Stolen

by Evangeline Anderson

  “I know,” Sylvan said bleakly. “We almost had him. His entire mansion was surrounded.”

  “Then what happened?” V demanded. “How did that bastard get away?”

  “It appeared that he had a small, private ship hidden under a false lawn just inside the mansion’s outer limits,” Sylvan explained. “We tried to shoot him down but he was too fast, regrettably.” He frowned. “Though if we ever find him, I intend to make him pay for all the misery and grief he caused. When I think of all the lost years his prisoners endured working and living in that Compound…”

  “You don’t know the half of it,” V said darkly. “Did you see the inside of the Breeding and Conception Center? Did you see the baths and the recycling room?” He hadn’t seen them himself, of course, but Penelope had described them in great detail, horror in her big brown eyes as she talked and V had to hold and comfort her for a long time afterwards.

  “I did.” Sylvan’s face was serious. “The entire center and all its equipment has been razed to the ground now. The NeverBreeders—the ones who were left after the battle—begged to stay in the Compound rather than go back to the Mother Ship as prisoners.”

  “And you let them?” V asked, raising his eyebrows.

  Sylvan nodded.

  “On the condition that they never try to make more NeverBreeders and that they stop the cannibalism.” He shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling under his pale blue uniform shirt. “And since we destroyed their facilities, they really don’t have a choice about keeping their end of our agreement.”

  “Well…” V nodded reluctantly. “I guess that makes sense. What else were you gonna do with them? Though I hate like all the Seven Hells that the ‘Glorious Leader’ got away. That bastard is the one who started it all!”

  “Yes, I know.” Sylvan nodded. “We are still looking for him, but he seems to have disappeared.”

  “Well, we were more successful in our hunt down here on Yown Beta,” V informed him.

  “The Eye of Ten’gu?” Sylvan sounded hopeful.

  “It’s locked away in my safe right here aboard my ship,” V told him. “And we were careful to keep it out of direct sunlight when we brought it out of the mountain, so I guess it’s still ‘asleep,’ if that makes you feel better.”

  “It does.” Sylvan nodded in relief. “Thank you, V’rex—you’ve done us a great service.

  “You might not be so happy when you find out how much I paid for it,” V told him. “Penelope and I had to barter for it with the Chieftain of the local tribe and it was not cheap.”

  “Whatever you paid, I will be happy to repay you,” Sylvan said gravely. “No price is too great to destroy the Eye before it awakens and causes the death and destruction that are foretold.”

  “I don’t know about death and destruction, but whatever’s inside it, it’s an evil fucker,” V growled. “The local Chieftain’s wife was wearing it as a necklace and it was messing with her fertility.”

  “The force that created the Eye hates all life,” Sylvan remarked. “Unless it is evil life he created himself.”

  “Yeah, I know about the Cruel Father,” V said, nodding. “My Sire used to tell me stories about him to scare me right before bed.”

  “Speaking of your heritage…” Sylvan began and then stopped.

  “Yes? What about it?” V asked, frowning.

  But the Kindred Commander was shaking his head.

  “I’d rather speak to you about it in person, if you don’t mind. Can you and Penelope meet me in the Hell’s Gate VIP lounge?”

  “Sure.” V shrugged. “Don’t much go there. It’s a lot of money to pay just to park your ship in a fancier part of the station.”

  “It’s a secure area,” Sylvan pointed out. “Which I prefer for the transfer of the Eye of Ten’gu.”

  “Oh, right.” V nodded. “I understand. Sure, we can meet you—just tell me when.”

  “Tomorrow morning at o-eight hundred hours,” Sylvan told him. “We should be done mopping up the mess on Yown Alpha by then.”

  “We’ll be there,” V told him. “Penelope is going to be so excited to see you again. She’s found about a thousand ancient Kindred artifacts she wants to show you.”

  “Has she?” Sylvan’s face lightened. “That’s fascinating! We weren’t sure from the ancient scrolls if our ancestors lived under Mount Ra’gar or if it was simply the place where they chose to hide the Eye.”

