Death Defying (Dark Desires) (19 page)

But despite the obvious lack of any familiar forms of life, the planet had always seemed curiously alive to him. He turned to Venna.

“Lead the way…”

As she set off, he allowed Tannis to go in front of him so he could monitor how she was doing, and he followed slowly. But with every step he took, a voice in his head screamed at him to stop. He tried to ignore it, but then wondered why. Should he trust Venna, who had so far found nothing? Or should he trust his instincts? Even as the thought entered his mind, he realized instinct wasn’t the right word. This was more than instinct. Something real and tangible was trying to communicate with him. At the thought, a sense of wonder filled him, and he came to an abrupt halt.

Some sentient being was trying to talk to him. They didn’t share the same language, and he could sense its frustration. He opened that part of his mind where his innermost thoughts were hidden, the place where his telepathy arose, and knew immediately what was wrong.

Venna must have realized he was no longer following. She glanced over her shoulder. “What?”

“We’re going the wrong way,” he said.

Irritation flickered across her face. “No, this is the way to the chamber I told you about.”

“That’s not where I need to be.” He turned around, closed his eyes, and allowed the inner voice to guide him. “This way.” He cast Tannis a brief glance. “You okay?”

She nodded but didn’t speak, and he set off, quicker this time. His steps sped up without conscious thought, and he knew he was leaving the women behind. That didn’t matter; they would catch up. In this wide-open landscape he was impossible to lose and need drove him on.

Finally, he came to a tall cliff face of gray-green rock and paused while he waited for the knowledge to come to him. Placing his hand flat against the rock, a sense of rightness filled him, almost like coming home, as though he somehow belonged here. He followed the line of the wall and came to a crack only an inch across, but as his hands learned the shape of it, the fissure expanded until it was just wide enough for him to slip through. He didn’t hesitate, but stepped into the opening and found himself in a narrow passageway. After a few feet, the light vanished, and he walked through darkness until, up ahead, an eerie violet glow lit the way and the tunnel widened into a large cavern.

In the center was a huge glowing mound. Violet, like his eyes.

He stepped forward and for the first time a flicker of fear ran through him.

What would he find?

What was he?

What would he become?”

The questions ran through his mind as he inched closer. This was the center of power. This was where the voice in his head came from. He could feel it now like a buzzing in his brain.

As he placed both hands flat against the mound, a tingle ran up his arms and through his body. Then the buzzing vanished and his mind was clear. He banished all thoughts and opened himself.

Blackness closed around him, but he wasn’t afraid; he welcomed it, and then he was flying through the darkness toward the truth.

Chapter Seventeen

One minute, Callum stood outlined against the gray-green rock, and then he vanished.

Tannis felt like crap, but she pushed herself to stumble after him and came to a halt in front of the narrow fissure. It was dark inside, and the place pulsated with energy that seemed to simultaneously draw and repel her. She edged forward, her stomach churning as she got closer.

A last step took her inside, and she stopped abruptly, backing away as nausea rose in her throat. She whirled around, dropped to her knees, and vomited. For long minutes, she remained, head hanging down, while she gathered her strength.

When she finally looked up, it was to the realization that she was alone. Had Venna returned to the ship? Tannis had been too focused on just keeping up to notice the other woman. Every step a challenge. What must it have been like to be brought here and made to work? She’d come so close to that very fate, and a shiver ran through her.

How did they get the slaves to keep going? What possible motivation could they give to make someone go on, when this would be all they would ever know? Surely, death would be far easier.

Then she realized that wasn’t true. The will to live was amazingly strong, and the human mind resilient.

Still, she wanted to be away from here and back on
El Cazador
so badly it was like a pain in her chest. Or maybe that was just another shitty reaction to this shitty planet.

She dragged herself along the edge of the cliff a good distance from the gap and leaned against the smooth rock. Alcohol probably wasn’t a good idea right now, but she needed to wash the sour taste from her mouth, so she pulled Rico’s flask from her pocket. Taking slow sips, she relaxed as the warmth spread through her, her stomach settling a little.

Had Callum found anything? Did she want to know? She tried to think of anything that would stop her from going ahead with the Meridian treatment, but came up blank. So what if she would be part alien? She was hardly pure human anyway, and she had always liked the idea of being part snake—something different, unique.

Her dream was so close. Soon she would be truly immortal. One of the exalted Collective.

Where was Callum?

A roar sounded from within the gap, and she startled. She pushed herself to her feet, feeling stronger now after the rest, with the whiskey warming her insides.

Still, she hesitated at the gap. When the sound came again, she swallowed her fear and stepped between the rocks. The darkness closed around her. Each step was as if she pushed through glue, but the noise was continuous now. She knew it was Callum, and she forced herself on.

