“Torturing him, more like,” said the first woman. “The Badari want the doctor back safe and sound and don’t care what they have to do in the process.”
“Don’t we all want her rescued as soon as possible?” Bettira asked. “She‘s a great doctor and so nice. She treated me when I had a twisted knee and fixed me right up. She gave me advice about my stepfather just last night.” With a shudder she realized she must have been one of the last patients to see Dr. Garrison and she hoped the Badari wouldn’t think she had any involvement in the kidnapping.
Her co-worker shrugged and hastened to serve a group of new arrivals.
Usually the hours at the kitchen flew by but things were so strange today Bettira found the time dragging. At midday she went in search of the chef, Sandara, who ran the facility with an iron hand. Clearing her throat apologetically to get the chef’s attention, Bettira said, “I’d like to request a favor, please. My stepfather has a flare-up of his gout and the doc said he needs to stay off his feet as much as possible.” She found herself teary at the thought of Dr. Garrison, who she’d seen only yesterday, and rushed onward with her request. “May I make up a tray for him today and take it over? Since we’re slow here?”
The perpetual frown the cook had worn ever since the Badari she’d hoped to mate chose another woman in a heated public confrontation grew more intense. Bettira wished she hadn’t been so bold because Sandara was permanently on edge these days. A reprimand from the sharp tongued woman would be the final straw today, with all the other tension going on.
Tapping her foot, Sandara surveyed the eating area and sighed. “Sure, do whatever you want. Take him a tray of the best and give him my good wishes. Don’t count it as your own lunch hour though, be sure to take the allotted time off too.”
As the chef walked away, Bettira was surprised at her generosity but rushed to assemble a tray of things on the menu today her stepfather might like and which the doctor had approved. His appetite hadn’t been too robust lately and she worried about him. He was one of the oldest humans the aliens had kidnapped from the colony and the time in the Khagrish lab had been hard on him. Gout was easily manageable in the Sectors but here there were no special meds available to ease his condition.
When she arrived at the cave he’d been assigned along with her step brothers and a couple other men from the Amarcae Seven colony, she was surprised to find her stepbrother Connal there. “No work today?” she asked.
“The Badari supervising the project didn’t show up so we took off,” Connal said. “Heard he was one of the ones who flew out looking for the doctor. They won’t find her. Harker’s too smart to go to ground in an obvious place.”
His friend Paxter nudged him hard in the ribs and Connal shut up abruptly.
Bettira wasn’t fond of Paxter. She believed he was a bad influence on Connal and he’d also made unwelcome advances to her repeatedly. He was one reason she usually avoided the cave when her stepbrother and his friends might be there. She assisted her stepfather as he limped to a chair, close to the heating and lighting unit, and then sat with him while he ate. She wasn’t trying to eavesdrop but Connal and Paxter weren’t making much effort to keep their voices down and seemed quite excited about Harker’s crime.
Bettira had never been able to understand why some humans were antagonistic to the Badari who had rescued all of them from a terrible death in the labs. So the Alpha got to make the rules here, so what? Things ran pretty smoothly and if anyone was entitled to rule the roost it was the Badari.
Uncomfortable with the way the two men were so unsympathetic to the poor doctor’s plight, Bettira loaded the tray and left as soon as her stepfather finished eating. Dawdling to prolong her time outside in the fresh air, she strolled along the path to the dining hall and then remembered she had permission to take additional time for her own lunch hour. Bettira rushed to the kitchen to empty the tray then left again, jogging deep into the forest surrounding the lake. She had a favorite spot she viewed as her own and today there was enough time to hike there, relax and eat her sandwich and hustle back before Sandara missed her.
She was ensconced on a convenient boulder on the point of land which jutted out into the lake, nibbling her lunch and watching birds catching insects above a floating garden of flowers, when she heard voices. Annoyed at being disturbed and not in the mood to talk to anyone, she slid from her perch, ducked behind the trees and crouched in a hollow made by the entwined roots, hoping whoever it was would continue past.
