Her Commanders - M.K. Eidem Page 0,82

glass of water.

"I never even knew she had a sestra. Taini never talked about her nest with me."

"I can't believe she'd throw herself into a viper pit."

"Neither can I." Jamis absently rubbed where his throat was still sore. "It had to have been an excruciating way to be ended."

Jamis’s action had Taarig's chest aching, and he reached inside his jacket to rub it. Touching bare skin, he remembered he never did find his shirt. Rising, he went into Jamis’s resting quarters.

"What are you looking for?" Jamis asked, watching from the doorway as Taarig moved around the room.

"My shirt. What did she do with it? All our other clothes were here."

"Maybe one of the Meddygs picked it up."

"Before we left the room?" Taarig gave him a disbelieving look. "Why would they do that?"

Taarig leaned down to look under the bed and stilled. Lifting his hand, he was shocked to see it covered in the distinctive yellow color that only Sion Viper blood had. "What the ruk is going on?!" he demanded, showing Jamis his hand.

Jamis moved across the room and crouched down beside Taarig, suspiciously touching the spot with two fingers. "Could the viper have been injured while in Tecumseh's dress?"

"And not have immediately reacted?" The Meddygs had inspected Tecumseh's dress and discovered she altered it not only to keep the viper hidden but dormant, a state of inactivity hard to maintain with vipers because they had a highly-developed sense of self-preservation. Any perceived threat or injury had them instantly attacking, just as the viper in Jamis’s office had.

"We need to have another conversation with Xanto and find out what really happened here."

"Agreed, but first, you and I need to have one." Taarig returned to the living area and sat back down.

"Concerning?" Jamis asked, resuming his seat.

"Cali."

"We already settled that."

"No! We didn't," Taarig stressed. "You did, and I agreed because I understood your reasoning, but what happened here has changed my mind."

"Why?" Jamis all but growled.

"Because our life spans could have ended, Jamis!" Taarig roared as if it should be obvious. "The whole reason you were against Cali becoming our Lalla was that her life span would end before ours. What's happened proves that may not be the case. Cali has triggered both our creation spheres, and I'm no longer willing to ignore that."

"And if I am?" Jamis asked quietly, his eyes searching the male that was more than his friend.

"Then Cali will be mine and only mine," Taarig told him. "Because I'm no longer going to refuse a gift, the Gods have seen fit to give us, even if you are."

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Xanto kept a silent vigil beside Cali's rejuvenation tank, watching for the slightest change in her condition. He should have contacted the Paramount, or at least the Supreme Chairman, but hesitated because he knew Cali wouldn't want that. He would have done it anyway, though, if the intense glow of the renewal liquid hadn't returned to its normal state, an indication Cali’s injuries were healed, and it was now restoring her energy levels.

He hadn't realized how worried he'd been until the liquid's color finally changed, and Xanto felt like he could breathe again. He'd never witnessed the end of a Zagreus' life span; he wasn't sure anyone had. He just knew that he didn't want Cali to be his first.

Renewal liquid was an unusual living substance. It enveloped the being in the tank, but when the being rose, it returned entirely to the tank, leaving the being dry. Using the tank was considered an extremely private thing for the Zagreus, intimate even as most were naked while in it. They were also vulnerable while submerged, so most used them behind sealed doors or armed security posted outside.

Knowing Cali was going to be fine, he went into her cleansing room and retrieved a towel. She wouldn't be wet when she got out of the tank, but there would be a slight residue that she'd want to remove. With that done, he went to deal with the dead vipers and to alter the lens feeds to make sure there was no record of Cali leaving the Commander's office.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Cali's eyes slowly opened as her face broke the surface of the renewal fluid. Taking a deep breath, she tried to remember getting into the tank but couldn't. Sitting up, she reached for the towel lying nearby and gasped. Gods in heaven, her hand was lit up brighter than a supernova. Looking down, she saw that her