She was exaggerating but only a little. Although she had Lyk’s shirt on, it left a large swath of exposed leg. His robe, even larger, swallowed her up, forcing her to wrap it as tightly as she could, but even with the belt knotted, the slit opened when she walked, exposing her more than she would have liked.
Parading around the royal palace in no panties. What would Evie say?
She’d probably call me a royal mess. And boy, she wouldn’t be wrong.
The laboratory Ladee was looking for was quite large, and its entry was protected. Lyk stepped in front of the camera, then hit the intercom button.
An attractive female in a white lab coat appeared on the viewscreen. She recognized Ally and waved, then asked what they were doing at her lab. Lyk informed her that they’d been woken up by the sudden and unexpected arrival of a guest who was looking for her. Lyk moved out of the way so that Ladee became visible on the viewscreen, and Dawn let out a shriek of delight.
The door slid open, and when they entered, Dawn was rushing to meet them. She dropped to her knees in front of the furry creature and hugged him, tears streaming down her face. “Oh, Ladee. I thought I’d never see you again!”
Lyk put his arm around Ally and bent down to whisper in her ear. “Let’s go. Leave them to their tearful reunion and get some more sleep.”
Ally nodded, then paused. “Maybe she’s got a few items of clothing I can borrow for now,” she whispered back. Ally approached Dawn, waiting for an opportunity to politely interrupt.
“How did you get here?” Dawn asked, wiping away her tears. “The Seekers had you. No one could find you. How did you manage to escape?”
“I didn’t.” The creature blinked, and Ally saw Dawn freeze, then bend closer to look at his eyes.
“What did they do to you?” she breathed, a tinge of horror in her tone.
“The Crown Prince of Hell needed to send a message, so he chose me as His messenger.” Ladee rolled backward, took off his little top hat, and bowed. “Dr. Dawn Illya, his Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Hell has a special message for you, all the way from Dazimin.”
Twin beams of light suddenly shot from its eyes, and Ally screamed, thinking they were some sort of laser beams, but they shot past Dawn and hit the wall. It was a projection.
“Greetings, Dr. Illya, or should I say, Dr. Vartik?” The image on the screen was of an incredibly handsome man, so handsome that Ally’s breath was momentarily frozen in her chest. Lyk was still the sexiest man she’d ever seen, but this man was more angel than man. His beauty was nearly blinding.
“I’m sure you’re wondering why I sent Ladee back to you. The reason is simple. He will serve as a go-between for us. You trust him, and so do I.”
“But why do we need a go-between?” Dawn murmured to herself.
“You’re probably asking yourself right now why we would need a go-between.” The angelic male smiled, and Ally shook her head. Who is he?
“Ladee will serve as an impartial mediator while we negotiate an exchange of prisoners. I have a couple people you’re considering invading my home world to rescue. And you have someone I am considering destroying your entire planet to get back.”
Dawn’s eyes widened. “Who is he talking about?”
“I’m talking about my mate. Tess Thorne.”
Twin gasps issued from Ally and Dawn in tandem. “He has to know that Pennzinn would never agree to that,” Dawn said.
“I know you think the Vartik male that stole her from me would never give her up, but don’t forget, I have some things you want very badly.”
The camera angle shifted to the image of a blond, muscular man wrapped in chains, lying on the ground. “I believe you’ve been looking for a certain twin child of the Goddess of Light, perhaps?”
“Oh fuck.” This was from Lyk. His face was impassive, but his eyes were wide. “Jazmine is going to go nuts when she hears this.”
“So is Penn,” Dawn muttered.
The camera returned to the handsome man and his blisteringly bright smile. “Now, I realize this alone might not be enough to convince you Vartiks of an even-steven prisoner swap, so I’m willing to sweeten the deal.”
Reaching off screen, the angelic man pulled someone into the frame with him. Ally clutched her chest. “Evie!”
The man held her easily by the leash around her neck, and Ally struggled not to vomit at the sight of it. “It turns out someone might want this one back as well.” He pulled her against him, Evie’s back to his chest, and ran a fingernail down her cheek.
Ally could see the tearstains on her sister’s cheeks. Evie was trembling, her eyes wild, like an animal in a panic. Her heart froze to see her sister in such a state of terror.
Suddenly, the man shoved Evie off screen and crossed his arms over his wide chest. “Two for the price of one,” he said with a chuckle. “What a bargain.”
