Laura Jo Phillips (59 page)

“And you know that all male Jasani are born in threes, as triplets,” he said.

Hope nodded.

“What you probably don’t know is that three males, what we call a male-set, share one soul,” he said.

“Seriously?” Hope asked in shock.  “The three of you share one soul?”

“Yes,” Jackson replied.  “We each carry a third, and only if, and when, we find our Arima, can our souls be linked together as they are meant to be.”

“Are you talking spiritually or physically?” Hope asked.

“In this case, I am speaking physically,” Jackson replied. 

Hope thought about that for a moment.  “How is it done?”

“It is a ritual called the Soul-Link Triad,” he said.  “Hope, are you sure you want to hear this now?”

“Yes, absolutely,” she said. 

“All right,” Jackson said, uncertain if this was a good idea.  There was something...intense...about Hope’s manner, and he couldn’t really get a good understanding of her feelings.

“We are born with what we call mating fangs.  When we scent our Arima for the first time, the mating fangs descend.”

“What are the mating fangs used for?” Hope asked.

“They contain a serum which, when injected into our Arima, begins the process of transforming her into our Clan, and making her full Jasani.  It requires three injections, and then the fangs are shed.”

“And then?”

“Then we perform the Soul-Link Triad, all of us physically connected together.  In that moment, our souls are linked together through you, and with you.”

“After that?” She knew she sounded a bit sharp, but she couldn’t help it.

“That is all,” Jackson said, feeling even more hesitant about this.  The more he told her, the more tense Hope seemed to be getting.

“When do I become not human any more?” she asked.

“During the ritual you become Jasani, and Clan Bearen,” he explained carefully.  “After that, you will be able to shift into a bearenca, as we do.”

“And when does all of this take place?” Hope asked.

“Whenever we decide to do it,” Jackson said.  He felt Hope freeze, and sensed her fear.  “No,
Niha
, that is not what I mean,” he said as gently as he could.  “I meant whenever the four of us decide.  We would not do such a thing against your will.”

Hope’s body relaxed, but Jackson knew she was still tense about something. 

“What is it?” he asked finally.  “Tell me, please.”

“When does the wedding take place?” she asked, so softly that even with his hearing it was difficult to make out what she was saying.

“Wedding?” he asked.  “What wedding?”

“Our wedding,” Hope said.

“I do not understand,” Jackson said.

“A wedding is the human ritual of binding people together through an exchange of promises in the presence of an official and witnesses,” Clark added helpfully.

“Oh, that,” Jackson said with relief.  He’d been getting worried about where she was going with all of this.  “We don’t do that,” he said.

“What do you mean you don’t do that?” Hope asked.

“Weddings are not necessary between an Arima and her Rami,” Jackson explained.  “We perform the Soul-Link Triad, and that is enough.”

“What of those women who are not Arimas?” she asked, needing to understand all of this.

“When a human woman chooses to mate with a male-set, the male-set drinks a potion which forces the mating fangs to descend, and alters their serum.  They then perform a ritual that is much like a Soul-Link Triad, though of course the human woman will not be able to link their souls together.”

“Doesn’t the male-set marry them first?” Hope asked.

“No,” Jackson replied, confused as to why she kept going back to this.  “We do not have marriage as you do.  The ritual is enough.  A male-set can have sex only with their Arima, or with the human female they perform the altered ceremony with.  The ritual creates a bond between them that cannot be broken.  What more is needed?”

“Why is it that Jasan uses the term
bride
then?” Hope asked, ignoring his question.  “You advertise for contract
brides
, you have a
bride
house, you call residents of that place candy
brides
.  If you do not marry, why do you use that term?”

“I don’t know,” Jackson replied.  “It has always been used.  Probably because that is a term that is most recognizable to human women.”

Hope sat up and pulled the sheet around herself.  Her heart was pounding so hard she could see the sheet moving with its rhythm. 

“Hope, what is wrong?” Jackson asked, sensing her deep distress but at a complete loss as to what was causing it.

Hope opened her mouth to respond when suddenly a strange feeling came over her, as though someone had poured cold water over the top of her head.  The icy feeling slowly moved down her body and she shivered violently, her skin pebbling so tightly it hurt. 

“What is it?” Jackson asked, knowing something terrible had just happened.

“I don’t know,” Hope replied.  “Something...,”  She hesitated, trying to understand what she was feeling.  “I have to check on the babies,” she said suddenly.  “Right now.”

“We’ll all go,” Jackson said, already pulling the covers back.

“Something is wrong,” she said as she scrambled out of the bed and began searching frantically for her clothes.  “Really wrong.”

Clark grabbed his vox and called the hospital.  Hope didn’t have to hear Clark’s side of the conversation to know she was right.  She felt it too strongly to be denied.

 She found her underwear and pulled it on, then a t-shirt, sobbing with frustration when she couldn’t find her pants. 

“
Niha
, easy,” Jackson said, placing his hands gently on her shoulders.  “We will get there as quickly as we can,” he promised. 

“Here are your pants,” Rob said, holding them out to her.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself as she took her jeans from Rob and put them on.  Clark handed her a clean pair of socks and her shoes.  Somehow they were already dressed and waiting for her by the time she was done. 

Jackson picked her up, cradling her close against his body.  “Put your arms around my neck and hold tight,” he said.  “We are going to move very quickly.”

Hope did as he asked and closed her eyes, knowing that if she didn’t she’d feel disoriented afterward.  She felt the wind in her face as Jackson raced at high speed out of the house and across the base to the hospital.  She thought he would stop at the elevators, but instead they raced up the stairs more quickly than she would have believed possible.

