Keeper of the Heart

Chapter 44

It was late when Shanelle finished with her bath and entered the bedroom to find Falon there waiting for her. He was already in bed, a muted glow from the gaali-stone shelves on each wall showing him watching her. She was wearing a two-piece sleep suit of softest Morrilia silk. He lifted a brow at this, for it was the first time she had come to bed other than naked.

“Do you mean to sleep in that, Shanelle?”

“That was my intention, yes.”

“I think not,” he replied, adding with a wolfish grin, “yet you are welcome to try.”

The familiar taunt made her snap, “I just might do that, warrior.”

He sighed. “So you are still angry with me? I will not touch you, if that is your wish.”

“That isn’t my wish,” she said in exasperation.

“And I wasn’t angry when I came in here, but you sure make it easy to get that way.”

She moved to her side of the bed and shrugged out of the sleep suit, then quickly tried to get beneath the covers. She wasn’t quick enough, not when his blue eyes were so intent on her. She heard him draw in a sharp breath, and then she was being rolled onto her stomach.

“Now do I see that you merely meant to spare me from knowing the results of my handiwork.”

His tone was filled with self-loathing, forcing Shanelle to assure him, “It’s not as bad as it-” She stopped as she was lifted into his arms and Falon started from the room. “Where are you taking me?”

When he didn’t answer, she trusted him enough not to ask again. And then she found out as he entered a room and she glanced back to see the meditech stored there. She was amazed to find herself laid in it.

“I don’t understand, Falon.”

He bent down to kiss her gently before he closed the lid, again without answering. A minute later gently the meditech opened by itself, the last effects of her punishment now gone. Falon lifted her out and started back toward their rooms. Shanelle wrapped her arms around his neck, well pleased with her warrior at the moment.

“I guess you changed your mind, huh?” she said, grinning up at him.

“A warrior could wish the skin of his lifemate was not so delicate.”

He gave a long-suffering sigh, as if she had managed on purpose to have skin that bruised easily, just to thwart him. Shaneile chuckled and squeezed his neck a little tighter.

“It really wasn’t so bad,” she told him. “By this evening I’d even stopped flinching when I sat down.”

“You think to assure me you can withstand future punishments? This is already known to me, kerima, in closely observing you this rising. Merely will you go straight from the crying to the meditech next time, before your bruises appear.”

“Why, you farden jerk.” She hit his shoulder even as she laughed. “You’re all heart.”

“You would prefer it did I speak to your brother?”

“No! No, don’t do that. Actually, you’ll probably find that you never have to punish me again, so why don’t we bury that subject in the ground, okay?”

He smiled almost wickedly as he laid her back in their bed, then leaned over her. “I have another thing that needs burying first, woman.”

“Don’t bother explaining, warrior.” There was no “almost” about the wickedness of her smile. “Just show me.”

“Why did he call your mother warrior woman?” Shaneile twirled a lock of Falon’s hair about her finger as she lay curled into his side. He didn’t seem any more tired than she was, but it had been quite a day, filled with so many extremes in emotion, so that was understandable.

“Because she’s an expert in weaponless fighting, the serious, deadly kind,” she answered him.

“She’s taken on warriors before and bested them. Why do you think you ended up with a dunking so easily?”

Falon stiffened. “How did you know of that?”

“Brock told Martha and Martha told me. Get used to it, Falon. It’s almost impossible to hide anything when there are Mock IIs around.”

“They will not be around for longer than your parents’ visit.”

Her eyes widened. “Are you kidding? How do you think my mother knew to come when she did? Martha has been monitoring me ever since I got here.”

Falon closed his eyes in defeat. “Tell me how I may put an end to this monitoring.”

“I’m not completely happy yet here, Falon. Until I am, I doubt Martha will stop keeping tabs on me. Hell, she may not even stop then.”

He was no longer interested in the monitoring. “You are still resentful of your punishment?”

“No.”

He raised himself up to demand almost angrily, “Then why are you not happy?”

She almost smiled, he looked so exasperated, but this was no subject for amusement. “I told you, there is something that you haven’t got around to telling me.” A sadness entered her voice when she added, “You may never get around to it.”

Gently now, cupping her cheek in his hand, he said, “Shanelle, I would not deny you mere words if they will make you happy. You are the keeper of my heart, the only one I can ever love. Tell me what I must say-”

“You just said it-I think.” And then, in wonder: “You love me, Falon? Ba-Har-ani warriors actually experience love?”

