Bound by Darkness Read online

  “That’s very kind of you.”

  They walked in companionable silence. She noticed another hall branching off to the left just before they reached the door. “What’s down that way?”

  “Just some labs,” Cullen said, shrugging as he opened the door to the alley.

  As she followed him outside, she wondered why his reaction had seemed a little too casual, as if he were trying to deflect any interest in those labs. Maybe she was reading too much into it, but she strongly suspected that he was relieved when she didn’t ask any more questions.

  That was all right—for now. Eventually, though, she’d learn far more about the entire organization than any of them were going to be comfortable with.

  Larem watched as Lacey Sebastian studied the array of monitors and seismographs that ran the length of her lab. Lines of tension bracketed her mouth as she made notes on her clipboard.

  “How bad is it?” he asked.

  She checked the numbers one more time before answering, “Bad enough. Although based on these readings, the barrier should stabilize in the next few seconds.”

  Barak was holding on to the edge of the counter, his knuckles white, his face gray and stony. All Kalith had some affinity for the barrier, but he felt it the strongest. Lacey watched her mate with sympathy as they waited.

  Finally, the dials did one last jump before settling down to normal levels.

  Barak’s shoulders sagged as he released his death grip on the counter. “It’s back up and holding strong.”

  All three of them breathed a deep sigh of relief knowing the fighting far below in the tunnels would end shortly. Lacey recorded the last of her data before setting her clipboard aside. Then she poured a cup of tea and set it down in front of Larem along with one of her famous chocolate chip cookies. Done with her hostess duties, she pulled up a stool and sat down between him and Barak.

  “So, this new administrator, what did you think of him?”

  He considered how best to respond. “First of all, her name is Sasha Willis.”

  He paused to let that little surprise sink in before continuing. “She showed great courage by confronting all the Paladins at once. Her first action was to authorize more funding and personnel to assist Dr. Young with her studies. She also said the scans would only be used as a diagnostic tool. That seemed to relieve some of the Paladins, especially Trahern.”

  Barak q’Young nodded. “His readings have been a matter of concern for some time. I was in Missouri when they almost ended Trahern’s life permanently. It was a tough call, one that no one wanted to make. However, thanks to Brenna’s faith in her mate and Laurel’s willingness to give him every possible chance, they saved him.”

  Barak sipped his tea. “But that’s no guarantee that they’ll be able to help him if he were to die again.”

  Larem cringed. As a healer himself, even if only an amateur when compared to the talented and dedicated Dr. Laurel Young, he shuddered at the thought of having to put down a Paladin warrior who had burned up all his chances. Few people would have the courage to make that kind of decision even if it was necessary and the kindest thing to do.

  As if sensing Larem’s distress, Lacey laid her hand on his shoulder briefly. She had better reasons than most to understand the situation, because her brother Penn was a Paladin. No one knew how many times a Paladin could survive the cycle of living and dying without losing the last hold on his humanity. Devlin Bane had been beating the odds for years, but it was highly doubtful his friend Trahern would be so lucky.

  “Maybe with the extra support, Laurel will be able to find some answers.” Lacey rubbed her temples, as if she’d suddenly developed a headache.

  Should he try to help her? His newly discovered ability to heal was a poorly kept secret, even if no one talked about it much. Larem set his tea aside and angled his stool around to face Lacey.

  “Shut your eyes for a few seconds.”

  She didn’t question his order. Larem gently spread his fingertips along her forehead and temples, chanting under his breath. Then he closed his own eyes and drew upon the pool of healing light stored deep inside his mind and soul. A small stream of warmth flowed along the hidden pathways written in his flesh and bones. Almost immediately Lacey sighed, letting go of her tension and pain.

  He added another small burst for good measure. “How does that feel?”

  “Fabulous! Nothing I’d tried touched my headache, but now it’s completely gone.” Lacey’s face lit up with a broad smile. “You, sir, may hang out in my lab anytime. I’ll even make sure to keep a steady supply of cookies and your favorite tea around as bribes.”

