Unchained (17 page)

She froze, disabled by
panic.
No
.

Running up behind her, Rourke knelt down and
checked Grey’s neck for a pulse. The siren continued to scream
overhead. Blood was beginning to pool around his head. He groaned
low.

Rourke looked up at her,
urgency in his eyes. “He’s alive, but we need to get him to a med
center real soon. Hail
Calíbre
and get some help.”

Grey braced himself on the edge of the
clinic table, watching as the head medic gave Cidra a lengthy list
of instructions. She hung on every word, whispering questions and
glancing at Grey with deep concern.

In his blood, a potent painkiller and
healing accelerator combined into an intoxicating brew they called
Triox. Enough of it could make a dead man walk. In other words, he
felt awful but was pretty damned happy about it.

For one thing, he was alive. For another
thing, Cidra was here. Watching her proved to be the best
painkiller around.

Grey heard the medic’s parting words. “The
broken ribs will take the longest to heal. Lots of sleep and food.
The accelerator will do the rest. He’s lucky. Whoever worked him
over knew what they were doing. It’s a good thing they stopped when
they did. Tell him it’s time to find some new friends.”

With a final word of thanks, she nodded and
walked toward Grey. The stress of the long evening showed on her
face, and he cursed the fear that clouded her blue eyes.

She slipped closer until her legs pressed
against his thighs, their eyes locking. There was too much to say
and no words to adequately convey it.

Very slowly, very carefully, Cidra raised
her fingers to trace around the cut over his swollen eye and along
his cheek to his lips caked with dried blood.

His words came out in a raw, hoarse whisper.
“It would have been a lot worse if you hadn’t shown up.”

Cidra squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her
head. “Don’t.”

With exquisite gentleness, she wrapped her
arms around his shoulders and pressed her cheek against the
uninjured side of his head. He slid a bandaged hand around her
waist and pulled her closer, on the verge of desperation. They held
each other, sharing and dissipating the violence of the evening
with kindred understanding.

Grey couldn’t remember the last time he’d
been comforted by someone who truly cared about him, who gave and
expected nothing in return, who was scared and worried for him.
Maybe never. He didn’t want to let her go.

A loud knock on the door prompted an abrupt
end to the private healing session. Rourke filled the doorway,
looking as apologetic as any man could look under the
circumstances. “Sorry for the intrusion.”

Cidra turned and smiled warmly at him but
didn’t move from Grey’s side.

Rourke grinned at Grey. “Nice to know you’re
in good hands. You’ll be back to your grumpy old self in no
time.”

“
If you came here to abuse
me, you’ll have to stand in line,” Grey said wearily.

Rourke held up a hand. “No, actually, I have
some news for you.” He crossed his arms and leaned a broad shoulder
against the doorway. “Wex is gone. Mora, too. Took off right after
he finished with you. I think Cidra’s little surprise gave him a
good scare.” He flashed Cidra a genuine smile.

“
Of course, that doesn’t
mean he’s off your back. He could leave the job of killing you to
someone more qualified. I wouldn’t want you to get too
confident.”

Then anticipating Grey’s
next question, he continued. “And
Calíbre
’s fine. He didn’t go near it.
He wouldn’t dare now. Not when word gets out about what he tried.
He’s going to have a nasty welcoming committee if he ever comes
back here.”

He stopped, narrowing his
eyes at Grey. “You know, I wish you’d warned me that you gave Coon
a laser rifle. He nearly took my head off when I checked
around
Calíbre
.”

Grey chuckled and winced from the sudden
movement. “He’s better than any security system I could find.”

“
The man is a menace. He
took a shot at me. If he knew what he was doing, he might have
actually hit me,” Rourke said indignantly.

“
That’s what you get for
sneaking around my ship,” Grey countered, finding the incident too
funny to let go and wishing he could at least laugh about
it.

“
Yeah, that’s what I get
for being a friend,” Rourke answered with a snort.

