Until they sampled Niles.
That wyrm sent the white coats scrambling. Richards suggested it was because of his age. Which was a reasonable theory. If certain lines had lost their maternal lineage, and those Males were never utilized, then there was the potential for rogue DNA sequences that might be missed.
Unacceptable. This new information threatened to undo over twenty years worth of preparation. Dobson was almost ready to accept the fact they’d have some survivors when a hit came up on sample zero.
The Institute for the Advancement of Kin and Human Relations was one of just many fronts Dobson used for routine population checks. He had a group in thirty-five out of fifty states. Not only did the front give him an easy way to do the research he needed on a massive scale, it provided income for his project. Which was by no means cheap.
Dobson’s budget made the U.S. government look like the weekend Penny Saver ads.
One of the things the Institute did was set up med clinics to pay the poor and unfortunate for their willingness to donate to science. Sample Zero was cataloged at a local Burn Research drive. When her DNA was entered into the system it took about three weeks for it to be tagged.
Richards brought Dobson the news. And for the first time in over a year Dobson slept like a baby. He thought finding the donor would be hard, but Zero was Female, and by God, she’d left her real name and address on the donor information card.
Haley Night.
Occupation, CFKR Agent.
Fuckin’-A
The same Female Kin he’d been trying to get moved to the Military branch since it opened.
Now it was as if God himself had gift wrapped the wyrm and put her on his doorstep. There was no doubt in his mind creating the virus was providence.
Dobson entered the observatory, and anyone who wasn’t busy made like they were. Richards barked orders to other white coats and the air filled with a lot of yes-sirs and no-sirs. The viewing room emptied as the colonel went in. He didn’t have to tell them to leave. They all knew the rules. The external windows dimmed as if on cue. Dobson refused to hesitate, in spite of the revulsion squeezing at his throat.
He always made himself look at it.
Every day.
Looking at it reminded him what this was all for.
There was a small framed picture of “William-before” sitting on the ledge. He was in his gold and white jersey with the indigo number seven on the front. In the picture he was smiling, his blue eyes bright, his skin flushed from practice.
Dobson touched the photo and imagined his son graduating, going to college, entering the military, making him proud. But that’s what every parent did when they lose a child. They imagine what things would have been like.
It took everything Dobson had to peel his eyes off the photo and look at the thing in the room below. It was thin because they couldn’t get it to eat anymore. Its pale white scales were peeling and its once bright yellow eyes had gone cloudy.
Dobson knew it was dying but he didn’t care. Richards had suggested they dispose of it years ago because they had more than enough samples and there was no need to keep it here. Feeding it. Cleaning up after it.
Getting rid of it would have been easy.
It was keeping it that was hard.
And Dobson was a firm believer the hardest things in life were what made a man.
Colonel Dobson put a finger on the intercom button and clicked it on. The sound of its sandpaper breathing filled the viewing room.
“Good afternoon, William.” His voice was steady today. That was a good sign. The thing below craned its misshapen head and tried to look up at him. Its mouth parted and nostrils flared. He could hear it inhaling, trying to scent him out.
In one lumbering step, it shifted its weight and moved towards the observatory window. The head came up a little higher and turned so its better eye was tilted upward.
Dobson had seen a lot of horrible things in battle, men blown apart, men eaten alive, but compared to this, all that was a Hallmark card. Looking at the thing that had once been his son did something to Dobson’s insides. It showed him weakness he’d never known he had.
But he was fine.
Doing great.
Till it uttered a single word from its jagged mouth.
“Daaaaddeeeee...”
Chapter 8
Haley headed home a little after seven and hailed a cab. She considered walking until the sky rumbled and spit out fat drops of rain here and there. The cabbie got her home in less than ten minutes. She was heading up the steps into the foyer of her building when the sky split and dumped everything it had.
The Browning Building didn’t look anything like its name suggested. The wide, fat square, with its white stucco walls, looked like a cross between 1960’s architectural art and a La Quinta Inn. It was ugly, and home to mostly retired couples, but it was clean and rat free.
