Youre digressing, Kaia.
Am not! Now where was I? Oh, yeah. The boyfriend. I couldnt get close enough to him to figure out what bothered me. Hes dark and wily and like I said, he managed to evade me, which means hes good, very, very good at evading because Im very, very good at tracking. Did I ever tell you about the time I
Kaia!
Anyway, you havent been able to evade him. Hes close, hes filled with piss and vinegar and he wants to make you his bitch.
How close is he?
Her chin lifted stubbornly. Close enough that youre lucky you werent shot down inside that little gas station.
Yet she hadnt said anything while they were there. Hadnt given him a chance to set a trap. Shed laughed and stolen food and let him take his time. Then shed carried on a conversation with William, mile after mile, as if there were no pressing issues. To punish him for not welcoming her to their group, he knew. Harpies were as vindictive as they were destructive.
Most. Frustrating. Female. Ever.
His fingers dug into his thighs to keep from strangling her, and he knew hed have long-lasting bruises. Why were you following him?
One delicate shoulder, bared because of the lacy pink top she wore, lifted in a shrug. When everyone left the fortress, going their separate ways to hide artifacts and stash their women safely away blah, blah, blah, I followed you. I figured youd see the most action, and I was right.
Fuck. He must be losing his touch. Hed never even sensed her.
Youre welcome, by the way, she continued. You grabbed Haidee and carted her off, but you left a blood trail straight to your motel room door. They were set to raid the entire building when I took all but the leader down. That little bastard escaped, and you should have taken him out when you had the chance, because he gathered more men. Ive been hot on his heels ever since.
Youre hot, all right. But seriously, howd you meet up with Lucien? William asked, inserting himself into the conversation.
Anya and I keep in touch. I told her I needed to borrow her gentleman friend and she agreed. For a price, Kaia added with a tinge of anger. And someone in this car is going to reimburse me.
Gentleman friend. Nice. William opened his mouth to add something else, probably to tell her he would gladly pay.
Strider beat him to it. Whatever it was, Ill take care of it. He owed her. He guessed. But he didnt like it, and didnt want to be indebted to anyone.
Good. Then you owe me a ten-minute Frencher.
He blinked, certain hed misheard. Hed expected Hunter hearts or severed limbs. Anya made you kiss her?
Yeah. And at our next stop, Ill expect you to deliver.
Ill pay, William piped up. After you describe everything about that kiss you two shared. Did you cop a feel? You did, didnt you, you little hussy. I bet you moaned a lot, too.
Too late for you to pay, she said in a sing-song voice. Strider already offered, and I already accepted. And no, I wont do any describing. You can just imagine how sexy it was. Oh, and Willie. Just so you know, your imagination wont do it justice.
She was lying. She had to be lying. But why would she lie about a kiss? What could she possibly hope to gain by forcing him to kiss her? Strider leaned back in his seat and stared up at the roof. No answers were forthcoming, and he doubted they ever would be.
Besides, he had more pressing matters to deal with. Like Haidees psycho boyfriend. How close was the son of a bitch?
Win, Defeat said inside his head. Win, win. It wasnt a question this time. On any level.
Great. The boyfriend wasnt even here, but the challenge had been heard, accepted and must now be met.
Pull over, he told William for the second time that night.
Why? Theres no store.
Kaia flicked Strider another glance and grinned. Now theres the demon warrior Ive come to know and love. He wants to set a trap, Willie, and were going to help him.
Nope. Im getting out and doing this solo, Strider announced. William had people of his own to kill, and Strider didnt want to spend any more time with Kaia than necessary.
Her grin remained in place, though the edges darkened with an emotion he couldnt name. Oh, really? Well, I seem to recall you telling me Im worse than a stomach virus, and I think its time I proved that. Im challenging you to let me help you, Strider. Im challenging you to hurt the bastard more than I do, and Im challenging you to kill more of his men than I do.
Fuck! he thought, even as his demon started jumping around again. Nervous, excited. Okay, mostly nervous.
