“Olivia!” he exclaimed, squeezing her wrist tighter. “Don’t do this! Drop the syringe or I’ll have to hurt you—you know I don’t want to do that!”
“I must give you…I must give you…” Olivia repeated over and over, her arm trying to stab downward with the syringe.
Gripping her wrist tighter than he wanted to, Sylvan at last forced her to drop the syringe.
“What’s in this, anyway?” he demanded as it clattered to his desk. “What are you trying to inject me with?”
“Mission failed,” Olivia announced in that same, calm, flat tone. “Self-destruct sequence initiated.”
“What?” Sylvan dropped his hold on her and took a step back. Her eyes…what was wrong with her eyes? They had gone from silvery-gray to bright, pulsing red.
Some instinct caused him to duck and then, to his horror, Olivia’s head blew apart in large, bloody chunks.
“Goddess!” Sylvan gasped as she toppled over, fluid spraying from her neck. It didn’t look like blood exactly—it was pink instead of red. But it was doing a pretty good job of coating his desk and walls with arterial spray. What in the Seven Hells was going on? The thing that had just exploded in his office couldn’t be Olivia…could it?
Sylvan ran from his office and looked for the nearest viewscreen. There was one in the reception area just outside his door so he didn’t have to go far. He called his brother’s suite with shaking fingers, praying to the Goddess all the while that everything would be all right. He could have used a Think-me and bespoken his brother, of course, but he needed to see Baird’s face. And more important, Olivia’s.
“Yes, Brother?” Baird’s face came on the screen in a moment. “Is everything well?”
“That’s what I need to ask you,” Sylvan said urgently.
“Well, we’re all fine.” Baird frowned. “What’s this about?”
“Let me talk to Olivia,” Sylvan said urgently.
“Why? Is something wrong in the med center?” Baird asked. Without waiting for an answer, he called to the other room, “Lilenta, Sylvan needs you.”
“Is there something wrong in the med center?” Olivia asked, echoing her husband’s question. She was a nurse and since Sylvan was a doctor the two of them worked together often.
She came into the room and walked up to the viewscreen which Baird had mounted on the wall of his living area.
“Hi, Sylvan. What’s wrong?” she asked, frowning. “I was just getting Daniel down for bed but if you need me at the med center Baird can take over. Honey, go in with Daniel for a minute could you?” she said to Baird.
He nodded and went into their son’s room, leaving Olivia to peer at the viewscreen.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“No…yes. I…don’t know.” Sylvan ran a shaking hand through his hair. Seeing his sister-in-law acting and talking so normally, he was more certain than ever that the thing that had exploded in his office couldn’t have been a real person. But then, what in the Seven Hells was it?
“Sylvan?” Olivia leaned closer to the viewscreen, a look of concern on her lovely features. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “You look like you just saw a ghost.”
“I…I don’t know what I saw,” Sylvan admitted. “Will you please ask Baird to come to my office at once?”
“So it’s not a problem in the med center?” Olivia looked at him doubtfully. “What’s this all about, Sylvan?”
“I’ll tell you when I know,” Sylvan promised. “For now, please just ask Baird to come to my office.”
Olivia still looked concerned but she nodded.
“All right—I’ll send him. But, Sylvan…be careful, okay?” She gave a worried little laugh. “Sorry—I’m not sure why I said that. I mean, you’re just in your office right? I’m sure you’re safe there.”
Sylvan reflected that he would have thought the same thing a moment ago.
“Thank you for your concern, kin-of-my-mate,” he said formally. “But I am well—I just need Baird.”
Olivia nodded and, as she ended the call, Sylvan heard her calling again for her mate.
Speaking of that, Sylvan wanted to check on his own mate. If a perfect clone or whatever it was of Olivia had been able to infiltrate the Mother Ship, who knew what else might be out there?
Taking a deep breath to try and calm his nerves, he bespoke Sophia.
“Yes, honey?” he heard her ask through their mental link. “What is it?”
