Keri looked at Lewis, her heart in her mouth. She had taken Dani's toy away from her. So Dani, with all the mindless selfishness of the rich and truly spoiled, had simply gone out and gotten herself another. Now Lewis' cousin would suffer because of it...because of her.

"What do you mean, it's your fault?" Alexa asked; her voice rich with curiosity. "Where you involved in the kidnapping?"

"No, but…" Keri sneaked a glance at Lewis. He was staring blankly in her direction; an empty disbelief tinged with rage crawled through the bond. "Danielle lost one subject, so I guess she just went out and got another. She's kind of…stubborn that way." Keri sighed morosely. "So it's my fault she needed someone else."

Lewis shook his head. She could feel him begin to focus. The shock of the news was absorbed, processed, dealt with, and then dismissed. He looked from her to the others, his eyes bright and clear, with no visible sign of his distress. "When was he taken?" he asked.

"From what I understand, the same night that she ambushed our faction's leader in what was supposed to be a meeting to further the cause of peace. That was two weeks ago," Mark responded.

"Two days before we met, Keridwen," Lewis told her. "You cannot take any blame for this."

She slumped against his side. "Thank god. Uh, not that I'm glad he was taken, but…"

Smiling sadly, Lewis interrupted her with a touch of his fingers to her lips. "I know. One less thing you can feel guilty about, hmm? You need to break that habit. You are not responsible for the actions of others."

"It just feels that way sometimes," Keri sighed.

"That, my own, is because you are possessed of a quite impressive ego." His eyebrows rose as she stuck her tongue out at him.

... ...

"Do we know where he is being held?" Lewis asked, purposely including himself and his mate in their group.

Mark's eyebrows rose. He had evidently noticed the calculated inclusion. "No. We are fairly certain he is somewhere in the state, but that is a great deal of territory to cover. Not that we've had much time to cover it." He paused and seemed to consider his next statement carefully. "Did you know Paul Barnes?" he asked. Lewis nodded. "Paul was our leader. Danielle Ashton's men killed him during the ambush. I was fortunate that I was only a tertiary target. That gave me enough time to escape."

"Who was the secondary target? I'm assuming, of course, that Paul was the primary."

"Yes," Mark confirmed. "The secondary target was her operative, Walter Attwood, the sapiens who set up the meeting for us."

Lewis stiffened in surprise. Perhaps he could scratch another enemy from his list?

"Fortunately for Dr. Attwood, he did not fully trust Ms. Ashton. He had a backup who drove up in a second car in the middle of the shoot out and retrieved him. I saw them later; they appeared to have suffered no damage other than that to their vehicles."

"Perhaps that was intentional, to throw you off?"

Mark frowned. "I thought about that…quite a bit, actually. No, there was no deception on Dr. Attwood's part.

"Interesting. The good doctor was very much in Danielle's pocket last I saw him.

Keridwen was looking puzzled. "Walter Attwood?" she asked. "Big man, kinda paunchy, kinda pompous, glasses, late forties?"

"Yes. You know him?" Lewis asked.

"I've met him at functions at my grandfather's house. I don't think he really works for Dani. He's kind of a scientific consultant to the National Security Advisor, gets called in to work specific projects with different Intel groups, but he isn't employed by any one of them."

"Then perhaps he can be trusted," Mark said.

Lewis glowered at him. "Walter Attwood is directly responsible for my incarceration. I will not trust my enemy."

Keridwen poked him in the side. "I think Lewis is directly responsible for Lewis' incarceration, if you don't count Dani, that is." His eyebrows rose. "Well, you did say it was your dismay at failing with Tom that got you caught. Don't you think Walter was just doing his job and protecting his people?"

Lewis sighed and tried to hide his exasperation. She was doing it again. One's mate was supposed to support one, at least in public, in all things. Keridwen seemed determined to do the opposite. The others seemed not at all dismayed, as they should at such a thing. Instead they seemed amused. He was not amused.

Her fingers brushed his set jaw. "Lewis? Don't be angry with me. What did I do? You know; I can't follow the rules if you don't teach them to me. I didn't grow up knowing about all this bonding stuff like you did."

"We will discuss it later," he told her, taking her hand and kissing the palm. She sighed and settled herself back against him. "It's late, my mate and I have had little sleep in the past few days. Perhaps we can discuss the situation further after we've reached your safe house and caught up on some rest."

Mark nodded. "By all means. We need to get an updated report before we plan any action."

... ...