  “Oh, I’m pretty sure they lived here,” V said. “Penelope has found all kinds of things. From pots and pans to…well, I’ll let her tell you about it—she’s the archeologist, after all,” he ended.

  “And an excellent one at that. We will always be grateful to her—and to you—for your service in securing the Eye,” Sylvan said seriously.

  “You’re welcome.” V smiled. “I ought to thank you for sending her. I didn’t even know I was looking for my mate until I saw her.”

  “That’s how it goes sometimes.” Sylvan smiled. “The Goddess works in mysterious ways.”

  “So she does.” V nodded. “Well, we’ll see you tomorrow morning. Now I’d better go help Penelope pack up her artifacts.”

  “We’ll see you in the VIP lounge,” Sylvan said and the viewscreen went blank.

  V sat there for a moment, staring at the dark viewscreen and musing that he never would have believed it was possible to have such a cordial conversation with an old foe. Sylvan sounded serious when he had offered to repay the price of the Eye. And he had actually brought in troops to clear out the cult on Yown Alpha.

  Maybe it was time to rethink his position on the Kindred, V mused. But then he remembered how his mother had been abandoned and frowned. Sylvan might be decent enough, but that didn’t mean they all were.

  He had wounds too deep to be healed with a few minutes of light chitchat.

  Sighing, he got up and checked the safe, making certain the Eye was secure. He had put it in a black velvet bag, both to protect it and to keep it from looking at him. It was painted to appear like it was looking at you no matter where you stood which was fucking creepy. There was also a feeling about it—you felt like something dark was crouching in the back of your mind whenever you touched it.

  Which was why V preferred not to touch the fucking thing.

  V looked at it briefly and then put it back in the bag.

  “Getting rid of you tomorrow and good fucking riddance,” he informed it and locked the safe. He checked the lock twice to be sure and then a third time because that stupid Eye made him paranoid, and then finally left, locking the ship behind him.

  He would be damn glad not to have it anymore—fucking thing creeped him the hell out.

  Chapter 111

  “I didn’t even know that Hell’s Gate had a VIP lounge,” Penny remarked, yawning, as they docked in the elite section of the Spaceport.

  “Yeah, not many people go there. It’s a ridiculous amount of credit for a few luxuries,” Vrex remarked as he finished the docking procedure.

  “Well, I’m sure not everybody has a ship as luxurious as yours,” she pointed out, unbuckling her seat harness and standing up to stretch. “That minor lordling you won it from must have been really upset when he lost.”

  “Nah—his Sire could buy him five more just like it.” V’rex got up as well. “C’mon, baby—I’m sure Commander Sylvan is already waiting.”

  “Oh—don’t forget the Eye,” Penny said quickly. “I want to be sure to give it to him first thing—I hate that awful thing.”

  “You and me both. Here.” V’rex pulled out the black velvet bag, which he had gotten out of the safe earlier. “You give it to him. It was your mission to get it in the first place, after all,” he added when Penny tried to give it back. “So you get to give it to him, sweetheart.”

  Penny smiled and nodded, though even holding the bag with the Eye of Ten’gu in it made the short hairs on the backs of her arms stand up.

  “Ugh, I hate this thing,” she said, holding it away from her body
as they walked through the airlock and into the lounge. “It gives me such a bad feeling!”

  “Same here. But we’ll be rid of it soon and Commander Sylvan can deal with it,” V’rex said. “Speaking of which—look, there he is now.”

  He pointed at the far end of the luxurious VIP lounge which reminded Penny a little bit of a high-class airport terminal. The floors were a highly polished black marble and there was plush gray leather furniture scattered around as well as some food and entertainment kiosks that looked to be selling very high-end goods. And standing at the far end of the opulent space was the Head of the Kindred High Council along with several other Kindred Warriors.

  “Commander Sylvan?” she called and the tall Blood Kindred turned to smile at them.

