Salene's Secrets (40 page)

“Because I wanted it to remind me that I’d once had your love, that I’d lost it, and that nothing was forever.”

“You never lost our love,
Zerura
,” Talus said.  “Not for one single moment.  We will always love you, and that
is
forever.  We’re glad that you had it, and glad that you put it to use in this way.  You’re wearing the stone we intended for you to have and to wear always, and it doesn’t matter to us whether it’s on your hand or your forehead.  There is but one thing we would ask of you.”

“Of course.”

“If you can, please try to let it remind you that no matter what happens, no matter what things appear to be, our love for you will never change.” 

“I will,” she promised. 

“Thank you.” 

Salene sipped her drink, then looked up with a little frown on her face.  “I have a question for you.”

Jon smiled.  “You want to know why the ring was in your things from the
Ugaztun
.”

“Yes, I do.”

“I lost it,” Jon admitted sheepishly.  Salene’s brows rose in surprise. 

“You
lost
it?  You lost a…what is it?  Four carat flawless golden diamond?”

“Six carats and yes, he lost it,” Talus said with an exasperated smile.  “Kar and I may never trust him to carry anything valuable again.”

“Wait,” Salene said, frowning.  “If you lost it, how did it end up in my jewelry box?”

“It was Tani’s wedding day, and we arrived late, remember?” Jon said.  She nodded.  “You were in your stateroom on the
Ugaztun
waiting for us, so we transported over the moment we arrived to get you before going down to Garza for the wedding.  I had the ring in my pocket because we intended to give it to you that evening.  I used your bathroom, then we went down to Garza to attend the wedding.  By the time I realized the ring was missing it was late, dark, and we’d been all over the entire cave area including the valley below and the mesa above.  There was no telling where it could have ended up, so we decided to say nothing about it and have a new one made for you when we got back to Jasan.”

“You must have dropped it in my bathroom and one of the stewards found it and put it in my jewelry box on the counter,” Salene guessed.

“Yes, that has to be what happened,” Talus agreed. 

“It also means that it wasn’t actually lost at all,” Jon pointed out hopefully, but the looks he got from his brothers and Salene made it clear they weren’t going to buy that. 

“I like knowing that the stone we chose for you is strong enough to hold such power,” Talus said.  “I do wish you knew how you killed that creature, though.”

“Oh, I know how I killed it,” she said. 

“You said you didn’t.”

“You asked what I did to kill it, not how I killed it.”

“I’m confused,” Talus said.  “Aren’t they the same?”

“I know how I killed it, I just don’t know how I made what I did happen.”

“I see,” Talus said, grinning as he rolled his eyes.  Salene tried to glare at him but the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth spoiled the effect.

“I…burned it,” she said, not knowing how else to explain it.

Jon nodded.  “It looked to us like it’d been burned with a laser, but we were behind you, so we didn’t see where it came from.”

“My eyes.”

They all stared at her in surprise.  “You’re certain?” Talus asked.

“Yes, and even if I wasn’t, Mali saw it.  She asked me if it hurt, which it didn’t.”

“But you don’t know how you did it?”

“No, I don’t.  When I first saw it I froze again, just like I did when Weeble entered that lab on the space station.  It was horrible.  I knew I had to move, that I had to do something, even if it was just get out of your way so you could help, but I literally couldn’t twitch a muscle.  Then I heard Mali scream, and that…did something inside of me.  I wasn’t scared anymore.  I was just angry.  Really angry, like nothing I’d ever felt before.  I remember glaring at the hybrid, wanting it dead, thinking how much I wanted its filthy claws off of my children.  And then it just…happened.”

“That’s not unusual,” Kar said, nodding.  “Human
berezis
who undergo conversion often have a difficult time shifting because they’ve never done anything like it before.  It’s not unusual for a strong emotional reaction to bypass that little block.”

“I wish I could figure out how to do it intentionally,” she said. 

“So long as you can defend yourself in such a way it doesn’t much matter how you do it,” Talus said.

“What if I don’t get angry fast enough next time?”

“I don’t think you need to worry about it,” Kar said.  “It takes time and patience to figure out how to use some gifts.  When you need it, it will be there.”

“That’s what Jinjie keeps saying.”

Talus turned toward Jinjie.  “Is it all done?”

“Yes, alarm do be sound do be anyone come near on foot or air.”

“Thanks, Jinjie,” Talus said, standing up and holding one hand out to Salene.  She had no idea what he was up to, but she placed her hand in his anyway.  He helped her to her feet, then picked her up, cradling her in his arms.  “Close your eyes,” he said softly.  She started to ask why, but changed her mind before the words escaped and just did as he asked.  She felt the swift passage of cold air around her for a few seconds, then they stopped.

When she opened her eyes she was surprised to find that they were inside what had to be the modular shelter Talus had told her about earlier.  It was much larger than she’d expected it to be, and had a hard ceiling, floor, and walls.  There were blankets and sleeping bags spread out in a thick pile that covered nearly half the floor, and two small flickering lanterns hung from the ceiling, filling the interior with soft light.  The air was warm though there was no obvious source of heat that she could see.  “Where are we?”

“Inside a small cave just above the other cave,” Talus said, setting her on her feet. 

“But the children,” she began.

“Don’t worry, we’ve got it covered,” Jon said.  “Jinjie set up alarms.  If either of the children wake up, we’ll know it, and if anyone approaches we’ll know it.  Jinjie and Tonka both know where we are, and they can both contact us if they need us even though Jinjie put what he calls a
silence bubble
around the shelter for privacy.  We don’t intend to spend the night here, either.  We just want some private time with you.  Then we’ll go back to the other cave.”

“Okay,” Salene said, relaxing.  “Private time is good.  Is there anything in particular on your minds?”

