Lendill and Wylend had disappeared. Figuring it was because I was unexpectedly pregnant with Tory's child, I covered my eyes with a hand. "Farzi, you know where the bus stop is—why don't you go find Teeg. That's where you belong—with him. I need to sort out some things by myself." I dropped my hand so he could see that I meant what I'd said.

"Reah? You not feel good?" Nenzi was there, kneeling beside my chair.

"Nenzi, I haven't felt good for a while, sweet man. Leave me alone for a while—I have to think about what to do with my future. I get out of the ASD in two months. Maybe they'll let me go early since I'm pregnant."

"Reah not be with Teeg?" Nenzi sounded lost.

"Nenzi, I don't know how I can. Go on, now. Take the bus back to the palace. I need some time alone."

"I'm telling you, she can fix any core you damaged," Jes informed Yebri Hammal, the rogue Karathian witch. "I watched her heal the one on Xordthe. I got the idea that she pulls the energy from a star or something."

"Why are you coming to me with this information?" Yebri looked suspiciously at Teeg San Gerxon's hired physician.

"Because Teeg has something I want. And Teeg is what my new partner wants," Jes nodded toward the woman who stood next to him. Yebri almost laughed. She couldn't imagine many men wanting that one, especially one as wealthy and powerful as Teeg San Gerxon. She didn't say it, though. If Jes Wurfl was correct about the female High Demon, then Yebri couldn't pass up this opportunity. Nidris would be more than grateful for this information—he'd opened the core on Tulgalan before realizing exactly what damage he'd done. He'd contacted Yebri, telling her his family was quite upset over his mistake. If they could get their hands on the one Jes spoke of, they could repair the damage and no one would be the wiser. Plus, if they kept the female, they could dip into the power of any planet, arranging for their captive to correct it afterward. The prospect was almost too good to be believed.

"Name your price," Yebri said. "I must confer with my partner, but we might come to some sort of arrangement."

"I want the woman after two repairs," Jes said right away.

"And I want Teeg San Gerxon. I want him given to me, as a willing husband. Can you do that for me?" Ardalin Nathil smiled at Yebri.

"I can't believe they came back without her," Tory was about to go Thifilathi. All eight reptanoids had gotten back to the palace after Gavril, Tory and Ry had returned. Minus Reah. Farzi told Gavril that Reah wanted to be alone at her home. Gavril and his brothers had gone straight there, only to learn that Reah had left again.

"Where do you think she is?" Ry was trying to calm Tory, making him think of other things instead of letting his emotions get the better of him and allowing his Thifilathi free rein.

"She might have gone to the light side—Nenzi said she mentioned that," Gavril's anger was rising. He had other things on his mind and didn't need to be chasing after Reah.

"Bro, if you hadn't deactivated her mindspeech," Ry whispered.

She's with me, came mindspeech from Aurelius. And Gavril, if you ever worry us like that again, we will have words.

Not to worry, grandfather, Gavril blew out a mental and physical sigh.

"So, Norian, are you just going to drop this bomb on her now?" Lissa glared at the Director of the ASD.

"We only have two months of service left. We have to move quickly on this."

"Don't you think you ought to go hunting the asshole who drained the core? He may still be there and if so, he could tap right back into it after Reah does the repairs." Lissa seldom got information regarding ASD business anymore, though she was mated to Norian.

"We're already on that, Lissa. Do you think I'm stupid?"

"Not stupid. Just blind, sometimes." Lissa turned away from him and stared at the painting behind her desk, not really seeing the beautiful landscape painted by Corot. Merrill had given it to her not long after she'd become Queen of Le-Ath Veronis. To make up for past mistakes, he'd said. Both knew it was a peace offering between them. Lissa had accepted.

"Reah, Norian Keef is on his way," Aurelius said gently. I'd fallen asleep, leaning against his shoulder as we sat on the balcony of his home on the light side. Overlooking the Western Ocean, the location was peaceful most of the time, with waves washing ashore instead of pounding it as the Eastern Ocean did at times.

"What does he want?" I rubbed my eyes to wake up. Had Teeg deactivated the implant, I might have received the mindspeech myself. Now, that wasn't an option as long as he held the control.

"To talk to you," Aurelius helped me off the wide, comfortable swing. He'd installed it himself, just so we could sit quietly and watch the ocean when we were together.

