"Make it stop! Please, make it stop!"
Nykyrian winced at the sound that seemed to come from some dark place inside her soul. It was bone-chilling.
Without thinking, he drew her into his arms and cradled her head against his chest to block the sight of the dead soldiers. "Don't look."
He held her quietly while she sobbed inconsolably. He'd long ceased being horrified by bodies. The only emotion the grisly sight evoked in him was anger over the waste.
Her hot tears soaked through his shirt, forming chills on his skin. The soft scent of flowers drifted from her hair that had been sprayed with glitter and braided with pieces of ribbon and lace. Her slender arms clutched at him in desperation as her body was wracked with sobs.
Why the hell wasn't Syn here to deal with this? He'd know what to do and say. He'd actually had a wife at one time. Nykyrian felt completely lost and unprepared--two feelings he despised.
"Everything will be fine," he said, hoping that was what he should be saying. He started to pat her back, then stopped since he didn't want to hurt her. She was so frail and tiny. The last thing he wanted was to inadvertently damage her with his Andarion strength.
How did humans comfort each other?
Telling her to stop and let it go just didn't seem right.
What else was there?
Unsure, he let her weep while he held her.
Kiara clutched Nykyrian like a lifeline. She needed the safety he offered, the protection. She found a strange comfort in his arms. His heart beat a steady, soothing rhythm under her cheek. He was as calm on the inside as he appeared. A faint smell of leather and musk came from his skin, soothing her in spite of the terror of this night and her past.
She didn't want to die. Not like this. Not like those poor men on the floor . . .
Someone help me!
Nykyrian clenched his teeth as her embrace tightened. Never in his life had anyone held him in such a manner. He knew it was only her emotional state that prompted her to touch him at all.
You're wasting valuable time.
He had to get her to safety.
Pulling away, he held her shoulders and forced her to look up at him. "We must leave."
With a ragged breath to steady her frayed nerves, Kiara took her cloak from his hand and wrapped it around her shoulders. She shielded her eyes from the bodies. For now, she had no choice but to trust this stranger to get her past Pitala. Nykyrian had saved her life, obviously he knew what he was doing.
They had to get out of here.
Nykyrian checked both ways before he stepped into the hallway. Keeping one hand on her and the other on his blaster, he led her to the caterer's entrance, then to the back door and out onto the curb.
He hailed a transport from the line of them across the street.
Kiara stepped inside the car, pushing herself as far over in the seat as she could. She just wanted to fade into obscurity and never be bothered or hunted again.
Nykyrian gave her address to the computer.
She went cold with dread. "How do you know where I live?"
"All good mercenaries know it. The Probekeins have been listing your name and address for the last week on their bounty sheets."
She shook even more. All this time, she'd deluded herself into thinking she was quasi safe. She should have known better.
Her stomach churned as she thought about her father's soldiers. It was all her fault they were dead. Even though they'd said such unkind things about her, they didn't deserve what Pitala had done to them. No doubt they had families and would have had a future had she . . .
Kiara couldn't go there.
The Probekeins wanted her dead and anyone near her could be the next victim. "Aren't you afraid to be with me?"
"Afraid?" For the first time she heard emotion in his tone. It was full of disbelief.
"The next assassin could kill you by accident."
"Let me to assure you, if anyone kills me, it won't be by accident. The price The League has on my head makes a mockery of the one on yours. Not to mention the instant prestige killing me would give a mercenary should one of them ever succeed."
Kiara nodded, unable to speak around the clump of tears in her throat. Here she sat, next to a true mercenary, a brutal killer if the truth were spoken.
Why was he helping her?
"Are you going to kill me?" Her voice shook from the strain and fear of her words.
He didn't react to the question at all. "If I had that intention, you'd have been dead before you ever saw me."
Those emotionless words sent a cold chill over her. "But why are you protecting me? I thought mercenary assassins were only motivated by money."
