Tethered

by Pippa Jay

  She sprang forward and aimed two rapid punches at his face. Zander evaded both with a speed and grace totally out of proportion to his bulk. Her third he blocked with little effort, and she stepped back to reassess her strategy. But only for an instant.

  A quick step forward and she lashed upward with her foot, snapping his head back. Zander staggered but didn’t fall. Her second kick failed as he grabbed her ankle and jerked her off balance. She twisted as she dropped and caught him hard in the knee. Zander collapsed. Both rolled aside, and then jumped up to face each other again.

  Not bad.

  Tyree bit back a laugh as they exchanged blows, each faster than the last. Zander blocked or evaded most, but not all. His skill almost matched hers, yet his defenses were just a fraction too slow. Each move she made tested his reach, his reflexes and his stamina until she could sense him struggling a little.

  Time for the kill.

  She floored him with a kick to the chest, the full weight of her augmented density behind it, but as she moved in to finish the fight he dove into her. Tyree landed on her back hard enough to drive the breath from her lungs.

  Zander had her pinned to the ground. She bucked but couldn’t shift him. The triumphant smile on his face sent rage blazing through her gut. With hardly a whisper, she Misted out and went through him. Golden heat filled her for a second before she pulled free. Zander pushed to his feet and spun to meet her, but she cranked up her molecular density and punched him hard in the chest. He collapsed, gasping and coughing. In one fluid movement she sat astride him at full density, and the air whumphed out of his lungs. She pinioned his arms with her hands, her face hovering mere centimeters above his.

  As her breathing slowed to normal, a huge grin split her face. She’d made a vow to herself to jump him, and she’d done it. Perhaps it was childish, but it warmed her heart.

  “Your...reputation...is well deserved,” he gasped.

  “You’re not so bad yourself,” she complimented him. He’d fought well, but perhaps not quite with the determination—and certainly not the desperation—of most opponents she’d faced. “For a human.”

  “Thank you. Perhaps we could try this again tomorrow?”

  Tyree laughed. As much as he could irritate the hell out of her, he was equally amusing. “If you want to spend most of your morning on the floor...”

  He gazed up at her with that easy smile, making no effort to struggle. Most humans, without the influence of her pheromones and the distraction of her naked body writhing above theirs, would not have been so trusting. So compliant. She found herself staring at his mouth. What would it be like to kiss him, without the use of her talents? Would it be as satisfying? As sensual? The warmth of him, the firmness of his body beneath hers, sent heat spiraling through her abdomen.

  “Perhaps you could let me up now?” His words jerked her from such musings. What the hell was she thinking?

  She scooted to her feet and he rose. As he gathered his outer robe and donned it, she turned her back on him, fixing her attention on the Manikin. Trying not to remember the feel of him underneath her. She didn’t need that. Not from him.

  “End combat training,” she commanded. At least she could make that do her bidding.

  The Manikin walked back to its original position, and the elasticated tendrils of the holding cradle reached for it as it curled up again. She waited until it was safely stowed away before returning to Zander. Together they walked back down the corridor.

  “Have you ever taken on more than one Manikin?” Zander asked.

  “What makes you think that?”

  “I saw the way you fight. The Manikins are set for human combat but, as you’re so keen to remind me, Inc-Su are not human.”

  And doesn’t that just bug you. Tyree smirked. “You’re right. One of my Incu kin and I took on three.”

  “And?”

  “He got a broken jaw and a cracked skull. I broke both my arms.”

  Zander made a sound of disapproval. “That shouldn’t have happened. Manikins are programed to avoid injuries to humans.”

  “But, as you pointed out, Inc-Su aren’t human, and our Manikins are altered accordingly.”

  He frowned. “That’s illegal.”

  “Under Terran law, perhaps. Not in Refuge.”

  “Refuge seems a very different world compared to most in the Territories.” He didn’t sound happy about the fact. “I wonder why you want to go back.”

  “Because it’s my home. Because I belong there.” She stopped and faced him. “And because I have no choice. And even if I did have a choice, I’d still go back.”

