He straightened further, the thick ears disappearing into the curled mane of hair she was familiar with. The black nose was the last to fade away. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes and looked at her. Then his glare returned to the man standing behind her.
“Let her go.”
“You know I’m not going to do that.”
Gabriel scowled. “The Ottway must want her alive. Correct?”
The man holding her, shrugged. She could picture his face now, a thin nose, blue eyes. He’d reminded her of a bird of prey. Now his fingers dug into her shoulder like claws.
“The Ottway doesn’t care what happens to her anymore. I was to…attempt…to bring her back. If I fail…” Another movement, that was probably a shrug. “Then I fail. I was charged only to try.” The man took a step forward, pushing her in front of him. She stumbled, and he jerked her up until her feet left the ground. One shoe fell off. When he set her back, the sharp rocks bit into the sole of her foot.
“I was, however, charged with killing you, Gabriel.”
“Why?” His face remained expressionless, but his eyes flicked from the man, to her. It was only for a second, but in that brief glance she saw rage and frustration. And love. It was so powerful, that she gasped.
“You have been charged with interfering with the Ottway’s plans. The Ottway is a powerful man, and quite simply - you have stolen his property.” His hand tightened on her arm, fingers digging in painfully.
“Property? Senna isn’t his property.” She heard the tension in Gabriel’s voice, caught the flicker of his eyes over her face again.
Another irritating shrug from the man holding her. “No matter. She is valueless, to the Ottway. But it is his, nonetheless.”
He was talking about her. Anger fought with terror, and for a moment, it won. She struggled, twisting in his grip to look up at the man, into those cold blue eyes. “I…you bastard…you can’t…I’m a Princess…”
His hand clamped over her mouth, cutting off her retort. “Quiet. Or I’ll break your neck. Princess or not, makes no matter to me.”
Gabriel took a step forward, fists clenched. “Let her go. Your fight is with me, not her.”
“But I do need to bring back proof. Alive…” His fingers tightened, bruising her lips against her teeth, pushing up against her nose. “Or dead. Either is proof. And with this one, the later might be easier.”
She was losing track of what they were saying. It was impossible to breathe. She reached up, grabbing at his wrist, pulling at him, scratching with her nails. He jerked her head, hard. The world started to go gray around the edges, little pinpricks of light flashing in front of her eyes. Panic gripped her, and she clawed at him, digging her nails into him, felt them sink in his skin. He grunted, moving his hand just enough for her to draw a breath. And just enough for her to open her mouth.
She bit down, hard, tasted sweat and dirt, felt her teeth sink into the thick pad at the base of his thumb. Then she tasted blood, hot, coppery. It covered her tongue, filled her mouth. She gagged, letting go of him. He swore, pulling his hand away from her face. She pulled in a gasping breath, coughed, spitting blood.
He reached for her again, his bloody hand slipping against her face. Twisting, she grabbed his hand with both of hers, digging her nails in, pulling with all her might. He swore again, flung her away. She stumbled forward, caught herself, straightened up. And found herself face to face with Gabriel.
Teeth bared, fist already swinging through the air, he was charging at the man. She yelped in surprise, dropping to the ground, as he lunged over her. A split second later, she heard the sound of flesh hitting flesh, a deep grunt from behind her, a loud curse. She got to her knees, eyes on Gabriel.
Gabriel had the man against the wall of the building, hands around his neck. Blood streamed down from his nose, which was smashed to a pulp. The man raised his arms, bringing them down in Gabriel’s forearms, once, twice. Each blow, made Senna wince. Everything, and everyone, was covered with blood, and she saw Gabriel was slowly losing his grip. He began smashing the man’s head against the wall. Face contorted, the man managed to push away from the wall, his momentum carrying them away from the building, into the middle of the ledge.
Her fingers closed around a rock, and she picked it up. With a ragged, choking cry, the man broke free of Gabriel’s grip, pushing him away. He smashed into the cliff, grunting. She jumped up, swinging the rock. It caught the man just above his ear. It didn’t stop him. Or even slow him down.
