The Vulpirans' Honor: The Soul-Linked Saga (3 page)

“Then let’s inform the Council of our situation,” Hunt said.  “I have no doubt they
will agree to send another male-set here to work with him.  We cannot be expected
to continue as though nothing out of the ordinary has occurred.”

“I’m sure that you are correct,” Vikter said.  “But is that really what you want to
do?”

“I would not have suggested it otherwise,” Hunt snapped.  He closed his mouth, instantly
contrite.  “I am sorry, brother,” he said.  “I’ve no cause to speak so to you.”

“I understand, Hunt,” Vikter replied.  “We are all affected by this situation.  But
we must think carefully right now.  Whatever decision we make we will have to live
with forever.”

“I do not understand why you would even consider remaining here given the situation,”
Lance said.  “Leaving at once not only has the most appeal, it seems to be our only
option.”

“Does it?” Vikter asked.  “Tell me, Lance, once we return to Berria, what then?  Will
we return to our regular routine?  Go to work in the laboratory at the Council Complex,
discuss the same topics that we’ve discussed endlessly for decade after decade with
the same people, return to our empty house afterward, eat a meal, go for a run in
the fields in an effort to make ourselves tired enough that we can sleep, only to
rise the following day and begin again.  And throughout each moment of each day of
the remainder of our lives, will we never think about the woman we know to be our
Arima?  Will we not wonder what she is like?  Who she is?  Whether she has a sense
of humor?  If she is intelligent?  What her interests are?  What talents she possesses? 
Will we never worry if she is well, or happy, or safe?  Will we be able to forget
her simply because we’ve chosen to do so?”

“She is the wife of a human man,” Hunt growled.  “What difference does it make what
her interests are?   She can never be ours.  She has chosen another.”

“Has she?” Vikter asked softly.  Lance and Hunt looked at him sharply.

“What do you mean?” Lance asked.

“Fate, my brothers, has decreed that Honor Davis is our Arima,” he said, his dark
red brows furrowed in thought.  “She is the one woman in time and space meant for
us.  After hundreds of years of waiting, will you turn your backs and walk away because
she did not fall unfettered into our laps like a ripe fruit from a tree?”

“It is not that simple, Vikter, and you know it,” Lance said.

“No, I do not,” Vikter argued.  “Other than the knowledge that she is meant for us,
proven by the extension of our mating fangs, I know nothing.  Nor do either of you. 
After waiting so long for our Arima, I am not willing to turn my back on her without
knowing a great deal more than I do at this moment.”

Hunt walked away, grumbling to himself.  Lance looked after him, then turned to Vikter. 
“I think I understand what you’re saying, Vikter.  But the fact is that she is married
and has a child.  I do not see how staying here and getting to know her better can
possibly change those facts.”

Vikter ground his teeth with frustration.  He had been as shocked, angry and hurt
as his brothers when he’d realized that the beautiful woman with a scent like purple
night jasmine and a voice like soft, low music, was married.  But now that he’d run
off the worst of his temper, he wondered if things were perhaps different than they
appeared.  It made no sense that the Fates would bring her to them after so many years
of waiting, and then not allow them to have her.  Unfortunately, neither Lance nor
Hunt were in any mood to think as he did. 

“Very well,” he said.  “Let’s set that matter aside for the moment and return to the
issue of our honor.”

“I believe that Hunt was correct,” Lance said.  “The Council will understand, and
assign another male-set to take our place.”

“Probably,” Vikter agreed.  “However, as you pointed out, we are the ones who invited
Dr. Michael Davis here.  We are the ones who sponsored him, and we are the ones who
insisted that be allowed to examine the remains of the Xanti.  If we turn our backs
on him now, and he is either insulted by our behavior and leaves, or is left uncertain,
and fails, it will reflect on us no matter what our excuses may be.”

“I’m willing to accept that,” Hunt said, returning to them. 

