Captivated (36 page)

“Mai, please. Please don’t let go.”

“I can’t hold any longer. I am grateful I was able to see you once more. I love you. Tell your sister I said the same of her.” Her hold on his hand loosened as she slipped from this life.

It was as if all the things holding him up simply dissolved and he collapsed into a heap over her body, shoving Hannah’s hands out of the way.

Hannah watched him fall apart. Watched all that careful reserve wisp away as he wept over his mother’s body. Wept over the woman she couldn’t save, even after Vincenz had saved Hannah.

Julian stood and addressed the man Vincenz had called Davis. “What is the status of your men?”

“We’re under Vincenz’s command. With Ciro dead, I don’t foresee much resistance from our rank and file. But …”

“Speak freely.”

The man looked Julian up and down and then over to Vincenz before he spoke again. “Ciro had ministers instrumental in whatever nightmares he had brewing in the lab. Once they find out Ciro is dead, they’ll attempt to take over.”

“Let’s be ready to crush that then, shall we?” Julian looked down to Vincenz and squeezed his shoulder. “Cuomo, you need to be present for this.”

Vincenz looked up. The front of his shirt and pants were covered in blood. He took a deep breath and stood.

“Does this mean you’ll be leading us now, Vincenz?”

Hannah said nothing as she watched the man she loved so much pull himself together, wiping his hands on his pants, clearly thinking.

“Yes. Yes, unless there’s someone else in the wings. I understand I have a brother.”

“He’s still in short pants. His mother is barely older than a child herself. Any real challengers have been disappeared. I believe the people would follow you. I believe the military would follow you.”

Vincenz took a deep breath and before her eyes he took on the mantle of leadership. “Have my father’s ministers arrested and brought before me. I need to contact some people on the other side. Get his body out of here. My mother needs to be prepared for interment. The military needs to stand down.”

Hannah stood and handed the kit back to the soldier who’d given
it to her. “Thank you.” She noted his pupils and paused. “What is it you’re a slave to?”

He started. “What do you mean?”

“What substance are you addicted to?” It couldn’t be most things or he would be unable to be out in the field. She examined his skin, noting his pores and the hue of his fingertips. A stimulant, given the fingertips.

“It’s the bars.” Another one of the soldiers addressed her. He held up a protein cake of some sort.

“You are given these? On purpose?”

“Yes, ma’am. They give soldiers stamina in the field.”

She sniffed, annoyed. “They create a physical addiction. You don’t need this to be strong in the field. And you certainly don’t need to be beholden to your commanders to receive your daily substance or go into withdrawal. I imagine it’s quite painful.”

“Hannah, we can deal with that later.” Julian tried not to smile. It wasn’t hard for her not to when all she wanted to do was cry.

She nodded and stepped back, not wanting to touch anything because she was covered in blood.

There’d be time to fall apart later. For now, she needed to contact Ravena to transmit the data she’d received. Julian and Vincenz got caught up in whatever they were doing so she asked one of the soldiers to lead her to a comm station, and she set up in a quiet office and began to work. He also brought her some clean clothes and a carafe of kava and some food.

V
incenz looked up, bleary-eyed, numbed by grief and the sheer immensity of the task he’d agreed to undertake. “Where is Hannah?” He’d meant to reach out to touch her at least a dozen times and each time he’d been interrupted.

“The woman you came in with?” He’d been assigned an assistant already. Julian had been liaising with Ellis, who in turn was working with Roman to accept a peace agreement. They’d all meet sometime soon. His head spun at all the details.

“Yes.”

“I’ll find out.” The man left and Vincenz went back to work.

The man came back some minutes later with a tray of food. “She’s working in the library.”

“Has she been fed? Shown to my rooms?” He stood. “Never mind, I’ll see to her myself.”

It was … odd to walk the halls of this place. The place he’d grown up. Only now he had no parents. He’d been away for years and had
come back to sabotage his father only to take over in a bloodless coup.

He reeled, ached, filled with rage and frustrated impotence over his mother’s death. He’d spoken with Carina some time ago and they’d cried together. Thank the gods Daniel had been there with her.

