Dark Prince (26 page)

Olena stopped to watch from the corner of her eye. To her surprise, the manacles were freed from Nadja’s wrists and she was allowed to move. She couldn’t see all that was happening, but Nadja was pulled to her feet.

"The time for being a child is over, Nadja," Doc whispered. "It’s time for you to take your place amongst your peers."

Olena felt tears coming to her eyes. Her mind and body called out for Yusef. She needed him. She couldn’t get out of this on her own. Not this time.

"Do you love me, Nadja?" Olena heard Doc ask. She didn’t hear Nadja’s answer, but his next words left her cold. "Then dissect her."

"What…?" Nadja breathed, her wide eyes turning wild as she looked at Olena strapped to the table.

Olena saw the large laser scalpel in Nadja’s hand. Doc was pointing in her direction. Nadja’s eyes were fearful as she looked at Olena and then her father. Olena could see she had been pushed to the edge. Blood trailed down one of the woman’s arms from a narrow cut. Nadja didn’t pay attention to the wound.

"She is a common thief, a pirate." Doc gave his daughter a shove towards the bound woman. "She broke her word to me."

"No." Nadja gasped. The scalpel fell from her fingers to the ground. Olena took a deep, gasping breath of relief. Nadja turned to run. Her father caught her easily.

"Cut out her eyes," he ordered his daughter with a cruel twist of his lips. "Or I’ll burn your lying ones from your head."

To prove his point he motioned for a hot poker to be brought from the fire. Nadja watched the angry red metal smoke and curl with heat. Olena screamed against her gag for him to stop, the sound was muffled terribly by her gag.

"Hold her down." Doc motioned towards Nadja. Olena tried to get free, but her wrists only bled more.

"No!" Nadja screamed. Hands were all over her, gripping her shoulders and her arms, lifting her legs into the air when she would kick. Her father took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. The hot poker waved dangerously at the action.

"It’s time you learn, Nadja," he told her. "You don’t lie to your father."

Nadja kicked, trying to get free. The poker loomed closer to her face.

"Will you do as you’re told?" His voice mocked his daughter with its calm, soothing rendering.

To Olena’s horror, Nadja nodded.

"Let her go." Doc handed the poker back to one of the men who threw it into the flames. Then, reaching to the ground, he retrieved the scalpel. Nadja took it at his insistence, her fingers shaking horribly as she pressed the button. A long laser shot out, nearly six inches long and sharper than the most deadly of blades.

Olena moaned, shaking her head as her eyes pleaded Nadja to stop.

Nadja sniffed, the wild calmness returning to her. Doc led her forward to Olena.

Nadja’s fingers trembled as she lifted her hand to Olena’s cheek. Olena’s eyes pleaded with her. Nadja’s fingers slipped in Olena’s tears, her own falling to splash in droplets on Olena’s shoulder.

Oh, damn Jack and his theory on fear. She was terrified! She had no plan of action, no way out. Yusef was her only idea.

Yusef! her mind cried out. Yusef, please!

"I’m sorry." Nadja lifted the scalpel close to Olena’s eyes. Olena closed her eyes to the woman, trying to turn her head away, knowing that her eyelids were no match for the scalpel. Nadja’s fingers pressed deeper into her skin to hold her still. The laser dipped close to Olena’s cheek. She heard it humming softly, felt its heat ready to sear her flesh. Olena glanced at Nadja, trying to plead with her. The woman didn’t see her, was looking through her. Then, Nadja turned to her father and said, "I love you."

Doc Aleksander smiled. To Olena’s utter disbelief, Nadja turned, thrusting the blade into her father’s heart. The man blinked in surprise. Nadja stood completely frozen, unable to move as a fine mist of blood sprayed from Doc’s chest over the two women. Doc fell to his knees.

Chaos erupted all around the campsite. Yusef and Olek burst from the trees, subduing Doc’s men with slashes to the throat and rips through their gut. Olena’s heart leapt in her chest. He had come for her!

Nadja didn’t move throughout the whole fight. Olena moaned at her, trying to get her attention. Nadja didn’t hear her. She was staring down at her father.

Soon Yusef was above his wife, his body shifted to Draig. Olena would recognize him anywhere. His hands were on her wrist, pulling at the steel with all his strength. He opened it enough to let her slip free.

