Men of Anderas II: Dak the Protector (10 page)

"So soft," he murmured as his fingertips
drew erotic patterns across her skin. Careful to keep his touch
light, Dak leaned forward and nuzzled the tender flesh from waist
to neck before pulling back and smoothing her tunic into place.

"Whatever you're cooking smells good. I'll
be ready in just a minute.” Dak tossed the scrap of damp cloth
across a bush to dry and turned to face Kierin. In another place,
another time, the man Dak was--before Safe Haven, before the
influence of the stone around his neck--would never leave a woman
in her condition. Even in the failing light of sunset he could see
her confusion. Arousal brightened her eyes and heightened the color
in her cheeks. Her ragged breathing threatened to turn to tears of
frustration and knowing he was the cause of her distress sickened
him. It shouldn't have to be like this.

Dak hardened his heart and ruthlessly
swallowed the apology that threatened to explode from his lips.
It's your ticket home. Remember that
. Muttering under his
breath, Dak headed for the pool of hot water. By the time he'd
washed away the smell of horses and sweat, Kierin had their dinner
served.

Darkness brought an increased sense of
intimacy to the camp. Nothing existed outside the glow from the
fire pit except the call of night birds and the occasional sounds
of foraging animals in the woods behind them. With their meal
complete and the camp cleared of all the remains that might attract
wild animals, Kierin was at a loss for something to do. She'd
already made a trip as far into the trees as she dared go, to take
care of her personal needs. Unable to deal with Dak's watchful
silence or her daydreams, Kierin decided to take refuge in sleep
and prayed her dreams would be less disturbing in the dark.

"It's been a long day. I think I'll …
Dak!"

Dak pulled Kierin across the fire and under
him as the laser gun blast exploded the top of the trees behind
them, sending a shower of leaves, branches and rock-hard rubble
raining down.

Covering her mouth with his hand, Dak
whispered into her ear. "Don't move and don't make a sound."

When she nodded her understanding, he eased
to the side. Scooting on his belly, Dak worked his way around the
fire until he reached the water bag. Grabbing the small knife from
beside the stack of clean dishes, Dak slit the water bag. The rush
of water extinguished the fire instantly and gave them a thick
cover of smoke.

Crawling back to where Kierin waited
motionless on the ground, he circled her waist with his arm. "Stay
low and try to make as little noise as possible. We've got to get
to the cover of the thorn bushes before his eyes adjust to the
darkness."

Dak pulled Kierin along the ground, inching
their way toward the meager protection of the petrified trees.
Some bodyguard you turned out to be.
If he'd been thinking
about something--anything--except Kierin, he would have heard the
sniper approach. He prayed there was only one but his gut instinct
told him there were several.

The night sky suddenly exploded with the
blasts of a dozen or more laser guns. Glowing yellow beams crossed
and crisscrossed each other around the clearing. The tethered
horses didn't stand a chance and in seconds their frightened
screams ended as suddenly as this attack began.

Damn, he hated it when his gut was right. It
was just a matter of time before their attackers spotted them
scooting toward the trees.

"Hurry, Kierin," Dak urged. "They're firing
in all directions to light up the area. When they locate us, this
will get ugly real fast."

Dak pushed Kierin under the vines,
protecting her as much as possible from the thorns. When they were
as deep into the thicket as he could go, he pulled Kierin against
his chest, using his arms to keep the sharp barbs from embedding
themselves into her skin.

"It's a Phantom Rider patrol, isn't it?”
Kierin whispered against his throat.

"That's my guess. Unless you have someone
else trying to kill you. Now be quiet and try not to move around.
These thorns could peel the hide off a rock."

Dak had been in some tight spots before but
never like this. They were truly alone. No weapon. No way to escape
even if there were a trail through this thicket. No hope.

"Dak …?"

Dak heard the fear in her voice and knew
there was nothing he could do or say to give her peace of mind.
Pulling her a little tighter against his chest, he breathed in the
unique fragrance that was hers.

"What, little witch?"

"We're going to die, aren't we?"

It wasn't a question. It was simple
acceptance of a fate she couldn't control or change.

