by Regine Abel
Minh required a sample of my blood and ran some tests on me to see how the hormone I drained from Amalia was affecting me. Over the past week, the regression of my Taint had been spectacular. The subtleties of Veredian biology were a mystery to us. One Minh and Dr. Murkhin were eager to delve into in light of what it could mean for the Xelixian race. However, I wouldn’t have Amalia turned into a lab rat.
We agreed Amalia would stay under induced coma for the next twenty-four hours to give her time to heal. I hated having to wait this long before I could see her beautiful eyes light up with mischief again, but I hated above all seeing her hurt and vulnerable. Lhor left the clinic for a couple of hours and, the Goddess bless him, brought us food on his return. It was late evening when Ghan checked in, confirming that the shuttle had been sabotaged.
* * *
My muscles were sore from sleeping on the chair next to Amalia’s bed. We had spent the night at Minh’s clinic, with Lhor crashing on one of the couches in the lounge. Ghan came to pick up Lhor and me with the repaired shuttle. He brought Sohr and Yhan to stay at the clinic as protection detail for Amalia. I gave her still lips one last kiss before returning to the estate. Jhola served us breakfast in the compound’s Situation Room.
“Status?” I asked, without further delay, as we tucked into our meal.
“Your mate’s warning saved our lives last night,” Ghan said, swallowing a piece of fried rhomak. “The damage was significant but impossible to detect if you weren’t specifically looking for it. The saboteur was a professional.”
“Do we have any leads?”
Ghan nodded. “The shuttle was set to suffer critical failure while in flight. The saboteur also tampered with the electrical system to ensure a spark would ignite the fuel reserves. This way, had we survived the crash, the explosion would have finished us off. It would have looked like an accident. That made him overconfident so he didn’t bother with the hospital’s surveillance system.”
“I contacted Behn Gravhin,” Lhor said, “a trusted detective with the Capital District Police Department. He got us a copy of the surveillance footage that revealed the saboteur. He ran his facial against the database and identified Kuuruk Terk, a notorious Guldan assassin.” Lhor displayed the assassin’s image on the vidscreen. “They’re hunting him now. Gravhin also took Dr. Lurphin and Nurse Rosthan into custody once Minh’s report confirmed Lurphin falsified the tests.”
I examined Kuuruk Terk’s mugshot. “Great news. But why involve the PD?”
“Because you have to tread carefully, Khel,” Lhor said. “The Council is nervous enough that you all but control the military and now have your own personal compound on your estate. Lurphin and Nurse Rosthan could get off on a technicality if they can make a case that you overstepped your jurisdiction. Chasing Gruuk may be your jurisdiction, but not an attempted murder case. Unless you can prove Gruuk and his allies ordered it, and not someone coveting your lands. We can’t risk the evidence acquired at the hospital being deemed inadmissible.”
“Fair enough,” I said, annoyed by the council’s squeamishness. I did own the military. They should be relieved my loyalty to Xelix Prime was unshakable. “However, the attack on my shuttle constituted an assassination attempt on the General of the Xelixian Army and his First Officer. That’s a direct threat to national security and therefore under military jurisdiction.”
“Only if the attempt was against you,” Lhor said in a soft voice. “It can be argued that since the poisoning of your mate failed, they tried to finish the job by arranging an accident of the shuttle that was supposed to take her back home. That would make you collateral damage, not the target.”
“Fine!” I growled pushing off my chair. It nearly toppled over. I paced the room, cracking my neck to release some tension. “But how the fuck did that Guldan get planetside? We gave strict instructions to be notified of any ships carrying a Guldan crew or passengers.”
“We believe they arrived on the passenger transport that crashed outside town before reaching the docking bay,” Ghan said. “The one that slowed traffic yesterday. Once the rescuers were done evacuating the passengers, they noticed two were missing.”
“So we possibly have two Guldans on the loose,” I said through gritted teeth.