Which was more than she could say for Farley’s place near the Dens.
The elevator came to a stop and dinged. Haley headed up the hallway. Beautiful Deshi sat on the edge of a large clay flower pot next to Haley’s door, picking at the skeletal remains of the petunias she’d neglected to death. He was dressed in a light brown Baroni, looking every bit of the Prince he was.
But then, with his looks, he could have made a paper sack look good.
He ran a perfect hand through his blond locks as he stood up. His eyes went to the floor. Deshi was a rare thing among Males. He was high up on the dominance ladder not because of his strength, but because of his breeding. He’d been a gift from his Mother, the Queen of Jersey City, to Medan. He was one of eleven Males presented to her by various ruling Queens as possible breeding prospects.
While almost all Kin are born from a Queen, very few of them ever have the pleasure of calling her Mother. Queens hatch their young, then they push them out of the nest into the heart of the Hive. Male Hatchlings learn at an early date to eat or be eaten.
Deshi was the exception.
While most hatchlings are exposed to various body types and allowed to choose their forms, Deshi had been designed. From the blond hair on the top of his head, down to his pinky toe.
It was the way for a Queen to display her reproductive and metaphysical strengths. Haley couldn’t figure out why Medan passed him up. It definitely wasn’t because of his looks.
“Hey, sorry I didn’t call first.”
“No problem.” Haley fished out her keys and undid the dead bolt. “You hungry?”
“Oh, no ... no. I won’t be staying.”
She pushed on the door with her shoulder and it opened. “You sure?”
“Yeah. I just...” His baby blues came up then fell again. “I was on my way home from the office and I thought I would come by and say ... goodbye ... and thank you.” Deshi shuffled his feet and crammed his hands into the pockets of his jacket. It wasn’t hard to believe he was less than fifty. Maybe his youth was the reason he married Emily.
Haley watched Deshi for a moment, then retrieved her key from the lock and headed across her living room to her bedroom in the back. Deshi stuttered at the threshold before following her in. He closed the door she’d left open.
“I want to try again.” He followed her across the room. “I love her, Haley. I don’t want her to find out. She’s suspicious already.”
Haley held up her hand, stopping him. The Queen of Jersey City had centuries of experience with Human anatomy. Deshi was beauty personified. So much so, it hurt to look at him.
Beside the entry for the “world’s most perfect Male specimen”, was his face and body.
“Is she going to go through with the bonding or not?”
His eyes hit the floor. Well, that was a ginormous NO.
“Deshi...” She took a step towards him and he withdrew. When she stopped, Deshi’s shoulders slumped and his head dipped. He’d just made a terrible social no-no, but Haley wouldn’t hold it against him. She played with Humans, so chewing out throats just wasn’t on her t
o-do list.
With a sigh, Haley went into her room and stripped off her office wear. The shoes went first, then the jacket and the skirt. Normally she’d hang it all up, but she was mad, and kicking her clothes across the room was better than kicking Deshi.
“Emily promised she’d think about it.” He sounded hopeful. But then he always sounded hopeful.
Haley unbuttoned her blouse. “Look, I know you want to be with Emily.”
“I love her.”
Yeah, well, Kin don’t love, buddy. So what you’re feeling isn’t little red and pink hearts. All the books on Kin behavior and psychology said so. She’d read ‘em.
All of them.
“You want to keep her, Deshi. You want to make her Belong to you. That’s not love, and the sooner you realize that, the better off you’ll be.”
“I do love her. I know you don’t understand that, but I do. I want to make this work between us, and I can’t do that if I keep coming to you.”
Haley glanced at him over her shoulder, unsnapped her bra, and tossed it on top of the pile. She stood there and let Deshi look at her. She turned back to her drawers and rummaged for a T-shirt. “You know, I don’t question that you feel very strongly for Emily.” She slipped on the long white jersey. It fell almost to her knees. When she looked up, Deshi had moved a few steps closer. His eyes glittered silver and gold.
