Eluria's Enforcer (The Argadian Heart Trilogy Book 1) Read online

  Eluria began to gather her things quickly and moved toward her velocitor. She had to get to the cave.

  A shadow moved between her and her destination, halting her abruptly, heart thudding in her chest. She dropped what she was carrying and reached for her weapon.

  “Rebel Leader Eluria Zydon, dishonored daughter of High Commander Clorial Zydon of Argadia, your end has arrived. Prepare.”

  Eluria stayed her hand as she eyed the weapon aimed at her. Her gaze slowly rose and her eyes widened in disbelief. “Devon Andromeda,” she rasped out. Shock pulsed through her. Standing before her was her nemesis. The man she’d sacrificed everything to save. Merciful Symion, was this how it would end? Would Guardian truly be so cruel?

  She saw a brief, halting flicker of what looked like surprise in his merciless blood red gaze when she’d uttered his name. Then the fire in his gaze banked and surged. She knew by the look of him, there was no hope, there would be no salvation.

  Devon didn’t recognize her. How could he, when he had no memory of the Before? Eluria carried no weapon powerful enough to stop him, nor was she fast enough. She knew in an instance who was behind the order. This was the work of her father, pitting her against the one Enforcer he knew she wouldn’t fight. Devon was in Killing Frenzy. She knew his reputation. Impotently, she watched as his finger tightened on the deadly weapon.

  Eluria accepted defeat. Her father knew her one weakness far too well. Even if she had a worthy weapon, this was the one Enforcer she could never destroy. If her death meant he would live, so it must be.

  “It is good you recognize the means of your end, Female. May your journey to Haydon be less painful, knowing the means by which you pass. You have been a worthy opponent.”

  Closing her eyes, she raised both hands, curled them into fists and placed them over her heart. Delivering herself freely to death, she whispered the chant of acceptance. “Guardian, into your hands I release my light. I embrace my destiny. Your justice will endure.”

  The sound of exploding zyflamite missiles filled her ears, and the next thing Eluria knew she was flying through the air, hurled by their force and slammed to the ground some distance away. At the hard impact, as she met the solid rock and tasted dirt, her breath was knocked from her body and blackness engulfed her.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Guardian, or at the very least, Symion, had apparently heard her chant. Drawing oxygen into her lungs, Eluria opened her eyes, a sense of imminent danger flooding her. In one fluid motion, she was on her feet and turned to assess the situation. The sickening smell of spent zyflamite shells permeated the air and turned her stomach.

  Eluria didn’t know how long she’d been unconsciousness, but knew she couldn’t take the time to gauge its passing. Cactching her breath, frantically she searched the area, until finally she located the inert form of Devon Andromeda stretched out on his stomach some distance from where she stood. Oh, please, don’t let him be dead, she prayed. Not after all this time.

  Alert to any movement, she unsheathed her weapon and tentatively, in quick, running steps, made her way to his side. Scanning the area as she went, she knew that whoever had launched the zyflamite would not be long in locating them and discover they were still alive. It didn’t make sense. Now knowing it was Andromeda who tracked her, she also knew from his file, he worked alone. Always. So, who had fired on them?

  Why attack if they knew an Enforcer already had her in his sight? Unless, they were after him as well? Betrayal was more the rule than the exception when it came to dealing with the Tribunal. Anything was possible.

  Sinking down, she knelt next to Devon’s inert body, alert for any movement on his part. Holstering her weapon, then using all her weight, she pushed against his side and roll him to his back. She surveyed his body, seeking signs of injury. It was impossible for her not to reach out to touch his face. He was here, with her. How many times had she imagined this? Eluria inhaled sharply when she spotted a long narrow gash in his right side where blood was steadily oozing onto the ground.

  In his gloved hand, Devon still clutched the laser weapon that would have ended her life. She pulled it free, carefully disengaged the power source, and tossed it away. Checking the pulse in his neck, she was thankful to find it strong and steady.

