Protecting His Mistress - Evangeline Anderson Page 0,87

the guard, who seemed to be hesitating.

“You—ssstop working,” the guard said to Karn.

But the big Kindred kept going, hacking mercilessly at the steep, gray-green wall of stone that rose above them on all sides.

“Ssstop!” the guard insisted, but Karn wouldn’t. Was he mad at her, Lilli wondered? Would he prefer to stay here than coming with her? Or maybe he just didn’t know who she was—she did have on the black respirator which covered her entire face, after all. She hated for the big Kindred to be in any doubt about who she was, but she couldn’t risk any of the Diluthian fumes getting into her lungs and possibly harming the baby.

“Make him stop!” she shouted at the guard. “At once, do you hear me? At once!”

“Er…” The Horvath hissed uneasily. His long, forked tongue ran out and swiped nervously over one yellow-slitted eyeball. “I cannot release him to you, Mistresss Mirabella,” he said at last.

“What? Why not?” Lilli demanded. “Do you doubt my authority to take him?”

“No, no—of courssse not, Mistresss.” The guard held up his green, scaly hands. “But the Obedienssse Skin—it has clearly malfunctioned. I have ssseen thisss happen once before. When the skin isss made to do only one action for hoursss on end, it sometimesss ssstops responding to ordersss.”

“What?” Lilli was horrified. “But…is there no way to stop it?”

The guard shrugged his scaly shoulders.

“It isss DNA activated. Only the touch of the one who put the Skin on in the first place can make it cease itsss current motion.” He looked at her. “Asss I understand it, you are the one who put it on him, Mistress. So only you can ssstop it.”

Lilli felt as though someone had dumped a bucket of ice cubes into the pit of her stomach. Should she try touching the Obedience Skin? She had, of course, half of her mother’s DNA so it might work. But if it didn’t, her cover would be blown. The Horvaths would probably detain her and report her and then Karn would die and she would be sent back to Yonnie Six and have her baby killed so she could incubate an heir her mother liked better.

Her mind was pulled in two directions. On one hand, she loved Karn desperately and wanted to save him. But on the other hand, she also felt fiercely protective of the new life inside her. She had to save her baby! What should she do?

Suddenly the Goddess’s words came back to her.

“Do not be afraid to attempt the impossible,” she had said. Also, she had promised to send Lilli help to escape and she had done it.

I need to trust, Lilli told herself. The Goddess wouldn’t have brought me this far only to let me fail now. She means for me to rescue Karn and our baby. She’s with me now—I will not be afraid.

Taking a deep breath, she reached out with one hand and laid it lightly on the silver plates that covered Karn’s broad back.

“Stop,” she said in a clear voice. “Stop working and come with me.”

Karn’s arms stopped in mid-swing and he abruptly dropped the pickaxe to the ground. He turned and faced Lilli, clearly waiting to follow wherever she led.

Lilli let out a breath of relief and thought, Thank you, Goddess!

“Very good,” she said, trying to keep her voice strong, though inside she was as weak as jiggle-jelly with relief. “Let’s go to my ship. Thank you, guard,” she added, as the Horvath began to accompany them. “That will be all—you can go now.”

“Yessss, Mistress Mirabella,” the guard hissed and slunk off, his long lizard-like tail dragging in the greenish-gray Diluthian dust as he went.

“Come,” Lilli said to Karn and started for the ship. She was determined not to break character until they were safely underway, just in case any of the other Horvath guards might be watching.

He followed obediently as she led the way, his heavy footsteps puffing up little jets of dust as they walked. She was glad again that she was wearing protective gear. This stuff was completely toxic. In fact, she would have to remove the Obedience Skin just before he stepped aboard the ship—she didn’t want any of the Diluthian dust in the air circulating system once she took off her mask.

As soon as they reached the ship, she waved at H’rare to open the door and turned to the big Kindred, who had stopped obediently just in front of her. She wished she could read his face, but the