Born of the Night (10 page)

Rachol's laugh answered her. "Yeah, Kip gets to guard you and I get to house-sit. Life

bites the big
tee-tawa."

She frowned. "The big what?"

"We won't be gone long," Nykyrian cut in before Rachol could answer. He shut and

locked her door.

"That was rude," she chastised.

Instead of the sharp, angry barb she expected, he brushed his hand through his long,

unbraided hair. "Don't ask Rachol what half his vocabulary means. Most of it's acronyms

that you're better off not knowing the meaning to."

She laughed, grateful some of his usual tenseness was missing.
"Tee-tawa?"

He pressed the button for the lift. "That one I don't even know the meaning to, but my

guess is it's not fitting for mixed company."

The doors opened with a soft whir. "So what's your favorite Racholism?" she asked,

stepping into the lift.

A corner of his mouth twitched. For a moment, Kiara thought he might actually smile,

but he just tucked his hands inside the pockets of his long, black coat and the doors

closed with a ping.
"Duwad,"
he said at last.

She smiled. "Which means?"

"Dude with a death wish."

Kiara thought about that for a moment and why Rachol would have come up with it.

"Conceived for you?"

"Kip was conceived for me."

She wondered how he could keep his voice so flat when he spoke. She doubted she could

do it so well even with years of practice. "And what does Kip mean?"

"Keyaya imporus petana."

She listened to the strange language roll from his lips like warm liquid on a cold day, the sound soothing her like a lullaby. "Am I supposed to know what that means?" she asked, stepping out of the lift, into the lobby.

"The answer is another of your allotted questions about me,
mu Tara. "
He walked outside and hailed a transport.

Kiara walked up to him deliberately invading his personal space. To her surprise, he

didn't back away. "I still would like to know."

A transport pulled up to the curb, its brakes squealing. He opened the door for her. "It's Ritadarion for brother in spirit."

She sat in the seat. "And are you?" she asked, typing her destination into the transport's system before inserting her debit card.

"In many ways."

She felt the wall seal shut around him. True to her inquisitive nature, she couldn't help

probing the boundaries of the wall. "How are you brothers in spirit?"

He turned away from her and studied the blurred scenery whirling past the car. At first

she didn't think he would answer, then finally he sighed. "Like most beings of a similar

past, we bonded to each other, understand each other."

She probed the wall a little further. "Most beings can understand others if things are

explained to them."

He snorted. "Were that true, war wouldn't exist."

Kiara considered that for a moment and decided it was true enough. "How can you assess

situations so easily?" She paused barely a heartbeat before answering for him. "Let me guess, more survival skills."

He remained awkwardly quiet. If not for his rubbing his biceps, she would have thought

him a statue. Kiara sighed, wishing she knew how to deduce his feelings and past the way

he did hers. Sitting back in the seat, she tried to enjoy the rest of the ride.

Nykyrian smelled her exotic perfume and yearned to bury his lips in the sweet, scented

flesh of her neck. He found it difficult to breathe with her so close. It would be so easy to

share his past with her, lose himself in her charm and wit. His body throbbed with desire

and for a moment, he wanted to pull her into his arms and take what he needed most.

Steeling himself, he dared a glance at her. His breath caught in his throat. Her arms were

crossed over her chest in annoyance as she stared out the window, and displayed to his

casual glance was the top swell of her breasts covered by the black lace of her undergarment.

His hand ached to touch her, his loins tightened. Nykyrian shifted in the seat and drew a

trembling breath. He had to get away from her. He didn't need her for anything. He didn't

need anyone, period.

Finally, the car stopped in front of the shopping complex.

Kiara slid out of the car behind him. She studied the already thronging crowd over his

shoulder. "Looks like they got an early start as well."

His answer was a grunt.

Well at least she was making some improvement, it wasn't his usual growl. Without

thinking, Kiara took his hand to lead him to a nearby shop. He snatched his hand away

from her as if she had stuck it inside a blazing fire.

