The Chalice (12 page)

“I say we do nothing different.” Vaux gazed around the room . “We came into this honorably. We knew it would be difficult at best— a learning and acceptance process—but ultimately the result is the same. We need the females to start a new life. Taking them  back would be a fruitless waste of the few resources we have left. If we were even successful in locating their home planet, all those they knew died long ago. Whether they wish it or not, their lives are entwined with ours, now and forever.”

“Doesn’t seem  fair,” Shagal m uttered. “W e at least had a choice.”

Vaux’s words rang true. W hatever the consequences, the seekers m ade theunworthy decision revolutions ago and it was up to the breeders to m akesomething good come of it. There was no other option. He drew himself up, therole of com mander weighing on his shoulders.

He   surveyed   the   sea   of   concerned   faces   before   him .   Frustration   and

disillusionment radiated from  the whole.

“The seekers made choices they believed were right and somehow we m ust

make the Chalices understand. Perhaps in understanding, they’ll absolve the transgressions of the seekers and, in turn, ours as well. I cannot say how this will end, but if we don’t at least try, there is no resolution. I share your despair. I

looked upon the face of my Chalice with favor and my hopes for the future grew with each passing moment.” He drew a breath, willing himself to deny his heart. “I cannot in fairness restrict the affections of my chosen one to m e alone. She had no hand in the choosing and to deny her the opportunity to seek another is unconscionable. I relinquish my right to her and I ask, not as your leader but as your friend, that you do the same. We m ust all take the necessary actions to prove our worthiness and forcing a female to acquiesce to unwelcome demands is not the way.”

“But what if she does want me?” A voice asked.

Tegan sm iled. “Then you are a fortunate man.”

****

“I was so verra frightened, I couldnae move,” Moira sobbed, burying her face

against Kara’s waist. “I dinnae noo if they would kill m e so I laid verra still.”

“You did good,” Kara murm ured for the tenth time, stroking the fiery red curls.

“Stop crying now and let’s have something to eat. You’ll feel better.”

“But I was so afraid.” Moira wiped her eyes, hiccupping. “The creatures are so

verra large I was afraid they would crush me.”

“Well, that didn’t happen. You’re good. I’m  good. We’re all good.”

“Quit your whining,” Dread snapped, chopping down on a yellow vegetable

thing. “Get your asses up here and eat. Don’t have time for this shit.”

Anne wiped her lips, ever the lady. “I’m  not going to hurry. They know we’rehere   and   they’re   maintaining   their   distance.   Proper   protocol   under   thecircumstances. I see no reason not to enjoy ourselves. They certainly did.”

“W hat if they decide to show their white asses out here again?” Dread’s flinty glare focused on the opposite wall. If heated looks could m elt solid metal, that barrier was in serious trouble.

Kara brushed back a lock of Moira’s springy hair. “Then I suspect we’ll have totalk to them .” What else were they supposed to do? Challenge them  to a duel orsacrifice to their Gods? Wasn’t like they had a choice.

“Did you hear them  the first time? Ain’t a dam n one ‘em  can speak English—

not m uch anyway.”

Anne leaned over the table, refilling her empty plate from  a serving tray. “They were m aking an effort.” She giggled, merry dimples peeking from  hercheeks. “Hehwo ert goos!” She mim icked the breeder’s words. “If I hadn’t been soscared at the tim e, I would’ve choked laughing.”

Kara’s lips twitched in response. It was funny— now that she had time to thinkabout it. The big guy’d tried real hard to act friendly. If he just hadn’t sm iled. But

then, lots of creatures had enlarged canines—dogs, cats, vam pire bats. No— no!

Can’t think like that!

A reluctant smile framed itself on Dread’s lips. “Makes us sound like som e sort

of Chinese food.”

Ume grinned. “Orientals have better taste.”

Moira drew in a watery breath. “W hen I was pretending tae faint, I listened taethem  talk. Sounded like French—only prettier. Smooth and silky.” Her creamycheeks flushed deep red, self-conscious. “If ye noo what I mean.”

