More nibbling on that lush bottom lip. Her teeth were white and straight and a little sharper than a humans. Kissing her would probably draw blood, but part of him suspected every drop would be worth it. Imaybe.
Maybe was better than nothing. Lucien, he called without removing his attention from her.
Her eyes widened, and again she tried to scoot back. What are you doing? Dont
Lucien stalked through the front flaps, glancing between them expectantly. Yes?
Bring me a prisoner from Buda. I dont care which.
Luciens brow furrowed in curiosity, but he didnt reply. He simply disappeared.
I cant help you, Sabin, Gwen said, sounding agonized. Imploring him to understand. I really cant. Theres no reason to do whatever it is youre about to do. I shouldnt have yelled at you the way I did. All right? I admit it. I shouldnt have insulted you with my doubts. But I seriously cant fight anyone. I freeze up when Im scared. And then I black out. When I wake up, everyone around me is dead. She gulped, squeezed her eyes shut for several seconds. Once I start killing, I cant stop. Thats not the kind of soldier you can rely on.
You didnt kill me, he reminded her. You didnt kill my friends.
I honestly dont know how I pulled myself back. Thats never happened before. I wouldnt know how to do it a-gain. She paled.
Lucien had reappeared, a struggling Hunter at his side.
Reaching behind his back, Sabin withdrew a dagger and stood.
When Gwen saw the glinting silver, she gasped. Wh-what are you doing?
Was this man one of your tormentors? Sabin asked the now trembling female.
Silent, her gaze moved from one man to another in dread. She clearly knew what was coming, but this wasnt the heat of battle. It would be straight-up murder.
The Hunter kicked and punched at Lucien. That failed to gain him his freedom, so he began sobbing. Let me go, let me go, let me go. Please. I only did what I was told. I didnt mean to hurt the women. It was all for the greater good.
Shut it, Sabin said. This time hed be the one to show no mercy. You didnt save them either, now did you?
Ill stop trying to kill you. I swear!
Gwendolyn. Sabins voice was hard, uncompromising, a roar compared to the Hunters pleading. An answer. Please. Was this man one of your tormentors?
She gave a single nod.
Without word or warning, he cut the Hunters throat.
CHAPTER FIVE
SABIN HAD MURDERED a man in front of her.
Several hours had since passed and theyd even switched locations, but the bloody image of that human falling to his knees, then to his face, gurgling then silent, so silent, refused to leave her mind.
Gwen had known that kind of fierceness churned inside of Sabinthe same kind of fierceness that had driven her to murder. Shed known he was hard and harsh and untouched by softer emotion. His eyes gave him away. Dark and cold, utterly calculating. The moment hed led her out of her cell those two days ago, shed begun to notice the way he surveyed the scene around him and decided who and what he could use to his advantage. Everything else was debris.
She must have been debris. Then. Now he wanted her help.
But she couldnt forget that hed pushed her away at their first meeting. Oh, that had embarrassed her. One simple brush of his callused fingertips and shed glued herself to the side of a man who wanted nothing to do with her. But hed been so warm, his skin buzzing with energy, and shed been without contact for so long that she hadnt been able to help herself.
No touching, hed said, and hed looked capable of slaying her if she dared reach out again.
His cruel treatment had reminded her that her rescuers were strangers to her, that their intentions could be every bit as nefarious as her captors. So shed kept her distance, using the past two days to study them and eavesdrop on their most private conversations. Her mental ear blocks were back in place, noise levels at a bearable pitch, allowing her to listen to men who didnt want to be listened to without grimacing and giving herself away.
One of those conversations, which had taken place this very morning, constantly replayed through her mind.
Weve been here nearly a month with no sign of an artifact. How many pyramids do we have to search before we find it? I thought wed hit the jackpot with that last pyramid, since Hunters were there, but
Again, the men had referenced a hunter. Its what theyd called Chris. Why?
I know, I know. All that work, and were no closer to finding the box.
