Salvage Rights (Distant Worlds Book 2) (26 page)

Danika spoke before he
could, her voice full of venom and disgust from her spot in the corner.  “Sons
you will then experiment on and kill off one by one? I will see your brain
burst inside your head before I will allow you to touch me.”

Luc caught the look on
his brother’s face at her accusations and knew once again Danika spoke truth.  “You
are continuing Grandfather’s experiments on your own children?”   His brother
was more of a monster than even he knew.

He sneered at them both,
finally pulling his sword as he stepped closer to Lucan.  “Do not pretend you
have not benefited from his experiments, little brother.  I am not the only one
who is hard to kill in this family.”  He circled his wrists much the same way
Luc had done and for the same reason.  “Nor am I the only one aging well.  And
pretend all you want in front of your little pet, but I know I am not the only
one who lives for the hunt and kill.”

“The only one I live to
kill,” Luc said grimly, right before he lunged, “is you.”

***

Danika watched the two
battles rage around her.  Since she could not help Lucan, unless it became
absolutely necessary, she concentrated on the cyborgs.  Unlike the cannon
fodder in the halls, these seemed to be more experienced in battle.  The men of
the Jezebel were like poetry in motion, but with so many against them, they
could use a little help.  Mac and Barnos were using blasters and evening the
odds significantly.  With a thought, she brought the blasters down from the
ceiling and right into the faces of the cyborgs.  Their eyes widened at the
sight and then they scrambled to get out of the way, losing all finesse as they
did so.  They were so distracted by the thought of being killed with floating
weapons, they were cut down in wide swaths by the real threat – the angry
swordsmen who danced death through them.

When the last of them
fell, Danika turned her full attention to Cor Warrung and her mate.  The crew
of the Jezebel and Barnos crept closer, their weapons trained and waiting for
their shot.

She knew the exact
moment when Cor Warrung realized even with his continued experiments, he was
nowhere near as fast as his brother.  He was doing everything he could to hold
his own defensively, and with one look around the room, he knew he was on his
own.  He turned and threw his sword at Lucan only to have it easily deflected,
but his real target was not so fortunate.  Danika was watching the sword fly at
Lucan; she missed the blaster he pulled, until she felt the fire burn through
her belly. 

She could hear yelling
as if from a distance, but she was already falling when Lucan reached her and
cradled her close as he went with her to the floor.

Everyone was so busy
trying to save Danika that Cor slipped right out the door.

Luc saw the blade
coming for him and flicked it away almost negligently.  He was not prepared to
look up and see Danika clutching her belly while she tumbled to the floor.  He
was fast enough to catch her before she hit, but it was a bitter pill to
swallow, because had he been paying enough attention he could have reached her
before she was hit.  They needed a doctor, and they needed one now.  His
brother did not even enter his mind other than to see he was gone; he would
deal with that when Danika was safe and whole again.

“We have to get her to
a healer,” Tyber muttered, his hand helping Lucan hold the wound closed.  “And
I advise you to put her on ice until we can get her to one, or she will bleed
out.”

“No,” Danika gasped out,
her bloody hand finding his arm and gripping, “I can’t sleep in the cold like
that again.”  The pain overtook her and she arched her back making it worse,
she gasped for breath.  Her eyes flashed open wet with tears and filled with
agony.  “Kira . . . she is hiding with Doctor Avia’s baby.”  She was frantic
and short of breath.  “I left them in the kitchen chute.  The north walkway . .
. you have to get them.”

“I’m on it,” Tuft said
grimly as he wasted no time sprinting from the room.  Lucan gave it not one
thought, his entire being focused on trying to hold the blood in his mate’s
body.

“Don’t you die on me,
Danika,” he growled feeling her breath struggling against his throat where her
face was pressed.

“We have more problems,”
Mac said from beyond them at the security console on the wall.  “The bastard
initiated self-destruct.”  They all turned as one and looked at him.  “We have
to get out now.”

Lucan stood with Danika
in his arms, making her scream at the movement.  Tyber stood with them, his
hands still pressing against the wound as Luc carried her.  As careful as they
were being, the volume seeping past the barrier of his fingers was alarming to
all of them.

Tyber looked at Lucan. 
“We have to get her to the Fire and put her into hyper-sleep, or she will not
survive the search for a doctor.”

“Luc,” Danika whimpered
in both pain and fear.  She lacked the breath to beg him again not to put her
in the cold, but they all knew he did not have a choice.  They headed for the
hall as fast as they could move with her wound.  Lore walked ahead of them,
weapon at the ready for any surprises.

Mac growled what Lucan
was too busy to think.  “Where the fuck is Tolan Lark?”

They headed for the
shuttle as fast as they could move without killing Danika.  When she passed out
from the pain and blood loss, it would be a relief because at least she was no
longer whimpering in pain with each step, except he was not sure she would ever
wake up again.

