Lawked Flame (26 page)

She blinked slowly, her eyes shining with
the light of hope. “A blood transfusion? You want to give her some
of my blood?” She leapt up and threw her arms around his neck,
kissing everywhere her mouth touched. “Yes, yes…take whatever you
need. Please…please just save my mom.” The last words ended on a
shaky sigh.

“You should’ve heard her, Khayden, she was
so happy about becoming a grandma. You should’ve seen how she lit
up making plans for the baby room and shopping. I need her. I can’t
really explain it, but I need my mama with me through this.” She
kissed his shoulder, nodded, and pushed back. “Okay, do what you
need to do.”

A featherlight sense of foreboding settled
on his shoulders, giving him pause. But his Kee stared up at him,
wide-eyed with trust, placing her, their son and her mother’s life
in his care. He inhaled deeply, knowing he had to try. Pushing
aside the quiet warning, he sent pulses of energy through her and
caught her limp body as she fell.

Chapter 19

Lorenzo paced around his small room
agitated. Something was terribly wrong with Mistress Kee. Wisps of
her discomfort trickled through his Lawkmerian bond, disturbing
him. But what really caused him to believe something bad had
happened was Clotho.

Thirty minutes ago, in the middle of a
sentence, in the middle of their meal, she had stiffened with a
slight frown. Her eyes widened as if she were surprised, and then
she disappeared. When he'd looked at Olga, intending to question
her, she shrugged it off and continued eating, obviously accustomed
to the strange comings and goings of the head Gramier.

But the frown on Clotho’s face bothered him.
That’s why he believed something had happened with Alayna. Clasping
his hands tight to keep them from rubbing the skin off his
forehead, he threw himself across his bed. Staring at the ceiling,
he tried to clear his mind. He needed to chill.

A grin tugged the corner of his mouth as he
remembered the incident when Alayna had first said that to him. She
had taken him to a place where people washed and combed hair.
Initially, he was uncomfortable with the idea of a stranger
touching his body, let alone his hair. Just as he started to make
an uncomplimentary remark and leave the large padded seat, Mistress
Kee had touched his arm, met his stare, and told him to chill. At
the time, he had no idea what she meant, but he realized she wanted
him to remain in position, and that was sufficient incentive for
him to sit back down. In the end it had all turned out well, she
was pleased and that mattered most.

In slow degrees, he released his jaw and let
out a long frustrated sigh. Why was he so uptight? If something bad
had happened to the Mistress, every Lawkmerian would feel it,
right? Someone would tell him. Only sometimes, he missed things.
But they all knew she'd chosen him as her friend. She said they
were friends, and friends looked out for each other.

Forcing himself to breathe, he decided
someone would definitely tell him if there was a problem with
Mistress Kee. Probably not the Master, that would be too much to
expect.

“Just stop it, you ass.” He froze as soon as
the words left his mouth, and looked around guiltily. No one is
here, you can say those things, the Mistress says them. Closing his
eyes, he threw his arm across his forehead. “You are being an ass.
No, you’re being an ass. Not really, because you’re the only ass in
here.” Laughing at his own inane comments, he finally realized
there was nothing he could do, no matter what was happening with
his Mistress, other than wait for news.

A knock on the door startled him to
silence.

“Lorenzo?”

He frowned, unwilling to believe the bearer
of that voice was at his door.

“Lorenzo?” The knocking continued.

He jumped up, afraid Olga would come to
investigate, but he could not make himself move.

Heart pounding, he wiped his palms on his
pant legs and inched slowly toward the door. Hand on the door knob,
he inhaled deeply, shook his hair from his face, and twisted it
open. His stomach dropped as he stared, his ability to speak
deserted him. Sure enough, Benicke stood in the hall, watching him
with a raised brow of uncertainty. Questions raced through his
mind.
What is going on? Why is Benicke here?

Confused, Lorenzo stepped forward to glance
down the hall. He saw no one else, and returned his gaze to the man
standing dangerously close. “Yes?” The hesitancy in his tone was
justified based on his last conversation with this man. Benicke was
the only person who could take him to new depths of low. A thought
flashed across his mind and he gasped. “It’s the Mistress!
Something has happened to Alayna.” He prepared his heart for the
worse.

