Hitting the Target Read online

  “It’s so big…so grand.” Her lovely blue eyes were wide as she stared upwards while he climbed the steps. “And so different from the buildings around it.”

  “Are the buildings where you live—lived—not different?” Trey asked with interest.

  She shook her head. “There is a belief in the People’s Republic that in order for everyone to be equal, everything must be the same. So all the buildings look exactly alike and everyone wears the same kind of clothes and no one has anything too nice—well, except for those in the higher rungs of government or the officers of The EYE,” she added.

  “The EYE? What’s that?” Trey asked.

  But Mia seemed to think she’d said too much. She gave him a quick, frightened glance and looked away hurriedly.

  “Have you worked here long?” she asked, her voice high and nervous—clearly she wanted to change the subject.

  “About six solar months,” he said, not pursuing the other topic. It occurred to him that he could ask Lydiah’s mate Teela at a later time to explain this “EYE” business to him. Maybe she could also give him some insight into what Mia was going through since their experiences of escaping from the People’s Republic seemed to be similar.

  He carried her through the lobby and straight back into the imaging suite where the new equipment he had given the Ormyulians was already installed.

  “Oh, Healer Treygar—what are you doing back here?” Yorn, one of the imaging techs looked up at him, surprised.

  “This female has hurt her ankle—I believe it’s just a bad sprain, but I want an internal image of the bones and ligaments to be sure,” Trey told him.

  “Oh sure—of course. Room three is open right now, I think.” Yorn ran ahead and got the equipment set up. By the time they got into the room, Trey had only to deposit Mia gently onto the imaging table and then step back.

  “What is that? I’ve never seen an imager like that before.” She eyed the sleek sliver head of the imaging equipment nervously as Yorn arranged it over her swollen ankle.

  “It’s new tech the Kindred gave us,” Yorn informed her, smiling. “It’s great because it shows all the internal structures—not just bones. We can see ligaments, muscles, blood vessels—you name it. And all in color and 3-D—it’s amazing!”

  “Oh,” Mia said faintly. “That…sounds wonderful.”

  “It really is. Okay, let’s get you ready to go here. I’m afraid I’ll have to take off that shoe.” He gently removed her little black shoe, shaking his head over the state of her ankle. “Wow, that’s bad! How did you do it?”

  “Some bastard stole her purse and pushed her down on the rails at the transport station,” Trey answered for her, since Mia still seemed a bit overwhelmed by everything.

  “What?” Yorn’s brown eyes widened. “Man, what an asshole! I mean, sorry for cursing, Healer Treygar but some people just suck, you know?”

  “I agree,” Trey said dryly. “Unfortunately he got away.”

  “You rescued me, though,” Mia said, looking up at him. “If you hadn’t pulled me out of there—off the rails—I’d be dead right now.” She bit her lip and said in a softer voice, “Thank you for saving me. I…I should have thanked you before.”

  “You’re more than welcome, Mia,” Trey murmured. “I’m just glad the Goddess put you in my path to save.”

  She frowned. “The Goddess?”

  “Oh, all the Kindred worship a Goddess—the, uh, Mother of All Life, right?” Yorn looked up at Trey for confirmation.

  He nodded. “Yes, that’s right. We believe the Goddess protects and defends us. And brings us together with our mates when the time is right.” He didn’t know why he had added that last part—he didn’t want to frighten Mia. But somehow the words just slipped out.

  “Oh,” she whispered, looking at him uncertainly. “And…do you have a mate, Healer Treygar?”

  He shook his head. “No. I have no one—no female I am close to.”

  “But that’s not for lack of trying on the part of half the healer’s aides in the Care Center,” Yorn joked, grinning at Mia. “They’d be all over him if he’d show them even a little bit of attention.”

  “What?” Trey looked at him, startled. “Be serious, Yorn.”

  “I am being serious,” Yorn protested. “Big guy like you with that hair—I heard one of the girls call it a ‘mane’ the other day.” He laughed. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know.”

  “No, I didn’t.” Trey frowned. He had been honestly unaware that the female staff of the Care Center looked at him with desire. It had simply never occurred to him to have more than a professional interest in any of them because none of them was the female he was dreaming of—none of them was Mia.

  “Well, it’s true—take my word for it.” Yorn spoke with the distracted air of someone concentrating on something else. He was adjusting Mia’s ankle very gently on the imaging pad. “Okay, let’s just make sure you’re in the right position,” he murmured.

  Trey frowned. Were the tech’s hands lingering too long on Mia’s flesh? His beast growled jealously inside him and he had to quiet it.

  It’s all right—he’s only doing his job. Just making sure the image comes out right.

  But even though it was obviously true, he couldn’t stop the feeling of possessive protectiveness that rose inside him as he watched Yorn’s tan fingers on Mia’s creamy brown skin.

  No one should touch her but us, his Lei’on pointed out with some asperity.

  I feel the same way but we have to let Yorn take the picture so we can see how best to heal her, Trey answered silently.

  The thought of healing their female quieted his beast considerably. He liked the idea of taking care of Mia as much as Trey did. He pointed out that in addition to her hurt ankle, she had scrapes and bruises on other parts of her delicate little body as well.

  We’ll take care of all that, Treygar promised. Just as soon as we find out what’s wrong.

  “All right—ready.” Yorn ran around to the small booth inset and pressed the imaging button. A soft beeping sound came from the machine and then a 3-D holographic image of Mia’s lower leg from the knee down to the heel of her foot appeared, floating in the middle of the room.

  “Hmm…” Treygar pulled out one of the imaging manipulator gloves he always kept with him and put it on. He turned the glowing, colored light image this way and that and then carefully pulled the muscles aside to see the bone. “As I thought,” he said at last, looking down at Mia with a reassuring smile. “It’s just a bad sprain.”

  But she was looking up at him with wide, uncertain eyes.

  “I…I’ve never seen images like that,” she whispered at last. “Back at my Care Center we have to impress the images on film and then dip the film in chemicals to develop it and even then the images only show the bones.”

  “Oh, that’s what we had too before the Kindred came along,” Yorn told her, coming back into the room. “And the chemicals in those dip tanks smelled! I was so glad to see the end of them!” He grinned at Mia and then looked up at Trey. “Should I take her to a treatment room for you and find one of the healer’s aides to treat her other injuries?”

  Though he struggled with himself, Trey found he couldn’t deal with the idea of anyone besides himself treating Mia—not even a female.

  “I’ll take care of her myself,” he told the imaging tech, trying not to let his beast’s possessive growl creep into his voice. “She’s my patient—I’ll treat her.”

  Yorn shrugged. “Suit yourself, Healer. I’ll go get a room ready for you.”

  “Thank you, Yorn. And please bring in the healing cast as well.” Trey nodded at him and then went over to the imaging table as the tech left. “Are you ready to take another ride?” he asked Mia, who was looking up at him with wide eyes.

  “You don’t…really don’t have to keep carrying me around,” she protested weakly. “I know I’m not very light—I mean, I’m not the ideal.”

  Trey frowned, wondering