  Eluria quickly surveyed him for other signs of injury. There wasn’t much time, so she could only make a cursory examination. It looked like the worst of it was the gash to his side. There was no way for her to detect if there was internal damage. Not here. She had emergency supplies at the cave; she would tend to him when they were in safer surroundings.

  The most urgent need was to get them both away. First, she needed to make sure he stayed in stasis. Thank Guardian the velocitor was undamaged because she was going to need it. She sprinted to the vehicle and then grabbed a container from beneath the driver’s seat. It held a small amount of a stasis-inducing drug, which should be just enough to immobilize him until she was able to get him to the cave.

  She ran back, knelt next to him, and injected him. Hurriedly she gathered what remained of her supplies, dug up the antidote from beneath the rocks, and returned to her vehicle.

  There was little chance, even with the pump of adrenalin, she’d be able to drag him any distance. She jumped into the velocitor, planning to maneuver it as close to him as possible, hoping somehow she would be able to lever him into the passenger seat. The rocky surface and crater indentations made it difficult to get as close as she would have liked. Once positioned, she jumped out and hurried back to his inert form.

  Gazing down at all that solid muscle, she seriously had her doubts. I can do this—I have to do this. Hooking her hands beneath his arms, she heaved and slowly began to drag him the short distance to the velocitor. Haydon, he was solid, dead weight. Reaching the side, Eluria released her grip and sank back onto the seat, needing a moment to catch her breath. She still needed to shift him the short distance onto the seat. The fact the vehicle was very low to the ground and with a hefty helping of adrenalin, hopefully she would just be able to manage it by dragging him across the seat and settling him into it.

  Standing up, she leaned down and pulled him to a sitting position against the frame. Stepping up and to the other side of the seat, she leaned down, again anchoring her arms beneath his armpits, and she locked her hands together at the middle of his chest. Using as much leverage as she could manage and with a fervent prayer to Symion, she pulled upwards and managed to get his upper torso splayed across the seat. She unclasped her hands and leaned away to gasp for air.

  We don’t have time for this, she thought to herself in panic. But I can’t leave him here. With firm resolve she leaned forward, locked her arms into position, and heaved once more with every last bit of strength left, at last succeeding in levering him into the vehicle.

  Choking back a sob of thankfulness, she jumped across the driver’s side. Racing around the front, she lifted his legs into the vehicle, shifted him so he was more securely in the seat, and strapped him in. Thank Guardian. It better not be this difficult getting him out.

  Luckily the velocitor was small enough she’d be able to drive it inside the cave, so it wouldn’t entail dragging him far once they reached their destination. And at least she wouldn’t have to try to lift him upwards again as the bedroll would be on the ground.

  She raced back around the side, jumped in, and sped away. They weren’t far from safety; she just needed a few more minutes to maneuver around the outcropping of rocks.

  Surveying the sky first, she then studied the surrounding area. She could detect no movement. Yet. She turned on the scanner in the vehicle. Thank Symion the firestorm had eased as it had a tendency to play havoc with the tracking program. The system allowed for short range scanning capability that could give her some indication of whether there was any lifeforce close enough to cause concern. None of this made any sense. Where had the attack stemmed from?

  Eluria breathed a sigh of relief as she wound around the last obst
acle to safety. She wended her way through low-lying boulders and stopped before what looked like a solid wall of rock. She pulled out a remote device and pressed the button. Slowly, the rock wall dissipated and she drove forward. Once inside, she turned in her seat, pointed the device and the illusion reappeared. Collapsing back in her seat, a sigh of relief escaped her.

  Swiveling sideways, she surveyed the unconscious man strapped to the passenger seat. What was she going to do with him? She couldn’t have left him there. Killing him was out of the question. Slowly, she stepped out of the velocitor and walked through the low-lying passage to the next chamber.

  In was an area she used for sleeping as well as storage. There was a set of large metal trunks to one side and she stepped toward one of them. Inside were extra, small weapons, ammunition, and the items she was searching for—restraints. She didn’t have a choice. Either she confined him or he killed her. Her options were few.

