Tangled Redemption Read online

  Marissa nodded.

  “I saw at least two people trying to get to us.” She tightened her grip. “They are coming for you.”

  Her lower lip trembled before the young woman returned the grip. “They’re coming for us.”

  Sydney didn’t tell her that she knew too much. Where she was going no one would find her.

  She released Marissa’s hand and sat back. She had tried to get away when Calatrave and his goons had grabbed her in the parking area, but Calatrave had been too fast. He’d also been smart enough to drug her. She hadn’t grown conscious again until he’d dragged her aboard his ship and then she’d been too groggy to put up much of a fight. She felt grubby and wanted a shower.

  The door chimed.

  Sydney raised a brow at Marissa and stepped up to the door. “Yes?”

  “Open.” Even through the intercom Calatrave’s smooth voice made her shiver. She balled her fist to shake off the inappropriate response and unlocked the door.

  Calatrave strode into the room followed by two floating trays. One hovered past her filled with food. The other carried a stack of towels and two bowls of water with steam rising off them.

  “You’re feeding us and letting us clean ourselves?”

  He turned to her, his hands crossed behind his back, standing as if at parade rest. Relaxed but ready to go at any moment. “Your smell upsets my system.”

  Sydney couldn’t read him. Since nearly dying she’d developed a near-perfect ability to know when someone lied. But it was as if he lied and told the truth at the same time. “Then why on Earth would we clean ourselves?”

  His expression remained flat. “If you don’t require the water it is easy enough to send it back to where it came from.”

  “No.” Marissa sat up and pulled the tray close. “Please don’t.” She wet a towel and began to clean her face and neck.

  Calatrave looked at Sydney.

  She grimaced and strode over to the food tray. “Let me guess, you’re feeding us so we are nice and juicy for whoever our new owners will be.”

  He remained silent. She pressed her lips together, wanting to slap that expressionless mien off his face. Nothing rattled him. She wasn’t sure if he actually felt anything. Unlike the other Ferals she’d met, the ones driven by their sense of superiority and bloodlust, it was as if he’d pulled everything so tightly inside himself that nothing but streamlined efficiency remained.

  Sydney wanted nothing more than to grab a towel herself, but she wouldn’t turn her back on him while Marissa was distracted. “Where did you get the food? I wouldn’t have thought that a Vampire ship has a food processor.”

  His black eyes bored into her as if he could see to her deepest, darkest core. It was as if a connection of immaterial light stretched between them. “We were expecting a number of humans for this trip.”

  Snap. The link was gone.

  Sydney rubbed her chest that felt as if an elastic band had bounced off it. At the same time his right arm twitched as if he was about to move. He didn’t. “We’ll send the trays outside when we’re done. How much longer is the flight?”

  He held her captive with his eyes for a moment longer. “A few more hours.” He turned as if to move but hesitated and continued to look at her. When she raised her eyebrows at him the fine lines around his eyes deepened. With a short nod he left the room. She gritted her teeth, attempting not to notice his sleek and graceful movements.

  “It’s a shame he’s the most dangerous man I have ever met. If he lightened up he’d be prime man candy.”

  Sydney whirled to Marissa, gaping.

  The young woman continued to wipe her face and raised her brows as if challenging Sydney to dispute her words.

  Sydney couldn’t and instead burst into laughter. “I wish I could disagree just out of principle, but you’re right.”

  Marissa smiled, put down her towel and waved over the food. “Funny, this is all vegetables and fruit. No meat.”

  Sydney stilled and studied the spread before her. Indeed, all vegetarian. Her stomach clenched. “They probably didn’t want to have to give us utensils we could use for defensive purposes.”

  Marissa nodded and filled a plate.

  Sydney locked the door again. She was glad the other woman believed her words, because Sydney sure as hell didn’t. For some reason she couldn’t name she was completely and utterly certain that Calatrave knew she had been a vegetarian from a very early age. It wasn’t something she kept hidden, but she also didn’t advertise it far and wide.

