by Mary Auclair
“Get him, Farnick!” Arrik yelled behind her. “Kill the bastard!”
Farnick turned his head to look at his master. That was a mistake, as Karian jumped to the ground, head first, rolling under the menace of the blade. As he straightened, Karian thrust his talons up with both hands, deep into the Cattelan’s chest, embedding them to the wrist.
Farnick’s eyes grew wide, and he opened his mouth as if to say something. A gush of blood ran out, and the ionic blade fell to the sand, useless. Karian roared and yanked his hands out. Between them were the twin hearts of the Cattelan, still beating in panic, dripping with blood. Farnick stared at the hearts, his eyes filling with the terrible knowledge, his mouth open in a silent scream. Then he fell, his body limp.
Karian’s war cry invaded the air, and the sheer power of it sent waves into the very fabric of the night. Karian’s terrible warrior face was drenched with the blood of his enemy, his fangs exposed and bloodied. He wasn’t a creature of nightmares. He was the creature nightmares were terrified of.
That creature turned its wrath to Arrik.
Rose felt the trembling in the Cattelan’s body, along his limbs and down his hands on her.
“Let her go.” The words were almost lost in Karian’s growl. “Get your hands off her.”
“If you move, she dies.” Arrik brought his free hand to Rose’s neck. His voice was high-pitched and unsure. He was terrified, and well he should be. “Don’t take another step.”
“I swear on the Midnight God guarding the souls of my ancestors, I will rip the hearts from your chest and eat them while you watch.”
A long shiver rang through Arrik, and Rose felt every terrified ripple of it. His hand on her neck lowered with his panic. This was her chance. On instinct, she brought her head down to her chest and yanked it back as hard as she was able to. It connected with Arrik’s nose with a sickening wet sound of crushed eggshells, and white streaks of pain shot through her head. The sharp pain resonated through her skull, but she had succeeded, as Arrik’s hold loosened by a thread.
Using the last of her strength, she kicked wildly behind her, hoping to hit him straight in the knees. Rose missed, but the movement yanked her free. She stumbled, losing her balance and rolling in the sand.
A heavy, booted foot hit her kidneys, and she yelled. Rose rolled, backing away from Arrik. He was going to jump her again. She was his only chance at survival now, and she knew it. Her hands clasped frantically at her sides, searching for anything to defend herself with. Finally, her fingers closed around a small wooden stick. Without pausing to think, she grasped it tightly, realizing it was the spear. Arrik’s face was misshapen by rage as he rushed down on her, murder in his eyes gleaming like a flame. Rose brought her hand up, slashing at the Cattelan’s face with fury.
A gush of hot, coppery liquid washed over her face, blurring her vision. Arrik stumbled backward, holding the left side of his face with his hand. Rose fell back on the sand, away from the threat.
“You took my eye!” Arrik yelled, his voice a howl of fury. “I’ll kill you for that, whore.”
But Arrik didn’t attack. His head snapped up to where Karian was, then he ran to the transport. Soon the air hummed with the sound of the engine. Rose watched as the transport hovered away at a blazing speed.
“Rose!” Karian’s face floated over hers. He was a vision of horror, with blood all over, his eyes blazing with a light from within and his fangs exposed in a hiss. He was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. “Are you hurt?”
Karian pulled her to her feet. Strong hands turned her around and ran over her skin. She could have purred under the contact.
“No,” she said, rubbing her eyes to get rid of the sand. “I’m fine. What about you?”
“Nothing more than a scratch.”
“That’s not true.” Her eyes slid down his leg, where the fabric of his pants was ripped to shreds and the exposed flesh was a mangled mess. “This is serious.”
But Karian didn’t pay any attention to her. He was staring in the direction Arrik had left. His face was closed, and his body rippled with unshed aggression. Rose reached for his shoulder, and as she touched him, he shook the contact away.
“We need to leave, now.” He snapped his head to her. “He’s going to be back soon, and this time, he won’t have only two guards with him. He’s going to bring his entire crew.”
