Flames of Redemption Read online

  Ha.

  Lars didn't bother to stop his laughter. He sprawled out on the couch and waved away Brant's curious gaze. “Ignore me. I just haven't heard Sergei described quite in that manner.”

  She darted another glance at Sergei, feigning dismay. “I didn't offend you, did I? Would you rather I call you… What is the word for a male hen?”

  “A cock,” Lars supplied helpfully.

  “Of course,” she agreed, pleased he'd caught on. “A cock.”

  “I prefer to be called a falcon, golubushka,” Sergei purred. “But you may call me whatever you wish.”

  Valentina's eyes narrowed at the endearment. Little dove, indeed. And he thought he was the falcon who would eat her? She dropped her hand to the sheath on her thigh, prepared to draw a blade and fling it at him. Sergei grinned at her and shook his head a fraction. “You're a little flushed. Would you care to sit?”

  She straightened a second before Brant turned back around to regard her. Before she could reply, the door chimed again.

  Lars chuckled. “That must be the medic. Excellent timing.”

  Lars led the medic into the room, and Valentina nodded politely at the man. She recognized him as the same person who had treated her in the Coalition camp.

  “I understand you may have reopened the wound?”

  She shrugged. “Perhaps. A few twinges, but nothing overly concerning.”

  “I'll need to check,” he said, glancing around at the audience. “Is there a private area where I can examine you?”

  “Yes,” she said, turning around and heading back down the hallway toward the guest room. She opened the door and caught sight of Sergei following behind them.

  At her irritated glare, he said, “I will hear what he says, Valentina. Nikolai will want to know how badly you are injured.”

  “I can tell him myself,” she snapped.

  “Yes, but will you?” he retorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

  She turned away, determined to ignore him, and slipped off the straps of her dress. It slid to the floor, and she stepped out of it wearing nothing but her undergarments and weapons. Putting her hands on her hips, she lifted her chin, daring Sergei to make any other comments. The medic floundered for the briefest moment before ducking down and digging through his bag.

  Lazily leaning against the wall, Sergei grinned and slowly perused her up and down. “Nice… weapons.”

  The medic pulled out an imaging wand and ran it over her abdomen. It beeped, and he glanced down at the display readings before reaching into his bag to pull out another small device. He gestured for her to place her hand on it and frowned at the readings. “We need to readmit you to the medical center immediately. Have you had any dizziness? Headaches?”

  Her gaze flew down to the medic, and she swallowed. She'd suspected something was wrong but had hoped it was nothing. “Yes. Why?”

  The medic nodded, reaching for his commlink. “I'm calling for an emergency transport. You have some internal bleeding, but I don't know how extensive. We'll know more once we get you back to medical.”

  “You do not need to call for a transport. I will carry her,” Sergei declared, moving in her direction.

  Her eyes flew to his, and she took a step backward, her body stiffening. “I can walk.”

  Sergei nodded. “Yes, you can, but I would ask that you please don't fight me on this, Valechka. Allow me to help you.”

  Valentina hesitated and then inclined her head in agreement. Sergei scooped up her dress from the floor, and she pulled it back on. He bent down, lifting her up into his arms.

  She squeezed her eyes shut. This was absurd. She was perfectly capable of walking. Taking a deep breath, she tried to convince herself this would help lend believability to her non-threatening persona. And the fact that she was enjoying having Sergei's arms around her? Well, that was a whole other matter.

  Both Lars and Brant were still waiting in the common room with mirrored expressions of worry on their faces.

  Lars took a step toward them. “What's wrong?”

  “Call Ariana,” Sergei said, not stopping. “See if she can meet us back in the medical ward.”

  Valentina shook her head. “No. You're overreacting. It's not so bad. Ariana's injuries were probably worse. Leave her to rest.”

  “Enough,” he growled. “I am not discussing this with you now. If you weren't already injured, I would bend you over my knee.”

  “Put me down,” she demanded, pushing against him. To hell with her damsel in distress routine. She'd bend him over her knee first.

