Laura Jo Phillips (6 page)

“However, I must point out that our Princes have authority to reverse our decision,” Maxim warned.  “Under normal circumstances they would not deny a Battle Bond, but they have a personal reason for their feelings against Darleen Flowers.”

“I will deal with that when I get to it,” Summer said, suddenly feeling very tired.

At that moment there was a loud commotion from beyond the screen.  Summer raised the pain baton back into fighting position and set her feet in a combat stance without even thinking about it. 

“Be calm,” Maxim said.  “It is our own people arriving to aid in your rescue.”

Summer lowered the baton but did not fully relax.  There had been a hint of something in Maxim’s tone that bothered her.  Sarcasm? she wondered.  But no, that made no sense.  She shook her head.  It was probably her imagination, and if it wasn’t, she was just too anxious to figure it out right now.

“If you will wait here for a short time, I will speak with them,” Maxim said.

“Okay,” Summer replied.  All she wanted to do at the moment was sit down, but she remained where she was until both Maxim and Lonim had left the alcove.  As soon as they were gone, she walked across the alcove to Lio’s chair and nearly fell into it. 

Darleen hurried over and started to lower herself to her knees on the floor in front of the chair.  Summer placed a hand on Darleen’s arm to stop her.  “No, don’t do that,” she said softly.  “There is no need to cause yourself more pain.”

Darleen nodded with some relief.  “Are you all right, Summer?” she whispered.

“Yes,” Summer replied.  “I think I’ve had a few too many adrenaline rushes this morning is all.”  Summer glanced over her shoulder to be sure they were alone, then lowered her voice to a soft whisper.  “I need to get a better mental on his Controller.  I don’t want the Katres to know what we did.”

Darleen nodded.  “All right, go ahead and I’ll keep watch,” she whispered back. 

Summer closed her eyes to aid in her concentration and reached for the nano-bots in Lio’s brain.  She was relieved to find that they had progressed a great deal since the last time she’d checked.  They should be able to ask him about Darleen’s skin by now.  But first she had to reprogram the Controller to accept her mental commands. 

A few minutes later, Summer was satisfied that she could mentally control Lio’s Controller as easily as she could the Controller in her own brain.  Lio was standing up now, and the expression on his face was one of calm acceptance rather than anger, due to Summer’s silent commands.  She wasn’t sure how she was going to explain the man’s obedience to her, but she would worry about that later.  One thing at a time, she told herself as she prepared to face Maxim once more. 

Chapter
6

Maxim stalked out of the alcove, across the office and into the reception area with Loni following silently behind him.  Ran was standing near the door speaking with a young Falcoran male-set unfamiliar to Maxim.  As he approached, the Falcorans bowed to him and introduced themselves.  Once the introductions were complete, Maxim got down to business.

“Summer Whitney is in the next room with another female and the male who was apparently in charge of this operation,” he said without preamble.  “We will transport them to the Dracons’ ranch immediately.  Please call for a VTOL to land on the roof, one with sufficient space to transport the six of us.  I will also need someone to drive our ground-car to the ranch.  The packages it contains belong to Princess Lariah.”

The lead Falcoran glanced at his youngest brother who turned and stepped out into the hallway to carry out Maxim’s orders.

“I believe that it would be best to detain all personnel in this building for questioning on site,” Maxim continued.  “Call in a forensics team for this office.  Have the results of all findings reported to me as soon as they are available.”

“Yes, Lord Commander,” the Falcoran replied with another short bow.  The youngest Falcoran returned and addressed Maxim directly. 

“Your VTOL will land on the roof within ten minutes, Lord Commander,” he said.

“Thank you,” Maxim replied.  “How many men do you have with you?”

“Two teams consisting of ten human males each, highly trained and reliable, as well as one young Gryphon male-set who are still in training,” the lead Falcoran replied, “

“Please select one of your best men to post inside this door until we depart,” Maxim said.  “We have a few things to discuss among ourselves.  Nothing in this office is to be touched until the forensics team arrives.”

