Crystal Enchantment Read online

  For three days now, they had treated each other with exaggerated courtesy while taking great care to avoid physical contact. Only in certain glances or sentences left dangling in the charged atmosphere could she see beyond the formalities to the carefully leashed passion.

  The truth was that she'd been feeling quite well for a day now, but she'd continued to pretend otherwise because it seemed safer that way. Two voices were at war inside her. One said that they should continue this way to avoid the inevitable pain, while the other stated with equal force that they should seize this moment, these few precious days, to create memories that would have to last a lifetime.

  Was he facing the same dilemma, she wondered, or Vantran that he was, had he already decided upon the rational solution: Since they had no future, they had no present either?

  She floated with the current, caressed by the warm water, drifting with erotic fantasies. There was a dichotomy in Jalissa. In her professional life, she was often called upon to seize the moment, but in her personal life, she was highly disciplined and disinclined toward risk-taking.

  She knew that she wanted Miklos Panera as she had never wanted any manand knew too that this feeling was unique to this man and would never come again. And even though she'd avoided thinking about what lay ahead for them when they left this place, those dangers also urged her to find what happiness she could now.

  Turning around in the water, she began to swim for shoreand saw him standing there, just at the water's edge, her discarded robe at his feet as he watched her.

  It seemed to take forever for her to reach the shallow water, where she stumbled to her feet and began to wade to the beachand to him. A warm breeze caressed her wet skin, sending shiv- ers through her that had as much to do with the man who stood there watching her silently as it did with the temperature. Walking naked from the water, Jalissa felt at one and the same moment a surge of power and a soft vulnerability.

  He didn't move as she reached him. His gaze swept over her with a hunger as naked as her body. She understood then that he too was locked in the paralyzing embrace of the conflict they shared: wanting and being afraid to want.

  She picked up a towel and began to dry herself, casting desperately about for the right words to sayas perhaps he was doing too, since he remained silent.

  When she had finished drying herself, he picked up her robe and held it out to her. She turned around and let him slip it over her shoulders, then struggled with unaccustomed clumsiness to fit her arms into the sleeves. The soft fabric pricked her heated skin. She turned again to face him. He cleared his throat, which did little to get rid of the huskiness in his voice.

  "If you're feeling well enough, I thought we might go to the rain forest for dinner tonight."

  Jalissa felt the moment dissolve as she nodded. Deep in the rain forest was a small, elegant restaurant built high on stilts in a small clearing. Ancient fern trees surrounded it, and the strange creatures of the jungle played beneath it and in the trees. She'd seen holos of it, but had never been there because it was necessary to make res- ervations many months in advanceunless you were a Panera, of course. The family probably owned it. They owned most of the resort areas on Mafriti.

  Two hours later, a hovercraft dropped them off on the platform constructed for that purpose next to the restaurant. Private craft were forbidden here to avoid congestion. They stepped out of the craft into the heat and humidity of the rain forest, replete with the sounds of animals and birds going about their lives in the thick jungle.

  A short walkway connected the landing platform with the restaurant itself, a long, narrow glass bubble that afforded all diners window seats. Inside the giant bubble, the air became pleasantly cool and dry again, but the sounds followed them, mingling now with the low voices of diners. The special glass-like substance of the bubble allowed sound to pass through, while filtering out the heavy, moist air.

  Heads turned as they entered the dining room. Jalissa felt momentarily flustered by the attention and the press of other people around them. Both of them wore the casual, comfortable clothes all vacationers wore in this enchanted place, but she knew that Miklos, at least, was probably known to most of the people on sight, if not personally. Among the or guests present, at least half were Vantran.

  They were quickly seated by one of the young people who staffed the resorts here. Even the most menial positions on this world were eagerly sought after by the graduates of the galaxy's best universities, who came for a year to enjoy this paradise before moving on to their careers.

  Dinner was delicious, though neither of them really noticed it. After a few stilted attempts, they gave up any pretense of conversation, feigning instead an interest in their surroundings. A bewhiskered and bearded monkey-type creature cavorted in a tree, swinging from branch to branch with the ease of a seasoned performer. Below them, two great spotted cats padded silently through the dense undergrowth. The sun sank lower, casting a ruddy glow over the myriad greens of the jungle, touching the huge white blossoms of a vining plant that embraced the fern trees.

  Then a Vantran couple approached them, greeting Miklos familiarly while casting curious glances at Jalissa. When Miklos introduced her, their interest turned to unabashed shock.

  "Jalissa Kendorthe Whisperer?" the woman said, staring at her.

  Jalissa nodded, waiting for Miklos to explain that they were on a mission together and had come here for a few days' rest. But he said nothing, and after the couple had departed, she questioned him about his failure to offer an explanation for their presence here together. "Won't this get back to your superiors?" she asked.

  "They know we're here, and so does Trans/Med."

  Jalissa was startled to realize that she hadn't even thought about contacting Malvina, though she should have done so long before this. Vantra and the Federation seemed so far awayin both time and distance.

