Forsaken (5 page)

Raina appreciated the gesture, but she wasn’t fooled. There was no doubt in her mind whose side Ashley was really on.

“What did she tell you about the war?” Ashley prompted after a moment of tense silence.

She’d always found Mimi’s stories imaginative and fascinating. It felt so strange to think of them as anything other than entertaining yarns. “It started over magic. Bilarrians had it and Rodytes didn’t. I never understood how blasting the hell out of each other would allow Rodytes to attain something they hadn’t had in the first place, but war as a whole makes little sense to me.”

“There’s no doubt she was Bilarrian,” Bandar muttered. “Or at least learned history from a Bilarrian.”

“Where’d she go wrong? Why don’t you explain it from the Rodyte perspective,” Raina suggested.

He seemed happy to oblige. “Rodymian life began on Bilarri. We were all one people before greed and the hunger for power tore our people in two.”

“If you guys debate every facet of ancient history, we’re going to be here for weeks,” Ashley cut in. “Can we agree that the primary focus of the war was the Rodyte struggle to regain magic?”

According to Mimi, the Rodytes had been attempting to gain magic not
re
-gain it, but Raina was willing to let the distinction slide. “Did kidnaping helpless women have something to do with that ‘struggle’?”

Bandar laughed, but his features were tense, his gaze smoldering with resentment. “Let me make a couple of things clear before we go any further. The battle born are repelled by the practice of war brides and the ultimate goal of our rebellion is to permanently defuse the conflict between Rodymia and Bilarri without further bloodshed. Despise my ancestors all you like, but judge me by my actions.”

It might be better to focus on the present. The events described in Mimi’s journals were complex and convoluted. And if Raina’s interaction with Bandar so far was any indication, he’d disagree with many of the details. “What does battle born mean? Commander Kotto used the title too, but his explanation didn’t make much sense.”

“It’s Commander Tarr,” Ashley told her. “Kotto is his first name and it’s probably best if you don’t use it unless he gives you permission.”

“He’s Bandar’s boss?” She wasn’t sure why she kept provoking him. It wasn’t like her at all and he hadn’t done anything to deserve her annoyance. Well, he was responsible for Ashley’s involvement in this mess, so he was ultimately responsible for her being dragged into it. Or was he? Hadn’t Mimi been involved long before Raina met Ashley?

“Kotto commands this ship,” Bandar admitted, “but I’m not part of his crew.”

“Bandar is on special assignment, so he answers directly to General Nox,” Ashley clarified.

Ashley’s tone made the general sound impressive. Still, rather than asking her to elaborate, Raina digressed. “What does battle born mean?”

“The offspring of a war bride and her captor is called battle born.” He still sounded grumpy, but his expression was starting to relax.

“If your grandmother was from Bilarri, as we suspect, then your mother is battle born.” Raina scooted forward on the bench and angled her body so she could more easily look at Ashley.

“I don’t think she was Bilarrian.” In fact, the journal entries confirmed that she was human and explained how she had become a sanctioned historian. Still, Raina wasn’t quite ready to share every detail she knew. “Why would Mimi tell everyone she’d been kidnapped by an alien, but not admit she was an alien herself?”

“If it was obvious no one believed her, she probably tried to minimize their ridicule.” If anyone could accurately guess Mimi’s motivation, it was Ashley.

“Did Mimi ever talk about her parents?” Bandar asked.

Raina shook her head. “And all Mom ever said was they lived on a farm.”

“Your grandmother’s history isn’t detailed in her journals?” Bandar sounded surprised.

“Not the ones I read.” It was utter nonsense. One entire volume was dedicated to Mimi’s life. It even detailed her capture and captivity. Raina was anxious to revisit the stories now that she knew they weren’t just fanciful tales.

Bandar looked at Ashley as the conversation lapsed. Bird calls and the rustle of leaves drew Raina’s attention back to the simulation. It was easy to forget she wasn’t actually sitting in a secluded forest somewhere on Earth.

After a long pause, Bandar scooted to the edge of his bench and rested his forearm across his knee. The slightly bent position should have been awkward, but somehow he pulled it off. “We really need to see those journals.”

“And I really need to understand why the battle born have come to Earth. I will not do anything that endangers humans.”

“Neither would we,” Bandar stressed.

“I don’t know that. I don’t know
you
.”

“You know me,” Ashley pointed out, her expression almost pleading.

“Or I did before he got his hands on you. The Ashley I know would never turn her back on her life’s work, even for someone who looks like him. You’ve worked too hard and your work is too important to you.”

“My work was important and I enjoyed it immensely, but—”

“It’s all in the past now?” The more Ashley talked the more she sounded like a brainwashed groupie. “You’ve known him for a matter of weeks. How was he able to redefine your entire existence in less than a month?”

Before Ashley could respond the door opened and Kotto strode into the room. “Leave us.” His gaze was fixed on Raina, so the order must have been for the other two.

“I think it would be wiser—”

He turned on Bandar with fire in his eyes. “Raina is being recruited for my mission, which makes her my responsibility. Your involvement is no longer needed.”

Bandar stood, his expression every bit as fierce as Kotto’s “You asked my mate for assistance, so you’re stuck with me.”

My
mate
? Raina’s gaze flew to Ashley, but Ashley was looking at the men. Bandar considered Ashley his mate? Did Ashley feel the same?

“Your strategy was unsuccessful. Now leave. If you have a grievance regarding me, take it up with Raylon.”

Ashley’s panicked expression made Raina’s heart beat even faster. Would they really leave her at the mercy of this man? Bandar was intimidating but mostly civilized. Kotto seemed savage.

“I will not allow Raina to be abused.” They kept taking steps forward until they stood nose to nose.

“You have my vow.” The statement rang with finality and import. “No harm will come to Raina while she is in my keeping.”

