Ha'ven's Song (12 page)

Ha’ven looked at both of his brothers on the
vidcom and shook his head again. “No, it is strange but it is
softer. It appears to glow from the inside out of her and it
changes with her moods instead of being a constant color like
ours.”

Arrow groaned and rubbed his hands over his
face in frustration. Out of the three brothers, his fascination
with science and technology knew no bounds. Anything strange or
different demanded his attention. When he was younger, Ha’ven was
constantly finding creatures, plants and experiments hidden
away.

“I want to meet her,” Arrow said looking
pointedly at Ha’ven. “When will you arrive on Ceran-Pax?”

“We should be there in a day or two,” Ha’ven
replied. “I don’t want you scaring her. I need time alone with her
to get her to accept what has happened to her and to accept me,” he
added shooting both of his brothers a warning look that dared them
to make a smart-ass comment.

“We should be back by the end of next week,”
Adalard said with a small grin before his expression turned
serious. “We tracked one of the names given to us to the Sanapare
Spaceport but by the time we got there, Kejon was gone. He is the
assassin that tried to kill me.”

Ha’ven’s mouth tightened. He knew Kejon. He
was a lethal, cold assassin whose unethical methods had gotten him
in trouble during the Great War. He refused to listen to his
superior officers and had killed anyone, Valdier, Sarafin, Curizan
or any other species that had gotten in his way. He had been sent
to Hell after he tried to kill one of his commanding officers. He
had escaped shortly afterwards and disappeared. Ha’ven had a
feeling his stepbrother had a hand in the escape.

“Where is Bahadur?” Ha’ven asked.

“He has gone to the Marastin Dow star
system,” Arrow replied with a grin. “He never was one to take the
easy way. One of the men on the list was supposedly trying to seek
assistance from them.”

Adalard snorted. “Yeah, good luck with that.
They would just as soon gut him and steal his credits than earn
them.”

“Those purple bastards are like a swarm of
Rougeworms
. I swear if you kill one, there are ten more
coming at you,” Arrow growled out.

“Do what you can to find Kejon. I don’t like
the fact that bastard is still alive and free,” Ha’ven said before
a sharp pain struck him.

He breathed deeply as it faded before
another more intense took its place. He focused on where the pain
was originating. It took a moment before he realized it was not his
pain but Emma’s. She must be dreaming again.

“I have to go,” he bit out grimly.

“Be safe, brother,” Adalard said with a
sharp nod.

Ha’ven didn’t bother replying. He was
already out of his seat and heading down the corridor as fast as he
could go. Another sharp pain hit him at the same time as a soft
whimper echoed in the narrow corridor from the open door leading to
the small cabin he had shown her to earlier.

*.*.*

Emma bit back a cry. He liked it when she
cried out. He laughed when she did. She refused to give him the
satisfaction. Her body jerked as she felt the slash of the whip
again. The pain was excruciating. She pulled further into herself
trying to escape it. If she could just lose consciousness maybe he
would quit. He didn’t like it when she fainted. He wanted her
awake. She felt herself being pushed aside as they reached for
Betsy. She lay on the cold stone floor trying to catch her breath
as her back burned.

Betsy’s high-pitched scream broke through
the haze surrounding her as she turned her head. The man had
handcuffed the other girl to the bars of their cell and was running
the tip of his knife along her shoulder across to her breast. Blood
followed the trail.

Emma forced herself up onto her hands and
knees. She bit her lip until she tasted blood but she refused to
just lay there while they tortured Betsy more. She ignored the man
with the cane. He was the one who ordered the man with the knife to
hurt them. He was the one who laughed as they cried, begged or
screamed. He was the monster.

If she could get the knife away from the
man, she could kill them both. She didn’t think of how impossible
an act that would be. She didn’t care if he used it on her. She was
ready for the pain to end. She and Betsy had been held for almost
three weeks. Three weeks of constant pain until they thought they
would go mad. Only the man would not let them. If it looked like
one of them would die, he would tell the man to leave them alone
until they healed a little. He had a young local girl come and
doctor their wounds, uncaring that the young girl was crying along
with them.