Artifact? Box?
Should we pack up?
Might as well. Until our Eye gives us another clue, were directionless.
Strange phrasing. Their eye could offer clues? To what? And whose eye were they referring to? Maybe the one called Lucien; shed noticed he had one blue eye and one brown.
Hopefully Galen hasnt found anything, either. Well, other than a pike through the heart. That, Id like to help him find.
Who was Galen? Did it matter? These warriors wereodd. Half of them spoke as though theyd stepped straight from the pages of Medieval Times magazine. The other half could have been members of a street gang. They loved each other, though, that much was clear. They were solicitous of each others needs, either joking and laughing together or fiercely guarding each others backs.
Three men and the female warrior, Cameo, had sneaked inside Sabins tent while Sabin was off speaking with Lucien. Each of them had delivered the same message to her: Hurt the warrior and suffer. They hadnt waited for her reply, but had stomped out. The womans voiceGwen shuddered. She had suffered just listening to it.
As much time as shed spent alone in the tent, she could have escaped. Probably should have tried. But mile after mile of desert, glaring sun and who knew what else surrounded her, and fear had held her in place.
Even though shed grown up in the ice-mountains of Alaska, she could have dealt with the sand and the sun. She hoped. It was the unknown that intimidated her. What if she stumbled upon a vicious tribe? Or a pack of hungry animals? Or another group of treacherous men?
Besides, striking out on her own to follow her then-boyfriend Tyson to another state had been the catalyst to her ending up the unwilling guest of that glass cage. Still. Had the warriors hurt her, she would have risked it. Again, she hoped. But they hadnt touched her, not in any way. And she was happy about that. Really. The fact that Sabin had kept his wordno touchingwas like a gift from the heavens. Really.
You okay? The warrior named Strider plopped down in the plush leather seat beside hers. They were inside a private jet, high in the sky, and there was quite a bit of turbulence.
Surprisingly, that didnt faze her.
Gwen suppressed a bitter laugh. A shadow could sendher into hiding, but rattle-your-bones, fall from the sky instability made her yawn. Maybe because she herself could flykind ofthough she hadnt attempted the skill in forever. Maybe because as much as shed been through this past year, crashing seemed like childs play.
Youre pale, he added when she remained silent. He whipped a pack of Red Hots from his pocket, downed a mouthful, then offered some to her. She smelled cinnamon, and her mouth watered. You need to eat.
At least she didnt cower from him. Still. What was with these men and their need to shove junk food in her face? No thanks. Im fine. She hadnt yet recovered from the Twinkies.
Oh, she didnt regret eating them. The sugary tastethe fullness of her stomachit had been heaven. For those few precious seconds, anyway. But shed known better than to eat food freely given to her. Cursed by the gods, like all Harpies, she could only eat food that she had stolen or earned. It was penance for crimes her ancestors had committed and completely unfair, but there was nothing she could do about it.
Well, she could starve.
She was too afraid of the consequences to steal from these men, as well as too afraid of what theyd make her do to earn a few precious morsels.
You sure? he asked, then tossed a few more of the candies in his mouth. These are small, but they pack a hell of a punch. Of all the men, hed been the most gentle with her. The most concerned with her care. Those bright blue eyes never regarded her with disdain. Or fury, as was sometimes the case with Sabin.
Sabin. Always her mind returned to him.
Her gaze sought him. He reclined in the lounge across from her, his eyes closed, spiked lashes casting shadowsover the hollows of his sharp cheeks. He wore fatigues, a silver chain necklace and a leather man-bracelet. (She was pretty confident hed want the man distinction.) His features were relaxed in slumber. How could someone look at once harsh and boyish?
It was a mystery she wanted to solve. Maybe when she did, shed stop seeking him out. Five minutes couldnt pass without her wondering where he was, what he was doing. This morning, hed been packing his things, preparing for this trip, and shed imagined her nails digging into his back, her teeth sinking into his neck. Not to hurt him, but to pleasure her!
