Curled inside the translucent crystal shell, like a baby bird waiting to hatch, was a small, fragile looking human female.
Merrick’s breath caught in his throat with surprise and knelt to get a closer look at her. She was completely naked and so petite that at first he thought she must be a child. But the full curves of her breasts and her softly rounded hips convinced him otherwise. There was also a tiny, neatly shaved mound of dark curls at the apex of her sex—oh yes, she was fully mature, a perfect, exquisitely formed female.
She no longer reminded him of a baby bird, now he thought of the fanciful stories his mother had told him when he was little—stories of a beautiful young girl charmed into a magic sleep within the heart of a jewel that couldn’t be broken until the right male came to free her.
He ran one hand over the thin crystal shell—it hummed, vibrating faintly under his fingers. Merrick shook his head. A stasis chamber—no wonder his instruments hadn’t detected any life signs. The chamber had slowed down all her vitals until they were almost nonexistent. She probably only drew breath once or twice a day—if that. And her heartbeat had been slowed too, probably to a single beat per hour.
He wanted to see her face but a cloud of long black hair obscured it. There were a series of buttons on one side of the crystal chamber and he pressed them carefully, in the order that was indicated. A faint, musical chime sounded and the top shell of the chamber melted away, like snow in strong sunshine. Finally, the female’s form was completely revealed.
What Merrick saw when the stasis chamber opened made him frown grimly. Someone had been beating this female—maybe even torturing her. The semi-transparent crystal had hidden what he could now clearly see as bruises on her upper arms and inner thighs. Also, her pale, porcelain skin was marked all over with tiny, cruel wounds.
Merrick felt a surprising surge of pity in his gut. Gods, what the fuck had been done to her? And who had done it?
Though he wasn’t known for his people skills, Merrick didn’t approve of harming females. Though they were frightened of his scarred visage and rough ways, he had never touched a woman in anger in his life, and he had only contempt for anyone who would. It was beneath a male to hit or hurt one who was powerless to defend against the attack. Only scum would do such a thing.
Of course, opening the chamber broke the stasis. The female began breathing again and the pink flush to her skin proved her heart was pumping blood at a regular rate. But though her vital signs were returning to normal, she still hadn’t woken up. Wondering if her face had been marked, Merrick brushed the silky, black strands of her hair away.
There were no wounds on her cheeks but someone had blacked one of her eyes for her—a ring of dark purple that marred the delicate perfection of her features. His big hands curled into fists at the sight and he felt a strange stirring in his chest. Could it be…pity he felt? It wasn’t an emotion he was familiar with but he thought it must feel something like this. Against his will, he was moved by the map of abuse he saw written on the small female’s pale skin.
She stirred and this time he thought of a doll, one with perfectly painted features. But no doll he knew of made faces of fear and pain in its sleep. And no doll shivered and cried out, begging to be left alone.
“No,” the girl moaned, in a soft contralto. “No, please…not again. I’ll do anything but don’t…” Her last words were lost in a mumble of sleep talk but she had begun to thrash inside her crystal shell, her face a mask of agony. It was almost as though she wasn’t just remembering the pain that had been done to her—she was still somehow feeling it. He didn’t know how he knew that, but Merrick was sure of it.
Concerned that she would hurt herself, he reached down to gather her into his arms. She was so light and small it was almost like holding nothing. To his surprise and discomfort, she quieted at once and cuddled close to his chest. Her long black hair draped like a shawl over his arm as she nuzzled her cheek against his shoulder.
Now what the fuck am I supposed to do? Merrick looked down at the girl in his arms uncertainly. She had to wake up sometime but he didn’t want her to be upset when she did. And let’s be honest, if she gets a look at me, she’s gonna be upset. True. Any female waking up from a traumatic experience and seeing his scarred face and mismatched eyes would be terrified, not comforted. Better put her back down. He started to put her back in the chamber…and stopped. She felt so small and fragile in his arms—a delicate ornament that might break if he wasn’t very, very careful.
Don’t be stupid, he told himself roughly. She’s just a female like any other. Put her down before she wakes up and screams bloody murder. Then she stirred against him, nestling closer to his warmth, and his heart seemed to skip a beat. Goddess, what was wrong with him?
She stirred again and this time her bruised eye and cheekbone pressed against his arm. A faint cry came from her lips and an expression of pain passed over her delicate face. Though he usually didn’t give a damn for the suffering of others, the soft sound of distress moved something inside Merrick.
A memory, long buried, surfaced in the back of his mind. He remembered himself running to his mother with some small wound—so long ago it was, back when his true father still lived. And his mother…She kissed it better. She kissed it better and it didn’t hurt after that.
Merrick frowned. How long had it been since he’d thought of that—since he’d let himself remember that perfect, early time in his life before everything went to the seven hells? Years, probably. Dwelling on the past was yet another weakness he didn’t permit himself. And sometimes it hurt more to remember the good times than it did to remember the bad.
Merrick looked at the Earth girl’s black eye again. Without thinking about it, he leaned down and pressed his lips to the dark ring of bruised skin. Then he asked himself why the hell he’d done such a thing—especially with a female he didn’t even know.
