Kirev's Door Read Online Free PDF

“We all are faced with this from time to time. You have to keep the end goal in mind…”
    “Well someone else can think of the good of the race with some rancid fucker’s cock in their mouth,” Kirev growled. “I’m telling you…you assign me like this again, and I’m castrating whoever you put me with…even if it jeopardizes the mission.” Biting his lip, he shook his head, once. “I’m not doing it again, Wreg. I mean it.”
    Wreg’s dark eyes stilled, aiming a colder scrutiny as they took in Kirev’s face. Kirev had no doubt the older seer was scanning him for real that time. Whatever he’d seen, it caused Wreg to soften, not the reverse.
    The irritation on Wreg’s high-cheekboned face faded.
    “I see,” he said, noncommittal. “We’ll talk about it when we get back, brother.” His voice grew warning. “For now, do your fucking job. And in the future, don’t bring up the next op until you’re sure you’ve survived the one you’re in…”
    Kirev didn’t answer. Even so, he felt the muscles in his shoulders relax.
    He heard the empathy in the other’s voice, even through the collar. Truthfully, it was enough to calm him down. For now, at least.
    “Understood,” he said. “Apologies, brother.”
    Wreg stepped closer, rubbing his shoulder reassuringly with a muscular hand.
    “Relax, little brother,” he told him, his voice as lulling as his hand. “You have done good work here…especially for a new recruit…especially for one so young. The boss is most pleased…your sacrifices won’t be forgotten, believe me.” Still massaging his arm and shoulder, using his light enough that Kirev felt his body respond, Wreg leaned closer, giving Kirev an affectionate kiss on the cheek. “You’ll get your revenge, brother…don’t worry. I’ll make sure of it. And I’ll make sure you have a good seat when it happens.”
    Kirev forced a smile. “Not too good, I hope,” he joked stiffly.
    Wreg grunted, his teeth flashing white again in the dim light.
    “Not too good,” he agreed, chuckling. “But good enough to flip that raping fuck off on his way to meet his Ancestors, if the urge strikes you…”
    Kirev nodded, feeling himself relax still more.
    He knew he was being handled to a degree, but that didn’t bother him, either. Handling him was Wreg’s job. Using his light to do it was just a seer’s way.
    For the same reason, he just nodded when Wreg gave him the final instructions, including telling him to wait a few minutes before leaving the room behind him.
    Standing by the window and the view to the lit up baths and hotel, Kirev watched silently as the suit-wearing seer gave him a last smile before he turned, moving with that odd grace of his for the door out of the room.
    Then Kirev just stood there, counting out time until he could rejoin the rest of the party.
    All he wanted now was to finish this thing.

4
    THE HOST

    BY THE TIME Kirev found an opportunity to push Dan, he noticed guests leaving here and there. Dinner had finished over an hour earlier, but Kirev still felt surprised at the sudden-seeming departures; he wondered why more didn’t stay to drink. When he glanced at the bar however, he realized that a core group of humans had stayed. All of them appeared to be male and most roughly the same age, wearing suits of a similar cut.
    Only one looked significantly younger than the rest, the same male human Kirev had witnessed before, holding his sister’s leash.
    Watching the female seer lean against the bar with one arm, forced up against the body of the blonde human when he gripped that leash tighter, Kirev fought with a low flicker of nausea as he saw the human casually rubbing her behind, and in full view of the room. It occurred to him again that most of the human females had left by then.
    So this was the human male’s domain, he found himself thinking. Different rules.
    He hoped like hell that bastard wouldn’t survive this, either.
    “Do you really wish to meet our