Sanctuary Falling by Pamela Foland Read Free Book Online

for immediate assistance. She tucked her pad into the appropriate pocket of her pack and pawed through it briefly. Then she started back towards her dorm room.
    “I can’t believe I forgot my teddy!” She mumbled out loud, quickening her steps.
      Yllera could feel the men spoiling for attack, and all too willing to go after her if she seemed prepared to remain for long as an unwanted witness to whatever they had planned. They were definitely dark.   Her lips flashed a half-frustrated smile at the slightly perturbed dark operatives and, Yllera focused on projecting hurried thoughts of running late, bad luck, and a waiting cab.   She had barely entered her hallway proper when she heard hurried footsteps behind her. Yllera shifted the textbooks again and prepared her good arm for flinging them.
    “Lera, wait up! You weren’t going to leave without saying goodbye, were you?” Yllera spun, shocked to hear Max’s voice again. She felt a twinge of fear that perhaps he was a dark operative after all, but his smile melted her fear in an instant. This time his suit was gone and he wore the tattered jeans and t-shirt of a college student. He jogged down the hall and caught up with her just a few steps from her door.
    Yllera felt the dark operatives bristling behind her, “No, I was going to stop by. I just forgot teddy, and I’m already running late. Someone is going to steal my cab!”
    “Then I’ll steal you someone else’s. Just so long as I get my goodbye!” Max bent forward and planted his lips on hers. Yllera threw herself into the kiss, surprised by how much of her enjoyed it. Then she heard his silent voice in her head, “I thought we’d already had this discussion!”
    “Sorry, I was on my way out. It’s not like I looked for this. Are you armed? If not my books make good projectiles,” Yllera answered him silently. Behind her, she felt the pressure of three dark minds to go find a room for copulation.
    Max straightened up flashed a strange smile at her then took her books, “These are just too heavy for a lady.”  
    Yllera watched as he adjusted his grip on them for a moment, before all flew out of his arms at once slamming into the heads of   the three dark operatives from at least two directions. The assault was enough to knock all but one of the men completely unconscious, the third slid dazedly to the floor along the wall. Max sprang on that one, grabbing him by the collar.
    “What do you think you were doing?” Max asked the slowly recovering man, “Your boss didn’t think he was going to get away with killing Nobel laureates on my watch, did he?” When the man didn’t respond, Max pulled out three marbles and threw one at each man. On contact the marbles expanded and swallowed the men whole before shrinking back to marble size with their captives. “I hope you don’t mind Ms. Vllett, if I take credit for the collar. After all, this is strictly speaking my jurisdiction.”   Max picked up the marbles and turned to Yllera.
    “No, I guess not. It’s not like it’ll make much difference. I’ve been recalled to Sanctuary,” Yllera answered. On one level she was pessimistically analyzing her chances of reinstatement. On another level she was wishing she were permitted to carry containment fields like his. On a third, completely personal level she was wishing she could go back to the kiss and make it last just a few seconds longer.
    “Really, why?” Max asked, sounding half relieved, and half frustrated.
    “I think it’s the thing with the kidnappings,” Yllera blushed. Behind her the elevator door sprang open and Erica rushed out of it, with a stun pistol in hand. Yllera’s blush deepened as she faced her mentor. “It’s okay, we have matters in hand.”
    “What was the emergency?” Erica asked tucking the pistol back into her purse.
    Yllera started to answer but Max beat her to it, “Three dark operatives were just about to permanently eliminate three future Nobel laureates