Shamara (32 page)

That hadn't worked at all when she and Jarek had mated. "I'm not so sure of that. What about when we…you know…" She paused, thinking of the shattering pleasure she'd found in his arms. A spark of desire leaped to life inside her, fanned by those memories.

He shifted, cupping her face and tilting it upward. "You mean when we make love?"

The husky timbre of his voice sent heat pooling in her lower body. Her heart speeded to an irregular beat. "Um, yes, that's what I was referring to."

He stared at her, and she wondered if he could sense her physical response to his nearness, to the memories of him touching her, claiming her. She was probably broadcasting her desire loud and clear, since she seemed to have no control over that, either.

He lowered his face near hers, and even in the shadows, she could see the heat in his eyes. "You mean when we're flesh to flesh, with me buried so deeply inside you, I think I'll die from the pleasure of it?" he whispered hoarsely. "And you make those sweet little sounds that drive me over the edge? And then we both explode, and the energy hurls us to the stars in the most incredible ecstasy I've ever experienced in my entire existence? Is
that
what you're talking about?"

He hadn't even kissed her or touched her intimately, but already her body was going up in flames. What was it between them? It was madness, a physical weakness. She should resist it, but she didn't want to. She wanted to rediscover the nirvana she'd found with him.

It was more than just a physical need. She craved the emotional closeness they shared, along with the mental bond that formed between them when they mated. She wanted to meld with Jarek, spiritually and physically. She wanted to find healing and peace within his arms. Why deny it? Deliberately, she created sensual, erotic images of what they had shared in her mind.

"Eirene!"

So she
was
able to broadcast to him. "What?" she asked innocently.

"You have some very suggestive thoughts in that pretty head of yours, lady. I'm shocked." But his body said otherwise, springing to life against her side. Sexual tension radiated from him as he lowered his mouth toward hers.

She turned her face away, determined to be an equal partner this time. Mating had been something Jarek had done
to
her, because she'd been inexperienced and totally caught up in the reactions he'd wrung from her. Now she wanted to participate fully.

"First off, stay out of my mind," she said with mock severity. "And as for my thoughts, are they really so shocking? You seemed willing enough before."

"Sweetness, for you, I'm always willing." With a sigh, he released her and leaned back. "But I understand if you're not up to this. You haven't slept for almost two cycles. You've just had a very upsetting experience and—"

"Shut up." She grabbed his head and pulled him down. "This is not the time to be noble."

She sealed her lips over his. He groaned, sliding his fingers up through her hair. She demanded entry to his mouth, and he gave it to her, his tongue mating hungrily with hers. He tasted so good, so familiar, so right. Fire raced through her blood, sending a rush of heat into her abdomen and lower.

She twisted on his lap, trying to get closer, to ease the demanding ache. His hand slid down, cupping her breast and teasing the nipple through the fabric. She pressed against his hand, desperately needing the contact.

He tried to shift her off him. "Let me move and—"

"No!" she said fiercely. "Stay right where you are. I want to do this my way."

His chest heaving, he leaned his head back, his heated gaze melting her. He held his arms out in the universal gesture of surrender. "Any way you want."

"That's more like it," she muttered, turning so that she straddled him. She slid her fingers beneath the seam of his flightsuit, and slowly undid it, parting it to press kisses along his firm flesh. His chest was beautifully delineated, so masculine. His nipples were dark beaded nubs.

Wondering if they were as sensitive as hers, she stroked them. His quick inhalation gave her the answer, and she leaned forward to swirl her tongue around one nipple. He shuddered, and she decided she liked the feminine power she wielded over him.

Except that desire went both ways, she discovered, as she explored the flat planes of his belly and let her hand trail down over the straining bulge in his pants. Her heart was pounding against her rib cage, and her breath was coming in short spurts.

She opened the front of his pants, aware of the new level of tension seizing him, of the sudden tautness of his thighs. She slid her hand inside, amazed by the feel of him, smooth skin over molten magnasteel, throbbing in her hand.

