The Challenge (23 page)

Summoning his courage, he waited for her to advance. Picking his moment, his spot, and his angle, he gently blocked her attack. Her body shuddered as his mass stopped her cold, but like the trained warrior she was, she bounced, spun, and attacked repeatedly.

She didn’t break. She didn’t even hesitate. She just kept advancing, showing him a multitude of strikes and combinations, some so innovative he’d never seen them before. Using psi, he had the supreme advantage. If he’d stood rock still, she couldn’t penetrate his shields. Nor could she move at anywhere near psi speed. In comparison to the speed of thought he was capable of achieving, she moved as slowly as a prehistoric amoeba. Most importantly, the suit permitted him to see psi movement. Until she learned to use her psi, she couldn’t even see his movements. To her, he would appear to pop in and out of space. But once she opened her psi vision, she would “see” him go through space.

Yes, she’d used her psi before. But it took too long for her to concentrate and call up the skill. She needed to be able to use her psi as easily and instinctively as she used her muscles.

After fifteen minutes, her attacks had yet to slow. In thirty, she still wasn’t breathing hard, although a light sweat shined on her forehead. He had to give her credit. Her conditioning and stamina were excellent. Her effort clearly revealed that her fighting spirit was as much a part of her character as any warrior’s. He had to put aside his personal prejudices that no woman should have her skills and be grateful that she was willing to work so hard to find her psi.

“Kahn, you haven’t showed me a new trick in the last ten minutes.”

She jolted him from his thoughts. He’d been thinking instead of training her.

“Nor have you countered another attack,” she complained. “Surely you can do better?”

Knowing she was correct, he blocked her next ten blows. “Happy now?”

“I’d be happier if you’d fight back.” She grunted. “I’m fighting a shadow. This fight is boring.”

She deliberately goaded him, but he held his temper. “You’ve used your psi once before. Go to that place.”

“Can I stop and meditate?” she asked.

“No. Find the place you seek between punches,” he instructed.

“How can I tap into my psi while I’m attacking?” She still spoke easily, but perspiration shined over her forehead.

Her difficulty was his fault. He had not frustrated her to the necessary level. He chose among several options and raised her suit’s temperature.

She noticed almost immediately. “So that’s how you knew I wouldn’t last an hour. Take care, Kahn. At this temperature, I’ll dehydrate fast.”

She didn’t complain. Just issued him warnings.

“If you don’t like the temperature, do something about it.”

“How?”

“Use your psi.”

She front kicked his stomach. He grabbed her foot and swept the other leg out from under her. She went down hard. Grunted. Came back for more.

Circling him, eyes focused, she used the same kick, in the same place, as if daring him to try the counter move again. With ease, he repeated the technique and tried not to wince as she fell hard for the second time. She got up a little more slowly, but she didn’t hesitate to repeat the move for a third time.

She’d fallen twice, taking more punishment than he’d intended to inflict. But it was not enough. Instead of grabbing her foot, he deflected the kick with enough force to send her stumbling.

“You fight like a little girl,” he insulted her, knowing that he needed her to push through the discouragement and pain, or everything they’d done would be for nothing. He couldn’t permit her to stop now.

By now she should be drawing on energy she didn’t know she possessed, but she wasn’t tired enough yet. She launched a flying side kick at his head. He spun her in midair and slapped her bottom hard before she hit the ground.

“You just went back on your word.” Furious, she struck with a knife-hand attack to his throat, but even as her eyes glittered with anger she continued to obey his orders. “You would not have slapped a man.”

She was correct, and he didn’t like what he had done, especially since she’d followed his orders without question or complaint. However, the thought of using his fist on her still didn’t sit square with him, but she’d left him no choice. Either he taxed her to the maximum and drained her energy, or she would fail.

Reminding himself that failure was unacceptable, he threw a slow psi punch to her stomach. At the last instant she swiveled her hips, lessening his blow to a powder-puff tap.

She fired an it’s-about-time-you-did-that glance at him but saved her breath. Breathing evenly, she remained balanced on the balls of her feet.

By the tiniest degree, he increased the speed of his next psi punch. At the same time, he directed, “Raise your shield.”

His fist met no resistance except the conditioned muscles of her stomach tightening to protect internal organs from the punch. Ignoring the sick roil in his gut, he increased the pace. “Defend yourself.”