  “Ah, Penelope!” he exclaimed, coming towards them with his hands held out. They met in the middle of the large oval lounge and he shook Penny warmly by the hand. “And Warrior, V’rex—it’s good to meet you as a friend instead of an adversary,” he added, turning to offer V’rex a warrior’s clasp.

  After a moment, V’rex took the offered arm and nodded at him.

  “It’s…good to see you too,” he said, sounding as though the words of friendship were foreign to him. For a male used to being at odds with the whole world, Penny could bet that they were.

  “We brought you the Eye,” she said to Sylvan. She wanted to give it to him at once, but the Kindred Commander only nodded.

  “Yes, thank you. But before any of that, I have someone who very much wants to meet V’rex.”

  “Oh?” V’rex frowned. “And who might that be?”

  “These are Braish and Tairn…” Sylvan ushered two older Beast Kindred warriors forward. Both had long dark hair with streaks of gray in it.

  “I see.” V’rex nodded. “And they are…”

  “These are the brothers of your mother, V’rex,” Sylvan said.

  “Oh!” Penny put a hand to her mouth. “Honey, these are your uncles!”

  “My…” V’rex shook his head and took a step back, his face like a thundercloud. “Why would you bring them here?” he demanded, glaring at Sylvan. “When they abandoned my mother and me when I was still in her belly?”

  “But they didn’t,” Sylvan said earnestly. “They searched for your mother for years and never found her.”

  “The Head of the High Council speaks the truth,” one of the older Beast Kindred said. “We searched for years for our little sister—but we never knew that she had a son.”

  “That was privileged information that only the High Council knew,” Sylvan added. “And that has only been in the past several years since we’ve been researching you, V’rex, because of your, ah, activities in this Sector.”

  “We searched and searched for her—we never stopped,” the second Beast Kindred said. “I will swear it by my honor as a warrior or by the Goddess herself.”

  “You did?” V’rex’s pale gold eyes widened and he looked strangely vulnerable to Penny. “But my Sire said—”

  “He lied to you, lad,” the first Beast Kindred said strongly. “We would never abandon our kin—never. Why, when Commander Sylvan here called and told us that you had been found, we both wept tears of joy!”

  “We are so eager to welcome you into our clan,” the second Beast Kindred said. “Son of our sister. You will be an honored addition to our family.”

  “Even though I’m a half-breed?” V’rex asked uncertainly. “Even though it was my Sire who killed your sister—my mother?”

  “Even so. The son is not responsible for the sins of his father.” Both of the older Beast Kindred held out their arms.

  “Will you not join our family?” one of them asked softly. “We would be so proud and happy to have you.”

  “I…I’ve never had a family. Not since I was put out on the street as a young one.” V’rex’s voice was hoarse. Then he came forward and both of the older Beast Kindred hugged him.

  Penny had tears in her eyes at the touching scene. She could feel V’rex’s tentative joy building through the link between them and she longed to hug him too, but she didn’t want to interrupt.

  “Excuse me,” she murmured to Commander Sylvan, who was standing to one side smiling. “But do you know if there’s a restroom around here? I…I’m tearing up here.” She sniffed and swiped at her eyes.

  “Oh, of course. It’s right there at the far end of the lounge.”

  He pointed and Penny thanked him and headed for the plain gray door. She wanted to give her new mate time to reconnect with his family before she intruded and in the meantime she really needed to dry her eyes and blow her nose.

  Chapter 112

  She was so happy when she walked into the bathroom that she didn’t notice the far stall was opaque, meaning it was occupied. She found some tissue—which they had in abundance here in the VIP lounge, though it had been conspicuously lacking in the Lucky Lounge’s facilities—and dried her eyes. Then she decided she had to pee, too.

  She went into the first stall, looping the rope ties of the black velvet bag with the Eye in it carefully over one wrist, and bent over to use the strange suction toilet. As before, the spout-looking attachment coming out of the square hole in the toilet inflated a large bubble for her to press against. And once again, Penny had the strange sensation of the pee getting pulled out of her—as though she was relieving herself into an industrial vacuum.

