Transformation, M J Marlow [thriller books to read .TXT] 📗

to go to her mate. Marek looked at the man in horror. What had this monster done to his Zen? “Your pretty mate is mine now, Marek Tor,” Reo laughed as he saw Marek’s expression. He laughed as the young man roaredand came at him. “You will be just as collared when I am through with you.” “There is no power on the planet,” Marek hissed as the he struggled, “that will keep me from breaking your foul neck!” “You are so wrong, boy,” Reo laughed. Reo went to the boxand retrieved the redstone knife. “An interesting little tidbit I discovered in my readings,” he said as he sliced Marek’s hand and had his men drag Marek to the mirror. “This will chain you to the mirror in your pretty mate’s placeand weaken the bond between you,” he told the struggling man. “No!” he screamed as Marek grabbed the ring. The young man smiled as he was drawn into the mirror, holding the ring up for Reo to see. “What have you done?” “He has broken your hold on me,” Zen said softly as she came out of the mirror. The moment Marek had gone through, the chains holding her had vanished. She turned to the mirror, laying her hand against her mates, tears glistening in her eyes as she watched the bond fading. “He has done the one thing that could stop you.” “What do you mean, slave?” Reo demanded as he grabbed her hairand yanked her head up so he could see her eyes. “This was not in the texts!” “Of course it wasn’t,” Zen replied. “This was knowledge only one of my rank would know.” Knowledge, she did not add, that had been given to her just at the moment Marek ahd been chained in her place. She turned back to Marek, who was smiling. “By taking the ring into the mirror, Marek has broken the hold you had on me,” she whimpered as Reo yanked on her hair, “but he has trapped himself within the device foreverand made our bond unbreakable.” “I’ll find a way to get him out!” Reo hissed as he released her. “Stand watch on the doors in case she gets any ideas about leaving,” he told the guards as Zen went back to the mirror. “We may not have him, as I had intended, but she is still ours!” Zen said nothing. He could search the texts until the day he breathed his last,and Reo would never find any mention of a means to release Marek. Only she could set him free now, by blood, or by chaining. At the moment, with her still prisoner; she had to opt for chaining. She laid her hand on the glassand Marek placed his against it. Their bond was still there. “I would join you there if I could, my love,” Zen cried, her heart breaking at the sacrifice her mate had made. “One of us must be free,” Marek replied. “This lord Reoand the lord Cardinal are bent on destruction. They must be stopped.” “It should have been me, beloved,” Zen told him. “I must be whole to do this, Marek. You must push the ring out of the mirror,and allow me to bind you further.” “I give you trust,” Marek bowed his head to her. Zen picked up the knife from where Reo had dropped itand he pressed the ring out of the mirror. She pressed the knife point to the ringand Marek’s blood flowed into it. Then she laid her wrist against the ring, wincing as it burned her skin. When it was done, the control symbol had been burned into her skin over her tendon, where no one could remove it short of destroying her. She laid her palm against the glass. “You must say the words, Marek.” “My mindand my body are yours, Zen,” Marek told her. “Use them as you must to destroy our enemies, my beloved.” He could feel the bond between them weakening. The tattoo on his finger began to dull. “It breaks our bond! You will be helpless, Zen!” “Calm, beloved. The true bond needs no outward sign,” Zen smiled at him. Marek looked down at his fingerand saw that the dullness had stopped. The tattoo was still there as a shadow. He placed his hand against hers, smiling. “Our bond can never break, Marek. The time when such a thing was possible has long passed, my love.” She pulled away as the doors opened. Reo had returnedand he was not pleased. He slapped herand shoved her away from the mirror. He bound her wrists with lucen cordand held her as two men removed the mirror from the wall. Zen struggled to follow, terrified at the thoughts in Reo’s mind. He could not mean to do what she was seeing was his intent. “The mirror is going to be taken from here, princess, to the place where your bonding ceremony will be performed,” Reo laughed as he pulled her against him. He smiled as he heard her whimper of protest. “It is his wish that you be the one who ends your mate’s life,” he said as he turned her to face him, “before you bond with him.” “I will die before I commit such an act,” Zen cried. “Please, lord Reo,” she pleaded with him, “don’t take him away. Let us have some time to say goodbye.” “Very well, princess,” Reo nodded. He turned to his men. “Put the mirror back in place. We shall let them have time.” He pulled Zen to him, his eyes locked on hers. “I will return in an hour to take you to the research section.” He released herand Zen went to the mirror. She had seen what he meantand knew she had little time to act. She showed Marek what she neededand he looked around the cell. He found the orb she asked forand sent it through to her. Then he watched, stunned, as