She felt him lean toward her. His breath tickled her ear as he whispered, “We shall see,sherree. Soon. In that you can trust.”To Sharon, the words sounded part promise, part threat. With Liken, it never paid to grow too complacent.
The rest of the meal went by uneventfully. They talked and laughed, enjoying themselves. When Liken and Sharon left the restaurant, she felt alive and happy in a way she couldn’t remember. Pushing all thoughts of the coming decision from her mind, she basked in her newfound contentment with Liken. They made love that evening with tenderness and passion, both of them avoiding anything that might break their fragile sense of happiness and accord.
That profound sense of harmony made what happened next seem even more painful. Everything went straight to hell the next day. After a lovely evening with Liken and Tair and then a night of incredible pleasure in Liken’s arms, Sharon had no clue the very next day that things were going to change in a heartbeat. Or rather, things were going to change with one word.
Chapter 9
“You want me to dowhat with your brother tomorrow?” Her voice was strangled with disbelief.
They were sitting in the living room after supper or “evemeal” as he called it. They were casually talking and the conversation had drifted to Tair. Leaning cozily against his side, listening to the mellow sounds drifting from the machine hidden in the wall to her right, Sharon had no clue he was about to toss a conversational grenade her way. She moved out of his arms and turned around to look at him.
He knew he looked like he was headed for a funeral.He had been dreading this conversation for so long.He winced and said, “I will explain…”
“Explain?” she interrupted. “Yeah, that would be good. Because I could have sworn you just told me I’m supposed to get it on with your brother.” Her voice was rising.Surely he hadn’t meant what she thought he meant.
He looked confused. He was familiar with most human slang, but her words made no sense. “I’m not sure of your meaning.”
“Let me clarify then. Did you just tell me that you’re going to try to force me to have sex with Tair?” Her eyes locked on his face, hoping for some sign of disagreement.
His expression cleared. He looked appalled. “That is not what I said.” Slowly enunciating his words, he said, “You will be linking with my brother.”
Now it was her turn to look confused. “I don’t understand.”
Likentooka deep breathas hegathered his patience for the battle ahead. He should have told her last night as he had planned, but he had procrastinated, not wanting to disrupt their harmony. He could no longer wait. “These are dangerous times, Sharon. Believe me, I see that as a guardian every day. I have protected you from harm so far, but I will not always be with you. You are linked with me through our merging, but Shimerian law and custom require at least one other link. If you were in distress, I would know it and come to your aid. But, the second link with a close friend or family member is to ensure that someone else is available as well.”
She cautiously nodded her head. “I can understand the theory, but I’m not merging with Tair.”
His eyes went hard. “No, you will not merge with Tair.”
“What do you mean by linking then?” She was calming down. He wasn’t talking about her having sex with Tair. Maybe this wasn’t as bad as she thought.
“He will link to you mentally. Think of it as a pathway from your mind to his.”
“You mean he’ll be in my head, too?” She was not having two guys traipsing around her thoughts whenever they wanted. Liken was bad enough.
“Not really,sherree. His mind will pierce the shield I have built for you and leave an opening for him like a doorway.” His voice was reassuring. He was glad to see her calming.
She didn’t really like the idea of a doorway in her head. “Can anybody walk in?”
“No, only Tair and, of course, me.”
She mulled it over. “Can he walk in anytime he wants and just know what I’m thinking?”
Again, he answered in that reasonable tone. “He would only travel the link if you were in distress,sherree. Tair is trustworthy. He will not spy on your private thoughts. He will hear when you broadcast loudly, but otherwise your thoughts are safe.” They would be even safer when he taught her to broadcast less openly, but the process would take time.
She couldn’t shake her unease. She liked Tair. She could even understand having a second hotline installed as a backup for emergencies. She didn’t like the thought of giving anyone access to her mind. She didn’t have any choice with Liken. It was too late. They were already merged. Linking with Tair, however, was still within her power to choose. Another thought occurred. “Why did you say tomorrow? Were you just suggesting we get it over with then?”
Liken’s mouth firmed. “Tomorrow is the tenth day of our knowing period. Merging and linking must be complete by the end of that day. It is the law.”
She looked indignant. “Screw the law.”
He felt his temper begin to stir, but held it back. “Again, it is there for your protection, Sharon. Females on this planet are cherished and protected above all else.”
“From what? This place is peaceful. It’s not exactly a hotbed of crime. I don’t understand what I’m supposed to be protected against!” She was trying to sort through the confusion.
In a careful voice he told her. “When we merged, I built a shield to protect you. It is not invincible. But when Tair layers his strength over mine, you will be safe from nearly anyone. There is evil on this planet, just as evil exists on your own. The difference is that on my planet, an evil man can use his mind to cause harm. He can literally probe into the minds of others. If they fight him, he can cause a great deal of damage. When I probe someone who is unwilling, I do it with great skill and care. I do not cause harm. I care whether I hurt or kill someone.”
His mouth was grim. “You cannot even imagine what occurs when a criminal attempts a merge on an unwilling female. She will fight him because it is instinctive. When I merged with you, as a human you had absolutely no defenses. You were not able to struggle and I was careful to cause no damage. Now that I have put defenses in place for you by building a shield, for someone to try to force a merge…”
His voice trailed off as if he didn’t even want to contemplate it. “It would take a lot to break my shielding. If it broke, you might survive, but the damage would be terrible. By adding Tair’s shielding to mine, we increase the odds that it would never happen.”
He paused, drew a deep breath, and continued. “I would see you protected to the greatest degree possible. Adding Tair’s shielding to mine is necessary,sherree.”
Sharon nodded her head in understanding, but she wasn’t completely sure that it was really necessary. This mental shielding business was bizarre.
To make sure she understood his point, he gave her an example. “What if I put a piece of cloth over a peach? I could take a needle and it would take only a pinprick through the cloth to get to the peach.”
Holding her gaze, he willed her to take his next words seriously. “Now what if I take a metal bowl and place it over that same peach? It would take a sharp hammer and considerable force to punch through the metal. But if the hammer punched through, you know what would happen to the peach.”
She looked sick. “I see what you mean.” There was no missing that imagery. “So between you and Tair, nobody’s gonna get through.”
He hoped she was right. “There are no guarantees,sherree. Tair and I are both very strong shielders. It would be nearly impossible. I cannot lie and tell you it could not happen. I can only say that we would probably all three die in such a case.”