Shades of Gray (67 page)

Her hands played over his body, sending thrills of the electricity through him.

It will be different this time
, he sent, remembering their last time together.
I’ve been altered
.
There’s no danger I could hurt you now.

She pulled him down on top of her, grasping his bare flesh with her hand.
Do it. If need be, Kaid can help.

He sensed Kaid then, at the edges of their minds, Leska Linked to Carrie, yet physically with T’Chebbi.

“Do you trust me?” he asked her, voice roughened by his need.

“With my life.”

He thrust forward, letting her guide him as he took her throat in his jaws. As her warmth closed tightly about him, and she began to moan with pleasure, he visualized the Link joining her to Kaid and took hold of it.

There was a flash of pain for them both and an echo of one from Kaid. Time slowed for him as the nature of their Link began to unfold in his mind’s eye. Hesitating for only a moment, he chose not to sever it but to alter it, creating new connections, one back to Kaid, the other to T’Chebbi as he released Carrie’s throat.

He felt Kaid’s shock as they began to Leska Link; then he was pulled abruptly back to the here and now as Carrie began to move beneath him and rub her palms against his nipples.

Groaning, he reached for her mind as his body surged forward again into hers. The contact was instant and almost overwhelming as images of their time apart flickered through their conjoined minds, but neither was in a state to make sense of it right now.

Their lovemaking was fierce as their bodies and minds intertwined into a completeness they had never quite experienced before, and always, not far from them, they felt Kaid and T’Chebbi undergo their first Link.

Sensations resonated between him and Carrie, taking them higher and higher until, as one, they climaxed, and Kusac let out a roar full of overtones of possession.

Exhausted, they collapsed beside each other, bodies still joined. When he caught his breath, Kusac reached out to open the seal of her tunic and pushing it aside, slowly cupped one breast and began to lick and suckle on it.

I never stopped loving you, cub,
he sent.

You nearly died on
Kij’ik
!
she sent, horrified at the knowledge.

Kaid broke into their thoughts.
What the hell did you do?
he demanded.

We’ll need to talk about this!
sent Kaid.

Go make love to your Leska, Kaid, and leave us to do the same,
sent Kusac, his tone laughing but firm as he cut the connection to them and began to nibble on Carrie’s breast, eliciting little Sholan noises of delight from her.

Annuur, Naacha, and Giyarishis made their way to the TeLaxaudin quarters in the Palace.

“Announce us,” said Annuur as they reached the door, and he rose up on his haunches to open it.

Naacha sent a brief message to the TeLaxaudin inside.

“Intruding like this is unacceptable,” said Shoawomiss as they entered without waiting for permission.

“You will transport the three of us,” said Annuur, “to your home world. I need to talk to Unity.”

“Can be done from here now Unity been reconnected,” objected Ayziss. “What so urgent?”

“Send us now,” Annuur commanded as he and Naacha rose to their full height. “Matter concerns you not.”

“Wasteful of translocator and energy,” hummed Shoawomiss, signaling Ayziss to get a unit.

“Follow orders!” snarled Naacha. “You are nothing! You address a Phratry Lord of the Camarilla!”

Ayziss scuttled back with a small handheld unit for them.

“You will do nothing until I return and give you fresh orders in person,” said Annuur as Naacha grasped the reluctant Giyarishis and drew him close between them.

“As the Phratry Lord commands,” said Shoawomiss, bowing.

Annuur selected a landing site in the gardens outside the Council chamber then activated the device.

Their surroundings shimmered slightly, there was a wrenching sensation then they were on Ghioass.

Immediately, Unity welcomed them and asked them their pleasure.

Conceal us
, sent Annuur,
and send a private message to Khassis that I must meet secretly with her on a matter of great importance.

Meet me at Kuvaa’s home,
came the almost instant reply.

 

Kuvaa was already there and expecting them as they got out of the aircar and scuttled under cover from the rain. “Privacy net is active here,” she said, gesturing them into the cool plant-lined interior. “Suitable food and drink is on the table for you.”

Annuur stopped her as she trotted past. “So you have earned your first tattoos. Well done, child. We need more bold young people like you on the Council and fewer ancient bundles of bones and sticks who forever mumble,
Isolate us
!”

Kuvaa’s nose and ears twitched in amusement and modest acceptance of the compliment.

They settled themselves around the low table, sampling the delicacies Kuvaa had laid out for them and listening to the heavy rain shower. It wasn’t long before Khassis and Azwokkus arrived, both swathed in waterproof wraps.

“We are private in here?” asked Azwokkus as Kuvaa leaped up to help them out of their wet ponchos.

“Completely,” said Khassis, joining them at the table. “I had Kuvaa’s home upgraded as soon as she joined us as a Senior.”

“Good. There is treason in Unity.”

“Impossible,” said Khassis.

“Giyarishis is the proof,” said Annuur. “I brought him because he was given instructions, by Kuvaa, contrary to those of the Camarilla.” He held up his hoofed hand to forestall the young female. “It wasn’t her because that Kuvaa had no tattoos, and our Kuvaa had been given them that night.”

