Series: Zandian Brides Series by Renee Rose
Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
I’ve had enough with the lying. I know what I need to do. I push my holo button. “Daven!” I cry, hearing the absolute panic in my voice. “I need you. Help me, please.” I stand up, craning my neck to spot him, and relief flows through me when I see him running in my direction.
It’s only seconds before he’s at my side, eyes darting to Katia but landing on me first, checking me. “Sia, are you all right?” He touches my face once.
The concern I see in his eyes slays me. This is the very last time he’ll look at me that way, with care, before he finds out about my colossal lie.
I grab his hand, hoping to communicate without words that I care for him, I’m sorry for everything that’s about to happen. “I’m fine. It’s Katia. She collapsed. She needs help.”
He drops down and touches her neck, finds her pulse. Then he barks commands into his comm and turns back to me. “I’ve summoned the doctor and the staff. We’ll get her help. Did she eat something new? Has she been ill?”
“No.” I bend down. “It’s not that. I…”
There’s a flurry of activity as several warriors run up with a team of medical staff.
“It’s…there’s something I need to tell you.” I can’t even look at his face. The guilt is so overwhelming that I want to vomit. “And you’re not going to like it. I’m sorry.”
“Secure her head, she’s starting to seize.”
“Quickly, put on the sedation patch and get out the analysis kit.”
“What happened?” Daven, starting to sense something, maybe, takes my arm. And the grip is less personal than I’d like. “Sia. Talk.”
“It’s her chip!” shouts Flora, hands on her hips, angry tears swimming in her eyes. “Her brain chip has been activated, and they’re going to kill us all!”
“What?” The icy tone in Daven’s voice is so powerful that I flinch. I manage to look at him. His eyes are wild. “Sia, what is this about a chip?”
I take a deep breath. “Daven, We have implants in our heads that were put there by the Ocretions. I never told you. I wanted to. But I was afraid it would kill me. They’ve been trying to record information, and it’s possible that if the Ocretions are in range, they could activate the chips to upload data and find our exact location.” I swallow and add, “And they can remotely kill us, too. We’re not safe if they’re within range. But it was only supposed to be within 15,000 clicks, I swear!” My voice is plaintive and weak–how strange that something so small can kill an entire relationship. Because in front of me, as Daven starts to realize what I’m saying, I can see his whole demeanor change until he’s looking at me like I’m a stranger and like an enemy. “I really think we’re out of chip range–they’d have to be literally standing on the planet. But apparently, Katia said something about her chip activating, and then she fell.”
“Let’s get her to the Med Center,” someone barks, and the medical team loads Katia into a hovercar and whisk her away.
Several warriors remain, including Daven and Master Seke.
“All this time, there have been chips in your brains that are recording everything?” Daven’s voice is cold.
“I don’t know if they get everything. I’m pretty sure they were coded to record when they heard keywords like Zandia, humans, and other things.”
“And have the chips uploaded anywhere?” His voice is urgent. “Think, Sia. Fast.” He squeezes my arm harder.
“Ow!” I cry.
He drops my arm but keeps me pierced with his gaze. “Sia, have they uploaded?”
I shake my head. “I don’t think so. No, not if we’re out of range. I’m sure.”
“How could you know that for sure?” he roars. “You should have told us immediately! We could have made you safe. Made us all safe. Now we’re all at risk!”
I shrink back tears making my vision wavy. “I’m sorry. So sorry.”
“Vecking stars, they could compromise our whole planet,” snaps Seke. “Put them in the dungeon where we can block any incoming or outgoing transmissions. Now.”
“Yes, Commander.” Daven stares at me, but his expression is blank. It shows nothing. No love. No anger. Nothing.
Oh, stars. My worst fear has come true.
I’m dead to him.
Chapter Fifteen
Daven
My whole body turns to stone. It's happening. It’s happened again.
I put my faith in a human female, and she's betrayed us all.
“How long have you known about this?” I demand as I catch Sia's arm to bring her to the dungeons.
She stumbles along beside me. “From the…beginning, almost. Pieces. I remembered pieces and then put it together with Flora. I didn't tell you because I feared something like this. And I’d promised Flora from the beginning. We were threatened with instant death via the chip if we ever talked.”