  He had chosen the food with her in mind.

  And it scared the hell out of her.

  Nearly as much as the need building deep inside her to be close to him. A need that was wrong on so many levels. Was she seriously going to become a victim of Stockholm Syndrome after just a few minutes spent together? Sydney shook her head and continued to tell herself off for being attracted to a monster. It appeared her type was sociopaths and monsters.

  A glimmer caught her attention. Something had knocked the oscillating boream light out of sync, which meant the rhythm was off by probably one or two milliseconds. A fully functional boream light oscillated half a million times between light and dark in a second, programmed in such a way that half the cells were light when the other were dark, which resulted in a steady, if somewhat dim light. Boream was cheap and completely stable, therefore ideal for space travel. Now that the rhythm was off the light would have to be recalibrated otherwise there was a danger it would fall further out of sync and turn into a flickering—

  “Are you hungry?”

  Marissa’s voice stopped her convoluted thought process. Sydney mentally kicked herself for wandering so far down the rabbit hole. She cleared her throat and walked back to the young woman. The food looked delicious, but her appetite was negligible.

  “Yeah, me too.” Marissa sighed and filled a plate with a couple of spoons of vegetables. “But we don’t know if and when they’ll feed us again.” She pushed the tray toward Sydney.

  “Good point.” Sydney cleaned up as best as she could. Then she sank into the chair and filled a plate. When the first bite hit her stomach her appetite returned. She exchanged inane conversation with Marissa and tried not to think too hard about what awaited her at the end of this trip.

  Their conversation turned more and more desultory until silence fell.

  Her vision blurred and she had to close her eyes. Her husband Marius had used his power of Influence to make everyone believe she had left when in reality he had held her captive in her own basement. Then he broke the Naema’s most sacred law and sold her blood to a Vampire, even worse, a Feral.

  Naema blood increased a Vampire’s power, something her species had kept a secret since the first time it had been discovered. Breaking this particular law resulted in eradication of everyone involved, no matter their status. Only a couple of members of the Vampire Council were in the know and it was in their best interest to keep the secret.

  She’d fallen into a black hole after killing Marius. Her best friend Tanasha and her lifemate Duncan had presented her with encrypted data they had discovered in Marius’ possession. Data showing who had bought her blood as well as that of blood slaves. They’d asked for her help in decoding the files. There was little she couldn’t do with numbers. Sydney agreed instantly. It gave her the chance to take down the scecxis who had rewarded her bastard husband for his long con.

  The numbers had taken over her life. As soon as she had recovered from her captivity she spent the last nine months dismantling and tracing the web of lies and deceit and money her traitor husband had been involved in.

  When she asked for fight training Duncan had hesitated. In the end he’d given in. At first she’d trained with Duncan, but when he and Tanasha had to leave, Sydney worked with his men. Duncan and his friends had also shared some tips and tricks on being an operative.

  None of that made her an agent.

  But Sydney knew that wherever they were going the Feral h
er husband had sold her blood to awaited her. He would want more.

  And she would kill herself before she allowed that.

  She wanted to live. Jade, how much she wanted to live. But her blood would give the monster leading the Ferals power. And that she would not allow, no matter the cost.

  Her eyes sprang open. Why in Jade’s name are you so certain that Calatrave is not the leader, is not the monster behind everything? She couldn’t answer that with anything but a gut-deep feeling that the Vampire who had brought them food and given them the ability to clean themselves was not a monster.

  Calatrave was filled with darkness. It seeped out of every pore. He had demonstrated very vividly that he could and would kill without a moment’s hesitation. Sydney didn’t know why he worked with the monsters, but she was certain he did not lead them. She couldn’t decipher his motivation, but for now he didn’t appear to want her dead.

  She didn’t understand where this certainty came from. During the two weeks she’d lain dying in her basement, when she had realized how many warning signs she had ignored because it had amused her to taunt her father the senator with her unsuitable lover, she had sworn to herself she would never be played again.

