by Smith, S. E.
“Ha’ven, does it look like ours?” Arrow asked again impatiently.
Ha’ven looked at both of his brothers on the vidcom and shook his head again. “No, it is strange but it is softer. It appears to glow from the inside out of her and it changes with her moods instead of being a constant color like ours.”
Arrow groaned and rubbed his hands over his face in frustration. Out of the three brothers, his fascination with science and technology knew no bounds. Anything strange or different demanded his attention. When he was younger, Ha’ven was constantly finding creatures, plants and experiments hidden away.
“I want to meet her,” Arrow said looking pointedly at Ha’ven. “When will you arrive on Ceran-Pax?”
“We should be there in a day or two,” Ha’ven replied. “I don’t want you scaring her. I need time alone with her to get her to accept what has happened to her and to accept me,” he added shooting both of his brothers a warning look that dared them to make a smart-ass comment.
“We should be back by the end of next week,” Adalard said with a small grin before his expression turned serious. “We tracked one of the names given to us to the Sanapare Spaceport but by the time we got there, Kejon was gone. He is the assassin that tried to kill me.”
Ha’ven’s mouth tightened. He knew Kejon. He was a lethal, cold assassin whose unethical methods had gotten him in trouble during the Great War. He refused to listen to his superior officers and had killed anyone, Valdier, Sarafin, Curizan or any other species that had gotten in his way. He had been sent to Hell after he tried to kill one of his commanding officers. He had escaped shortly afterwards and disappeared. Ha’ven had a feeling his stepbrother had a hand in the escape.
“Where is Bahadur?” Ha’ven asked.
“He has gone to the Marastin Dow star system,” Arrow replied with a grin. “He never was one to take the easy way. One of the men on the list was supposedly trying to seek assistance from them.”
Adalard snorted. “Yeah, good luck with that. They would just as soon gut him and steal his credits than earn them.”
“Those purple bastards are like a swarm of Rougeworms. I swear if you kill one, there are ten more coming at you,” Arrow growled out.
“Do what you can to find Kejon. I don’t like the fact that bastard is still alive and free,” Ha’ven said before a sharp pain struck him.
He breathed deeply as it faded before another more intense took its place. He focused on where the pain was originating. It took a moment before he realized it was not his pain but Emma’s. She must be dreaming again.
“I have to go,” he bit out grimly.
“Be safe, brother,” Adalard said with a sharp nod.
Ha’ven didn’t bother replying. He was already out of his seat and heading down the corridor as fast as he could go. Another sharp pain hit him at the same time as a soft whimper echoed in the narrow corridor from the open door leading to the small cabin he had shown her to earlier.
*.*.*
Emma bit back a cry. He liked it when she cried out. He laughed when she did. She refused to give him the satisfaction. Her body jerked as she felt the slash of the whip again. The pain was excruciating. She pulled further into herself trying to escape it. If she could just lose consciousness maybe he would quit. He didn’t like it when she fainted. He wanted her awake. She felt herself being pushed aside as they reached for Betsy. She lay on the cold stone floor trying to catch her breath as her back burned.
Betsy’s high-pitched scream broke through the haze surrounding her as she turned her head. The man had handcuffed the other girl to the bars of their cell and was running the tip of his knife along her shoulder across to her breast. Blood followed the trail.
Emma forced herself up onto her hands and knees. She bit her lip until she tasted blood but she refused to just lay there while they tortured Betsy more. She ignored the man with the cane. He was the one who ordered the man with the knife to hurt them. He was the one who laughed as they cried, begged or screamed. He was the monster.
If she could get the knife away from the man, she could kill them both. She didn’t think of how impossible an act that would be. She didn’t care if he used it on her. She was ready for the pain to end. She and Betsy had been held for almost three weeks. Three weeks of constant pain until they thought they would go mad. Only the man would not let them. If it looked like one of them would die, he would tell the man to leave them alone until they healed a little. He had a young local girl come and doctor their wounds, uncaring that the young girl was crying along with them.
He had become livid when Betsy had told him she would do anything he wanted. Anything… He had asked her if she would do disgusting things to him, with him, to the other man. Betsy had sworn she would. She would do it all, anything he wanted if he would just not kill her.
Emma thought Cuello might actually agree to Betsy’s suggestions. At least until he had shown her what was left of his leg. Betsy had gasped and turned away in horror. That was when Emma’s beating had ended and Betsy’s torture had begun.
Emma felt her body lurch toward the man with the knife as he cut deeper into her friend. She managed to grab his arm but Cuello swung his cane out, striking her on her shredded back. She had cried out and released the man’s arm.
The huge man swung around, grabbing her by the throat and slammed her head against the stone wall so hard she immediately lost consciousness. When she finally came to it was to find Betsy barely clinging to life as the man continued to cut her. Blood soaked the floor around the tiny blonde’s limp body.
Emma released a terrified scream when a hand grasped her shoulder. She didn’t think she just reacted. Her hand came up, palm flat and stuck the vulnerable nose while her leg came up and stuck out with every ounce of her strength. The sound of bone breaking and the harsh curse as the body went flying backwards woke her out of the paralyzed daze she was in.