The van bounced as they entered a construction zone on Highway 99. Keri blinked her sleep filled eyes and tried to peer out the front of the van. A sign that said 'Fresno next' followed by more information she didn't catch flashed by. They were almost there, which was a relief. That meant a visit to the bathroom would be possible soon. Even her SCA campout trained iron bladder had its limits. It was one thing to not want to go because relieving yourself in the woods when wearing a multiple-layer medieval gown meant you had to completely undress or risk ruining a horribly expensive outfit, and you needed help to dress and undress. But when you were wearing convenient mundane clothing, you tended to lack the motivation needed to deal with the discomfort of an overly full bladder.

She felt eyes staring at her and looked quickly at the dominants on the other bench. Only Alexa was fully awake, and she was watching her intently. Keri prided herself on being open minded, on liking people until they gave her a good reason not to. But for some reason, she was finding it difficult to like the woman chameleon. Was this jealousy? There was an odd tension between Alexa and Lewis, but Keri didn't think it was sexual. Though with their kind, she might not be able to tell as readily as she did with her fellow Homo sapiens.

Deciding that anyone with a claim on Lewis' past would be enough to make her edgy, Keri dredged up a smile for the other woman. "We almost there?" she asked hopefully. "I could use a trip to the bathroom."

"Yes, it will only be a few minutes now," Alexa informed her as the van swerved onto an exit. She seemed almost as uncomfortable talking as Keri did.

Keri looked at the others, reaching out lightly. They were all asleep. That surprised her. She would have thought that Lewis, at least, would have been more wakeful. Or did he trust this Alexa person that much? Keri frowned and pushed down the speculation. She would ask him later. He wouldn't lie to her about it. Keri fidgeted. Did she really want to know?

Staring out of the small opening again, she caught a glimpse of a street sign. They were turning onto Maroa. A short while later they turned again directly into what appeared to be an unbroken hedge of oleanders. At the last second, you could see that it was actually a driveway that turned suddenly to run almost parallel to the road for a bit. It then swung at a right angle to go straight to a wrought iron gate set in a high brick and wrought iron wall that ran around the property as far as she could see.

They stopped at the gate and waited until it silently swung open so they could continue. A few dozen yards in from the wall sat a rather impressive brick house…it was just a little on the small side to be called a mansion, but Keri thought it could easily take its place in her grandfather's neighborhood if you considered only its elegance.

By this time the others were also awake. The van stopped and the driver and the man who had sat in the front with him got out and opened the rear doors. Alexa jumped down unassisted, followed by Mark and then Lewis. Lewis turned, helped her down and tucked her, as usual, into his left side. Keri smiled. He couldn't be that angry with her, she thought, or he wouldn't have volunteered the closeness. Jeff jumped down last and turned to close the doors.

Alexa stepped in front of them. "Come with me, I'll take you to the bathroom," she offered.

... ...

"Great," Keridwen said, following Alexa down the hall.

Lewis turned to Mark. "When will you next receive a report?"

"Not until after sunrise."

The man studied Lewis so intently that he felt as though he was being…judged. Yes, that was it. Mark must be an arbiter of their people; one of those they brought their differences to for impartial judgment. Interesting that one such as he would not only join, but obviously occupy a position of great responsibility in the coexistence faction.

Mark turned to the faction member who had opened the door for them. "Prepare a room for Lewis and his mate; the one on the end of the north wing of my floor." The man nodded and headed up the broad staircase. "We'll give you a chance to wash up and rest while we obtain suitable clothing for you. For your own safety, please don't leave the room without an escort. I realize our current agenda agrees with yours, but…"

"Understood. I'm sure Keridwen will appreciate your conditional trust." Lewis smiled in a way that assured Mark that he did indeed understand that they were actually under house arrest. "For her safety, I will honor your conditions."

Mark frowned. "Not just for her safety, I would hope. I am taking your word that you are a bonded pair. You will be accorded all the privileges of such unless it should be proven otherwise."

"You have doubts?"

"I have concerns. Were I the only one at risk, I would follow my instinct and accept that the relationship exists. However, I am responsible to and for others. I will not endanger them unnecessarily." He smiled briefly. "Besides which, your having a bond mate does not pull your teeth. You are still a dangerous man, and I do not believe that you have changed your stance on coexistence."

"And why is that?"

"You, above all, have good reason to hate the Homo sapiens-sapiens." Mark held up a hand as Lewis began to comment. "We will go into the why of it after you've rested. If the block is triggered, it may require your being at full strength to survive the result."

Lewis frowned, recalling the last time that he had tried to access the missing memories. "You are probably right. Some rest and a healthy meal are in order."

"We'll have one waiting for you." Mark handed him a notepad and pen. "What would you like?"

Eyes narrowing, Lewis wrote down the menu Keridwen was served when her cousin had been attempting to regain her favor. With any luck, it was her favorite.

... ...

