Men of Anderas II: Dak the Protector (23 page)

As soon as Dak finished his meal and cleaned
their dishes he headed for his own bed. Willing to trust the
doctor’s sleeping remedy, he left the whiskey in the store room and
swallowed the pill with plain water. Within minutes he could feel
the effects as his body relaxed into the mattress. Yes! He was
getting sleepy.

ARRRGGGG!!! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS? YOU LIED
TO ME!

Dak jumped when the scream split the morning
air. “What the hell?” He looked around and found no one.

I thought you were Anderan but you can’t be!
You were my only hope for a son but you lied and this baby is a
girl. There’s no hope left. We’re both going to die.

“Kierin?”

She wasn’t there. She was in his head but it
wasn’t anger he felt from her. It was fear and a total loss of
hope. The vice around his chest tightened until he gasped for
breath.
A baby girl.
Part of him wanted the softness a child
would offer. Another part mourned the loss of his home and everyone
he cared about because of that innocent child. And Kierin? Where
did she fit in this maelstrom of emotions threatening to crush him?
Before he could sort through the jumble, the sleeping pill took
control and he slipped into the first deep night’s sleep he’d had
in months.

Chapter Nineteen

“If you wish to live another hour you will
explain why you failed--again.” Draagon’s words carried death
despite their soft utterance.

“My Lord,” Jud bowed his head, “I traced the
path of the scouting party when they failed to return. Seven days
ride south I found what remained of their bodies. There was no clue
as to why they were attacked or who killed them.”

“Then why do I allow you to still breathe,
Jud?” Draagon thought highly of his Captain of the Guard. He had
served him loyally for many years. Few men lasted long in service
to the Phantom Riders. There was no tolerance for failure.

“Because I found the trail of their
attackers.” Jud kept his tone flat, devoid of inflection.

Allowing himself to relax slightly, Draagon
leaned back against the only chair in the cheap room. He barely
noticed the smell of rot and decay from the moldy windows or the
threadbare rugs covering the warped wooden floor. He deserved
better than this hovel but that would come when he found Kierin.
She was the key to his success and he was growing weary of this
chase.

In total silence, he watched Jud until a
single drop of perspiration rolled down the man’s temple. Draagon
gave a slight grin that brought more sweat to Jud’s face. It was
really too easy to manipulate lesser men.

“Excellent. Where did this trail lead
you?”

“We lost the trail in a sand storm, my Lord.
There are three villages within a day’s ride of where the trail
ended. Villagers in all three describe the crystal witch, Kierin.
She delivers herbs and amulets to them several times a year. She
was expected a month ago so they hope to see her soon. It appears
she is well liked. I’ve posted guards at each city gate with orders
to send word of her arrival. They are to watch her but not to
interact with her in any way until you arrive. If she leaves, they
are to follow at a discrete distance and keep me posted about her
direction.”

Draagon fought to draw air into his lungs.
He found her
!

“You have redeemed yourself admirably. There
will be an extra gold coinin your pay this quarter. Send additional
men to each village.”

“My Lord, we don’t have enough men to
conquer them at the same time.”

“Not conquer, Jud, monitor. I want a more
covert action. Get rid of the guards at the gates. She would spot
them long before she walked into my trap. Send your men in without
force, in plain garments. If the peasants feel no threat, they will
freely give away their information. As soon as word circulates that
my wife-to-be has arrived, I’ll join them with the bulk of our
army.

“As you command, Lord Draagon.” Jud slapped
his fist against his chest in salute and prepared to leave.

“One more thing before you go.” Draagon
waited for several seconds, relishing what was to come. “You and
your team will each receive five lashes for losing the original
trail. Dismissed.”

He needed to be closer to these villages.
Tomorrow, he and his Phantom Riders would head to the most central
of the three villages. That would bring him close enough to enjoy
the hunt.

* * * *

Draagon stared into the small fire
struggling against the dampness that permeated this miserable slum
at the edge of nowhere. How can a building in the middle of the
desert be damp and moldy? There was a water source hidden beneath
this building, he was sure of it. This hovel and the water hidden
beneath it would provide a hefty income. Travelers heading into the
desert would pay dearly for enough water to see them to the next
village. If not for his urgent need to find Kierin, he would do
much more than control this hamlet.

