“She can be trusted, Tarsea. I would stake my life on it.” Koel responded through their closed link. He was showing a serious side, he rarely exhibited.
“Alexandra,” Tarah turned to his soul mate and said, “where are you from and why are you in here?”
“My name is actually Alexia, but my friends call me Alex. My aunt is thinking about moving here from the Starling Province, so I decided to check things out for myself.” Alexandra’s response was natural. Tarsea was confident if she reacted to questions like this tomorrow, the interview would go smoothly.
Just as Alexandra finished, there was a loud knocking on the door. Tarsea knew their time was up and he could feel his pulse increase. He got up to answer the door. The first impression he made would stay with the men that came to get him. A confident man would be viewed as an innocent man. He opened the door and there were four soldiers standing on the other side.
The man standing closest to him presented his credentials. “Tarsea Childers you are summoned to The Palace to answer questions in regards to the attempt made this morning on our Prime Ruler Jeryl Jarlyn’s life. You will come with us immediately. In addition, these two men have been instructed to bring your visitor, Alexia Montiff, for a private audience first thing tomorrow morning. They will stay outside this house for her protection this evening.”
Tarsea turned to say goodbye to Alexandra and his parents, but was stopped by one of the guards. “You are to come with us immediately.”
“It’s all right. Tarah said she could not tell if we were lying or telling the truth. If you get home before I leave for my interview tomorrow, you better wake me up and make love to me.”
He could not think of better words to leave the house with. Tarsea turned to leave and face the inquisition ahead of him. The guards posted were a sign that Alexandra’s fate was tied to his.
Chapter 13
The Palace was humming with activity when Tarsea arrived. Evenings were generally a slow time, unless there was a governmental dinner or function. Every light was on, making the night seem almost like day. Soldiers marched in formation, fully armed. There was no question The Palace was on high alert.
He was led to the third floor, where the provincial governmental offices were. The guard he was following opened the door labeled ‘Conference Room B.’ He motioned for Tarsea to enter and then closed the door behind him.
There were three people sitting around the table, he knew them all. In the middle sat Harpath Holflur, who was in charge of the palace guard. He gestured for Tarsea to sit directly across from him. To his right was Solfa Theffar, who ran intelligence for the government. To his left was Prime Adholm, Chartail’s father. He was in deep shit! He greeted all three members of the panel. As far as he knew, Prime Adholm was the only mind control telepath in the room.
Harpath Holflur started things off by setting the foundation of what they would be discussing. “I am sure you are aware of what transpired this morning, the attempt on Jeryl Jarlyn’s life. Can you tell us where you were at eight this morning?”
Tarsea squirmed in his seat and looked over at Prime Adholm. “Well, I was in bed with a woman. Out of respect sir, it was not your daughter.” This was either going to work out great or he was in real trouble. It was possible that the only mind control telepath in this room would be more concerned about his rejected daughter, than the attempt on the Prime Ruler’s life.
The Prime Representative turned in his direction with anger written all over his face. “Yes, my daughter told me you broke up with her yesterday evening. I find it appalling that the evening you call things off with my lovely daughter, you are having sex with another woman. I also understand that it was in your parent’s home. Do you have any morals what so ever?”
Tarsea thought he would take the offensive and make note that this was not about him, but Jarlyn. He needed to keep antagonizing Adholm so the other two would end this interview as a waste of time. There had been no pull on his brain, as there had been with Tarah.
“I thought this was about the attempt on our leader’s life, not my complicated love life.” Tarsea tried to sound offended, he hoped he got it right.
Solfa Theffar took over the questioning. She looked bored and a little aggravated. “Did you have any knowledge ahead of time about the assassination attempt?”
He was getting a strange vibe off her and focused his attention on what could possibly be a channel of some kind. “This is such a waste of time. He may be a male whore, but he has always appeared loyal.” Tarsea tried to hide his surprise that he was able to read her thoughts. It must be another evolutionary enhancement mating with Alexandra had brought about. He remembered his mother had mentioned she was able to read people’s minds.
Tarsea needed to answer her verbal question, instead of focusing on the communication that just occurred. “No, I was unaware of the attempt. I was shocked when I heard it was Prime Hosp. He always seemed to support the government. That was the impression I got from him.”
It was at this point he could feel the mind control pull from Prime Adholm. He did not know if he was supposed to do something special, so he just reacted the way he did with Tarah.
“Are you aware of any other factions that may wish to do our leader harm or overthrow our government?” Harpath asked, as it appeared to be his turn to ask a question.
“No, sir,” Tarsea replied. “I am not a political animal. My father and I have become wealthier under Jeryl’s leadership. Any other person in power may not be as business minded. Best to stay with a winner then take a chance on an unknown entity.” Everything he said was true. However, his success would have been more rewarding if people chose to do business with his family.
