She started to shoulder the rifle, but Elias shook his head. “They’re mine.”
As the soldiers reached them, Roxie realized that the kind-eyed Mystic had been running inside the formation. She didn’t know if he’d been there for protection or stealth, but she was glad to see him.
“Are you a healer?” she asked as the soldiers parted, allowing him to leave formation.
“Among other things.” He smoothed down his pants and straightened his shirt before continuing. “Who needs my help.”
She pointed toward Sevrin who had collapsed onto her side. “It would be a really good thing if that one didn’t die just yet.”
“She deserves to die,” one of the captives sneered. “That’s the leader. She’s the one behind everything that’s going on.”
“We’re aware of her atrocities and she will be held accountable for everything she’s done,” Elias assured them. “But she needs to be questioned at length before we can determine the full extent of her crimes.”
That seemed to satisfy the captives. They lapsed back into anxious silence.
“Let’s get you out of here,” Roxie suggested, needing to be away from the bloody scene herself.
One of the soldiers stepped forward and explained, “We’re here to escort the captives to the safe house.”
“I don’t want to go anywhere but home,” Emily argued. “My children have no idea where I am.”
“You’ll be allowed to speak with them or someone will be dispatched to bring them to you,” the team leader told her. “But we need to move now. The transport is waiting.”
The captives walked off with the soldiers, leaving Elias and Roxie alone in the hallway with Sevrin and the Mystic. He knelt at Sevrin’s side, head bowed in concentration. His hands hovered just above her body, moving in slow, sweeping waves from her shoulders to her waist and back. His palms glowed with yellow-orange light and Sevrin writhed and moaned.
Sevrin’s hand was no longer bleeding, but three of her fingers and most of her thumb were now misshapen stumps. The Mystic paid much more attention to her chest wound, working tirelessly and not letting anything distract him.
Roxie slipped her arm through the strap and swung the rifle onto her shoulder. She suspected fighting was still going on in other parts of the complex, but this hallway was quiet as a tomb.
Lor returned about twenty minutes later. The Mystic was still working on Sevrin. “Will she survive?” Lor asked Roxie.
She shrugged. “He hasn’t said a word since he began chanting.”
Lor nodded then slowly approached the kneeling Mystic. Lor placed his hand on the Mystic’s shoulder and the Mystic jerked as if Lor has shocked him. “Take all you need, Brother. You’re exhausted.”
It sounded as if Lor was feeding the other Mystic. Roxie couldn’t help wondering what else these men could do.
“All of their gifts require a tremendous amount of energy, but a sustained healing like this is particularly difficult,” Elias explained.
“Is the fighting over? Are we safe now?”
Lor looked at her without moving from his comrade’s side. “The complex is secure. We’ve begun evacuating the employees. Most were brought here against their will and are anxious to return to Rodymia.”
“What happened to the men we found?” Roxie asked.
“They are Shadow Assassins, but they were brought here without their permission. Apparently, there were twenty of them when they arrived.”
Roxie suspected she didn’t want to know the answer to the next logical question, but her curious nature wouldn’t be denied. “What happened to the other sixteen?”
“Sevrin’s research team literally tore them apart.”
She wasn’t surprised, but she was still revolted. She’d sensed Sevrin’s evil, but this was the first time she’d come face-to-face with victims of her cruelty.
After a long, tense silence, Elias asked, “What happened at the Team South house? Is Nazerel finally in custody? I collared him for you. Surely he wasn’t hard to bag?”
Clearly less comfortable with this subject, Lor lifted his hand from the Mystic’s shoulder and moved over to Elias and Roxie. “As soon as we piled out of the vehicles, the hunters ran back inside, which was exactly what we needed them to do. We turned on the field generator and their entire house became a prison.”
“Then why aren’t you pleased?” Roxie asked. “All of your objectives have been met. There will be a ton of follow-up needed, but basically your mission here is finished.”
“One last objective remains,” Lor admitted as he scrubbed his chin with his fingertips. “Somehow during the hostilities, Nazerel took Morgan hostage and teleported through the containment field. He was the only one strong enough to do it, but he—”
“Nazerel has Morgan?” Elias’ face paled. “This is unthinkable. Does he know she can free him from the collar?”
“She won’t,” Lor predicted. “She knows if she does he’ll be at full strength again in a matter of minutes. Her only hope is to pretend she can’t do it and find a way to turn the table on him.”
“Easier said than done,” Elias snapped. “Each of us has tried to turn the tables on Nazerel since this thing began and all of us have failed.”
“If anyone can do it, it’s Morgan. She has weapons at her disposal the rest of us do not.”
“If you’re talking about the fact that she’s a woman, it’s irrelevant.” Elias growled, clearly upset by the knowledge that his friend was in so much danger. “She is first and foremost a soldier, and a damn good one.”
“My point exactly. Her face and figure will be horribly distracting to Nazerel. Morgan is a remarkably beautiful woman and Nazerel has been without female companionship for a very long time.”
“You’re not making me feel any better here!” Elias raked his hair with one hand and took a deep breath before he went on. “We treat her with respect and honor. Nazerel has no such restraints.”