“There is something else you need to know.” Ghan was treading carefully. I would hate whatever he said next. “Had we flown the shuttle last night, the forensic analysis would be identical to the one that killed Vahl and your parents. Investigator Gravhin has reopened your family’s case.”
I stopped pacing and stared at Ghan in shock. Blind fury built up within me. Roaring with rage, I threw a chair across the room. “I want that assassin found! And I will kill him with my own hands.”
A wave of calm washed over me. Lhor… Resting my palms against the conference table, I took deep breaths to regain control.
“We’ll find him, Khel,” Lhor said, his voice soothing.
Ghan gestured with his chin for me to take a seat.
I let myself drop into a chair across the table from my cousin. We needed to discuss this soothing ability I was sure he possessed. How could I have calmed so quickly otherwise?
Lhor leaned forward, his hands folded on the table. “Detective Gravhin and I interrogated Lurphin and Rosthan last night.”
“Is that what you were up to before you brought us food?” I asked.
“Yep,” Lhor said. “They didn’t know much. They were contacted last night by a female from Family Welfare telling them a Veredian female would be brought to them in the morning. They were to keep her unconscious until someone came to take her. Further instructions would follow.”
I fisted my hands on my armrests. “Letha again?”
“Yes,” Lhor confirmed. “One of Gravhin’s informants told him Lurphin is well known in the criminal circles as someone that can be easily swayed for a few credits. The minute we left the house with Amalia en route for the hospital, Lurphin received a call from a male going by the name of V informing him that Amalia was inbound. He was to take over her care, as instructed, until they came for her.”
“That means that fucker watched my house,” I said. “According to Minh, Amalia shouldn’t have survived the seizures. He must have been there to see if she would make it or not, and initiate plan B if she did.”
“We’ve tried to trace back the signal from the com exchanges between Lurphin and this V character, but it was a dead end. V appears to be using those black market modified coms,” Ghan added. “We suspect he hired both the advisor and the doctor.”
“I want to talk to Letha right now,” I said tapping an angry finger on the table.
“I figured you’d feel that way,” Ghan said, “so I brought her over this morning, just in case. Some alone time in the compound’s holding cells tends to help people revisit their priorities.”
A feral grin stretched my lips. “Efficient as ever.”
* * *
Ghan brought Letha to the interrogation room. When we built the temporary HQ on the estate, I told him he was going overboard by including holding cells, an interrogation room, and a bunker. Right now, I was grateful I’d indulged him. It was a stark, barren room with a glaring light, as such spaces were wont to be. Letha sat on a stiff plastcrete chair, her wrists bound to the armrests with magnetic shackles.
She shuddered when she saw the three of us walk into the room. Dark shadows under her eyes and dried streaks of tears testified to an unpleasant morning. She lifted her chin, but its uncontrolled trembling deprived it of any power. Ghan leaned against the wall. Lhor sat on a chair backwards, his forearms resting on the backrest.
“Release me at once,” Letha demanded with a hiss. “You have no right to hold me.”
“Oh, but I have every right,” I said, taking a seat. “You do know who I am?”
“I don’t care who you are!” she screeched. “I’m a female. The laws are strict against harming females. There will be dire consequences for you if you don’t release me at
once.”
I laughed humorlessly. “The laws are indeed quite strict. Though that didn’t seem to concern you when you tried to murder my mate. You know the law also applies to female criminals?”
Her eyes bugged as all color drained from her face. “No… No. No.” Her voice trembled with fright. “I didn’t try to murder her.”
“Are you denying that you came into my home with the deliberate intention of infecting Amalia with the illegal substance on your hands?” I rose, walked up to her and leaned a few inches from her face.
Her jaw worked silently. Her eyes flicked around the room as if looking for an answer that would appease me.
“Answer me!” I shouted, spit flying onto her face.
She recoiled with a squeal. “Please… Please…” she begged, tears running down her cheeks. “I… I didn’t harm her.”
“For the last time, Advisor Colbhen,” I articulated slowly, “did you deliberately touch my mate with the intent of infecting her with a substance on your hands?”
