They were feeling very brotherly and satisfied, but I was feeling the least bit annoyed. All that traveling and bother for a ten minute dispute that could have been handled by the newest of Xenomediators! I stood up from my own chair, beginning to wonder what my alternative to returning to Central was, and the two men suddenly remembered that I was there. They both felt an instant of guilt at having forgotten my presence, but the merchant recovered first and spread some of his satisfaction in my direction.
“My dear young lady,” he purred, reaching out with the intention of taking my hand. “How rude of us to have ignored you! After having wasted your trip, you must at least join us at our meal. We insist!”
“Thank you, no,” I said at once, stepping away from him. “My trip accomplished the purpose it was, meant to, so your offer is unnecessary. I’ll be returning to my accommodations now.”
“Then we shall see you there safely,” the merchant announced, expansive in his relief, ignoring the fact that I hadn’t let him touch me.
“That’s my job,” Garth interrupted, abruptly right next to me. “The Prime continues under my protection as long as she remains on the planet. No need to trouble yourself.”
Garth was controlling himself outwardly, but inwardly he was more than annoyed. He didn’t seem to care for the merchant, and something in his eyes must have sent the message to the Kabran officer.
“You’re right, of course,” he interrupted hastily, cutting off whatever the merchant had been about to say against Garth’s statement if his less friendly expression and abrupt flash of anger meant anything. “We’ll just walk you two out to your vehicle and be on our way.”
The officer had put a friendly smile on his face, but his left hand rested on his ceremonial sword, pointing up the sword Garth wore. The merchant looked from the officer’s sword to Garth’s, then nodded his head.
“Of course we’ll abide by the lady’s wishes,” he said, pointedly not looking at Garth. “Am escort to her vehicle, and then we’ll be on our way.”
Garth was only half pleased with that answer. He put himself next to me as I turned toward the door, leaving the merchant and Kabran officer to bring up the rear. I was so happy to get out of there, I didn’t even bother checking for ruffled sensibilities.
The weather was still horribly hot and humid outside, but a thick cloudiness had descended that couldn’t be appreciated from indoors. Our party, went down the steps to the walk, people pressing around me as if I were some sort of celebrity; people were on the walk, the thrum of their emotions close, my mind tugging so tenaciously at the question of where to go that the thrum barely touched me, and then—
“Terril!” a voice called, a deep, strong voice I never thought I’d hear again. I stopped short in the middle of the walk in disbelief. He couldn’t be there on Alderan where I was, there was no reason for him to be there. It had to be my imagination playing tricks
“Who in the name of sweet reason is that?” demanded the merchant Raskar Alnid. I still couldn’t believe this was happening, but I slowly turned my head in the direction from which the voice had come—and there he was, striding toward me. I was aware of others behind him, men who were either hurrying to catch up to him or following easily with no effort, but I couldn’t force my attention to them. All I could see was Tammad, impossibly tall and broad, longish, shaggy blond hair, startling bright blue eye’s, his well-muscled body clothed in no more than the brown loincloth he usually wore, his immense sword sheathed at his side. I wondered briefly why he wasn’t dressed in Alderanean clothing, but all I could do was stand there staring like an idiot until he reached me.
“Terril,” he said again, automatically brushing aside the men who stood between us as if they were children. His mind held an excitement of sorts mixed in with other emotions, but they were all so completely covered by that iron calm of his that I couldn’t see them clearly. “Terril, what do you do here?”
“What am I doing here?” I blurted, feeling a desperate need to sit down. “I’m supposed to be here. What are you doing here?”
“I come seeking you,” he said, and an anger of sorts entered his mind and eyes. “With whose permission was the embassy on Rimilia left? By what right have my bands been removed from you?”
“What are you talking about?” I nearly screamed, feeling my mind tremble and whirl. I’d wanted so much to sue him again, but the growing anger in him was building a wall between us. “I don’t know what you mean! You sent me away from you, back to my own people, without the least sense of regret. You sent me away!”
“I did no more then keep my word,” he answered, a coldness growing beside his anger at the accusation he thought he heard in my voice. “Many times I vowed to return you to your embassy when your efforts at the Ratanan were complete; what need to speak of intention to reclaim you once my word had been kept? I am denday, a leader of my people, and need not account for my actions.”
I stared at him with my mouth open in shock, seeing the snap in his blue eyes, the fold of his massive arms across his chest, the solidness of his barefoot stance. Then that was why he hadn’t felt any regret over sending me away—he intended coming after me. He was only keeping his word, not shutting me out of his life forever.
“You still want me?” I whispered, feeling that terrible weakness spread over me. “You’re not tired of me?”
“Have I not shown you how greatly I desire you?” he returned, softening. He saw the wide-eyed way I looked at him and a smile began to grow. “With bands or without, you remain mine, wenda. Do not doubt this.”
“Tammad,” I choked, unable to say anything but his name, and then his arm’s were around me, holding me to him. I wanted to cry as I had never cried before, with joy impossible to contain, but just clinging to him was all the fulfillment the world contained. I could feel the surprise and astonishment surrounding us, but ignored feelings to glory in the strong desire coming from the man who held me.
“Your unexpected departure from Rimilia has cost me much time,” Tammad murmured after a brief moment. “We must return immediately, for there is considerable work yet to be done. You cannot aid me if you are not by my side.”
“Aid you?” I echoed, lifting my face from his chest to stare up at him with a smile. “You mean in caring for your house and needs when we get back to your city. Oh, Tammad, I can’t wait to learn everything Gilor has to teach met I’ll do everything for you, be everything to you . . . .”
“No, Terril, no,” he laughed, cutting off the flow of words pouring out of me. “There is no need for you to do that which any wenda might do. There is work to be done which only you might see to, the reading of men, the deciphering of their needs, the binding of their loyalty. It is for this reason you must stay beside me.”
All my happiness suddenly faded. I stared at him in silence for a moment, then stepped back out of the clasp of his arms.
“Then it’s a Prime you want beside you,” I said without any inflection to my voice, looking at the amusement in his light eyes. “You want me because of what I can do and what I am.”
“It is my furs which have felt the greatest lack of a woman called Prime,” he chuckled, reaching out to touch my arm. “There are no others who may take your place, wenda, a thing clearly shown me in your absence.”
“Because I’m an empath,” I choked. “Any female empath would do you, as long as she could handle your work and keep your body satisfied. Well, you’d better start looking for another one, because this empath never wants to see you again!”
I whirled away from the startlement he showed, savagely pushed my way through the people behind me, rounded the sled at the curb, and began running across the street. Sleds hissed to abrupt and unexpected stops all around me, nearly running me down, but I ignored them and the shouts of their drivers as well. The hurt I felt was worse than what I’d felt when Tammad had sent me away, simply because I’d known then how badly I fit into his society, how useless I was in it. It was a legitimate reason for rejecting me, something I could understand even if acceptance was hard. But now. . . . All he wanted me for was my talent, something he could use to advance his cause, to secure the ends he had in mind. He hadn’t come looking for me because he wanted me—there was still work for a Prime to do and he had to get her back. My eyes filled with tears and I stumbled, nearly going down before regaining my balance. An open parkland stood behind the throngs of people and I ran toward it, leaving jostled, exclaiming, insulted people in my wake—and not caring.