Close Encounters

by Katherine Allred

  “Thor.” I looked at him entreatingly. “I don’t even know what a Shushanna is. All I know is that you somehow changed me, and it scares me to death. There’s so much Dr. Gertz did to me that we don’t understand. I’m not sure I can tolerate even more surprises.”

  We walked in silence for a moment before he answered, as if he were trying to think the explanation through. “We did not change you.”

  He held a hand up when I started to protest. “We did not change you. As I said, a Shushanna is born, not made. Regardless of whatever else this man did, you were created with the capacity to be a Shushanna. Somehow the ability was blocked in you, but it was there. We merely unblocked it.”

  “How?”

  “Through the Demantti. They knew what you were and what was wrong. They fixed the problem.”

  When he said Demantti, I heard the word crystals. “Do you know how the crystals work?”

  “No. Only that they do. The how doesn’t matter so much to us.”

  So much for a quick answer. But we were nearing the village and there was one more question I needed out of the way before we got there. “At least tell me what a Shushanna is.”

  His brow furrowed. “It is not easy to tell.”

  “Try.”

  He took a deep breath, held it, and then let it out slowly. “A Shushanna is the lifeblood of my people, our heart, the very air we breathe. Without a Shushanna we die.”

  Well, that certainly cleared that right up. That was sarcasm, in case you’re wondering. If anything, I was even more confused, and since we’d reached the village, we were out of time to talk.

  And suddenly I had something else to worry about. What in the thirteen hells were those damn gossamer strands that kept floating on the edges of my mind’s eye? They were like a single thread from a spider web, drifting on the breeze, only visible when they passed through a beam of sunlight. But the closer we got to the village, the brighter they became, and I had to resist the urge to rub my physical eyes to see if they’d go away.

  Thor tried to tug me toward the communal kitchen, but I barely noticed, all my attention suddenly focused on Poe as I stopped.

  He was walking toward us, a spear over his shoulder, heading in the same direction we’d been going. Nothing abnormal about that. Except one of the shining strands was moving with him.

  The closer he came, the brighter the strand grew. Then, when he reached me and kept going, the strand shifted from the right side of my internal vision to the left, and gradually dimmed as he moved farther away.

  Could it be…?

  I let my eyes go unfocused and concentrated. Sure enough, for every Buri moving about the village, a strand moved in conjunction, and they all seemed to be attached to me somehow.

  Shaking my head in puzzlement, I let my vision go back to normal. If I was seeing the life force of the Buri, why were there so many of them? Even if I assumed some Buri were staying out of sight in caves, I figured there were less than a hundred Buri surviving on Orpheus Two. More than that, and they would have left signs of their occupation. But there seemed to be thousands of strands. It made no sense at all.

  Admittedly, the majority of the filaments were clumped together, unmoving, so bright it was hard to distinguish individual strands. Maybe it just felt like there were more than there really were. Or maybe the extra Buri actually numbered in the thousands and were all wadded up in a ball, holding still just to fool me, I thought sarcastically.

  A thought occurred to me. Could this clump be “the others” Auntie Em had referred to? And what about Elder’s request to “wake them up?” A slithery feeling of prescience slid down my spine, but before I could follow that line of reasoning to its conclusion, another phenomenon surprised me into losing my train of thought.

  Gossamer strands attached to me somehow. Thor doing something that felt like a yank on our bond. Oh yeah, the pieces were falling into place.

  Experimentally I searched for the strand that linked me to Thor. It wasn’t hard to find since he was standing right beside me, looking on with interest. Plus, his strand was denser and brighter, more substantial than the others.

  I closed my eyes and mentally reached out, careful not to be too harsh or abrupt. It was the oddest feeling, kind of like trying to grasp a slippery eel that wiggled to get away. But I held on, gave it a gentle tug, and was rewarded for my effort when Thor jumped.

  I released it and opened my eyes to find him smiling at me.

  “You learn fast, mate.”

  “Yes. I do. So tell me, am I mated to all the Buri?”

  His smile faded to a frown. “No. You are my mate alone.”

  “Then why am I seeing strands that correspond to all the Buri’s life force?”

  “You are Shushanna.”

  It was all I could do to keep from screaming in frustration. “Yeah, I got that.”

  Before I could continue, he changed the subject. “Your talk with the others went well?”

  “I suppose you could say that.” Reaching out with one hand I touched his arm. “Thor, you need to prepare your people. Dynatec won’t let anything stand between them and ownership of this planet. I’m afraid they plan on wiping you out. If you have weapons other than spears, now is the time to start keeping them with you.”

  He nodded. “I have suspected as much. I will tell those with swords to arm themselves.”

  “Good.”

  “Now come.” He headed toward the kitchen again. “The food is prepared.”

  “Is food all you ever think about?” I groused, following him.

  He shot me a teasing glance from his ebony eyes. “No.”

  Well. That sure came across loud and clear. A wave of lust flashed through my body. I suppose being his mate did have some perks. And frankly, I could hardly wait to enjoy them. “So why are you walking so slowly? Do we have to stay until everyone has finished eating? I mean, I’d really hate to break some Buri protocol, but…”

  My voice trailed off as Thor laughed. It was the first time I’d ever heard him laugh aloud, and it gave me a warm melty feeling in my middle. “I’m being too pushy, aren’t I?”

