Page 1 of Rescued

ONE

DAVRIK

“Commander Davrik, I understand how deeply the loss of your wife affected you—it is an unimaginable pain,” Commander Sylvan said gently to the large male sitting across from him. “But I don’t know if searching for her double in another universe is the answer.”

Davrik took a deep breath, trying to control his emotions. Since losing his beautiful wife five years before in a shuttle crash, his sole purpose has been to get her back. Some might say this was an impossible goal, but it was all that kept Davrik going. And now it seemed he had finally found a way—but he had to convince the Head of the Kindred High Council first.

“Please, Commander,” he said to Sylvan, who had a look of deep sympathy on his face. “If only you knew how things were between Sonya and me. Our Bond went deeper than most.”

“Oh? How so?” Sylvan arched an eyebrow at him.

“We…she…” Davrik ran a hand through his thick black hair, trying to think how to explain the special relationship he’d had with his lost mate. He could still see her in his mind’s eye—her petite, curvy figure and her smooth brown skin, the long ringlets of her black hair hanging down to the small of her back. Her big brown eyes were like pools of melted chocolate—an Earth confection she had loved.

“We had what the humans call a D/s relationship,” he said at last. “That is, I was her Dominant and Sonya was my submissive.”

Sylvan frowned.

“Are you referring to the human practice of BDSM? Where one partner has control over the other and the situation brings them both sexual pleasure?”

“In a way, but it was more than that,” Davrik said. “Sonya let me care for her. I would choose her clothes…dress her…bathe her…cuddle her. She used to have night terrors and when she woke screaming, I would hold her in my arms like a child and soothe her. She gave herself to me—completely and with perfect trust.” He shook his head. “I cannot explain it better than that.”

Sylvan nodded.

“That does sound like a unique relationship.”

“It was.” Davrik said. “Sonya…she was incredibly intelligent—she taught Musical Theory at the human university. She had what the humans call ‘perfect pitch’ and she was held in high esteem by all her colleagues and superiors but when we were home together, she was different with me. She was my…” His voice dropped. “I used to call her ‘baby girl’. We were so close—our very souls were entwined.”

He put a hand over his face briefly, remembering the way Sonja had melted in his embrace, giving herself completely to be comforted and loved and cradled in his arms. Missing her was like having a gaping hole in his chest—the ragged remains of what was left of his heart.

Most Kindred warriors didn’t survive the loss of their spouse—the Soul Bond that tied them together was so strong that the demise of one’s mate often pulled the warrior into the void with her. But somehow Davrik had lived even after his beloved Sonya had died. If you could call the existence he was currently enduring “living,” he thought grimly.

“Please, Commander,” he said raggedly. “You don’t know what it’s like—food has no taste, the sweetest flower has no smell. And as for music…” He shook his head. Music had been their love language—the many times they sang together, Davrik harmonizing with his mate’s beautiful contralto voice. Now he couldn’t even bear to listen to anything resembling a melody—it was too damn painful.

“I can’t imagine how hard losing your mate must be,” Commander Sylvan said gently. “But the Multiverse is vast—even if I let you use the Far Box to try and find one of the universes where your Sonya is still alive—”

“Just one,” Davrik interrupted him. Making an effort to put away his grief, he sat up straighter and looked at the other male. “There’s only one universe where my Sonya is still alive. In every other universe I’ve seen—and I’ve spent the last five years looking through PORTAL—she died in the crash.”

PORTAL—short for Positronic Orbital Rotating Time/Space Allocating Locator—was a device invented by a human scientist who lived aboard the Mother Ship. It was made for viewing other universes in the Multiverse and it had been known to act as a transportation device for traveling to some of those universes as well.

However, there were limits on its travel capabilities—it seemed to choose at random whether to suck someone into another universe. Which was why Davrik desperately needed to use the Far Box—an ancient Kindred device which allowed a person to visit other universes at will.

“So…there’s just one possibility?” Commander Sylvan asked.

“Yes—only one universe where Sonya didn’t get killed in that shuttle crash.” Davrik squeezed large hands into fists in his lap. He was a Blood Kindred like Sylvan, but far back in his heritage he had some Giant Kindred DNA. The result was that he was eight feet tall instead of the usual seven and his fists were bigger than most.

He also has pearly gray skin and black hair, instead of the usual pale blond of the Blood Kindred but the double set of fangs which proved his heritage were there—though they had been blunted since his female had died. Unsurprising, since a Blood Kindred’s only use for his fangs was to heal or pleasure his mate. They sharpened when he first encountered the female who was right for him…and dulled if he lost her.

“I suppose if you were only going to one alternate universe, the risk to you would be much less,” Commander Sylvan said thoughtfully. “Tell me about this one universe—the only one where your wife survived. Why did she survive there? Is it the only universe where she didn’t board the shuttle that crashed?”

Davrik nodded.

“It is. And the reason she didn’t board is because that is the only universe where the Kindred didn’t save the Earth from the Scourge. So she couldn’t get on a shuttle from the Mother Ship headed for Earth because the Mother Ship wasn’t there at that time. Neither am I, for that matter—this is the only universe where I have no doppelganger. So I can go there without fear of running into myself and causing any kind of a paradox.”

“This is beginning to sound much more plausible.” Commander Sylvan leaned forward, his long fingers steepled on his desk. “Tell me more. Why aren’t you there? I mean—a version of you?”

Davrik shook his head.

“To be honest, I don’t know. I thought maybe the doppelganger of me had died in that universe, but I can’t find any trace of him. It’s the only universe where I never existed and Sonya is still alive.” He leaned forward, tension coursing through his body. “But she might not be if I don’t hurry and get to her.”

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