Eye on Orion (17 page)
Authors: Laura D. Bastian
I felt a surge of tenderness toward him. I wasn't sure if I could stand to leave him alone. Maybe I was in too deep already.
“Is there any way you could stay?” I whispered. “I know it's selfish of me, but does Amira still need you? She has Marshal and Delilah, and Ryad seems to be completely devoted to her now.”
“I cannot break my oath to her father,” he whispered. “I vowed to keep her safe and return her home to him. I am bound by that oath. Breaking it is impossible.” The strength of his oath was apparent to me through our connection. He was torn between his duty and his desires. My heart hurt for his distress.
“I guess we'll have to see what happens.” I tried to sound up-beat. “If Shander comes here after her, you'll take care of it then. You could always take her home and come back here, right?”
“If there are still medallions.”
“For now, I guess it's enough to spend as much time with you as possible,” I whispered.
We sat there interpreting each other's emotions until it was time for me to leave for work.
“Will you come back here after you get off?” he asked.
“Yes. I couldn't stay away from you if I tried,” I admitted. “Just feeling the hurt you imagined if I stayed away was awful.”
A surge of joy came across our linked hands, and I returned it. He looked at me and then leaned his forehead toward mine until they touched.
“
May I kiss you
?” he thought.
“
What will happen if you do?”
I thought back with a hint of teasing.
“
I don't know for sure, but I'd like to find out,
” he said.
“
Me too,
” I agreed.
He brought his lips to mine slowly. The anticipation I felt registered with him, and then his anticipation increased. It was so exciting that I didn't really want it to end, but at the same time I was dying for the kiss to begin.
When his lips finally touched mine, I felt a hint of a shock like before, but nothing as incredible as that first time. Something from him built and grew, faster than my own feelings, but soon mine matched his, making me as excited as he was. Just as I was getting into it, I felt the strength it took him to stop the kiss. I was disappointed when he ended it and looked at him, amazed to find myself sitting on his lap. When had that happened?
I slid off, too embarrassed to speak, and tried to move to the other side of the bench, but he kept ahold of my hand.
“We are going to have to be extremely careful if those feelings take hold on us.” His voice was low. “We seemed to build on each other's emotions. That was almost too hard to stop.”
“I know.” I felt breathless still.
We held hands for a moment longer and then I stood up to go. Jai stood as well and gave me a hug. The warmth from him was irresistible. The next thing I knew, I was kissing him again, trying to press myself closer to his strong body.
This time it was me who put an end to the kiss. Jai groaned, sounding not quite painful, but definitely disappointed. I was soaring with the joy of my newfound power over someone as amazing as he.
Today I hated having a job. I'd always enjoyed working for my parents because the job was so flexible and pretty easy for the most part. I wished I could call in sick to work, but my parents would never let me get away with that. Especially since I wanted to spend the evening with Jai.
“I'll see you soon,” he promised.
“I know, but I really wish I didn't have to go,” I said in almost a pout.
“Me too, but we'll go do something when you get back.” He smiled, kissed me lightly on the lips, and brushed a loose strand of hair back behind my ear.
I climbed onto my bike and headed to work. While peddling away, I could still feel his presence there. I knew when he started to walk back toward his house, though I didn't turn around to watch him. Even at the end of the street and around the corner, I still knew where he was, but I could feel the strength of the connection lessening.
It never disappeared completely. I even felt aware of him at work all morning long. I didn't know for sure if he was in his house or across town. I just knew he was still here.
Languages
“I can't believe you are such a bad player.” Ryad joked as we played a board game in the basement. “Are you distracted today, or are you always this bad?”
I laughed. “I'd rarely win the game at home, but I think you have an unfair advantage.” Over the last few days, I had gotten more comfortable being around him. He didn't seem like the same person who had kidnapped me from the theater.
“And what would that be?” Ryad asked, counting out the money I handed over after landing on his property with a hotel.
“You're probably using all your freaky alien talents to beat me,” I teased.
“They're not freaky.” Amira frowned.
“I don't really mean freaky.” I counted my remaining funds and frowned at how little I held. “It's just that you can do things we can't do here. Who knows what you are able to do that I can't.”
“Like what?” Jai asked.
“Well, like her Visions,” I suggested. “I don't know of anyone who can do that.”
Jai rolled the dice. “There are examples of people on Earth who are able to predict what will happen, or have dreams that come true. Don't you think it is similar?”
“It's not the same,” I said. “And what about your ability to Heal others?”
