by Cherie Marks
“Why didn’t you tell me all this two years ago? I could’ve helped you.”
“That’s exactly why I had to get away from you. You don’t know the Daeva like I do. They’ll stop at nothing to get what they want. You wouldn’t have survived, and I couldn’t live with that.”
He looked back at her and frowned at the worry etched on her brows. What was she thinking about?
“What do the Daeva look like?”
“Human for the most part, with wickedly sharp teeth that look more like needles than anything.”
She tensed even more. Something was definitely on her mind. “And they want the Kinjari? Would they call it by a different name?”
“They call it the Shadow Crystal.”
She nodded slowly. “So much is making sense to me now. Memories are beginning to return. I thought I’d made a deal with the devil. Pretty sure I got roped into something I didn’t sign up for.”
He couldn’t breathe for a moment. “What do you mean?”
“I didn’t choose to come here. I remember turning down a job to retrieve something called a Shadow Crystal. Yet, somehow, I still ended up here, still met a needle-toothed Meta who still expects me to bring him a crystal. Pretty sure, I’m here against my will, and one thing I know about myself. I don’t like not having a choice.”
Dammit! That’s exactly what his sister and he had done to her. She carried the Kinjari within her, and it was his job to get it back. They’d planned to leave her here in the Complex where she’d be far from Ryder and safe from the Daeva. Yet, if the Daeva were here, she wasn’t safe.
“I guess you were able to rescue your sister finally.”
“She’d escaped and got a message to me that she would be here. I signed up for the Complex, but I never expected to see you here.”
“Sorry to disappoint you.”
“I wasn’t the least disappointed. Just concerned for your safety.” It was now or never. “Listen, there’s something else I need to tell you, and I need you to keep an open mind.”
“Ryder…what did you do?”
“The Kinjari always needs a host.”
“It’s a parasite?”
“More like a symbiotic organism. It lives within beings.”
“Okay. Is it inside you right now?”
His chest hurt with the reality of what he had to tell her. “Actually…”
Yet, he never got the chance as his sister called from farther down the tunnel.
“Ryder! What’s taking so long?”
He turned with a hard swallow. This was the moment he’d been dreading. He would have to choose between the woman he loved and his people. In reality, did he have a choice? Did any of them? Were they all just a product of their destinies?
“We…needed to talk.”
Wondra stepped into their small circle and looked back and forth between Zaira and him. “Nothing to talk about. We know what we have to do.”
“I need more time to think.”
“We don’t have the luxury of time to think. Our people are suffering. They’re being killed daily, and we have the power to stop it.”
“There has to be another way.”
She stared hard at Zaira. There was no doubt she knew the reason for my stubbornness. “Come on, Ryder. You know we can’t afford to get attached. Lives are depending on us.”
Ryder shut his eyes and worked to slow his thrumming heart. “We can’t do this. I can’t live with this.”
“Don’t you think I want a different life? Don’t you think I want to think only of myself and what I want? We can’t back down now. Not when we’re so close.”
“I can’t hurt her.” He looked at Zaira for a reaction. Her eyes widened in realization.
“At the station.” She swung her gaze to Wondra. “You passed the Kinjari to me at the intra station. What does that mean?”
Wondra’s mouth tightened. “It means, the Kinjari was meant to connect with vampiric demons only. We have to get it out of you, and most Humans don’t survive the extraction.” She grabbed Zaira’s arm and twisted it behind her. “Nothing personal. We just need to save our species, and sacrifices have to be made. That’s all.”
But it was personal. It was personal to Ryder. He shoved Wondra away from Zaira. “She comes with us. A medic will extract the Kinjari and then, save her. I won’t leave her to die.”
“You always were too soft. She’ll die anyway more than likely, but clearly, you’ll fight me if we do it any other way.”
“Damn straight I’ll fight you!”
“Hey! Again, I’d like a choice.”
Wondra cocked a hip and slammed a hand there. “Okay. Either you come with us or you die here. What’s your choice?”
To give her credit, Zaira didn’t even blink as she said, “Where are we going?”
Zaira was so over this. She no longer had control of her own life. Not only had she been hijacked and taken to a planet against her will, but now a living crystal had bonded with her, and could only be removed with medical intervention. This was ridiculous.
It was time to do what she did best. She’d turn things around this time, and she’d do the leaving. As soon as she got the chance, she’d leave Ryder and his sister far behind. Then, she’d get Rori and find a way out of this situation. She’d locate Selky and hook her up with her daughter, Rori. Either she’d find a way to get this thing out of her or she’d live with it for the rest of her life. Maybe it could be beneficial if it were truly a symbiotic organism. Selky would know what to do if she’d even talk to Zaira. Of course, if anything could settle the conflict between them, bringing her daughter back to her had a pretty good chance of working.
As for Ryder and that soul-rocking kiss they’d shared, she was done chasing feelings that would never be strong enough for him to choose her over using her. It was clear that day would never come.