Again the youngest Falcoran left, returning seconds later with a stony faced human soldier in full combat gear and carrying a wicked looking high capacity blaster, who took up position several feet away from the Clan Jasani.  Maxim nodded in approval and the Falcorans left to order the rest of their men.  Maxim waited until he heard the men disperse, then he gestured to his brothers and stepped out into the now empty hallway.

“What’s going on?” Ran asked.  “I can tell you are irritated about something.”

“Our Arima is perhaps not all that we could wish her to be,” Maxim said, forcing his voice to calm.  He wasn’t sure whether he was more angry than disappointed, or the other way around.

“Why would you say such a thing?” Ran asked in surprise. 

“She is argumentative, opinionated and demanding,” Maxim replied. 

“I find that difficult to believe,” Ran said carefully, not wishing to contradict his eldest brother directly.

“You were not in there,” Maxim bit out.  “Loni, do you agree with my assessment?”

Loni lifted one brow just slightly.  “Perhaps,” he said. 

“Perhaps?” Maxim growled.  “Did you not hear her take sides with Darleen Flowers against us?  Did you not hear her demand regarding the human male?  Why would she want that man close to her?  By her own words he held Darleen Flowers captive, and herself as well, yet she wishes to protect him and demanded Warrior Rights to do it.”

“You did grant her request,” Loni pointed out calmly.

“What choice did I have?  She made a valid point and I could not in honor deny her, and well you know it.”

Loni lifted one shoulder in a shrug.  “That is true.”

Ran shook his head in confusion.  Darleen Flowers was here?  Summer had demanded Warrior Rights?  What was going on here?  Several questions rose to mind, but as it was, the most important issue was their Arima, and why Maxim was so angry at her. 

“This makes no sense,” he said.  “My mating fangs descended and so did yours.  She is our Arima.  She is made for us, as we are made for her.  How can she be as you say?”

“She is human,” Maxim snapped.  “That is in itself enough explanation.”

“Our royal cousin, Princess Nahoa-Arima Lariah was raised on Earth, as was Arima Saige Lobo,” Ran pointed out reasonably. 

“Obviously they were raised somewhat differently than Summer Whitney,” Maxim replied.  “We will not tell her she is our Arima,” he said.

Ran was so shocked by Maxim’s pronouncement that he gasped aloud.  “Maxim, with all respect, I disagree with you in this.  She is our Arima, and that is no small thing.  We are blessed to have been chosen for this honor.  Besides that, as you well know, if we do not accept her, we forfeit all hope of family.”

“You wish to walk away from her after one meeting?” Loni asked.  As always, there was very little in Loni’s voice to indicate his feelings in the matter.  He might have been asking if Maxim wanted ice in his juice.

Maxim opened his mouth to reply, then closed it.  He knew that he had a bit of a temper, more so of late than ever.  He was also aware that when he was angry he had a tendency to act first and think later, the direct opposite of his middle brother, Loni.  This was far too important a matter for his temper to determine.  He bowed his head and forced himself to reconsider the situation.  His brothers stood silently, allowing him time to rethink things.  Finally he lifted his head and met his brothers’ gazes with his own.

 “I have promised Miss Whitney our aid in locating the slave compound where she was held, and I will, of course, keep my word.  We will spend time with her, and, perhaps, we will learn she is different from the impression she has made so far.  If that is so, I will reconsider my decision on the matter.  Until then, we will not tell her, or anyone else, that she is our Arima.”

Ran opened his mouth to argue but one stern look from Maxim stopped him.  He knew his brother in this mood, and discussion would not improve things. 

“Very well,” he agreed unwillingly, promising himself that at the first opportunity, he would get Loni aside and find out what had really happened in that alcove.

“I will abide by your decision,” Loni said.  Something in his voice earned him a sharp look from Maxim. 

