Sarai, стр. 27
The engineswere turned off and the Naferi unbuckled themselves from theirseats and rose to move to Jamie’s seat,one standing back as the other loosened Jamie and hauled him to hisfeet in an ungentle grasp.
Whereverthey were going, they’darrived.
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“THEPUNCTURE WOUND IS in his thigh,” Tig’s face was grim. “Some sort ofparalyzing drug, but the healers have no idea what it is so it’sprobably from off-world.”
“Gods damnit,” Alekyn hated seeing his pardmate lying so still. “Will he beall right?”
“The healersthink so,” Bram said from his seat at his brother’s side. “Hisvitals are good; his organs are not failing, but the depth of hisunconsciousness is worrying. Our parents are on theirway.”
Alekynrested his head in his hands, groaning. The last few hours had beenunbelievably stressful. He and Tig had been on duty at a LunaStation 3, a space port on one of Naferis’ twin moons. When news ofJamie’s kidnap and Eled’s comatose state reached them, they’dimmediately travelled through the nearest void rather than wastingtime flying back by shuttle, reaching Altas two hours after Eledhad been found in a suburban street on the far side of the cityfrom their home in the early hours of the morning.
And nowJamie, his beautiful, frustrating and annoying sarai, wasmissing.
But not for long.
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SYFERN, JAMIEDECIDEDd waspishly, was completely demented and deluded. WhenCaris, the dark-haired Naferi who helped kidnap him, had escortedhim into the great man’s presence, Syfern had bounded across theroom, arms wide open as if greeting an old friend.
“Ah, my beloved sarai,it is so good to see you.”
Jamie staredat him in amazement. “I think you’re confusing me with someoneelse,” he spat. “I’m not your sarai — I’m the sarai of Alekyn ofClan Furis.”
Syfernflicked his hand as if shooing away a fly. “A mere bagatelle,” hechortled. “He has not bonded with you officially so his mating ofyou is not insurmountable.”
He leantforward sniffing the air around Jamie’s neck. For a moment hismouth trembled open, and then his gleaming yellow eyes narrowedlasciviously. “Of course I can smell his offspring within you butthat is no matter — I will raise the pardling as my own and youwill soon bear me many others to compensate foryour…unfaithfulness.”
Jamie tried to back away. “Shut up, you old goat,” he snarled, trying to ignore the“offspring within” bit. “If you think you’re going to do anythingto me, you’ve got another thing coming.”
Syfernroared with delighted laughter, and then chucked Jamie under hischin. Jamie glared at him, speechless with rage.
“Caris, is my littlehuman not wonderful? So much more attractive than thosewater-loving Lyrians. Oh Goddess,” he said admiringly. “I cannotwait to taste his charms.”
He rubbedhis hands together and Jamie shuddered, imaging those same handspawing at his body.
Caris benthis head, his gaze on the floor. “Yes, my lord. The Goddess hasblessed you. And all of us.”
The last few words sounded a little strained to Jamie, butthat was probably, he realised, because he’d managed to kickCaris veryhard in the balls as he’d hauled himout of the hovercraft.
“Yes, yes, she has,”agreed Syfern. “Now I think we should make haste to the greatTemple where the faithful have gathered for our bonding ceremony.My love — ” he chucked Jamie under the chin again, ignoring hisflinch. “I realize you are tired, but you can rest on the way.Caris, get him onboard my shuttle.”
He washerded back up to the roof. This time a considerably larger andmore ornate craft was waiting for them. Inside he was strappedagain into his seat, his hands still locked together. Syfern satnext to him, his large body pressed nauseatingly close. Carisdisappeared into the cockpit and shortly afterwards, the restinghum of the shuttle switched into a higher gear.
Jamie feltsick as he felt the craft rise. Where the hell was he being taken?He leaned as far from Syfern as the seat belt would let him, butthe wretched man simply put his arm around Jamie’s shoulders andsmooshed him close.
“Stop that, youdisgusting pervert,” Jamie jabbed his elbow hard into Syfern’sabdomen.
Syferngrunted, his eyes slightly crossed. “My sarai, you must show morerespect,” he admonished. “But no matter, my little humanling, theGoddess has gifted us with a wonderful elixir and so you will soonadore me as you should — ”
Jamie snarled at him. “Let me go!”
Syfern justhugged him closer, a hand sliding down Jamie’s leg. Jamie was justthanking his lucky stars that his long overtunic was topping tighttrousers and it would take considerable maneuvering for Syfern’swandering hands to find his private bits when a loud jolt soundedagainst one side of the ship. A long, sharp whine of metalcrunching filled their ears.
“What the — ” Syfernlooked confused, and relaxed his grasp slightly. “Did we hit amaffen?”
A confusionof discordant noises came from the cockpit and several alarmsstarted sounding, bright red lights flashing. Syfern hauled Jamiecloser. “Do not fear, my beautiful one, I will keep yousafe.”
“Yeah, right. Let go ofme, you ass, before I bite you.”
The shuttleseemed to stop moving in midair, then it started to turn in onespot, first one way, then the other.
Oh shit,thought Jamie, were going down. We going to crash. This is it,the end. No more popcorn.
A pang of regret stabbed at his heart — for himself, for not being able to see hisbrothers again but more than anything else, the biggest source ofhis pain was that he had not made things up with Alekyn. He wasgoing to die and he hadn’t told Alekyn that he …
Damn it.
He was nevergoing to be able to tell that stupid lump of a Naferi that he lovedhim.
The shuttlewas began spinning in space. Syfern started to roar but over thewail of the claxons Jamie couldn’t tell what he was saying. It wasprobably, he decided with a part of his mind that wasn’t focused onregret and fear, a prayer to his stupid goddess. He hopedprofoundly that if she did exist, Nemta would give her bloody chiefpriest a boot up the bottom.
Suddenly anexplosion near the rear of the shuttle rocked his body forward inthe straps, bouncing him back against the seat and turning hisvision white.
Theneverything went quiet. The sudden cessation of noise left himreeling