Rolling, she was on her feet and running. She jumped when a hand reached to grab her ankle and flew through the door, hitting the wall on the other side of the corridor hard before she turned. Her eyes were wild with terror and her only thought was to find a place to hide where no one could find her. Somewhere dark. She had to find a safe place.
A choked cry escaped her as she ran blindly down the narrow corridor. She turned when she reached the end and frantically searched for an opening. Spying a hatch, she pulled it open and began half climbing, half sliding down the narrow rings that made up a ladder. She jumped the last few feet and ran along a narrow catwalk between long tubes and wiring. She turned at the end and saw a small, shadowed area under a large tube. She scrambled down off the catwalk and rolled under the tubing until she was in the corner. Once there, she curled up as small as she could and closed her eyes.
I’ll disappear. I’ll disappear where no one will ever find me, she thought desperately.
She pictured in her mind that she was invisible and no one could see her hiding. A soft glow surrounded her as she imagined herself hidden in the shadows. As the glow intensified, her body began to shimmer and dissolve until there was no sign that she was there. Soon, not even the glow was visible. Emma had succeeded in disappearing.
Chapter 11
Ha’ven cursed as he grabbed his bloody nose. He rolled over and stumbled to his feet. Sending an impatient burst of energy to his nose and bruised ribs, he strode out of the cabin looking both ways.
He had been so focused on what Emma was experiencing he didn’t think about the fact that she was locked in her memories. It was the first time he had really seen a small part of what she had suffered. Uncontrollable rage flared toward the humans who had done this to his mate. His own power swelled as it sought an outlet for the damage done. His eyes glowed with the suppressed feelings of helplessness and a thirst for justice that he would never be able to give. He knew from the brief conversations that he had with Creon that the man who did this to his mate was dead but there was no satisfaction in the knowledge.
“Emma!�
� Ha’ven called out, waiting to see if she responded. “Show me where my mate went,” he demanded when nothing but the soft hum of the ship responded.
Ha’ven directed the swirling energy out from him. It danced for a moment before twisting and curling in flowing waves along the corridor. It paused for a moment at the end before dipping and flowing down through the hatch. He hurried toward the opening leading down to the engine room. He didn’t bother with the rings. He simply dropped down through opening landing with a light clang as his booted feet hit the metal catwalk. He sent out another wave of energy. Thin red and gold strands burst out but it was the black that worried him when it danced, growing larger, as it moved down along the catwalk to the far end. Ha’ven moved cautiously down the narrow metal walkway.
“Emma, misha petite,” he called out softly. “It is just me, little one. Remember I promised not to hurt you. I could never hurt you, little mate. Come out and let me help you.”
Ha’ven cursed silently when nothing but silence greeted him. He opened his mind as he followed the flow of his energy. He paused at the end, frowning as the red and gold bands shimmered back and forth before dissolving. It was as if it were confused. He could sense Emma was near but he could not see her.
Little one, you are safe. Come to me, he called out silently.
Frustrated when he received no response, he lifted his hand and concentrated. “Show me where my mate is,” he commanded again.
Red and gold bands formed and spread out only to dissolve as soon as it left the area around the catwalk. Ha’ven frowned as he swept his gaze around the maze of tubes and wires. He could see nothing but he knew she was near. He could feel the faint, icy wall when he reached out to her. There was nowhere else for her to hide and he knew she came down here.
Desperation swept through him as he felt a sense of foreboding that she was fading further away from him. A knowledge born of survival and instinct told him if he did not find her soon he may never find her at all. Pulling on the dark energy that threatened to overwhelm him, he opened his palm to a swirling black mist.
“Show me my mate,” he commanded in a low voice.
The black mist shot out from his palm and flowed under the tubing to the corner. The moment it touched the shadowed area, silver sparks flared as if a million tiny diamonds had captured the light of the sun. A fragile shape formed in the shimmering mist. Pale blue eyes slowly opened and lifted to gaze at him with such deep sorrow that his heart broke for the tortured soul looking back at him.
Ha’ven moved slowly. He knew instinctively that if he were to move too quickly he could very well lose her forever. She had moved herself to a plane of existence between two worlds, neither here nor there.
“Emma, misha petite,” he said soothingly as he knelt on the metal catwalk before carefully climbing off it so he could get as close to her as possible. “You are safe, sweetness. Nothing will harm you here. I will always protect you.”
Emma shook her head furiously back and forth. Her pale hair danced with sparkles as the energy that composed her physical form danced between the realms. Her lips parted as if she wanted to speak but nothing came out. The look in her eyes still held the terror of her dream.
“Come to me,” Ha’ven whispered, holding out his hand. “Touch me and let me protect you.”
“You… you can’t,” she finally whispered back. “He’ll kill you just like he did my friends. He’ll hurt you because of me. Please... I don’t want to hurt anymore.”
“He cannot touch you ever again,” Ha’ven assured her. “He is dead. There is no way for him to ever harm you, little one.”