Finally, a faint, throbbing light flickered up ahead. She followed the glow until she found herself in a wide cavern. As she stumbled into the open, her gaze locked on Callum. He was on his knees, his hands flat on the mound in the center of the cave, a mound that pulsated with violet light.

“Holy freaking moly,” she whispered.

At the words, Callum’s lids shot open. Eyes the same violet as the light that pulsated through the cavern stared at her, blazing with triumph. He appeared revitalized, buzzing with energy, the same energy she could feel wrapping itself around her. She had to get out of there before it sucked her under.

Callum was alive; he could take care of himself. And from the look of him right now, probably a damn sight better than she could. She whirled around and headed down the tunnel, not stopping until she burst out into the open and the bright sunlight.

Leaning against the wall, she breathed deeply, and a moment later Callum emerged. He looked totally wired, a huge grin on his face.

“What is it? What did you find?”

He stopped and she glanced at him. His brows drew together in concentration.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Come on, I’ll tell you on the way.” He looked around. “Where’s Venna?”

“I have no clue. I lost her somewhere along the way. I’m guessing she’s gone back to the ship. But to be honest, I don’t really care if one of your aliens came down and ate her.”

He grinned again. “I get the impression you don’t like her.”

“Really? Actually, I think she’s a fucking bitch. But is it a problem she’s not here?”

“No. I have the coordinates of the last cache. We don’t need her to find it.” He seemed to pull himself together. “Let’s go get that Meridian treatment for you.”

Taking her arm, he hurried her away. Tannis did her best to keep up, but there was no way. “Slow down, Callum.”

He glanced at her. “Sorry, I feel…”

“Good,” she finished for him. “I can tell. That’s just great, and I’m glad for you. But I don’t.”

He slowed his pace. She waited for him to speak but he appeared deep in thought, gazing around him, eyes filled with wonder.

“Tell me,” she said.

He waved his hands around the landscape. “The planet’s not just a planet.”

“I don’t understand.”

“We thought some alien species might have landed here at one point. Left something behind when they went. But that’s not what happened.”

Impatience gnawed at her. “So are you going to tell me what did happen?”

“The alien came but never left. As far as I can tell, they’re immortal. The physical body couldn’t sustain itself—it faded, but the consciousness remained behind, absorbed into the very structure of the planet. It’s sentient. Maybe not how we define sentient. But it communicated with me. It showed me.”

“Showed you what?” Though from his reaction, it wasn’t anything too bad, and she tried to force down her unease.

“It’s reproducing.”

Shock brought her to a standstill and she turned to face him. “What?”

“We always thought what happened to us was a mere coincidence. That we’d stumbled across Meridian, and it was just chance that it reacted that way with us. But this is how it reproduces, or at least, one of the ways. It was no accident. This life form has the ability to combine its DNA or the equivalent of DNA, with other species. We didn’t stumble upon it—I think it drew us in, probably from a long way off. It was lonely and it was no chance that brought us to the Trakis system, after all.”

Her unease returned with a vengeance. She’d liked the stumbling and the chance theory much better. She hated the thought of being controlled, manipulated.

“So are there more of these things?”

“Not here. At least I don’t think so. It came here a long time ago, thousands of years. I got the impression it was lost and couldn’t find its way home.”

“But you don’t know where it came from?”

He stared into space for a moment. “It came through the black hole at Trakis One.”

“I can’t believe there’s life on the other side of that thing.”

“I saw it in my head. It came through by accident and couldn’t get back, probably injured on the way through.”

“Well, I can believe that. I’ve been there. I’ve stared into that black hole.” She walked in silence for a moment as she thought of what this meant. Glancing down at her feet, she studied the ground. Was it thinking?

“They can fly through space,” Callum said. “I was with them—in its memories—flying above their home planet. It was beautiful.” He flexed his wings as though imagining what that would be like. “It’s lonely. Where it comes from, there are others and they can communicate across space. Here it’s so alone. For so long.”

“Aw, and now it’s got you.”

“And you soon. Come on.”

She drove herself onward. Each step was painful now. Each breath an effort that was almost too much. And all the time this new knowledge tumbled through her mind. But the effort of thinking and moving was too much, and she pushed the thoughts aside and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other.

Finally, Callum came to a halt in front of a tunnel that led underground.

“Not much farther now.”

“How long?”

“Half an hour, that’s all. Are you going to be all right?”

“I’ll make it.”

The tunnel led down steeply. She stumbled, and Callum picked her up in his arms and carried her. She wanted to protest, but she was beyond that. Instead, she relaxed against him. His strong arms felt good around her, and she rested her cheek against his chest. She had a flashback to the last time she had been held like this, when Rico had carried her on to
El Cazador
and the start of a new life. Well, this was the start of a new life as well. Would Callum be part of that life? Or would he go back to ruling the universe and forget all about her? But something told her he wouldn’t. Whatever his failings, she believed he was coming to care for her, and strangely, to care for the rest of the crew as well. He wouldn’t abandon them lightly.

