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“So what now, Mother?” he asked. “Has Felixbeen given a parasite too?”

“Of course not!” she stated. “I would neverallow that and he does not want it anyway.”

“Just the money.”

She gave him a look that answered anyquestion he might have had. Her full lips spread into a taunting grin. “Westand to make a fortune off those fledglings of yours,” she said. “Of courseafter you sign over your inheritance to Felix, we’ll have even more capitalwith which to work. We will be leaving here within the next day or so toaccompany Dr. Cean to her homeworld.”

Ailyn’s black blood ran cold. “Cean ishere?”

“Well of course she is,” his mother repliedwith a careless wave of her hand. “Who do you think performed the Transference?Do you think I would have allowed just anyone to cut open my flesh, Ailyn? Iwanted the best and she was sent to me.”

Despite being secured tightly to thestainless steel table, Ailyn shuddered. He had not considered Cean returning tothe scene of her crimes and knowing she was nearby—her cold, scaly hands wherethey could touch him—sent tremors of fear down his spine.

His mother did not notice the pallor thathad overtaken his face. She began telling him that Cean and she would besetting up shop on Cean’s homeworld of Chiaroscuro where they would begin afull-scale hatchery.

“Hatchery?” he repeated, the word sendingice through his veins.

“We plan on creating what Perse calls balgairs,”his mother said.

“Reaper rogues,” he said. The thought ofhundreds—if not thousands—of Reapers being created by Cean and her assistantsmade him sick.

“Don’t worry, Ailyn. We have plans thatreach far past this part of the megaverse,” she said, her eyes glowing withreddish sparks. “We plan to take our balgairs to Terra where we willbecome rulers of our kingdom.”

That was worse yet, he thought, staringwith horror at her. The innocents of Terra had no idea what would be headingtheir way and they had no way to protect themselves against the threat. Hismother and Cean had to be stopped at any cost but at the moment he was in noposition to help humankind.

“Where do I fit into your plans?” he asked.

She looked surprised at his question.“You?” she questioned. “What possible purpose could you serve after we’veharvested as many fledglings as we need to begin?” She shook her head. “No,Ailyn. You will remain here.”

“Alone,” he said, unable to keep the hurtand hopelessness from his voice.

“Well, yes,” she answered. “Though we willleave you sufficient tenerse and Sustenance to last until you are rescued.”

He doubted that since they’d given himprecious little of either since this whole ordeal had begun but made no commentto her words.

“I believe there will be one moreharvesting later today,” she said, and came back to stand at the table. “Afterthat, I’m afraid we won’t be seeing one another again.”

“C’est la vie,” he said in Francach.

She bent over him and placed a dry-as-dustkiss on his temple. “Cean will be in to see you in a moment. She tells me youwere her favorite Reaper.”

Ailyn’s heart squeezed painfully in hischest and his scrotum contracted with that news. He remembered all too wellthose ice-cold hands of the scientist on him and knowing she would touch himagain and—as it had been before—he could do nothing about it—brought bile tohis throat.

He watched her leave the room and shut theheavy portal behind her. There were no feelings left for the woman who hadgiven him life. Those feelings had long ago died. He doubted there ever hadbeen any for him on her part. But still, she was his mother. He ached for thelove and the relationship that should have been yet never would be. When thedoor opened again and his living, walking nightmare entered, he had to forcehimself not to scream.

* * * * *

“She is in with him now,” Elspeth told heryounger son. “Are the beakers being loaded on the ship?”

“Did you not give me that job to do,Mother?” Felix inquired.

Elspeth frowned at him. “Have you preparedyour brother’s Sustenance?”

Felix smiled. “There are two weeks’ worthof it stored in the main lab’s refrigeration unit. If Command Central takeslonger than that to find him, he’ll Transition and stay that way until they dofind him.” He shrugged. “Of course without tenerse he might well be a ravingbeast by the time they think to look here for him.”

“Aye, well, that’s better than him dying, Isuppose,” she said absently.

“What do you care?” Felix asked.

She gave him a withering look. “I may notlike him but he is still of my flesh and blood, Felix Andres. Do not beinsolent.”

“Forgive me, Mother,” he said. “I meant nodisrespect.”

“I know,” she said. “You are a good son.”

“Better than Ailyn ever was,” he said.

She nodded. “Too true.”

“Will he sign the inheritance over to me?”Felix asked. “Will I be duke of Kentsington now?”

“I imagine when Cean is finished with him,your brother will have signed whatever she puts before him,” she answered. “Andaye, you will be the new duke when he abdicates.”

* * * * *

Perse Cean’s black-as-pitch pupils seemedlarger than he remembered as she stood staring down at him. Two of her largercybot constructs had accompanied her into his cell and they had unshackled himand turned him over so he lay spread-eagled on the cold steel table, the thinblanket removed so he lay naked before the scientist.

“You have always been such a magnificentspecimen, Ailyn,” Cean said. Her large teardrop-shaped head tilted to one sideas she observed him. “I believe your muscle tone is even better now than it waswhen I left you.”

He could not stop the whimper from escapingas she laid her warty hand upon his chest. The sharp scales on her slender palmdisgusted him as it dragged over his flesh, the barbs on the scales sendingshivers down his sides.

“It is at times such as these that I misshaving a sheath into which I could place your staff.” She slid her hand overhis abdomen—leaving shallow bloody furrows where her scales passed—to wrap herfingers around his cock. “It is unfortunate Acklard didn’t come with us thistrip. He will miss out on this.”

Ailyn knew it would do him no good