T
air opened the door of his home, to find a seething Liken on his doorstep. He spoke in Shimerian.
“Enter, brother. I could feel your anger raging at me all the way from your dwelling.”
Liken walked past him and Tair pushed the button, sliding the door into place. Turning around, he leaned against it, and watched his brother storm into the living room. Walking to a button on the wall, Liken pressed it and removed a bottle of
lerj
. Bringing it to his mouth, he took a healthy swallow.
Tair winced. The potency of the alcoholic drink was well known. He could attest to it himself. Liken must have scorched his insides with that big a swallow.
Moving to join his brother in the living room, he sat down on the couch. Liken paced with the bottle still in his hand. In the voice of someone trying to sooth a wild animal, Tair said,
“Liken, you and Sharon are both broadcasting at an alarming level.”
He rubbed his hand across his aching forehead.
Liken really looked at his brother for the first time. There were lines of stress in Tair’s face and there was dull pain in his eyes. Knowing his own face looked worse, he felt guilty nonetheless.
“My apologies, Tair.”
He made a visible effort to calm down.
“You and Sharon are building the hurt and anger between you, Liken. You need to pull back from her for a time. It is dangerous.”Tair hated to see his brother in such shape. The voice of reason was definitely needed here.
With a nod of assent, Liken worked on withdrawing and blocking Sharon as much as he could. He could not sever himself from her completely but he could block her out for a time. They both needed it. He knew Tair was right.
Tair gave him a tired smile of approval.
“I am glad you see reason. You need to put your emotions aside, brother, and begin thinking instead.”
Liken felt another wave of anger move through him, but he focused on getting it under control.
“I suppose you know what was said.”
Tair’s voice was wry.
“I could not help knowing. It was practically an assault.”
He felt sorry for both of them. The angry words and feelings from their argument made him feel raw and unhappy.
Liken felt guilty again.
“We had no right to so abuse you, Tair. I can only say that we are newly merged and we will learn better control with time. Again, my apologies.”
Tair waived them aside.
“There is no need, Liken. I am much more concerned with what has happened. Why is she so resistant?”
He couldn’t understand why Sharon would be so against such a natural thing.
Liken knew Sharon very well, perhaps even better than she knew herself.
“There are many reasons. She is afraid, uncomfortable with her growing sexuality. She doesn’t completely trust me. She was raised in a culture very different from our own. She viewed you being in the room as a desire on my part to share her. It doesn’t reconcile with her idea of love.”
Tair shook his head.
“Those are all things that can be handled with reassurances and patience. We are a very sexual culture, but possessive as well. You need to get her to understand that my linking with her is not a betrayal. It is customary. As a matter of fact, it is necessary. She judges it an infidelity and assumes you do not care for her. You must show her she is wrong.”
Liken collapsed into the chair across from Tair and took another swig from the bottle.
“Easily said, brother. How can I make her understand? I tried reasoning, I tried ordering, and still she refuses to trust me. She pulls back from me.”
He slouched down and laid his head on the back of the chair.
“She fights me for every inch of progress. I think I can hold her and then she slides out of my arms and runs from me again. It is maddening.”
“So it is just your pride aching.”Tair’s voice was suspiciously smooth.
“Of course.”Liken’s voice was firm, but he was rubbing his hand over his chest unconsciously.
“She is merely a woman, pactmate or no. I grow sick of rejection.”
In nodding agreement, Tair gave a half smile. “
So, do not worry, brother. In a few days, you can file incompatible. You will never see her again. The portal to Earth is always open. There are many females there besides her. Not another pactmate for you like her, but there will be females who are not so impossible.”
Liken’s head came up. He heard the goading tone in his brother’s voice but ignored it. His voice rose as he agreed,
“That is right! I do not need this chaos. Who needs her?!”
Tair sat waiting silently. It wouldn’t be long, he was sure. The room was quiet until the silence was broken by Liken’s sigh.His voice full of misery, Liken said,
“I do.