“Oh,” she breathed. “Right.”
His hands clenched on her shoulders. His lips were pressed together in a tight line, and she thought she saw him flinch under the pain, but he didn’t complain. He didn’t need to. They both knew his injury was serious, and they also both knew there was nothing they could do about it. Not while the looming threat of an army of Cattelans forced them into a hasty retreat.
“Where are we going to go?” She looked around, but found nowhere to hide. They were out in an endless desert. No matter where or how far they went, a hovercraft could find them.
“To the west,” Karian said. “Into the mountains.”
She didn’t have time to answer. Karian walked away without waiting, and she watched him take the next few steps. He stopped, then he turned his head slightly to the side. The message was clear. She had better follow him, it said.
In that moment, he wasn’t the warm, darkly humorous Karian who made her blood boil and her stomach flutter with need. He was the warrior, the leader she’d met that first day in the pod. The giver of orders, the survivor who would drag her through the sand kicking and screaming if he thought it was the best thing for her.
She started to follow, then stopped. A shining, curved object shone in the sand, not far from Farnick’s body. The ionic blade. Rose reached down and picked it up.
“Leave it,” Karian ordered. “It’s going to give a heat signature for them to follow. We don’t need to make it easier for them to find us.”
“It’s the best weapon we have.” She flicked the blade through the air. “We might need it.”
“I’m the best weapon we have.”
“Maybe, but I’m still bringing it.”
Karian turned to face her. He was deadly and serious, imperious in his authority. She didn’t give a shit.
“I said leave it.”
“And I said I’m bringing it. I’m not like you. I need a weapon to defend myself.”
“You have me.” Karian talked in a definitive, short voice, but there was a concession in that tone. His face twisted in pain, and he wasn’t fast enough to hide it. Rose had an inkling he knew she might be right, but couldn’t say it. “I will protect you to my death.”
“And what happens when you can’t fight anymore?” She nodded her head at his wound, but kept her voice soft. She didn’t want to push him to a defensive stance. He was all male pride, and no good could come of ruffling his feathers. “You can tell me it’s just a scratch all you want, I know better. We’re losing good time. Now, are we going to leave, or what?”
He glared at her for a few more seconds, then nodded. There was no way to tell what part—if any—of what she had said he agreed with, but the main thing was that he let her keep the blade.
As they walked under the rising light of the early morning, its metal felt like death in her palm.
HOURS FOLLOWED HOURS, with the sun high in the merciless sky, hammering over Rose and Karian’s heads with a renewed hatred. Karian wasn’t slowing down, walking three steps ahead of her, not turning back, not talking.
Rose’s head was swimming in a bottomless pit of pain. The head-butting she gave Arrik had been effective, but it had resulted in a searing headache that had only worsened with the fatigue, thirst, and heat. The sun’s constant rays were an ever-present torture, and every sliver of light stabbed her retinas, furrowing through the folds of her brain to bring about new heights of pain and misery. Still, she kept up with Karian’s pace, even though her legs burned.
There was no place for the weak in this survival game.
After another few hours, Karia
n wasn’t three steps ahead of her anymore. He was a good ten paces in front, and constantly stopping to allow her to make up the distance. Rose was fading, and fast.
She had stopped looking ahead a while ago. Her head hung limp on her shoulder, pulled by its own weight. The only thing breaking the monotony of the sand was the constant trickle of blood oozing from Karian’s wound. Rose followed its trace in the sand, one grim drop at a time. It had abated in the first hours of their walk, reducing and even at some point stopping, but the wound had re-opened some time ago and blood stained the dirt ever since. It was a miracle Karian was still on his feet, a tribute to his incredible strength and stamina. He truly was a force of nature, but even a creature as formidable as him was going to fade at some point. In all likelihood, Rose was going to be the first to go down, and she knew it.