Benicke frowned. “What? I dunna know aboot
Mistress Kee. What are ye saying?”

Tension eased from Lorenzo’s shoulders,
although he was still guarded. “Oh.” His brow rose expectantly.
Benicke had never sought him out in his room before, and he
wondered what new torture was in store for him now that he had.

Benicke’s eyes roamed over his face and
shoulders. Mercifully, they did not travel lower. “I hadda come see
yeh. I heerd ya was hurt in da battle.”

Forgetting his discomfort at being so close,
Lorenzo rolled his eyes as he opened the door wider and
straightened. “Do not talk in that manner around me. I know you can
talk a lot plainer, I would appreciate you doing so.” He turned and
walked back into his room, each step a chore as he prayed the big
man would follow him inside. Booted footfalls and the click of the
door had his heart soaring.
Yes! Finally
. He wiped the huge
grin from his face, afraid his guest would get the right idea at
the wrong time.

“You have changed, little one.” The deep
bass in Benicke’s voice sent pleasurable tingles through Lorenzo.
He closed his eyes, determined to hang onto every note as long as
possible.

Turning, he took in Benicke’s position near
the door. Judging the other man’s glare and body language, he was
not happy with what he deemed the new Lorenzo. Inwardly, he sighed
and tried to find a bright spot. At least the big guy was in a
closed room with him. That was progress, even if Benicke was still
the same. His earlier joy dimmed at that realization.

“Why do you say that?” Lorenzo crossed his
arms over his chest, bracing himself against the pain and
humiliation that always surfaced after his conversations with
Benicke.

“I do not know…Perhaps I have changed.”
Benicke's brows drew together in a thoughtful pose. “When I heerd.”
He coughed and looked away guiltily. “I meant heard, you were
attacked by the Geleet scum, it bothered me. Bothered me mightily
in here.” Benicke tapped his chest. “Why is that, do you
suppose?”

Warmth blossomed in Lorenzo’s body as he hid
a smug grin. Unrequited hope surged in his chest. There were many
ways to answer that question. He could have said the thought of a
fellow Lawke being hurt was because they were friends and friends
should care. Alayna'd made sure Lorenzo understood that. Or, he
could have said Benicke was a nice person and that was the reason
it bothered him. Or, he could have told his guest what was in his
heart. In the end, he said nothing. Instead of answering, he
shrugged, hoping against hope that the big man would finally come
to the same conclusion he had ten years past.

A look of frustration flashed across
Benicke’s face. “No comment, eh? Hmpf, you usually have so much to
say when you see me. Now you are mute.” He ran his hand through his
thick hair. Large knuckles flexed as he tugged a bunch of strands
and then patted it flat. Lorenzo wanted to yell his excitement.
This was better than the monthly
Jordan’s
men's sale.

Benicke was nervous. Of all the things
happening in the Harven, Lorenzo would never have suspected this
turn of events. For a moment he feared Benicke would not speak; he
had been silent for so long. Just as he was about to offer
refreshments, the big man looked up and pinned him with his
stare.

“This thing…this thing with the Master
finding his Kee, do ya think it has affected us all? I mean, is it
a light switch allowing one to see things he's never seen a’fore.
Lawkes looking at the same Kees different like. Makes no sense. We
have known these Kees for centuries an not felt this.” Benicke
sounded bitter and perplexed toward the end of his statement.

Flustered and confused, Lorenzo had no idea
how to respond. He knew what he felt in his heart, but there had
been no Lawke and Kee connections since they'd landed on this
planet. Now it seemed things were changing at a rapid pace. It was
about time. But one statement caught his attention over the others
and he required clarity. “Are you saying they did not know they
were matched?” Interest peaked, he leaned forward as his heart
picked up its pace. “How is that possible?” Although he had
suspected as much, it was better to hear confirmation from someone
else.

Benicke shook his head and dropped in the
one chair in the room. “I dunna know. Since Master Khayden
recognized his Kee, others have found theirs.” He looked up again,
and this time Benicke did not hide his thoughts. Blatant need and
desire filled his direct gaze, it sizzled in the room.

