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  “Draw out as much as you can,” the creature directed urgently. “Your body will reject the poison, purifying the blood. You must replace it. She is not like we are. Your blood must be injected into her with a needle and drip. If I release these, will they secure it for us?”

  Lore reached for the creature mentally. “They will. They are mine. They must be allowed to protect the other women.”

  The tall male stiffened. “Another like her is unprotected?”

  “One, and another who is just as important to us. They are alone. If you didn’t do this, the attacker is still here. Release them now!”

  The large male looked at the two men in the door. They were instantly mobile. Boris turned to sprint out as the creature bellowed. “Where are they? Do you fools not know what the prize is?” His anger was a rippling force as he abruptly disappeared.

  “Get an IV!” Lore commanded Yuri. “Boris is going for Julie and Celina.”

  “We need to talk, sir,” Yuri responded as he raced out of the room to retrieve the needed supplies from the medical wing.

  “Yeah. I’ve changed,” Lore shot at him impatiently, knowing Yuri’s shocked concern. “But unless we save Kenna, you’ll never get the chance to ask all those questions.”

  In Thomas’ room, Julianna lay unconscious on the floor. Thomas was crumpled against the wall he’d been leaning on. The large male who’d flashed into the room went immediately to Julianna. Boris entered in time to see him put Julianna’s wrist to his mouth and pierce her skin as he inhaled her blood.

  Disturbing as that was, Boris was less concerned with the bloodsucker than with the fact that Celina was not present.

  “Celina!” he bellowed into the common channel. No response. He could feel her life force but nothing else.

  The large man crouching by Julianna released her wrist and smiled softly down at her closed eyes. “Hello, little sister.”

  Standing abruptly the stranger turned to Boris. “Who is Celina?”

  “My sister! She’s gone. I can feel her but she is gone.”

  The large male lifted his head slightly and inhaled, as if testing the air around Boris. He frowned as he concentrated. “You are not a blood relation to these?” he asked, slightly puzzled.

  “No. Who the hell are you and what are you doing?” Boris asked in agitation, still searching for Celina with most of his mind.

  “Is there anything belonging to this Celina in the room? Something she touched?”

  Boris ignored the stranger and went to Julianna, crouching to feel her pulse.

  “She is fine,” the large one stated. “A blow to the head. She’ll wake with a headache. Is this your sister’s?” he pointed to a purse on the floor by the door.

  Boris glanced at it. “Yes.” He moved to Thomas, found a pulse and felt his head. There was a large swelling rising on it as well. Turning to see what the stranger was doing, Boris watched the man-shaped creature pick up Celina’s purse and put it to his nose as he inhaled deeply.

  Suddenly the large figure trembled. He yanked the bag open and reached inside. Pulling out Celina’s hair brush, he held it to his face and inhaled again, closing his eyes as if he was concentrating. Flashing green eyes opened and he carefully drew a hair off the brush and examined the tip for a follicle. Holding it to his mouth, his tongue curled around the end. His big body shuddered again and sank to his knees as if he staggered under a crushing weight.

  “What the hell are you?” Boris demanded of the crouched figure. The large man was bent over Celina’s purse as if he were in pain.

  Slowly the male straightened, coming to his feet in one smooth motion. Strength radiated from him as he gazed at Boris. At full height he appeared close to seven feet tall. The face turned to Boris was harshly cut, each feature perfect in balance and beauty but so grim as to appear expressionless. Only his eyes were filled with life. They were currently dark green, shot through with gold. “I am not the creature you think from what you saw. I’m probably something less comforting.”

  “What?”

  “Humans have called me Syntheodec,” the large man stepped around Thomas. Gently he picked up Julianna and carefully put her on Thomas’ bed. He turned to Boris and grimaced, displaying perfectly normal teeth. “You may call me Synth.”

  “Sin with a lisp? What the hell kind of name is that and what’s with all the sniffing? What are you?” Boris edged around to make sure he was facing the creature.