Speeding his steps, he moved to Hannah, needing to know she was all right. Realizing he hadn’t connected with her since that scene in his mother’s rooms. She was probably shaken up from the labs and all the chaos, and he hadn’t been there for her.

And there she was. Still in the same clothing she’d worn earlier. Fatigue all over her features. Wrapped up tight in a blanket, her head on her knees as she looked off into space, seeing nothing.

“Beautiful Hannah, there you are.”

Startled, she jumped and her gaze met his and … the absence of that warmth, that instant connection he felt every time she looked at him, slapped him.

She stood and papers went everywhere. “I’m sorry.” She bent and began to pick them up and he joined her, taking her hands. So cold.

“Sorry?”

She pulled them back and resumed straightening the papers. “I’ve been trying to find someone who’ll get me to town so I can get out but everyone’s been busy.”

He shook his head, confused and alarmed by her behavior. “What are you talking about? I know the day has been … long and horrible. Has someone done something?”

She shook her head and moved to stand, jerky and uncoordinated. He hadn’t seen that in a long time.

“You’re scaring me.”

“Why? Why? Why don’t you leave me alone? I’m trying to go. I couldn’t …” She broke down, and he just didn’t know what to do.

“Go? What are you talking about? Please talk to me. I’m all
fucked up and wrung out, I don’t know what you need but I want to give it to you.” He went to his knees but she backed up.

“I still have blood on my clothes.”

He shouldn’t have felt rejected, but he did anyway. “Come to our rooms. We’ll get you a bath. You’ll feel better after a bath and some sleep.”

She dropped her head and her hair swept forward but not before he saw the tears in her eyes.

“You’re scaring me, Hannah.” He stood, being firm. “Come with me.”

She gathered her papers and the blanket, holding them against her body and filling her hands so he couldn’t take them.

“Have you seen Julian lately?” He tried to make small talk as he led her down the hall toward the rooms he’d taken over. Not his father’s. Certainly not his mother’s.

“A few hours ago.”

He’d have to be sure she was taken care of better from then on.

“Have you eaten?” He hated this awkwardness between them. Made him feel out of sorts and cast adrift.

“I’m fine.”

He opened the doors and as he did, someone else came down the hall, hailing him. He turned. “Not now. I’m going to be with my woman for a while. I’ll find you when I’m ready. Can you find Julian please and send him in and have a meal for three brought up?” The man nodded and hurried off to carry out Vincenz’s wishes.

When he turned back she remained, just inside the doors.

He took the stack of papers from her, placing them on a nearby table and closed the doors. “Bath first.”

She followed him into the large bathing suite where he opened the taps to run a bath in the huge tub. Knowing she delighted in such things, he turned to her and found her standing, still clothed.

“I’ll be out shortly.”

“This has gone on long enough. What the seven hells is wrong? Is it me? You’re disgusted by what my father has done and you think I’m capable of that?”

She gasped and took a step back, nearly falling. He reached out quick to grab her.

“No! I would never think that. You’re good. Honorable and strong. You’ll do right by these people.”

Relief swept through him enough to loosen the tension in his muscles as he began to unbutton her shirt, though she tried to move away.

“If you don’t tell me, how can I fix it? Hold still.”

She slapped at his hands. “I can handle it myself. I don’t need your pity.”

“Now you’re making me mad. Pity? Is that what you think this is? Are you so selfish you can’t understand I had to take care of a million things today? After I watched my mother die? You can’t give me some time to do something else but be with you?”

She went ramrod stiff and he regretted the words, but it was too late; they hung in the air between them, pushing them apart.

“Get out.”

“Not until we talk.”

“You’ve said enough. Now get out or I will.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. I’m concerned about you.”

“Get out!” She screamed it so loud it echoed from the marble and Julian burst into the room.

“What’s wrong?”

“Get out. Get out. Get out!” She shoved at them both and slammed the door, locking it.

“What did you do?” Julian asked him, looking back to the door.

“I don’t know. Well, that’s not entirely true. I hurt her feelings. Fuck. Fuck. I am so tired I can’t see straight.”

He could hear her crying on the other side of the door. Even so, he was relieved when she got into the tub.

