Page 104 of Rescued

“In you go,” Davrik said, prodding Lan’ara roughly with the butt of his blaster. “You can wait in there until the AllFather decides he wants to taste your pain.”

With a little cry that she hoped was convincingly terrified, Lan’ara stumbled forward, into the cell with Madison and the door clanged shut behind her.

“As a matter of fact, I’ll go tell my father about this new prisoner immediately,” Xairna remarked. “He’s been complaining that he’s hungry, so I’ll be pleased to offer him something new. What species is she?”

“She’s an Empath Kindred—she can feel the emotions of others and is very sensitive,” Davrik said helpfully. “Which should make her an especially tasty snack for your father.”

“Indeed, it should.” Xairna nodded. “Very well—keep an eye on her for me and see that she doesn’t escape. My father is too hungry to let her run loose before he feeds.”

She turned and left, her boot heels clicking briskly on the metal floor until she disappeared around the corner.

The moment the AllFather’s daughter was out of sight, Lan’ara went to the weeping human girl.

“Madison?” she asked, looking at her anxiously. “You’re Nate’s little sister—aren’t you?”

The girl looked up, her red-rimmed eyes wide with shock.

“How do you know who I am?”

“Because my colleague and I are here to rescue you.” Lan’ara nodded at Davrik, who nodded back on the other side of the bars.

“But Nate—how do you know Nate? Is he all right? Is he alive?”

“He’s alive.” Lan’ara thought it best not to tell Madison her brother’s true condition until they were away from here. “I’m his mate,” she added. “The two of us are Bonded. That’s why Davrik and I came to get you. Are you ready to go?”

“Yes! Yes, of course. But…” She paused, looking up at Davrik uncertainly. “Isn’t he, a, uh, Scourge?”

“He’s a Kindred,” Lan’ara said. “He’s just disguised as a Scourge. He—”

“And a very good disguise it is, too.” Suddenly Xairna was there again, to Lan’ara’s dismay, though she hadn’t heard the other woman coming at all. She must have been hiding just around the corner, listening to them talk! “The only problem is, he doesn’t smell like a Scourge.” Her dainty nose wrinkled as she looked up at Davrik again.

“Stand back,” Davrik pointed his blaster at her. “I don’t want to hurt a female, but I will do whatever it takes to complete my mission. We are simply here to get this one human prisoner and then we’ll leave you alone.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Xairna said coolly. She took a deep breath. “Unless you take me with you.”

SIXTY

DAVRIK

“What?” Davrik looked at the Scourge female blankly. He was certain he’d misunderstood her. “What did you say?”

“I said if you want to get out of here alive, you’ll have to take me with you,” Xairna repeated firmly. “I hate it here,” she added, her red-on-black eyes flashing.

“But…you’re the daughter of the AllFather,” Lan’ara said, staring at her in disbelief.

“Yes, I am. What difference does that make?” Xairna demanded. She looked up at Davrik. “I knew you were a fake the minute I saw you—you’re just lucky you didn’t run into one of the few sentient officers under my father’s command.”

“How do we know you’re not just trying to come with us to spy on the Kindred of the Mother Ship?” Davrik asked, frowning. He didn’t know about bringing a Scourge back with them—it wasn’t his place to grant her access. Commander Sylvania was the only one who could do that.

“How do you know? Because I’m telling you, I have to get free of this place or I’ll die! Or kill myself!” Xairna’s pretty features twisted into a rictus of disgust. “Who do you think my father ‘feeds’ on when he can’t get fresh human victims?”

“Oh, no,” Lan’ara breathed. The sympathy was clear on her face. But Davrik needed more definite proof before he trusted the Scourge female.

“Take Lan’ara’s hand,” he directed, nodding at the Empath Kindred, who stood and came to the door of the cell at once. “She’ll be able to tell us your true intentions.”

“Very well.” Xairna stepped forward and held out one slim gray hand, which Lan’ara took in her lavender one. For a moment the Empath stood rigid, then her features melted in a mixture of pity and sorrow.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she murmured to Xairna. “The things you’ve gone through…”

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