“Suggestions?”
“Wake her up, Matt. Let’s see what we can find out.” Trista, now fully dressed, seemed as dangerous as the female pirate role she’d played.
Matthew released Fallon’s wrists and ankles from the rope restraints and rubbed the spots where they had chafed her skin. When he was finished, Fallon shifted and curled up in his arms.
“Fallon, we need to talk.”
A deep, heaving sigh made Matthew stroke her hair. Yes, this wasn’t going to be easy. Trista sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed Fallon’s ankles.
“Why haven’t you gotten inoculated?” Trista’s first question woke Fallon up immediately.
“What are you talking about?” Her eyes were wide.
Trista’s gaze met Matthew’s. What the hell was going on here? Her eyes narrowed. “Computer,” Trista ordered. “Scan Fallon Denny for traces of S.E.X and for inoculate.”
The computer’s cold voice broke a silence a few minutes later. “Fallon Denny. S.E.X present in blood at fourteen percent of total blood volume. No inoculate found.”
The stillness of Fallon’s body told Matthew much. When she moved, he was caught by surprise, and she was across the room before he knew it. “I was inoculated this morning, before I saw Pasquel.”
She showed her arm with the tell-tale circle indicating an air syringe. A cold fist closed around Matthew’s heart. What had they given her? A placebo? Or something more deadly?
“Computer, body scan Fallon Denny for any substance not normally found in the human body.”
“SEX present at seventeen percent total blood volume. Phenex present in blood stream at eighty percent of total blood volume.” The computer stopped.
“What the hell is Phenex?” Trista asked.
The computer answered. “Phenex is a tracking drug used on endangered animals in the mid twenty-second century. It permeates the blood with a signature that can be read with a fectometer.”
Fallon’s face lost all color. “Computer, human usage.”
“Human usage of Phenex is not recommended.”
“Is it poisonous?” Trista’s voice was tight.
“In current levels, yes. Treatments for Phenex exposure are—” But they didn’t listen to the rest.
Matthew scooped Fallon into his arms and headed for the exit.
“This is Trista Tarune. I want a medic team at The Asberek Moon now.” Her dark eyes met Matthew’s gaze. “Why would they want her dead?”
“A powerful politician’s daughter dies on a distant and hostile planet?” Matthew snorted. “There would be no stopping the military action.”
“Matthew,” Fallon said, her fingers clutched to his sleeve, “I didn’t know about any of this.”
“I know that.” He stared at her pale face. What could he say? “Who gave you the inoculation?” He carried her through the bar and out into the cool Asberek night. “Who?”
She hesitated but finally said, “Todd gave it to me.”
Matthew’s lips tightened. The council would have to be informed. Publicity would have to be avoided if possible. An emergency hovercar appeared in front of the club, and Matthew stayed beside her as they treated her for Phenex poisoning.
Trista was still beside him, and he gripped her arm. “Go with her. Don’t leave her alone with anyone, not even me.”
The woman’s dark eyebrows rose. “You trust her with me?”
“More than anyone,” he said honestly. “There’s only one person you hold responsible for your parents’ death, and it’s not her.”
Slowly, Trista nodded. “Others won’t see it that way. They’ll think I’m out to exact revenge on Harbold’s daughter.”
“I don’t care,” Matthew snapped. He turned his back and started to walk away while he said, “Keep her safe.”
Chapter Eleven
The hovercar sped to the Causeway’s med facilities, and Matthew strode to the Capitol. He was well aware Michael would still be there. It was late, but his friend worked into the night often.
Sure enough, Michael was at his desk, data discs scattered over the surface. He glanced up when Matthew strode into the room. “What’s happened?”
“One of Harbold’s men poisoned Fallon,” he said baldly.
Michael whistled slowly. “Why?”
“I can only speculate.”
“Go ahead,” Michael said and leaned back in his chair.
