Keeper of the Heart

Chapter 6

“Close your mouth,” Shanelle told Caris with a grin. “You’re about to drool.”

“I can’t help it, Shani.” Caris sighed. “Will you just look at the muscles on that warrior? They look like they’re going to burst right through his skin.”

The muscles Caris found so fascinating were indeed bulging, but then the contest they were watching was one of strength, where two men would clasp hands and attempt to push each other off-balance. Lines were marked in the grass about two feet behind each contestant, so each had a little leeway, but not too much. The one to be pushed over his line lost the match.

From where Shanelle and Caris stood, they were seeing more of one warrior’s back than the other’s, and this was the warrior who had gained Caris’s avid attention. But Shanelle wasn’t seeing anything out of the ordinary. She wanted to go and watch the visitor events instead, but Caris had dragged her over here first.

This wasn’t a contest for visitors. Visitors simply wouldn’t stand a chance competing against a warrior’s strength, and weren’t expected to. They could try competing with warriors if they were daring enough, but they had their own contests in marksmanship, dexterity, speed, and agility. The main event, the one to claim the most arenas, was naturally sword fighting. The champion sword-fighter had to beat all comers. The champion of the visitor events could then elect to fight the warrior champion with swords-or not, and likely not. So, in fact, there could end up being two champions of the competitions, and it was the general consensus that this was how it would end. Presently, all events were still in the process of eliminations.

Only Caris remained with Shanelle, and, of course, Corth, who was being silently inconspicuous. Cira had ridden up to Sha-Ka-Ra with one of Shanelle’s escorts and had already made arrangements to spend the day with him before their arrival in the city. Jadd was sticking close to Dren, both Kystran males feeling quite out of their element amongst so many giants, but they had found a fascination in the sword-fighting competitions, and so had been left behind at those arenas with Yari.

Caris was interested only in warriors, which was why they were still in this section of the park, which had few arenas for visitors. But Shanelle was clearly getting bored, so it was no wonder her eyes started to wander, first to the spectators on the opposite side of the large arena, then beyond to the line of tents that spread out to the edges of the park. A white one in front drew her notice because it looked like a miniature version of her father’s pavilion, so she was looking at it when the four men stepped out of it.

They were a little too far away for Shanelle to make out their features, but her attention was definitely snagged, for these were obviously visitors by the dark color of their hair, yet all four were warrior-tall, warrior-big. Stars, what planet did they come from, that they had such a look of the warrior about them? Three had hair as dark as Shanelle’s mother, black as the zaalskin bracs they were wearing. The fourth man had chestnut hair, almost as dark.

The men spoke together for a moment in front of the tent before they split up, two going off toward the front of the park, two coming toward the end where Shanelle stood. These two were of an exact height, young, she saw as they got closer, maybe four or five years older than she, and handsome, she saw as they got closer still. She held her breath, hoping they would stop at the arena in front of her, and when they did, she forgot about letting her breath out.

Oh, Heaven’s Stars, was he splendid, the one she couldn’t take her eyes off now that she could distinguish their features. This one wasn’t merely handsome, he was sensually appealing to every one of Shanelle’s senses. His black hair was long and thick, caressing warriorlike shoulders and a thick neck. His skin was darker than golden; his chest and arms were immense, perhaps larger than those of some warriors she knew. He had an arrogant cut to his square jaw, hard, chiseled lips, a well-shaped nose for his face, and thick black brows that drew together in a serious manner as he spoke again to his companion.

Shanelle was still watching him when his eyes touched on her in passing-and came right back. Azure they were, as light as a midday sky, and disconcerting in their intensity, making her feel things…

She looked away, back to the two warriors straining in the arena, and heard Martha’s voice. “If I’m reading you right, doll, you just got your socks knocked off.”

“Stars, so this is what it feels like.” A fist seemed to be squeezing her belly-no pain, just the strangest, most pleasant feeling.

Martha chuckled. “All right, where is he? I’ve got to see this incredible specimen for myself.”

Suddenly Shanelle felt fearful and nervous. She didn’t want Martha to know he was a visitor. This was so important! Calm down, for Stars’ sake. Where were these emotions coming from?

“Not yet, Martha. I want to be sure I haven’t just conjured him up with wishful thinking.”

“Your whole system’s gone haywire. You don’t get that from fantasies.”

