Desperate Measures (25 page)

“Krissa is the enigma. I don‟t know what she‟ll do.” Gianna leaned her shoulder against

the frame of the window.

“Well, you could ask her just like we did.” Nara‟s voice cut over the music as she came

down the stairs.

“And we would have when we saw her.” Raine couldn‟t help but smile at Nara‟s sassy

tone.

“Well, you still can. I‟m not going to ruin the suspense. If Krissa‟s the enigma, we‟re

easy to read?” Nara raised a brow as she stopped in front of the long window.

Raine saw Deanne coming slowly down the stairs and knew it wouldn‟t be long until

Krissa joined them.

“Not easy to read. We‟re just a little more sure about your attitudes than we are about

Krissa‟s right now.” Raine tilted her head and asked even though part of her would rather put off

the moment of knowing for as long as possible. “What are you going to do? Go out and

adventure or find the
Feiral
with us?”

“I‟m not ready to settle down and follow the will of a man or live with a clan‟s

restrictions. But don‟t think that you‟ve seen the last of me. When I‟m ready, you know where

I‟ll be coming.” Nara‟s smile was tremulous.

“I never thought we were parting forever. You know Connal will send out your image to

everyone he knows. So you‟ll have to be a little careful about where you go.” Raine stepped

forward and hugged her friend.

“That‟s just part of the fun. Deanne‟s coming with me. I‟ll tell you that, but you‟re going

to have to ask Krissa.” Nara‟s arms tightened around Raine before she stepped back. “Let‟s not

linger on the sadness tonight okay.”

“Well, how about we get all of the answers out first.” Krissa came slowly down the stairs.

Her pale blue dress flowed around her legs as she walked over to the window to join them.

“What are you going to do?” Gianna asked.

“I‟ve decided to give life with a clan a try.” Krissa gave a shrug and a small smile. “I

figure he moves around enough and visits and trades with so many planets that if I really want to

leave, I should be able to do it without too much problem. I‟m keeping some money in a secret

account just in case.”

Raine‟s lips twitched. She had an account like that herself and she probably wouldn‟t

give it up. Not because she thought there was a chance she‟d leave Connal, but because it was

part of her nature. Just like that small room they‟d discovered connected to their room on the

ship.
Feiral
liked secrets and hidden rooms. Connal probably had a room like that on the ship.

She just hadn‟t had a chance to find it before they‟d left.

“Now, is everyone ready to go out and have fun at that club we found the other night?

This is the last night we‟ll be together for a while so I don‟t want to waste it. Nara and I will be

leaving in the morning.” Deanne looked from one to the other.

Raine took a deep breath and pushed away the wave of sadness. Deanne was right. They

couldn‟t waste tonight.

* * * * *

Raine pushed her hair back and looked around the street. Trees and flowering bushes

lined both sides of it and the walkway was cobbled in this foot-traffic-only section of Abel, the

primary space port city on Evahs. The air was heavy with the sweet scent of flowers and the

goods offered by the restaurants along this street.

Raine ran a hand over the back of her neck, but stopped when she nudged the halter clasp

of her dark blue and gold dress. She felt like she was being watched. When she didn‟t spot

anyone overtly watching her, she shook it off. She was tired and it had been a long trip even if

they had taken one of the most comfortable passenger shuttles.

They‟d waited over a week after their friends had left before they‟d set off to find Connal

and the
Raitan
. They‟d wanted to give Deanne and Nara a chance to do their best to disappear.

Gianna, Raine and Krissa had resumed their own identities as soon as they left the planet and

Raine had thought Connal would appear very shortly, but he hadn‟t. It had taken awhile to find

the
Raitan
‟s trade schedule, but eventually they‟d managed it. Now they knew he should stop

here within the next two days and that was a relief.

The feeling of being stalked didn‟t go away as they made their way to a nearby hotel.

Raine also noticed that Gianna and Krissa seemed a little nervous too. That was when she

realized it might not be her imagination. She wished she had a stunner, but hadn‟t brought one

with her.

