Devoured Read online

  “But of all the Kindred, they are the ones who do not revere females. They don’t even worship the Goddess, do they?”

  “They worship only intelligence. Theirs is the religion of science and technology.” Truth sighed. “I don’t know how it’s even possible for one of them to dream share with a female at all. They have implants that allow them to circumvent all emotion, specifically to keep them from needing to bond. They—”

  “Wait a minute.” Garron held up a hand to stop him. “Go back. What did you say about the implants?”

  “That they keep the Dark Kindred from feeling. Anything, apparently. No joy, no sorrow, no anger—nothing.” Truth frowned. “Wait a minute, Brother. You’re not thinking—”

  “Why not?” Garron demanded. “We both know it’s emotion that brings the dr’gin to the surface. Emotion is what sets it free and allows the first transformation to occur. If I could deaden my feelings at will—every time I felt my dr’gin rising—my problem would be solved.”

  “But how will you get there? Zeaga Four is twenty thousand light years from Earth.”

  “Just because I’m not allowed aboard the Mother Ship doesn’t mean it can’t fold space for me,” Garron pointed out. “I just need a shuttle—I can borrow one from the HKR here in Asheville.”

  “You still haven’t been cleared to pilot one yet.”

  “Then talk to Commander Sylvan,” Garron said. “Have him clear me and get permission to fold space to Zeaga Four.”

  Truth frowned. “Commander Sylvan is very understanding but why would he go to so much trouble?”

  “Tell him that while I’m there I can see if I can find anything out about the male who is dream sharing with this Earth girl,” Garron said. “I won’t stir up trouble—I’ll just visit one of the medical barges orbiting the planet. But I might come back with some valuable information.”

  Truth nodded thoughtfully.

  “He may agree. I get the idea that his hands are tied by the Council so he can’t really send anyone from the Mother Ship. But you’re an independent agent—a transfer from another world who doesn’t really fall under any jurisdiction. You could easily gather information under the guise of getting help to control your dr’gin.”

  “Now you’re thinking!” Garron exclaimed. “Go talk to him, Truth. Right away if you can. Please, I can’t hold back the dr’gin much longer on my own. This could be the answer to all my problems.”

  “I hope so, Brother,” Truth said. “I truly do.” He frowned. “But what about your female? Zeaga Four is a dangerous place. Would you take her with you?”

  Garron frowned. “I do not like the idea of taking her into danger. I don’t wish to leave her but she might be safer here at the HKR building awaiting my return. If Commander Sylvan agrees to fold space for me, it shouldn’t take long to get to the medical barges around Zeaga Four and back again.”

  “You’ll have to decide what to do for yourself,” Truth said. “Wait a moment while I go find Commander Sylvan. I’ll Bespeak you with his answer.”

  “I’ll stay here in the HKR building,” Garron promised. “If all goes well, I’ll start for the Vega system today.”

  “I hope so. Truth out.” His brother’s image disappeared from the viewscreen just as Garron heard a soft knocking at the door.

  “Come,” he said.

  “Garron?” Tess poked her head around the door uncertainly. “Am I interrupting?”

  “Not at all. I just finished talking to my brother and we have a possible solution.” For the first time in days, Garron felt hopeful. “This could be it, Tess,” he said, taking her hands in his. “I could—” He stopped because something was obviously wrong. Her face was white and drawn and the bitter scent of sorrow and fear emanated from her. “Tess,” he murmured. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s my friend, Di.” She took a deep breath, obviously trying to control her emotions.

  “What did she say?” Garron asked anxiously. He had only met the older female briefly but her loyalty and love for Tess had been clear.

  “She didn’t say anything.” Tess looked down at her feet, her long hair shielding her face like a curtain. “She…she’s in the hospital in the ICU.”

  “What?” Garron demanded. “What happened?”

  “Someone broke into her house and beat her…” Tess shivered. “Beat her with a baseball bat. That’s what they think it was, anyway. Whoever it was left her for…for dead. They don’t know if she’ll ever wake up again. It’s that bad.”

  Garron’s heart tightened in his chest at the hurt sound of her voice.

  “Tess,” he said, his voice coming out rough. “Lin’del…look at me.” He lifted her chin gently and pushed back her hair. Her lovely face was paper white and a single tear marked her cheek.

  “This is my fault,” she whispered. “We both know who did this. Garron, I have to go to her.”

  “No!” He cupped her cheek and looked at her anxiously. “Don’t you see, Tess? This is what he wants. She probably wouldn’t give him any information about where you’d gone so he found the perfect way to draw you back. The minute you step foot in the medical facility where your friend is being tended, he’ll have you. He’ll have both of us and, as you pointed out, he has the jurisdiction here.”

  “He won’t have you.” Tess lifted her chin. “I’ll go back alone. I need to be with Di.”

  “Is that what she would have wanted?” Garron demanded. “For you to put yourself straight back into his hands after all she’d risked to help you go free?”

  “No, but…” Her voice wavered. “She’s my best friend. I should be with her.”

  “And you will—if and when she wakes up. Right now all you could do would be to sit by her bedside and wait for him to drag you away from her,” Garron pointed out. “Don’t forget, Tess—I was dream sharing with you. I saw how manipulative he can be. He took you out of the HKR building in Tampa without anyone saying a thing about it—all because he molded the situation to look like what he wanted.”

  “Pierce is good at that,” she admitted reluctantly.

  “Don’t put yourself back in his power. Di wouldn’t have wanted that.” Garron sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Look, I have a possible solution to my problem. If you can just bear with me until I can get it fixed, then we can concentrate on finding a way to get you to your friend’s bedside without that bastard coming after you.”

  “Oh?” She brushed a tear off her cheek. “What are you going to do?”

  “If all goes well, I think I know of a place that can help me,” Garron said. “It will mean traveling to the fringes of a very dangerous planet but as long as we follow convention and stay off the planet’s surface, we should be fine.”

  Tess frowned. “We?”

  “Yes.” He nodded grimly. Before he’d been thinking of leaving her behind—just for a day or two under the watchful eyes of the Kindred stationed in Asheville. Now, however, her ex-mate had proven himself to be more than abusive—he was unquestionably murderous. Ruthlessly willing to do anything he had to in order to get Tess back. The only way to make sure she was completely safe was to take her with him—even if it meant going into danger. “Yes,” he said again, looking into her eyes. “I’m not taking any chances with you, lin’del. You’re going to come with me.”

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  It was the third time Tess had ridden in one of the Kindred shuttles that moved back and forth between Earth and the huge Mother Ship which orbited the moon, but this was by far the most comfortable journey. The ranking Kindred officer at the Asheville HKR had given them a long range shuttle since they intended to fold space. It was roomier and more luxurious than either the civilian transport she’d gone up to the Mother Ship in the first place or the small two person craft she’d been brought back down in.

  But the comfortable—albeit much too large—flight chair she was strapped into and all the complicated looking instruments on the driver’s side of the craft couldn’t hold her