  As she finished her business and pressed the button to release the suction, she remembered what Shurla, the three-breasted joy-girl, had told her about how all the waste in the entire station was sucked out into the floating waste field in space, in the back of Hell’s Gate. She’d said that because of the slow-time anomaly that had formed around the main waste chute, it was all just stuck there in a floating blob that never even froze because the time bubble wouldn’t let it.

  Ugh—it’s so weird to think of, Penny thought as she exited the stall and went to wash her hands. Hell’s Gate Station and the two planets it orbited between were all fascinating places, but she’d had about enough of the Yown System for now. So glad we’re going to be out of here soon, Penny mused as she washed her hands. Not sure where we’re going next but as long as V’rex and I are together, we’ll be fine.

  She was still looking down at the sink, so she didn’t notice when the far stall opened quietly and someone came out. The rushing water drowned out the footsteps behind her and she was lost in her thoughts—dreams of adventures she and her new mate could have together.

  So she was caught completely unaware when someone pinned her arms to her sides and dragged her backwards.

  Chapter 113

  “Help! He—” Penny shouted—or started to shout until someone slapped a hand over her mouth.

  “Well, well, my dear! Fancy meeting you here,” said a familiar voice in her ear. “And since I know that females who join with Kindred always form a telepathic link…” Something cold and hard about the size of a button was pressed against the side of Penny’s left temple.

  Immediately the constant link with V’rex, which was now a part of her life, was abruptly and completely silenced.

  “Mmmph! Mmmph!” Penny tried to scream as she fought and struggled. To be suddenly cut off from the big Hybrid was incredibly frightening—it was as though someone had suddenly chopped her in half and she was missing part of herself.

  “Well, we mustn’t dally. Come along now.”

  And Penny was dragged forcefully out of the far door in the restroom—the one marked “Service.”

  “These old service tunnels are so useful,” her captor informed her as he marched her down the long corridor. “Now come along with me.”

  Penny bit the hand over her mouth and struggled to be free.

  With a hiss of pain, her captor withdrew the hand over her lips but not the one around her waist.

  “Help!” she screamed again. “Somebody help me!”

  “Scream all you want, you nasty little breeder,” hissed her captor. “No one ca
n hear you—these service corridors were soundproofed in order to keep the VIPs from being bothered by any sounds the servers might make.”

  Turning her head to the left, Penny finally saw who was holding her.

  “Colonel Sanders!” she breathed.

  “What?” The Glorious Leader frowned at her. “Are your brains addled? It is I—your Glorious Leader!”

  “You’re no leader of mine!” Penny spat. “They said you had escaped during the raid on Yown Alpha, but what do you want with me?”

  “What I want is my Compound back!” the Glorious Leader snarled as he forced her to start marching down the long tunnel-like hallway again. “And I think you might be the key to getting it for me.”

  “Me?” Penny gasped. “You must be crazy. How can I get your Compound back?”

  “I’ve been monitoring you, my dear,” the Glorious Leader told her. “I lost you for a little while after your escape—probably because the poisons of the jungle temporarily disabled the nanites in the Mother’s Milk.”

  “Wait—nanites?” Penny exclaimed. “I thought it was just some kind of fertility chemicals in that stuff!”

  “There are both—they work together,” the Glorious Leader said. “I give nanites to all my female breeders—they help with fertility but they’re also good for tracking a breeder if she happens to stray. Like you did.” He glared at Penny.

  “I left because you kidnapped me!” Penny protested. “You stole me away from my life and my job and—”

  “Yes, yes—well I gave you a higher purpose, didn’t I?” the Glorious Leader interrupted. “You should have been grateful I allowed you to participate in our Glorious Cause!”

  “You—” Penny began but he just kept talking over her.

  “Anyway, when you started producing nectar again, I was able to get a lock on your location and even overhear some very interesting information, once I turned the long-range sensors on. Of course those aren’t necessary in the Compound because we have the Watchers. But they do come in handy if a breeder slips away.”