by Joanna Wylde
She took her hand, and together they stepped into the pod. “I am Grania,” the woman said. “I’m a priestess at the temple. Velor,” she nodded toward the man, “is my life mate. I must say, I find your situation unusual. We do occasionally get calls from young women who feel they have a special connection with one of our warriors, but I find that it usually isn’t true.”
“Well, I’m only here because Xander, Jerred’s friend, told me to call you,” Giselle said softly, feeling embarrassed. This was probably some sort of sick prank. How horrible. She wished she could bolt back to the apartment.
“Really?” the woman asked. She and her spouse exchanged unfathomable looks, and then she leaned in more closely to Giselle.
“Tell me about this Xander,” she said.
Giselle blushed to realize how little she knew.
“I’ve only met him twice,” she said slowly. “He and Jerred grew up together. He told me that, and Jerred told me, too. When we first met him, he said some really nasty things about me, and he and Jerred almost got into a fight. I thought Jerred was going to kill him.”
“Go on,” the woman said.
“Then he came to the apartment earlier today. I was afraid of him at first, because of what happened before. But he said that Jerred was acting strangely, and that I should call you. He said there might be a chance that Jerred and I were life mates but that Jerred was too scared to admit it.”
The woman patted her hand comfortingly, and smiled at her again. There was something incredibly soothing about that smile. Giselle felt calm wash over her.
“Well, we’ll know soon enough,” the woman said. “We’re almost to the temple now.”
The pod came to a stop and the door slid open. Grania took Giselle’s arm and led her gently from the vehicle. She looked around, expecting some kind of monument or grand entrance. Instead they were in something that looked more like a garage.
“We’re taking the back door in,” Grania said, as if reading her thoughts. “Not quite as impressive, I know, but far more convenient. I hope you don’t mind?”
Giselle shook her head, bemused by the woman’s practicality. She looked so stately that it was hard to imagine she thought about things like parking pods. A guard nodded to them as they left the garage, walking into a lavishly appointed corridor. Unlike much of the station, which was largely utilitarian, the floor here was tiled, and there was a different kind of smell in the air. The scent of living things. Perhaps there was a garden?
Her question was answered as they walked through another arch into a large, open area. All around were trees and birds. Grass covered the ground, and in the distance a sun seemed to be shining down on them.
“What is this?” she asked with a gasp.
“This is the temple,” the woman said in a soft, sweet voice. “The grounds here are twenty-five miles across. What you see up above is our ‘sun’—the engineers built and maintain it for us. Even here in the middle of the station, it gives our people a taste of home.”
“It’s amazing,’ she said. “Are all your temples like this one?”
“Most of them,” Grania replied. “They’re built as a reflection of the central temple on Saurellia. Of course, they’re different sizes in different places. On a small station they might feel more like a greenhouse than this.”
Giselle nodded her head slowly, eyes searching all around.
“This place is amazing,” she said softly. “I can hardly believe it’s real.”
They started walking along a stone-lined path, and within moments Giselle had lost sight of the doorway they’d entered through.
“It’s not far,” Grania said. “We’ll be going to our house for a while, and then perhaps to the main temple precinct.”
“How far is it?’ Giselle asked.
“It will only take us a few minutes to get there,” Grania said. “There are many, many entrances to the temple. One can almost always enter near one’s destination, which is important. There is no motorized travel allowed within the sanctuary, which means you will have a long walk if you come in at the wrong place. Of course, one of the reasons we have such a large space is precisely so people can walk. We find that walking with the Goddess often helps to clear the mind.”
Giselle nodded slowly. Grania’s words made perfect sense to her; she could easily imagine how walking along these smooth, beautiful paths could help a person think. Before long they reached a surprisingly primitive cottage. The walls appeared to be made of stone, and the ceiling from bunches of dried grass.
“Here we are,” Grania said. She opened the door, nodded for Giselle to come in with her. The cottage was small, and filled with furniture that seemed to be fashioned out of wood and primitive textiles. Giselle goggled openly; she’d never seen anything like it.
“You live here?” she asked, and then closed her mouth with an embarrassed gasp. What a rude question…
Grania laughed, and Velor shook his head.
“It’s slightly more up-to-date than you might think from its appearance,” he said. “Our kitchen is modern, and we’re hooked into the ’net. But we find simplicity does help us stay focused on serving the Goddess.”
“It’s lovely,” Giselle said. “I guess I’ve never seen anything like this on a space station before.”
“Well, this is an unusual space station,” Grania said with a smile. “And you, Giselle, appear to be an unusual woman. Will you sit with me?”
She walked gracefully over to a large, wooden table, taking a seat along one side. Giselle sat across from her, feeling uncomfortable.
“I think you already know why I’m here,” Giselle said quietly. “I’m not quite sure what to do now, to be honest,” she added with a nervous laugh. “How can you tell if I’m Jerred’s life mate? Do you have to do tests, or scan me?”
