"Shan-leo, stop reading my mind! I have no idea what you're talking about!"
"Wim Drake." Shan-leo rose from his chair and winked at her. "He left the hospital soon after me. He's too tough to spend more time than me with doctors!"
Dadina gaped at him as he passed in front of her towards the room door.
"Do you feel everything again?" Markandeya asked, stopping him by touching his bionic arm.
"Yes. You've reconnected the myoelectric system perfectly."
"Are you sure you don't want a layer of skin on it?"
"No, Mark, I don't want a cosmetic prosthetic! Sorry I couldn't bring what I attached to it to fight in the arena..."
"Not sure I want to see that," Markandeya said with a smile, letting him go.
"Thanks, Tyro!" Shan-leo waved good-bye and left with a grin.
Still incredulous, Dadina looked at Markandeya.
"Wim... Drake?" she asked, shaken. Just the night before Shan-leo had suggested she give the young thief a second chance. She hoped she had a few days to make up her mind, but if Wim already worked at the Labs, she was bound to meet him sooner than expected.
Markandeya nodded. "Apprenticed to the Hacker. And I don't think he used his body to get in the Hacker's lab, since we all know the Hacker loves women, especially if they look like the late Imperial Princess Lin-sun Vaurabi. Wim is androgynous, but still male. He must be really skilled with computers to impress the Hacker..."
"Wonders never cease," Dadina muttered, shaking her head. Now she'd have to deal with two men who worked at the Labs and didn't leave her completely indifferent. Hiro had M'oll'inda, but Wim was probably still single. Although after the trip to Wega, maybe he'd stop behaving like a male hooker with her...
***
Mayumi hadn't applied to the Vaurabi Labs since she didn't have any specific tech skill and hadn't requested to join palace security either. She and Wim shared an apartment on the outskirts of the town. Wim went to the palace and the underground Labs every day, and she stayed at home, trying to add a personal touch to the small place she'd rented.
That suburb hosted mostly foreigners that worked for the Sire and was made of little houses around a couple of malls. Shan-leo found the place and rang the bell, but nobody answered the door. He went around the back of the small house and found the back door and a little garden where Mayumi was dancing with headphones on and two ribbons in her hands.
She wore a tank top and tight-fitting pants, but he could picture her dressed in a traditional dress of her planet, with flowing sleeves also accompanying the slow but sensual dance – much like the dancer on the manuscript he was examining before going to the studio for Sassy&Sexy's show. She had her eyes closed and only she could hear the music, so Shan-leo simply stared at her graceful moves accompanied by the flying ribbons.
She finished and the ribbons fell gracefully on the grass. She took off the headphones and opened her eyes, staring at him, as if she'd known exactly where he was.
Shan-leo snapped out of his trance and cleared his throat.
"Hello, Mayumi," he said, a little embarrassed. He felt like he'd intruded on her privacy.
She grabbed the ribbons and walked to him barefooted, unsmiling but more serene than when he'd last seen her.
"I knew you'd show up eventually," she said. "How are your ribs?"
"I'm fine. Just need to be careful when I take deep breaths, it hurts a little."
"Sorry for shooting your hand."
"It's fine too. I didn't bleed to death." He smiled and showed off the brand new artificial hand with its transparent silicone skin and MEMS bones. "So welcome to Marc'harid. I see Wim has already carved out his spot here, but what about you? After taking care of him for I don't know how many years, you'll have him take care of you now in return?"
Mayumi looked sideways and smiled.
"We've been together for a year and a half," she said, thoughtful. "It was a wild ride. I will apply for palace security, eventually, but it feels good to enjoy a place you can call home. Getting to know the planet, the city, the suburbs, the neighbors, unknown to everybody so it's like a clean slate... I could reinvent myself! Nobody needs to know where I come from or what I did..." She looked at him. "Unless someone gives me away, of course."
"I don't care what you did, and I'm glad you're starting anew," he replied. "You're a very good dancer, would you like to join the palace entertainers? We lost one a few months ago, she was with Dadina's mother, but decided to go back to Ypsilanti."