Halfway to where the
men had left the shuttle, Mac turned and sprinted in the direction Tuft had
gone, his shouted words trailing behind him.  “I’ll show him the way; just don’t
leave without us.”

They caught up with
them at the shuttle, Mac carrying the baby and Tuft running full out with Kira
in his arms.  Kira’s high color deserted her when she got a look at Lucan with
Danika in his arms.  “Lady Danika,” she gasped, coming to her side the second
Tuft set her down in the shuttle. Captain Tyber and Luc placed her on the first
bunk they saw, while Mac found the emergency kit attached to the bulkhead.
Ripping it off the wall, he ran back to them as Lore started up the shuttle. 
Crying silently, Kira stood out of the way and watched Danika as they ripped
the sarong open to clean and bandage the wound.  She gasped and covered her
mouth with her hand, the same look of horror on her face he could feel in his
heart.  There was a damn big hole in her stomach.  She needed a full medical
facility and a miracle to survive this.

Tyber and Mac both
cursed as they ripped open the med kit to get to the bandages.  “We need Doc
Morgan, and we need him yesterday,” Tyber growled, even as they had to hold
themselves and Danika to the bunk as the shuttle took off.  “Mac, get on the icom
and get Tolan Lark.  Get us to that ship.”

“Aye, Cap.”  The ex-marine
moved with purpose as Tyber and Luc worked side by side to try and slow the
bleeding.  They were still working on it when they felt the explosion and were
nearly tossed from the bunk.  Danika flopped about while they cursed and tried
to keep her there.  Then, almost immediately, they could feel a series of
thumps as they took a hard landing.  A minute later, the doctor was there, took
one look at the wound and the blood, and started barking orders.

“Get her to the hyper-sleep
chamber now!”

Luc did not even have
to think about it; he picked Danika up and ran after the doctor until they
stepped out of the shuttle unto the Fire’s cargo bay.  Tolan Lark took one look
at them and cursed, charging ahead and leading them to the hyper-sleep chamber. 
Lucan had told Danika the truth when he told her they were rarely used.  The
exception was when they needed to transport fresh meat for food, or when
someone was hurt too badly to survive the trip to a medical facility.

The Shakien worked the
control panel of the device quickly, and as soon as it opened, Luc placed her
in the pod. It was almost painful to let go.  She was so pale from blood loss
her lips were grey.  He watched her face as long as he could before the cover
closed and beeped lockdown.  Tyber wasted no time putting her under, and then
sprinted away as Doc checked the controls.  “She’s under.  Your medical
facilities on PortSea, are they comprehensive?”

Luc had to force his
eyes away from the blank surface of the pod.  He felt like there was sandpaper
in his eyes, and a block of ice where his heart had rested moments ago.  “Will
she wake up again?”  His words were dead.  It was her biggest fear that she would
go into hyper-sleep and never wake up.  Now it was his as well.

The doctor sighed out a
breath, his eyes sad.  “I won’t know that until we get to medical.  Is it
comprehensive or do we need to find somewhere else to wake her?  I will need to
do extensive repair and if you do not have the right equipment, we should head
somewhere else.”

“The medical on PortSea
is state-of-the-art.  You’ll have what you need.”

The doctor sighed out
his relief.  “Good.”

Luc turned his
attention back to the pod.  “It’s her biggest fear,” he said in that same dead
voice, “going back into hyper-sleep and losing her life again.”  He sat down on
the floor next to the pod and said not one more word while Kira silently wept
by the door.  Tuft joined them after a bit with the wailing baby, and the
doctor moved to examine the child.  He changed her and gave her to Kira to rock
back to sleep until they could get her a bottle and some appropriate milk.  By
the time they reached PortSea, Kira and the baby had nodded off.  Tuft stood
guard above them both while Luc sat on the floor, his gritty eyes glued to the
blank face of the pod.

***

Danika woke to the
sounds of the surf, surrounded by the warmth of fully charged Furgarian crystal
pearls.  She breathed deeply and the air flooded her lungs even as the silent
tears snuck past her closed lids.  She shifted her weight wondering if she had dreamt
it all, but the twinge of pain in her belly told her it had all happened.

“Are you ever going to
open your eyes and look at me?”  Luc’s voice was deep and rough and it made her
smile, even as she wanted to sooth the ragged edges.

“I was trying to decide
if I was in a dream,” she said, finally opening her eyes and looking at him.

His deep blue eyes were
open with the emotion he was feeling; looking at her, he seemed mesmerized by
her smile.  “Funny, I was thinking the same thing.”

She lost her breath at
his words, the soft tone of his voice.  “Luc,” she murmured. 