I’ll be embarrassed if they come out onto the point and then I have to reveal myself. Chuckling softly at her own foolishness, she blinked in surprise as she recognized Connal’s voice. What in the seven hells is he doing out here? Sure enough, the other man was Paxter. Bettira peered around the tree and saw the pair on the trail, carrying what looked like a piece of field comms equipment.
Curious, with a sinking feeling like a lead weight in her gut, Bettira crept off the spit of land and into the main forest, following them. She was good at moving through the underbrush without making much noise.
“We still have to climb the damn cliff,” Connal said. “Can’t broadcast inside the valley.”
“We’d better make it on time. Harker doesn’t tolerate screw-ups.” Paxter sounded anxious. “He trusts us and if we want to stay on his good side, we gotta deliver. Besides he might have new instructions.”
Appalled, she stopped in her tracks and shrank behind the nearest tree. Had she heard right? Were the men in league with the kidnapper? True Connall and Paxter were loosely part of the bigger social circle from the colony involving the former deputy and his cronies but Bettira couldn’t believe they’d stoop to doing something this dangerous and unsavory.
When she was sure the pair had moved far enough away, she ran toward the populated area of the valley. She was afraid she was going to throw up her lunch and her thoughts churned. She couldn’t decide what she should do or who she could talk to. She’d never been close to her stepbrother, who was eight years older and a bully, but her stepfather would be hurt if Connal got in serious trouble here. She ruled out trying to talk to her stepfather. He had little to no influence on Connal and none at all on Paxter and was in poor health. Likewise, Bettira dismissed confronting Connal herself. She was afraid of him and he most likely wouldn’t listen to anything she said if he was involved in the kidnapping.
Harker had shown how ruthless he could be and anyone in his gang might react the same way.
Reaching the edge of the settlement, she skidded to a halt and leaned over, breathing deeply. What she should do was obvious of course, which was go straight to the Badari and report what she’d overheard but the idea was terrifying. What if Reede, the enforcer in charge right now, believed she was involved in the plot?
Reede was on the terrifying side at the best of times.
As she dithered, unsure what to do or who she could talk to, conscious of precious time ticking away for the kidnapped doctor, a familiar face came into her mind, calming her agitation.
Skyl.
The mere idea of talking to him was soothing, although to date there hadn’t been much conversation between them. Mutual interest, admiring glances, one dance. Even in her extreme anxiety, Bettira was sure she could talk to him about this though. She could trust him. The instinctive belief Skyl meant safety was rock solid in her mind, although she acknowledged there was nothing concrete to base her certainty on, other than the way she regarded him. He stood out from the rest of the Badari in her mind. Skyl was the Badari who fascinated her, handsome like all of them, but more soft spoken than many and maybe a little shy. He invariably had a pleasantly teasing remark for her when he came through the food service line and she’d caught him watching her a time or two when she’d been gazing at him.
Bettira blushed, remembering how embarrassed she’d been when her co-workers teased her about her crush on the soldier. As if most of them didn’t have crushes on Badari warriors themselves. And he had danced with her
After their one dance she’d even had a few daydreams revolving around the two of them making one of those rare connections as fated mates. Because in this valley the legends did come true.
Like Dr. Garrison and her mate. Or her sister Jill and the Alpha.
Blushing hotly now, Bettira took herself to task. She was getting way ahead of herself when it came to Skyl. One dance did not a mate bond make. But she would be comfortable seeking him out, he’d listen to her and if he thought her information was worth following up, he could take the news to the scary pack leadership.
Bettira kept walking, on autopilot, heading toward the dining hall. Once she was inside the large cave serving as the central eating area, she rushed to the kitchen, planning to sign out for the afternoon and try to find a way to contact Skyl. And as a last resort, if I can’t talk to him, I’ll go to the enforcer and take my chances. I have to help the doctor.
