Read Dusk (Dusk 1) for Free Online

other and an aversion to cooties. Between the birthday parties, the summertime camping trips, and the press of education together, she had learned there was one immutable fact in the universe.
    Wherever she went, whatever she did, she could trust Merrick with her life.
    He glanced over at her, his eyes glinting purple with the reflected glow of the holo displays. “We’re not going far. I found a new spot the other day I think you’ll appreciate.” He glanced down, moving his hand so close to her own she could feel the warmth of his skin. Stroking his finger over a smooth metal control in the center console caused the lid to pop up unexpectedly.
    She peered inside and saw a green glass bottle reclining wrapped in a soft chamois towel.
    “What is it?”
    He grinned again. “It’s Merlot, imported from Terra. I thought we could have a toast and forget about work for a while.”
    “Mmm…”
    * * *
    Nils Trelawney was not a man at peace.
    As he left the DDC assembly chamber, his stomach knotted painfully. Of all the delegates, he had not expected Olivia to react so violently to the idea, never mind impugning the intentions of the Terrans in this matter. The difficulty lay in the fact that he could hardly outright gainsay her, because whether she or anyone else realized it, she was precisely correct in her assumption that the given reason was a smoke screen.
    He hurried through the corridors, muttering greetings and trying to project an air of rushed, distracted introspection to fend off unnecessary conversation. There was only one person on Dusk he trusted to advise him in how best to deal with this matter.
    Carefully, he avoided even thinking the name. Long-term exposure to magickstone had different effects for every person, and enhanced psionic capabilities such as the ability to overhear one’s thoughts were not unknown. Despite the fact he had been carefully trained in the skill of mental shielding, it would only take a single unguarded moment to compromise himself and his lover.
    His heart felt oddly heavy in his chest, not in an emotional way, but as if his body was trying to warn him something was wrong and getting worse. He grimaced and massaged his left pectoral, trying to ease a cramp far beneath the surface of his skin. At the pace he was setting, it was no surprise at all that his lungs labored to extract enough oxygen from the air or that his temples pounded with the first twinges of a migraine. If all went well, his confidante would make him feel much, much better in only a very little time.
    Despite his cardiopulmonary misgivings, parts nearer the equator twitched eagerly at the thought of what such “therapy” might entail.
    At the door to his quarters, he touched the sequence of controls that unlocked the portal. It slid into the wall with a faint hiss, allowing him to peer into the darkness beyond.
    In the silvery light from the corridor, he could just make out a form reclining on the bed. He smiled and stepped inside. The portal closed behind him, and he absently waved it locked.
    “I am not at all pleased, Nils.”
    He frowned. Of all the greetings he had anticipated, this was the one he’d most hoped he wouldn’t receive.
    “She’s too smart,” the voice continued, muffled by a combination of the soft bedding and the fact the speaker’s face was turned away from him.
    He didn’t need to ask who “she” was.
    “What did you expect?” he demanded, his tone crackling with exasperation. “The story is too simple, too pat. Even a child of any intelligence whatsoever would suspect it, as I warned you previously.”
    “So you did.” The figure turned toward him, evident only because of the rustling of bedclothes and because the light, chiming voice became clearer. “It’s not your fault, I suppose. We should have listened to you.”
    “They do raise valid objections,” Trelawney noted. “We discussed the problem of moving that much matrix off-world before.”
    “Let us worry about