  His eyes held hers for a moment, a flicker of anger in their depths. “You sound like a slave. And yet your council called you rebellious.”

  Fury lit her veins. “No, Mirsee was a slave, allowing herself to be bonded to a frigging human. I’d rather be Dissipated.”

  She whirled and stalked away from him. How dare he? What the hell did he know? What did any human know?

  Idiot. He has no idea what it’s like to be Su...

  ***

  Tyree sat and fidgeted as Visaya played with her hair until the woman threw her hands up in exasperation.

  “My lady, you must keep still.”

  Tyree leaped to her feet, scattering hairpins like shedding a plague of beetles and forcing the woman to jump back.

  “My lady!”

  “Rig off,” Tyree growled, raking her fingers through her hair to pull at the braids.

  Visaya flushed scarlet. “As my lady wishes,” she whispered before leaving.

  Tyree glared at her reflection then tugged out the remaining braids. She’d be damned if she’d go through this every frigging morning. No one outside herself, Zander, and their small entourage were going to see her until they reached Centralis. Time enough when she’d have to maintain the farce. But not now.

  Hair loose about her shoulders without the torturous knots, Tyree reflected on her behavior. She shouldn’t have snapped at Visaya. The woman was only doing her job, same as Tyree.

  She shrugged off the guilt, smoothing down the short copper dress she’d chosen. The long ones tangled around her legs too much. Her outfit bordered on breaking Decorum, but she didn’t care. She slipped on her stealth shoes, blatantly ignoring the shelves of fancier and far less practical footwear Mirsee had favored. Or had they been part of her assigned wardrobe? Tyree was beginning to suspect Mirsee had been given no choice in anything, not even her clothing. What normal person would wear that kind of crud unless they were made to? Inc-Su were tied to Refuge, but at least they had freedom in all other things. She doubted Mirsee ever had.

  More anger scorched through her. She stalked to the panoramic main hall...and found no one there and the view of Terris shuttered. Shock spiked into her chest. It gave her a strange sense of unease to see Zander’s chair empty. Only four days in and already she’d become accustomed to seeing him sitting here, his back to the door so he could watch the planet below turn. Perhaps he’d seen no point being here if she refused to join him.

  “Monitor, where is Zander?”

  “Zander D’joren is in the media suite.”

  Before breakfast?

  Tyree made a slow turn and wandered in the direction of the suite. Zander had sent her a timetable that so far he’d never strayed from, as if the routine were essential. For him to break it today seemed out of character, even from what little she knew. Had she done that? Disturbed him as much as he did her?

  Thuds resounded from the media suite as she neared it. Whatever he was doing, it sounded active. She hesitated at the door. What was the protocol for this? In Refuge no one would dare interrupt another’s training, but that hadn’t stopped Zander intruding on hers. Without another thought she slapped the lock.

  A Manikin shot toward her and she jumped back as it slammed against the doorframe. It righted itself and charged back at Zander. Tyree sucked in a breath. Another Manikin faced Zander already, exchanging a flurry of blows, and
the ex-Warden seemed unaware of the second’s rapid approach.

  Two Manikins at once?

  “Zander!” She threw herself at the second, tripling her density as she hit it. Her weight floored it before it could reach Zander, but he’d turned at Tyree’s shout and the first Manikin wrapped its arms around his torso.

  “Hold!”

  The Manikins froze. Tyree scrambled to her feet as Zander shrugged off the Manikin holding him. He’d tied back his hair and the scars showed livid red across his face. His chest heaving, he stalked toward her and Tyree braced herself, sliding into combat mode at the aggression in his posture.

  Her reaction stopped him dead. “I’m not planning to fight you,” he panted, raising his hands with palms toward her.

  Tyree dropped her hands but anger kept her tensed. “Why two?” she demanded. “You’re human, not Inc-Su. What if you’d been damaged? How would the Tier-vane take another delay?”

