The Healer's Kiss: Book Four of the Forced To Serve Series (6 page)

“Indeed,” Dorian said in agreement, wondering why the demon did not sound more upset about his fate.

“Let’s just say travel via shuttle was not done on my planet during my original corporeal lifetime,” Malachi explained. “Nor were we aware of ships like the Liberator, much less larger ones like the Paladin. Those came to our planet long after the majority of us had become demon mist. They brought settlers who mated with the rest of those who were left. It’s undoubtedly a different planet than I knew back then. I do not even know its current name. Its old name was taken from me on my conversion.”

“We could probably find that out if you really want to know. The Peace Alliance has been collecting planetary histories for some time. Ania’s people have records of their history for millennia longer than Gwen’s planet even had sentient beings,” Dorian said conversationally.

“I will give it some thought,” Malachi said. “It might be nice to know my history. After serving the Synar family so long, it is quite easy for me to convince others I am a Norblade.”

There was a comfortable silence as Dorian made flight preparations, but he broke it because there was something he really wanted to know. “May I ask a personal question?”

“Yes. Since I first conversed with Ania, I now quite enjoy conversation with most corporeal beings. It is much more stimulating than simply reading images and energy.”

“How did the Creator race come to your planet if there were no ships?” Dorian asked. “And why has no demon ever revealed the history of how they came to be converted? I read extensively on the subject when I studied to be Khalsa, and Ania tells me she did not find any mention of conversions when she researched either. It is not in any recorded history of the matter for the last two thousand years in Earth time.”

“How interesting. I guess that potentially makes me almost two thousand years old. I told Ania as much,” Malachi mused.

Then he noticed Zade was still studying him.

“Oh, you want to know why you’re just now hearing from one of the converted. That would be because we are under no obligation to discuss the making of our sacred contract. We are just bound to obey the terms of it with our hosts and masters. Also, most demons are forbidden to talk much. My current host body without another resident within it allows me more speech than I have had since my conversion,” Malachi explained. “And you know Liam rarely lets me say more than a few words.”

“Indeed, Liam is not given to much verbal sharing,” Dorian said, putting his focus back on the controls as the shuttle got the go-ahead and the docking bay doors opened to release them. “I find your words well worth hearing.”

“Thank you—I guess. You have an odd way of offering a compliment. Too bad I am forbidden to probe your mind. I would like to know more of this amazing neutrality you possess about my wicked past.”

Malachi grinned at the instant flash of warning in the Siren’s gaze on him.

Dorian frowned at the idea that the demon could, if he chose, see into him and know his personal thoughts. Though he routinely used his abilities to do so with others, the idea of Malachi knowing all his personal truths made him very apprehensive.

Malachi checked his safety harness and then met the slightly agitated gaze of the Siren next to him. Zade reeked of all things spiritual, and yet lacked the most basic of understandings about the beginning race that had seeded the universe. It did not surprise him because Malachi had discovered most creatures had no real knowledge. For some reason, he decided to enlighten the Siren just to see what Zade said about it.

“Those who came to my planet called themselves emissaries of the Creators. They came as energy beings traveling in a compacted globe of brilliant light that would fit in one of your very large hands, Lieutenant. They travelled almost instantly across massive distances that would astound most minds. Ironically, their energy forms are very much like the mist they turned my people into, as I understand it now. No one knows this fact about them but those they directly convert. They have the ability to make beings forget and often do for reasons I don’t fathom. And as for demons not sharing the information about their conversion, who would believe any spiritual explanation from someone like me?”

Malachi offered his explanation with a shrug, but he sensed Zade did on some level believe him.

“I find it most interesting, but concede it is hard to take it in,” Dorian replied.

“Well, it shouldn’t be. My story is unimpressive and typical of those who crave unlimited power. In corporeal form I ruled all, or so I believed in my naïveté. There were some priests and priestesses of the Creators of All on my planet who were in hiding. I had killed as many as I could find in my lifetime, mostly out of an innate fear of their spirituality,” Malachi explained. “I suppose this confirms my evil nature to you.”