  After she secured him, she’d need to come to another decision. One she wasn’t sure she was ready to make. One that scared her.

  Eluria pulled out a bedroll from the other trunk and spread it out to one side of the enclosure. Then she set the restraints. The electronic control allowing her to adjust the grip was set to maximum level. Securing him would require no less.

  Once everything was in readiness, she turned back to the opening and took a deep breath. Now to get him from the vehicle to the bedding.

  Whoever said determination couldn’t get the job done was wrong. It took the remainder of her strength and one heck of a lot of focus, but finally she had him settled on the bedroll. Before she engaged the restraints, she would need to remove his black skinsuit to assess his wounds. She didn’t look forward to it; knew the effect it would have on her. Taking a deep breath, she tried to steel her emotions against the sight of him.

  As each centimeter of his supple, golden skin was uncovered, she found it harder and harder to concentrate on her task. But at last his body was revealed. And what a beautiful body it was. She would have enjoyed just sitting there and gazing at him for hours. His body appeared more like a fine sculpture displayed at one of the old museums on Argadia. She wanted to curl up next to him, hold him, feel his solid strength. She wanted Before.

  Stop it! She turned away from the focus of her desires. His wounds required attention. She needed water to cleanse them. Rising from her kneeling position, she walked into a third chamber. This one contained an underground spring, the water warm enough for bathing. A cascade of it fell from the face of the stone constantly providing a fresh supply of soothing wet heat. It was one of the things that made this cavern a good resting place. All the comforts of home, so to speak.

  She pulled out a small wooden bowl, a soft drying cloth, and a mediseal from another trunk located in the chamber. Filling the bowl from the pool, she returned to Devon, and proceeded to thoroughly cleanse the wound in his side. She winced as she surveyed the long, jagged tear. Getting him into the velocitor certainly hadn’t helped. It was a good thing she had a mediseal with her. Using the utensil, she proceeded to carefully close the wound. It would heal, but because it was deep, there would be a scar. Much similar to the one she carried on her own body.

  She’d hesitated long enough. It was time to engage the restraints. Again, she leaned back on her heels. With his eyes closed, his face was in repose, softened, reminding her of the youth she’d once known. They were strong features, but not hard, a square jaw, and high, defined cheekbones.

  Unable to resist, she reached up, and touched his hair. It was thick and silky beneath her fingertips. The texture much as she remembered. But the color had changed. It was now pure white, a consequence of the Nanus process. Thus, it was a trademark of every Enforcer. When she’d known him, hishad had been black as a night sky without moon.

  His body was firm, muscled, sculpted. She was unable to resist and ran her hand along his shoulder, down the contours of his smooth, hard chest. Life, warm and pulsing, thrummed beneath her fingertips. So beautiful. She closed her eyes in painful remembrance as the Before washed over her.

  “Come watch this old Earth film I bought on the black market today,” Devon urged her, a grin on his lips. There was an eager light in his beautiful turquoise eyes. He reached for her hand and pulled her into the viewing room, urging her down onto the long comfortable lounging chair. She curled up beneath his arm as they watched the science fiction movie from long ago.

  He looked down and grinned. “I’m glad you came over, Eluria. I’ve missed you. You’ll be at the Celebration tomorrow, won’t you?”

  “Yes, I’ll be there. You know I wouldn’t miss it,” she responded, tucking her head against his shoulder, inhaling his warm, musky scent. She loved spending time with him. Wanted the moment to go on forever.

  How could she have known that within the space of a sun’s rising he would be torn from her life? The spirits of Before haunted her often. When he’d been taken away, her heart had broken knowing she’d never see him again. Even if she did, he wouldn’t remember her. But when she’d found out the truth, her whole life had shattered. That’s when it had become imperative to find the antidote and set him free.

  The antidote! She raced out to the velocitor and retrieved the small box containing the vials, handling it reverently. She carried it back inside.