Prime Adholm leaned back in his chair, hooking his folded hands behind his head. “What are your feelings about using mind control to obtain a certain result?”
Tarsea knew this could be tricky, so he needed to navigate this one carefully. “As I said before, my family has become wealthier under this government. We pay our workers well, we pay our taxes and our society benefits. If mind control is responsible for that or can further improve our situation, I am all for it.”
Chartail’s father looked like he had the wind taken out of his sails. Obviously, the man could not pick up on the fact he had been lying. Tarsea felt this would be the end of the interview. That feeling was reinforced as Prime Adholm stormed out of the room.
Solfa Theffar laughed as the room echoed the slamming of the door. “You did not make any friends when you broke up with his daughter. A prudent man would not have even started up with that spoiled girl.”
Tarsea returned her laughter. “I do not always think with my brain, unfortunately.” Better to be thought of as a man whore than an instigator. Solfa gave Tarsea a long critical look.
Harpath Holflur gathered his papers and left the room. Tarsea was now alone with Solfa Theffar.
“You would have potential if you applied yourself.” Tarsea tried to hide his shock when Solfa’s thought came through the closed link. Her earlier thought had come from his mind reading capability. Never had someone outside his circle of friends entered the link he shared with them and Tolfer. It made no sense whatsoever.
“We all have to live up to our potential in the days to come,” Tarsea said through the closed communication link. She could believe they were communicating in one of the many communal channels that were shared throughout the province.
Solfa looked shocked, she was probably trying to figure out which channel he communicated within. He needed to ascertain why she was able to get into what he believed was a closed channel.
“If this interview is over,” Tarsea inquired, “am I free to go?”
Solfa still looked shaken, but answered his question. “Yes, Mr. Childers, you can leave. I am sure we will see more of you in the future. Good luck with the new girlfriend.”
Tarsea got up to leave and nodded to her. Solfa once again used their closed link as he made his way out of the room. “Jarlyn is only interested in her to see if she is his soul mate. It is his way to be introduced to every young woman entering Troyk society.”
Tarsea walked out of the room, as if that last exchange had not taken place. He was unsure if they were being watched from another room. He could now head home and planned to wake up Alexandra as he had been instructed to do.
After he made love to his soul mate, he needed to find out why Solfa was able to join his closed link. Something was not right.
Chapter 14
The streets of the Aster Province were deserted. Tarsea loved to walk at night. He took a deep breath of the cool, crisp air. There was little activity through the communal pathways at this hour. Fortunately, only conscious thought could be pushed through. Any thoughts that occurred in the dream state were not transferable. There was one person, however, he would love to find out what she dreamed. Getting into his little soul mate’s brain would be quite an experience.
She really spoke her mind last night, as she seduced him. He had a feeling Alexandra held herself back most of her life. A little spitfire was starting to appear from the cautious girl who came through the portal. He could not wait to continue to see her transform before his very eyes.
About four blocks from the house, Darden joined him. He had risked using their closed pathway one more time before he left The Palace to have his best friend join him.
“We need to stop using the closed pathway for the time being,” Tarsea said. “It has been compromised. Solfa Theffar entered it during my interview about Prime Hosp.”
“Interesting,” Darden replied. “I was expecting something like this would happen. Would you agree that our pathway feels like a hybrid between a familial link and a communal pathway?”
Tarsea gave his friend a surprised look, what an odd question. “Yes, but what has that got to do with Solfa entering our closed channel. I do not understand why you would have expected anyone else to join the link.”
“I will explain everything later,” Darden told him. “You can still use the link if we need to. It has not been compromised. We are getting closer to your parent’s house. I do not believe we want the guards to see us together at this late hour. Get everyone together tomorrow and I will share what the link really is.”
Darden left without another word. Tarsea did not know what game his friend was playing, but he would have to deal with it later. For now, he needed to concentrate on Alexandra.
He fumbled for his keys as he reached his parent’s house. His mother had left the outside light on, her hope that he would make it home in one piece this evening. The light was certainly not for the two men who stood outside their home, waiting to take Alexandra to The Palace tomorrow morning. He acknowledged both men and entered the house. His presence should be words enough for them at this point to confirm his innocence. With his name being cleared, Alexandra’s interview should be exactly what Solfa said it would be.
It was not surprising to see his mother and father were still up, awaiting his return. “Any trouble?” his father asked as Tarsea stood outside the entrance to the common room. He was always direct and to the point. It was a quality he admired in his father. The man liked to see the hand everyone was dealt before he decided on any strategies.
“Everything is fine. There has been an interesting development I will share with you in the morning. Nothing to worry about, I just want to join Alexandra.” He did not wait for any response from either parent, making his way to be with his soul mate.
