"Pheligar has gone, but Karzac is having a meal somewhere. He'll be back and staying with you for a day or two to make sure everything is all right. I had to order the vampires and the werewolves out of your room; they've been hovering since we brought you here."

"What happened with Larry? Why was he doing this?" I almost hissed his name.

"He'd been placed under compulsion and ordered to attack your party, sweetheart."

"I thought Xenides wanted me alive." I raised a hand to rub my forehead and discovered that an IV was in it. A bag of IV fluid hung from a pole at the side of the bed.

"Karzac," Griffin explained the IV. "And Xenides does want you alive. The ones who sent Mr. Frazier gave him a specific task and didn't instruct him not to protect himself or not to shoot at you if you attacked him. As you can see, it could have turned out very badly."

"It did turn out badly—for him," I muttered. I'd seen Winkler snap Larry's head off before I lost consciousness.

"Yes, it did turn out badly for him. Pheligar cleared away the blood from the hotel room and the Director had the body hauled away. I must go and allow the others in here before Gavin attempts to remove my head," Griffin sighed, raising my hand to his lips and kissing it. "Try to stay out of trouble, baby girl." He smiled at me before disappearing.

Gavin was growling the minute he entered the room, closely followed by Winkler, Roff, René and Tony. We were in a safe house. A large one, as it turns out.

"Do not upset her or I will have all of you removed!" Karzac appeared and snapped out orders. Gavin stopped growling immediately. He was allowed to sit down on the side of my bed while Karzac glared; the others had to stand. Karzac was now checking my IV and still frowning at all of my visitors.

"Cara, how are you feeling?" Gavin asked.

"My chest aches a little," I said. "Not bad for somebody who got shot twice, is it?"

"Cara, you might have died," Gavin grumbled.

"It's my fault. I was reaching for the stake he had in his hand, not even thinking he might have a gun," I sighed. "If I'd stayed mist and just taken his head with my claws, the bullets would have gone right through. I wanted to capture him so we could ask questions. You see how that turned out." I waved the hand that held the IV. Karzac didn't say anything; he just grabbed the hand and set it on the bed.

"Lissa, I have informed Wlodek and Merrill. I think Charles is in need of oxygen," René said over Gavin's shoulder. René's blond hair looked like it had been finger-combed multiple times, and his warm brown eyes held a worry I couldn't define. It was probably just as well that he'd made the call to Wlodek instead of Gavin. Gavin looked like a wreck.

"I'll call him," I said.

"Not until tomorrow," Karzac informed me. "You will ease the hearts and minds that are here at the moment, and then I will place you in a healing sleep and administer another transfusion. You will be weak for several days. I may allow solid food after tomorrow if you are healing well."

"Karzac, have I told you how nice it is to see you?" I turned to look at him.

"I prefer to see you when you are not bleeding all over hotel rooms," he grumped.

"That was an unscheduled bleeding, I assure you," I wrinkled my nose at him.

Do not wrinkle that pretty nose at me, young woman, Karzac sent. Had it not been for the Larentii helping me, this might have turned out quite differently.

Thank you, I returned. And tell Pheligar thanks, too.

Send him mindspeech and tell him yourself, Karzac instructed. I did.

Pheligar, thank you—you didn't have to, but I'm glad you did, I sent.

Little one, you are more than welcome, came the reply. How about that? I could talk with Pheligar if I wanted!

"He's so polite," I said aloud.

"Who is polite, Cara?" Gavin was kissing my free hand, now.

"Pheligar. Did you see him, Gavin? He's Larentii."

"The tall blue one?" René asked.

"Yeah. His skin is like a summer day," I said. I felt tired.

"Say what you must, I will be placing the healing sleep soon," Karzac said.

"Cara, we will talk tomorrow, love. Gavin stroked hair away from my face and smiled as best he could. I knew the worry and fear in his eyes. I'd felt it a little myself.

* * *

"Lissa Beth, wake now," Karzac's fingers trailed down my cheek after touching my forehead. I gasped in a deep breath, I couldn't help it. My eyes felt like they were glued shut. "Take your time," Karzac said softly. I blinked at him eventually, bringing his face into focus.

"Hi," I said. My mouth felt like sandpaper and my voice wasn't much better.

"Would you like some water?"

"Yeah. What time is it?" I asked. I was completely disoriented.

"Nearly sundown," Karzac answered my question as he helped me sit up. I was handed a mug of ice water and he helped me hold it while I gulped thirstily. "I had to place Roff in a healing sleep as well, he was fretting and wouldn't go to bed," Karzac said when I was done drinking. "I removed the IV—your body heals quickly on its own, although you will be sore and weak for another four days or so." I nodded at him. "I will also leave as soon as the vampires are awake. I must get home in case I am needed elsewhere."