  He smiled down at me. “I like it that you show what you feel. Especially when it comes to making love.”

  “Nope, not a shy bone in my body. Are you sure we have to eat first?” Just thinking about dragging him to bed was getting me all worked up. “I mean, we could eat in, say, an hour or two. Three at the most.”

  A sigh lifted his broad chest. “I must be there to hear reports.”

  Well, damn. Okay, I could tamp my libido down for a while longer. And anticipation did heighten the pleasure, right? Right. My sigh echoed Thor’s. “Let’s get this over with.”

  All the Buri that weren’t on guard duty were in the communal kitchen, but they’d left space for Thor and me at the main table. We squeezed in just as the dishes of food began to make the rounds, and I helped myself to something that looked like roast beef and gravy. Thor assisted by dumping a large spoonful of green leaves on my plate, along with some tubers.

  I took a tentative bite, realized it was good, and dug in. It never hurt to replenish my strength, after all. Especially since I planned to expend a lot of energy later.

  We were nearly finished when Auntie Em leaned across the table and spoke to Thor. “Is she ready to assume her duties yet?”

  The bite I’d just taken went down wrong and I almost choked when I realized she was talking about me. He gave me a solid swat on the back before answering her.

  “She does not know what her duties are, and we have no other Shushanna to teach her. Have patience. She will learn.”

  Auntie Em made a harrumphing noise before turning to speak with Churka. I wanted to know what the two females were talking about, but Thor was chatting with a sandy-colored Buri and paying no attention to them.

  I’d noticed this particular Buri worked in the fields a lot, and it seemed he was having problems with small, scaled herbivores eating his crops. By the time he got
close enough to use his spear, they spotted him and fled. He’d considered a fence, but doubted it would do any good since the creatures were agile climbers. Plus, by the time they built a fence for all the land they’d cultivated, there wouldn’t be any crops left to protect.

  Both Thor and the other Buri were at a loss as to how the problem should be handled, other than placing guards at strategic locations around the fields at night.

  Maybe I could help a little. “Max, do we have bows left from that trip the Cygnus sector?”

  “Only three, Kiera, and ten arrows each to go with them.”

  “Ten arrows each will be enough if they recycle them. Put them near the hold door and I’ll pick them up tomorrow.”

  Thor turned to me, one brow arched in question. “What is a bow?”

  “It’s a device used to shoot small spears over a greater distance than you can throw your bigger ones.” I formed a mental image of a person shooting an arrow from a bow. “It should allow Gardner here, along with two others, to hunt the herbivores without getting close enough to scare them off. But it does take practice to be accurate, and they’ll have to be careful not to lose the arrows.”

  With a nod, he explained everything I’d just told him to Sandy. The Buri gave me a brief smile and dipped his head before leaving.

  During the next thirty minutes, four more Buri approached Thor, three males and one female. Since the conversations appeared to be routine reports that I couldn’t help with, I finished eating and then just waited.

  About the time I got my hopes up for an escape, Churka walked over and sat beside me, then peered around me at Thor. “She can understand me now through the bond?”

  “Yes.”

  To my surprise, she smiled and took my hand. “As eldest female of my family, it is my duty and privilege to welcome you, sister. We”—she gestured around at the other Buri—“knew you would come, but did not realize you would be the mind mate of my brother. I am pleased that it is so.”

  I returned her smile before what she’d said sunk in. “Whoa! Back up a sentence or two.” My glare landed on Thor. “What does she mean, you knew I’d come?”

  He returned my gaze calmly. “Our grandsire was descended from a long line of Shushannas and had the gift of foretelling. He said that when our need was greatest, a Shushanna with hair the color of the sun would come to us, and she would be the greatest Shushanna we have ever known.”

  My mouth gaped for a second, and then closed with a snap. “That’s why you decided I was a Shushanna?”

  Churka was watching us like a spectator at a spaceball match, a puzzled look on her face. Thor and I both ignored her while he answered me.

  “I suspected it when I first saw your hair. My suspicion was proven correct when your leg healed. Only a Shushanna is capable of such a thing, and if it had not been true, the Demantti would have had no effect on you.”

  Even though my teeth were clenched, I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. We’d been over this, after all. He couldn’t have told me before because we couldn’t communicate. He hadn’t withheld the information deliberately. It wasn’t his fault.

  Forcing a smile, I turned back to Churka. “Thank you. I too am pleased to have a new sister.”

  At least I didn’t lie. It would be kind of nice to have someone around I could claim as family, even if it was only temporary.

  Thor nudged me, his gaze warm. “We are both your family now. All of us are your family, your tribe. We belong to you as much as you belong to us. No matter where you go or what you do, that will never change.”

  At that moment, I could state positively that Naturals who think GEPs have no souls were wrong. My eyes misted up and I couldn’t speak for the lump in my throat, but my soul yearned with every fiber of its being, because Thor was offering me something I’d never dared to believe would be mine. He was offering me the chance to fit in, to be part of a greater whole than I’d ever been before. Not only did they accept my strangeness, they embraced and celebrated it, something I’d never managed to do for myself.

