“Oh…” Lisa’s eyes lit up. “So you want to see if you can swipe it for the Kindred?”
“I’d prefer to buy it,” Asher corrected her. “If it’s obvious the Chorkays might be open to sharing or selling their technology, I am authorized to offer them a tidy sum in whatever currency they choose—that would be the preferred outcome.”
“I see.” She nodded. “Try to buy it first but it that doesn’t work, get it by other methods, shall we say.”
“Exactly,” Asher said dryly. “But only if all else fails. And I am not going to kill anyone while we’re here,” he added.
“Got it.” Lisa nodded again. “So what should we be looking for? What does this new tech look like?”
Asher shook his head. “That’s the complicated part—we don’t honestly know. We only know that the Chorkays are capable of communicating between ships that are millions of light years apart. We need to find out how they do it.”
“Oh, a mystery!” Lisa’s eyes lit up again. “This mission just got a whole lot more interesting! And here I thought all I had to do was sit beside you at dinner and look pretty.”
“You would certainly have no trouble doing that,” Asher said softly. “You are…stunning in those new garments you’re wearing.”
Lisa looked at him from the corner of her eye, nibbling her lip nervously.
“Look, Asher, I don’t like to be rude but please understand, I just got out of a really bad relationship. And, well… I’m just not ready for anything else right now.”
“I understand,” he said at once, nodding. “And I’m sorry if my comment made you uncomfortable.”
“It didn’t—not really,” Lisa denied. “And believe me, I find you really attractive. Like way out of my league attractive, to be honest. But I just…I can’t right now. Okay?”
“Understood,” Asher said a bit stiffly. Well, it wasn’t like he could bond her to him anyway, he reminded himself. He shouldn’t feel unhappy that she wanted no part of a relationship—especially since they had only just met one another.
“I mean, I know we’re supposed to be a couple here, so it’s not like I’m refusing to touch you or anything,” Lisa went on quickly. “I’ll hang on your arm and play the good little wife all day long. But once we’re in our room for the night, I hope you don’t think that I’m, you know, available for…whatever.”
He didn’t know what “whatever” was but he could guess, Asher thought.
“Please don’t think I invited you on this mission so I could take advantage of you,” he said a bit stiffly. “The very idea is repugnant to one of Kindred heritage—we protect females—we never hurt them.”
“I understand that.” She nodded. “That’s one reason I agreed to come with you all the way out in space where no one can hear you scream.”
Asher frowned at her.
“Of course no one can hear you scream in space—space is a vacuum.”
She shook her head. “Sorry—that’s from an old sci-fi movie about this alien who hatches out of an egg and sucks onto your face…Never mind.” She waved a hand in negation. “The point is, I trust you not to try anything, um, ungentlemanly, which is why I’m out here with you in the first place. I just…wanted to clear the air and let both of us know where we stand right from the start.”
“Understood.” Asher nodded. “You are happy to pretend to be my bride in public but when we are in our private quarters, you don’t intend to have any kind of sexual relations with me.”
Lisa’s cheeks got pink but she met his eyes and nodded.
“Exactly. I, uh, hope that doesn’t make you sorry you brought me,” she added in a low tone. “Like you feel cheated that I won’t, you know, put out.”
“Put out?” Asher shook his head. “I’m sorry, I’m not familiar with that particular Earth idiom.”
“For a woman to ‘put out’ means she’s having sex with you in return for something you did for her,” Lisa explained. “Like taking her to dinner at an expensive restaurant, or helping her get a new job—like you did for me.”
Asher was horrified.
“Do Earth males really treat their females like that? Expecting sexual favors in return for any kind of consideration?”
“Unfortunately, yes.” Her voice was flat. “And you’re telling me Kindred don’t expect that? Not at all?”
“We believe that a woman’s body is her own,” Asher said, frowning fiercely. “To pressure her into giving sexual access to a male she doesn’t want is no better than rape.” He spat out the word, feeling sick at the very idea. As a member of the Espionage Corps, he had seen many despicable things on other planets and among other cultures who didn’t revere females like the Kindred did, but forcing sexual acts on a female was the most abhorrent in his opinion.
“Wow…” Lisa gave a shaky laugh. “When people told me that Kindred were feminists, I didn’t really believe them. But if you practice what you preach, I’ll be very impressed.”
“You have my word,” Asher said stonily. “I won’t lay a hand on you unless you ask me to.”
“Thank you. And…” She hesitated, nibbling her lower lip again. “I shouldn’t want to ask this,” she said and sighed. “But…you’re not mad at me?”
“For not ‘putting out’ as you call it? No, I am not mad,” Asher told her. “But for assuming that I would expect you to put out, yes—that offends me. However,” he added, seeing her distressed expression, “Considering the apparent behavior of human men in this regard, I guess I can’t blame you for assuming I would be the same.”
“I can see you’re not like other guys I’ve met,” Lisa said soberly. “Thank you for letting us have a professional relationship without any, uh, awkwardness about it.”
“Of course.” He nodded. “And now I need to hail the planet. The Chorkays have been expecting us for some time and are probably wondering where we are.”
