"What's this?" Rone frowned, looking at it. It crossed the front porch and stretched across the doorway.

"Crime scene." Kate sounded grim. "Could be a murder was committed here." She put a hand to her head. "Are we too late? But if Emily Brooks was killed, I'm sure her friend would have said something instead of covering for her like she did."

Rone lifted his head and inhaled deeply.

"There is the scent of old blood coming from behind the house but it doesn't smell of Emily-it's a human male. Her scent is very strong here, though. And there's something else..." He sniffed again and frowned.

"What is it?" Kate asked eagerly. "Who is it?"

"A Beast Kindred," Rone said. "It's the same scent I picked up at the school-the one that didn't belong."

"But how can that be? Do you think she was claimed as a bride?"

"I don't think so-there would be no need for the crime scene tape in that case. Let me mark it out." He turned and sniffed around the driveway and the front yard area which was beginning to get overgrown, as though no one had trimmed it for awhile. For that, Rone was glad. The scent of freshly cut gra.s.s would have masked the old scents he was trying to follow. This way he was able to track and get an idea of who had been here.

Kate was quiet for a while, letting him work. She knew he needed to concentrate. At last he looked up, frowning.

"There were a great many people trampling through here-not just Emily and the Beast Kindred."

"Maybe the police?" Kate suggested. "Looking for her?"

"Possibly. Many of the strange scents have the smells of metal and leather mixed in with them."

"From guns and holsters maybe," Kate said thoughtfully. "Definitely police."

"Yes, but none of them is mixed with Emily's scent. In fact, there's only one other that mixes with hers other than the Beast Kindred." Rone took another deep whiff. "It's a human male and his blood was spilled too. Not as much as the scent coming from the back of the house, but enough that he might have been badly wounded."

"Can you follow it?" Kate asked eagerly.

Rone nodded. "I might be able to. It's several days old but it's strong."

"Let's go then! Maybe whoever it was can tell us what happened to Emily."

Kate drove this time, letting Rone stick his head out the window like an oversized bloodhound to follow the scent. No one but a Wulven would have been able to follow an old scent trail like this, she was sure. But Rone had an incredibly sensitive nose-a hundred times more sensitive than the bloodhound she'd been comparing him too-and he was able to lead them to the source of the smell.

They parked outside a large house a few miles away from Emily's place, located in a much nicer and more expensive neighborhood. A luxury car was parked outside but it didn't look like it had been used in the past few days-there was a light covering of pollen on the outer windshield.

Rone pulled his head back in and rolled up the car window.

"This is the place-I'm pretty sure the scent is a human male. You'd better let me go first."

Kate sighed at his over-protectiveness.

"Come on now, honey, you know I can take care of myself. I've got my brand new Glock right here." She patted her jacket which concealed her gun. It was much nicer than the old one she'd left at her mother's old house in Mississippi when she and Rone were joined. "Just let me go up first. If you go you'll scare the bejesus out of him and he'll clam up."

"You can go first but I'll follow close behind," Rone decided. "I don't fully trust these human males."

Kate stifled a laugh at this. As if any human guy-no matter how powerful or built-could be as scary and dangerous as a Wulven Kindred! Her man had a ravenous Beast living inside him-something like a wolf but about three times bigger and much, much more ferocious. Until she had become better acquainted with it, just being near him had been like defusing a bomb-an angry bomb that wanted to rip her head off. It was one reason the other Kindred were reluctant to make a trade with the Wulven people. Only the Beast Kindred didn't seem to mind, probably because they had a wild side themselves.

She went up the steps to the front porch and rang the bell with Rone a few steps behind her. It took a moment but finally she heard the shuffling sound of footsteps and the door was opened by a tall blond man with drug hazy eyes.

"Yeah? What c'n I do for you?" His speech was slightly slurred, as if he was on something. When the door opened a little more, Kate could see why. His right hand was attached to some kind of metal plate with all kinds of wires and bars sticking out of it. It looked like it had been thoroughly pulped and some orthopedic surgeon had tried to put him back together without much success.

"Hi, I'm Kate," she said brightly. "And you are...?"

"Grayson. Richard Grayson." His drugged eyes sharpened a little. "What do you want?"

"I'm a PI hired by the parents of Emily Brooks," Kate lied glibly. "We're trying to find her last known whereabouts and we were told that you might have some information for us."

"What?" His eyes went from mildly annoyed to wary in a heartbeat. "Who told you that? I don't know where Emily went so just leave me alone!"

He started to shut the door but Rone was suddenly there, holding it open effortlessly, even though by this time Grayson was straining with all his might to close it.

"I don't think so," her mate rumbled, his glowing blue eyes flashing. "I think you do know something about Emily. You still have her scent on you. And are these her teeth marks?" He pulled Grayson's collar to one side, exposing bruised and torn skin with some very human looking bite marks.

