The Healer (The Order of Intergalactic Peace #1) - Kelly Lucille Page 0,70

than whatever magic he was trying to use.”

“Trying?” Jas growled. “He had you wrapped in his death power when I walked in.”

She nodded and sat down on the bed. Just the memory of those snake-like tendrils of death coming at her was enough to make her ill. “He couldn’t get through my defenses.”

The silence following that was tense enough to have her turning to look at them.

Mal was looking her over with his ability and she could feel it like a buzz of heat all along her skin. But it was Flinn who spoke what they were all clearly thinking.

“You kept the councilman of death out?”

She shuddered at the true name. “This time.” She met Mal’s eyes. “He’ll make sure I don’t survive a second attempt. That man means to kill me.”

“You’re just reacting to his power,” Mal said but even he didn’t look like he believed that. He looked, if she could describe it, conflicted.

“My father calls the way people seek to protect me or discount me as a threat as the serenity affect. Something to do with my power and the scent I give out because of it. He warned me to beware because while most will be compelled to protect me, there will be those that will need to destroy me for the same reason. That man will destroy me. It’s not a question of if, it’s when. And the kind of rot that eats his soul is beyond my abilities to influence.”

“She’s right,” Jas growled, his eyes on the portal where Gren had escaped. From that look she knew his hunter instincts were in full use. Gren, for him, was prey that got away. “I recognize the look of a hunt and not an honorable one,” he growled, swinging that molten gaze to Mal Ryn. “He will take her. He won’t be able to help himself.”

“My guard is sacrosanct. He can’t touch her,” Mal growled right back. Not liking what he was hearing.

“He’ll find a way,” Flinn said.

“Is that why you’ve had her shielded so heavily, even after I arrived.”

Flinn shrugged. “I may not have hunter senses, or a healer’s ability to see inside a man, but that one,” he blew out a breath shaking his head. “The way he went after her, yeah, he’s not going to stop.”

Mal ground his teeth and looked back at Serenity. “What do you suggest we do about it?” his eyes flashed how little he liked this topic. “Let me guess… Send you home?” His tone made it clear he was not taking this threat seriously, but then he hadn’t seen what they had.

“Too late for that,” Serenity said as she sank down tiredly to the bed.

“Yes,” Jas agreed, murder still in his eyes. “He’d just follow. He’s got her scent now. I say kill him,” Jas said as is if was as easy as that. “It’s the only way.”

Mal Ryn’s eyes flew back to the hunter while everyone else in the room seemed to freeze in shock. Then a blanket of his power coated the room, and even the hunters among them simmered down beneath its weight. “I will forget this one time your talk of Treason, but I won’t if it happens a second time.” He looked at Meg who shivered beside Serenity. “See to the healer, get this place cleaned up and forget everything that happened here, am I clear?”

“Yes sir.”

He looked around at his men. “From now on I want two men at the door at all times. I will deal with the councilor.” He walked out of med bay and thankfully the heavy blanket of power went with him. Serenity looked at the rest of them as they filed out like good soldiers behind him. All but Jas, who turned to her first.

“Are you alright?”

She blew out a breath and looked at Corporal Handsly on the floor ignored where he had fallen. “Better than he is,” she said. Then met those fiery hunter eyes. She saw the muscle in his cheek flex before he walked out of the room after the others. She looked at Meg and blew out a breath, closing her eyes. When she opened them she looked at the woman with confusion and anger. “It’s like none of them even see his death as relevant. I don’t understand any of this.”

Meg sat down beside her and took her hand. Neither of them spoke. What could they possibly say?

A few minutes later, Marte walked into medbay from the lab where he had been