Lorenzo felt scorched by the heat and turned
away. His throat tightened, having seen that look before. It was on
Master Khayden’s face whenever he looked at Alayna. It screamed
“mine.” Dropping his eyes from the possessive force of that stare,
he sat on the side of the bed, taking a minute to regain his
composure. He had no idea how Alayna had survived such a predatory
look. It burned through all of his defenses and weakened him. His
skin itched with some sort of prickly heat.

Fighting the urge to fan his heated face,
which must be red, he placed his palms onto the cool bedspread for
a smidgeon of relief. “That is an interesting point. I will ask
Olga about it later.”

“Why?”

Lorenzo’s head snapped up. He had not
expected the question. Benicke sat back, placed his laced fingers
over his abdomen, and offered him a boyish grin. As adorable as it
appeared, he did not trust it. Over the years, he had thrown out
too many hints and come-ons in this man’s direction, only to suffer
rejection and abject humiliation. He planned to tread carefully.
“Why what?” His voice sounded steady, but it was the only steady
thing about him. A bout of nausea twisted in his stomach and his
heart pounded with such force, he was sure it would come through
his chest. He fought back the desire to place his hand over his
chest to keep the organ in place.

“I have told ya that Lawkes are claiming
their Kees. Many have known their Kees for centuries and overlooked
them. Do yeh not believe me?”

Trapped, Lorenzo had to answer in the
affirmative. To say anything else was a grave insult. “Yes I
believe you. But…why are you telling me this?” Feeling he was on
solid ground, he decided to make the man say it. That is what
Alayna would do, and she was a Master Kee.

Benicke’s eyes narrowed. His nostrils flared
slightly. “I dunna... I mean I did not know what have happened to
you. I am not sure I care for it.”

Not my problem.
Another saying and
attitude he'd received from Mistress Kee
.
Lorenzo shrugged.
“Okay.”

Benicke’s face reddened as Lorenzo silently
held his stare. Suddenly, the big man let loose a booming laugh.
“Ye know why I have told you this, but you would have your way and
I will indulge yeh.” He winked.

Lorenzo’s face burned, but he held his
course. This was too important to mess up with innuendos. He nodded
like a gracious host bestowing a favor to an ungracious guest.
“Thank you.”

Benicke laughed again, wiping a tear from
the corner of his eye. “I thought you a wee lamb, instead I find
meself with a feisty fox.”

He frowned at the comparison. “A fox? Why a
fox and not a wolf or a tiger?”

Benicke’s brow rose. “You will mate for life
as a wolf, eh? Yes. I like that. Tigers are loners, flighty in
their affections. I do not like that comparison. I have waited
centuries and will never share my Kee.” Steel underlay his softly
spoken declaration.

Words sprung forward and died before Lorenzo
could release them. For two centuries he had dreamt of the day his
Lawke would claim him. After attending so many Kee parties, with
dismal results, he had stopped wondering when his day would come.
And if this was the day, he wanted it done correctly.

“Speak plainly, Benicke.” He hadn’t meant to
snap, but he had waited too long to put two-and-two together. His
body vibrated as his skin heated.

Grinning, Benicke stood, moved to the bed
and sat next to him. Taking Lorenzo’s hand, the big man locked
gazes with him. “You are my Kee. I claim yeh as such.”

A fine tremor shot through Lorenzo as the
words washed over him. They were the opening sentence to an
unlocking. Despite hearing the words, he was still cautious.
“When…when did you know?” He could barely get the sentence out, his
voice was so shaky. But the answer was important to him. He needed
to be assured his Lawke had not fought their bond over the years
and finally relented only now that the call was too hard to
resist.

Benicke scratched his chin through his
trimmed beard. “I am not so sure.” He peered at Lorenzo. “When did
yeh know?”

Heat crawled up his face as embarrassment
swamped him. Swallowing around the lump in his throat, he coughed
trying to clear it, hoping to bring his voice under control. “When
you were hurt in the Minthian attack. I assisted Olga with your
healing.” Lorenzo spoke the words in a rush, hoping the other man
would not catch the significance of his words.

Eyes widening, Benicke leaned back. “Tha’
was ten years past.” His voice rose with a hint of disbelief.