He had become livid when Betsy had told him
she would do anything he wanted. Anything… He had asked her if she
would do disgusting things to him, with him, to the other man.
Betsy had sworn she would. She would do it all, anything he wanted
if he would just not kill her.

Emma thought Cuello might actually agree to
Betsy’s suggestions. At least until he had shown her what was left
of his leg. Betsy had gasped and turned away in horror. That was
when Emma’s beating had ended and Betsy’s torture had begun.

Emma felt her body lurch toward the man with
the knife as he cut deeper into her friend. She managed to grab his
arm but Cuello swung his cane out, striking her on her shredded
back. She had cried out and released the man’s arm.

The huge man swung around, grabbing her by
the throat and slammed her head against the stone wall so hard she
immediately lost consciousness. When she finally came to it was to
find Betsy barely clinging to life as the man continued to cut her.
Blood soaked the floor around the tiny blonde’s limp body.

Emma released a terrified scream when a hand
grasped her shoulder. She didn’t think she just reacted. Her hand
came up, palm flat and stuck the vulnerable nose while her leg came
up and stuck out with every ounce of her strength. The sound of
bone breaking and the harsh curse as the body went flying backwards
woke her out of the paralyzed daze she was in.

Rolling, she was on her feet and running.
She jumped when a hand reached to grab her ankle and flew through
the door, hitting the wall on the other side of the corridor hard
before she turned. Her eyes were wild with terror and her only
thought was to find a place to hide where no one could find her.
Somewhere dark. She had to find a safe place.

A choked cry escaped her as she ran blindly
down the narrow corridor. She turned when she reached the end and
frantically searched for an opening. Spying a hatch, she pulled it
open and began half climbing, half sliding down the narrow rings
that made up a ladder. She jumped the last few feet and ran along a
narrow catwalk between long tubes and wiring. She turned at the end
and saw a small, shadowed area under a large tube. She scrambled
down off the catwalk and rolled under the tubing until she was in
the corner. Once there, she curled up as small as she could and
closed her eyes.

I’ll disappear. I’ll disappear where no
one will ever find me,
she thought desperately.

She pictured in her mind that she was
invisible and no one could see her hiding. A soft glow surrounded
her as she imagined herself hidden in the shadows. As the glow
intensified, her body began to shimmer and dissolve until there was
no sign that she was there. Soon, not even the glow was visible.
Emma had succeeded in disappearing.

Ha’ven cursed as he grabbed his bloody nose.
He rolled over and stumbled to his feet. Sending an impatient burst
of energy to his nose and bruised ribs, he strode out of the cabin
looking both ways.

He had been so focused on what Emma was
experiencing he didn’t think about the fact that she was locked in
her memories. It was the first time he had really seen a small part
of what she had suffered. Uncontrollable rage flared toward the
humans who had done this to his mate. His own power swelled as it
sought an outlet for the damage done. His eyes glowed with the
suppressed feelings of helplessness and a thirst for justice that
he would never be able to give. He knew from the brief
conversations that he had with Creon that the man who did this to
his mate was dead but there was no satisfaction in the
knowledge.

“Emma!” Ha’ven called out, waiting to see if
she responded. “Show me where my mate went,” he demanded when
nothing but the soft hum of the ship responded.

Ha’ven directed the swirling energy out from
him. It danced for a moment before twisting and curling in flowing
waves along the corridor. It paused for a moment at the end before
dipping and flowing down through the hatch. He hurried toward the
opening leading down to the engine room. He didn’t bother with the
rings. He simply dropped down through opening landing with a light
clang as his booted feet hit the metal catwalk. He sent out another
wave of energy. Thin red and gold strands burst out but it was the
black that worried him when it danced, growing larger, as it moved
down along the catwalk to the far end. Ha’ven moved cautiously down
the narrow metal walkway.

“Emma,
misha petite
,” he called out
softly. “It is just me, little one. Remember I promised not to hurt
you. I could never hurt you, little mate. Come out and let me help
you.”