"I'm afraid so, baby. Unless you've got some
witch magic hidden in one of those pockets of yours, all they have
to do is wait for daylight."

"There's no such thing as witch magic, Dak.
True power comes from the mind."

Dak didn't realize how badly he wanted her
to have some of the magical powers Murdock accused her of having
until he heard her admit the truth. A magic spell or two would go a
long way.

The night passed in agonizing slowness
marked only by the occasional laser gun blasts from the Phantom
Rider patrol. With nothing to shield their bodies, the dropping
temperatures added another level of danger. Dak wondered if Draagon
would appreciate the irony of capturing Kierin so he could kill her
only to have her die from exposure. He could feel the shudders that
racked her body and there wasn’t anything he could about that,
either. If he tried to cover her body with his own, he risked
crushing her with his weight. If he pulled her onto his body, the
thorn vines would rip her tender skin to shreds. Pulling Kierin
tight against his chest, he stroked her arms and back within the
limits of the thorns and marked the passing hours with the beat of
his own heart.

It was time to stop his whining and
complaining and take charge of his life again. He happened to be
the personal property of a crystal witch. Accept it. Deal with it.
Get on with living. JarDan was looking for him; he had no doubt of
that. It all came down to something as simple as time.

For more than six months, his life--his very
existence--depended on someone else and he was sick of it. A man
took responsibility for his own destiny. He had the best training
available in tactical warfare, hand-to-hand combat and survival.
Yet, here he was, huddled in the dark, waiting to die. He had to do
something
. He had Kierin’s paring knife. If he could work
his way through the tangle of thorns, he might be able to get
behind the patrol. All he needed was one laser gun and he could
even the odds enough to give them a chance.

"Stay here. I'm going to try to get behind
them."

"No! You can't go! You'll die before you get
across the clearing. You have to stay right where you are!"

He tried to move, but couldn't. He couldn't
even release his hold on her. Grinding his teeth in frustration,
Dak cursed the stone around his neck and the woman who controlled
it.

By all the ancient prophets, why am I able
to act on my own some of the time? Why not now? When our lives
depend on it?

"Release me from the stone, Kierin, or we'll
die. I can give you a chance to escape."

When he felt her shake her head in denial,
Dak did something he'd never done in his life.

"Please, Kierin. I'm begging you. Release
me. Trust me, little witch. I know what I'm doing. If we stay here,
we’re going to freeze to death before they get the chance to do the
deed themselves."

"You can't possibly win against Draagon's
laser guns. I couldn't bear to watch you die."

"We're going to die anyway. Please, Kierin.
Let me die fighting. Let me die like a man not hiding like some
frightened
kava
."

Before Kierin could answer his plea, Dak
noticed a change in the firing pattern. There were fewer laser guns
firing into the clearing, and there was one firing into the meadow.
Someone was out there. Someone was fighting against the Phantom
Riders. It could only be Talon.

Within minutes the firing had all but
stopped as fewer and fewer shots crossed the clearing. In the
distance Dak heard the thunder of galloping horses but he remained
motionless in the thorns. Even if he knew it was safe to leave
their cover, Kierin’s command to remain hidden kept him
immobile.

He'd been fooling himself all along. All his
planning and plotting were nothing more than mental exercises.
There would be no escape from Kierin and her damned crystals. For
the first time since his capture on Safe Haven, Dak acknowledged
defeat.

If I'd been any kind of
real
man,
I'd have found a way out of this mess. No, I have to
wait
for JarDan to find me. I have to
wait
for Talon to save
my ass
.

His actions--even though controlled by
Kierin’s amulet--branded him a coward. The fact that Talon would
witness his ultimate humiliation was acid in his heart.

"Dak! Kierin! Where are you?"

"It's Talon! Dak, Talon saved our lives!
Come on, we have to let him know we're unharmed!” Kierin struggled
free of Dak's embrace. "Talon! Thank the Goddess Jovena you're
here!"

"Are you or Dak injured, Lady Kierin?"