Maybe he wouldn’t return to his old life at all. Maybe he would stay with them on
El Cazador
. Though it was getting pretty crowded on board—perhaps they should consider upgrading to a bigger ship. She had money now she no longer had to save for the treatment, and Rico was loaded. So was Jon for that matter—he’d been very successful in his time as an assassin. They could all chip in. Get a new, improved
El Cazador 2
. She smiled at the thought, then a spasm of nausea racked her, and she clutched at Callum’s shoulders.

With his free hand, he stroked her hair. “You’ll be fine as soon as you get the treatment.”

She had an unpleasant thought. “Hey, so you’re saying this whole treatment thing is actually reproduction? Please tell me I’m not about to have sex with an alien.”

He laughed so she could feel the rumbling in his chest against her cheek. “No. Any sex you have will be with me.”

“Oh.”

“And soon.”

She closed her eyes and just concentrated on getting through the next minutes. Callum came to a halt, and her lids flickered open.

“Are we there?” She didn’t think they could be. Her mind might be a blur, but no way had they been going for half an hour.

“No.” His brows drew together in a frown.

“What is it?”

“Skylar. She’s trying to get through to me. The comm units don’t work down here—it must be the only way they can get in touch.”

“Well, answer her.”

“Maybe we should wait. After the treatment.”

Unease shivered through her. Why would
El
Cazador
try to contact them now? What had gone wrong? Tannis struggled in his arms. “Put me down.”

His grip tightened for a moment, and then he gently lowered her to her feet. She leaned against the wall and stared at him. “See what she wants. Now. It must be important.”

For a second, she thought he would refuse. Then he closed his lids, though she could see the rapid movement of his eyes. His mouth tightened, and his fists clenched at his side.

“What is it?” she asked.

“They have
El
Cazador
.”

Shock hit her in the gut. “Who has
El Cazador
?”

“The Church. They were waiting in ambush at the rendezvous point.”

“What’s happening? What do they want?” Frustration welled up inside her. She needed to know what was going on.

He closed his eyes again. “They want you to destroy Trakis Seven.”

“What?”

“They want you to use the weapon on the ship we took and destroy the planet. If you do that, then they will release
El Cazador
and her crew.

“And if we don’t.”

“Then they’ll execute them one at a time.”

Her mind whirled. She needed to think this through, but her brain refused to function properly.

“We can finish this, Tannis. Half an hour, that’s all we need. The Church isn’t going to do anything in that time. Your crew will be safe for that long. And they’d want you to do this. They know how much it means to you.

She licked her lips. Was he right? She had to decide, and now.

Callum looked at her face, must have seen her inner turmoil. “Let me decide. You’re not up to this.” He picked her up and hurried in the direction they had been going. Tannis tried to relax, but fear was a tight knot inside her.

He was right. Another half an hour and this would be done. Her dream realized, they could leave the Trakis Seven forever, destroy it from Orbit. The Church would never know of the delay.

Callum stumbled. “Shit.”

She looked up and saw the blood drain from his face.

Dread filled her mind, coating her nerve endings. “What is it?”

“Janey.”

For a moment, her mind refused to process the words. Then her mind filled with a scream of denial. “Tell me.”

Callum’s face leached of color. “She’s dead. They’re monitoring the beacon on the weapon ship. When the ship didn’t take off, they executed her. Jon will be next. We have half an hour.”

“Oh, God, Janey.” Tannis bit her lip, tasted blood as she almost suffocated under the wave of guilt that washed over her. “We have to go back.”

“We don’t. You’re what matters. We can still do this. I’ll tell Skylar we’re on our way. That will buy us some time.” His eyes were wild, mesmerizing as he stared into hers as though he could somehow convince her. His arms tightened around her, and she knew he meant to continue on. That he would ignore her wishes if she didn’t convince him.

“Not enough. Not if they’re monitoring the ship. If you do this and Jon dies, I will never forgive you.”

“Why? Why do they mean so much? More than the chance of living forever. Living with me, forever?”

His words tore into her, but she didn’t have to think about the answer. “Yes—they’re my family. We have to go back.”

“Do we?” He sounded bitter but resigned.

“How could I exist if I bought my life at the price of my friends? You must understand that, because whatever else you are, you’re still at least part human.” She reached up and cupped his cheek. “Take me back, please. Help me save my friends.”

“You’ll die. You’ve been exposed. Without the treatment, you’ll die.”

“I know.” She forced her lips into a smile. “But we all have to have something that’s worth dying for. Even you.”

He nodded once, and then he whirled around in the opposite direction. He ran up the tunnel, and she held on, her fingers digging into the flesh of his shoulders, her face buried against his chest as she tried to fight down the waves of panic that clawed at her guts.