Page 30 of Tamed

“What’s in the injection?” Arcon wanted to know.

“A contrasting agent. It simply makes the scan more effective.”

“That’s fine,” Kendra said as much for the benefit of her overprotective mates as the doctor.

The injection made Kendra feel hot and dizzy, so she lay down while the final scanner assessed her brain.

“Everything looks good,” Dr. Damaris assured them. “Whatever happened was metaphysical and had no lasting effects on your physical body. If it happens again, you should probably contact a healer. The best are on Pyron.”

“Thank you,” Arcon said as Zevon picked Kendra up again.

“You don’t need to carry me,” she objected. “I had a vision. I didn’t break my legs.”

He ignored her and headed for their apartment.

Deciding that it wasn’t worth fighting over, Kendra snuggled into the warmth of his chest and waited until they were alone before she tried to explain what she’d seen. When they reached their apartment, Zevon carried her to the sofa and sat down with her on his lap. Arcon pulled one of the matching chairs closer to the sofa and then sat down facing her.

“All right, explain what happened,” Zevon prompted. “You said you had a vision. What did you see?”

“I don’t know if what I saw has already happened or if this was some sort of warning, but Emperor Jevara was shouting at this other male. Jevara shoved him a couple times and then the other male punched the emperor. Jevara lost his footing and fell back against the stairs leading up to his throne. His head slammed down against the edge of one of the stairs and it split his skull wide open. There was blood everywhere. It just poured out of him. I don’t think he survived.”

Zevon and Arcon looked at each other then back at her.

“Describe the other male,” Zevon directed.

“Tall and thin, but not nearly as skinny as Jevara. He had reddish brown hair and… you know, they had the same eyes. They were both a strange bluish-green color.”

“Verbet,” her mates said in unison.

“The half-brother?” she asked and her mates nodded. That made perfect sense. “No one can fight like family.”

“Is the blood you saw the only reason you believe he’s dead?” Zevon asked, his features guarded. “Torret has some of the best medical technology in the sector. Even if he was badly injured, it’s likely they could have saved him.”

This was why she hadn’t told her friends. She’d never had a vision before. Kendra wasn’t sure she could make anyone believe her. “It was more than that. I felt his life force slip away. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I felt him die.”

Zevon stroked the back of her hair, but his attention kept shifting to Arcon. Were they communicating telepathically? “If you’re talking about me,” she said firmly. “I’d prefer you do it out loud.”

“We weren’t talking about you,” Arcon assured her. “We were talking about the board of governors.”

“They’re stubborn and argumentative.” Zevon shifted her to the sofa beside him then pivoted so he was more or less facing her. “If I hope to convince them to act, I have to be absolutely sure about your vision.”

“Do we still need to act?” Kendra asked. “Jevara is dead. Isn’t that what we were trying to accomplish with the alliance?”

“Freedom for Torretians is what we are trying to accomplish,” Arcon corrected. “Removing Jevara is only the first step.”

“If my word isn’t enough, how do you become ‘absolutely sure’ about my vision?” Their reluctance didn’t surprise her. She wasn’t even absolutely sure her vision had been real. Zevon reached for her hand and she moved it away. She wasn’t ready to be touched. She was still agitated from the vision.

“If we’d been present when you had the vision, this would be less complicated,” Zevon said with a sigh. “It’s likely we could have accessed the images.”

“Can you scan my memory and verify what I saw?” Zevon and Arcon weren’t the only ones who would require some form of verification. If she wanted to be taken seriously, she needed concrete proof.

Zevon shook his head. “I have interrogators that can do that sort of thing, but my abilities don’t work that way. And there is no way I’m letting an interrogator access your mind.”

“If we expand the transfer link, she could share the memory with us,” Arcon pointed out. “That would be much easier on her than if someone goes digging for the images.”

Zevon smiled. “I was just about to suggest the same thing.”

Kendra tensed. She’d just gotten to the point that sensing their emotions wasn’t shocking, and she startled each time one of them sent a thought to her mind. However, sharing thoughts and emotions was a natural part of life in this star system. She needed to get used to it. “All right. Expand the link. I know it was a vision, so let’s put it to the test.”

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