Olena gasped, tears streaming down her shaken face. Her bloodied wrists reached up and Yusef gladly pulled him into her chest.

"You came!" She clung desperately to him, feeling him shifting to human form beneath her fingers. She didn’t dare open her eyes. This was one dream she didn’t want to end. "You came."

Yusef ran his fingers over her body, making sure she was unharmed. Aside from her raw and bloodied wrists, she was fine. Glancing at Olek, he saw him standing before his wife. Nadja was kneeling on the ground by her father, unmoving. The danger was gone. Olek motioned Yusef to get his wife to safety. Yusef nodded in ready agreement.

Yusef ran, sprinting to the safety of the palace with Olena in his arms, clinging to him. His Qurilixen voice rang out as he called up commands to the guards, ordering them to Olek.

Olena shivered at the power in his tone. He didn’t stop running until he reached the medical ward. The doctors came at his call as he set her on a bed.

Olena blinked. Looking at Tal, she said, "They injected me with something."

"Let’s put her in the medical unit," Tal said to Yusef. "We’ll do a complete set of tests to make sure she is unharmed."

Yusef picked up his wife, refusing to let her walk as he carried her to the back room. He set her down, standing her between two large metal plates.

Then, pressing a button on the unit’s control panel, Tal said, "We have to go in the other room. The unit will X-ray her and test her to make sure she wasn’t poisoned."

Yusef ran his fingers to tenderly brush back Olena’s hair, as she whispered, "You came."

Chapter Eighteen

Olena was in the medical unit for what seemed like hours. After it finished scanning her body, Tal came back in the room to start the next sequence of testing. Yusef was there, watching her from the doorway. Then, to her surprise, she saw Nadja standing beside him.

She whispered something to Yusef, who frowned but nodded his head. He motioned to Tal. Tal pushed a button and the two women were left alone.

"I’m sorry," Nadja said instantly. "I didn’t mean to scare you."

Olena chuckled lightly. "Don’t apologize. You saved my life."

"I couldn’t let him kill again. You have nothing to worry about." Nadja swayed slightly on her feet and Olena could tell she was worn. "As Doc’s heir, I dissolved the family. They won’t be back."

Nadja moved over to the machine as it beeped. Absently, she moved to the panel and pushed a button for it to continue. She pulled up a chair, waited as it cycled, and then pressed another button.

"Nadja, I’m sorry. I know he was your father."

Nadja held up a hand to stop her. "I am one of the few who could have done it without backlash. No, it was time for his terror to end."

"Still," Olena began.

Tears came to Nadja’s eyes and she sniffed. Shaking her head, she held her hand for silence. No more words were needed on the subject. A part of her was saddened, but she did not regret her actions. "Thank you."

The unit beeped again and Nadja glanced down to the screen.

"Are you in pain?" Nadja asked at the panel’s prompting.

"No," Olena said.

Nadja pressed a button.

"How’s your baby?" Olena asked.

Nadja read the panel and grinned. Laughing lightly, she said, "Hopefully as healthy as yours."

* * * *

She was pregnant. Olena wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Nadja had looked at her like she should have been ecstatic. She was numb. Should a pirate even have children? Should an ex-pirate? Surely there was some sort of cosmic law against it--or at least there should have been.

By the time the medic unit finished fixing her up, she was exhausted. Nadja had erased the information about her pregnancy for her, saying that men should find out from their wives, not medics. Olena also got the feeling that Nadja understood her hesitance and was giving her the precious gift of time to mull the news over.

Dawn was fast approaching. Yusef waited up all night by her side. Sometimes, when it was allowed, he sat beside her, not saying a word. Olena kept her eyes closed and her head back, resting against the machine. She pretended she was too tired to talk.

As she finally finished with the extensive checkup, it was determined that she had near perfect health. Tal determined she was good enough to leave, warning her to be more careful in the future--though it was clear he knew the warning was lost on Olena.

Yusef nodded his thanks to the man as he lifted his wife into his arms. Olena’s head rested on his shoulder, snuggling into his warmth. By the time Yusef got her home, she was fast asleep. Not waking her to give her a choice, he laid her on his bed and slept by her side.

* * * *

During the late morning hours, Olena awoke to feel Yusef stroking her cheek. He was fully dressed. He rubbed his fingers over her hair. Tenderly, he said, "I have to go. Agro discovered that Pia was right about King Attor’s motives. He seeks to kill Morrigan, Nadja, and Pia."