  “Settle yourself,” Sergei said, his arms tightening around her. “If I put you down, my next action will be to call Nikolai and tell him about your recklessness. What will he say to you acting like an impulsive child?”

  Her jaw clenched, and she looked away before she said or did something she really might regret. Sergei didn't say anything more to her, for which she was thankful. He followed the medic into the priority elevator, and when the door opened, they stepped out into the medical ward.

  Valentina swallowed, the first stirrings of worry beginning to set in. She wasn't concerned about dying, or even about the possibility of surgery. The thought of being unconscious and at the mercy of these strangers was what had her suddenly wary and reconsidering this decision.

  “Sergei,” she whispered, curling her fingers into his shirt, “call Nikolai. I want our doctors to evaluate me.”

  He frowned, his gaze whipping toward her. “What?”

  “Please,” she urged. “Give me your commlink, and I will call him myself.”

  He carried her back into the medical room she'd been in the night before and placed her on the bed. There was a trace of sympathy in his eyes, and he nodded. “Give me a moment. I'll take care of it.”

  She nodded, and he left the room.

  Chapter Four

  Closing the door behind him, Sergei walked down the hallway and waved over the medic. “How serious is her condition?”

  “Very,” the medic replied. “I'm astounded she's still conscious. We'll know more soon, but I'd say the likelihood of surgery is very high at this point. Without it, she could die. She lost too much blood the night before, and her blood pressure is remarkably low. The surgical team is already prepping.”

  Sergei glanced at the closed door. “Can you sedate her?”

  The medic frowned. “She'll be sedated once we take her into surgery.”

  “Sedate her now, or she will not make it to surgery. She is demanding to leave the towers.”

  The medic shook his head. “She won't survive the trip. I don't know what kind of medical team you have in place on the surface, but she may not even have enough time to make it there.”

  “Then give me the sedative and I will give it to her.”

  “I can't do that,” the medic argued.

  “She is one of my people,” Sergei snapped. “If you do not give me the sedative and anything happens to her, I will bring a wrath down upon the towers, the likes of which you have never seen. Now give me the sedative.”

  The medic hesitated and then nodded. “Very well. You'll need to inject it into her upper arm. If Ariana Alivette is able to make it here in time, she may be able to heal her without surgical intervention.”

  Sergei followed the medic over to a locked console where he pulled out a small syringe. Sergei glanced down at the small device. It would be easy to hide, but getting close enough to use it might be more challenging. He palmed the syringe and headed back inside Valentina's room.

  She looked up when he entered, and he noted the shadows under her eyes. How had he not noticed how tired she appeared?

  “You spoke with Nikolai?”

  “All the arrangements have been made,” he lied, keeping his expression carefully blank. She tilted her head to study him, a trace of uncertainty on her face. He sighed. She was far too perceptive. He would have to resort to more drastic methods to distract her and face the consequences later. “Nikolai
is very disappointed with you, Valentina. I have not heard him that angry for a long time.”

  She frowned at him, still wary. “I don't believe you. What did you say to him?”

  He walked around the edge of the bed, making his movements casual and timing them with his words. If he could lower her defenses, he could get close enough without her noticing what he was going to attempt. Unfortunately, he didn't have many options. He'd been surprised she'd even allowed him to carry her here. She'd kill him for sure if she knew what he was about to do.

  “I told him how you disregarded his orders to rest and recover. You not only refused medical treatment but you managed to reinjure yourself with your foolish antics. The doctor ordered you to keep drinking, but Lars said you were not. And now you are disregarding Nikolai's orders again and insisting on returning to one of our camps for treatment.”

  Her face paled. “You told him all that? What did he say?”

  Sergei sighed. “You have put yourself in a position where you have jeopardized your life again. He agreed your actions are not seemly for an agent of one of our leaders. I believe he is having doubts about you.”

  “Why would he say that? I thought…” She squeezed her eyes shut, a look of such heart-wrenching pain on her face. When a small tear escaped to trail down her cheek, Sergei froze. Oh, God. He couldn't do this to her. He could handle anyone else's tears but hers.

