Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

Jane

H ere I was in the infirmary, again. Urix looked exceptionally unhappy. I wore a tiny, lightweight romper that exposed most of my skin so that the good healer could get accurate diagnostics from his equipment. My exam was especially thorough today. Urix put me in the small isolation room, which was all white except for the abundance of screens and medical devices that looked vaguely ominous. I sat on a hard exam table, covered in small gel dots. Each pulsed with a small green light that now and then turned blue, before returning to green. I had no idea what they did, but I knew they itched a little. The slab beneath my butt was cold, but there would be no complaints from me. I held still and let Urix do his job. No one wanted to find out what was going on with me more than, well, me .

"What's interesting is that your other implants are compensating for the ones I removed." He held a red-tipped device against my temple as he spoke. "It's concerning that this most recent time, you not only had no control over your body's takeover, but also no conscious awareness of it."

"Concerning is an understatement, wouldn't you say?" I turned only my eyes to him because he had told me to hold still.

"I don't like to alarm my patients."

"We are way past the alarm stage, Urix," I said. "Just say it like you see it."

His lips compressed and he angled his head so that his horns did not tangle in a tube that hung from the ceiling and fed somewhere into the devices behind me. "Very well. It would seem that this entity, whoever they are, is getting stronger. They are asserting themselves and successfully controlling the implants."

"There." I swallowed back a sickening wave of dread. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Yes, it was, actually. I don't want to see anything happen to you, or Siroc."

"Siroc is not the one with implants all over his body," I said.

"No, that would be his mate." He said it offhandedly, not even looking at me as he switched out a component of his device and snapped a new one on.

"I'm not his mate," I said. "We just had that one night." And if I happened to say that I loved him, well he probably didn't remember it. I barely remembered it, and part of me still hoped that I had just thought it. But I was pretty sure I'd said it out loud. Either way, he hadn't said he loved me back. Since then, everything had gone haywire. Me, his mate? Not a chance.

Urix's brows went up. "So, you did consummate your relationship. I suspected."

My face went hot. "I shouldn't have told you that," I said. "And why did you suspect?"

"Your hormone levels and blood flow were different one day, when I examined you," he replied. "They were consistent with females of your species who'd recently engaged in sexual intercourse."

"You won over a woman with this sexy talk?" I said, trying to lighten the embarrassment I was feeling.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Siroc would not care that I know the true nature of your relationship. I am a healer to both of you, and therefore nothing you tell me will ever be repeated. You will not see me judging your relationship." He lowered his instrument and gave me a serious look. "But, Jane. In order for it to succeed on any level, you absolutely cannot be controlled by an alien entity that forces you into performing acts of sabotage in the Thrail."

He said it so factually, I let out a trickle of laughter. "Thank you, Urix. You have a way of putting things in very clear perspective."

"I could use some perspective," said a booming voice as Siroc himself strode into the room.

I inwardly sighed in relief that he was not here for the earlier part of the conversation. He likely wouldn't have cared to hear himself being discussed. "Hello, Warlord," I said.

His gaze warmed as he looked over me, then got a little warmer as he took in the tiny white shift I wore. It barely covered my bum, and the tiny spaghetti straps held up a very low neckline. It was chilly enough to bead up my nipples. I narrowed my eyes in warning and flicked a significant glance towards Urix, who was still busy with his exam.

"I'm glad you're here, Warlord." Urix put down his device and looked at us both. "I have news to share, but I didn't wish to do so until you were both present. I don't like repeating myself."

Siroc's lips twitched. "Let's hear it, Healer. Nothing you say could make the day worse."

"I have more information on the Evis-Vok people. As my It-tellan contact has gotten more comfortable speaking with me, he has shared more details. It would appear that the Evis-Vok are not popular in their quadrant. Being highly advanced has not made them any less opportunistic or ruthless than lesser species.

"Their appearance is difficult to pin down. One account mentioned a meeting with a group of Evis-Vok and described their bodies as tall columns of silver light. Another described them as shaped like us—arms, legs, and heads, but smoothly featureless. Yet another account of the Evis-Vok depicted them as hooded figures with solemn gray features and a language that sounded like static and hums." He shook his head and shrugged. "They might have some ability to change their appearance, depending on who they're dealing with."

