Feral's Legacy:

SHAWDOW AND BETRAYAL

By

H. M. Harrison

© copyright May 2007, H. M. Harrison

Cover art by Jenny Dixon, © copyright May 2007

ISBN 978-1-60394-030-6

New Concepts Publishing

Lake Park, GA 31636

www.newconceptspublishing.com

This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.

To God for His gift of a vivid imagination, my Momommie for her legacy of the love of romance novels, and to my Mom for all of her help and support.

For the music of Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Josh Groban for providing inspiration in the writing of this novel.

Chapter One

Planet Zy-Gan, Near the Kingdom of Cymbaline

Dori felt compelled to go outside, but couldn’t explain her reasoning behind such a notion. Night had fallen and, not only that, rain poured down over the land in near sheets, drenching everything in its path. She didn’t like being rained on, and her guardians, the Hiroke, had never allowed her any sort of exploration outside after night had fallen. Even with the scanners monitoring the land and surrounding forest, along with the presence of the guards, her safety couldn’t be guaranteed.

Danger grew at night and she knew she was safer inside than out, as all Feral-borns avoided this place. Much as this upset her on one level, it comforted her at the same time. She couldn’t be attacked or captured by anyone if they couldn’t get in.

Still, she felt an odd compulsion to go outside and allowed it to guide her to just beyond the front door. She paused beneath the awning to try and somehow stay dry. The wind didn’t help by blowing some of the rain her way. Looking out over the dark land, she tried in vain to find what had drawn her out here. Nothing presented itself, but she couldn’t bring herself to go back inside just yet.

Closing her eyes, she listened to the symphony of the rain and the myriad of sounds it made. A blend making for an interesting choir of music to her, tempting her to stay outside a little longer.

As she listened, Dori began to hum, lending her voice to the sound of nature about her. She hummed a lullaby from her childhood as it just felt right to share this song with nature as it shared its own lullaby with her through the rain.

Her parents had used the lullaby she now hummed to soothe her fears and help relax her into sleep. That was a time before the Tatic invaded Citron and destroyed the village and its people. She was one of only a few survivors of the attack. Her sister, Rhiana, only two years older, survived the genocidal attack on Citron, as well--the only other survivior of her family. Psychic, familial bonds, forged when she was born, to her parents and brothers shattered as they died, making the attack worse for her. It left only the one she had to her sister their parents had forged between them so the two could find each other when it became essential. Dori didn’t know if her sister still lived or not though, having never found her again after the tragedy.

Dori pushed away the nightmare memory, concentrating only on the sweet lullaby and the tender memories it conjured up. Her favorite being the two of them alternating in their duties of who used it to calm her and Rhiana to sleep. It felt strange it felt so right for her hum this lullaby, not any other song she knew. She let herself do so as it allowed her some chance of peace. It let her remember the safe haven it had granted her with her parents so long ago. They lived again every time she remembered and sang the lullaby.

The lullaby had been her only solace when she’d been brought here from Citron’s ashes by the Hiroke. Placed in isolation to ensure none of the Tatic’s poisons used in their attacks came with her, the song was her only company. Terrified of the Hiroke from her parents’ warnings, she had not even let her savior, Etherson, come anywhere near to try to help soothe her fears. She attacked any who tried to before finally realizing they meant to help her, not harm her.

They had not endeared themselves in attempts to try and befriend her in the way they tested her to ensure her health. It only made her wish to hide from them whenever they came near and be coaxed out with food or toys, like some animal.

She understood now why they had been so careful with her. Before, she’d been a scared little girl, horrified by living nightmares, away from all she knew. And no one of her own kind to keep her company made the agony all the worse. The closest she’d come to having a Zyan, or even a Ganjan, near her were toys cast in their image.

Though happy and well-cared for, she had grown weary of having only the Hiroke and the few Delavan working for them, to call her friends. The Hiroke talked all science, eventually giving her a headache in how complicated those conversations became. And the Delavan were too busy assisting the Hiroke everywhere else to stay with her for long periods of time.

The need for a true companion remained her deepest, most painful wound. It mattered little of how many friends were around her. The ache for a companion still lurked to attack her when she least expected it. A companion who didn’t have to rush off on some emergency. Or to some duty that would keep them away from her the rest of the day. She wanted to know the pleasures she had only begun to explore due to one stupid mistake in her past.

Dori’s thoughts screeched to a halt as a dark shape staggered forward from the dense brush. She fell silent, afraid of this creature approaching the compound. No, toward her. She tried to sense who and what approached, but the pain and rage pouring off it repelled her. Lightning lit the creature’s features and she could make out the feline appearance of a Zyan male, but little else. The knowledge that it was a Zyan only escalated her fear as she considered why he would be coming here. The way he moved suggested at the extent of his injuries, reminding her of what she had felt from him only moments ago. It heightened her fear as all Feral-borns, male or female, were most dangerous when injured and would attack anyone, friend or foe alike.

The Zyan growled, and she could sense his anger directed itself at her silence. Her own fear kept her mute, preventing her from giving him what he wanted. Images of his attacking her chased the lullaby far out of her grasp. He moved forward, now intent on seeking her out. Whether to attack her for denying him, or encourage her to continue her song, Dori wasn’t too sure she wished to find out.

She caught the scent of blood and she barely resisted running. With his injuries and the fact that she had become his target, it made the instinct all the harder to resist. The Zyan lifted his head to stare at her and Dori felt rooted to the spot by the anger she could sense from him at her continued silence.

Mine.