“Oh, no, I don’t think that will be necessary,” Grania said with a serene smile. “I already know the answer.”
“Well?” Giselle asked, feeling a bit impatient. “What is it?”
“Do you really need me to tell you?” Grania asked quietly. “I don’t think that you do. I think that if you look into your heart you’ll know.”
It took all Giselle had within her not roll her eyes and snort in disgust. This was why she usually avoided temples. Too touchy-feely. “I don’t know,” she said slowly. “If I knew, I wouldn’t have asked you.”
Grania cocked her head at her and laughed. “Yes, I can see that,” she said. “You’re very literal-minded, and you don’t trust your senses, do you? You need to work on that child. It’s really the only way you’ll ever grow close to the Goddess.”
This time Giselle did sigh, wishing she’d never come. These people were like sticky candy—their words clung to her, clogging up her brain. Even the air in this place seemed to clog up her mind. Suddenly she felt hot and uncomfortable.
“I think you should tell her,” Velor said to his life mate, coming up behind her to place one hand on her shoulder. “She seems confused enough already.”
“Yes, I suppose you’re right,” Grania said. “It’s just that I wanted her to see for herself.”
“Well, I don’t see,” Giselle said, growing frustrated. “Please, tell me.”
“You and Jerred are clearly life mates,” Grania said, smiling. Giselle felt dizzy. Was this woman playing games with her? They hadn’t done any tests, how could they know for sure?
“The Goddess tells us these things,” Grania said, replying to her unasked question. Giselle started, suddenly feeling a little uncertain. She’d never really liked priests and priestesses who claimed to speak to the Goddess. In her experience, they usually wanted money. But this couple really didn’t seem to be asking anything of her.
“The Goddess rejoices at your presence, child,” Velor said, his voice soothing. “We were both able to feel it as soon as we met you. It will be stronger when your Jerred arrives, of course, but there’s no question that you’re newly life-mated.”
“So wha
t does that mean?” Giselle asked, almost afraid to know the answer.
“Well, it means that you and Jerred will probably have very long, happy lives together,” Grania said. “Of course, there will be hard times. But, all in all, the Goddess chooses wisely when she creates mates. You are very lucky to have found each other.”
“What about Jerred?” Giselle asked, feeling even more confused. “How is he going to react to this?”
“Well, I would imagine that once he understands what’s going on he’ll be thrilled,” Velor said. “Although I wouldn’t be surprised if right now he’s tearing the station apart looking for you. My chief of security tells me that he’s demanding entrance to the temple,” he added, tapping his ear lightly. The man must have a communications implant, Giselle realized. How funny, that a man who lived in a wooden house had a com implant. This temple was an extremely strange place.
“You’d better go and fetch him, dear,” Grania said, turning her head to smile up at her mate. “The poor boy will have a heart attack if we don’t let him know his mate is safe. They tend to get very concerned about these things,” she added, looking at Giselle.
Velor nodded, then quietly left the room.
“He won’t be but a moment,” Grania said. “We have an entrance in back of the house, too. We only took you the long way because we wanted you to see some of the grounds.”
True to her word, Velor was back within moments. Jerred followed him, his face filled with strain. He came up to her and pulled her roughly into his arms.
“Are you all right?” he asked, running his hands over her shoulders.
“Yes,” she said, looking up at him with all the love she felt. She couldn’t quite figure out why he was so concerned. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t left a note.
“Xander told me he’d had a talk with you,” Jerred said, his face betraying his nerves. “He told me you’d gone to the temple. I was afraid you might be seeking sanctuary from me.”
“Sanctuary?” she burst out laughing. “Why on earth would I need sanctuary?”
He blushed, and then looked to Grania and Velor.
“Considering how I originally got you to come with me, I had reason to be worried,” he said softly. “My mind just kept racing through all the reasons you might be trying to leave me. I couldn’t understand why you’d go to the temple, either.”
“It is customary for life mates to have their union sanctified within the temple,” Grania said. Jerred’s head jerked up, and he looked at her.
“What are you saying?”
“We’re life mates, Jerred,” Giselle said softly, looking up into his face. For an instant, joy chased across his features, and then he seemed to clamp down on the emotion firmly.
“This isn’t a joking matter, Giselle,” he said. “You have no comprehension how unlikely it is that we could possible be life mates.”
“And yet that is exactly the case,” Grania said. “And I think you know that already, young man. You’re just afraid to give in to your happiness. You’re afraid to believe it’s real. But it is.”
Jerred suddenly sagged against her, clutching her so hard Giselle though she’d fall over. He caught himself quickly though.
“This is more than I could have imagined,” he muttered, giving her a soft kiss on the mouth. “Giselle, I love you. Will you do me the honor of sharing my life?”
“Oh, hell yes,” Giselle said. “Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t suppose you want to open up a bar, do you?”
He shook his head, and started laughing. “Can we discuss this further?” he asked. “I think we have quite a few things to talk about.”