“Morgan is shrewd and competent. As you said, disguised within her desirable form is the heart and mind of a warrior. Nazerel won’t know what hit him.”
Elias lapsed into thoughtful silence for a moment. Sparks of frustration and fear zinged across their connection, giving Roxie a hint of the emotional tumult waging inside him. “I hope to hell you’re right.”
Beside Sevrin, the Mystic struggled to his feet, looking dazed and shaky. “I’ve done all I can, Master dar Joon.”
Lor rushed to his side and steadied his comrade. “Will she survive?”
“It’s doubtful. I’ve stabilized her for now, but she needs to be scanned immediately. She will not regain consciousness.”
“I understand and thank you.”
The Mystic inclined his head and walked, rather shakily, down the corridor.
“I hate to bring this up.” Lor bent and scooped Sevrin up in his arms. “But you’re Morgan’s second-in-command.”
“Which means I’m acting director until she returns.” Elias nodded then took another deep breath.
“What are you going to do with her?” Roxie’s curious nature surged again.
“Take her to Varrik,” Lor replied.
“Varrik?” The name sounded familiar, but her mind refused to provide any more information.
“The alpha sweeper,” Elias reminded. “Manipulating memories is what he does best.”
“I shouldn’t be long,” Lor told them. “We’re going to be shuffling personnel for hours. They have everyone up in hanger bay 2. Blayne is trying to get things organized.” Without further explanation, Lor flashed out of sight, Sevrin still cradled in his arms.
Elias released a long, weary sigh as he looked at Roxie. “Technically, your part in this battle is finished. If you’d rather not stick around, I can find someone to drive you home.”
“Not a chance.” She shifted the rifle farther back on her shoulder then wrapped both arms around his lean waist. “I’d just pace my apartment worrying about you.”
He til
ted her head up and smiled into her eyes. “I welcome the company. This endless night will pass a little faster with you by my side.”
“There’s no place on Earth I’d rather be.”
He chuckled as he bent to kiss her. “What about on Ontariese or Bilarri?”
“There is no place in the universe I’d rather be than in your arms.” She closed the last inch and brought their mouths together for a long, passionate kiss.
Epilogue
Roxie sat at the conference table feeling awkward and out of place. Everyone here was a trained operative, many with supernatural abilities. She was the lone civilian, an outsider. This wasn’t her world, but she wanted to understand it, because of Elias.
Elias sat at the head of the table looking authoritative and fierce. He wore black pants and a camo T-shirt that outlined every ripple and curve of his incredible torso. In any other room he would draw attention, but here he was one of many. He belonged.
Many people lived their entire lives without finding a place where they truly fit in. She’d found her home at Unique Ink and Elias was part of this world. A world most humans didn’t even know existed. Roxie felt honored to have been allowed inside, but she honestly hoped she would never need to be directly involved again. She was an artist by nature and preferred to hold nothing more violent than a tattoo machine.
“The raid on the lab was an unqualified success,” Elias began. “All eight captives have been taken to a medical facility for observation and transitional support. Each woman was traumatized as well as genetically modified. Their recovery will take time. The one named Emily became quite a resource once her children were brought to her.”
Lor slipped into the silence as Elias paused. “The four Shadow Assassins that Sevrin captured rather than recruited were returned to the City of Tears. Everyone is grieving for the sixteen who were lost. Shadow Assassins do not fear death, but knowing how they died is hard for them to accept. Still, knowing that Sevrin paid the ultimate cost for her brutality is helping them heal.
“Sevrin’s guards became shockingly cooperative as soon as they learned of her death. It wasn’t even necessary for Varrik to read their minds. They told us everything we wanted to know. The Team East house was raided this morning. The containment field generator worked even better the second time around.”
“All of the hunters, with the exception of Nazerel, have been returned to Ontariese,” Elias resumed as Lor fell silent. “The Overlord has appointed Lor to oversee the tribunal that will decide the fate of each hunter based on his level of involvement.
“Everything in both the team houses is being assessed and analyzed. If it holds no importance, it will be sold or destroyed. Anything of importance will be entered into evidence and become part of the trial.”
“I don’t envy you that nightmare,” Blayne told Lor. “I’d much rather catch criminals than suffer through endless months of trials.”
“It’s a necessary evil,” Lor countered. “After all, we’re not Rodytes.” Blayne just smiled, so Lor continued with the summary. “All of the research we found at the lab, as well as the lead geneticist, have been taken to Ontariese. Crown Stirate Quentin has been notified of his niece’s death. He was surprisingly reasonable, though he insisted that Sevrin acted entirely on her own. He went so far as to claim he’d been about to launch a full-scale investigation into her actions after several of his best scientists mysteriously disappeared.”
The ridiculous claim made Roxie chuckle. Plausible deniability at its finest.
“You find this amusing?” Lor looked at her, his gaze slightly narrowed.
“Of course not. I find the Crown Stirate’s attempt to duck any of the blame amusing in a pathetic sort of way. Does he honestly expect you to believe he didn’t know what Sevrin was up to and hadn’t been supporting her every step of the way?”