The sound of the soft-timbered voice in her mind made her jump in alarm. A growl of claim and a caress in one, it sent heat through her, collecting low in her belly. Her fear melted away, leaving her feeling compelled to go to him. Of its own accord, her body moved forward till she stood at the end of the awning. She watched the Zyan’s approach, concern filling her as she noted his uneven movements. In obvious pain, the strong odor of blood she scented on him the rain couldn’t mask hinted at how bad the injuries were.

She again felt the need to flee even as the need to go to him tried to take her over, just to make sure he would live. He growled again, the reprimand at her wishes feeling like a caress to lure her to stay in the same swing.

Mine! He sent the word again, this time stronger and even more compelling than before.

She felt the need to go to him again, the sensation growing the longer she watched him, or to bare her breasts in an act of pure naughtiness and lure him to her. That impulse proved hardest to resist and she wondered if he was compelling her to do so. His reasons for being here helped her resistance, keeping her from going to him. She needed to be cautious now. She didn’t need to endanger all here because of her curiosity.

Flashes of lightning granted her the briefest of glimpses of his face since he wasn’t close enough for the lights of the compound to illuminate his features any better. The lightning gave him a creepy appearance, though he still proved compelling to her at the same time. Pain twisting his face added to the creepiness of his features—Dori hoped since he made her feel very strange and she did not want to feel this way toward a monster.

The Zyan’s approach must have been picked up by the scanners, as well, since she heard the rush of the patrol guards coming her way. She panicked when she saw the male collapse just as security got to him, and she watched as two of them picked him up and carried him toward her. As they drew closer, she moved to meet them halfway, ignoring the guard rushing past her till his arms seized her from behind around the middle, dragging her back.

“No!” she cried, a clap of thunder punctuating her pain. She felt drawn to this male, though she could not explain why, even to herself. She knew only that she had to touch him, to feel the life in his body to assure herself he still lived. Till then, her soul wept at the thought of him being already gone.

She needed to feel the life flowing just beneath his skin. Her hands even tried to reach out toward the approaching guards to let even the briefest glide over his flesh tell her something about how strong life flowed through him. Their sense of touch was sharp enough they could feel the very flow of blood in the briefest of glides over a blood vessel. A talent they used in finding the best place to attack an enemy, or when pleasuring a lover, since following the strongest bloodflow could be quite a fun game, she remembered reading. The instinct to feel his life screamed at her since her emotions blocked her from feeling it, clogged her mind, chasing off her common sense.

“You must let him be healed first, Dori,” the guard holding her soothed. “He lives, but may not live much longer if we delay. Please allow us this.”

Dori felt water on her face, what she thought to be rain alone, before realizing the ‘rain’ was tears, tears of pain over a man she knew nothing about. She knew only that someone had injured him mortally, from the look of him, and every delay now stole away another precious moment of his life.

“Save him for me,” she whispered, watching the guards moving closer to her with their burden. Her eyes remained on the Zyan the entire time, but she could make out very little. His dark hair, plastered across his face, obscured it from view. She felt a strange flash of anger at being denied a glimpse of his face and chastized herself for such a stupid reaction in so serious a situation.

He wore dark clothing, which were in disgrace from whatever had brought him here. It did little to soothe her as she considered what could have happened to him. She could sense his pain as she tried to force her own emotions to still. The briefest touch of it made her head feel ready to explode and forced her to close her mind again to keep from screaming. How he made it this far in such pain, she couldn’t even guess.

Unbidden, images of the war and Citron’s falling in flames filled her mind, along with visions of what might have happened to this Zyan. She willed away the images, needing to stay together mentally if she wanted to help him somehow and not make a scene that would delay his being treated. Through sheer force of will, she caged her past away, keeping it from filling her mind.

“Please save him,” she whispered again to the guard holding her. She needed someone to tell her hope remained for this male, or she knew her past nightmares would claim her and she would fall apart.

“We will do our best,” the guard said.

Dori would not allow herself to be swayed in her need for the Zyan to live until he came to her alive and well. The first Feral-born she had seen since her the loss of her pride-clan, she refused to let him die if she had a say in the matter.

As the guards drew closer to the compound, Dori tried to move closer to the male, despite the grip of the one holding her. His grip tightened and she gave a sharp hiss of anger at his denying her this wish.

“Calm, Dori,” he soothed her. “We won’t harm him unless he proves to be a danger to us all.”

“I want to see him up close,” she said. She wouldn’t tell him the Zyan had spoken to her in her mind. They might kill him as a means of protecting her. Nothing she might say afterward would prevent it with as protective as they were of her.

“I will speak to Etherson for you, but after the healer sees to the Zyan, all right?”

“All right.” She could trust the guard to keep his word to her on this. He would never lie to her about something like this.

“You should go back inside,” the guard said. “Now is not a good time for outside explorations.”

Dori let the calm she could feel the guard straining to hold onto guide her back to rational thought. She could feel the instinct to go ensure no other Zyan were out in the storm and knew it was not a good idea. If there were anymore out there, and they did the same to her as this one had, she would endanger everyone here.

She finally allowed herself to be led back inside and headed for her room when the guard released her. She wanted to go after the guards as they took the Zyan to the medical bay, but she knew they were right in keeping her away from him. The male needed to be seen by Brennan first as the Zyan could have been a danger to her, making her risk death in such a foolhardy act.

She also wanted a warm bath to chase away the chill of the storm now manifesting in her. Strange. With the male focusing all her attention, the cold of the storm hadn’t registered in her until he was taken away by the guards. Very strange indeed.