The Darkness Beyond (19 page)

“Stay here a minute.”

He sighed but did as ordered. When she unearthed her meager store of supplies, she pulled out her water bottle and soaked a piece of the fabric he'd cut off her pants to use as a washcloth.

“This is going to hurt.”

“I'll try to be brave,” he promised even though his dark eyes showed more amusement than pain.

“Smart-ass.”

She tugged the splinter free and let the wound bleed itself clean. After a few seconds, she washed the area as best she could with the cloth. Then she used a strip of the other piece of fabric to bind the gash. He also had a scattering of smaller cuts on his cheek and the back of his neck. She wiped them clean of dust and blood.

“I wish I had some antibiotic ointment to put on those.”

“I'll be fine, Reggie. Now, if you're done playing doctor, I need to check on something. I'll be right back.”

He started clambering over the rocks up toward where the cave had been. She wanted to make him come right back, not risk it. With each step, he moved farther from her across the slippery slope of loose rock. The heartbeat that had barely returned to normal picked up speed again. She was relieved when he finally dropped down to scramble on all fours.

With a shout of triumph, he pulled a sword out of the gravel. She had no idea if it was the one he'd been fighting with, but he seemed sure of it. He laid it to the side as he continued on his way.

Just before he reached the crest of the slope, he paused to call back to her. “I'll be out of sight, but I'm not going far. The damage past here isn't as bad. I'm hoping to retrieve the supplies I stashed.”

“Be careful.”

“Believe it or not, I usually am.” He grinned at her just before he vanished from sight.

While he was gone, she did some cautious exploring of her own. She did a quick survey of the contents of her pack. It had been pretty squashed, but at least granola-bar crumbs were still edible.

She located D.J.'s other pack and his cloak. She was accruing a small pile of treasures. Where had their guns gone? It was hard to orient herself because the landscape had changed so drastically, but she thought D.J. had tossed his over near the base of the bushes above her.

She climbed up, sliding back one step for each three she went forward. Success! She checked the safety before making her way back to her cache of supplies.

D.J. crested the hill with a large duffel slung over his shoulder. He showed the good sense to sit down and cross the last distance in a controlled slide.

When he reached her side, he nodded toward the pile beside her. “I see you've been busy, too.”

She held out his gun. “Sorry, but I'm afraid mine is buried under all that mess.”

“Don't sweat it.” He checked the gun over with quiet efficiency and then tucked it back in his waistband.

He stood up again to look around. “We should really get moving again, but if you need to rest a bit longer, say so. We've got a little time.”

Or not. From the way his eyes kept fanning the area, she suspected he was only saying that for her sake. Sitting there on the hillside, they were both too exposed. The last thing she wanted was to see D.J. fighting for both their lives—again. She closed her eyes, wishing her memory came with a Delete button to clear away those horrific images.

“I'm fine.” Not really and maybe not ever.

He knew it, too. After setting his duffel aside, he offered her a hand up off the ground and immediately wrapped her in his arms. He rested his chin on top of her head as his hand stroked her back in slow, gentle circles.

“I bet you're counting the minutes until you get home and can forget all about me.”

What could she say to that? Yes, she hated his world, his life, but she didn't hate
him
. Far from it, even if she couldn't decipher exactly what she did feel for him, not with all of her emotions tangled up in one big knot with a bow made of fear.

“I'll never regret meeting you, D.J.”

Evidently he wasn't buying it. “Give it time, Reggie. Right now you need me, and I get that. But once this is all over, you're going to want a big dose of normal back in your life. You'll never have that hanging around with me.”

Before she could think of what to say to that, he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head and stepped back.

“We'd better hit the road. I don't know how well noise carries in this thin air. But if Kolar's buddies are anywhere in the vicinity, they're bound to have noticed the dust cloud from the explosion.”

“Okay, I'll be right behind you.”

D.J. shouldered his duffel and adjusted his sword in its scabbard before walking away. As he did, she finally realized what she should've said to him: that normal was seriously overrated if it meant that a man like D.J. had to be on the outside looking in.

