She gasped when she saw that she wore a white gown made of an unusual filmy fabric. It clung to her every curve. Flushing in anger, she shot out questions.
"What happened to my clothes? What kind of outfit is this?"
"It's just the uniform of the day--and a wonderful day it has been." He wore a look of satisfaction as he fingered the tunic he wore. It, too, was white and made of some diaphanous material that had gold fibers glittering with every move he made--even with every breath he took.
She couldn't help staring at him, especially the part of him below the short tunic. He had incredible legs, the kind she had only seen in magazines--the kind she believed had been manipulated by a clever graphic artist to look better than actual skin. She could hardly believe that such perfection existed--especially on a man.
She started to breathe faster. Then she looked up again at his face and saw the flicker of amusement in his gaze. Could he know what she had been thinking? She felt the blush burn on her cheeks.
"I want my own clothes back!" she insisted.
"You must be properly dressed in the Sifra."
Once more he held out the golden goblet. "I know you're terribly thirsty--and this would do you a world of good." He winked at her. "That's another human phrase I picked up. I really enjoy all the idioms--the way your people toy with the language--it has so many nuances. Our language is so stilted and stale. It hasn't changed much at all since Creation."
She did not take the goblet. She glared at him.
"Is this a cult?" She narrowed her eyes and watched while his gaze meandered intimately over her body. She found a curious heat blazing along the trail of his bold stare.
"Perhaps you could say that what we have here is an alternative lifestyle."
There was an intensity to him that sent her pulse throbbing. She didn't know exactly what was going on, but she found her response to this stranger clouded her thinking.
"So you smoke grass and run around in these filmy robes and--and--and--"
"Make love?" He raised his eyebrows with the question.
She barely nodded and she realized that her pulse began to race with speculation. With his broad shoulders, strong neck, and his long, wavy blond hair, he reminded her of a surfer--minus the tan. She had seen few men in such amazing shape. A flood of wanting surged through her. However, she could not allow herself to be swept away.
"I am leaving. Right now." She stood up and swayed precariously.
He quickly rose and caught her elbow to steady her. "I don't think you're quite ready to go running through the woods yet. What is it they say, 'haste makes waste'?"
Her own mother was very fond of that particular saying. Tia took a deep breath and turned to face him. However, his jade-colored eyes nearly entranced her once more and an odd tingling spread through her. Still, she had to be firm, she reminded herself.
"Look, I appreciate the fact that you saved me from that maniac, but I really must get back."
His smile faded and it seemed as if the light above her dimmed. "There's one important detail--"
"I'm out of here!" She yanked her arm away from him and turned to look for an exit. It only took her a few seconds to realize that the room did not have a door. She ran her hands around the walls in a panic. "Get me out of here. Let me out!" She pounded the wall with her fists as fright tore through her.
When he encased her trembling hands in his, a soothing warmth shimmered up her arms. His gaze turned into a soft caress. It was like gazing at graceful aspen leaves fluttering in the breeze.
"We must wait for the council's decision."
She could feel the hysteria rising in her throat.
"Am I a prisoner? With you?"
"Think of it as a holding pattern."
He said it calmly, as if being in a room with no door did not merit her concern. Simply the tone of his voice composed her to a small degree, but the fact remained that she could not leave. He gave her hands a tender squeeze and she felt a current go through her, one that raced along her veins to her heart. Still, the walls hemmed her in.
"There is no way out. I am trapped." Her voice caught on a sob.
