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We all stiffened and stared at him in disbelief.
“What makes you say that?” I asked, flabbergasted.
“The photos Dawn had managed to take of the corpse she found showed different types of puncture wounds,” Orin explained. “Some were clearly the exit wounds of the larvae carving their way out. But there were much smaller ones around main arteries that matched the puncture of a needle. And on both the nape and the crook of both elbows, more wounds indicated there had likely been some form of catheter port inserted there.”
“They injected them with some substance?” I asked, taken aback.
“No. I strongly doubt it. I’m convinced they drained them of something,” Orin said with a somber expression. “Once again, Dawn’s samples helped. They revealed excessive levels of endorphins, adrenaline, and cortisol. It made sense that their bodies would produce large amounts of these hormones in response to the excruciating pain and terror they were enduring. But the scans she performed also revealed an abnormally swollen pineal gland. It was almost like they’d gone into Berserker mode.”
“That’s impossible. None of them had that ability,” Dawn exclaimed, confused.
“You are correct,” Orin said with a nod. “There are only two hybrids known to have the Berserker ability, and they are Anton Aldriss and his son Gavin. In the case of these victims, they didn’t have the naturally oversized pineal gland of a Berserker. Their gland was inflamed and bruised, as if it had been battered. I do not believe the hybrids are being hunted by haters. I’m convinced they’re being used as part of an experiment for some fluid they produce.”
“This sounds like what Mercy’s brother did to the Xelixians,” I said with a frown. “But it doesn’t make sense. Xelixians possess two venoms, one of which can be turned into a highly potent and addictive drug. Varrek had kidnapped hundreds of Xelixian males and was keeping them in stasis in a factory, while milking their venom glands. But Braxians have no such traits.”
“I’m as baffled on this as you are, Keran,” Orin said dejectedly.
“If you are correct, and we have no reason to doubt it,” Tagar said, “then these are not the actions of Braxians.”
I nodded pensively. “This has Guldans written all over it. But what’s driving it? Greed or politics?”
“It is too early to say,” Baldur said grimly. “Jardan Korey has too successful a business to jeopardize it with this venture so totally unrelated to his area of expertise. So who else could it be?”
“The second group of headhunters Jaek mentioned earlier,” Dawn said.
“Who?” Baldur asked, confused.
“My thought exactly,” I told Dawn before turning to my captain.
I quickly apprised them of what Jaek had revealed.
“This could be it!” Baldur said, perking up.
“It could be,” I concurred. “We need to go see Jardan at once. If he is as clean as both your reports state, he won’t be too pleased to find out some competitor is trying to poach his candidates and murdering them.”
“Hopefully he can give us a new lead,” Dawn said.
“Agreed. Great work, everyone. Keep digging to see what else you can find. We’ll let you know how things go with Jardan,” I said while rising from my chair.
We ended the meeting and carried the empty dishes back to the kitchen—yes, we had devoured everything. Heart full of hope, I instinctively took Dawn’s hand to lead her to our shuttle. Shock coursed through me when I realized what I’d done. I’d never been the romantic type, let alone into public displays of affection. Dawn and I weren’t even remotely involved.
I felt her stiffen at the unexpectedly familiar gesture. To my surprise, she didn’t try to pull away from my grasp. For a split second, I considered releasing her with some apology then decided against it. Seconds later, her dainty fingers closed around mine.
I smiled.
Chapter 10
Dawn
The oddest sense of loss filled me as I attached my safety belt inside the shuttle. The feel of Keran’s strong and warm hand lingered on my skin. He hadn’t planned on holding my hand like that. His shock had been as genuine as my own. What did it mean?
Don’t go imagining things that aren’t there.
Keran was undeniably drawn to me, but I believed he wanted nothing more than a fling while passing through here. That he’d involuntarily reached for me hinted that he liked me more than he intended.
Is that a good or a bad thing?
I immediately chastised myself for these thoughts. This tendency to overthink and overcomplicate things had always been the bane of my existence. Like he said, we were both unattached adults, and we wanted each other. Life had been so stingy with happy moments, I’d grown to instinctively shy away from the few potential ones it actually placed in my path. It was time for me to just seize the day and enjoy what I could before it slipped out of my grasp.
