Demon's Revenge (High Demon Series #5) (24 page)

* * *

"She's feverish," Geldis the physician glanced up at Zendeval Rjjn as he examined Reah inside her cage the following afternoon. She was shivering on the small mat, her body in a fetal position. Zendeval was back to himself and dressed impeccably in a dark suit. Perdil stood nearby, watching Zen and the physician.

"How feverish?" Zen crossed arms over his chest.

"Very. We shouldn't let her temperature climb any higher."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"Medication, sedation and cool baths to bring the fever down," Geldis said. "And keep her warm in between. We have one other suffering just the same. We've already treated her, at Nedrizif's request."

"Then do everything you can for this one," Zen sighed. "And keep me advised."

"They don't get ill often," Perdil pointed out as he and Zen walked away.

"I don't know what to do. How much ice cream do we have in the freezer?"

"Only enough for two more days. I was hoping to have her back in the kitchen between now and the sale in two weeks."

"How long does it usually take to get them back on their feet if they become ill?" Zen wanted to kick something.

"At times, they are still weak and sick when we put them up for bid." The sales were always held two eight-days after moonrush. Girls were picked up sometimes months after potential bidders expressed interest, and the bidders were notified when the cargo was safely on Stellar Winds.

"Then I suggest you figure out how to make those desserts or take it off the menu," Zen growled. "And Nedrizif will not be pleased."

"Then we'll take the desserts off the menu now and hold all the ice cream back for him," Perdil suggested.

"Do it. And make sure Reah is cared for. Once she belongs to us, then she'll be back in the kitchen and spending her nights with me."

"It's a fair bargain. I get days, you get the nights," Perdil snickered.

"One of our better investments," Zen agreed.

"Absolutely."

* * *

Jerves knew. He knew everything. He picked at an eyebrow nervously as he spoke with a cook's assistant. Reah had been taken and subjected to who knew what. Jerves had a controller, too, only Zendeval allowed him free rein over most things. Completely controlled meant you couldn't think or make any reasonable decisions. The one controlling you made those. Jerves had to have some measure of autonomy. That meant he could feel anger. He felt it now. White-hot anger.

Reah had been nothing but kind to him, and he should have warned her. Now, she was likely suffering after moonrush. Jerves laughed hysterically for a moment. Moonrush. It sounded so benign. Except that it wasn't. He'd only seen it once, when Perdil forced him to kforrves help with some of the girls. Reah would be sold in two eight-days, only Jerves suspected that Zen and Perdil were planning to bid on the pretty cook in order to keep her in Galedaro's kitchens.

"What is it, Master Jerves?" the assistant asked.

"Nothing. Keep working. Just get those orders sent to Ms. Schuul's suite as requested."

"We will." The assistant turned away.

* * *

"There are no messages from her husband." Perdil tossed Reah's comp-vid onto Zendeval's desk.

"Good. We don’t have to answer if there aren't any." Zendeval ignored the comp-vid.

"But that concerns me. There should be something, don't you think?"

"He left because of family matters; perhaps she doesn't want to bother him."

"Perhaps. But let me know if you get any communication from him. We'll have to answer until we get her away from here."

"True. We don't need the ASD or some such sniffing around Stellar Winds."

"Have you gone back to check on her?" Perdil had been quite busy in the kitchens after his return.

"No. I have communication from the physician, however. If you'd like to read it," Zen pushed his comp-vid toward Perdil. Perdil lifted the handheld and scanned the message.

"You're not concerned that her fever's still high?" Perdil handed the comp-vid back.

"I called—he says it happens at times. Some of the women become ill for inexplicable reasons. They are feverish for days and in pain, but eventually they recover fully."

"Does it worry you that you caused this?"

"Yes. I've never made a female ill before."

"Perhaps we should take her out of the cage and put her somewhere more comfortable."

"Do you think so?" Zen gave Perdil a quizzical look.

"The lack of females among your kind has not improved your intelligence," Perdil muttered. "Did you notice that this wasn't one of Schuul's comp-vids?" Perdil tapped Reah's portable device.

"It matters not—we have her and we've confiscated this one. The others like it will be useless soon enough."

"It doesn't worry you that there are some not controlled now?"

"Why should it worry me?" Zen blinked in confusion at Perdil.

"It's dark inside your ass, isn't it?" Perdil grumbled and stalked away.

"What did he mean by that?" Zen did a little grumbling of his own.

* * *

I was ill. I knew it. Likely Lendill knew it too, since he was seeing the doctor's worried face quite often. He sent mindspeech occasionally, but the words were garbled if I were conscious enough to hear them. I wanted to heave whenever food was offered. Baths were given in cold water several times throughout the day. Geldis, the physician, complained that the normal doses of painkill didn't alleviate the pain.

I might have laughed if I could have. Normal doses of most anything had no effect khadain on me. He upped the dosage several times, finally concluding that three times what was normal helped a little. I needed Karzac or my Larentii. Both were far away. Nobody was here to care for me except a physician I didn't know.

I was still inside my cage, I knew that much, and every part of my body ached, lying on a thin mattress spread across the metal floor. I wondered, too, why the physician failed to report to Perdil or Zendeval that I was pregnant. Something prevented it, and I was too feverish and in pain to worry about it for long.

"Reah?" The voice came. I knew it from somewhere. I struggled toward consciousness. "Reah?" A hand touched my forehead. "Burning up. Get over here!" The voice shouted. "Get her into one of the private rooms. We need to clean her up and get this fever down. Where is that fucking physician?"

I hadn’t heard Perdil use that word before. He was with me now; I saw him through a fevered haze. "I didn't move her; I wasn't informed that I could." Geldis arrived quickly. Perdil was cursing again, raving about everybody needing permission to fart. I didn't care, I wanted to be unconscious again and away from the pain.

