Dina closed her eyes and sent out a tiny probe. She was inside the protection of his aura and could feel the blue walls enclose her, sealing her off from the rest of the world. There was nothing else but him. She advanced slowly, as if she were blind and entering a strange room for the first time. Suddenly his mind was there, and she touched it, the lightest of contacts, like a single whisker brushing skin.
She felt emotions first, pain and longing, and they were so strong it was as if the pain was hers. Surprised, she started to pull back, but immediately felt him with her. It’s all right. Go on. She heard his voice so clearly she didn’t know if he had spoken the words or not. It was as if he were next to her, not quite leading her by the hand, but with her every step nonetheless.
She continued, and felt one emotion after another—yearning, desire, regret, and then, unexpectedly, an emptiness, which affected her even more than the pain had. She started to shake uncontrollably.
You’re starting to burn. Back away . . . now, Dina! She retreated to the edge of his mind and waited. You’re all right. No harm done. Steady your breathing and try to relax. I’m right here. I’m not going to let any harm come to you.
His voice soothed her, and her breathing returned to normal. I’m okay, now, she projected.
All right, try again. This time you’ll know what to expect.
She sent the probe forward again and skirted the pain and emptiness as much as possible. She felt strength, a strong spirit and a strong will. Then strangely, amid the pain, she felt peace. Not a total, encompassing peace, but a small corner of tranquility, satisfaction, and joy. It was like a nirvana, an idyllic landscape too good to be true. She lingered there, under a spell.
She could feel him next to her. This is what keeps me alive. Without it, I would die.
She began to shudder again.
Come, it’s time to go. He stayed with her as she retreated once more. She retracted her probe, and he shook her gently with his free hand. “Dina, open your eyes and look at me.”
She did, and it was like awakening from an erotic, drug-induced hallucination. Everything was possible, but nothing was real. She could feel sweat on her forehead, and her breath came in hard gasps. She blinked her eyes, trying to adjust from the images of the mental journey to the image of his face. When she was able to focus on the eyes that were so close she could almost see her reflection in them, they were as alive as a molten river of gold. She now had an idea where the current led, and it was a place both frightening and thrilling.
He stroked her face with the back of his hand, not having removed it when the mental contact was broken. “I know what you’re thinking. That you’re on dangerous ground. And that you like it.”
She swatted his hand away. “I was on dangerous ground the moment I met you. Or should I say the moment you invaded my mind my first night on this rock. I hope you enjoyed yourself, because it’s all you’re ever going to get.”
“It hardly satisfied me, but I enjoyed it, yes. So did you. Denial would be pointless.”
She ignored his statement. “You’ll give me your cooperation now.”
He grinned again. “I’ll do what I can. But I make no promises.”
Her anger flared, and she was glad, for it dissipated the sexual arousal she could still feel deep inside her. “You bastard. You told me you’d cooperate. You told me you’d give me access to Sanctuary.”
“And so I will, but I won’t promise my men will talk to you.” All traces of his smile were now gone. “Your partner is a fool to allow you to come into the desert alone.”
Dina bristled at the criticism against Jon. “Somehow I think you had just a little something to do with that, didn’t you?” When Rayn didn’t answer, Dina continued. “My partner trusts me. And he knows you won’t hurt me.”
“And how does he know that?”
“Because if you do, he’ll hunt you down and destroy you.”
Rayn laughed. “I won’t hurt you. But your safety is not because I’m afraid of your revered partner. If he had all of eternity, he couldn’t touch me.”
Dina’s defense of her partner was automatic. “You arrogant, egotistical . . .” She raised her hand to slap his face, but he blocked her arm easily and tightly grasped her wrist.
“There are others in the desert who will hurt you. Remember that.” She yanked back her arm, but he held it securely, releasing it only when she yanked a second time. She quickly jumped to her feet and, grabbing her jacket and hood, was at the cavern entrance before he grabbed her again. Damn it, Dina! Control your emotions and listen to me.