Suddenly Sylvan knew he wasn’t ready yet to tell her what had happened—he didn’t want to worry her when she was alone with the twins.
“I…just wanted to hear your voice,” he sent back, trying to keep a mental guard between his chaotic thoughts and emotions and his mental link with her.
“What’s wrong? I can feel that something’s going on with you.” Sophia’s mental voice sounded like she was frowning.
“I can’t talk about it now—I just wanted to be certain you and the twins were safe,” Sylvan sent.
“Yes, we’re fine.”
“Good.” Sylvan breathed a sigh of relief. “Then I want you to do something for me—go make certain the suite door is locked and don’t let anybody in—even people you know. Even me—until I link with you again and let you know I’m right outside the door. All right?”
“Sylvan, what is this about? Is the Mother Ship under attack? What’s wrong?” Sophia demanded.
“No, we’re not under attack—at least I don’t think we are. This is just a precaution. I promise I’ll explain as soon as I get back to the suite.” He made his mental voice as soothing as he could. “Please just trust me, Talana and do as I ask—all right?”
“All right.” She still sounded worried but perhaps a little calmer. “Just…be careful, Sylvan. As Head of the High Council you’re vulnerable. And if anything ever happened to you—”
“It won’t. I’m being careful—Baird is coming to join me now,” he promised.
“All right. I love you—I’ll always love you.”
“I love you too, Talana.”
As he broke the mental connection, the viewscreen in front of him flashed to life again.
“Commander Sylvan?” It was Commander Hrake, a Beast Kindred communications officer who reported directly to Sylvan. “Commander Sylvan, are you there? Please respond,” he said, his golden eyes worried.
Sylvan gave the viewscreen access and accepted the call.
“Yes, Hrake—what is it?” he asked.
“Oh, there you are, Commander. I couldn’t reach the viewscreen in your office for some reason,” Hrake said. “I’m sorry to bother you but you have an urgent call coming in from a Commander Lathe. Will you take it?”
“Put it through.” Sylvan nodded. He had been wondering how his fellow Blood Kindred was doing in BleakHall and sending up nightly prayers to the Goddess for his safety. If Lathe was calling him, it must mean that his mission was complete and he was coming home.
The viewscreen flickered and a harried-looking Commander Lathe appeared on the screen. He had blood on his face and there were other people crowding around behind him but he seemed well enough.
“Commander Sylvan,” he said urgently, before Sylvan could say a word. “You are in grave danger. Mistress Hellenix of Yonnie Six put a contract out on your life. You have to take steps to protect yourself at once!”
“Thank you, but I believe the threat has already been neutralized,” Sylvan said dryly.
Lathe ran a hand through his hair distractedly.
“You mean you were already attacked? Gods, I’m sorry, Commander! We had a hell of a time getting out of BleakHall and I thought—”
“We?” Sylvan interrupted him. “Did you find other Kindred prisoners there?”
“I found one at least. Commander Sylvan, meet Slade—he’s a hybrid from—Gods…I don’t even know where you’re from,” he said to another male who was sitting beside him in the passenger’s seat.
“The Blood Circuit originally and more recently, Pr
iux Prime. And of course, the hole at BleakHall.” The male grinned at Sylvan. He was wild-looking with mismatched green and gold eyes, long brown hair and a full beard that badly needed trimming. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Commander. Can I ask—does your Mother Ship have any Pairing Puppets on board?”
“Pairing Puppets?” Sylvan frowned at the question. Pairing Puppets were the life-like female androids that were used by unmated Kindred warriors to ease their sexual tension until they could find and align with a mate. “Well…yes we do,” he said. “In the Unmated Males section.”
“Perfect. Thank you.” The male called Slade nodded. “Appreciate that, Commander. I’ve been dreamin’ of a sweet little Pairing Puppet to take the edge off for fucking months now.”
“Well…you’re welcome to use our facilities.” Sylvan still didn’t know what to make of the male. One of his best friends, Merrick, was a hybrid but this Slade seemed to be very unusual, even for his rare kind. Had he fought on the Blood Circuit and killed the wrong person? Was that how he’d ended up in BleakHall? Or had he just angered the wrong mistress, like so many of the prisoners there?