“She was sent here to do a nasty little job, but that wasn’t her real purpose for being here.” Matthew’s jaw clenched. Everything he knew about Harbold said the man would sacrifice anything to keep his political position, even his own daughter. “She’s supposed to die, to make us seem like the vicious rebels Harbold insists we are.”
Michael’s nostrils flared. “Will she live?”
“I don’t know,” Matthew said through a closed throat. What if she died? He wouldn’t consider it.
“What now?”
“I want his hide,” Matthew snarled.
“Harbold’s?”
“His, too.” But first, he wanted to kill this Todd Aster.
“Who else?”
“Todd Aster, one of Harbold’s thugs. I want that bastard dead.”
Michael steepled his fingers together and frowned. “No killing, buddy. We have to be smart.”
“He inoculated her with Phenex. If she didn’t die from the overdose of old style radiation bonding to her blood, she’d die from S.E.X exposure.” He curled his hands into fists. “Either way, she was going to die an ugly death. What kind of a father would do that?”
“Will you Claim her?” Michael’s dark eyes were intense, bright.
Matthew froze. A Claiming. Everyone knew that a “claimed” partner no longer suffered from the effects of S.E.X in their bloodstream. His mother had proven that the hormonal changes happened when couples committed to each other whether they said the words or not. If Matthew claimed Fallon, she would be protected both from her father and the effects of the drug.
“She may reject me.” And then, it would be for nothing.
“Explain it to her. With your Claiming, she becomes a full Asberek citizen.” Michael rose. “And the attempted poisoning of an Asberekian citizen would be tried in our court rather than waiting for Earth Central justice. The man who did it would be tried according to our laws.”
“I want him detained,” Matthew demanded.
Michael nodded and then cocked his head. “You care for her, don’t you?”
An uncomfortable flip in his stomach made Matthew swallow bile. “Yes.”
“Then Claim her. We need to end this now. By being bonded to you, she’ll be safe from both sides.” Michael retrieved a blaster from a hidden shelf in his office. “Let me take care of the man who tried to kill her.” When Matthew attempted to argue, Michael held up a hand and shook his head. “No. You’d strangle him. Let me take care of it. Go protect your woman.”
His woman. Matthew strode down the broad street toward the Causeway and realized she was his. He’d Claimed her and not even known he’d done it. The thought spurred his feet to go faster. He wondered what happened if only one side of a couple bonded but the other person didn’t?
Trista was at Fallon’s side. When Matthew arrived, she met his gaze and immediately knew something had changed. “What did Michael say?”
The woman always could read him. He gazed at Fallon’s white face. “I’m to Claim her to protect her.”
Slowly, Trista nodded. “Smart. But will Fallon go for it?”
“I hope so.” His heart clenched at the thought of her saying no. “How is she?”
Trista didn’t say anything for a moment. Then she said, “The doctor said about fifty percent of her blood was bonded to the radioactive poison.”
Matthew’s jaw tightened. Fifty percent. That meant a blood transfusion. “What’s her blood type?”
“B negative.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah,” Trista sighed. “Kinley gave her blood.”
<
br /> He stared at Trista. “What?”
“It was the only way, Matt,” Trista said, her gaze wide. “We didn’t have enough of her blood type and—”
“We don’t know what that will do,” he burst out.
“It will heal her quicker. We know that much,” Trista explained. “The damage to her cells was extensive. We had to do something extreme.”
Abruptly, his knees wobbled, and he sank into a chair. He dropped his head into his hands. What had they done to this woman? “Are they monitoring her DNA changes?”
Trista nodded. “Kinley’s blood healed the damaged cells, but changed them.”
He groaned. “Do you realize what we’ve done?”
“We saved her life.”
His head shot up. “We’ve trapped her, Trista. If she goes back to Earth, they’ll dissect her like a lab rat.”
Color drained from Trista’s face. “They wouldn’t.”
“For all we know, this was what Harbold had in mind in the first place,” he said bitterly.
* * * *
Pain is a relative thing, and Fallon wondered which pain was worse. The pain in her body was manageable. The pain in her heart, not so much. Slowly, she forced her eyes open. The bright light of the hospital room made her blink. Reality sunk in.