Win, win, win. Please, win.
Suddenly hating Kaia with every fiber of his being, Strider gave her a stiff nod. Game on, then. When this is over, he said softly, I will make you pay.
I know, she replied, and her tone was oddly subdued. Believe me, I know.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
THOUGH TWO DAYS OF WALKING and monotony had passed since theyd left their cave, and all Amun had been able to do was think and guard Haidee the few times hed allowed her to stop and rest, he hadnt come to grips with what hed once done to her. Or what had driven her to hate him and his friends, hate that led her to aid in Badens destruction. No matter how good Amuns intentions had been, hed still flung her right into an attackers blade.
Gods. The blood pouring from herthe agony in her expression
His friends only remembered bits and pieces of their time in ancient Greece. They knew theyd burned, pillaged and destroyed, but not specifics. Like who and what. Amun, however, recalled every detail. Or rather, Secrets wouldnt allow him to forget. Mysteries of that nature werent ever allowed to remain unsolved, even within himself.
Very clearly Amun remembered the rage hed felt as he had followed the Hunters to the noblemans home. Theyd had a particularly violent battle earlier that morning, before the Hunters had cut their losses and retreated. Having none of that, Amun and the others had followed them. The warriors had been sliced, diced and bleeding, and theyd been determined to annihilate those responsible.
What he hadnt pieced together thenthe information lost in the tangle of everything elsebut what he determined now, was that theyd been herded, purposely led into that house. Not by the Hunters, but by the he who pulled their strings. Not the robed being Haidee had seen, but the he the Hunters had mentioned when theyd spotted the creature. He had known a demon would be there. He had wanted everyone inside that room to be slaughtered. Even his own people.
Galen, even then? Or the man who had rescued little Haidee and taught her to blame the Lords for her parents deaths? The Bad Man? Amun might never know, and really, just then, he didnt care. No ones actions had been as despicable as his own.
He didnt deserve the woman behind him, the woman trudging without complaint through cavern after cavern simply to save him. He was responsible for the danger she now found herself in. He might be the cause of her next death.
A death she feared with every ounce of her being. Terror had filled those pearl-gray eyes when shed spoken of her rebirths. Terror and residual pain, as if even speaking of the events had lanced her with an agony few in the world could even understand. She deserved peace and happiness, a family to cherish her.
Everything shed ever loved had been taken from her. While his mind had been merged with hers, hed sensed thousands of hidden memoriesthe memories she thought had been wiped. They were buried deep, secrets even from herself. His demon had reacted rapturously and now viewed her head as the Holy Grail. Secrets wanted back inside. Amun wanted back on top of her strong little body.
But he wouldnt touch her again, wouldnt deepen the already sizzling awareness between them. Becausedamn it! He hated this line of thought, but he didnt allow himself to back away from it. This was part of his penance. He wouldnt touch her again because he was going to give her back to Micah.
Amuns fingers tightened around the blade hilts he held in both hands, and red dots flickered through his vision. Haidee wouldnt come to hate herself for being with Micah, a Hunter. She wouldnt wallow in guilt she shouldnt feel. She wouldnt lose the life shed managed to build for herself.
With Amun, she would come to hate herself. How could she not? Giving herself to a Lord had to top her list of Things Never To Do. She would wallow in guilt, berating herself for choosing the very evil shed fought against for so long. And she would lose the life shed built. No way she could be with him and not cut ties with his enemy.
She must have sensed, or heard, the direction of his thoughts because she sighed, her cool breath wafting down his back. Hed removed his shirt, the heat too much, sweat constantly trickling over his flesh. If Haidee hadnt been with him, that wonderfully cool breeze wafting from her, enveloping him, he might have actually burst into flames.
Can we talk now? she said. About what happened?
