Divided: Brides of the Kindred 10 (10 page)

“Fine,” she managed to whisper. “Just…worn
out. That was…it was so intense. Hard…hard to get over.”

“All right. If you’re sure you’re okay.”

Lying down beside her, he curled his much
larger frame around her smaller one and threw a protective arm over her side.

Maggie sighed contentedly and snuggled
back against him. She loved it when they spooned—it made her feel completely
surrounded and so safe. So—

Just then a clanging sound above their
heads made her look up.

“What was that?”

Kor frowned, instantly alert. “I don’t
know.”

The clanging came again—closer this time.

“What in the world?” Maggie frowned. “It
almost sounds like someone’s crawling around in the ceiling. But is that even
possible?”

“I guess it could be some kind of
maintenance check on the Unmated Males section—they’re right beside us.” Kor
still looked troubled.

“But it’s way past midnight—why would they
do it now?” Maggie had a sudden thought. “Do you think it could have anything
to do with the guards they have posted outside the Unmated Males area? I
wondered about that. Why do they need them?”

“I don’t know.” There was a banging above
their heads again and Kor got up and reached for his black leather trousers.
“But I’m going to go check it out.”

Suddenly Maggie had a bad feeling. She sat
up and reached for his arm.

“Kor, wait—don’t go.”

“Why not?” He was already shrugging into a
shirt. “I’m just going to have a quick look. I’ll be right back, sweetheart.”

“But…” Maggie put a hand to her throat.

“It’s probably nothing,” he reassured her.
“A maintenance crew banging around up there or something. No big deal.”

“I…I guess so.” Maggie couldn’t shake the
feeling that there was something bad—really bad—going on. But she couldn’t
justify her feelings in any way.
I’m just being silly,
she told herself
uneasily.
Kor’s right—it probably is just a maintenance crew.

“It’s going to be fine. I’ll be right
back.” He bent to give her a swift kiss on the lips and left.

Maggie stayed on the bed, drawing the
covers around her and trying to tell herself that everything was fine. Just
fine.

But she couldn’t stop feeling that
something was terribly, terribly
wrong.

Chapter
Twelve

“Sorry but you can’t access these vents.
No admittance by order of Commander Sylvan himself,” said the bored looking
guard, who appeared to be a Beast Kindred. He was standing in the small vent
access room, nearly taking up the entire space with his bulky frame.

“But I’m here on official business. I’m
supposed to clean all the ventilation ducts in the Unmated Males section. I’ve
already done vents one and two. This is the last one,” Donald protested,
glaring up at the huge Kindred who towered above him, flaunting his vast
super-human height and size. Why did all of these bastards have to be so tall?

Never mind,
whispered the dark
voice
.
We can cut him down to size. This is the last vent to seed.

I know that,
Donald muttered mentally.
I already seeded the first
two—remember?

Yes and you have done well, Donald. You
must, however, handle this one alone. I must find a host worthy of my glory—one
who is strong enough to support my vast power.

But what about the promises you made? What
about Maggie and that Neanderthal, Kor?

Worry not. They will find you. In fact,
Kor is seeking you even now.
There was dreadful humor in the dark voice’s mental tone.
Hurry—the next blast of air will be circulating soon and the dust must be
in place when it does. All the warriors must be infected at once!

They will be!
Donald promised and then he felt the dark presence which
had been his constant companion for days suddenly leave. For a moment he felt
small and very, very alone. Then he squared his shoulders and looked up at the
Kindred warrior blocking his way. It didn’t matter if the dark voice had gone
for a minute—he, Donald K. Mahoney PhD could handle things on his own.

“Step aside and let me access that vent,”
he demanded, making his voice as deep and commanding as possible.

“Sorry but Commander Sylvan gave very
specific instructions.” The Beast Kindred still blocked the access way to the
last and most extensive vents with his broad shoulders. Up until now he had
appeared half asleep but now his golden eyes widened as he took in Donald’s
ragged appearance more completely. “Gods, man—you’d don’t look good at all. Is
this a normal state for a human male?”

Donald looked down at himself—his ruined
clothes, his dirty, torn shoes, his one-armed lab coat which was more black
than white, and most of all, his rotted arm with its bits of grayish flesh
falling off. He cackled shrilly.

“Oh, I’m fine, my good sir. Don’t worry
about me. It’s
you
that you ought to be worried about.”

The Beast Kindred frowned. “What do you
mean?”