“What’s your Martha saying, Shani?” Caris questioned at her side.

“Nothing. How’s your warrior doing?” Even as Shanelle asked this, the man won the match and Caris started squealing in delight. Shanelle grinned, beginning to feel some of her anxiety dissolving. “You won’t get to meet him as long as he keeps winning, unless no one else challenges him.”

The judge of this arena was already leading in the next warrior, a seven-footer. Caris frowned. “But I don’t want to hope he loses.”

“If it’s far enough along in the eliminations of this arena, then losing here may not put him out of the running. There are the other skills to consider.”

Caris was no longer paying attention to what Shanelle was saying, caught up as she was in the new match, which had just begun. Shanelle took the opportunity to steal another glance at the black-haired visitor and once more met those light blue eyes head-on. Stars, had he been watching her all this time? She felt nervous again, and there was no reason for it. She wanted him to be interested. She wouldn’t utter a single protest if he came over, grabbed her hand, and dragged her off. Of course he wouldn’t do that. He was a visitor from another planet. Visitors, most of them, tended to do things in a civilized fashion. What a waste of time!

Time she didn’t have. But she couldn’t be too easy. She didn’t want to scare him off. He had to want her enough to ask her father for her, but she didn’t know if he wanted her at all yet. Entice him, Shani. Make him come to you. If he loses interest, then you can be aggressive.

Slowly this time, as if reluctantly, she looked away, back to the two warriors straining in the arena. She watched Caris’s warrior being shoved over his line and heard her friend sigh.

“He loses and I win.” Caris was just short of chuckling now. “I think I’ll go over and introduce myself and offer a little sympathy.”

“Go ahead. I’ll wait for you here.”

“She has the right idea,” Martha said as soon as Caris hurried off. “What are you waiting for?”

Shanelle glanced again toward the black-haired visitor, then looked quickly away. He was still staring at her. But his expression was unchanged. He hadn’t even smiled at her yet.

“I’m waiting for him to come to me.”

“We’re not playing games here, kiddo,” Martha said, adding a big dose of exasperation to her tone. “You want him, go get him.”

“Damn it, Martha, it’s not that easy. And let me handle this, will you?”

Determinedly she watched the next match, all of it, without once glancing toward the visitor. The seven-footer won again, easily. He really was mammoth and would likely last a good long while, possibly the rest of the day.

Why hadn’t he come over yet? Visitors weren’t typically shy or hesitant. Maybe he didn’t want her. Maybe he only found her curious, looking like a Sha-Ka’ani female but dressed like a visitor- except for the cloak she was wearing. Was it the damn cloak? Did he think it made her unavailable? He could at least ask!

She gave him another quick glance. The moment she did, he entered the arena. Shanelle’s eyes flared wide. Her gasp brought Corth to her side.

“What is wrong?”

“Nothing, Corth.”

“I’d better get a better answer than that,” Martha’s voice warned.

“He’s entered the competition.”

“Well, that ought to be interesting. Now can I have a look?”

“Not yet.”

“I’d be getting suspicious, Shani, if I weren’t monitoring you.”

“Be quiet, Martha.”

Shanelle couldn’t believe he was doing this. The warrior had at least four inches on him and a great deal more weight. But the visitor clasped hands with him, took up the correct stance, and then looked again at Shanelle. In that moment she knew why he was in there. He did want her. She had been watching the contestants, but he wanted her eyes on him, so he became a contestant. What a sweet, jealous thing to do-and so foolish. He couldn’t possibly win. But she’d take a leaf from Caris’s book and give him a dose of sympathy when he lost.

Only he didn’t lose right away. The pushing and straining began and it was magnificent to watch. Muscles appeared and bulged prominently on the visitor that Shanelle wouldn’t have imagined he could possess. Her breathing quickened. She found herself straining right along with him, and suddenly she wanted him to win so bad she could taste it, because here was a visitor her father could approve of. That had been one of her main stumbling blocks, that her father wouldn’t accept a visitor, any visitor, but he could certainly accept one who could defeat a warrior.

Her eyes were on his face now, willing him to do it, and it was in the exact moment when his eyes came to Shanelle to assure himself she was watching that he gathered the last effort to win. He did it. The mighty warrior stumbled back over his line, their hands separated, and the visitor stood victorious and stared right at Shanelle.