She hoped he’d just give in, but Deshi was strong-willed and extremely good at controlling what he was. Haley went to him and put a hand on his stomach. “There’s no doubt in my mind you would do anything for her.” He already had. Eight months ago she’d gone with him to a plastic surgeon who specialized in removing Nevus. The pale white birthmark tagging Deshi for who he was had been replaced by a long nasty scar.
Using Alchemy to burn it off was the only way to make it permanent.
The Prince put his hand over hers and she could feel heat rising off of him.
He said, “I love her...”
“But does Emily love you?” The look of desperation in his eyes turned to anger. Haley stepped away and walked back into the living room and into the kitchen. It was more of an attachment to the main room, since only a short counter top separated the two spaces.
Deshi followed, growling, “She loves me.” He sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than her. “And she deserves to have me to herself. You, of all Kin, should understand that.” Haley went to the fridge and pulled out the horse steaks she’d left to thaw. Horse meat was way better than cattle.
More protein, less fat, great taste.
“Yeah? And what are you going to do when she changes her mind again, about going through with the Link, and you wind up killing her because you raged?”
He flinched and he shook his head. “I’d never hurt Emily. Never.”
“Never is a long time, Deshi. You’re very young. You’re very controlled, but still very young. You’ve been married to her, what, two years?” She counted off the months on her fingers. “Yeah, two years and two months. And how long have you been coming to my bed because Emily won’t do what she needs to do to feed you?” Haley made a big show of counting down again. “Oh, gee, that’s right, twenty four months. That’s two years! What a shocker!” The steaks hit the counter with a thump and she shredded the plastic and threw it into the sink. Cabinet doors slammed and plates rattled. Haley pushed the meat onto a platter, opened the microwave and set it for thirty seconds. Just enough to knock the chill off.
“So tell me...” She put her hands on the counter. “Did you ever tell her what really happened to the dog? Or does she still think that Chihuahua ran off when you opened the door?” Deshi blanched. The dog was the reason the affair started. Barely two months into their marriage the issue of Emily Belonging reared its ugly head.
Linking meant Deshi and she would share a metaphysical tie transcending any kind of marriage vows. But Belonging to Deshi conflicted with Emily’s constitution of women’s rights.
What Emily didn’t know was not long after their extended honeymoon, she’d almost become a midnight snack. All because Deshi wasn’t getting fulfilled.
“That’s not fair. You know how I feel about that.”
“Well, how would you feel if it had been her instead? You ate her dog, for Christ’s sake. Because it had her scent on it.” Deshi crunched down, and hugged himself, looking more like a scared little kid, and less like a six foot six Male.
Haley growled and dug her fingers into the counter. She was careful not to extend her chelae or she’d shred the cheap aluminum. “I just don’t want to see you executed because of Emily’s selfishness.” She took a breath. “I care about you, Deshi. You’re my friend.”
“I know.” He sniffled and swiped at the sliding down his cheeks. It was a bad habit he’d learned from her.
“God of Man...” Haley came around the counter and made him sit on one of the bar stools. His baby blues spilled over and a sob escaped his lips. “Deshi...” She wiped the tears away but they kept coming. “Oh, Deshi, don’t cry. Please...” Haley pulled him to her and felt him tremble. She hated what Emily did to him. It pained her to see that Human woman reduce the Male into a weak sobbing shell of himself. He was a strong Kin, strong about anything, except when it came to Emily.
Haley rocked Deshi and thrummed in her chest. She stroked his head and neck. His hair had been long once. But Emily had insisted he cut it off, too.
Emily had gotten everything she wanted in Deshi: a trophy husband, a sports car, a big house in a gated community, membership at the exclusive resorts, nights out on the town, and the bank roll of a Draconian empire. So far, the only thing Deshi had gotten was a lot of mental anguish and a serious case of bad self-esteem.
