TirzahsAllure (17 page)

“You’re probably right. Children grow up and like to do their own thing, go out into the world. We could build a general store maybe? Big enough that it can sell everything? Wow, when I think about it, there’s a lot more to setting up our own little nation than I thought. I suppose we’ll need currency. I propose we use American currency. I can take groups to the USA to set up bank accounts. We should use cash only.”

“We can talk about all that, later. One step at the time,” Opek said.

“Right. Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s a saying. Rome is a big city in Italy, another country on Earth.”

The elders left and Cain was alone with Opek. “I was afraid the vote would go the wrong way,” he said.

“You took a big risk in inviting your family before speaking with us. But all is well. Go now to tell Tirzah how the meeting went. I’m sure she’s anxious.”

Cain hurried to their cabin and found Tirzah busy in the kitchen. “Mm, that smells good. What is it?”

“It’s called a cake. I found the recipe on your computer. How did it go?”

“Come here, little vixen. I want to kiss you first,” he said and pulled her into his arms.

“From that I gather it went well or you wouldn’t look so happy, and—”

He cut her off by claiming her lips in a searing kiss, then cupped her face on both sides and gazed deep into her eyes. “Baby, if it weren’t for you, I’d still be wondering how I came to have my strange abilities. I’d never have found my family. You’re not just my soul mate, you’re my best friend, my guardian angel, the missing piece of my heart.”

She reached up to touch his lips. “And you’re the missing piece of my soul. I feel the same, my big black cat. And right now, my cat needs you.”

The big white cat rolled playfully on the floor, her tail swishing. Soft purring sounds came from her throat. Cain felt his cat call to him. The mating urge was great. As she bounded through the open door, he shifted into his cat and ran after her. She was so fast, his white cat, but he caught her and wrestled her to the pristine sand. Holding her down by her neck, he entered her and listened to her howl. It turned him on even more.

After he withdrew from her, they ran along the beach at the edge of the water until Cain changed back and Tirzah soon followed. The beach was deserted so they made love in the water and on the sand, until both were exhausted.

Chapter Twenty

Getting his parents and brother to the island went smoothly. Their paperwork and ID papers were all in order, of course, so they received their visas quickly.

Cain sat with Tirzah at the general meeting held at the main house, to introduce his family. All the white cats had been studying English on the computers and the translators were constantly being passed around, so communication was becoming much easier. With their extremely high IQ, it wouldn’t be long before no one would even imagine they weren’t from Earth.

All the adults and older children were present at the meeting. The only ones not there were the very young. Zinpa had gracefully donated her babysitting services. Cain knew the elder was still not happy with the situation, but she had at least accepted it.

Opek stood and indicated for Duncan, Carly and Garrett to rise. The soft buzz of conversation stopped and everyone waited.

“As you all know from our meeting some weeks ago, the white and black tribes have joined forces. I’d like to introduce you to Duncan Carlisle, Carly Carlisle and Garrett Carlisle. They have chosen cottage number ten. Duncan, Carly, Garrett, I welcome you to our tribe and to this island. Garrett, please tell our people how you came to be on Earth and how you have managed all these years?”

Garrett stepped forward. “I’m not good at speaking in public but I’ll do my best. On behalf of my wife and son, thank you for accepting us into your fold. It probably wasn’t an easy decision to make, due to ancient history. But these are modern times. As you’ve seen on your televisions, black and white and people of all color, have learned to live beside each other. Well…mostly. This is how we landed on Earth…”

Cain watched his father close his eyes and relive the escape from Alishur and their crash on Earth. He’d never felt so proud of any individual in his life as he did at that moment.

“And of course, everything was a lot simpler for us because social insurance numbers didn’t come into effect until nineteen-thirty-six. We have moved a number of times since then, although always within Portland, our children attending different schools, to hide our longevity. But as time goes on, it becomes a lot more difficult. We are still searching for my sister and brother-in-law and their children. I hope, once they realize that they can no longer hide their long lifespan, they will contact us. Most of us stopped using our telepathic abilities many years ago. But that doesn’t mean it has gone away, as Duncan, my wife, and Cain have proven. We will always be able to mindspeak. We feel we’ve been given another chance in life in this safe haven and we thank God, Whom we used to call the Creator on Alishur, for this opportunity. Thank you all for the warm welcome.”

