Page 90 of Kiss Across the Universe
Neven drew in a deep breath and let it out. “They enslave travelers,” he said, his tone bleak. “Like me.”
“We think that what Tira and Georges did to you is what gave Mixon the idea.”
“He’s the head of this group?” Veris said sharply.
“We believe so,” Nyara replied. “I’m going to trip over tenses and time in order to explain this. In our time, the group is well established—we think. But the Gore Mixon who came back here to abduct Alannah…we believe this was his first venture. His trial run.”
“Who is this guy, apart from the leader of a sick cult?” Neven demanded. He looked ill.
“A very rich vampire with endless resources at his disposal, who has lived long enough to develop…exotic tastes,” Nyara said.
“It’s not just time that warps a vampire,” Cáel said sharply, reminding Alannah of the way Kit had corrected her about being a real time traveler. “You’ve lived for millennia, Nyara, and you haven’t lost your humanity and decency. Mixon was warped to begin with. Now he has the means to indulge his tastes. That is all.”
Nyara inclined her head, acknowledging her mate’s correction. Then she faced the room once more. “Gore Mixon is known to the Agency. He tried to become a traveler, once.”
“Tried and failed?” Rafe asked, his tone curious.
“Yes,” Nyara replied. “Not all vampires manage to learn the psionic abilities needed to time travel. Mixon was one of those who could not. It embittered him, I’m sure. Especially now we know he had a private agenda of his own that was driving his need to travel. So, if he could not jump for himself, he would find someone who he couldmakejump for him.”
“Why not just pay the agency to take him on his vacations?” Alannah asked. “That’s what you do, isn’t it? Time travel vacations for the rich?”
“That’s a small part of what we do,” Nyara replied. “But what Mixon wants out of time, we would not have given him. We would have refused. He and his people have learned to milk time. For profit, to steal what they can sell in the future for great profit. They take advantage of moments in time to grow rich.”
Alannah’s middle jumped for that sounded a lot like what Aran did. Had done.
Nyara’s gaze settled on Alannah. “Aran did not scrape time without regard for the souls and people he dealt with. There is a wide gap between Aran’s wheeling and dealing and what Mixon does. Mixon and his people have no regard for the past. They are condescending, and believe they are smarter and better than anyone who has come before them.”
“They didn’t read Veris, book, clearly,” Taylor said.
“Actually, we think they did,” Nyara said. “That’s why Mixon learned of this time period, rich with natural jumpers. His cult have learned how to abduct travelers from this time. They fit them with temporary restraints that make them biddable, then take them back to our time. There, the travelers are surgically implanted with governors that control them, and make them compliant slaves that will jump the cult members wherever and whenever they want to go.”
Alannah drew in a calming breath, recalling the hedgehog row of fine needles on the back of the box that Mixon had been preparing to put against her neck. “He was going to take me to your time?”
“Yes,” Nyara said. “You were the test case. The surgery to implant the governor is high risk and they were going to test it out on you.”
Alannah shuddered.
“They failed, this time, but they have been operating for years in my time, and they tested the surgery on another traveler after you. It was successful, and they have been enslaving travelers ever since.”
David spoke up in his deep voice. “Marit has seen other versions of herself disappearing on the timescape. Other travelers, too.”
“And you haven’t seen this?” Veris demanded.
David didn’t twitch at Veris’ sharp tone. “After so much time, I have learned how to switch off the input of multiple worlds and millions of people. Marit is still learning how. So no, I did not notice the voices growing silent.”
“Butwhyenslave travelers?” Taylor asked. “Natural travelers? Us?”
“Travelers of my agency can’t linger in the past,” Nyara said. “Stasis poisoning limits our time in the past. You, though, can stay in the past as long as you want. And…I am guessing, but I suspect that Mixon, with his disregard for the intelligence of those living in the past, thought that you and your people would be…”
“Easy pickings,” Alannah finished.
Nyara nodded. “You must understand the predilections of these people. They go on sightseeing trips to the worst moments of human history. The Plague years, revolutions, wars. Genocide. Natural disasters and man-made ones. Any deeply disturbing event that stirs their deadened emotions.”
“And they use slave travelers to get there because they can’t travel for themselves,” Brody finished, sounding disgusted.
“Yes,” Nyara said flatly.
Kit raised his hand. “Ummm…?”
