SnaredbySaber (20 page)

“Good.”

“How is your arm?”

She flexed it, braced for jagged pain—and
felt nothing. “It’s fine,” she said in surprise. She sat up and unfastened the
bandage covering the wound. She blinked. Instead of the angry wound she’d
expected, the skin had knit together, the wound of the previous night reduced
to tight pink skin. “It’s almost healed! I don’t understand.” She turned to
Saber. “How?”

He drew her into his arms and ran his
fingers over her hair. “Remember when I bit your neck and this cat tattoo
appeared?” His finger drifted down to press against the spot.

“Yes.” Eva gasped at the pleasure generated
by his touch.

“Enzymes from my bite have entered your
bloodstream. I need to consult with my mother, but I’m pretty sure that’s why
you’ve healed so well. You’re my mate, Eva.”

“Because you bit me?”

“Because my feline and I both wanted
you—recognized you.”

“I don’t understand.”

“We’ll talk as soon as we’ve dealt with the
Dearbhorgaills.”

Eva’s new com-circle buzzed and she
scrambled from the bed to pluck it off the nightstand. “Yes?”

“Ms. Henry, this is Turlow, the king’s head
courtier. His majesty will see you at noon when he intends to rule on your
petition. I will notify the guards at the palace gate.”

“Should I bring my assistant with me?”

“Not unless you wish it. The king has
already heard his testimony, but you may bring one person to stand at your
side.”

Someone for moral support. “Thank you.”

“Noon, Ms. Henry. Do not be late.”

* * * * *

Saber escorted her into the palace a few
minutes prior to noon. Eva had chosen her clothing carefully, dressing in a
light blue gown that molded to her body and made her feel confident.

A young courtier led them to a different
part of the palace, where Turlow waited for them.

“Good. You’re here,” he said. “This way.”

Eva and Saber entered the chamber after
Turlow. This one was plainer, with white walls and white tiles on the floor.
While the space was large, there were no windows in this room.

Several male clerks dressed in black robes
sat at desks, with genic tabs and other administration equipment sitting in
front of them. Beyond them, there was a seating area with not a spare seat to
be seen, since they were all filled with lords and ladies—those from the elite
Dalcon ruling class, the caste that was a step below royalty. There was a
flurry of whispers as Eva entered the room. When Saber stalked in behind her,
the whispers increased to a muted rush of excitement.

“Sit over here,” Turlow instructed.

“This is a travesty, I tell you.”

“Sounds as if your in-laws have arrived,”
Saber said in an undertone as the comments from those present became more
audible.

“A disgrace.”

“Unfounded accusations.”

“Lies from a guttersnipe.”

“Do you think they killed their son?”

Eva glanced at the Dearbhorgaills and saw
they were dressed in their best clothes. Lord Loeiz wore a gray pinstripe suit,
cut to the trim lines of his body. His black shoes shone so brightly Eva was
certain a person would be able to use them for a looking glass. Jewels winked
from the timepiece at his wrist and a large blue stone the same cool blue as
his eyes glinted from his left ear. Lady Almeda wore bright orange, which
contrasted with her long black hair styled in a complicated coronet on top of
her head. A somber man, also dressed in black, stood at their side, a colorless
spar-bird outclassed by two of the titled caste.

“Take your seats,” Turlow ordered in a
stern tone. “The king will arrive shortly.”

Lord Loeiz drew himself up, contempt almost
covering the faint tinge of embarrassment creeping into his cheeks. “She’s a
liar and a cheat. I don’t know why the king is putting us through this
travesty. It’s clear she’s jealous of our position in Dalcon society and wants
to drag us through the same muck she inhabits.”

“Still trying to use their position to
cover their guilt,” Saber whispered close to her ear. Eva caught his scent, a
combination of wood, citrus and spices, as complicated as the man. Complex and
exciting and very attractive. So sexy, and the things he did with her,
to
her…

He pulled away, shot her an amused, curious
look that made her realize she was distracted. She couldn’t afford to daydream.
Not now.