She is mine and I am not giving her up.”
Tair sat forward and grinned.
“Okay, brother. Then you will keep her.”
His face turned serious as he said,
“What you have tried has not worked. It is time to stop trying and start doing. You have never backed from a challenge before.”
Liken set the bottle down and leaned forward with new resolution.
“You are right. Tonight she is through running from me. What cannot be taken with gentle patience, can still be held by force.”
He felt a new sense of calm and purpose. Sharon was at home weeping in anguish, he was sure. He would go to her and make things right. Then, he would force her to face herself and her relationship with him.
Opening his block with her, Liken went completely still. Both men felt the blood in their veins turn to ice. Jumping to their feet, they headed in a panic for the front door. Sharon was not at home. And she certainly wasn’t crying.
S
haron was at the eatery. She had grown tired of sitting on the living room floor after Liken left. After about a half-hour in absolute misery she felt a sudden emptiness. Without being sure how she knew, she could tell Liken had withdrawn from her nearly completely. She should have been happy to have him out of her head. Instead, she felt a sense of loneliness that only added to her hurt.
Finally, she stood up with renewed purpose. With each step around the room, her hurt became swallowed by anger. How dare he order her around and expect her to wait for his return like a child? She was a grown woman. She had come to this planet,had mind-blowing sex with a near stranger, gotten laid in a dressing room,and eaten exotic food. She wasn’t some sweet helpless young thing too scared to leave the house.
She was tired of just reacting to whatever he did next. It was time to take charge. Past time. He had hurt her, but she wasn’t going to sit around and whine about it. The thought of possible danger crossed her mind. She was connected to the big idiot if she ran into mind trouble. Anything else she could handle herself. She needed to get away from
his
house. She was going out. To hell with him.
Leaving the house, she walked angrily for a while, not really caring of the direction. She was oblivious to her glittering skin or the beautiful glow of the buildings in the silvery moonslight. She didn’t see anyone else until she was nearly in front of the eatery. There were Shimerian males coming out and a few going in. Their dark features reminded her of Liken and she moved forward with resolution. She was not a prisoner, waiting for her jailer to give her permission to leave the house and have a night out.
Walking through the archway, she searched the room until she spotted an empty table. Around her, a dozen Shimerian men paused with their drinks halfway to their mouths. Another handful nearly choked as they watched her cross the room. There was complete silence.
Sharon was angry enough not to care. Sitting down at the empty table, she sent a sweeping glare around the room. Just great. More men. Like she wasn’t sick to death of them already. And where were the damn women on this planet tonight? It was testosterone hell.
A waiter she recognized from her previous visits appeared at the table after nearly running across the room. She looked up at him with a grim parody of a smile. “Bring me something alcoholic and put it on that idiot Liken’s account. You remember me, don’t you?”
He flashed her a cautious smile. “Of course,
Isshal
.” He seemed ruffled. “But I don’t understand… alcoholic?”The word was unfamiliar but his shock at seeing a lone unescorted female in the eatery at this hour was enough to cause greater confusion.
She searched for another word to explain. “Fermented. You know, a beer. Hell, a shot of tequila might be better.”
He must have understood what she meant because he nodded and hurried into the back. Sharon glanced around the room again, noticing conversations in low tones being carried on around the room. At least they weren’t staring at her like an exotic animal escaped from the zoo anymore.
Her thoughts turned inward and she thought about the ugly scene with Liken. The more she tried to push it away, the more their angry words echoed in her head. She was trying to stay angry. Angry was a lot better than hurt.
The waiter came back with a small bowl and set it down in front of her. She looked down at it in surprise. It looked like cream of wheat or something. She couldn’t believe it. She was too shocked to say anything as he nodded and scurried away.
She felt defeated. Her shoulders slumped. Nothing on this planet made any sense. She muttered to herself, “Ask for a beer and they bring me baby cereal. I hate this place. I feel like an idiot. What am I saying? Men are idiots.”
