Moon - New Moon Part 31

"Aren't you forgetting something?" she asked, her voice taking on an edge he didn't like.

He pressed his hands against her sides. "I guess I must have, if you're getting ready to tell me about it."

"I think you've noticed that when you... when you get close to me, I pull back. How can you have a life-mate who can't make love with you?"

"I think we can work on that together."

"Falcone..."

He could feel his expression turning fierce. "I'm nothing like him. So don't bring him into the room. This is between you and me. Let's talk about what it feels like when I touch you and kiss you."

He watched her face soften.

"Does it feel good?" he asked.

"Yes. But then I get scared."

"You won't, if I prove to you that I'm not going to grab you or hurt you or do anything you don't like. If you're willing to try."

He held his breath until she answered with a little nod.

"Come back to the table and eat."

She sat down opposite him and picked up her mug, taking a quick sip.

"Tell me about Carfoli," he said because he wanted to switch to a subject that would be less threatening to her. "You said he's in the history books."

She thought for a moment. "In your world... did you have the White City?"

He sucked in a sharp breath. "The White City-1893. You mean at the Chicago World's Fair?"

"You know it?"

"Of course. I should have recognized the date when you told me before. I'm a landscape architect. Frederick Law Olmstead planned the city. It was all cla.s.sical Greek and Roman architecture. And it was full of exhibits from around the world. They had everything from elephants and gondolas to Greek statues and a dancer called Little Egypt. But I never heard of anyone called Carfoli."

She took a sip of soup, then said, "Maybe he didn't show up in your... timeline. He had an exhibit where he said he could give people psychic powers. And... he did. People left his building with abilities they never had before."

"How? Why?"

"He had some kind of machine that did it. n.o.body knows how it worked. Some historians think it enhanced natural talents that were already present. The important thing is that it was very popular, so a lot of people did it. They went home being able to do things like move objects with their minds. Or see the future. Or view a remote scene. It caused all sorts of disruptions in society. Those without the powers ganged up on those who had them. But the people with the powers fought them off. It was a very bad time. Cities were destroyed. A lot of people were killed. The people who were left gathered together in gated communities for protection. And some of them used the opportunity to take over the leadership. Some of them might be good leaders. But others were ruthless."

He nodded, trying to imagine the chaos. "And if you got psychic abilities from his machine, you could pa.s.s them on to your children?" he asked.

"Yes."

"And how did people end up as slaves?"

"Sometimes they were captured in wars with other city-states. Or they might have been the people in the city with no status."

"It's hard to believe. It sounds like Carfoli created chaos. Lucky for us he wasn't in our world."

"Or maybe he was and his machine didn't work."

"Or they ran him out of the fair."

"Or he was a s.p.a.ce alien-and he went back where he came from earlier in your world."

"You believe that?"

"Some people do."

They talked about what might have happened over a hundred years ago-and its present effect. Then, while they cleaned up after the meal, she asked him questions about the owners of the house.

"Won't they notice that we took some cheese and soup?" she asked. "And some of their clothing?"

"They probably won't miss the soup, if we take the empty can with us. I'm hoping that they won't remember how much cheese was in the refrigerator. And if we take some of their oldest clothes, maybe they won't look for them for a while. Or they won't remember if they gave them to a charity."

She nodded, and he didn't know whether she understood the reference. But she would, because he was going to teach her everything about this world so she'd feel comfortable here.

More comfortable than in the horrible environment where she'd been born.

FALCONE was lounging on a comfortable couch, sipping a goblet of wine that was spiked with a drug that amplified his mental powers. Few people in Sun Acres had access to the drug, but he could get anything he wanted, if he was willing to pay for it.

His abilities were already strong, of course. Thanks to his native talent and his training. When he'd been a boy, he hadn't wanted to leave his comfortable home. So they'd dragged him kicking and screaming to that school for children with psi powers. But after a few months, he'd silently conceded he was learning something valuable. And he was one of the best students in the school.

Rinna had been stronger, of course.

He clenched his teeth.

Rinna. He wanted her back, and he wanted her to know that she had made a bad mistake by defying him.

So he took another sip of the drink-to give himself the extra power he needed, while he debated his best option. He had Haig in captivity. He could interview the man in the stinking dungeon. Or he could have him brought up to the reception area where they could have a nice civilized chat. After thinking about his own comfort, he decided on the reception area.

He had given orders that the old man should not be injured. Haig was expendable. But until he fulfilled his purpose, he needed to be in shape for a trek across the countryside.

So he still had all his finger and toenails. His face was unbloodied. And n.o.body had chained him to a post and given him fifty lashes. Nevertheless, he was about to find himself in severe pain if he didn't cooperate.

Falcone gave a clipped order. Three minutes later, two guards hustled the prisoner in, then stepped toward either side of the door-not that the captive was going to bolt.

Falcone evaluated the man, as he sipped his wine. His head was bowed and his shoulders slumped. At the moment he wore filthy animal skins for clothing. They'd have to find him something more appropriate, when he agreed to cooperate.

Finally, Falcone spoke. "Thank you for joining us, Haig. And for leaving a trial my soldiers could follow to your cave."

The old man sucked in a sharp breath but said nothing.

"Answer me when you are spoken to," Falcone demanded. He hadn't used his special powers in a few days. Now it felt good to focus his inner vision and send a jolt of mental pain into the prisoner's brain.

Haig screamed and went down on his knees, clamping his hands over his ears as though that could shut out the pain.