Dominated By Desire (27 page)

“You know the answer to that.” He glared at them.

“And have you forced her to work with your latest training team so you can be sure she can protect herself?”

He didn’t answer.

“And you complain about manipulation? You wish to protect her as much as you can. We were no different.” He sat next to his mate. “What kills me is no matter what we do she will still be taken and her life will be in jeopardy.”

Storm stood and took two steps toward him before Heather touched him and stopped him. “Hear him out before you tear him apart.” Storm just stared at him, waiting.

Streya swallowed hard. “When we sent Heather away you two had already gone through a ritual. One designed to allow you two to find each other if you were separated. We knew we’d have to send our daughter away and wanted to give you two a fighting chance in case we weren’t there to guide you two back together. What we didn’t know was what would happen to Storm when we had to send Heather away.”

“Get to it.” He had sat back down, and she followed suit but Heather could feel his anger rolling off him in waves.

“Your blood started to call out for Heather’s. The mating call was so powerful you would enter a room and cause grown men to fight amongst themselves. We had to do something so we used a version of the serum in the device to mute that call. That’s why you didn’t affect the humans as much. The natural ability every Vespian has to call their mate to them was suppressed.”

“I have my mate now.”

“The moment you and Heather were together that injection stopped.

I’m sorry but we did what was necessary to protect our child. You will to the same thing when the time comes.”

“I’m sterile.” Heather said it so matter-of-factly.

Storm took her hand. “We both are.”

“Right now you might be, but that was a side effect of the drug.”

“What?” Heather stood, not believing a word. “I have seen my medical records. My body doesn’t produce eggs.”

“Or could the device have been able to disguise that to make it look like you couldn’t?” Streya asked.

“No.” she shook her head. There was no way that could be possible.

She was sterile.

Hynna picked up the scanner and ran it over her. “Check the readings then. See for yourself.” He dropped it into her hand.

Heather looked at Storm. “I don’t think I can.”

“Then we’ll look when you’re ready.” He stood, pulled her to her feet and wrapped her in his embrace. “I think we’re done for the night, but we will continue this conversation another time.”

He led Heather out of their home. The night breeze warm on their skin.

“Speak to me.”

“Storm, it’s all too crazy. I don’t know what to think. If it wasn’t for that device in my back I’d think they were out of their minds.” She had her arms around him. “I’m part of a crazy plot? I am something so special my parents sent me away for protection? Everything that has been real for me is totally destroyed in one night by strangers who claim to be my parents.

How would you feel?”

“I would be very glad I had a mate who understands. We need to take this one thing at a time. First we’ll use the scanner to see what it says.”

“Do you think it’s possible?”

“Children? I have accepted the fact that I would never have any. I’m not sure what to think about that.”

They entered their rooms. Storm went to the security panel and turned all the cameras and sensors off so whatever they found out wouldn’t be recorded. “Ready?”

“No, but we need to know.”

Storm sat beside her and put the scanner on the table between them.

She stared at it. “Do you believe them?”

“I don’t know what I believe. I’ve been sterile all my life. Why would that suddenly change? Yet like you said, that device is real. Could the rest be just as real?”

She picked up the scanner and rolled it on her hand. “You first.” He picked up the scanner and ran it over himself. “You ready?”

“No, but it’s never stopped me before.” They moved to the main screen.

He dropped it into the slot on the terminal on the center table and pulled up the data. “My heart, you are still my world, no matter what this says.” She touched his heart. “I’m frightened and excited at the same time.” Storm’s DNA loaded showing the strand in multiple colors. His stats loaded next. There on the bottom was a small symbol that would tell them if he was fertile or not. He let out a pent up breath before opening the symbol.

“I never thought this would happen.”

He hugged her. “Now you.”

“But what if they are wrong?”

“My heart, if I’m fertile, I’m sure you are too and the only reason it wouldn’t show up is because of the device.” He pulled up the scan his uncle did back at Streya’s home. “Ready?”