“Hopefully the king thinks the same,” Eva
whispered back. Straightening, she pressed her spine against the back of her
chair. At her side, Saber chuckled, and she found her own lips curving.

Footsteps sounded and the men at the door
straightened to attention. “All stand,” Turlow intoned.

Everyone stood, and the king strode into the
room, his official blue robes rustling with each step. He sat on his throne and
surveyed the Dearbhorgaills, then her and Saber.

“All sit,” Turlow ordered.

“Good, good. Everyone is here,” the king
said. “I have studied the documentation given to me yesterday, as well as the
results of the court’s own thorough investigation. Before I inform you of my
decision, is there anything either of you wish to add?”

“Yes,” Lord Loeiz snarled. “This is all
hearsay. The charges are unfounded.”

“Not according to my investigation.” The
king’s implacable tone set the audience whispering in excitement. “Everything
appears as Ms. Henry stated. If anything, it seems her reports have been
conservative in nature. Do you have anything to add, Ms. Henry?”

Saber gave her an encouraging nod, and she
stood. “Last night an attempt was made on my life while we were walking home
from my restaurant. The security force was able to capture the culprit and take
his statement. Captain Jarvis has given me his com contact, should you wish to
speak with him. He wanted to be here to give his report in person but has been
called away on another case.”

“Who was responsible?” the king asked.

“Lady Almeda Dearbhorgaill hired and paid
the young male to shoot me,” Eva said, letting her anger bleed into her tone.
She winged disdain in their direction, her disgust at their duplicitous
natures. They’d killed their own son—not directly, but by association, and
frying
fungus
, they were going to pay for their crimes.

“That’s a wicked lie!” Lady Almeda cried,
two spots of hectic color appearing on her cheeks at the open speculation from
her peers in the audience.

Eva handed over the captain’s written
report to Turlow. “The report contains full details of the incident.”

“You don’t appear injured to me,” Lord
Loeiz said in a snooty voice. “Are you sure this isn’t yet another fabrication
designed to cast us in a bad light?”

Eva rolled up the long sleeve of her blue
gown to reveal a white bandage around her arm, giving a theatrical wince. “It’s
still very painful. The captain of the security force was there. He saw the
blood.”

The king remained silent, but the lords and
ladies seated in the room stirred and exchanged comments in undertones, the
burst of sound resembling the passage of the wind through jungle trees.

“Quiet,” Turlow roared.

The room fell silent, but Eva could feel
the bursts of curiosity, the greedy speculation.

“I will read this report,” the king
decided.

Eva ripped her gaze off the audience and
strived to calm the bubble of nerves in her gut. It hit her, then, how things
would go if the king decided for the Dearbhorgaills. Despite his earlier words,
it could happen. Then she’d have nothing, no other recourse.

She’d have to leave Dalcon, start afresh.

Maybe she should do that anyway. Go with
Saber…

But what of the future? Her future? Saber
said they were mates. He hadn’t looked at other women since they’d arrived on
Dalcon, but that might change. Eva bore no illusions about her appearance. On a
good day, she might attract attention from the opposite sex.

She wasn’t sure she could face that—going
with Saber and losing him to another woman. Losing Pryce had been bad enough,
and they’d been more like friends. Saber…

Saber was different.

Even though they hadn’t known each other
long, she felt so much more for Saber. Something touched her thigh and she
glanced down to see Saber’s hand. She curled her fingers with his, and her
inner turmoil subsided.

It didn’t matter what happened in the end.
She was doing her best to right a wrong. If she failed today, she’d come up
with another plan and eventually she’d prevail. Pryce’s parents would go down
and—

“I have come to a decision,” the king said.

Murmurs filled the room again.

Turlow bristled and clapped his hands
together. “Silence!”

Saber’s fingers tightened around hers, and
she gave him a stiff nod. She tried a smile but it wobbled on her lips and
wouldn’t stick. She gave up and simply lifted her head to stare at the king.

“I have read the damning evidence presented
to me by Ms. Henry—”

“She didn’t even take the Dearbhorgaill
name,” Lord Loeiz snapped.