“I also have two prisoners from Phobos with me,” Lathe said, leaning in towards the viewscreen again. “A brother and sister—Lord Jak and Lady Arianna Blackthorn. Permission to bring them aboard the Mother Ship, Commander Sylvan?”
Sylvan’s eyebrows rose almost to his hairline.
“How did a lord and lady from Phobos wind up in BleakHall Prison? Never mind.” He waved a hand when Lathe started to explain. “If you trust them, I trust them. You’re welcome to bring them aboard.”
“Thank you.” Lathe hesitated. “And…I’d like to have someone check them out in the med center. We’ve all been through a lot tonight—we could all use a thorough checkup.”
“Report to the Med center as soon as you get here,” Sylvan said. “But Commander Lathe, can you tell me anything else about the assassination attempt? There are some…troubling details I’d like to get clear.”
“I’m afraid not.” Lathe shook his head regretfully. “All I know is that it was planned by Mistress Hellenix of Yonnie Six. We were warned by her, uh, Kindred slave, Malik—he said that she believed if she got rid of you, most of the complaints against BleakHall would go away and she and the other Mistresses could continue making profit without anyone bothering them.” He frowned. “In Malik’s opinion, she was probably right.”
“I see.” Sylvan nodded. “All right. Well, send your coordinates and I’ll have them fold space for you at once. We’ll see you aboard the Mother Ship very shortly.”
“Thank you, Commander Sylvan.”
Just as Lathe signed off, Baird walked into the reception area of Sylvan’s office.
“I heard that—who are we folding space for?”
“Commander Lathe—the Blood Kindred officer I sent to BleakHall—remember?”
“Oh, right—the Kill-all/Cure-all Blood Kindred.” Baird nodded. “So he made it out all right?”
“He and several others, apparently. Including one of the largest hybrids I’ve ever seen who apparently has an itch to scratch. He already asked me if we have Pairing Puppets aboard,” Sylvan said dryly.
Baird’s black eyebrows rose and he snorted out laughter.
“Really? I guess if I’d been locked up in prison for the Goddess knows how long, I’d be in need of a little female companionship too.”
“It seems he is—although from what I could see of him, he’s in need of medical attention first. In fact, all of them look like they’ve been in a fight for their lives.” Sylvan frowned. “I hate to ask, but could you bespeak Olivia and ask her to go to the med center after all? I need someone I can trust there to evaluate them when they come in and I’d like to get her opinion.”
“Sure.” Baird shrugged. “She can leave Daniel with Sophia and your twins.”
“Oh, that reminds me.” Closing his eyes, Sylvan bespoke his own mate again, reassuring her that everything was all right and letting her know that she’d be watching their nephew for a little while.
“Well you’re certainly sounding calmer,” she sent back. “Is the danger over?”
“I think so.” Now that he knew the threat Mistress Hellenix had sent against him was neutralized and understood where it had come from and why, Sylvan felt a good deal more confident that things were all right. “You should still be cautious,” he warned his mate. “And I’m sorry to ask you to watch Daniel as well as the twins by yourself.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it—Kara and Kaleb will love it. I can just hear them now—‘cousin slumber party!’ It’s going to be a blast,” she sent dryly. “I’ll go ahead and pop some popcorn right now.”
“I love you—thank you for understanding,” Sylvan sent with real gratitude. Even after years of marriage, he still felt like the luckiest male in the world to have gotten Sophia as his wife.
“I love you too. Just be careful and come back to the suite as soon as you can. Oh—there’s Liv at the door now. See you later, honey.”
Sylvan sent a burst of love and affection—the mental equivalent of blowing a kiss—and then closed the mental link and looked at his brother.
“Well?” Baird stared at him, frowning. “You wanna tell me what this is all about? Why did you need me to come up here? And why are you out here instead of inside your office?” He frowned. “And what’s that pink sticky stuff on your clothes?”