  Devon was the reason she was here now. She looked at him and then down at the small box. She had a decision to make. Was this why Guardian had brought them together on this planet? Did she dare attempt to use it on him now? Did she really have any other choice?

  No. It would either work or it wouldn’t. It was apparent someone wanted them both dead. If he killed her and went back, they would probably find a way to kill him anyway. If she left him the way he was, he would try to destroy her, complete his mission. And he would succeed because she couldn’t kill him. Either way they were both dead.

  She wanted Devon whole again. She needed to give him back his life. Guilty knowledge from Before washed over her. And if it did work, there was a chance it would work on others and the rebellion could be successful.

  Placing the box on the lid of a trunk, she opened it, removed a syringe and one of the clear vials marked Nanus-X. She remembered the instructions. First, she must inject him with Nanus-X. If all went well, twenty-four hours later, she must inject him with the neutralizer, Nanus-Z.

  After filling the syringe, she walked back to him. Eluria’s hands shook at the enormity of what she was about to do. She chanted to the protection goddess.

  “Symion, if ever I needed your guiding hand, I need it now. Don’t let me make a mistake. Please let it work.” Slowly, she lowered her hand with the filled syringe to Devon’s hip.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Again, her form filled Devon’s mind. But this time it was different. Shudders of pain threaded through his body, his mind hazed with lust. He roared with rage and impotence as consciousness returned, and he realized he was shackled and his movements severely restricted.

  “Release me!” he raged as he fought against the cuffs binding him securely. Pulsating raw emotion consumed him, his vision blurred by its intensity. What in Haydon is happening to me? Thoughts, feelings, emotions he shouldn’t be experiencing surged within him, like being caught in a tidal wave and flung helplessly within its turbulent waters. Desires he shouldn’t have rippled through his body, tightening it, his khout throbbed with a demanding need he was unable to fulfill . His words vibrated back to him as he thrashed uselessly against the bonds that held fast.

  The blanket covering him was lifted away and a soft hand touched his hip, followed by the sting of a needle. He flinched and tried to draw away, but was limited in his ability to move any distance.

  He looked in the general direction of the movement, but his eyes were blurry, his head throbbed. He attempted to focus, but all he could make out was a vision with reddish-brown hair, and a slender frame.

  Arching, struggling, trying to pull free, Devon fought against the restra
ints. He attempted to push past the surges of pain and lust destroying him. Had he gone mad? Should he have gone for refusion sooner? It was like a dam had burst inside his head, his body. Wave after wave of converging emotion struck him, desire, hate, pain, rage, without surcease.

  A hand stroked across the blanket covering his chest. The touch was meant to soothe. He didn’t want to be soothed; he wanted to be free.

  “Relax,” a soft voice of smooth cream floated over him. “You’ve been hurt and you’ll tear your wound open again.”

  “Female, release me,” he bit back at her, determined to ignore her siren’s call. Surging against the bonds, against the emotion, he struggled impotently.

  “Release you and you’ll kill me. I think not.”

  “Either kill me or release me,” he raged back as he fought to tear free. Completion of his mission was foremost in his mind. He’d never failed before. Never.

  Animal desires continued to throb through him. Again his body tightened, breathing constricted in his chest, and he arched against the pain and lust swamping him. He tried to focus on the mission, to control the passions. But the only thing he experienced was a primal, driving demand to fuck the Female. To sink deep and hard, driving fast, hunting for a release he’d never known nor desired before, and didn’t understand, took over. His khout pulsed and tightened with the urgency to fill her, to claim her. To mate her.

  Again, he stiffened as the savage desire and pain rode him. He just needed to gain control of these feelings, something he hadn’t been required to do in twelve years.

  “I can ease you, somewhat,” the soft voice murmured. “You need to lie still.”

  “What have you done to me?” Devon was hot and cold at the same time, everything swirling inside him, ripping him apart. Emotions crashed against each other. First rage overtook him, then fear. Mylonna! Fear was not an emotion he wished acquaintance with. Yet, wash over him it did.