She stood still, feeling caught, hating the feeling, and hating him.
I can’t protect you every moment.
“You, protecting me? That’s a laugh. But you’re right about the fool. Only it’s me, not Jon. I shouldn’t have allowed myself to come here. Let go of me.” He released her, and she sprinted for her skimmer.
Rayn knew why she had called for him to meet her, had known all along. The moment she arrived he had read it in her face and eyes without even having to touch her mind. He was very good at reading humans. No different from any of the others, she had hated him for what he was, yet was drawn to him.
But she was different.
Because of that, he had started the game. Because of that, he would have her, and her “truth” be damned. Truth, he thought, the word bitter in his mind. She would never understand his truth.
He watched her go, his brows furrowed. He wasn’t worried that she wouldn’t return because he knew she would. He had touched her in a way no one else ever could, and there was no drug more addictive, no promise more seductive than that. He had felt the heat from her body and had easily sensed her reaction to him. A strange mixture of sexual attraction and wonderment, spiced with a healthy dose of fear. His need to dominate her had flared in that moment, and the control he had exerted to tamp that flame had been considerable.
A muscle in his jaw moved, and he felt a corner of his mouth turn down. So, little girl, you feel caught, do you?
Eight
An accident?
DINA ARRIVED IN her room, checked her computer, and found a message from Jon saying that he was at the mines. She was glad in a way because her mind was still teeming with countless conflicting thoughts and emotions, all seeming to crash into each other. Rayn. All the racing thoughts had to do with Rayn.
The hot touch had been . . . there was no word to describe it. It was unlike anything she had ever imagined, and more intimate than anything she had ever experienced. The closeness she felt with Jon, the love she felt for her family, the sex she’d had with her long-ago lover—nothing came even close to the union she had shared with Rayn.
As intimate as the touch had been, though, there had been no union of souls. Far from it. She wondered how many, if any, of the emotions he had presented to her had been true. She feared they had been nothing but a collage of lies, just like his words. The picture he had shown her was like a carefully drawn landscape, detailed and colored to represent reality, but a picture just the same. He had wanted to evoke just the right response from her, she was sure of it.
Mind probes were supposed to reveal true thoughts and emotions. What she had touched had been too pretty a portrait. Noticeable by their absence had been malice, greed, selfishness, cunning, and the craving for domination that the dens were famous for. Granted, her probe of Rayn had not been deep, but the fact that he had been able to bury so many of his true feelings so completely bespoke both an artifice and a power that chilled her.
She laughed. He had wanted her to see “his truth.” Well, she saw it all right. His truth was that he was nothing but a sandman. He wove dreams and alluring fantasies that were sugared with the promise of sexual rapture, but none of it was real.
If only she could probe deeper into his mind . . . No. That was one tempta
tion she mustn’t give in to. It was too dangerous. The quicksand of his mind would pull her deeper and deeper until . . .
Dina didn’t even want to think about it. She shook herself and tried to redirect her thoughts to more practical matters. Rayn had to know more than he admitted. He had to. He was covering for someone, but who, and why?
Her mind shifted gears, and she thought back to the cave-in at the mine. Perhaps she would remember more this time. There was some distance now from the event, in terms of time passed and emotions calmed, so she hoped the memories would surface clearly. She closed her eyes and visualized every detail she could, starting from her leaving Hrothi’s office.
She remembered the tour of the mines and her refusal of an escort back to Aeternus. Foolish, that. She remembered exiting Dheru and feeling a wave of heat wash over her. Funny, the heat hadn’t given her a headache before. Suddenly she had felt a desire to view the abandoned tunnels of Kewero Kel. She knew she should go back to Dheru for an escort, but felt an overpowering urge to continue. She had been quite alone and almost two decbars from Dheru when the ambush had come.
