that this morning, her sense of horror had been overwhelming. She had him stuck in her head now. He could withdraw and block her at times, but he would be there always. There was no going back.

Well, what was done was done. No matter how she hated it, there was no changing it. “I’ll concede it makes sense. But I don’t like the thought of you running around in my head, much less someone else I don’t even know.”

Tair felt his shoulders relax. She was trying to understand. It was a start. He thought carefully how to phrase his next point.