“Finding the key to unlocking the Xanti is the only hope we have for saving the Thousand
Worlds, including Jasan,” Vikter said.  “Our expertise is in biology, and it just
isn’t enough.  We need a fresh viewpoint.  We need someone who can see more than we
are able, someone who can get into the Xanti’s mind.  We agreed that Dr. Michael Davis
was our best chance of doing that.  Our best chance of finding the key to unlocking
the Xanti.  If we insult him, he may leave, and this chance will be lost to us.  Are
you willing to accept that?” 

Hunt glared at the ground, his fists clenched.  Finally he threw his head back and
shouted in pure frustration.  Then he took a deep breath and bowed to Vikter with
perfect politeness.  “You are, of course, correct, Vikter,” he said.  “We cannot,
in honor, abandon our duty.”

“I find that I must agree,” Lance said.  “I wish that I did not.  And I have no idea
how we are to manage working with the man who is married to our Arima without killing
him.”

“Take a moment to remember of whom you are speaking,” Vikter said.  “We were most
impressed with that young man on Epsilon III, if you recall.  His intelligence, his
natural gift for understanding alien races notwithstanding, he was also friendly,
self-effacing, and enthusiastic.  We liked him, quite a lot, if you will recall.”

“I do recall,” Hunt said with a sigh.  “I want to hate him now.”

“Hate him for what?” Vikter asked.  “What has he done to earn our anger?  He surely
did not set out to steal our Arima from us.  Do you imagine that we have the right
to steal her from him, just because we now know that she’s our Arima?   She is a person,
not a possession, and from the age of their daughter, they have been together for
some years.”

“Your arguments make sense, and are correct, I admit,” Lance said.  “I will try, Vikter,
to do as you wish.” 

“It is not what I wish, Lance,” Vikter said, suddenly feeling tired.  “It is only
the truth.”

“I do not want truth, or sense, nor do I want to care what is right in this matter,”
Hunt admitted.  “But I acknowledge that you are correct, and I agree that we must
do as you say.”

“Let’s return to the garrison,” Vikter suggested, deciding it was time to end this
debate.  His brothers had agreed to stay.  For now, that was enough.  “I’d like to
check on the Xanti, then we can go to the cafeteria for dinner.”  Without waiting
for his brothers to agree, Vikter shifted back into his alter-form and began jogging
back the way they had come.  A few moments later he sensed Lance and Hunt as they
caught up to him and silently took their places just behind him.

***

Summer Katre placed her carefully wrapped music box in her suitcase and closed it,
snapping the catches securely.  “There, that’s done,” she said, turning to her friend,
Darleen Flowers, with a smile.  As always Darleen appeared to have no expression on
her face at all, but Summer saw the tiny lines at the corner of her eyes and knew
that, for Darleen, that was as close to a smile as she generally got. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to come to Geroa Island with us?” she asked.

“I’m sure,” Darleen replied.  “You and your Rami have had little enough time alone
these past two years.  You deserve this time together.”

“Katre House is huge, Darleen,” Summer said.  “I’m sure we can manage some alone time
without tripping over you.”

Darleen’s mouth stretched into a real smile this time.  “Thank you for the invitation,
Summer,” she said.  “If you must know, the heat and humidity of your jungle island
are a bit much for me.  I’ll do better on the ranch.  It’s autumn there.”

“Will you visit your sister in Granite Falls?” Summer asked.

“No,” Darleen said.  “She hardly knows how to behave around me these days.  It’s best
if I leave her be.”  Darleen saw the worry in Summer’s eyes.  There were few people
in the Thousand Worlds who truly meant anything to Darleen, and Summer was one of
them.  Because of that, she tried to think of a way to ease her friend’s worry.  “I
plan to spend some time with Saige, though,” she said.  “She’s about five months pregnant
now.  I bet she’s huge.”

Summer smiled, as Darleen had hoped.  “Anyone carrying triplets is going to be huge
at five months,” Summer said.  Only Darleen could have seen the hint of wistfulness
in Summer’s chocolate eyes, but she didn’t comment on it. 

“Will you be working with Doc?”