Keri left the bathroom with a sigh of relief. "Okay, where to now?" she asked.

Alexa led her into a small sitting room. "Please, have a seat. I have a few questions for you."

"About what?"

"Your supposed mating bond with Lewis."

"There is nothing supposed about it," Keri snapped.

"Really? Then why are you not exhibiting any of the physical signs of it…except the scar which is not exclusive to the bond."

Keri frowned. "Like what?"

"You've been bonded for at least a week from what I've pieced together. You have not yet conceived…"

"Well, we've been trying not to get me pregnant."

"…and you are not in distress over it. There have been no overt sexual displays, no demands made on your mate. Why is that?"

She could laugh about it now, Keri thought. "You should have seen me about two o'clock yesterday afternoon. I damn near unzipped him in a mini-mart parking lot," she chuckled. "Then when I got him into a bathroom, he ripped a pair of perfectly good leather pants to shreds because he couldn't get them off of me quickly enough."

"You still haven't conceived, so nothing should have changed."

"Um, well, Lewis said that so long as the possibility of conception exists…you know; the semen is still vital in my body, that the imperative is relieved."

"I've never heard that. Not that it matters. It's been more than twelve hours, which is the longest our male's semen remains vital."

Keri's eyebrows rose. "I didn't know that."

"Besides which, you wouldn't be able to tell if it were still vital, you lack the proper senses, so you could not be passing that information subliminally through the bond," Alexa accused.

"Is that how things like that work?" Keri mused.

"Of course. The entire bond is a combination of physiological and empathic interaction. That is why a bond with a sapiens is so unlikely."

"Unless…hmm, unless I'm picking up everything empathically and you know, having a sympathy kind of reaction. Like men whose wives are in labor having sympathy contractions."

Alexa gave her a distinctly odd look.

"Yeah, that's it! Hey, that explains why we're not all over each other, too. Well, sort of."

"How does it do that?" Alexa asked.

"Ah, well…that depends. Um, did Jeff ever tell you about my PSI gifts?"

"Yes. He gave us the report he was given by the breeding program, plus his own insights. Your gifts are quite impressive."

"Thank you. Well, the reason I met Lewis is because Dani wanted me to deep read him and get answers for her. I never gave her any answers, but I did deep read him once." Keri got up, went to the doorway and looked around, then returned to her seat. "Am I wrong in thinking that Lewis had a bond mate before, and children by her?" she whispered.

Alexa froze in place. "I don't know."

"I do," Mark said from the hall.

... ...

"Jesus, don't do that!" Keri gasped.

Mark frowned. "My apologies, Miss…uh, Keri. I did not mean to startle you."

"Sure, no problem, phew."

"Why did you want to know?"

"Huh?" She frowned. "Oh! I guess he did, if you put it like that." She looked a bit saddened. "Was her name Marjorie?"

"Yes. You saw that when you read him?" he asked.

"No, just that he had a duty to his dead mate and children. Lewis had a devastating fever…one of the wounds Dani's torturers gave him was badly infected. He thought I was Marjorie for a minute. Then I guess he realized I couldn't be, touched my hair and said I was so much like her."

"You have a superficial resemblance to her. Same height, your hair is a good deal like hers in texture, and I understand your natural color is a dark red as well. Her eyes were a predominantly green hazel, though. Not brown, ah…gray." He frowned. "You were also wearing contacts?"

"Yes. Horrible things."

Alexa spoke up. "So how does this pertain…"

"Oh, sorry." Keri sighed. "Well, I think that he subconsciously still has his memories, he just can't consciously access them, or even know they exist, right?"

Mark nodded. "Yes, that is how the blocks work."

"Okay, so then he's experienced a bond with another of your people…um a dominant. So, he knows what to expect. And since a lot of it is evidently psychological since I'm picking up needs and such that I'm not physically capable of developing on my own, he is getting what he expects," she concluded triumphantly.

"What?" Alexa asked.

Keri sighed. "Okay, we had a cycle going with the need thing; the imperative designed to get the female pregnant as soon as possible. He physically felt it, sent it to me through the bond, and between that and my falling in love with him, that need just looped back and forth and made it seem like I was physically experiencing the imperative too."

"Okay…" Alexa agreed tentatively.

Mark sat down.

"So, we satisfied the need, at least for the moment, at about two yesterday afternoon. Lewis, who's been in a bond before expected relief from the imperative for about twelve hours. Since he was expecting it, he got it…the psychological factor kicked in."

"But why hasn't the imperative returned now that the twelve hours have passed?" Mark asked.

