Operation Hydra (18 page)

“I’m not afraid of the log.”

Fear wasn’t the only emotion swirling in her expressive purple gaze, but it was definitely a contributor. “I didn’t think you were.
Overwhelmed, maybe.
Confused, for sure.
How could you not be?”

“Actually, I’m less confused right now than I’ve ever been,” she said calmly, but he didn’t believe a word of it.

“Uh-huh. So, you want to explain it all to me?”

She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned her hip against the table. “Hydran found out that there were Ontarians on Earth, so he decided to breed his own test colony to experiment on and play with. It’s not really that hard to understand. He started with Rosalyn and Gath because my mother was still a child. Gath became unruly, so he killed him, but continued to breed Ontarians with his sperm.”

“We’re not talking about a science experiment; this is the life you’ve been forced to live. You can’t tell me you’re not angry. I’m furious and —”

“The children of Rosalyn and Gath are Level One. The children of Krystabel and Gath are Level Two.” She babbled on as if he hadn’t spoken. “And Belle and I are Level Three, carried within the womb of Krystabel and enhanced by God knows what.”

She was determined to review the facts it seemed, so he suggested, “Perhaps that’s why your mother split the embryo. She sensed what Hydran had done and wouldn’t allow him to control a person with so much power.”

“Hydran doesn’t control me,” Krysta snapped.

Trey watched her carefully. The only tears she’d shed had been for Bekka and Lorrisa. When her dam finally broke, she was going to be inundated with emotion, shaken to the core.

“What if all of the power had fallen to Belle’s docile personality?
There had to be a reason. Your mother knew what she was doing.”

She stepped away from the table. “Why do you suddenly sound as if you knew my mother? You know nothing about her.”

Should he tell her of E’Lanna’s vision, of Charlotte’s certainty that Krystabel was still alive? He wasn’t sure he believed it himself; how could he convince her? She had so much to accept already. It would be better to give her more time.

He nodded toward the Companion. “Is there a Level Four? Maybe we can find out what’s going on in ward D.”

Returning to her chair, she reactivated the device, waiting for the file to load.
“Companion, access Level Four.”

“There is information contained in Level Four with a higher security clearance than you are allowed, Krysta,” the Companion responded.

“Well, can you show me the areas allowed within my security clearance?”

“Do you automatically negotiate with everyone?” Trey chuckled.

“When it’s necessary,
which is often.
”

“I am ready when you are,” the Companion said.

“He even sounds like Drakkin,” Trey grumbled. “I’ll have to show this to the Mystics and see what they make of it.”

“Proceed,” Krysta said.

“Level Four is ready to launch.” Hydran’s voice droned. His fingers formed a steeple in front of his face and deep creases now framed his eyes and mouth. “The implants are brilliant, better than I ever dreamed. The ward D tests have proven their dependability over and over. We’re ready for the final phase. But I don’t know where to turn. Inbreeding has inherent risks, but how — where do I get another male?” Hydran flipped off the recording device, abruptly ending the entry.

“Inbreeding?”
Krysta’s gaze shot to Trey.
“Of course.
He can’t go farther than the first generation without diluting our Ontarian blood. He can’t breed the
male donor
to his daughters.”

“Gath cet Fintar has two hundred and fourteen children,” Trey shook his head amazed by all the implications.

“What do you think he meant by implants? What are they testing in ward D?”

Her voice sounded thin, shaken.
Saebin.
Her best friend was in that ward. “We’ll know as soon as we blast our way in. Vee wants it put to a vote, but after what we’ve learned today, I know my officers will not hesitate.”

“Will not hesitate to what?”

“My ship is called the
Gale
, but she has a big sister. She’s a prototype and has yet to be fully tested, but this situation calls for drastic measures. I’ll contact Overlord Cyrus as soon as we return and ask him to dispatch the
Tempest
.”

With a frustrated curse, Krysta slumped back in the bathtub, submerging herself to the chin in warm, sudsy water. She’d managed to fill the crazy thing and even found the setting for lavender-scented foam, but nothing she tried activated the water massage.

Oh, well, she’d just soak.

