amaryllis_019-6e3.htm Read online

  Before she could say another word, he had stripped and was preparing to dive in from a flat rock a few feet away. His magnificent body drew her gaze like a magnet.

  For a moment she stood undecided and then with a swift glance about to ensure the coast was clear, she quickly stripped. Goosebumps rose on her skin, even though it wasn’t the least bit cold. He was right. She was doing a whole bundle of things completely out of character. With a nervous giggle she bent to test the water with her toe. This new Melanie Ross was going to enjoy herself while she could. So, he was an alien, albeit a very attractive one, but he fancied her like mad. When would she ever get the chance to throw caution to the winds and treat life like an erotic fantasy again?

  Reve burst from the water a foot from her and she let out a small squeal. Tossing the long hair behind him, he grinned, and the mischievous light in his eyes proclaimed he could read her thoughts, even below the water.

  His hand extended, he coaxed, "Come, Mel-aanie. I will not let you drown."

  "I didn’t expect you would." She lowered herself gingerly into the water and moved forward to practically fall into his arms.

  "So eager," he taunted. He lay on his back and, with his arms about her waist kicked off, using his body as a surfboard for her to lie on.

  About fifty feet from the edge he dropped his feet, trod water and turned her until she faced him. With his arms still secure about her waist, Melanie experimentally moved her own legs while she gripped his biceps. The flexing of the muscles beneath her fingers made her insides flutter. Remembrance flooded her and his eyes grew sultry, showing her he recalled every minute they’d spent in each other’s arms in explicit detail.

  "I feel very buoyant," she said, her voice husky as she realized their combined thoughts were having a telling effect on their naked bodies. "It’s probably impossible to sink below the surface." Her muttering was inane and she floated out effortlessly away from the drugging effects caused by his nearness.

  "Impossible," he agreed. "Let us swim." Releasing her from the spell of his eyes and his hold, he kicked out to put a space of a body’s length between them "If you show signs of sinking, I will be here to ensure you are not about to drown."

  Melanie had never been a strong swimmer, in fact she had always kept clear of water and hated the sense of panic she suffered entering it. But she felt safe with him nearby as she set out in her adaptation of a crawl. This new woman who inhabited her body was game to try anything. What next? After traveling inter planetary, tasting the delights offered by an alien, and changing her whole outlook along with her body shape, there couldn’t be a lot more to surprise her, surely?

  Reve dived and rolled far beneath her and did those amazing somersaults and twists, which enthralled her. He had to be a fish of some sort, or similar to a seal . He moved with such grace and speed in the water, agile and expert. He was a joy to watch. It struck her then, without experiencing the usual feeling of panic attacking her, she was holding her eyes open beneath the water. Her giggle drifted over the water, and the many fish swimming alongside her skittered and took off with flashes of color and action darting through the green.

  Relaxing onto her back she idly floated, her legs barely moving as she drifted peacefully near the far side to where they had entered the water.

  At this rate, and with the speed in which she had acclimatized to the water, she would probably learn to stay under longer in no time.

  "I will teach you if you stay with me," he said, and Melanie turned about to search the nearby water. Reve was nowhere in sight, and with a start she realized he was inside her head again.

  "I can’t stay, Reve," she said aloud. "I don’t belong here. And you promised to take me back to Earth." Not that the thought of returning to her old life brought her any cheer. The prospect, in fact, depressed her.

  Suddenly like a great dolphin, he was beside her when he surged to the surface. Grasping her around the waist, he brought her into contact with his body. A body she soon realized was fully aroused. Melanie gasped as he molded his body to hers, so close almost every inch touched from their toes to their noses. Too stunned to think straight, she grasped him about the neck. He uttered a guttural cry and then covered her mouth with his--that treacherous tongue of his delving deep, driving her half wild with longing.

  On a soft growl, he drew back long enough to suggest between heated kisses, "Perhaps I can convince you that you have more to live for on Amaryllis than you would ever have on Earth."