Lady Almeda sniffed. “She knew better.”

The king ignored their outbursts, and waved
at Turlow when he would have shouted for silence. “Lord and Lady Dearbhorgaill
have engaged in a series of vicious bullying tactics against Eva Henry. This
state of affairs began when Ms. Henry became involved with Pryce Dearbhorgaill,
and has escalated since his death. I have signed proof from several sources—and
the court’s research provided the probable reason for this plot against Eva
Henry.”

The whispers and low comments grew louder
as the king continued with his summation of the crimes and their possible
causes.

“They did that?”

“Shame on them!”

“I can’t believe it. They’re titled.”

“It’s all lies.”

“Quiet in the room,” Turlow said when the
noise became too distracting for the king to continue. “I will eject anyone who
breaks silence.”

The king continued. “The Dearbhorgaills
have lived beyond their means for some time and were dependent on Pryce
Dearbhorgaill to support their lifestyle. This is fact supported by financial
inquiry. I personally believe they grew greedy and wanted more of Pryce’s
money. They mistakenly surmised killing their son would net them his estate.
But Pryce married Ms. Henry, and together, they built a successful empire. Lord
and Lady Dearbhorgaills have become increasingly desperate for currency to meet
their needs and after learning their son left everything to his wife upon his
death, they’ve continued to undermine Ms. Henry at every turn in an attempt to
see her businesses fail. Last night, they paid someone to kill her.”

“Lies!” Lord Loeiz cried.

Eva noticed Lady Almeda didn’t comment, but
she caught the flicker of fear on the woman’s face, followed by the loathing in
the glare her mother-in-law sent her way.

“We loaned her money to purchase her third
restaurant,” Lord Loeiz shouted.

The king held up his hand to halt further
speech and Lord Loeiz’s face went almost purple as he ground his teeth
together. “You made it impossible for her to obtain a loan from any credible
source, and hid your involvement in the loan company from her until after she’d
accepted the terms and started work on her restaurant. Ms. Henry, if you’d
known the Dearbhorgaills were behind the loan, would you have accepted it?”

“No,” Eva said without hesitation.

“That is what I thought.” The king gave
Pryce’s parents a steely look. “Lord and Lady Dearbhorgaill, I sentence you on
four counts—the murder of Pryce Dearbhorgaill, the attempted murder of Eva
Henry, theft, and destruction of property. You are hereby sentenced to
imprisonment for the term of twenty-five solar years.”

“No!” Lord Loeiz leaped to his feet. “You
can’t do this. It’s her!” He pointed a finger at Eva, his eyes blazing with
scorn. “She’s a nothing—a
nobody
!”

“And in addition, the loan given to Eva
Henry will be negated. Ms. Henry shall keep the monies advanced to her without
the need to pay them back as compensation for the trials she has faced due to
the Dearbhorgaills,” the king continued, unfazed by the interruption.

“No. No, they’ll kill us!” Lady Almeda
cried.

The audience erupted into loud chatter, and
Eva could literally feel the malicious enjoyment at the Dearbhorgaills’
predicament.

“My sentence is final,” the king said in a
flat voice. “I will not sanction this type of crime in my kingdom, the abuse of
power against those from lower castes. Turlow, take them away.”

“No!” Lady Almeda shot to her feet and
fumbled with her hair. Her locks toppled down around her shoulders in a dark
curtain—and she plucked out a weapon, pointing it at Eva.

Eva stared, a hand flying to her chest. She
willed her legs to move yet they refused to run.

“Conniving guttersnipe!” Lady Almeda
screamed, her face twisted into a grotesque mask. Her hand held steady as she
squeezed the trigger.

The weapon barked. Saber leaped at Eva and
sent her flying to the floor.

Several women screamed. Men shouted. There
was a stampede for the door. Turlow yelled for security.

Lady Almeda let out an annoyed screech and
fired again.

“Keep your head down,” Saber ordered, his
voice close to her ear, his body a heavy weight across her back. Then his bulk
was gone. A feline scream of rage rippled through the air. It built, higher and
higher, until her ears hurt.

