Marie Harte - The Perfect Creation

“What?”

“You know Sernal wants everything bagged, tagged and documented. But that will just give rise to new Creations, new subjects to torture and experiment on.” The rage in Drekk’s voice gave Rafe pause. “What’s right is right, Rafe. And against the law or not, Blue Rim needs to be stopped.”

“But there are innocent people—”

“No. No one at Blue Rim is innocent. They all know what goes on there. Trust me.

There aren’t as many people working the labs as you’d think, and every one of them is cleared to Create. That’s what Blue Rim does. They play -god for profit.”

“But—”

“I’m sorry, Rafe. I’m taking them out, with or without you.” Drekk handed Rafe a micro-teleporter, a small device Rafe accepted and tucked into the pocket of his trousers, and waited.

After a minute, Rafe sighed. “Okay. We blow up the lab, but not the people. I’m not a killer, Drekk. And neither are you.” Though Drekk clearly wanted to argue, he nodded instead, and Rafe let out a breath of relief. He’d never been totally comfortable working in the grey. But then again… He stared down at Erin. He would do whatever it took to protect her and others like her, others like Drekk and her siblings. “I’ll handle the arrests and you can blow up the lab, okay?” The delight on Drekk’s face made him wince. “But you make sure to leave Synster and Canunn to me.”

“Done.” Drekk smiled, menace radiating off him like that damned perfume he exuded.

“Now how about you quit fucking with their minds out there and hand Erin over?” Rafe shook his head, not wanting to let Erin go. “You do it. I can’t.” Drekk nodded with sympathy and gently took Erin into his arms. He walked out into the clearing, and Rafe drew in on himself, making his images disappear. He heard the exclamations of surprise, Drekk’s rumbling, and then Drekk reappeared.

“Synster and his men are gone. But we need to leave, right now.”

“Why?” Within his next breath, solid arms wrapped around his waist and arms, taking him off his feet even as someone lifted a pistol to Drekk’s forehead. Dammit. More illegal teleporters. Too bad he hadn’t used the one Drekk had just given him before they were captured.

“Why? Because Mara and her crew were not amused with your antics,” Lurin Vez explained in a deep, angry voice.

“Shit.”

“I tried to tell you.” Drekk glared at Catam holding a gun to his head. “Fucking Mardu.”

Catam glared back, and Rafe wondered how much damage the two Raggas holding him might inflict before he could reach the teleporter in his pocket. Drekk only stayed to help him, though he wished his friend would leave to track Erin.

“We don’t have time for this,” Rafe began when Mara cut him off.

“Make time.” She scowled, giving him that sharp, lavender gaze that normally had her crew squirming with trepidation. “Dammit, Gar, I’m tired of your bullshit. Enough is enough.”

“I’m not Gar.”

Catam and the other stared at him, and Catam blinked in disbelief. “You’re not… Rafe?

What the hell did you do to yourself? You even smell like Gar, like you’ve been claimed…” he trailed off in horror.

“Yes, little brother. My mate is right now in the hands of some crazy scientists and I want her back.” In his anger, Rafe let out a burst of energy, effectively shoving the Raggas holding him into the trees at their backs.

“Crap.” Catam scowled. “Okay, okay. Uh, Mara? He’s not lying. This really is Rafe.

And I think it’s best if you guys leave this to us,” he ended, motioning to Rafe and himself.

“It’s a family thing now.”

“You want me to leave you and your idiot brother, and Drekk,” she said scornfully, earning a raised brow from the man, “up against Blue Rim and a Creation?” Rafe glared at her, ignoring Lurin’s frown. “Erin is not a Creation. She and her brother and sister did some time for petty theft and were captured by System law. Unfortunately, like many of the others Blue Rim took, she and her family became unwilling experiments trapped in a scientific horror for years.”

Mara paled. “Hell. I’m sorry, Rafe. I assumed, since Gar was so adamant, that she wasn’t natural.”

Rafe fumed at the word “natural” but didn’t argue. Best to let her and the crew believe him. “Yeah, well, if we don’t get her back, she might just become the monster you’re all accusing her of being. You have no idea what she’s suffered for the past four years.” Lurin shook his head. “Four years? I don’t want to think about it. Come on, honey,” he said to Mara. “Let’s get back to the ship. Nu, Set, Catam, let’s go. Rafe, I trust you’ll signal us when you need our help?” Catam looked like he wanted to argue, but Rafe nodded for him to leave.

Rafe was about to refuse their help, however, when Drekk stepped in. “That’s a good idea. We can use you as a distraction when we pull the others out.”

“The others?” Mara asked.

“The other prisoners still trapped inside,” Rafe growled.

Nu and Set flexed their hands, as if anticipating a fight. “Let’s go,” they said as one.

“Yeah,” Drekk added. “Come on, Cheltam . Follow me. You won’t believe the stuff our contacts found for us.” Drekk disappeared.

Rafe turned to Catam. “Erin’s mine. I claimed her, fully .” Catam’s eyes widened. “She’s Xema? A female Xema?” Rafe nodded.

“Hot damn. Okay, brother. You find her, we’ll help. And hey, just think, when this is all over, she and Mom can bond, leaving poor Isa and the girls alone.” Rafe couldn’t help a small smile at the thought of Catam’s fiery mate and their mother at odds again, putting Catam in the hot seat. “Sounds good. Be careful out there.” And that said, Rafe teleported to Drekk’s signature inside a private weapons class ship.

“We’re going to blow them off the planet,” Drekk said with malice.

“ After we rescue Erin and the others.” Rafe absently rubbed his chest, feeling half the man he’d been just this morning without Erin at his side.

Erin woke to a throbbing headache. Damned stunners. She winced as she blinked into white light but couldn’t block the brightness from her eyes. Her wrists lay strapped to the table under her, her ankles bound as well. And the coldness of the metal under her skin showed her she wore nothing at all. Completely vulnerable to the powers that be. Her nightmares made real, all over again.

“Ah, there you are.” Canunn smiled, his watery blue eyes as welcome as death would have been...before Rafe.

“Let me go.” Why she bothered fighting, she didn’t know. Canunn would never release her, and she could only imagine how Synster would react to her escape. She could only hope Anin and Ryen remained safely away.

“No, dear. You were a very bad girl, Erin. And to say you caused me some inconvenience is putting it mildly.” Canunn raised a small tool and Erin flinched. He touched one end of the tool to a large transparent energy block and depressed a button. A small probe shot from the tool and landed on her bare belly.

Mind-numbing energy jolted through her, tearing a scream from her with savage intensity.

“As I recall, you never could tolerate the volmagni block, could you?”

“Bastard,” she said once she caught her breath. She continued to shiver, the blast of energy stealing her heat, adding to her discomfort at being nude before her Creator.

“That won’t do at all.” Canunn frowned, and Erin realised she didn’t care at all about his disappointment. That urge she’d once had to please Canunn at all costs no longer existed.