“Not least of which is you getting out of the spying and smuggling thing,” Giselle said. “Or at least I hope you’ll consider it. I don’t think I can handle another run-in with Josiah.”
He kissed her, his mouth slanting over hers in a gesture that was frankly carnal. Giselle sighed, allowing herself to fall into the kiss. A second later they were brought up short by a discrete cough.
“As much as the Goddess celebrates physical love,” Velor said softly, “I believe I wouldn’t be overstating my bounds by requesting you celebrate yours in private.”
Epilogue
Jerred landed the small shuttle with a gentle thump and flicked off several switches. He left the view screen on, though, and Giselle could see a largish group of people standing to one side of the landing pad.
She had never been more intimidated in her life.
“Relax, they won’t bite,” Jerred said softly. “In fact, I’m imaging they’ll be very happy to meet you. You and I represent their hope for the future.”
“You really should have told me about this before we got together,” Giselle muttered softly. “If I had known marrying you included marrying an entire estate of people, I might have thought twice.”
“Why do you think I didn’t tell you?” he asked archly.
He stood up and led her to the shuttle’s doorway, which opened with a touch of his hand. A set of stairs had already extended itself from their ship.
“Come on,” he said. “It’s all right, I promise. They’ll be happy to meet you.”
“Even your mother?” she asked softly. “The thought of her scares me. She looked so stern in the pictures you showed me. Are you sure she’ll be able to handle a daughter-in-law who isn’t Saurellian?”
“She’ll just have to learn, won’t she?” he replied. “Don’t worry about it. She’ll love you. They all will.”
Giselle rolled her eyes, knowing that would be too good to be true. They walked down the stairs, and a young woman broke free of the group, running up to hug Jerred.
“I’ve missed you so much, Jerred,” she said. He squirmed awkwardly, and then pulled himself free of her embrace.
“Giselle, I’d like you to meet my sister, Krissandra,” he said. “Krissandra, this is Giselle, my wife.”
Giselle smiled hesitantly. She extended one hand to Krissandra, but the young woman pulled her into her arms.
“Thank you so much for bringing my brother home,” Krissandra whispered in her ear. “You can’t imagine how happy we are that he found you.”
“Krissandra, let the poor girl go,” another woman said. Her voice was stern and cool. Krissandra pulled away, and Giselle found herself face to face with a woman who could only be Jerred’s mother.
She was tall and slender, her hair pulled back to the nape of her neck. She wore a full-length gown, one that should have seemed old-fashioned but was entirely elegant instead.
“You must be Giselle,” she said slowly. “I must admit you are not what I expected in a daughter-in-law. Of course, I had long since given up hope of ever having my son back. I cannot thank you enough for finding him and saving him.”
Giselle nodded her head, dumbstruck. The woman’s tone was so cold that her words hardly sunk in.
“I have waited many years for this day,” she continued. “I understand that you once owned a bar?”
Giselle nodded again, her stomach sinking. Jerred came up beside her, reaching around her waist with one arm. She felt his support and love, and she felt more confident.
“Yes, I owned one for five years,” she replied. “It was very successful.”
“Good, your business skills will serve you well here,” Jerred’s mother replied. “You’ll find that our family estate is just another kind of business. I’m very happy that he found someone who has the skills and intelligence to take my place.”
“I wasn’t planning on taking your place,” Giselle said, horrified. The other woman smiled at her kindly.
“Of course you will,” she said. “You’re his life mate, and he is our heir. My darling, welcome to our family.”
For the first time she smiled, and Giselle felt a weight lift from her shoulders.
“I’m honored to be a member of your family,” she said softly.
“And we’re honored to have you.”
About Joanna Wylde
Joanna
Wylde is a freelance writer who worked as both a journalist and a fundraiser before finding her niche in erotic romance. In April 2002, The Price of Pleasure was released as an ebook and quickly found a receptive audience. Jo is married and lives in north Idaho with her husband, David.
Joanna welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email addresses on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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Also by Joanna Wylde
Aquamarine Prince
Be Careful What You Wish For
Catherine’s Awakening
Dancing with Dionysus
No Regrets
Saurellian Federation: Dragon’s Mistress
Saurellian Federation: Garnets or Bust
Saurellian Federation: Gladiator’s Prize
Saurellian Federation: The Price of Freedom
Saurellian Federat: Price of Pleasure
Saurellian Federation: Serendipity
Saurellian Federation: Survival’s Price
Print books by Joanna Wylde
Aquamarine Allure anthology
Glamorous Garnet anthology
Saurellian Federation: Jerred’s Price
Saurellian Federation: The Price of Freedom
Saurellian Federation: Price of Pleasure
Saurellian Federation: Saurellian Survivors
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
www.ellorascave.com
Jerred’s Price
ISBN 9781843608431
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Jerred’s Price Copyright © 2004 Joanna Wylde
