The Power of Persuasion (16 page)

Neeve squeezed his hand. “She wants us to go up there.”

“I got that. Are you okay about all this?”

“The mating with you part is fine, the rest of it? I’m not sure. I never wanted this, Mac. I don’t know if I can bear such immense responsibility.”

He looked down at her. “Whatever you chose to do, I’ll stick it out with you, okay?”

She reached up to kiss his cheek. “That is the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me. Thank you.”

They walked toward the flower-strewn dais and ascended the steps at the rear. The Oracle stood up and came toward them. She wore a headdress that glittered with colored gems and a white silk robe that concealed very little of her still youthful figure. She stood between them and took their hands in hers leading them toward the edge of the platform.

“My people!”

Her voice rang out over the crowds both physically and telepathically commanding complete attention.

“I give you my First Daughter, Neeve and her First Male Ian McNeill!”

Mac just managed to blink as a shower of flower blossoms were thrown straight at his head The crowd’s upturned faces were full of joy as they roared their approval. Mac had the weirdest sensation that he was standing on the edge of a precipice and that his life would never be the same again. Which when he came to think about it, was true. He could never go back to Earth now unless Neeve came with him…

“Are you okay?”

He looked down into her anxious hazel eyes. “Yes, it’s just
different
, you know?”

“My mother wants to give you a gift. She asks us to follow her into her chamber.”

He followed her through into the private guarded rooms of the Oracle where Gisele awaited them. She snapped her fingers and six males appeared and went down on their knees before Mac.

He looked at the Oracle. “What’s this?”

“Your personal guard.”

“With all due respect, I’m a super soldier. I can take care of myself.”

The Oracle snapped her fingers again, and the men withdrew.

“Neeve’s life is still in danger and now that you are her acknowledged mate, so is yours. The Etruscans would like nothing better than to assassinate the Oracle and her newly acknowledged heir. I would ask that while you are with me in the temple that you accept this arrangement.”

“You fear for her life here on Pavlovan?”

The Oracle shrugged. “She is the fourth of my daughters to be proclaimed my heir. I doubt all her siblings died naturally. It’s the only reason I allowed her to go to Earth for three years.”

Neeve put her hands on her hips. “What do you mean, you
let
me? I ran away!”

“Only because I didn’t stop you, love.” The Oracle smiled and returned her attention to Mac. “I need you to be on your guard.”

“Then I will do my best to protect her. I’m still not sure if I need extra help.”

“Then you will consider these men your guides for this area and for any trips you intend to make to explore the interior of our country.” The Oracle fixed him with a penetrating gaze. “In fact, I have arranged for you to take a trip up the Goachuqu River while Neeve and her siblings spend a few days together.”

“You’re getting rid of me, already?”

She smiled. “It is necessary.”

“But, we’ve only just been mated.”

“Neeve will be fine for the next week. She will need you when you return.”

“You know this.”

Beside him Neeve stirred, but he didn’t take his gaze off Gisele.

“I am the Oracle. I know when a female goes into her breeding cycle.”

Neeve sighed and took his hand. “I’ll be fine, Mac. You should go and enjoy yourself.”

“Are you sure?”

“I have to deal with my sisters at some point. It might as well be now.”

“Then I’ll do as you wish.” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers. “When do you want me to leave, Oracle?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

He released Neeve and turned to bow to his mate’s mother. “You are efficient, I’ll give you that.”

Her smile was benevolent. “Only because I knew you’d say yes.

Chapter Eleven

Mac tested the weight of the pack he’d been given by one of his companions. He still wasn’t comfortable using the word,
bodyguard
, but the men around him seemed competent, efficient and well armed. His gaze fastened on one of the males who had a bow and arrow strapped to his back. The man’s hair was a fine silver color and was tied at the nape of his neck. His skin was…

The male turned toward him and inclined his head an inch. He wasn’t as tall as Mac but was broader in the shoulders.

“Is something wrong with your pack?”

“No, it’s fine, I was just…” Mac swallowed. “I noticed you had a bow and arrow rather than a more modern weapon.”