“You do not agree with me in this?”

“The woman has been held captive for an entire year,” he pointed out.  Maxim waited, but Loni had no more to say.  A stab of guilt hit him.  He had not considered that fact in his judgment of her.  He wondered if he should rethink things again, but decided to stick with his decision.  They would wait and see what this Summer Whitney was really like.  He would not lock himself, and his brothers, to a woman he did not care for, Arima or not.  If he renounced her, he was sentencing himself and his brothers to a life without a mate or children.  But, he reasoned, they had managed without those things for 500 years.  They could continue to do so if necessary.

Chapter
7

Za-Linq was displeased. 

He had made a surprise trip down to this abominable planet in order to have a special meeting with the human, Lio Perry.  He had even gone so far as to have a transport pad installed in the warehouse office specifically for this time period since he knew the human was having a
board meeting
at this time, in this place.  Za-Linq was not completely sure what a
board meeting
was, but so far as he had been able to tell from his surveillance vids, it was the human equivalent of a brood
tzeak
, only without the blood letting. 

He had meant this visit to be a pleasant surprise for Lio, to let him know that the Jasani slave routes were going to be fully restored to their previous configuration.  It had taken a full year of careful maneuvering and extreme vigilance on his part to get Xaqana-Ti to agree to this after Za-Queg’s failures.  And now, at the moment of his first real accomplishment as
Zang-Lide
, Leg-Leader, of his own ship, here he stood, waiting on a human. 

There was a soft, almost hesitant knock on the office door.  Za-Linq scented the fear of the human on the other side of the door, and was slightly appeased by it.

“Enter,” he said coolly, smiling at the instant increase in fear scent.

The door opened slowly and the human male who worked as assistant to Lio Perry stuck his head into the room while keeping his feet outside of it.

“I am sorry, Mr. Za-Linq, Sir,” the man said, speaking quickly as was his habit, “but I’m afraid Mr. Perry has not yet arrived.  I have sent a runner to his office to let him know that you are here, and that he should arrive in all haste.”

Za-Linq felt a frisson of worry.  “Is it normal for Lio to be late to his own meetings?”

The human swallowed and dropped his eyes nervously, clearly searching for the best way to word his response.  “Mr. Perry is a busy man, Mr. Za-Linq, Sir, as I am certain you are, and he often has interruptions that cause a brief delay in his arrival.  But I am certain that the moment he is made aware that you are awaiting him he will come as fast as he is able.”

“When you hear from your runner, inform me at once,” Za-Linq ordered.

“Of course Mr. Za-Linq, Sir, absolutely, at once,” the man promised before pulling his head back and closing the door.

Za-Linq stared at the closed door for a long moment as he considered returning to his ship.  While it was true that Lio had not known he was being paid a surprise visit, it still made Za-Linq angry to be kept waiting.  It would serve the arrogant human right if Za-Linq were to replace him.

Za-Linq toyed with the idea, not for the first time.  And, again not for the first time, decided to continue honoring Za-Queg’s request to allow the human to retain his position.  If it had not been for Za-Linq’s admiration for his elder brood brother, he would have destroyed the human as a matter of course when he agreed to accept Za-Queg’s ship and position.  In fact, that same admiration was the only reason Za-Linq had accepted the position at all.  He had not been Xaqana-Ti’s first choice, nor the second, or even the twenty-second.

True, there were many who would love to have Za-Queg’s ship, position, and territory, but, according to Xanti custom, along with the good, came the bad.  Za-Queg had left a large mark on Xaqana-Ti’s web, and his punishment had not removed that mark.  Therefore, whoever took over his position, also took on responsibility for the mark’s removal. 

Again a frisson of worry ran through him.  He did not know why Lio was late to his own meeting, but now that he was here, it would be wiser to stay until he found out.  Thinking about his responsibility for Za-Queg’s mistakes reminded him that he could not afford to make any of his own.  Not that he needed the reminder.