Her father had tried to kill her.
No getting away from that fact. Todd Aster was in her father’s pay.
She shifted in her bed. She felt different. It was her body, her sensations, her feelings, but everything seemed to be brighter, louder.
“Fallon?” That voice. The sound of Matthew Lestrano’s voice sent shivers through her. In her fading consciousness, she had admitted to herself what she had denied. She wanted this man more than any other. He was dangerous and the enemy, but she couldn’t resist him.
“How long?” Her voice croaked. When she swallowed, it hurt.
“You’ve been out about two days,” Trista answered from farther away.
Fallon’s vision began to clear. Beside her, Matthew sat in a chair, stubble on his face and dark circles under his eyes. He had her hand in his and stroked it when her gaze fell on their locked fingers. Trista sat farther away, but also showed signs of sleepless nights.
They cared about her.
A knot unraveled in her stomach. It wasn’t just a political thing. She could see it in their strained faces, their clenched jaws. Matthew and Trista had stayed by her when she was dying and now—well, what now?
“What’s happened?” she asked.
Her two guardians exchanged a glance. Matthew cleared his throat. “Maybe we should wait until you’re fully recovered.”
She tightened her fingers around his and yanked on them. “Tell me.”
“I Claimed you,” he said bluntly.
“Claimed me,” she echoed. She’d heard of this. Bonding occurred because of the influence of S.E.X and the drug lost its effectiveness. The official term used by Asberek was “Claimed” couples. “Why?”
“As my Claimed, you become a full citizen of Asberek.” He kept hold of her hand when she tried to break contact. “Your father can’t try this again without suffering the consequences. Earth Central might cover up his actions, but we won’t.”
“So, we’re married. We can’t be a married,” she said, panic setting in. Her stomach rolled. “I’m going home when this is all over. I can’t stay on Asberek.”
“It means I’ll be able to protect you.” He glanced away.
Her gaze searched his face. He was hiding something. “What else, Matthew?”
His nostrils flared. Fear shot through her veins. He held her hands tightly and stopped them from shaking. “Kinley Pasquel had to give you blood.”
Okay. Deep breaths. Fallon knew what Phenex did to the blood stream. It mutated cells, damaged them. So, Kinley Pasquel’s super DNA was used to repair her damaged body. “And I’m … changed.”
“Yes,” he said and stared at her. “Tests show you have the same resistance to S.E.X that the Pasquels have.”
She could never go home.
She was a freak.
The very thing her father wanted, the DNA, was part of her now. They would study her, keep her prisoner for “the greater good”.
Fallon shook uncontrollably. If her father had already tried to kill her for political maneuvering, what would he do now? She knew already. He’d lock her away and allow Earth Central to keep her hostage in some medical facility.
Warm arms slid around her, and Matthew murmured gently, “Shh. I swear to you that nothing will happen to you. You are my Claimed, and I promise I’ll protect you.”
Everything had changed. She had come to Asberek to drag the colony back into Earth’s sphere of influence, but instead, she’d been poisoned by one of her father’s men and saved by the very people she’d considered her adversaries.
Where did her loyalties lie now?
She took a deep breath and pushed Matthew away. “You’d better explain what being Claimed is all about.” Ice surrounded her soul.
Matthew’s dark gaze held hers for a moment. “It’s similar to marriage on Earth, but less formal. I step forward as your Claimed partner and agree to provide all your physical needs.”
“I don’t understand.” She frowned. “I thought this was a gender equal society.”
“It is.” He sighed. “Sometimes new colonists would come here and the effects of S.E.X would overwhelm them. Experienced colonists would step forward and Claim the newcomer, agreeing to take care of their sexual needs. This usually resulted in a new pair bonding, so becoming Claimed became our version of bonding between mates.”
She blinked. “We’re mated?” Nothing made sense. The icy grip of shock around her feelings closed around her, and she stared at this man, this stranger. Mated. Bonded. Claimed. Words that meant she was trapped. Yet, she couldn’t feel anything, not even outrage.