At the brush of his lips, the girl in his arms stiffened and then stretched, like a cat waking up from a nap. Merrick pulled back quickly and got ready to put her down in a hurry. She was about to open her eyes and see him for the first time, and that was never a good thing as far as females were concerned.
But when her eyelids, ringed with thick, black lashes, finally fluttered open to reveal large, dark brown eyes, there was no fear in them. Instead, Merrick saw only relief.
“Oh, thank God!” she whispered hoarsely. To his surprise, she threw her arms around his neck and held him close. He felt hot tears on his neck and then she was whispering again. “Thank you, thank you for coming. I thought no one would. I thought he’d kill me. Oh God…”
Merrick was bewildered. She had seen him but hadn’t screamed or tried to get away. Instead, she was hugging him tight enough to cut off his circulation. “Wait a minute,” he protested. “Wait a fucking minute, uh…”
“Elise,” she finished for him. “Thank you, thank you so much!”
“Elise,” he began. “I’m not sure who you think I am but I don’t even know who you are.” He frowned. “I don’t know who hurt you either but I’ll be happy to kill the son of a bitch for you if you’ll point him out.”
“Then…then you’re not here to take me away? To save me?” She pulled back from him, her delicate features twisted into a knot of pain and fear. “Please don’t leave me here—please. He’ll kill me—I know it!” She hugged him again, her grip around his neck panicky-tight, and he could feel fresh tears against his shoulder. “Please,” she whispered. “Please, just take me away from here, away from him. Please.”
Merrick reflected that it was a good thing he didn’t share the weakness other Kindred had—that urgent need to find and claim a bride. If he had, the feel of the tiny, fragile female in his arms and the sound of her soft, desperate pleas in his ear might have been his undoing.
As it was, he wasn’t quite sure what to do. The role of comforter wasn’t one he’d ever played. Most females got away as quick as they could when they met him—not a single one had ev
er sought shelter in his arms.
“Calm down. It’s all right,” he said roughly and patted her gingerly on the back.
“But he’ll get me! He’ll find me!” The little female was getting more hysterical, not less. Something else was needed—he had to reassure her somehow or she was going to completely lose it. And the last thing he needed on his star-duster was an out of control female.
“No, he won’t,” Merrick rumbled in her ear. Being careful not to hurt her, he held her firmly to him, restraining her as gently as he could against his body. “It’s all right, baby,” he said, keeping his voice low and reassuring. “I’ve got you now. I won’t let him hurt you anymore.”
“You won’t? Oh, thank you!” He felt something soft brush his scarred cheek and was surprised when he realized it was her lips—she’d kissed him there. “Thank you so much. And…” she pulled back to look at him. “And you’ll take me away from here?”
“Far away,” Merrick said firmly. “I swear it.”
Her big brown eyes filled with relief. “Thank y—” she started to say again. But then her lovely eyes rolled up in her head and her small body went suddenly limp in his arms.
“Goddess!” Merrick stared with horror at the lifeless form in his arms. She wasn’t breathing and this time the stasis chamber had nothing to do with it.
Chapter Twelve
The descent to Tranq Prime was easy. Despite the fact that he’d only had a few lessons, the Kindred ship seemed to respond to his hands as though he’d been flying for years. Rast wished he could say the same about the way Nadiah responded to him. Ever since their fight, two days before, she’d been distant and cold—as cold as the frozen wasteland they were about to land on.
Shouldn’t have told her how I felt. Shouldn’t have started anything with her in the first place, Rast told himself for the hundredth time. But he hadn’t been able to help himself. When he got around Nadiah, everything practical and sensible flew out of his head, leaving only ridiculous, useless emotion. And when he looked at her, one word throbbed behind his eyes in glowing red letters—Mine.
She’s not mine and she never will be, he told himself sternly as the craggy white peaks and snow-covered tundra of Tranq Prime grew larger in the viewscreen. Even if I win the challenge, she’s still off limits. It’s clear Sylvan wants her to marry a Kindred or one of her own kind and I’m neither. I made him a promise and I’m not going to break it.
Despite his determination, the thought of relinquishing Nadiah to another man made him feel sick. So don’t think about it, he told himself as he went through the landing sequence. Just concentrate on the matter at hand—getting her out of the blood bond so she doesn’t have to marry that bastard of a fiancée.
The sequence went smoothly and before long the little ship was touching down on a landing field covered with short, bluish-gray vegetation. Rast sighed and rose, cracking his neck and stretching to get rid of the kinks in his shoulders. Despite the way Kindred technology came so naturally, he’d been nervous about the landing and he was glad it was over. Of course, performing a smooth, safe descent wasn’t nearly as difficult as what was to come.
Now comes the hard part, he thought grimly. Taking a deep breath, he called, “Nadiah—we’re here.”
He wasn’t expecting much of a response—since their fight she’d mainly kept to her room and when she did come out, she refused to talk to him. Rast was certain she’d had endured several other blood bond attacks in the past few days but though he ached to hold her and ease her pain, she denied him access when he knocked at her door. So he was surprised to see her suddenly standing in the doorway, dressed in her newly healed tharp, which had configured itself into the shape of a warm winter coat.