"In a few memories I've been able to bring up, I remember hooded figures," I said. "I don't remember features under the hood, though. And definitely no voices. It was so silent."

Siroc nodded. "It's possible that the Evis-Vok people did, in fact, take Jane and did not give or sell their technology to anyone. That these aliens are using it on our people."

"That is a distinct possibility, Warlord," said Urix.

I scratched around one of the green dots. "Doesn't explain what they would want from me."

"You may have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time, Jane," said Urix. "If they wanted a human female, maybe you were the first one they encountered."

"Still doesn't explain what I was doing in that remote tunnel." I accidentally picked off a dot. "Oh. I'm sorry about that."

Urix held out a hand for me and I put it on his palm. "It's time for them to come off now, anyway. The test is done."

"You will not go down that tunnel again, no matter what the entity tries to force you to do," declared Siroc. "It is sealed off with six tektons of rock and metal."

"You mentioned more bad news today," I said. "What else has happened?"

He sighed wearily and rubbed his hands over his face. "The liquid-like substance found on the drill, which was discovered in the tunnel that was not supposed to be drilled, has been identified."

"Not something benign, I suppose?" Urix said.

"No. It is a very rare, very nasty chemical compound that can be synthesized into a weapon." His hands flashed in irritation. "Why is it always about weapons? What is it about life forms that they are so fixated on violence?"

"You're forgetting that you carry a spear everywhere you go," I commented.

"It's ceremonial," he said. "Every warrior carries one."

I smiled, deciding that was not a debate to carry on at the present. "Does this substance have any good potential purposes?" I asked.

"It is highly sought after in the quadrant where the Evis-Vok live, where numerous wars are being waged. It would seem these ‘advanced' aliens wish to acquire it and control its use. Likely, to sell at a profit." Siroc shook his head. "It was not easy to identify this substance, but Bratan found a database he was able to access. As far as anyone knows, it doesn't exist anywhere in this quadrant."

Urix shook his head. "Except, of course, on Mitra."

"The sheer quantity of differing minerals and metals underneath these mountains is staggering. We are wealthy because of it. But it appears the Evis-Vok were able to identify this material, commonly called dralkan , on our planet. Now we have to decide how to deal with it."

"Why didn't the Evis-Vok just try to talk to you about it?" I asked. "You might've been able to just work out a peaceful trade deal."

"They must know that I would never ever trade this substance," he said. "Its potential to do harm is too great. According to what Bratan was able to find out from his far-flung database, dralkan , when converted into a gaseous form, could render an entire planet uninhabitable. All you'd have to do is infuse it into an atmosphere and everything would die." He shook his head. "No. My task is finding a way to collect it all and destroy it safely. Of course, Elnok is blaming you, and by extension me, for the malfunction."

"Me?" I squeaked. "So, someone saw me, or rather, Siku."

"Oh, no. Your alter ego managed to evade every set of eyes in the Thrail, including the electronic ones that are tasked with stopping exactly what happened last night," he said. "He is claiming your implants can telepathically affect the mine controls. And that you have also managed to telepathically control me ." He crossed his arms and looked at me with a touch of humor. "Apparently, I have relinquished my free will to you."

I snorted, but my face went hot again. If anyone had fallen under a spell, it was me. I was hopelessly in love with this male. "What are the people saying?"

"I am being blamed for ignoring the threat," he said. "I hate to say it, but Elnok, with the Elders as very loud advocates, is beginning to turn peoples' opinions." He waved a hand dismissively. "It does not matter to me. My only concern is the well-being of this Thrail and everyone in it. They can hate me, for all I care."

"Siroc, you care very much if the people hate you," I said. "There must be a way to change their minds."

He shrugged, but I could see the tension in his shoulders. "Come. I will take you back to your quarters, if our healer is done with you?"

"I am, for today," said Urix. "Again, you may access my full report through your datalink. I will send it to you, along with all other information I've acquired. I'm sending these on secure channels, so you know. I never thought I would be worried about having a transmission intercepted in my own Thrail."