"What part of take care of her needs did you not understand?" Perdil shouted. Likely, Geldis was cringing before the dwarf. I would be, too, if I were human. I wanted to laugh, I think, at my thoughts. The cage door was opened and I was lifted out of it. Usually a guard did that; Geldis didn't fetch and carry. Another cool tub of water followed, more drugs were administered by mistjection and then someone carried me into a shower and bathed me. I didn't realize it was Perdil until it was nearly over. The drugs were beginning to take effect.

"Three days and still no better off," he muttered as I was toweled off and carried to bed. It was a much better bed than the thin mat had been. Perdil was combing out my freshly washed hair when I slipped back into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Any better?" Zen slipped inside the private room. Perdil hadn't told him that Reah had been moved, and at first he was angry to find the cage empty. The guards directed him to Reah's new room. Perdil had sat next to the bed for several clicks, watching Reah sleep.

"The fever's down for the moment, but I have to keep after that fool of a physician or he just wanders away. I asked him if we needed an IV; he said probably and walked out."

"Why does she need an IV?" Zen gave Perdil a worried glance.

"Because she isn't getting better. She hasn't kept anything down, including water. She needs fluids—even I know that and I have no medical training at all." Perdil snorted at his own statement.

"Do we have the necessary supplies? We can go to the hospital on Stellar Winds and get them."

"I sent one of the other physicians already," Perdil sighed. "About a click ago. They should be here anytime." That was how Zendeval Rjjn, who'd never needed a physician for any trouble of his own, watched in fascination as an IV was inserted into Reah's hand and taped there, while a bag of fluid was attached and began to drip. Geldis attached another bag as well, which administered a steady flow of medication.

"Some develop infection of some kind," he said when Perdil asked about the treatment. "This drug treats a broad spectrum of infections, so I hope it has some effect. We'll know by tomorrow if it helps."

"And if she has a reaction?"

"We'll remove it right away. I'll have someone watching if I can't be here myself."

"See that you do." Perdil rose stiffly and walked out of Reah's room. Zen, unsure what to do, rose and followed Perdil, leaving the physician with Reah.

"You will not recall my presence," a tall, blue-skinned man appeared and lifted Reah up, holding her against him. Geldis nodded briefly before the gentle trilling noise the blue creature made had him falling asleep in his chair.

* * *

"If we tell Teeg about the baby, he'll show up and blast the place," Norian growled at Lendill. Lendill and Norian had seen Neeki and Teeki just as well as Reah had the night of the attack. They'd also seen a flash of bright light, and still couldn't explain the events surrounding that anomaly. They'd set that aside; Reah was pregnant with Teeg's child, and according to one of Kifirin's assistants, it was his son. Both knew Reah was very ill, too. Lendill had tried to contact Reah through mindspeech many times, but she hadn't been able to send a coherent reply.

They'd also seen the physician several times as he'd treated Reah. Then, Lendill had seen Nefrigar appear, telling the physician that he wouldn't remember the visit. Lendill had only seen a wide blue chest and listened to some very restful trilling for two clicks after that.

Ry, too, hadn't been told, and neither Lendill nor Norian wanted to tell Garde, Lissa or any of the others. "Norian, what if that were your child she was carrying?"

"Lendill, don't throw that in my face," Norian muttered angrily.

"What if she doesn't recover? What then? Teeg may come after us."

"I don't think that Larentii will allow his mate to die, do you?"

"But he was there last night and she's still sick," Lendill pointed out. If he were honest, he was scared witless that Reah couldn't even send mindspeech. And that thug who'd bitten her? Lendill had plans for that one. He still didn't know what Zendeval Rjjn was, but he wasn't really interested in anything other than Rjjn's death.

"Look, Kifirin's assistants said they were shielding the baby, so he's not suffering, I think."

"No, Reah's the one suffering. We don't know what kind of pain she's in, she can't tell us." Lendill paced inside Norian's office. It wasn't Norian's mate caught up in the middle of this, it was Lendill's, and he was frightened. Reah was ill, pregnant and in the hands and care of the enemy. "Someday, Norian, come and talk to me if you find Lissa in this situation." Lendill folded out of Norian's office.

"Fuck," Norian cursed. "Fuck!"

* * *

"The girl is in here, Master Nedrizif," Geldis opened the door for Ned. "She has been very ill. We are making some progress, though. The fever is down somewhat."

Nedrizif walked to the bed and stared down at the little white-haired beauty. The color had drained from her cheeks as was usual if a girl became ill. "I want her treated as well as can be. I want her healthy for the sale, do you hear me?" Nedrizif snarled. "And why was I not informed that this one was as ill as she was?"

"I do not know, Master. I was only told to care for he ko c widr."

"Then continue to do so. Spare no expense, and if it is needed, bring someone else in to help."

"Of course, Master. It will be as you say." Geldis bowed to Nedrizif.

"And do not speak of my visit to anyone," Nedrizif demanded before leaving the room.

"Of course, Master," Geldis muttered at Nedrizif's retreating back.

* * *

"Here's our pretty High Demon, back among the lucid," Teeki grinned as I opened my eyes.

"Why are you here?" I could barely get the words out, my mouth was so dry.

"We've been checking on you regularly, you just didn't know," Neeki's head popped up over his twin's shoulder. "And the baby is quite fine, we are proud of the job we have done," he grinned.

"Sure. Pat yourself on the back," I muttered.

"You are not happy with our work?" Teeki sounded hurt.

"With one of your patients, yes. The other, no."

"She is talking about herself," Neeki looked at his twin.

"I know. But we must do as Kifirin says. He says that we must hold back from helping you too much. He has some reason," Teeki informed me.