Mercenaries (27 page)

CASSIDY had the ugly feeling she was in serious trouble. For one thing, the top of her head barely came to the Tribesman's shoulder, and she figured he outweighed her by a good sixty kilos. She still could have taken him if he'd been merely human—her implants would have seen to that. Unfortunately, this Rune Alrigo had implants of his own. To make matters worse, her sensors told her somebody had done some intensive genetic modifications on the bastard, probably before he was even born. His bones and muscle were denser, tougher, than that of a normal human, even one that had been enhanced.

If Cassidy wanted to get out of this alive, she was going to have to out-think him.

It helped that Alrigo was playing with her. Given his strength and implants, he should be hitting her a lot harder, a lot faster. At least once she'd caught him pulling a knife stroke that would have sliced right through her armor.

What the devil was he up to? Why take the risk of playing this game if he didn't plan to kill her? Alrigo had to realize that despite his physical advantages, she could still outmaneuver him. Hell, sheer bad luck had killed many a strong fighter; all he had to do was trip. So why take the chance?

Unless he planned to rape her.

The thought sent a stab of cold fear through Cassidy, but she suppressed it ruthlessly. She'd always known being a mercenary could go very bad in a hurry. Getting blown to quarks in a space battle was actually one of her preferred ways to die, compared to some she could name.

And if she didn't get her mind back on the fight, she was going to buy it with a knife in the guts.

Hell, it didn't matter why he was playing with her. The point was to win.

Cassidy surged at him, slashing and stabbing in a flurry of attacks. He ducked or parried every one of them, but he had to work at it.

Better. Much better.

Breathing hard now, she circled him, looking for an opening in his rock-steady guard. Sweat rolled under her combat armor to pool at the base of her spine, sticky and itching. The suit normally had a heating and cooling system that would keep her comfortable in much worse conditions than this, but that damn Tach Pulse had disabled it. Cassidy wished she could strip off and let the breeze blow across her overheated skin.

Probably not a good idea, given the way Alrigo was watching her. His gaze was a little unnerving. Unusual eyes—smoky blue irises threaded with silver, predatory and intent. His nostrils flared, reminding her of a wolf catching a scent. A bead of sweat rolled down one high cheekbone and right past the corner of his sensual mouth.

Sensual mouth?
Where the hell had that come from? She must be more exhausted than she thought.

She had to wrap this up.

Cassidy attacked in a brutal thrust to the belly, and the Tribesman parried with a flick of his blade. She kept going, slamming into him, grabbing for his knife wrist with her left hand as she tried to drive her own weapon into the underside of that square jaw. Alrigo clamped a hand over her wrist so hard, she felt the bones grind. She fought him anyway, trying to force the knife point that last few centimeters.

Suddenly he quit holding back. Dragging her weapon hand down and to the side, he twisted and yanked. The knife went flying. She shouted in rage as he rammed her, forcing her over backward.

They hit the ground hard, the breath whooshing from Cassidy's chest as Alrigo's full weight slammed down on top of her. She bucked, managed to throw him off, then flipped around and started to scramble after her fallen knife.

He pounced on her like a mountain lion on a rabbit. He weighed a ton. Cassidy's arms and legs went out from under her so fast she tasted dirt. But the knife glittered in the ground vegetation barely a meter away, so she threw herself toward it anyway, lifting both of them off the ground with her enhanced strength.

Until Alrigo got an arm around her throat and braced a leg against her progress. Suddenly they weren't going anywhere. “I think not,” he breathed in her ear, and forced her down again. One of his legs hooked under and around one of hers as he applied ruthless pressure against her windpipe. The other arm wrapped under her own to clamp a hand around the back of her neck. She managed to jerk her head to the side so she could suck in a breath. Throwing her weight against him, she rolled them both over.

A mistake. He wrapped his free leg around hers, and she was immobilized, stretched across his massive body in a bow.

Luckily she still had one arm free. Cassidy grabbed the forearm across her throat and dug for a nerve, trying to force him to let go, but the tough armor of his suit protected him. She couldn't get a grip.

Where the fuck was Alrigo's knife? Both his hands were occupied with holding her. He had her immobilized; this was a perfect opportunity to slide a blade between her ribs, but he'd evidently dropped it. Why?

He wasn't even pressing on her throat hard enough to choke her. In fact, he was making no effort to finish her at all, though she could think of a dozen ways to do it.

Furiously Cassidy twisted and fought, digging with her free hand, trying to force him to let go. No matter how she bucked and writhed, she couldn't seem to break his hold. “What the hell are you doing?” she panted at last, furious and frustrated. “If you're going to kill me, quit fucking around!”

“I have no intention of killing you,” he rumbled against her ear. The sensation tickled.

“Yeah? Then why the hell did you challenge me?”

“You'll figure it out.” At least he was breathing hard, the son of a bitch.

She growled and went back to battering at any part of him she could reach, but her free arm felt as if it were turning to lead.

He was so damn big. It was as though God had carved him from solid granite, all ridges and hollows and swells of hard muscle against her back.

Didn't he ever get tired?

It was too bad they'd had to meet like this. She'd bet he'd be delicious in the sack. He was built just the way she liked them: big and brawny. Her nipples hardened as she imagined him surging against her in passion.

As the sudden wave of lust rolled over her, Cassidy blinked. Good God, she was actually getting turned on. The guy had tried to kill her a dozen times today, and damn near succeeded. Now he had her pinned like an eelsnake coiled around a rat, and damned if there wasn't a ball of heat gathering in her belly.