“This.” Quick as a wink, Donald reached
into his sack and withdrew a handful of fine black powder. Standing on tiptoes,
he puffed hard, blowing the swirling mass of shadow dust straight into the big
warrior’s face.

The Beast Kindred coughed and choked, his
face going dark red.

“What in the Seven Hells?” he growled,
giving Donald a very unfriendly look. “Why the fuck did you do that?”

Donald smiled. “You’ll see my friend.”

“You—” Suddenly the Beast Kindred’s face
changed. His features began to contort and shift, melting and reforming almost
like candle wax. The change only took a second to complete. When it was done,
though his bone structure and features were essentially the same, it was clear
there was another being looking out from the Kindred’s golden eyes.

Donald grinned even wider. “There now.
Feeling better?”

An answering grin overspread the face of
the former Beast Kindred. An expression of unspeakable evil.

“I feel.”
The deep, grating
voice issuing from the warrior was too deep and distorted even for his huge
frame.
“I breathe.”
The vast chest inhaled deeply.
“I
live!”

“Good,” Donald snapped. “Now take the mesh
off the vent intake.” He nodded approvingly as the guard did as he said.

“And now?”
it asked, straightening up again after leaning the two
foot by three foot metal mesh against the wall.

“Now guard this vent while I seed it. I
must not be interrupted until all the dust has been distributed. Once it is, go
and wake the other sleeping males—but
not
until each has been inhabited
by one of your brothers.” He had given similar orders, relayed to him by the
dark voice, to the other two guards he had “converted” at vents one and two.

The former Kindred inclined his shaggy
head.

“To hear is to obey. But how will I know
if they have been indwelled? I find I cannot hear the voices of my brethren in
this body.”
He frowned.
“It
is most…disturbing.”

“There is not visible outward sign—except
for the eyes.”

“Indeed.” The former Kindred warrior’s
golden eyes flashed red, then he hesitated. “But if they are sleeping and their
eyes are closed…”

Donald frowned. “I thought all demons were
maniacal masterminds. But you’re not going to be earning a genius grant any
time soon, are you, my friend?”

The former Kindred frowned
. “Are you
insulting me, puny human? You are but a tool of Ur, he that leads us, you know.”

“Yes, yes…” Donald waved his rotting arm
airily and a few more bits of flesh dropped off with sick
plopping
sounds.
“I’m
a tool,
you’re
a tool—in fact, you’re the biggest tool I’ve
ever seen.” He snickered. “As to how you will tell if they are indwelled, you
don’t have to
see
it happen. Just one deep breath of the dust is all it
takes to open a pathway in an unmated male. Give the dust a chance to fill the
air in the third part of the area and all will be well.”

“Understood.” The shaggy head nodded
again.

“But…” Donald put up one finger.
One
rotten
finger,
whispered a little voice in his head and for some reason this, as
well as the sight of his own skeletal and blackened finger, made him giggle
again.

“Yes?”
The demon housed within the Beast Kindred’s body sounded
impatient.

“Remember, the dust will only work on
unmated
males. If you see a male without red eyes wandering around in the dust, one
who is clearly not indwelled, do not hesitate to kill him. If he is mated, his
mind will be shielded against your kind. We cannot risk anyone sounding the
alarm before all the unmated are indwelled. Understand?”

“Yes,”
the demon growled.

“Good. Then I must—”

“Step away from the fucking vent!”

The new voice was deep and also familiar.
Donald felt a tingle of anticipation as he turned to face Maggie’s new
paramour.

* * * * *

“Well, well, if it isn’t the Neanderthal
that walks like a man. How are you, Kor?”

“Better than you’re about to be,” Kor
growled. His eyes flicked over the human scientist who looked really fucking
awful.
Not surprising if he’d been keeping company with the demon Ur.

“Oh, I don’t think so.” Donald smiled,
showing a mouthful of gray teeth. Kor frowned. Gods, had the corruption spread
everywhere throughout him? The sight of Donald rotting from the inside out
turned his stomach but at the same time, he felt pity creeping through him as
well. This poor bastard was done for and he didn’t even seem to know it.

“Put down that sack,” he said, motioning
to the bag slung over the human’s scrawny shoulder. “What is it full of anyway?
Shadow stone?” That had to be it, if what he’d heard while listening outside
the small room was true. Had Donald truly gone to the Black Planet and brought
back the evil substance along with a host of demons to inhabit the unmated
Kindred? Kor was very much afraid that he had.