“This isn’t over, baby. I’m going to get you some clean clothes and then we’re all going to sit down and eat and talk this out.”

“Fuck off!”

Julian sighed. “We’re all tired and strung out today, baby.” He pulled Vincenz close and hugged him. “We’ll talk this over and work it through and all of us will sleep awhile. She’s seen a lot today. I know you have too.” He brushed a kiss over Vincenz’s lips.

A knock at the door signaled the arrival of the food. An elderly woman he remembered from the kitchens long, long ago was with the man who brought the cart in. “Miss Hannah mentioned how much you loved these cakes. I remembered that from when you was a wee boy.”

She had? He smiled at the sight of the cakes, and the idea Hannah had made mention of it. “Thank you. I do indeed have a weakness for them. I remember you. Vina, right?” He took both her hands and she blushed.

“Yes, that’s right. So glad to have you home and, if you’ll permit my boldness, to have a man like you in charge. Your mother will be mourned, but your arrival will be rejoiced. We raised the mourning flags earlier. Miss Hannah reminded one of the stewards about it and he got to it right away.”

His agitation washed away, replaced by tenderness that even a world away from home, she took care of him.

“Thank you.”

“There’s tea. Drink it because I made it special for you. It’ll quiet your nerves some. Make sure to get some protein into Miss Hannah. She ran herself ragged today.”

“She did? What did she do, Vina?”

“Oh, well, she came into the kitchens to find cloths to clean up.
Poor bird was covered in blood.” He needed to remember his people … gods, yes,
his
people … were far more matter-of-fact about death than many in the Federation were. “And when she got in there she set it all to rights. Made sure we sent you up food and snacks to keep you going all day. Made sure that one”—she motioned to Julian—“also kept his strength up with food and drink. She dealt with the mourning flags and the preparation of your mother’s body and things. Took care of that secret hidey-hole of your father’s too. Oh, and next time you walk down the hall of heroes, you should note your portrait is up again. Your mother had one secreted away; I told Miss Hannah where it was. She’s a good girl. Loves you.”

He sighed. No wonder she’d looked so fatigued. “Thank you for saying so. Did you see anything today that could have upset her somehow?”

Vina frowned. “No, sir. She made friends. Tended to a burn one of the cooks had. Was on her little comm for hours on end when she wasn’t running around. Is she unwell? Can I help?”

Of course Hannah had already become someone the staff took to.

“No, thank you, Vina. I appreciate your coming up. It’s good to see you here.”

They set up the meal and left quietly.

H
annah couldn’t avoid it a moment longer. She’d been in the tub so long she’d gone pruny and the water had gone cold. Even taking her time drying her hair could only go on so long. She had no clean clothes to change into and Vincenz was right outside.

Her anger at him had long since burned off and all that remained was her guilt. Her guilt and shame over her failure to save Esta. She’d never forget the entreaty in his eyes as he’d begged her to save his mother. And the desolation when she couldn’t.

Her hands shook as she remembered the way he’d shoved her hands back when he’d slung himself over Esta’s body as he shook with sobs.

After she’d transmitted the data back to Ravena, she’d gone up to the labs to be sure the decontamination process was being handled correctly. She’d been successful at destroying all the live virus, but she wanted to be sure the entire place was sterilized and everything that came and went was clean.

And then she’d tried to go. Had tried all day, but no one could be spared. She would have walked but the gates had been locked down. The portal had been closed to traffic once Vincenz had taken over.

So she’d gone to the kitchen to clean up most of the blood and Vina had taken to her immediately, plying her with some soup along with the clean blouse and the apron to go over her skirts.

That’s when she’d decided to be sure the mourning flags went up, remembering how they’d done for her grandmother’s death. It was while she was overseeing the removal of Esta’s body that Esta’s personal maid had come to Hannah to show her the cache well hidden in the passage behind Esta’s rooms. The very same they’d arrived through. Just a few steps more and she’d found the portrait of Vincenz.

It had taken up time, kept her busy enough not to think. Julian had seen her for a few scant minutes in the late afternoon. He’d taken a walk with her over the west-facing ramparts. He’d been distracted, but she held his hand, loving the contact, loving that he’d come to her, seeking her out even for those stolen moments.