She did. The few sentences the big guy’d spoken to his cohorts flowed like richdark chocolate over vanilla bean ice cream— low and melodious— with just a hintof husky maleness added in. All together sexy as hell. Like m usic. Almost.

“So which of us has som e talent in languages?”

A willowy brunette pushed through the crowd. “I speak seven languagesbesides English. French, Spanish, Russian, Mandarin Chinese, some Japanese, andsmall amount of Indian— Navaho to be exact. I was studying to be an interpreter. My hope was to join the staff at the United Nations someday.”

“W hat’s your nam e?”

“Leah Martin.” She extended a com petent-looking hand.

Kara took the proffered hand, shaking it briskly. “We have our language

expert.”

Several other girls stepped forward, raising their hands as well.

“I don’t speak that many, but I’m  really good at French and Spanish.”

“Me too,” another girl said.

Kara slapped her palms together, pleased. “Okay, ladies. It’s up to you to breakthe language barrier. We need something more than hehwo ert goos. Not that it’shard to say, but I think we’re m issing some im portant inform ation here. Theproblem  is—where do we start?”

Leah took a sip of m ilky liquid from  an opaque lim e green funnel, licking her

lips before setting the container down.

“Obviously, the breeders have had some sort of lay instruction. Enough to say hehwo and ert goos. We need to find out where they got that information. I suspect it’s stored in their computer logs. If they’re learning our language, then it’s just possible we can reverse the process.”

“Do we have any idea how to access their computers?”

Anne shook her head. “Not that I can tell. All the equipment in these areasdeals with personal living necessities.” She paused, considering. “But it would be

inconceivable not to have access to the main frame in emergency situations.”

Moira’s pert chin lifted. Blue eyes shone with excitement. “Ye dinnae noo it,

but I’m  a com puter geek.”

“Yeah. Geek’s a perfect word for you.” Dread’s offhand rem ark stung the little

redhead.

“I’m  proud tae be a geek.” Moira snapped back, anger causing her blue eyes to

flash.

“Lay off.” Kara waved at Dread. “Go pick your nose or something.”

“Bite my butt.” Dread plunked down next to Moira. “Okay. So you’re a geek. I’m  sorta one too.” Her dark eyes narrowed as her dreadlocks flew in a ropey arc. “But any of you call me a geek, you’re dead m eat.” She turned back to Irish. “So between you and me— m aybe we can figure som ething out.”

Moira’s freckled nose tilted. “W hy should I work with ye? Ye’ve done nothing

but be nasty tae me.”

“She’s nasty to everyone.” Kara scowled at the black girl. “She can’t help it.

She’s from  a poor ghetto fam ily and no one ever loved her.”

“Bullshit.” Dread burst out laughing. “Well, maybe the no one ever loved her part.” She tugged at the little redhead’s hair. “I prom ise to be nice if you’ll quit crying over every dam n thing.”

Moira’s face fell. “I dinnae mean tae be such a bairn, but I dinnae noo how taefight. The orphanage where I grew up frowned on violence of any kind. Sister Catherine would hae rapped m e hands if I was tae hit someone.”

“Got my hands rapped m ore than once,” Dread adm itted wryly. “Just couldn’t get it through my head that I had to turn the other cheek. Was easier to use my fists.”

“I shoved a lass once.” Moira’s eyes gleamed. “She wouldnae leave me aloon.

Sister m ade me stand in a corner for near an hour.”

“Sheesh! You should have shoved the bitch harder.”

Popping a crunchy yellow something in her m outh, Kara cleaned up the tableand dum ped the waste. “For privacy reasons, I suggest we retreat to the sleepingchamber. Won’t be any way we can conceal the fact that we’re attem pting toaccess their computer system, but I’d feel less exposed.”

The others nodded agreement.

“There’s an access panel on the back wall.” Ume picked her way through the crowd of bystanders. “If I were to guess, I’d say it was set up as an entertainment console.”

