Flames of Redemption

by Jamie A. Waters

  Lars winced at her description. “Sergei hasn't said anything about someone wanting to harm him. Could it have been done by one of the other Coalition camps?”

  She'd considered it while they were in the caravan. It was a possibility and one she intended to explore. It didn't make sense for them to target him though. Besides, they'd trained their weapon on her first. “My position was blocking a clear shot of Nikolai and Alec. It could have been any one of us they were targeting.” She shrugged. “Either way, they will not be breathing much longer.”

  “You're a little scary,” Lars said with a frown. “But if you're going after these people, I'd like to help.”

  Valentina didn't reply because someone finally emerged from the room where they'd taken Sergei. An older woman with tired eyes approached them. “Are you Valentina?”

  When she nodded, the woman said, “We were able to remove the bullet, and Ariana Alivette healed the most serious of his injuries. He's been given a metabolic booster, and we're giving him some additional blood units. You can go back to see him now.”

  A lump formed in her throat and she nodded again, heading toward the door. She needed to see him for herself. Lars went with her, but she ignored him, intent on her destination. Pushing open the door, she noted there were several medical people still in the room, along with Ariana and Alec.

  Ariana gave her a warm smile. “He'll sleep for a few more hours, but he'll be okay.”

  Valentina couldn't respond, her eyes focused on the motionless figure in the bed. Sergei's eyes were closed, and there were machines beeping beside him. She walked over to him and took his hand in hers. His skin was still cool to the touch, but it was better than it had been. Lifting his hand, she pressed it against her cheek. The fire that usually burned so brightly within him was banked, slumbering in the darkness.

  A tear escaped, and she blinked, trying to regain control of her chaotic emotions. He was going to be fine, she kept reminding herself. But seeing this strong and powerful man in this state wounded something inside her. He'd been injured before, but something about this time was different.

  “I forgive you, Seryozha,” she whispered and leaned over, brushing a soft kiss against his lips. “Please get well so we can play again.”

  Valentina pulled back, her eyes roaming over him one more time before she turned to the other occupants in the room. They were all watching her, different emotions in their expressions. She ignored them and focused on Lars instead. Out of all of them, he had the closest ties to Sergei. She needed to rely on that bond now so she could focus on what needed to be done.

  “Will you watch over him for me?”

  Lars agreed immediately and then frowned. “You're not staying, are you?”

  “No,” she replied, refusing to look at Sergei again for fear she might reconsider. Until he opened his eyes, she'd continue to worry. “I must return to Nikolai and find out who's responsible.”

  “You could be a target,” Alec said in a low voice, taking a step toward her. “Sergei thought they were aiming for you. That's why he intervened. You would be safer remaining here.”

  “Exactly,” she agreed, heading toward the door. “If they were targeting me, they will try again. I need to give them that opportunity. It will make it easier to find them.”

  Without waiting for a response, she pushed open the door and headed out into the brightly lit corridor, leaving Sergei asleep behind her.

  Sergei awoke amongst the beeping of machines. He groaned and started to sit up, the heavy weight in his chest lending to the idea he'd been hurt worse than he thought.

  “You might want to take it slow,” Lars warned. “You got shot and your lung collapsed. You almost died before we got you back here. Ariana healed you, but she could only do so much. I've never seen her heal such a serious injury on a non-sensitive. She must have gotten stronger since she bonded to Alec.”

  Sergei glanced around the empty room and frowned. “Where is Valentina?”

  “She left,” Lars explained, walking toward the bed.

  Sergei cursed and pushed himself upright. He had to find her. The infernal woman would get herself hurt—or worse. He gripped the tube in his arm to yank it out, but Lars stopped him. “Dammit, man, they're still giving you the blood substitute. Just wait. I'll call for someone.”

  Sergei scowled at him but relented, leaning back against the bed and closing his eyes. “Tell them to hurry. How long ago did Valentina leave?”

  Lars's footsteps moved closer to the bed, and Sergei heard the beep from a button being pressed. “She's been gone for a few hours. She stayed long enough to make sure you were going to be okay and then took off.”

  “Did she say anything?”

  Lars hesitated. Sergei's eyes flew open, and he pinned Lars with his gaze.

  “Tell me,” he snapped.

  “You're a fucking lousy patient,” Lars grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. “She thinks she's the target, but I'm not sure. It could have been you, Alec, or Nikolai. I had the impression she thought they were aiming for her. Our drones surveilled the area, but we didn't catch any sign of the attackers. My guess is your people are responsible. Any idea why they'd be targeting her?”

  “It's because of Nikolai,” Sergei said with a sigh. “He's made it no secret she's his right hand, and Yuri is his left. Without them by his side, Nikolai is not nearly as effective at keeping order. He's come to depend on their threat to enforce his will.”

  “If that's the case, why wouldn't they have targeted Nikolai instead?”

  The attendant finally came in and began unhooking the machines. Sergei studied them to make sure they weren't wearing a translating device before switching to his native language. He might trust Lars to an extent, but not the rest of the residents within the towers. “If something happens to Nikolai, another will step in to take his place. It is widely believed Valentina would be the one to do it, but she has no wish to command. She prefers operating in the background.”

