…”
“You don’t snoop the way he does. It’s practically an art with him. Open to him and he lifts your whole life.”
“He’s the last person who should know.” Teray frowned. “Hell, he has the right to kill it if he wants to?since he claims us and he hasn’t given us permission to have a child.”
“It’s barely a child yet. It’s only a few days old?just a ball of cells growing.”
“You should have told me. I can’t understand why he hasn’t killed it already.”
“I haven’t let him,” she said. “Because the way things are going, I wasn’t sure you’d be around to replace it.”
Teray winced. “That’s encouraging.”
“Just don’t let him get you to Forsyth.”
“How did you keep him from killing the baby?”
“I let him see how determined I was to have it. He decided to let me wait until we get to Forsyth, too.”
“He told you he would kill it in Forsyth?”
“No, he withdrew without comment. He withdrew in that special way of his that means, ‘Later.’ ” She sighed. “I think he only wants to kill it out of vindictiveness?because I refused to have a child for him.”
Teray frowned. “I should let you know that I’m not ignoring the warnings you’re giving me about Forsyth.”
“I didn’t think you were. You don’t have to say anything more about it.”
“Good. And I want you to know that I consider protecting an unborn child a responsibility for two. If Coransee reads that in your thoughts, fine.”
“I’d feel the same way,” she said softly, “if you and I had talked about it ahead of time. If we had
both decided that it was a reasonable responsibility to assume at a time like this?which it isn’t.”
“No, it isn’t.” He hugged her and suddenly found himself smiling. “And I wouldn’t have asked it of you until we were a lot more secure. But I’m glad you did it. Why did you refuse to have his child?”
“He waited too long to ask me. He waited until I had gotten to know him.”
Teray laughed softly. She had given him a kind of victory. Not a large victory, but one he could savor. One that Coransee’s humiliations could not destroy. And the child would be a living link between them even if Teray was unable to convince her to stay with him. Or it would be a part of him that survived even if Coransee succeeded in killing him. But he did not want to think about that last. Living suddenly seemed more important than ever. Living and keeping Amber and the child alive.
“Teray?”
He looked at her, knowing that she was about to leave him.
“What did you do to Coransee a while ago? I felt him almost lose consciousness.”
He told her.
She smiled a very small smile, kissed him, gathered up a blanket, and went to Coransee.
Chapter 8
Amber returned to Teray before breakfast the next morning. She was quiet and withdrawn. She seemed to relax a little when he asked her to link up again. But through the reestablished link he could feel her smoldering anger.
“Did he make you open again?”
“Yes.” The anger flared for a moment.
“Are you all right?”
She did not answer.
“Is the child all right?”
“We’re both all right… for now. I have to go back to him tonight.”
Now Teray felt anger of his own. “If he’s alive tonight.”
“God!” she whispered. “Don’t tell me anything.”
“I don’t know anything to tell you. I’m just waiting for my chance. He has to know that much already.”
“He does. He knows everything I told you last night. He wasn’t even surprised when he read it?and he didn’t deny any of it. Look at him.”
Teray looked toward the main group and saw Coransee standing encircled by his people. He was talking to them, and though Teray could not hear what he was saying, Teray felt suddenly apprehensive.
“We now have eleven enemies instead of just one,” said Amber.
“Is he linking with them?”
“No. That’s our edge. It wouldn’t do him any good to link with them. He can’t use a link for anything but an alarm. He’s just ordering them to watch us. If one of us attacks him they’re supposed to sit on the other one. That way, we can be almost sure that whichever one of us takes him on alone will be committing suicide. He’ll be sure of taking someone with him even if he gets killed.”
Teray nodded. “I can’t blame him. That’s what I’d do.”
“You wouldn’t hold free people prisoner and put yourself in the position of having to do it.”
