Lar'ja's hands traced lightly over my face and hair for a moment before pulling me tightly against him again. I heard my sister say something angry, but didn't catch what. She was silenced by an equally angry growl from Luar'ke-de and all that remained was Lar'ja's quiet purring and pleading for me not to go. I don't think I'd ever really considered how strongly he felt about me underneath his Hunter mien. Yes, he'd said he loved me, yes, he had been affectionate, and yes, probably more so than any Yautja in the history of the universe, but I hadn't expected such emotion from him. It would seem that I was still guilty of making assumptions.

He held me close for another moment, then grabbed my upper arms with an angry growl and gave me a shake, "What is wrong with you? We are mates! Our lives are bound! Forever! There can be no other for me! How could you? Stay behind like that! Injured! Have Luar'ke-de knock me unconscious so that you could distract! Spent three years searching! With little hope! Almost gave up! I need you! How could you leave me? How?"

I don't know what came over me. All of the emotion I'd been burying behind a dam of cold anger and outrage broke and I started crying. I hid my face and it felt like I was crying my heart into my hands. All the fear, anxiety, worry, disgust, hatred, and pain that I'd felt the last forty five minutes settled on me, weighted by my lover's anger and disappointment. Lar'ja seemed to wilt under my response and pulled me back against him, holding me tightly.

"I'm sorry! I don't remember! I'm so sorry!"

He rocked me gently and sighed, "What don't remember, Baby Jess?"

I almost didn't hear him at first and realized how pathetically I was behaving. I was a Blooded Warrior, for God's sake. I forced myself under control though it wasn't easy and it wasn't fast. I didn't have the luxury of falling apart as much as I'd have really liked to and I shook while brushing my tears away, "The last… The last thing I remember was falling asleep next to you. Then I woke up here not even an hour ago and everyone was telling me I was crazy and that I had just dreamed you up."

He huffed, "No. Am much better than any dream."

I gave a weak laugh, "I never doubted."

"Good. Better that way."

"Sorry," The Arbitrator said, "but time wastes. She has honor to reclaim before we can leave. Reunite later."

"Isn't anyone going to explain what the hell is going on?" Savanna snapped.

Luar'ke-de growled at her again, "You are annoying, ooman. Silence would suit you best now."

"Hey! Don't you tell me to shut up!"

"Silence!" He hissed, getting in her face, "Manage on your own, or will force it on you."

"You don't scare me," she spat back, "Fucking alien."

"Mei'jadhi, will kill your sister. Make her understand this." He growled, not taking his eyes off of her.

Lar'ja and I stood and he seemed hesitant to stop touching me, as though I would vanish on him again. The last three years must have been very difficult for him. I dried my eyes as well as I could and tossed a look at my sister, "Seriously, Anna. He's not messing around. Just shut the fuck up and stop trying to piss him off."

She looked at me, angry, "We'll discuss this later."

"No." I said, "We won't."

I put my mask back on, reattaching the hoses, then walked into the room and began systematically leveling it with bursts of plasma. Lar'ja stood at my back, silently letting me do my thing, but with a light touch to my right hand to let me know he was there. I took a great deal of comfort from his presence. When I was satisfied that the room was properly destroyed, I brought up the holographic image of the building. The nearest dots were a floor down but heading quickly for the stairs. I'd meet them there.

"Follow at your own pace!" I called and took off out of the room and down the hallway. Lar'ja stayed close, and gave me a bit of a growl, "Go nowhere without me. Not for honor. Not for anything."

I found myself grinning, happy, "Wouldn't have it any other way, handsome!"

He was chuckling when we hit the stairs and I vaulted the railing to the level below, getting out of Lar'ja's way in favor of cutting down the two security guards that had just started their way up. The first went down easily, but the second gave me trouble. She obviously knew some kind of martial art but I had been trained by an Arbitrator. The one good thing about not remembering the last three years? The training was still fresh.

Whatever her school was it involved a lot of kicking and she was taller than myself. I let her back me up on the landing, let her get confident, underestimate me, then caught her ankle when she kicked high and came in behind her faster than I had ever moved before. I sent my wrist blades into her back and through her heart, cutting her cry of pain and shock short.

Pulling my blades free, I let her fall and looked down at her. I really should claim the trophy, but maybe I didn't have the right to…? I heard my sister get sick again, but we all ignored her. Luar'ke-de came close and looked down as well, "Mei-jadhi, you reclaim honor this day. Trophies are important."

"This one was worthy?"

"I would have kept."

"One question though."

"What?"

"How do I do it?" I grinned, "You never taught me that."