  And now she wanted to believe in a man who had drugged her and dragged her aboard a ship that was most likely taking her to her death.

  Insanity, thy name is Sydney.

  The engines shifted and the ship jerked. They had to be entering the planetary atmosphere. She sat up. Marissa sent her a grim smile.

  Twenty minutes later the door chimed again.

  She swallowed and rose. Calatrave waited on the other side of the doors. For a moment she considered keeping them locked, but Marissa gently touched her shoulder. “We will survive,” the young woman whispered.

  Sydney hoped the human was right. She straightened her shoulders and opened the doors. If nothing else, she would face her destiny with her head held high.

  Chapter Two

  Miguel was impressed. She didn’t give anything away and held close to the chest whatever emotions burned behind her sparkling aquamarine eyes. Most importantly, she did not smell of fear. The human behind her carried the acrid stink of panic, whereas Sydney smelled of ice and steel.

  He nodded to both of them and turned on his heel. They did as expected and fell into step. Two of his men followed them. He turned the corner to find the Ferals lining the walls. All of them apparently wanted to see this Naema who had killed two of them. It wasn’t unexpected and it would give him an indication how she would handle a group of Ferals surrounding her.

  The footsteps behind him hesitated, but he continued on without interruption. Fear thickened around the human, but all he felt from Sydney was a drop in temperature.

  Miguel growled when one of the Ferals moved as if to touch her. The Vampire flinched and clasped his hands before his body.

  The main door slid open and he nodded at their welcoming committee. He led the women to one of the hovercrafts. “They will take you to Nasir.”

  “What about you?” Sydney asked as she halted before him. “Will you be there when we meet your leader?”

  He withstood the temptation of her smooth skin and put his hand into his pocket. “I have things to take care of. Hunting you down took longer than anticipated.”

  She bit her lush lower lip, deepening its red. Her pulse sped up and became a visible and seductive invitation at her neck. Their eyes met.

  Neither blinked as if doing so would show weakness.

  Her lips twitched.

  His respect for her grew. Despite the situation she retained a sense of humor. Not something he would have ever expected. He stomped on the small part of him that wanted to reach out and explore this impossible connection. That way lay complete insanity. He had one goal only and no one, not even someone as appealing as Sydney Radnall, would stand in his way.

  Her soft smile faded. It was as if she’d read his thoughts. She took a step back, her eyes shuttered. “I hope that those chores involve you falling chest-first onto a sword.” She clambered into the vehicle, the human right behind her.

  Miguel gritted his teeth against the need to climb after her and gestured to the men accompanying the women. He captured her eyes for one last look, telling her without words that she had to be strong if she wanted to survive.

  It was as if a part of him had attached himself to her. Her vehicle left. He shoved the unfamiliar emotions into the dark vault that was his mind, gave his driver instructions and leaned back against the seat.

  He had a very good idea what was happening, but after all these years of working for Nasir Zwelenki he wasn’t certain if there was anything left beyond a hollow shell and the ultimate goal.

  It would be best if he stayed as far away from Sydney Radnall as possible.

  Miguel looked out of the window without seeing anything. He didn’t know if he could give up the woman who might be his lifemate in order to fulfill his mission.

  For the first time in close to four centuries he was unsure if he was able—and willing—to do his duty.

  * * * * *

  Sydney sat in the vehicle, staring out of the window. The planet appeared to have a moderate climate. The sky was dark blue, with a low cloud cover. The vegetation was lush and green, indicating regular precipitation. The buildings and infrastructure she’d seen so far appeared new, three or four years at the most. Everything had a pre-fabricated look, as if the Ferals had just thrown it up out of necessity.

  They had to be on one of the outer planets, one that the humans had declared un-populable and had left to Vampires. It had to be secret and well protected or the big fish wouldn’t be here.