  “Spell the name with a Y. You’ll feel better. It means something like ‘unending sin of god’. You have questions about me. The answers to those questions will not reveal truth. Change the questions and the One here can answer most of them.

  “Out of respect I have remained here too long. Your sister is my concern and she is not safe. I do not believe the kidnapper will harm her immediately. He needs her until he gets what he wants. Be assured, Celina’s safety is my first concern. Take care, Boris, brother of the lady. I am honored to know you.”

  Boris blinked as the spot where Synth had been standing was suddenly empty. “Wait! What the hell are you and why should I trust you?” Boris bellowed into the void that was the space the large man had occupied.

  The reply was telepathic and Boris was too busy to be concerned with the little detail that this creature was using the common communication channel.

  “I’m the guy who can travel faster than your eye can follow and I’m going after your sister. Trust is your choice. What I am is an open question. Opinions vary,” rumbled from the unknown being. “What I am right now is a predator hunting a thief. I will bring your sister back to you. See to the others of our kind.”

  “Our kind?” Boris questioned cautiously as he moved to help a groggy Thomas to his feet.

  “Yes, brother of the Keeper. I’m somewhat older than my brothers and sisters surrounding you, but of the same blood. You and your sister are not of my blood, but you are of my kind. Do you suppose you could suspend the questions while I concentrate?”

  “No,” Boris responded. “I have no idea who you are or who has taken my sister. I’m not going to tamely nod and hope you’re a good guy. I want to know what the hell you’re doing every minute.”

  “Fine. I understand your concern. I am currently in the bowels of your castle, picking up the scent of the thief in the passages.”

  Boris turned to Thomas who was leaning against the wall but fully conscious, and pulled a handgun from his shoulder holster. “You might need this,” he handed the gun to Thomas and turned to exit the room at top speed, heading for the dungeon.

  “Listen here, bloodhound person. I’m coming with you,” Boris snarled as he raced down twisting stairs.

  “Relax, my cat cousin. I have found what I need and am leaving. Your sister has been taken by a cunning hunter. He knows much about masking his trail. I feel knowledge in you and ask your permission to share it. Know that I will take it if I have to. Your dignity is not more important than your sister’s safety.”

  “Nasty bastard, aren’t you? I see no one has house trained the cur.” Boris paused as Lore cut in.

  “Do as he asks, Boris. We have few choices but he has answers we need. He is one of us.”

  “One of you, you mean,” Boris stated with deep distrust.

  “Yes,” Lore acknowledged. “Just like me now. Do not fear what you have no knowledge of. Remember, everything we thought we knew has been proven a lie. This act that disturbs you is not what it seems,” he cautioned Boris’ unspoken revulsion at the act of taking blood.

  Boris hissed as he hurriedly searched an empty dungeon. The creature was indeed gone. Trust was not in his nature, and after what he’d seen Lore and the being do to both Kenna and Julianna, Boris was having a difficult time extending trust to either bloodsucker, whatever the hell powerful, apparently demon creatures they were.

  Suddenly there was a hard push at Boris’ mind. He felt it just as Lore mentally stepped in front of Boris, blocking the invasion as the creature tried to make good on its
promise to take the information.

  “No! You will not force him,” Lore snarled. “He is struggling with new information, just as we all are. Wait for his trust or you become the creature he suspects we are.”

  “There is no time to babysit him, little brother. I need his knowledge now.”

  “You need more than his knowledge. You need his cunning, his abilities and his loyalty. Forcing compliance will get you some information right now and an enemy within our people for eternity.”

  Lore was concentrating on his desperate bid to save Kenna as he battled the one who had shown him how to do this. “Don’t be an ass! If you make slaves of free individuals, you are the evil one and I will hunt you, brother.” Lore put a sneer into the term “brother”. “I don’t have time to babysit you.”

  “Your eloquent training as a statesman has served you well, brother. There is no excuse for being an ass, save the pressing need to find our lost Keeper. I will introduce myself to your people. It takes precious time.” Synth paused a moment then opened himself to the common channel. With his words he also managed to put a feel of his intentions.