“I’m ready,” she said flatly. “We can go as soon as you put on the vranna skin coat Sylvan packed for you.” She held it out to him—a huge bundle of turquoise fur which looked like it would just fit his big frame.
“Vranna skin, huh?” Rast took it from her and shrugged into it, feeling nearly suffocated by its furry warmth. “Ugh, this is fucking hot. Maybe I should just carry it.”
Nadiah shrugged. “Suit yourself. But off-worlders have been known to freeze to death in the time it takes to get from their ship to the grotto door.” She nodded at the viewscreen which showed an arched doorway in the side of a mountain a few hundred yards away. “Sophia almost did.”
“Thanks for the warning,” Rast said dryly. “I guess I’ll keep it on then.”
“Do what you like.” She shrugged. “I don’t care either way.” She started to turn away but Rast grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.
“Nadiah!”
“What?” She looked down at his hand on her shoulder as though it was a dead spider. “We’re not bonded, Rast. You should probably stop touching me.”
“Is that what this was about? Because I refused to take your virginity?” he demanded. “Because I told you I could never fuck you?”
Her pale cheeks blushed scarlet at his rough words but she held her head high. “You figure it out.”
“If I could figure it out—if I could figure you out—I’d be a very happy man,” he growled, glaring at her. “Unfortunately, I have no clue and you’re not giving me anything to go on.”
“That makes two of us, Rast.” She put a hand on her hip. “Because I can’t figure you out either. I don’t even know why you’re here challenging for me.”
The words, Because I love you! trembled on his lips but Rast clamped down on them hard. She’d think he was crazy if he declared himself like that. Not to mention the fact that it didn’t matter how he felt about her—she was never going to be his.
“Because…” he said at last, lamely, “Because uh, it’s my fault you’re having this problem in the first place. If it hadn’t been for me distracting you and asking for your help with the missing girls you would have had time to meet a nice Kindred guy to challenge for you. So I feel, I don’t know…” He shrugged. “Responsible.”
Nadiah’s full pink lips had narrowed down to a thin white line. “Is that all you can come up with? You feel responsible? Really, Rast?”
“What do you want me to say?” he exploded. “Damn it, Nadiah, I’m here, aren’t I? What more do you want?”
“Too much apparently.” Her lips trembled and for a moment he thought she was going to cry. Then she lifted her chin and frowned. “Forget what I want, Rast—it doesn’t matter. Let’s just go, I’m sure my parents are waiting for me.” She grimaced. “Along with my intended.”
His hands clenched into fists at the mention of her fiancée’s name. “If he hurts you—”
“You cannot interfere,” Nadiah interrupted, frowning. “As far as my people are concerned, Y’dex has a perfect right to ‘punish’ me with the blood bond if he sees fit. The only way you can stop it is by breaking the bond.”
“I’ll do it, then,” Rast vowed grimly. “I swear I’ll do it, even if it kills me, Nadiah.”
For a moment her eyes were filled with emotion that made his entire body throb. “Thank you, Rast,” she whispered. A single silver tear slipped from the corner of her eye and slid down her cheek. “But it might, you know. Trying to break the blood bond might kill both of us.”
Then she turned and hit the door lock, letting in a rush of the coldest air Rast had ever felt in his life. Without waiting for him to answer, Nadiah stepped out onto the frigid crust of her home world and headed for the grotto.
As he followed her, Rast couldn’t help thinking she didn’t look at all happy to be home.
* * * * *
As she walked, Nadiah barely felt the chilly wind swirling around her face, trying to pry icy fingers between her skin and her sheltering tharp. She usually found the cold of the surface of her home world bracing but today she didn’t even care. Hot or cold, what did it matter? Rast didn’t care for her—he was only doing this out of pity. And of all the forbidden romance stories she had read and all the holo-vides she’d watched, the hero nev
er broke the blood bond and won the heroine out of pity.
He’s going to fail, she thought miserably, as she trudged along, her face bent against the stinging ice needles in the wind. We both are. We can’t break the bond with anything less than true love. And even though I care for him, he doesn’t feel the same for me. So it’s never going to work.
Despite the efforts of her tharp to warm her, she was half frozen by the time she got to arching wooden doorway that served as the entrance to the Lanash grotto. A quick look behind her showed that Rast looked all right—better than any human not used to the extreme cold of Tranq Prime had a right to, actually. Nadiah felt a flash of hope. That injection Sylvan gave him must really be working. Maybe we can get through this after all.
But the moment she pushed open the grotto door, any optimism she felt faded. Standing there, waiting, were her mother and father and her hated fiancée.
Rast came in behind her, stamping his feet and blowing on his hands. “You weren’t kidding—it really is cold out th—” He stopped abruptly when he saw her parents and Y’dex. “Well, well, if it isn’t the welcome wagon,” he muttered, shoving the door shut behind them. “Real friendly of you folks to come down to meet us.”
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