Trey stomped into the bathroom and her arms instinctively crossed over her breasts.

“Little late for that, don’t you think?” he muttered.

“What’s wrong?”

Fully dressed and scowling, he stood across from her, leaning against the long counter behind him. “Vee has taken it upon himself to declare a state of emergency. My crew is in an uproar. Dro Tar is ready for mutiny.”

“Against Vee, not you, I presume.” He glared, so she quickly suppressed her amusement. “What happened?”

“Hydran sequestered the children. He took them to one of the common areas and won’t let any of the other occupants near them.”

She didn’t want to disregard his concern prematurely, but Hydran pulled crap like this all the time. “There are eleven children under the age of fifteen. Were the mothers told why the children were needed or were they just told to report?”

He slouched and shoved one hand into his pocket. “I don’t know. Vee seems to think it’s a big deal.”

“How did Vee find out?” She relaxed against the tub. If the occupants weren’t in an uproar, it sounded like Vee over-reacted.

“Dro Tar mentioned it when she returned to the ship after her shift.” His gaze assessed her, lingering intimately over her half-concealed curves. “You’re not concerned?”

“There could be any number of reasons for it.” Her eyes drifting shut. “Tell Vee if the mothers aren’t throwing a fit, there’s nothing to worry about. My guess is one of the mothers made him angry, so he’s punishing everyone. Don’t forget, Hydran’s specialty is head games.”

He wasn’t gone long, but Krysta started when his deep voice disturbed her sleepy haze.

“I told him…” She nearly jumped out of the tub and he chuckled. “Relax. It’s just me.”

Just me.
Yeah, right.
Just the most dangerously charming rascal to ever cross my path.
A slow, simmering heat rippled through her and it had nothing to do with the bath.

“I told Vee we’d head straight to the Center in the morning. We’ll tell Hydran one of the mothers contacted you. He knows you’re telepathic, right?”

“Sure. My telepathy doesn’t work that way, but it might rattle his cage to think it does.”

Reaching up, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Anything that rattles Hydran’s cage works for me.”

Drawing her knees up to her chest, she looked at him thoughtfully. “You know, there are a lot of things I still don’t understand, but this just made me think of one more. How are the occupants still having children? Hydran knows he can’t breed us to our father, so who fathered the new generation? For that matter, who fathered Saebin?”

“If you want to talk, fine, but I’m naked and I’m in there with you,” he paraphrased.

She laughed. “If we play out that scene again I’ll have to punch you in the eye. The swelling has gone down. Would you like me to heal the bruise?”

Trey smiled, pushing away from the counter. She hadn’t apologized for punching him. It would have been a meaningless token if she had. He’d deserved the punch and he admired her honesty. It had taken courage to stand up to him, but it had also been incredibly foolish. Many men would have repaid violence with violence, and felt justified.

“I’ve gotten used to it.” He kicked off his boots.

Her gaze followed him closely as he undressed. They both needed to relax and unwind, but she better cool her stare or they’d be thrashing about on the sleeping station in no time.

“For the longest time, Saebin, Belle, and I were the only ones whose mothers were at the Center. We just presumed everyone else had been taken from their families.”

He’d been so distracted by the prospect of climbing into the tub with her he’d forgotten what they were talking about. Giving himself a mental shake, he asked, “When did the second generation begin?”

“If you don’t count Saebin, the oldest is fourteen.”

“Obviously, I can’t answer your question. Once we liberate the Center, we’ll start sifting through all this information.”

She sighed and sank back into the water. “Operation Hydra is like a rotting onion.
Layer upon layer.
Each layer we peel back reveals another, and each smells worse than the last.”

“Well, we’re just about ready to dispose of this rotting onion. I told Vee our trip to Meditek was an unbelievable success and had him send for Lyrik. He should be here in the morning.”

“Who is Lyrik?” Her voice sounded soft, distracted. “What a beautiful name.”

Trey laughed. “The spelling is different, and the Ontarian meaning has nothing to do with music, but
I’ll
tell him you like his name, because you’re not going anywhere near him.”

That caught her interest. She scooted toward the edge of the tub.
“And why not?”

