Gryph shrugged and picked up his glass. "As I said, she refuses to concede that she's even married, let alone that anything unusual happened the night I linked with her. She insists she had a littie too much to drink that evening."
"But she is with you now?"
Gryph opened one hand in a gesture. "Naturally. And she'll stay with me whether she likes it or not. I think someone has figured out she can be used to control me."
Delek met his gaze knowingly. "Another Shield would know that. But so would any westerner who is reasonably well-versed in Shield history. It's no secret that a Shield-mate is a very valuable commodity to a Shield, even if he would like to throttle her at times."
Gryph eyed Delek in surprise. "There have been one or two times already when I could willingly have taken my belt to Sariana's backside. She is willful, independent and smart. I'm learning that that is a dangerous combination in a woman."
Delek was amused. "True. What else is she?"
Gryph smiled. "She's also warm and gentle underneath her thorns, rather like one of your prize flowers, Delek. She has pride and strength. She's brave and gutsy, too. Back in Serendipity she nearly killed a man who was trying to assault her. Getting her to follow even the most reasonable of orders is proving to be a challenge, however."
Delek's grin broadened as he listened to the growing list of attributes. "A true Shieidmate for you, Gryph. You need a woman you can't intimidate."
"Intimidate! I don't intimidate women."
Delek laughed. "Your instinct is to dominate any situation in which you find yourself. It sounds as though you've found a woman who can deal with that aspect of your nature. You are indeed a lucky man. But I think you are also going to be a very busy man. You'll have your hands full trying to hold onto her unless she makes up her mind that she is married to you."
"Don't worry," Gryph stated. "She can kick and scream all she wants. I'm not going to let her get away." There was a short pause and then he said slowly, "Delek, I want to ask you something about linking."
Delek chuckled. "By now you already know the basics. Why would you need advice from an old hunter like me?"
Gryph forced back the mild embarrassment that threatened to redden his high cheekbones. "It's about the first time."
"What about it?"
"I want to know if there is really supposed to be so much pain," Gryph said quietly. Delek appeared to realize just how serious Gryph was. "Pain? Well, there's the slight burning sensation
both people get from the prisma, and there's the feeling of disorien-tation that occurs when each picks up on the other's emotions. If a woman has had little or no previous sexual experience, she might have some additional discomfort. The Shield might or might not feel some of that discomfort, depending on the strength of the link. But I wouldn't describe any of it as painful."
Gryph nodded. "That's what I thought, what I expected. Delek, it wasn't like that between Sariana and myself. The lock burned like a white-hot torch. We didn't get a sense of mild disorientation, we got a full load of each other's sensations. I had been wounded that night and she felt the pain of the wound as if she had taken the blade herself. I could feel everything she experienced when I took her. Her shock, her pain, her anger. I was running a fever and she also felt that. And the crossover seemed to magnify and reflect back. My wound hurt more than it had before the link. My fever felt several degrees hotter." He shook his head. "I can't explain it. I just know it was much more intense than I had been led to believe. I actually wondered if I had been told a few minor lies all these years."
"No, young Shields are not fed a pack of lies about linking or anything else. My first time with Penela
wasn't anything like what you're describing. There was a lot of passion on both our parts and I was well aware of her excitement just as she was aware of mine, but that was about it. It sounds like you went through a very unusual unking, but I have no explanation for it."
Gryph sat back in his chair. "I was afraid of that. Do you miss Penela, Delek?" Delek raised his eyebrows. "Penela was sexy as hell when we were linked. That woman could drive
me out of my mind with lust. The rest of the time she was a complete pain in the ass. You're old enough to know that linking doesn't always mean loving. It doesn't even always imply a good friendship. You want the truth? The day I heard she had broken her fool neck on a wild dragonpony, I felt as if a part of me had been torn out. But there was also a sense of relief. I was free. Alana has more than filled up whatever emptiness my Shieldmate left behind in me."
"I understand." Gryph wondered if any woman, Shield-mate or lower, could fill up the empty place inside him that Sariana would create if she were to leave him now. It startled him to realize just how much a part of him she had become in such a short time.
A half hour later, their plans made, Gryph said good-bye to his friend and started back toward the windrigger.
He had passed the fairgrounds on his way to Delek's house. Now he found himself stopping on a whim. He really shouldn't waste any more time. There was much that had to be done by nightfall.
But it would only take a moment to choose a trinket for Sariana. She wasn't going to appreciate having been cooped up on the ship all day. Maybe he could win a smile or two from her. He browsed the craft aisles, searching for something that would suit her, something refined and simple in design.
He had just paid for an elegant cloak pin and was wondering if Sariana would give him one of her dazzling smiles when he presented it to her when his whole body tensed.
Sariana was nearby and she was in danger.
The sensation was so overpowering that Gryph didn't
stop to question it. She was somewhere in the vicinity. Prowling like a hunting cat through the crowds, Gryph
homed in slowly on his goal.
He found himself standing in front of a large, eye-dazzling structure that he recognized as a familiar fair attraction, a House of Reflections. It appeared to be closed, but a small boy was standing at the entrance, trying to get the attention of a nearby adult.
"She's inside, I tell you. She didn't come out with the others. There's a lady still inside. You have to open the door," the boy wailed.
The attendant brushed aside the boy's clutching hand. "There's no one in there. Now get out of here. The House of Reflections is closed for repairs for the next hour or so. Go on, kid, get out of here."
Gryph stepped forward, his attention on the youngster. "Who's inside, boy? What does she look like?" "I tell you there's no one in there." The attendant was reddening with rage.
