Imprisoned Read online

  “Olivia!” he exclaimed, squeezing her wrist tighter. “Don’t do this! Drop the syringe or I’ll have to hurt you—you know I don’t want to do that!”

  “I must give you…I must give you…” Olivia repeated over and over, her arm trying to stab downward with the syringe.

  Gripping her wrist tighter than he wanted to, Sylvan at last forced her to drop the syringe.

  “What’s in this, anyway?” he demanded as it clattered to his desk. “What are you trying to inject me with?”

  “Mission failed,” Olivia announced in that same, calm, flat tone. “Self-destruct sequence initiated.”

  “What?” Sylvan dropped his hold on her and took a step back. Her eyes…what was wrong with her eyes? They had gone from silvery-gray to bright, pulsing red.

  Some instinct caused him to duck and then, to his horror, Olivia’s head blew apart in large, bloody chunks.

  “Goddess!” Sylvan gasped as she toppled over, fluid spraying from her neck. It didn’t look like blood exactly—it was pink instead of red. But it was doing a pretty good job of coating his desk and walls with arterial spray. What in the Seven Hells was going on? The thing that had just exploded in his office couldn’t be Olivia…could it?

  Sylvan ran from his office and looked for the nearest viewscreen. There was one in the reception area just outside his door so he didn’t have to go far. He called his brother’s suite with shaking fingers, praying to the Goddess all the while that everything would be all right. He could have used a Think-me and bespoken his brother, of course, but he needed to see Baird’s face. And more important, Olivia’s.

  “Yes, Brother?” Baird’s face came on the screen in a moment. “Is everything well?”

  “That’s what I need to ask you,” Sylvan said urgently.

  “Well, we’re all fine.” Baird frowned. “What’s this about?”

  “Let me talk to Olivia,” Sylvan said urgently.

  “Why? Is something wrong in the med center?” Baird asked. Without waiting for an answer, he called to the other room, “Lilenta, Sylvan needs you.”

  “Is there something wrong in the med center?” Olivia asked, echoing her husband’s question. She was a nurse and since Sylvan was a doctor the two of them worked together often.

  She came into the room and walked up to the viewscreen which Baird had mounted on the wall of his living area.

  “Hi, Sylvan. What’s wrong?” she asked, frowning. “I was just getting Daniel down for bed but if you need me at the med center Baird can take over. Honey, go in with Daniel for a minute could you?” she said to Baird.

  He nodded and went into their son’s room, leaving Olivia to peer at the viewscreen.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “No…yes. I…don’t know.” Sylvan ran a shaking hand through his hair. Seeing his sister-in-law acting and talking so normally, he was more certain than ever that the thing that had exploded in his office couldn’t have been a real person. But then, what in the Seven Hells was it?

  “Sylvan?” Olivia leaned closer to the viewscreen, a look of concern on her lovely features. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “You look like you just saw a ghost.”

  “I…I don’t know what I saw,” Sylvan admitted. “Will you please ask Baird to come to my office at once?”

  “So it’s not a problem in the med center?” Olivia looked at him doubtfully. “What’s this all about, Sylvan?”

  “I’ll tell you when I know,” Sylvan promised. “For now, please just ask Baird to come to my office.”

  Olivia still looked concerned but she nodded.

  “All right—I’ll send him. But, Sylvan…be careful, okay?” She gave a worried little laugh. “Sorry—I’m not sure why I said that. I mean, you’re just in your office right? I’m sure you’re safe there.”

  Sylvan reflected that he would have thought the same thing a moment ago.

  “Thank you for your concern, kin-of-my-mate,” he said formally. “But I am well—I just need Baird.”

  Olivia nodded and, as she ended the call, Sylvan heard her calling again for her mate.

  Speaking of that, Sylvan wanted to check on his own mate. If a perfect clone or whatever it was of Olivia had been able to infiltrate the Mother Ship, who knew what else might be out there?

  Taking a deep breath to try and calm his nerves, he bespoke Sophia.

  “Yes, honey?” he heard her ask through their mental link. “What is it?”

  Suddenly Sylvan knew he wasn’t ready yet to tell her what had happened—he didn’t want to worry her when she was alone with the twins.

  “I…just wanted to hear your voice,” he sent back, trying to keep a mental guard between his chaotic thoughts and emotions and his mental link with her.

  “What’s wrong? I can feel that something’s going on with you.” Sophia’s mental voice sounded like she was frowning.

  “I can’t talk about it now—I just wanted to be certain you and the twins were safe,” Sylvan sent.

  “Yes, we’re fine.”

  “Good.” Sylvan breathed a sigh of relief. “Then I want you to do something for me—go make certain the suite door is locked and don’t let anybody in—even people you know. Even me—until I link with you again and let you know I’m right outside the door. All right?”

  “Sylvan, what is this about? Is the Mother Ship under attack? What’s wrong?” Sophia demanded.

  “No, we’re not under attack—at least I don’t think we are. This is just a precaution. I promise I’ll explain as soon as I get back to the suite.” He made his mental voice as soothing as he could. “Please just trust me, Talana and do as I ask—all right?”

  “All right.” She still sounded worried but perhaps a little calmer. “Just…be careful, Sylvan. As Head of the High Council you’re vulnerable. And if anything ever happened to you—”

  “It won’t. I’m being careful—Baird is coming to join me now,” he promised.

  “All right. I love you—I’ll always love you.”

  “I love you too, Talana.”

  As he broke the mental connection, the viewscreen in front of him flashed to life again.

  “Commander Sylvan?” It was Commander Hrake, a Beast Kindred communications officer who reported directly to Sylvan. “Commander Sylvan, are you there? Please respond,” he said, his golden eyes worried.

  Sylvan gave the viewscreen access and accepted the call.

  “Yes, Hrake—what is it?” he asked.

  “Oh, there you are, Commander. I couldn’t reach the viewscreen in your office for some reason,” Hrake said. “I’m sorry to bother you but you have an urgent call coming in from a Commander Lathe. Will you take it?”

  “Put it through.” Sylvan nodded. He had been wondering how his fellow Blood Kindred was doing in BleakHall and sending up nightly prayers to the Goddess for his safety. If Lathe was calling him, it must mean that his mission was complete and he was coming home.

  The viewscreen flickered and a harried-looking Commander Lathe appeared on the screen. He had blood on his face and there were other people crowding around behind him but he seemed well enough.

  “Commander Sylvan,” he said urgently, before Sylvan could say a word. “You are in grave danger. Mistress Hellenix of Yonnie Six put a contract out on your life. You have to take steps to protect yourself at once!”

  “Thank you, but I believe the threat has already been neutralized,” Sylvan said dryly.

  Lathe ran a hand through his hair distractedly.

  “You mean you were already attacked? Gods, I’m sorry, Commander! We had a hell of a time getting out of BleakHall and I thought—”

  “We?” Sylvan interrupted him. “Did you find other Kindred prisoners there?”

  “I found one at least. Commander Sylvan, meet Slade—he’s a hybrid from—Gods…I don’t even know where you’re from,” he said to another male who was sitting beside him in the passenger’s seat.

  “The Blood Circuit originally and more recently, Pr