Nykyrian rubbed his right hand over his left bicep--the place where his full League tattoo would be located. "You haven't met enough of us to know what motivates us."
Kiara conceded he was right, but it didn't change her suspicions. "You avoided my question. Why are you helping me?"
His hand stopped. He looked away from her. "Maybe I'm a fan."
"Are you?"
"Yes."
Kiara stared at him too shocked and confused to feel anything. Nykyrian sat so still next to her, he seemed ethereal. Like an angel of death, only in her case he was protecting her--or at least that's what he claimed. His blond hair was so pale and smooth. As before, the dark shades obscured his face, giving her no real idea what he looked like.
He was a complete enigma. If she was to trust in him to keep her safe when it seemed to go against his nature, she wanted to know something about him. Something that would make him seem . . .
Human.
"Who are you? Really."
Nykyrian shrugged. "Never figured it out. Takes too much time to think about myself, and time is one luxury I don't own."
Kiara fell silent, thinking, remembering. She couldn't get the image of the dead soldiers out of her mind no matter how hard she tried. "I killed those guards you know."
Her words seemed to soften some of his rigidness. "The Probekeins killed them."
Kiara shook her head, unwilling to see reason right now. "No, they were protecting me. They should have been home with their families, not in the Probekeins' line of fire."
Nykyrian looked in her direction. "They were soldiers, mu Tara. Death is nothing more than the hazard of the business. They knew the risk and accepted it the moment they donned their uniforms."
"Could you accept it?"
"I have."
She frowned at his disclosure. "You were brought back?"
He didn't respond to her question. "Death is the final blow we're all dealt sooner or later. No one is immune, believe me on that, and tonight the mistress took them home. Don't cry for them, princess. I assure you, they wouldn't cry for you."
His words cut through her. "How can you be so cold?"
"I'm a soldier, mu Tara. Emotions are hazardous for us so we dump them."
Kiara scoffed. "You're a mercenary. There is a difference."
"True. Mercenaries are better paid."
Frustration welled up inside her. He was of the same caliber as Pitala. Would he hold a blaster to her head if given the right amount of money?
The thought chilled her.
She couldn't trust him. She knew it. Trust belonged to the past. She'd trusted the dance company's security to protect her in the hotel and she'd been abducted. She'd trusted her father's soldiers and she'd almost been killed. Never again would she be so foolish.
Nykyrian would have to be watched until she knew exactly where his loyalties lay.
"Why are we in a transport anyway? Isn't this dangerous?"
He shook his head. "Random is safer than habit. Since they don't know this transport, they couldn't have it marked or traced."
Marked . . . a military euphemism for armed with a bomb. God, how she hated being in this situation.
The transport stopped outside her building. Nykyrian exited first and scanned the street before he stepped out enough to let her l
He shielded her with his body as they crossed the sidewalk and she inserted her key card into the door's lock. When the door opened, he grabbed her arm to keep her from entering the building before he scanned the hallway, then the street.
"You're making me nervous," she snapped as her shaking hands almost caused her to drop her key.
"You should be nervous."
Kiara let out a frustrated breath. So much for having a guard reassure her . . . She stepped into the corridor and headed for the lift. "My flat is on the top floor."
"I know."
He infuriated her. If he knew so much, why didn't he lead the way? Oh, what she wouldn't give to knock some of his cockiness out of him. "It must thrill you to always be right." She pushed the number for her floor.
As the doors closed, he faced her. "You can attack me all you wish. I don't give a minsid damn whether or not you like me. But you will respect me, listen to me, and obey me. Do you understand?"
Anger stung her cheeks at his rapid, even-toned dictation for her behavior. "I'm not yours, you have no ownership papers. My God, I haven't even hired you."
"You haven't. Your father has."
Kiara stiffened in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean? I was there when Syn turned my father's proposal down."
"We reconsidered."
The knot in her stomach loosened. "Why?"
He stepped back from her. "Pitala and Aksel Bredeh."
