Fallen Star (8 page)

He strode past her to pick up a long silver-gray robe from the counter, then shrugged into it, knotting the cloth belt at his waist. The long, rich folds swept to the floor. He pulled his mane from the back of his collar, then turned around and waved at the wall. A hole widened outward into an oval door. He stepped toward the opening. “Come on, let’s go.”

Fallon crossed her arms over her bare breasts and raised her brows. “Don’t I get a robe?”

Sobehk turned to her and snorted. “You’re
rehkyt
.”

She looked at him in shock. “Are you saying I don’t get clothes?”

“You get clothes when I decide to put them on you.” His grin was slow in coming and malicious when it got there. “
If
I decide to put them on you.”

Fallon lowered her chin, and her temper burned with comforting heat. “If you think I’m going to walk around naked ...”

“You’ll crawl on your knees naked if I tell you to!” A growl rolled in his chest, and he nodded at the door. “Are you coming, or do I need to make you?”

Fallon abruptly turned away to scowl at the open door. “Fine, whatever ...” Stiff-legged, she marched toward the door.

Sobehk caught her shoulder. “Stay behind me and on my off side.”

Fallon looked up at him, puzzled. The off side was his left, away from his weapon hand. “You’re not carrying a sword.”

His brows lowered. “Are you going to argue with everything I say?”

She shrugged. “Probably.”

Sobehk sighed and pressed his fingers to his brow as though it pained him. “You really need a beating.”

Fallon couldn’t help but smile. “Probably.”

Sobehk rolled his eyes and stepped out of the door. “Come on.”

Fallon followed him out. The corridor was narrow, shadowed, and empty, but there were doors on either side that anyone could suddenly walk out of. She eyed the closed doors with grave misgivings, suddenly glad that she had his wide back to hide behind. “Where are we going?”

“To see the
Sehnbay’syr
Tah, the master-surgeon.”

“What for?” She flinched and wished she could suck the words back into her mouth. They were going to medical to get her collared, obviously.

Sobehk glanced over his shoulder at her with a sly smile. “I’m taking my stray to the veterinarian to get a check-up.”

Fallon growled. “Keep it up with the animal stuff, and I’m just going to have to bite you.”

“I would not try that if I were you.” Sobehk stopped at a closed door and waved his hand. “We have muzzles for pets that like to bite.” The door opened under his palm, and he stepped through.

“Oh, come on!” Fallon grabbed the edge of the door and stepped over the bottom edge. The door closed almost on her heels. “Muzzles for people?”

The medical bay wasn’t particularly large, but it was immaculately tidy. A black-and-chrome padded table commanded the very center and was stretched out under a well-lit, state-of-the-art medical array designed for full emergency surgery. The slightly curved walls were the same silvery gray she’d seen everywhere else.

A man in a sleeveless smoke-gray robe looked up from behind his curved black glass desk, set against the right wall. His mane was the color of old bone and pulled back into a snug braid. The holographic projection display floating over the desk vanished. “Muzzles are for disobedient
rehkyt
.” His voice was deep, crisp, and slightly amused. “Do you need one?”

Alarmed, Fallon ducked behind Sobehk and peeked from around his arm.

Sobehk shook his head and rolled his eyes. “I am considering it.”

Fallon glared up at him.

“Indeed?” The medic stood and came around the desk to stand by the foot of the long table. He was very tall and painfully slender. His robe swept the hem of his long black kilt. His bare arms were roped with muscle. “So, what did you bring me,
A’syr
Sobehk?”

Sobehk turned to the side, revealing Fallon to the medic. “This is Isabeau.”

Fallon kept her place as her face heated. “No one calls me that.”

“Then I definitely will.” He caught her around the shoulders and pushed her gently but firmly toward the long table and the waiting medic.

Fallon eyed the table and the medic uneasily, but went where she was pushed. “Why do you have to be such a pain in my ass?” Her voice came out in a hoarse whisper.

The medic raised his brows at Sobehk in obvious question.

Sobehk snorted and returned the medic’s speaking glance. “She’s on the second dose and starting to feel it,” he said very dryly. “Isabeau, this is
Sehnbay’syr
Tah. Be nice.”