Grey grew serious and spoke quietly. “You
are. A good one, too. Thanks.”

Rourke waved him off. “Forget it. You buy
the drinks for the rest of our lives. Besides, I had a little
help.” He grinned at Cidra.

Cidra blushed and whispered into Grey’s ear,
“I’ll tell you about it later.” He grunted an acknowledgment,
eyeing Rourke with half-hearted suspicion.

Rourke just smiled broadly and put his hands
on his hips. “So, where to folks? You can’t stay here all night. I
brought a ground shuttle.”

Cidra turned back to Grey.
“
Calíbre
?” she
ventured.

His eyes met hers in quiet astonishment. She
already knew him better than anyone. He nodded, fatigue gathering
under the heavy cloak of Triox.

Rourke frowned at Grey. “Will you be all
right there alone?”

“
I’ll be with him.” Cidra
helped Grey off the table and steadied him while he
walked.

Rourke only smiled in envy. “You’re one
lucky man, Stone.”

Grey shot him a single look that told him he
knew it, too.

“
Cidra. Don’t go
yet.”

The tired request sounded more like a
command. Cidra had just turned down the lights in Grey’s quarters
after settling him in bed. She had hoped he would doze off quickly,
slipping into sleep’s blessed refuge, giving the accelerator the
time and energy it needed to heal his wounds. Her eyes swept over
his big, battered body, filling most of the bed. So much damage in
one night.

“
You need to rest. Do you
want another injection of Triox?” she asked gently, sitting on the
edge of his bed and brushing aside a stray curl from his face. His
eyes were heavy from the effects of the massive accelerator dose,
but his body still shuddered from the aftershocks of
violence.

“
No. Talk to
me.”

Cidra pursed her lips and relented, hoping
he would eventually wear himself out. That was the problem with
Triox. It told the mind that you were immortal. Unfortunately, the
body wasn’t. She took his uninjured hand and wrapped it in both of
hers.

“
How long have you known
Rourke?”

Grey closed his eyes. “The better part of
ten years. We met during a salvage operation that went bad. Nothing
like facing certain death together to cement a friendship.”

He shifted and groaned sharply, trying
without success to find a more comfortable position. Cidra winced
at the effort and the vulnerability it disclosed.

“
Are you trying to tell me
that this happens a lot?”

“
Hardly.” He snorted. “It’s
been a while since I’ve had my ass kicked. Frankly, I wouldn’t mind
if this was the last time.”

He laughed. Immediately his face twisted in
a grimace.

“
I should let you sleep.”
Cidra began to move away from him. He grabbed her wrist.

“
No. I’m fine, really.” It
hurt like hell. He was getting too old for this. Then again, those
beautiful blue eyes filled with concern sure held a certain appeal.
It was almost worth it.

Cidra looked at him doubtfully but settled
back on the bed. “What are you going to do about Wex?”

“
I put a false trail
in
Calíbre
’s
systems for the location of the lost Mask of Teran. And just as she
did for the last two finds, Mora stole the file. They will spend
the next several months on the other side of the galaxy heading to
coordinates in the middle of nowhere. Enough time for me to get the
Mask myself.”

Cidra smiled wide. “Maybe Wex will think
twice about stealing and spying.”

Grey smiled weakly. “I hope so. He’ll have
to learn to do it the hard way like the rest of us.” Grey paused.
“I’m glad you approve.”

Cidra ran her eyes over his battered body
again. “He deserves whatever you gave him.”

Grey yawned, admitting depletion at
last.

Cidra watched as he peacefully slipped into
the blissful haven of sleep with a smile still playing on his lips.
His breathing turned even and deep, denying pain any more torment
tonight.

Only then did she reach out to him, her hand
hovering over his bare chest above the bandaged ribs, close enough
to feel the heat build between her body and his. Delicious heat
rose and gathered until her hand felt on fire. That’s what their
lovemaking would be like. Fire, consuming and glorious. And she had
almost lost the chance forever. It was a mistake she wouldn’t
repeat. She couldn’t. She loved him.