Sandara caught sight of Bettira and beckoned. “I’m sending early dinner over to the Badari barracks, which is going to take several people to manage, so I’m glad you’re on duty now. Take over here and get the delivery done, would you?”
And the chef walked away, rushing to supervise components of a new dish being cooked in multiple pots.
Bettira put together a small team to handle the errand with her and they set out, carrying trays full of hearty food. The Badari were big eaters, which was hardly surprising since the soldiers stood over seven feet tall and weighed 300 pounds or so. All those muscles burned calories in huge quantities.
As she walked, she reflected a bit ruefully over how the goddess of the Badari seemed to be pushing events along so she’d talk to Skyl about her suspicion.
When she arrived at the barracks, two armed guards waved the group inside, with one of the men following them to the eating space in a well-lit cave branching off from the main chamber. The sleeping quarters were further into the cavern and it was all lit and heated by units generated by MARL, the alien AI. Bettira had overheard him say once he had limited power and abilities in his current form but he certainly accomplished anything requested.
“Move aside,” the guard behind her said in commanding tones, nudging her shoulder with his hand.
Bettira crowded the cave wall along with her team as Reede, the second enforcer and Jamokan the Alpha of the canid-descent subpack strode down the hall, talking intently and ignoring the humans. She stared at Reede’s partially deployed talons, appalled by the sight of what appeared to be dried blood.
“The bastard will talk,” Reede was saying in Badari as he walked with the Alpha. “I’m going to know who else in this valley is involved in this crime well before dawn.”
Bettira didn’t hear the response from Jamokan as the two soldiers disappeared into a side corridor in the rock. She shivered and her resolve crumbled badly.
Setting out the dinner didn’t take long and the waiting Badari watched in silence. She hoped to see Skyl but he wasn’t among the soldiers and cubs queued for the meal. Maybe he was out on patrol, or maybe he’d gone with the troops on the flyers. The other Badari males she knew well enough to feel comfortable with, because she worked with their mates on occasion, like Darik or Jadrian, weren’t present either.
“Thank you for the delivery,” said Nolen, who was in charge. “Sandara can send people over to retrieve the dishes in the morning.”
“I’ll let her know,” Bettira said. Screwing up her courage, thinking about Megan and the unborn baby, she asked, “Is Skyl here today? I-I wanted to tell him something.”
Nolen looked at her stone faced. “He’s busy. We’re all busy, you know?”
“Right, sorry, no big deal. I’ll uh catch up with him another day.” She grabbed an empty tray just to have busywork to do and fled after her team mates. Her gut clenched as she headed out of the cave, under guard. She’d have to try to talk to Reede, no matter how scary he was.
A touch at her elbow made her jump, stifling a gasp.
“Why do you want to see Skyl?”
Astounded how silently the Badari could move, she gazed at Yonn, the young alpha-born. From a younger generation than Skyl, the boy was nearly as tall as she was and already well on the way to being as good looking and self-possessed as the grown soldiers. Now he watched her with slightly glowing golden eyes and waited patiently for her answer.
“I wanted to tell him something and ask his advice,” she said. She couldn’t very well tell a cub what she suspected about her stepbrother and his sleazy friend.
“Reede said we don’t want any humans in the barracks today,” the guard informed the boy, although his tone was on the deferential side. “The kitchen staff was to come in, set out the food and leave immediately.”
Yonn stood taller and a cool wave of energy flowed over Bettira’s skin, emanating from the boy. His eyes glowed more brightly. “I take responsibility for her. Fetch Skyl and we’ll wait for him in the conference room.”
She thought the guard was going to refuse the order. After all, the person issuing it was a child, even if Yonn was alpha-born, but then the soldier saluted, made sure the other humans were exiting the cave, and went off to find Skyl. Bettira ran to hand the awkwardly oversized tray to one of the other women, saying, “Tell Sandara I’ll report to the kitchen when I can. Something’s come up.”
“Are you all right? Do you want me to stay?” asked the woman, casting an anxious glance at the mouth of the cave where Yonn waited.