  Lars frowned. “So she's intentionally made herself into a target?”

  The attendant finished with the machines and started to take his vitals, but Sergei waved them off. Once they were gone, he said, “I believe so. It would have been a tactical decision to give Nikolai's people the opportunity to respond and remove the threat. If necessary, Yuri would be the one to step into Nikolai's role. He is even more ruthless and unscrupulous than Nikolai, but he'd be very effective if Valentina remained by his side.”

  “If they want Nikolai removed from power, I still don't see why they wouldn't target him.”

  Sergei pushed off the bed, his head swimming from the blood loss. He leaned against the wall for support, taking a moment to allow the worst of the dizziness to pass. “All three of them would need to be eliminated from power. The best way to do that would be to prove Nikolai ineffective or discredit him. If that happens, his territories will be taken away and reassigned amongst the rest of the leadership. They will not trust either Valentina or Yuri to hold command. His entire camp would be put at risk.”

  Lars took a step toward him. “Sergei, what the hell do you think you're doing? You can barely stand.”

  “I must find her before she does something foolish,” Sergei said, pushing off the wall and glancing around for the rest of his clothing. “Nikolai promised me he would protect her, but he's put her directly in harm's way.”

  Lars paused, studying him closely. “I'll be damned. This isn't just concern over her well-being. You love her, don't you?”

  “Yes,” Sergei snapped. “Now hand me my clothes or get out of my way. I will walk out of here naked before I allow anything to happen to her.”

  Lars grabbed the clothing and handed them to him. “I'm going with you.”

  “You cannot,” Sergei said, starting to get dressed. “I will have a hard enough time getting in to see Nikolai on my own. They will have increased security after the shooting.”

  “You're not in any condition to go off on your own,” La
rs argued.

  Sergei ignored him and reached over for the commlink they'd removed while he'd been unconscious. He pressed a button and a woman's voice answered, but it wasn't the one he was hoping to hear.

  “Regina, this is Sergei. Has Valentina returned?”

  “I cannot give you that information,” she replied.

  Sergei's teeth gritted. “Fine. I need the coordinates to Nikolai's camp.”

  “We are not accepting visitors.”

  “Tell Nikolai who is requesting the information,” he snapped, his patience quickly growing thin.

  There was a lengthy pause and then she said, “Nikolai is in a meeting. I am connecting you with Yuri.”

  A moment later, Yuri's voice answered. “What can I do for you, Sergei?”

  “Has Valentina returned?”

  “I fail to see how that would be your concern,” Yuri replied, a trace of boredom in his voice. “Was there anything else?”

  Sergei forced himself to take a deep breath. If Yuri were in front of him, he'd be inclined to snap the man's neck. “I must speak with Nikolai in person. If you send me your camp's coordinates, I can meet with him directly.”

  “You are not in a position to make demands,” Yuri reminded him. “Once we have completed our security assessment, we will consider your request.”

  The transmission terminated, and Sergei resisted the urge to throw the commlink against the wall.

  Lars frowned. “Can you contact Valentina directly?”

  “I did. Her commlink is being rerouted because they are on lockdown. Yuri would have asked more questions if she hadn't returned yet. She is most likely meeting with Nikolai right now.” He paused for a moment, considering his options. “How did Valentina leave here? She did not have a vehicle.”

  “I would assume she took one of our speeders,” Lars said, his eyes lighting up in understanding. “We should be able to track it.”

  “Only partially,” Sergei said, heading for the door. “She is unfamiliar with the area, so she would have needed to rely on the coordinates to find her way back. Once she got close enough to Nikolai's camp, she would have disabled the tracker. It may be enough to give us an idea of their location. I am familiar enough with her tactics that I believe I may be able to find her.”

  “I'm going with you,” Lars said, following behind him. “I don't care if I can't step foot inside, but you're not in any condition to go on your own.”

  Sergei was tempted to argue, but Lars was right. If he had any hope of protecting Valentina, he needed whatever help he could get.

  Sergei climbed off the speeder, rubbing his chest. Between Valentina stabbing him and getting shot, he was running out of places to get injured. Lars pulled up alongside him and dismounted.

  It had taken far longer than he expected to locate Nikolai's camp. Valentina had laid several false trails, and at one point, he'd been convinced they were heading in the wrong direction. Fortunately, one of Nikolai's recruits had gotten sloppy, and Sergei been able to deduce the approximate location. From there, it had been an issue of circling back around until they practically stumbled upon the camp.

  Sergei motioned for Lars to follow him. It was impossible to know what sort of reception they'd receive. He'd half expected them to be fired upon for approaching without clearance.

  They walked inside and were both immediately slammed against the wall by armed guards. He winced as pain erupted in his chest from his barely healed injury, but he remained silent while they briskly searched him and removed his weapons. When they finished, he turned around, keeping his hands slightly raised.

  “I need to speak with Nikolai,” he said, not recognizing any of the guards.

  “Sergei,” Yuri called out and stepped into the room, “I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to see you.”

  “Yuri,” Sergei acknowledged, keeping his tone neutral even though he was tempted to slam the man's head into the wall. The only reason Yuri would have avoided giving him the camp's coordinates was to be a pain in the ass.

