She’d missed talking with him, though she realized that she’d never really gotten to know Balfor as well as she’d believed she had. She’d missed the civilized part of him, but loved the primal part of him too. Now she wondered if he had recovered—he must have if she was here. If he had, she knew she was going to miss the primal part of him. She also wasn’t sure how he felt about her now. Though she’d lived with him for weeks since the whipping, to his civilized half, it might still be a fresh memory, and one he was not likely to forget.
Thinking of him made her wonder where he was now, and in what condition he was in. Her vague memory of waking up earlier might have been just a dream caused by delirium. What had happened to put her back in this hospital?
Her lungs hurt, her body ached all over, especially internally. Glancing around, she saw that she was hooked up to an IV pumping saline and—shit, fungicide! It couldn’t be! But of course, it absolutely could. The spores of the deadly fungus were not present in Sanctuary or around the massive fields of basalt traps that surrounded the volcano, but the cavern they had been in was not necessarily in Sanctuary and had been flush with foliage that could harbor creatures infected with the spores. Balfor had caught many small animals to eat during their time there, animals small enough to hide from the snake-thing that had made the place its home.
If she’d inhaled the spores, then it was a wonder she wasn’t dead. It explained the inexplicable weakness that had come over her and the eerie tickling in her chest, then the wracking cough that she’d had. Balfor, even in his primal state, must have realized what had happened. He’d come to his senses and had gotten her to her own people to heal her.
Stacia was still trying to work out the details on her own, when her doctor came into the room. Dr. Wittier was as brisk as always. He’d been her primary care doctor for years, all of her adult life actually. He knew her well. Unlike the nurse, he had no problem meeting her eyes. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t talk about things that were not directly related to her health.
He did at least answer those questions, though. Yes, she’d been infected by the spores. Yes, her condition had been critical when she’d been brought in to the hospital but was now well under control. She’d been given her last dose of anti-fungal medication. Now she would be carefully monitored and her body scanned to determine the damage to her organs.
Basically, her doctor was telling her that once again, she’d be spending a lot of time in the hospital. The only non-health related question he deigned to answer was whether Balfor was around.
His mouth pinched tight with disapproval and his eyes narrowed. “The… hem… umbrose prince has left Dome City to return to his home, but he has appointed a representative who will be permitted to come see you shortly.” Then Dr. Wittier did a few last checks of the monitors, made some notes on his datapad, and left her room without another word.
She was hoping for Lilith when her door slid open a short time later. Instead, much to her surprise, it was Candace who entered her room.
“You’re looking much better than when you were brought in,” Candace said by way of greeting. She looked fit and healthy as she had when last Stacia saw her. Her smile was as bright as always, and she seemed to bubble with optimism and enthusiasm. “It’s good to see you again, Ms. Dornan.”
“Please, call me Stacia. It’s good to see you too, though it’s a bit surprising.”
“I assure you, your friend would have loved to have come here herself, but the timing is critical for our agreements. Since the umbrose refuse to use any technology, Lilith must be there to translate all of their documentation and deal with the many problems that have been cropping up. There was also some sort of… incident in Sanctuary.” Candace didn’t bother to hide her curiosity. “She wouldn’t share the details of it, but I gathered that people were shook up. Her mate was resistant to her returning to DC at the moment. So she contacted me, as I’ve been working as her direct liaison in DC for over a month, and I hope I can now consider her a friend as well.” Candace motioned to a chair, raising an eyebrow at Stacia.
Stacia nodded her assent and Candace took a seat.
Her dark brown eyes studied Stacia’s face which made Stacia realize that her scars were on full display for this woman. To her credit, Candace didn’t stare, but didn’t avoid looking at them either. She seemed more focused on Stacia than her scars, which made Stacia like her more. “So, you’re probably wondering how you got here, aren’t you?”
“Yes! If you answer my questions, I’ll be forever in your debt!”
