Heart's Lair Read Online Free

since birth and were as much a part of her as the air she breathed, the water she drank. But duty and strict obedience were suddenly of little comfort in the face of seeing a brave, indomitable man die in her arms. She didn't think she could live with herself.
    The conflict grew to crazed proportions. Life . . . Death . . . Right . . . Wrong. The words, mingling with the confusing pleasure of the mental moments shared in his arms, rose to a whirling maelstrom in her mind. Pain, worse than any she'd felt in her life, stabbed through Liane, sending sharp, bright, blinding shards of light into her brain.
    Suddenly, it seemed too hard to go on, too hard to fight through the maze of choices. With a small cry, Liane slumped to the floor.

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Chapter 2
    Hovering on the brink of consciousness, Karic watched liane being carried from the room. His bleary gaze followed, well aware it might be the last time he ever saw her. Their brief encounter, however painful, was all he'd ever havethat and the achingly sweet memory of those few moments watching her by the pool.
    It wasn't enough, but there seemed little hope of surviving this imprisonment. And after catching glimpses of her fevered desperation during the mind seek, Karic wondered if Liane would fare much better. With an exhausted sigh, he lowered his head. As bitter a realization as it was, there wasn't much he could do for either of them.
    "What did you do to her?"
    Karic sensed Necator's approach even before he spoke. It just required too much effort to acknowl- edge him, even if the man had been worth the effort. He ignored the question.
    A low buzzing pervaded the room. Karic felt himself lowered to the floor until he was kneeling upon it, his arms still suspended in the air. His head was wrenched back by a rough hand in his hair, and he stared up into cold black eyes.
    "I'll ask you again," Necator snarled, "and I'll have the truth from you or the femina will lose her life."
    A slow grin split his face at the surge of emotion that flashed across the Cat Man's features. "Just as I thought. Somehow you managed to get through to her with those sly powers of yours. You won her over, didn't you?"
    Karic forced the tension to ease from his body. For Liane's sake, he must tread carefully here. He wearily shook his head.
    "She's a beautiful femina; any male can see that. I don't wish her harm, but as far as what I did to her, it's simple. My powers overcame hers. You have nothing strong enough to get what you want from me."
    The Lord Commander's eyes narrowed to speculative slits. "You may be right, Cat Man, but then again, you may also be a bit premature in claiming victory."
    His face moved until it nearly touched Karic's. "There is one more thing. Perhaps you'll not do as well against a machine."
    He gave Karic's hair a vicious tug. "What do you think, Cat Man? Are you man enough to go against a machine as successfully as you did a delicate femina?
    "Of course," he smirked, "it's only a prototype, still a bit cumbersome and unrefined. Perhaps it won't really be much of a challenge to you. Then again, perhaps it will turn you into a mindless, blithering idiot."
    Necator turned to one of the scientists. "Bring in the Guide. It is past time we tested it on a Cat Man."
    The Guide, Karic thought. That was the name reportedly given to the Bellatorian's new secret weapon. Now, not only had he gained the chance to see it, but he would personally experience its powers as well. It was an opportunity beyond his greatest expectations, if he lived to carry the information back to his people.
    They rolled the metal monstrosity in with great care, a tall, heavy rectangular box studded with dials, levers and a large screen. Necator and the two scientists donned what looked to Karic to be some sort of protective hearing devices, then one of the scientists began adjusting the knobs.
    A low hum filled the room, gradually rising in tone until it became a shrill, irritating whine. Karic shook