She gaped at him, the rock still in her hand. With ridiculous ease he reached out, grabbed her by the wrist. Bone grated against bone, and she cried out in pain. With a cruel smile, he lifted her until her feet left the ground, then swung her toward the edge of the ledge.
“Stay where you are, or she goes over the edge.”
Gabriel growled, and she thought for a moment he was going to shift. But he stood, fists clenched. The rage was still there, but now she saw fear. It chilled her.
“Let her go.”
The man laughed. “Then you jump. When you hit the bottom, I’ll put her pretty little feet on the ground.”
“Her feet touch this ground, not down there.” Gabriel pointed over the edge. He couldn’t be serious. He couldn’t jump.
“No, Gabriel. No.” She swung at the man with her fist, her blows ineffectual against his armor. Crying now, she stopped. “Please…no…”
“Be quiet, Senna.” The look he gave her was unreadable. “Put her down. I’ll jump.”
The man laughed again, a terrible sound. “You know, Gabriel, I’m tired of fighting both of you.” He swung her over the edge. For a moment, she panicked; surely he couldn’t not be serious. Gabriel would do something.
“One down, one to go.”
He released her, let her go. She was too surprised to even scream. She looked up, saw the man watching her with a satisfied smile. And then Gabriel appeared beside him, his expression one of complete horror.
And then she was falling faster, body hitting the wall, rocks banging into her knees and elbows. She clawed at the wall, nails tearing at the rocks, rocks breaking her nails. It seemed a terribly long way down, falling taking so very long, so very painful.
Some part of her cheap silk traveling costume, caught on a rock. For a moment her fall slowed, and she grabbed at the rocks, praying the silk held. For once it held, didn’t tear. Her fingers found a tiny crevice, the toes of her bare foot, finding another. She’d stopped falling, but she was stuck, clinging like a bug to the wall, with a man above her who wanted her dead. Her other shoe came off. After a long time, she heard it hit somewhere below her. But she was too afraid to move, to try to find another toehold.
“Senna!”
She couldn’t risk looking up. Wishing she could fly, knowing she couldn’t, she hugged the rock, her face pressed against its dusty surface.
“Hang on!”
There was nothing else she could do, or wanted to do. It was the one and only goal in her life at the moment. Dirt got in her eyes, making them water, and she closed them tightly.
Above, there were curses, the sound of a deep male grunt, fists thudding against hard muscles. Someone said something, there was an answer—it was Gabriel—but the words were lost by the thudding of her heart, the rush of blood in her head. She longed to know what was happening, to be able to see. Rocks fell over the edge, hitting her shoulders, then a much larger one hitting her head. Dizziness washed over her and her body and mind were going numb. Something very large, maybe another rock, went hurtling past, but she couldn’t find the energy to look, or to care.
She thought she was supposed to be doing something important, something very important. But she was tired, her body sore. Sleep…she desperately wanted sleep.
Her fall came to a sudden, painful stop, the bones in her hand crushed and grinding together, her shoulder almost pulled from the socket. The fog in her head cleared instantly as she hung in mid-air. She looked up. Looked into Gabriel’s face.
“Hold on, Senna. I’ve got you. Hold on.”
There was nothing else she could imagine doing. He pulled, and she reached for the rocks above her, scrambling with her feet against the wall. Sharp rocks cut into the soles of her feet, but she didn’t care. Gabriel had her and she would be on solid ground very soon.
Finally, she reached up, groping along the edge of the cliff with her other hand. Gabriel grabbed her other hand, pulled hard, and she flopped onto the shelf. Then she was in his arms, pressed against his chest, the sound of his heart against her cheek.
“I thought I lost you.” His words were muffled against her hair.
“You almost did.” Despite the pain in her shoulder, she hugged him hard. “But I’m here now.”
“Yes.”
“The other…” She lifted her head. “He’s gone?”
“Over the edge.”