Thing was, she liked the way he smelled. God knew why; they both reeked of sweat and smoke and the oily tang of body armor. Cassidy should have been grimacing, yet she found herself inhaling instead. Hungrily, as if Alrigo was a rare delicacy and she wanted to take a big bite. She fought the desire to turn in his arms and find out if he tasted as good as he smelled.

What was more, every breath she took only made her hotter. She wanted to . . .

Unease snaked through Cassidy's building arousal. She'd fought a lot of men hand-to-hand, but she'd never wanted to fuck any of them. Yet this one had her ready to rip off his clothes just from his scent alone.

His scent.
Her eyes widened.

Analyze his scent,
Cassidy ordered her comp.
See if there's something in it that shouldn't be.

Seconds later the answer came back, and she swore viciously. “You're trying to
drug
me, you son of a bitch!”

“
I
T'S not a drug,” Rune told her. “It's nothing more than pheromones. And it's not something I do voluntarily. My body produces them when I am . . . aroused.” Which he most definitely was, with her lush little body grinding against his groin even through two layers of armor.

“You planned this!” The fury in her voice made him wince.

“Not exactly. There was no guarantee your body would respond to mine,” he said, controlling her ferocious struggles with an effort. “Though I'll admit I'm pleased it did.”

“Why?” Cassidy jerked against his hold and sneered. “Are you that desperate for a woman?”

Oh, yes—on any number of levels. Not that he had any intention of admitting it. One did not advertise vulnerability, particularly to a woman. She'd use it.

Rune put a confident purr in his voice. “What do you think?”

She was silent for several long, simmering moments. “If you're going to rape me, get it over with and leave me the fuck alone.”

The insult stung. True, some Tribesmen didn't care about a Breeder's consent, but he was not one of them. “I'm not a rapist.”

“You drugged me. Even if I give in, it's rape.”

“You're not drugged. You're fully capable of fighting the attraction. If you choose.”

“Well, I choose. Let me go.”

“To cut my throat? I think not.”

“You seem more than capable of defending yourself.” Cassidy gave another furious jerk against his hold, arching against him with a surging flex. Rune closed his eyes as his body leaped in reaction. She smelled of feminine sweat and the tang of sex, and she'd washed her hair in something floral. The contrast between those womanly scents and the masculine smell of her armor was unbearably erotic.

“I challenged you to a Claiming Duel,” he said hoarsely. “And I won. I'm not releasing you.”

CASSIDY went still in the Tribesman's grip, her mind working feverishly—no small accomplishment, considering the arousal steaming through her.

That's right—Alrigo had said something about a Claiming Duel when he challenged her. At the time she'd been so focused on the coming fight that the words hadn't really penetrated. It couldn't possibly be what it sounded like. “You don't really think you can keep me?”

“Actually, I do.” He sounded utterly calm, utterly sure of himself.

Cassidy wanted to punch him. “If you think I'll be a docile slave, you bastard, you're in for a—”

“Slave?” Offended astonishment rang in his voice. “My people do not keep slaves. I mean to wed you.”

“Wed?”
Several seconds clicked by before she could speak without sputtering. “You really are out of your mind! Why in the hell would you want to marry me? More to the point, why do you think I'd marry
you
?” She twisted in his arms, punching at any part of him she could reach.

Alrigo only coiled more tightly around her. He felt like living steel, seductive and warm. And his scent—God, his scent! Like distilled sex. To her irritation, Cassidy's body responded, nipples peaking beneath her armor.

“As to the first question, you are intelligent and quite strong for a woman,” he told her, his voice deep, rich, and so calmly assured she wanted to scream. “Your reflexes are very fast, your aim is good . . .”

“Not good enough!” She bucked against him.

He tightened his grip until bone ground. She went still with a gasp of pain. “. . . You have a strong grasp of strategy and tactics, and you are courageous. All of which are qualities I wish for in my warrior sons.”

Cassidy went limp in shock. “Your sons?”

“Yes. If a warrior encounters a female with the qualities you have, it's his duty to attempt to obtain her for his tribe.” He said the words simply, as if the logic was obvious instead of insane. “Our population is small, and we need the genetic diversity of new blood stock.”

“Let me get this straight.” She twisted her head around to glare at him from the corner of one eye. “You actually expect me to accompany you back to your ship and become a baby machine for the Dharani.”

“Not for the Dharani as a whole,” he said. “For me. I found you, I defeated you. It's my right to claim you.”

“And it's my right to slit your throat from ear to ear as you sleep!” Cassidy gritted. “Let's get a few things straight—I'm not marrying you, and I'm not having sex with you, and I am sure as hell not having your children!” Teeth gritted, she strained against him so hard her back bent like a bow. All she got for her trouble was the sensation of his groin grinding into her backside. He might as well have been cast from neutronium.

“I will convince you otherwise.” There was that infuriating assurance again. She wanted to scream. Which of course, would do her absolutely no good.

And neither would fighting him like this. Getting pissed off only played into his hands.

The thought sent cold common sense pouring through Cassidy's fury. She had to calm down and start thinking, instead of letting him pin her down where his pheromones could do their work.

And they were doing a damn good job. Angry as she was, need hummed underneath her rage like a high-voltage line, just waiting to fry her.

Force obviously would not work. Alrigo was too damn strong. She had to turn the tables on him somehow.