"We're fine, thanks to you. Dak wanted to
try and sneak out and find them, but I wouldn't let him. He would
have been killed. Dak? Why are you still hiding back there? It's
safe to come out, now."

Talon saved our lives … still hiding …
safe to come out
.

Kierin’s condemnations echoed around and
around in his head cutting deeper than any sword. Deadlier than any
laser gun. Everything he believed about himself--as a man--as a
warrior--shriveled and died. Images from past battles flashed like
lightning, each scene driving the truth deeper into his heart.

Not once in your entire life have you had
to stand on your own. JarDan was there or the Royal Guard was
there. Hell, it took a woman--a nine-month pregnant woman--to save
the life of your brother. You just stood on the sidelines and
watched. No wonder this tiny, delicate woman with a price on her
head would put her trust in a bounty hunter--an assassin--rather
than you. She can see you for what you really are--a goddamned
coward
.

Wishing he could disappear into the
darkness, Dak settled for pulling his bedroll away from the fire
pit. He couldn't bear to see pity or disgust on Talon's face. In
another lifetime, they would have been friends. Not now. No man
wanted to stand beside a coward.

"Kierin!" Talon demanded. "Tell me what you
said to Dak!
Exactly
what you said!"

Talon's aggressive attitude confused her
more. She was worried about Dak. He was acting so strange. What did
it matter to Talon what she said? Sneaking a quick look at Dak,
Kierin shrugged.

"I don't know. Nothing special. He wanted to
fight the Phantom Riders but he only had a small knife. He would
have died so I told him no."

"Exactly how did you tell him no,
Kierin?"

"Really, Talon, this entire conversation is
uncalled for. What difference does …?”

"EXACTLY!” Talon roared, his face inches
from Kierin’s.

"I told him he had to stay there. What's the
matter with you?"

Talon stood, raking his fingers through his
hair. With fists clenched at his waist, he turned his full fury on
her. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

When Kierin would have interrupted him, he
stopped her with one finger pointed at her nose. "It was a
rhetorical question. I warned you on the Transport that you would
destroy him if you didn't release him. Now … NOW! You’ve done even
worse!

"You have no concept of just how strong your
powers are, do you? Every word from your mouth carries a heavy
price. Dak is a
man
, Kierin! He's not some trained circus
primate you can lead around with a leash!"

"I know that, Talon, but you don't
understand.” He wasn't saying anything she didn't already know.
She'd been fighting her guilt since she slipped the chain around
Dak's neck on Safe Haven. This wasn't how she wanted things to be
but she didn't owe Talon any explanation for her actions.

"I understand you've taken away Dak's
manhood. He's a warrior, Kierin, trained to protect those weaker
than him. Yes, he probably would have died. Death isn't a stranger
to a man like Dak--a man trained for battle. It's a constant
companion. Put yourself in his place, Kierin. He's traveling with a
woman with a death warrant on her head. That same woman is being
chased by the most ruthless, merciless wad of humanity to ever
breathe. With a few careless words, you've destroyed him.

"If you were so worried about his death, why
didn't you send him back to Anderas the minute he was freed from
the slave market? That would have been the compassionate act of
human kindness. Instead you condemn him to the most horrible death
a man can imagine--huddled in the shadows unable to lift a finger
in his own defense."

Kierin’s heart ached with what her actions
may have done to Dak but she had to keep him alive. Talon felt
justified in his anger, but she had to believe that the end would
justify the means. It was the only way she could stay sane.

"You don't know how Dak feels, Talon. Are
you sure you're not imposing your own fears onto him?"

"Look at him, Kierin. LOOK AT HIM, I
SAID!"

Kierin jerked when Talon yelled at her.
Slowly, her heartbeat thundering in her ears, she turned to face
Dak. Tears lodged in her throat and threatened to choke her. She'd
never seen him so--empty. From the first instant she spotted him,
chained and naked at the slave market, she'd had the impression of
tightly leashed power. Every imaginable nuance of emotion flared in
the dark depths of his eyes. Now, there was nothing there. The body
still lived, but the light of living was gone. He just sat there
staring into the darkness. If he knew he was being so thoroughly
discussed he didn't show it.