  If I hadn’t already fallen in love with him, I would have then. And the surprising thing was, it didn’t scare me this time.

  I still didn’t see how things could work out in the end, but at least I was willing to entertain the notion that we might be able to reach an agreement that would suit everyone. I’d have to think about it some more.

  Thor had finished eating while I mulled that over. Placing his wooden utensil on the table, he turned to me. “The reports are done. Are you prepared to leave?”

  “Yes.” I jumped up so fast I almost knocked over the bench, grabbed his hand and towed him out the door behind me. But when I headed for my quarters, he pulled me to a stop.

  “No. We will go home.” He gestured at the stone edifice.

  Home? That’s our home? I whipped around to stare at the graceful structure. The Buri had constructed that magnificent building for Thor and me?

  “I am leader, you are Shushanna, we are bonded. My people were pleased to so honor us.”

  “But it’s too much!” My protest was damn near a wail, and I forced myself to calm down. Max was the closest thing I’d ever had to a real home, and until now I’d thought it was enough. I’d been wrong. Because the thought of a real, solid, unmovable dirt-side home filled me with such a deep longing that my eyes stung with the effort not to weep.

  “Compared to the hope you have brought my people, this is a small thing.”

  “What hope?”

  He held out his hand. “Come. We will not be interrupted here. I have explained ‘honeymoon’ to my people. They agree it is a wise habit to cultivate.”

  With a groan, I walked across the clearing with him. That honeymoon thing was coming back to bite me in the butt. But if it bought me time alone with Thor, I’d live with it.

  Accepting his offered hand, I followed him inside. “What hope?”

  He looked down at me, a smile tilting the corners of his expressive mouth. “Is it not your purpose to find a way for my people to reproduce?”

  Suspicious now, I squinted back at him. “Yes. That’s part of my job.”

  “Because we have so few, children are precious to us.” He stopped and faced me fully, serious now. “Your purpose brings renewed hope to my people. They know you will give them their hearts’ greatest desire.”

  Oh, sure. Nothing like a little pressure to encourage a girl’s fear of failure.

  You will not fail.

  CHAPTER 14

  The room we entered was huge, with arched windows and doors that allowed any stray breeze to wander through. Low wooden tables in different sizes and shapes were strategically placed to make up individual conversation areas. Large colorful cushions were tossed around each table on the polished tile floor, adjusted for maximum comfort and style.

  Decorative ironwork was set into the stone on each side of the windows and doors, and I realized they contained oil lamps. Matching lamps sat on the glossy tables beside beautiful flower arrangements.

  And that wasn’t all. On the most prominent interior wall, water danced and played down the stone to a catch basin near the floor. Flowering vines that filled the air with their perfume framed the marvelous little fall.

  Delight rippled through me as I turned in a slow circle. I’d been in palaces on dozens of worlds, lush places that reflected their owners’ wealth. But none of them had moved me the way this room did.

  “You like it.”

  I caught feelings of pleasure rolling from Thor, and for a second was taken aback. In the furor over the mind bond and our marriage, I’d somehow forgotten I could read emotions. Now that I’d remembered, I felt better. It was something familiar to hang on to in my suddenly turbulent world.

  “It’s beautiful, Thor. How could I not like it?”

  “Churka will be pleased.”

  “Your sibling did this?”

  “All contributed items, but she decided what to use where.” He took my hand and
led me to the table nearest the waterfall, where a tray containing a pitcher and two glasses rested.

  “Why wasn’t I allowed to come inside while they were working on it?”

  He poured the glasses full of a clear golden liquid and handed one to me. “It is tradition for the male to bring his mate inside their home for the first time after the Rellantiim Ceremony is sealed.”

  “Kind of like carrying the bride over the threshold, huh?” I sniffed the liquid, decided it was fruit juice, and took a cautious sip. Yep, juice. I took a bigger swallow.

  “These brides cannot walk?” His head was tilted in puzzlement as he regarded me.

  “Of course they can walk.” Although, considering I’d had trouble remaining in an upright position after the ceremony, I could see how he might get that idea. “It’s an Old Earth superstition. No one knows for sure why it’s done, though. One explanation I’ve heard is that it’s bad luck for the female to fall when entering their home for the first time. Another one is that if she steps into the new home with the left foot first it’s unlucky. Why press your luck when you can avoid the possibility by being carried? A third explanation is that it was handed down by the remnants of a clan that acquired females by stealing them and carrying them away from the protection of their fathers and brothers.”

  Thor’s eyes glazed over, and I realized I was rambling. Taking a deep breath, I put the glass of juice back on the table. “Why don’t you show me the rest of the place?”

  “Of course.” He took my hand and led me to a wide hall.

  On each side were smaller, more intimate rooms decorated much like the room we’d first entered, minus the waterfall. Through the mind bond I picked up a blurry image of Buri meeting with Thor or myself. Kind of like offices, I decided.

  Next came sleeping quarters, all beautifully decorated. Some had two sleeping platforms, others had one large one. But my attention kept returning to a curtain-covered opening at the far end of the hall.