She felt a big body drop gracefully into the chair across from her. Lifting her gaze from the bowl, her mouth dropped open in shock. In the chair across from her sat possibly the most gorgeous guy she’d ever seen. He had a face like a dark angel. His black hair fell in soft waves just ending at the top of massive shoulders. He could have dropped down from heaven if it weren’t for his eyes. They were dark brown, nearly black and the hardness in them said he’d seen hell.
His lips curved upward in a smile that never reached those eyes. “Even idiots have their uses,
sherree
, wouldn’t you agree?”
The sound of him calling her by the same endearment Liken used caused her heart to clutch. “What does
sherree
mean?” Yet another question she should have asked long ago.
He looked amused by her question. He spoke in English with just a touch of an accent. “It is an endearment that doesn’t really translate well. I guess the closest English word would be baby.”
Anger washed through her all the way down to her toes. “It figures. He treats me like a child. I should have guessed he’s been calling me one.”
His smile widened. His voice was like chocolate, soothing and wickedly tempting at the same time. “I cannot imagine any man treating you like a child.”
She blushed. She stammered out a reply as her heart beat against her ribs. “I didn’t mean…” There wasn’t anything to say that wouldn’t mortify her even worse.
He was openly grinning now and it transformed his face. He looked like a mischievous little boy. “I presume you are speaking of your missing pactmate?”
She was startled. “Why would you assume I have a pactmate? And why would you assume he’s missing? I could just be out on the town by myself to relax after a hard day at the office. Besides, I could be pledged.”
He shook his head. “You are unescorted. You are too beautiful to be unclaimed. And you are from Earth. Yet, you are still here alone. That means there is an unhappy pactmate somewhere close by.” His voice was persuasive. “Tell me his name. Perhaps I will not mind fighting him for a woman such as you.”
That scared her a little. She wasn’t the type of woman that men brawled over. She wouldn’t mind kicking Liken’s ass, but she didn’t want him actually fighting some other guy. Especially not someone like this guy. They would hurt each other for sure.
She needed to get rid of him. With a little shrug, she said, “Does it matter? Look, I just came here for a beer. I’ve got one idiot maleandI don’t really need another one, okay?”Sharon looked away, hoping he would get the hint and leave her alone.
His voice was firm. “What is your name? And his? I will not leave until I know.” Turning and staring into those dark eyes, she knew he wasn’t going to let the matter drop. And he wasn’t going to leave either.
“I’m Sharon Glaston. My pactmate is Liken da’Kamon.” Just saying Liken’s name made her eyes burn and her chest tighten. Suddenly, she felt despondent again. She looked away or she would have seen his obvious surprise.
When she had a little more control, she turned to face him and saw him eyeing her speculatively. His grin was back. “So, Liken is the idiot causing you such distress.”
Her eyebrows rose. “You know him?”
He said easily, “We have met. What has he done to make you so unhappy, Sharon?”
She wasn’t sure she wanted to tell him. He seemed nice, but there were those hard eyes.
He saw her indecision. With a nod, he gestured the waiter over. Speaking in Shimerian, he had a conversation with the waiter, who then went to the back. Focusing on Sharon again, he flashed her a friendly, easygoing smile. “I am Jadik Listan’dy. I will buy you that beer.”
She smiled because she couldn’t help it. “That would be great. Thanks, Jadik.” For the next half-hour, they kept up a friendly conversation. Sharon was on her second beer at that point, so she was feeling much more relaxed. Jadik seemed a lot less dangerous now. His light question caught her by surprise. “Are you linked with Tair?”
He said it so naturally that she answered without thought. “No and I’m not going to. He can go to hell.” Her voicechanged from friendly to angry as thoughts of her earlier conversation with Liken came to mind.
His eyebrows lifted. “I would have thought… They are brothers, after all. Who has Liken picked then?” He seemed genuinely surprised.
Sharon smiled grimly and said, “Oh, he picked Tair alright. But it’s not going to happen.”
