Stolen Dreams (23 page)

 

Then
again, they shouldn't be suffering the symptoms of the mating fever,
either.

 

The
closer they got to the city, the faster the army marched. At the first
sight of their goal, one team broke into a run and had to be threatened
with injury by Zeus to prevent a stampede.

 

Zeus ordered
everyone to halt when they neared the top of the last hill on their
march.

 

Shara
looked out over a city that contrasted drastically with the commune
they'd left behind, yet bore little resemblance to the First Province
Administration Building of her time. Now it was only a small fraction
of its future size. Rather than sparkling crystal prisms, the buildings
were constructed of white and gray stone. Vehicles moved along on
overhead rails instead of cushions of air.

 

Though different in
physical ways, this city still exuded the aura of great power that
Shara had sensed on previous visits in her own time. She wondered how
the Friends could believe they were capable of overcoming that power
with armaments.

 

Zeus moved from team to team, issuing final
orders
and wishes for success. The groups assigned to take over the
councilors' residences departed first, since they needed to secure the
hostages before the main body of Friends surrounded the Administration Building.
As Athena's team made its way down the slope, Shara looked up at
Gabriel, hoping he would read the fear in her eyes and say something to
reassure her.

 

Gabriel pulled Shara to a stop and told Athena,
"We'll
catch up in a minute." Athena narrowed her eyes at him, but continued
on with her team.

 

"What's the matter?" Shara whispered. "She's
already suspicious of us."

 

"She won't question lovers sharing
one last kiss before going into battle."

 

Shara's
breath caught in her throat at the mere mention of a kiss and her gaze
held to the lips she knew could make her forget the rest of the
universe existed. Without waiting for his lead, she stepped closer and
placed her hands on his shoulders. One of his kisses was exactly what
she needed.

 

However, as his arms brought her snugly against
him, his
mouth moved to her ear. "I'm going on," he murmured, hugging her
affectionately. "This is too rare for me to miss. But you could still
go back or wait here."

 

The sharp disappointment she felt at
not
being kissed was distracting, but she made herself reply to his
comment. "Zeus is behind us. He'd just drag me along with him, and if I
have to go, I'd feel safer with you."

 

"I appreciate your
confidence.
I'll make sure you don't regret it." He moved his head back and tipped
up her chin. "I'm going to kiss you now. For the benefit of any
observers, try to look as if you're enjoying yourself."

 

He may
not
have meant the direction as an insult, but she took it as one and
determined to repay him instantly. The moment his mouth pressed to hers, she
concentrated on giving him the most intense kiss she knew how to give.
As her lips moved over his, her body joined the assault. Shifting her
hips into his, she received an immediate response.

 

She nipped
his
lower lip and gained access for her tongue to play inside. He met her
thrust and parried, and returned her efforts with equal enthusiasm.

 

It
was no longer clear who was the aggressor, nor did it matter in the
slightest. All that mattered was that they were together, kissing,
holding, touching. As Shara had desired, the rest of the world fell
away until there was only Gabriel. Wanting to express her need more
clearly, she slid her hand down his side and was about to ease it
beneath his short tunic when the sound of laughter nearby jolted her
back to reality.

 

Gabriel ended the kiss but continued to hold
her
tightly as he struggled to regain control of his body. He was
disoriented and gasping for breath, but she was trembling, and somehow
he knew the reason without having to ask. "It's all right, sweetling.
They aren't laughing at you."

 

She glanced up at him in
surprise,
then hid her face in his neck. He had guessed what she was thinking!
Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment and her stomach was twisted
in a knot.

 

For a second she had been a young girl again, and
the
other children were all laughing at her . . . the tall, clumsy
mixed-breed.

 

And Gabriel had understood.

 

"Gabriel!
Shara! Come
along!" The shout was from Athena. She had stopped her team part of the
way down the hill to await the stragglers.

 

Shara began to move
away, but Gabriel held her in place.

 

"Wait,"
he said softly. "I want you to know something before we go on." He
combed his fingers through her hair. "That was real just now. Not the
fever. Not an act for anyone else. I wasn't thinking about who your
parents are or what either of us is doing here. The only thing on my
mind was how much I wanted you."

 

His sincere words were
another kind
of caress— warmer, steadier—and she stopped trembling. "It was real to
me, also," she admitted. "I won't deny it anymore."

 

"Good," he
said
with a smile, and took her hand in his to catch up with their team.
"Now let's try to stay in one piece today so we can finish what we
started in a more romantic setting."

 

Shara met his gaze and
smiled
back. A few days ago she would have considered his remark arrogant. Now
she thought it was logical . . . and provocative. Changes were being
forced on her, and she was no longer sure they were all bad . . . even
if it was only temporary.

 

As they neared the section of the
city
where most of the councilors resided, their march took on the
appearance of a leisurely stroll, but there was no one to perform for.
It was almost midday. There should have been a number of residents
moving about, but the only people in view were the Friends, getting
into position.

 

Athena posted a soldier at the side and back
door of
the home she was responsible for, then led the rest of the team
straight to the front entrance. Having no reason to expect treachery,
someone inside opened the door. Athena and the others carrying shooters
pulled them out as they all charged into the large receiving room of the residence. Shara and
Gabriel found themselves swept along in the rush.

 

Before
the Friends had a chance to establish themselves, however, they were
surrounded by black-uniformed security officers, all of whom had
shooters pointed at the trespassers. Every exit from the room was
effectively blocked.

 

"Hold position!" ordered one officer.
"Drop your weapons and surrender peaceably."

 

Instead
of obeying, one of Athena's soldiers raised his shooter, and the
officer instantly fired at him. The shock of being trapped had
momentarily frozen the group, but seeing their friend fall with a
smoking hole in his chest inflamed them to act.