The archer came toward him and unhooked his bow in one easy motion. “It is the preferred weapon of my people.”

“You’re not Pavlovan?”

The man’s eyes were silver grey and crinkled at the corners when he smiled. Mac reckoned they were about the same age.

“We’re a local tribe called the
Hakron
. We’ve provided the Oracle and her family with bodyguards for as long as the temple has been here.” He handed Mac the bow to examine. “It is an honor to serve the First Daughter’s First Male Ian Mac.”

“Thank you.” Mac lowered his gaze to the beautifully carved shaft of the bow. Something about the male’s telepathic aura made him feel like he was swimming in a warm sea, lulled by the pull of a gentle tide… he forced himself to concentrate. “May I know your name?”

“It’s Ulluiao.”

Mac tried to get his tongue around that and failed miserably. “Yoliow?”

“Not quite.” His companion repeated it more slowly.

Mac frowned. “The nearest I can get to it in my language is Willow.”

“I do not know that word.”

Mac met the man’s interested gaze. “It’s a tree we have on planet Earth. It tends to thrive best by the riverside because it needs lots of water to survive. Despite its fragile appearance, it is incredibly strong because, unlike most trees on Earth, it has the ability to bend and not break in a storm.”

“I like that,” Willow mused. “The ability to be strong yet to bend. It is something we all should strive to achieve, is it not?”

Mac found himself nodding in agreement. “The leaves and bark are pale green and the branches hang down to the ground like a curtain.”

“Green like my skin? Willow stroked a broad hand over his arm. “Then it is a fitting name, and one I will be proud to bear.” He retrieved his bow from Mac’s unresisting grasp. “Are you ready to leave now, Ian Mac? We have much we wish to share with you.”

He’d already said goodbye to Neeve and left her with about a dozen of her siblings. She looked resigned to her fate rather than annoyed, which had made him feel a lot better about leaving her. Shouldering his pack, he took one last look at the temple complex and followed Willow out through a narrow gate and onto the mountain beyond.

It truly was a beautiful country, as unlike his native Scotland as any place in the universe could be. He paused at the top of a cliff to watch a waterfall pour over into the valley below. Heated steam rose from the pool at the bottom and the roaring of the water was loud enough to prevent him hearing the words Willow mouthed at him. He pointed at his ear and shook his head.

“
This is a sacred spot.”

Mac almost jumped as Willow’s soft voice entered his thoughts telepathically instead.

“
It is certainly beautiful
.”

“
The first Oracle came to bathe in the pool below, and the first shrine was built down there to worship her
.”

“
How long ago was that?”

“I am not sure. But my forefathers claim at least fifteen generations of our people have guarded this secret valley and the sacred places within.”

“That’s a long time.”
Mac shifted his backpack onto his other arm.

Willow touched his shoulder. “
We will be making camp for the night on the other side of this valley.”

“Good.”
He winced and stretched his spine. “
I’m out of condition.”

“I am told that it is the altitude that causes fatigue. You will grow used to it in time.”

“I hope so.”

Mac followed Willow over the narrow bridge that connected the two sides of the gorge, one hand firmly grasping the guide rope. His biometric enhancements would react to the change in his environment eventually, but the long space journey plus the lack of physical activity had definitely slowed him down. His body was racing to catch up with too many changes at once. Despite his initial misgivings, he was damn grateful to be surrounded by men who knew the terrain so well.

“Ian Mac.”

He looked up from his contemplation of the slippery slate floor to see Willow and Ungar another
Hakron
warrior waving at him. Two of the men had already started gathering wood for a fire, and another was unpacking tents and unrolling sleeping pads.

Mac dumped his bag with the others and turned back to Willow. “What can I do to help?”

“You do not need to do anything, Ian Mac. You are our guest.”

“I’m not going to sit around on my arse while you’re all working. What can I do?”

“Your arse?” Willow asked.

Mac tapped his backside. “This. Now show me how to put up this tent.”