  Yuri studied him for a long moment. “If it were up to me, I would turn you away or kill you, but Nikolai has agreed to speak with you.”

  “How fortunate for me,” Sergei replied in a dry voice. The head slam was looking even more attractive.

  Yuri grinned. “Come along, but your friend must remain here.”

  Sergei motioned for Lars to stay back and followed Yuri down the hall. As they passed various rooms, he recognized a few people, but most of the faces were unfamiliar. There had been more changes than he realized, but then again, it had been three years since he’d last stepped foot in one of Nikolai's camps.

  Sergei walked into an office where Nikolai was standing behind a desk, viewing something on a small tablet. He glanced up as Sergei entered and then went back to studying the screen in his hand. From all appearances, Nikolai hadn't changed in the slightest over the past several years.

  “Valentina mentioned you survived,” Nikolai observed. “I did not expect you to be up and walking around so quickly. Their healers must be remarkable.”

  “They are,” Sergei confirmed, taking a step toward him. “I am here about Valentina.”

  Nikolai paused, placing the tablet on his desk. “Is that so?”

  Sergei inclined his head, not giving a damn if this ended badly. After seeing her again, he couldn't walk away without a fight. “I want you to release her from service.”

  Yuri stiffened in his position against the wall, but Nikolai held up his hand. “Yuri, leave us.”

  Yuri hesitated, but one sharp look from Nikolai had him immediately turning and leaving the room. Once Yuri was gone, Nikolai regarded Sergei for a long moment. “If I recall correctly, you gave her to me. Now you would ask that I return her?”

  Sergei's jaw clenched. “I never gave her to you. I asked that you protect her. If I had any idea what you would turn her into, I would have never done such a thing.”

  Nikolai's mouth curved in an amused smile. “Interesting. And what have I turned her into?”

  Sergei fell silent, glaring at Nikolai. “She is not the same woman we both knew.”

  “No,” he agreed, “she is not.”

  Sergei waited, but Nikolai didn't say anything further. “Will you release her from service and allow her to reclaim her life?”

  Nikolai sighed wearily and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Come with me.”

  Curious but wary, Sergei followed him out of the room, down the hall, and past the barracks area. Nikolai opened a door which led to a rather large suite with a living area and secondary office off to the side. More doors were closed, which most likely led to bedroom areas.

  Nikolai tapped on one of the doors. “All is well, Valya, but would you mind joining me?”

  A few moments later, one of the doors opened and a sleepy Valentina emerged. Her disheveled hair tumbled loose over her shoulders, and her shirt barely reached the top of her thighs. Sergei caught a glimpse of black panties underneath, reminding him of the pair he'd ripped from her body the day before. It was the sight of her sleepy and barely dressed in Nikolai's quarters, though, that made regret surge hot and deep within him. He never should have left her.

  Valentina rubbed her eyes and yawned. In a voice husky from sleep, she murmured, “Are you all right, Kolya? Did Yuri finish the analysis?”

  Nikolai walked over to her, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pressed a kiss against her temple. “I am fine. Sergei is here though.”

  Valentina blinked and lifted her head, staring at him for a moment as though not comprehending he was there. When recognition cleared the sleep from her eyes, a small smile traced over lips. She took a step toward him, looking him over and searching for any injuries. “You are better? Already?”

  He swallowed and nodded, not quite trusting himself to speak. God. Had she always been this beautiful? When she looked at him with those gorgeous eyes filled with happiness at seeing him, every thought evaporated from his head, except for an intense desire
to take her back to bed.

  “Valya,” Nikolai said gently, “Sergei has asked that I release you from service.”

  She stiffened, shock coloring her expression as she looked back and forth between them. When Nikolai nodded, she turned back to Sergei but not with any of her earlier warmth.

  “You do not have any right to ask this,” Valentina snapped, fury making her blue eyes even more striking.

  “He was supposed to protect you, not put you in more danger,” Sergei accused, glaring at Nikolai. “I would never have left you with him if I had known what would happen.”

  “You know nothing about my relationship with Nikolai!” she shouted, clenching her hands into fists as though resisting the urge to take a swing at him. Sergei supposed he should be thankful. In addition to the knife strapped to her forearm, she was probably also wearing another weapon somewhere under that shirt. Even when asleep, she was rarely unarmed.

  “Can you not tell he is using you?” Sergei argued, taking a step toward her, determined to make her see reason. “I have heard many rumors about your relationship, Valentina. I have seen some of it for myself. You were a decorative trophy at the meeting today, and you have made yourself into a target to protect him.”

  “It is a game!” she said, throwing up her hands. “You used to play it with us.”

  “I never asked you to whore yourself,” he said in a low voice.

  Valentina fell silent. Nikolai took a step toward her. “Valya, you must tell him.”

  “It is none of his business.”

  “Valentina,” Nikolai admonished.

  She sighed and lifted her head to regard him. “Nikolai and I are not lovers. We decided to play the part because it allowed me to stay close to him without arousing suspicion. I can go places with him that Yuri cannot. He has never asked me to do anything I did not wish to do.”