When she opened her eyes again Jackson was lowering her to her feet just outside the intensive care nursery.  Clark opened the door and they hurried in, pausing to don the required sterile gowns, gloves and masks.

Just before they were finished, Doctor Sims exited the nursery and held up one hand.

“Please, do not go in there just now,” he said.  “There are three teams working on the babies, and they must focus completely on what they are doing.”

Hope knew that the doctor was telling them they would be in the way in the most polite manner possible, but her heart was in her throat and it was not easy to comply with his request.  She needed to see the babies with her own eyes.

“Tell us what is happening,” Jackson demanded.

“As you warned us, the boys shifted,” Doctor Sims said.  “Thankfully, we were prepared for it, so when it happened, there was no panic.  Their shift did not appear to cause any of them distress, and after ten to fifteen minutes, they shifted back to their human forms.  It wasn’t until about an hour after the shift that they began to show signs of distress.”

“What signs?” Jackson asked.

“Nothing overtly serious,” Doctor Sims assured them.  “Lethargy, fussiness, refusal to eat at their regular times.  It may not sound like much, but to us, such signs are early warnings of something amiss and not to be ignored.”

“What is being done?” Jackson asked.

“We are running tests, and doing full exams on each of them,” Doctor Sims replied.  “When those are complete, we will prepare them for immediate transfer to a hospital that is better equipped to treat them.  Please understand that there is every chance that nothing is seriously wrong with them.  They could be having a reaction to their first shift.  We just don’t know.  But neither do we want to take any chances.

Jackson nodded.  He was worried, but relieved that whatever was happening was not critical.  Yet.

“Clark, are you aware of any such reaction to a first shift?” he asked.

Clark shook his head slowly.  “I will return to the bungalow and do some research,” he said.  “I’ll also send a message to Jasan requesting information.”

Clark turned to Hope and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.  “Do not worry, we will not allow anything to happen to them,” he promised.  He pressed his lips to her forehead in a gentle kiss, then left them so quickly that the only sign of his departure was the door closing slowly behind him.

“If you will excuse me, I must get back in there,” Doctor Sims said.

“When can we see them?” Hope asked.

“Soon,” the doctor replied.  “Let us complete our tests, and then you can see them for a few minutes.  After that we must prepare them for transport.”

“We will wait then,” Jackson said.

When the doctor left, Jackson placed one hand on Hope’s shoulder and gently tugged her closer to him before guiding her out to the hall.  They removed the sterile gowns and put them in the receptacle, then headed for the small waiting room across the hall.

“This is my fault,” Hope said, pulling away from Jackson and pacing across the small room and back again.

“Your fault?” Jackson asked in surprise.  “How could this possibly be your fault?”

“I broke a promise,” Hope said.  “I broke a promise, and I knew it was wrong, but I convinced myself that it was okay, that it wouldn’t matter, that I knew what I was doing, that the rules didn’t apply because I knew better.  But I was wrong.  So very wrong.”

“What rules?” Jackson asked, beginning to feel desperate for some understanding.

“Rules that I was taught as a child,” Hope said.  “A promise that I made to my mother.  A promise that I broke, tonight, with the three of you because I was so sure....”  Hope’s voice broke and she crossed her arms tightly across her chest and continued to pace the room. 

“What promise did you break?” Jackson asked.

“The promise not to give myself to a man outside of marriage,” Hope said.  “I should not have done it.  I was wrong.”

“Are you saying that sharing yourself with us, your Rami, was wrong?” he asked.

“Of course it was wrong,” Hope replied.  “I knew it was wrong before I did it, and I did it anyway which makes it worse.”

“How can you think it was wrong?” Rob asked. 

“How can you not think it was wrong?” Hope retorted. 

“
Niha
, please understand that we are not human,” Jackson said, trying to be gentle.  “For us, once we mature, it is not possible to have sex with a woman who is not our chosen one, our Arima.  Therefore, we do not have that rule, nor do we need it.”

“But I
am
human,” Hope argued.  “I do have that rule, and I broke it.”

“And you believe that you are being punished for that?” Jackson asked, struggling to understand.  “That what is happening with the boys is retribution against you for loving us?”

“Yes,” Hope replied.

If anyone had ever suggested to Jackson Bearen that it was possible to become furious with one’s Arima, he would not have believed it.  But at that moment, he felt such anger at Hope that his eyes began to glow.  Anger, and hurt.  He was shocked at how much pain that single word had caused him.

“That is absurd,” he replied through gritted teeth. 

Hope spun around, her turquoise eyes blazing.  “Absurd?” she demanded.  “Who are you to judge my beliefs?”

“I am your Rami, and you are our Arima,” Jackson replied.

“I am Hope Strigida, a citizen of Earth, and your belief that I somehow belong to you is absurd,” she retorted. 

“That is not a belief,” Jackson replied coldly.  “That is fact.”

“That is not fact to me,” Hope replied.  “I am human, and we do not have such things as
Arimas
and
Rami
.”

“Without you, we are doomed to spend the rest of our lives alone,” Rob said, his worried tone a sharp contrast to Jackson’s angry one.  Hope turned to him, the expression of sorrow on his face causing her heart to hurt. 

“I am sorry for you then,” she said softly.  “But I am not responsible for your beliefs, or your lives, as you are not responsible for mine.” 

“Why are you saying these things?” Jackson demanded.  “Your words are harsh, and undeserved.”

“Undeserved?” Hope demanded, spinning back to face Jackson.  “You Jasani claim to be so honorable, yet you do little more than spin lies to women.  Is that deserved?”