Mastering Their Human

by Ivy Barrett

  “Spit it out.”

  He couldn’t tell Kellan the truth. Unlike the Chrysalis nanites, the humans’ arrested aging was still very much of interest to far too many people. There was no way he would add to that list. “I’m just the messenger here. I fetch and carry.”

  “How badly does Mal Ton want her back?”

  “He’s mated to Brianna’s sister. They were dragged here against their will, and Lorelle only just learned Brianna was still alive. Would you want to get in the middle of that?”

  Kellan pushed away from the desk and approached Sean. “Now the question becomes how badly do you want to please Mal Ton?”

  “I’m just the messenger.”

  “Sure you are.” Kellan strode past him without another word. He reached the door and glanced back over his shoulder. “Come.”

  Sean didn’t question their destination or the purpose for the trip. Anticipation sizzled in the air, making him restless and tense. Kellan was up to something, but Sean had no idea… Unless she was here already! If Kellan had ordered the raid on the lab or already negotiated her release it would make everything so much simpler.

  They climbed the front staircase and walked along the gallery. This was the first time Sean had been on the upper level. Kellan’s father had still been alive eleven years ago. Sean and Kellan had slept in the barracks with the rest of the soldiers. Now all the rights and privileges—and all the responsibilities—that his father had once commanded belonged to Kellan.

  Sean had been secretly fascinated by the changes in the zones, watched the development of alliances and the rise and fall of warlords. Kellan’s father had been both feared and respected, so it had been a natural transition for his son to take his place.

  Kellan might have stepped into a power structure his father forged, but the strength of his own character allowed him to maintain and expand that power. He had more than doubled the size of his father’s empire with far less bloodshed.

  They reached the double doors at the end of a hallway and Kellan paused with his hand on the latch. “I didn’t have to agree to see you. Any other mutant would have been turned away.”

  “I know.”

  “This is my house and my headquarters. Everyone here is under my protection.”

  He had her. Brianna was here! “I understand.”

  “Not yet you don’t. Nothing will be done without my permission, nothing.” He took a step closer. “Look me in the eye and vow on Sarah’s life that you will not countermine my authority.”

  It was a thinly veiled threat. If he did anything to countermine Kellan’s authority Sarah would pay the price. Tanner was right. Kellan had changed. “You have my word as a specter that I will submit to your authority during my stay in your house.”

  “Not good enough.”

  Scrambling for an out, Sean clenched his teeth. Was this human worth endangering Sarah? Sarah was the most important person in his life and Kellan knew it. Yet Sarah was only in danger if he broke his word. Shit! He hated being backed into a corner. Brianna had been tormented and abused since she was taken from her home world against her will. Sarah would be the first person to insist he do this. But did that make it right?

  “I swear on Sarah’s life, I will not countermine your orders.” Each word grated across his tongue like sandpaper.

  “And you’ll do nothing without my permission.”

  “Yes,” he snapped, infuriated by his lack of options. “I will do nothing without permission.”

  With a flick of his wrist, Kellan opened the door and motioned Sean inside. The room was large yet mostly empty. Sean’s eyes adjusted to the dimness and his heart lurched within his chest. Brianna lay pale and tiny within the massive expanse of Kellan’s bed. The sheet was tucked beneath her arms, modestly covering her breasts, but she was obviously naked.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Sean rushed across the room, not waiting for Kellan’s answer.

  “I was hoping you could tell me. She’s been examined by our medic, but he’s better at digging out bullets than diagnosing phantom illnesses. All of her scans are normal. There is nothing physically wrong with her. She’s just… asleep.”

  “What was she doing when she fell asleep?” What a stupid question! As overlord, Kellan had the right to fuck any woman he wanted. And what man wouldn’t want Brianna? A better question was why the hell did the thought of any man touching Brianna bother him so badly? He cleared his throat, forcing away the useless tangent. “Is it possible someone used a mental compulsion or some sort of thrall?” Kellan drew his attention to the cot against the far wall. Sean had been so focused on Brianna he hadn’t even noticed the second patient. A young blond man lay in a dreamlike trance, his features utterly peaceful. “And who is this?”