Yet, as she walked beside Ryder, sadness at this turn of things hit her hard. She regretted they’d never really had a chance. She’d thought after two years, she’d be completely over him, but clearly she wasn’t. Obviously, even when he’d been plotting her probable death, she still wanted his touch. How sick was she?
“It shouldn’t be this fucking way.” His words were hard, like daggers, and she felt his frustration. She knew he was finding this as detestable as she was, but in the end, he’d choose his people. And she couldn’t blame him really. He felt a sense of responsibility she’d never be able to understand. That didn’t mean she had to sit back and accept their abuse.
“No. It shouldn’t be at all. But what can you do about it? You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. No help for it…or for me.”
“Of course we’re going to help you. I refuse to let you die.”
She hoped he meant what he said. “One thing confuses me though. If the Kinjari is symbiotic, wouldn’t that mean I get something out of the bond too?”
“For vampiric demons, it infuses them with a vision to see the creatures in the shadows, specifically, the Daeva. To be honest, I don’t know if it has a positive relationship with other species. Not many Humans or other creatures have bonded with it. The few who did, did so briefly as a willing carrier, knowing the odds were they’d die during the extraction.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why were the odds so high they would die and why would they volunteer?”
He rubbed the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation. “The Kinjari doesn’t just bond with you and park itself in a random part of the body. It bonds on the cellular level—as in, all your cells. Some people find satisfaction in believing they’re doing something for the greater good. This war between vampiric demons and the Daeva has gone on too long and affected so many. I never wanted to drag you into this, and I certainly never wanted the Kinjari to bond with you. To remove it is a long, sometimes painful process. I don’t want to put you through that.”
“Yeah, that sounds like something I want to avoid.”
“The only way I know to do it successfully is with a medic’s help.”
“And you have access to a medic?”
“If I didn’t, I’d tell you.”
“Like you did before?”
He ran a weary hand down his face before saying, “I regret that. I should’ve been honest with you from the start.”
She started to fire something back, but stopped before she could utter one word. The artificial light was fading with evening approaching, and it had shifted in front of them. At first, she thought it was just a trick of the fading glow of the domed sky above. However, a humanoid shape soon appeared, and she realized exactly what she was seeing. It was the Daeva she was supposed to meet with today. Clearly, he was impatient to get his hands on the Kinjari or Shadow Crystal or whatever it was called currently. Too bad she had other plans.
The Daeva didn’t seem ready to reveal himself as he just followed along in the shadows ahead of them, seemingly aware of exactly where they were going. Zaira glanced over at Ryder and Wondra. Neither seemed to be aware of the Daeva’s presence.
As they closed in on a forest clearing where someone unknown stood waiting for them, Zaira started to form a plan to make a run for it.
“Just so you know, we’re not alone, Ryder.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s a Daeva in the shadows ahead of us.”
“You can see it?”
“Guess that means the Kinjari has bonded completely.”
“Can you pinpoint where he is. Wondra can circle around to the back, and I’ll rush at him from the front. We’ll take him out before he even knows what happened.”
Zaira waited until the Daeva was inside the trees, continuing to hide in the shadows. They approached the person waiting in the clearing who looked at each of them in turn.
A short, stocky Human stood with his arms crossed. He didn’t look too happy. “You’re late. We don’t have much time. The transport off the planet leaves at eleven. If you’re not on it, I won’t be able to arrange another for a month.”
“What are we looking for, and where will it be waiting?”
“You’ll meet my man Dougal, who will help the two of you board the supplier that’s set to launch at eleven from the secondary launchpad. It’s your final chance to get out of here for a long while.”
“And, in return?”
“I expect half the deposited money in your accounts that you received when you arrived.” He pushed a few buttons on his electronic reader and a message came through on Ryder’s with a small bell sound. “That’s the bank account I want it deposited into. Dougal won’t give them the okay to lift you two off the planet until I let him know the money is in the account.”
“Understood.” Ryder glanced toward me sideways. “But we have three now.”
“As long as you understand this raises the price.”
“No problem. You can have all my money for all I care. As long as we all get out of the Complex tonight.”
“It’s all arranged. Now, I’m going to go let Dougal know about the slight change. Be where you’re supposed to be before the launch time, or you will be left behind.”
As the stocky man walked away, Ryder turned to me and asked, “Where do we need to focus?”
Zaira looked around. Ryder’s sister had already slipped away, but more than likely she could still see the clearing from wherever she was. There’d not be a better time to set up a getaway. She nodded toward the right of where they were standing. The Daeva still hid there among the trees, and it was exactly the distraction she needed.
Just as she’d hoped, he left her behind and rushed toward the shadows where the Daeva straightened and braced for an attack. The minute Ryder and his sister were engaged with the Daeva, Zaira took a few backward steps until she saw they were completely engrossed in going after the shadow figure. Once she was sure they weren’t paying attention to her at all any more, she slipped away through the trees and didn’t look back.
She rushed to the nearest transport she could find. She pulled her electronic reader from her bag and dialed the number Rori had given her.
