The Lasaran (Aldebarian Alliance #1) - Dianne Duvall Page 0,50
But when she looked up at him, she lost her train of thought.
Blood trailed from one of his nostrils.
“You’re bleeding!”
Glancing down, he examined his chest. “No, I’m not. It just hurts.”
“Not there.” She drew a finger across the stubbled skin above his upper lip, then held it up to show him the blood. “Here. Your nose is bleeding.”
He wiped his nose, then frowned at the blood that streaked his fingers.
“Why is your nose bleeding? Do you have a head injury you didn’t tell me about?” Fear rose. Head injuries, if left untreated, could kill.
“No. I think it’s because I read his mind.”
The pain in her belly began to recede. “Your telepathic abilities are coming back?” That was a good sign, wasn’t it?
He shook his head. “No, they aren’t. The whole time those men were here, I was trying to read their thoughts. I wanted to determine whether they might be allies since they have reason to hate the butchers, too.”
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend?”
“Yes. But sometimes the enemy of my enemy is just another enemy.”
“That’s true, too, unfortunately. Is that why your nose bled, because you were trying so hard to read their thoughts?”
“Yes. It isn’t supposed to do that. Telepathy is easy for my kind.”
But his nose had bled. “What if you damaged yourself? You’re already wounded and—”
“It was worth it.” He took her hands and held them tightly.
“Why? What did you see?”
“My sister.” His Adam’s apple bobbed in a swallow. “She’s alive, Lisa. Amiriska is alive.”
Chapter Nine
Lisa stared at him. “What?”
“Amiriska is alive. I saw her in Roland’s mind when I finally managed to peek into it just before he left.”
“Oh Taelon, that’s wonderful!” Untangling her fingers from his, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight.
He lifted her onto his lap, wrapped his arms around her, and buried his face in the crook of her neck. “She’s alive, but how will I find her? Roland left before I could question him. And I can’t reach her telepathically.”
“I don’t know. But we’ll think of something. We’ll find her, Taelon.”
He shook his head. “I should have let them see me.”
“You did the right thing. You heard what that soldier in black back at the base told us. They were determined not to leave anyone alive who could carry tales. We were a loose end they were trying to tie up. For all we know, they planned to do that by killing us so we wouldn’t go to the media and tell everyone what we’ve seen.”
“Why would they not want us to do that?” Loosening his hold, he drew back a little and stared down at her. “Don’t they want those butchers to be punished?”
“I’m pretty sure they already punished the butchers themselves. And they did it in a way that kept it from being broadcast all over the news.” She motioned to the television. “I haven’t seen a single mention of it. That means these guys wield a lot of power. The fact that I didn’t know vampires actually existed until they attacked the base just confirms it. They clearly don’t want anyone to learn about their existence. So… even though we were prisoners there, too, that may not stop them from killing us so they can ensure their existence will remain a secret.”
His brow furrowed.
“And Roland didn’t exactly look like the friendly sort. He even told us we should fear him.” She wiped his upper lip again. That his nose continued to bleed concerned the hell out of her. “How did Amiriska look in his thoughts or memories or whatever you saw?” If his younger sister was still being tortured on a daily basis, Lisa knew it would devastate him.
He seemed to consider it. “She looked good.” Confusion entered his features. “She looked like she was one of them.”
Her blood went cold. “They turned her into a vampire?”
“No. At least I don’t think so. Her eyes didn’t glow. But she was dressed like they were. Black pants with many pockets and a black shirt with short sleeves that left her arms bare. He called her Ami in his thoughts.”
She chewed her lower lip. “Did you sense any hostility he might feel toward her?”
He shook his head. “I have no empathic abilities. And the glimpse I had of his thoughts was too brief, lasting only a second or two.” Even such a short peek had made his nose bleed.
Lisa pondered his words. She hoped the vampires hadn’t turned Amiriska or whatever it was