"Kelikana Angelle." Mayumi nodded, amused. "Yes, I've heard about her."
"From Dadina's mind?"
"Wim is a hacker. We researched the two of you before our attempted abduction."
"Tricky thieves." He smiled. "I hope you'll come and visit us at the palace soon."
***
"I hear you tried Wegan tenderness," Jan-wen said, sitting next to Shan-leo at the oak table where he'd spread a few manuscripts to copy. "Don't you know they're known for their sadism and their kinks?"
"I'd have happily avoided the trip to Wega," Shan-leo replied, dropping the quill. He wasn't doing much anyway – he was even more distracted than before.
"Your father told me a pretty Xi-kongian girl led him to the rescue... would that be our ESP manuscripts thief?"
"Yes." Shan-leo cleared his throat but couldn't continue as his heart thumped in his chest.
"Why do you blush every time we mention her?" Jan-wen teased. "Is she really an obsession?"
Shan-leo sighed. "Yes. And she lives here now."
"Shan-leo, my boy, you won't find love advice in old manuscripts," Jan-wen said, squeezing his shoulder. "Take her out to see a movie, or to dance..."
"I'm not my father, I can only do the bear dance," Shan-leo muttered.
Jan-wen laughed. "I'm sure you can waltz as well as any other young Sire aristocrat!"
"I was ten when my grandfather died and the Imperial court vanished!" Shan-leo protested. "Besides, Mayumi is not interested. She knows where to find me, but she never calls, never visits..."
"Maybe she's waiting for you to make the first move."
"No, she's enjoying her new life. She was chased for so many years, she can't believe she has finally found a home. She's very independent and..."
"You admire her strength so much it intimidates you. And you feel you hurt each other and therefore you're not meant to be."
Shan-leo sighed, fidgeting with the quill. "Is it so obvious?" His voice shook. He had a lump in his throat. He gulped.
"I haven't met the young lady, but I think I know you by now," Jan-wen replied. "Shan-leo, you fell in love. Just tell her."
"Like for the Chief Librarian post, I don't think I'm ready yet," Shan-leo said gloomily.
Jan-wen patted his hands. "You will be. In due time."
***
"Hey, Blondie, what's up?" Wim set his tray down next to Dadina in the Labs' canteen, startling her.
"My name is Dadina," she snapped, glaring at him. It had been barely a couple of weeks since they'd come back from Wega and Wim seemed to be back to his old self. Since she couldn't read his mind, she was a little surprised by his flirtatious behavior. Knowing he'd been raped, she thought it would take him more time to have a go at her. But then, he'd been assaulted by men, and going after her might be a way of reasserting his manhood – if he had one. She was very attracted by his androgynous beauty and long hair, but this didn't mean she was ready to fall for him. She didn't know enough about him, and she'd already thrown herself at Hiro too fast.
"I know, Dadina Maela, born on Sylvania nineteen years ago." He grinned. "Do you have a boyfriend, Dadina, since you're not with your foster brother?"
"Did you talk to Shan-leo?" she inquired, jarred.
"No, I'm a hacker," he replied with a wink. "There's a lot of stuff one can find out about people on the meganet if one knows where to look."
She snorted. "Right," she muttered. "Much like Kol-ian did. So, is the Hacker teaching you somet
hing?"
"Not really," he replied. "He's passing on his trade, since he obviously won't have kids on his own. The man's screwed – all techie and unable to interact with human beings..." Wim shook his head. "I will not end up like him, that's for sure."
M'oll'inda and Hiro joined them with their trays.
"Hey, Dadi, you've met the new guy?" M'oll'inda asked with a grin.
"He came here in my name," she grumbled. "How come you haven't cut your hair yet?" she asked Wim.
"I like it long. Is there a rule that says male employees of the Vaurabi Labs should have short hair like in the military?" he retorted. "I don't think I saw anything like that in my contract. It didn't say anything about tattoos either."
"Why, you have a tattoo?" she asked, puzzled.
"Yeah, but I'm not showing it off right now. You'll have to invite me to your room to see it," he answered with a wink.