  “For all who listen, I am one who has been called Synth. Genetically, the blood that flows in the Northern Keepers is of the same family as mine. How this came to be is a mystery of genetic engineering. I suspect my ancestors of this but have no proof to give you. Seeking that answer is not as important as protecting the few of our kind we know of. Celina, daughter of another family of Keepers, is in the hands of an enemy. I pledge my life to her rescue.

  “I am not some omniscient being as human legend would claim. I cannot wiggle my nose and fix things. Having an understanding of the laws of nature and science allows me to use them effectively to my advantage. That does not make me a god. I request your assistance to complete Celina’s rescue.”

  At the close of Synth’s statement, those who were connected could feel Lore withdraw, his attention wholly focused on Kenna. Extreme unease increased as the people felt the royal couple, but only from what seemed an incredible distance, at the same time this new being felt uncomfortably close. His power surged through the connection then he drew it back into himself in a formidable display of control. It was a promise of protection and a warning. There was no mistaking the deadly threat he projected in that moment or the absolute conviction he felt in his mission.

  Boris questioned cautiously, “What proof do we have that this is not a trick by the kidnapper? Celina said she could feel another trying to enter our communication method. One who is not like us. You, my friend, do different in a big way.”

  “He is the god we speak of. You have my word,” Julianna stated calmly into the discussion. There was silence for a moment.

  “Will you bet our lives on it, Julianna? Are you willing to bet Celina’s life on it?” Boris asked.

  “Yes. Without question. Boris, you saw him take my blood. What you didn’t see was the knowledge my blood gave him. He does not drink for food.” Julianna felt Boris’ doubt in her words. He suspected she’d been dazzled by the big male and perhaps put under some sort of compulsion.

  Trying to explain it, Julianna continued. “Many things we lost about our kind, this is big loss. Blood is the most precious bond. Blood is often invoked in human curses from long before anyone knew it was an individual marked. Early humans did this because they witnessed it meant everything to the gods.”

  “Okay, so he is the thing you call a god. We are not, Julie,” Boris argued sharply. “We live a human lifespan. How do we know he is one of us, as opposed to being one of them? If he is so concerned about us and thinks us family, where the hell has he been up to now? How convenient is it that he shows up now? Just when we need an ultimate fighting guy. I question everything about this. With the fantastic events of the last few days, how can you not mistrust him? If I give him all the information we know, information we have been gathering over hundreds of years, to whom do I give it? If he is our enemy, we will never recover.”

  Abruptly Synth appeared in front of Boris. Hands on hips, cocking his head to the side, he gazed at the shorter man. “What can I do to prove I am as I say? As these others have said?” he asked quietly. “Between us, you and I privately, what would you ask?”

  Boris frowned darkly. “If I’m like you in some way, how is it that we are so different? Why do we, as a community, have no blood lust? No longevity of life? No superior understanding of the laws you bend to do the Tinker Bell act? Why would I believe any of this is real? Not some illusion?”

  “You are comparing me to a tiny mythical creature in a movie?” Synth glared at Boris a second and then he smiled in amusement. “Wary cat, you are a credit to our kind. Lore was correct in the caution that making an enemy in haste is paid for in leisure. All right, let’s try something.” Synth dropped to one knee and held out his wrist. “Take my mark. I offer it freely.”

  Boris sucked in a deep breath in surprise. “Doesn’t work like that. I don’t have…” He paused in surprise. “Shit!”

  Deep in the castle dungeon surrounded by gray stone, the scene was as old as their surroundings. Though the row of lights down the hallway probably lit it better than medieval torches had, it was still straight out of the past as was the large, obviously dangerous male taking a knight’s knee and offering his pledge.

  The creature was dressed in dark brown jeans, a faded tan t-shirt and nondescript boots. His golden-brown hair was brushed back from his face but hung to his shoulders in thick locks. Features that were perfect and harshly cut at the same time concealed his thoughts in their almost immobile set.