Cidra withdrew her hand, stretched out next
to him and fell asleep watching the even rise and fall of his
chest.

A man entertains strange dreams with Triox
coursing through his veins. This one promised to be a real
winner.

In the fertile fields of
his mind, he could smell her hair, feel the heavy silkiness of it
against his face. She lay spooned against him, her back to his
chest, his heavy arousal pinned to her firm derriere.
One hell of a dream
.

His hand rested over one
soft, warm breast. When he slid his thumb over the tip, it
tightened and she stirred.
So
real
.

He moved his hand along the curve of the
breast and over her ribcage, committing every inch to memory. She
wore that little dress from last night. It made sense it would be
in his dream. It would probably be in every dream he had for the
rest of his life.

With only a vague awareness of pain lurking
in the background, he flattened a hand against her slim waist and
pulled her tighter against him. Then his fantasy exploration
continued in earnest.

Her hip swelled under his
touch, followed by a bare, smooth thigh. He groaned.
Damned best dream he ever had
. He should go back and thank that medic.

His fingertips slid to her inner thigh and
began to trace the incredible softness. Up, up, seeking heat.

Her gentle but firm hand halted his
progress.

“
I see you’re feeling
better,” she purred.

In an instant, dream became reality. Her
presence swamped his senses. She was there. Real and warm and soft
against him in his own bed. His eyes flew open. Pain rushed in,
compliments of last evening’s cold violence.

Another fact emerged.

Reality hurt.

Rolling onto his back with a deep, heartfelt
moan, he squeezed his eyes shut, but pain’s floodgate stood wide
open.

Cidra scrambled to her knees beside him.
“Grey?”

“
It’s not you,” he gritted
out. That said, he concentrated on controlling the sudden influx of
discomfort. At least today he could distinguish the specific parts
of his body in agony. Unfortunately, it proved to be pretty much
everything.

“
I’ll get the Triox.” Cidra
hopped off the bed.

Grey clenched his teeth. He hated the drugs,
hated the fact that he needed them. But he had no choice. He had
work to do. They were going to locate that lost shipment. He’d made
up his mind sometime in the blur of last night after Cidra saved
his hide. It had become his number one priority. The Mask of Teran
would have to stay lost for a while longer.

He gazed at her as she finished
administering the Triox. In the haze of pain, she looked like a
divine apparition. He captured her wrist. “I never thanked you,
Cidra.”

She stilled and tears welled up without
warning, dropping like molten fire to his body. She blinked them
aside furiously and turned away.

“
Cidra?”

With her back to him, she planted both hands
on the side table and lowered her head. When she finally spoke, her
voice shook. “I’ve never been so scared in my life. Not even the
night the d’Hont came to my house or the nightmares that
followed.”

“
Cidra, come here.” The
Triox hit him like a wave, making his world a much more pleasant
place. Until he saw the shattered look on her face when she turned
around.

“
I’m sorry,” he
offered.

“
You could have been
killed,” she whispered, her face reflecting memories of the
past.

He held his voice steady. “Thanks to you, I
wasn’t.”

She rubbed her arms and stared at the floor
in silence, her mind clearly at work. Then her shoulders seemed to
drop in defeat.

“
Grey, I’ve been thinking
about the Dakru shipment. Whoever attacked the fleet...” She
stopped and looked directly at him. “It’s too dangerous. I don’t
think we should continue.”

Her train of thought stunned him. It took
him a moment to comprehend what she meant. She was willing to give
up Syrus’ last wish, live with the burden of her past, accept the
loss of the Kin-sha and bury her own dreams, all to keep him safe.
The strength that took, he couldn’t imagine. The unselfish gift she
offered, he couldn’t accept.

“
I don’t think that’s
necessary.” His voice was quiet, masking increasing alarm. “We’ll
be very careful from now on. Believe it or not, I don’t usually get
into this kind of trouble.”