Kate frowned. "Wow, somebody really worked this guy over? You really think it was Emily?" she sent to Rone silently.

"I don't know but we're going to find out."

He forced his way inside and Kate followed though Grayson was complaining and threatening the entire time.

"Look," she said, turning to him as Rone shut the front door firmly behind them. "We just need answers to a few questions and then we'll leave you alone."

"I don't know anything about Emily." He glared at them resentfully. "And I don't care what she told you-she attacked me-not the other way around!"

"She did, huh?" Kate studied him thoughtfully. This guy, Grayson, lived in a nice house and drove a nice car. He had good hair and generically handsome features but there was something off about him-something she didn't like. The psychic stink that rose from someone with a rotten soul. It was almost like someone with a rotten tooth will have bad breath. She was betting if Emily had attacked him, she'd had a good reason to do it.

"Yeah, she did," Grayson said sullenly. "She just went crazy-tore into my neck for no reason-no reason at all!"

"Did she do that to your arm and hand?" Rone asked. "She must be a pretty strong female."

"No, this was done by that other guy-that weird Kindred in the black vest." Grayson made a vague motion with his unhurt hand. "Big guy-almost as big as you-long, black hair, yellow eyes. Looked like a professional wrestler."

"Was he a Beast Kindred?" Rone asked.

Grayson shrugged. "I don't know-maybe. Sure as h.e.l.l did a number on my hand-again for no reason."

Kate wasn't buying the whole Oh, I'm so innocent and people beat me up for no reason' routine. Grayson must have done something to set off both Emily and the Beast Kindred who seemed somehow tied to her. But to find out what it was, she'd need to do a reading. Inwardly, she sighed. It was probably going to be really unpleasant digging around in the mind of a man like Grayson-but it was necessary to know what was going on.

"Mr. Grayson, thank you for your time," she said, holding out her hand to shake.

"Sorry, um..." He started to reach with his hurt hand and then held out his left instead, awkwardly.

Kate took him by the fingertips and concentrated hard. She didn't try to mute the sensation as she had when she read the Havoc's memories back on the Mother Ship or the nice teacher at the school-they needed this information too desperately to be gentle. Instead, she dived right in, trying to get to the heart of the matter. Immediately a barrage of images-none of them pleasant-slammed into her brain.

"Whoa-hey!" Grayson pulled his hand away. "What did you do to me? That felt weird!"

"It's about to feel weirder," Kate said grimly. She looked up at Rone. "Hold him-I need to go in deep."

Her mate stepped up and gripped Grayson by the shoulders.

"Listen up, human," he growled, letting just a bit of his Beast out. "Unless you want your left hand to end up like your right one, you'll be still and let my mate read you."

Grayson took one look at his glowing blue eyes and slightly shifted features and began to whimper.

"All right-whatever-just don't hurt my other hand!" he moaned.

"Be quiet and hold still," Kate commanded. Bracing herself, she reached up and pressed her fingertips to the side of his face. Then she dove in, determined to find out what was going on, even if it hurt like h.e.l.l.

"No, leave me alone! Don't touch me!" A scared girl with brownish blonde hair and pale blue eyes was scrambling away. Fear and loathing was written all over her face but for some reason these emotions excited Grayson. Kate couldn't see him-these memories were from his point of view so for all intents and purposes she was him-but she could feel the excitement welling up from his rotten soul. He was terrorizing this girl who must be Emily Brooks and he was getting a s.e.xual charge out of it.

Sick b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Kate wished she could get away from him and go take a hot shower but she had to know what had happened to Emily-she had no choice but to go even deeper. She heard Emily accuse him of raping her and continued watching as Grayson kept advancing, clearly intent on a.s.saulting her again. It made Kate sick but somehow she held on, needing to know the whole story.

Then Emily changed somehow-her eyes went from pale blue to glowing gold and her hair, which had been limp dishwater blonde only moments before turned into a l.u.s.trous, black curly mane.

Kate frowned-she'd only seen this kind of dramatic physical shift when she'd witnessed Rone change partially into his beast. He was always careful not to go too far though-not to let too much of it out when he was around her. But Emily didn't grow fur or fangs, only her eyes and hair changed.

Suddenly Emily pounced! Kate felt Grayson's fear and agony as she latched onto his neck and began to rip and tear. It seemed like she would rip his throat out but suddenly a tall Kindred warrior with black hair and golden eyes much like Emily's own was pulling her off Grayson.

The Beast Kindred started speaking soothingly to Emily, calling her "Khalla." Kate frowned-where had she heard that term before? It seemed like someone had said it to her the one and only time she'd visited Rone's home planet with him.