"Ahh," The Arbitrator laughed, "Now that you mention, yes. Do not think you capable of such a feat. Lar'ja-thwei, you are her mate. You must do this for her. No time to teach now."

Lar'ja tilted his head and walked forward, mask pointing down at the body. With one cold, swift motion, he plunged his clawed hand into the woman's back, then pulled, freeing spine and skull both. I heard Savanna scream "Oh my God!" and I was going to ignore her but she was having hysterics. Loudly. I think that was the final straw for me. Walking up to her, I hit her hard across the face, then grabbed her collar and jerked her close.

"Shut. Up, Savanna. I absolutely fucking refuse to stay here past today. If you make it impossible for me to escape, I swear I will kill you before they take me. Your lies have kept me here for three God-damned years. I will be damned indeed if I let you ruin this because of your inability to adapt. Now suck it up," I gave her a shake, "and act like an adult."

She looked at me, face a mask of hurt, horror, and fear. Whispering, she asked, "What's happened to you, Jess?"

I sighed and walked away. She knew and still had the stones to ask? I was done repeating myself. Lar'ja had the trophy attached to his back, head tilted, and I silently brought up the holographic building. Everyone else was on the ground floor. It looked like they were in the main lobby and there might have been roughly twenty… twenty five people. I frowned. That wasn't a lot for a building this size.

"Is it night?"

Luar'ke-de nodded, "It is. Why?"

"There aren't that many people here. How would you do this? Go in all stealthy and invisible, picking them off one by one? Or what?"

He snorted, looking at the image, "Me? Would wade in and tear their spines from them as they still lived. You might have trouble with this. Your limitations… Would say bomb."

"And then I won't have my computer any more. Great."

"No. Too powerful. Call too much attention. Smaller."

"Still, no. Not a bomb. I guess I'll just wing it."

Lar'ja grabbed my shoulder and gave it a light shake, "Will help. You know this."

"I know, but it's like with the Bad Bloods. This is mine. I think what I need to do is take a page from their book. Bar all of the exits so that no one can escape."

"What do you need from us?" Asked Luar'ke-de with a hint of approval in his voice.

"I'll be barring the doors. Could you get Savanna out of here before I take on the last group?"

He gave a long-suffering sigh. Even Lar'ja grumbled, but then nodded, "For you, Baby Jess. But I will stay near. You will not get rid of me. Mean this. Oomans are yours. You are mine. The end."

I knew better than to argue but Luar'ke-de was going to give it a shot. He growled, "Will not leave me alone with that female."

"Will not leave my mate alone at all. She wishes her sister saved. You asked what you could do. This is her answer."

"You have my permission to knock her unconscious if you need to." I said and again we ignored my sister and her angry reply.

Luar'ke-de visibly perked up, a happy trill in his throat, "Really?"

"Yup. If you take… this exit, could you bar it behind you? That'll save time. Then we can all leave here that much faster."

He nodded, "Will. Here, annoying ooman female. Time to go." He crooked a clawed finger at her and I could hear the sadistic grin in his voice.

"Get bent! I'm not a dog, you bastard!" She crossed her arms and glared at him, hip cocked.

He chuckled and stalked toward her, then got in her face, "You will come with me. By your own power or over my shoulder. But come you will. Your choice."

She looked at him for a moment, wide-eyed, then glared with a nod, "Fine. Lead on, then."

Purring, amused, he led the way down the stairs, purposely going just fast enough to force her to jog to keep up. I grinned. Damn, but I'd missed these guys. Lar'ja reached out and tugged me close with a different kind of purr, "Want to carry your trophy?"

I thought about it for a moment, then nodded, "Yeah. It's sort of important, isn't it? Not much of a hunter if I can't manage my own trophies."

He unslung it from his back, then helped me attach it to mine so that it would stay out of the way of my weapons. His hand then cradled the back of my head and he held me near, "I have missed you, Baby Jess. Much."

"Whatever I did, I'm really sorry," I clung to him, "I can't believe that I did it to hurt you."

"No. Did not. Am proud. But was hurt you did not trust. Very hurt."

My shoulders sagged, "Let's get this over with. I want to see you without that mask on."

He chuckled and followed me to the stairs, "Just the mask? Disappointing, Baby Jess."

I shook my head, grinning, "One thing at a time, you big, green idiot."

He faked pain, hand over his heart and I rolled my eyes with a laugh, "I have suffered, Baby Jess! Pined for you! Were mates for a month only! You are cruel, Baby Jess. Mean and cruel."

Checking the holograph again with a grin and a shake of my head, I watched Luar'ke-de and Savanna leave, "All I said was one thing at a time. Patience is a virtue, you know."