“Get away from me!” Lady Almeda shrieked.

A third shot discharged. Explosive.
Deafening.

Eva saw Saber dive at the king and knock
him off his feet. Another shot fired. Saber roared.

Security men rushed through the doorway.
“Put your weapon down! Put the weapon down
now
.”

They spread out, circling Lady Almeda.

“
Put your weapon down
!”

She ignored their demands, fired yet again.

Return shots fired.

A security man went down.

Lady Almeda crashed to the floor.

“Back against the wall,” a security man
barked at the remaining people.

Eva lifted her head. Despite orders to
remain in place, she crawled across the tiles to Saber. The king was leaning
over him. Blood squeezed between his fingers. Saber’s blood.

The king glanced up, tears in his eyes. “He
saved my life.”

“Saber!” Her voice was hoarse, her
heartbeat racing until it felt as if her chest would explode. He’d saved her
too. “Saber,” she croaked. She stroked his pale face, wished his eyes were open
so she could see his pretty green gaze.

He couldn’t die.

“Don’t die, Saber. I won’t let you. I
refuse.”
Frying fungus
, she loved him. She loved Saber with everything
she had, and now it was too late to tell him.

“Hands up. Get away from the king,” a
security man boomed.

“Call the medical team,” the king roared.

“Hands in the air!” the security man
shouted, his voice edging into agitated. A weapon poked into Eva’s ribs.

“It’s all right,” the king snapped. “It’s
not my blood.”

Eva ignored the security team and lowered
her head to brush a kiss on Saber’s brow. A tear trickled down her cheek and dropped
onto his nose. His nose twitched.

“He’s going to be all right,” the king
whispered.

“Your majesty?” Turlow asked.

The king surveyed the swarm of panicked men
and women and scowled. “Clear this room. Take Lord Loeiz to the jail. Remove
Lady Almeda’s body. Don’t let anyone back in except the medical team.”

“Yes, your majesty,” Turlow said with a
half-bow and turned away to issue orders.

“Saber,” Eva said. “Saber?”

Saber’s eyelashes flickered.

“See, I told you,” the king said.

A medical man rushed into the room and sank
down beside them, his white robe flowing around his spindly legs. “Let me look,
your majesty,” he said in a calm voice.

The king backed up until he sat beside Eva.
He wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. “It’s going to be all right,”
he repeated. “Saber is dual-natured. That makes him tougher than most.”

As if to prove it, Saber’s eyelashes
flickered again. His eyes opened.

“Saber!” Eva said, some of her inner panic
subsiding.

“Eva?” His voice sounded rusty and unlike
him, but her relief was instantaneous.

“I’m here,” she said, reaching for his
hand. “I’m here.”

While they’d been talking, the medical man
had cut away Saber’s clothing, baring the wound on his chest. He rifled through
his medical bag and pulled out a sterilizing pad. He applied it to the wound
and cleared away the blood.

Saber started to struggle.

“Hold him down,” the medical man snapped.

“Saber.” Her grip tightened. “You need to
keep still, love.”

“Need to shift,” he gritted out. “Will
help…”

“Release him,” the king ordered instantly.
“Step back.”

The medical man’s head jerked up in
protest. “Your majesty, I need to treat this man to stop infection.”

“Step back,” the king barked again.

The medical man huffed, his thin face full
of disapproval, but he obeyed the king and moved away from Saber.

“Help me to my feet. Off with my clothes,”
Saber said.

His wound started to bleed again and Eva
bit her lip, worry and concern pressing against her chest. This couldn’t be a
good idea. “Saber, maybe you should let the medical man treat you.”

“Need to shift. Help,” Saber muttered.

Despite her misgivings, she and the king
helped Saber to stand, then Eva used the medical man’s scalpel to cut off
Saber’s clothes.

“Can you stand by yourself?” the king
asked.

“Yes.” Saber wobbled the second they
released him, giving lie to his assertion.

“This is very irregular,” the medical man
said in a pompous tone.

