Part 34 (1/2)
”No.” Kor crossed his arms over his chest. ”We want no part of you-or the Kindred,” he spat.
Salix frowned. ”You appear to have some Kindred blood yourself, friend-as do I. You have a problem with them?”
”My problem is none of your concern,” Kor growled. ”Maggie is with me now-that's all you need to know. So go back to the High Council and tell them she's safe and she's staying here.”
”Kor, no-wait!” Maggie got off the bed awkwardly, keeping the red bedspread bunched to her chest. She nearly tripped over it in her haste to get to the doorway and would have fallen if Kor hadn't reached out a hand and caught her just in time.
”Stay back, Maggie,” he said, frowning. ”You don't want any part of this b.a.s.t.a.r.d.”
”Yes, I do-at least, I want to hear what he has to say,” Maggie protested. ”They're my family, Kor. Do you have any idea how scared and worried my mom must be?”
He frowned, his face as dark as a thundercloud.
”Really? It's you're mother you're worried about? Not Donald?”
”Of course I'm worried about my mother!” Maggie snapped. ”And my father and sisters and brother. We have a very close knit family, Kor. If you could just meet them you'd understand.”
”As it happens, that is a wish I can grant.” Salix reached into the large side pocket of his coat and pulled out something that looked to Maggie like a rolled up Venetian blind except it was only about a foot long. He shook it out with a flourish and the slats that made it up clicked together, forming a small one by two foot screen.
”What's that?” she asked, frowning.
”A long-distance portable viewscreen. The latest in Kindred tech.” Salix grinned and then looked pointedly at Kor. ”Might I suggest that you put on some trousers, friend? Maggie's family is waiting eagerly to speak to her and seeing a large naked male hovering in the background might not put them at ease.”
”My family?” Maggie suddenly felt a little sick. ”You mean all of my family?”
”What she means is are you also going to display her precious fiance,” Kor growled, reaching for his black leather trousers.
”I don't know if dear Donald is going to be in attendance or not,” Salix said blandly. ”But in case he is, I'd take a moment to adjust your bed linens, my dear. They appear to be slipping.” He nodded at Maggie's front and she was horrified to see that the bedspread had sagged, revealing one of her nipples.
”Oh my G.o.d-hang on-wait a minute!” She turned around and quickly rearranged the bedspread, wrapping it more securely around herself to resemble a kind of toga. ”All right,” she said at last, turning back. ”I...I think I'm ready.”
Salix c.o.c.ked one black pointed eyebrow at her. ”Are you? Very well.”
He activated some control on the side of the small viewscreen and suddenly Maggie was face to face with her entire family-her mom, dad, both sisters and even her protective older brother, Michael were all staring at her.
”Oh Maggie!” her mother cried at once. ”Oh, honey-is that really you? Are you really all right?” Her eyes were wet with tears, her careful make-up obviously smudged from crying.
”Yes, Mom-it's me and I'm fine.” Maggie felt tears gathering in her own eyes. She might have her differences with her sisters from time to time but she had always been close with her mom. ”I've missed you so much,” she said to the viewscreen.
”I missed you too! Oh, honey-where have you been? And what happened to your gla.s.ses?”
”Forget the gla.s.ses-who's that gorgeous hunk of a man standing behind you?” interjected her little sister Tammy, who was standing beside their mom.
”Yeah, who is he?” Michael was glowering at Kor, who Maggie was afraid was probably glowering right back. ”Is he the guy who kidnapped you?”
”No, no he's not,” Maggie said quickly. ”This is Kor-he saved me, actually. Without him I'd be a slave on some distant planet right now.”
”A slave!” Her mother put a hand to her chest. ”Oh my goodness! Then we owe you a big debt of grat.i.tude, Mr. Kor,” she said, speaking to Kor over Maggie's shoulder. ”Thank you so much for rescuing our little girl and bringing her back to us.”
”You're welcome but I haven't brought her anywhere,” Kor growled. ”Actually, I was planning on keeping her for myself.”
It was the exact wrong thing to say.
”What? What is he talking about?” Maggie's father demanded.
”Listen, you punk,” Michael shouted. ”You lay a hand on my little sister and-”
”No, no,” Maggie exclaimed quickly. ”He's kidding, you guys! Take it easy!” She threw a glance over her shoulder at Kor. ”What are you doing? Why would you say a thing like that?”
He glowered at her. ”Just telling the truth, sweetheart. I think that's important-don't you?”
Maggie bit her lip. ”I-”
”So, shacking up with a hot new guy, huh?” Tammy's voice interrupted her. ”I wonder how Donald is going to feel about that...if he ever wakes up.”
”Hus.h.!.+” Tricia, her older sister, elbowed Tammy in the ribs. ”We agreed we weren't going to say anything about that!”
Maggie felt like an icy fist had squeezed her heart.
”Say anything about what? What are you talking about? What happened to Donald?”
”Now, honey, he's all right,” her mother said quickly. ”At least we think he is. This all just happened a little while ago-we were on our way to the HKR building to talk to you when we got the call. It was all so quick, we didn't know what to think. We went to the hospital to visit him-”
”The hospital?” Maggie was horrified. ”What hospital?”
”Tampa General and he's getting the very best care there, princess,” her father said rea.s.suringly. ”So please don't worry.”
”But what happened to him?” Maggie demanded. ”What? Somebody, please tell me,” she appealed to her family.
”Now, Maggie...” None of them seemed to want to talk-except Tammy who was clearly bursting to tell.
”Spill it, Tammy,” Maggie ordered her little sister. ”Come on, tell me!”
”Donald got flattened by a bus,” Tammy said at once.
”Oh come on now,” Michael protested, frowning. ”He wasn't exactly flattened.”
”He had his leg broken in two places and a fractured skull.” Tammy snapped the piece of gum she was chewing annoyingly. ”I call that flattened.”
”He...how did it happen?” Maggie demanded. ”Was he just not looking where he was going?” It wasn't an impossible scenario. Donald was the original absent minded professor and since he didn't drive, he regularly rode the bus everywhere when she wasn't there to be his personal taxi.
”Dunno.” Tammy shrugged and snapped her gum again. ”It was weird-one of the guys who came into the ER with him saw it. He said Donald's eyes got all gla.s.sy and for a minute he could swear they turned red. Then he just stepped right out in front of the bus. We're still waiting for him to wake up.” She brightened. ”I got a picture, though-you wanna see?”
Maggie felt sick to her stomach but she nodded anyway. ”Yes, show me.”
”Tammy,” her mother protested. ”I don't think you ought to-”