Vykor Page 3

  “Then you better put my hood back on. No sense antagonizing them.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t want to. I want them to cut you loose, so you can be comfortable.”

  “They despise me. They’re not going to care if I’m comfortable or not. Put the hood back on, Lily. They’ll know you took it off, and I don’t want you to be punished for your kindness.”

  “I hate this.” Lily’s expression was stormy, but she placed the hood over his head. Her fingers caressed the side of his neck, and the simple contact sent a flood of heat coursing through him.

  He heard her move away and resented the need for her to leave him. The distance between them was necessary for her safety, though. Whatever happened, he would do all he could to protect her. He might not have a dragon’s spirit, but he’d spent his entire life defending himself without the benefit of magic. He would keep Lily safe. No matter what the cost.

  Chapter Three

  Putting the hood back on Vykor felt like a betrayal, but she did it. Not because she was afraid of the price she might pay for disobeying their captors’ instructions, but because they were more likely to take out their anger on Vykor. He represented everything the Humanity First movement hated. She couldn’t let that happen.

  She knew what it was like to be a target of hate. She’d survived a childhood full of abuse, pain, and fear. If she could prevent them from going after Vykor, she would.

  Heavy footsteps approached their cell. A lot of footsteps. She hadn’t had time to do a headcount of the group coming their way, but it had to be at least six by the sound they made. She winced. The bigger the group, the uglier this confrontation could get.

  She took a seat on the edge of the bunk, painfully aware of the cold that seeped up from the metal, through her skirt and the pitifully thin bit of padding that functioned as a mattress. When the footsteps stopped, she kept her head down, softening her body language as much as she could. Megan had told them often enough that if they were ever kidnapped, it was important not to be seen as a problem. Stay quiet. Make them see you as people, not bargaining chips, and don’t rock the boat.

  “You don’t look happy to see me, Little Lil. Why is that?”

  No-no-no-no.

  “Johnny?”

  Her half-brother smirked at her and gave a wave of his fingers. “Hey, little sister.”

  “Half-sister.” She had to force out the words past the iron bands of dread that locked around her chest. What the hell was he doing here?

  John laughed and stepped back while two other men unlocked the gate and wrestled it along its track. Once there was room, he strolled inside with his usual swagger. His dishwater-blond hair was longer, his frame stockier. He had the body of a grown man and not the youth he’d been the last time she’d seen him, more than fifteen years ago. He’d only been seventeen the day he was found guilty of murdering their father.

  He looked harder now. Crueller, if that was possible. He stuck a hand into the pocket of his stained and well-worn jeans, his eyes gleaming with malice. “I wanted to see you and say thanks for all your help, Lily. You really came through for us.”

  Just like when they were kids. He was always blaming her for things he’d done. Twisting the truth to suit him, making sure that everyone thought the best of him and the worst of her.

  She sank into a swamp of futility, pulled down by the past until she thought she might drown in it. The fear. The pain. The constant need to guard every word and action. She didn’t want to go back there. Didn’t want to be that person.

  Nothing Megan had taught her applied to their current situation. John wasn’t some faceless captor in a foreign country. He was family, and nothing she did would ever make him see her as a person. He wasn’t capable of that kind of empathy.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, forcing as much steel into her tone as she could manage. “If I were working with you, I’d hardly be in a cell right now, would I?”

  John tut-tutted. “After what you did to me? I’ve got trust issues, little sister. Can you blame me for taking precautions?”

  His men crowded behind him, and she could see the way their eyes gleamed with bloodlust and anticipation. One of them walked behind Vykor. She recognized him as the same man who’d cut her bonds earlier. When John nodded, the big man tore off the hood.

  Vykor looked around as if dazed. “Who are you? Why are we here?”

  John nodded again, and the man behind Vykor struck him sharply across the back of his head. When he raised his hand again, she saw he was wearing brass knuckles. Crap.

