Dangerous Lovers (195 page)

“Well, no surprise there. I mean I knew it would come to that. At least now we know it for a fact.”

“It doesn’t make me any happier,” he scowled. “They’d better keep their fucking hands off you.”

She ran her hand through his hair. There was something about his hair that was pure magic to her. She loved to feel it slide through her fingers, like the finest threads of silk. She knew he loved it too, because every time her hands got tangled up in it, his exotic scent intensified, filling the room with his luscious aroma.

“Alaric,” she whispered, “you are so...well, I think you’re so beautiful.”

She looked at him and noticed his lips were twitching.

“Are you laughing?”

“No, not at all,” he said in a squeaky voice as he bit his lips.

“Jurek! How can you laugh at me?”

And then the dam burst and he threw back his head and howled with laughter. She stared at him, poking him in the ribs, waiting.

After what seemed like hours, his laughing slowed down to a chuckle, every now and then.

“Are you quite finished?” she fumed.

He nodded, looking like he was holding back another round of guffaws.

“I can’t believe you. Here I am, pouring my heart out and you laugh at me.”

“I wasn’t laughing at
you,
I was laughing at what you
said
. Liasare, I’m a big hulk of...well, I am anything
but
beautiful. I’ve been called so many things in my five hundred years, but I’ve never been called beautiful. That’s what I was laughing at. Not you.”

She eyed him with great doubt before she said, “Hmm. When I look at you I see raw beauty, from your face, to your chest, down to your gorgeous V to heaven. Do you know I always heard about the infamous V and never knew what it was? Well now I do and I must say yours is quite heavenly. So, I don’t care what you think about yourself, I happen to think you’re gorgeous. And if you ever laugh at me again when I say that, I’m going to kick you in the ass...your very
beautiful
ass. Just saying.” His lips curved into a smile, a very sexy smile, so to make her point, she slipped her hands behind him and cupped his very beautiful ass in her hands and gave it a tight squeeze. That sexy grin was still aimed her way so she continued, “Let’s get back to Mr. Bad then. What do you think we need to do?”

Jurek rubbed his chin, all humor gone from him. “I’m still not comfortable with you roaming about on your own. I don’t doubt your power, but I’ll be more comfortable when I’ve seen you transport yourself to specific points. I also want to see you be able to shift and flash to Lare-Stell or Praestan. Then I’ll know you’ll be able to get away from anything, at any time.”

“Then you’re going to have to teach me, because right now, the best I can do is the bed or a broom closet,” she said, scrunching up her face.

Suddenly they heard a loud commotion from the main area. Things were being tossed around and crashing into the walls and they heard voices and a man’s screams. They quickly dressed and headed over there to investigate.

Liasare cried out as she saw Tommy in restraints, surrounded by Ludo, Marik and Tak.

“Notify Rykerian and January. We need to get Tommy on the Star Avenger right away. We don’t have much time,” Tak yelled.

Tommy was trying to tear his restraints off like a mad man, growling and screeching.

“Are they in range of us?” Liasare asked.

Jurek looked at her and answered, trying to calm her. “Liasare, Praestani don’t have a range, remember?”

She smacked herself in the head, saying, “Damn! I forgot.” She gave him a bleak smile, trying to hide her fears for her brother. He was acting insane, didn’t care that he was injuring himself.

Jurek gave Tak the go ahead and they all departed for the Star Avenger, where the team of robo-medics was standing by to get the nanochip out of Tommy’s brain.

Chapter Thirty-Five

They injected Tommy with some sort of drug that knocked him out cold. Then the robo-medics put his brain into a suspended state, allowing enough oxygen and blood to sustain it, but all brain activity was slowed to a bare minimum. His body was artificially kept alive. January was right. The robomedics worked with the utmost efficiency, extracting the chip in what seemed like only minutes.

Rykerian and Ludo promptly removed all the bits of data that were stored on it. Then they placed it on an ejector beam and jettisoned it out a million light years away from them, setting it for self-destruct upon its arrival. By the time the Xanthians located it, they would wonder how the hell it had gotten that far. They wouldn’t have a single thing to trace because it would be destroyed and all traces of it would be nothing but dust.

The viewing screen suddenly lit up with flashing alarms.

“We’ve got company!” Rykerian yelled.

“Who?” Jurek wanted to know.

“Guess.” Rykerian responded.

“How the hell did the Xanthians find us so quickly?”

“I don’t know, but we only have minutes.”

“Is the ship expendable?”

“Yes.”

“The robo-medics?”

“Yes.”

“Then we’re out of here.”

Jurek grabbed Liasare, Marik grabbed Rykerian, Tak took January and Ludo took Tommy and they all flashed to Lare-Stell.

***

Lare-Stell Base

Once they all arrived, complete mayhem ensued with everyone yelling over each other.

Jurek finally commanded, “Quiet! We have a patient here that needs our attention and then we can analyze what happened.”

Tommy was set up in a med unit that had been created especially for him. Naroo was standing by to complete the healing on his brain, while January prepared all the supplies he would need upon awakening.

Liasare paced outside the unit, worried about his state of mind. They were uncertain how much of his brain had been damaged and just how much could be repaired to the point of normal functionality. Naroo would do her best, but time would bear the true test.

Jurek, Ludo and Rykerian were in the lab analyzing the data that had been stripped off the chip.

“Anything yet on the chip or how the Xanthians found us?” Jurek asked.

“I don’t have anything on how they found us. My guess is they tracked the chip in the human. As for the chip itself, I’m getting the prelim stuff, but nothing we don’t already know. Basic info on warehouses on Earth, names of their commanding officers, etc. I’m getting ready to extrapolate all the data now. Hold on.”