“Yes, I will,” Darleen replied.  “It gives me something to do and I enjoy it.  Speaking
of which, I should go now.  The VTOL to the ranch will be leaving soon.”

Summer stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her friend in a long hug, pleased
when Darleen hugged her back.  “You take care of yourself, you hear me?” she asked
as she released Darleen and stared directly into her eyes.

“I hear and I obey,” Darleen said with a tiny smile.  Summer laughed, as Darleen had
known she would. 

“Je t'aime,”
Summer said.

“I love you, too,” Darleen replied.  She picked up her backpack, slung it over her
shoulder and left without a backward glance. 

“Darleen will not come with us?” Maxim asked, entering their rooms shortly after Darleen’s
departure.

“No,” Summer replied.  “She gave me a few reasons but I think the truth is that she
wants us to have time alone together, and she wants to spend time with Doc.”

“I confess that I do not understand the relationship between her and Doc,” Ran said,
entering in time to hear Summer.  “They seem to care for one another, but they do
not show it.”

“Doc and Darleen are both wounded people,” Summer said.  “They must do things in their
own way, in their own time.”

“Doc is not so wounded as Darleen,” Maxim said as Loni joined them.  “Besides, his
wounds are old.  They’ve had much more time to heal.”

“I don’t know about that,” Summer said.  “His wounds are different, but they are no
less deep.  You just can’t see his scars as you can Darleen’s, and as you know, scars
cannot be healed.  Not even by time.”

“You are so wise,” Loni said, reaching out to caress her cheek.  Summer smiled and
turned her head to kiss his hand.

“I’m not wise, Loni,” she said.  “I just know things sometimes.  And right now, I
know it’s time for us to leave.”

“You’ll get no argument from us on that,” Ran said.  “This is all you’re taking?”

“Everything I own is in that bag, so yes, that’s all I’m taking,” Summer said.

“We are not very good Rami,” Maxim said, frowning at her single suitcase. 

“Why do you say that?” Summer asked as she reached for her katana and slipped it into
her back harness.  “I happen to think you’re great Rami.”

“In all of the time we have been together, we have never taken you shopping,” Maxim
said.  “We’ve traveled the breadth of known space over, and you’ve no more now than
the day we met you.”

“We’ve traveled the breadth of known space over rescuing women because I’ve asked
it of you,” Summer argued.  “Shopping for new clothes is of no importance to me compared
with that.”

“We have agreed to take several weeks off to rest before going to Onddo,” Maxim said. 
“During this time we will take you shopping for new clothes.”  Maxim saw the mutinous
expression on Summer’s face, but the days when he guessed wrongly about her thoughts
and feelings were long gone.  He understood her very well now.  “Everyone will believe
that we are thoughtless Rami who care nothing for the health, happiness and safety
of our Arima.”

Summer sighed inwardly.  After all her men had done for her, traveling for months
on end, aiding her to fulfill her vow to rescue every woman enslaved by the Xanti,
she would not have others think badly of them.  But she wanted to go to the island
and rest with her men.  Not spend days wandering through shops, trying on clothes. 

“I offer a compromise,” she said. 

Maxim’s expression became wary.  Summer was extremely intelligent, and exceedingly
clever.  One had to be very careful when she began offering bargains, deals, or compromises. 
“What compromise?”

“There’s a new tele-fabrication plant in Badia,” she said.  “How about I do my shopping
on the vid-terminal.  When we return to the ranch we can stop in Badia and pick up
the order.”

Maxim thought about that for a few moments.  “You must place your order within a week,
and have it delivered to the island,” he counter-offered.  “That way we will see how
much you’ve purchased, and there will still be time to order more if necessary.”

Summer laughed.  Maxim was getting to know her a little too well.  “Deal,” she agreed. 
What the heck, she thought.  She loved clothes as much as the next woman.  She just
had other plans for this little vacation with her Rami.  Shopping on the vid-terminal
was the perfect solution.

“Now, let’s get out of here, please,” she said.