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the nestling is to theoriginal, the more powerful it is at Transference. Ailyn’s is second generationfrom Tariq so his mother’s is third. Do you follow?”

“Aye,” Shanee said. She swallowed. “Can wedo it now?”

“We’ll have to go down to the containmentcell because as soon as the hellion is inside you, you’ll begin to change,”Leveche said. “Ry can escort you and I’ll stop off in the lab to have my blooddrawn for your initial intake and for the subsequent first Sustenance you’llneed.”

Though her stomach rebelled at the mentionof consuming blood, Shanee didn’t let on. She knew Bakari—at least—knew how shemust feel.

“You are sure now that this is what youwant?” Leveche asked. “Ailyn is going to be royally pissed.”

“Were you pissed when your lady became aReaper?” she asked.

“It was the only way my lady could lead anormal life,” Leveche replied. “She would have been left without sight orhearing had I not intervened. Ardor is a warrioress and she would not havewanted to live as a helpless invalid.” He shrugged. “And she has never trulyregretted what I was forced to do.”

“There is that other thing though,” Bakarisaid, his cheeks blazing with color.

“She doesn’t need to know that,” Levechesnapped. “It’s a moot point.”

“Know what?” Shanee asked.

The two men glared at one another. It wasBakari who explained. “His lady was unconscious when they did the Transferenceso she didn’t have any of his blood before the procedure was done.”

“Is this really necessary?” Levechegrowled.

“She should know,” the ex-Burgon said.

Leveche threw his arms into the air. “Idon’t want to hear this. I’m going to the lab.”

Shanee watched the Storian stomp out of theoffice then gave Bakari her attention. “He’s angry.”

“He’ll get over it,” Bakari said. “He justlearned the hard way what happens when you don’t prime the pump—so tospeak—when a man Transfers a parasite to a woman.” He spiked his hand throughhis thick salt-and-pepper hair. “As he says it’s a moot point since you are alreadymated to Ailyn but I firmly believe you should know everything you can aboutwhat you’re about to undergo.”

She didn’t like the sound of that. “Go on.”

“Well, without having partaken of Gabe’sblood before she had her first Transition, when she drank it afterwards Ardorwas a bit…well, she sort of…” His cheeks went darker. “She kind of…”

“What?” Shanee asked, irritated.

“She all but raped him because she was soaroused,” he stated.

Shanee’s eyes widened. “Are you saying I’llthrow myself on Gabriel Leveche and…?”

“No!” Bakari was quick to say. “And hewouldn’t allow it anyway. You’ll never be able to mate with anyone other thanAilyn after the Transference but I just thought you should be told…”

She lifted her arms and crossed themseveral times in front of her to get him to shut up. “I don’t want to hear anymore,” she declared. “Tell me afterward else I’ll not have the courage to dothis, Burgon!” She headed for the door. “The con cell is on Five, isn’t it?”

Bakari acknowledged that it was and startedafter her.

* * * * *

It was just the three of them in thecontainment cell. Leveche had ordered a crewman to transport a rollingstainless steel table into the cell.

When Leveche joined them—unable to lookinto Shanee’s eyes now that she knew what had happened between him and his ladyafter Ardor’s Transference—he carried a small tray upon which set a largebeaker of his black blood along with a small glass of the viscous liquid aswell as an empty beaker. He handed the glass to Shanee and the tray to Bakari.

“What does it taste like?” she asked as shestared down into the tarry substance. She saw him smile and her eyes narrowed.“Why are you grinning, Leveche?”

“Everyone asks that,” he replied. “It can’tbe described, wench. It is what it is.”

She snorted and before another thoughtcould deter her, she lifted the glass and drank. The expression on her facesaid it all.

“You get used to it,” Bakari said. He setthe tray down on the floor but took up the empty beaker.

“By the gods I hope so,” she said as shelowered the glass.

Leveche went over to the table and hoppedup, turned and stretched out on his belly. He reached behind him to tug hisblack silk shirt from his leather pants. “Is your blade sharp, Ry?” he asked.

“Does a Diabolusian warthog stink?” Bakariquipped. He withdrew his obsidian dagger from the sheath at his thigh and wentover to Leveche. “Three-inch cut, right?”

“Just above the kidney,” Leveche agreed.

“I remember,” he said. “Here, Shanee. Holdthe beaker for me.”

She came to stand across from theex-Burgon. When he made the incision on Leveche’s back then dug his fingersinto the cut, she felt her knees grow weak—especially when she heard Levechegasp.

“For the love of the gods, Bakari, stopwiggling your fingers inside me! The queen will direct one to you,” Levechegrowled. “Hold your gods-be-damned hand still! You’re killing me here!”

“Wimp,” Bakari said.

“I’ll wimp you when I get up,” Levechewarned.

The blood Shanee had ingested was doingstrange things to her body. It hadn’t tasted all that bad but it had been thickand much hotter than she would have imagined. As she stared down at the blackblood trickling from Leveche’s wound, she was beginning to feel aroused andthat really concerned her. But as soon as Bakari pulled the fledgling from theReaper’s body, all thought of sex evaporated.

It was the ugliest thing she’d ever seen inher life that Bakari dropped into the beaker she was holding. Instinctively shethrust the beaker away from her as far as her arm would extend and just staredin horror at the monstrosity that was whipping and flopping like a beached eelwithin the glass beaker.

The abomination was covered with hornyscales that were the color of green pus. On its back was a ridge of sharphooked red spines. Beady red eyes that were elliptical in shape like a viper’sbored through the glass at her as it flexed the tip of its forked tail.

“Accept Me, warrior. Protect Me and Iwill protect you!”

“It spoke to me!” Shanee said, her eyeslike saucers. She couldn’t tear her gaze from the creature’s forked tongueinside the triangular head. She saw row after row of sharp little teeth insidethe maw of its