The weapon might be common and almost a part of everyday wear in most space, but

here on Evahs it was against the law and bags were checked at the port of entry. They believed

the weapons encouraged violence and were very strict about letting weapons onto their world.

Raine wasn‟t sure one way or another about the violence-inducing potential of weapons and

particularly stunners, but she felt naked and extremely vulnerable without one.

As they approached the entrance, there was a group of people walking at a slower pace in

front of them, forcing them to slow down. Raine heard the scuff of a boot before an arm curled

around her neck and she felt something dig into her side. It felt blunt, but through the protection

of her clothing she couldn‟t really tell. The man pulled back, dragging her to a halt. She couldn‟t

see anything but his shoulder when she tried to turn her head because his arm tightened cutting

off her air when she tried to move.

“Why is he looking for you and those other two?” The voice sounded harsh and loud to

her ears. He didn‟t even wait for her to try to answer. “You‟re coming with me.”

Raine had no idea who the “he” her attacker mentioned was. This had to be a case of

mistaken identity. Connal was looking for her, but he‟d be looking for four other people not just

the two with her. No way was she going with him though. It could be a death sentence. She saw

Gianna and Krissa‟s wide-eyed gaze.

“No!” Raine shouted and started to struggle. “I‟m not going!”

She felt a burning in her side and everything slowly faded to black even as she heard a

female yell and running feet.

* * * * *

Raine woke with a slight headache. She lay quiet for a moment, trying to get a feel for

who and what was around her. Since her last memory was of the man trying to drag her off, she

wanted to know as much about her surroundings as possible before she revealed that she was

awake. She heard soft breathing nearby and the murmur of muted conversation not too far away.

She caught a faint tinge of strong cleaner, the kind that disinfected. Nothing felt wrong.

She opened her eyes. It was the white walls that gave her the clue to where she was. It

was some kind of medical facility. She looked over and saw Gianna sleeping in an ugly green

chair. As Raine sat up, she realized that someone had taken off her clothes and she was now

wearing a muted blue backless gown. At her movement, Gianna opened her eyes and smiled.

“Hey, you‟re finally awake. You had us worried.” Gianna rose from the chair and stepped

up to the side of the bed.

“Who was that man and what happened after I went out?” Raine tentatively reached up to

the back of her head and ran her hand over a newly sealed scar.

“Don‟t touch too much there. You hit your head when he dropped you.” Gianna

grimaced. “That bled a lot. Well, he stunned you and then Krissa took him down. The girl

tackled him and then punched him. Quite a few times. You should have seen it.”

“I wish I had.” Raine would have loved to witness that. Maybe Krissa was finally coming

out of that protective shell surrounding her these past few months. “Who was he?”

“He‟s Everett. You know, the man who‟s been causing Connal and the others so much

trouble. Well, apparently Connal‟s been sending out our images to all of the shifter groups and

somehow Everett got hold of one. He decided that Connal had to want us for some reason and

decided to prevent him from ever getting what he wanted.” Gianna shook her head. “The man‟s

obsessive and I think he‟s missing a few pieces mentally.”

“But there‟d be five images, he said me and the other two.” Raine frowned.

“He was asking that of all of us. Us and the other two. With the help of the Evahs truth

serum, he fully confessed to what he planned. I don‟t think the man knew anything about the

laws on Evahs before he stepped foot on the planet.” Gianna exhaled and shrugged.

Everett would have had to be insane to do what he had if he did know of it. Especially out

in the open like that with a street full of witnesses and the well-monitored vid-units the city used

for crime and accidents. Evahs was very strict on enforcing that law about the stunners and other

advanced weapons and if a crime was committed with them, the sentences were even harsher.

“Where‟s Krissa?” Raine frowned. Surely they hadn‟t held her for punching Everett.

“She‟s at the port. We‟ve been contacted.” Gianna looked at the clock. “Connal should be

on planet by now. You made the news. It‟s not every day here that someone gets shot with a

stunner.”