She couldn’t remember the details of the man’s appearance, just that he had seemed fairly tall and had been covered from head to toe in a desert suit the color of mist. He hadn’t spoken, but she’d nevertheless felt a terror unlike anything she had ever experienced. She’d felt small and helpless against him, and when he had grabbed her and stripped her of her commband, she had the sickening feeling that he could have done anything he wanted with her. She had heard laughter as he pushed her into the tunnel and stunned her with his rez gun.
Next, Dina tried to think objectively about the attack. The killer, assuming her attacker and the killer were one and the same, obviously knew the mines. And the killer could have known she was at the mine, having seen her arrive. But how could he know she would decide to tour the abandoned sections on her own? It was as if everything that had happened had been perfectly orchestrated.
Fool! It had been. She was embarrassed that she hadn’t guessed it sooner. After all, her first theory had been that the killer was a dens. She hadn’t just decided to tour the abandoned tunnels, she’d been compelled to do so. She was sure of it. That would explain her headache and the fuzzy memories. He wanted her out of the way, and he wanted it to look like an accident. But before she could congratulate herself on her deduction, another possibility came, unbidden.
The killer was a dens, and so far, the only dens she had encountered was Rayn DeStar. What better way to ingratiate himself with her and gain an inside track on the investigation than to stage an attack and rescue? Another chill washed over her, this time of horror as she remembered the attraction she had felt for someone who was very possibly a cold-blooded killer.
She tried again to think logically about DeStar, which was always hard. He had very conveniently been nearby when she needed help. He was about the same height and size as the killer. It seemed unlikely there would be a second dens living in the desert. Even if there was, DeStar, if he had been telling her the truth, would have admitted such to her. DeStar, the desert chameleon, a killer. Dina needed to clear her mind.
A strident tone from her commband brought her quickly to the present. It was an emergency signal and could come only from Jon. Gods . . . Fear, like a hammer striking an anvil, sounded a heavy thudding in her ears, and the pounding repeated itself, over and over.
“Jon, can you read me? Jon, please respond!”Come on, come on, come on . . .
“Dina . . . medical help . . . accident . . . between the . . . and the fifth way . . .” came Jon’s voice over the commband, but the transmission was weak and breaking up.
“Jon, I can’t read you. Say again, where are you?”
“ . . . distress beacon . . .”
Dina sprinted out of her room, cursing each second that passed while she waited for the lift down to the storage bay. She still heard the pounding, but ignored it as she tried again to raise Jon on the comm.
“Jon! Jon, we’re responding. Can you read?” The only answer was a whine of static, as if nothing was on the other end except an open transmitter. She squeezed into the lift before the doors were fully opened, and shouted the verbal command to take her to the bay.
Time seemed distorted, and seconds were pulled and twisted into a web that caught and slowed everything in its path. She wanted to scream at the needless waste of enduring the retina scan and identification check, but managed the procedure smoothly in spite of the annoying pounding that hadn’t stopped since she had heard Jon’s voice on the comm. She powered her skimmer on, retracted the braces, and keyed the sequence to open the bay doors in a series of rapid-fire movements. The skimmer comm activated, she tried again to resume contact.
“Jon, we’re coming. Just hang on! Jon, do you read?” No words came in answer.
Dina raced the skimmer the short distance to the AEA Center, her tunnel vision allowing her to see little except the narrow stretch of road immediately before her. She was blind to the sunlight bouncing balls of fire off the glass-fronted buildings, the pedestrians alongside the road who turned and commented on her speed with everything from curses to smiles, and the other vehicles, which braked or swerved to avoid her.
The string of seconds continued to stretch into heavy moments, but she was at the AEA Center in actual quick time and maneuvered her skimmer to the hover deck. The large AEA hovercraft were much faster than skimmers and could home in on the beacon signal just as easily. As she arrived, a hovercraft was already powered up, and the Commander, Khilioi, and Dr. Lumazi were already boarding. Katzfiel waved to her impatiently.
