"Martha is way off base," she assured him. "That wasn't said for you, but for her."
"Yet is it obvious that you do not like being here," he pointed out.
"No, if we're going to stay here, then I'll get used to it. I don't have to like it‑really. What is important is that I do like being with you. Where doesn't matter. I'll be happy as long as we don't get parted when this is over."
He set her back from him, said sternly, "I have told you there can be no 'over' for us. You are mine for life, as I am yours. Such is the meaning of a lifemate. When will you accept this?"
"I‑I think I do. It's just that everything else keeps getting in the way."
"Everything, as in your persistent belief that I am not a Kan‑is‑Tran warrior from Sha‑Ka'an as I have told you I am? What, then, am IF'
"You're confusing me."
"You confuse yourself, woman."
Martha interjected, "I warned you the warrior was assenting
himself, now that he's home."
"Be quiet, Martha!" they both said almost at once.
He had stood up in his agitation. Brittany's eyes flared as she finally noticed the fembair still in the room, spread out on the floor near the bed. Dalden had been blocking it from her view until he stood up. She didn't faint again, but the fear was back.
"Martha, get rid of that one!" she said in a high, squeaky voice, that one" being yet another illusion, to her way of thinking.
"Contrary to your popular belief, I don't have any control over the local population, animal or humanoid. You can pet Shank, by the way. He won't bite."
That didn't reassure her. In this case, however, Dalden could not fault her disbelief. A fembair was a predator, the most vicious flesheater on the planet, something he would refrain from mentioning. Those that lived in the castle were tame, yet anyone who visited there and didn't know that would have the same reaction as Brittany.
It wasn't easy to tell these creatures apart. They were a noninterbreeding animal, so there was very little deviation in their looks. They all sported short white coats of an exceptional softness, long sleek bodies, and large round heads with great blue eyes. And fangs. He'd never taken one for a pet himself because they liked to sleep in beds and he didn't like sharing his‑until now.
Explanations usually sufficed‑for a Sha‑Ka'ani who would not discount the existence of a fembair, merely that one could be found in a town, inside someone's house. They could make their home
in any region of the planet, since the climates didn't vary greatly, they just preferred the wilds, far from people and cities.
The people of Sha‑Ka‑Ra were used to them wandering in and out of their town, and found it amusing that their shodan had managed to domesticate such a wild breed. All of which wouldn't matter to his lifemate, whose disbelief stemmed from a different reason. He still had to try.
"Shank belongs to my sister," he told Brittany. "She raised him from a baby when she was but a child herself, so he is completely tame. 91
"If he's hers, what's he doing here?"
"It was a game from when we were young. I would lure him here with treats so she could not find him. It became a habit with him. He still comes here expecting treats."
"I‑I hope you had some on hand to give him," she said, her voice still apprehensive.
"He is content with petting instead."
He sat down cross‑legged on the floor next to the fembair. It immediately curled its large, supple body around him. He scratched behind its ears, under its chin. Purring began immediately.
"Come here," he told Brittany. A glance at her showed that she was adamantly shaking her head. "Come here," he repeated in a tone that would have made any Sha‑Ka'ani woman jump to obey, but not his lifemate. "We are going to remove your fear of this feline," he explained more calmly.
"Just remove the cat instead," she suggested.
Martha scoffed at her. "You think it's an illusion. Since when can illusions hurt?"
That caused Brittany to frown. Dalden took advantage of her confusion to point out, "Can you not hear the sound of his contentment?"
She couldn't help but hear it purring so loudly it rumbled about the room. She abruptly left the bed, marched determinedly toward him, and squatted down next to Dalden, though still several
feet from Shanelle's pet. He unbalanced her, and tugged her into his lap to bring her closer to Shank. She still didn't take her eyes from the fembair, not once, and her body was stiff with fear despite her determination. Courage his woman had, to charge ahead, fear or not.
He took her hand, guided it to the top of Shank's head, and left it there. She didn't pull it away. And having touched the animal, she now wanted to examine it fully. She lifted the heavy head, stared into the big blue eyes, measured the length of the two fourinch fangs.
"Sabertooths are extinct," she finally said in an awe‑filled voice.
He knew not what she was talking about. Martha did and merely replied, "On your planet they are."
"Nor did they ever grow this big," Brittany said.
"Careful, doll, or you might convince yourself you're in a new world.
Brittany made a low growl and shot to her feet. "I know what you've done. You found this place and have somehow kept the rest of the world from hearing about it. What is it, something in the water here that makes the people and animals grow exceptionally large? Or genetic engineering? Have you actually tampered with nature here?"
Whether he could have answered her or not, Dalden knew those questions weren't for him. Whenever she came up with a new nonreality, it was Martha she accused with it. Never him. To accuse him would mean she would have to discuss with him her disbelief.
They had both been reluctant to do that, to "rock the boat," as Martha would put it. But perhaps it was time for that boat to sink. It was becoming painful, knowing that although she wanted to be with him, she wanted to be with who she insisted he was, not who he really was.
He needed advice from someone who had long dealt with an off‑worlder.
He went to find his father.