C
ullen leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. “I don't know about you, Cody my man, but I'm dead on my feet.”

No arguments there. “I'm pretty sure my brain shut down an hour ago.”

“Let me go see what Devlin's plans are for you.”

Earlier, Cody had hung out at the animal shelter with Larem for about three hours before Cullen had called them back. Playing with the puppies had been a nice distraction. All the fur balls had asked of him was a good scratch and a couple of treats.

Larem and Chance had walked him back to headquarters before taking off to meet up with Sasha. Turned out there were other people from Kalithia who'd hooked up with people in the Seattle area. Aliens with human lovers. Cody wasn't sure how he felt about that. Still, he'd met two of the three and liked them both. Not to mention that the third one lived with Cullen. So maybe it was okay, if a bit weird.

On the way back, Cullen had met them in the alley outside headquarters, making Cody feel rather like a baton being handed off in a relay race. He wondered whose turn it was next and how long the race was going to last. If it felt like forever to him, how much worse was it for Reggie?

That is, if her race hadn't already ended with that explosion. No, damn it, he wouldn't—couldn't—think that way. She was fine. She had to be. D.J. was with her, and they were on their way home.

He rubbed away the sudden burn in his eyes. He was exhausted. Part of that was simple lack of sleep. The other was having his normal life ripped out by the roots to be replanted in the world of the Paladins. Even if this all worked out in the best possible way, he couldn't go back to his old life knowing what he now knew.

Right now his thoughts were whirling in circles and getting nowhere, an indication of how burned out he was. He forced his eyes open to see that Cullen was on his way back.

Cullen dropped down in his chair. “I'm going to shut down for now and head home. We'll pick up again first thing in the morning. Devlin wants to see you in his office.”

Did that have an ominous sound to it? No, there was no reason to get all paranoid. So far, all these guys had been nothing but nice to him. Besides, if there'd been news of any kind, Cullen would either be celebrating or seriously pissed. Right now the man was calmly finishing up the task he'd been working on so he could leave. No reason to think anything else had gone wrong.

Cody shoved his own laptop back in his pack along with Reggie's. “Okay, I'll see you tomorrow.”

Cullen's fingers flew across the keyboard with enviable skill. He shot Cody a quick grin without missing a beat. “Sure thing. Just so you know, under other circumstances, this would've been fun. Other than D.J., I don't often get to play with someone who has such serious talent.”

The compliment made Cody smile. “Wait until you meet Reggie. She makes me look like a rank amateur.”

“Yeah, I've heard that. Seems she's been running my buddy around in circles for a while.” Cullen's grin widened considerably. “That certainly explains the two laptops that met their demise slamming into the wall over there.”

Cody had been wondering what had made the big gouges in the drywall. There'd been times he'd been tempted to do the same thing, but he couldn't afford to replace his computer just because of a temper tantrum.

He deliberately walked by the damaged wall on his way to Devlin's office. To be honest, it worried him. He hoped D.J. was holding it together for Reggie. It would take more than a hair-trigger temper to get them both back home safely.

Devlin's door was closed. Cody raised his fist to knock just as it opened. Trahern stood inside, looking every bit as tired as Cody felt.

“Hey, kid, how are you holding up?”

“Fine.”

“Well, you look like hell. I was just coming to see you. Barak and Lonzo caught a commercial flight back from Portland, and I need to pick them up at Sea-Tac. Thought maybe you'd like to ride along. Afterward, you can crash at my place tonight.”

Devlin joined in. “If you're not up to it, say so and you can come home with me again. Your choice.”

He looked from Trahern to Devlin and back again. “I'd like to hear what they have to say about the explosion, if that's all right, sir.”

Trahern jerked his head in a quick nod. “Yeah, I don't blame you. Besides, this way you can meet Brenna. She's the one who wrote that history of the Paladins Reggie found.”