“Several things,” Talus said.  “But the first and most important thing we have to tell you is something we’ve been less than honest with you about.”

Salene stiffened, her eyes going cool and wary.  The expression on Talus’s face at her reaction made her feel guilty.  Nevertheless she reached for their emotions, relaxing only when she felt their concern, their worry, and their love.  “I’m sorry,” she began, but he shook his head. 

“No, please don’t apologize,” he said.  “You have good reason to be cautious.  We ask only that you listen to what we have to say, and that afterward you tell us how you feel about it rather than walk out on us.”

“Of course,” she said, relaxing her arms and accepting the hand he held out to her.  He led her to the center of the thick bedding and they all sat in a small circle.  She waited for one of them to speak but the silence stretched out for so long that she felt she had to say something.  “Please, just say whatever you have to say.  I really will try not to overreact again.”

Talus looked at Jon, then Kar, then back to Salene.  “I’m not trying to drag this out.  It’s just really hard to tell the woman we love more than anything that we’ve been hiding a rather significant part of our true selves from her for the past three years.” 

Salene dropped her eyes to the floor to hide her surprise and quickly blocked her emotions.  “Salene?” Talus asked, frowning but she didn’t answer.  She barely even heard him through the shock of sudden understanding that hit her.  After a moment she got to her feet and stepped off the blankets so that she was standing on the bare flooring.  Then she began pacing back and forth across the width of the shelter, her mind racing as she cast back over the past three years.  She didn’t even hear Talus the first few times he called her name.

“Salene,” he said for the third or fourth time, speaking much louder and more sharply than usual.  She stopped in her tracks and looked at him in surprise. 

“Yes?”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m pacing.”

“I see that,” he replied, a brief flash of laughter in his eyes.  “Why are you pacing?”

“Because it helps me think.”

“And what is it you need to think about while we’re in the middle of a confession?”  There was a distinct growl in his voice that, to her shock, sent a rush of heat through her body. 

“I know you have something to say, and I know that it’s important, and I apologize for interrupting you.  But before you continue I would like to ask you a question, if you don’t mind.  It’s really important to me.  Please?”

Talus glanced quickly at his brothers, then shrugged.  “Of course,
Zerura
,” he said.  “Ask what you will.”

“We’ve had sex together just that one time,” she said, hiding her smile at the shocked expressions on their faces.  They certainly hadn’t expected her to say that.

“Yes, we’re aware of that,” Talus said after a moment. “What’s your question?”

“What did you think of it?”

“What did we think of it?” he repeated, clearly taken aback.  “I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”

“I want you to describe it.  Honestly.  In just one word.  Each of you.  Kar?”

Kar hesitated for a moment, glanced at his brothers, then shrugged.  “It was sweet, dearest.”

“Sweet,” she said, nodding.  “Okay, Jon?”

Jon’s eyes were slightly narrowed.  She had a feeling he suspected, or was beginning to suspect, where she was going with this.  “Gentle,” he said finally. 

She nodded again.  “Sweet and gentle.  Talus?”

He studied her longer than Jon had, and just as intently.  “It was memorable, Salene.  Beautifully so.”

“Yes, I agree,” she said.  “I agree with all of you.  It was memorable, and sweet, and gentle.  No woman could ask for more, I’m sure.”

“Your turn, Salene,” Jon said, and she had to bite back a smile.  If she’d laid a bet on which one of them would ask her the question she was waiting for, she would have just won. 

“Yes, that’s fair,” she said as though she hadn’t intended this all along.  “I suppose if I had to come up with just one word that’s different from those you’ve already used, I’d have to say it was…hmm,” she trailed off, tapping her chin thoughtfully.  “Boring.”  She nodded.  “Yes, that’s exactly the right word.  It was sweet, gentle, memorable, and boring.”

She had just enough time to see both Talus’s and Kar’s mouths fall open before Jon leapt to his feet, reached her in one long stride, clamped his hands at her waist and lifted her up until her feet dangled several inches off the floor.  He pressed her back against the wall as his mouth came down on hers hot and hard.  He thrust his tongue into her mouth, taking possession without hesitation or a single trace of gentleness.  This was more than just a kiss, she realized.  It was a claiming.

Salene’s entire body shook with sudden hot arousal unlike anything she’d ever felt before or even suspected possible.  She heard a deep, needy groan and was surprised to realize it came from her.  When Jon broke the kiss they were both panting harshly. 

“Still bored, love?” he rasped. 

She swallowed hard, hesitated for one moment, then threw caution to the winds.  She’d often wondered what it would be like to make these three big, strong men lose a little bit of their control.  Now that she’d gotten a taste of it, she wanted more.  She licked her lips, her eyes locked with his and shrugged.  “Not yet, anyway.”

Jon’s eyes flared with heat as he grinned, then leaned down to nip her lip before handing her into Talus’s waiting arms.  “She’s a siren, Talus,” he said.  “How the hell did we miss that?”

“That’s a good question,” Talus said, his voice low and gravely.  “We’ll have to ask her.  Later.”  His kiss was as hot and hard as Jon’s had been, and even more demanding. 

She felt Kar pressing against her back just before his hands slipped beneath her shirt and cupped her breasts, squeezing and stroking before pinching her nipples firmly.  Her eyes widened in surprise at the sensation of pure, hot pleasure that shot from her nipples to her clit like an electric current.  She’d never felt anything like it, but she definitely wanted more.

Talus lifted his mouth from hers, his mouth stretching into a smile she’d never seen on his face before.  A smile that promised things she couldn’t begin to imagine, but knew with every feminine inch of her being that she wanted.  “So, you were bored the first time?”

Salene’s arousal slipped away as she dropped her eyes.  “No, bored isn’t really the right word.”  Kar’s fingers gentled in response to her sudden change in mood.