Olena blinked, looking almost hurt. "What about me?"

Yusef chuckled. "It seems that he’s taken a liking to you, firebird. He saw me cart you away at the Breeding Festival and decided he wanted you for himself. That is why you were kidnapped and I was attacked."

"Well," she murmured, still sleepy. She yawned, covering her mouth. "Can you really blame him?"

Yusef laughed louder, just happy she was safe. Everything else could be figured out in time. "The spy gave Agro directions to Attor’s hidden camp. The trackers go there even now to confirm it. If he is there, then I’ll go with my brothers to face him."

Olena lurched, sitting up and blinking herself awake. "No, you can’t leave."

"Do you think I’ll dishonor you in battle?" he asked, frowning.

"No," she dismissed with a frown. "I know you will beat him. I just want you to stay here with me today. Can’t you go killing another time?"

"Ah, well." He leaned to kiss her. "Tempting as you are, wife, I would have this finished. I don’t know about you, but I would like to get back to the Outpost. This house is too…"

"White?" she offered, with a grimace of distaste.

"Exactly. Now, go back to sleep. I’ll send the Queen to check on you later."

Olena nodded, instantly closing her eyes and burrowing under the blankets. To Yusef’s amazement, she was asleep before he even turned around.

* * * *

When Olena awoke later in the afternoon, she was still a little groggy. For about an hour, she laid in bed, not moving. Her dreams had been sweet and full of hope for the first time in her life. She barely remembered her conversation with Yusef until she heard the Queen calling to her from the front door.

Olena stumbled from the bedroom, still dressed in her clothes from the night before. Sleep wrinkles pressed into her cheeks from the blankets and her hair was tousled into mess.

"You didn’t answer the door," Mede said. "I was worried."

Olena yawned through a smile, absently scratching her backside where her pirate’s brand had been. The Queen chuckled at the disoriented woman.

"Aaoow," Olena yawned loudly, stretching her arms over her head and twisting back and forth in a stretch. "Don’t worry about it. It’s fine. I needed to get up eventually. Where’s Yusef?"

"He asked me to come and check on you and tell you that they are off to battle the Var."

"Oh," Olena said, rubbing her eyes. "When will they be back?"

The Queen smiled, glad to see the confidence Olena had in her son.

"Agro discovered --" the Queen began.

Olena nodded, breaking in, "Yusef said something about it this morning--that is if I wasn’t dreaming it."

Olena walked over to the couch and sat, leisurely motioning to Mede to join her.

Olena continued, "The trackers found the campsite I take it?"

"They did. It’s a small encampment south of here next to the borders. They could be gone for the rest of the night."

Olena frowned at that. She wanted Yusef home now.

"Olena," Mede said. "I have to ask. Are you happy here with my son?"

Olena blinked, surprised by the forward question. She could only be happy with Yusef. There was nothing else for her but him. She had never known true happiness before meeting her dark warrior.

Seeing the look, Mede had her answer. "Does he know you’re happy?"

"Why?" Olena sat up straight and looking very alert. Very insecure, she asked, "Did he say something?"

"As a mother, I have a bond with him. I know my son. He is troubled and, I do confess, I pressed the issue. He thinks you mean to leave him."

"He said that?" Olena was stunned. How could he not know how she felt? She was sure it was written all over her face.

"He did. He made me promise not to talk to you, but, ah, I am his mother and he can’t boss me around."

Olena laughed. "Are all men blind or just mine? I figured everyone saw me as a besotted fool. I’m surprised I haven’t been drooling and trailing after him."

"You hide yourself better than you think," Mede said. "When I first met you I couldn’t tell a single thing you might be thinking. I could only hope you meant it when you took his life to yours."

"You mean because I married him?" Olena asked, questioning the Queen’s dire tone of finality. "If it didn’t work out, couldn’t he have just found someone else? It’s not like I would have ruined him."

"Ah, but you have ruined him for all others." Mede sighed. None of her daughters appeared to understand what was happening. Giving her the same speech she gave Morrigan earlier, she said, "Qurilixen men are given a crystal when they are born. It’s their guiding light. When you were paired by the crystal, your lives became joined in such a way that can never be taken back. You exchanged part of your souls. By crushing the crystal, you assured that the exchange would never be reversed. In a way, you are now his guiding light."