That bit of fishing combined with her hunt for D.J. had caused Reggie all this trouble, but it wouldn't be fair to hold that against Brenna. Besides, he was curious about Paladin history himself.

“Call if you hear anything, Dev, or if you need me. Okay, let's hit the road.”

Before they closed the door, Trahern whispered, “By the way, Brenna can cook. Laurel, not so much.”

Devlin hollered after them, “Damn it, Trahern, I heard that. Quit insulting my wife.”

“It's not an insult when it's the truth. You just feel obligated to defend her cooking because you're married to the woman.”

The other man glared at his friend. “Oh, just shut up and go. And, Cody, don't let him be a bad influence on you. The last thing I need around here is another guy with attitude.”

Cody wasn't sure whether to laugh or duck for cover. He gave into the urge to grin when Trahern winked at him.

“Yes, sir. No attitude, bad or otherwise.”

As the two of them headed toward the exit, he was pretty sure he heard Devlin laughing.

D.J. was pushing them both hard. Time was ticking by, and the suns were about to set. They needed to reach the flatlands below where they'd stand a better chance of hiding in the deep grass than they would perched here on this fucking hillside.

Reggie was a real trooper. Although she didn't hesitate to ask for a short break when she really needed one, she'd kept delays to a minimum. Even when they did stop, she spent most of her time fussing over him and the minor injuries he'd gotten in the explosion. What was she going to do come morning when they'd all but disappeared?

Another point for the freak score.

The trail up ahead looked all too familiar. It was a sad state of affairs that he'd spent enough time in this hellhole to already know the terrain. Right now they were only a short distance from where he'd thwarted the Other's ambush the last time he'd passed this spot.

Should he check the place out the same way he had last time or charge through and hope for the best? No contest. He might put himself at risk, but no way in hell he'd let Reggie go waltzing into a possible trap.

No sooner had that thought crossed his mind than he caught the faint sound of voices on the wind. Turning his head to the side to catch the sound more clearly, he cursed under his breath. If he hadn't stopped when he had, the two of them might have stumbled right into the Others' waiting arms.

Reggie quietly moved up beside him. “What's wrong?”

She pitched her voice just loud enough for him to hear. The woman sure had the right instincts. He hoped like hell she survived this adventure and never had to put her hard-earned experience to practical use again.

He whispered the answer near her ear. “Someone's coming. We've got to get out of sight.”

There wasn't anything he could do about the trail of footprints they'd left behind in the dust. At least it was getting dark enough that eventually the Others would have trouble reading their tracks.

Which way to go? There was really no choice. He led Reggie around to the far side of the hill, following the same route he'd followed scouting out the earlier ambush. Had that been just the night before?

He pulled Reggie closer to explain the plan. “I want you to stay out of sight in the shadows under those trees up ahead.”

“Where will you be?”

He pointed to a nearby cluster of boulders. “I'll stay there. Once they're safely past us, I'll join you.”

She slowly nodded, her eyes telling him without words that she thought his plan sucked. Yeah, it did, but it was the best one they had at the moment.

He waited until she'd safely disappeared into the trees before ducking behind the rocks. Just in time, too, because their enemy was almost upon them. There were seven that he could see in the group. From what he knew of Kalith culture, it was unlikely that this was a Sworn Guardian and his Blademates because they traveled in multiples of four.

They also lacked the militaristic discipline that was second nature to Larem, Barak, and even Lusahn. No, he was willing to bet this mob were the buddies Kolar and his friend had been waiting for. Their voices carried clearly in the early evening silence. That didn't mean he understood a word they said.

He kept his Glock in hand as he held his breath, hoping like hell they'd just keep going. Just when he thought they were going to pass by, one of them came to an abrupt halt. He held up his hand, the universal signal for his companions to stop and shut up. Then he tipped his head back and drew in a slow, deep breath.

Son of a bitch, had the bastard caught their scent? After a few seconds, the Kalith crept forward, his hand reaching to draw a long knife from his belt. He was headed in Reggie's direction. D.J. flicked off the safety on his gun, ready to start picking off the Others one by one.