  “Ceddrik.” Kellan said the name as if that were explanation enough.

  “Was he attacked as well? I don’t understand.”

  “He is gifted. I use him to assist me from time to time.”

  So, Kellan had found himself a mystic after all. Annoyance surged through Sean, unexpected and irrational. If he had wanted the position all he had to do was stay eleven years ago. He had left Kellan, not the other way around. Left him? That made them sound like lovers. He’d had no choice but to retreat to the Underground. His mutation had been unstable and he needed to be taught how to control his abilities.

  “In what capacity does Ceddrik assist you?”

  “He’s able to tell me when others are lying and so forth.”

  “Is he a mutant?”

  “No. He was born with his abilities. I’d never heard of his home world, but that’s not unusual. Few in the zones ever make it off-world.”

  “So you were questioning Brianna when she…” Enough with this bullshit! “What exactly happened? I can’t help you if I don’t understand what I’m dealing with.”

  “She told me this wild tale, or a tale I thought was wild at the time. I thought she was a spy so I asked Ceddrik to scan her. Ceddrik was scanning her when they both lapsed into this bizarre trance.”

  That didn’t explain how she had ended up naked and in Kellan’s bed, but Sean wasn’t going to push the issue. First things first. He scanned Ceddrik for mutant energy to see if the mystic had been lying to Kellan, but Sean sensed no trace of the familiar vibration. “You’re right, he’s not a mutant.” A cursory scan was all Sean was able to perform. As soon as he tried to push deeper, he came up against dense, multilayered shielding. “Wow. He’s got some set of shields. There is no way I can get through these.”

  “Will you be able to bring him out of this state without penetrating his shields?”

  “I have no idea. I still don’t know what’s causing the trance.” Sean rubbed the back of his neck as he crossed to the bed. “Did Brianna submit to the scan willingly, or was she being… motivated?”

  “Not motivated as much as distracted. Whenever Ceddrik opens a link that powerful, it gives the person he’s scanning access to his mind as well as giving him access to theirs, so he wanted me to make sure she was good and occupied while he scanned.”

  Sean sat on the edge of the bed and slipped his hand under her head. A dark, provocative musk drifted into his nose and his fingers closed into a fist. “Your scent is all over her.”

  “You’re not here to judge me! Can you help her or not?”

  Judge him? How could he judge Kellan when he’d also felt her unusual mystique. She looked fragile and frightened at a glance, yet determination and strength pulsed beneath the surface. The combination had been intriguing, almost intoxicating. Until Kellan snatched her away!

  He shook away the memory and loosened his grip on her hair, cradling her head in the palm of his hand. “Brianna.” Easing into her mind with infinite care, he progressed slowly, scanning as he went. There was no damage, no infection or trauma. So why didn’t she wake up?

  Pushing deeper, he broadened his search, increasing the intensity and range of his scan. He wasn�
��t sure what he was looking for, so how was he supposed to find it? He was a specter, not a healer.

  A muffled sob floated out across the metaphysical plane. He hadn’t used a specific visualization, so he was shocked to see a gray stone castle looming in the distance. Had Brianna constructed the castle or had Ceddrik? But neither of them were mutants. This made no sense.

  He hurried across the dusty bailey, the sobs growing louder and the buildings more defined. Crenellated battlements, a stout drawbridge, and spiked portcullis. Even a sluggish moat. The visualization was amazingly detailed. How was an untrained, supposedly powerless mind creating all this?

  The sobbing continued. It was either a woman or a child. Or a man with a very high voice.

  “Brianna?” he called up toward the tower window. Where else would one find a damsel in distress?

  “Who’s there? Where are you?” A small hand appeared in the window opening, but he couldn’t see a face. “Oh, good sir, please come speak with me. I’m in serious trouble, I fear.”