“Is this true?” demanded Khassis, eyes whirling as the lenses focused on Giyarishis.

“Yes, Skepp Lady,” he said, clasping his hands and bowing low. “Phratry Leader Kuvaa would have had her tattoos by the time I was contacted.”

Shvosi tap-tapped the hooves of one hand on the table, wrinkling her nose.

“What were you ordered to do?”

“To force the Hunter into a mental Link with the Sand-dweller female, and to make the Hunter allow the new Prime Emperor to die when he was wounded.”

“You swear this is true?” asked Khassis.

“I would not lie to my superiors,” said Giyarishis stiffly, “and least of all to an Elder, Skepp Lady. I didn’t try hard to prevent him healing King Zsurtul,” he admitted, head bowed.

Khassis’ mandibles twitched in acceptance, and she waved a hand at Kuvaa.

“Thank you for having the courage to speak out, Giyarishis. It shall not be forgotten. We will give you fresh orders shortly. Send him back to his quarters on the Sand-dweller world.”

“This is unprecedented,” said Shvosi when they were alone.

“Not exactly,” said Annuur. “Are we not guiding the Hunter our way rather than that of the Camarilla?”

“That’s different,” she said, her humming growing deeper. “The Isolationists set up the last vote; it was not a fair one. Their policy of destroying the M’zullians is not why we were formed. Another solution must be found.”

“There has been other interference with the Hunter,” said Shvosi. “We all know of times he is invisible and unreachable to us, even using Unity. Right now he is beyond us, somewhere on the Sand-dweller world, outside the City of Light.”

“I have another matter of treason to bring before you,” said Kuvaa. “You know I made security of Unity my study. I have discovered that the Hunter Entity has been taken again by the Isolationists—without Camarilla approval.”

“Their perfidy knows no bounds,” hummed Khassis, mandibles twitching angrily. “Why do they do this? Only trouble it will cause!”

“This is bad, very bad,” said Annuur, head sinking down to his paws. “Sense of family among Hunters is as strong as ours. They will stop at nothing to find him.”

“He was taken early this month. Nothing has been done yet that I can sense in the potentialities to find him. In fact, he does not show in them at all.”

“Only matter of time,” said Shvosi. “Many followers he has on Sand-dweller world now.”

“Hunter also remembers much,” said Kuvaa. “Frequently we have to erase his and the Sand-dweller female’s memories. Now with Entity here ...”

“Hunter was left alone in the interior with his mate on their Linking Day,” said Annuur.

“Are Leskas again,” said Naacha. “Re-formed his Link. Made them four now, not three.”

“One day, he will come here,” said Shvosi, “and demand answers, and it may be the end of us all. Their Entity and Hunter will both demand reparation.”

“We need to purge the Camarilla before that happens,” said Khassis, clasping her hands in determination. “We will have to be prepare our defense.”

“There is no defense against this Hunter,” said Naacha. “Truth, and providing them the guilty, is all we can do.”

Annuur lifted his head. “We must have our suspects watched by Unity’s security program, then take steps to isolate them from decision-making so they remain unaware they are exposed. Then we can hand them to the Hunter for justice.”

Khassis shuddered at the thought. “I fear you’re right. Their behavior cannot be justified. What of the Entity in captivity? Do we do release him?”

“No,” said Shvosi.

“Yes,” said Naacha, drawing all eyes to him. “I sense another, far more powerful Entity on the Sand-dweller world. She belongs on the Hunter world
and
the Sand-dwellers’—they are Universal. Land flourishes for the first time in a millennium and a half through her influence. The stronger she becomes, the sooner she will challenge us for his return. Best we free him now—with certain memories erased. Our Hunter needs all the aid he can get to defeat the warrior Sand-dwellers. Already I feel his strength growing now his Link is re-formed.”

Annuur looked at Naacha in surprise. It was unusual for his telepath to talk at such length. “Hunter is less unstable,” he agreed. “Isolationists assume much when they assume this Entity is representative. No powers like the Earth one does he show, yet he has his place in aiding his people.”

“So be it,” said Khassis, reaching for a device on her belt. “Unity, your central core is summoned to a secret conclave dealing with treason.”

They all felt the presence that was Unity change subtly before binding their minds together and creating a zone of utter privacy around them.

Khassis hummed a sequence of words.

Khassis outlined the problem.“Track every Camarilla member and log any suspicious behavior. For suspects, the rule of privacy is negated—monitor them at all times. Update us daily and immediately if someone other than the real Kuvaa should contact Giyarishis or any of those on the Sand-dwellers’ world. And cut that connection immediately,” she added.

Your will shall be done,
sent Unity.

“Arrange for the captive Entity to have his memories of us erased, then find a plausible way for him to escape us as soon as possible. I suspect the guilty ones are the leading cadre of Isolationists, but there may be others. Do you know where he is being held, Kuvaa, since Unity does not?”