  His expression froze. “Point taken,” he acknowledged, inclining his head. “Although as we discussed before, human Manikins are programmed not to injure.”

  “Still a risk.” Tyree bristled. Why was he making her job harder with recklessness?

  Zander raised an eyebrow and put his hands behind his back. “I take it as part of your role as bodyguard, you intend to ban me from attempting it again?”

  Actually that hadn’t occurred to me but...

  “Yes. I forbid you to try it again. Not without me supervising, anyway.”

  And that should be humiliating enough to stop you regardless.

  “But we’re still on for our match?”

  The eagerness in his voice made her smile. “You’re a persistent man, Zander.”

  “Persistence and patience are necessary traits in my profession. Besides—” A sudden whirring silenced him, and the inactive Manikins came to life. Zander’s seized him around the chest again, and the one Tyree had floored grasped her ankle hard enough to make her shriek.

  “I said hold,” Zander shouted, but neither obeyed. “Hold!”

  Tyree kicked out as her Manikin tried to drag her foot from under her, and finished sprawled on her backside with the automaton clasping both ankles. “Monitor, end combat.”

  The Manikin continued to drag itself up Tyree’s legs, pinioning her to the ground, its grip crushing her flesh hard enough to leave marks.

  “End combat. Monitor!” Tyree yelped as the machine reached her thighs, its weight pinning her down, and then Misted out to evade it.

  As it reached to grasp her again, she solidified and stamped repeatedly into its blank face as hard as she could. Designed to mimic a human assailant, the neck joint gave under the full force of a Su at maximum density. Unlike a real human though, a broken neck only impaired its vision as it reached for her throat. She tugged herself free and rolled aside. On her hands and knees, Tyree crouched in readiness as the crippled Manikin staggered to its feet, scanning blindly, head facing up to the ceiling. She spied Zander grappling with the other Manikin, its movements jerking as if not under proper control.

  Tampered with!

  But when, and by whom? She darted around her Manikin as it stumbled blindly in her direction. The same person who had sabotaged the Monitor system with the paralyzing sonics? Had this been the backup plan?

  “Monitor, end combat program!” she yelled, without much hope it would do so.

  This was bad. The Manikins could keep fighting until both she and Zander were too exhausted to defend themselves. She could Mist out and escape. Zander couldn’t, and the Manikins might kill him in the meantime.

  Tyree scuttled behind her damaged opponent. It whirled, trying to follow her by sound. She darted in, grasped the rounded head, and twisted hard. A horrible fracturing noise, worse than breaking bone, and the Manikin’s head came away from the damaged neck joint. With its guidance system crippled, the automaton hunched over and went into shutdown.

  One down...

  She dropped the head. Zander still held off the other Manikin but blood covered his chin and sweat showed dark on his clothing. Tyree jumped onto the Manikin’s back, but it spun and shrugged her off. She hit the wall hard. Couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.

  “Tyree!”

  She sucked in a lungful against the pain in her ribs, and shoved up. Hooked one arm around the Manikin’s neck, and Misted out her hand to thrust into the wiring inside the neck. One swift tug, and the automaton collapsed with a fading whirr of sound.

  Their heavy breathing filled the silence as Tyree stared at the broken Manikins, sickened, heart pounding hard enough to hurt. Her chest throbbed. The mechanical debris bothered her more than if the assailants had been human. Manikins were unstoppable by normal means, and tireless. Drek, if she hadn’t come looking for Zander...

  “They haven’t given up.”

  Tyree jerked her head up, startled by the calm tones of Zander’s voice. Only her enhanced Inc-Su control kept her from shaking like a frightened novice, but he sounded as though commenting on their daily schedule. A blow had split his lip, though he’d wiped the worst of the blood trail away.

  “No,” she agreed. “They haven’t.”

  “The Manikins must have been a backup plan if the neurosonics failed.”

  “My thought too.” She drew herself tall. Zander’s expression had gone blank but she could sense his anger even through her shielding. See it in the tautness of his stance. “Are you all right?”

