Chapter 22 Two Can Play This Game, Rafe
TWO CAN PLAY THIS GAME, RAFE
The message from Lorian glows on my private terminal:
It’s time to meet our new receptionist. Schedule the formal introduction before High Table tomorrow. I’ll shift the corridors to green in the afternoon.
I stare at the words and turn my silver ring.
I don’t reply. Instead, I access the Starlight Array’s feed. The network responds instantly, and Eve's quarters appear on my screen.
It’s the Fifth Chime, and she’s awake. This isn’t right. I check her vitals. Her heart rate is up, and her stress levels are elevated. There’s no question that something or someone frightened her.
I scan for security breaches and environmental malfunctions. Nothing. Her quarters are locked down tight and functioning normally.
Scanning back through her feed, I study the monitor readings from the last hour. Her REM sleep was disturbed, and she’s aroused, but the Venus Lock keeps her wanting. Needing. Forever on the edge of pleasure that won't come without our permission.
My brother's fingerprints are all over this.
“Damn you, Lorian.”
I access the Spire's automated services, scrolling through available options. She needs relief, something to quiet the storm Lorian has stirred in her mind.
Then I see it. The neural sleep inducer that I have in my private vault, a prototype from Reima Two's medical research division.
Crystalline technology that regulates brainwaves, promotes natural sleep cycles, and, most importantly, creates a barrier against the kinds of dream manipulation systems my brother is fond of.
Because it’s the Fifth Chime, it’s easier if I retrieve the crystal myself, plus that, I need the walk to clear my head.
I leave my rooms and cross the hotel to my private vault underneath the Grand Lobby.
The hotel is quiet; only a few guards and the night manager are on duty.
All bow to me as I pass. After I retrieve the device, I return to my rooms and write a quick note to go with the sleep inducer, but I have to think about it for a minute.
Too formal and she'll be suspicious. Too personal and she'll read meaning into it. I settle on something practical: