The Silkie's Woman (10 page)

Set seemed to sense her feelings and said, "I can promise, I will never again enter your mind, unless you ask me to. I can't block out what you transmit, but I will never again cross your shields without permission."

Megan moved further into the kitchen until she was standing in front of Set. Taking a deep breath, she held out her hand. "I'll hold you to that promise." she said, her hand trembling only slightly as his fingers gently clasped hers.

***

When Urlon emerged from the bedroom a half-hour later, he was astonished to find Set and Megan sitting on the couch animatedly talking to one another. A slow smile spread over his face as he realized the two people closest to him were actually in the same room with each other, and neither one of them had run in the opposite direction.

Urlon sent a questing tendril of thought, tapping against Megan's shields. She looked up and gestured him over.

"Urlon, we've been talking about what happened to Set. He doesn't really remember much about what happened to him, other than his capture and that there were five people who kept him prisoner. He can really only remember two faces well, and neither of them are familiar to me. They must keep themselves fairly isolated, since I have seen most of the people who live on the island. There is only one store and two pubs on the entire island. If they had ever come in there, I would have remembered them. The people who held him wore surgical masks most of the time, so he can't really tell us what the others look like. I think we should go back to the house and see if we can figure out what they were up to."

Urlon shook his head no. "We can't wait until tonight to find out what's going on. Set has to go back to the sea at sundown, and he needs to let the tribe know what's going on. Who knows how many of our people these bastards have killed? Maybe that's why we've lost so many to the land over the last few decades. We have to figure out what's going on before tonight, before it’s too late." His hands clenched with murderous rage. "Set and I will go back up to the building where you and I found him. We shouldn't have any problem with subduing five humans who aren't expecting us, although I hope we can just capture one of them to question first."

"I'm not going to just sit here and wait for you! You wouldn't have even been able to get into the building without me, last time. Besides, what do you mean, you can handle them? They outnumber you two to one." Megan glared at Urlon with her hands on her hips.

"I don't plan on you sitting here waiting for me, Megan. I need you to find as many tribemembers as you can. You know how different our eyes are; you should be able to pick them out from the rest of the people you see. Most of them will be in town with their tribe-mates for this change. Tell them what has happened, and how to get to the building. If they've come up with some way to prevent mindspeak, I'll need as much help as I can get to pull information from them." As he spoke, he pulled on his heavier plaid shirt and packed Megan's small rucksack with medical supplies and water. "I do know what Grandfather looks like in human form, though."

He tapped gently at her shields.
Megan, will you allow me in
? Megan responded by letting a small crack appear in her shields, and Urlon slipped through. It took only a moment to implant a memory of what his Grandfather looked like. In that moment, he was able to sense Megan's trust in him, and her ability to forge onward in a relationship with Set, for his sake. Her willingness to put the incident behind her humbled Urlon. He wasn't so sure he would have been as willing to forgive.

He pulled back into his own mind and realized that during the transmission he had taken hold of Megan's hands. He raised them both to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss into her palms before gesturing Set to the door.

"Megan, you and I will be able to communicate across vast distances, given that you stay away from anything iron. Let me know as soon as you find Grandfather, and I will keep you informed about what Set and I are doing."

She nodded, and closed the door after them.

Chapter Ten

Megan made her way out of the cottage with Urlon's grandfather's visage clear in her mind. With no obvious place to begin her hunt, she decided to make her way to the pub. Eventually, everyone on the island stopped in, and strangers would be remarked upon.

The pub was open for breakfast, and packed with people when she arrived. She paused just inside the door to see if anyone looked like Urlon's mental pictures of his tribebrothers or grandfather. There was no one who looked like his grandfather, but one of the men sitting at the booth closest to the door had Urlon's distinctive eyes. She approached him cautiously, unsure of her welcome.

She knew that most p'or did not reveal their differences to their tribemates unless they had bonded with them, and she was afraid Urlon had broken some rules when he'd bonded his first time out of water. This p'or looked young, as young as Urlon, with straight black hair and black, black eyes. He definitely was not Urlon's grandfather. As she approached, he looked up and froze when his gaze connected with hers. She felt the now familiar questing touch at her shields and lowered them just enough for him to enter.

Urlon and Set have discovered that many of the p'or who have gone to land have been murdered. Set was taken and placed in some type of medical facility on the other
s
ide of the island. Urlon and I found him yesterday. He had been placed in an iron-shielded room, so obviously the perpetrators had access to knowledge about the p'or. We took him out, and he rested at my house throughout the night. He and Urlon are going back to the facility to see if they can discover who is behind it. I was supposed to find Urlon's grandfather and ask for help. We only have until tonight before all of you have to go back to the sea. I want to go back and help them. If there are more people there than they expect, they'll have a hard time getting in, especially in daylight. Can you find the others and have them meet us at the facility?"

Megan lowered her shields even further, and projected a clear picture of the facility and its location.

