It was almost impossible for Kor'ven to stay away from his mate.

Even without that biological drive, he found himself wanting to go to her; to be by her side. He wanted to protect her and comfort her and ease her mind through this ordeal. He was her mate, and it was his job, above anything else, to take care of her.

But… he was not her mate, and he reminded himself of that every time he started walking toward her room. He was not her mate. She had the choice, and she had not picked him. She cast him aside, knowing full well what would happen if she made that decision. She did not want him. She certainly did not love him. Going to her now, satisfying this unfulfilled urge, would bring him nothing but heartache when it felt as if his heart had already been ripped in two.

And yet as much as he told himself those things, as much as the logical scientist within him knew he had to face the facts, he also knew that his own feelings had not changed. She was not his mate anymore, but Kor'ven felt a connection with her that he had never felt with another female, not in his long, full life. He loved her. His soul belonged to her, and the fact that she did not want it did nothing to change that.

He worried over becoming some hapless fool, though, and so he did force himself to stay away. He conversed with Teiv and made a plan for speaking with the Pathfinder, though without Adi'sun, he could not summon the confidence to believe that talk would make any difference whatsoever.

He kept himself busy, aiding the Waystation in her stead. Soon he would be sent back to Selene and it would be easier, but he managed to find enough things to do to keep from going to her during the working hours.

It was far harder at night, though, once most of Helios' workers left for the day. Nearly everything that had happened between he and Adi'sun had happened after sundown, and it was impossible not to think of those things.

Some part of him believed he could go to her room, kiss her and touch her and convince her that they were still good together. That she needed him as much as he needed her. His body ached for her nearly as much as his heart did, and he was weak. Without anything to distract him, he found himself walking toward her room.

And this time, he did not turn around.

As he approached her room, Kor'ven felt an odd sense of unease. He thought it was only nerves, but every step he took made his stomach roil. Pushing through it, Kor'ven reached her door and knocked lightly, not wanting to simply barge in.

When she did not answer, he began to think of that moment when he found her on the floor of her bedroom. He had felt her then, felt something was wrong with her. He could not feel her now--not since she had altered her implant--but something inside of him just seemed to know that all was not well.

The fact that she was not in her bed was not immediate cause for panic, but when he checked the bathroom and did not find her, he began to feel it building within him. Racing down the hall, he looked for her in her office and her lab--the only two places he knew she might sneak off to once no one was looking--and he could not find her there, either.

He was half in a frenzy by the time he made it back to her room. His chest rose and fell with rapid breaths, his tail slashed at the air, and he could scarcely concentrate on anything other than his growing sense of panic, and the feeling that he had failed his female.

Perhaps that was why it took him several minutes to utilize his keen senses. Perhaps that was why the stench of chemicals did not immediately throw him. But once the acrid smell entered his nose, he knew what it was: a chemical compound humans called chloroform, meant to render someone unconscious with little physical exertion.

Anger roared through Kor'ven as his mind followed the only logical path. Someone had taken her. Someone had taken his mate, and he was going to get her back or die trying.

Shedding his lab coat, Kor'ven sprinted to the security office and grabbed the first weapon he could find--a bo staff. He was no warrior, but if someone had hurt his Adi'sun, he would break every bone in their body.

He made it out of Helios before he realized a devastating truth: he had no idea where to find her.

When a mated Karuvar--or a mated human--was in danger, their mate could sense it; could sense them. He could find them and give his life to save them. But Kor'ven was no longer mated, and he could not feel Adi'sun. He had no idea where she might have been taken.

He let out a frustrated yell, slamming his newly acquired staff into a waste bin just outside the entrance to Waystation Helios. It toppled, and he scented that same harsh smell of chloroform again.

Kor'ven's eyes widened and he turned to rifle through the trash, finding the cloth that was still soaked in the chemicals. He was a scientist. A master of processing fact and logic and piecing together a solution from what was before him. Perhaps he didn't need a spiritual connection after all.

* * *

A combination of smells--the chloroform, and that stardust scent he recognized as belonging to Adi'sun--led him past the intake hub and into the street. From there, he saw the recent tracks of a set of tires skidding over the pavement, and he followed the much fainter scents through Everton.