"Oh, Spirit," he groaned. His hands moved over her, slipping inside her robe and cupping her breasts. It was her turn to groan, as he stoked the flames, and she felt a rush of liquid heat in response. "That damn robe is in the way," he muttered.

"So are your pants," Eirene said shakily. She didn't want to wait any longer, wanting to feel his bare skin against hers. She rose and stepped back, slipped her robe off her shoulders.

His eyes locked with hers, Jarek hurriedly tugged off his boots and tossed them aside. He shrugged out of his shirt and came to his feet. She let the robe drop to the ground. His heated perusal moved down her body, setting off nuclear reactions inside. "So beautiful," he murmured, shoving his pants down and off.

He took her in his arms, pressing her tightly against his scorching skin and his erection. She tilted her head back as he kissed her face, her neck. Running her hands over his back and buttocks, she shuddered as he leaned her back to kiss her breasts.

It was a heady, potent mix of pleasure. They sank down onto the soft grass together. Jarek urged her to lie down, but she refused. "No," she told him, pushing him back against the trunk. She straddled him again, leaning forward to kiss him. He smoothed his hand along her thigh and between her legs.

"Two can play this game," he whispered seductively, sliding a finger inside her and stroking deeply. Pleasure arced through her, leaving her needy for more. She felt her body's hot, moist response, felt herself clenching around his finger. Trembling, she grabbed his shoulders to steady herself.

He dragged her forward with his other hand and lowered his mouth to her breast. Desire sparked between them, swirling them into a vortex of need and sensation. Touching, caressing, each feeding the flames, until Eirene thought the inferno would consume her.

"Jarek," she groaned. "I can't wait any longer."

"Then don't," he grated out, lifting her over him. His hands splayed over her hips, he guided her down. She gasped as he filled her more deeply than she'd ever thought possible. Then deeper still as he rocked against her.

He guided her movements until she picked up the motion on her own. It was the most incredible sensation, moving on him, slowly at first, and then more quickly. His touch was everywhere on her, her breasts, her belly, between her legs, tantalizing, urging.

Jarek!

That's it. Come with me,
he demanded telepathically, grasping her hips and taking over the rhythm.

Faster, more urgent, until everything blurred, except for the building crescendo of pleasure, and the final explosion that sent them both hurtling into a wild free fall.

She felt as if Jarek's hold on her was the only thing that kept her from spinning into total oblivion. The pleasure seemed to go on and on, wild waves of energy arcing between them and around them. The swells of sensation finally slowed, ebbing away gradually, and leaving her totally drained.

She collapsed over him, too weak to move. He slid his arms around her, held her close. She felt the solid beat of his heart beneath her cheek. "You were pretty loud," she couldn't resist pointing out.

His laughter vibrated in his chest. "Sweetness, with you, it feels so good, I can't hold back. I don't care if we wake every Shen on Aldon."

Cringing at the thought, Eirene raised her head and glanced around. Fortunately, they appeared to be well out of the city, and she didn't see any robed figures lurking nearby. The poor Shens; they didn't engage in the mating act. What a shame. They were missing out on one of the most wonderful experiences in the universe.

As if reading her thoughts, Jarek said, "That was pretty amazing. Are you okay?"

The old frustration returned. "I couldn't hold back the energy again. I can't seem to control it no matter how hard I try."

"I'm not sure it's realistic to expect control during something so wonderful. You might start with trying to manage the energy at a less…frantic moment." He sounded so calm, so unconcerned. She wished she could share his confidence.

"I want to help you find the wormhole," she told him. "I intend to use my powers to operate the sphere. But I'm afraid I won't be able to."

He pressed a kiss against her hair. "Thank you for trying. We'll work together and find a way to ground your powers. First thing in the morning, we'll look at the equipment, and maybe you'll learn something from it."

"I'm willing to try," she said, but doubts still plagued her.

Jarek stroked her back. "I thank you for tonight. I will hold this memory in my heart always."

Tenderness and warmth flowed through her. She lifted her head and kissed him, then collapsed with a tired sigh. "I might never recover."

"Oh, I'll make certain that you do. I have some ideas on how we might channel that energy of yours, but it might take quite a few tries to get it right."

