“Yes. Conor sent us. He wants you and the demon. He said to take you alive, but kill everyone else that got in our way. The stun was meant only to wound, not to kill you. I swear it.”
“If my mate dies, you will die. If she lives, you will take a message back to my brother and tell him that killing Malachi’s host bodies won’t gain him anything. Your inept group left plenty more bodies for the demon to inhabit.”
Synar turned from the nodding male to look at Dorian. “Take this coward out of my sight and send medical help to look after Ania.”
“Indeed,” Dorian said, grabbing the male by his arm and dragging him out of the room.
Synar went back to his mate, kneeling down to cradle her again. “Ania? Can you hear me?”
“I don’t know why I did not see this coming, Liam. I’m sorry. I guess all I could think about today was you.”
Ania tried to reassure her worried mate with a smile, but her eyes closed and the blackness she drifted in claimed her once more.
“Malachi, come out now and do no harm,” Synar called, his voice heavy. In his concern for Ania’s impending death, he forgot not to speak. Despite his natural Norblade calm, the pressure inside him to scream was barely restrained. He couldn’t let Ania die when he had the power to stop it from happening. He just couldn’t.
“Damn me if you must—but I don’t care if this is right or wrong,” Synar said, sending the words to the Creators of All.
He looked then at the demon mist floating in front of him. For a single moment he paused, but when he finally spoke, all hesitation was gone.
“Malachi. Demon of Synar. Enter this female’s body and lend her your life. Ania Looren is your new host.”
But Liam—you can’t mean to put me in a female. Malachi’s vibrations wavered as he protested the gender with both disdain—and shock.
“You will go into the host body I have chosen and do all I ask. You will repair Ania’s physical form and take no more from her than what is necessary for your survival. She is never to know you inhabit her. She is to remain just as she was before you,” Synar ordered. “Enter the female and heal her. I am your master. As I command, you will obey.”
This is a mistake, Liam, Malachi chastised. I am to be put into warriors and used to fight evil armies. Why do you dishonor the sacred contract? There is no redemption for me in this enlightened female.
“It’s either go into Ania Looren, or into the amulet, demon. If Ania dies, I will lock you away and drop the amulet into the volcanoes on Terris One. Your spirit will not die, but you will never live in a host again either. You can truly spend eternity in a fiery pit like many beings fear doing.”
Malachi hovered, flexed, but finally acquiesced. His tie to the Synar family exceeded his power to deny his current master. Cursing the Creators of All once more, he resigned himself to a dreary existence in the female for a while. He pulled his mist form together more tightly. I hear and will do all that you command, he vowed, disappearing quickly into the body of the female while Liam turned his head away until it was done.
Moments later, Ania’s eyes fluttered open and Synar let out a ragged breath of relief that he hadn’t been too late. “Ania—are you still with me? Help is on the way.”
“What happened, Liam? Jonas. . .”
“Rest. . .don’t try to talk. We were attacked by an enemy, Ania. Fortunately, the weapon was not set to kill instantly. You are severely wounded, but I believe you will survive.”
“Good. Is everyone safe now?” Ania asked, moaning at the pain.
“Yes, but I fear this is not the end of it. I must leave you and go seek those that did this to make sure they will not do so again,” Synar said sadly. “You will be safe with your family. I will come back for you when I am done.”
“Take me with you. I’ll heal on the ship,” Ania demanded.
“No. I can’t put a high-level Peace Alliance ambassador at so much risk. Heal while I am gone. Let your family care for you. Serve your planet until I return from my task.”
He stroked his mate’s cheek, wanting nothing more than to take her with him as she demanded. But Conor’s hired thugs would just come after them both. Since he did not know when he would do it again, Synar bent to brush Ania’s lips with his. “I know you don’t like kissing, but I need to reassure myself that you live.”
“Perhaps I’m getting used to it,” Ania joked, struggling to return the pressure of his mouth.
“Help is coming shortly, I swear it. Let them repair your body, Ania. You will be weak for a while, but soon this will be nothing more than a bad memory.”
When she didn’t answer, Synar realized Ania had fallen into the healing sleep of the demon. Malachi was already working on her.
