by Rena Marks
“Yes?” Steele looked puzzled.
“I wonder if my memories were saved even while I was unconscious?”
The original Pax stepped closer. “It shouldn’t be. You need conscious thought to record a memory and you were unconscious.”
“Still, it’s worth a look,” Steele said. “We may be able to show her any recorded memories eventually. And that might trigger her natural memories to come forth without the surgery.”
Ava settled her chin into the rest. “Please do.”
Where her arm rested on the side of the chair, she reached for Covet’s fingers to curl with hers. Someone—she assumed it was the clone—swept her hair upward and held his palm to the back of her head to keep it off her neck while Steele worked.
She heard a series of clicks.
“It’s pretty dead,” Pax said, a frown in his voice.
“I guess that was a good thing since she came back through the gates,” his clone countered.
Steele moved a sharp piece of the metal probe around her neck. Strangely enough, she tasted metal on her tongue. It had an odd tang; sharply bitter. Not unlike blood.
“IS SHE AWAKE?”
“I don’t know. Something is wrong with this scanner. It reads that she’s awake and conscious, but there’s no reaction to stimuli.”
“So?”
“So you can’t have both, dummy. That’s Scanner 101.”
“Maybe she’s faking it.”
“Again, it’s the scanner’s readings that say zero stimuli reaction. Pinch her.”
“Well, if she can’t feel anything, maybe she is one of them?”
“She don’t look like one.”
“If this is the kid’s mother, it’s the next best thing. It proves those freaks are compatible with humans.”
“Should we try to cut a deal?”
“Yeah. Get me Mayor Walker.”
“He’s gonna be pissed that we call him at his office.”
“He was pissed that we didn’t grab a Xeno, right? He’ll be happy enough when he realizes we grabbed the next best thing. The possibility of a Xeno and the possibility of one’s mother. He’ll pay once, especially when the world finds out they can make kids.”
A huge gasp of air pulled her from the memory. It was followed by a succession of panting breaths.
“She’s going to hyperventilate again.” Covet snapped at someone.
Pax. And Steele. And the clone. They were all in the lab. That’s right, she’d come here willingly. They were attempting to retrieve memories from the device in her neck.
“Ava? Did you remember something?” Steele asked.
“Yes,” she said. “Mayor Walker.”
She didn’t miss the confused moment that went around the room. Probably everyone was looking at each other over her head.
“What about the mayor?”
“He’s the one who ordered the kidnapping. He was the one who was going to give the kidnapped person to Crested Ute.”
There was silence in the room.
“Are you sure it was him?” Steele asked.
She nodded. “They were talking while I was unconscious. I recognize the voices now. The greasy haired person...” She looked at Covet for his name.
“Rafael.”
“Yes. And the two guards. And one other man. But they all had distinctively different sounding voices. You and Keith weren’t there yet.”
“It must have been in the first week she was taken,” Covet murmured. “Before we got there.”
“I can’t believe we didn’t realize it before,” Steele bit out. “It’s why the mayor has taken the side of everyone against Xenia. He was the one who allowed Robyn’s mother certain liberties to get put on a visitor’s list. He was the one who pushed for the media to be allowed into the city. He was the one who reached out to Jason’s ex.”
“Maybe we can prove it,” the clone said.
“Yes. The implant needs to be removed,” Pax said. “It’s not doing Ava any good anymore. We kept it in so she could control hover objects. But now that it’s deactivated, it’s useless. If we remove it, we can filter through the recorded memories and have proof of the Mayor’s involvement.”
“What will removing it do to Ava?” Covet’s voice was quiet.
“We’re not sure. It may do nothing. She may be able to watch her own memories as we retrieve them and they may be completely foreign. She may still choose the hippo stimulating surgery one day.”
“If it helps us locate Crested Ute and lock away the mayor, let’s get it out,” she said.
“I’ll use some general anesthesia, but it tends to upset the tummy. Have you eaten?” Pax asked.
“No. We were going to get breakfast after we talked to you.”
“Good choice.”
She grinned when the Pax clone stepped back from the hole in the face pillow where she’d spew if she did vomit.
“I’ll be right here, precious,” Covet whispered.
She felt the injection in her neck. “I forgot to tell you something,” she said to Covet. Her voice slurred. “I love you.”
The world shut down.
COVET DIDN’T BOTHER to avert his eyes as Steele sliced into Ava’s neck. He’d seen much, much worse when they were in captivity in the underground laboratories of Crested Ute. He knew what blood, bone, and inner tissues looked like. And there was no one he trusted more than Steele and Pax.
“This is new.” Steele’s voice was calm.
“What is?” Pax asked the question before Covet could.
“The implant seems to be embedded in her brain stem. This will require surgery to remove.”
From the holographic screen that showed over Ava’s head, Steele moved the hollow needle slightly to get a view of the tissue that flowed over the metal object.
“That isn’t where it was placed.”
“No.” Pax’s voice was thoughtful. “It appears her brain stem grew longer...reaching out to find the implant.”
“We’ll see if we can download the memories,” Steele said. “And it’ll be up to Ava to remove the actual device with surgery if she wants to.”
