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  “That’s no answer.” The Scourge sounded agitated now.

  “And you’re not going to get one,” Deep snapped back.

  “We’re not here to harm anyone,” Lock said, obviously trying to smooth the situation over. “Just let us leave and we won’t bother you again, I swear.”

  “I’m afraid I can’t do that.” Peeking around Lock’s elbow, Kat saw the Scourge warrior wave his weapon menacingly. “Drop your weapons on the floor and march single file into the medical wing. Now.”

  “What makes you think we’ll comply?” Deep demanded. “There are two of us and only one of you. Even if you shoot one, the other will still kill you.”

  “You will comply because I won’t be aiming for you,” the Scourge said quietly. “I will set my sights on your female and I promise I will wound or kill her before either of you can kill me.”

  “You son-of-a-bitch!” Deep snarled, taking a step forward. Lock put a hand on his arm.

  “Deep, I don’t think we have any choice.”

  “Listen to your friend,” the Scourge advised. He frowned. “I do not like to make such dire threats. I wouldn’t if I could be sure of you.”

  “Sure of what? Because you can be damn sure we’ll carve you to pieces if you so much as touch our Kat.” Deep sounded like he was going into rage and Lock put a hand on his brother’s arm again.

  “Deep, please.” He spoke to the Scourge. “What do you want from us? What’s your name?”

  The Scourge gave them a level look. “I am called Xairn. And for now I just want to talk.”

  “You want to talk? Then talk,” Deep growled. “I don’t see why we have to be disarmed to hear what you have to say.”

  “Because my father is here in the Complex as well.” The Scourge raised an eyebrow at them. “Perhaps you know him—the AllFather?”

  Deep swore loudly and Lock said,

  “Of course we know of him. What is he doing here?”

  A grim look passed over Xairn’s face. “Gathering power—soon he will be too strong to stop. If you wish to leave this planet alive you need to listen to me.”

  “We’re listening,” Lock assured him. “What do you want to say?”

  “Only this—I need your help to leave this place safely and I am willing to offer you mine in return if you’ll trust me.”

  “Trust a Scourge? Not likely,” Deep spat. “As if—”

  “I think we should trust him,” Kat said, stepping out from behind the brothers.

  “Are you out of your mind?” Deep demanded. “Don’t you recognize this male? He’s the same one we saw attacking Sophia during our last joining.”

  “I recognize him, all right,” Kat said evenly. “And I remember what we all saw. But I’ve talked to Sophie about what happened aboard his ship—he didn’t want to kill her. He was going to set her free.”

  “If you’re speaking of the human female with the green eyes, that is true,” Xairn said, nodding.

  “That’s her,” Kat said. “She’s like a sister to me.” She took a deep breath. “Look, we’re really just here to use your psychic-knife thingy—we’re not trying to start any trouble.”

  Xairn raised his eyebrows in obvious surprise. “You wish to sever the bond between you?”

  Deep scowled. “We were…wrongly and accidentally bonded. This is the only way to sever the bond.”

  Xairn nodded slowly. “I see. Well, if you actually want the connection dissolved…”

  “We do,” Kat said, throwing a glance at Deep. “Very much.”

  Xairn shrugged. “You may use the psychic-knife if you wish—it is nothing to me. But my father may be here at any moment. He is in his Souda now, gathering strength and power. As soon as he feels strong enough he will be here—it may be several hours or a much shorter time before he appears. I cannot tell you for certain.”

  Lock had a worried look on his face but he spoke calmly. “This is insane. We can leave and come back later—or possibly rethink the entire thing. But if the AllFather is on this planet, we need to go now.”

  “Deep is right,” Kat said, nodding. “As much as we want to be free of each other, staying here is crazy.”

  Xairn frowned. “But you haven’t achieved what you came here for.”

  “He’s right about that in more ways than one,” Deep growled at Lock. “Or are you forgetting the secondary mission Olivia set for you, Brother?”

  “Secondary mission?” Xairn looked wary. “Why else are you here?”

  “We are also here to try and gather information about a missing human female—one we are certain was taken by your father for nefarious reasons,” Lock said. “Perhaps you know of her? Lauren Jakes?”

  The effect on Xairn couldn’t have been more profound if Lock had shoved a double barreled shotgun into his gut and pulled the trigger. “Lauren? You’re looking for Lauren?” He looked shocked at first, but then his voice dropped to a low, menacing growl and he seemed to grow bigger somehow. It reminded Kat of how Sylvan had looked when he went into rage while protecting Sophie. “Lauren is mine. She’s mine,” Xairn snarled. “And I do not intend to surrender her to anyone.”

  “So you do have her.” Lock’s voice was mild but his eyes were hard.

  “You bastard.” Deep glared at the Scourge. “What have you done to the poor girl? Or maybe I should ask if there’s anything you haven’t done. Is she even still alive?”

  Xairn’s red-on-black eyes flashed crimson. “Of course she is! Do you think me some kind of a monster?”

  “Actually, we do,” Deep said. “We know exactly how you Scourge treat your females.”

  Xairn lifted his chin. “Not me. I have never touched a female in anger—this I swear.”

  “What about lust?” Deep raised an eyebrow. “Ever touched a female that way?”

  Xairn looked suddenly ill at ease. “I…do not act on those emotions. I do not engage in the practices of my father and the rest of my people.”

  “We’ll believe it when we see it.” Deep’s black eyes narrowed. “Where is Lauren now?”

  Xairn bristled. “Someplace safe.”

  “Can we see her?” Kat asked. “I mean, can I see her? I’m no threat,” she went on softly, meeting his strange, burning eyes. “And I think if we could hear from Lauren herself that you haven’t hurt her, it would make it a lot easier for us to trust you.”

  Xairn looked at her appraisingly. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt to let another female speak to Lauren. But I will not tolerate another male near her.” He glared at Deep and Lock and then nodded at Kat. “Come with me.”

  She stepped forward to meet him, only to feel an iron grip locked around her upper arm. “Like hell, she will.” Deep pulled her back behind him.

  “Deep!” she protested angrily but he ignored her.

  “We feel the same way about Kat that you do about Lauren,” he told Xairn, his voice a low growl. “If she goes, we go. It’s as simple as that.”

  Xairn frowned. “I suppose that is fair. But do not attempt to take Lauren from me. I have sworn that I will see her safely back to her planet but until then, I refuse to give her up to anyone.”

  “Even your father?” Lock said softly.

  Xairn’s eyes flashed crimson and his hands clenched into massive fists. “Especially him. Why do you think I need your help? He has four massive vat-grown guards with him. If they should catch us leaving I could only defend Lauren until I died. After that my father…” He shook his head. “I will not speak of it.”

  “Come on.” Kat shook free of Deep’s grip and gave him a glare which he returned with a blank expression. “Let’s go.”

  It took a little maneuvering as to who was going to go first and who would have what weapon pointed at whom, but finally they entered the set of double metal doors at the end of the lab and found themselves in a long hallway made up of several glassed in rooms on either side.

  Huddled in one of the rooms, wrapped in a long black cloak, was a beautiful girl with creamy mocha s