Shed had a few lovers over the years, but those kinds of thoughts had never plagued her before. She was a gentle creature, damn it, even in bed. It was him, his I-dont-care-about-anything-but-winning-my-war attitude that was causing thisdarkness inside her. Had to be.
She should have been disgusted by what hed done, slicing the humans neck as he had. At the very least, she should have screamed for him to stop, protested, but part of her, that darker side, the monster she couldnt escape, had known what was about to happen and had been glad. Shed wanted the human to die. Even now, there was a spark of gratitude inside her chest. For Sabin. For the wonderfully cruel way hed dispensed justice.
That was the only reason shed willingly stepped onto this plane. A plane headed not for Alaska but Budapest. That, and the respectful distance the warriors had maintained from her. Oh, and the Twinkies. Not that she could give in to their sweet temptation again.
Maybe she should, though. Maybe she should strap on her big girl panties and steal one, risking punishment. Her skills were rusty, but now that she was out of the cell, her hunger pangs were strong, her body growingweaker. Too, if the warriors hurt her that would finally spur her into action. Going home.
Shed have to decide quickly, though. Pretty soon, she wouldnt have the strength or clarity to appropriate a fallen crumb, much less an entire meal, and she definitely wouldnt have the strength to leave. What made it worse was that she wasnt simply battling hunger, she was also battling lethargy.
She wasnt cursed to stay awake forever or anything like that, but sleeping in front of others was against the Harpies code of conduct. And with good reason! Sleeping left you vulnerable, open to attack. Or, say, abduction. Her sisters didnt live by many rules, but they never deviated from that one. She wouldnt either. Not again. Already shed embarrassed them enough.
But without food and without sleep, her health would continue to decline. Soon the Harpy would take over, determined to force her into wellness.
The Harpy. While they were one and the same, she considered them separate entities. The Harpy liked to kill; she didnt. The Harpy preferred the dark; she preferred the light. The Harpy enjoyed chaos; she enjoyed tranquility. Cant let her out.
Gwen gazed around the plane, searching for those Twinkies. Her eyes, however, stopped on Amun. He was the darkest of the warriors, and someone shed never heard speak a word. He hunched in the seat farthest from her, his hands over his temples, moaning as though in great pain. Paris, the one with the brown and black hairthe seductive one, as shed come to think of him, with his azure eyes and pale skinwas beside him, staring pensively out the window.
Across from them was Aeron, the one covered from head to foot in tattoos. He, too, was silent, stoic. Thethree of them could have been spokesmen for misery. And I thought I had it bad. What was wrong with them? she wondered. And did they know where the Twinkies were?
Gwendolyn?
Striders voice pulled her from her thoughts with a jolt. Yes?
Lost you again.
Oh, sorry. Had he asked her something?
The plane hit another bump. A lock of sandy hair fell over Striders forehead, and he brushed it aside. Another cinnamon-scented breeze followed the motion. Her stomach grumbled. I know you wont eat, he said, but are you thirsty? Would you like something to drink?
Yes. Please, yes. Her mouth watered even more, but she said, No, thanks.
At least accept a bottle of water. Its capped, so you dont have to worry that weve done something to it. He produced a glistening, ice-cold bottle from the cup holder beside him and waved it in front of her face. Had it been there the entire time?
Inside, she wept. Looked so good Maybe later. The words were croaked.
He shrugged as if he didnt care, but there was disappointment in his eyes. Your loss.
Surely there was something nearby that she could steal. Once again, she searched the plane. Her gaze snagged on the half-drunk cherry-flavored water beside Sabin. She licked her lips. No, it will be Sabins loss. Soon as Strider left her, shed go for it, damn the consequences.
Maybe. No, she would. But he was here now, and she might as well get some answers out of him. She could also use the time to build her courage. Why are weflying? she asked. I saw the one called Lucien disappear with the other women. We could have reached Budapest in seconds.