Page 72 of Salvation for the Alien Mercenary
She blinked in surprise. Davis had a twin? He'd never mentioned him before. She stepped closer, placing her hand on Davis's arm. Tremors ran through his muscles, and his skin burned beneath her palm, fever-hot and getting hotter.
"So this is from his grandmother? You assholes felt you could just snatch these people and experiment on them?" she demanded. "Without their consent?"
K’ell shrugged. "It was standard procedure. The subjects were uncharted species, and the research was deemed necessary."
"They werepeople," she snapped, disgust filling her voice. The same disgust was mirrored on the faces of all the Reapers in the room. "Not 'subjects.' With lives and families."
From the corner of her eye, she caught Davis watching her, something like pride in his expression.
K’ell shifted uncomfortably. "The past cannot be undone. But perhaps I can help now."
"What happens now?" she asked, focusing on the present. "Can you stop the changes? Reverse them?"
The Latharian hesitated, looking at Davis. "Stop them? Why would we want to? This is the most successful integration in history."
Davis went dangerously still at this response, the muscles in his back tense like a predator ready to strike.
Ryke stepped forward.
"You will help us control these changes," he told K’ell, leaving no room for argument. It was the kind of voice that said the other option was a long walk out of a short airlock. In deep space.
K’ell suddenly seemed to realize his position, surrounded by mercenaries in a ship far from help. "Of course. Though controlling rather than stopping may be our only option now."
He frowned. "I will need supplies from my lab on Taarian Prime. I have equipment, certain compounds, and medication to help stabilize his condition there."
She glanced across at Davis, then slid her hand into his larger one. His fingers tightened around hers, the pressure just shy of painful. A soft chirp at her feet made her look down. Spot was positioned protectively at her feet. If even a war machine like Spot could change its purpose, finding new meaning beyond its original design, then Davis could too.
They had answers now, but they'd only uncovered deeper questions… about Davis's future, his mysterious twin brother, and what awaited them on Taarian Prime.
For now, all she could do was hold on.
14
Davis stretched out on the bunk, savoring the rare quiet moment. His muscles ached from the day's revelations, each shift a reminder of whatever was happening to his body. Each heartbeat sent fresh waves of that strange new energy through his system, his skin running hot enough that he'd stripped down to just pants.
In the corner, Spot had powered down for the evening, optical sensors dimmed to a soft blue glow as the little drakeen core 'slept' on the blanket Mira had fashioned for it. The robot had barely left her side since K’ell had come aboard.
Smart little bastard. He'd have done the same if he could.
He checked the time. Mira had been gone for fifteen minutes, grabbing snacks from the galley. The thought of her return sent heat through his system, different from the burn of his transformation. More focused. Hungry.
The film he'd queued up was just a pretense. Five minutes in, maybe ten if he felt patient, he'd start tracing patterns on her skin. Neck first, then shoulders. Down her spine until she shivered against him. She'd pretend to be annoyed at missing the plot, but he knew the signs of her desire now… the quickening breath, the flush across her cheeks, the way her pupils dilated when he touched her just right.
His cock hardened at the memory of their night together. Making love to Mira for hours might not fix whatever was happening to his body, but it would make him forget about it for a while.
His comm unit chirped, cutting through his thoughts.
"Davis." Jex's synthetic voice carried unusual urgency. "I need to speak with you. Immediately."
Davis dropped his head back against the pillow and groaned. "Can it wait an hour?" He glanced toward the door, willing Mira to appear.
"No." Jex paused, the silence loaded. "It's about your DNA."
Something cold twisted in his gut. All thoughts of a relaxing evening evaporated.
"I'll be right there," he said, swinging his legs off the bunk.
He grabbed a shirt, pulling it over his head with a grimace. His skin felt too tight, the fabric too constricting. Leaning over the console, he typed a quick message to Mira:Jex needs me for a few. Back soon. Don't start the film without me.