  “Do I have any say in this?” Barak asked.

  “No!” Larem answered, laughing when Lacey said it at the same time.

  “That is what I thought.”

  Barak didn’t look at all worried, though. He had no reason to be, because the Kalith warrior and the human woman loved each other deeply. Larem wasn’t the only one who was a little jealous of the happiness the two had found together.

  For some reason, the image of Sasha Willis popped into his mind. Granted, he hadn’t spent much time in the company of human women other than the mates of his friends. While he liked them all, they were strictly out of bounds for him. So were the few he’d met outside the organization, because of the need to hide his true identity. It was safer for all concerned if he kept everyone at arm’s length.

  So what was there about Sasha that tempted him to cross that line, especially after such a short meeting? Part of the answer was obvious—he was drawn to her exotic red hair and simple beauty. But there was also something about her that reminded him of Lacey, Laurel, and even Brenna, Trahern’s woman. All of them were strong, independent females, and he suspected Sasha was much the same.

  Not that he had any business to be thinking of her except to wonder what effect her presence would have on his life here in Seattle.

  Barak interrupted his thoughts. “Did the new administrator say anything else we should know about?”

  “She plans to review all the files on the Paladins, then the guards will come next, followed by other support personnel. She didn’t mention us by name but said she would be dealing with the ‘special guests’ that were living among the Paladins.”

  Barak winced. “Interesting. You’d have to wonder what exactly she meant by that. How did the Paladins react?”

  “Pretty much as you’d expect. Her remarks about the scans caused a stir, but she refused to take questions, saying she wanted time to review the situation here in Seattle first.”

  Barak looked impressed. “That may have been the smartest approach. No one would take it well if she came in announcing a bunch of changes without first learning the lay of the land. It had to come as a relief to all the Paladins not to have to deal with having another scan done just because someone was in a bad mood.”

  Larem had been part of the group who had brought down the former administrator in the Seattle area, Colonel Kincade. The bastard had abused his power to torment those who served the Regents, all for his own greedy purposes. No wonder the local Paladins had such distrust of anyone outside their own tightly knit circle.

  Barak passed Larem another cookie. “Hunter mentioned he invited you to stay at his place for a while. Are you going to accept?”

  “No, not yet. I prefer to face a problem, not run from it. If this Willis woman is going to come after us, I want to be here to defend my new life.”

  Barak glanced over at Lacey. “I told you he wouldn’t leave.”

  Lacey smiled in approval. “I’m glad, Larem. There’s strength in numbers.”

  He met his friends’ worried looks head-on. “I agree. We all have a lot to lose if the Regents decide that our presence is detrimental to the organization. I’d rather we stand our ground than hide like cowards.”

  Lacey walked over to her mate. “No one could possibly think Kalith are cowards. Not when all of you have proved your worth over and over again.”


  He hoped she was right, but he had a bad feeling about the whole situation. Even if Sasha Willis had good intentions, that didn’t mean those above her in the organization would support any of her decisions. That made it all the more important that he find a way to exist in this world without depending on the Paladins for anything.

  Barak was frowning big-time. “How sure are you that she didn’t immediately recognize you as Kalith?”

  Where was Barak going with this? “I think she would’ve said something if she had. Why?”

  His friend stared at his mate briefly until she nodded. He drew a deep breath before speaking. “Cullen and Lusahn stopped by earlier. We were thinking that if the opportunity presented itself, one of us should try to get to know her, maybe offer to show the Regents’ new representative around a bit. The only question was how to do that without raising suspicions.”

  Suddenly, Larem really wished he hadn’t mentioned his brief encounter with her after the meeting.

  Barak kept right on talking, his words coming in a rush as if he couldn’t spit them out fast enough. “Of course, we’d assumed the new representative would be a man, but the fact that she’s female could actually make it easier for you to gain her confidence. You might gain better insight into how she plans to handle our situation, with the added benefit of her getting to know you as a person before she realizes you are the enemy.”