“What we know and what we can prove are two different things,” Elias told her.
“We don’t want to start a war with the Rodytes,” Lor pointed out. “Sevrin was the most to blame and she paid for her ruthlessness with her life.”
Roxie wanted to be quiet and let the briefing run its course. Everyone else seemed content to accept the information as it was given out. Her mind didn’t work that way. She was plagued by questions that demanded immediate answers. “What about the fifteen Rodyte families? Will they still come to Earth and search for their battle-born brides?”
“They were told the program was a scam, that Pern took their money and never intended to follow through with his end of the bargain.” Lor paused, almost as if he was waiting for her next question.
She didn’t disappoint him. “And they’ll believe that without proof? They’re a hell of a lot more trusting than I’d be.”
Lor had reached for his water glass so Elias responded. “It’s in Quentin’s best interest to be convincing. All of his subjects know he and his older brother were frequently at odds. He’ll blame it all on Pern. The families have no reason to doubt the story and no real recourse even if they have suspicions. We really are down to the cleanup and evaluation stages of this mission.”
“With one glaring exception,” Lor reminded. “Nazerel’s capture.”
“And Morgan’s rescue,” Elias stressed.
“Aren’t they one and the same?” Blayne asked with a hesitant smile.
“Are there any new strategies?” one of the soldiers asked. Roxie was pretty sure his name was Dekker, but she’d been introduced to so many people in the past few days it had all begun to blur.
“Just one,” Lor said with an enigmatic smile. “It takes a Shadow Assassin to find a Shadow Assassin, so I’ve arranged a clash of alphas.” Lor tapped the audiocom tucked inside his ear and said, “We’re ready now. Send them in.”
Everyone turned and watched as the conference room doors swung open. A man strode into the room as if he owned the world, a stunningly beautiful woman at his side. The man’s dark hair, which was pulled straight back from his face, was streaked with subtle threads of blue and bright blue rings blazed within his dark eyes. From the fierce expression on his angular features to the impressive width of his shoulders, everything about him screamed Rodyte warrior.
Like the male, the female made no attempt to hide her alien origins. Vivid purple eyes dominated her delicate features. Not only was the color unusual, but her irises flowed in a gently swirling pattern. That meant she was Ontarian. Was she the warrior’s mate?
As if he’d heard her question, Lor introduced the visitors. “This is Varrik and Echo dar Aune, soul-bonded mates. Varrik was the alpha sweeper and there is no one alive who knows more about the Shadow Assassins than him.”
“Excuse my rudeness, sir, but why wasn’t this man included in the team from day one?” the outspoken soldier asked.
“It’s a fair question, Dekker,” Lor said, but he let Varrik answer for himself.
Varrik stood beside Lor at the foot of the table, his hands clasped behind his back. “I was asked to lead this expedition, but the unrest on the City of Tears was still too volatile. You’ve been chasing fifteen of our best hunters. I was dealing with a massive lifestyle transition for thousands, but Nazerel must be stopped.”
“And you think you can do by yourself what all of us could not?” The question came from the generally good-natured Blayne.
“I can, but it’s not a reflection on you. Nazerel is the First Son of South. I am the First Son of North. We were reared together, taught by the same mentors, subjected to the same disciplines. More was expected of First Sons than any of the other Shadow Assassins. I know how he thinks, what he relies upon and his weaknesses.”
“I wasn’t aware he had any,” Dekker grumbled.
“He has weaknesses and I will exploit each one.”
When no one had any immediate objections, Lor motioned toward the female. “Echo isn’t here as moral support for her mate. She is a fully trained member of Ontarian Covert Operations with abilities that will greatly assist Varrik.”
Everyone scooted over and chairs were provided for Varrik and Echo. The briefing progressed with more enthusiasm, but Roxie’s thoughts began to wander. She couldn’t wait to return to Unique Ink, to the creative, peaceful environment where the most challenging decision was which design would look best on which area of the body. She helped people memorialize loved ones, process loss, and celebrate important events in their lives. She was ready to go home.
By the time the briefing ended, Roxie was unable to hide her restlessness. Everyone was crowded around Varrik and Echo, trying to learn more about the impressive couple. She loitered near the doorway, not wanting to interrupt, yet unwilling to leave without speaking with Elias.
He noticed her standing all alone a few minutes later and joined her by the door. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I just don’t belong here.” She stopped him when he started to object. “I want to go home. I’ve neglected my responsibilities long enough.”
“Give me a minute to wrap things up and I’ll drive you—”
“You’re acting director, love. You can’t just leave.” She placed her hands on his shoulders and moved closer. “I’m not breaking up with you. I just need to go to work.”
He leaned down and kissed her, their lips lingering even as he pulled away. “And when my workday’s done, shall I come to you or will you return to me?”
“I know my apartment is small, but I’d like to keep you all to myself, for a while anyway.”
“Done.” He kissed her again then pressed his forehead against hers. “I miss you already.”
Lor approached and Elias eased her back though his hand remained on her waist. The Mystic smiled at them. “I need to dissolve the proximity bond if she’s ready to leave.”
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