Ume bent down and picked up the small oval object they’d used to wedgeunder the door. Originally silver, the item  had since changed color, glowing with

warm  cham pagne lights. Ume stilled, expression changing, growing slack. Her hand closed convulsively around the oval. Cheeks pinked. Chest rose and fell in small panting breaths. Sweat dotted her sm ooth forehead. As if in the throes of passion, her head fell back, lips parted. She exhaled, a long, sensuous sigh of prolonged bliss.

“She having an orgasm  or what?” Dread snorted.

Kara wasn’t an expert on sexual mannerisms. Voyeurism  wasn’t on her list ofthings to do for fun and entertainment, but it certainly looked like Ume wasgetting off. Right in front of God and everyone. Totally freakin weird! She grabbedthe object from  the woman’s hand and almost dropped it, gasping as liquid heatflooded her senses. Alien images swirled in her mind’s eye, fluctuating frombrilliant slashes of light to the palest wisps of color. Her body thrummed to thebeat of unearthly m usic. Every nerve and fiber came alive. She rubbed her handover one sensitized breast. The scraps of clothing felt too tight. Too confining! Shewanted…no—she craved something—anything to ease this burning need.

“Everybody going nuts around here?” Dread’s caustic voice broke through the tide of flam ing desire followed by a stinging slap to her wrist. Her fingers relaxed, causing the oval to drop to the floor.

She blinked, returning to the present. Shocked and m ortified, she met the

startled looks of the others.

“I…I didn’t…,” she stam mered, aghast. “I didn’t,” she tried again.

“Me either,” Ume said, wiping her forehead. “That thing is some sort of sexual

stimulator. Much more arousing than any I’ve ever seen or heard of.”

Dread’s eyebrows rose to inquiring peaks. “I thought Japanese used that kind

of stuff all the time. You know, Ben W a balls and Kama Sutra.”

“The Kam a Sutra is Indian.”

“Every culture has its share of sexual toys.” Anne fluttered her hands, shooing

the fem ales into the wom en’s quarters. “Most just don’t admit it. I have a few

myself,” she adm itted, face pinking. “Or I did.”

“Svedish girls are more relaxed about dat sort of ting.” Hanna’s open adm ission

drew sly grins from  the onlookers.

“I never used one of those dang things. Never had to.” Dread played with the control panel, sliding the door shut. “I always figured a girl who resorted to using one either needed a new boyfriend or was just too dam n ugly to find a man. Ain’t met a man yet who wasn’t willing if I m ade the offer.”

“Well, I never did before either,” Kara sputtered, feeling her face heat up

again. “At least not until now. Sheesh! Talk about embarrassing. I was so hot, I

didn’t care who was watching.”

Dread kicked the object with her toe, sending it spinning across the room . “Maybe I need one of these. Whole lot better’n White Fang and his flock of creepybloodsucking ghouls.”

“You don’t know they’re bloodsuckers,” Kara sniffed, puzzled by her irritated reaction. “They were eating food just like we do.” At least they acted like they were eating. “The female breeders— or whatever they’re called—m ust have the constitution of horses. The erotic sensations that thing set off were…um m …really stimulating,” she finished lamely. “I’m  still sweating.”

****

The image screen caught the Chalices’ interactions with the device—theshocked reactions of the onlookers and the response of his Chalice to the energysurges em itted by the stim ulator. Light danced across her som nolent features. The glazed eyes and moist, parted lips were blatant in their sexual invitation. Observing his Chalice in the throes of passion, his blood heated to the boilingpoint.

Jolted from  his musings, Tegan flexed his purpled fingers, easing the aftermathof tensed fists gripping the table edge. Around him , the fascinated breeders staredat the screen, their concerted gazes fixated on his Chalice. Jealousy and blindpossession swelled in a churning rage. They had no right to see her thus! Butthey did, he admitted, suffering a brief spasm  of anguish. He’d relinquished hisright to claim  her, asking that the others do the same. His m ind understood andagreed, but even so, his heart refused to accept. For the short span of time he’dbelieved she belonged to him, he’d forged an emotional bond, one that was hardto deny. Closing his eyes, he rotated his neck, breathing with slow measuredinhalations, relieving the pressure of adrenalin pum ped m uscles. To allow his