Ha’ven cursed silently when nothing but
silence greeted him. He opened his mind as he followed the flow of
his energy. He paused at the end, frowning as the red and gold
bands shimmered back and forth before dissolving. It was as if it
were confused. He could sense Emma was near but he could not see
her.

Little one, you are safe. Come to me,
he called out silently.

Frustrated when he received no response, he
lifted his hand and concentrated. “Show me where my mate is,” he
commanded again.

Red and gold bands formed and spread out
only to dissolve as soon as it left the area around the catwalk.
Ha’ven frowned as he swept his gaze around the maze of tubes and
wires. He could see nothing but he knew she was near. He could feel
the faint, icy wall when he reached out to her. There was nowhere
else for her to hide and he knew she came down here.

Desperation swept through him as he felt a
sense of foreboding that she was fading further away from him. A
knowledge born of survival and instinct told him if he did not find
her soon he may never find her at all. Pulling on the dark energy
that threatened to overwhelm him, he opened his palm to a swirling
black mist.

“Show me my mate,” he commanded in a low
voice.

The black mist shot out from his palm and
flowed under the tubing to the corner. The moment it touched the
shadowed area, silver sparks flared as if a million tiny diamonds
had captured the light of the sun. A fragile shape formed in the
shimmering mist. Pale blue eyes slowly opened and lifted to gaze at
him with such deep sorrow that his heart broke for the tortured
soul looking back at him.

Ha’ven moved slowly. He knew instinctively
that if he were to move too quickly he could very well lose her
forever. She had moved herself to a plane of existence between two
worlds, neither here nor there.

“Emma,
misha petite,
” he said
soothingly as he knelt on the metal catwalk before carefully
climbing off it so he could get as close to her as possible. “You
are safe, sweetness. Nothing will harm you here. I will always
protect you.”

Emma shook her head furiously back and
forth. Her pale hair danced with sparkles as the energy that
composed her physical form danced between the realms. Her lips
parted as if she wanted to speak but nothing came out. The look in
her eyes still held the terror of her dream.

“Come to me,” Ha’ven whispered, holding out
his hand. “Touch me and let me protect you.”

“You… you can’t,” she finally whispered
back. “He’ll kill you just like he did my friends. He’ll hurt you
because of me. Please... I don’t want to hurt anymore.”

“He cannot touch you ever again,” Ha’ven
assured her. “He is dead. There is no way for him to ever harm you,
little one.”

Tears filled the pale blue eyes and coursed
in silvery trials down her cheek. He could tell she didn’t believe
him, trapped as she was in her memories. He felt the dark power
building in him begging for release. It was like a living thing
inside him, begging for a chance to avenge the wrong done to its
mate. It wanted to destroy the males who hurt her.

Ha’ven cursed under his breath when he saw
the hand he was holding out tremble and black tentacles swirl from
the tips of his fingers toward Emma. The thin strands greedily
reached out for her. He clenched his fist and started to pull it
away from her.

How can I help her when I cannot even
help myself?
He wondered in despair.

His eyes widened when he felt the tentative
touch against his fisted hand. The swirling black bands arced from
him to her, wrapping around her slender wrist and pulling her
closer. Concerned about her reaction to the dark power that
threatened to destroy him, his eyes swept over her face. Instead of
the fear that had been present only moments before, wonder and hope
fought to replace the fear and horror of her memories.

Her hand solidified as she slowly pulled his
fingers back so she could run her fingers up over his palm. Her
eyes remained focused on the black bands that shimmered and
glittered as she touched him. Her brow was creased, as if she was
trying hard to decipher a hidden message within the dark
strands.

“What is this?” She asked softly. “It feels…
warm.”

Ha’ven wrapped his fingers tightly around
hers. She was not out of danger yet. Only her hand and a small part
of her arm had returned. He tugged on her hand a little to see her
reaction. She allowed him to pull her closer to him. As she moved
out of the shadows a little more of her solidified. He ran his free
hand up her other arm as she placed it on the tubing separating
them. The moment he knew he had a good hold on her, he quickly
pulled her out of the shadows. Breathing out a sigh of relief, he
reached over the large tubing and lifted her over it and into his
arms.