  Then, his hands on her bottom, he drove into her and she wrapped her legs about his sleek, taut body. She gasped, unable to think straight, only to feel. "Reve."

  "Mel-aanie," he whispered and then with his mouth, he brought her to a shattering climax. While she was still floating in a haze, he drove them both over the edge into a whirling sea of ecstasy.

  Too sated to move Melanie allowed him to tow her slowly back to shore.

  Once on land he carried her a few feet to what Melanie realized was a drying alcove. There beneath a warm draught of air, he made love to her again, slowly, drawing out each moment of exquisite ecstasy, until she was a quivering mass of feeling. Lying limp in his arms, she allowed him to set her down on one of the two couches.

  "My God, you’ll kill me," she whispered.

  Touching a finger to her kiss-swollen lips, Reve chuckled. "Do Earth people actually die from indulging in sexual pleasure?"

  "It’s a figure of speech." Melanie watched as he sauntered off to fetch their clothes. He moved with such unselfconscious ease. A man in control of his senses, a man capable of giving her more satisfaction, than she’d ever thought to attain in this life. How bland her life had been before. Poor Chris. He could never match up to this Amaryllisan, in any way.

  She’d told Reve she had no place here on his planet. But could she really consider returning home, never to see him again? Could she face a life that would be empty and arid without him?

  Silently he returned, and the expression in his eyes puzzled her as he gazed down without touching her.

  "What?" she asked.

  "We have no need to speak of what is in our minds." He handed over her clothes, and she put her feet to the floor. "We must go now. We will come back another day."

  Could he also be desolate at the thought of their parting?

  Thirteen

  Back in his austere alien mode, Reve stood by the door. "Bettrys will take you wherever you want to go in my absence." Since he’d let Bettrys in, he’d been his usual efficient self, hiding his thoughts behind a bland expression so Melanie felt strangely bereft. Obviously reading her well, he came back to where she stood and gave her a small smile. "I will see you before the sun goes down."

  With a small nod of his head, he went, leaving Melanie feeling like a lost lamb in a big, big, paddock.

  "What would you like to do?" Bettrys asked.

  Melanie got the distinct impression the woman wasn’t enamored of the idea of being her watchdog.

  "Oh, I don’t know. Perhaps we could go to the training establishments again." She’d like to see more of the young Amaryllisans. To see if, by chance, they did spend some of their time in activities more to do with playtime than studying.

  As Bettrys was about to answer, a flashing beam above the entrance door signaled someone wished to enter.

  "I will see who it is." Bettrys went to press the appropriate button.

  As the door slid back, a woman strolled in. Taller than Melanie by a few inches, she bore a striking resemblance to a mid-day TV soapie star.

  Melanie stared at this imitation person.

  "I have spoken to Reve," the newcomer said. "I see, Bettrys. You have been given the task of attending the Earth woman." She eyed Melanie with what could only be termed disdain. "We are to use her speech patterns, I have been told."

  Well, excuse me. Melanie felt like telling the woman not to bother. She wasn’t particularly worried if she didn’t talk to her at all. The raised eyebrows and scornful twist to her mout
h shocked her to the core. Why would this Amaryllisan view her with such an emotion? Most of the others here looked on her with interest or curiosity, never dislike as this one was doing. Some had appeared indifferent, but none were filled with an animosity that reached her in waves.

  "I’m Melanie Ross. Who have I the pleasure of meeting?" Melanie offered her hand. It was ignored. Some pleasure. Feeling foolish, she rubbed it down her side. "It is kind of you to take the bother to translate my speech patterns. Sarcasm clipped her voice.

  "I am called Alexia." The cold voice was certainly filled with the same feelings the eyes had conveyed.

  "May I offer you some refreshment?" Melanie straightened her spine, not about to let this nasty piece of work get the better of her. She watched the look of dislike flicker over eyes somehow lacking in depth or color. The woman had a permanent air of disdain about her that unnerved Melanie. What had she done to deserve such contempt, for goodness’ sake? She’d never set eyes on the woman before.