Amun was willing to do anything she wanted. Except that. If he told her of his guilt, his regret, she would do everything in her power to ease him. No matter what she did, she would only increase his guilt, because she would be acting against her nature. The woman could nurse a grudge as stubbornly as his friends. Except with Amun. Him, she wanted to forgive. Him, she wanted to absolve. Him, she wanted tolove. Hed sensed the need inside her.
Because of the blood bond they shared?
Amun?
No.
So stubborn, she said, tsking under her tongue. Fine. Lets talk about something else, then.
No.
Please.
As strong as he was, he was helpless against that word. Very well. What do you wish to discuss?
You know some of my secrets, but I dont know any of yours. Will you tell me something that no one else knows about you?
Had his friends heard that question, they would have rolled their eyes and snorted, certain Haidee was playing Bait, trying to learn everything she could about him to share with the Hunters. And they would have shaken Amun had they realized he planned to answer anyway. That he actually trusted her.
Her, the only person in the world his demon couldnt read automatically. Her, the only person in the world who could read him.
Point me in the right direction. What type of secret would you like?
She inhaled sharply, as if she hadnt expected him to respond. Then she expelled the breath with a torturous slowness that caused the sweat on his back to freeze. Rather than numb him, that ice reminded him of her touch, and his shaft twitched in anticipation.
Perhaps you should increase the distance between us, he said. He wouldnt turn around, wouldnt look at her to see how she took his request. Just in case you trip. You dont want to slam into me, do you?
If I trip, I need to be closer to you. Youd prevent a face-plant.
Logical. Damn it. He increased his pace. So did she. A few minutes ticked by in silence. Sometimes he felt as if he was walking in circles, the cave widening, then narrowing, then widening again, leading up, then down, but never actually taking him anywhere. But there was no other direction to take. This was it.
They snaked a corner, and still Haidee remained silent. Tension bloomed as he considered everything she could ask him. Details about his last lover. His plans for her, the future.
You have yet to point me in the right direction, Haidee.
Im thinking. Speaking must have distracted her because she tripped, stumbling right into him, her breasts pressing into his back. She huffed. See? Saved from a face-plant.
The stinging arousal that next consumed him made a mockery of the twitching that had come before. He wanted her to reach around and wrap her fingers around his erection. Stroke him up and down. Perhaps step in front of him, drop to her knees and suck him deep.
Of course, she straightened, ending the contact but not the fantasy.
A moan nearly escaped him. Dont think like that, he commanded himself.
Like what? she asked, confused.
Gods, he had to be more careful. Sorry. The command was for myself.
Why? What were you thinking about?
No way hed tell her. No damn way. What secret would you like from me?
A moment passed before she said, That. I want to know what you were thinking about.
Should have expected that. He could have refused her, but he didnt. She had requested, he had agreed, and he would do as promised. Still. He couldnt speak about what hed been imagining without begging her to truly do it. Ill have to show you. If he could.
Okay.
When he had lived in the heavens, a minor goddess had performed the act on him, once, only once, and he had loved every moment of it. Sadly, no one had ever done it since. Maybe because hed never been able to ask for it, and when hed tried to angle his few lovers into that position, they had resisted. He was big, so hed understood their reservations and hadnt pressed.
So, before Haidee, the time with the goddess had been the best sexual experience of his life. Just thinking about Haidee sucking his shaft, however, was even better than that.
Im waiting, Haidee sang.
And she had called him stubborn. Very well, sweetheart. Just remember, you asked for this. He pushed the vision out of his mind and into hers, praying it worked.
It worked. She gave another sharp intake of breath, this one shaky around the edges. Amun, she said on a moan.
A moan of need?
Even as they continued to march forward, her hands slid up his back, then around his sidesplaying with his nipples Her breasts once again smashed into him, but this time her fingers traced a path downdown Holy hell. She would do it, he thought, awed and guilty and so aroused his hunger and need were probably seeping from his skin. She would give him what he wanted, without any hesitation. Right here, right now.
He would have to stop her, couldnt let hershe rubbed his cock through his pants, and his lips parted on a silent groan. He couldnt stop her, would let her