  "Have you told them what happened?" she asked, even though she was reluctant to let work intrude on the moment.

  "No. I told them that you picked up an unidentifiable virus from one of the worlds we visited and we were coming here for you to recuperate." He paused for a moment, then suddenly reached across the small table to take her hand in his.

  "I don't want to talk about that, Jalissa. We'll have to leave in another day or two. Let it wait."

  She stared at their joined hands, barely able to resist the temptation to glance around and see if anyone was watching. Such gestures of affection were unusual enough among Vantrans, who eschewed public displays, but between a Special Agent and a Whisperer? Why was he taking such a risk?

  "We have this time, Jalissa, and it may be all we'll have. I refuse to deny my feelings for you."

  She stared into those clear green eyes that seemed to hold all that was contained in the word "love"and she nodded, then whispered, "Yes." In the sudden spark that lit his eyes, she saw that he understood all that was meant by that single word.

  Silver moonlight stippled the dark, restless water and bathed the white sand in glowing light. A cool, salt-scented breeze caressed their naked bodies as they lay entwined on the blanket Miklos had carried down from the house. Their gradually discarded clothing lay in small heaps around them.

  It was not as she'd imagined itand was better for that. After denying themselves for what seemed so long a time, she had thought that their passion would be loosed like some wild beast, consuming them both in a frenzy of lovemaking.

  Instead, they simply held each other, fitting body to body, hard angles to soft curves, as they discovered each other while at the same time feeling as though they'd always known these intimate secrets. His lips and fingers unerringly found the places on her where the merest touch produced shivers of delight, and it seemed that she too knew his pleasure points.

  He raised himself up, then slid slowly along her body, raining warm kisses from her brow all the way to her toes, tormenting her by bypassing that most intimate of kisses. She throbbed with wanting, ached with the need to have him
touch her there.

  Instead, he sat back on his haunches and stared at her, his wide mouth curved into a gentle smile. "You have cast a spell on me, Witch," he said softly, his voice barely audible over the sounds of the lapping tide scant inches away.

  It was a measure of the newness of it all that she froze for a moment, the protest already forming in her throat. But then he chuckled and drew her to him, both of them on their knees as they held each other again.

  "I won't pretend that I understand all that you are," he said, his voice low and husky. "But I know that it's all of you I love."

  She buried her face in the taut chords of his neck, breathing in his scent and loving him still more for what he'd said. She'd feared that he loved her in spite of her being a Witch, and had been worried that his love might fade if she were forced to use her powers during the days ahead.

  They tumbled back to the blanket, this time with her on top. She mimicked him, moving slowly down his long, hard body, kissing each angle and plane until at last she reached his hard shaft. She felt him draw in his breath sharply, and felt him arch beneath her in silent invitation.

  His breath was released in a deep groan as she took him into her mouth, teasing him with her tongue until he grasped her head and pulled her away, letting her know that he was caught on the very edge.

  "Leave me with some self-control," he gasped, drawing her down beside him. "Why?" she asked with a smile.

  "Because I don't want it to be over yet."

  She understood. They had both become addicted to the thrum of barely controlled passion that bound them, holding them both in one moment that spilled slowly into the next with new sensations all along the way.

  His hand slipped between her thighs, questing fingers seeking and quickly finding the moist, throbbing heat as his mouth covered hers to swallow her cries of pleasure. And just as she knew that she could take no more, just as her body began to arch rigidly, he withdrew. She protested, and she could feel his smile against her heated skin as he traced kisses down across her throat and seized first one and then the other of her hardened nipples between his teeth, catching pleasure and pain in a perfect balance.

  She moved restlessly beneath him, grasping his head and urging him lower as he took his time wandering along her curves, dipping a tongue slowly into her navel before moving lower and burying his face in her hot, pulsating core.

  Jalissa was beyond all thought, her whole body a searing, formless liquid, flowing inexorably toward the final, shattering ecstasy. When he raised his head, she cried out in a protest that had barely passed her lips before he slid into her, gently at first and then with an unleashed pas- sion that sent them both over the edge into powerful spasms of release.

  The incoming tide began to lap gently around them as they clung to each other, their bodies exquisitely sensitive as they caressed each other. Neither of them spoke at first because mere words could not have conveyed what they felt. Jalissa saw mirrored in his eyes her own sense of wonder. She was a woman who knew magichad known it all her lifeand yet she had never known that magic such as they'd created could exist. It was a thing separate from them, but made of them both.

  The water had now soaked the blanket and was rising around them, sending shivers of pleasure through them that mingled with the small aftershocks of their lovemaking. Miklos drew her to her feet and they walked into the sea, wading slowly until they were caught up by a wave and tumbled beneath it, sputtering and grasping for each other and laughing with pure joy.

  The man and woman who'd made love now became children playing in the surf, a transition that seemed quite natural to them both. When they tired of swimming and riding the waves, they moved closer to shore and began to walk along the moonlit beach, wading through sand and water.