  How she missed Reve.

  "Bettrys, fetch me a graw juice," Alexia ordered, as if Melanie hadn’t spoken. Strolling to a couch she sat, turning frosty eyes on Melanie.

  Perhaps she was having trouble translating her speech. Prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt, Melanie smiled, though somewhat stiffly.

  "Perhaps I can show you some of our planet in Reve’s absence," she suggested, eyes still empty of real emotion.

  "Thank you kindly, but Bettrys was about to do the honors." Melanie took the offered glass from Bettrys, offering her companion a smile. Bettrys conveyed no sense of like or dislike for the visitor as she sat too.

  Melanie watched Alexia over the rim of her drinking vessel. She couldn’t take to this particular Amaryllisan at all.

  "Bettrys can accompany us, as Reve left her in charge of the task," Alexia said, making Melanie feel like a schoolgirl who’d been left with a nanny. "Have you seen our mountains?"

  "Reve took me to the largest pool on Tepiri this morning." Melanie went scarlet as she recalled what had happened in the pool and later.

  Alexia’s eyes were narrow slits and for once there was a glimmer of emotion in their depths. An emotion sending a shiver up Melanie’s spine. Could she read her mind as easily as Reve and his parents could?

  "Reve will be my partner, once he has tired of the uniqueness of you, Earth woman," she told Melanie curtly, proving she was adept at telepathy. There was no doubt about it now. Venom filled those strange eyes.

  "I don’t doubt Reve will choose another partner to take Irena’s place," Melanie said sharply. The thought of leaving him to another woman when she returned to Earth brought such a pain of sadness, she pressed a hand to the region of her heart.

  "You don’t seem too sure about your intentions of going back to your home planet." The nastiness in her tone added to Melanie’s unease. "Surely you would not wish to stay indefinitely with people who are alien to you."

  "Reve will accompany me back to Earth--then return." Melanie’s fingers tightened on her glass. If only he was able to stay with her longer. There was a slim chance he might have liked living on Earth. That only brought immense sadness to her.

  "I suppose you’ve heard it isn’t safe for your people to dally down there."

  "I heard. Irena was always foolhardy and rash." She almost spat Irena’s name.

  This was the most emotion any Amaryllisan, apart from Reve, had shown. Were any of the others concealing similar feelings of dislike behind their polite mask?

  "I will make a better partner for Reve." Alexia sounded very sure of herself. "I have not the great ambitions of Irena. My aim is to please my partner. And the one I choose is Reve."

  "I haven’t known Reve long, but I rather think he will do his own choosing, Alexia." With a shrug Melanie gave her empty glass to Bettrys, who had risen and hovered nearby, still showing no hint of her feelings toward their visitor.

  Alexia got up, stretching like a cat as she also gave up her empty glass. "Would you care to meet Irena’s parents? Her mother Lilius is in charge of our dietary supplies and Aylmer, her father, is chief cultivation consultant."

  "Yes, I’d like this," Melanie agreed. Might as well go along with her. Perhaps Melanie had mistaken the animosity in the woman’s expression. After all, they were a serious lot up here. Alexia might be more sullen than the others. Who was she kidding? The woman hated her guts. So, obviously jealousy was one emotion they shared with Earth dwellers.

  Melanie harbored enough jealousy of her own. Could this woman really be next in line as Reve’s mate? Just thinking of the possibility made her feel sick.

  ~ * ~

  Once outside, they all donned skis, and soon were skimming along the avenues. Melanie was beginning to know her way around. "How many cities such as this are there on Amaryllis?" she asked.

  She had meant to put this question to Reve, but when they were together too many other things were on her mind. Things like the magnificence of his body, the way he kissed and caressed her until she was a writhing mass of desire. She was growing to love so many things about him. Or was it just infatuation? Would she feel the same for any man who showed her the true depth of her sexual appetites?