"I hope he'll tell me I'm getting discharged early," I grumped. Thankfully, Aurelius didn't have a problem with my unplanned pregnancy and he'd sat beside me, rubbing my slightly protruding belly gently until I'd fallen asleep next to him.

"I hope that too, for your sake and the baby's," Aurelius agreed. "Reah, have you made any plans with Tory? Where will you stay when the baby comes? I think she will need some sunlight, don't you?"

"Auri, is that an invitation?" I smiled up at him. The one mate I had who seemed glad to see me. I couldn't explain any of it.

"If you want it to be." He leaned down to kiss me gently, just as Norian and Lendill folded in. Well, Lendill wasn't high on my current list. I wanted to tell him to go away. Except I couldn't—he was still my boss, just as Norian was.

"Reah, we want to speak with you about your remaining service time," Norian said. "Is there somewhere we can sit?"

Chapter 9

"You want her to do what?" Aurelius was up and shouting at Norian Keef. Lendill had remained silent the whole time Norian informed me that he wanted me to heal Tulgalan's core. Too stunned to argue, I sat staring at the Director and Vice-Director while Aurelius yelled. In the end, it did no good whatsoever. Norian said that in two weeks I would be taken to Tulgalan where I would do whatever it is you do, he'd snapped, to heal up the weakening core.

Aurelius seemed to be my only champion in this cause and he was waging a hopeless war. I'd learned over the years that when Norian and Lendill made up their minds, you weren't going to change them. Perhaps it made them good at their jobs, but on a personal level, those attitudes could be devastating for their individual agents. The Alliance still owned me—Norian hadn't softened that reality for me.

Lendill still hadn't said anything and now he wouldn't even meet my eyes when he and Norian folded away. What was I going to do? Norian was going to wring every remaining tick from me until my six years were up. Right then, I think I truly hated him and Lendill both.

"Auri, I wish I were anywhere but here right now." I moved to his side, bumping my forehead against his shoulder.

"I know, love. Is there somewhere else you want to go? I'll take you."

"There isn't any place out there that really appeals to me. Nowhere I can go to get away from them. Do they want to make me miserable? Is that what they want?" I felt like crying. Aurelius knew it.

"Love, perhaps I should ask for the healer to come," he said softly, tucking my hair behind an ear. Aurelius must have sent out mindspeech; Karzac was there and cursing under his breath in moments.

"Reah, the baby is fine at the moment—it is still tiny and difficult to harm," Karzac informed me after settling me on Aurelius' wide bed. "Still, I have the urge to bash in the Director's head—he should not be doing this to you. Surely one of the other High Demons has this ability."

"Kifirin says they don't," Lissa folded in. "Norian just wants to flex his ASD muscle." Lissa didn't like this any more than Karzac or I did. "While I realize that billions of lives are at stake on Tulgalan, surely it could have waited another six months."

"I would be out of the ASD by that time," I grumbled.

"Yeah." Lissa nodded as Karzac healed up little aches and pains for me.

"Keep eating good meals," Karzac said. "Don't skip any. Is the nausea subsiding?"

"I think so; I haven't felt queasy in the past few days."

"Good. Let's hope that's a thing of the past," he smiled. "If you feel up to it, I'll allow sex."

"Karzac, stop embarrassing her," Lissa took his arm and folded him away.

"How do you feel?" Aurelius pulled me against him. "Karzac says no biting while you're pregnant, by the way."

"I'm okay," I said, using one of Lissa's slang terms. Aurelius smiled, lifted me up and settled me on his bed.

"Dee, what have you found?" Gavril paced inside his suite while talking with his assistant via communicator.

"Nothing, Teeg. Word has it that Ardalin managed to get off-planet too, before we could stop her. I'm still trying to work out how she managed that."

Gavril cursed at the news. "Any idea where she was headed? We can have someone go after her."

"None. Sorry. She was more slippery than we thought she could be."

"What about that female rogue—Yebri? Anything new there?"

"Nothing. It's as if she vanished without a trace. We're still looking, though. Any chance you might send one or two of the warlocks back?"

"I'll send Galaxsan and Celestan," Gavril said. "Maybe they can pick up the trail on Ardalin and Yebri. We're about to leave for Tulgalan—that idiot Nidris has tapped into the core there. I'm hoping he hasn't left yet—that would make my life a bit simpler. Keep looking for Jes—he was upset when I wouldn't bring him with me. Perhaps he's in a snit and just decided to go away for a while without saying anything. Keep trying to reach him on his communicator."