Cain clapped loudly, a strange custom to the white cats, but watching him, they soon copied and clapped with him. Some shouted their welcome.

Opek stepped forward. “And to celebrate this union of black and white, all adults will call out their cat and we will run as one. Tonight, there will be feasting. This is a huge event for us all.”

They all left the main house and once outside, called out their cat. Cain waited a moment to shift. Tirzah was already among the horde of white cats bounding across the lawns. He watched the three black cats among them the same size as the white cats. It was a sight to behold. Quickly, he called out his cat and joined them.

Brother, this is wondrous.

Cain ran next to Duncan feeling the connection and camaraderie. He could hardly wait to spend more time with his twin. So many years lost, so much to talk about and catch up on. A big white cat joined them and wiggled between. Tirzah nibbled playfully at both of them. It was odd. Cain couldn’t feel any jealousy in that moment. It was natural that she loved them both, gave them both the same attention.

It wasn’t until they shifted back to human form that he questioned the interaction. Could it be Tirzah felt for his brother the same feelings as she had for him? How did Duncan feel about her? So far, he hadn’t heard any thoughts from Duncan or Tirzah regarding their feelings for each other. The women were allowed more than one mate. Did Tirzah desire Duncan as much as she desired him? Could he share her with his brother?

I love her so much. Could Duncan love her the same?
His thoughts went berserk and his jealousy knew no bounds. As cats, he hadn’t minded her playful nibbles toward Duncan. But as human, he couldn’t bear the thought of sharing her.

“You’re deep in thought, brother and I can’t read you,” Duncan said as they walked back to the cabin.

“Yes. Unknowingly I guess I’m blocking my deepest thoughts.”

“That’s a good thing. Mom and I are the only ones that have used mindspeak, usually because we don’t want to wake Dad. I often visit late at night.”

“I gathered.”

“So what’s troubling you?”

He’d always been a straightforward person. Cain thought for a moment, then blurted it out. “Duncan, do you desire Tirzah?” Duncan was very quiet and it worried him.

“I can’t hide it from you. There is an attraction. Don’t forget, you and I are the same. Our DNA is identical. It’s not strange that we’re attracted to the same woman.”

“How far does the attraction go? Have you fallen in love with her?” Cain looked at Tirzah walking about twenty feet ahead of them with Senke and Taran. Her buttocks swayed sexily as she strode, her tiny waist accentuating her curves. His cock jumped to attention. He couldn’t help but get horny every time he saw his wife naked. Duncan took too long to answer so before he did, Cain knew.

“Yes.”

“What about Tirzah?”

“Brother, I don’t know. I don’t know how or what she feels toward me.”

“I’m having a hard time getting my head around it. Like you, I grew up among Earth’s people. I’ve heard of women having more than one man in their bed, but having more than one husband, is illegal. I can’t even imagine it.”

“It’s not unheard of on Alishura. Mom told me. But all my siblings have only one mate.”

“There are women among Tirzah’s tribe who have more than one mate. Again, I’m having a hard time getting my head around that.”

Duncan put his arm around Cain’s shoulders and hugged him briefly. “Brother, let time deal with it. I fell in love with Tirzah the moment I saw her. I don’t know if she returns those feelings. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt your and my relationship. Whatever happens, let it happen. Destiny has a plan for us. Is she pregnant yet?”

“No. I don’t know if our species can procreate with each other. She should have been when we first mated, but she’s not.”

“Remarkable. It’s an interesting development for me to study.”

“I don’t think I want to be a test subject. Or for Tirzah to be one.”

“You’re too anal. If you want to have children, you’ll need to subject yourselves to tests. I’ve been completely honest with you, bro. I don’t want this to come between us now that we’re finally together.”

“It won’t. I have to admit I’m jealous. It’s part of my Earthly human instinct.”

“Let it ride its course. Allow Tirzah to make the decisions.”

They’d arrived at their cabin. By then, Senke and Taran could speak English. Tirzah and Senke went inside to make lunch while the men sat outside and talked.

“Our mating is next week,” Taran told them.

“Wow. That means I have to start making arrangements for the official Earth ceremony, too,” Cain said.

