sudden and violent move. In the time it took the viper to remove Tecumseh's head from her body and turn to face the movement behind it, Jamis had retrieved his weapon and fired multiple times.
The viper hissed and destroyed the room as it withered in its death throes. While Jamis, Taarig, and Xanto ducked and dodged the contorting body, the Meddygs got knocked off their feet. Jamis’s desk shattered, and the viewport behind it automatically secured after being violently struck. Finally, the viper stilled and dropped lifeless to the floor.
Chapter Seventeen
Xanto quietly slipped out of the Commander's Office as others rushed in, responding to the alarm that sounded from Jamis firing his weapon. There was nothing for him to do here, and he wanted to check on Cali. He hadn't liked the way she'd looked when she left.
As he entered the lift, his link pinged. "Yes?"
"Xanto, this is Mae."
"What can I do for you, Mae?" he asked.
"I'm worried about Cali. I've been pinging her link, but she isn't answering. Is she with you?"
"No." A sick feeling began to grow in his stomach. Links were made to be used anywhere, even in a rejuvenation tank. Cali would have answered Mae if she was able. "I'm sure it's nothing, Mae," he reassured her even though he didn't believe it himself. "I'll check on her when I get back to The Brink."
"But…"
"I'm sure she's fine, Mae." Xanto quickly disconnected the transmission, then impatiently waited for the lift to reach the market level. As soon as the doors opened, he exited with the rest. Instead of heading toward The Brink's doors, as most of the beings were, Xanto went in the opposite direction. He couldn't risk Mae demanding to enter Cali's quarters with him when he didn't know what the situation was. Stepping behind a column and into an alcove no one ever noticed, he pressed his palm against a scanner embedded in the wall. The panel in front of him slid open.
Moving down the hidden corridor, he immediately knew something was wrong. The scret lift doors were still open, and the shirt containing the viper remains lay open on its floor. Rushing into Cali's resting chamber, both of his hearts missed a beat at what he found. Cali slumped against her rejuvenation tank, with one arm submerged from her elbow down.
"Cali!" Rushing to her side, he hesitated for a moment, unsure of where or if he should touch her. Slowly he tipped her chin up and was dismayed to see that the wound on her neck hadn't healed at all. In fact, it looked even worse. Her shallow, shuddering breath told him just how dire her situation was. Shoving his concerns aside, he lifted her up and carefully placed her on top of the renewal liquid, fully clothed. He knew it wasn't the preferred way, but he wasn't going to waste time stripping her. As he watched, shimmering tendrils reached up and pulled Cali beneath the surface.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
"Where did that Elevsìs male go?" Jamis demanded once his office cleared of all the debris and viper carcass. It would take time to repair the damage, so he and Taarig had moved into his living quarters, which were thoroughly cleaned after samples and the glasses had been collected.
"I assume back to The Brink." Taarig returned to the chair he'd used earlier, his elbows resting on his knees as he stared down at the still damp spot in the carpet. He and Jamis fought in hundreds of battles together, had known there was a chance one or both of their life spans could be ended. They'd prepared for that and accepted it, but to have come so close now and not even realize… It had him rethinking what was important to him and what he would do to get it. "Is what Tecumseh said true?"
"That when I was on Sion, Taini and I spent two standard-days together?" Jamis asked, sitting in the chair across from Taarig, the glass in his hand containing water. "Yes, but it is as I said. She approached me. I even asked about her mate. She denied having one, stating they had both decided not to bond."
"She lied to you."
"So, it would seem."
Taarig roughly rubbed his hands over his face. "Why didn't you ever tell me about it?"
"When I returned, we had that Zibion incident to deal with, and by the time it was resolved, I'd forgotten all about it."
"It would seem her sestra didn't." Taarig drank from his