He dropped his head and
buried his nose behind her ear and breathed her in.  His hand cupped her chin
as he pulled back to look into her wet eyes.  “You almost died,” he whispered,
his strong voice breaking on the last word.

“I thought I was dead,”
she answered in a whisper.  “How did you save me?”

He closed his eyes
tight as if the thought was too much.  He leaned down and swept a soft kiss
across her lips.  “Doc Morgan,” he said simply trailing another kiss the other
way.  Then he leaned back.  “We put you in hyper-sleep so you would not bleed
out on the way home.”  Danika sucked in a breath and then forced herself to let
it go.  “We were almost too late as it was, you were grey.”  This time he
kissed her hard, angry.  “As long as I live, I will never forget the way you
looked when I closed that pod.”  He held her cheek and kissed her again, this
time staking claim with his tongue and teeth, so that she was out of breath
when he pulled back.  He pressed his forehead to hers and held on, his eyes closed
against whatever demons he battled.  Then, he pulled back and looked her over
again.  He fingered the crystal pearls at her throat.  She could feel them
wrapped around her neck, waist, and even her wrists and ankles.  “The
Furgarians showed up as we disembarked to medical.  They swarmed the pod.”  He
caressed the weaving at her waist just above the white bandages there.  “Doc
says they gave you energy to survive the waking up process.”  He looked her in
the eyes, like he was memorizing her all over again.  “They saved your life,
and they come periodically to replace the crystals as you deplete them.”

“As I deplete them?”
she asked touching the crystal pearls hesitantly.  “How long have I been out?”

“Three days, but you
have been healing fast.  Doc thinks you are drawing energy at an advanced rate
from the Crystal pearls to heal.  Another day or so and you should be good as
new, not even a scar to show for almost dying while I played around with my
brother.”

“Luc, this is not your
fault.”

“The hell it isn’t,” he
growled, and then kissed her hard again.  “I could have stopped him if I was
not so busy playing with him.  He dared to take what was mine and I wanted to
punish him for it.  Instead, I almost lost everything.”

“Luc,” she whispered. 
Then she sent him a wave of peace and all the love she felt.  He closed his
eyes and sucked in another breath.

“It’s even better on
the receiving end,” he muttered, letting her sooth him. There would be plenty
of time later to torture himself with what could have been.

Danika tried to sit up
and groaned as something deep inside her pulled that did not want to be.  Luc
pushed her back to her pillow, even as she grabbed his hand.  “Luc, what about
Kira and the baby?”

“They are fine.  Tuft
is driving her a little crazy trying to help her with anything she and the baby
need before they need it, his version of courting; Kira is not catching on just
yet, but they are both safe.”  He rubbed his thumb down her cheek.  “You were
right about Kira.  She did not betray me.”

“I know,” she sighed, “but
you were right about Doctor Avia; she would have done anything to save her
child.”  Danika shook her head and looked away.

“You knew about the
baby,” he said, his voice taking on a deceptively mild tone, the hand at her
cheek tightening.  “You were going with them.”

Danika swallowed and
nodded.  Luc started cursing, and since he rarely cursed she would have known
he was angry, even without the flood of it crashing over her.  “I had to do
something.  I could see the child in her mind, her desperation to save her
daughter.”

“Doctor Avia was a
smart woman, she should have come to me, and you should never have left the
station,” he grumbled, tapping her cheek with each pronouncement.

“Luc,” she said, her
voice dropping and her hand wrapping around his wrist. She met his eyes, hers
full of compassion.  “There was an old woman who was with the baby.  She was
old, really old, but she spoke as if she was the sister of Ladon Warrung.  She claimed
the baby was his, and then tried to recant and claim she had a faulty memory
but I saw it, in her head.  And when you were fighting Cor, he kept calling you
his brother, and referring to his grandfather’s journal, his ‘grandfather’s’
actions, but Luc, he was lying, with almost every word that came out of his
mouth.” 

She saw his jaw clench
and his eyes pierce hers, narrowed in furious thought.  Danika breathed deep
before she pushed on. “Luc, you never mention your father, why is that?”

“Because I do not
remember him.  Where is this going?”

Cor Warrung is Ladon
Warrung, not aging and inventing a grandson so no one knows.  I think you are
the only child that survived the experiments he has made over the years.”  She swallowed
hard, her hands going to his face to hold him close.  “He is not your brother,
and Ladon Warrung was not your great-great grandfather; he is your father, and
that baby is your half-sister.”

Luc sat stunned for the
longest time, then he rolled onto his back beside her on the bed and appeared
deep in thought, but he took hold of her hand and held on.  “Doc says he has
found some tampering of her DNA.  He doesn’t know what it does, but he
definitely experimented on her.”  He rubbed his free hand over his eyes, and then
barked out a hard laugh.  “You know, this actually makes it better.”

Danika blinked, her
brow scrunching in confusion.  “What do you mean?”