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insult and confusing. It kept me from attacking them or having nightmares.
Merrick nodded, understanding her reasonings.  Accepted. I ask only that you
don t question what your instincts tell you. They will not lead you wrong. What happened
here with Tark, I hope, showed you this.
 I hope so as well. I don t feel I did right at the moment, except in choosing to
save you.
Pride for his mate swelled in him. Yes, she proved herself a true pride-clan
chieftess in her words. Words of one who would fight to the death to protect those in her
care, a natural instinct inherent in a pride-clan chieftess. Something that could make her
very dangerous to any who appeared a danger to those she protected.
 You please me, Dori. A true chieftess lives within you in how you protect your
charges. He brushed a kiss across her forehead.  And especially your mate. I thank you
for your courage and willingness to aide me in my quest.
His words soothed some of her ill feelings, though he could still feel her stomach
remained uneasy. His presence helped her in chasing those pains away. Mostly. They
refused to go away as a whole, upsetting him all over again.
 Unpleasant as it sounds, I need you to try to get some sleep, Merrick said,
releasing her hands.  Tark s siphoning attack has greatly weakened you and only sleep
will help you recover.
Dori hugged him close, unwilling to let him go.  Stay with me.
Merrick nuzzled her hair, kissing the top of her head.  I will stay as long as you
need me. He had no intention of leaving her now. He would tell the Hiroke another way
about this latest nightmare in her life while she slept.
 Forever.
Delight filled him at her words.  My very thought, dejah. He guided her out of
the bath chamber and to the bed.  I will help ease you into sleep so that you may rest.
Dori nodded, wincing when the movement made her face ache anew where Tark
had hit her. Merrick immediately cupped her undamaged cheek, stopping her before she
reached up to touch the bruised area. Dipping his head, he very tenderly licked the
bruised area, feeling her tense, even as the touch stilled her fear.
 Sleep, kazi, he murmured,  Trust me to tend to your injuries and to allow no
other to come near you. He stepped back when he felt her incline her head, allowing her
to move to the bed.
Wating until she had settled against the pillows, Merrick let his mind slide into
hers, filling her with calm and gentle prods toward sleep until she fell into a peaceful
slumber. He wanted to draw the covers over her, but knew he couldn t yet. Any wounds
she had needed to be seen to first before he allowed her the warmth of the covers.
Seated beside Dori, Merrick stayed there until he felt her slip into a deeper level
SHADOW AND BETRAYAL H. M. Harrison Page 163
of sleep. She entered the Realm of Dreams and he knew she wouldn t wake with ease.
Ilsha granted his mate peaceful dreams and Merrick sent the goddess his thanks for her
gift before forcing himself from the bed.
He found the medical kit and rummaged in it till he located the regenerator still
within, despite it being knocked into the floor. He returned to Dori and used it to heal the
bruise to her face, putting it on its highest setting to heal even the delicate bones that
could have been broken here. When he finished healing the bruise, he let his mind rove
over her body seeking any further wounds, healing them as he located each with the
regenerator. All the while he checked her for injuries, he let his free hand run over her
skin, feeling the warmth and life flowing through her. Only in feeling this did he finally
let himself begin to relax. She was alive and safe.
When he finished healing her, he tucked the regenerator back in the medical kit
and left Dori to sleep. He sensed that she had entered a healing sleep and he would do
nothing to disrupt it. This would do much more than he could for her at the moment.
With his mate seen to, Merrick began to look for Dori s comm box. He wouldn t
risk her waking to find him gone just to tell Etherson about Tark. The Ganjan had hurt
her enough. Closing his eyes, Merrick tried to sense the comm box presence from the
near constant energy pulse it gave out.
He sensed where it was ... and sighed. It was under the bed. Of course--where else
would it be?
Crouching down by the bed, he used the broken off part of a broom handle to
knock the comm box over to him. He d used too much of his psionics already and needed
to let its energy build again before it took too much out of him.
Looking the device over, he depressed the  send button and drew back just a bit
from Dori.  I need to speak to Etherson. he said into it, certain this had no direct line to
any specific person here. His eyes remained on Dori, wanting to know the moment his
conversation jarred her. He would move the moment he sensed it to ensure she got all the
sleep she needed.
There was a long pause, then the comm box connected to a different line.  I m
here, Merrick, said Etherson.  I m a little busy cleaning up a mess made by a computer
virus scare.
 You have a Ganjan responsible for the scare in one of the drindria of your
garden. Merrick would grant Tark no more ceremony than that.
 This Tark you spoke of?
Though Etherson sounded calm, Merrick could almost feel the Hiroke s growing
fear over this development. The Hiroke would know Dori must have been involved and
endangered, as well. His restraint impressed the Zyan.  Yes. He and a small group of
supporters tried to remove Dori from here. She s fine but drained from her encounter
with Tark as he had a siphoning power. He heard Etherson hiss something he could only
assume was the Hiroke s native tongue. A curse of rage, no doubt. It became a string of
violent words and Merrick stepped back from the bed before they found their way into
Dori s sleep.
After a long moment of silence, Etherson seemed to pull himself back together.
 Has she placed her mark upon you yet? Anger still hung in the Hiroke s voice, along
SHADOW AND BETRAYAL H. M. Harrison Page 164
with more than a minor degree of true fear for his adopted daughter s life he couldn t
hide.
What did that have to do with anything?  No.
 Then you had best do anything asks of you when she wakes. Those in the fever
don t recover well as another might from such an attack.
Oh, that. Merrick silently cursed himself for forgetting that part of the danger a
female faced when a siphoning attack was used against her while in heat.  I will help her
as I can. His eyes returned to the bed and he tried not to let his worry over what he
might face plague him.
 What do you want done with the body? And are the others gone or still a
lingering threat?
 They are retreating. Merrick could sense those from his pride-clan moving back
toward their lands and that Dori and himself were the only Feral-borns still here.  As for
my betrayer, treat him as one who betrayed you. he added. He would allow the Hiroke to
deal with Tark as he refused to leave Dori for even a moment. Not with the warning
Etherson had given him. She would need him as never before when she woke.
 As you wish. The line went silent and Merrick set the comm box aside.
SHADOW AND BETRAYAL H. M. Harrison Page 165
Chapter Twenty [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]