A few more steps, and the world started to spin. She stopped, bracing her weight with her hands on her knees, but to no avail. The ground met her butt with an ungraceful thump. The world was a spiral of dry, sterile sand and frozen blue, as the sky and the ground mixed in front of her eyes. She wasn’t going to get up, not this time.
“We can’t stop.” Karian came to her side, and helped her sit up straight. After a while, the world stopped spinning and she latched onto his blue gaze. He was still the warrior, his face set in determination, but there was no harshness in his voice. “We need to cover more ground before we’re safe.”
“I’m done,” Rose said, shaking her head slowly. She spoke the truth, and saying the words made it final. “I can’t walk anymore. I need a break, and water, if we can dig out some roots. You need it too.”
“It’s not safe.” Karian talked softly, but there was no mistaking him. He meant it. “Just a bit more, to those hovering rocks over there. They’re large enough to make a shelter.”
Karian pointed to a forest-like growth of tall rocks. It seemed impossibly far, but she knew he was right. After a few moments, she nodded, and he helped her to her feet. They walked slowly, but kept going.
Up close, she saw the pain painted across Karian’s features at every step. His wound was oozing, inflamed and angry looking. It was infected. Pretty soon, he was going to need the kind of help she couldn’t provide.
Her respect for him grew with every step he took on his bad leg, never complaining, never fading in his support for her. He was a rock, and all she wanted to do was to lean on him, on his strength. She had never wanted to rely on anybody more than him, and it scared her out of her skin. There was no time to dwell on her feelings, though.
Time blurred into an endless tapestry of misery while Karian and Rose walked to what appeared to be the beginning of a dense cluster of fallen rocks, where the mouth of a dark cave gave the promise of shelter.
Up in front, there was a tangle of the tall, dry shoots, and the promise of roots filled with sweet sap. When they reached it, Rose collapsed to the ground and immediately started to dig. Karian did the same beside her, although with considerably more dignity. Her fingers hurt and her skin was raw, but soon a large root found its way into her hands. Not losing a second, Rose bit in and sucked on the nutritive sap, her greedy lips latching on desperately.
Karian kept digging at her side, piling up fat roots, not pausing to drink.
“We have enough.” He turned to Rose. “Let’s get closer to the cave.”
She followed him, sucking on roots as they went. The sun’s relentless heat was somehow dimmed by the shadow of the rocks, and the shade was a welcome relief. She didn’t have the courage to look down at her arms to see the damage. She would feel it soon enough.
Karian finally stopped in front of the mouth of the cave. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do. “Sit and drink. I’ll inspect the place.” He dropped the pile of roots at her feet and started to inspect the cave. “It looks good enough for now. I’ll have to pile more on the entrance to hide our heat signature. The entry to the shelter will be small, but we have no choice.”
“I’ll help you,” Rose said quickly.
“No,” he answered with a sharp gesture. “You’re too weak already.”
He started to pile huge rocks on each side of the cave’s entrance. The rocks Karian moved would have taken two or three young, strong human men to move, and Rose was left awed at his superior strength. She wanted to protest, wanted to shoulder her share of the burden, but she was dry to the bone. Even at her peak, this was not something she could even have dreamed of doing.
She sat down on a rounded boulder and sucked on a fat root while she watched Karian, feeling guilty to the brim. It was hard work and after a few dozen rocks, it was clear that he was exhausted. His chest was heaving and he took more and more time between each rock.
“That’s enough.” Rose got to her feet. To hell with male pride, he was done. “Now, sit and drink with me.”
“No, it isn’t enough.” Karian turned to Rose. His eyes were sunken and vague. “It won’t keep us hidden from a heat signature scan if they fly over us tonight.”
She walked to him, the largest root they had dug up in her hands.
“I’m fine,” Karian protested, but he didn’t move. “I’ll drink when I’m done.”
“You’re done now.” Rose planted her feet and faced him squarely. She gave him her best I’m-going-to-make-you-rest-myself look. “Drink. Now.”