  “Don’t speak unless spoken to. Do you understand?” John’s voice was smug.

  Vykor nodded once.

  “Good.” Then John turned his attention back to Lily. “Like I was saying, I wanted to thank you.” He held up a hand. Dangling from it was a necklace and pendant she recognized immediately. It was Hanna’s. Even from here, she could tell the clasp was broken and the setting empty. The gem holding the tracker was gone. “We would have never known about the tracking device if you hadn’t told us about it. All your updates were greatly appreciated, too. The entire movement owes you our thanks.”

  She balled her fists at her sides and got to her feet, determined to stand up to him for once. “You bastard! I would never help you do something like this!”

  John crossed the cell and backhanded her so hard she staggered, filling her vision with dancing lights that made it impossible to see. She’d been stupid to defy him, even if it had distracted them from Vykor.

  “Don’t you touch her!” Vykor bellowed.

  There was a crack, a meaty thud, and all hell broke loose. Someone slammed into her, knocking her into a wall. By the time her vision cleared, all she could see was a dogpile of John’s men struggling to restrain Vykor. He’d managed to break one of the chair’s arms off and was using it as a club against his captors.

  “Stop it!” She threw herself into the fray, trying to shield him with her body.

  There was a curse, someone grabbed her jacket and hauled her back. She kept fighting blindly, but whoever held her was too damned strong.

  “Enough,” John hissed, pulling her in front of him before twisting her right arm behind her back. He held it just short of the breaking point, and she went utterly still.

  “Haven’t forgotten everything Dad taught us, then. Good.”

  She was panting and it took a moment for her to find breath enough to speak. “Make them stop. Please make them stop hurting him.”

  “Not yet. My boys have some anger to work off.”

  She swallowed hard. “He’s no good to you dead. You’ve been planning this for months, considering every detail. I know how you think. We’re not already dead, so you’ve got plans for us.”

  “True. The extra alien was a surprise, but I can use him.” He tightened his grip on her arm and pain shot through her. “And you.”

  Once she’d sworn she’d never let anyone have power over her again. It had been easy to make that promise when she felt safe, but she wasn’t safe anymore. They were in trouble, and she only knew one way to get them out. She hung her head in defeat. “If you stop your men right now, I’ll cooperate. Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do.”

  “You were going to do it anyway, but convincing you would take time I really don’t have right now.” He grunted. “Don’t test me, Lily. You step out of line, there will be hell to pay.”

  “I know.” She did know. All too well.

  John’s grip loosened and he raised his voice so the others could hear. “That’s enough, men. We need it alive, for now.”

  There were muttered complaints and a few more blows landed before the others stepped back from Vykor. She expected to see him slumped in the chair, beaten half to death. She was stunned to see that wasn’t the case. His face was bloodied and bruised, but nowhere near as bad as she expected. He sat defiantly in the chair, his gaze locked on John, and there was fury in his eyes.

  He swiped the bl
ood from his mouth with his free hand, bared his fangs, and uttered three terse words. “Let. Her. Go.”

  There were a dozen important things she should have been thinking about. The pain in her arm, the dangerous men crammed into the cell with them, or the fact her asshole half-sibling had somehow become the leader of a terrorist group and used her to ferret out information about her and her friends, but all she could do was stare in fascination at Vykor.

  He had fangs. Fangs. That should not be getting her hot and bothered, but it was. She had to be losing her mind. He was sexy as hell, and after the beating he’d just taken, he was worried about her.

  “You are in no position to make demands, freak,” John’s voice was as cold as a Winnipeg winter.

  Aware that things could spiral out of control any second, she flashed the Romaki a weak smile. “I’m okay. Are you?”

  Several of the men glowered at her, and there were angry mutters from all through the group.

  “Alien lover.”

  “Bitch needs a night with a real man.”

  “Traitor.”

  “She needs to learn her place.”

  John snarled at his men. “Cool it. She’s my blood, which means she’s my responsibility. I’ll deal with her. Anyone touches her, they answer to me. Got it?”