Several hours later after sharing stories and Pavlovan beer around the campfire and eating some kind of meat that he hadn’t inquired too deeply about, Mac fought the urge to belch. Each of the tents catered for two men and he was lying alongside Willow in a companionable silence. They’d left the flap of the tent open so that Mac could see the purple and pink night sky.

“The food was good, aye?” Willow murmured.

“It was excellent. Where are we headed tomorrow?” Aware of the others sleeping in their tents alongside theirs, Mac tried to keep his voice down.

“
We will follow an ancient path through the jungle to a larger lake and hot springs which many claim to have healing properties
.”

He always forgot that everyone on Pavlovan was telepathic… Sometimes it was damn useful.

“
Sounds good
.”

“
Where exactly are you from, Ian Mac
?”

“
Scotland.”

Willow shifted up on one elbow to look down at Mac, his silver hair now falling over his shoulder onto his naked chest. “
It is like Pavlovan
?”

“
I’ve hardly seen enough of Pavlovan to judge. We obviously have some common ancestors and there are other similarities, but overall this place seems warmer and the colors are…
” He hesitated trying to think of the correct words and then realized he didn’t have to. Opening his mind to Willow, he simply showed him his own memories of Scotland, of his family and where he’d grown up.

“
It is a beautiful, stark place.”
Willow sighed. “
I am surprised you could bring yourself to leave it
.”

“
It wasn’t that hard. Telepaths are rare and were initially only valued by the military and used for their own purposes
.”

“
Used? What do you mean?”

“The government took soldiers like me who showed evidence of basic telepathic talent, and used various methods to enhance us both physically and biologically to produce their version of super soldiers.
”

Willow squeezed Mac’s shoulder hard. “
That is an abomination. I don’t even think the Etruscans do that to their telepaths.”

“They just exterminate them, correct?”

“Yes, but to force you to serve their purpose is wrong. I’m no longer surprised you wanted to leave.”

“There was another reason.”
Mac smiled like the besotted idiot he was. “
I met Neeve. If I hadn’t been part of that government program I would never have been able to help her.”

“And that would’ve been a tragedy for our nation.”

“Well, I wouldn’t call it that, but I don’t regret following her here.”

“
I think you underestimate your importance, First Male
.” Willow leaned over Mac and dropped a kiss on his forehead. “
Good night. We have an early start in the morning.
”

He rolled over onto his side and went quiet leaving Mac staring at the roof of the tent. Was it usual for males to kiss other male’s goodnight up here? It had happened so quickly that he hadn’t had time to react. He shifted his hand down to cup his balls. Dammit of course he had, he was a fucking super soldier who hadn’t felt threatened by Willow’s kiss at all.

That was weird.

Mac moved onto his side until he was facing away from Willow and promptly fell asleep.

The Pavlovan equivalent of the sun shining into the tent woke Mac from a deep sleep. There was no sign of Willow, but the scent of coffee and something fried wafted in, along with the warmth of the day, and encouraged him to get up. When he stepped outside, he saw two of the men sitting beside the fire. One of them was stirring a pot while the other tended to what looked strips of bacon over the flames.

Mac wandered over and exchanged greetings.

“What’s that?” He pointed at the thin slices of meat.

“
Kivin
.” Ungar said. “We caught one in a trap last night and we’re drying out its flesh to carry with us deeper into the forest where there won’t be so much to hunt.”

“Makes sense.” Mac leaned in to smell the ribbons of meat. “It’s like jerky.”

“Jer Kee?” Ungar looked puzzled.

“Yes, meat smoked over a fire until it’s dry and chewy.”

“That sounds like the same thing.” Ungar gave Mac a cup of coffee. “Ulluiao said you would appreciate this.”

Mac gulped at least two thirds of the brew down in one. “He was right. Where is he by the way?”

“He and Bran are down by the river.” Ungar checked the contents of the pot. “You could go and tell them breakfast is ready.”

Mac finished off the coffee and refilled his cup. “I’ll do that.”

It was a beautiful morning, not yet subject to the oppressive humidity and heat that seemed to build up during the day. As he walked along the well-trodden path to the river, he heard the sound of the waterfall and the fainter sound of laughter.