“You would go back on your oath?” He felt angry that she was threatening it when he knew she would do no such a thing.
Sharon was surprised at his vehemence. “No, no I didn’t say that,” she said quickly. “I just need some time to get used to things, okay? I went to work at the library this morning. This afternoon, I took an Oath I had nearly forgotten about and didn’t really expect to have to do. You yanked me out of the room and started kissing me. We need to slow down here…”
Liken shook his head. “There is no slowing down, only moving forward from here. Any intimacy we have shared can be repeated at your will or mine. I can take further intimacies at prescribed times in the days to come, but never forget: once you allow something, I can do it again at my choosing.”
Her eyes looked angry. “Gee, thanks for the patience and understanding, big guy.”
His voice gentled. “I can be patient and understanding,sherree. But I am also a demanding person. That cannot be helped. How can you expect to share such pleasure with me, and then ask me to forego it? I am merely being honest with you.”
Sharon shook her head. “Whatever. Let’s just get to theportal.I’m tired of being surprised and confused. Of not knowingwhat to expect from one moment to the next. I hate surprises. I hate this.Let’s just go and get this over with.”
Liken leaned down and placed a hard kiss against her mouth. It was over with before she could object. Taking her hand again in his, he strode out of the room and down the hallway. As they approached the lobby of the massive building, Sharon saw a sign indicating the portal for Shimeria was down two flights of stairs and to the left.
As they walked,she realized suddenly that all she had were the clothes she was wearing. She wasn’t exactly prepared for interplanetary travel. She tried to slow her steps as she asked Liken,“What about my clothes, my things? I didn’t even think about leaving right after the Oath.”
Liken kept them moving forward as he said, “All has been prepared. I’ve known about you for a year, Sharon. You have all you need at my dwelling.”
“Ohhh. Okay. Sure.” She couldn’t seem to focus. She wondered if her system had sustained too many shocks for one day. The pact reps, the oath, him, his kisses, his touch… She needed to focus her thoughts and think about this whole thing in a more orderly, logical fashion.
As they walked, she considered what had happened in the deserted office minutes ago, trying to be more objective. It had been exciting. He had been forceful, but gentle. Things might not be so bad. That mind thing was weird, but he had stopped immediately. He might be predatory in some ways, but he had backed off when she asked.
She sighed unconsciously. There was nothing she could do to change things. Logically, it was childish and unproductive to sulk or fight with him constantly. She would do as she had told Kate. Make the best of it.
With a conciliatory smile, she told him, “I’m sorry. I don’t know or remember much about Shimeria and its customs. The one class I had was years…” She stopped as what he said suddenly hit her. “A year? What do you mean you’ve known about me for a year?”
They had reached the portal and this was one discussion he hoped to avoid for a time. He used the distraction of the busy room as an excuse to not answer. There were Shimerians streaming through one portal on the right. They were showing ID cards to custom officers as they passed.
Sharon and Liken approached their own checkpoint for customs. Liken turned and handed her a Shimerian ID card. It had her name on it. She studied it in silence. Obviously, he really had made preparations for her. As Liken handed the officer his ID card and responded to his questions, Sharon waited impatiently. She wasn’t going to drop this discussion.
The customs officer handed Liken back his card and then asked for hers. With a bureaucratic look of apathy that was recognizable on any planet, he glanced at her card and then handed it back. With a disinterested smile, he waived them forward. Sharon went a few more steps and then halted in awe.
She had been so focused on Liken that she had not noticed her surroundings. She gulped as she took in the two portals for the first time. She had never traveled off planet or seen one of the portals. Each portal structure was at least two stories tall. Made like an oval gate, the metal was unrecognizable. There were lever-like devices to the side that appeared to operate the opening and closing of the gate. Inside the open gate, was dense, flat blackness.
It would be like stepping into nothingness. She watched the other portal as Shimerians coming to Earth stepped through unharmed. They didn’t appear to be missing any appendages.
Liken, remembering his awe and momentary fear when seeing the portal the first time, waited for her to begin walking again. In this situation at least, he would give her time.
Reminding herself logically that Liken had obviously survived it, she started walking. At the edge of the portal he stopped and looked down at her. “Sharon, we cannot go at the same time. Unpledged females such as yourself must arrive on Shimeria alone to signify you are coming of your own free will. I will go first. Once I disappear, step through.”
She pulled her eyes away from the portal to look up at him.“You trust me to step through after you?” she said with some surprise.
“Of course,” he said with a smile. “You have courage and will not break your oath. Besides, my mind brushed yours. I have some sense of what you feel. You have been through much today, but you are curious, too. I will be waiting on the other side,sherree. Once there, I will satisfy your curiosity. I will satisfy you in any way you desire.” With a wink and a quick kiss, he stepped through. With one step, he was gone and Sharon was left staring into the dense blackness of the portal.
For about ten seconds, she considered proving him wrong. With a sigh, and a muttered “Idesire to stay here, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Know-It-All” under her breath, she stepped through. She had made her choice. What the hell.
Chapter 3
For a moment, time stood still. Sharon felt a numbing blackness pressing in all around her. Her lungs seized, she couldn’t breath. Her body felt as if she was falling, but she couldn’t see or hear anything. Then, before true panic could take hold, light blinded her and she felt air rush into her lungs.
She was standing on the other side of the gate. Liken quickly gathered her close, whispering softly, “Well done,sherree. The disorientation will pass in just a second. It is a little overwhelming at first. Just concentrate on your breathing. In, out, deep breaths…”
Sharon looked up at him and said, “I…don’t…like…portals. I’ve just…decided.” She gave him a weak smile. “That sucked.” His arms felt warm and the weight of them around her felt comforting.
He laughed. “You will be fine.” Gesturing with one arm to the room around them, he said more seriously, “Welcome to my world, Sharon.” His voice was quiet, rather solemn.
Sharon looked around her. She didn’t really know what she expected, but the room around her looked pretty much like the room they had just left. Even the bored customs officer looked the same, only his sheer size and that vague power the Shimerians seemed to have in common gave him away. He was gesturing with one arm for her to proceed. His voice carried strained politeness, although the undertone of impatience was clear. “Progress forward,Isshal. More passengers await.”