It was fact. Kin just couldn’t deal with a monogamous Human relationship, unless the Human was willing to do what it takes to fulfill metaphysical needs, as well as physical ones. The Jersey City Prince needed Haley in ways he was still too young to understand.
The racking sobs finally stopped and the tears followed. Deshi’s body relaxed under Haley’s constant petting and deep purr.
Beautiful Deshi opened his mouth against Haley’s neck and pressed his tongue to her pulse. She fell still. If he wanted to take from her, she would freely give it. But she didn’t want to make any movements that would push him over the edge of his control.
‘Cause right now it wouldn’t take very much.
The Prince’s hands tightened on her hips and he pulled her closer. She didn’t resist, but she kept hers on the back of his head and neck.
“I love Emily.” Deshi’s teeth raked her throat. “I love her and I want to be with just her.” Heat flickered across his skin and the scent of his need became over-powering.
When Deshi stood up he took Haley with him, making desperate noises in the back of his throat. Her butt landed on the counter and she rolled her head back, letting him know he could take whatever he wanted.
Haley straddled him while he rubbed himself against her core. She could feel the length of him under his expensive suit and knew from experience he’d be wearing silk boxers. Deshi snarled and pulled his face out of her neck. When Haley looked at him, everything Human was gone from his eyes. They swam solid gold. The color of need.
His lips drew back, flashing long sharp teeth. Every muscle in Deshi’s body shook with resistance. Had he looked at Emily this way the night he killed her dog? What would have happened if he had woken her up and she had seen his beautiful face, contorted with fangs and dragon eyes?
She probably would have screamed, and without the bond, the Prince would have seen her as only one thing.
Prey.
But instead of killing and eating her while she slept, Deshi had grabbed that stupid dog from its sleeping place at the foot of the bed. He’d made it into the bathroom before losing control and chewing out its throat.
According to Deshi, he didn’t remember actually eating it, only waking up covered in blood. He panicked at first because it was red.
But the scent was unmistakable. Mitzi the dog had taken one for the team.
Deshi pawed at Haley’s T-shirt. He almost lost it, and bit down on her shoulder, but didn’t break the skin. Haley wished he’d just let go. Tear off his clothes and sink his teeth into her up to the gums. But his control was remarkable.
Lucky for Emily.
Deshi’s grip loosened and he backed away. Haley put her knees together and watched him regain his composure.
He exhaled a shaky breath. “I should go.”
No. You need to stay. Please. For your sake. Haley kept her thoughts to herself and watched him as he smoothed out his shirt, fixed his tie and adjusted his pants.
When he looked at her all trace of Kin was gone. “Thank you for everything.” Deshi headed towards the door. Haley watched, wishing she could change things for him.
Deshi paused with his hand on the knob and Haley said, “If you need me, my door is always open for you. Key’s still in the same place.” He nodded once then left.
Chapter 9
Haley died when she went to sleep. But all Kin slept like the dead. It’s why Humans were able to kill so many of them with primitive weaponry. It’s also why Females surrounded themselves with dozens and dozens of Marked Males. That way there was always someone awake.
And willing to die in order to protect her.
By the time Haley hailed a cab it was ten after nine. She finished tucking in her blouse in the back seat. Her blazer was green, her skirt cream like the blouse. Haley tried to use the rearview mirror to fix her hair, but the cabbie kept getting in the way because he was using it to try and see down the front of her top.
She buttoned the last three buttons to make a point.
Late again. This was getting to be a bad habit.
Claire waved at her as she came through the front office and headed down the hall. Haley ignored her. She didn’t have time for chit chat.
Bauer was in her office, standing there like he’d just walked in. Haley knew damn well he’d been waiting a while.
“I’m sorry, I overslept. I know I promised to be here at nine--” He held up a hand and stopped her. Great. This couldn’t be good.
City of Dragons: Blood Bonds Page 9