Pax handed him a small device with an electrical tip, which Steele slid into the hollow needle he still held.
Covet held his breath.
“It’s uploading,” Steele announced.
He released his breath slowly. The clone of Pax placed his hand on his shoulder and squeezed.
“Got them,” Pax announced from the console of the computer. “Pull out.”
But just as the electric probe left the vicinity of the implant, Ava began to shake and heave.
“Seizure,” Steele said. “Hold her down!”
Covet and the clone held her still while Steele retracted the probe. Pax dialed Robyn to have the doctors ready in medical.
When her body stilled, Steele spoke. “Pax, grab a backboard. Let’s get her onto it. Other Pax, hold her neck. Covet, let’s swing her over.”
They maneuvered her easily onto the backboard, strapping her down. “What the hell caused her to seize?” Covet growled.
As used to Steele as he was, his eyes gave him an eerie feeling when he turned his head to Covet. “Her memories have apparently triggered during the retrieval.”
Of all the scenarios, this was possibly the worst.
Drs. Robyn, Eric, and Amanda were in the med wing waiting when they arrived with Ava. “What’s happened?” Robyn asked Steele.
“Seizure. The implant is attached to her brain stem. We retrieved her memories from it instead of removing it, but it triggered her own memories to come forth.”
As they removed her from the baseboard and moved her to a bed, she seized again.
“Robyn,” Covet snapped. “Do something.”
“She’ll be all right, honey,” Robyn said. “We’ll take good care of her. Go wait in the waiting area and let us do our thing.”
Fists clenched, he went out to the small room with Steele and both Pax personalities.
&
nbsp; “I’ve sent a message to Beast,” Steele said. “Nanna Elsa is coming to relieve him with babysitting. She’ll stay at your place and take care of both kids for us.”
With Ava’s collapse, he hadn’t even given Baby a thought. Some father he was. Some mate.
It was an hour before Robyn came back out to the waiting area. Covet leapt up, Steele and both Pax and the clone on either side of him.
“How is she?”
“She’s stable. She’s okay. She hasn’t woken yet, but we’re feeding a sedative into her drip until her memories have completed. She’s watching them as she dreams, over and over. We can tell she’s in REM sleep by her eye movements.”
“Any damage from the seizures? Or the implant?”
“No, the scanner shows she’s fine in both areas of the brain. She’ll be out all night, so we also have nutrients going into her IV. If her rapid eye movements decline tomorrow morning, we’ll stop the sedative and allow her to wake naturally.” Her voice softened. “Go home, Covet. Enjoy your baby girl. Ava will be fine. Irina’s going to work through the night and stay in her room with her. She won’t be alone.”
“You’re sure?”
“I promise.”
“I’ll just give her a kiss then?”
Robyn nodded.
He entered Ava’s room. The smell of lavender infused the air. The doctors always used scents to mask the disinfectant they used.
Even unconscious, Ava was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Her dark shiny hair contrasted sharply with the white of the sheets. Her skin was pale, her eyelids showing faint veins that criss-crossed through the thin skin. Her lips seemed redder than usual, despite her pale complexion.
He leaned over to press his lips to hers and in one fell swoop changed to purple to make sure she knew it was he that kissed her.
Not Tom.
“I’ll be here in the morning, precious,” he whispered. “Irina will call me if you need me. But Robyn’s assured me you won’t wake up with the sedative they’ve pumped you with.” He pressed his forehead to hers and whispered. “And, Ava? I love you, too. With my whole heart. My entire soul.”
Chapter Fifteen
“AVA, CAN YOU OPEN YOUR eyes for me, sweetie?” The feminine voice came from far away. It sounded vaguely familiar, but she was too groggy to place it.
No. They were glued shut. It felt like being back in the basement. Her eyes were heavy and her ears fuzzy like she was being held underwater. Images flew across the inside of her eyelids. Tom—the real Tom, grabbing Baby’s stroller and yanking it from her. The explosion. His bloody arms, still holding onto the handle.
Tom—now whole—peering down at her as she woke up in the basement. How could that be?
She and Tom making love. What was she thinking?
Further back in time she went.
Covet, asking her to dance at the party held for their mateship. The first time they’d given Baby a bath together. The smiles between them, the small touches.
Covet. It was Covet—in his purple skin. And she knew him. She remembered him. How could she ever have forgotten? She knew every feature on his beautiful face, the exact shade of his white teeth, how sharp they were. She knew that one of his lower fangs was a little crooked.
She knew that when he looked at her, his whole face lit up.
And Baby. Now her emotions came flooding back. Her heart broke that her baby cried for her before the carriage sealed, silencing her screams. She wondered how long she cried when they re-opened it. Goddess, was Covet there for her? Or was he out searching for her already?
“Ava? Honey, try again.”
Her baby crying. She couldn’t do this. Deep in her bones, she knew it. Covet being told she was gone and having to take care of his infant daughter. Without her.
And then she heard the loudest keening, oddly familiar, and her heart ached. Tore from her ribcage, even as her lungs struggled to suck in air.
What was that sound?
A choked ball of misery clogged her throat, threatening to erupt.
