Second Chance Read Free

didn’t want to spend too much time here. She needed to put some distance between herself and these two men. Her reactions to them worried her. They were too intense. As well, there were other scientists and bureaucrats on the watch list that she could be tracking. “If it’ll get me away from here quickly—with Vanya Steryan—I’ll help you.”
    Red’s golden eyes narrowed in suspicion at her knowledge of the situation. “How do you know that she has done something to us?”
    Laci resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the redhead, but raised a brow. “You said that she had done some damage. It wouldn’t be the first or second time that she’s attacked an Arcein . Do you two have names? Other than Jatohn, which I presume is a title and will not call you.”
    “We both bear the title of Jatohn,” Black Hair clarified with a toothy smile.
    Laci turned her head to the raven-haired man. That broad smile would have appeared goofy if it wasn’t for the hunter’s intensity in the dark brown eyes. She didn’t fail to notice that neither of them had given her an answer. They were typical stubborn, arrogant men. “Fine. I’m sure that you have everything under control, but I can tell you that Vanya won’t give you any answers. She doesn’t have them. She creates mayhem and destruction with her devices and programs. Everything is meant to destroy, to decimate. She never goes to the trouble to create a way to stop the destruction.”
    “What did she do to your group?” Black Hair tilted his head, curiosity clearly evident.
    “She managed to infect one of us with a replicating program designed to kill us all. It used the nano-cytes’ cooperative communication to spread within the body. Once infected, the nano-cytes attacked the host.” She swung her gaze from the black-haired man to the redhead. She was still very confused by the attraction she felt for these two men, the instantaneous lust. Why were they so familiar? Why had she dreamed of them?

9 Rebecca Airies
    “You weren’t infected?” Red stared intently into her eyes, then tensed. “That program sounds very much like the one that’s attacking some of our men.”
    “I became infected after a way to beat the program had been found. We were lucky. We’d already been working on that very infection in several Second Gen men. We knew what we were up against.” Laci’s mouth kicked up at one corner. The answer had been so elementary that it should have been obvious from the first.
    “How did you beat it?” Red leaned toward her.
    “Oh, no, I’m not that easy to trick.” She could almost smell the urgency pulsing through him. He wanted that answer badly. Amusement and triumph flashed in her eyes as she smiled at the two glaring and frowning men. “I want an assurance that you’ll allow me to leave with Vanya Steryan and I want to know your names. I’m not one of your men. I will not call you by a title when I don’t know what it means.”
    “Alek Teyan and Darion Malan.” Red’s tone was clipped and his gestures sharp with irritation as he pointed first to himself and then to the man at his side.
    Darion added, “As to our title, ‘Jatohn’ in Norik doesn’t translate very well into Orisan or any other common language. It is ‘Captain’, but it also means leader of a clan and more.”
    “And Vanya…” she pushed in a sweet tone.
    Laci saw Darion’s eyes narrow. The black-haired man didn’t like her demand.
    “As soon as your help has proven useful, you and Vanya will be taken back to Viaga.” Darion’s reluctance to give in to her demands was visible.
    She wondered at that reluctance. Was it simple annoyance over having their authority challenged? She knew they wanted her. She could see it, smell it. They were exuding pheromones which kicked her arousal to a higher level.
    “It’s easy enough. All you have to do is reprogram a few nano-cytes with the new program and they’ll spread it as they encounter others.” Laci shrugged