Tarsea was not surprised to find her pacing on the far side of the room as he entered their bedroom. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw him, then pivoted and ran to him. Alexandra launched into his arms and started to kiss his face. She smelled of lavender and home.
“I was so afraid,” she managed to say between the barrage of kisses. He backed her up, directing her toward the bed. Determining she was wearing too many clothes, he made quick work of removing everything she had on. She eagerly assisted him in the venture, then attacked the clothing he was wearing.
He drove her into the mattress, capturing her mouth. “I told them I had to make it home tonight. I had an appointment with a little pixie who was going to make love to me.” She took a little nip of his lower lip in retaliation for the name that had become an endearment to him.
After the evening he had, he did not waste any time. He slid right into her with one massive thrust. There was an urgency in how he was feeling, a need to dominate. “Where is the fire, big boy? Slow down, I can’t keep up with you,” Alexandra chided him. She was gasping for breath.
Feeling like an adolescent that could not control his lustful nature, Tarsea brought down the tempo so that she could play along. She adjusted the positioning of her legs she had wrapped around him, which drove him deeper into her core. They both let out a moan at the same time and Alexandra let out a little giggle.
He continued the pace she seemed comfortable with. His urgency gave way to her need to feel every nuance of the experience. They became one, her heartbeat matched his, beat for beat. He exhaled, she inhaled, their lungs falling in sync as well. Tarsea had never experienced anything like what was happening to them.
They climaxed at the same time, sharing their orgasm, as they shared everything else. He never experienced the syncing of a sexual release he had with Alex before in his life. As always, Tarsea brought Alexandra into his arms and held her as if he was never going to release her. Those men who guarded the house this evening were going to have to pry her out of his embrace.
Alex felt secure in her lover’s arms. She preferred to think of him now as her lover, not her soul mate. It was too soon to say or feel that she was in love with him, but they were certainly lovers. There was more to what they did than having sex. She’d had sex, she knew the difference. She could also not deny that her brain excreted the hormone after the first time they made love. It was just another example of her mind trying to catch up with what her body was feeling and what was happening to it.
“Tell me what happened tonight,” she asked as he played with a strand of her hair. She wondered what it was about men’s fascination with hair.
“Three people interviewed me, including Chartail’s father.”
That certainly got Alex’s attention. “You’ve got to be kidding! He must have been out for blood.” If she was drifting off to sleep, that definitely woke her up.
“The man was certainly not happy. However, it worked to my advantage. The other two felt that the interview was personal. It was more about my relationship with his daughter, not about the assassination plot. The interview was over almost as soon as it began.”
Alex could feel there was more to what happened tonight than Chartail’s father being part of the interview. She felt he was holding something back.
“What else happened?”
Tarsea looked at her with such intensity. He seemed to be considering whether he was going to share something with her.
“Out with it!” Alex said. “Whatever you are debating whether to tell me or not, I am going to find out anyway. Frankly, you can save yourself a lot of pain and suffering at my hands if you tell me now.” Alex lifted herself up on her elbow and glared at him.
“Someone breached our closed telepathic channel tonight,” Tarsea confessed. “It was one of the interviewers. Her name is Solfa Theffar and she runs intelligence for Jeryl Jarlyn.”
Alex frowned, that made no sense. “You sure you have not been dealing with a communal pathway the whole time? There are so many channels, who knows how they are created and leveraged the first time.”
“This is different,” Tarsea said, shaking his head. “Our pathway takes priority over both the communal and familial channels. It is clearer and we can
negate chatter from the other links if we so desire.”
“Wow!” Alex said in wonder. “How do I get linked in? That sounds wonderful. I love the herbal beverage and all, but it must be great to be able to shut everything out.”
A thought came to Alex as she was considering the advantages of Tarsea’s channel.
“The soul mate link,” Alex considered, “it was able to drown out the intensity of chatter in the communal link. You said it was a channel of legend. Are there any other legendary channels that your closed link could be?”
She could see Tarsea was considering her question. He got a shocked look on his face all of a sudden.
“What?” Alex inquired. He looked like he had just found the cure for the common cold.
“There is another legendary link that is closed to only a few Troyk. Darden said he was expecting others to link in and he would tell us what was going on tomorrow.”
“What channel are you talking about? Remember, I am not from around here. I do not know all the legends you grew up hearing.” She had grown up with Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and all those fairy tales. In this world, it appears legends were based on fact.
“The warrior link.” Tarsea looked at Alex in wonder. “It is a link that supposedly the true leader of the Troyk shares with his or her most trusted staff and guard. The ability to link into the channel is proof to the true leader that the person is trustworthy and loyal.”
“Darden has been the only one of you who has met with Benko Jarlyn. You said the link was originally between you and Darden. What if it really started between Benko and Darden?”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Tarsea confessed. She had never seen such excitement in her lover’s eyes.
The Chameleon Soul Mate Page 9
