Shadow Revealed (The Enlightened Species Book Two) Read Online Free PDF

elation.” Pulling the hood off the limp form, Irsu looked at the filthy face. “I think she was joyous to be dying.”
    Barry and Gord began pulling the Morsdente away from the female. “She will need blood, Chief. There is some in an insulated container along with an IV kit.” Gord offered, pointing with his chin in the general direction of the bag he’d discarded on the ground.
    Tossing the hood aside with disgust, Irsu withdrew the items. She prepared two IVs and, using her fatigues, wiped away the dirt that clung to the female’s arms so she could locate a vein. Irsu inserted an IV of blood in one arm and an empty collection bag in the other, eliminating the risk of giving the slave too much iron and potentially poisoning her. They’d recently learned that an iron-rich Hulven would release excess iron if a secondary vein were tapped to drain. By using both an in-flow of blood and an empty catch IV, Irsu would be able to tell when an iron-rich Hulven had reached the maximum iron limit. Satisfied she was doing everything possible for the female, Irsu leaned back on her heels, replaying the sound of the female’s final scream echoing in her mind.
    “Here, I found these in the Morsdente’s pocket.” Gord handed her a set of keys. “The beast is secured.” Gord, a Tellus male, paused over the heavy hood that Irsu had removed from the slave and discarded on the ground. “I should have used that hood on the animal.” Oblivious to the smell and the dirt on the female, Gord swept a chunk of the female’s matted hair from her face. Hissing, he drew his hand back. Drops of blood beaded up from the points where his finger had been punctured by the tiny fish bones tucked into the female’s dread-locked naps. Carefully he lifted the lock of the female’s hair for a closer look; it was a weapon of sorts. A defense against getting her hair pulled. Gord shook his head with an appreciating grin. “The ingenuity of females will never cease to amaze me.”
    That observation from one of the most dangerous males Irsu had ever known caused her to take a new view of the slave. From the bone-mined hair, to the caked dirt that coated the female, to the combination of scents clinging to her, it was clear that there were older, underlying smells of animal and vegetative decomposition and/or excrement beneath the stronger, more recent smells of the same concoctions. Focusing, Irsu was able to separate the different aromatic nuances. What first appeared to be a simple result of neglect was in fact a well thought out defense strategy on the part of the slave to avoid attention and attraction from her master. “I thought we were going to observe?” Gord said as he handed the empty dart to her.
    She noticed that Barry had resumed his position in the tree, switching to a live-round sniper rifle. “Our orders were to save the victim, not watch him kill her. I wasn’t taking any chances,” Irsu replied. “I just called Vince. We need the tracker implanted and the wound healed before that monster wakes up. You’re on assist.” With a single nod, Gord trotted off to help the medic gather surgical supplies.
    “Any sign of ambush?” She used a pulse of energy to bridge the members of her unit telepathically. The Volaticus members, like her, didn’t need the pulse. They are naturally telepathic. The bridge was for the Aquaties and Tellus members who could only psychically communicate through bridges supplied by her or one of the other Volaticus.
    She heard each check in using “ clear ” as she mentally accounted for her full unit before releasing the bridge. Fury consumed her as she snatched the lead hood from the ground and marched over to the secured Morsdente. Gord’s voiced idea paramount in her mind, Irsu placed the slave’s hood over the Morsdente’s head, then punched him in the same way she’d watched the creature strike the female. Taking small satisfaction when its head rocked, she wished it weren’t drugged and