He turned to the view-com and started to punch in hailing instructions but his mind was still on Lisa. Clearly it didn’t matter if he really had received the first two Signs or not—she was getting over an abusive relationship and wasn’t ready to enter into another one.
So he was just going to have to keep his hands off her, no matter how tempting the curvy little Earth female was.
He thought with shame of how badly he’d wanted her when he’d felt The Strike and the erotic vision he’d had when he experienced The Sight. All of those feelings and desires were against his creed as a Kindred to only take willing women and to always treat females with respect.
He would have to try harder to master his desire—especially knowing that Lisa had just gotten out of an abusive marriage. And maybe, in time, she would want to have more than just a professional relationship with him.
He would just have to be patient.
Fifteen
Lisa was glad they’d cleared the air early on in their mission. It would have been so awkward to be put into the same bedroom that night and then have to try and explain her feelings then. Or worse—much worse—have to try and fight him off.
But her gut told her she could trust the big Kindred or she wouldn’t have come with him in the first place—not even for the two thousand five hundred dollars an hour. If he promised not to lay a finger on her unless she asked him to, she believed he would keep that promise.
Not that it wouldn’t be nice to have a roll in the hay with someone that gorgeous, she thought, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. And there was a time in her life—back in college—when she would have jumped at the chance. But her time with Cameron had broken something in her—or maybe just bent it so badly that it was going to take a long time to heal. And she just wasn’t up for sexy times right now—or so she told herself.
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat again as Asher spoke into the viewscreen, asking admittance to Helios Beta. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought maybe the fabric of the blue wrap dress was irritating the many little scratches on the backs of her thighs she’
d gotten from falling into the fake holly bush earlier. Or maybe it was the dye in the fabric burning the tiny cuts. But for whatever reason, the backs of her thighs really stung and she would be happy to stand up and let some air circulate around the irritated area.
Suddenly the viewscreen crackled to life, showing the strangest face Lisa had ever seen. It was pale blue and had bright purple eyes—three of them, including one right in the middle of the broad, flat forehead. The face also had three nostrils but only two lips, thank goodness. A long narrow strip of bright green hair—rather like a mohawk she thought—ran from the middle of the otherwise bald head and straight back, over the neck and down the spine, as far as she could see.
For a moment, Lisa just stared at it. Then the alien spoke in a garbled-sounding language. Thanks to the translation bacteria, she was glad to hear that she could actually understand it.
“Ah, Envoy Asher,” the alien burbled. “Welcome, welcome to our humble planet! We are humbled indeed to have an envoy from such a powerful nation as the Kindred among us.”
Asher inclined his head politely.
“I and my mate are more than honored to be here,” he said.
“Ah, yes—your mate.” The alien face studied Lisa and she nodded her head and did her best to smile back at him in what she hoped was a friendly but dignified way.
“Hello,” she said. “Um, thank you for having us.”
“You are most welcome, my dear—most welcome,” the alien replied. “My name is Natillus and I and my mate, Lambada, have been assigned to make the two of you welcome and guide you through the rituals of purification. Please, bring your craft to ground so that we may begin.”
Lambada? Lisa had to stifle a giggle. Somehow she managed to keep a straight face.
“Of course.” Asher pushed some buttons. “I have the landing coordinates now. We will be with you momentarily.”
“Very good. We will see you when Thufar wills it,” Natillus inclined his head again, formally, and then the viewscreen went blank.
“Wow—these Chorkays are something else,” Lisa murmured. “I’ve never seen anything quite like them.”
“They are reputed to be a gentle and extremely gracious people,” Asher said, clearly wanting to reassure her. “Or I wouldn’t have brought you here among them.”
“Oh, I’m okay—I can handle it,” Lisa told him. “Even if I do feel like I’m on the set of a sci-fi movie. But, uh, are there any customs I should know about? Anything I should watch out for, in order to avoid giving offense?”
“A very good question,” Asher said approvingly. “You’ll make an excellent envoy. Actually, not many details are known about the Chorkay, as they are a very private people. But when I go into a situation where I have very little knowledge of the customs, I simply try to emulate those around me. If you’re uncertain about how to act or what to do, it’s always acceptable to say, ‘I am regrettably ignorant of your ways, would you please instruct me in the correct behavior?’ Or something to that effect.”
“I can do that,” Lisa said, nodding. She grinned at Asher, suddenly overcome with excitement. “Oh, this is going to be such an adventure! I can’t wait to get down there!”
“I hope you’ll enjoy your first off-planet experience, Lisa.” He smiled back, his fangs showing but not in a menacing way, she thought. The smile made his usually stern face look more open and welcoming.
“I’m sure I will. We’ll do the Kindred proud. And we’ll find out about the mysterious communications device—you’ll see,” she said confidently. “Come on—let’s go see what the Chorkay have planned for us.”
Sixteen
What the blue aliens had planned was apparently a lot of polite bowing—at least at first. Natillus and his mate, Lambada—(the forbidden dance! whispered a little voice in Lisa’s head and she had to stifle a nervous giggle)—were both extremely courteous. They bowed again and again after Asher had landed the ship and he and Lisa had stepped out onto the broad silvery surface of the landing area.