You are my brother's tribemate; I would do anything you ask. Grandfather has bonded with a woman outside of town for this cycle. He'll be easy to find. I am Uber, one of Urlon's closest friends. I can't let you follow him. If you are in danger, you will be a great distraction to him. Because you are bonded, anything you feel he feels. If you are injured, he will be incapable of reacting to his surroundings in his attempts to find and heal you. You can't endanger him that way. I think we should both go get Grandfather and some of my other tribebrothers before we join Urlon.

"Doesn't the same hold true for me, then? If Urlon is injured, won't it affect me just as much? Why should he be the one to face danger? I think that the more people at this facility, the better. They won't be able to try anything if enough people show up at their door. I think I should go on ahead." She paused and then continued, "Actually, there is no way I am staying behind." She pushed herself up from the booth. She turned to walk out the door, and Uber grabbed her hand.

"Please be very careful, Megan. Now that you know how to link with someone other than Urlon, you should able to call out to me if you are in any danger."

Megan nodded and pushed open the heavy door to the pub.

***

Urlon and Set made their way quickly up the hill and through the fields to the long, low building that had been Set's prison. As they neared the building, Urlon noticed that the outside lights on the building were still on. There were no cars parked in front of the building as there had been yesterday, and there were no signs that anyone had come into the building since they had left it the night before.

Good, they had arrived before anyone had come in. He and Set sat with their backs against the same stone wall he and Megan had rested against the day before. It seemed like years had passed since yesterday. The chemical changes that had taken place once he had chosen his Amat were hard enough to deal with. His cock was in a constant state of arousal. His thoughts strayed to her wild cries while lovemaking, to her breathless pants and sweet floral-musk smell. He couldn't focus on anything but her for any length of time.

Set bumped his arm and leaned over to whisper "While it’s nice to know you love your Amat, could you keep your thoughts at least minimally on the job at hand?" He grinned as he continued, "You're breaking my concentration; I can only imagine what its doing to yours." His gaze went pointedly to the obvious erection that Urlon could not convince to subside.

Although Set had been teasing, the reality of it from Urlon's point of view was beyond frustrating. He was literally unable to dispel his arousal. Apparently there were a lot of things about existing as a p'or on land that Grandfather had neglected to share with them.

His musings were interrupted when the distinctive sound of car wheels on gravel was heard, heralding the approach of their enemies. It was still early morning; perhaps one of the kidnappers had decided to check up on their captive. They waited until the front door opened before sprinting after whoever had entered the building. Set managed to get his foot in the door before it closed completely, and he and Urlon slipped silently through. The person walking ahead of them was a woman, and she appeared to be heading for the room where Set had been held. She opened the door, and they could hear her gasp of surprise when she discovered Set missing.

Urlon directed Set to go beyond the opening of the door so they would have her cornered when she came out of the room.

I don't want her hurt, Urlon. The only clear thing I can remember from my captivity is her attempt to help me. Perhaps she is an unwilling participant in whatever it is they are attempting to do here.
Set's mindspeak was tinged with his feelings for the woman, and Urlon wondered if Set even realized he had begun to bond with this woman.

As she exited the room, Urlon moved behind her and grasped her around the chest while Set approached her from the front and placed his hands on her head, pushing past her natural shielding and whispering a suggestion to sleep. Urlon grasped her around the hips and swung her over his shoulder as her body became a dead weight. This woman would provide them with the answers they needed. There was no need to wait around for the rest of the kidnappers to arrive. He and Set walked quickly to the door. Urlon keyed in the numbers as Megan had shown him, and waited until the light on the security system blinked green before pushing open the door.

The first thing Urlon felt upon exiting the building was Megan's fear and anticipation as the front door opened. Until Set followed behind Urlon, she hadn't realized who was coming out the door. He couldn't believe that she had disobeyed him again after he had explained why he wanted her to go to town. Before he had a chance to berate her in mindspeak, she left the cover of the rock wall and ran toward them.

"I was able to find one of your tribebrothers, a man named Uber. He is going to find your grandfather and as many others as he can." Megan's voice was shaky with leftover adrenaline, and she continued without pausing for breath, "Perhaps you should try to contact him and tell him to have everyone meet at my cottage?" She was talking very quickly, and Urlon realized she was trying to avoid being chastised for her foolish behavior. He decided to let it go for now, and concentrated on hefting the woman up the hill. They would have to travel overland instead of by the road. During the day the road was well-used, and he didn't want to have to explain himself to any of the locals.

They walked in silence for a long while before Megan tentatively looked at Urlon as he handed off the woman to Set after climbing one of an endless series of rock walls.

"Who is she?" There was a touch of jealousy in her voice.

"Apparently, she is the woman who tried to help Set while he was a prisoner. We think we can get all of the information we need from her without having to take a chance that the other four might have some kind of weapon that could incapacitate us." Urlon took the woman back from Set as they prepared to cross the road that wound across the front of Megan's property.