“We have learned how to improve our natural abilities,” Jai said as he paid his fine to Amira. “Haven't you ever noticed when you hold a sore spot on your body or rub a stiff muscle, that you feel better by having that touch? If you studied hard, you could learn how to do it.”
“Yeah, right.” I didn't believe that at all. Doubting I would be able to argue effectively against Jai since he could feel my emotions, I turned to Ryad. “What about your ability to find other people?”
Ryad rolled the dice. “You can find Jai. It's not the same exactly, but I can feel a person's presence when I search for them. It's similar to how you know where to find him.”
“What about you guys learning languages so fast by being around other people?” I asked.
“You have the ability to learn other languages,” he countered.
“Not that fast. It takes us forever,” I said.
Ryad looked at me. “I could teach you our language without too much effort. I would need a few days of a little more than thirty minutes at a time and your undivided attention.”
“Sure you could.” I laughed. “I could barely learn my tenth grade Spanish.”
“You could do it,” Ryad said.
“Prove it,” I said.
“You give me permission to teach you?” Ryad put his pile of play money down.
“Sure,” I agreed. “Why not.”
“I would need to touch you.” He didn't look at me, but at Jai.
I frowned.
“You are going to have to get her permission, not mine,” Jai said. Good thing he was smart enough to know that. I sent a quick flash of pride to him and felt his thank you in return.
“Of course.” Ryad turned to me. “I'm sorry. I wanted to let him know I meant you no harm.” He waited expectantly.
“Okay, you have my permission to touch me as you try to teach me your language.”
Ryad came closer to me, slid the game board to the end of the coffee table, and sat down directly in front of me. Our knees touched. “Please lean forward and place your forehead against mine,” he instructed.
I did as he asked, feeling a little awkward.
“Now put your hands in mine.”
I did and sat there quietly and waited. Nothing happened.
I smiled smugly at Ryad, and the skin around his eyes wrinkled. Then all of a sudden, all kinds of new information bombarded me. The smooth-flowing language I'd heard him speak when he first mistook me for Amira ran through my mind. Nothing made sense, just a multitude of confusion.
I was astounded when I started to recognize some of the words repeating themselves over and over, and the English translation coming with them. Before long I understood most of it. My mouth hung open, yet every time I shut it, it would drop open again as the words kept coming at me.
When it ended, Ryad let go of my hands and leaned back away from me. I dropped my hands to my sides and slumped back against the couch, my head bent forward onto my chest. I couldn't think of anything to say in response to what had just happened. I stared at Ryad and then looked to Amira and Jai.
“
That happened much quicker than expected,”
Ryad thought to the others.
I stared at Ryad then looked at Jai and Amira.
Jai leaned forward, peering into my eyes. “Are you alright?”
“I think so.” I nodded slightly.
“Did you understand all of that?” Amira asked, bending over with her head tilted to look at me as well.
“I don't know.” I blinked hard. “It was a lot of stuff to learn, but it started to make sense to me.”
“So what do you think of your ability to learn a foreign language in such a short time?” Ryad asked.
“Well, I heard it all,” I shrugged, “but I don't know how well I know it. I don't think I'd be able to talk to you in it.”
Jai and Amira glanced at each other, then at Ryad then they all looked back at me.
“I'm sure if you did a few more lessons like that I would have it in no time. That was pretty amazing.”
They all kept looking at me, Ryad with a wide grin. Jai's mouth hung open in surprise, and Amira smiled down at me.
“What?” I sat up.
“You are speaking our home language right now,” Jai said.
“No, I'm not.” I shook my head. “I'm speaking English.”
“No. You are speaking Rommaderian. It may sound to you like you are speaking English, but you are speaking our language.”
“What?”
“It's true,” Amira said.
I touched my ear and asked, “Why do I hear you speaking in English, and I speak English, but you say I'm speaking Rommaderian?”
“We are speaking Rommaderian,” Jai said. “You learned our entire language.”
“The cool thing about what I just taught you is your mind is now open to the interpretation of languages,” Ryad explained. “You are most comfortable and familiar with English, so that is your base language. Eventually you will be able to hear what another person is saying in a different language, and when you hear enough words in enough situations, you will be able to understand and speak it as well.”
“Will I start talking to my parents in Rommaderian and accidentally give you away?”
“As long as they say something first in English, you will respond in the language they are speaking. If you remember, Jai asked you the first question and he spoke Rommaderian. You heard that and knew what it meant, so the English part of your language popped up and told you what he said. Your mind responded in what you thought was your language, but it was the right language in response to what you heard.”