Candace’s smile was a little tight around the edges. “I imagine the staff has not been very forthcoming.” At Stacia’s nod of agreement, she continued. “I’m afraid that your arrival here was a bit… dramatic. The prince literally appeared out of thin air just outside the main skygate to the Hub carrying you—wrapped in nothing but a woven blanket—in his arms.” She shook her head. “You and I have both seen him do this ‘disappear and reappear’ act, but the rest of the citizens of Dome City have not. The guards scrambled to train their weapons on him. Fortunately, they hesitated to fire because he was holding a human. This gave the Counsel time to order them to stand down, having been informed by Lilith that he would be arriving to save the life of Stacia Dornan, daughter of Richard Dornan.”
Stacia was fascinated by the story. She was both sorry and grateful that she’d been unconscious for the entire confrontation. “I wonder why he didn’t just appear inside the Dome.”
Candace shrugged. “I suspect that he can’t. Perhaps there’s something about the domes that limits him. It was also day time. Maybe that alone limits his abilities. At any rate, Prince Balfor hovered in front of the airlock—with a host of anti-aircraft guns trained on him—demanding entrance. He threatened to break through the dome to get you to a healer.” Candace laughed. “I honestly believe he could have in that moment. It was quite a spectacular showdown, and the footage from the security cams has been streaming non-stop on every channel for the last two days. There’s rampant speculation about everything to do with the prince, and with you, Stacia.”
Stacia sighed deeply, grateful that the pain in her chest appeared to be subsiding with each breath she took. The doctor must have dosed her with a cellular regenerative. Hopefully, it didn’t have the same side effects as the one that had been used on her face. “That sounds bad.”
Candace crossed one leg over the other and clasped her hands over her knee. “Are you kidding? This is the most exciting thing to happen to DC since the Commemoro invasion. People are eating this up. They can’t get enough of you and your umbrose prince. Unfortunately, that means the media is downstairs in the lobby in full-force. Hospital security isn’t equipped to deal with this, so DI sent Gideon and some members of his security team to provide backup.”
Stacia slumped back against the bed, feeling the exhaustion of a body healing from a terrible ordeal. “Like I said, sounds bad.”
Candace leaned forward and placed her hand on the metal railing that surrounded Stacia’s bed. “Never fear, I have a plan.” She winked, and Stacia couldn’t help feeling a little better that someone as competent as Candace was taking charge of this situation. She was too tired to deal with all of this. “I’ve already gotten clearance from Dr. Wittier to have you relocated to a more private location where you can heal in peace and anonymity.”
This got Stacia’s attention. “You mean they’re going to move me? Now?” She barely felt capable of lifting her head, much less walking to a vehicle.
“Don’t worry; you’ll sleep through the whole thing. The nurse will be in to sedate you in a moment and then we can get you out of here and away from all this craziness. You’ll like where we’re going. It’s a beautiful place.”
“I’m not so much worried about beauty as opposed to comfort and privacy.” Still, it sounded good to get away from the media frenzy that awaited her downstairs. Reporters were persistent. She’d learned that many times growing up with a father who ran the large
st company in DC. No doubt at least one would find a way past security somehow. She’d have to worry about being ambushed at every turn. “I have only one concern. I understand that Balfor had to return to Sanctuary, and honestly, given the attention he’s stirred up, and the mistrust humans still have towards the umbrose despite the trade agreements, it’s probably better that way, but in this new place you’re taking me, will he be able to visit me?”
She needed to talk to him. She would have summoned him to her side if she’d been certain of her reception. Of course, he might not have been able to come as long as she remained inside the dome. He’d probably still have to go through an airlock, most likely one of the skygates bristling with heavy AA weaponry. She wondered what he’d thought of the decontamination process—at the skygates it was designed for cruisers, not people. It must have been very unpleasant for him. Her heart warmed at the thought that he’d gone through all of that for her. She couldn’t expect him to go through it again just so she could see his face and talk to him in person.
Candace smiled broadly at her question. “His visit is anticipated. The facility is already prepared for it. You won’t need to worry about anyone staring in shock and trying to shove cams in your faces there.”