  “Why me?” he asked, even though he knew. He still wanted to hear Barak say it out loud.

  His friend’s eyes shifted back to Lacey. “You are the only one of us who doesn’t have a mate. If she discovers your identity, you could easily move into the apartment over Hunter’s garage until the dust settles.”

  In other words, Larem was expendable. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What about Devlin’s specific orders that we stay out of sight?”

  Lacey joined in. “I’m guessing Miss Willis would have her own reasons for wanting to keep any such relationship under the radar, especially since she thinks you’re one of the Seattle contingent. She’s here to oversee the Paladins and wouldn’t want to give the appearance of playing favorites.”

  She reached out to take Larem’s hand in hers. “We know this is asking a lot of you, Larem. But Cullen and Lusahn have finally got Shiri and Bavi feeling secure in their new lives in this world. The last thing they want to risk is having to uproot them again.”

  Not to mention that Cullen himself had to remain near the barrier; the need for that proximity was hardwired into his Paladin nature. Lacey, too, had strong ties to Seattle. Because of her brother, she’d focused her life’s work as a geologist on making the world safer for all the Paladins. It wasn’t likely she’d be able to continue those same studies outside of the Regents’ organization. Barak wasn’t just her mate but also her research partner.

  By process of elimination, that left Larem. His powerful sense of honor warred with his loyalty to his friends over the idea of deliberately misleading a woman he’d barely met. It wasn’t a decision he could make on the spur of the moment.

  He set his cup back down on the counter, barely refraining from heaving it against the wall in frustration.

  “Thank you for the tea and cookies, Lacey. You’ve both given me much to think about. I’ll let you know what I decide.”

  Then he turned his back on his friends and walked out.

  Half an hour later, Larem reached his destination. As soon as he stepped inside, he was hit by a cacophony of barks, yips, and growls. The musky smell of damp concrete and medicine clogged his head, but he breathed it in without regret. Here, no one knew his DNA wasn’t human or would’ve cared if they did.

  All that mattered was that he had a good touch with frightened animals and cared enough to show up when he said he would. The pay was lousy—mostly tentative licks accompanied by a few wags of a tail—but that was enough. He reached for his lab jacket, filled his pockets with some treats, and headed in to see which patients the vet had lined up for him to work with today.

  As soon as he stepped into the clinic, Dr. Isaac looked up and smiled. “Larem, my boy, come on in. Your buddy has been watching for you, not that he’d ever admit it.”

  The old vet nodded toward a pen at the far end of the room where a wary pair of brown eyes watched them both with a great deal of suspicion. Larem didn’t blame the dog for his caution; he had good reason to mistrust humans in general. Of course, there was no way to tell the animal that Larem wasn’t human, and he wasn’t sure it would matter in the least. Trust once lost was slow to return.

  Since Larem had some experience with that himself, he didn’t take it personally. Still, he thought he was finally making some real progress with the dog.

  He approached the cage slowly, letting the mixed breed catch his scent before speaking. “Hey there, fellow. How are you feeling today?”

  Not that he expected an answer, but he was mastering the trick of communicating soothing energy with his voice. The dog stubbornly resisted any friendly overtures. But with each approach, it was taking Larem less time to slip past his defenses.

  He knelt down and held out a couple of treats, once again letting the patient set the pace. “Let me know when you’d like these, and then we’ll go for a walk.”

  For the first time, the dog’s ears perked up. He might not trust humans in general, but he did seem to enjoy the time he spent outside in the run. The last time Larem had coaxed him into accepting a leash, he’d taken the dog for a long walk as a reward.

  Judging by the slow tail thumping going on, it was time to try it again. That pleased him every bit as much as it did the dog.