Her ears were ringing.
Tears dampened her cheeks, running down her face in rivulets.
Her throat. So closed, so raw. So painful.
And then she knew who the anguished sounds belonged to.
They were her sobs. How long had she been away from her baby girl? Her mate? Her whole Xenian family?
THIS TIME HER EYES opened with a snap. Instantly the images in her mind rolled away.
“Ava?” Tom reached out to her and she shrieked.
“Get away from me!”
He flinched. Tom flinched and he had his arms.
She was ugly-crying. She knew it. A thick band had tightened around her chest, keeping her from breathing deep. Tears ran in constant waterfall down her face. “You took my baby! You were going to sell her!”
“Ava! It’s me. It’s Covet.” His form snapped to purple.
INSTEAD OF RUSHING into his arms like he expected, she blinked up at him, an expression of horror on her face. Horror. His mate was still looking at him like she looked at Tom. He should have listened to Blaze and Reson. He should have gotten her used to his ugly face. His real face.
“Covet.” Her voice was soft, more of a statement than a question.
“Yes. It’s me.”
She hugged herself, which broke his heart. She should have allowed him to hug her. Instead, she’d resorted to consoling herself because she couldn’t stand Tom’s touch and Covet hadn’t shown her what he looked like.
“I’m sorry. Reson and Blaze both told me I should let you see me. The real me. I didn’t listen.”
The room was quiet for a moment. Her voice was small when she spoke again. “Why didn’t you?”
“I was afraid to scare you.” No, that wasn’t true. Hell, she was scared by Tom. “Actually, I was scared you’d reject me.”
“Why?”
“Because I saw you responded to Tom. Even though he tried to kidnap our daughter, and he took you, I saw the look in your eyes when you first woke up and saw this form. His beauty. It was instant trust. And then I realized that everything Keith said was true. People like Tom—they have it easier because of their good looks.”
“It wasn’t Tom’s looks I was attracted to. When I first woke up, I thought his lips were cruel. Eventually I came to realize I had a better chance of escaping from Tom than all the rest together.”
“You slept with him.” Covet made sure his voice wasn’t accusing because he knew she did what she had to do.
“Because my soul sensed yours,” Ava said. “Even when my mind didn’t remember Covet existed, my soul did.”
The smallest spark of hope flitted inside his chest. “Then what were you so afraid of here?”
“I thought...Keith had told me I...I assumed I was a prostitute who’d gotten knocked up by one of my johns. That’s why I had asked where the purple one was and they’d assumed I remembered you. But I didn’t.”
“Prostitute?”
“I hyperventilated because Steele was staring at me so intently at the gates. I thought he might have been one of them. My customers.”
“He was trying to evaluate your memory, to see if it was safe to bring you back into the gates.”
“I thought you, as Tom, couldn’t sell me to the scientists who wanted a Xeno Sapien, so you were re-selling me to them. The ones who’d owned me.”
He looked down at his own hands, where they itched to touch her. To comfort her, but were instead clasped together. “Where do we go from here?”
“You hold me because I don’t think I can go another moment without your touch.” Her eyes filled with tears.
“Ava.” His heart burst as he gathered her in his arms and held her tightly to his chest. He was careful with her, but he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to let her go.
“I love you,” she said, her face buried in his chest. “I love you as is. Purple skin. Fangs. The eight-pack abs.”
“My abs are better than Tom’s
,” he agreed.
Her arms tightened around his middle. “I loved the nights back at home in the dark where I could feel you, even if I couldn’t see you.”
He sighed. “I’m sorry, Ava.”
“Don’t be, baby. Let’s just start over, you and I.”
“I love you so much. I’ll spend every day cherishing you.”
She pushed away from him, staring up at his face. “How can a girl ever have a better mate than you? You left the sanctity of Xenia to come for me. You rescued me.”
“I’ll always come for you. You’re mine, Ava. My woman. My mate. The mother of my child.”
Her eyes were shining full of love—the same way she used to look at him—when his head dropped to kiss her.
Chapter Sixteen
“HOW ARE YOU DOING, sweetie?”
Ava looked toward the voice at the door to see Amanda leaning against the doorjamb.
“How did I get in medical?”
“When Steele and Pax attempted to remove the chip, they realized that several nerve endings from your brain stem had abnormally grown and attached around it. They brought you in and we removed it here, without damage to the distended nerves. We needed the physical device as evidence, and it no longer had any purpose for you.”
“Why would the nerves have grown?”
“It was almost as if your brain stem was working in conjunction with the device. Hence the controlling of the stroller. The downloading of your memories, even when the memory center in your brain was damaged enough to forget. The pain you had during the removal was the memories slamming back into the all areas of the brain from the device.”
“It was a remarkable invention.”
“Yes. Steele and Pax are going to set it aside to research brain injuries later. Now, I’m going to discharge you. We’re having a general meeting in the main hall to catch everyone up to speed on everything that’s transpired with your kidnapping and the battle it’s triggered outside the gates. It’ll start after lunch, so you have a few hours. For now, I’m going to push Covet aside and make sure your neck is healed so you can get home.”