Dorian shrugged. “Fearing the spiritual does not make you evil. I fear it myself. I fear it so much that I have brought it into me so I can understand it and cease fearing. The divine spark of the Creators lives in all creatures but burns within the spirits of some beings, like me. Or Ania. She is the most spiritual being I have ever known.”

“Yes. Like Ania. The priests and priestesses were like her. How odd that I never made that connection before,” Malachi said slowly, considering it. His presence in Ania was very much emulating what happened in his past. He would have to give the parallel more thought.

“I did not mean to interrupt your story. Please continue,” Dorian said, wanting to hear the rest and wishing he could record it.

“Though I took the life of many, I had not managed to kill them all. Fulfilling some ancient prophesy of cleansing our planet of all evil—of which mine was legendary—the emissaries of the Creators, what your charming Earthling mate would probably refer to as ‘avenging angels,’ merged with the physical forms of those who served the Creators. The possessed entities, now part energy and part physical form, became virtually all powerful,” Malachi said, remembering. “Ironically, those I wanted to kill ended up with the fate I craved.”

“All powerful?” Zade asked. “Is that even possible?”

“They spoke softly and merely waved their hand to manifest their will into reality. Yet they did only what was commanded of them to do with us. I remember the day of my conversion like it just happened moments ago. My particular punisher stood in front of me, the fates of me and all my people in her control. Yet all I could do was feel envy for her abilities. My mind was filled with lust for such great power, and I sought eagerly to attain it.”

Fascinated with Malachi’s story, Dorian had to pull his attention away to contact the Paladin and request permission to dock. Once permission was granted, he turned his attention back to Malachi. “You do not sound resentful of your fate. Instead, you sound in awe.”

“A very astute observation, Lieutenant,” Malachi said agreeably, “that’s exactly what I felt then and still feel. I floated above my punisher’s head, staring down with demon mist vision at my lifeless corporeal form at her feet. Even then, I had no comprehension of anything but the enormous power she held over me. I wanted to possess it badly. I still do. She made me watch my corporeal body rot. I never mourned it, but I did memorize it well enough to shape my mist form into it when I chose to do so.”

“What happened next?” Dorian asked, wanting to know as much as he could before they landed, morbidly fascinated at Malachi’s take on the things that happened to him. It was very different from the legends.

Malachi laughed as he studied the Siren with new interest. “My nature did not change. I set about trying to use my new situation to my advantage of course. I felt very much like you did when you learned the Pleiadian words of power and first used them to subdue an enemy. My demon mist form gave me the same sort of exquisite sense of myself as invincible.”

“How do you know my intimate thoughts about my abilities? Oh, right, I keep forgetting you were inside me while I was being abducted,” Dorian said, frowning.

“Don’t worry, Lieutenant,” Malachi said, grinning at the spiritual male’s sudden withdrawal. Not many people could face their dark side well. Ania was rare in that. She did not fear her own darkness, rather openly constrained it. “That tiny bit of power madness in you is barely a speck on the cloak of your very pure and genuine spiritual nature. You need not fear that the quest for ultimate power will ever rule you as it did me.”

“Indeed,” Dorian said flatly. “That concern never crossed my mind. Ever.”

Malachi laughed at Zade’s discomfort but did not press more. It had been a long time since he’d thought of his conversion to demon mist. Perhaps it was uppermost in his mind lately because of finally being in a host body all alone. It wasn’t quite the same as having his original form, but the life he had in Conor Synar’s empty shell was close.

He listened to Zade ask permission to board the Paladin. Permission received, they docked easily inside the hull of the giant vessel. They were waved along by a docking crew of general crewmen, not even ensigns, acknowledging the insignia on their uniform shirts with hasty nods. Since no one had come to escort them, they walked through the docking bay, looking around on their own, which was fine by him, Malachi decided.

Directions about where to go on the ship had been included in their orders. Noticing the amount of people in the docking bay and all the activity going on, Dorian had the realization that it had been a long time since he’d been on a Guardian level cruiser. The Liberator felt like little more than a large shuttle next to a ship as big as this one.