Chapter Forty‑four
WHERE'S HE GOING?" BRITTANY ASKED MARTHA WHEN Dalden abruptly left the room.
"Probably off to kill something. Warriors tend to do that when they get frustrated."
"Something?"
'Don't Sound so horrified, I was Joking. But you, my girl, are going to have to start looking at this from his point of view. Every time You scoff at something we show you, you are scoffing at him. Every time you Come up with One of your excuses, you're saying he isn't real. How do you think that makes him feel?
"If he's brainwashed into believing all this, then it probably upsets him, but that's your fault, not mine. If he's just a
really good actor playing his part, then I'll allow he might be frustrated that he's not convincing enough. But if you
people would just figure out already that I'm never going to be convinced that you've brought me to another world in another star system, then he and I can both stop suffering with feelings we don't need to be feeling."
A big sigh. "Do you really want to be taken home and never see him again? Not that he'd allow it, but is that how you see this ending?"
"Why does that have to separate us? You admit the truth, I hopefully agree it's a necessary project for some greater good, and", he and I can still be together‑can't we?"
"The females in this society live with the males, not the other way around. For you to have him, you have to live here, in his world.
"Oh, I get it. Nothing else has worked, so now you're going to, to try using him specifically? The emotional angle? If I don't fall in line I lose him?"
"Your blood pressure is rising, kiddo."
"I have normal blood pressure!"
"Amazing how you humanoids can work yourselves into a snit without even half trying, and all on your lonesome. It makes my heart bleed, watching the way you struggle with so many conflicting emotions."
"According to you,
you don't have a heart to bleed."
"Sector burn then, same thing."
Brittany made a sound of disgust and turned away from the door Dalden had left through. She didn't know why she continued to talk, or rather argue, with Martha, a faceless voice. The, woman put new meaning into single‑mindedness. Either that, or she was the head honcho in charge of the whole project, and everyone else was just window dressing.
Come to think of it, Dalden had never really tried to convince her. He was just there, to comfort and soothe, to distract, to keep her mind off chaotic thoughts, to give her some peace. And if that, was going to change now, she imagined she would go nuts within a month.
She finally noticed that the "prehistoric monster" was still in the room. God, it was too huge, as big as a horse. But she knew that genetic engineering could double the size of a creature.
Could it be done again? And again? Until the result was something monstrous like this? Yet it was beautiful, sleek, wellproportioned, and probably graceful if it didn't have slippery floors to deal with.
Ironically, she really liked cats. She'd had several as pets when she was a child, and had one the apartment when she first moved in, until it escaped out the door one day and never
returned. That Jan turned out to be allergic to them was the only reason she hadn't gotten another yet. But she had planned to get a whole menagerie of them when she built her own home and had more room. But this one wasn't natural: it was a freak of experiments‑or nature. And those fangs ...
"Now you're being silly," Martha said, monitoring Brittany's edging backward away from the cat. "If that animal was the least bit dangerous to you, Dalden wouldn't have left you alone with it."
That was likely very true. He did seem to put great importance in protecting her. She decided she could safely ignore the beast.
However it was created, it probably was a pet like they claimed.
But then Martha added, "There are more than just this one roaming the castle. Tedra and Challen both keep them as pets as well, so you'll come across more of them. Try not to run the other way when you see one coming."
"Why?" Brittany asked in new alarm. "Will that make it attack?"
Martha chuckled. "No, you just strike me as someone who doesn't want it to become common knowledge what a coward you are."
Brittany became very still. "Are we resorting to insults now?"
"Well, aren't you?" Martha persisted. "You're terrified to face the truth, which is Pretty silly in my book. This is a nice world. Barbaric, yes, but it's got its upside to compensate for that. "
Brittany relaxed. It was typical of Martha to toss out an eye-opener like an insult just to lead into what she wanted to discuss. She should be used to it by now.
"Name one‑and don't mention the air again, when clean air can be found in most mountainous regions like this."
"How about a temperate climate planetwide? There are no seasons like you have. The climate remains "the same year‑round in each country, a bit hotter up north, a bit cooler down south, but nothing extreme."
"Like there aren't temperate zones at home," Brittany snorted.
"Disease is unknown here. Must be that clean air you didn't want me to mention," Martha said dryly.
She would be amazed‑if it were actually true. "Is it the air?"
"I don't know," Martha admitted. "It's never been analyzed. It could just as easily be the Sha‑Ka'ani constitution. But there's no need for you to worry. There's a meditech in the castle in case you catch something you shouldn't."
"I know damn well that thing isn't real. It's too bad I haven't caught a cold or the flu, to disprove your so‑called meditech once and for all."
"I could probably order a virus for you. It might take a few weeks to get here, though."
"Cute, real cute. So far you're wasting your breath, Martha."
"What breath? Computers don't breathe."
"You know what I meant."
"Okay, let's try on faithfulness."
"Excuse me?"
"You'll find this interesting: a warrior who takes a lifemate Will remain faithful to that lifemate for the rest of his life. I find that rather unique myself, since most cultures can´t say the same, yours included."
"They love that deeply?"