“It’s over?”
“For now.”
She rested her head against him again. “They’ll keep coming, won’t they? To kill you, and maybe me?”
“Yes.”
“Then we should do something about that, don’t you think?”
He nodded. “I’ll take you back to the palace, to your…”
She pushed roughly away from him. “Not in this lifetime. My father is just as much to blame for this, as the Ottway. He is the one who sent me there. He knew, if not that the Ottway didn’t love me, that the Ottway didn’t want me. It was only political. I won’t go back.” She heard the rising panic in her voice. To be back in the palace, to be secluded…
“And you can’t come back, can you?”
He shook his head. “I won’t go back. My life there, is over.” He turned, looking over the buildings surrounding them. “This was my life. The life I wanted. But even this…” He spread his hands. “Even this is gone.”
“Then what will we do?”
He looked back at her. “I am going to try to find my people.” Stepping closer, he reached out, touched her hair, brushed the tangled strands away from her face. “But I cannot ask you to come with me. It’s dangerous, a long journey. They left in a hurry, left behind all their belongings. They fled, and I need to follow them.”
“But I can come with you. I want to…I have to. You can’t leave me now, after everything…” She’d started to cry, tears running down her face. “I love you.”
He took her by the shoulders. “I love you, too, Senna. But it’s dangerous. If something happened to you, I could never live with myself.”
“You’ve said that. But riding on the train was dangerous. Riding on that machine with you…that was dangerous. I’m still here. I think I proved I can take care of myself. And you.”
“But this is different…”
“If you leave me, I’ll hurl myself off this cliff.” She pulled away from him, coming to the edge of the cliff. She stopped, looking at him over her shoulder.
At that, he laughed. “You’re quite the stubborn woman when you want your way…and so dramatic.” He reached out, tugging at the tattered silk of her skirt. She took a step back, let him pull her into his arms. “You really weren’t going to jump, were you?”
She shook her head. “No. Not really. One trip over the edge is enough for today. But then, I can come with you?”
His chest rose and fell in a sigh. “Yes, I guess you can.” He leaned forward, kissing her forehead. “You have taken care of yourself. And me. But I can’t…”
“You can. Whatever it is.”
“But you’re a Princess.”
It was her turn to laugh. “And you think that’s reason enough to leave me behind? If it makes you more comfortable, I renounce, here and now, any claims to my family and throne.”
He pulled her into his arms. “I have the sense even if I tried to leave you, you’d find a way to follow me.”
She stood on tiptoe, kissing him. “And I would. You are stuck with me, Gabriel. For all times.”
“For all times? Then we should begin what happens next. They will send more men, and the aliens are always a danger.”
He took her by the hand, leading her into the small building. From there, they went deeper into the buildings, into what were clearly homes. He was silent, and she followed, letting him move through each space. In one room, he opened a door, revealing clothes.
“Find something. I think your silks have reached the end of their usefulness.”
She took another woman’s clothes, took the most utilitarian items she could find: cloth leggings, leather vest, long white shirt. Leather belt, head-scarf. The fabric was coarse, but soft. And clean. She turned to Gabriel.
“Would it be too much to ask for a bath?”
He grinned. “If it can be quick. There is still water in the cask outside. Your wounds need dressing.”
In a few minutes, she had a basin of water, a bar of soap, a wash rag and a towel. And in a glorious few minutes’ use of soap and a washrag, she felt clean, refreshed. Gabriel appeared while she was half-dressed with a leather bag and a tin of ointment.
“Here…let me.”
She sat and he began dabbing a pungent smelling orange goo on her wounds. It made her wrinkle her nose. “What is that?”
“Calendula and plantago, and other things.” With gentle fingers, he smoothed the stuff onto her cuts and scratches, rubbed it gently over her shoulder. “It helps heal, helps with the pain.” He put the cover back on, dropped it into the bag.
“Finish dressing, take some extra clothes. I’ll gather what I can for food and water.”