Candace fell silent as the nurse entered the room. Again the woman refused to meet Stacia’s eyes. She walked to Stacia’s IV and injected a sedative into Stacia’s catheter without a word to either Stacia or Candace.
The drug flowed quickly into Stacia’s veins. She felt the calming lassitude spilling over her. “I’m surprised Doc Wit didn’t tell me about the transfer himself,” she said with a slurring voice. The thought had just occurred to her.
The nurse glanced at Candace, who shook her head so slightly that Stacia wondered if she’d only imagined it. Then the other woman left.
Candace rose gracefully to her feet and leaned over Stacia’s bed as the drug took effect. Her pale face was blurry, but Stacia saw red lights glowing in Candace’s dark eyes as they met hers.
Cyborg! Her mind spun with the word, but her body didn’t respond to her demands to leap from the bed and fight her way out of the room.
“Rest well, Stacia.” Candace smiled and patted Stacia’s numb and useless hand. “Your salvation awaits you, and our Lords await the arrival of your protector.”
Chapter 23
The light in the room was blinding. That was Stacia’s first thought as she came to. It took a moment for her brain to fill in the blanks and even longer for adrenaline to spill into her blood stream, burning off the last vestiges of the sedative. She opened her eyes and tried to roll from the bed she was lying on.
Instead, nylon restraints softened by padding around her wrists and ankles held her down. The light stung her eyes until her pupils shrank enough that she could make out more than just the blinding glow.
A cavern ceiling stretched above her. Huge crystal spears hung like swords above her head. She hadn’t expected to find herself in another cave. This one was similar to the geode cave that Balfor had first been in when she’d confronted his primal. Only the crystals which clung thick against these rocky walls and ceiling were prismatic and reflected the light everywhere, casting rainbows that seemed to float in the air in front of her. It was uncomfortable to try and focus on anything, but Stacia managed it as she turned her head and saw Candace standing beside her bed silhouetted by the halo of glowing crystals.
The woman had the nerve to smile sweetly at Stacia, as if she hadn’t just abducted her and wasn’t her worst enemy.
Stacia tried to spit at Candace, but her mouth was too dry to work up any saliva. “You’d better kill me, you bitch, because if I ever escape, I won’t rest until I hunt you down and make you eat your own robotic eyes.”
Candace’s smile dropped away. “Your language is appalling, but not unexpected, given your rather… sinful history. Yet I find that I like you, Stacia. Beneath it all, you’re a good person and you mean well. You’ve demonstrated that through your loyalty to your friends as well as your generosity to those less fortunate. I hate to see your potential corrupted by the evil which you surround yourself with. Your sins can be forgiven, if only you repent.”
“I’m the evil one? Seriously? You kidnapped a sick woman and are keeping her in a damned cave! Where’s Doctor Wittier? Where’s the medical staff?”
Candace glanced over her shoulder. The nurse who’d drugged Stacia stepped into Stacia’s view.
Candace gestured to the woman. “Doctor Alion will handle your care. Doctor Wittier was not a loyal servant of the Lords. He could not be trusted with this important mission.” She spread both hands to indicate the blinding cavern. “And this is no ordinary cave, such as your demons make their homes in. This is the Father’s Heart.” Her voice was reverent as she said the words.
Stacia wished she understood the significance. She knew that the Mother’s Heart was sacred to the umbrose. Apparently the adurians had a similar situation. It didn’t take understanding their odd religious notions to realize that she was in deep shit. She would’ve summoned Balfor at that moment, if only to see him again one last time, but better to see him rip Cyborg-Candace apart. Unfortunately, the Lords who Candace served were expecting him, which meant they had a plan to defeat him. Stacia wasn’t going to bring him into this danger. Weak as she was, she’d figure out a way to free herself.