“I’m stronger than you think.” He smirked, but it lacked its usual arrogance. “Besides, a Pretty Thing like you needs a bed to rest in tonight.”
Exasperated, Rose shoved the root against his chest. Her heart constricted when Karian wavered on his feet and the root fell down. His weakness lasted only a second, but it was enough to convince her.
“You’re about to collapse,” she said, bringing her hands up and placing them on his chest. His skin was an inferno, but his face froze like stone at her words. Rose smiled at him, trying to appease his pride. “Besides, who’s going to protect me if you fall? I’m defenseless, remember?”
Worry blazed in her gut as her hands ran up his chest to cup his cheek. The fever was too high, and she had nothing to bring it down.
Karian’s eyes blazed with humor, and the corners of his mouth lifted in the beginning of a smirk. He followed her movements as she picked up the root and slammed it softly against his chest again, her brows lifted in a gently mocking way. He brought his hand over hers, the touch of his sharp talons sending electric waves across her skin. His feverish eyes softened and he lowered his head.
Rose lifted herself on the tips of her toes to meet him, and their lips connected. His heat burned her lips, and she fought the tears that came to her eyes. She couldn’t let him see how scared she was for him, as she was sure his male pride would rebel at the idea of appearing weak in her eyes. Not that she ever would see him that way, but Karian was the kind of male who despised admitting to a weakness, even when it was obvious he was exhausted.
He leaned forward and his other hand slipped onto the small of her back, pulling her into the volcano of his body. His kiss was hungry and generous at the same time, his touch telling her what his words couldn’t.
She lowered her feet and broke the kiss. Karian’s blazing eyes met hers and he opened his mouth.
Something snapped to their left, and his face lost all its softness. He sniffed the air, and a cloud panned across his eyes.
“Don’t move.” He pushed her away, not rudely, but with enough decisiveness that she didn’t resist. “It’s not after you.”
Rose opened her mouth to talk, but no sound came out. A sense of dread blanketed the dusk. She stood, clutching the root to her chest as Karian stalked in front of her. His hands were extended at his sides, talons at the ready, his legs widely spaced.
“What is it?” A slow shiver slithered across her nerves. She knew what it was, and it wasn’t good. “Is it that big lizard-cat thing?”
The predator’s eyes, cold and calculating, came back to the front of her mind. It was a nightmarish creature, lethal in all aspects, even f
or one as strong as Karian. Especially now that he was injured.
“An aakvan, yes. It smelled my blood. It knows I’m weak and it came for a quick kill.”
Rose wanted to answer with something, anything, but her mind was a blank. A quick kill, yes. Predators targeted the weak, the sick, the old, and very young. The injured. Prey that was easy to kill. Like Karian.
She was still holding the root to her heart, like it could somehow shield them from the claws and fangs that ripped flesh to shreds, when a long shadow emerged from between the rocks to make way to another living nightmare.
This creature was much larger than the one she had encountered in the plain near the pod. It was so tall its head stood at Karian’s shoulders, and it was twice as large as he was. Its snout was crisscrossed with long, ugly scars from previous battles, and its yellow eyes met Karian’s stance with a cold intelligence that chilled the blood in her veins. It was a monster, purely and simply, and it was the master of this territory.
The aakvan stepped into the clearing, its claws digging into the sand and its fangs dripping with venom.
Karian’s shoulders slumped. His talons fidgeted, and Rose could almost feel the waves of exhaustion emanating from his skin. Uninjured, the beast would have been a challenge to defeat, but in his state, Karian was no match, and he knew it.
They were going to die.
CHAPTER 12
KARIAN
T he alien feeling filled his mind, penetrating each of his cells with a numbing cold, erasing years of painful training. It took a long time for Karian to understand what it was. It was fear.
He wasn’t afraid for himself. His Eok warrior training erased the fear of death, and even pain, to a mere dust in the back of his mind. No, he was afraid for her. Even though he hadn’t mated Rose, she was coursing through his veins as though they’d spent a lifetime together.