  The mutters stopped.

  “Good. All of you, out. I need a minute alone with my sister.”

  The men trooped out in silence, though they shot a few nasty looks her way as they left. Typical. John was back in her life for five minutes and he was already turning everyone against her.

  He released her arm and shoved her away from him. “You like that thing so much? Maybe I should cut it loose so you two can talk. I’m sure it’s got a lot of questions for you, Lil. How nice do you think that thing will be now it knows what you did?”

  “He’s not a thing.” She managed to stop before she said anything more. If she angered him again, he’d only hurt them. If she stayed quiet, maybe he’d go away. Then she could talk to Vykor – if he still wanted to talk to her now he’d heard what John had to say.

  Vykor ached from the beating, but the thing that hurt the most was seeing the look of defeat and doubt in Lily’s eyes.

  “He’s your brother?” he asked her.

  “Half,” she said, not meeting his gaze.

  “And you helped him with all of this?”

  She raised her head just enough to meet his gaze, then shook her head the slightest bit. “No.”

  “Okay then.” He gave her a small smile that made his split lip start bleeding again, then looked at the male she’d called Johnny. “She answered my questions, and I’ve decided I still like her more than you.”

  The male sneered. “You aliens really are stupid. She’s a fucking scorpion. The only thing you can trust her to do is betray you.”

  The arrogant male walked toward the door, then paused and looked back at Lily. “I thought maybe you’d be smarter this time. That you’d choose to stand with your family for once. I should have known better. Since you’ve made your choice, I’ve made mine. Whatever happens to the alien, happens to you.” He paused and his smile twisting into something truly vicious. “And whatever happens to me, happens to both of you. So, you better hope that I get what I want out of this deal.”

  “What deal? I don’t even know what you’ve got planned,” she said, her voice still barely louder than a whisper.

  “I’m doing a prisoner exchange with your friends tomorrow morning. If anything goes wrong, you’re the ones I’m going to make an example of. You’re my insurance policy, little sister. For your sake, you should hope things go smoothly tomorrow.”

  He stalked out of the cell and two men hurried to slide the heavy gate closed behind him.

  “He is such an asshole,” Lily muttered, her voice tired and full of bitterness.

  “Agreed. You sure you’re related?” He’d always wanted siblings and a family, but seeing a glimpse into Lily’s had him wondering if maybe he’d been better off alone.

  She snorted. “We both got our father’s eyes. He got all the asshole genes, though.”

  “He hurt you.” Somehow, he’d make John pay for that.

  “They hurt you, too. I’m so sorry. They have Hanna’s tracker. They knew about our meeting. I don’t know how, but this is all my fault. You must hate me.” Tears gleamed in her eyes and she dashed them away with an angry swipe of her hand.

  “I don’t hate you.” He nodded to her wrist. “If you were with them, they’d have taken your bracelet, too. And this cell was clearly intended for you. You’re just as much a victim as the rest of us.”

  Hope flared in her eyes. “Are you always this logical?”

  He cracked a smile as she asked him the same question he’d asked her earlier. “I’m a researcher. Thinking things through is an important part of the job.” He shrugged one shoulder, trying to sound casual as he added a more personal confession. “I was always angry as a child. I resented my differences, the way I was treated. It was…disruptive. The priests taught me how to control my emotions and be more logical. I suspect they did it as much for themselves as for me. Angry children are noisy. Calm ones are not.”

  “I learned the same lessons, but for different reasons. Getting emotional made it too easy to react the wrong way, to make a mistake.”

  They really had a lot in common. It surprised him. “I heard your voice when you recognized your brother. You were shocked to see him. Logically, that meant you had no idea he was involved.”

  She heaved a sigh and nodded, finally relaxing a little. “I’m glad you saw through his lies. Most people don’t.” Then she cocked her head again and gifted him with a small but genuine smile. “But you’re not like anyone else I’ve ever met.”

