Free Laura Jo Phillips by The Katres' Summer: Book 3 of the Soul-Linked Saga

first time either woman had seen real food since their captivity.  While it was true that Summer’s Keepers had fed her, what she had eaten day after day was a watery gruel-like mixture.  It had no substance, no texture and no taste, but was clearly full of vitamins and nutrients or she would not be so healthy.  She had no idea what Lio had fed Darleen but whatever it was, it had not been nearly enough.  Both women had a difficult time restraining themselves from grabbing at the food and gulping it down.  As it was, Summer was glad that Darleen was the only one who was there to witness her eating this first meal.
    As much as they wanted to devour every morsel on the tray, neither of them could do it.  They were too full to eat another bite in no time at all, a result of having too little food for too long.  When they were finished, Summer prepared a plate for Lio consisting of a sandwich and a bowl of the soup.  She carried it over to him, and, using her mind only, ordered the Controller to make him sit on the floor.  She placed the dishes on the floor in front of him, then ordered him to eat the food and not to spill any of it.  When she was certain he was following her silent instructions, she returned to her seat at the table.
    Darleen was glaring balefully at Lio’s back, and Summer didn’t blame her, but she could not treat Lio as Lio had treated Darleen.  What Lio had done to Darleen was both inhuman and inhumane.  He might not deserve to be treated better than he had treated Darleen, but Summer could not, would not, lower herself that far for any reason.
    “Lio said that there is a deionization tool in his desk at the office that will cause the silver coating on you to simply fall off,” Summer said.  She had Darleen’s instant attention, as she had hoped.
    “Is there a way to do it without the tool?” she asked. 
    Good question, Summer thought.  She silently sent the question to the Controller in Lio’s brain. 
    “I believe that there is another way to effect deionization without the tool,” Lio said.  “But I do not know what it is.”
    “We will just have to find a doctor to ask, or a scientist,” Summer said. 
    “Yes, I suppose so,” Darleen replied softly. 
    “He also told me how to get to the slave compound from Badia, via ground-car,” Summer said.  “Unfortunately he does not know the coordinates, we are no longer in Badia, and we don’t have a ground-car.”
    “The Katres promised to help,” Darleen pointed out, her voice very low as though she were almost afraid to speak.  Summer realized that Darleen had been very subdued ever since they had entered the house.
    “What is it Darleen?” she asked quietly. 
    Darleen dropped her eyes to her lap.  “I don’t want to tell you this, but you are going to hear it soon anyway, and I think it would be better if I told you myself.”
    “Okay,” Summer said, keeping her voice gentle as she watched the other woman carefully.  She was so thin, and so weak in spite of the hot food.  Summer did not want her to over stress herself.
    “I did a very bad thing, Summer,” Darleen said.  “I hurt three women simply because I was angry at one of them, and one of those three women was Saige Lobo.”  Darleen shook her head slightly.  “Yet, here I sit in her home, wearing her clothes and eating her food.”
    Summer wasn’t sure what to say.  She didn’t know what Darleen had done in the past, or what kind of person she had been.  She only knew this Darleen, and she had only known her for a couple of hours.  A couple of hours in which Darleen had helped her to disable Lio, injected him with the Controller, and agreed to follow her lead without question in a mission to release their fellow captives, even though she knew nothing about Summer at all.  Summer would return that loyalty.  They had not known each other very long, but in the short time since they’d met, they had formed a strong bond.  In all of this world,