  “Please don't cry, Valechka. I swear I didn't call him.”

  She blinked up at him, confused and uncertain. “You lied to me?”

  Sergei quickly moved forward, pressing his hand against her arm until it beeped. She gasped, jerking away from him, and withdrew her blade in one swift movement. She threw it at him and he dove away, but not before it impaled his shoulder.

  He swore loudly, pushing up from the floor, his shoulder feeling as though it were on fire. A nurse rushed in, faltering at the sight of the knife sticking out of Sergei's shoulder. She stuck her head out the door, calling for assistance. Sergei ignored the nurse and the knife, moving to stand beside a now unconscious Valentina. He supposed he should be thankful the sedative was fast-acting. Otherwise, he might have more than just a blade in his shoulder.

  Sergei reached down and removed her other weapon before slipping off the thigh holster and tossing it on the floor.

  “We need to assess your injury,” someone said from behind him.

  “Later. Take care of her first,” Sergei ordered, not bothering to turn around.

  “Ariana Alivette will be here any second. She wants to see her before we proceed.”

  Sergei nodded and sat in a nearby chair. The doctor hesitated, motioning for the nurse to assist him. They brought over a scanner and proceeded to survey the damage. Sergei ignored them, focusing instead on Valentina's slow, rhythmic breathing. It was strangely soothing, and he found himself timing his breaths to match hers.

  The door was pushed open a moment later. Ariana and Alec entered the room, followed by the medic who had diagnosed Valentina and given him the sedative. Ariana's worried gaze met his before turning toward Valentina's unconscious form.

  Alec frowned, his gaze sweeping the room. “What happened here?”

  “A misunderstanding,” Sergei replied, not willing to explain.

  Ariana hesitated, glancing back and forth between him and Valentina. Before Sergei could even open his mouth to direct Ariana to attend to Valentina first, she moved toward the bed. “I should have checked her again after we bonded. I was too weak to do more than a cursory healing.”

  She held her hands over Valentina's abdomen for a moment and called over to the medic, “Paul, I need your help with her clothing. I need skin contact for this, preferably over the wound itself. It's worse than I thought.”

  Paul stepped over to assist, and Sergei leaned forward, not willing to let Valentina out of his sight. The doctor grabbed his arm. “You need to remain still while we're sealing the wound.”

  Sergei ignored him. They could damn well figure out how to work around him or do it later. Ariana placed her hands on Valentina's abdomen and closed her eyes. Something in the air shifted. That was the only way Sergei could describe it.

  Alec placed his hand on Ariana's shoulder and murmured something in her ear. She nodded but didn't remove her hands from Valentina. Ariana remained that way for almost ten minutes, her eyes closed in deep concentration. When she finally pulled her hands away, she turned around to face him with a soft smile on her face.

  “She'll be all right. She still needs to rest, but I don't believe she can easily reopen the wound again. I'm going to recommend the doctor give her a blood substitute though. She's weaker than she should be.”

  Sergei swallowed, relief flooding through him at her words. “Thank you, Ariana.”

  Ariana nodded, and Alec wrapped his arm around her waist in a protective gesture. She glanced at Sergei’s shoulder and frowned. “How are you feeling? Can I help with your pain?”

  Sergei shook his head, not interested. His pain was insignificant compared to what he'd inflicted upon Valentina with his words. He knew the depth of her loyalty to Nikolai, and he'd tried to turn it against her. Maybe it was his frustration with her blind devotion, but he should have tried a different way to distract her.

  Alec frowned. “She stabbed you? Why?”

  Sergei ignored him. The doctor had finished whatever they'd done with his shoulder, and he got up to move beside Valentina's bed. The nurse came over, attached an I.V. to Valentina's arm and pressed a button to begin transfusing the blood substitute. He glanced over at the medic who had provided him with the sedative. “How long will she sleep?”

  “An hour or so, maybe less depending on her metabolism.”