She didn’t jump up and down squealing like Caris had done, but that was what she felt was going on inside her. She was absolutely ecstatic, and her grin showed it.

“I’d swear you were being kissed and loving it, but I know no one’s touching you,” Martha remarked, actually sounding curious. “What’s got you even more excited?”

“He just beat a warrior, Martha.” And Shanelle was the one feeling proud.

“So?”

“All right, take a look.” She positioned the computer-link unit so that the viewer on the end was aiming right at the triumphant visitor.

“Shani, you’d better be pointing in the wrong direction,” Martha said, clearly irritated. “That’s not a warrior.”

“I don’t care what he is, he’s the one. And I’m going to turn you off now, Martha. I don’t need any help from the sidelines.”

“Don’t you dare. Your mother pulled that once and got herself claimed.”

“And look how nicely that ended up.”

“Shani-”

Martha’s voice was cut off, but Shanelle knew she could still hear and monitor her with the Rover’s short-range scanner, so she offered, “I’m sorry, Martha, but I’ve made my choice.” She patted the unit at her waist. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“I believe the man wishes me to challenge him, Shani,” Corth remarked suddenly.

Her “choice” was looking directly at Corth just then. “Glance away,” she told him. “In fact, move away. He thinks you’re with me.”

“I am with you.”

“You know what I mean. And stop grinning. This isn’t funny. He’s a visitor. Unlike warriors, visitors do get jealous over the most ridiculous things, and that’s not how I want to start out this relationship.”

“Perhaps I should oblige him.” Corth’s humor mode was obviously running on strong. “To show him I am merely a machine,” he added.

Shanelle knew it was still in his programming, the time Challen had been jealous of him. Even after her father had been told Corth was only a machine, he’d still been jealous of him. And Corth’s strength was ten times greater than any man’s, including a warrior’s. She wasn’t going to have him prove that to the visitor when the test wouldn’t be for the contest, but over her.

“All right, you’ve had your little joke, Corth. But that’s the man I want to get to know, and I mean know. So absent yourself for a while.”

“You know I cannot do that, Shani.”

“Then keep me within your sight, but yourself out of his notice. You can do that-”

Shanelle fell silent as she realized it was too late. The visitor was already approaching, signaling the judge that he wouldn’t be participating further at this time. And with those long legs, he was there before Shanelle could get her thoughts together. But he was still looking only at Corth.

“If you wish not to enter these competitions, we can go elsewhere to settle this matter in private.”

He had the Sha-Ka’ani language down pat, with only a slight accent that was really very lyrical, but Shanelle’s mouth dropped at that opening challenge, and it was a challenge. Corth, however, was still finding the situation highly amusing.

He smiled at the visitor. “This we could do, yet would the doing be unnecessary. The woman has made her choice.”

Those light blue eyes came to Shanelle, and even through her sudden mortification, she knew she was looking at an intensity of emotion the likes of which she’d never experienced before. Hot, savage-scary, but gone as soon as he looked back at Corth, leaving Shanelle merely shaken and wondering if she’d imagined it. But she hadn’t imagined Corth’s bald statement.

“I’m going to unplug you for that,” she whispered to her friend, her cheeks still burning.

Both males chose not to hear her, or else hadn’t heard her during their continuing regard of each other. The visitor was looking at Corth’s hair when he asked him, “Are you from the east?”

“No,” Corth said simply.

“From this planet?”

“Not originally.”

That easily, Corth was dismissed and Shanelle had the man’s attention again. She found it amusing that he had thought Corth a warrior, even though he lacked the bulging biceps of a warrior, and the extreme height. And she could be amused because those azure eyes weren’t so unsettling this time, but were merely appraising, curious, and definitely interested.

“He is no more than your escort?” he asked her.

“An escort, but also a friend-also an android.”

“An android.”

He said the word as if he didn’t know what it meant, but Shanelle decided only one thing needed clarification just then. “He will leave me with you if you want to-talk.”

She put enough insinuation into the last word that a dummy could catch her meaning, yet the man took her literally. “I would do more than talk.”

So it was going to take plain speaking, was it? She grinned. As long as he wasn’t a warrior, she could be as bold as she pleased.

“So would I,” she told him.

The man’s smile at that point nearly made her knees buckle. How was it possible for his attractiveness to double with a mere curling of the lips? And that wasn’t all he did. He bent under the thick cable that roped off the arena and came to stand directly in front of Shanelle, and that close, his size just about overwhelmed her.