Eva and the king ignored him, both focused
on Saber as he lurched from side to side, his eyes tightly closed as he
focusing on remaining upright. A faint shimmer glowed around his body. But
nothing happened. Saber’s face was pale and blood continued to drip down his
chest and onto the tiles. Eva ached to go to him, but instead she remained in
place, shivering and biting her lip to hold back her anguish.

Then finally,
finally
the glow
around Saber’s body intensified.

Eva was used to him transforming quickly,
but this time took long minutes. The clock in the corner of the room counted
off the seconds until Eva wanted to scream. Saber’s features began to twist,
and the medical man jumped closer to examine his charge.

“Hold,” the king ordered in a stern tone.

“But your majesty—”

Fur started to sprout on Saber’s body, and
he fell on all fours, a pained sound forging up his throat and emerging as a
guttural groan. Saber cried out, but the shift continued and eventually a black
leopard stood before them.

“Amazing!” the medical man said, awe
shimmering on his face now. He edged nearer, his hand reaching out to touch
Saber.

The king glared. “Move back. Don’t touch
him.”

Eva crouched beside Saber, brushed her hand
over his shoulder. “Saber?”

Saber gave a tired sigh and leaned against
her.

“How is his chest?” the king asked.

Eva ran a gentle hand over Saber’s body.
“It’s stopped bleeding.”

“Amazing,” the medical man said. “I didn’t
know such a thing was possible.”

“He needs to rest,” Eva said. “Saber will
require meat. He needs to rebuild his strength.”

“You can stay here at the palace,” the king
said. “Turlow, organize two rooms for our guests. Adjoining rooms, please.
Arrange for a meal and clothing. Take some from my wardrobe.”

“Yes, your majesty,” Turlow said and
hurried off to carry out the king’s bidding.

Soon Eva and Saber were ensconced in
luxurious rooms in the palace. Saber curled up on a soft sleep-bed, his eyes
closed. Eva wasn’t sure what to do to help him, but she figured sleep couldn’t
hurt.

A soft knock came at the door, and Eva
hurried to answer the summons before the visitor woke Saber.

One servant waited with food and another
with a selection of clothes. Eva opened the door wider and let them inside.

“Thank you,” she said. “We’ll serve
ourselves.”

The servants gawked at the black leopard
curled up on the bed and hurriedly withdrew.

A grunt came from the sleep-bed, and Eva
rushed over to see Saber was awake. She ran her hands over his fur. “Are you
all right?”

He grunted again and slipped off the bed.
There was a brief shimmer and Saber transformed.

Eva rushed to his side and slipped an arm
around his waist. The wound on his chest was a raw red color, but the edges of
the wound had melded back together.

“You called me
love
.” His voice was
raw with emotion, the sentiment echoed in his green eyes.

“I…I…you saved my life. She intended to
kill me. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve died.”

Saber lifted her chin with his fingertips,
forced her to look at him. “I love you, Eva. I want to share my life with you,
sleep with you, keep you safe. I want to spend my life making you happy.”

A spark of warmth ignited in her, the seeds
of which she’d kept hidden away in a locked box, safe and concealed, so she
wouldn’t get hurt. The yearning for love, for acceptance…Saber gave her that,
she realized. He’d offered her a restaurant at the resort, the freedom to do
what she did best. Cook and feed people. Make her customers happy.

This relationship was different from the
one with Pryce. It excited her, made her feel giddy when she thought of the
possibilities.

“Face it, Eva.” His eyes pierced her with
an emotional intensity. “I’ve captured you, and I don’t intend to let you go.”

Eva felt a slow smile spreading across her
face. It became a grin of joy and spread so wide it hurt her lips. “And now
that you’ve captured me, my love, what do you intend to do with me?”

“Love you,” he said without hesitation.
“Live with you. Have children. Be happy.”

“Ch-children?”

“Yes.” He had his bossy face on, and she
found it rather endearing. “You can still work, do whatever you want, as long
as it is at the resort with me. There are plenty of family members who’d love
to babysit whenever necessary.”