  When they reached the curved end of the beach, where a small sign warned that they were encroaching upon another private beach, Miklos drew her into his arms. His wet hands glided softly over her slick flesh.

  ''I wish that our science or Coven magic could stop time in its tracks," he said in a low, husky voice. "Between us, we hold the powers of both worlds, but still, we cannot manage that."

  She nodded her agreement, then pressed a finger to his lips. "But we can manage it for a few days," she said.

  He nodded, and they started back toward the house, both of them determined to hold back the dark shadow of the future as long as they could.

  Jalissa nibbled on some fruit as she watched Miklos trim the sails, setting a course that kept them far enough offshore so that they didn't intrude upon the privacy of others on the long coastline of small beach houses.

  The shoreline had been sculpted to create a long series of coves, each with its own little house. Distant figures could be seen, lounging on the beach or swimming in the surf. Jalissa was certain that none of them could be as happy as she and Miklos were. But with each passing hour, she became more and more aware of the price they would pay. Living only in the moment was becoming increasingly difficult for them both.

  Miklos dropped down beside her and selected some fruit for himself. The bright sunlight made his golden hair gleam and cast his body in a deep bronze. He had not been her first loverbut as she watched him peel the fruit, she knew he would be her last.

  She smiled sadly, thinking about those stories she'd heard about Vantran lovers. It was all true. This man, who could so often seem so arrogant and controlled, had for two days now been showing her the opposite side of his complicated nature: a warm and generous and very inventive lover.

  He fed her a slice of the fruit, then licked the juice that dribbled down her chin before lowering his head to trace slow circles down across her throat to the swell of her breasts. When he reached for the clasp on her bra top, she protested. He chuckled, ignoring her and removing it anyway.

  "No one will see you. People respect each other's privacy here."

  He was already naked, but she had insisted upon wearing at least a minimal covering, even though as yet no other boat had come close to them.

  She'd already discovered that her inhibitions tended to fade away with him, and it was no different now as he stripped away the tiny scraps of fabric.

  They made love slowly this time, their bodies perfectly attuned to each other. Jalissa couldn't understand how each time could be better than the lastand yet it was. She loved the way he shuddered beneath her touch, giving himself over completely to her erotic ministrations. At such times, he seemed to her like a great, tawny cat, arching his body and making satisfied sounds deep in his throat.

  To Miklos, Jalissa was the very embodiment of passion. Her womanly curves seemed made for his hands and lips, an erotic playground to bring to life a man's wildest fantasies. He felt incomplete when she was beyond his reach, which hadn't happened often in the past few days.

  To be sure, there were still brief moments when the word "Witch" would creep into his mind, with all that it implied for any Vantran, but even then he could feel the old definition of the word slipping through his mental grasp. If he was indeed bewitched, he wanted it never to end.

  On the gently rolling deck of the boat, beneath a golden sun, Miklos kissed her satiny skin, breathing in the scent of her, losing himself in the secrets of her voluptuous body. They both loved to inflict torments on each otherapproaching that point of no return as closely as possible, only to draw back and start once again. The game had played itself out many times.

  He drew first one and then the other of her dusky nipples between his teeth as his hand slipped between her thighs, urging her to the brink before withdrawing. Quickly, he smothered her protest with a deep, lingering kiss, only to begin the torment all over again.

  This time, he miscalculatedor perhaps he'd done so deliberately, because he loved watching her give herself over to ecstasy, holding her there as long as possible before sliding into her moist, welcoming warmth and joining her quaking body to his own.

  Afterwards, her eyelids grew heavy and he watched her fall asleep in his arm
s, curved against him with a trust he had thought they could never find.

  Slowly, his gaze turned from her to the sea, and then to the heavens. Their time here was over. They had held back the rush of hours for as long as they could. He would never tell her how close he'd come to resigning, ending his career. Life on Vantra would be impossible for them, but there were other worlds.

  And yet he'd known, even as he let the thought come to him, that it wouldn't work for either of them. No matter how much they loved each other, no matter that his wealth would permit them to live as they chose, the time would come when what they had given up would seem to be more than they'd gained.

  A single tear trickled down his cheek, then dropped onto her and slid between her breasts. Out there, in the darkness of the Outer Ring, and much farther away, on the golden world he called home, the forces were gathering that would tear them apartand perhaps the galaxy as well.

  Chapter Twelve

  "We've been summoned home."

  Miklos's words, spoken in a flat, unemotional tone, dropped like stones into a pool of water, spreading ripples through the placid calm of the morning.

  But the calm had been deceptive in any event. Jalissa had not asked how much longer they could remain here, because she didn't want to know. But it had been a small self-deception that hadn't really worked; she knew their time in paradise was coming to an end.

  They lay curved into each other's bodies amidst the tangled covers, their bodies sated after long, leisurely lovemaking. Jalissa realized that he must have known since the evening be- fore, and she loved him all the more for having given her that last precious night.

  "Why?" she asked. "What do they know?" And as she spoke, she unconsciously edged away from him, fearing for him more than for herself.

  "I've told them everythingexcept about you."