"All you will succeed in doing is starting a war, you fool. Humans will learn to fear our kind, and they destroy that which they fear. It was true a thousand years ago." Her breath came in wheezes. "It is true now."
He shrugged, tired of the discussion. In any war there were casualties, but the strong survived and flourished. "I have some arrangements to make. Save your strength." He patted her on the head. "You'll need it."
Sandor brought a clean sheet into Judith's living room to cover Josiah's body after Ranulf arrived. He'd already been through the room gathering as much information as he could, but the Viking might be able to sense something Sandor had missed.
He paced the hallway. What had the bastard been thinking by taking Kerry so far away? Even if Judith had ordered them out of her house, there had been other places to keep Kerry safe. But Ranulf wasn't thinking with his brain.
Closing his eyes, Sandor concentrated on easing the pounding in his head. It had been days since he'd slept through the night, the need to find Bradan driving him from his bed after only an hour or two of rest. He needed to restore his energy supply and soon, but when was he supposed to fit that in? Sometime between rescuing Judith and killing her kidnapper?
The squeal of tires jerked him out of his thoughts. Drawing his gun, he sidled up to the front window to make sure it was the Viking. Sure enough, that white tank he drove was parked out front, and Kerry was climbing out of the passenger side.
He threw open the front door, ready to rip Ranulf a new one. "Isn't that smart? You drive all the way to hell's half acre to get Kerry out of Bradan's reach and then bring her straight back here."
"Shut the hell up, Sandor. You can—"
"Stop it! Both of you."
Kerry got between the two of them but then instantly took Ranulf's side. "He tried to leave me on the mountain, but I make my own choices, Sandor. Both of you are feeling raw over Judith being kidnapped, and I understand that. But we're not going to do her any good if the two of you keep fighting each other instead of going after the real enemy here."
Though Sandor needed a target for his guilt and his anger, she was right. As tempting as it was to blame Ranulf, he hadn't been the only one who'd gone off, leaving Judith alone to defend herself. He should have argued more, but he hadn't.
Sandor forced his lungs to fill with air and let some of his tension drain away as he exhaled. "Come inside, Ranulf, and look around in case you can pick up anything from the room."
"Good thinking."
Ranulf entered the foyer and closed his eyes, remaining absolutely still for a few seconds before moving on to the living room. His breath came in short jerks, the only sign that Ranulf was disturbed by the sight of Josiah lying in a pool of drying blood.
Kerry started to follow him into the room, but Sandor blocked her with his arm. "Let him work alone."
When she spied Josiah's body, she uttered a soft cry. Feeling her raw pain, Sandor pulled her back against his chest and wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders. He thought she was crying; his time for mourning would come after he'd tasted revenge against Bradan.
The big redhead prowled back and forth across the room, pausing every so often to sniff the air or tilt his head, as if listening to a sound only he could hear. Finally, he returned to Sandor.
"There's not much to learn. Bradan shot Josiah from outside the window. I can feel the afterburn of Judith's attempt to stop the bleeding. Judging from the strength of the residue, she expended a great deal of her reserve energy before Bradan reached her."
Sandor had suspected as much. "Was there a struggle?" Had he hurt her?
Ranulf stared into the room for several seconds before shaking his head. "No, the only violence I sense surrounds Josiah. I suspect Judith went along peacefully after making sure we knew what was going on."
Kerry pushed away from Sandor's embrace, rubbing the tears from her face. "Why would she do that? Give in to the man without putting up a fight?"
Despite the fury in Ranulf's eyes, he gentled his tone to answer. "It could be that she didn't have any energy left to fight with. Josiah's death would have hit her hard, maybe hard enough to leave her stripped bare. And if she'd resisted, that would likely have triggered more immediate violence from Bradan. She might have been trying to buy herself—and us—some time."
He spotted the sheet Sandor had brought in and picked it up. Stooping next to the dead man, he straightened the body and crossed the man's hands over his chest. After closing the butler's eyes, Ranulf murmured one of the old prayers and then spread the temporary shroud.
It was time to search for Bradan. "If you're done in here, Ranulf, I have some information to show you," Sandor said. "We finally have a lead on where Bradan went to ground."
In the dining room he stood back while Ranulf scanned the computer records. Sandor waited to see if the Viking came to the same conclusion he had. If he was following the paper trail correctly, Bradan had himself a nice little retreat high in the mountains. It didn't take long for Ranulf to finish reading the screen.
Ranulf's smile was a promise of violence to come. "Well, he's got balls, I've got to give him that much."
Something about his reaction seemed odd. "Why do you say that?"
"He's on the property right next door to my place."
Sandor thought he'd heard everything. "Are you sure? Did he know where you live?"
"I don't know, but you pass the turnoff to my place about half a mile before crossing his property line."
Kerry reached out to trace a twisting line on the map. "That state road we take to your home-where does it go?"
Ranulf slammed his fist down on the table. "In Bradan's case, the only place it will lead is straight to hell. Shall we go wish him bon voyage?"
For the first time in days, Sandor felt like smiling. "You bet."