There was a lot more-the Kindred threatening to kill Grayson and telling Emily she wasn't safe, that he had been sent to kill her-that he was one of the Verrak- Oh my G.o.d-the Verrak! The Beast Kindred is the a.s.sa.s.sin! He's the one that was sent to kill Emily. But instead he...

Instead he dragged Grayson to his car and pulverized his hand and arm, making sure, as he said, that Grayson could never touch a woman against her will again. Then he let Grayson escape in his car and walked back up to Emily's house. At least, that was the last view Grayson had of him in his memories.

Kate released her hold on his face with relief. She still felt the need for a hot shower, to wash away the psychic slime of diving into a rancid mind like Grayson's, but at least now they knew what had happened to Emily.

"So he let you go because she told him not to kill you," she said to Grayson, who was still whimpering in Rone's grip.

"I never would have hurt her-he didn't have to break my hand," Grayson moaned. "I told the police all about it-how she attacked me and then he practically maimed me. They were probably both on drugs."

"And what happened to Emily after all this?" Rone demanded. "Where did she go?"

"Dunno." Grayson shrugged sullenly. "They ran off together, I guess-probably to score more drugs. Anyway, that's what the police think."

"They did leave together but they weren't looking for drugs," Kate said, eying him contemptuously. Her fingers itched to go for her gun but she restrained herself. Such sc.u.m didn't deserve to live but it looked like the Beast Kindred had already done a pretty good job of punishing him. She turned to her mate. "Rone," she said. "I think I've got it-I know where she is. Or at least, what happened to her."

"Thank you for seeing us." Rone bowed to Commander Sylvan and the rest of the Kindred High Council. "The good news is that Kate and I tracked Emily Brooks to the school she works at and from there to her house. The bad news is, she's already been taken."

"Then we are too late to save her," Commander Sylvan looked deeply troubled. "G.o.ds..." He shook his head. "I hate to think what kind of torment the poor little female must be going through."

"No, we don't believe we're too late." Kate, said, taking up the narrative from Rone. "Emily was taken but she wasn't killed."

"The Verrak most often leave the body of their kills in plain sight, to prove their job is done," Rone continued. "But we don't believe that the one who took Emily intends to kill her."

Briefly, he outlined everything Kate had learned from reading the rapist's mind. Commander Sylvan listened, his pale blue eyes widening.

"I have heard of the Khalla-my half brother, Baird, is a Beast Kindred. But I thought they were extremely rare-how would one end up so far from Rageron in the first place?"

"We have no idea," Kate said. "But we speculate that he might be taking her back there."

"So you truly don't think he intends to kill her?" Commander Sylvan asked hopefully.

Rone shook his head. "As you probably know, the Beast Kindred venerate Khallas. Even one that had gone rogue, as this one seems to have done, would be unable to kill a female he considered a sacred representation of the G.o.ddess."

"Possibly, but I'd still like to be certain she's all right." Commander Sylvan frowned. "I'd like the two of you to continue to track Emily Brooks and report back to me on her whereabouts and safety."

"It might take some time to locate her on Rageron but we'll be happy to, Commander." Rone nodded.

"Absolutely," Kate echoed. "I feel for that girl-she's had a hard life."

"And it's likely to get harder in the near future," Rone said grimly. "As I understand it, the initiation ceremony for a Khalla is...complicated."

"Go-find her." Commander Sylvan nodded at them. "Restock your ship with whatever you need and tell the Transport officer to fold s.p.a.ce for you. We must make sure this girl is safe-we must protect her at all costs!"

Chapter Twenty-one.

"Be well, my friend. The G.o.ddess alone knows when we may meet again."

Saskia embraced her warmly and Emily hugged her back, trying to be careful of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s which were very tender this morning. She'd had a night of strange dreams about red eyes staring at her from the darkness and had woken with the feeling that someone had been whispering in her ear all night. It was a weird and slightly creepy sensation which left her grumpy and out of sorts. But she tried to put her irritation aside, knowing this might be the last time she got to see Saskia.

"I wish we weren't going so soon," she said, smiling sadly at her new friend. "I would have liked to get to know you a little better."

"And I, you." Saskia sighed. "Maybe once you are finished with your Tenrah you may be able to return to our humble planet for a short visit-if the Holy Council allows it."

"What do you mean if they allow it?" Emily frowned. "Who are they, anyway? And what do they have to say about where I go?"

Saskia's eyes widened.

"Why, they are the Elders in the Holy Mountains of Rageron. They deal with all of the Khalla, so they do."

"Deal with them in what way? Tell them what to do? Where to go?"

"Of course. A Khalla is a treasure to be cherished by all. The Elders see to that."

"You mean to tell me some group of old men are going to run my life once we get to Rageron?" Emily was beginning to get upset. "Who are they that they should say what I do and where I go?"