The Siren's Call (Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance) (FORCED TO SERVE)

by McDonald, Donna

  “That was a good idea,” Gwen praised. “There’s a lot going on right now needing my attention. Things are a bit tense. The next mission is causing several people some problems. Everyone is dreading it.”

  Dorian nodded, not the needing to hear her sincerity to know she spoke the truth. Anywhere they walked on the Liberator together, his mate was in high demand. He’d often been surprised that she’d so readily agreed to meet with him several times a day. Though he’d sincerely tried to let the sleep cycles be enough time with her, he just wasn’t able to quell the lust from obsessing him without the daytime liaisons.

  “What did I do in here?” he asked. “In the vision, I was kneeling on a pillow wearing a robe like the one you…the one you wear after your cleansings.”

  Gwen looked to the side of the room and saw his other robe hanging on the pegs. She’d worn every robe in here and his room, so none contained his former energy, but wearing one might spur some recollection anyway. She walked to fetch the robe, then helped him into it.

  “Since I never visited with you here, I don’t really know what you used to do. When Ania brought me, she made me go kneel down on the pillow over there,” Gwen said, pointing.

  Dorian held out the sleeves of the robe, which fit him perfectly, and looked at her. “Since I seem to own several of these, you should just keep the one you use.”

  “Thanks,” Gwen said, rolling her eyes. “I wasn’t planning on giving it back anyway.”

  Having gotten used to her sense of humor in the last few days, Dorian laughed. He knew his mate would hand it over to him in a heartbeat if he asked, but he also knew that wearing his robe gave her great pleasure. At first, he’d been almost jealous of her holding on to memories of the male who had worn it, but the ridiculousness of that was not worthy to be put into words.

  “Why don’t you go kneel on the pillow and let’s see what happens?” Gwen suggested.

  Dorian raised an eyebrow and walked to the front of the room, dropping to his knees on the pillow. He rocked back on his heels, his body finding a comfortable position automatically. Muscle memory, he supposed. It felt natural to him to be doing this.

  “Now close your eyes and think of…” Gwen stopped. Ania had had her think of him. What should Zade think of?

  Then she noticed he already had closed his eyes and had leveled his breathing.

  “Try to imagine what it was like to be on the Liberator and be your true self,” Gwen suggested.

  “Can you describe my duties to me once again?” he asked.

  “You counseled crew members on the best ways to deal with their problems. You rightly harassed Captain Synar to do the right things. You kept telling Ania Looren that she shouldn’t give up living just because she carried the demon. And when all that got boring, you made my life a living hell by telling me everything I was doing wrong all the time,” Gwen added, but laughed at the end to make sure he knew she was no longer angry about it.

  He opened his eyes and turned his gaze. “Were my comments to you untrue or unkind?” he asked with a frown.

  Gwen snorted and shook back her hair, which needed cutting again. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d done any personal maintenance.

  “No—your comments were mostly always true. I just didn’t like hearing it from you. I think I was perpetually mad about your rejection of my initial bonding offer, and it made it difficult for me to hear anything you said after that point. No matter how helpful you were trying to be, I never took your advice well,” she admitted.

  “Given the intensity between us that was being ignored, your anger about my conduct is understandable,” he said logically, turning back and closing his eyes again.

  Gwen walked the edge of the mat and sat down herself. There were benches and seats around the edges of the room, but she preferred being on the same level he was.

  “The visions come quite easily in this room. I see you kneeling here in my robe not long ago,” Dorian said in awe. “You were crying, distraught, trying to find me. Then your spirit…”

  Gwen watched him pitch forward, then crawled to him because it was faster than standing up and running.

  Cradling his head in her lap as she turned his body to a less awkward angle, she punched a button on the wrist unit she’d taken to wearing lately, just so she could be found easier. It seemed like everyone was always looking for her since her return.

  “Connect me to Medical,” she ordered.

  “How can we help you, Commander Jet?” a medic asked.

  “Tell Peace Keeper Looren I need her help in Zade’s meditation room right away. Do it now,” she commanded.