“I’ve Claimed you. That only means I’ve agreed to take care of your needs. But it makes you a full Asberek citizen and offers protection from Earth Central and your father.” His gaze stayed on her face. He watched her, and she wondered what he saw.
“What am I required to do?” It made no difference. She was as good as dead anyway. Her father would find a way to kill her and blame Asberek. And then, he’d claim her body, getting exactly what he wanted from Pasquel. That super DNA.
“You’re required to let me help you,” Matthew said.
Suddenly, she laughed. It wasn’t a pleasant sound, and she couldn’t stop it. High and shrill, she laughed and laughed. The tears inevitably followed.
Matthew’s arms held her, and she shattered. Sobs wracked her body, and she had no control over any of it. She shuddered, her face buried in Matthew’s shoulder. Her throat hurt from the silent screams she couldn’t release, and her hands ached from being clenched. He rocked her back and forth while she sobbed her heart out.
He murmured soft words of comfort, most of which she didn’t hear. His hand stroked her hair, and she began to relax, to let go of the hysteria that gripped her. Some of the words managed to penetrate her fog of grief. “It’s going to be okay, baby. Let it out.”
The wave passed, and she felt immediate embarrassment. She tried to pull away, but Matthew didn’t let her. “I’m fine. You can let go now.”
“Baby, you’re not fine,” he told her. “You’ve just been betrayed in one of the shittiest ways and found out your whole life has changed. I’m not going to let you free fall because of your pride.”
Her throat closed, emotion choking her. “I came here to … to…”
“…to force Asberek to yield. I know that.”
“You know what he’ll do now, don’t you? He’ll say Asberek poisoned me. He’ll say you’re all traitors to Earth Central. He’ll put you down like dogs,” she said rapidly, her fingers clutching his shoulders. “You have to send me back, let him have me, Matthew.” It seemed the only way to stop what was coming. Earth Central wanted that DNA, and maybe Fallon could give i
t to them without violence.
Matthew cupped her face. “Never.” His lips brushed hers. “We know what we face, Fallon.”
“Matthew, please. I can’t be responsible for more deaths.” The visions of the dead Mars colonists strewn everywhere, the Earth Central forces killing … killing… It was all going to happen again. She closed her eyes.
“We aren’t Mars, baby. Trust me.”
She shook her head. “They’ll steamroll over you.”
“We may surprise them.” He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. “You need to rest.”
He said the words and suddenly, she felt exhausted. “Okay.”
“I’ll be right here.”
She stared at him. “Why, Matthew? Why would you bother?”
Something flickered in Matthew’s gaze, but then, he just smiled. “Maybe I like arguing with you.”
She snorted and laid her head back on the pillow. “Sure.” Fallon closed her eyes. Matthew Lestrano had some reason for claiming her, and she was pretty sure it was political. What difference did it make? Either she was her father’s pawn or Matthew’s. Her father had tried to kill her, and Matthew saved her.
Motives didn’t matter to her anymore. She just wanted peace.
Chapter Twelve
“Harbold Denny has made his move,” Pasquel stated to the council. “Matthew headed off most of the political damage by Claiming Fallon Denny, but Harbold has claimed we poisoned her to gain her cooperation.”
“It helped that we had proof she wasn’t poisoned by any substance found here.” Matthew’s mother stated. “Phenex is an Earth drug, and we don’t have access to it. A rare miscalculation on Harbold’s part.”
Matthew tapped his fingers on the table. This emergency meeting had been called when Earth Central had sent their ultimatum. Six months. Either Asberek capitulated to Earth Central’s demands or they faced military action. How were they supposed to deal with that?
“How do we know Fallon Denny isn’t still sending information to her father?” Arina Sarchai asked. Her gray hair was pulled back from her face, and her eyes were pinched with distrust.
“We don’t,” Gerald Forrest snapped before Matthew could respond. Edward Darby and Malachi Swartz both gazed at him.
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