“Lyrik cet Barrel and I trained together in the City of Tears. I count him among my friends, but he can be ruthless when it comes to women.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning he has been known to bend the boundaries of the social alliance. Lyrik commands the
Tempest
.”

“What is a social alliance?”

He hadn’t meant to get into all of this tonight. They needed to relax. She would learn about Ontarian customs soon enough. But he had no choice now. His little hell raiser was too curious for simple evasions.

“Because there are so few women on Ontariese it’s necessary for each woman to declare a social alliance when she finds a man she’s interested in sexually. This tells other men to back off until the alliance is over.”

“A social alliance isn’t permanent?”

“No. A permanent relationship is called life mating. Finding your soul’s mate is not a simple thing. Those are rare and precious joinings.”

Pulling off his shirt, he watched her eyes dilate as they moved over his naked chest. His rebellious body hardened and he sank to his knees beside the tub, hiding his erection. “Why don’t you have the water massage activated?”

She made a bland gesture toward the control panel. “I couldn’t make it work. The water feels nice, so I just decided to soak.”

He paged through the various diagrams. “There are five preset programs. Basic whirlpool, back and neck, legs and hips, torso and shoulders and…
sensual
message.”

She laughed, rubbing her face with wet hands to smooth the hair off her face. “Start simple and we’ll experiment. I thought you were coming in.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

A slow, beckoning smile parted her dewy lips. “You didn’t duck fast enough. Maybe the water will relax you. I promise I’ll behave.”

“I sincerely doubt it.”

Her brow arched. “You doubt the water will relax you or I’ll behave?”

“Either.” He laughed. “Both. Scoot forward.” He shucked his pants and slipped in behind her. Warm water engulfed him and her sleek hips slid against him as he parted his legs. This was definitely
not
relaxing.

“Do I just press the pad to activate the program diagramed?” she asked.

As she leaned forward to reach the controls, he could see the elegant column of her back and the side of her breast if she moved just right. His hands grasped the edge of the tub, refusing to touch her. She needed to relax — they needed to relax.

“Yeah, just press it.”

His voice broke and she glanced over her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Mechanically, he nodded and she activated the water message. Countless air jets shot the water all around their bodies, raising the temperature and making bubbles.

“Oh, that’s nice.” She settled against his chest, casually resting her hands on his thighs. Trey groaned. “Are your brother and my aunt… what did you call it, life mates?”

“Yes.”

She wiggled, angling her head to see his face. “You’re suddenly all closemouthed. Does it bother you that your brother has found his soul’s mate?”

“No, I’m… yes, I should have… there is no simple answer to that question.”

Her head turned to a more natural angle, relaxing against his shoulder. “So, explain it to me. I’m fully capable of comprehending complicated concepts.”

“And creating alliteration.”
He slid his hands from her shoulders to her elbows, enjoying the heated softness of her skin. “I don’t love Charlotte. She was meant to be with Tal. You have only to see them together to understand that their souls are truly mated. But I long for the contentment they’ve found.”

“What keeps you from finding that sort of contentment for yourself?”

“I have nothing to offer a life mate,” he said softly. “Lovers find me physically pleasing, but to secure a relationship beyond a social alliance, men must be extraordinary in some way. I have no Mystic abilities. I no longer have a place on the council. Why would a woman permanently bond with me, when there are so many others to choose from?”

He could feel the tension in her body, knew what he said upset her, but he couldn’t see her face. It took her a long time to speak. “Aren’t you from one of the royal houses?”

“As are hundreds of others.”

She shifted against him, her hands moving up and down his thighs. He wasn’t sure if it was the topic or just laying in his arms that was making her restless, but it was driving him crazy.

“I’ve seen pictures of families, viddisks and archived recordings, but no one I know has a mate of any kind.”

Her softly spoken words twisted through Trey and shame drove away his self-pity. He had known love. He had been held in the arms of a nurturing mother and seen pride gleam in his father’s eyes. His string of social alliances had only seemed shallow and cold when held up against the strength of Tal and Charlotte’s soul-deep bonding. Still, he had known the comfort of affection and the thrill of passion. His uncertainty was nothing compared to Krysta’s isolation.