The Siren's Call (Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance) (FORCED TO SERVE) Read Online Free

But Chiang had better wise up quickly and claim his potential mate, or the Greggor might find himself following the bonding expertise of a two-thousand-year-old demon.
    Ania couldn’t see any bonding situation among that trio working out well for any of the creatures concerned. Perhaps Gwen was right. Releasing Malachi to bond with Ambassador Onin might actually be the best solution, but thinking of him with that dark female bothered Ania too. Conor might have thought the female suitable, but Ania knew she was a manipulative and scheming person who sought her own good over the causes she served. It made Issa Onin impossible to be trusted.
    Shaking her head at her own indecision, Ania realized she was behaving just like Synar—just like her mate who changed his mind as often as he changed his clothes. Resolving not to let waffling become a flaw in her own character too, Ania set her mind to force Liam into a serious talk at her next opportunity to do so.
    Putting a deadline on the discussion would force her to do something proactive to find a suitable solution.
    ***
     
    After an hour of debate with no solutions, the conference room’s silence was broken only by the frustrated breathing of those gathered to troubleshoot the situation. One by one possibilities were offered and then discarded. The solemn mood of the group showed no signs of improving anytime soon.
    The task of merely finding Dorian and Sarinnea was proving as much a challenge as rescuing them would be. Research had revealed to Synar why slave traders were so successful, and why they still prospered even with so many Peace Alliance ships patrolling the registered space in and around planets. It was not good news.
    “Terris Rein is heavily populated, and the main city spans a sizable portion of the habitable area. We can start there, going into the center and stretching out the search. The planet has not outlawed owning slaves even though the Peace Alliance continues to encourage them to do so. Slaves are literally everywhere. Documents filed routinely state that no new slaves are being brought to the planet, which means that all new slaves are being purchased from black-market pirates like Xeno,” Synar said, staring at the two women seated across the table from him.
    “The Sirens have a distinct energy signature. If we can’t track their ID chips, can we track that?” Ania asked.
    “Normally that might have worked, but a Xendrin collar masks the energy of the wearer as well as functioning as a restraining device. A Guardian series rescue ship might have the capacity to run searches to sort out the various frequencies, but ours doesn’t. We could only look for something obvious so long as we don’t have to cross-reference much,” Synar said, frowning. “I chose the Liberator for stealth, not for energy scanning ability. I wasn’t expecting to have to search for abducted crew members. Next ship—I’ll make wiser decisions about computer capabilities.”
    “If I saw the buildings again, I’m sure I would know them. I’ve seen them twice in visions,” Gwen said, frowning. “I know that doesn’t help us narrow a location.”
    “Call Malachi. Let’s see if he has any new ideas about how to find them,” Ania suggested.
    Synar sighed and frowned harder. Resentful, but getting desperate, he pressed the com in the center of the table. “Locate Malachi.”
    “Unable to locate identified entity,” the computer replied.
    Synar let go of the com and swore.
    “He’s not hiding. Stop over-reacting. Locate Boca Ador. He’s probably near her like he always is lately,” Ania said. “If you weren’t always trying to avoid him, you’d know exactly where he is.”
    Synar glared. “My irritation is only with why the computer isn’t locating him. I damn well know he’s still onboard. I feel him. So do you.”
    “The Liberator is not finding him because it’s reading the ID chip in his physical body, and his body is not his,” Gwen answered,