A round of laughter. "You're forgetting they claim they don't experience love."
"You said some do."
"Some, yet all warriors with lifemates are faithful to them. It's more part and parcel with the protecting thing. It's a duty they take beyond serious, so it includes not only protecting from harm,
but also from emotional stress. And from fear. How many times now have you heard Dalden say he won't allow you to be afraid?"
"As if it's something he can control," Brittany scoffed.
"Don't kid yourself He can and will assist you in conquering your fears, in one way or another. His methods might not be considered normal, but they'll be effective. Warriors are firm believers in teaching by example. Lasting impressions are gained in that way that mere words can't hope to duplicate. Which is why the old crime and punishment philosophy goes over so well here."
"Are we finally getting around to discussing the laws around here?"
"No, I've concluded that the extra information I've been feeding you isn't helping and could be part of the problem. You haven't been given time to assimilate what you're learning. Besides, you know the basics, enough to stay out of trouble. No more pants for you; they offend warriors. Never leave home without an escort at your side, or without wearing a cloak of this house, so anyone who doesn't know you will see that you're protected. Be respectful of other warriors, obey your own. See? Very simple."
"Bah, you call those laws?"
"Well, actually." Martha began another round of laughing. "I don't, but they do. Rules might be a more appropriate term. They don't have the kind of laws you're used to, because they don't have the kind of crimes that require strict laws. Theft here is more a sport, a back‑and‑forth kind of thing. If something or someone gets stolen, they merely buy it back, steal it back‑or be glad it's gone.
"Then nothing gets stolen with the expectation to keep it? Why does anyone bother?"
"Like I said, it's more a sport, something done for fun. There's also no such thing as murder; the warrior ethic simply doesn't allow it. Challenge can cause death, but rarely; it's more desirable to humiliate an enemy with challenge loss service. They have their own rules that govern their behavior. Any disputes are brought to the shodan to decide. But you've let me get sidetracked."
"Is that even possible? For you?"
"My, aren't we feeling sarcastic today."
"I have a good teacher."
"I don't have an ego to bolster, doll, though I appreciate the effort. Now back to the subject, which was women. Women are the sole responsibility of their protector, be he father, lifemate, or shodan. Without a protector, they become claimable by any warrior who wants them, and a claimed woman isn't quite as desirable a position as a free one‑for the women, that is."
Brittany stiffened, hearing that addition. "Why? And why haven't I heard about this before now?"
Martha injected a shrug into her tone. "It wasn't mentioned because it's never something you're going to need to worry about, as long as you obey those few simple rules we just discussed. As for why it's not a 'wanna‑be' status, probably because it draws many parallels to slavery. A claimed woman can't be sold or mistreated, but they have so few rights, they might as well be considered slaves. Most women around here would rather enjoy the luxury of freedom."
"Free? When they can't go out without being led by the hand like a child?"
"Are we feeling aggrieved?"
"Damned right we are. You know I'm not going to be able to accept that when I come from total freedom of choice."
"So did Tedra, and she adjusted just fine. So will you. It Just takes rearranging certain thinking and seeing the logic behind the protection that's offered. And I could swear I said I was do
ne feeding you information. Start asking Dalden your questions. The answers he gives you will give you a better understanding of him. Signing off, doll."
"Wait! Martha?" No answer, but the fembair was still there, watching her with those big blue eyes. "Go away, cat. Go on, shoo.
It didn't, but then it perked up and glanced behind him, as if it heard someone calling. She heard nothing, but animals had better hearing than humans. It then rose so fast it lost its footing on the shiny floor, regained it, ran toward the balcony, and leapt off it the same way it had arrived.
Brittany sighed in relief Martha signed back on long enough to laugh.
Chapter Forty‑five
BRITTANY DID START STORING UP SOME QUESTIONS FOR Dalden, but he didn't return to his room. A Darash female servant showed up instead, to help her dress for dinner. And she did need help in figuring out how to get into a chauri.
The outfit really was just a bunch of scarves, thin, almost transparent squares of material. A bunch of them were sewn together at the tips. These were placed at the shoulders, sections then draped just so to cover what should be covered, the lot then belted about the waist to hold it all in place. The skirt was separate but put together just about the same way, a bunch of scarves sewn to a waistband and just left to fall as they would about the legs, the tips floating halfway down her calves.
Other than walking fast or encountering a brisk wind, the outfits probably remained quite decent. They were soft, feminine,
cool, sleeveless, V‑necked, shapely with the belt, and actually very pretty in the way they draped. Sandals that tied on her feet were provided as well, kind of weird‑looking, but serviceable.
The only thing that looked out of place now was the link attached to her belt. She almost considered leaving it behind, but didn't quite dare yet, even though Martha was being conspicuously silent.
The girl, Talana, who brought the white chauri, said more were being made for her and would be delivered on the new rising. Her much smaller height and dark hair and eyes marked her clearly as a Darash, if her simple sleeveless tunic and long skirt didn't. Brittany wasn't used to servants, but Talana didn't seem at all servile. She was perky, full of smiles, and seemed to have a sweet nature. Other than calling her "mistress," she was merely being helpful.