“I’ll show you,” Sylvan said grimly. Come inside my office—but watch where you step. I’m afraid it’s rather messy.”
Forty-Five
The vastness of the Mother Ship was a little overwhelming for Ari who was used to her own quiet manner house on Phobos or at most, a Ton-kwa meet at one of the larger market towns. But even the largest market town on Phobos would have fit easily inside the confines of the Docking Bay where Lathe landed the Kindred shuttle they were flying in.
There was a nice blond-haired woman to meet them, however. She introduced herself as Liv and shook her head when she saw them.
“My goodness! Well, I can see why Sylvan wanted me to come check you all out,” she said, looking them over. “Welcome home, Doctor,” she added respectfully, nodding at Lathe. “If you don’t mind my saying so, you look like you’ve had a rough night.”
“I’ve had about six months of rough nights,” Lathe’s deep voice sounded tired to Ari—so weary that she wished she could put her arms around him and comfort him. But now that they were in the big, clean, modern ship where he belonged and she so clearly didn’t, she didn’t dare to touch him. Besides, she was still using both hands to keep her jumpsuit, which Mukluk had ripped open, closed.
Liv hustled them all off to the med center—which was apparently the Kindred version of a healing house—where healers and nurses of all kinds were bustling around.
Slade and Jak were taken to separate exam rooms, with Slade protesting all the way that he was just fine and all he needed was a quick shower and the directions to the Pairing Puppets—whatever those were. Which left Ari and Lathe standing beside Liv, who was deciding where to put them.
“I can look after myself, Nurse Olivia,” Lathe told her. “But I’d like you to take special care of Lady Arianna for me. She has been through some very traumatic situations in the past several days.”
“Understood, Doctor.” Liv nodded. “I’ll do the initial exam but do you want me to bring her to you when you’re finished cleaning up so you can do a more thorough checkup yourself?”
For a moment Lathe and Ari locked eyes and she saw an unreadable emotion in those turquoise depths. Could it be regret? Sorrow? Or simply weary indifference after the night they had all endured? And why was he using her formal title now instead of just calling her ‘Ari’?
“No,” he said at last. “No that…shouldn’t be necessary. When you’re certain Lady Arianna is healthy and well, she and her brother can return to their home planet of Phobos. It won’t be necessary for me to see her again.”
“What—ever?” Ari burst out, unable to stop herself. “After everything we’ve been though at BleakHall together you’re just going to walk away and leave?”
Lathe looked taken aback. But almost at once the surprise on his face smoothed away and a look of impersonal professionalism replaced it.
“BleakHall was another world. I think we’re both aware of that. It’s time to leave it behind and get back to our separate lives.” He nodded at her formally. “I wish you a very happy and healthy future, Lady Blackthorn. May the Goddess bless you.”
Then he turned away from her and left without a single backwards glance.
Ari stood staring after the big Kindred, her mind a mass of seething, conflicted emotions. Anger—how dare the big asshole tell her to have a nice life and just leave her standing here in the hallway? Disbelief—Lathe had fought for her—had gone into Rage for her—had killed for her. Could he really have lost any and all emotion for her so quickly?
But what Ari felt most of all was despair.
Never, whispered a desolate little voice in her heart, I’ll never see him again. He doesn’t want me anymore and there’s nothing I can do to change that.
“Oh, honey…” The nice nurse, Liv, shook her head and put an arm around Ari’s shoulders. “That was…rough.”
“He left.” Ari’s voice sounded thick and disbelieving in her own ears. “I can’t believe he just left.”
“I’m betting there’s a story behind all this.” Liv squeezed her shoulders comfortingly. “Come on—why don’t you tell me all about it while I get you checked out?”
Numbly, Ari allowed herself to be led away. At the far end of the med center she could still see Lathe’s broad back, clad in the BleakHall trustee jumpsuit of striped blue and green. He was standing there talking to what she assumed must be another doctor but he didn’t even seem to notice Ari looking at him. After a moment, he finished his conversation, turned the corner and was gone.
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