Page 18 of Chosen (The Registry #2)

Chapter

Fourteen

DRAKEN

My sector is full of natural resources that’s sustained our lands for years but one of our most profitable ventures are our fisheries because not only are we able to distribute food throughout our sector, we also make a large profit from exporting our goods to other Sectors.

But the problems were not only in Sector 10 but in my fortress as well. And I had a sneaking suspicion of the source.

Because of all the recent emergencies, I haven’t had a chance to visit Jamie. When I wasn’t consumed by running my Sector, my thoughts are consumed with images of her.

I can’t forget the taste of her sweet lips, the softness of her skin, how delicious her pussy was.

I could lay between her thighs for days and still not get enough.

There was still the matter of the flag on her file. If it was known that she killed a superious I was obligated to see to her execution. I have been looking for loopholes around this however. For now, as my breeder she will remain safe.

I push away from my desk knowing I can no longer concentrate on my work when my thoughts keep returning to her.

Just as I leave my office, I see Johra approach. “My Lord, I’ve compiled a list of all the staff for you and uploaded their files, assignments and any other pertinent information available.”

“Good, I’ll take a look at them later.”

“There’s something else I need to report, My Lord.”

“Can this something wait?”

“It can but you might want to hear this now.”

A low growl rumbles in my throat as my impatience grows. “Speak.”

“You wanted to question Lawreynce when he recovered however that won’t be possible now.”

I narrow my eyes. Did the steward somehow manage to leave the fortress without me finding out? “Why?”

“His condition took a turn for the worst and he died earlier.”

I freeze as shock takes hold of me. I’d dealt him a ferocious blow but the wound shouldn’t have been fatal. “What was the cause of death?”

“The doctors are in the middle of performing an autopsy but the initial report is he suffered from an aneurysm, most likely caused by a blood clot as a direct result of the injury he’d received.”

“When was this?”

“This morning. The physician informed me when I went to check on his status.”

“Why am I just learning about this?”

Johra places his hand over his heart and bows his head. “My apologies My Lord but I just returned from the infirmary and I came to you right away.”

“Did you inspect the body?”

“The physician aides were in the process of disposing the body.”

There was a heavy feeling in my chest. My instinct tells me something isn’t right.

Without another word, I sweep past him and head to the infirmary. As I head to my destination with Johra on my heels, I tap the communicator button on my collar to inform them that I will be arriving shortly but I stop myself.

Johra seems to sense my hesitation. “My Lord, should I call ahead for you?”

“No. That won’t be necessary.”

That uneasy feeling I’d experienced moments before tells me my visit would be best unannounced. And sure enough, as I arrive at the infirmary, I note the wide-eyed shock on the faces of the physicians and their attendants.

Taking up the entire second level of the fortress, the infirmary is modeled like the high tech hospitals for the citizen in my sector with its’ long white hallways and private rooms for the superious patients.

There’s a bay area with several cots for the homo sapien ones, though I’ve been informed that everyone receives the same level of care.

The bay area is at the very front when you walk in to the infirmary and I see several injured servants occupying the cots. Many of them are covered in bruises and one male has a bandage covering his right eye. The bandage is stained with blood leading me to wonder if he had perhaps lost that eye.

These patients are clearly in a sorry state and there is no attendants in the room at the moment.

That’s something I need to further review my right now, concerning the situation with Lawreynce.

I approach the nurses stands where several physicians, their attendants and nurses have lined up with bowed heads.

It’s distressing to realize I don’t recognize half this staff. I’m still going through the records of the hundreds of staff in my employ and some of these faces I have yet to come across.

One of the physicians with a shaved scalp steps forward. “Lord Draken, this is an unexpected honor. Is there an ailment that you need attending?”

“What is your name, physician?” I asked wanting to know whom I was speaking to.”

“I’m Physician Rui, My Lord. I am pleased to be at your service.” Though his words seemed sincere, I detected an undercurrent that made those words a lie.

“Where is the former steward’s room?”

Rui raises his head with a smile on his face that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “The former steward?”

