Crap. “Um.” Should she lie and say Ulric had bitten her? If they knew Garrett had tried to mate her, would they just kill her? Or would Ulric force her to mate for real this time before she could escape?
“Who bit you?” Harold’s gaze narrowed, and command flowed from him. When she didn’t answer, he leaned in, his nostrils flaring. Puzzlement crossed his face. He sniffed again.
She pushed him.
He inhaled and filled his lungs, slowly exhaling. “Here’s the deal, lady. I’m your only friend in this entire camp. You’re going to want to make a very smart decision and trust me. Why is Garrett Kayrs’ scent all over you?”
Her mouth gaped open. The Kurjan could smell Garrett? She just stared at him.
He grabbed her good arm and shook her. “Talk. Now. You can trust me, but we don’t have a lot of time. Garrett?”
What should she do? Harold had healed her, and he seemed like a good guy. How did he even know Garrett’s scent? “Who are you, and why do you want to help me?”
He glanced at the door and then back at her, regret twisting his lips. “This is a one-way flow of information. Now tell me who you are, or I’m leaving. You don’t want me to leave you.”
She really didn’t. But she also wasn’t dumb enough to trust the enemy, even when they were being nice. Wasn’t that the oldest trick in the book?
Harold apparently had little patience, because he flipped her around and tugged her hair out of the way to view her neck. “What was Dayne talking—” Tension rolled from him. He spun her around and planted her against the wall with one hand on her shoulder. “That’s Ulric’s marking.” His breath heated her as he leaned closer and then growled. “You’re a fucking Key?” he hissed.
She lowered her chin and glared.
He looked over his shoulder again. “Shit. They have no idea about the Key. Must’ve appeared after they saw the symbols.” He released her and ran a rough hand through his thick hair, making the red at the tips dance. “Garrett found the third Key.”
She edged along the wall, heading for the door.
He pinned her with his purple gaze. “You’re with Garrett.”
She rubbed her neck but still refused to answer.
Harold opened his mouth and started to speak just as Dayne reentered the shed. “Ulric would like to see his Intended now.”
Panic engulfed her, and she shook her head, but Dayne grabbed her arm and yanked her outside into the blasting rain. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Forty-One
Ulric’s tent was much more luxurious than the dismal shed. He had a small living area with high-end furniture made for larger bodies. A bedroom was to the left, with a bed big enough for five. He sat on a leather chair with a bowl of fruit next to him that he seemed to be truly enjoying.
Dayne shoved her into a chair across from Ulric.
She studied him. He looked even paler here than on the prison world, and his hand shook on the grapes. A blanket covered his legs, and he kept shivering, even though he wore a heavy sweatshirt. Though he appeared much weaker than he had before, he was still muscular and overbearing. His eyes were no less piercing. In this tent, they looked an even lighter purple.
“Gravity must be different here?” she asked.
“Everything is different here,” he said, his voice still booming.
Dayne took the third chair, leaving the sofa empty. “We expect it’ll take a brief time for you to regain your strength here at home. The Cyst headquarters has been prepared for you to rest and ready yourself for the fight to come. We’ll take you there tomorrow morning when the storm has passed.” There was no deference in Dayne’s tone. It was pure matter-of-fact.
Dessie cleared her throat. “Who’s really in charge here?”
Dayne glanced at her as if she were a nuisance. “I rule the Kurjan nation, and Ulric is the great leader of the Cyst faction, our spiritual guides. As well as yours.”
That’s what he thought. She slowly began to relax. Ulric was weakened right now and wouldn’t want to mate yet. She had a brief reprieve. Very brief, considering that the tumor in her head was growing. Was there a way to ask for his blood? What if she just bit him? “I’m dying. I need your blood to heal myself,” she blurted out.
Ulric hadn’t taken his gaze off her. “You’ll get it. When we mate.” He looked over at Dayne. “You say she has a week?”
“Should have. We’ll conduct tests on her tomorrow and give you a more detailed timeline.” Dayne sipped from one of the two goblets near the bowl holding grapes. “The accommodations at headquarters are much more appropriate for when you want to mate.”
Hello. She was sitting right there. There had to be a weapon near. Any weapon. A place like this must have an ammo tent. She needed to find it as soon as they tried to take her back to the shed.