 

Gabriel shoved
Shara
to the floor as another weapon was fired and a woman screamed in pain.
Protecting Shara's body with his own, he ordered her to feign death,
while the room exploded into chaos. More deafening blasts struck moving
targets. Objects crashed to the floor as tables were toppled to create
shields. Everyone was shouting and no one was listening.

 

As
suddenly
as the violence had erupted, it ceased. The smell of smoke and burned
flesh permeated the air, and painful moans throughout the room were the
only sign that told Shara that others had survived. Gabriel's weight
kept her pressed to the floor, but at least it reassured her to feel
his heart pounding hard against her back.

 

Sheer terror
prevented her
from giving in to the nausea she felt from seeing a man brutally
murdered. Once Gabriel pushed her to the floor, she had kept her eyes
shut tight. If only she could have shut out the sounds and smells of
death as easily.

 

Gabriel opened his eyes a crack. The officer
who had
fired the first shot lay a few centimeters away with a gaping wound in
his head. Historical accounts reported that the Friends had been
responsible for the violence, but now Gabriel knew that, at least in
one location, a panicked officer of the Tribunal had caused the
altercation to turn deadly.

 

Cautiously he raised his head to
see if it was safe to move . . . and found himself staring at the end
of a shooter.

 

"Go easy, now," the officer standing over
Gabriel said. "Hand over your weapon."

 

"We're unarmed,"
Gabriel replied, giving Shara's shoulder a squeeze. "If you'll let us
get up, you can see for yourself."

 

The
officer backed away a bit, but kept the shooter aimed at Gabriel's
forehead. "Stand up slowly and place your hands on your heads."

 

As
Gabriel helped Shara to her feet, the only other officer left standing
joined the first.

 

Shara
tried to send him the suggestion that they were innocent bystanders,
but her mind was in such a turmoil, she couldn't concentrate. Quickly
the second officer ran his hands over her tunic, then moved to Gabriel.

 

Shara
tensed as the officers fingers discovered the paralyzer rod.

 

"What's
this?" he asked, extracting the rod from the concealed pocket.

 

"A
light," Gabriel answered.

 

The officer looked doubtful as he
examined it. "I thought the Friends only used firelight."

 

Gabriel
shrugged. "That's why I keep it hidden."

 

"It looks like a
weapon to me." The officer gripped the handle and pointed the rod at
Shara.        
 

 

Her heart banged against her rib cage, but she
forced herself to remain still.

 

"How does it work?" the
officer asked, watching Shara's eyes.

 

"Just squeeze the grip,"
Gabriel told him casually.

 

Shara
stopped breathing as the officer's fingers slowly tightened. She could
dive out of the way of the lethal weapon s beam or she could trust
Gabriel to know what he was doing.

 

Her indecision held her in
place
as a soft white light shone in her eyes. Only then did she remember
that he'd been using it as a light during last night's venture. It took
a huge effort not to sigh with relief.

 

"My son would like
this," the officer said, directing the light onto the ceiling.

 

"It's
my invention," Gabriel replied proudly. "That's the only one I have,
but I'd be glad to make your son another and have it delivered to you .
. . after this situation is resolved." Gabriel gave the officer a
meaningful glance.

 

Nodding, the officer calmly gave his
address and
slid the rod back into its sheath in Gabriel's tunic. Shara desperately
wanted to get out of that room. They were being held at weaponpoint,
with their hands on their heads, in the midst of a bloody massacre! She
could have screamed at the two men behaving as if this were all an
everyday occurrence.

 

"You'll have to come with me to
headquarters
now," the officer said, then instructed his colleague to remain in the
residence until assistance arrived.

 

They had just stepped
outside
when a thunderous explosion quaked the ground beneath their feet. A
second later another explosion sounded, followed by another and
another. Great clouds of smoke arose from the area of the city where
the Administration Building was located. Emergency sirens began
wailing almost instantly.

 

Suddenly they were knocked to the
ground by a blast only meters away. In a flash, one side of the
residence burst into flames.

 

"What's happening?" Shara cried.

 

"Hades—"

 

Before
Gabriel could say another word, several more firebombs went off in
nearby residences. The horrifying sounds of the sirens, shattering
glass, and collapsing rooftops were nothing compared to the shrieks of
hysteria as residents, security officers, and Friends ran from the
blazing buildings.

 

The officer that had remained inside
dragged
another uniformed man through the front door, shouting, "I need help!
There are more wounded inside." Immediately several volunteers came
running.

 

Without thinking, Shara took a step toward the house,
and Gabriel grabbed her arm and yanked her back. "You can't go in
there!"

 

"Let me go! We can help."

 

Gabriel's grip
tightened like a vise. "I told you before, you cannot interfere!"

 

The
officer guarding them put a swift end to their argument. Using his
shooter to point, he ordered, "Move over there where the others are
being gathered."

 

A dejected group of Friends were being herded
upwind of the fires by a troop of armed security officers, while other
officers frantically checked the burning residences for any survivors
left inside.

 

Shara could see for herself that her assistance
hadn't
been necessary. But that wasn't what Gabriel had meant. He had warned
her repeatedly that he would not permit her to do anything that would
alter history. Now she knew for certain that he would
stop her by any means available, including physical restraint.

 

She
rubbed the spot on her upper arm where he had held her so securely.
There would probably be a bruise there tomorrow. Her angry glare was
lost on Gabriel, as he was occupied with Beauty.

 

Shara looked
around
at the destruction he was recording, saw the bodies lying on the
walkway, and wondered if she was in some sort of shock. How could she
be whining about a bruise when others were dead and dying? She could
have been one of them ... if it hadn't been for Gabriel's quick
thinking. How could she resent his presence and be so grateful for it
at the same time?