Tears filled the pale blue eyes and coursed in silvery trials down her cheek. He could tell she didn’t believe him, trapped as she was in her memories. He felt the dark power building in him begging for release. It was like a living thing inside him, begging for a chance to avenge the wrong done to its mate. It wanted to destroy the males who hurt her.
Ha’ven cursed under his breath when he saw the hand he was holding out tremble and black tentacles swirl from the tips of his fingers toward Emma. The thin strands greedily reached out for her. He clenched his fist and started to pull it away from her.
How can I help her when I cannot even help myself? He wondered in despair.
His eyes widened when he felt the tentative touch against his fisted hand. The swirling black bands arced from him to her, wrapping around her slender wrist and pulling her closer. Concerned about her reaction to the dark power that threatened to destroy him, his eyes swept over her face. Instead of the fear that had been present only moments before, wonder and hope fought to replace the fear and horror of her memories.
Her hand solidified as she slowly pulled his fingers back so she could run her fingers up over his palm. Her eyes remained focused on the black bands that shimmered and glittered as she touched him. Her brow was creased, as if she was trying hard to decipher a hidden message within the dark strands.
“What is this?” She asked softly. “It feels… warm.”
Ha’ven wrapped his fingers tightly around hers. She was not out of danger yet. Only her hand and a small part of her arm had returned. He tugged on her hand a little to see her reaction. She allowed him to pull her closer to him. As she moved out of the shadows a little more of her solidified. He ran his free hand up her other arm as she placed it on the tubing separating them. The moment he knew he had a good hold on her, he quickly pulled her out of the shadows. Breathing out a sigh of relief, he reached over the large tubing and lifted her over it and into his arms.
A shiver ran though his body as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. He buried his face in her hair and breathed deeply until he felt a measure of calm settle over him. Once again, the moment his power wrapped with hers it settled. He did not understand what was going on. When they returned to Ceran-Pax, he would meet with Melek and Salvin to see if they had found anything in the ancient archives.
Sliding his arm more securely under her legs, he turned and walked back to the small lift that was on the opposite wall from the hatch. He issued a short command and the door slid open. Stepping inside, he turned as the door closed them in the narrow space.
“I’m sorry,” Emma said quietly. She wrapped one hand around his while her head rested against his chest. “I hurt you. I didn’t mean too. I was scared and reacted without thinking.”
Ha’ven chuckled as the door opened to the upper level. “You have a very good punch when you want to for someone so small. I will have to remember that in the future. You do a good job with your feet as well. That is the second time you have kicked me,” he said as he stepped into the small sleeping area.
Emma blushed and turned her face into his chest. “I’ve never hit anyone in my life,” she admitted.
He walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed she had been sleeping in only a short time ago. He refused to let her go. He was shaken by her ability to slip into the shadow realm. If what she said earlier was true, then she was unaware of the power she wielded inside her delicate frame. It was imperative that he teach her how to control it before something bad happened.
“Then I am honored that I was your first victim, though I prefer to not be on the receiving end again. The first time you almost emasculated me and this time you broke my nose. I can happily attest to the fact you are proficient in self-defense,” he teased.
Emma raised her head in alarm. “I broke your nose?” She gasped looking at the long, narrow appendage. “It doesn’t look broken,” she said, looking confused as she reached up to gently touch it.
Ha’ven lifted his head enough to brush a kiss against her fingers. An unfamiliar emotion swelled inside him and suddenly all he could think about was how close he came to losing her. Fear choked him. Both emotions were foreign to him and left him bewildered.
“I healed the damage,” he said gruffly. “You must promise me to never do what you did again. It was very dangerous.”
“I told you I didn’t mean to hi
t you,” Emma started to say in a small voice.
“I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about disappearing into the shadow realm,” he said. “If you had become trapped there you could have been lost.”
Emma shook her head. “I don’t know what you are talking about. I can’t just disappear into a shadow even if I wanted. I was just looking for a safe place to hide,” she said with a hint of exasperation before she laid her head tiredly down against his chest. “I don’t know why I’m so tired.”
Ha’ven threaded his hand through her hair and pulled her head back far enough for him to look into her eyes. He was shocked to realize she really didn’t understand what she had done. She didn’t have a clue that she had been able to dissolve the molecules of her body until only her natural energy remained. This was much more serious than he realized.
“Oh, little one, you are dangerous in more ways than I ever expected,” he groaned out, sealing his lips over hers.
*.*.*
Emma froze as Ha’ven’s hot lips sealed over hers. The same warmth that flooded her when he touched her earlier in the engine room filled her. There was something about him that made her feel safe, needed… loved.
She had been so lost until he touched her and the strange black bands had wound around her. The moment she felt the dark strands wrap around her wrist, it was as if someone had shot pure energy into her. She felt invincible. The bands had drawn her forward from the dark shadows that she had imagined hid her from everyone. It was as if they were pulling her closer to the huge male who made impossible promises to her.
She moaned softly, opening her mouth and drinking him in like a desert rose that was waiting until the first rains before blossoming. Her arms slid up, her fingers touching him lightly as she searched for the warmth of his skin. A deep sigh escaped her as she found what she was looking for. Her fingers caressed the skin on the sides of his neck before burying in his thick black hair.