She nodded. She wasn’t but knew that wouldn’t stop him. Her DNA strand filled the screen, waivered for a moment then snapped back into place. “What was that?”

“I believe that was the device protecting you.” He worked on the computer for a few moments, fighting with the data there. “I’m trying to get the original image to come back up so we can see what it says, but I’m having trouble.”

“It doesn’t matter, does it? It’s all true.” She walked away from the screen. “This is my home, always has been. We were destined for each other, no matter what planet we’re on or from.” He watched her as she worked her way through all the information they learned. “You do realize that it’s about to happen, don’t you?”

“You’re not going to bring up that stupid dream again, are you?”

“I have to.” She touched the screen. “Everything he said is right here.

My dreams have never lied to me. I trust them and they are telling me there is more coming.”

“And you fear for my life.”

“As you fear for mine.” She touched his face. “Each time I’ve had these dreams they have saved my life. I’d like to think now that you’re my mate it will do the same for you, but you have to listen to them.”

“But I don’t want to have you in danger.”

She went into their bedroom. “Storm, you’re not listening to me. My life wasn’t threatened. Yours was.” She handed him the handheld she had put what she remembered of the dream on. “Your uncle knows more than what I loaded here but between the two of you someone should be able to figure out what to do.”

“I don’t believe we can’t keep you protected. We need to see my mother.” He took her hand and headed for the door. “She should be able to help us.”

“Storm, you can’t stop the dream. It’s going to happen whether you like it or not.” Heather found herself running to keep up with his long legs once again.“What do you mean?” He slowed down when he realized how fast he was moving.

“I’ve tried every tactic I could think of to stop what ever happened in past dreams to no avail. They always happened and when I tried to manipulate them I sometimes made it worse.” She was grateful he slowed down.

“So you want me to let you be kidnapped? Put your life in danger because of a dream?” His face grew angry. “I’m not going to let that happen so stop talking like that.”

“Storm.” He ignored her and continued to his mother’s rooms. “My heart.” That he couldn’t ignore. He stopped and looked at her, not happy with the way their conversation had been going. “I mean you no disrespect but I have dealt with these dreams all my life.”

“I can’t let you get hurt.”

“I won’t be hurt as long as you don’t try to force changes that will affect the outcome. Please, Storm.”

He didn’t knock, just pushed the doors open. “Mother.”

“Oh no.” Heather looked around. Anseri’s room had been destroyed. It looked like a huge fight had happened there. Pulling out her weapon, she stepped over shattered glass. She used as much caution as possible as she searched the room for his mother.

“Where the hell is she?” asked Storm, his voice laced with concern.

“Storm, she’s over here.” Heather knelt down beside her mate’s mother.

Setting her weapon down, she touched her wrist and the side of her neck for a pulse.

Her eyes fluttered open. “No.”

Heather looked at her. “No?”

“Trap.” She closed her eyes and licked her lips.

And ice cold finger of fear ran up her spine. They hadn’t had time to do anything more than talk about what could happen and now the time had come. She looked up and saw three men behind Storm. Words wouldn’t leave her mouth as she tried to warn him. One of them hit him from behind with a hypo.

He went down fast, head striking the edge of a short table to his right.

Heather jumped up to go to him and found herself surrounded by seven men.One spoke. “Take him out.”

Heather moved, grabbing the closest man to her and breaking his neck in seconds. The body slid lifelessly to the ground. “You touch him and I will kill every one of you just like that. If you leave Storm alone I will come willingly. Those are my conditions.”

The man she assumed was the leader nodded and gestured for her to walk in front of him. She wanted to check on Storm, make sure he was okay but knew if she faltered at all they could change their minds. Her engagement ring caught the light. In her vision she never had the ring on so in one quick movement she pulled the ring off and let it drop to the floor.

She looked at Storm’s still form once more before allowing the men to lead her out. What would happen now was up for grabs.