  “All right?” The smooth composure faltered for an instant. “I’m fine. Are you hurt?”

  “No.” Tyree put a hand to her ribs. Sore, but she’d heal without any treatment and she wasn’t about to admit to it.

  “Let Callista check you—”

  “No. I don’t need checking.”

  “Fine.” Zander cast one final glare over the damaged Manikins. “I’m going to get security in to check these over and cleanse the Monitor system. Clearly something was missed after the first attempt.”

  The sharp edge to his voice made her shiver. So controlled and yet so much suppressed fury in it. She almost pitied the security team. “I’ll do a quick sweep to check for anything else.”

  “No, I want you to go back to your quarters. For safety.”

  She gave him a glower that he returned steadily. “May I remind you that I am your protection, not the other way around?”

  He made an exasperated sound. “Then come with me. Talk to security. And then you can walk me back to my quarters.” He led the way out and didn’t speak to her again. His silence felt like an accusation, and for once she couldn’t think of anything to say to break it.

  This assignment sucks...

  Chapter Five

  Sleep time, and Tyree went on patrol. A new Monitor had been installed, bought in secret and under Zander’s supervision, but she no longer trusted their safety on the station. From now on she’d be double-checking everything herself.

  As always, passing through the walls of the Seclusion left her chilled. Although they weren’t Su-proof in the inner section, the residue of energy that made the outer walls of the space station impregnable to her kind left its signature throughout the structure. But every night since her recovery, she had done a random tour of the inner section for her own peace of mind—what precious little it gave her.

  A dozen rooms made up their private area: quarters for herself, Zander, Visaya, Pevanne, and Callista; the huge, scenic conference room where she and Zander ate and studied; the media suite, bathrooms, a food preparation area, and a medical bay. The outer section, surrounding their inner sanctum on three sides, was home to the security squad that protected them, with Su-proof, shielded walls, docking bays, and controls systems. No one from the outside could get into them—except, of course, the assassin who had come aboard with Tyree herself. Much to her chagrin.

  On her first patrol, she had discovered that Visaya and Pevanne were bonded, or at least involved. Little embarrassed a Su, but finding them rigging as she passed through a wall had sent her s
cuttling back to her own room until her breathing had settled. Now she made a point of listening carefully before ghosting through their quarters on her tour of duty. She was no voyeur.

  Tonight both of them were sleeping as she flitted thorough, her body incorporeal as she drifted. Callista sat reading as Tyree passed behind her, apparently unaware of the Su’s presence. The other rooms were dark and empty...until she reached Zander’s.

  Here, she hesitated. Despite the initial attack on her, he was the one most at risk. The lights were out in his quarters, but that was no impediment with her augmented night vision. She passed through the living room and into his bedroom, to stop at the end of his bed.

  Muted lights gave off a pale glow. Zander lay on his back, a sheet covering him almost to chest height, his broad torso bare. His breathing was deep and even, his face turned so that his scars were hidden against the pillow. Tyree crept closer, taking solid form as she did so, noting the firm muscles of his chest despite the scarring on one side. He’d clearly kept himself in shape, even after the explosion. The unmarked skin was a warm tan in color, and hairless. She traced the length of him with her gaze, lingering over the outline of his lower body through the sheet. By day he favored long, formal robes in shades of brown that hid his physique, much as the length of his hair hid the scarring on his face. Much as he hid most emotion beneath that diplomatic exterior.

  Tyree crouched at his side, staring at his profile. What went on behind that handsome face? He was charming, intelligent, constantly questioning her. But how much of that was a front he chose to present to her, and to the world? Considering what he’d gone through in the last few months, she doubted his emotional wounds had healed any more than the ones marking his skin.

  Zander drew a sudden, deep breath and turned his head, revealing the scars. Tyree leaned closer to stare at them. The explosion must have ripped most of his face away. Human medical care wasn’t as sophisticated as the Inc-Su regen capabilities, but six months of proper corrective surgery would’ve removed most of the damage. What was the third reason that had driven him to refuse even that?