  “Son, I don’t know where you got your magical touch with skittish animals, but it’s been a real godsend around here. I wouldn’t have given that fellow any chance of ever making his peace with people, not after the way he’d been abused. He still doesn’t like the rest of us much, but at least he’s willing to take a chance on you. That’s something. By the way, that’s the name we’ve been using for him—Chance.”

  Larem didn’t know what to say to that, but the vet’s validation of his worth meant a lot to him. It had been a long time since he’d felt appreciated for more than just his strong sword arm.

  “We’ll be back in a while. Once he’s had a good run, I’ll try to convince him to let you give his injuries a quick check.”

  “Sounds good.” The vet turned his attention back to the small dog he’d been examining when Larem walked in.

  Larem tried out the dog’s new name. “All right, Chance, let’s get you out of there for a while.”

  Chance lurched to his feet, favoring his right back leg. The bones were healing up fine, but it was clear that it still hurt. Larem opened the cage door and set more treats down within easy reach. Eventually, he hoped the dog would accept the offerings directly from his hand, but there was no need to rush things.

  The two pieces of freeze-dried liver quickly disappeared, and then the dog walked right up to Larem and rubbed against his legs. Larem reached down to pat Chance on the head and got his fingers snapped at for his efforts. Still, the attempt had been only halfhearted, a reminder that they weren’t yet BFF.

  He smiled at the dog. “All right, then, I’ll watch my step. Let’s go.”

  Outside in the run, he let Chance off his leash and sat down on a bench to watch the dog explore his surroundings. That in itself was a huge improvement. The first time Larem had lured Chance outdoors to one of the runs, the dog had huddled in one corner and growled anytime Larem made a move in his direction.

  Larem took it as a compliment that right now Chance was totally ignoring him, meaning the dog sensed Larem posed no threat. After sniffing his way around the pen, Chance slowly walked toward Larem. He stopped a few feet away, his head cocked to one side as he considered his next action. Finally, having made his decision, Chance closed that last bit of distance and rested his head on Larem’s knee.

  This time when Larem raised his hand to pet Chance’s head, the dog
sighed softly and accepted the offer of friendship. Larem lifted his face to the sun, offering himself up as a conduit of its healing warmth. Slowly, the bright, healing light poured through him to soothe the dog’s pain and encourage his leg bones to knit. After a minute or two, Larem eased back on the flow.

  His gift was still too new for him to know how much was enough without overwhelming an animal’s ability to cope with the accelerated healing, especially in Chance’s weakened condition. Most of the time Larem settled for easing pain and soothing traumatized spirits. Convincing an injured animal to accept care was half the battle.

  He still wasn’t sure what it was about this particular dog that was so special. It certainly wasn’t his appearance, although the dog looked a whole lot better now than when he’d first arrived at the shelter. That first day, the dog had been all bones and dried blood. He’d already put on considerable weight but needed to gain a few more pounds. Standing about thirty inches high at the shoulder with an intelligent face, Chance bore a striking resemblance to a white wolf.

  When Larem had asked Dr. Isaac what breed Chance was, the old vet just laughed. “All I can say is that his ancestors weren’t very particular who they mated with. From his build and size, I suspect he’s got some Great Pyrenees in him and maybe some shepherd, but there’s no telling for sure. He’s his own man and a loner by nature, I would say.”

  Now that Larem thought about it, that assessment might just account for why he and Chance had hit it off. Both of them had been hurt by those who mattered to them the most and were struggling to find some peace in their lives.

  “How about we take that walk now?”

  Chance agreed, whining softly as Larem snapped the lead back on his collar. Larem often walked the streets of Seattle, trying to outdistance the restlessness that plagued him more and more lately. At least with Chance trotting along at his side, he didn’t feel quite so alone.

  Sasha was about half a second from going stir-crazy. What the heck had happened here in Seattle? She’d spent the past few days reviewing the budget and meeting with various department heads, and so far, it was unanimous: no one was happy. Everyone had their hands out wanting more money, more staff, and more supplies. God, if she granted even half the requests, the Regents would fire her for incompetence.