Page 64 of Shattered Silence

I really do not have a choice, do I?

Enki waited. He had nothing more to say. All he could do was wait for the Tharian to come to its senses.

I will sleep, it said finally. You do not need to worry, Kordolian. I have no desire to be a witness to your intimacy. But let’s be clear. I do this for her sake, not yours.

Then you will withdraw.

But you will grant me one request.

One, Tharian. Just one.

That is all I need. It sighed. I have been stuck inside your deranged mind for too long, warrior. It’s time I tried to find a way out.

Why have you persisted with this madness for so long? Why don’t you just leave?

You don’t understand anything about our biology, shadowkin. If I had a choice, I would have been free of you a long time ago, but then you just had to go and eat my cursed blue heart, didn’t you?

Enough. Leave me. Enki slammed down the barriers inside his mind with such brutality that the Tharian actually shrieked. He had no desire to be reminded of the horrors of Tharos right now, not when he was so close to losing control.

He just hoped the Tharian understood exactly what he wanted it to do, because he was on the very precipice of the most important moment in his existence. When he claimed her, nothing else would matter. Not his First Division training, or his tainted blood, or the horrors he’d seen on Tharos. He would forget the suppression techniques taught to him by the Silent One and let go of his icy self-control.

That was the only way he could be with her; the only way he wanted to be with her.

So the Tharian had to sleep, because Enki needed to be himself again.

After so many revolutions spent living a dull, colorless existence—where his own rigid self-control and the General’s commands and the familiar embrace of death and violence were the only things keeping him from pure insanity—who the fuck was he, really?

He opened his eyes, looking out upon stars that blurred and shimmered through the icy waters of the pool. Thoughts of Layla invaded his mind, consuming him, making his claws extend and his horn-bases ache.

His cock was hard again.

Enki pressed his feet against the clear bottom, kicked hard, and broke through the water’s surface, inhaling deeply. He swam to the edge and hauled himself out, the cold water sluicing off his body. He saw the stars again through the soaring windows above the pool, and this time they were sharp and bright, glittering like tiny gemstones as everything became clear.

His dark reality re-crystallized into something completely different, a world where Layla existed, and he was more than just a killer with tainted highborn blood running through his veins. He, who had never known loyalty to anyone but his brothers, was being pulled in an entirely different direction, like a planet whose orbit had just encountered another sun.

He took a deep breath. You be quiet now, Tharian. I need you to do this for me. He, who never asked for anything, practically begged the Tharian to be quiet.

Silence.

He took that as a yes.

Enki slipped his kashkan over his shoulders and ran a hand through his wet hair as he stalked out of the pool chamber, heading for the med-bay, where Zharek al Sirian would return his Layla to him in perfect health, or else.

The cold dip in the pool had done nothing to ease his raging arousal, but at least it had solved the problem of the passenger inside his head—for now.

He would deal with the rest later—after he had claimed his mate.

Chapter Twenty-Five

“Don’t worry, Layla. I have given myself an extensive education on the wonders of human anatomy, and your injuries are fairly easy to treat. I have to say, the evolutionary path your species has taken is fascinating. I often think of Kythia as a parallel dimension to Earth, only Earth kept her sun, and ours died. You know, technically, you and I belong to the same species, although I wouldn’t want to upset the purists by starting that particular discussion.” The medic, who Abbey had introduced as Zharek, leaned in close and tapped her on the shoulder in a conspiratorial manner. “We’re a hundred orbits too early for that sort of enlightenment.”

“Three months,” Abbey said, rolling her eyes. “That’s how long it took him to study for and pass the Federation medical licensing exams. Technically, he’s a fully qualified Earth doctor. Isn’t that a scary thought?” She stood beside Layla with her arms crossed, watching Zharek like a hawk. There was an air of protectiveness about her, which Layla appreciated, even though she could damn well handle this strange medic on her own.

“Zyara did it in two.” Zharek’s lips twisted into a wry smile. “I got myself a specialization, too. Certified anesthesiologist, apparently. It’s good to be in control, you know?”

“Freak,” Abbey mouthed. She seemed to take a particular delight in teasing the strange medic, in a way that reminded Layla of bickering siblings.

Huh. Strange.

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