“Candace, the Lords are the evil ones. Can’t you see that? They’ve oppressed our people and treated us like playthings for their whims.” It was probably a waste of time to appeal to the woman’s better nature. Cyborgs were programmed to obey the Diakonos and the Lords without question. But sometimes the programming failed.
Candace’s smile was gentle. “Of course you would think that, as your mind has been corrupted by the demons you call umbrose. I’ve seen their evil for myself. I’ve also seen the great blessings bestowed upon us by the Lords.” She spread her arms wide, her expression blissful in this place of light. “We were lost when the Lords lifted us up, our society embroiled in war and chaos, our people murdering and cannibalizing each other with no regard for their souls. We would have destroyed ourselves if it hadn’t been for their intervention. You’ve bought into the lies spread by the Commemoro, but the truth is there if you’re willing to remove your blinders of sin.”
As she’d suspected, it was a waste of time. Candace was too deeply programmed. Stacia wondered if the other woman was a Peace Keeper. If that was the case, her strong, athletic build made sense. She was a fighter. At least Stacia had recognized that much from the beginning. She just wished that she’d realized the significance of it. A Diakonos plant in Dornan Industries! Her relationship with Balfor couldn’t have been foreseen by the Diakonos, or even the Lords, but it had to seem like an excellent opportunity to use her as bait to recapture the umbrose prince. She wasn’t about to let that happen, though she didn’t have a plan yet on how to avoid it. But there was no way in the Nine Hells she would allow Balfor to become a victim of the adurians again. She’d seen enough of how they’d treated him the first time.
Lilith had trusted Candace, and Balfor had trusted Lilith’s judgment. Stacia hoped that Balfor would not make Lilith suffer for something she couldn’t have possibly foreseen.
“The message has been sent.” At the sound of the male voice coming from behind the head of her bed, Stacia’s heart sank.
So Gideon Walker was also a part of this betrayal. She hated that. She’d liked him. Of course, she’d liked Candace too. No doubt Gideon was also a cyborg programmed to obey his masters.
He continued speaking, oblivious to her distress at his part in this betrayal. “Balfor doesn’t know the Lords have found the Father’s Heart. He’ll come to retrieve Ms. Dornan believing he’s a match for our Prince and Princess.”
Candace made an abrupt motion, and Deon fell silent. She turned her attention back to Stacia. “We’re going to leave you now in the capable care of Doctor Alion. Soon, you’ll be reunited with Balfor. Perhaps then, we can
reveal his true, evil nature to you. Then maybe you’ll return to the Light of our Lords. Until then, rest in the glory of the Father’s Heart.”
Chapter 24
Balfor fought against his primal. It was the worst battle he’d ever fought, but he knew he had to win. His primal was also determined to win. It didn’t seem to understand that he needed the connection to the Mother to rescue Stacia from the adurians. It only wanted to find her, immediately, and tear apart anyone who stood in its way.
Ranove watched him struggle from a safe distance, but he could still scent the duke nearby. The other male’s scent only further aggravated his primal, but it was a small distraction, one that both sides of him could put aside as they wrestled with the veil separating them and the chains of his willpower holding the primal back.
He was close to losing to his primal, close to being completely overcome by its fury and determination to regain its freedom and go after Stacia with no real strategy for facing the adurian prince and princess who waited for him to answer their challenge. It wasn’t that Balfor wasn’t also desperate to save her from their clutches. She was still weak from her illness. She’d been taken right from the hospital under the noses of their pitiful excuse for security. That she’d been taken by the representative he’d sent—trusting Lilith to handle the human side of things—didn’t make him any less determined to seek their punishment once he’d rescued Stacia.
Yet Balfor’s desperation was tempered by reason, which his primal lacked, especially at the moment. He knew that Uriale and Anata would defeat him without his connection to the Mother. Even with it, so far away from the Mother’s Heart he would be more vulnerable. They were counting on that, because even their combined powers would not be a match for him with the Mother’s Heart nearby. He couldn’t give in to his primal. He tried to re-forge the chains that it kept breaking. It got harder for him to concentrate.
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