He really was only an inch or two shorter than her father, which put him nearly a foot above her own head. And the width of him… A body like his was nice to look at, it surely was, but she really wished he wasn’t so tall, or so strong. That was one of the reasons she didn’t want a warrior. You simply had no defense against someone this big. And this big someone was a visitor, which meant he wouldn’t have a warrior’s control-the control that kept a warrior from accidentally or otherwise hurting a woman who was, of course, much smaller than he.

Suddenly Shanelle realized that if she proceeded, she might be letting herself in for some unwanted pain-and not just the kind that went along with losing one’s virginity. Stars, why hadn’t that occurred to her sooner? But look at him! He was absolutely gorgeous. And he was the one who had knocked her socks off. There was no getting around that.

She bit her lip in indecision. Dared she take the chance? Damn it, yes! It was incredible that she’d found him at all and so soon, so she wasn’t going to press her luck by looking any further. And he might be big, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be careful with her.

She stepped back a little to relieve the strain on her neck that staring up at him was causing. He caught her hand, however, and pulled her right back. And he did not release her hand now that he had it. She couldn’t complain about his wanting to touch her. She wanted to touch him, too. But she could complain about the close proximity.

“You’re going to have to give me some space if you want me to look at you. My neck won’t bear up very long under this strain.”

It took only one of his thick arms to lift her and hold her up against his chest. She felt a thrill of alarm at his aggressive boldness, but they were now eye-to-eye, and Shanelle had a new problem, one with her senses. Stars, it felt wonderful to be pressed against him like this, so wonderful that she didn’t want to recall that they couldn’t stay this way, not here anyway. But she did recall it.

“You know this won’t work, big guy, not in public.” But she compromised. “Put me down and give me an arm’s length. You can keep my hand.”

“My name is Falon Van’yer,” was how he responded to her order.

“I’m glad to know it, but you’re still going to have to put me down until we aren’t so public.”

“You say that as if you expect to have it your way. Do you often have your way?”

She sensed his amusement over the subject. Nor was he putting her down.

“I don’t always get my way, no,” she admitted carefully. “But a good deal of the time I do, especially when I’m using common sense and others are not.”

He laughed, a bass rumble she felt clear to her toes. “I, too, am accustomed to having my way, but all of the time. And I have a small advantage over you.”

Was that supposed to be his idea of a joke? “Why be modest? You have a big advantage over me.” And then her eyes narrowed. “You aren’t going to put me down, are you?”

“No.”

“Not even if it causes problems when a warrior demands that you release me? I am protected, Falon Van’yer, and this cloak I’m wearing is well recognized.”

His other hand came up to finger the cloak at her shoulder. “I am aware of this, woman, though I could wish it were otherwise. Yet have you given yourself into my care for the while, so there will be no difficulty with these Kan-is-Tran warriors.”

She wasn’t going to point out that the warriors who might stop him were her father’s warriors who knew her. She still didn’t want him to know who she was until it was absolutely necessary. And there was only one alternative just now.

She suggested it. “How about you put me down long enough for us to leave here?”

“So you still try to have it your way even though I have refused you? Is this going to be a problem, woman, your being unable to accept my will?”

Shanelle had a feeling that question was too important by half. If she said yes, would he put her down and walk away? But she couldn’t say no, because it just might be a problem. And maybe she’d better find out right now if it would be.

“I had hoped we could spend some time together to get to know each other. That does not mean I belong to you, Falon. Even if I did belong to you, I might not agree with everything you say. I’m not a slave who will obey without question. I have my own opinions and feelings, which may or may not be contrary to yours. If your will is reasonable and justified, of course I can accept it. But if it is not, don’t expect me to keep quiet about it. And I think I would like to know now if it is against your principles to take what I say under consideration.”

“Have I not just listened to everything you had to say?” he said.

“That’s true, you did. And you haven’t run like hell on finding out I can be a tiny bit arbitrary.” He smiled at that. So did she. “Perhaps you might tell me why you don’t want to put me down.”

“Because I like the feel of you against me too much. Because I would rather fight every warrior here than lose this feeling for even a moment.”

Oh, Stars, with reasons like that, it wasn’t going to take her long at all to love this man as well as desire him. “Why didn’t you just say so?”

He grinned at her. “So my will has suddenly become acceptable to you?”