  Moments later, Ania’s voice came on the line. “Gwen—Boca and I are on our way. She’s helping me get to you.”

  While she waited, Gwen checked his breathing and his heart rate. Everything seemed normal. But being with Zade’s body was a lot like being with Conor’s body when Malachi was out of it. It was obvious there was nobody home inside the shell.

  What seemed like hours later, she heard Ania chanting until the lock on the door opened. Ania came in slowly, followed closely by Boca, who was practically holding her up.

  “Long walk, but I needed the exercise. What happened?” Ania asked, pausing at the edge of the mat for breath.

  “Zade knelt down to meditate and next thing I knew, he fell over face first,” Gwen complained. “Is he having a vision?”

  Ania shrugged. “We won’t really know what’s going on until Dorian comes back to his body.”

  “Is this what I did when I tried to meditate?” Gwen asked, awed to think she was capable of leaving her body. What she did remember is that it had given her a whopper of a headache after.

  “Yes,” Ania said. “You did this almost exactly, and probably wearing the same robe.”

  “You have a weird obsession with fashion for someone I think should be above that crap. Just tell me what to do to help him. I’m having a mini-meltdown here,” Gwen declared, unaware she had been petting Zade’s head until she saw Ania’s amused gaze and froze.

  “Help me get down on their level,” Ania ordered gently, taking Boca’s arm as she walked carefully across the mat.

  When they got to where Lieutenant Zade lay in Gwen’s lap, Boca sat first and crossed her legs. “Here. Kneel gently and then lean back against me when you sit. I’ll work on your shoulder. We might as well do some healing while we wait. This room is excellent for concentrating energy.”

  Ania lowered herself, pleased when she didn’t groan aloud.

  If you’re well enough to wander around all over, I’m heading back to Conor’s body, Malachi sent.

  “Fine. Go. Leave me alone so I can get some peace. You nag me more than my parents ever did,” Ania said sternly, and out of context out loud, she realized, when her companions looked at her strangely. She laughed at herself. It had been awhile since she had given her inner dialogue with Malachi any thought.

  Boca and Gwen glanced at each other, understanding her strange behavior when the black mist lifted from Ania and streaked out of the room. They had both witnessed it enough times now not to be overly alarmed to see Malachi coming and going out of people.

  “Commander? It’s probably best to warn Chiang the demon is headed to the body in stasis,” Boca suggested, looking expectantly at Gwen.

  Sighing at having to torture him further but seeing no alternative, Gwen pressed the button. “Locate Lieutenant Chiang.”

  “Lieutenant Chiang is in Engineering” the computer replied.

  “Damn it, Chiang. You’re not where you’re supposed to be,” Gwen stated, talking mostly to herself. She looked at Boca and Ania who were waiting on her.

  “Connect me to Lieutenant Chiang,” Gwen ordered at last, her tone resigned to dealing with the already pissed-off Greggor.

  Looking at the serene, healing version of Boca sitting on the mat, she well understood the reason for his concern. The female didn’t look like she could hurt anyone. Gwen made herself remember t
he way she’d wielded the scalpels as weapons. It helped.

  “Chiang here,” Chiang barked loudly, his anger obvious to all of them, even through the wrist unit.

  She heard Ania snicker and watched Boca tense up at his angry voice. Gwen sighed and tightened her jaw as she lifted the wrist unit closer to her mouth.

  “Quit yelling at the intercom and get your ass to Medical, Chiang. The demon is headed back to his host body. God only knows what he’ll try to do to it.”

  The cursing in Greggor and metal flying to land with loud clanging sounds was rapidly followed by more swearing as he yelled into the intercom again. “Get Boca to help him. He might try to bond with her, but he won’t harm her. Trust me.”

  Boca blushed at Chiang’s words, and Gwen couldn’t prevent the smile.

  “She can’t go. She’s helping me with Zade, who’s in a freaking trance at the moment. So go to Medical where you belong, Lieutenant Chiang,” Gwen demanded. “And yes—that’s an order.”

  “Du-te la Dracu,” he spat viciously, making all three women wince.

  “What did he say to the Commander?” Boca whispered to Ania.