“I didn’t hurt her,” Letha sobbed.
I stepped away while she stared at me with confusion and desperation. I made eye contact with Ghan and gave him a stiff nod. Without a word, he took two steps toward the advisor who began to screech with terror, pulling at her shackles with enough strength to harm herself.
“No! No! Please… I’ll tell you whatever you want! Please don’t let him hurt me!”
“Khel asked you a question,” Lhor snapped at her. “I saw you grab her with both hands. She had to pull her arm out of your grasp. And when she kicked you out, you tried to touch her again. It isn’t the Xelixian way. So answer the fucking question.”
“Yes. Yes, I did mean to touch her,” she confessed.
“Why did you try to kill my mate?”
“I didn’t!” she cried out, closing her eyes. “By the Goddess, I swear to you. It wasn’t supposed to kill her. It was only supposed to make her ill enough you’d have to bring her to the hospital.”
“I held my mate while violent seizures almost killed her. She could barely breathe!”
Letha shook her head in denial. “It wasn’t supposed to be like that. She was just supposed to feel extremely nauseous and maybe even pass out, but no more. That’s what he said!”
“That’s what who said?” I demanded, leaning in close enough that I could see her lips twitch.
“Some male named V. He contacted me after the Fastening and said he had a deal that would benefit us both.”
“Was he of Guldan origin?” Lhor asked.
“N–No, at least I don’t think so. I’ve never met him, but he spoke to me in Xelixian. It was flawless. Maybe with a slight Xelhen District accent.”
Ghan crossed his massive arms over his chest. “How did he contact you?”
“He just commed me,” she squeaked, casting a wary glance at Ghan. “The contact of every advisor is publicly displayed in the Fastening Hall, so I didn’t question it.”
“How did he get you the substance?” Ghan said.
“It was delivered with regular packages. It was addressed to me with no return address. There was only the substance inside.”
“So, your mission was to ensure my mate would go to the hospital. Then what?”
She eyed me fearfully. “The doctor was to build a case of gross negligence against you for endangering the life of your mate. Your Trial would’ve been revoked and your Fastening dissolved. She would’ve been placed under the care of Family Welfare.”
Lhor snorted. “Let me guess. You intended to brainwash her until the next Fastening so she would select a Prime you had an agreement with.”
She had the decency to blush and avert her eyes. My hands fisted. I wanted to break something. The cold, calculated way they’d planned the destruction of my Fastening left me speechless. I walked around the table and leaned on my fists, facing her.
“So, if I got this right, you were going to get double compensation for this little stunt; one from V for depriving me of a mate, and one from the Prime for providing him with one?”
“No.” She shook her head, sniffling. “V wasn’t going to pay me. He was helping me get Seha Amalia into my care. This was his plan. He provided the substance and contact with the doctor. I’m just a family advisor. What do I know about drugs and shady doctors? V offered me a golden opportunity to get the Pearl I wanted while he got your lands. I seized it. It was win-win for everyone.”
“Everyone? Really?” I struck the table with my fist and started pacing. She flinched and withered in her chair. “So who’s the Prime? Which noble house consider itself so untouchable it would dare to try to steal Amalia from me? And how much is he offering that such a proper family advisor would dabble in criminal activity?”
She sighed, defeated. “I already told you, it’s not like that. The Prime isn’t a noble. He’s my youngest son.”
“What?”
“He’s my youngest son, Nivh,” she repeated. “The Goddess gave me three sons. The two oldest were Tainted. My first born died, worked to death by some noble for the kind of wages even slaves would spit on. My second enrolled in the military, hoping for a more dignified life and found death instead. Nivh is my family’s last hope.”
“He’s a Prime!” I sneered. “His life sure must be difficult to be burdened with such purity.”
She rolled her eyes. “You Tainted all think you’re the only ones who suffer. That your lives are harder than everyone else’s, but you’re wrong. Yes, your lives are difficult but have you ever paused to think about the rest of us who aren’t nobility? There are only so many Prime females to go around, and they all go to nobles, not baseborn like my son. Which means all my Nivh can ever hope for is to fasten with a Norm.”