The Glock held more than enough ammunition to kill them all. But it didn't mean a fucking thing if he couldn't take them all out. The chances were close to nil that he'd get the job done before one reached Reggie's hiding place.

He'd die trying though.

He was about to rise, to draw their attention, when the Other flicked his wrist, sending his knife flying toward the ground a short distance away. One of the bushes erupted in a flurry of action as a small animal charged out, limping badly. The Other shouted in triumph as he finished off the poor critter with a second blade.

After picking up his knives and cleaning them, he retrieved his kill and held it up for his buddies to admire. As they moved off, he carried the carcass with him, obviously pleased that fresh meat was now on their dinner menu. That in itself was odd. The three Seattle Kaliths were all vegetarians. Fresh game sure sounded better than the MREs Devlin had packed for D.J., not that he was complaining. Right now, all food meant was maintaining enough energy for the two of them to keep moving.

He waited impatiently for the Others to leave. The need to put some distance between themselves and that bunch was riding him hard. He'd look for a place he and Reggie could stop to get some much-needed rest. Tomorrow, they'd resume their charge toward the distant hills and hope they found the barrier before the Others found them.

“Just a little farther.”

That had to be the fourth time D.J. had made that promise, but Reggie didn't have the energy to call him on it. She understood that he was worried about those guys circling back, but seriously, if they didn't stop for the night soon, she'd drop right in her tracks.

Rather than think about that, she cast about for something else, something positive, to think about. Like last night. The feel of D.J. moving over her, moving in her. Oh, yeah, those were definitely happy thoughts. She normally didn't go for big men—and he was definitely big
all
over—but there was just something about D.J.

Intelligence was high on her must-have list when it came to men. Check. So was a sense of humor. Double-check. A considerate lover. Check—in fact, triple-check that one. He definitely subscribed to the “ladies first” theory.

She was so focused on her list that she didn't notice D.J. had stopped walking. When she ran right into him, he reached out to steady her.

“What's up?”

“I was thinking this looks like a good place to stop for the night. I can hear a stream, so it can't be far. We can't risk a fire, but at least we'll be able clean up a bit and get some sleep.”

He didn't wait for an answer, but simply stepped off the trail and left her to follow as she would.

Half an hour later, she was sitting on the edge of the creek, soaking her feet in the surprisingly warm water. After their makeshift meal, she might just do more than dip her toes. She didn't know about D.J., but she'd sleep better if she shed about ten pounds of dust and dirt before turning in.

“Here's your dinner, fresh from the foil pouch.”

D.J. smiled at her as he sat down on the bank beside her. She started eating, but he set his own meal aside to peel off his boots and socks. He eased his feet into the water and sighed happily.

“Oh, yeah, that's good.”

Between bites, she asked, “How is your arm doing?”

“My arm?” He seemed genuinely puzzled by the question.

God save her from macho men who wouldn't admit to a little pain. She pointed at the bandage on his arm with her plastic fork. “That cut. You know, the one that had a chunk of wood stuck in it earlier today.”

“Oh, that one. It's fine. Seriously, it wasn't nearly as bad as we first thought.”

“I'll be the judge of that. After we finish dinner, I'll take a look at it.”

He didn't argue, but she suspected it would be a fight to get him to let her doctor his wound. Also typical of D.J., he was keeping time to a rhythm only he could hear, kicking his feet in the water.

When a few droplets hit her, she did a little kicking of her own, paying him back with interest. He wiped his face dry with the sleeve of his tunic.

“You like to live dangerously, lady. Did I happen to mention that one of my mottos is that I don't just get even, I get ahead?”

He gave the deep pool of water a pointed look. “Looks plenty deep to drown one little woman.”

She snorted. “Try it, big guy, and I won't be the only one wearing wet clothes tomorrow.”

Despite the darkness, she could sense the intensity in his gaze and the temptation in his smile.