"Anthony, Piers - Mode 01 - Virtual Mode" - читать интересную книгу автора (Anthony Piers)

She had intended only to remain for half an hour or so, but this was such dangerous delight that she couldn't bring herself to break it off. Slowly her heart eased its horrendous pace, and she relaxed.

She woke, and realized that she had been asleep for some time, nestled against Darius. He was warm and she was warm. As far as she knew, he had not touched her even in the "maybe" region. She was almost disappointed. She fell back into sleep.

She became aware of the creeping light. "Ohmigod!" she squeaked. "Morning!"

She scrambled out from under the blanket, startling Darius awake. "My parents!" she said. "I have to get back to my room, so they don't know where I was!"

He nodded, seeming to understand. She found her slippers, slipped out the door, and almost flew, wraithlike, across the yard to the door.

The door was locked. "The key!" she breathed in anguish. She turned about and flew back to the shed.

A hand reached out. It held her key.

"Thanks!" She snatched it and ran back. The door seemed to make a thunderous noise as it unlocked and opened. She went in, then turned to lock it again. She put the key away.

Then she forced herself to walk slowly through the house to her room. No one was up. She was unobserved.

She entered her room, went to the bed, and threw herself into it. She had made it!

Now she remembered how Darius had given her the key. He knew what it was for and where it was. He could have kept it from her. He could have raped her. He could had taken the contact of his hand on her breast last night as a pretext to go wild. It wasn't the kind of breast found in macho male magazines, but it didn't exactly require padding for a formal gown either. She had given him every opportunity.

He was either a decent man or he just wasn't interested. She cursed herself for her total, absolute, unmitigated folly-and knew she would try to find out exactly which it was. Decency or disinterest. If it killed her. And it just might. Which was perhaps the point.

CHAPTER 2



DARIUS

DARIUS woke as the maiden jumped out of bed in -the wan light of dawn. For a moment he was disoriented, but it quickly came back: she was Colene, and she had come back to spend a chaste night with him, warming him with her company. He appreciated that very much.

She hurried out. She did not speak his language, unsurprisingly, but had taught him some of hers. She had made it plain that she shared her domicile with her parents, who would not understand Darius' presence here. That too was understandable. Certainly he did not want her to be distressed before he could get to know her well enough.

He felt something cold against his ankle. It was her key. She would need that to enter her locked house. He picked it up and moved to the door.

In a moment she appeared, shivering in her pretty nightdress, her breath fogging in the chill morning air. He saw her small high breasts heaving enticingly. He extended the key. She took it and ran back the way she had come. He shut the door.

Colene. She was young, but by the same token fresh and pretty. She had courage too, and intelligence. She seemed eminently suitable. But would she want to do it? It was too soon to tell.

He had time to find out. Unless there was trouble before he did. If there was trouble, he would have to-

Then he remembered that aspect. He couldn't! He had lost the signal key!

What was he to do? Without that key he couldn't return. He would be locked in this reality, and he had already discovered that he was not equipped to survive here.

Well, did it really make a difference?

It was pointless, but the knowledge of his likely demise here caused him to set a higher value on his life than hitherto. With renewed interest, he reviewed the events of the last few days.