Laura Jo Phillips (4 page)

Darleen wasn’t sure how to answer that question.  Over the past year, she had often wondered if it would be possible to reverse any of the things that Lio had done to her body.  Whenever she thought about it, only one face ever came to mind, though she could never understand why.  The old man everyone called Doc, who worked on the Dracons’ ranch taking care of livestock and pets, had never impressed her much on any of the handful of occasions she had met him.  But for some strange reason, she felt that he was the only real chance she had for returning to any semblance of normal. 

As Doc’s craggy, white mustached face rose up in her mind, she realized that Summer was still waiting for an answer.  Darleen shook her head.  No, she did not need emergency medical aid.  Nor did she think that Doc, who was a huge fan of Princess Lariah Dracon, would ever consent to help the woman who had aided in the abduction of both Lariah, and the Lobos’ Arima, Saige. 

“No thanks,” Summer said into the vox.  “We just want out of here.”

“The male-set on their way to you is about 4 minutes out.  Their names are Maxim, Lonim and Ranim Katre.”

“All right,” Summer said. 

“Keep the vox with you in case you get moved so we can track it,” Faron warned.

“I will,” Summer replied.  “Thank you.”  She tapped the vox to disconnect and turned to look at Darleen.  “They will be here in a few minutes.”

“I would like to find something to cover up with before our rescuers arrive,” Darleen said.  Summer heard the nervousness in the woman’s voice and didn’t blame her for it.

“I saw a coat rack when I came in,” Summer said.  “There was something big and black on it.  You might try looking there.”

“Thanks,” Darleen replied.  She limped hurriedly out of the alcove and Summer turned her attention back to Lio.  She suddenly realized that the man was no longer conscious, which was a relief.  She turned the pain baton off and started to put it down on the floor, but decided it would be wiser to hang on to it just in case Lio awoke.

Summer rose to her feet just as Darleen came back into the alcove wearing a long black cloak.  “How’s this?” she asked.

Summer’s first inclination was to say it was fine, but knowing how important it would be for herself to be covered were she in Darleen’s position, she decided to treat it with more seriousness.  She eyed the cloak carefully, noting that it nearly reached the floor, the fabric heavy enough to completely conceal Darleen from her shoulders to her bare, silver feet.  She walked around Darleen and discovered that the cloak had a deep hood attached which she lifted up and slid over the back of Darleen’s shiny silver head.  Darleen felt the hood and reached up with a soft “oh.”  She hadn’t noticed the hood before and was very pleased with it.  Summer walked back around until she stood in front of Darleen once more and smiled.

“With the hood up, it covers you completely,” she said. 

“Good,” Darleen replied softly.

“Darleen, do you know if there is a way to remove that polymer coating on your skin?”

Darleen’s expression did not change, but Summer saw the fear in her eyes.  “I’m not sure,” she said.  “Lio told me that there was, and that it was easy to do, but who knows if that is true?”

“That is the first thing we will be asking him when we have control of him then,” Summer said.  The look of gratitude on Darleen’s face made Summer uncomfortable so she changed the subject. 

“Lets find something to tie this creep up with in case he wakes up before help arrives,” she said. 

Lio’s eyes opened.  “Wha...?” he mumbled, reaching up with one hand to touch the side of his head.

“Controller, stop movement,” Darleen said, her voice harsh with sudden fear.  Lio’s arm froze in mid-air, much to Darleen and Summer’s relief.  Summer reached out with her mind to the nano-bots in Lio’s brain and discovered that, so far, they had only marginal control.  Enough to allow them to control his gross motor functions, but little more.  It was enough.

Summer turned to Darleen.  “It’s okay,” she said, trying to reassure the other woman.  “The Controller is just getting hold, but it is enough already that he can’t move unless we allow it.”

Darleen nodded and forced herself to relax and take a breath.  The sight of Lio’s mud brown eyes opening had frightened her.  All he had to do was say a word and she would be under his control again.  She shuddered at the thought.

“What is it?” Summer asked.

“I just don’t want him to be able to control me again,” Darleen replied in a low voice.

“Well, let me fix that,” Summer said.  She reached out to place one hand on Darleen’s shoulder and closed her eyes.  After a few moments, her eyes opened and she smiled. 

“I have disabled your Controller’s voice command protocols,” she explained.  “Until we find a way to remove or disable the Controller completely, that will prevent anyone from being able to use it to control you.”

Darleen was surprised to feel tears burn her eyes.  She never cried.  Not ever.  Tears of pain when she had no control over herself didn’t count.  “I don’t know how you did that, but thank you,” she whispered, unable to speak normally around the lump in her throat.

“It’s just a thing I’ve been able to do since I was a child,” Summer replied with a shrug.  “It’s not really a big deal, but you are very welcome, Darleen.”

She looked down at Lio where he lay, arm still raised half way to his head.  Anger rolled through her at the man who had so cruelly abused the woman standing beside her. 

“Controller, stand,” she ordered.  Lio’s body instantly obeyed and rose to its feet.  Since the Controller did not yet have full control over the his brain, his facial expressions were still his own to control.  Summer was surprised to see nothing but fury in Lio’s eyes and face.  No fear, no horror.  Just fury. 

“If you two know what’s good for you, you will release me at once,” he said, surprising Summer again.  She had not thought he would be able to talk, but then, she had not ordered the Controller to prevent it either.

“Right, because so far, you being in control has been so good for us,” she said.  “Now, do us a favor will you?  Shut up.”

Lio’s eyes blazed with anger, then widened in surprise.  It seemed obvious that he had tried to speak, and discovered he couldn’t.  The Controller had obeyed Summer’s command for him to shut up.