“Is this the way you learned it?” I looked at Jai and Amira.
“It took us longer.” Amira sighed. “Many days of intense lessons. Ramal's talent is apparently not as strong as Ryad's.”
“Well, I think Holly's mind is open to it,” Ryad said with a nod to me. “You told me how fast she picked up the telepathy and could keep her thoughts to herself so soon.”
“Wow. That is amazing.” I stared at the wall for a few minutes, running through the new words in my mind. “Do me a favor. Talk about anything in your language.”
They began talking to each other as I sat and listened.
I tried to hear the words they said. Not just the meaning, but the words themselves. It was easy to understand everything, but I listened closely and eventually picked up little sounds that made me realize I could hear a different language and even speak a different language.
After a few minutes, a huge grin spread across my face. “Well, there is one thing you can't deny now,” I said.
“What is that?” Ryad asked.
“You do have some freaky alien talents,” I said.
****
Every free moment was spent with my new friends. Mom seemed happy, but still acted a little unsure. As long as one of Jai's parents were home, she was fine with me being over there, so I took as many opportunities to visit as possible. One afternoon I stopped by after work. Jai and Ryad were playing a game of cards on the front room coffee table, laughing and joking like they'd been friends since childhood.
When Jai noticed me, he excused himself from the game and came over.
“What's that all about?” I whispered.
“What?” he asked, the confusion apparent on his face.
“You and Ryad being all buddy-buddy. You didn't seem to like him too much before, and now you and he are⦠are like this.” I crossed my two fingers and then felt stupid that I couldn't figure out the words to explain what their relationship looked like to me.
“Amira instructed me to be nice to him.”
I shook my head. “This is more than being nice. You are actually treating him like a person, instead of a criminal.”
Jai blushed, and I felt a brief flash of irritation through our Bond. “Well, he has sworn a true-oath to Amira. That has helped me see him in a different light.”
“A true-oath?”
“Yes. He will serve her and only her until he dies.” He said it with assurance and finality.
I looked at him blankly and when he noticed my confusion, he explained. “When we swear an oath, we mean it completely, of course. Like my oath to return Amira safely to her father.”
At his words, I felt a stab of pain deep within. It didn't originate from me, but it easily could have. I took Jai's hand and squeezed.
Jai swallowed hard and then continued. “But a true-oath is even more binding. He will do everything in his power to serve and protect her.”
“Really? Did he sign his name in blood?” I asked, jabbing him in the ribs, trying to lighten the mood.
“No.” He smiled at my tone but seemed confused at my reference. “A true-oath doesn't draw blood when you make the oath. It is more like he has pledged his life to her and if he fails, then his life is over. He will be put to death if he betrays her.”
“Who will put him to death?”
“I will.”
“What?” I took my hand out of his.
Jai looked at me in confusion. Then he glanced over at Ryad who still sat at the table playing a game of solitaire now.
“I thought your kingdom sounded civilized. You would put him to death?” I whispered, glancing over at Ryad. “You would kill him?” My heart clenched at the thought I was connected to someone who took life this lightly.
“Yes. He has given his word that he will serve her and support her and not Shander. If he goes back on his word, then he will either be put to death by one of us, or the shame will be so bad he will end his own life.”
“That's terrible.”
“Why?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. “Don't you on Earth have capital punishment? You put people to death.”
“Yes, but only the criminals, and they never agree to it beforehand.” I shook my head at the thought.
“If he betrayed her, he would be a criminal. And why is that wrong if someone agrees to be punished if they commit a crime? A lot of your criminals would not be as willing to commit crimes if they knew beforehand what the punishment would be and knew it would be carried through. Your justice system is warped because you are afraid of hurting the feelings of someone who has committed a crime. I feel sorry for your victims here.”
I looked him in the eye. He didn't seem offended by my outburst but genuinely confused that I'd reacted the way I had. I took him by the hand to get a better understanding of what he felt for me at the moment. He was concerned I was upset.
“I agree there are things wrong in our justice system, but I hate the idea of killing someone. I just wish people wouldn't be so terrible to each other. I never thought about someone I knew being put to death. That was too much for me to wrap my mind around. I sure hope he never goes back on his word.”
“He won't. Besides the fact he swore a true-oath, he is also falling in love with her.”
“Really?” I whispered. I didn't want to ask, but couldn't help myself. “How do you know?”