The trio entered the house, only to halt in surprise at the number of people who filled the small living room. Megan recognized Grandfather from the mindspeak picture Urlon had given her earlier, as well as Uber, but all of the others were unknown to her.

Grandfather stepped up to Set, and Megan watched in fascination as the two hugged, ignoring everyone else in the room.

"What have you gotten yourself into now, boy?" he asked, tears welling in his eyes.

Set tugged the older man closer against him and murmured, "Nothing I couldn't get out of."

"That's not what Uber has been telling me." Grandfather backed up and gave him a meaningful look. "Apparently, you've managed to embroil the whole tribe in your adventure."

Set's face turned serious. "I am afraid it is not me who caused the problems. I think someone has been killing p'or. We have brought back one of the people who kept me captive in the hopes of finding out exactly what they want and what they've been doing with our people." He gestured towards Urlon, who still held the dark-haired woman in his arms.

Grandfather nodded and pushed Urlon towards the only couch in the room. "Set her down there."

Urlon looked around the room at the gathered p'or and said, "I need everyone but the people who are already involved to go back to the cliff and await the change. Moonrise is only a few hours away, and you will all need to be near the ocean when the change occurs. Uber, Set, Grandfather and I will remain here as long as we can to get as much information as we can before the change."

The room filled with the sounds of shuffling feet and muttering voices. Once everyone had gone and the woman had been placed on the couch, Grandfather moved around the couch until he was able to touch the woman's face. Urlon could hear Grandfather's deep baritone mindspeak whispering in the woman's mind, calling to her, urging her to awaken. Precious minutes passed with no result, until finally Grandfather turned with a shake of his head.

"There isn't going to be time to get any information from her before the change. One of us will have to stay behind. We can't take the chance that any other p'or will be injured or killed."

Urlon grabbed Megan's hand. "I'm staying anyway. I plan on giving my skin to Megan tonight to burn. I won't ever be returning, Grandfather."

Grandfather turned with a quirk of his brow. "I had somehow sensed that."

Set pushed his way towards the couch aggressively. "No, I'll be the one to find out what has been happening to the p'or; she's mine to interrogate. I'll use the house Grandfather uses during the change. Megan can hold my skin until we find out what's going on."

Grandfather nodded and gestured for Set to pick the woman up.

"I'll take you there before heading to the cliffs for the change. Uber, you'll come with us. Set, you'll need to shed your skin now, you won't be capable of it later."

Megan watched in open mouth astonishment as Set began to shimmer, his body outlined with what looked like gold fireflies. When the blinding light finally faded, a beautiful fur flowed over the floor. Deep gray with multiple white spots, its silken depths caught and reflected the limited light in the room.

Grandfather, Uber and Set, who carried the woman, all made their way out into the growing darkness.

*****

Urlon waited until everyone had left and the door was closed before turning to Megan. "This will be the hardest thing I have ever done. When the pelt separates from my skin, you must destroy it. Burning is the only surefire way. Otherwise, the temptation to return to the sea will grow too great for me, and I may one day abandon you for its call. This is the only way to ensure that I will be able to stay." Urlon’s eyes held nothing but love and the excitement of starting a new life here with Megan.

"Won’t you miss you life at sea, though? I don’t want to take that away from you." Megan pressed her palms against Urlon’s chest.

"There is nothing more important than you, and our son. I will have no regrets when I shed my skin. We will both live very long lives, and we will have many children. P’or and their human wives sometimes live twice as long as the normal human lifespan. We will have years to explore each other and the world." Urlon pulled Megan closer, leaning down until his lips grazed her hair in a soothing caress, and then he stepped back from her as a golden glow began to circle his body.

When the light faded, Urlon’s fur lay in a glorious pile on the floor. Megan stooped to pick it up before heading out the door to the fire pit that was next to the house. The pit was large, with native rocks built up around it. Urlon could see the remnants of barbecue implements. It would be a fitting resting place for his pelt. He and Megan covered the pelt with a lighter fluid and Megan lit the pile with a long handled fire starter. They watched, holding hands and leaning against each other as Urlon’s fur vanished into ash.

The sun had set completely by the time they went back into the house. Urlon could barely wait until Megan closed the door to fuck her. His hands were ripping the buttons of her sweater as he hiked her thigh up onto his. Her smell had been driving him crazy all day. The thought of fucking her had consumed him, making his cock hard and his thoughts scattered. He didn’t need mindspeak to know that she sometimes liked to be overwhelmed. He remembered many of the fantasies she had shared with him during their first mindspeak. He pulled her other leg up until her mound rested against his raging hard-on and shuffled over to the kitchen counter. Her ass fit perfectly against the end of the counter and his cock. The smell of aroused woman wafted up to him, causing his nostrils to flare and his erection to throb. She seemed to sense his increased excitement, grinding her pelvis up into him, rubbing and teasing until he couldn't stand the constriction of clothing.