There was a part of Summer that was very happy to see this horrid, evil little man getting a taste of his own medicine.  At the same time, there was another part of her that was appalled at what she was doing.  But, this time, she didn’t have to ask herself what Father would do.  She understood that this was a high stakes game, and she could not afford to be squeamish. 

She reached out to the nano-bots in Lio’s brain and discovered they had gotten a little further along.  “Is there a way to remove this silver skin from Darleen’s body without causing her harm?” she asked.

Lio nodded. 

“What is it?” she demanded.

Lio’s lips remained pressed tightly together.  Summer reached for the nano-bots again, and realized that the ability to control his brain and body to the extent required to force him to answer questions against his will would take longer to develop. 

“Don’t worry, Darleen,” she said.  “In another couple of hours he won’t have any choice but to answer our questions.”

Darleen nodded, but she had pulled the hood of the cloak further forward so that her face was hidden, and Summer could not see her expression.

Suddenly a deep, loud roar sounded from somewhere in the building.  It was so loud that Summer thought she could feel the floor vibrate beneath her feet from it.  Darleen jumped, then stepped forward and gripped Summer’s arms tightly. 

“I can’t go through it again,” she said in a hoarse whisper.  “I mean it, I would rather be dead.  I cannot let him, or anyone, have control over me like that again.”

“Its okay Darleen,” Summer replied.  “Nobody can control you now, remember?”

“Test it,” Darleen demanded.

“Controller, sit down,” Summer ordered. 

Darleen relaxed when nothing happened to her, but Lio suddenly dropped to a sitting position on the floor beside them.  Darleen’s grip on Summer’s arms loosened.  There was another roar, followed by a third.  Whatever, or whoever was roaring, Summer had a feeling they were getting closer.

“Darleen, stay here and keep an eye on him,” she said.  “I will go find out what’s going on.  Don’t come out until I tell you to, okay?”

Darleen nodded, then backed deeper into the alcove until she blended into the dark shadows, though she kept her eyes trained on Lio.

Summer reached for the pain baton.  She closed her eyes for a moment and mentally pulled up the information she had read on the weapon, including the various ways to use it.  She opened her eyes, set her jaw and gripped the baton in both hands in the prescribed manner after turning the dial all the way back up to ten.  She looked once more toward Darleen, then Lio, before stepping out of the screened in alcove.

She was in full agreement with Darleen.  She would not go back, would not be a prisoner again.  She would rather be dead.  But that did not mean she wanted to die.  Only that she would fight to the very end if need be.

Chapter
5

Maxim Katre drove the ground-car up onto the curb and was already throwing his door open as the car skidded to a stop.  He flung himself out of the vehicle and raced for the entrance of the very building that he had been watching a short time earlier from across the street, Loni and Ran right behind him.  He pushed through the door and found himself face to face with a pair of human guards barring his way.

“You will move,” Maxim said softly.

The guard on the left smirked at him.  “Why should we?  You have no business here.  Leave now.”

“I am the Commander of Intelligence and Covert Operations for the Jasani Combined Military Forces,” Maxim said, his voice a deep, rumbling growl.  The man’s eyes widened.  “If you do not step aside immediately, you will be eviscerated where you stand.”  Maxim grinned, baring his sharp, white teeth.  “It will be messy.”

The man stepped aside, quickly waving the other guard back out of the way as well.

Maxim was still growling softly as he ran across the lobby toward the bank of elevators, sliding to a stop on the marble floors as he reached for the door leading into the stairwell.  He had no intention of waiting for an elevator when they could run up the stairs far more quickly than it could carry them.

According to the information provided by Emergency Services, the vox call from Summer Whitney had originated from the top floor of this fifteen-story building in the southwest corner.  Maxim and his brothers raced up the stairs to the fifteenth floor.  They moved so fast that, had a human been in the stairwell, they would have seen little more than three odd blurs that came and went too fast for the human eye to identify.

Moments later Maxim pushed through the heavy metal door with the numeral 15 painted on it.  He stepped into a long, tastefully decorated hallway.  He had one brief moment to take in the thick carpeting, soft lighting and expensive art on the walls before the scent of sun warmed grass and spring wildflowers filled his senses. 

His mating fangs burst through his gums and his cock hardened instantly, even as adrenaline flooded his body at the sharp scent of fear mingled with the other scents.  The scent of their Arima.  Behind him, he heard Loni and Ran react as they caught the scents as well.

Maxim fought against his body’s instinctive reactions.  He was able to prevent himself from shifting into his katrenca alter-form, but he could not prevent the loud roar of fear and anger that burst from him.  Moments later, Loni and Ran roared as well, causing the art on the walls to vibrate, such was the depth of their feelings.  Maxim turned and was relieved to note that neither of his brothers had succumbed to the urge to transform.  The three of them stood together for long moments, struggling to regain control of themselves. 

Much to his own shock and bewilderment, Maxim was not altogether happy with this turn of events.  He understood as well as any Clan Jasani what a miracle it was for them to have found their Arima.  And he knew that he should feel nothing but excitement and anticipation over it.  But he didn’t. 

He took a long deep breath in an effort to calm himself.  Loni and Ran followed his example and they all felt their shoulders relax.  They were once again in control of themselves, but only barely.  They had to find their Arima quickly.  Whether Maxim was pleased with the knowledge that they were about to meet their Arima or not, their bodies were insisting they hurry to her at once, and there was no denying the strength of that instinctive need.

Maxim turned and began stalking up the hall, following the invisible scent trail until they reached a closed door at the end.  He paused to get his bearings and realized they were in the southwest corner.  Either Summer Whitney, or another woman behind this door, was their Arima.  He was glad to know that he would not have to shirk his duty in rescuing Miss Whitney in order to find their Arima. 

He opened the door and entered what was clearly a large reception area.  It took only a moment to discern that the room was vacant, so they crossed to the next door.