"I hope I didn't take you from anything important," I said, feeling worried.

"Do not fret, little vampire. I had others volunteering to watch over you. I wanted this for myself."

"I feel special," I smiled at him. He gave me a quick grin. Honestly, I hadn't seen Karzac smile that often so a grin was worth its weight in gold.

"You may get up now and bathe if you want," Karzac said. "If you tire before you are done, I will help." He did help me out of the bed and I only wobbled slightly on my way to the bathroom. My suite had a nice bath plus a small sitting area, and I was betting I had the best bedroom inside the safe house. The bath took longer than normal, but I was clean and feeling better afterward.

Karzac had fresh sheets on the bed when I left the bathroom. He also did something I hadn't even thought about before. I'd washed my hair, and it was still wet. He put his hands on my head and dried my hair with some of the power he has. That was outstanding in my book. Too bad I couldn't do that for myself.

"Tomorrow you may get up and wander around the house, but do not tire yourself," Karzac warned as he plumped the pillows at my back. "And you may eat anything you wish beginning then. I do not recommend chili, however," he was smiling slightly again.

"Yeah, I think that would be asking for trouble," I agreed.

"Dragon sends his regards," Karzac added.

"How is he?" I asked.

"As enigmatic as usual," Karzac informed me. I could picture the scowl on Dragon's face. He'd once been Warlord on Falchan and I figured that scowl came in handy when he didn't want everybody to know what he was thinking.

"You know, Karzac, even though it was dangerous as all get out when I was on Refizan, it was one of the happiest times of my life. I got to make my own decisions and I didn't have the Council breathing down my neck or yelling over what I'd done. That was so nice. Gabron, too, didn't try to control me, even though he was a King Vampire and head of the Council there."

"Dragon worried about you having to clean his dojo," Karzac sat down on the edge of my bed.

"Hmmph, that was nothing," I said. "I've cooked meals for werewolves. They can eat twice what any normal human can eat," I laughed a little over that. Winkler could still put it away.

"Are you talking about me?" Winkler walked into my bedroom.

"Your name wasn't mentioned specifically," I pouted at him.

"Damn," Winkler grinned. "Feeling better?"

"A lot better. I still feel like somebody kicked me in the chest, but it's not enough to worry over," I said. Winkler leaned down and kissed me on the forehead, then pulled a chair closer to the bed.

"How do you two know each other?" Winkler asked.

"Lissa came to my homeworld not long ago and helped one of my associates clean out a nest of Ra'Ak," Karzac said.

"If I hadn't seen the blue giant, I'd be questioning your words," Winkler said. "As it is, I think I'd believe just about anything, right now."

"My kind cannot tell an untruth," Karzac informed Winkler. "It is the way we are made."

"Everybody on your planet speaks the truth?" That had Winkler's interest.

"You misunderstand me," Karzac replied. "I am a healer for the Saa Thalarr. That race is the one that cannot lie. You must be invited to become Saa Thalarr or one of their healers. I am Dragon's healer."

"Dragon?"

"You should see him when he is a Dragon," I said, smiling at the memory. "He's huge, with red scales tipped in black."

"You saw him in his normal shape yesterday," Karzac explained to Winkler. "He was the one with the long braid down his back."

"That guy?" Winkler asked.

"You should see his tattoos, they're everywhere," I said. "Chest, back and arms. Anyway, that's what I saw." I had no idea if Dragon had tattoos elsewhere and I wasn't about to ask.

"I find myself wishing you could go out with him again on his assignments," Karzac said. "I never felt as safe in my life as I did when you were guarding the nights on Refizan."

"She used to do that for me," Winkler agreed amiably. "I slept better, knowing she was out there, patrolling the grounds."

"And yet I was stupid enough to let Larry the dickhead shoot me," I muttered.

"Lissa, that could have happened to anyone," Winkler reached out to touch my cheek. "I was about to jump him myself and he would have shot me, too. I focused on the stake just like you did."

"I still feel like an idiot and Wlodek already has it in for me when I get back. I'm sure he'll yell about this, too." I blew out a breath. Gavin, René, Tony and Roff chose that moment to walk in—the sun must have gone down.

"Cara, are you well?" Gavin waved a hand imperiously at Winkler, who got up from his chair and allowed Gavin to sit down.

"I'm all right. Karzac let me have a shower so I feel pretty good."

"She may rise tomorrow, but she may only walk about the house," Karzac was preparing to leave. "Nothing strenuous for the next four days." He was gathering a few things he'd brought with him, including the IV pole. "Lissa, be well and happy," Karzac said, giving me a smile.

I love you I sent. Yeah, I don't know why I said it either, but it was true. I loved him, just as I loved Roff, Winkler, and Tony, even. Karzac raised a hand in farewell and he was gone.