M'oll'inda giggled. "Where is it?" she asked.
"On my back." He shrugged. "I'd love to come to work with a bare torso, but I don't think that would be welcome. I do have some sense of decency, you know."
"Which is surprising for a shameless hooker like you," Dadina muttered.
He pinched her arm. "I'm not a hooker anymore, Blondie, or I'd have stayed on Alahairo. So stop hassling me, I won't take it anymore."
"Maybe you should date her," Hiro suggested. "Might clear the slate and help her forget the past."
Dadina glared at him. "We never had a proper date, right? That's why you ended up with M'oll."
Hiro smiled. "We met under strange circumstances and we never got to talk properly about what we wanted."
"That's exactly what happened with me," Wim commented.
"Except you didn't get in my pants," Dadina snapped.
"So can I buy you dinner?" he asked with his adorable dimpled smile.
"And show her your tattoo!" M'oll'inda added enthusiastically.
Dadina really wanted to refuse, but not in front of Hiro and M'oll'inda. Besides, she was kind of curious to know more about the hacker thief... she better stop thinking about him as a hooker, for her own peace of mind!
So she agreed and met him in a small restaurant downtown. They talked about the Vaurabi Labs and the people working there, and he told her more about his life in the slums of Alahairo. Dadina admitted she'd never seen the worst parts of his home planet and had no idea of what it meant to grow up poor but proud and handsome.
He walked her back to the palace under the stars, holding her hand, silent now. She couldn't help comparing him to Hiro: both had had problems in their formative years, both had run away from their home planets, but both had managed to stay cheerful and funny and...
"Have you ever killed anyone?" she asked as they entered the palace and the lights of the stately corridors.
"Once." He shrugged. "It was self-defense. I had a knife and used it. Then a few years later Mayumi helped me escape that awful life."
Dadina nodded, thoughtful. She wondered if Mayumi had had to kill too to survive.
"I'd have killed that bastard K'iri'llian too," he added with a frown. "But Ker-ris and Mayumi stopped me. No need to wash my hands in blood. Besides, I should have killed him and his men if I wanted revenge. I asked them if I could at least cut his dick, but they said no. So he went to prison, unharmed."
"Oh. I never thought of killing the customers who refused to believe me when I told them I was an unwilling slave," she muttered, a little disappointed.
"You were lucky," he said, squeezing her hand. "I guess they went gentle on you. Trust me, if they'd raped you, you'd have wanted them dead, or at least emasculated."
She nodded, thoughtful. He was probably right. In her sheltered life she never had to deal with people like Wim and Hiro had – gangsters, criminals and other goons who took pleasure in hurting others. She could understand Hiro's revenge spree a little more now, listening to Wim's dispassionate recounting of his stay on Wega. She could understand why Wim wanted his rapist dead.
Thank you, Mayumi and Ker-ris, for keeping him clean. If he'd killed, he'd be in prison too, not walking next to her, his warm hand in hers.
They reached her apartment and he stopped outside her door.
"Well, thank you for tonight. I think it was quite good. Can we do it again?" He was serious, but looked hopeful.
"It doesn't have to end here," she answered, putting her arms around his neck. "My mother is on duty tonight, and I'd love to see your tattoo..."
He grinned. "Let's do it, then..."
She led him inside and took off his shirt in the middle of the living room. He pulled up his raven hair with one hand and turned around. A skull on the spine under the neck looked like a second head. It had wings that went down his shoulders almost to the waist. Feathered wings. A colorless tattoo for a fallen angel. Wim had danced with death more than once in his life. But he'd survived.
Dadina caressed the skin drawing, holding her breath. He turned around and took her in his arms. She lost herself in his dark eyes as he leaned to kiss her. She closed her eyes and tasted his mouth, holding him tight.
The young rogue proved to be a very tender lover. She found herself touching him and kissing him all over, as if she wanted him to forget the men who had abused him. His moans of pleasure were the sexiest sound she'd ever heard.