  She was taking this all a bit too seriously. He hurried though the great hall and up the spiral staircase that led to the tower room. The iron-banded door was secured with a large metal lock.

  “Where’s the key to this thing?” he called through the door. And why the elaborate setup? He enjoyed role-playing as much as the next person, but this was ridiculous.

  “I don’t know. You must find a way to get me out before the dragon awakens.”

  Dragon? This was her visualization, so he wasn’t sure his powers would work. But anything was worth a try. He pressed his fingertips against the door, pushing energy through the panel as opposed to attempting to push the panel with the energy. At first nothing happened then his fingertips sank into the wood. Without hesitation, he pushed the rest of his body through the door and emerged in the small tower room.

  “Forget about the dragon, Brianna. I’ve come to take you home.”

  She knelt on a pile of furs with her hair loose about her shoulders. Dressed in a simple white slip that revealed more than it concealed, she was hardly recognizable as the bedraggled refugee from the lab. She looked fresh and… she looked like a fairytale princess!

  Sensations swirled around him, curling through him like tendrils of mist. A princess. He must protect the princess. Chivalry demanded he fight for her, obey her commands, even if it cost him his life.

  Chivalry? What the fuck? He shook his head. Resisting the silken lure.

  “But, sir.” She stood, one shoulder strap drooping as she crossed to stand before him. “This is my home. If you don’t kill the dragon it will devour the villagers. We can’t allow that.”

  Captivated by her innocent beauty, he took her face between his hands and brushed her lips with his thumb. He wanted to please her, needed to obey her, yet part of him fought against the desire, insisting the need was irrational.

  “Brianna, it’s me, Sean. Don’t you remember me?”

  Her smile turned coy and she lowered her lashes. “I’ve dreamed of you so many times. I feel like I know you.”

  “You do know me. I rescued you from the lab, or at least I tried to.” The lab. If he focused on the lab the intoxication was not so pronounced. He was able to think through the urges welling within him.

  “If you say so.” She moved close, resting both hands on his chest.

  Was she creating this spell, or had she succumbed to the handiwork of another? Whatever this was, it was affecting him too. Which meant it was more complex than a visualization.

  He wasn’t sure he should, much less could, dismantle the illusion. It might fracture her mind completely. He was way out of his element here. She needed a dream weaver and a healer, or a healer who could weave dreams. Alice! She needed Alice.

  “Tell me about the dragon.” He wasn’t sure what else to say. He had to understand what she expected from him. The environment was compelling his cooperation. He needed to slay the dragon!

  “It’s a cruel beast that slinks through the night and insinuates itself into your mind.”

  “It’s not a physical monster?”

  “Only while its sleeping. That’s why we must kill it before it awakens. Once it wakes up it will turn intangible again. You can’t do battle with something that isn’t there.”

  “Can I see it now?” Determination surged through him, making it impossible to think of anything else. “Where does it sleep?”

  “I would show you but I can’t get out of this room.” She stared up at him with wide, guileless eyes. “It’s close by, within the castle walls to be sure.”

  He must not disappoint her. He must—get her out of here! With a firm mental shake, he recaptured reality long enough to refocus his mind. “Are you safe in here if I leave for just a few minutes? I’ll search the castle and then return.”

  Her forehead creased with obvious displeasure and her fingers twisted in the fabric of his shirt. “You promise you’ll return?”

  “Of course I’ll return.” His heart thudded in his chest. He couldn’t leave her. He must not abandon his mission. “I vow on my honor, I will return.”

  “Hurry.”

  * * *

  Kellan paced beside the bed, anxiously waiting for Sean to guide Brianna out of her trance. Guilt had ridden him ruthlessly ever since she went limp beneath him. Rage turned to panic when he stormed into Ceddrik’s room and found him in a similar trance. If the fool had overloaded her mind, he’d obviously overloaded himself as well.

  Having Sean involved was an interesting development. Out of all the friends he’d lost to mutation, Sean was the one he missed most. They had always shared a bond deeper than friendship yet more organic than brotherhood. Their relationship had never turned sexual, but Kellan often wondered if it would have had Sean not left when he did. He could easily picture their affinity taking the final step into intimacy.