  Alexia glared at her as they slowed beside a triple storied building. Melanie bent to remove her ski. She couldn’t help it if her every thought could be monitored. This skill they had of reading minds was intimidating, but what was the use of worrying about it?

  Alexia frowned. "There are thousands of cities. I’m surprised Reve has not explained all this to you."

  For a moment Melanie had forgotten her question.

  "You must forgive me if it takes me longer than Reve to translate your speech patterns," Alexia went on. "I am not as highly intelligent as he." She jabbed at the button above the nameplate.

  The door slid back, and a woman, beautiful and tall of course, let them in. Her eyes slid over Melanie, but didn’t contain any hostility. Melanie was thankful. It was a horrible sensation to be disliked so much. To her knowledge, she’d never roused jealousy or envy in another before.

  Alexia led them through a stark foyer into a hall where the smaller type robots worked before about twenty screens lined up along the right hand wall. On the left were more doors with flickering lights over them. Nothing else, no benches, no desks, no copiers or faxes. Nothing to brighten the working environment. Still, she guessed robots didn’t notice such things.

  "Lilius will see us," Alexia said after talking quietly to the woman who had let them in. "As to your question, each city has its own facilities for cultivating food, producing wearing apparel, performing laser surgery. In fact each city can survive alone if needs be. This is the main controlling city. All the others, although independent, report here regularly."

  "What’s the name of this city, by the way? I never got round to asking Reve that either."

  "We have no names. This is Prime City. The others go by numbers. It makes for easier checking." Alexia’s eyes were penetrating as they went into an elevator and Melanie tried to conceal her fear. The last thing she wanted was for this woman to know about her weakness.

  With relief Melanie stepped out of the confined space. They walked into another large area with banks of computers lined up with row after row of data flickering across their screens. Amaryllisans operated these machines, all standing. They glanced Melanie's way with subdued interest before continuing with their work, some tapping out script, others obviously checking input.

  "Don’t they get to sit?" Melanie queried as she watched them with interest.

  "No, they have regular breaks. They swim then. It is not natural to sit for long periods." Alexia turned away at the sound of a female voice.

  "Ah, Alexia, I see you have brought our visitor along. Please come into my work area." A tall woman who looked a bit like a talk show host who had an afternoon time slot on TV held out her hand in welcome. As Melanie touched palms with her, Melanie was pleased to note that, although far from overjoyed, this one w
as less hostile towards her.

  "This is Melanie Ross," Alexia introduced her and they all went through another door, followed by Bettrys.

  "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. May I call you Melanie?" The silver-haired Amaryllisan sat down on a long couch and patted the cushion at her side. "Please be seated."

  "Yes, please do call me that, and what should I call you?" Melanie asked, sitting beside her.

  The office, if office it was, faced the water, and was sparsely furnished with just two couches and a commodities supplier above a vanity bench. More computer screens flickered constantly in here.

  "I am known as Lilius." Irena’s mother stared hard at her. "You met my daughter?"

  "Not exactly." Melanie dropped her gaze. "Irena appeared to me in a sort of dream. I never saw her, so it couldn’t be said she appeared. She transferred her thoughts. She was already very sick by the time she came to me with her proposition. Then when she took me up to her craft, I barely had time to get to know her before she was putting me in a trance in preparation for the journey here."

  "I cannot believe she would be so foolish. You are certain she did not survive?" There was a definite note of suspicion in her tone.

  Perhaps she suspected her of doing away with her daughter so she could take her place.

  "I can assure you Irena was fading fast when she first spoke to me in a dream. There was no way she could have survived, even had she wanted, for whatever reason, to stay on Earth. The virus of influenza, which killed her, had already taken a firm hold, so she told me, before she sent me on my way. And I can assure you. I wouldn’t have come here by choice. I’m the last person who would have volunteered for an interplanetary expedition." Melanie laughed shortly. It was a fact.

  "Perhaps you would like to see how our establishment is run while you are here." Lilius changed the subject, leaving Melanie wondering at her suspicions.

  "Thank you. I’d like that."