“What about you? Your wounds?” She reached for the tin, but he was already moving away.
“I’ll heal quickly. It’s part of being a shifter. One of the benefits. We heal much faster than humans.” He gave her a smile. “Don’t worry about me.”
She finished dressing, pulling on the unfamiliar clothes, wondering what woman wore these. She rummaged through the closet, taking out more clothes, adding them to the leather bag. She thought about all the silks and dresses she’d left behind. None of that mattered. She had Gabriel. That was enough.
Chapter Eight
Gabriel lead her through a complex maze of buildings, paths, and ledges, up ladders, until they’d emerged on top of the cliffs. They were in a stand of scrubby brush, strange grasses rising around them. She thought she heard the sound of trickling water. She was lost, disoriented.
“Where are we?”
Gabriel led her to the edge of the cliff, pointed. Looking down, she saw nothing but the bottom of the canyon, the wide circular area.
“You were there.” He pointed to the side. “And then up there.”
“I can’t see anything.”
“As it should be. We were always well hidden. Something—or someone—spent a long time looking for this place. This is the spring that channels into the village. It’s brackish here, but as it goes through the rocks it becomes drinkable, very sweet.”
“Like magic.”
“Desert magic, yes.”
Something rustled behind her. She spun around, raising the small dagger Gabriel had given her. But he put out his hand.
“Don’t. You’ll kill our transportation.”
“What…” But as she watched a shaggy head rose from the grass, followed by a big body on long legs.
“It’s a camel. How on earth?”
“They feed here. They’re able to drink the water.” He moved away, walking slowly toward the animal. It eyed Gabriel, but didn’t do more than grunt. She saw it wore a colorful braided halter. Gabriel said something in a language she didn’t understand, reached out, grabbed the halter. From his pocket, he pulled out something, held out his palm. The camel sniffed it, then ate whatever he’d offered.
“Sweets. We ate them as children, then learned the camels love them, too. Come here.” He held out his hand. She saw he had a small yellow square in his hand. “Feed him one, and he’ll follow you anywhere.”
She took the small cube, then held out her hand as
Gabriel had. The camel came forward eagerly, a little too eagerly, almost knocking her down. It sniffed, then with its thick rubbery lips took the treat. It snorted, nosed her hand, then extended its neck, sniffing her rather aggressively. Gabriel laughed, pulling on the halter. The camel snorted once more but stopped sniffing her.
“Come. We should go. I want to be away from here as quickly as possible. There is another spring not far off. It’s almost dark, we can rest then. It’s cooler, and it might be harder for them to track us.”
She didn’t ask who would be tracking them. It was easier not to think about being trailed through the desert by the Ottway’s men or aliens. Or maybe even her father’s men.
“Then we should leave.”
“This isn’t the best…we should have a saddle. They are all gone. When they left, they must have taken them.”
“Then we just make do, yes?”
“Yes.” He turned to her suddenly. “Senna. I love you. I will always love you, with everything I have, with every part of me.”
He reached out, pulled her into his arms. His lips found hers, the passion of the kiss echoing his words. When he let her go she was breathless, and more than a little dizzy.
“I love you too, Gabriel. With everything I have, with every part of me.”
He got the camel to lower itself to the ground, its legs folded beneath its body. She climbed on top with no little effort. Gabriel handed up the leather bags, and she slung the straps over her shoulders. Gabriel pulled himself up, seating himself in front of her. In words she didn’t understand, he got the camel to rise, rocking back and forth, all in all, a rather violent event.
“How do you know where they went?”
Gabriel made a sound, and the camel began walking. “I don’t know, for certain. I know where I would have gone, if I were here. I can only try to find them, by thinking like them.”
Senna wasn’t sure what that meant exactly, but there was no one else she trusted more than Gabriel. This had been his land, his people. She wrapped her arms around him, rather awkwardly, the back of the camel nowhere near as comfortable as her carriage had been.
Wild Things (BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance): Shifter Lovers Romance Page 11