"Me either," said Siroc grimly.

I got off the exam table and pulled my loose-fitting pants and baggy tunic over the small garment Urix had given me to wear for the exam. Siroc's hand fell on my back as he guided me to the exit, but it fell away as soon as we entered the public hallways. I understood. Now, more than ever, he could not show even the slightest bit of affection towards me. I could see the expressions on people's faces. They were changing. Some had looks of fear or trepidation when they glanced at me. Others were outright hostile. Even some human women averted their eyes when they saw me. The more human my appearance became, with my hair growing and weight on my frame, the less human I was being treated. But their concern was not unfounded. If they knew that I was responsible for the mining incident, I would be thrown out of the Thrail.

Perhaps that wasn't a bad idea.

"Jane," Siroc said, just before pulling me into a dark, deserted alcove. We were shrouded in shadows, the only light from the hallway beyond. He pinned me into the corner, surrounding me with his large body. The tips of his horns rested against the wall on either side of my head as he looked down at me and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I just needed a moment with you," he said, in a gravelly voice. "Just…a moment."

My hands found the front of his tunic and gripped hard, soaking in the warmth of him, the steady beat of his heart against my knuckles. "Siroc," I said in a cracked voice. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not you," he said. "I wish I had met you before you were taken. I did not meet all of the human females when you arrived. Finding a mate of my own was not a priority. I wanted my males to find happiness. I wish I'd met you, however. If I had, you never would've gone into that corridor, and you wouldn't have been taken."

I ran my fingers over his cheeks. "Then it would've been someone else who was taken. If this alien species wants that dralkan so much that they would go to such lengths, they would've found a way. I was convenient. That's all."

He chuckled. "Nothing about you is convenient, Jane." And he dipped his head and captured my mouth in a crushing kiss. It tasted of need and desperation. Of desire and frustration.

Footsteps walked by in the hall. They did not pause, but Siroc's body tensed. "I want more. So much more," he growled against my skin. His hands clutched at my waist, dragging my hips forward against him.

My breath went thin and uneven. "So do I," I said in an unsteady voice. "But it just may not happen for us. We might not get a happy ending, Siroc, and I want you to know it's okay." My eyes burned with tears. "I have a feeling that maybe we should remember the time we had together and—and not think about the future."

"I'm not ready to give up on us," he said. "Or on you. I won't let the Evis-Vok win."

"It's obvious to me that they are trying to undermine the Thrail's structure. Maybe get rid of you and put in a warlord that will do what they want. Collect every bit of dralkan in that mine and ship it out to destroy worlds. If that's the case, it might be safer for me not to be here anymore."

"You are safe here," he said adamantly.

" I might be safe, but what about everyone else?" I hated the shadow that crossed his eyes as I asked the question. "Siroc, look at me. Just think about it."

"You don't understand, Jane." His voice was a rasp. "I can't bear to send you away. You are mine. You were mine the moment you stepped foot in my quarters. I will not give you up. And I will not give up on you . We will find a way to break the connection between you and the entity controlling the implants."

I smiled sadly into his eyes. "I hope so," I said. "I guess we'll see how it all turns out."

He kissed me again, hard, with a groan that translated right through me to my core. I whimpered in reply, clutching his brakas and pulling his head closer. His kiss made me burn, and I was acutely aware that this one might be our last.

We had been in the alcove long enough. When it was silent in the hallway, Siroc and I continued on our way back to my quarters. Any area where we were briefly alone, his hand strayed to touch my spine, my waist, my ass.

Everywhere he touched, my skin came alive, tingling in the wake of his caress. We arrived back at my room. Two guards stood like sentinels on either side of the door. Siroc cooly opened the door and nudged me inside, then closed it without a word.

I stood on the other side, looking at my small quarters, which was now the only place I was allowed to be unsupervised.

I let the tears fall. Siroc might not be able to let me go. He may not be willing to give up, but I saw it differently. Without a pawn to break down Siroc's rule of Thrail Praxan, Elnok—who was probably in league with the Evis-Vok somehow—had nothing on Siroc. The warlord would be able to remove the dralkan without interference. There was only one solution that made sense.

I had to go.