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I
am a killing beast, feared by all who have seen or even heard of me. I can
destroy tens of
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Page No 63
SHEREM
63
your kind in two-minute intervals, yet both of your females treat me as a
housebroken pet.
It is not to be borne, he stated with a shake of his massive head.
What a dichotomy, Sherem mused; the males were terrified beyond description
while the females either wanted to hug him or order him about. He tried to
squelch a
grin.  I apologize, but you must have similar problems with your own
females; the
species are difficult to comprehend and impossible to control. Sherem lifted
his
shoulders in tandem with his hands in the age -old gesture of bewilderment.
 But Tula is
no longer my pleasurer or o f any consequence to me. She remains against my
wishes,
with an unknown agenda . In truth, she is making my life and that of m y
future mate
untenable. I cannot, however, repudiate her in deference to diplomatic
considerations,
and she has assured me she is not here to make trouble for me or mine. I can
only h ope
she speaks the truth. Placing his palm on the wall pad the door to the unit
slid open.
 Tula, leave now and do not try to see my brother again. He is a prisoner
and
allowed no visitors, Sherem ordered with obvious rancor. After Tula fled the
room
Sherem focused on Dakar, taking several moments to put his feelings into
words.
Dakar studied him warily.
Sherem sat down on the mat and studied his hands before speaking.  I feel
like I
have awakened from a living nightmare, and can once again see clearl y. I
have always
trusted and loved you above all others, Dakar. If anyone else had been
accused of my
demise, I would have been able to w eigh the facts without bias , but when all
the arrows
of accusation pointed in your direction, my judgment and percept ion became
skewed. It
is unclear who would set these incidents in motion or why , but of one thing I
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am sure .
The culprit is not you. I can only humbly ask your forgiveness for my doubt
and
behavior these last moons.
Tears ran down Dakar s face and into his hair but kept any words behind a
tightly
clenched jaw. Sherem studied his brother with renewed attention. Something
was amiss.
 Are you not well, my brother? You are sweating worse than a glass of iced
water in the
middle of a desert.
 Painnnn, he ground out from the pit of his being.
Sherem stood over him and shouted,  Were you not cared for, did they not heal
you and give you something to block the aftereffects of the drug? You are
here for your
protection, not as a punishment for uncommitted deeds.
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Page No 64
Lil Gibson
64
 I refused to ask with that female hovering over me like her next meal,
Dakar
revealed ruefully.
 Dimi, an antidote -tranq for my brother, stat! Sherem growled into the COM
unit.  You can be as stubborn as any ankou alive, Dakar. Tula is no more
than a fixture,
why not order her from your quarters and take the medication offered, Sherem
asked,
puzzled at his brother s reticence.
Though Tula was a princess of Jasper and Sherem honored by the giving of her,
she had remained somewhat of a cumbersome obligation, an un -needed toy.
That Tula
seemed to hold him in similar regard bothered him not in the least. So why
his brother
would care about her presence, or lack thereof, he could not fathom.
The panel opened to admit the MTE and Tula, once again.  I thought I told
you
to leave these quarters, Tula, Sherem began only to be cut off by a mutinous
scowl from
his former pleasurer who previously had seemed polite and pliant.
 If you had but trusted your brother from the beginning, he would not be in
thi s
condition. I have stood back and let things progress without interference but
no longer. I
will care for your brother myself and ensure no further  incidents befall him
in your
care. The last words shot like a spear t hrough Sherem s conscience and k
new his
remorse showed clearly as his somber gaze fell to Dakar. His brother had no
words of
vindication. He had lost consciousness.
Sherem charged down the corridor toward the detention center. He would know
who plotted to create the chasm between him and his brother. Moreover, who
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had the
death wish to involve, and then harm Nadia?
The Detention Officer appeared in front of him looking perplexed and not a
little
panicked.  He is dead, Your Highness, by his own hand.
 How did that happen? Our cells would not permit such an attempt without
automatically intervening. Sherem waited, his skepticism mounting with each
bead of
moisture forming on the officer s brow. He felt the presence of Bran, behind
and to his
right.
 It was self induced. We don t know how, but have sent the body for an
autopsy.
We followed p rocedures to the letter. We searched him thoroughly, restra
ined, and
watched him. We suspect he had a poison tooth.
After studying his officer for another moment, he dismissed him, already
determining his next move. It felt increasingly like a game of three level
chess.
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Page No 65
SHEREM
65
Sherem addressed a group of his most trusted warriors and crewmates briefing
them on the upcoming journey to earth and informing them of the vial to be
carefully
guarded in the isolation compartment in the main Med -Tech Unit.  Two guards
will be
assigned at six hour intervals to ensure the vials safety and six others [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]