“You’ve managed to-justify it. And I never said I couldn’t be reasonable. Perhaps if we disappear real quick, the problems I foresaw won’t materialize. Would that tent you left earlier happen to be yours-and vacant?”

“It is both, though I am not sure this brazenness of yours pleases me. When and where I take you is for me to decide, you to anticipate.”

She stared at him incredulously for a moment before she burst out, “Stars, where have I heard that before?” And then she asked suspiciously, “You’re not from Kan-is-Tra after all, are you?”

“No-and neither are you, which I forgot for a moment. Your brazenness is acceptable.”

She grinned at him, wondering just where he thought she did come from that her brazenness was suddenly okay by him. But she wouldn’t correct him on his assumption that she wasn’t from here. She didn’t want to deny who she was if she didn’t have to, and the less he asked right now, the better. And she was nothing but relieved to have it confirmed that he wasn’t a warrior, after he’d started sounding too damn much like one. But these were little problems they could work out after they got the main one of compatibility out of the way.

But she was curious enough to ask, “Do the women repress their desires where you come from?”

“They are more circumspect.”

“Then maybe you ought to think of living elsewhere.”

“I do not think so.”

She sighed at that quick answer. “Why don’t we work on the principle that there is an inducement for everything and leave it at that for now?”

“Of what do you speak now?”

“Never mind. This isn’t the time to-”

“Shani!” Caris called.

“Farden hell,” Shanelle muttered, then looked ruefully at Falon. “That’s me being called. I don’t suppose you might reconsider and put me down long enough for me to talk to my friend?” He merely stared back at her without answering, which was his answer. “Maybe your arm is getting just a little tired holding me up?” she tried next.

“You weigh nothing, kerima.”

She made a face at that. “I’m a big girl, not a little one. Little describes my friend Caris.”

“The female who was with your earlier is no more than a child.”

“She’s not a child, she’s just short and-”

Caris had reached them at that point, her warrior in tow. “Shani, I-” She paused when she noticed Falon. “Oh, my.” But then she took in Shanelle’s position and the implications of it, and added, “Oh, my.”

Shanelle didn’t even try to deny what her friend was now obviously thinking. “We’ll keep this between ourselves, won’t we, Caris?‘”

“If you insist, but Yari and Cira will be just as pleased for you as I am. It certainly took you long enough, Shani, but now you can find out-”

“Not now, Caris.”

“Sure.” The younger girl grinned. “I just wanted to let you know I will be busy myself for a few hours. Komar here wants to show me his tent.”

“Did you remember to tell him you are protected by the shodan?”

Caris grimaced. “As a matter of fact, I forgot.” She glanced back at the large warrior holding her hand. “Is that going to make a difference, that I’m protected?”

“It keeps me from claiming you, had that been my thought,” Komar stated.

“Notice how he doesn’t confirm or deny if that was his intention,” Caris said to Shanelle.

“That’s to keep you from being disappointed either way,” Shanelle replied.

“How sweet. I knew I was going to like this warrior. So I’ll see you later, Shani.”

“You know where to meet me?”

“Sure do.”

“Why is it you wear your protection and she does not?” Falon asked as soon as they were alone again.

“I knew I was coming here. For Caris, it was a last-minute decision.”

“Also are you well acquainted with the customs of this place.”

That was an observation, not a question, and he was getting too close to the truth for comfort. She needed to get him thinking along different lines, and there was one sure way to do that quickly and completely. She just wished she had more experience in the area.

She lowered her lashes, displaying a shyness that was only half feigned, and twirled a lock of his hair about one finger. “You’ve been holding me a long time, Falon,” she said softly, peeking up at him quickly, then away again. “Is that all you want to do with me?”

Shanelle was amazed that she could suddenly feel his heart beating against her chest. But even as she felt it, her legs were being gathered up, so that she was now cradled in his arms and he was moving, quite rapidly, in the direction of the tents. She held on to his neck, though it wasn’t necessary, because he held her tightly, protectively. She was merely trying to hide her face so that whoever noticed them wouldn’t recognize her. The one thing she didn’t want was someone who knew her following right now.

But she had learned something. Maybe she shouldn’t have tried being sexually provocative with a man she knew nothing about, but it had proved that his attraction to her was possibly as powerful as hers was to him. He hadn’t even answered her question. He was showing her instead.