“You don’t have a woman?” Taran asked Duncan.

“Not at this point, no. Up until now, I haven’t met anyone I wanted to give my heart to.”

“Oh, and now you’ve met that person? A woman from the white tribe?”

Cain quickly diverted the conversation into a different direction. Thankfully, Senke and Tirzah came outside to join them, carrying platters of fruit, salad and Tirzah’s cake baking efforts.

“Cain, the fish and meat is ready if you want to start the barbecue,” Tirzah said.

“Okay.” Cain quickly got the barbecue going and joined them again.

Duncan leaned back. “Do you realize you’ve discovered paradise?” he said to Cain.

“Brother, all I did was search the internet for islands for sale. This seemed like the best one.”

“Well, you chose wisely. Anyone on Earth would give their right arm and leg to live in a place like this.”

They ate, laughed and talked until Senke and Taran decided it was time to leave. Cain had closely watched the interaction between Duncan and Tirzah. He knew she felt the same for his brother as she did for him. Throughout the evening, he’d been trying to give it a place in his heart, but it wasn’t easy. He’d barely found his family, hadn’t spent much time with his brother, and now he had to share him with Tirzah? Still trying to wrap his mind around it, he said, “I’m tired. I think I’ll go to bed.”

Did he really want to go to bed and leave the two of them alone? What the hell was he thinking?

“I should leave,” Duncan said.

“Don’t go yet,” Tirzah told him.

Cain met Duncan’s gaze.

Bro, I’m sorry. I don’t know what to do.

Cain heard it loud and clear.

Allow it to play out. If that’s what she wants, I’ve come to love her so much. I won’t be a nuisance, I won’t stand between you.

You can never be a nuisance. I don’t know much about all of this, a woman loving two men. We’ll have to play it by ear.

You think she loves you?

I think she has trouble distinguishing her feelings between the two of us. We’re identical, not only in looks, but in the way we act and talk.

Okay.

“Let’s go inside,” Tirzah suggested. “Maybe there’s a good movie on TV.”

Television was still a novelty for Tirzah, Cain knew. He was glad the island had satellite reception. It wasn’t good for just entertainment, but also for teaching. Cain sat on the couch while Tirzah and Duncan each chose to sit in a chair. Tirzah clicked through the channels and finally decided on a movie. It was a vampire movie.

“Do you believe in that kind of stuff?” Duncan asked.

“Would anyone believe that we’re cat shifters? Who knows? Maybe there are vampires on Earth,” Cain said.

Tirzah stood and joined Cain on the couch. “Duncan, come and sit with us,” she invited. “You can see the screen so much better from the couch.”

Duncan joined them and sat beside Tirzah on her other side. It wasn’t long before Cain noticed his arm around Tirzah’s shoulders. Grabbing her hand, he held it tightly. Tirzah didn’t notice anything. Her attention was focused on the movie.

Cain couldn’t focus on the movie. All he could think about was his wife and his brother’s feelings for his wife. As the movie progressed, so did Duncan’s arm and hands and before long, Tirzah leaned completely into Duncan and had her feet on Cain’s lap. He massaged her feet, his mind going a mile a minute. Was that all he was good for now? Massaging her feet? What did she see in his brother that she liked better?

The movie was finally over. Tirzah got up from the couch and stretched. “I want to go for a swim. Who’s game?”

“I’m with you,” Duncan said.

What choice did he have? Cain stood. “Okay, but it’s night. We have to be careful. There are sharks out there.”

Tirzah stripped and sprinted out of the door. Cain quickly took his clothes off and followed her. He could hear Duncan behind him. When he got to the beach, he watched her for a moment—a nymph, a beautiful angel dancing in the rolling waves.
My nymph. My angel.

“I’ve never seen any woman as beautiful, bro,” Duncan said, standing beside him.

“Yes, she’s a dream come to life.”

Cain ran to join her, followed by his brother. They played, frolicked, until Duncan scooped Tirzah into his arms. Cain stood as if frozen as he watched his brother’s lips claim Tirzah’s. Until Duncan tore his lips away and advanced toward him. He held Tirzah out as if in gifting her. Cain placed his arms underneath her, joining hands and arms with his brother. She lay naked on their arms gazing up at each.