"Don't ever touch me," he said in the most growling, intimidating voice she had ever heard.

She swallowed the fear choking her. "Sorry," she apologized weakly. "I didn't think."

He tucked his hands into the pockets of his coat without saying anything more.

Shrugging off his distemper, she started toward her favorite store. Nykyrian stayed a step

behind and eyed the crowd like a mother gimfry guarding her young.

As they entered the store, Kiara became acutely aware of the reactions he inspired around

them.

She glanced about, noticing the way mothers snatched up the hands of their children,

pulling them out of Nykyrian's path, and other patrons who eyed him in fear. Her heart

ached as she overheard some of the hate-filled whispers—"Killer, cannibal." She looked up at Nykyrian's face, and she could tell he heard them as well by the hard, tight line of

his lips.

Trying her best to ignore the imbeciles and their prejudice, she made her way to the

women's section.

It took several minutes before Kiara could find a clerk to wait on her. "Excuse me," she finally said, cornering one before the woman could escape to another department. "Do

you have this jacket in a size twelve?" she asked, holding up the present for the clerk's inspection.

The clerk's eyes drifted over her shoulder to where Nykyrian had withdrawn and Kiara wanted to shake the woman for the unwarranted fear. The clerk's gaze returned to Kiara

and the jacket. "I think so," she said, her voice trembling.

She took it from Kiara's hand and disappeared into the back. Kiara's eyes narrowed in

anger. Looking around, she couldn't believe the way people stared and for once, it wasn't

because of her fame.

After a minute, the clerk returned with the right size. "Will this be all, ma'am?"

Kiara nodded, her teeth clenched.

After ringing the order, the clerk leaned over the counter and whispered, "Where did you

find an Andarion? I've never seen one on Gouran before. Aren't you afraid to be with

him?"

Kiara tossed a strand of hair over her shoulder as if she were obliviously stupid. "Why

no, I'm not afraid, he's already had his daily feeding."

"What do you feed him?" the clerk asked, fear heavy in her voice.

Kiara glared, unable to believe the nerve. Snatching up her package, she left the store.

She started toward another shop, then reconsidered. By the tenseness of Nykyrian's jaw,

she could tell he wanted an end to this expedition. It actually amazed her he didn't say

something to that effect.

"I'm ready to go home now," she whispered, her throat tight in sympathetic pain.

"Not so much fun with me around. I should have sent Rachol with you."

She stiffened at the simple way he stated the fact as if it didn't bother him in the least.

"Do people always act this way around you?"

He shrugged as if it were just a normal occurrence to be overlooked. "You should have

seen the reactions when I wore a League uniform."

Kiara stared at the sidewalk while he hailed another transport. "Do Andarions react the

same way to you?"

He choked.

She looked up in startled amazement that her question had wrung such an unnatural

response from him. "I think that was a negative answer."

He took a deep breath and faced her. "Humans fear me because they think I'm going to

feed on them at any minute, Andarions look at me like a pitiful, weak
giakon."

"Like I know what that means," she said bitterly.

"A castrated coward."

Her mouth formed a small
o.
Her hair rippled from a sudden breeze as a transport pulled up to the curb. Stepping inside, she thought about his words.

Depressed, she leaned back against the cold seat. No wonder he closed himself off from

people. He was caught in the middle of all the hatred and fear of both races. "Has anyone ever attacked you for your mixed blood?"

"You can deduce that without my help."

She sighed at his flat, emotionless tone. "Why are people so stupid?" she asked

rhetorically.

His voice surprised her. "They fear for themselves. I'm a reminder humans and Andarions

aren't two separate species, but derived from the same genetic make-up. Unfortunately,

neither race wants to admit it could possibly be anything like the other. I quit blaming

them for it years ago. Now I just try to avoid mingling with them. It makes life easier to

live."