“Come on, hurry, get in!” he said, grabbing her arm impatiently to jerk her inside. The hovercraft gained speed smoothly and quickly, and the way stations sped by so quickly Dina lost count. All she could think about was Jon. Please let him be all right . . . Gods, don’t let this happen again . . .
The next heartbeat took her back in time, and she remembered every vivid detail of that night. The Glacian night she would never forget. The hours of standing in the frigid weather, feeling none of the cold, came back to her, and she relived the unreality of a hundred puffs of frosty breath, bobbing incessantly in the night air, while her friend breathed not at all. Agents interviewed; technicians scanned, measured, and recorded; supervisors consulted; and media hovered, all moving like a swarm of ants in a pattern not recognizable to outsiders. She had waited helplessly at the scene, unable to leave until released by her superiors, unable to do anything except watch the methodical process unfold. The cold, mechanical processing of death.
But nothing in the sheer number of personnel or state of the art technology could change what had happened. Her friend, her partner, had been transformed, in an eyeblink, from a warm, strong, intelligent woman, to a lifeless piece of evidence. Dina shook her head to shatter the image. She couldn’t endure it again. She just couldn’t.
“He’s just up ahead,” said Katzfiel, and as he said it, Dina could feel the hovercraft decelerating. It settled to a stop, and Dina could see that Jon was on the desert floor, his skimmer on top of him. She ran to him, followed closely by Katzfiel and Khilioi.
The doctor followed with her medical equipment and yelled, “Just hold on, don’t move him!”
Dina and the others moved back to give the doctor room. She knelt by Jon’s head and carefully removed his desert hood. His eyes were open, but he looked dazed, and his face was deathly pale and covered by a sheen of sweat. His mouth was open and he seemed to be panting, sucking in short, shallow breaths, as if he couldn’t get enough air. The doctor felt his pulse and quickly looked up to Dina.
“Get a blanket from the hovercraft.”
“A blanket?”
“He’s gone into shock. Get it now!”
Dina sprinted back to the transport, her ears and mind still tuned to the doctor’s words.
; “It looks like his leg is fractured. When I give the word, I’m going to need all of you to lift the skimmer off him.”
Katzfiel, Khilioi, and the others positioned themselves, and when the doctor said “now,” they raised the skimmer. Dr. Lumazi and one of her medical assistants dragged Jon out from underneath the machine. He was given oxygen, an intravenous glucose and salt solution, and his leg was immobilized. His weather suit having been partially removed, partially cut away, he was covered, loaded onto a portable gurney, and conveyed to the AEA Medical Center.
While Dr. Lumazi and her assistants worked on Jon, Dina paced in a small waiting room. Now that she knew he wasn’t seriously injured, her mind began working on the possibilities. Her first thought was Rayn. Rayn didn’t like Jon, that was clear. In fact, Rayn’s last words had been . . . not quite a threat, but very nearly. Would Rayn go so far as to hurt Jon? Would Rayn think that without Jon he could do as he wished with her? Damn him! Conceited, contemptuous dens!
Anxious moments later, the doctor came out. “He’s awake, and he’s asking for you. Don’t worry, he’ll be okay. He’s a strong man, and even more importantly, a fighter,” she said, smiling.
Dina peered tentatively around the corner of the doorway and was relieved to see him alert yet relaxed. “Well, you slacker, how does it feel to be the one laid up?” Dina asked, not quite able to suppress a grin.
“Not so bad, considering the alternative,” he replied, his smile small, but big enough to show the dimple next to his mouth.
“You don’t look so bad, either. Is it painful?”
“Not any more. They gave me a healthy dose of painkiller.”
“How’s the leg?”
“A simple fracture. A very slight one, but quite a bit of bruising. I think the bruising actually hurts more than the break.”
His smile had still been in place, but she couldn’t help her own from sagging when she thought about what he had gone through. “Jon, what happened?”
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