“Very apt.” Donald nodded thoughtfully.
“One might almost be tempted to think there was a brain in that thick skulled
head of yours after all.” He nodded at the Beast Kindred beside him. “What are
you waiting for? I thought I told you to kill all mated Kindred on sight?”

The Beast Kindred looked confused.

“But his eyes…”

The inhumanly deep and resonant sound of
his voice as well as the flash of red in his golden eyes let Kor know what was
happening. The Beast Kindred had been indwelled—thankfully not with the sharpest
of demons, apparently, because the thing was just standing there staring at
him.

He let his own eyes get red and hot,
feeling their heat as he allowed his power to come to the surface as he hadn’t
since he expelled Ur.

“That’s right,” he growled. “I may have
cast out Ur—the
demon who rode me—but I retained my powers. They’re a birthright. One I choose
not to use anymore—unless I have no other choice.”

“But…”
The Beast Kindred demon looked more confused than ever.
“You
are the one who cast Ur
out?”

“I am.” With a sudden lunge, Kor struck,
snatching the blaster from the Beast Kindred’s belt. A quick glance showed it
was on stun setting. “Sorry about this, Brother,” he rumbled and shot the other
male in the chest.

With a low groan, the Beast Kindred went
to his knees and then slumped to one side in front of the vent intake. Without
his shoulders in the way, the opening seemed to yawn like a hungry mouth,
waiting to be fed.

Donald hissed in annoyance and Kor gave a
sigh of relief. He hadn’t been at all sure that the blaster would work on the
possessed male. When he himself had been indwelled by Ur, his physical body had become invulnerable
to almost any kind of attack. However, Ur
was an exceptionally strong and smart demon, who had been able to extend his
power outward to ward Kor’s physical body, which he had been wearing as a skin
suit at the time. Luckily, the demon who had taken over this particular Beast
Kindred appeared to be neither very strong or very intelligent.

He was still a threat, however, for he was
still inside his host. Kor knew that just because the body had been knocked
out, didn’t mean the demon was gone. On the contrary, the moment the physical
form of the big Kindred regained consciousness, the demon would come to the
forefront again and control the body it had taken over. Without a bond with a
female to anchor the Kindred warrior and help him fight to expel the demon, he
would be trapped, a prisoner inside his own body while the demon used him to do
whatever it liked.

“Well, well—still quick on the draw, I
see,” Donald said, breaking into his grim thoughts.

Kor waved the blaster at him. “Drop the
sack.”

“As you wish.” Donald turned quickly and
dumped the contents of the sack into the open mouth of the vent intake. Then he
dropped the sack on the metal floor. “Oops,” he said blandly. “I may have
spilled some.”

“You little bastard!” Kor growled. But to
his relief, the dust wasn’t being sucked up into the air system. It was still
just lying there in a glittering black heap like a pile of volcanic sand in the
floor of the vent intake.

“Funny thing about these vents,” Donald
remarked conversationally. “I noticed it when I was studying the Mother Ship’s
schematics—which were
not
easy to get, by the way. Anyway, the thing is
that they’re on a kind of cycle. I mean, the air gets circulated constantly of
course, but once every hour there’s a massive intake—a powerful surge as the
system revs up.”

Kor began to get a very bad feeling. “Get
that poisonous shit back in the sack,” he growled, gesturing with his blaster.
He could have blasted the son of a bitch with his eyes—he could feel them
heating up again—but he was afraid if he let the old rage overtake him he might
not be able to regain control.
“Now,”
he added, gesturing again.

Donald grinned, showing those gray,
rotting teeth again.

“I would but I don’t think there’s
quite…enough…time.”

On his last word, there was a dull roaring
and all the air seemed to be sucked out of the little vent room at once.

Kor gave a despairing cry as he saw the
pile of shining black dust sucked into the massive pipe of the air vent and
circulated into the Unmated Males air supply. Within seconds it would be
raining down like fine black death from above, infiltrating his Kindred
brothers’ lungs and blood streams, making them vulnerable to the invading
demons.

“No!” he shouted, staring at Donald. “Do
you know what you’ve done?”

“I know
exactly
what I’ve done.”
The human scientist giggled madly. “I’ve given the unmated Kindred a very
permanent change of heart—and mind—and everything else, really.” He giggled
again and then his rotting face grew serious. “But that’s nothing to what I’m
going to do to you.”

From beneath his ragged, one armed lab
coat, he suddenly produced a weapon with a shiny silver barrel.