Chapter Fourteen
The drive seemed to take an eternity, giving them plenty of time to worry about Judith. Kerry insisted that they make a short stop at a crowded restaurant at the edge of a town between the highway and the national forest. All of them had gone too long without eating a decent meal, and both men clearly needed to renew their energy levels.
As they waited for a booth and then for their food, Ranulf sat with his eyes closed and drew in deep, slow breaths, taking in energy. By the time the waitress returned with a heavily laden tray, the sickly pallor in Sandor's complexion had disappeared, too.
Neither of them wanted the delay, but they hadn't argued for long. They knew that going against their enemy in a weakened condition was a recipe for disaster. Although Kerry wasn't conscious of tapping into the life force of the humans surrounding them, her own nerves felt soothed. Or perhaps it came from being in such close proximity to the two Talions sitting on either side of her in the circular booth.
She had so much to learn about who and what she was to become. Already her previous life seemed distant and faded; only the immediate present was full of vivid colors and passions. The intensity of her feelings for Ranulf and even Sandor should have frightened her. Now, she wanted to embrace whatever it meant to be Kyth.
She only hoped they lived through the next twenty-four hours. After swirling her last steak fry through the ketchup, she popped it in her mouth and pushed her basket back. Then she swiped one of Ranulf's fries and gulped it down.
"Hey!" He moved the rest of his food out of her reach. "How can a little thing like you pack it away like that and stay so thin?"
She liked the momentary amusement sparkling in his eyes. "I've been burning a lot of extra calories during vigorous exercise lately."
The look she gave him sizzled with heat and made him shift restlessly in his seat. There would be retribution later, she was sure—definitely something to look forward to.
"Ahem." Sandor cleared his throat. "Do I need to remind you two that a) you're in a restaurant, not a motel; and b) we have more important things on our mind than… that?"
Kerry couldn't help herself. She giggled. l
istening to the sophisticated Talion stumble over the word sex hit her as funny, though maybe that was just a release for some of the stress. At first Sandor looked insulted, but then he slowly smiled and shook his head. Ranulf snaked his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into the haven of his warmth.
Ranulf gave her one last squeeze before sliding out of the booth. "I guess it's time we go." He offered her a hand, which she gladly accepted. There was no telling how their mission was going to turn out, and she wanted every second she could with her lover.
Just that quickly, the fear was back. "This is going to be bad, no matter how it turns out, isn't it?" She looked from Sandor and then back to Ranulf, reading the truth in the shuttered looks in their eyes.
Ranulf grasped the talisman at the same time Sandor reached for his. "Bradan will die tonight, Kerry. This we swear."
She believed them, but that didn't mean he would be the only one to die on the mountain. How could she bear to lose Ranulf when she'd only just found him? Her heart ached with the need to hold him, to tell him her truth, and it took her a second to realize that Sandor was talking.
"You two go on out. I want to get some coffee to go." Sandor picked up the check and headed for the register.
Ranulf tugged her toward the door. He leaned down close to whisper, "I think that's Sandor's way of giving us a few minutes alone. Let's not waste them."
Outside, the sky to the west was ablaze with color. Behind them, the mountains were already shrouded in darkness. The natural beauty registered only faintly as Ranulf led her to the shadows under the trees.
There she threw herself at him, unwilling to allow even air to separate them. Then she was in his arms and his tongue was demanding entry to her mouth, the need for touch, for taste, for this burning heat so exquisite and oh, so precious.
"Kerry!"
"Ranulf, please!"
Her name became his mantra, her ragged whisper the amen to his prayer. Tangling her fingers in his hair, she held on as he plundered her mouth. He swept her up in his arms and crossed to a picnic table in a few long strides to set her down on the edge.
Without asking for permission, he nudged her knees apart and stepped in close enough to let her feel how much he wanted her, needed her. There wasn't time for more than a hurried embrace, but if this was their last moment together, he wouldn't waste it worrying about finesse.
She rewarded his audacity by wrapping her legs around his waist as he lowered her back down onto the rough-hewn table. Her hands were everywhere, caressing his arms and then busy digging her fingers into the muscles of his back. He did his own fair share of touching, palming the fullness of her breast, cupping her bottom, lifting her tighter against his erection.
He drove her higher, wanting to feel her coming in his arms, wishing their clothes to perdition so that he could bury his cock in the welcoming heat of her body. Even if he couldn't satisfy himself, he wanted to hear her cry out her release to the heavens.
He thrust against her again and again, until the friction threatened to ignite the cool mountain air. Finally, he yanked down her zipper and slipped his hand between them to settle at the junction of her legs. She was slick and wet and so ready for him. By the gods, this woman was enough to bring a man to his knees.
"Come for me, Kerry." Her body clenched tight around the two fingers he eased inside her, as he was loving the way she whimpered with pleasure as he stroked her, loving the way she clung to his shoulders, loving the way she kissed him as if she could devour him completely, just plain loving her.
He hadn't realized he'd said that last part out loud until her eyes flashed open to meet his. She stilled in his arms and captured his face with the soft touch of her fingers. "I love you, too, Ranulf. I need you to know that."
