“Yeah. She talked to me. Touched me.”And wanted to do more.
“According to these records, all attempts to break her out of her catatonic state haven’t worked. Interesting that she would respond to you when all other efforts have failed.” Nojan stared at him hard, making Cal uncomfortable.
He shrugged. “Women, am I right?”
“Could she be the target?” Nojan asked.
Cal shook his head. “It seems unlikely. My suspicion is still on the staff. Even if they aren’t on the Guardian’s side, they might know where she’s hiding.” Or they might be keeping her locked up themselves.
His brother’s brow furrowed. “Ah yes, the staff. All of whom were mysteriously replaced in the last few days, with no records of the changes.”
Cal sat up straight. “No records?”
Nojan frowned. “None. According to the database, some doctor named Greensleeves is still the chief of staff. Dr. Timmermann assists, and Dr. Rickson is the behavioral psychologist.”
“Something is going on here. Something more ominous than it appears, I’m afraid.” Cal leaned back in his chair.The Guardian is here somewhere, but so is the enemy.
“Nojan, I want you to take those descriptions I gave you and run them through your databases. Instead of looking for doctors, I want any mention of other figures. Start checking myths and legends. I have a hunch, and if it’s true, we could be fucked.”
His brother’s expression hardened. “The Seekers.”
“Yes.” Although he hesitated to go further, not even wanting to give breath to his fears, he had to let his brother know about the potential danger they were all in. “The entire medical staff being replaced without any notice at almost exactly the same time as our arrival. And the doctors not being found in any databases. They don’t exist, for all intents and purposes.”
“And you don’t think they’re protecting the Guardian? You think we can eliminate that possibility?”
“I’m not sure,” Cal replied. “But my gut doesn’t steer me wrong, and right now, it’s telling me that something sinister is afoot.”
Nojan nodded. “I’ll wake Sleep up, see if she and Nightmare have any insight. Keep me posted on whatever you figure out there.”
Sighing, Cal said his goodbyes and disconnected the feed. He covered his face with his hands and tried to clear his mind. But a pair of haunting blue eyes wouldn’t allow him to do so.
Regret washed over him in never-ending waves. He felt terrible for what he’d done to her, using his powers on her. But if she kept following him around like a lost puppy, she’d blow his cover and thrust him and his brother—and the Guardian, wherever she was—into even greater peril.
Still, he didn’t want to hurt Gemmaline. She didn’t deserve this sort of betrayal. All she’d done was be sweet and inquisitive.And maybe a little more lustful than I’d bargained for.
He could still feel her lips on his, could still feel the touch of her body against his. His cock still ached at the thought of thrusting into her.
And all of that was wrong.
She was ill. Off limits. In fact, it was disgusting to think that he’d even considered taking advantage of her in that way. She couldn’t consent, could she? And even if she could, what kind of an asshole would be willing to have his way with a mental patient and then just leave, never to speak with her again?
Shame reared its ugly head, and this time, he didn’t bother to push it away. He deserved to feel ashamed, thinking of Gemmaline like that. He still couldn’t understand his reaction to her. Sure, she was beautiful, but he’d been with plenty of beautiful women before. Hell, the doctors were beautiful, but his desire hadn’t flared up once for them. It seemed entirely focused on the dark-haired patient. Why?
There was something about her, something so innocent and pure, that attracted him a way he’d never felt before. He generally avoided innocence, knowing that his affairs were short and sweet, and inexperienced young ladies often wanted more than he was willing to give. But this time, he couldn’t help himself. Something was drawing him to Gemmaline, something that was getting harder and harder to resist.
With a groan, he hauled himself to the shower, turning the water on cold, hoping it would do away with his throbbing erection. The other cold showers hadn’t had much effect, but it was worth another try, he supposed.
Cal had just picked up the soap when the bathroom went dark. That was odd. If there was a power failure on the ship, it should have affected the shower too, but the cold water still streamed off him. He cut the flow off, pushing open the shower door and stepping carefully out. Not bothering with a towel, he blindly felt his way out of the bathroom.
The emergency lights should be on. Again, a power supply issue should have kicked on auxiliaries which at the very least would kick on safety lights. But the whole ship was as dark as a moonless night.
He bumped into something in the bedroom and cursed, then almost tripped over his own shoes. Finally managing to make it out the door and onto the bridge of the cruiser, his hands were held out in front of him, slowly probing through the darkness to avoid obstacles. Despite his precaution, he still managed to bang into the table in the makeshift mess. He let out anoofof pain, which was greeted by laughter.
“Who the fuck is there?” he growled, instantly on guard. Someone was on the ship with him. Maybe more than one someone.
Suddenly, the darkness floated away as if it never had existed. And Cal was left standing naked and dripping in front of an audience.
“Isn’t he cute?” Dr. Dunkel said, clapping her hands.