For years he’s wandered the galaxy,
searching for the one promised to him by his mother. Now, finally,
all his dreams were within his grasp. With one hand stroking the
crystals around his neck and the other stroking his crotch, he
allowed the memories and the fantasy to merge and obliterate the
dismal condition of his latest headquarters.

She’s your sister, mother had whispered, but
she took that secret to her grave along with the girl’s name. Said
she drugged my father after he chose another for his mate and
milked him like a prized bull. The bastard never knew what
happened. Mother refused to name my father. All the bitch would say
was that he took his family from the home world. But I’ve found
them and they’re all dead--except the daughter. Kierin. She holds
the power. My power. She belongs to me. Mother promised the power
would be all mine at the birth of my child. Those were the last
coherent words from Mother’s mouth.

The psychotic bitch believed there would be
no incest since I came from a test tube. I don’t really care. One
cunt feels like any other in the dark. Sex is about power and
control. Intercourse is messy. Disgusting, if you think about it.
However, it is a most unique method of torture and degradation. The
power comes from control. And pain. Mustn’t forget the bliss that
comes from inflicting pain. I should have taken more time with
Mother but I was young and didn’t have the control I have now. It
would take her much longer to die today.

Kierin will learn. It will take years of
suffering before I give her the release of death. She has cost me
men and coin and extreme displeasure. I’ll have to be more
forgiving at first. But as soon as I impregnate her and she
delivers a healthy female child to me, her lessons will become much
more
…
deviant.

* * * *

Kierin wanted nothing more than to stay in
bed, snuggled beneath the warm blankets. All of her efforts to
protect her father’s secret and save her life were as useless as
dead crystals. Regret sat heavy on her chest, threatening to
suffocate her. There was nothing to be done now but survive as long
as she was able. Draagon had many enemies. If the Goddess of
Goodness and Light smiled on her, one of those enemies would solve
her problem by killing the evil man. Life would be good if that
happened. It was wrong to wish for the death of another soul but
that man didn’t deserve to exist.

Her father didn’t know how long his crystal
would hold a charge. It was possible it could last indefinitely.
Her life here with her baby would be practically perfect. It was a
good dream and gave her a small nugget of hope and that was enough
to keep the despair at bay.

Placing a hand on her still flat stomach,
Kierin smiled. A daughter. Not what she expected or hoped for, but
a tiny part of Dak for her to love. This she didn’t regret.
Although conceived in lies and deception, this baby was a precious
gift.

“So quit feeling sorry for yourself and get
up. Draagon has been after you for years and you’re still breathing
and not even the Warlords can get past the gate. However,
starvation is a distinct possibility if you don’t get merchandise
ready for market.”

Her toes curled against the cold stone
floor. Winter would be here soon. Standing slowly, waiting for the
usual bout of nausea, she was surprised when nothing erupted. For
the first time in months she actually felt good. “Please, Goddess,
don’t let Dak eat another bite of that disgusting animal he
craves.”

Kierin shuddered at the memory of the slimy
texture of that boiled abomination sliding down Dak’s throat. Being
linked to another definitely had its drawbacks. She couldn’t help
the small giggle when she remembered what happened when she lifted
the block on her morning sickness. Didn’t do much good, though. He
still craved it.

Munching on a slice of fresh bread, she
headed to the barn to feed her animals. Talon refused to keep the
horse he rode when she left him in Cypriana. He insisted on paying
her and brought her a goat and more chickens as well as some much
needed food supplies. She tried again to convince him to stay with
her until spring. He needed time to adjust to the changes in his
vision and his lifestyle. His bitterness ate away at the man he
used to be until she barely recognized him now. He blamed her for
keeping him alive. Only time would tell what he did with his
life.

“Good morning, ladies. You need to eat the
grasses in the field quickly. Snow will cover it and then you’ll be
stuck eating bland, dry hay.” Dak had cut and stacked so much hay
that she could feed twice as many animals for several years.