Coldness consumed her as she thought about what it would have been like growing up an

anathema to everyone. "What about your parents?" she asked. "How did they cope?"

He took a deep breath. "My mother abandoned me when I was five."

"And the commander?"

"He adopted me."

Kiara smiled. She vaguely remembered Nykyrian's father from a few of the political trips

he had made to Gouran when she was a child. "He must have loved you dearly."

"Never assume anything."

This time, there was no mistaking the emotion in his voice. Hatred, cold and simple. She

trembled, trying to remember what Huwin was like, but all she could recall was the

image of a kind man who patted her on the head while speaking with her father.

She wanted to reach out and soothe away Nykyrian's pain. Kiara couldn't imagine what it

must have been like for him. Her parents would have torn anyone apart who looked at her

the way people did Nykyrian. She couldn't believe a mother would give up her child for

any reason.

Kiara sat in silence the rest of the way home, her mind mulling over her lessons for the day.

* * *

When they returned to her flat, Rachol looked up from where he lay on the couch

watching the viewer, shock etched on his face. "That didn't take long. I've never known a woman not to take at least half a day to shop for anything."

"I can't imagine why the trip was so short," Nykyrian said in a sarcastic voice that made Kiara take a second look at him.

Rachol laughed, switching off the viewer and sitting up. "You should try smiling. I think it would take the edge off people."

Nykyrian doffed his long, black coat and draped it over a chair. "Actually, they mistake it for an attempt to bite. Once my teeth are bared, they quake in fear. I've even seen a few

lose control of their bodily functions."

Rachol laughed even harder.

Kiara didn't find it amusing in the least. She sat her bag by her chair and moved to the

closet to get wrapping paper and tape.

"Do you want me to relieve you tonight?"

Kiara paused at Rachol's question. Biting her lip, she looked at Nykyrian.

He continued to face Rachol. "No," he said to her immediate relief. "I think I can handle everything. You know how lightly I sleep."

Rachol snorted and glanced at Kiara. "If you come out while he's sleeping, don't touch

him or make any sudden moves. He's been known to bite."

She pulled the tape off the top shelf. "I'll take care," she said absently.

Rachol lifted a questioning brow. "What, no fear?"

She shrugged and plopped her bundle of wrapping supplies on the floor. "I'm the

daughter of a soldier. My father comes awake with a blaster aimed at your head if you

disturb him from his sleep."

Rachol gave Nykyrian a knowing smile. "And I thought it was just you and your

idiosyncrasies."

Nykyrian shrugged and sat in the other chair across from the couch. "I've told you not to think. It's just a waste of your time."

Kiara looked up, startled by the barb. There was a tiny lifting of the corners of Nykyrian's

mouth that might actually be a smile. She glanced at Rachol who took the words in stride.

"Well, I guess I should be going. I've got a psycho to track." Rachol hesitated for a moment, casting her a sheepish glance before looking back at Nykyrian. "Are we still

planning on tomorrow?"

"We can't. Everyone's scheduled tomorrow."

Rachol scratched his head. "Then when are we going to do it?"

Kiara pursed her lips, wishing she knew what they were talking about.

"Hauk's free the next day. He can watch Kiara."

Rachol nodded. "I'll have Hauk come over then the first thing." He gave Kiara an

encouraging smile. "You two be careful and don't let the
diras
get you."

Kiara waited until Rachol left before questioning Nykyrian. "Why are you leaving?"

"I've got a few things to take care of."

She unrolled the wrapping paper and cut a square large enough for the box. "Can't

Darling stay with me instead of Hauk?"

His head snapped toward her. She saw his breathing intensify as if her question outraged

him. Too late, she realized her mistake. "It's not because he's Andarion," she said quietly, wrapping the paper around the box. "Even you have to admit Hauk's not the nicest person

around."

He relaxed. "I guess not," he said with a sigh. "Darling has his own things to do. Hauk just likes to intimidate people. Stand up to him and he'll back down."