"Because I didn't know there was a twelve hour limit on the relief until Alexa just filled me in on a bit of dominant biology. He is expecting the imperative to be kicked in by my physiological or psychological response to the fact that I no longer sense vital sperm inside me. But guess what? I never did or could sense that, and since I have no physiological reaction to the imperative, and I didn't know there was a time limit so there has been no psychological reaction, no signal is being sent to him."

"Mark, do you think…?" Alexa asked.

He nodded. "That makes sense."

"So their bond…"

"Is a reality."

"Told you so," Keri sniffed.

Keri closed the suite's door behind her and looked for Lewis. The shower was running. She laid down the clothing that one of Mark's people had brought to her on the chaise lounge that sat in one corner of the sitting room and walked into the bedroom.

The bed, she decided, might be a problem. While a queen size mattress was plenty big enough for two people, she didn't think that it was big enough for two people that really needed to avoid any contact that could be construed as sexual. Not that she wanted to avoid it. What she wanted to avoid was the inevitable pregnancy. Mark had assured her that she was at the height of fertility at the moment, but had refused to provide them with separate beds or rooms. That, he had told her, would be direct interference with their bond and Lewis would be well within his rights to kill him for it.

She smiled as Lewis left the bathroom, stark naked. "Leave me any hot water?" she teased.

"Of course. And several dry towels."

"Wonderful. I wonder how much of this stuff will wash out?" she mused, fingering her dyed curls.

"Not enough," he chuckled. "This will need to be cut out." He moved to peer into the ornate mirror that overlooked an antique dresser. "What would you think of a military haircut?"

"Hmm. It would probably look good on you. Though you probably have a better body than most military men your age…well, considering most of them aren't in a war situation."

His left eyebrow rose. "Only probably?"

Keri had to laugh. "Well, it's not like I go around looking at naked military men to compare you with."

The other eyebrow rose. "I would hope not. You have a mate, you need no other."

"I want no other." Her eyes widened as he moved towards her. "Ah, but I can't have even that one at the moment, remember? Can't get pregnant this cycle…too dangerous."

He stopped and sighed. "Yes. Fortunately the imperative hasn't kicked back in yet. We'll have to watch out for that."

Keri smiled and dashed into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She was going to have to avoid discussing the imperative. Holding it off required his belief that he shouldn't be feeling it.

ELSEWHERE

Tom frowned as he paced the length of the cell, working his muscle groups using isometrics. Another day of humiliating testing, with no opportunity for escape. And his worries for Sloan…and Ed had not abated. David had not been able to get any more information, though from conversations the doctor had overheard he was able to assure him that they were not in custody.

He turned as the locking mechanism in the door clicked. Another four hours had passed. This time the guard should be changing as well, ah, yes. The door guard entered, escorted by the continuing shift of monitor room guards. They silently inspected the premises and left.

By his time sense another half-hour had passed when the outer door opened again. A man entered, carrying a computerized notepad and a satchel. "Please come to the bars so that I can attach monitoring equipment," he ordered, however politely.

Tom sighed. The monitor room guards were standing by with specialized tranquilizer dart guns. He moved to the bars without protest. The man pointed at his arms, so he put them through the bars to allow him to place chunky looking bands around his wrists.

After fastening them, the man touched Tom's right hand lightly. Tom sucked in a shallow breath in surprise. He was a dominant, and he was masking!

Once the armed guards had left, the other dominant settled down in what Tom had come to think of as 'David's chair', and began asking a series of innocuous questions. Tom answered a few before becoming annoyed enough to interrupt. "They already know the answers to these questions, why are you asking them again?"

"The monitors on your wrists are a new type of lie detector that was developed for use on dominants," he was told. "We need to ask questions to which we know the answers in order to calibrate it properly."

"Don't you need incorrect answers to do that?"

The man smiled. "Yes, we will be getting to those in a moment."

Tom frowned and settled down on the floor, studying the other dominant as he continued to answer the questions. He looked vaguely familiar, but so many of their chameleons did…that was it. He was in the chameleon program…his name was…Robert. Wait, he had been in the program but had been reported KIA over a year ago. Another clone? Tom shook his head. No, not likely. Besides which, Robert's body had not been recovered. The cause of death was a car bomb that had gone off prematurely. Was he a collaborator with the sapiens? Also not likely, Tom concluded, or he would have openly revealed himself. Perhaps a chameleon Lewis had sent into deep cover, faking his death so that no one could reveal him? Tom shivered. That was quite possible.

Robert instructed him to answer his remaining questions incorrectly. Some of them dealt with obvious facts, such as his hair color, eye color, height. Then came a surprise question.

"Do you know of any plans to assist you in escaping this facility?" Robert asked.

"Yes," Tom answered, not certain that he wanted it to be the truth.

The story continues in "Reclamation"