Malachi twisted and turned in every direction, glancing around him in pleased surprise. “Liam simply has to get one of these. I bet the crew rooms are as large as the captain’s quarters.”

Despite himself, Dorian laughed at Malachi’s exclamation. “Guardian level ships are costly to produce. They don’t hand this type of ship out often, not even to a demon master captain with an excellent rescue record.”

“What do they hand them out for then?” Malachi asked.

“Meritorious service—otherwise known as performing a military miracle. Rumor says a captain only gets this kind of ship after coming back from the dead,” Dorian said softly, nodding to the crew who nodded at them as they walked through the docking bay.

“Tough one,” Malachi replied, smiling. “In Liam’s judgment, a miracle for the Liberator is not having any crew members abducted during a mission. With such low standards, our crew is probably in for a long wait, wouldn’t you say?”

He felt rewarded when the usually very serious Siren laughed in reply to his irreverent comment. Perhaps he should be concerned about his growing addiction to causing amusement in the beings he routinely interacted with on the ship. It was one more odd habit he’d picked up since inhabiting Conor’s body.

“Come on,” Dorian said tightly, stifling his urge to laugh more. “Let’s get your stasis unit and our new lieutenant. I’m looking forward to having more than one sleep cycle off with my mate every four days.”

“Oh, yes,” Malachi agreed, appreciating that sentiment. “I can see how that would make a mated Siren keen on adding another officer to the crew. By the way, how are you planning to introduce me? I can’t believe that discussion wasn’t in all the rest of the lectures I got before we left.”

Dorian smiled then because he couldn’t prevent showing pleasure with his companion any longer. He was finding it astounding to be enjoying Malachi’s company so much. “Senior Medic Malachi Synar, who just happens to be kin of the captain. It explains much about your similar appearance and yet says nothing that is not a truth. I find it best to avoid lying whenever possible.”

“Well done then. I shall endeavor to make Liam proud to have me called his
kin,
since he was so adamant about not calling me his brother,” Malachi stated firmly. “And I do believe I like the sound of that title. ‘
Senior Medic
.
’
Yes. I do like it.”

“As well you should, it is practically the top position of your new field. Senior Medics often serve in the place of doctors on ships,” Dorian explained, pressing the elevator to head to the conference room where they were scheduled to meet with members of the Paladin crew.

“That’s even better,” Malachi replied. “That means I’m practically Chiang’s equal in rank now. How ironic is that? I just started working for him. Serves Chiang right for insisting I learn rank protocol. I shall save that taunt for an appropriate time.”

Zade felt another laugh coming on but dared not set it free. He had no quarrel these days with the Greggor, but he couldn’t help enjoying the fact that the demon routinely tormented Chiang with mind games.

The elevator door slid open, and they both stepped out onto their appointed floor. Malachi’s eyes blazed suddenly, and he reached out with a firm grip on Zade’s arm to hold him back.

“
Demon
,” he said succinctly, because it was the one word that both fit and was sure to gain full attention. “There is one nearby.”

Dorian wrinkled his eyebrows, gaze scanning but seeing no threat. “Are you jesting with me?”

“No,” Malachi answered coldly, lips pressed into a line. “There is another
me
somewhere on this ship, perhaps this deck. The energy signature is distinctly demon. Proceed with caution while I endeavor to discover the identity and location. It is a harder process while inhabiting a physical form, but I will try to be quick.”

“Your assistance is greatly appreciated, since I have no wish to go to the Creators today,” Dorian said sincerely, bracing himself and walking forward, with Malachi only a few steps behind.

***

“
Seta—stay
. It’s not too late to change your mind.”

Captain Ji Warro was embarrassed to hear himself actually pleading with the stoic female. Where was his pride? Despite his disappointment in her not returning his personal interest, he also didn’t want to lose her skills. There was no better tracker. He had worked hard to lure her to the Paladin before he ever knew her. Perhaps his reasons for wanting her to stay were more complicated than his original interest, but that had nothing to do with her tracking skills.