Rori answered on the second ring. “What up, chick? Are we going out tonight?”
“Um…sort of. What do you say you pack your stuff and meet me at the transport station?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m not staying in the Complex, and I want you to come with me.”
“I don’t…I don’t understand. You mean, leave the planet? Is that even possible?”
“Let’s talk about it at the station. Meet me there in an hour.” If she followed what Zaira asked, they’d have about a half an hour for Zaira to explain everything before they had to make their way to the secondary launchpad. She truly hoped nothing went wrong.
Ryder was so mad his horns were ramrod straight. How could he have fallen for such a blatantly obvious trick? Maybe because he wanted to believe they were on their way back to being in the same place, mentally as well as physically.
But more than anything, he didn’t want anything to happen to her. They had battled the Daeva, but it had slipped away from them in the shadows, and now he worried that the Daeva would realize she had seen him in the shadows. It wouldn’t take long for the creature to realize the Kinjari was bonded with Zaira. She’d be the target, and they wouldn’t try to spare her life to extract the crystal. The thought of losing her in that way made him want to rip heads off.
Just one problem—he really didn’t know where she would’ve gone. She was worldly enough to know better than to go to her apartment. The intra would be there waiting for her for sure.
He just hoped she didn’t use her electronic reader. The intra would track her easily. He had his own portable secure network he’d connected to instead of the one provided by the Complex. He also knew how to access her reader remotely. With a few swipes and taps, he saw that she had contacted someone in the apartments. He was sure it was probably the woman she’d been with at breakfast, but why would she contact someone she’d just met. Had they known each other before arriving here?
With no hope that she’d answer, he used a secure line to call Zaira. As expected, she didn’t answer, but after ten more tries, she finally answered to say, “Stop calling me, Ryder. I don’t want to talk to you.”
The minute the click sounded, he pulled up the place locator and pinpointed where she was. She was at the transport station, a very busy place, but also heavily populated by intra too. It could be a trap.
But something had become so completely clear to him when he’d turned to find her and the space had been empty. He didn’t want to let her go a second time.
The first time had been hard enough, and now he refused to let his responsibilities or anything else get in the way of taking care of her. He’d also had a revelation concerning the Kinjari. They didn’t have to pull it out of her. It would be a reason to keep her close by…forever…which sounded exactly like what he wanted. But in reality, he wanted her to have a choice. If she wanted to be free of the Kinjari and of him, he’d do everything in his power to make it happen. He’d even made it clear to Wondra that that was where his mind was now. She knew better than to argue.
To make things final, he sent a message to Wondra and headed toward the transport station. He’d find her, and he’d help her let all this play out however she wanted it to. He just hoped she didn’t hit first and give him a chance to talk second.
* * *
Zaira saw Rori long before she saw her. She pushed up beside her and linked her arm through Rori’s.
“We’re going to the back booth in the small diner to your right.”
“Zaira, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?”
Once they were situated in the booth, Zaira leaned across the table and wasted no time as she said, “I want to help you find your real mother.”
“What? That’s impossible. I don’t know if you noticed, but the universe is ginormous. How in the world do you plan
to find her?”
“I worked with her.”
“What? How is that possible?”
“I don’t know how. Maybe it was destiny, but she found me when I was ten. On Wreston. My parents were both dead and buried. I was all alone in the world. She took me with her and trained me to be one of the best retrievers for hire.”
“Wait! This sounds too good to be true. How can you be sure?”
“The picture you have on your electronic reader. That’s her. That’s Selky. I’d know her anywhere because she raised me.”
“Why would she raise you when she already had a daughter?”
“Without talking to her, I can’t say for sure, but I can only imagine she was back on Wreston at that time—looking for you—but your aunt had taken you away by then.”
“Oh, my stars.” Rori’s mouth dropped open and her breathing picked up. “Do you really think so? Why wouldn’t my aunt have left a message for her of where to find us?”
“Since you can’t ask your aunt, that’s a question for Selky, your mom. She might be able to give you an idea. But that means you have to come with me.”
She chewed her lip nervously, and the muscles in her body tensed in anticipation of Rori’s answer.
With a full breath, she straightened. “Okay. I’ll go with you, but I can’t take too much more disappointment.”
“I understand. My life is set on crazy-mode lately. It’s more than I’ve had to deal with since my parents’ deaths.” Just as Zaira said it, she looked up and met the intense gaze of crazy in the flesh.
“You missed our appointment, Zaira.” Standing beside their table was her Daeva contact, and with his needle-like teeth bared, he looked pissed.
Ryder watched the two women exit from the diner with Zaira in one hand and the other woman in the other. They were headed toward a transport where an exchange took place without electronic readers. Clearly, the transport operator was on the take, and the Daeva paid him off to take Zaira to wherever he planned to extract the Kinjari before dumping Zaira to die and leaving the planet with the vampiric demons’ only hope for an end to the war and Ryder’s only hope for happiness.