Everywhere she looked she saw the things he
accomplished that made her life easier and more comfortable. The
crude lean-to built by her brother was merely a memory. This warm
barn with three stalls stood in its place. The open field outside
the rear door now lay inside a sturdy corral. The wee babe he left
wouldn’t be the only reminder of his impact on her world.

After milking the goat and putting fresh
feed and water in all the bins and buckets, she sat with her
“family” while they ate.

“I shouldn’t have yelled at Dak,” she
explained to them, “but this baby girl took me by surprise. Now
that’s
an enormous understatement. He told me about the
water causing the problems on his world but I was so focused on
conceiving a son that it just didn’t register.”

The goat gently butted her shoulder.
“Alright. Don’t get pushy. I admit I didn’t want to think about the
possibility. Happy now, Miss Bossy?” When the goat trotted to the
barn door, Kierin laughed. “If I give you such an impressive name
then I better name the others, too.

Let’s see … horse, you just became Rocky
because your back is as hard as one. Rooster, I’ll call you
Sunshine because you herald the morning.” Looking at the two dozen
chickens, she shook her head and giggled. “Too many for names so
you ladies get a group name--Girls.”

Happy with her world once again, Kierin
opened the rear door so her family could enjoy the late fall
weather and she headed back to her workroom. There was a tremendous
amount of work to be done before she could go to market.

She was halfway across the small yard when
the image of Dak in bed with another woman knocked her to her
knees. Pain doubled her over as soul wrenching sobs shook her body.
Forcing her trembling limbs to move, Kierin stumbled blindly to the
one place she could escape the betrayal, the one place that would
shield her from what was happening. Every step through her home and
down the narrow corridor was agony. She had to stop twice to empty
the contents of her stomach from the smell of
her
perfume.

Never was she as grateful for the shielding
properties of this section of her fortress as she was at this
moment. Blessed emptiness flooded her senses.

She hated this room growing up. Her father’s
secret and what it cost her family was impossible to ignore once
inside. How ironic that it was now her only salvation. A mated
crystal witch was incapable of cheating on his or her mate. It was
naïve of her to expect the same from other species, but oh how that
knowledge hurt. Curling into a ball in the farthest corner of the
small chamber, Kierin let the pain and anguish consume her.

Chapter Twenty

“What the hell?!” Dak bellowed. “Who the
hell are you? How did you get in here? Get off me?!”

He flung the woman off his chest fighting
the remnants of the sleeping pill the doctor gave him. Sitting on
the side of the bed, he glared at the strange woman without a
stitch of clothing on her abundant curves.

“Don’ be mad, sugar. Jamison said you wanted
a good time.” She crawled forward to nuzzle her face against his
lifeless crotch.

“I’ll kill him.” Dak muttered. “Get out! And
don’t ever come near me again!” Grabbing her arm, he hoisted her to
her feet and marched her to the door of the bar.

“What about my clothes and my gold coin?”
She screamed when he shoved her toward the street.

“Take it up with Jamison. If the bastard is
still alive after I find him.”

Slamming the door and ignoring the screams
and the pounding on the door, he shook with disgust. “JAMISON! Get
your sorry ass in here or I’ll take this place apart looking for
you!”

A belligerent Jamison stomped through the
bar. “What the hell ya yellin’ about? Tol’ ya what ya needed wuz ta
get laid. Bess is the best in the bizness. Ya should be thankin’ me
‘stead of yellin’.”

“When I want another woman in my bed ….” Dak
stopped. Dawning horror rocked him to his core.

Kierin knows about the woman
!
She
believes I brought another woman to my bed
. By the Beard of the
Prophet, she would never forgive him. Ignoring Jamison, Dak
stumbled back to his room.

A huge gaping …
emptiness
… drove him
to his knees. He never realized that Kierin was constantly in his
head. Sure, he thought about her constantly and logically he knew
she was
there
when the morning sickness started. But he
never felt her presence as a constant--until it was no longer
there. Could she totally block him?