  None of it mattered now. He shook away the past and looked at Brianna. Her features were delicate, achingly feminine. She looked like a hand-painted doll, almost too pretty to be real. Sean held her so carefully, his head bent toward her. The sheet had slipped, revealing the upper curve of her breasts. Sean held her hand and whispered words Kellan couldn’t hear.

  They made an attractive couple. Sean’s golden good looks complemented her dark-haired beauty. The thought of them together didn’t disturb Kellan, but the thought of them leaving, of him being left in the cold, filled him with an all-consuming hunger. It would not happen again. He would not stand idly by and let happiness slip away. He had sacrificed too much for the cause, put his life on hold for too long. He wanted Brianna and he would have her. If Sean came along for the ride, so much the better.

  He crossed his arms over his chest, amused by his own thinking. He’d just met her. When had his feelings grown so possessive? He knew the exact moment her fate had been sealed. When she’d raised her arms above her head with surrender in her eyes. She’d offered herself to him and he intended to accept the offer with everything he—He hadn’t even fucked her yet! It didn’t matter. She wasn’t leaving until he knew her body as well as he knew his own.

  Sean carefully lowered her head and crawled off the bed. “She needs a healer. I could try to bluff my way through this, but I think she’s in real trouble.”

  Concern pushed through the lustful haze, clearing his mind and focusing his thoughts. “What do you mean? What did you sense or see?”

  “It’s hard to explain if you’ve never experienced the metaphysical plane. Somehow she’s constructed an alternate reality for herself.”

  Tension gripped Kellan’s chest. That didn’t sound good at all. “What sort of reality?”

  “She’s a damsel in distress, held captive by a sleeping dragon. This is not a game to her. This is her reality. In fact, the illusion is so intense it affected me as well.”

  He knew Sean meant every word, but it all sounded so absurd. “She’s lost in an alternate reality?”

  “Basical
ly. The concept of reality becomes less clear once you’ve stepped beyond the veil.”

  Beyond the veil, where wonders lay inaccessible to ordinary mortals. Kellan looked at Brianna, using her beauty to neutralize his resentment. “Undoubtedly, but we aren’t mutants. We both reside on this side of the veil.”

  “Yes, but a powerful psychic was probing her mind when this alternate reality was triggered. Mutant or not, Ceddrik’s powers are still similar to ours. I think she needs a healer.”

  “Doesn’t Ceddrik need treatment as well?”

  “I’m pretty sure Ceddrik is the dragon. If we can deal with her perception of the threat, I’m hoping it will release him from the trance.” He made a helpless gesture. “I don’t admit this very often, so enjoy it while it lasts. I need help.”

  If this was a ploy designed to justify her being moved, Sean had failed. “You may bring one additional mutant to the compound. Brianna stays here.”

  “I suspected you’d say that. I’ll be right back.”

  Kellan watched in awe as Sean created a gap in the fabric of space and stepped through it. “Unbelievable.” He stared at the spot where Sean had disappeared long moments after he’d gone. His powers had just begun to develop when he announced that he was leaving. Now he’d had eleven years and the best training available to help hone his skills. Kellan could scarcely imagine the true scope of Sean’s power.

  Returning to the bed, he sat on the edge and took Brianna’s hand in his. A damsel in distress? Had his calling her princess inadvertently added to her trauma? He hadn’t meant to upset her. He’d meant it as an endearment.

  And why had she reacted so negatively to Ceddrik’s scan? Few had ever sensed the mystic’s energy much less been repelled by it. Kellan looked across the room at Ceddrik and a fist gripped his stomach. He could still sense the mystic, distant but present as he often was when he slept. If it came to light that he had done intentional harm to Brianna… He didn’t finish the thought. It was too soon to cast judgment. Ceddrik might well be a victim of whatever was afflicting Brianna, not the cause. He had no reason to mistrust Ceddrik. Still, it was odd.