“Not a word to her about this.” He brushed my hair back as he whispered, sending pleasant shivers down my arm. “She doesn't know anything, unless she's figured it out for herself. By the way he can't take his eyes off her, I wouldn't doubt she's noticed something's up. He asked me what I thought about the idea and wanted to know if it would be acceptable to let her know. I advised him to hold off until after they get back home, but told him it's his decision. He would do well to have the approval of the king before he declares himself to her.”
“Are you sure he isn't just pretending, to trick you? What if he is still planning on taking her back to Shander?”
Jai frowned. Another emotion crossed over to me. It wasn't really anger, but I couldn't decide for sure what it was. “It is always a possibility.”
“But you don't think he's faking his change of heart?”
“No. His oath wouldn't allow it.”
“Is there some kind of magic involved in this oath that makes it so strong?” I asked. Jai's expression made me blink.
“There is no need for magic. Our words have a power of their own.”
“But here a person's words don't mean anything.”
“That is unfortunate.”
I nodded. “But you trust him?”
Jai paused as if thinking for a moment. “Yes.” Though his words spoke assurance, I could tell my questions made him wonder.
“Then that settles it,” I said, trying to comfort him. “If he is as honorable as you say he is, then Amira will be lucky to have him if she wants.”
I knew Amira could pick who she married. She wouldn't have to marry anyone if she didn't want to. She could choose for herself. However, the approval of the king would have a lot of sway in her choice.
“I'm sure the king would approve of Ryad if he'd protected his daughter while she'd spent time on a distant planet. Especially if he'd helped keep Shander from gaining control of the kingdom through a forced marriage,” I said.
“That's a good point,” he agreed.
Amira was only seventeen, and Ryad was twenty. She needed time to have fun and grow up. She was just beginning to have a chance to be a teenager. Why the rush to make her grow up and take on those responsibilities of royalty? Why force her to attach herself to someone? I couldn't understand their culture. They were different in ways, but still similar enough that I kept forgetting where they were from.
Of course, maybe she would feel differently when she found out he loved her. She'd mentioned to me many times how much she wished she could have someone love her the way Jai loved me.
My relationship with Jai was confusing. I liked knowing how he felt about me, but at the same time I was concerned about the strength of the Bond we shared. I'd never felt anything like it before, and at times I felt overwhelmed. I wasn't ready for this kind of commitment, but couldn't get out of it. Bonding went way deeper than just deciding you liked someone.
Jai noticed I'd drifted off into my own thoughts, and I could tell by the emotions I felt from him he was concerned about mine. He leaned in to me and rested his forehead on mine.
“It is so confusing to feel what you feel, but not know what you are thinking,” he said with a sigh.
Keeping my emotions to myself was much harder than my thoughts.
“Tell me about it,” I said. “You do that all the time. You are better at keeping your thoughts completely to yourself, but not so much at the emotions. And I suck at trying to interpret your emotions. When I do, you end up sounding like a whining girl.”
“Please no. I'd hate to sound like a whiny girl.” He smiled and I returned it.
“So what do we have planned to do today?”
“First, I'm going to kiss you.” His expression was serious, but mirth bubbled in his emotions. “I don't think I have my self-control down well enough yet. I am in desperate need of practice.”
“I suppose I could use some extra practice myself.” I grinned, unable to keep my face serious. He was too tempting.
He pulled me to him, so we stood face to face. He rubbed his thumb across my bottom lip before nibbling on it. I smiled and pulled my head back slightly, making him have to follow or lose connection.
I teased him like that, back and forth until he groaned and held my head gently between his hands.
We practiced for quite a while, stopping briefly to calm down, and then started over again. Eventually fearing my heart couldn't handle it any longer, I pulled back.
“Okay.” I breathed heavily. “I think I'd better stop practicing.” I clung to his hand, not wanting to lose contact. “Now, what are the plans for tonight?”
“Nothing has been set yet. Do you have any suggestions?” he asked, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the couch.
I followed him eagerly, plopped down next to him, and snuggled into his side. “Well, I thought since you have a great home theater system in your basement, we could get ourselves a lot of popcorn and watch some old funny movies. You may not get British humor, but I'd really like to see what you think of
Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail
. It's a movie my Dad gave me to expose me to the finer cultures of the world as a joke. It's hilariously stupid.”
“I'm sure that would be fine.” He nodded then added thoughtfully, “But just to warn you, we don't really understand a lot of what we've seen with you. I find the most enjoyment in observing your response to the movie.”
“Well, you'll get a big kick out of me this time because I can't stop laughing each time I see it.”
“It's a date.” He kissed my forehead.
