By the time the meal was completely over, the sun was getting ready to go down outside. The wine had relaxed me to the point of dozing, but it had also worked on me in another way—which I didn’t find out about, until Daldrin took me in his arms. I opened my eyes in the late afternoon dimness to discover that I really wanted that man, and that was all Daldrin needed to know. He laughed softly as I pressed my body up against his, kissing him gently but lingeringly wherever I could reach, moving against his hands wherever they touched me, stroking his body as he stroked mine. The blaze of desire grew quickly in his mind to a point beyond his control, a raging storm that swept me up willingly and took me with it, deeply into the storm of my own mind. The winds blew a very long time, and when they blew themselves out all that was left was the darkness of night surrounding the darkness of sleep.
15
My escort to Aesnil was a full dozen guards, walking me down the corridor in a direction I hadn’t taken before. I wore the new white gown and the leather sandals I’d worn the day before, but as far as I could tell from the minds of the guards around me, I might as well have been walking around naked. Their eyes grew hungry when they looked at me, and I had the feeling they’d been promised something if my interview with Aesnil didn’t turn out the way she wanted it to. After the night I’d had with Daldrin, that little extra put me into a worse mood than I’d been in to begin with.
I’d awakened very early in the morning, held in Daldrin’s arms, one fur beneath us, another covering us, feeling as though I’d done something stupid. Since most of the night had been spent in pleasure I didn’t understand why I felt that way, but then Daldrin woke up and pulled me closer, and I began understanding exactly what I’d done.
At some point or other I’d projected my feelings to him, giving him something he’d never had before—but now wanted many times again. I’d tried talking my way out of it, but he’d refused to listen, instead going to work on me with all the knowledge of women he’d accumulated in his years of manhood. I’d had one lesson in how badly I did trying to resist him; the second lesson was worse than the first. I managed to keep from giving him the projection he wanted, but I was little more than a rag when he finally let me go. I know I expected him to be annoyed if not angry, but apparently he was a believer in the saying, “A thing worth having is a thing worth working for.” He chuckled in amusement over how close he’d come, kissed me deeply to reinforce the lesson he’d taught, then went to take the breakfast tray from the slave who had entered without my hearing her. I didn’t know how long the girl had been standing there, but there was very little for me to be embarrassed about. Her wide-eyed stare and trembling body were for Daldrin alone, his completely if he cared to take them. Daldrin laughed and kissed the girl before sending her away, giving me the impression that he never took advantage of sitting ducks—or slaves in need. The freer the woman, the freer he felt to take advantage.
Breakfast was a battle—at least on my part—but I rarely win battles with men on that world. I ended up eating considerably more than I wanted, and I refuse to say what Daldrin did to make me obey him. He grinned all the while he watched me eat, then he punished me further by making me feed him whatever I’d left over. Our relationship had undergone a considerable change since the day before, and I was more than relieved to dress and leave the room with my escort. The only thing that bothered me about the dressing part was the fact that Daldrin had tied my sandals—in a way that made me feel more as though I were being banded than having my sandals tied. I would have told myself I was imagining things if there hadn’t been such extreme satisfaction in his mind.
The walk down the corridor would have been long enough to give me the jitters if I hadn’t had other things on my mind. Up until the afternoon before I’d been dead set against giving Aesnil her way, but what had happened with her guards bad made me stop and think. Every time I got mad, I managed to do something with my talent that I’d never done before. Just a few months earlier I’d had trouble splitting a projection five ways, but the night before I’d split one eight ways without noticing anything but the fatigue from holding the projection so long. And as far as holding it went, I was doing that a lot better, too. It seemed that unrestricted use and practice was making my talent considerably stronger than I’d been led to believe it could be. It was more than possible I’d been lied to about my potential, which meant I’d also been heavily conditioned without my knowing about it. The more unthinking my reaction, the better my talent worked; if I stopped to think about it, I usually didn’t use it. For an empath that was like not using eyesight or hearing or any other natural ability. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to half-cripple me, but I’d been learning to use my limbs again without realizing it. How much more could I accomplish if I worked knowingly against what had been done?
Which didn’t mean I’d decided on wholehearted cooperation with Aesnil. I didn’t like being blackmailed, and I didn’t like the plans Aesnil had all blocked out. She would use me ruthlessly to get what she wanted, and as soon as she had it she would let herself realize how really dangerous I could be to her. What she did after that would depend on her mood, but it wasn’t likely to be anything I’d enjoy. The only real chance I had to stay alive and healthy was to go along with Aesnil, pretend to be on her side, and then see what I could do to work myself free. It wasn’t much of a chance, and I’d probably never survive on my own even if I did get away, but I was desperate enough to try just about anything. I couldn’t face the idea of being made a slave again, and if nothing else, the world of Rimilia would see to taking my life even if I couldn’t find the nerve to do it on my own.
The corridor finally led to a set of immense double doors, which two of my guard escort opened in front of me. Behind the doors lay a very large room, empty now except for Aesnil and her personal guard. The Chama lay in the middle of dozens of red pillows piled on the top of a very wide two-step platform that looked out into the rest of the room, and it was to the foot of this platform that I was taken. Aesnil looked down at me with a sweet, friendly smile, but her mind held no friendliness. There was something she wanted very badly, and if she didn’t get it she would allow her temper free rein.
“I bid you a good morning, my honored guest who is called Terril,” she purred, surprising me by remembering my name. “It is now time for your decision, which I eagerly await.”
“So it is,” I drawled, looking idly around me before bringing my attention back to her. “I would, however, like to ask one question before I reveal my decision. When last we spoke, you mentioned dendayy who treated you as though you were no more than any other woman. Should I agree to assist you, how greatly would I be restrained in dealing with these—males”
The venom I put into the last word brought the light of triumph to Aesnil’s eyes, just as I knew it would. Her mind surged with happiness and strong belief that I was on her side, a belief. I had no trouble bolstering without her knowing about it. Aesnil had only limited understanding of my abilities, an advantage for me if I used it right. As long as she thought I couldn’t touch her without her knowing about it, I could do almost anything.
“It is my intention to teach these—males—that I am a woman to be reckoned with,” she assured me with a good deal of warmth. “Should your efforts make them appear more foolish than I had intended, it will please me no end. Am I to understand that it is now your decision to join me?”