  Synth raised a brow and remained still, holding out his right wrist as Boris ran his tongue over new points on his eyeteeth.

  “What the fuck did you do?” Boris demanded.

  “Offered allegiance in the way of our kind,” Synth informed him solemnly while his eyes warmed in humor at watching Boris struggle with the proof of his heritage. “That response is not manipulated by me. Your nature is responding. Not the other way around.”

  “Disgusting,” Boris snarled.

  “Do it. Take my mark. We don’t have time for your delicate nerves,” Synth prodded impatiently.

  “I don’t know how.”

  “Yes, you do. Just like you didn’t know those were there.”

  “What happens if I do this?”

  Synth shrugged. “I’ve never offered before. We’ll see.”

  Boris’ upper lip curled back in a totally natural hiss of frustration. This was some monumental step. He could feel it but he had no idea why. “Is this sort of gay? I mean, I saw both of you with a woman.”

  “Consider this,” Synth explained, all humor leaving his demeanor. “As early as humans have recorded their societies, the blood oath given a leader is the most sacred of pledges. Breaking that oath was punishable by death.

  “A blood oath is the irrevocable pledge of allegiance. Lore’s allegiance to Kenna is indeed a life promise. My allegiance to the protection of not only Julianna but our race is also at the cost of my own life. Take my oath, young master of the Southern Keepers. You are the one who will hold my promise of protection to your entire bloodline.”

  Boris recoiled as he grasped the significance of what Synth was offering. “You think after the oath is given, somehow you’ll die if you break it?”

  “I am certain this is a pledge only entered in the most powerful of alliances.”

  Boris considered for a second longer then quickly grasping the thick wrist, his head slashed down and sharp points gouged down to the exposed vein. Drawing blood required no real thought. It was a reaction like swallowing.

  Boris frowned as he straightened from Synth’s wrist. They both were silent a moment. Synth slowly stood, watching Boris closely.

  Boris turned and took two steps then had to stop and put a hand to the wall as he staggered slightly. Breathing deeply in a harsh pant, his head dropped for a moment as the other hand clutched his abdomen.

  The burst of knowledge
burning into his brain was painful. Synth’s blood did not give him a life history. It gave him a piece of the creature it came from. Boris had no words to explain, even to himself, and no defenses to handle how large this being was. There was so much life, such density of being, existing and most of it painful. The rush of confusion began to subside as Boris assimilated this new method of gathering information. Again an instinctual knowledge Synth had called out in him by knowing it was there. Boris was getting tired of that even as he utilized new skills to extract information.

  In the end, there was no concrete knowledge. What he did have was the ability to read Synth’s motives as the huge being stood behind him. It was having a constant and unrelenting lie detector device. Not exactly that, more but that was as close as he could come to an explanation. He could feel Synth.

  His back to Synth, Boris’ head came up. “All right, you made your damn point. What now?”

  “I get the benefit of your knowledge,” Synth replied quietly behind him. “Do you need assistance? Are you ill?”

  “Right.” Boris opened his mind, sending everything he knew of his ancestor and their studies through the last couple hundred years.

  “Thank you, Sir Cat. I must go quickly. Tell me if you are ill. Or would you prefer I gather that information from your mind as well?”

  Boris laughed in a harsh cough. “Callin’ me sir in the same breath you threaten to take information again. Aren’t you supposed to be my servant now or something?”

  “You have my allegiance should someone threaten your life. Other than that our relationship seems quite fluid,” Synth replied with dark humor as he regarded the complicated creature who was Boris. “The wording used is apparently more important than I realized. Who knew?” Synth shrugged.

  Boris grimaced, sucking in air through clenched teeth. “I know you’re enjoying some sort of monster humor. I’m ill but it’s not going to kill me. My reactions to ingesting the sludge you call blood is probably mostly about how disgusting I find the act. Being able to do a thing doesn’t make it natural.”