Raine‟s eyes widened and she swung her feet off the bed. “Where are my clothes?”

She fought a wave of dizziness at the sudden change of position. This wasn‟t how she

wanted to meet him again. Not in a hospital and not in a bed. And definitely not in this ugly

gown. She‟d wanted to show him that she was coming to him and that he was her choice.

“They‟re here, but you can‟t get out of bed yet.” Gianna gestured vaguely to a group of

cabinets.

“Watch me. I‟m getting dressed. I‟ve been stunned before. Now that I‟m up they won‟t

keep me and the bump on the head couldn‟t have been that bad. I don‟t feel any disorientation.”

Raine stood and took a step over to the cabinet. She had to lock her legs to keep from falling.

Gianna jumped up and rushed around the bed. She put her arm around Raine and steadied

her. “You need to sit down.”

“I want to get dressed.” Raine knew she was being a little stubborn but she‟d wanted their

next meeting to be memorable and not because she‟d been attacked or a strange situation.

The door opened. Raine glanced up and her eyes locked with a familiar deep brown gaze.

Connal walked into the room. He stopped just inside the doorway and she saw him inhale. She

could almost feel the wave of relief rushing through him. He smiled and walked over to her. His

eyes flared and she knew the moment he realized she was his mate. She saw the sharp canines

descend in readiness to mark his mate.

“Have they released you already?” He put his arms around her and pulled her close. His

hands trembled a little.

Gianna quietly left the room and Raine smiled. Nothing would happen in this room until

he was sure she was safe.

She leaned into him, certain he wouldn‟t let her fall. “Not yet. I wanted to get dressed.”

“You‟ll wait until the doctor comes in.” His voice hardened and his arms tightened. “I

saw the blood on the image. How‟s your head?”

“I‟ve got a headache, but nothing more.” She shrugged and slipped her arms around him.

“It‟s good to see you.”

“It‟s good to see you again too, but seeing you stunned and bloody and not being

anywhere near you to help was something I don‟t ever want to go through again. I hope you can

tolerate being close to me for a while.” He placed a kiss on her head.

“I can handle that. You‟re not going to be all cosseting tonight, are you, because I had

some serious plans for our first night together.” Raine tilted her head back and frowned up at

him.

The doctor came in at that moment and it wasn‟t long before they were walking out of the

hospital. They didn‟t linger. Connal urged her into a taxi and they headed for the port. She leaned

against him on the ride up to the ship. His arm curved around her shoulder and she could feel his

breath puffing against the top of her head. His arm remained around her when they walked out of

the shuttle. He scooped her up and carried her to the nearest elevator.

“Well?” That was the only thing she said and she waited until the lift doors closed behind

them.

“If they think you‟re still weak, I won‟t be disturbed for a while. And I want all the time I

can get because this won‟t be fast and hard like I‟d planned, but slow and gentle is going to be so

sweet. I‟ve finally got you.” He set her down on her feet beside the bed and held her tight for a

moment.

“I‟ve got you too. I couldn‟t walk away once I knew that you were my mate.” She

snuggled against his chest and inhaled.

“You knew before we met up again. Did you know when you were on the ship?” He

frowned.

“No, I took a piece of your shirt so that I could make sure. The pull between us was too

strong and I‟d suspected, but while I could smell, my senses were muddled by the drug,” she

admitted.

“Good for you.” He glowered down at her, but his hands were busy stripping away her

clothes. “I‟d have had to reprimand you sternly if you‟d walked away from me knowing. And

when did you get a piece of my shirt?”

“I stole it the day you were called out of the room.” She grinned, but grabbed a handful of

his shirt. “Now questions aside. I want my mate. You took too long.”

“You‟ve got me, baby and I‟m never letting you go.” He lifted her off her feet and bore

her down onto the bed. His body covered hers and his teeth nipped, demanding entrance. “I knew