Lisa and Asher bowed back and this went on for several minutes before their hosts seemed to think the formalities had been satisfied and it was all right to stop and get on with business.
“We are very pleased to meet you and welcome you to our planet,” Lambada said, smiling. She had darker blue skin than her husband and the green Mohawk-type fringe on her head and spine had been grown out much longer, so that it stood straight up for several inches and then cascaded down to frame her face on either side. Her eyes were brilliant leaf green, rather than purple, and all three of them seemed kind.
She was wearing a blue dress-type garment very much like Lisa’s own which wrapped across her body in a diagonal line and tied with a feathery sash on the side. Her shoes, also, seemed to be made of feathers—or at least covered in them, Lisa thought. She hoped her own plain sandals were appropriate.
Helios Beta—at least what she could see of it—seemed to Lisa to be a kind of desert planet. A hot dry wind blew through the night air and brilliant dunes of turquoise sand could be seen piled outside the borders of the landing area.
“We should go—the heat is oppressive, even this time of night,” Natillus said. He reached up and nudged something at the base of his neck. “Come, Veronis—we are going,” he said, as though talking to another person.
There was a sleepy-sounding squeak and then a little creature, about the size of Lisa’s palm, crawled up Natillus’s green fringe of hair and perched itself on his head, like a living hat. It was bright blue and furry and it looked a little like a cross between a monkey and a cat to Lisa.
It had the sinuous movements of a feline but the quick, clever little hands of a monkey which it used to groom Natillus’s hair. Its face was pointed and cute with large, dark eyes and it yawned widely, exposing tiny pointed teeth. It also had an extremely long tail—about four times as long as its body, Lisa estimated, which it reached down and curled casually around Natillus’s throat for balance.
“Oh,” she exclaimed, before she thought about it. “What’s that little creature? It’s adorable!”
“This is my chewchi,” Natillus said, apparently using a word the translation bacterial couldn’t translate.
“I’m sorry—your what?” Lisa asked, frowning. “I didn’t quite catch that.”
“Hmm…how to put it?” Natillus frowned in apparent concentration. “Veronis is…how do you say…the part of me that knows my every thought and judges my every action. He helps to guide me through life and facilitates a deeper bond with my mate…my maker…and the universe itself.”
“It sounds like you’re describing your soul,” Lisa said. Or maybe Jiminy Cricket, she thought but didn’t say.
“Soul?” Natillus shook his head. “I do not know this word.”
“The immortal part of you, that lives on after death,” Lisa clarified but he shook his head.
“No, that is not quite what I mean. For a chewchie cannot live without their host. Without me, Veronis would be no more.”
“Veronis could not live without my mate any more than my own Yilla could live without me,” Lambada said and Lisa noticed that she also had a fluffy little chewchie perched in her hair as well. This one had purple fur and it looked like a feathery jewel riding on her head.
“Well, your chewchies are truly remarkable creatures,” Asher said. “Do all of your people have one or are you and your mate especially blessed?”
“Oh, everyone has one, naturally,” Lambada said, as though the idea of being chewchie-less was unthinkable.
“Of course—how else could one communicate adequately with one’s mates?” Natillus asked reasonably. He frowned. “Do your people not have chewchies then? If not, how do you communicate and share your emotions?”
“The Kindred form a soul-bond with their brides,” Asher answered. “In this way we are always connected.” Taking Lisa’s hand, he brought it to his mouth and kissed it while looking into her eyes.
His intense look and the warm brush
of his mouth against her skin sent Lisa’s heart racing as she looked back, meeting his deep green eyes. Take it easy, she told herself, he’s only playing a part. But damn, he was playing it really well.
“Ah—so you carry your chewchies inside you!” Lambada exclaimed. “That explains much. For I confess, I wondered how a civilized people could communicate without them.”
“Exactly,” Asher agreed, finally letting go of Lisa’s hand, though he still held her eyes with his. “A Kindred could no more severe his bond from his mate than a Chorkay could be without his or her chewchie.”
Lisa tore her eyes away at last, her heart still pounding as she tried to concentrate on the furry little animals instead of the intense look on the big Kindred’s face.
She wished she could ask to pet one of the chewchies but she didn’t think it would be a good idea. The Chorkays seemed to consider them much more than pets and she didn’t want to be asking to stroke someone’s soul or conscience or however they thought of the little creatures. They were undeniably cute though, as they sat there on their masters’ heads and stared at her with their wide, dark, liquid eyes.
“Well, we had best get out of this heat and take you both to the Temple of Thufar for purification,” Lambada said. “Come—the tunnel that leads below is this way.”
And turning, she pointed to a large round entrance that appeared to lead straight down into the ground.
Seventeen
Lisa didn’t love the idea of going under the ground but when she asked, it turned out that the capital city of Gomber, where the coronation of the new Potentate was going to take place, was located beneath the surface.
Falling for Kindred Claus Page 9