My canine teeth stretch my gums as they lengthen. I attempt to hold on to my temper. While his words are not blatantly disrespectful I could detect his evasiveness.

Johra places his hand on my shoulder. “May I handle this, My Lord?”

I nod, not trusting myself to speak because I realize I’m on the cusp of ripping out Rui’s throat.

Johra moves from behind me and steps directly in front of the physician.

My personal attendant is considered flamboyant by many standards with his unconventional hair color an ostentatious way of dressing, but he possesses the savagery of a concerned animal when crossed.

It was one of the reasons I’d taken him in my employ once I became Sector Leader.

“Lord Draken asked you a question and I believe you know the answer.” His eyes turn a jade green with vertical pupils.

Physician Rui takes a step back. “Former steward? I-I’m not aware of?—”

Before he can get the words out, Johra back hands him with enough force to send him flying to the floor.

Collective gasps from the bystanders lined up, echoes down the hall.

I hold myself back from lifting the physician off the ground and delivering a blow of my own because he was wasting my time. Barely managing to hold myself back, I clench my fists at my sides aching to release the beast. Lately, this urge has been harder to control.

When I was away from the fortress the past week, I had had no problems but now that I’m back, it’s a constant struggle to maintain my beast.

Johra lifts Rui off the ground by the collar and raises him in the air. “You can answer the question, or I can separate your head from your neck.”

“Wait! Please let me explain! We were given orders to not interrupt the procedure,” Rui cries out like the coward I’d figure him to be.

“What procedure?” I demand. “Isn’t Steward Lawreynce already deceased?”

Rui nods frantically. “Yes, but his body is currently being prepared. He’s been taken to the crematorium.”

I furrow my brows trying to make sense of this matter. The only bodies that were usually sent to the crematorium were of homo sapiens who died while serving at the fortress. The body of a superious who met an untimely death was usually shipped to their families for a proper burial.

I’d always thought that everyone deserved to be mourned properly by loved ones but this protocol has always been the way. I knew for a fact that Lawreynce’s family had some pull in the region he hailed from.

“Release him, Johra.”

Johra snarls at the whimpering doctor before dropping him to the floor.

I turn to the group of medical professional watching the scene unfold before them. I scan the faces until I recognize one. An older superious who’s served at the fortress before even my uncle’s time.

“Physician Gwyen.”

The old man shuffles towards me and stops a respectful distance with head bow. “Yes, My Lord?”

“Take me to the crematorium,” I order before turning to the rest of the bystanders. “If any of you warn the head Physician in advance that I’m on my way, I will see that you all personally discovered the head of the crematorium fires for yourselves while you’re still breathing.”

No one says a word, and I don’t wait for a response.

“This way, My Lord.’”

My mind reels as I try to figure out what the hell is going on in the fortress.

When did the staff stop working like a well-oiled machine?

I had noticed the thinly veiled contempt in the eyes of some of the infirmary staff members.

Or was my mind playing tricks on me. Either way, I needed to figure out what was happening around me.

My old insecurities reared their head and I’m taken back to a time when I’m told I’m not good enough to ever be more than guard dog on a leash. I could make people fear me by overwhelming them with brute strength but then I’m no better than the animal they accuse me of being.

The crematorium is on the opposite end of the entrance. We walk down winding halls past private rooms and offices and the operating room until we come to a metallic door with a peep through window in the center.

I place my palm on the heat sensory panel to make the doors open. I step through first to see the Head Physician Dean with two attendants and a male nurse standing over the body in question and speaking in a hushed tone.

“No one will know,” comes the whisper of the unfamiliar physician.

“It’s not right to do this.” Another one replies.

They’re so deep in conversation that they don’t notice they’re no longer alone.

Johra steps forward. “Acknowledge your Sector Leader,” he barks in a command.

They all jump apart signifying their guilt.

“Sector Leader!” Head Physician Dean rushes forward. He’s short in stature for a superious but would be considered average height for a male homo sapien. His dark bushy brows are raised in apparent surprise.

“What are you doing here? You didn’t have to come all the way to the crematorium to see me. I would have come out to greet you properly had I been told. The crematorium is usually off limits to non-medical personnel”