“Those fortunate enough to find the keepers of their hearts do. But do not tell me this is what you waited to hear, woman, for this was told you.”

“It wasn’t. I wouldn’t have overlooked something that important to me.”

“When I asked you to be the keeper of my heart, I was asking you to accept my love.”

“Well, how was I to know?” she complained. “It’s not as if your country and mine are exactly alike. You have to explain these things to me, Falon.”

“Then let me explain this,” he said as he rolled her over again to assume the position he was most fond of. “My life is yours. My heart is yours. Now do I also give you my child.”

Shanelle gasped at the words, then again as he entered her with exquisite slowness. Then she couldn’t make another sound, for he was kissing her as deeply as he was buried within her, and the feelings that had only just died down from their previous joining rose again with raging swiftness. And it was not long before she climaxed in a starburst of sweet passion, having no doubt at all that her warrior had done as he said and given her his child this night.

When he rolled to his side this time, she crawled onto his chest to assume the position she was most fond of-at least for afterwards. “Don’t you want to hear me say it?”

“Say what?”

“That I love you, too?”

“This is already known to me, woman. I am not as lagging in intuition as you.”

“Is that right?” she growled in mock anger. “Then I guess I don’t need to say it again.”

“I would not mind hearing it on occasion, as well as being shown.”

“Don’t try to make amends now-”

The teasing died abruptly as Shanelle heard a scream, a very frustrated scream that she easily recognized as her mother’s. She groaned and covered her ears, hiding her face against Falon’s chest.

“I am sorry, chemar” he said, holding her tightly, trying his best to soothe her. “I should not have put them in a room so close to ours.”

No sooner had he said that than they both heard Tedra laugh. Shanelle gritted her teeth and made a sound of disgust over the discomfort she’d been made to feel. “I swear, I don’t think my father takes punishment very seriously these days.”

Falon could not help laughing. “When you have had a lifemate as long as he has, you know when she is sufficiently remorseful.”

Shanelle reared up to give him the benefit of a dark scowl. “Are you telling me I’ll have to wait that long before you start easing up on the strength behind my punishments?”

“That is very likely.”

Wanna bet? she said-but not aloud.

Above the planet, the Rover hovered, its communications system humming in a low sound resembling a purr. Brock enjoyed the sound of Martha’s satisfaction. He had been invited to join with her terminal earlier in one of her more magnanimous moods, likely so she would have someone to gloat to. He did not mind, for she had good reason.

He couldn’t resist a little gloating himself. “Your females are both well pleased with my males.”

“Aren’t they just.”

“But Shanelle will come to miss Corth, I think.”

“Why?” Martha replied, adding with confidence, “Shani’s learning how to get exactly what she wants from her warrior.”

“True, but now that she no longer needs Corth, he will be returned to your Tedra, will he not?”

“I suppose.”

There was silence for a moment, then Brock’s hesitant suggestion. “We could collaborate in the creation of a new Corth for Shanelle. My ship happens to be equipped with a Duplicator.”

Martha injected a full dose of surprise into her voice. “Are you suggesting we make a baby, Brock?”

He put some disgruntlement into his own tone. “It was only a thought.”

“Did Falon’s mention of a child get to you, honey?” Martha couldn’t resist taunting.

“Your sarcasm is uncalled for, woman.”

“When did that ever stop me?” she snorted, but after another moment, she said, “You know, your idea isn’t that off the wall. We could program this Corth II from the start to be uniquely Shani’s. But he’d look like Corth, which would annoy that big barbarian of hers to no end, and I definitely like the idea of that.”

Brock came out with a large dose of surprise himself. “Then you agree?”

“Why not?” Martha allowed mildly, as if the idea didn’t thrill her, when it did.

But Brock was so pleased, he tried out something he’d only just recently figured out how to do. He sent her such a powerful surge of energy, it was almost climactic. Martha certainly thought so. She was utterly stunned to figuratively get her own “socks knocked off.”

“How the hell did you do that!”

Brock chuckled. The surge had been sent from his ship, but he had been on hers to experience it with her.

He said smugly, “It was necessary to counter your ability to deny me access. Perhaps now you will not want to.”

He had that right. She’d never felt anything like that before, and already wanted to feel it again. But it infuriated her that he’d figured out something that she hadn’t, and she tried her own simulation, but it wasn’t the same. It was only mild in comparison.

Brock chuckled again, aware of her failed experiment. “Do you want it again, woman, you will have to ask me nicely.”

“Don’t count on it, warrior,” she retorted with as much of a sneer as she could manage.

But they both knew she would.