  Sergei nodded. It would probably be sooner. He gestured to the I.V. “When will this be complete?”

  “An hour or two,” the nurse replied, checking the levels on the machine. “We'll determine then if she needs any additional amounts. If so, it will take longer.”

  Sergei shook his head. “You need to keep her sedated until you are finished.”

  The nurse frowned, looking down her nose at him. “That won't be necessary. This is a painless procedure.”

  He glared at her. “If she awakens before you are finished, she will rip out the needle from her arm, strangle anyone who tries to stop her with that tube, and disappear from the towers before their body hits the floor.” He took a threatening step forward. “Keep. Her. Sedated.”

  The nurse stared at him in shock.

  Alec pulled out his commlink and pressed a button. He turned to the nurse and said, “Do as he says. Security will be here shortly to remain with her.”

  Sergei knew that whatever security Alec had in mind would be next to worthless when it came to her. He lifted one of Valentina's limp hands, turning it over in his and tracing his fingers over her palm. Her skin was remarkably soft, and her hand so small and delicate compared to his. A small scar marred the outside of her hand, just under her thumb, and he resisted the urge to kiss it. He remembered it well. They'd been scouting a potential facility primed for a takeover, and she'd mistimed jumping over a barbed wire fence. She'd been furious when it happened, more so about the gloves she'd torn and needed to replace than anything else. Another scar on her arm caught his eye, and he frowned.

  Brant entered the room, his footsteps tapping lightly on the tiled floor. “How is she?”

  “Sleeping,” Ariana replied. “She'll be fine.”

  “I want you to stay with her at all times,” Alec ordered. “If you need to leave for any reason, make sure to have another security officer remain here.”

  Brant raised his eyebrows and glanced down at Valentina. “Is there a problem?”

  “Other than the fact she just stabbed Sergei and he refuses to explain why? Or that he's indicated she's a potential danger to the people here in the medical ward?”

  “Alec,” Ariana chided gently.

  “No, Ari,” Alec told her. “I'm grateful for her par
t in saving you, but I will not allow our people to be threatened.”

  Sergei sighed and gestured to the patched wound on his shoulder. “Her reaction was warranted. I played upon her fears to distract her, so I could sedate her. She demanded to return to the surface and be treated by our doctors. Your medic informed me she would not survive the trip.”

  Ariana's expression softened, a trace of pity in her gaze. “Oh, Sergei, that must have been difficult for you.”

  Brant frowned. “You told her she wouldn't survive the trip?”

  “No,” Sergei replied, releasing Valentina's hand and crossing his arms over his chest. The movement pulled at his shoulder, but he ignored it.

  “So she might have actually agreed to the treatment to save her life?” Brant demanded.

  “She would not,” Sergei informed him. “Until she is confident your people will not seek retaliation for Pavel and Sofia's actions, she will be cautious.”

  “She saved me,” Ariana said quietly. “We don't wish her or any of your people harm.”

  Sergei's gaze softened as he regarded Ariana. She was far too trusting, and even her unfortunate captivity hadn't damaged her naïve innocence. “Valentina doesn't know you or your people, Ariana. It will take time for her to feel comfortable. Trust does not come easily to many of us.”

  Ariana nodded in understanding, but her dismay was evident.

  “I'll remain with her,” Brant said to Alec. “Even if she's not a danger to anyone other than Sergei, I believe she's established some level of trust with me. Perhaps I can help alleviate some of her reservations.”

  Alec nodded, and Sergei resisted the urge to smirk at the security officer. Valentina viewed him as a mark, nothing more. Sergei paused for a moment, remembering Ariana's words back at the Coalition camp. Could Valentina truly be attracted to the dark-haired security officer? He glanced down at her sleeping form and frowned. He could read her about some things, but other times, she was a complete mystery.

  Valentina heard soft voices somewhere nearby, but they were fuzzy as though speaking through a film. She blinked open her eyes to stare at an unfamiliar ceiling. Her body felt sluggish and heavy, and she tried to flex her hands and get her limbs to cooperate.