Images were flashing across the screen, so fast the eye couldn’t comprehend anything concrete. Once all the information was in the system, they would review it for any red flags.

“I think I may have something here. There’s something about Club Down and the Master, whoever he is. Apparently, the Master has ties to that place, maybe even lives there. That could be why we all felt that source of power when we got there. Maybe the Master has ties to Abaddon.”

Rykerian thoughtfully rubbed his chin, then asked, “You don’t think they’re one and the same, do you?”

“Abaddon usually doesn’t do his own dirty work. He always sends someone in to do it for him. Although, there’s always a first. We need Liasare in here.”

“Why?” Rykerian queried.

“She’s had first hand experience with both of them.”

Rykerian didn’t like that answer at all.

Jurek flashed to the med unit to check on Tommy and try to persuade Liasare to come with him. Tommy was still unconscious so Liasare accompanied him back to the lab.

“I know you hate this, but we need to know something. Do you remember if the hooded man from the dungeon and Abaddon from your dreams are one and the same?”

“No, definitely not. Abaddon has black fangs and the man from the dungeon didn’t.” Liasare shook as she answered. Jurek enfolded her in his arms.

He bent his head and whispered in her ear, “I’m sorry to bring up the bad memory, love, but we’re trying to piece some things together here.” He rubbed her arms up and down, warming her with his energy. She put her arms around him and rested her cheek against his chest, letting his energy flow into her. It always made her feel calmer, stronger.

“Do you remember when we walked into Club Down and how we both felt?”

“Yes, and it was very disturbing,” she answered.

“We’ve found that the Xanthians call this person Master and he’s associated with Club Down. We’re wondering if he lives there. We think he may be the hooded guy that held you captive.”

“Have you found anything else?”

“Not yet, but we may need to pay another visit to Club Down. At least we know there’s a definite connection now.”

“I’m heading back to the med unit then. Let me know if you find anything else, okay?”

Jurek walked her back, just so she wouldn’t get lost. “Are you doing okay?”

She grabbed his hand and squeezed. “I wish he’d wake up and look at us and give us one of his stupid grins and ask what we’re all doing in there.” She smiled sadly.

“Hey, you never know. Naroo is a miracle worker of sorts. He’s resting now because that’s what his brain needs to do to recover. Don’t give up hope Liasare. That’s not like you.”

Turning to him, she hugged him and said, “Thanks, I needed that. I need to ask you something and I don’t think you’re going to like it. I think Shandro needs to be here.”

Jurek looked at Liasare, staring into her eyes. A million feelings passed between them, love mainly, but she was taken off guard when she felt his questions about her feelings toward Shandro.

“Do you have any doubt of my feelings toward you?”

His eyes, those gorgeous swirling orbs of lavender and silver, reached into her heart and spoke to her.

I’ve laid my heart and soul at your feet; they are yours forever. I’ve given you my power and my body is yours as well. I would die for you Liasare.

She walked up to him and touched his cheek, her power lighting it up.

I’ve told you this before and I’ll tell you every day if I have to. I would crawl inside of you and cradle your heart within my hands. I would wrap my soul around yours and protect it forever. I could never love anyone as I love you. You are mine Alaric.

“I don’t like the way he looks at you. He invades my space when he does.”

“He’s Tommy’s best friend. He needs to be here. He’s been sick with worry about him.”

“I’ll be sick with worry about you if he comes.”

“Why? I’m secure in my love for you and yours for me.”

“He’ll see you as you are now and not as you were.”

“Oh Jurek. I don’t mind when you’re around January. It’s the same kind of thing.”

He rubbed his eyes and said, “No it’s not. January never loved me in that way. Shandro looks at you with longing in his eyes. He loves you Liasare. There’s a huge difference.”

“You’re right, he does. But I’ve never given him any indication that my feelings for him were anything other than that of a brother-sister relationship. He knows that. And if it will make you feel better, I’ll tell him again, in your presence. I’ll tell him that we’re married, that I’m your queen. I’ll do whatever you want me to do. But Shandro’s my friend and he’s Tommy’s friend. Please, Jurek. I don’t ask this for myself. I ask it for my brother.”

He jerked his head up and down one time. She understood how much he was giving up to extend an invitation to Shandro. “Thank you.”

“When it comes to most things, I find it impossible to deny you anything.”

“I’ll make it worth your while,” she said with a seductive grin.

“Oh, I’ll see that you do,” he responded in that throaty whisper that drove her crazy.

***

Shandro arrived on Lare-Stell two days later. As Jurek predicted, he was amazed at Liasare’s appearance and could barely tear his eyes off of her. Jurek began to growl every few minutes until Liasare, as promised, explained to Shandro her relationship to him. They both agreed that Shandro could be brought into the fold on how Liasare had been given Jurek’s power and so her story was passed to him.

Shandro felt his heart plummet to his feet and he was unable to hide his disappointment. Of course he stammered out his thanks to Jurek repeatedly for saving her life, but he had always held onto hope, albeit tiny, that someday, he and Liasare would find themselves together. He was so crushed by her news that he excused himself and remained in his quarters for the rest of the day.

Three days later Tommy woke up. He wasn’t grinning as Liasare had prayed he would be, but instead he was screaming. He tore around his room like a mad man, yanking at his hair, yelling at the ceiling and banging on the walls. He had to be sedated because they were afraid he would injure himself. Liasare was a complete mess. Her stomach was a twisted mass of knots and she wondered over and over whether they had done the right thing.