Jadik stared at her a minute. Finally he asked in a neutral voice, “You object to Tair?”
She gave an exasperated sigh. “No, I like Tair just fine. That doesn’t mean I want to link with him.”How could she make yet another male understand that she didn’t want to link with anyone?
His face turned serious. “You must link with someone, Sharon. It is for your own protection.”He paused, then continued, “and it is the law.”
Sharon’s expression closed up. “I don’t need this lecture from you, too.”
Jadik studied her curiously for a minute like he couldn’t figure her out. “Why would you object to linking?”
Her face turned red. “Look, it may be normal on this planet, but I’m not
from
here, okay? I don’t do threesomes.” His brows climbed higher. She mumbled a little and then finished with, “Hey, I’m a librarian” as if that explained everything.
Jadik laughed. He was really enjoying her. Too bad Liken was her match. “Sharon, I think what you have here is a cultural misunderstanding.”
He sobered. “Linking must be done at orgasm, there is no other way. The participants must be touching. The more contact the better. Again, there is no other way. But, it is perfectly natural. There will be touching, but it will go only as far as the three parties decide.”
She flashed him a skeptical look. “And how far is that?”
He grinned. “That will be up to the three of you. Whatever happens, I cannot see you doing something you do not want. Not the woman who burst through the door into this place and demanded a drink. I would say you will be fine.”
She flushed and looked uneasy. “I don’t know. I don’t like the idea of it.”
He leaned forward and his grin grew even broader. “Don’t you?”
Her face was on fire. She shook her head in denial. He laughed softly and reached across the table to catch her hand. Rubbing his thumb gently across her palm, he said softly, “Maybe I should ask Liken to let me substitute for Tair.”
Her eyes flew to his face in panic. He was only kidding, she was pretty sure. Her pulse was pounding so hard he could probably feel it. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She pulled on her hand, but he didn’t release it.
“Why don’t I ask them both? They should be here, any moment now.” As he said the last word, Liken and Tair came through the front door.
Sharon saw them in the doorway as their eyes landed on her. She didn’t need to be connected to anyone to know that they were both furious. She yanked her hand from Jadik’s grip and gave him a blistering look. “How did you call them?”
He shrugged innocently and gave her a mock wounded look. He said, “Tair is my best friend,” as if that explained everything.
Her glare grew hotter. She felt furious and ridiculously betrayed. “It figures! Idiots tend to stick together.”
He threw back his head and laughed. Liken and Tair reached the table and stood on each side of her. Reaching down, Liken pulled her from the chair and pinned her against his side.
She got out “Get lost!” before Liken silenced her with a deadly, “Not one word.”
She wasn’t about to get into a big scene here at the restaurant with him. She, at least, could show some dignity. She would have plenty to say when they got home. She gave a curt nod. She couldn’t resist saying one more word. “Fine.”
Liken turned from her and said, “My thanks, Jadik. You have displayed true friendship this night.”
Jadik nodded. “No thanks necessary. She is a treasure worth guarding.” He turned to Tair. “I will see you soon, friend.” Tair nodded and added his thanks.
Walking over to Sharon, Jadik placed a hand under her chin and raised her fuming gaze to his. “Welcome to Shimeria, Sharon Glaston. May you find pleasure,” his eyes glinted, “and great happiness here.” Pressing a light kiss to her mouth, he turned and joined some other men at another table.
She stood there in shock. He had kissed her casually as if he had every right. This planet was crazy. Liken began walking toward the door, pulling her along by the arm. Tair followed in their wake. When they got outside, Sharon opened her mouth to speak. Liken stopped walking and leaned down to press a hard, tongue-thrusting kiss to her mouth. The kiss went on for a full five minutes. She tried to pull away, but that only made him jerk her hard into his body. The punishing invasion finally stopped. His voice brooked no argument. “What must be said, will be said in our home.”
They stared at one another. Tair stood off to one side, patiently waiting. Sharon gave a nod of assent. The three of them started walking toward home- in silence.