She moved to the right. He caught her with a blow to her shoulder. She lunged left, and he tripped her. Instead of rising to her feet, she attempted to sweep him down.

“Use your frustration. I’m thinking and fighting in slow motion, but you need to keep up.”

With a strange yell, she thrust a fist into his stomach. She’d used her psi!

He blocked with his shield. “Don’t lose that anger. Hit me,” he demanded, not letting up, despite the quivering he could see in her legs, the exhaustion in her eyes. “Faster. Harder. Use your mind.”

She breathed raggedly now. Sweat streamed down her forehead. “How much longer?”

“The lesson has just begun.”

Until she blacked out.

One moment she was lunging at Kahn, the next, she awakened in his arms. Stiff, sore, yet wonderfully tired, she marveled over her psi power which had been untapped her entire life. She’d heard humans only used ten percent of their minds, and scientists didn’t understand the complexity of the brain, but her psi was a whole new sense. It was if she’d been blind all her life and could suddenly see.

Kahn frowned at her, concern darkening his amber eyes. “What is wrong, woman?”

“I overheated. It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Why didn’t you stop?”

“You told me not to.”

Clearly stunned, his lower jaw dropped open. “I expected you to stop before you burnt out.”

She cupped his jaw. “I’ll let you make it up to me.” She raised her lips to his. “Kiss me, Kahn.”

“You need comforting for your pain?”

She rolled her eyes. “No. I want to celebrate.” She let her fingers trail down his jaw to his neck. “Don’t you want to kiss me?”

“Touching me like that is inappropriate.” Confusion marred his features. “What do we have to celebrate?”

She raised her head higher but couldn’t reach his lips. So she planted a kiss on his neck, collarbone, shoulder. “We are celebrating our success. Using the psi was marvelous. I never knew I could move that fast. Or see you move. And the shielding is spectacular. How much force will it stop? Will I get stronger with practice? How long will it take me to use the null-grav and become as adept as you?”

Interest filled his eyes. “Fighting with psi gave you pleasure?”

“Learning a new skill gave me pleasure. Surely you feel the same way?”

“I am a man,” he said, as if that explained everything.

“And a very handsome man, too.” She grinned up at him, aware that he was pleased by her progress, even if he had yet to say so. “Wouldn’t you rather put those lips to better use than arguing with me?”

He scowled, and then he laughed, his eyes brightening with amusement. “You are impossible. Are you sure you are not injured?”

She wriggled her eyebrows at him. “Maybe you should examine me, all of me, to see for yourself.”

“WHAT IS THAT sound coming from your mouth?” Dora asked.

After Tessa’s training session with Kahn and then a very pleasant lovemaking session, she’d slept soundly. After awakening, she’d padded to the food materializer and used her psi to make pasta, a salad and a cup of coffee.

“Hi, Dora.” Tessa was starved. “That sound is called whistling.”

“What does it mean?”

“It’s music.”

“You’re off key.”

“Mm.” Tessa sat on the dais and ate. “I could get used to these food materializers.”

“There are no food materializers on Rystan.”

“Why not?” Her food tasted fresh, and she didn’t even have to cook. Apparently the machine was stocked with basic proteins and carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, etc. All she had to do was use her psi and the machine duplicated what she envisioned. She might now even be able to open the door to this chamber.

Tessa munched happily on her salad, sipped her coffee, and fired a psi thought at the wall. The door opened. Life was looking up.

“Food materializers are expensive. The inhabitable parts of Rystan are poor in resources.”

“Tell me more.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t have that kind of information in my data banks.”

“That’s okay. Maybe I’ll ask Kahn. Can you show me a dance called the
Ramala Ki
.”

“Compliance.”

While Tessa ate, she stared at a holovid woman performing a series of sexy steps, undulations, and complicated hand movements. The hip motions reminded her of Hawaiian Hula dancers, and there could be no doubting the moves were meant to entice a man. Vowing to learn the dance, she had Dora repeat them while she ate.

“You seem happier since your wedding night. Did he please you?”

“Dora! Some things are private.”

“Privacy is a hard concept for me to burn into my circuits.”

“Hey, it’s okay. Without even realizing it, I step on Kahn’s toes all the time.”

“I have never seen you step on his toes.”

“I meant that my values often clash with his. He has this ridiculous notion that women shouldn’t initiate sex. Or touching. Or kissing. You wouldn’t think such a macho man would be disturbed by my clumsy attempts to learn to fight with my psi.”