  Ania laughed softly. “I don’t know for sure. I don’t speak Greggor. But I imagine it’s nasty.”

  Gwen snorted at the irony of being the only one of them who spoke Greggor fluently enough to understand the nuances of the curse. Of course, Chiang probably did that because he knew it. Gwen bit the side of mouth before answering, struggling for the calmest response she could manage.

  “That would be a negative on the self-bonding request, Lieutenant. There’s no chance of that happening right now under any condition because Zade is freaking unconscious. Now I repeat—Ania and Boca are assisting me here. Get your angry Greggor ass to Medical and deal with Malachi.”

  They heard more metal against metal and some other angry shouts nearby. Gwen ignored the temper tantrum, idly stroking Zade’s forehead until it passed. When no more metal sounds were heard, she spoke again.

  “And, on your way to Medical, contact Ensign Lofgren and order him to get his reluctant ass to Engineering and replace you. You outrank him, Chiang. He has to damn well do what you say,” Gwen said, her mouth twitching as she heard more cursing, but softer this time. “Good to see you’re finally getting over your temper tantrum. Officers can’t indulge those often.”

  “If you call me before the next revolution on the Liberator’s timekeeper has passed, you will regret your life. I don’t care what rank you hold,” Chiang barked.

  And then the com went completely silent.

  Boca stared at Gwen with wide eyes. Gwen shrugged and gave Ania an arched look for snickering over it. They had their work cut out for them if the Sumerian female flinched every time a male yelled around her.

  “Oh, don’t mind him, Boca. Chiang is just a bit stressed about all the changes he’s making. You know how males are about that. Now, Ania, you were going to tell me what we have to do for Zade,” Gwen asked, adeptly changing the subject. “If he’s not in his body, where did he go?”

  Ania shrugged. “I cannot tell just by looking at him, no more than I knew where you went. Maybe Dorian will be able to tell us when he gets back.”

  Gwen sighed. “So what? We just wait then?”

  “Yes, we wait and stand guard over him while he is out of his body,” Ania said, closing her eyes as Boca muttered words behind her. The Sumerian healer put a hand over the wound and heat filled it, easing the pain away almost completely. “That feels so wonderful. You have a gift in your hands. This is first time the pain has left me.”

  “Because I once trained to be a warrior, I am in the unique position of being able to both inflict harm and to heal it as needed, much like Malachi. After healing so many hosts in his lifetime, and being in so many different species, the demon’s understanding of how to heal a physical body is quite remarkable,” Boca said.

  “You’re joking—right?” Gwen asked.

  “No,” Boca said simply.

  Gwen looked at Ania, who only shrugged. “Lifting your shoulders and not knowing seems to be your answer for everything these days,” Gwen said sharply, aggravated that neither female was offering much help to Zade.

  “I am the peace keeper, not the spiritual counselor on the Liberator,” Ania said firmly, but she still had to fight the twitching of her lips over the glare it earned her.

  Gwen dropped her gaze to the male still lying in her lap. “Do you think we’re getting the spiritual counselor back?”

  “I think the Creators will do with Dorian what they deem is necessary,” Ania said softly, wanting to ease Gwen’s concerns. “They only seek the highest good. Dorian devoted himself to following their will for him in his life, including being the only Siren I ever knew who willingly practiced celibacy. I feel sure they are working to heal him in some manner. After all, they have already sent him a very compassionate mate. This is proof, yes?”

  “I hope so. I really do want to help him, even if I lose the male he’s been this week,” Gwen said. “Though it really was nice not to deal with his pompously enlightened attitude for a while.”

  “I know how you feel about him, and so do the Creators. It is my hope you will one day stop seeing your compassionate spirit as a weakness,” Ania said. “It was a hard lesson for me to learn. I pray it comes more easily to you.”

  All heads turned as the door opened. Synar and Chiang walked in with matching glares of disapproval.

  “You were not released from Medical,” Synar said, speaking only to Ania as he crossed the mat with his shoes on. Swearing as her gaze fell accusingly to his feet, he glared harder. “I need to keep my footwear on. Dorian can cleanse the area later. I’m not staying and neither are you. Malachi is in Medical recovering, which is where you are going this instant. Doctor’s orders.”