Kiara frowned. Pitala she knew only too well, especially since she could still feel his slimy hands on her. "What is Aksel Bredeh?"
"He's another rancid mercenary assassin, mu Tara."
She clenched her teeth. "Why do you keep calling me Tara? Is it an insult?"
Nykyrian tensed for a moment. "It's Andarion for lady."
"Oh." His explanation caught her off guard. Why would he choose to call her that after his rough treatment of her? It didn't make sense and it went a long way in softening her anger at him.
"Who's Aksel Bredeh?" she asked in a softer tone, wondering what there was to the new mercenary that would motivate Nykyrian to help her after they'd turned her father down. Could Bredeh be any worse than Pitala? She shivered at the thought.
Silence answered her question.
She glared at Nykyrian, waiting for a response. Before she could ask again, the doors opened on her floor.
With one hand braced on the door of the lift to keep it from closing, he stepped out and scanned the corridor.
Tempted to shove him and say boo, Kiara bet herself he'd jump twelve feet.
Or shoot her. As an ex-League assassin, he would be very dangerous if startled.
He tapped the comlink in his right ear to activate it. "We're in the hall. Any alerts?" He paused before allowing her to lead the way to her flat.
She reached her door and stopped. There was some kind of strange device hooked into her card slot. "This has been tampered with."
Someone was inside her flat. She could hear them.
Cold fear washed over her.
Not again . . .
CHAPTER 7
Nykyrian pulled Kiara behind him, then knocked twice on the door to her flat. It was all she could do not to hold on to him for support. She was so scared, she was amazed that her legs were still holding her upright.
"Who is it?" a deep voice growled from inside.
Nykyrian answered in what had to be the most sarcastic tone she'd ever heard. "Definitely not your mother, but I am willing to beat your ass if you don't stop playing games. Open the damn door before I get shot in the hallway."
"Geez, what a temper," the man said, even though Nykyrian's tone had been anything but angry. The door slid open to reveal a large Andarion male.
And she meant l-a-r-g-e . . .
Kiara's heart slid into her stomach at the massive form. She'd thought Nykyrian to be tall. This man stood a full head taller and was twice as wide. His long teeth flashed at her as he offered her an evil grin.
Was he considering her for dinner?
Nykyrian grabbed her arm and pulled her past the man.
Her eyes widened as she accidentally brushed up against the Andarion's hard chest. The crimson ringed white eyes sent a chill down her spine. No wonder Nykyrian wore dark glasses. Eyes like those were terrifying.
The Andarion grimaced as he came back into her flat and shut the door.
"Where's Syn?"
Nykyrian released her. "On his way."
Kiara stared at the human male who'd asked about Syn. He reclined on her couch with his feet propped up on her table. His red hair, almost as long as Nykyrian's, was worn loose and concealed the side of his face. He seemed completely comfortable in her home.
The sight angered her.
How dare they invade her privacy in such a manner and disrespect her things . . . Her agitation increased when the Andarion returned to her favorite armchair, picked up her bag of friggles from the low table, and began munching them.
Seizing the bag, she narrowed her eyes. "This is my home, not some free-house."
The Andarion looked at Nykyrian, his eyes wide. "She's got spunk," he rasped with a dark laugh. "I bet her meat is equally as spicy."
His gaze returned to her as if he was sizing her up for a kettle. Kiara took a step back, clutching the bag to her chest.
"You might want to return the food to him," Nykyrian said from behind her. "It's unwise to starve an Andarion. If Hauk decided to nibble on you, there's not much we could do to stop him."
Hauk raked her with a calculating grin.
Her anger vanished. Handing the bag back to Hauk, she quickly put distance between them. What had her father gotten her into? How could he have turned her over to these people?
The redheaded man flashed her a dazzling smile. He really was gorgeous. "They're only teasing you." He stood and extended his hand to her. "I'm Darling Cruel and yes, my parents really were nasty enough to name me that."
