He paused to let that little surprise sink in before continuing. “She showed great courage by confronting all the Paladins at once. Her first action was to authorize more funding and personnel to assist Dr. Young with her studies. She also said the scans would only be used as a diagnostic tool. That seemed to relieve some of the Paladins, especially Trahern.”
Barak q’Young nodded. “His readings have been a matter of concern for some time. I was in Missouri when they almost ended Trahern’s life permanently. It was a tough call, one that no one wanted to make. However, thanks to Brenna’s faith in her mate and Laurel’s willingness to give him every possible chance, they saved him.”
Barak sipped his tea. “But that’s no guarantee that they’ll be able to help him if he were to die again.”
Larem cringed. As a healer himself, even if only an amateur when compared to the talented and dedicated Dr. Laurel Young, he shuddered at the thought of having to put down a Paladin warrior who had burned up all his chances. Few people would have the courage to make that kind of decision even if it was necessary and the kindest thing to do.
As if sensing Larem’s distress, Lacey laid her hand on his shoulder briefly. She had better reasons than most to understand the situation, because her brother Penn was a Paladin. No one knew how many times a Paladin could survive the cycle of living and dying without losing the last hold on his humanity. Devlin Bane had been beating the odds for years, but it was highly doubtful his friend Trahern would be so lucky.
“Maybe with the extra support, Laurel will be able to find some answers.” Lacey rubbed her temples, as if she’d suddenly developed a headache.
Should he try to help her? His newly discovered ability to heal was a poorly kept secret, even if no one talked about it much. Larem set his tea aside and angled his stool around to face Lacey.
“Shut your eyes for a few seconds.”
She didn’t question his order. Larem gently spread his fingertips along her forehead and temples, chanting under his breath. Then he closed his own eyes and drew upon the pool of healing light stored deep inside his mind and soul. A small stream of warmth flowed along the hidden pathways written in his flesh and bones. Almost immediately Lacey sighed, letting go of her tension and pain.
He added another small burst for good measure. “How does that feel?”
“Fabulous! Nothing I’d tried touched my headache, but now it’s completely gone.” Lacey’s face lit up with a broad smile. “You, sir, may hang out in my lab anytime. I’ll even make sure to keep a steady supply of cookies and your favorite tea around as bribes.”
“Do I have any say in this?” Barak asked.
“No!” Larem answered, laughing when Lacey said it at the same time.
“That is what I thought.”
Barak didn’t look at all worried, though. He had no reason to be, because the Kalith warrior and the human woman loved each other deeply. Larem wasn’t the only one who was a little jealous of the happiness the two had found together.
For some reason, the image of Sasha Willis popped into his mind. Granted, he hadn’t spent much time in the company of human women other than the mates of his friends. While he liked them all, they were strictly out of bounds for him. So were the few he’d met outside the organization, because of the need to hide his true identity. It was safer for all concerned if he kept everyone at arm’s length.
So what was there about Sasha that tempted him to cross that line, especially after such a short meeting? Part of the answer was obvious—he was drawn to her exotic red hair and simple beauty. But there was also something about her that reminded him of Lacey, Laurel, and even Brenna, Trahern’s woman. All of them were strong, independent females, and he suspected Sasha was much the same.
Not that he had any business to be thinking of her except to wonder what effect her presence would have on his life here in Seattle.
Barak interrupted his thoughts. “Did the new administrator say anything else we should know about?”
“She plans to review all the files on the Paladins, then the guards will come next, followed by other support personnel. She didn’t mention us by name but said she would be dealing with the ‘special guests’ that were living among the Paladins.”
Barak winced. “Interesting. You’d have to wonder what exactly she meant by that. How did the Paladins react?”
“Pretty much as you’d expect. Her remarks about the scans caused a stir, but she refused to take questions, saying she wanted time to review the situation here in Seattle first.”
Barak looked impressed. “That may have been the smartest approach. No one would take it well if she came in announcing a bunch of changes without first learning the lay of the land. It had to come as a relief to all the Paladins not to have to deal with having another scan done just because someone was in a bad mood.”
Larem had been part of the group who had brought down the former administrator in the Seattle area, Colonel Kincade. The bastard had abused his power to torment those who served the Regents, all for his own greedy purposes. No wonder the local Paladins had such distrust of anyone outside their own tightly knit circle.
Barak passed Larem another cookie. “Hunter mentioned he invited you to stay at his place for a while. Are you going to accept?”
“No, not yet. I prefer to face a problem, not run from it. If this Willis woman is going to come after us, I want to be here to defend my new life.”