  “What doctor?” Ania said on a snort. “The senior medics are not really healers, Liam.”

  “No, the medics aren’t, but I am. They’re my orders,” Chiang said sharply. “It seems Captain Synar pulled some strings to have my healer status reinstated. Doctor sounds better than lieutenant to me anyway. So let your mate see you back to Medical, Peace Keeper Looren. And do something about the whiny demon in the bed next to you complaining. Apparently, the stasis machine Boca and I built for him wasn’t perfect. His legs are too weak for him to go running around creating havoc at the moment.”

  Ania sighed and reached out a hand to Synar. He pulled her up gently with Boca boosting her from behind. Then Synar scooped her into his arms and started walking off with her.

  “You could have brought a levitating transport,” Ania chastised, sighing to feel his strong arms around her. She had missed sleeping next to him all those nights in Medical.

  “I’m not on good terms with our new doctor right now. I’m a bit afraid to ask him for anything more,” Synar whispered. “Plus this way, I at least get to hold you.”

  Ania laughed at how much his words reflected her feelings. She reached out and opened the door for them to help them leave.

  When the door clicked behind them, Chiang put a hand out to Boca. “Come,” he ordered.

  “I will stay with Commander Jet and help watch over Lieutenant Zade,” she said.

  “Sorry, Ensign Ador. You’re assigned to me now. I’m your new supervisor. So get off your Sumerian backside and follow me to my new quarters next to blasted Medical. We need to talk,” Chiang said, his tone and glare not allowing for argument. “Besides—the commander has me on a bloody open channel today. We’ll be back here in two minutes if she needs us. Right, Gwen?”

  He turned his glare on the female sitting calmly with her mate’s head in her lap as she played with his hair. Chiang rolled his eyes at how utterly feminine—and tamed—Gwen looked. Sirens and their damn proficiency with contenting females. Still, he couldn’t let the opportunity to point it out to her slide.

  “Not all that long ago, Dorian Zade was stunned unconscious on the floor of your room by your weapon. And I
had to keep you from kicking him while he was unconscious. Now you’re the perfect nurturing female petting her sick mate,” Chiang said sharply.

  Gwen smiled at Chiang’s irritation, unoffended by his tirade. She didn’t even have the urge to make him pay for the insults, which were nothing more than the truth of those moments. There was a lot to be said for sexual satisfaction breeding contentment. And maybe it had given her the wisdom to ignore male aggression that had nothing to do with her.

  “I told you earlier why I’m feeling this way about him. So stop taking your pisser of a mood out on me. I got enough problems on this ship as it is,” Gwen replied.

  “Yes—and now your problems on the Liberator are mine as well.” Chiang closed his eyes on his angry outburst and swore. “You’re right. Being angry is not going to help change what must be done. I apologize. Do you wish Boca to stay with you?”

  Gwen looked at Zade’s peaceful countenance. He appeared to be sleeping, but she knew better. And according to Ania, there was nothing she or anyone could do until he woke up. There was no sense in them all just sitting around waiting.

  “I’ll call after he comes out of this if we need help,” Gwen said. “He seems to be in a trance state. Ania said it could last for hours. If I get lonely, I’ll contact Sarinnea. Sounds like you have enough to deal with at the moment.”

  “I have made my decision, if that’s what you mean. Captain Synar is leaving it to me to inform her of it and obtain her compliance,” Chiang bit off the harsh pronouncement.

  “Am I the ‘her’ of which you speak so mysteriously?” Boca asked with a frown.

  “Yes. And do not attempt to intuit the reasons. I do not wish the energy of my yelling to be in Zade’s meditation room when he awakes. He distrusts me enough as it is,” Chiang said morosely. “Let’s go.”

  Boca sighed and followed the angry male out the door. If Chiang was going to be her new supervisor on the Liberator, they were going have to work out their differences.

  When the door clicked behind the last of her angry friends and crew members, Gwen sighed at the peace that settled over the room once more.