  Marissa had chosen to sit beside her on the middle seat and not against the wall. Their shoulders touched, reminding Sydney that she wasn’t alone. At least until Marissa’s buyers turned up and took her Jade knew where.

  Moments later they arrived outside what had to be Feral HQ. Unlike the other buildings this one was made from brick, five stories high surrounding a thirteen-story tower with a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view. The vehicle parked behind three of its kind in a circular driveway. They disembarked and the two Vampires escorted them through a massive synth-steel door into the core of the building filled with Vampires. Men, women, armed, unarmed, hurrying up and down stairs, some on sleek stand-gliders, some on foot. The hubbub was unbelievable. The guards led them through and to a lift, which by her calculations had to lead to the tower.

  Sydney met Marissa’s gaze. The young human gave her a quivering smile and pulled her into a hug. “Whoever gets out first contacts the authorities.”

  Sydney nodded and returned the hug. “Deal. Remember that no matter what happens, survival is the ultimate goal. Do whatever you need to remain alive. I will.” And she would. No way would she allow these scecxis to win. They might triumph in a battle or two, but she would be victorious in the war.

  One of the guards entered a special code into the lift control panel and they shot up to the top floor of the tower. When they stepped out they might as well have been in a different galaxy.

  Soft carpet blanketed the floors. The walls were covered with art, the furnishings luxurious and high end. They walked across the open entryway and to a closed double door made from rare wood. All of it reminded Sydney of her father’s reception area in the senate.

  The guard entered another code and the wooden doors opened, but he didn’t step through. Instead he gestured them to do so.

  Sydney wished for Calatrave.

  She had no idea why because he’d made no secret of the fact that he wasn’t here to support her. But his presence calmed something inside her, helped her to keep her back straight and her chin up. Jade, get yourself together. You’ve known him less than a day.

  She threw Marissa an encouraging smile and strode into the room.

  It was massive. And filled with five Vampires. All male, sitting together and appearing deep in discussion but surrounded by an infinitesimal cloud o
f tension.

  She didn’t hesitate. Her muscles tightened in preparation as she looked around. Conversation stopped.

  The far wall was floor-to-ceiling windows, part of the view she’d seen from the ground. A large desk, made from the same rare wood as the door, in front of it. Two expensive-looking leather chairs sat before the desk. To the right was another double door that led to a conference room and a large rectangular table.

  A beautiful katana display dominated the desk. The long sword lay in an elaborately decorated holder, its blade covered by a simple black scabbard. Two shorter swords sat beneath the main one as well as a slender dagger.

  Sydney took the time to register all that before she turned to the men staring at her. For a second she met one Vampire’s gaze. He was gorgeous. Deep auburn hair, hazel eyes, a body massive even sitting down, and a smile as big as the galaxy. She had to remind herself he was a Feral. He winked at her.

  She frowned, for a second uncertain how to respond. Then she crossed her arms over her chest, Marissa slightly to her left. “Someone was so keen to meet me he dispatched an envoy as a personal escort. You could have just sent an invitation.” Her mouth was dry, her voice more hoarse than usual, but she managed to keep her heartbeat steady and her fear corralled deep inside her.

  She opened her arms. “Well, I’m here now.”

  “And I’m very excited about that, Honorable Radnall.” The man rising from his chair was not what Sydney had expected. “I am delighted to meet such a skilled coder. Nasir Zwelenki, at your service.”

  Shouldn’t a monster look like one? Instead the man before her was tall and slender, clean-shaven, eyes so light blue they were nearly gray. He smiled. Wearing a handmade suit and razor-sharp-creased trousers, at first glance he appeared no different from any other lobbyist or attention-seeker she’d seen in her father’s office.

  It was only when she studied him more closely she recognized the cruel tilt to his lips, the lines around his eyes that were not the result of laughter. Her stomach rolled. He reminded her of her dead husband Marius. The hairs on the back of her neck rose.