They all but disappeared near The Pit, but Kor'ven's instincts told him he was still going in the right direction. He followed the dirt path to the old building and crouched down near a window, his ears twitching as he tried to pick up even the faintest sound.

He did not have to try very hard. He heard Adi'sun's voice and his heart soared. She was alive. Thank the Stars, she was alive.

But as he listened, her voice wavered. She spoke with bravado, yet he could hear the fear behind her words. Who was she speaking to? Had someone made her an ultimatum?

Kor'ven gripped his bo staff, that rage from earlier simmering within him. He had to approach this in an intelligent way. He had to devise a strategy. It was the best possible thing for Adi'sun, and he--

"Then… I guess I'll just have to kill you."

A savage roar ripped through Kor'ven's throat, and any thought of strategy was immediately abandoned as he threw himself through the window. Glass shattered around him, his arms and legs were sliced open and banged against the too-narrow surface, but he landed inside, knee and hands bracing him.

He did not think, he simply acted. Grabbing the staff, he charged the human who stood before his mate. The man reached for some metal object within his jacket--a firearm, Kor'ven realized--but Kor'ven brought the staff down hard on his arm, knocking the weapon free.

The man hissed, but rather than attempt to fight him unarmed, he put two fingers in his mouth and whistled.

"Kor'ven!" Adi'sun's voice was all the encouragement he needed, and he jabbed the staff toward the human as if it were a spear.

No one would harm his mate. No one would even threaten her. Not while he still drew breath.

The human dodged, though, and Kor'ven's lack of training was exposed. He was not as agile, not as quick to recover. The human threw his elbow into Kor'ven's back and he gasped and doubled over.

"Well this is a little unexpected, but I'll take it," the human said.

He had the upper-hand, and yet he did not take it. He… retreated, an action which put Kor'ven on guard. He watched the human flee through the door, and some savage part of him was tempted to follow and make him pay.

But his mate needed him more.

"Untie me," she said, looking up at him with those beautiful blue eyes he had already begun to miss seeing.

Moving behind her, Kor'ven made quick work of the rope binding her wrists. He growled when he saw the angry red marks in her skin, but he moved to untie her ankles before he could work himself into a rage once more.

"I was wrong," she breathed, reaching out for him. She touched him as though she was grateful just to have the chance again. "I was so wrong."

Kor'ven paused just long enough to look at her, but that moment was evidently far too long. Before he even realized what was happening, he heard a loud sound and then felt a sudden force, combined with a blinding pain in his shoulder.

"No!"

He turned to see three more men rushing into the room, one of them with a firearm drawn, the other two wielding swords. Kor'ven's wound burned, but it was nothing compared to the anger that drove him to his feet.

They would not harm his mate. Not while he still lived.

Bo staff forgotten, Kor'ven surged toward the man with the firearm. He used his size to his advantage, ramming into him and throwing him down. Metal sang as one of the others slashed at him, but the blade skidded off the scale plates on his shoulder and he grabbed the human by his collar, throwing him into the wall with a strength he did not even know he possessed.

No one would hurt his Adi'sun. No one.

He turned to face the last man, only to be struck by the pommel of a blade. One swift, hard punch to the stomach that tore the breath from his lungs. The human took advantage of that opportunity, raising the sword to strike.

But before he could follow through, there was another loud sound. The man cried out in pain, holding his side as he dropped to the floor.

Kor'ven did not understand, but when he turned to face Adi'sun, she was standing in the center of the room, her trembling hands holding one of the firearms.

She looked at him with wide eyes, quite obviously in shock. The weapon dropped from her still-shaking hands, and Kor'ven crossed the room to reach her, drawing her into his arms.

"You are safe now," he said, stroking her hair. "You are safe."

Her small body was wracked with emotion, and Kor'ven would have gladly held her all night if she allowed it. But she pulled back after mere moments, her gaze focused and serious, despite her fear.

"We have to get out of here," she said, and she reached for his hand, pulling him back toward the window.