Kiara shook his gloved hand as she realized this was the man Syn had wanted to kill when they rescued her. Something in Darling's manner reminded her of an aristocrat. He seemed easy enough to get along with, unlike the two Andarions.
He indicated the Andarion eating her food as he retook his seat. "The glutton is Dancer Hauk."
"Dancer?" Kiara was amused by the revelation.
Hauk stiffened. "It means 'killer' in Andarion."
Darling laughed, a deep throaty sound as he draped his arms over the back of the couch in a decidedly masculine pose. "You wish. Nykyrian told me it meant 'of beautiful cheeks.' "
Hauk gave Nykyrian a glare that bordered on murder.
Nykyrian shrugged, apparently unconcerned by the unspoken threat. "Don't waste that look on me, chiran. I didn't name you and I can't help it if your adoring mother was as sick as Darling's."
Kiara was relieved by their play, which took some of the coldness out of them and the awkward nervousness out of her. Surely they couldn't be all bad if they shared this kind of friendship. It made them seem almost normal.
Then again, normal wasn't exactly a term someone could ever apply to this group.
Darling smiled again. "I'm sorry if we overstepped our bounds. Being the only one here with Hauk, I encouraged him to scrounge for another source of food."
At least Darling had manners. "It's all right," she assured him. "I'm just upset over everything that's happened and I'm taking some of it out on you guys."
"I completely understand. Having someone try to kill you can ruin even your best day. It seriously sucks on a bad one."
Turning around, she faced Nykyrian. He leaned against her bar with his arms folded over his chest. His head was angled toward Darling, but she was sure he was watching her. She could feel his eyes on her. If only he wasn't wearing those blasted shades.
Did he ever remove them?
"I need to change. I suppose I don't need to tell the three of you to make yourselves comfortable, as you've already done so."
Nykyrian didn't so much as twitch.
She really hated those shades. She would love to be able to read his emotions and moods.
Kiara paused at the entrance to her hall and glanced back at the three men. She was extremely uncomfortable about removing her clothes with strangers in her house.
It just seemed . . . dangerous.
She looked at Nykyrian's stoic face.
"You don't have to worry about us," he said as if he knew her thoughts. "Hauk isn't attracted to humans. Darling isn't attracted to women, and I'm . . ."
Nykyrian paused. What could he say? All too well, he remembered the sight of her in that torn, skimpy nightgown she'd been wearing when he carried her off Chenz's ship. Her body was lithe and honed from her years of dancing. And even as disheveled as she was right now, she was still the sexiest thing he'd ever seen and all he could think about was stripping her clothes off and nibbling every part of her. He wanted her more than anything.
But that would probably scare her senseless.
"I'm not interested," he finished.
Kiara felt the sting of those words much more deeply than she should have. In fact, she couldn't believe how much they hurt.
Why do you even care what he thinks?
Yet she did. Narrowing her eyes, she seethed in her embarrassed humiliation. How dare he set her down like that in front of his friends when she'd done nothing to cause it! Talk about rude. Did he possess no manners whatsoever?
Without a word, she lifted her chin so that he couldn't see how much that stung and went to her room.
What had she been thinking when she considered him handsome? He wasn't even human!
Kiara paused. That must be his problem.
No, he'd said Hauk didn't like humans and he wasn't interested.
Jerking her costume off, she tossed it on the bed. Never had she been so embarrassed by a put-down. And it wasn't that she was vain. Far from it . . .
It was just rude and it hurt.
Remember, Kiara, he doesn't like women. He sleeps with Nemesis.
But that wasn't what he'd said.
Trying to let it go, she belted her robe around her waist and entered the hallway. She stopped and looked back to where Nykyrian still leaned against her bar. Her body trembled in rage as she wished she were large enough to make him feel the bite of her mood.
Nykyrian's skin tingled. He knew he was being watched. Turning his head, he saw Kiara's blazing amber eyes. Good, she hated him. Hatred was one thing he could easily deal with. But then, why did he ache with the knowledge that she despised him? He should be happy.
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