“I’m fine, just a little confusion to straighten out, not about the food of course.” She was nearly stammering from nerves. Clenching her fist on the edge of her apron and forcing herself to smile, she said, “You go ahead and I’ll be there shortly.”
As soon as the others were well along on the path away from the barracks entrance she drew a deep breath and turned to the young Alpha. “Thank you. I’m ready to go meet Skyl.”
She hoped Yonn wouldn’t ask any questions and he didn’t but she had the uneasy suspicion he’d already guessed she might have information to share about the kidnapping. I’m in for it now. She knew she was doing the right thing. She just hoped her trust in Skyl to help her avoid Badari anger wasn’t misplaced.
When she entered the cave room serving as a place for meetings, complete with a big conference table, chairs and various devices, Skyl was already waiting. He wasn’t sitting but stood tall and forbidding at the side of the room. His face was set in stern lines.
“This isn’t a proper time for socializing, nor is this the place,” he said before she could open her mouth.
“I suggest you listen to her,” Yonn said, his voice carrying a slight crackle of command. “I’ll wait outside.”
Bettira twisted her hands nervously and wiped them on her apron as the door closed behind Yonn. “Thank you for agreeing to see me. I didn’t know who else to trust and there’s—”
Taking her by surprise, he crossed the distance between them and captured her hands gently. “Of all the humans in the valley, you’re the one person I always hope to see. I’ve been remiss not to tell you my feelings before. The situation right now is strained in general.”
“I know.” Her throat closed and she stood silent. Bettira concentrated on controlling her breathing so she wouldn’t hyperventilate.
“You’re shaking—come, have a seat, unburden yourself.” He drew her to a chair and then pulled up another one to sit next to her. Taking her hand again and leaning in, he said, “I would never allow any harm to come to you. You can count on me.”
She was so surprised, she lost her voice for a moment. She tightened her fingers around his. “I feel like we’re friends, even if we haven’t had much chance to spend time together and honestly? I’m terrified right now, not of you but of what I heard earlier tonight.”
“About the kidnapping?” His voice stayed soft but his eyes glowed as if there were flames dancing behind the amber. “Tell me. Please.”
An odd buzzing sounded in her head, like ringing in her ears and she wondered if it was due to stress but then Skyl said, “You were right to come to us. I’ve shared your story with Reede while you told me the details.”
Bettira had heard rumors the Badari could communicate mind to mind among themselves so Skyl telling her what he’d done was a definite sign of trust. Later she’d think about why she’d been so sensitive to the fact he was using telepathy and whether that indicated a bond forming between the two of them. “It may be nothing, all entirely innocent, maybe I misconstrued what I overheard. Eavesdropping is never a good idea.” She tried to smile but remorse was swamping her as she thought how her stepfather would be affected if his son was taken by the Badari and tortured for information. But the doctor’s life and her unborn baby were at stake. What Harker had done was wrong.
Gently Skyl wiped a tear from her cheek. “I know this was hard for you, to report on a family member, but I admire your decision. I’m honored and relieved you sought me out.”
The door opened and Reede came in, with Jamokan on his heels. Bettira shrank in her chair and Skyl stood, placing himself between his superiors and her. Yonn slipped into the room behind the others.
“I need all the details, now,” the enforcer said. “In response to Skyl’s message I’ve sent a team out to the general area of the valley you were describing, but let’s go over the story again, shall we?”
“She came to us—to me—freely,” Skyl said. Bettira watched in fascination as the tips of his talons protruded from his fingertips. Was he going to defend her from his commanding officers? “She’s under tremendous stress and deserves courtesy and consideration.”
The enforcer gave him a strange look, maybe surprised by how adamant the soldier sounded.
A Badari knocked, entered the room and handed Yonn a mug of steaming tea. The young alpha-born thanked him and brought the mug to Bettira. “Here, this will help settle your nerves,” he said.
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