"Oh fine," He huffed, "But I expect much before this night is over. You know this, yes?"

"I know. But you haven't heard everything. You may not want me later."

"Nothing, Baby Jess. Nothing would ever make me not want you." He said and I sighed. He stopped me with a hand on my arm, "Nothing. Besides. Is meaningless, what happened here. Much. Seek to regain honor. Accepted me when I believed my honor gone. Can do no less for you."

I felt my throat tighten. And here was me thinking he'd hate me, "You really are a great guy, Lar'ja."

He chuckled, purring, and chirped, "I know."

Rolling my eyes with a smile, I activated the stealth aspect of my shift suit and Lar'ja did the same. Making our way silently down the rest of the stairs we broke off to secure two separate doorways, then met back. He silently gave my shoulder a shake, then backed off to let me take over. Crouching against the wall, I surveyed the area and the people. There were elevators, bathrooms, the stairs, the perpendicular hallway we both came from, and vending machines at my back. The lobby was all glass except for the wall I was hiding behind which boasted the secretary's desk and a few potted ferns. The front entryway was thick bullet-proof glass followed by a space of roughly ten steps and another door that one would have to be buzzed through to enter. After that there were metal detectors, but no one was guarding them.

No wonder the boys were able to sneak in. Security was lax at night. And oh, how I could see the night from where I was. I wanted to skip this and just leave, but I couldn't. Not if I didn't want to be labeled a Bad Blood. And I would be. I looked at the people, watched them. They were bored. They wanted to leave if the power wasn't coming back on, and damn it all, if only the vending machines were on. I grinned. Twenty three and not a one was a combatant.

I darted to the secretary's desk and crouched down next to the huge fern. Now I understood why these guys got off on this kind of thing. It was kinda fun sneaking around. No one saw me even though there was street light coming in from outside. I was aware of my own heart racing with adrenaline. Not the same as the night I took that Queen out with the door or the day I hit Luar'ke-de over the head with a shovel… It was strange that the two would be equally as terrifying. No, this was different. This was the thrill of a roller-coaster. A high that I knew I should be afraid of, but wasn't. These people painted their own bulls-eyes. I just happened to be the one with the arrow.

I activated my plasma caster and pulled both hunter's discs. One of the men closest to me asked, "Did you hear that?"

I loosed the discs and they cut a bloody swath through one of the thicker pockets of people. That was when the panic and screaming began. I knew Lar'ja would guard the one remaining escape aside from the front door and I made sure that I kept my plasma caster trained on it. I picked off several people that way. People screamed and cried, trying to break the bullet-proof glass of barred doors to escape but failed. Finally, someone spotted me when my discs returned and pointed me out with a scream. There were about ten men left, including two that were thrown bodily away from the hall that Lar'ja waited in.

I picked those off with my caster. Putting my discs away, I pulled my ki'cti'pa in time for a few of the remaining that were brave enough to charge at me. I caught the first with the point in his chest, then flung him away. Swept the feet of the second out from under him, spun it around to catch the third along side his head with a sickening crack, then brought the tip down in the center of the second man's forehead. The remaining five stared in horror at my rippling form, pulling back when I stepped forward. These were cowards. So much easier when it's a defenseless female strapped down to a table. I felt nothing but disgust.

Pulling my gun, I hit the safety and shot each and every last one of them.

The silence was palpable. Hitting the safety, I returned my gun and ki'cti'pa back to their places. Lar'ja joined me and gave my shoulder a shake. I smiled and we both dropped our invisibility. Three years ago, I'd have been horrified by what I'd just done. Now, I felt only relief that it was over. As though a weight had been lifted. I returned the shake with a hug and Lar'ja purred, "Will need your three trophies. Do you wish for help?"

"Please. Luar'ke-de's going to have to teach me this one."

He chuckled, and bent down to tear spine and skull from man number three, "He will have fun, I bet."

"No doubt." I said with a grin, letting him attach each of the three trophies to my back with the fourth already there.

He gave a satisfied trill, a cheerful sound, and took my hand in his with a gentle squeeze, "My honorable mate…"

I grinned, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's get the hell outta here."

I led the way out of the building and away from the massacre. Lar'ja followed close behind and a cool, night breeze bathed over me. I'd never felt more alive. Lar'ja pointed ahead of us and a doorway fissured open out of thin air with Luar'ke-de standing just inside, waiting. My grin widened.

"Hey! You didn't park in the handicapped space this time, did you?"

Luar'ke-de, interstellar bad-ass, scourge of Bad Bloods everywhere, huffed and gave me a one-fingered salute. I cackled.


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