“And we should shed a tear, why?” Lhor shouted, kicking the chair from under him. “Two-thirds of the males on this planet would kill to be settled on by a Norm, but your precious little son lifts his nose at them?”
“Yes. He. Does. And rightly so!” she shouted back, just as angry. “What do you think a Norm will do for him but birth more Tainted males condemned to the same miserable life my two firstborns endured? My mate and I sacrificed everything so we could reacquire the family lands his own father lost to Property Law. What do you think will happen to these lands when Nivh’s offspring fail to find a mate since the chances of them being Primes are next to nil? You more than anyone can understand that anguish. I would do anything to spare my son from it.”
She took a deep, shuddering breath. She was right. I could relate. It didn’t lessen the immorality of her actions, but desperate people did desperate things.
“There are not enough Prime females,” she whispered, her eyes cast down. “The Pearls from the Alien Mating Program are often spoken for before they’ve even landed on Xelix Prime.”
“And so you decided to target my mate. Why not go after a human?”
Letha shook her head. “There was a record attendance of Pearls during your Fastening. Usually, we only get one or two humans per month. But your mate is special. She’s Veredian.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Lhor asked.
“She will elevate the status of any house. She could change the fate of my family. I was given a chance to make my move before the others could, so I did,” Letha said.
“Doesn’t it trouble you how immoral and self-serving your actions are?” I demanded, appalled by her blatant lack of shame. “How selfishly you plotted to use Amalia for your own purpose with no consideration for her own desires.”
“Oh, don’t give me that!” she said, eyeing me with contempt. “Who are you to judge me? To save your lands, you’d have accepted her Fastening offer even if she’d been repulsive.”
Lhor scoffed at her comment. I wasn’t ready to admit it out loud, but yes, I would have accepted any offer to keep my lands from Dervhen.
“No one could have guessed her hormones were so potent. Yet look at you. Mated for only a week and you went from a final stag
e Tainted to a Norm. At this rate, you’ll pass for a Prime within days. But tell me, Sehr Praghan, you who are so selfless, have you offered to share her precious hormone with your dying cousin?”
“Such things are not done!” Lhor exclaimed in outrage. “It’s not the way of Xelix Prime!”
“It has been the way of Xelix Prime since the Taint, as stated in the Law. Read it!” she shouted, pulling against her restraints. “Judge me all you want General, but I will do whatever I must to protect my kin. If you were as committed to changing what’s wrong with Xelix Prime as you are securing your mate, maybe people like me wouldn’t resort to such desperate measures.”
Lhor slammed his hand on the table. “This is how you justify murder?”
“I committed no murder!”
“Really? Thanks to his mate, Khel could live to be over a hundred and thirty. Had you taken his Amalia, on top of losing his lands, he would have died within the next five years. His death would have been on you.”
CHAPTER 16
Lhor
It had been two days since Dr. Volghan put Amalia into an induced coma. The house wasn’t the same without her laughter. I missed her, even though I’d only known her for such a short time. After much pleading, arguing and eventually threatening, Khel convinced Minh to let him bring Amalia back home. He believed her to be far too exposed at the clinic with those Guldans on the loose. I concurred. He brought her back last night and Minh dropped by this morning to check on her. In light of her progress, he decided to wake her.
Not wanting to crowd her and Khel, I stayed in my office. However, I ached to talk to her, be with her. Wednesday morning found me buried with catch-up work. I had neglected the estate and orchards while chasing the bastards that were after our female.
Khel’s female.
I hurried through my paperwork, wanting to get back to finding Gruuk, that son of Gharah. There were no more sightings of The Revenant since its stop on Teforus V. Dr. Lurphin, Nurse Rosthan, and Advisor Colbhen were all dead ends; mere pawns in V’s greater game. At first, I thought it was Gruuk Vrok, but both Letha and Lurphin confirmed V sounded Xelixian.