That didn’t reassure her. In this case, however, Dalden could not fault her disbelief. Afembairwas a predator, the most vicious flesh-eater on the planet, something he would refrain from mentioning. Those that lived in the castle were tame, yet anyone who visited there and didn’t know that would have the same reaction as Brittany.
It wasn’t easy to tell these creatures apart. They were a non-interbreeding animal, so there was very little deviation in their looks. They all sported short white coats of an exceptional softness, long sleek bodies, and large round heads with great blue eyes. And fangs. He’d never taken one for a pet himself because they liked to sleep in beds and he didn’t like sharing his—until now.
Explanations usually sufficed—for a Sha-Ka’ani who would not discount the existence of afembair, merely that one could be found in a town, inside someone’s house. They could make their home in any region of the planet, since the climates didn’t vary greatly, they just preferred the wilds, far from people and cities.
The people of Sha-Ka-Ra were used to them wandering in and out of their town, and found it amusing that theirshodanhad managed to domesticate such a wild breed. All of which wouldn’t matter to his life-mate, whose disbelief stemmed from a different reason. He still had to try.
“Shank belongs to my sister,” he told Brittany. “She raised him from a baby when she was but a child herself, so he is completely tame.”
“If he’s hers, what’s he doing here?”
“It was a game from when we were young. I would lure him here with treats so she could not find him. It became a habit with him. He still comes here expecting treats.”
“I—I hope you had some on hand to give him,” she said, her voice still apprehensive.
“He is content with petting instead.”
He sat down cross-legged on the floor next to thefembair. It immediately curled its large, supple body around him. He scratched behind its ears, under its chin. Purring began immediately.
“Come here,” he told Brittany. A glance at her showed that she was adamantly shaking her head. “Comehere,” he repeated in a tone that would have made any Sha-Ka’ani woman jump to obey, but not his lifemate. “We are going to remove your fear of this feline,” he explained more calmly.
“Just remove the cat instead,” she suggested.
Martha scoffed at her. “You think it’s an illusion. Since when can illusions hurt?”
That caused Brittany to frown. Dalden took advantage of her confusion to point out, “Can you not hear the sound of his contentment?”
She couldn’t help but hear it purring so loudly it rumbled about the room. She abruptly left the bed, marched determinedly toward him, and squatted down next to Dalden, though still several feet from Shanelle’s pet. He unbalanced her, and tugged her into his lap to bring her closer to Shank. She still didn’t take her eyes from thefembair, not once, and her body was stiff with fear despite her determination. Courage his woman had, to charge ahead, fear or not.
He took her hand, guided it to the top of Shank’s head, and left it there. She didn’t pull it away. And having touched the animal, she now wanted to examine it fully. She lifted the heavy head, stared into the big blue eyes, measured the length of the two four-inch fangs.
“Sabertooths are extinct,” she finally said in an awe-filled voice.
He knew not what she was talking about. Martha did and merely replied, “On your planet they are.”
“Nor did they ever grow this big,” Brittany said.
“Careful, doll, or you might convince yourself you’re in a new world.”
Brittany made a low growl and shot to her feet. “I know what you’ve done. You found this place and have somehow kept the rest of the world from hearing about it. What is it, something in the water here that makes the people and animals grow exceptionally large? Or genetic engineering? Have you actually tampered with nature here?”
Whether he could have answered her or not, Dalden knew those questions weren’t for him. Whenever she came up with a new nonreality, it was Martha she accused with it. Never him. To accuse him would mean she would have to discusswithhim her disbelief.
They had both been reluctant to do that, to “rock the boat,” as Martha would put it. But perhaps it was time for that boat to sink. It was becoming painful, knowing that although she wanted to be with him, she wanted to be with whosheinsisted he was, not who he really was.
He needed advice from someone who had long dealt with an off-worlder.
He went to find his father.
Chapter 44
“WHERE’S HE GOING?”BRITTANY ASKED MARTHAwhen Dalden abruptly left the room.
“Probably off to kill something. Warriors tend to do that when they get frustrated.”
“Something?”
“Don’t sound so horrified, I was joking. But you, my girl, are going to have to start looking at this from his point of view. Every time you scoff at something we show you, you are scoffing at him. Every time you come up with one of your excuses, you’re saying he isn’t real. How do you think that makes him feel?”