Eirene punched him, and he laughed. She finally felt at peace. She was going to help him find his wormhole. This time, she knew for certain she'd made the right decision.

*  *  *

It was cool and quiet inside the massive bay that housed the Enhancer spheres. Eirene felt the energy the moment she and Jarek stepped through the entry, accompanied by Phylos. It was far different from that broadcast by the giant crystal or the magnetic orbs in the Chamber of Truth. Instead, it was similar to the energy the young male Enhancer had transmitted; more
specific
somehow, as if it was directed solely at her.

Enhancer energy.
It reverberated through every cell in her body, hauntingly familiar. It was her own energy, mirrored back to her, at a vibratory rate she recognized on some deep, subconscious level.

Astonished, she looked at Jarek. "Can you feel that?"

"I sense a source of energy coming from inside the spheres, but it doesn't affect me in any way. What do you feel?"

She glanced toward Phylos, who stood a courteous distance away. She could see nothing but shadows in the hood's opening. "It's just…very strange," she murmured, drawn toward the closest sphere. "I'm not sure."

She approached the orb, her body tingling as she drew near. The sphere looked huge to her, its diameter almost twice that of Jarek's height. Her heart speeded up, and she felt winded, as if she'd run a great distance. A vibration hummed through the air, coming from all seven spheres. It was as if they were singing to her, although that seemed an odd thought.

Touch me
…
touch me…touch me,
the sphere chanted, drawing her inexorably to the mirrored surface. As she reached out to it, the hum increased to a higher intensity, and pinpoints of light flashed in the metal.

"By the Fires," Jarek murmured.

The moment she touched the sphere, she felt a powerful drag on her energy, as if an invisible vortex were sucking the life force out of her. Adrenaline-laced panic surged through her, sending her pulse to lightspeed, constricting the air flow in her chest.
Jarek!
she cried out mentally, too impeded to speak.

"Eirene! Move away from it!"

But then energy surged back into her from the sphere, in a rush that almost pitched her backward. It flooded her body, with flashes of light exploding behind her eyes, electricity sparking through every nerve ending. It jarred her, leaving her momentarily disoriented.

"Eirene!"

Wait.
Gasping, she raised her free hand and motioned Jarek back.
Don't come any closer.

Like a mighty undertow, the energy was sucked back into the sphere, draining her, leaving her weak and shaking. She placed her second hand on the surface, felt an even greater pull. The sphere's vibration increased, rising in pitch. The lights sparking off its surface changed from white to blue.

"Eirene, I want you to stop the moment this becomes too much for you to handle. Do you hear me?" Jarek demanded.

Yes. Just a little longer.

She was beginning to understand the pattern now. The sphere was feeding off her life force, along with the outside energies she was pulling in, using them to enhance its own stored energy. The combined energy was circling back to her and then to the sphere, back and forth between them, growing in strength with every surge, fueled by outside energy she was continually drawing.

Three Enhancers.
Phylos had said they worked in groups of three, to stabilize and control the energy, especially in the operation of the spheres. Now Eirene understood why. The power the sphere would ultimately generate, the amount of outside energy it would demand to do its intended job, was far greater than one being could handle. It would take the combined strength of at least three Enhancers to control a sphere.

With enormous effort, she wrenched her hands away from the sphere and stumbled back. Her legs gave out and she collapsed onto the granite floor. Jarek was there in an instant, slipping his arms around her. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Just…give me…a minute to catch…my breath."

"I don't like this. You're as white as the glaciers on Atara."

"Really, I'm fine." Closing her eyes, she leaned against him. She wasn't even close to being okay. She was weak and trembling and badly shaken up. Now she understood how the spheres worked, how they interacted with the Enhancers using them.

They required massive amounts of energy to be drawn into the Enhancers and then channeled into the sphere itself. The circulating energy pattern the sphere created was immensely powerful, requiring a solid buffer. That meant at least three Enhancers, and possibly more, were necessary to maintain stability and absorb the strain so no one Enhancer would be totally depleted.