He closed his eyes to whisper a prayer to his gods that they keep this woman safe from harm. She held his heart in her hands, and if she was to die, he would surely follow her footsteps right to Valhalla. Then he sent her flying over the edge, capturing her cry of release with one last lass.
When he could again think coherently, he helped her up off the table and waited while she straightened her clothes. He wasn't sure what to say but couldn't regret telling her the truth of his heart.
It wouldn't change anything. Bradan still needed to die. Judith needed to be rescued. And once the dust settled, Kerry would need to find her place among the Kyth.
As for him, he would return to his mountain— but it would no longer be his refuge, but his prison.
If anyone else had been driving, Sandor would have insisted that they have the headlights on as they wound up the mountain on the narrow forest service road. But either Ranulf had superior night vision or he knew the road so well that he didn't need to see more than the few feet ahead of the car. The way he was slamming around the curves, you'd have thought it had been high noon instead of pitch-black outside.
"The turnoff to my place is just ahead. We'll stop there to pick up a few weapons and park Kerry inside my wards. They'll keep Bradan out." He added that last part under his breath, obviously hoping the silence in the backseat meant she was asleep.
No such luck. "We've already had this discussion, Ranulf. Leave me if you want to, but I'll just follow."
The Viking snorted. "And you'll be lost within ten yards of the house."
"No, I won't. I'm betting I can follow your energy signatures right up to Bradan's front door."
Now that was a handy talent to have, Sandor thought. Maybe she was bluffing, but he'd bet Ranulf wouldn't take that risk. Better to keep her close than worry about what she'd stumble into alone.
"Fine, but you'll take orders without question. If either of us tells you to duck or run like hell, you'll do it. Got that?"
The soft glow of the dashboard illuminated her face enough that Sandor could see her smile. She laid her head on Ranulf's shoulder briefly, telling him without words that she knew how hard it was for him to let her put herself in danger.
"I'll be the fleetest of the fleet."
The car lurched off the road, following a path that only Ranulf could see. Sandor could feel the grasping fingers of the Viking's wards. They tested him, trying to determine if he was friend or foe. He could understand their confusion, since he wasn't sure which side he belonged on.
The stick)' pressure of Ranulf's magic increased as they neared the house, to the point he wasn't sure he could get out of the car.
"Uh, Ranulf?"
"What? Oh, sorry." The other man cursed and returned to the car as soon as he recognized the problem. He murmured under his breath for a few seconds until the threads holding Sandor prisoner gradually faded away.
Kerry had climbed out of the driver's door. "What was that all about?"
Sandor followed Ranulf into the house. "It's his protective wards. They're designed to keep people off his property and out of his house. He forgot to release them before we got this close."
"I never felt anything."
"I suspect he feels differently about you than he does me, and his wards recognize that." He shouldn't have been surprised, considering his own serious doubts about Ranulf.
Ranulf came back into the room. "I know you brought your gun, but do you need knives or explosives?"
"Yes, I'll take these." Sandor reached for the matched set of knives Ranulf offered him. There was no faulting the Viking for his choice of weapons, all first class and lethal.
"I'll lead the way. I've passed by the house a few times in my wanderings. It's a one-story frame house, probably two bedrooms, kitchen, living room and not much else. There's a door on the back side, as well. The house has been vacant for years, but I obviously haven't noticed any activity over there. If he's made modifications, I wouldn't know about it."
"There's no time like the present to find out." Sandor checked his gun, then slipped the knives through his belt.
Ranulf turned the lights off. "Once we get within sight of the house, we can decide how to make our approach."
Ou
t on the porch, he placed Kerry's hand on the back of his belt. "Once we get moving I want you to hold on to me, and no unnecessary talking."
"Okay." She looked at both of them, her dark eyes huge in the night. "Both of you promise to be careful. I don't want to lose either of you to that madman."
Ranulf immediately pulled her into his arms for a quick hug before starting off into the darkness with Kerry tagging along, taking two steps for each one of his.
The moon had risen overhead, lightening the shadows among the firs. Ranulf could feel Sandor moving off to his right. Judging from his energy reading, the younger Talion was stone-cold ready to fight and die for the cause. That was good, considering the monster who was waiting for them up ahead. Sandor usually did battle with words, not bullets and blades, but he'd stand his ground.
Ranulf had never faced a renegade and doubted his ability to take the bastard out, but Bradan wasn't the typical renegade. Not only was he a Talion with his own enhanced powers but he'd also been feeding deeply on the darkest energies imaginable. Bullets might slow him down, but they wouldn't stop him. And he'd already had hours of time to work on Judith, the strongest of their kind. Guilt burned deep in Ranulf's gut.
Kerry had been right to make them stop and replenish, though. They couldn't afford the handicaps of exhaustion and low energy.
The trees were thinning out. He slowed his steps and gave a low whistle to signal Sandor to wait. When Kerry and the Talion were right next to him, he whispered, "Wait here. I'll scope the place out."
He took off at a ground-eating lope through the trees. Bradan's house was only a short distance ahead, no more than a hundred yards. The forest had been clear-cut in a large circle around the building, but with luck they could get within sprinting distance before having to leave the cover of the trees.
Dark Warrior Page 20