she held it up between them. It began to glowand she whimpered as the pain began. The glow continued as she fell to her knees, shaking from the mounting pain. But it eased once Marek was transferred into the orb. “I am going to put you somewhere I know you may be safe,” Zen told him as she began to focus all of her mind on the problem. “If only we could have had more time.” “You make it sound like we’re never going to be….” Marek felt the blaze of power filling his mind. He was surrounded by lightand he was on his knees, shaking from the power cascading around him. When it cleared, he was no longer in the mirror. He was in the complex with his fatherand the Chen. The orb was vanishing into the greenstone mirror. She’s going to do it again, Father,” Marek said as freed the Chen from the cages. “No,” he snapped at one of the males as he tried to break the mirror, “If you break that, Zen will be lost.” Zen smiled as she saw that her wish had been granted. She had known that she might one day have power to wield against the horrors her father had created. The knowledgeand abilities she had gained from Lady Atav had told her it would be so. She turned from the mirrorand headed towards the bluestone mirror. The lady Trel might be related to the lord Reo, Zen had seen in her initial touch on the woman’s mind, but she was logicaland methodical about her goals. Unlike her brother, she would not push until she knew she could succeed. Zen could work with her – for now. “Come to me, lady Trel,” Zen said softly as she placed her hand on the mirrorand the control symbol on her wrist blazed with power. “I would speak with you.” “Where…” Trel looked around the cell, puzzled. “How did I get here?” “I brought you here,” Zen told her, watching as the woman turned. “I would speak with you, lady Trel.” She kept her hand on the mirror so that their communication was mind to mind. “Your brother has pushed too hard. He has lost much that could have been freely shared in his need to possess.” “What do you wish, princess?” Trel asked, knowing Zen’s mind on the matter. She smiledand nodded. “You are wise for a child.” She thought over her decision. What Zen was offering them far outweighed loyalty to family, Trel decided. “Very well, princess. I will do as you suggest.” “I return you to where you were until we can act,” Zen smiled. She pulled backand Trel vanished, returned to Horan’s chamber. She took the chaining knife from the boxand hid it in her skirt as she felt Reo’s mind approaching. He came in with two guards. “It has not been an hour, surely.” “Our researchers are eager to begin, princess,” Reo replied. He looked over at the mirrorand froze. “What did you do?” he demanded as he grabbed her by the wristsand glared down into her complacent expression. The knife clattered to the floor at her feetand one of the guards retrieved itand returned it to the box. “Where is the boy?” “I have sent Marek Tor away,” Zen told him. “Where he is safe from youand your plots.” She glared at him as she saw his thoughts. “If he dies, I will follow him to the grave.” She pulled free of him, her eyes blazing in anger. “I shall never willingly accept any other as a mate.” “Silence!” Reo snappedand his hand struck her cheek, sending her flying. “You are in no position to refuse me anything!” he continued as he yanked her up to her knees by grabbing her hair. “You will be willing to obey by the time we are through with you.” He nodded to his guards. “Take her.” Zen was taken out of the chambersand led out along a series of corridors. She could feel the curiosity of the minds of the people in this complex as they saw her. The images they had formed of her amused herand lightened some of her angerand fear. She could send these people flying with a thought, but it did not fit in with her plans. She needed to lull Reo into a relaxed state,and that meant she had to let him believe he was winning. As they headed across the courtyard, the alarms went off. Reo froze as a bolt of fire struck a pillar near his head. “They would not dare! It is not time!” he hissed as he saw the transports coming. He nodded at Zen. “Get her to Research now! They will secure her where the temple dogs can not reach her.” Zen attacked then. This was not what she wanted. She could not allow them to secure her where she could not act,and she could not let the Temple take her back in hand. The guards went flyingand she ran, knowing the men would be following. She found her way back to her celland brought Trel to her. Zen smiled as she saw that Trel had managed to secure Horan while he had slept. The ring was in Trel’s hand. She handed it to Zenand Zen repeated the chaining process. Once it was done, Zen pressed the ring to her wrist, next to the mark from the redstone,and sent the ring into the mirror. “You will come back with us, princess,” the temple guards said as they strode into the room a moment later. They looked at Trel. “We only wish the princess, lady Trel. We have no reason to move on you.” “I do not want to go with you,” Zen told them coldly. “I will not be caged by the Temple or the Directive.” She nodded towards Trel. “I have an understanding with lady Trel. Return to the lord Cardinaland tell him that he may come to me at Nores’tun at the next full