EPILOGUE
The summer break brought a few people to Mansion Shermac for Dadina's twentieth birthday. Shan-leo opened his family's house for Dadina's party. Unlike him – who had preferred spending his birthday with his extended family – she had invited many colleagues and a few friends, so it was all young people attending. She arrived with Wim, M'oll'inda and Hiro, then more showed up.
Shan-leo pulled Wim to the side and asked him about Mayumi.
"She's finishing her shift, that's why she's coming on her own," he answered with a wink. "Don't worry, she'll be here."
Shan-leo hoped so, since she was the only person he actually wanted to see. And since she wasn't really Dadina's friend, she'd be there for him.
Mayumi still lived with Wim even though Wim was now Dadina's boyfriend, and Shan-leo often wondered when Dadina would move out of Maela's to live with her boyfriend – although where would that leave Mayumi? The couple could afford a small apartment, though, and there were some free at the palace if they didn't want to look too far and stay close to their workplace. Or they could rent next to Hiro and M'oll'inda and come to work all together. But again, where would that leave Mayumi who had joined palace security and worked double shifts to keep herself busy?
Being the host distracted him and eventually he saw her among the guests. He felt her eyes on him before actually seeing her – like a mind caressing his – and he gulped the surge of emotions inside him. He could give a name to his feelings by now, but he still hadn't found a way to tell her.
Her hair was tied in a ponytail and she wore a tight-fitting, sleeveless dress that left most of her legs uncovered. He walked to her in a daze while everybody around them vanished from his perception.
"Mayumi..."
She smiled and raised her glass at him.
"Should we toast to Wim and Dadina's happiness?" she suggested.
"Uh... I don't have a glass," he looked around, puzzled.
"You don't need one," she said, putting one hand on his shoulder. She sipped the sparkling wine then offered him the glass.
He smiled, took a sip, then put down the glass, pulling her closer.
"Mayumi, I need to talk to you. I want you to know how important you've become..."
She put a finger on his lips to shut him up.
"Don't talk," she whispered before kissing him.
He felt her shields fall one by one. She was opening her mind to him. He took down his own shields. Mind communication was so much easier and immediate...
She trusted him. She wanted to share her joys and her sorrows – and so did he. The kiss of mouths became a kiss of minds. Not a love mind link yet, but so close...
>
Shan-leo and Mayumi found bliss in the garden of Mansion Shermac.
It's so much more than a union of bodies, she marveled.
And it's possible only between telepaths, he answered, flooding her with his happiness.
She giggled, pulling away from him.
"Thank you, Shan-leo. I thought Prince Charming didn't exist, but you just proved me wrong..."
***
Shan-leo woke in his bed at Mansion Shermac and he wasn't alone, neither in body nor in mind. He rolled to watch Mayumi sleep, feeling elated. The mind link had been strengthened by the physical union of their bodies. What he'd been looking for all along was possible with someone like her.
Mayumi was on her belly, hugging the pillow. Her long black hair had fallen to one side of her face, leaving her bare back free. Shan-leo caressed her tattoo with his flesh-and-blood hand – a lotus with a skull at its center painted between her shoulders – and smiled. He had a bionic arm, she had a tattoo, both had done something to their bodies. His had been an accident, but he could have easily hidden it with the cosmetic prosthetic he'd been given.
Mayumi sighed under his touch and her eyes fluttered open. She slowly smiled, focusing on him.
"Good morning," he whispered, leaning to kiss her. "Did you sleep well?"
"Haven't slept so well in years," she answered rolling on her back and stretching her arms with a yawn, displaying her naked body for him. "Thank you, Shan-leo. I thought I knew everything about my powers."
"I don't have telekinesis, but I can teach you a thing or two on telepathy," he said with a wink.
She giggled. "And will your noble father approve of me?" she asked with an impish smile. "I don't have an ounce of royal blood, you know?"
"And you're a thief, I know." He grinned. "But you don't need to steal anymore."
She purred, putting her arms around his neck to pull him closer.
"Is this your palace, my lord?" she asked.
"One of many, of course," he answered. "I'd like to spend some time here with you – to strengthen our bond and get to know you better."
"Even better than this? And what else do you think is missing?"
Star Minds Next Generation Page 16