Chapter 16

Storm came to in the medlab. He found himself surrounded by security as well as medical people. He growled at them to get away so he could figure out what had happened. His head hammered. Touching his forehead, he found a horrendous bump and realized it was tender.

“I’m still working on that.” The doctor pulled his hand down. “You took a hard fall and a heavy dose of a neutralizer. I’m surprised you survived it.” It took a second before he realized where he was and what had happened before he fell unconscious earlier. “Heather.”

“Gone.” His mother answered him. She had been moved to another medical bed nearby. Her color was off. He had never noticed how pale his mother looked before this. “She offered herself when they threatened your life.”“Why didn’t she fight?” He couldn’t understand why she would give herself up so easily.

“To protect you.” His mother waived off one of the doctor’s assistants when they tried to inject her with something. “You see that body there? She killed him to keep them from ending your life. I took care of the other one when he circled around to finish the deed anyway.”

“Where is she?”

“We don’t know.”

****

Heather’s heart pounded in her chest. How was she going to get out of this? She hadn’t thought past keeping Storm alive. Now she had to figure a way to escape.

“Welcome.”

“Send me home.”

“To your mate? The man who has slept with more women than the years you have been alive?”

“He is my world.” She didn’t know the voice but it had to be someone who knew Storm well. She knew of his sexual exploits. She had read his file. She felt something cold against her neck before her world turned upside down.

Heather opened her eyes to find Storm sitting on the bed beside her.

“You okay?”

She looked around to find herself back at the medlab. “I think so. What happened?”

“My mother’s apartment was attacked.” He took her hand in his. “They tried to take you but I was able to stop them.” She didn’t remember it that way. She had sacrificed herself to keep him alive. Yet here he sat. How could that be? Storm smiled at her but didn’t seem himself either. Something was wrong. She just wasn’t sure what it was.“Problem?”

“No.” She wasn’t sure what to do. Everything seemed backwards.

Storm had been knocked out and she had been taken so how was he sitting on her bed? Did he rescue her that fast? It didn’t make sense.

“It’s okay, my love.”

My love? Storm never used that term of endearment. They talked about that. My love was an Earth phrase, not a Vespian one. This couldn’t be real.

She tried to distance herself from the image of Storm without causing any type of reaction.

“Something is wrong?” He smiled her but seemed to sense she wasn’t happy.

“Since when did you use a human endearment? You told me you were above that.” Not exactly what he said but it was a test to see what Storm said next.

“True, but I thought that was what you wanted to hear.” She smiled. No matter what the man said now she knew who he wasn’t.

“You’re not Storm.”

“How can you say that?” he acted indignant but she could see a touch of fear in his eyes. He didn’t think she would see through his disguise so fast.“I know my mate better than you think.”

She found herself feeling woozy again. Her mind started to wander and she lost touch with reality.

****

“How the hell am I supposed to find her, Mother? I have nothing to go on.”She sat on the couch, watching her son pace like a predator. “My brother has a theory, if you’d bother to listen to him.”

“He speaks in riddles. How am I to interpret that?”

“It would help if you would listen to me from time to time instead of blowing me off.” He walked into the room. “At least your mate was honest in her feelings toward me.”

“She called you creepy.”

“She did.” He grinned as he sat next to his sister. “And I can see her viewpoint but I also believe I proved my abilities.”

“You pushed her to believe in her dreams.”

“Was I wrong?”

“She allowed herself to be kidnapped because you walked through her dreams. What do you feel you can do that no one else can?” Storm knew his anger over her kidnapping closed his judgment.

“How well do you know your mate?”

“Better than you.”

“Are you sure about that?” He looked at Storm. “Your mate would know you. Of that I am sure, but I’m not sure about the other way around.”

“What are you saying?”

“You are selfish. You refused to listen to her when she tried to make you see the future that could be. Now you need to believe in the power of fate. The one thing you have never believed in.”

****

Heather woke up and found herself sitting in the main room of the elder’s hall. It didn’t make sense for her to be there. She saw no one else in the room. Strange.