Protecting His Mistress - Evangeline Anderson Page 0,88
bottom half of it was still obscured by the metal of the Obedience Skin and his eyes simply looked tired. No, more than tired—weary almost to death, Lilli saw with concern.
She touched his chest, letting her hand rest over the metal of the skin and said, “Skin, remove yourself from this male.”
She had no idea if this order would work and, indeed, at first it didn’t seem to. Karn just stood there, looking at her with those dead-tired eyes and for a moment Lilli was worried that he might collapse right in front of her.
Then the metal of the skin began to heat up—just a little at first, but soon it was so hot Lilli could barely stand to keep touching it. She held her hand there anyway, right over the big Kindred’s heart and repeated her command.
“Come off him, Skin!” she demanded. “Come off now!”
Abruptly the metal plates began to separate and melt away. Soon they were nothing but a handful of hot silver balls cupped in the center of Lilli’s palm. With a gasp, she threw them away, not wanting anything to do with the thing that had hurt the man she loved.
“Karn?” she asked, looking up at him. “Karn, are you all right?”
“Is it you the, little Mistress?” he rasped and then began to cough.
“It’s me,” Lilli told him. “But I have to keep the mask on as long as we’re near the Diluthian dust and gasses. I can’t risk it hurting the baby.”
“The…baby.” His mismatched eyes filled with wonderment. “My…son,” he said hoarsely.
And then he collapsed at her feet.
Forty-Seven
“In here—get him in the ship! Hurry! And bring me some water, H’rare! Oh please—we have to get out of here!”
Karn was vaguely aware of the flurry of activity around him—the grunts of effort on the other bodyslave’s part as he dragged Karn into the ship and Lilli hovering around, begging him to hurry.
Sorry, he wanted to say—wanted to apologize for collapsing and for being unable to get himself into the ship. But after hours and hours of unrelenting hard labor with no breaks and no hydration, his body was too weak to do anything but lie there as H’rare and Lilli dragged him aboard.
He blacked out for a moment but something cold and refreshing rubbing all over his face brought him around. Opening his eyes, he saw Lilli bending over him. Yes, it really was his sweet, precious Lilli and not her mother, as he had originally feared when she came to get him. No doubt she’d pretended to be Mistress Mirabella in order to fool the guards. But now, with the black mask off, there could be no doubt.
“Lilli,” he rasped. “Baby…”
“Shhh, don’t try to talk.” She wiped the cool cloth over his forehead gently. “Just rest. And drink. If that awful skin was over your mouth this whole time, you must be so thirsty!”
She held a squeeze bulb of cold, fresh water to his lips and Karn thought he had never tasted anything so wonderful in his life. The finest bubble wine from Zinzu Tertia couldn’t touch it—not even the nectar of the Goddess herself could be as good as the deep, life-saving draughts he sucked from the bulb Lilli held.
“Careful,” she told him, her lovely brown eyes anxious. “Don’t make yourself sick.”
Karn wanted to tell her that he was fine now—that just seeing her was the best medicine any male could ask for. But he had to say something else first.
“So…sorry, baby,” he got out, his voice still hoarse. “Didn’t know I could…get you pregnant without a bond.”
“It’s all right.” Lilli put a hand protectively over her lower belly, which was definitely rounder than it had been the last time he’d seen her. “I’m keeping him,” she said, lifting her chin defiantly. “I don’t care if he is male—I already love him.” her eyes softened. “Just like I love his father.”
“Oh, Lilli…” He started to pull her down, wanting to wrap her in his arms and never let her go, but H’rare’s voice from the front of the ship stopped him.
“Mistress Lilli,” he called anxiously. “We’re being tracked! And your mother is on the viewscreen!”
Forty-Eight
Lilli felt like her heart had stopped dead in her chest.
“My…my mother?” she wheezed, barely able to get the words out.
“I’m afraid so.” H’rare sounded both apologetic and frightened. “And she’s demanding to talk to you.”
Wondering if her legs would hold her, Lilli got shakily to her feet and made her way from the passenger compartment to the front of