Read Eland and Jeanne (Tales of the Shareem) for Free Online Page B

light around.
    “What do you keep looking for?” Eland asked him after they’d lived like this a couple of days. “There’s nothing down here.”
    “Sure there is. These look like old maintenance tunnels, from when everything was wired. Bet the grid is still tied into it, though.”
    “Good for the grid. How about figuring out how we’re going to get off-planet and not be caught?”
    Rees turned around. The light limned his face in stark lines, showing a handsome man, but not one face-sculpted into perfection. Rees was rough around the edges, as Eland was. Level threes often were hard-faced, the better for playing Dom. They looked the part.
    Eland, though, wasn’t sure what level Rees was. Eland’s friends at DNAmo had been easily classified. Aiden was a level one, obsessed with everything sensual, like oils, scents, the feel of different textures. Anything to make a woman melt in his hands.
    Justin and Rylan had been level twos—fun and games. They laughed and joked a lot, and had all kinds of sex games to play. They went for things like furry handcuffs and strip poker.
    Level threes were far more basic. Eland’s friends Rio, Ky, and Kieran were level threes, who tended to be straightforward, dominating, and didn’t always bother with sensuality and games. They were hardcore, they liked it that way, and the women who went for them knew what they were getting.
    Rees gave off signals of all three levels, and some Eland couldn’t read. Shareem were good at interpreting body language, but Eland got weird vibes from the man.
    “How the hell did you escape DNAmo?” Eland asked him.
    Rees shrugged as he studied a power conduit on one of the half levels. “Luck.”
    “Luck, my ass. We’d been looking for a way to get out of there for years, but only you did it. I’d never even heard of you until you escaped.”
    “They didn’t let me mingle much.” Rees’s back was to Eland as he examined the controls, but Eland saw his shoulders tighten. “You’re right, it was also a hell of a lot of planning.”
    “Couldn’t take us with you?” Eland asked, half joking.
    Rees glanced at him, his eyes in shadow, but Eland saw pain there. “You’re out now, aren’t you? I couldn’t do anything about you while I was busy saving my own ass. They were going to kill me.”
    “I heard you were seriously dangerous,” Eland said, his tone skeptical.
    “I am. But not to other Shareem.” Rees’s voice became a growl. “They shit on all of us.”
    “Don’t worry, big guy. I’m not afraid of you.”
    Rees’s bad mood evaporated. He laughed softly and turned back to the power box. “Good. Makes a nice change.”
    Eland sank to a stair and folded his arms. “What, everyone’s terrified of you, are they?”
    “Yep. I’m unpredictable and slightly insane. But give me some good ale, and I’m fine. Ah.” Something snapped, and then dim lights appeared up and down the stairwell.
    Eland looked around, relieved to be out of the constant dark, but the power brought another worry. “You didn’t just signal everyone from the top of the hill to the lowest patrol station that someone was down here, did you?”
    “Nope.” Rees closed the panel. “I’m good with electronics, which is one reason I escaped. They thought it was so much fun watching me figure out how wiring and electrics worked, until I used it to make me disappear. Well, that and the help of one brave woman. Hope she’s all right.”
    “I’m sure she’s fine. The ladies always were when we finished with them. Satisfied and happy.”
    “That’s true. Especially with me.”
    Eland made a derisive noise. “What are you, the ultimate Shareem? They programmed a big ego into you, boyo.”
    Rees shrugged. “Ego has nothing to do with it. They made you a level three to do certain things. They made me to do ... other things.”
    Eland eyed him. “Like what?”
    “Nothing I want to talk about.” Rees examined another control panel. “Wish I could use my