Pursued Read online

  “Wild and dangerous.” Kat frowned. “Are you sure you have to go there?”

  “I don’t think we have any choice.” Elise shrugged. “I mean, we have to get the plant and that’s the only place it grows.”

  "Why couldn't Baird go get it for you?" Olivia asked. "That's my husband—he's from Rageron originally so he should know his way around. I bet he could just nip down and get the plant and be back here in no time."

  Elise shook her head. "It's nice of you to offer but Dr. Sylvan said it has to be plucked from the vine by the hand of the person who needs it. So Merrick and I are the only ones who can get it."

  “Then we’ll have to get you an injection of translation bacteria,” Olivia said practically. “To help you understand what the natives are saying. And don’t be scared, Elise. According to Baird, Rageron is beautiful.”

  “And I’m sure it can’t be any worse than Tranq Prime which is where Sylvan is from,” Sophie put in. “It’s a subzero tundra and the people have to live in underground caves called grottos.”

  “Uh-huh.” Kat snorted. “And the only thing colder than the surface of the planet are the hearts of its inhabitants—right, Sophie?”

  “They are pretty cold,” Sophie admitted. “When Nadiah told us all about what had happened to her there, I wasn’t surprised a bit.”

  “Nadiah?” Elise frowned. “Who’s that?”

  “Another friend,” Olivia said, smiling. “We were hoping she would wind up here on the Mother Ship with all of us but she’s stuck on First World instead—the original Kindred home planet.”

  Sophie sighed. “I wonder how she’s doing? Last time I talked to her she and Rast were still angelically happy—no pun intended. But I certainly do miss her.”

  “I miss her too,” Kat said smiling. “Freaky visions and all.”

  “It’s true things weren’t dull with her around,” Lauren said. “Hey, Elise, would you like another cupcake?”

  “Another?” Looking down at her empty cupcake wrapper, Elise realized she’d finished the enormous chocolate cupcake almost without noticing. “Oh my! I didn’t mean to eat the whole thing.”

  Olivia laughed. “The famous last words around here! Only in my case, it’s ‘I didn’t mean to finish the whole plate.’” She helped herself to another cupcake, still laughing.

  “Chocolate is therapeutic,” Kat lectured, taking a second cupcake herself. “So if you think of it that way—”

  “Mistress Kat?” a new, masculine voice interrupted her.

  “What?” Kat looked around, startled. “Where did that come from?”

  “I think you have a call,” Lauren said.

  “Oh, all right.” Kat got up and pressed a button on a black cube-like device. A blue holographic image of a Kindred warrior’s head suddenly expanded, hovering over the cube.

  “I am communications officer Jarule. Pardon me for interrupting your female bonding,” the head said. “But I was told by Commander Sylvan this was where I might find the Earth female, Elise Darden.”

  “Yes, I’m here.” Elise felt suddenly uneasy. “What can I do for you?”

  “You have a call in the viewing room. An Earth male who is most distraught,” the warrior told her. “He says he is your fiancé and that you were kidnapped and taken aboard the Mother Ship. He demands to know what has become of you. Will you speak with him?”

  Elise groaned. “Oh no, James…” Of course her fiancé was upset. He was probably missing his flight to Japan while he tried to track her down.

  Sophie looked at her sympathetically. “You’d probably better go and explain about the trip to Rageron,” she said.

  Elise groaned again and put a hand to her head. The trip to another planet—she’d almost forgotten about that. James was just going to love hearing that she was going light years away with another male—especially the one he thought had kidnapped her in the first place.

  “I’ll come with you if you want,” Olivia offered. “For moral support.”

  “Thanks.” Elise nodded gratefully. “That would help.” She had a sudden inspiration. “Um, do you think you could try to explain that I have to go, for medical reasons? Without telling him…”

  “About the bond? Sure.” Olivia nodded understandingly. “Of course I can. I’ll do my best strict nurse routine for him. That should do the trick.”

  “I hope so.” Elise sighed. “I really hope so.”

  “Don’t worry.” Olivia struggled to her feet, helped by a gentle push from her sister. “We’ve got this. Let’s go.”

  As expected, her fiancé was livid.

  “Elise!” he exploded, the minute she and Olivia walked into the viewing room. “Do you realize I’m going to be late to my business conference because of this nonsense? What is going on?”

  Elise opened her mouth, trying to think of an explanation that wouldn’t send the already angry James into the stratosphere, but Olivia beat her to it.

  “Elise is very ill, Mr.…”

  “Blaisdon,” he said impatiently. “And she looks perfectly fine to me.”

  “Are you a medical professional?” Olivia snapped, her grey eyes flashing.

  “Well, no…” James seemed taken aback by her attack. “But who are you?”

  “I’m Elise’s nurse,” Olivia said frostily. “And I’m sorry to inform you that your fiancée has a very rare but serious illness called stasis sickness.”

  “Really?” James looked genuinely distressed. “Darling, is this true?” he asked Elise.

  “I’m afraid so.” Elise nodded, feeling guilty for not telling him the whole story. “I’m sorry, James.”

  “It’s not your fault if you’re ill, darling.” He looked at Olivia. “What can be done for her? Is it curable?”

  She nodded. “It is, but unfortunately we don’t have the necessary medicine here on the Mother Ship. Elise is going to have to visit Rageron, one of the other Kindred home worlds, to be cured.”

  “What?” James began to look less worried and more displeased. “Are you seriously saying she has to go to an entirely different planet to be cured? That seems rather excessive.”

  “Do you want her to be well in time for your wedding or not?” Olivia demanded, glaring at him.

  “Well, yes, of course I do,” he protested, obviously caught off balance again. “I mean, it’s only a month away now.”

  Just a month. Elise had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. The date of the wedding had been set for ages but she’d somehow managed to forget it was quite that close. She’d taken care of the details months ago and then promptly put the whole thing to the back of her mind. The way I put James to the back of my mind. So far back I forgot him completely, she thought, another wave of guilt sweeping over her.

  James looked at Olivia anxiously. “Will Elise be home in time for the wedding? It will mean a fearful amount of rescheduling if she isn’t.”

  “Don’t worry about that,” a deep, familiar voice growled from behind them.

  Elise turned with a start to see Merrick standing there, his muscular arms crossed over his broad chest.

  “Ah, so it’s you again.” James gave the big Kindred a most unwelcoming look. “Am I to take it that you will be accompanying my fiancé to this other planet for treatment?”

  “That’s right.” Merrick nodded insolently. “But don’t worry, I’ll have her back in time for your joining ceremony.” He gave Elise an inscrutable look. “All healed up and good as new.”

  “I don’t like this,” James blustered. “I don’t like it one bit. I insist on having a second opinion. And I think I should be the one to accompany Elise to this other planet.”

  “You on Rageron?” Merrick barked laughter. “Sorry, buddy, but I don’t think you’d last very long in one of your own jungles on Earth, let alone the Deep Blue.”

  “The Deep Blue?” Elise said. “What’s that?”

  Merrick spared her a glance. “It’s what they call the darkest, most inaccessible part of the jungle on