Bandar fell silent, but his reluctance remained.

Kotto clenched his hands into tight fists. “Because I requested your mate’s involvement, I have tolerated your disrespect. Doubting my vow is insulting and my patience is at an end. Get out of my sight!”

To Raina’s horror Bandar motioned to Ashley. “Let’s go.”

“I’m not leaving her with him,” Ashley cried.

“Yes you are.”

She started to object again, but something stopped her. Their gazes locked and silence lengthened. It was almost as if… Were they arguing telepathically? What other powers had Bandar given her? Was this why Ashley had walked away from her old life without a backward glance?

Like an obedient mind slave, Ashley stood and followed Bandar from the room.

So much for human loyalty.

There was no way Raina was taking this sitting down. She shot to her feet and moved away from the bench, ready to defend herself if necessary. Even in the midst of her bravado, the thought was ridiculous. These Rodytes were massive, muscle-bound bullies. She had no chance in a physical confrontation. However, she was smart, and determined, so Kotto better watch out.

Rather than advancing with the overt aggression he’d shown toward Bandar, Kotto stayed where he was and looked into her eyes. “We’re at an impasse and I’m not sure how to resolve it. You don’t trust us, which is understandable. But I can’t give you details about our mission unless you sign a six-month contract and somehow I doubt you’ll bend even that far.”

“So let me go. I’m sorry things didn’t work out the way you wanted them to.”

He locked his hands behind his back and strolled toward her. Bandar had chosen the same pose. It must be a Rodyte thing. “If it were just the hydroponic gardens at stake, I might have done exactly that.”

Her stomach clenched so hard she was momentarily robbed of speech. “And now?” His nonchalance wasn’t fooling her in the least. He was like a cobra, coiled tight and ready to strike.

“Now I know about the journals, so the situation is much more complicated.”

“Do you often listen in on private conversations?” It was a lame response, but fear had always scrambled her thinking. When it came to fight or flight, she always ran for the hills. She was a scientist, not a soldier.

“My men are searching your house in McLean, Virginia.”

Raina’s heart missed a beat as she heard the statement. She’d met Ashley in Georgetown. Kotto was making sure she realized he knew where she lived. “The journals aren’t there.”

“If that’s true, they’ll go to Falls Church next and—”

“You leave my mother out of this!” She took a step forward before she realized what she was doing. “Mom gave me the journals years ago. She wants nothing to do with any of this.”

“Then tell me where I can find them and there will be no need to involve anyone else.”

Anger surged up through her fear. She might be a glorified lab rat, but he’d just pushed one of her hot buttons. “I thought people who could travel through space would have evolved beyond threats and intimidation. You’re an asshole.”

He had the audacity to smile, as if her indignation amused him. “I haven’t threatened anyone. I was informing you of my intentions and giving you the opportunity to alter my course.”

“The threat was implied and you know it.”

He stood directly in front of her now, his arms at his sides. She had to tilt her head up to look into his eyes. He wasn’t quite as tall as Bandar or as muscular, but the menace emanating from Kotto made him seem bigger. Hostility pulsed between them, yet there was an undercurrent of something different, something darker. Her fear gradually morphed into a more complex emotion, leaving her anxious and confused.

“We don’t have to be enemies, Raina.” He said her name with a hushed intimacy that sent tingles down her spine.

She stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest. Was this how it began with Bandar and Ashley? Did he erode her defenses with an irrational combination of aggression and tenderness? A familiar twinge assailed Raina’s heart. What fierce warrior would be interested in a lab rat? Cold, hard reality trickled through the mental haze. Kotto was interested in her brain not her body. She was a member of Mensa, not a centerfold.

With her focus restored, she looked at him again. “No one will give me a straight answer. Why the hell are you people here?”

“Battle born sons are born with paranormal abilities, but they’re latent. We’re unable to access them no matter how hard we try.”

Encouraged by the admission and desperate for a distraction from the bizarre sensations zinging through her body, she said, “Go on.”

“Our scientists are working on a way to free those abilities.”

“And what does that have to do with Earth?” She took another step back, but he followed, maintaining the distance between them. His jutting cheekbones and the exotic tilt to his eyes would make it hard for him to pass as human. And yet, she found him even more intriguing than Bandar. She’d been brought here without her permission, but Kotto had pledged to keep her safe. It only made sense to learn everything she could before she demanded her release.

“When Rodytes have found their mate, they form a bond. This bond triggers changes in their bodies, making them more compatible with each other and increasing the chances they will produce healthy offspring. It’s during this transformation that our scientists are able to make genetic alterations that will restore our ability to manipulate magic. Or at least that’s the hope.”

“The process is still theoretical?” She tried not to be intrigued by the concepts he described, but she was a scientist. She had only a basic knowledge of genetics. Still, the temptation to learn more was real and powerful.

“There has been one successful transformation, which led to an important discovery. The female who survived the transformation was a Rodyte/human hybrid. Full-blooded females of either species don’t survive the procedure. There’s a protein marker in the hybrid’s blood that should allow us to identify others like her.”

“How many people died before you reached this point?” Raina shuddered. “This sort of medical experimentation is forbidden on Earth.”

“It’s forbidden on Rodymia too. We did not conduct the experiments. In fact we were instrumental in exposing and shutting down the operation. However, the potential has been discovered. Should we ignore the facts and abandon the potential because we disapprove of how they were revealed or should we continue the research as long as we adhere to moral guidelines?”

She wasn’t sure how to answer him. Ethics should be black-and-white, but many amazing advancements had been made when people blurred the lines. Edward Jenner tested his smallpox vaccine on the eight-year-old son of his gardener. And stem cell research was the perfect example. The entire industry had been severely hindered by the ethical debate surrounding the creation, harvest and destruction of human embryos.