Fallon stared up at the master-surgeon. Although his face was lined with age, he was still quite arresting. Electric blue gleamed in the heart of his stone-gray eyes, betraying his eyesight augmentations. Gold cuffs glimmered around the lobes of his pointed ears.

She closed her hands into fists to hide the shaking, and couldn’t think of a single thing to say.

Tah smiled and patted the table. “Let’s have a look, shall we?”

For some undefined reason, every hair on Fallon’s body came to sudden and alarmed attention. Her breath stilled in her throat.

The master-surgeon raised a brow. “Shy?”

“Feral.” Sobehk caught Fallon around the waist, lifted her, and deposited her on the edge of the padded table.

She gasped in surprise then bit her lip to keep from making another sound.

Sobehk sighed as he stepped back. “She’s not used to handling yet.”

“Ah, I see.” Tah walked around the table and parted her knees to step between them.

Fallon trembled only slightly but didn’t try to stop him.

The master-surgeon smiled briefly and raised a small stylus. “Relax, this will not be painful.”

“That’s what they all say.” Fallon flinched. Blood and fury, she couldn’t keep her mouth shut if she tried!

Tah gave her a startled look and amusement flashed across his expression. He looked over at Sobehk. “How new?”

“Hours.” Sobehk folded his hands behind him.

The master-surgeon’s brow shot up. “Indeed?” He caught Fallon’s hand and turned the palm up. Gently he set the point of his instrument on her pulse. “And is this the reason you were a day late?”

“Yep.”

“It took you that long?”

“Three, actually.”

Fallon felt a small spurt of pride.

“Three?” Tah glanced over at Sobehk. “Your stubborn streak is showing.” He smiled. “Mastered?”

Sobehk flinched only slightly. “Not quite.”

“Ah, so not yet conditioned.” Tah focused on the bandages on Fallon’s shoulders. He raised a cool brow at Sobehk. “What happened?” He moved his stylus up to Fallon’s right shoulder.

Sobehk suddenly flushed. “Isabeau decided to remove her force-cuffs with some exploratory surgery.”

Tah blinked. “Surely that’s an exaggeration?” He moved his stylus to her left shoulder.

Fallon snorted. “He’s still pissed because it worked. I got one off.”

Tah leaned back to look at her. “Did you now?” He turned to Sobehk.

Sobehk ground his teeth and glared at Fallon. “She got one off, all right, and bled out like a faucet, too. I had to patch her and dose her early to stop the bleeding.”

The master-surgeon sighed. “Triggering imprint vulnerability.”

Sobehk nodded. “Pretty much.”

Tah lifted his brow. “Considering your new acquisition, and the regulations against personal ... possessions, were you planning on retiring from service?”

Sobehk gave a small shrug. “I’ve made enough to afford a small school on the coast.”

“Ah, I see.” Tah lifted the instrument from Fallon’s shoulder and waved his hand by the head of the table. A holographic display bloomed into being. “Let’s see what you have.”

Fallon leaned over to look, but she couldn’t make heads or tails of what she was seeing. None of the figures or lettering made any sense.

Tah began to recite in a voice laced with dry humor.

Fallon couldn’t understand his language. Her internal translator didn’t have anything to work with. Yet.

Sobehk’s expression was grave as he nodded.

Fallon frowned. Was it bad?

The master-surgeon stepped away from the table and went to his desk.

Fallon looked up at Sobehk’s grim expression. “What was all that?”

Amusement lifted the corner of Sobehk’s mouth. “Oh,
‘Syr
Tah was just confirming my suspicions.”

Fallon frowned at him. “What suspicions?”

Sobehk gave her a tight smile. “That you’re a mongrel.”

Fallon gasped. “Cheap shot, you big bastard!”

The master-surgeon returned and the amusement was back in his expression. “Her arm, please.”

Sobehk took Fallon’s wrist in his firm grip and held her arm out.

She looked up at Sobehk, startled. “What now?”

Tah took his place between her knees. “You are apparently somewhat under-nourished. I’m giving you a vitamin supplement.” He set the blunt end of an instrument against the vein near the bend of her elbow. There was a soft hydraulic hiss. He lifted the instrument from her arm and glanced at Sobehk. “That should keep you from having to feed her in the traditional manner during the rest of the process.” He stepped away.

Sobehk frowned down at Fallon. “When was the last time you ate?”