  “There’s no one else like me in the whole galaxy.” He reached out to her with his freed hand. “And I’ve never met anyone like you, either. You fought for me. Got hurt for me. No one’s ever done that before.”

  She crossed the short distance between them and took his hand in hers, trying to loosen the knots that still held the arm of the chair to his forearm. “I’m used to getting hurt. Growing up, it was a daily occurrence.”

  He grasped her hand and held it tightly as a strange feeling of rightness thrummed through him. “Me, too.”

  Her eyes widened and she stared at their joined hands with surprise tinged with dismay. “What are you doing? I need to get these ropes off and get a look at your injuries. They hit you a lot, and at one of them was using knuckle dusters. You might have a concussion.”

  “I’ll heal. I might not have a dragon’s spirit, but I’m still Romaki. I heal quickly, and none of them did any lasting injury to me. As for what I’m doing, I’m not really sure.”

  He drew her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers gently. She was trembling, and he wished he could draw her in close and offer her real comfort instead of this simple caress. He wanted her in his arms where he could keep her safe. She was too precious to allow anyone to hurt her again.

  Only she wasn’t his to protect. She wasn’t his at all. He was acting like a rux-struck male and – Frost and flame.

  He inhaled sharply, letting her scent fill his lungs. She smelled divine. Like a perfect blend of all his favourite things. Need ran through his veins like a drug. She was his. He knew it. But she couldn’t be. He didn’t have a dragon’s spirit, so this couldn’t be happening. Not to him.

  “Why are you sniffing me?” Lily interrupted his racing thoughts, tugging at her hand until he grudgingly released it.

  “Sorry. I just… There’s something going on here I don’t understand.”

  She cradled the hand he’d kissed in her other hand, holding it close to her body. “That makes two of us.”

  He shook his head to clear it, then raised his gaze to hers, doing his best to bank the flames of lust that threatened to consume him. She’d never untie him if he didn’t get himself under control. “I apologize. I shouldn’t have touched
you without your permission. If I promise not to do it again, will you help me get out of this chair?”

  Lily gave him an odd look, then muttered. “Don’t go making promises I might not want you to keep.” Then her eyes widened. “Oh god! Please, forget I said that. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  Vykor suspected he knew what was wrong with both of them, but he wasn’t ready to say it out loud. Not until he was certain, and maybe not even then. Timing was everything, and this just didn’t seem like a good time to mention that on top of being involved in a motor vehicle accident, a kidnapping, and an unpleasant family reunion, they might actually, somehow, be destined to be together forever.

  His brain might be addled by the beginnings of the Romaki mating fever known as the rux, but he wasn’t so far gone he thought Lily would take that news well. First, he needed to be sure what was happening. Then he’d find a way to tell her – somehow.

  It didn’t take long to get the ropes undone, and Vykor rose from the battered chair to stretch his bruised body. His head still ached from the blows he’d taken and his body was a mass of bruises, but nothing was broken or even strained. By morning he’d be fully healed.

  Lily seemed okay, too. Her heavy jacket had likely cushioned some of the hits she’d taken, but she was favouring one arm. The one John had twisted behind her back.

  “How’s the arm?” he asked as he paced the length of their cell, checking out the gate with each pass he made. He couldn’t see much, but after a few circuits he’d spotted the guards, the other shipping container, and the general layout of the building they were in. At least, what he could see if it.

  “It’s sore now and it’ll be stiff tomorrow, but nothing’s broken.” She rolled her shoulder gingerly and winced. “I’d forgotten how much that hurt.”

  “Let me take a look at that.” He had no formal medical training, but a lifetime of beatings had motivated him to find ways to help himself heal faster. One of the archivists he studied with had pointed him to writings on the ancient arts of energy healing, and he’d learned all he could. Some of them were known on Earth, too. He’d been trying to determine if they’d been brought by the Romaki visitors in the past or been discovered independently.