Now he needed to focus on the actions that would make Malachi’s efforts count.
Dorian soon returned and walked to where they were still on the floor. “Help is on its way. The medics were afraid to come inside. How is she?”
Ignoring Dorian’s concerned question, Synar raised his gaze to his friend’s face.
“We are taking the bodies of Jonas and the Pleiadian male Malachi went into earlier with us. Put both on the shuttle. I will explain later. I will register the body we are stealing as host to my demon now. Then we are going to release the killer we captured and send him back to warn Conor that I’m going to be actively searching for him. If we check, I bet we discover Conor is no longer confined to the planet he was exiled to.”
“Is the Pleiadian male joining our crew once the demon reanimates him?” Dorian asked the question, but dreaded the answer. The words were distasteful, but Liam’s legacy was not a pleasant burden to bear.
“No. The Pleiadian male will not be reanimated. The dead body is a ruse to fool Conor. I have given Malachi a more noble assignment.”
Dorian looked at Ania’s body then, seeing the energy signature but not wanting to believe it. He prayed the Creators of All would have mercy on her spirit. “Ania was prepared for her death, Liam. Do you know how much she would disapprove of what you have done?”
“Yes. Ania might have been ready for her death, but I was not. The contract is made, and I will not be changing it. I chose to tell you only because I need your help.”
Dorian saw Ania’s lashes flutter open at the same moment he heard the medics finally running in to their aid.
“Hello Dorian. I forget sometimes how tall you are. It’s still like looking up at a mountain to see you from the floor. This sure hasn’t happened in a very long time.”
Dorian watched Ania follow her painful laugh with a moan. Despite his beliefs and his sense of foreboding about what Liam had done, he smiled down at his teacher and friend with great relief. Ania remained herself so far as he could see. He hoped that would always be true.
“Be assured that I have never forgotten a single moment of my training at your hands. And I would gladly reverse our positions if I could.”
Dorian saw Ania laugh genuinely at his comment, but it obviously hurt her badly to do so. Then her eyes closed again. With a tired sigh, he saw her enter the blackness calling to her.
As several healers rushed to help them, he and Liam slipped out of their way. They stepped away from the medics, keeping their voices low.
“Well? What is your answer?” Synar demanded.
“Though I have many concerns about the wisdom of your actions, I will help you hide this from your brother,” Dorian said at last. “I pray the Creators forgive us both if we are mistaken.”
Synar watched the medics load a still living, breathing Ania onto the levitating transport. No matter what the Pleiadian healers thought about her weakened condition, he knew Malachi would completely heal her in time. It might be the first truly noble duty the demon had ever performed.
“Ania took a laser blast meant for me, Dorian. Pray all you want for your own forgiveness. I don’t need any. I have no regrets about saving Ania’s life.”
“Let’s hope that remains true over time, Liam. Go
with your mate and see to her. I will take care of the rest.”
Synar nodded and followed the medical transport bed out of the building.
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Other Books by Robyn Peterman
HAND CUFFS AND HAPPILY EVER AFTERS
How Hard Can It Be?
Size Matters
Cop A Feel (Coming June 2014)
and unfortunately
Pirate Dave and His Randy Adventure
(Career ending spoofy novella based on HHCIB)
HOT DAMNED SERIES
Fashionably Dead
(Available Now)
Fashionably Dead Down Under
(Coming Spring 2014)
About Robyn Peterman
Robyn Peterman writes because the people inside her head won’t leave her alone until she gives them life on paper.
Her addictions include laughing really hard with friends, shoes (the expensive kind), Target, Coke Zero Cherry with extra ice in a Styrofoam cup, bejeweled reading glasses, her kids, her super-hot hubby and collecting stray animals.
A former professional actress, with Broadway, film and T.V. credits, she now lives in the south with her family and too many animals to count.
Writing gives her peace and makes her whole, plus having a job where you can work in your underpants works really well for her. You can leave Robyn a message via the Contact Page and she’ll get back to you as soon as her bizarre life permits! She loves to hear from her fans!
Fashionably Dead Page 38