Fallon opened her mouth, and then closed it. She shrugged. “That depends on what you mean by
eat
.” She was pretty sure that he wouldn’t see nutrient bars as actual food, but it was all she had been able to carry for the past three days. They weren’t good for much, but they were better than nothing, and they kept the hunger pangs down to a manageable level.

Sobehk rolled his eyes. “Never mind, I don’t want to know.” He hopped up on the table to sit next to her.

Fallon raised a brow at him. “What, are you getting a checkup, too?”

Tah came back from his desk with a sleek black case twice as long as his hands. He looked up at Sobehk. “Make sure she has plenty of food as soon as she comes out.” He opened the case and lifted out a smooth silver ring. It was open and one end was crammed with thousands of tiny pins. It was a collar.

Fallon froze. This was it.

Sobehk took the collar from the master-surgeon. He turned his gaze to Fallon. “Lay face down across my lap, Isabeau.”

Her gaze leaped to the closed door, but there really wasn’t anyplace she could run to. The door was already gone, and the medical bay was too small to hide in.

Sobehk’s hand closed tight on her wrist. “Isabeau, you have already done all the running you could possibly do. We are already a full jump from Dyson’s Ring station. There is absolutely no way for you to return.” His voice was calm but completely unforgiving. “That life is over. You have a new life now, with me.”

Fallon looked up into his hard gaze and her heart beat in her mouth. A new life? With
him?

Sobehk patted his knee. “Lie down and this will be over quickly.”

Fallon did not want to do this, but she couldn’t think of a way around it. She pulled up her knees. She shook so bad she almost fell off trying to get into position.

Sobehk caught her shoulders and helped her lay facedown with her head on his knee. “Isabeau, put your hands behind your back.”

Fallon closed her eyes. She really, really didn’t want to do this. She folded her hands behind her back.

“Keep them there.”

The command sizzled through her augmentations and she jumped. She’d been expecting it, but she was so damned nervous.

Sobehk moved her hair to the side and over her shoulder, baring her neck. “Relax, kitten. I have you.”

Cool metal went around her throat. It suddenly became hard to breathe. She closed her eyes tight.

He brought the ends together. With one hard jab, he pressed the pins into the base of her neck.

Fallon blinked.
Was that it?
The sharp stab from the pins was not that impressive. Stabbing herself in the shoulder had been far worse.

Sweat broke out on her body.

Huh?
A blinding power surge went through the internal comp in the back of her skull. She gasped. The power surge traveled with appalling speed throughout the rest of her physical augmentations. Her entire body shuddered hard under the assault.

From far away, she felt both Sobehk and Tah grab her to keep her from falling off the table.

The massive surge spread down her spine and into places she knew for a fact no augmentation existed. Her skin tried to crawl from her bones and her fingers and toes twitched in reflex. She bit her lip to keep from screaming. A frightened whimper escaped instead.

It stopped.

“Shit ...” Soaked in sweat Fallon panted, shaking with exhaustion. “Is it over?”

Tah’s cool hands closed around her wrists. “Not quite.”

Sobehk wrapped her hair around his hand. He barked out something in a language her translator couldn’t interpret.

Lightning blazed through her. She screamed and fought to get away. Both men worked to keep her in place.

The lightning stopped.

Fallon moaned and tears streamed from her eyes. “Son of a bitch ... What in screaming fury was that?”

Sobehk released her hair and stroked her back with his palm “That was the command setting for punishment. This is the other one.”

Fallon stilled. “Other one?”

Sobehk barked out another phrase.

Heat and lust burst in her core then clenched tight with terrifying strength. All thought fled but for the hunger in her cunt. She writhed across his lap, moaning in urgent need.

The vicious hunger abruptly relaxed its grip.

Fallon gasped and shifted restlessly. The urgency was over, but the need was not completely gone. A threatening heat simmered in her belly.

“Those were the two extremes of the collar.” Sobehk stroked her back again. “The telepathic commands are programmed.”

“Hold still.” Tah daubed cool cream where the pins stabbed into her neck, easing the slight burn.

Fallon released a breath.

Sobehk’s knee shifted under her cheek. “You can release your wrists.”

Her wrists separated and she struggled to sit up. “Is it over?”

Sobehk lifted her up onto her knees. “This is.” He took her wrists and the force-cuffs came off in his hands.