“My past…I don’t know if I’d make a good
parent.” But she let herself imagine a small boy with Saber’s beautiful green
eyes.

“You
will
make a good parent, Eva.
You would never abandon your child. You look after Robbie, your other employees.
Bluebird. Me. Kitten, you have so much love in that heart of yours. You just
haven’t realized it yet. What do you say? Come home with me. Make Middlemarch
your home.”

Her breath caught, emotion swelling inside
her until she didn’t think she could contain the wealth of happiness.

“Yes,” she said. “Yes.” She smiled, and it
was a little misty. “I might need to travel back and forth until the
restaurants are sold, and I’d want to offer Robbie a job if he would like one
at the resort.”

“No problem.” He eased back onto the
sleep-bed, wincing at the pull on his wound where the skin remained tender.

“Are you all right?” Concern filled her at
his pained expression.

“Need to eat,” he said. “Refuel then
sleep.”

Eva scrambled off the sleep-bed and grabbed
his meal for him. “Eat,” she instructed, before returning to eat her own meal
on the small table.

“What happened to the Dearbhorgaills?”

“Lady Almeda is dead. Lord Loeiz is now
languishing in the palace prison. I’m sorry on Pryce’s behalf. Knowing his
parents behaved in this way would have caused him great pain. He was a good
man,” Eva said.

Saber growled around a mouthful of rare
steak, and she grinned.

“They won’t bother us again,” she said.

“Good. Now I can get back to the normal
headaches back at the resort,” Saber said.

“Like what?”

“Someone keeps sabotaging the zylon fence
and letting the wee beasties inside the resort compound. I have to manage the
staff, and stop the males from squabbling when they don’t get a capture. I have
to—”

“A capture?” Eva’s eyes narrowed on Saber.
She set her cutlery down to glare at him. “You arranged my kidnapping from the
resort, didn’t you?”

“Eva, that’s not important now.”

“It is to me,” Eva said. “Tell me the
truth. Now.”

Saber’s glance was cautious. “Just remember
you’re my mate. My feline claimed you when I bit your neck. You wear his mark.
He wants you, loves you. We both love you. Remember that.”

“
Now
, Saber.”

Saber scowled, then started talking. “I
told you about the virus on Earth. It killed most of our females. We needed to
find a way to attract women to find mates for our people.”

“Go on.”

“We decided to offer capture fantasies at
the resort. Most take place—
will
take place—within the resort, part of
the vacation experiences we offer. But for some specially chosen women, my
brothers and I intend to make the experience more…permanent.”

“Permanent!” Eva sprang to her feet and
advanced on him. “You had no intention of letting me return to Dalcon.”

“No,” Saber said baldly. “I wanted you, and
I acted. You’re our first official capture.”

“I…you…but…” Eva took a deep breath, her
mind spinning with his revelations. He’d wooed her, made such tender love to
her, spanked her.

He’d saved her life.

That sloughed the abrasive edge off her
thoughts. “You can’t go around stealing women for your own nefarious purposes.”
She poked him in the chest three times before she noticed his flinch of pain. “
Frying
fungus
!” she muttered and backed up to glare at him. “What the hell am I
meant to do with that information?”

“Love me,” he said simply. “You know you
want to.”

The urge to laugh sneaked up on her, her
merriment exploding into the room before she could control the inappropriate
reaction. “I don’t know whether to strangle you or kiss you in praise of your
cheek.”

“I vote for kissing.”

Eva stared at him, her emotions in turmoil,
but underneath it all the truth kicked her in the gut.

He’d chosen her. He’d wanted her, and he’d
set out to prove his desire and need of her. And with that truth, she melted.
“Saber,” she whispered.

“Come here, kitten.”

Eva recognized the glint in his eye.
“You’re still injured. You need rest.”

“I’ll let you do most of the work.”

Eva rolled her eyes but sank onto the edge
of the sleep-bed and kissed him. The kiss started easy but morphed into hard
and urgent. Her heartbeat soared at his taste, his desperate need for her and
the feel of his hands gripping her body, holding her close.