Born of the Night (25 page)

with desire. Nykyrian wore tight leather pants and an oversized leather jacket without a

shirt beneath it. His tanned, muscled flesh begged her hand to touch him. If not for Hauk

and Darling, she would pull him back up stairs and yield to the burning need inside her.

She licked her dry lips as she met Nykyrian's eyes. Color stained Nykyrian's cheeks at her

hungry look.

Hauk's laugh rang out. "That may actually be the first time in my life I've seen that boy blush!" Nykyrian cast him a dark scowl. Hauk took a step back, still laughing.

Muttering a curse about the Andarion, Nykyrian untied Kiara's hair and gently plaited it

into three braids, then the three into one. He stood up the collar of her jacket and turned

her to face Darling and Hauk.

"Now what do you think?" he asked.

Hauk shook his head. "I still think she's too damned attractive. She's going to get us killed!"

"Relax," Darling said. "Shahara goes there all the time and no one ever bothers her."

Hauk snorted. "That's because she'd kill you for nothing more than asking her the time of day."

Kiara looked at Nykyrian, afraid he would listen to them. After a lifetime spent with

restrictions on her freedom, she desperately wanted to see a real smuggler's / criminal's

dive.

Nykyrian shook his head at Hauk. "We'll watch her closely," he said, taking her hand.

* * *

Time passed quickly for Kiara as they made their way to the large planet known as

Touras and the thriving port city called Tondara.

They docked outside the grimiest bay Kiara had ever seen. As the hatch raised, she

choked on the pungent odor of rotting garbage and body odor. Maybe she should have

listened to Hauk and stayed home after all. This place was disgusting!

Nykyrian unstrapped her. "You'll have to jump down unassisted. Act like you know what

you're doing and if anyone looks at you, snarl."

"Are you serious?"

"Very."

She definitely wanted to go home. With a long sigh, she got out and did just as he told

her. When her feet hit the pavement, pain jarred through her knees.

Kiara shrieked as several unidentifiable species of vermin squeaked past her feet, rushing

under a nearby garbage heap. Several beings turned to stare at her with interest. Kiara

gulped, looking up to see Nykyrian jumping down beside her.

He gave the onlookers a fierce scowl, then muttered under his breath, "I hate jumping

down on pavement. It kills my knees."

Kiara squelched her laughter. Darling and Hauk joined them.

"Looks crowded," Darling said, perusing the ships crowded inside the bay.

Hauk narrowed his eyes. "I think we should turn back before we get pulverized."

Nykyrian pushed Hauk toward the entrance.

Kiara's limbs trembled at the bedraggled individuals watching them approach the door.

They seemed a little too intent on sizing up her companions.

"Don't meet anyone's gaze," Nykyrian warned, wrapping an arm possessively around her.

Kiara nodded, a lump of fear blocking her words from leaving her throat. When the doors

opened, she flinched. Loud music blared at a level that pulsed in her body like a second

heartbeat.

Her curiosity faded in the wake of panic. After being with Nykyrian and his group, she

had mistakenly thought most smugglers were similar to them, but she was wrong. The

men, women and aliens moving inside the dark club were the roughest, most intimidating

individuals she had ever seen and she had no doubt any of them would kill someone for

nothing more than looking at them askance.

Dim lights blinked overhead. The stench of cheap alcohol lodged in her throat. Creatures

tumbled over one another, shoving, picking fights. Her legs trembled.

Nykyrian paid their fee. "You won't be hurt as long as you stay with us," he shouted in her ear over the noise, pulling her into the crowd.

Hauk put his hand on her shoulder, letting her know he was behind her. Literally.

"There's a table up ahead!" Darling shouted, bobbing in the crowd to get to it.

Kiara breathed a sigh of relief as she made it to the table unscathed. At least in the table

section it didn't appear nearly as crowded. When they were all seated, an unknown

species brought them drinks.

"She's new," it lisped between bubbled lips. "What does she favor?"

"Grenna," Nykyrian replied.

The server appeared to smile, but Kiara couldn't quite tell with the strangely shaped lips.

"It's good to see you again, warrior. I had begun to worry if someone had gotten in a

lucky shot at you boys."

Nykyrian smirked. "You know better than that, Vrasna."

Vrasna looked up at Kiara in a way that made Kiara want to sink under the table. "Is she

yours?"

Nykyrian nodded.

Vrasna squeezed his shoulder. "I'll pass that around."

Kiara watched the creature leave. "What was that?" she asked, studying how graceful

Vrasna moved on four legs.

One corner of Nykyrian's mouth lifted. "You can't pronounce it, but she's female."

Nykyrian handed her his drink.

Kiara took a small sip, then gasped as the tart, thick liquid burned a hole in her tongue.

Tears stung her eyes.

"Nasty, isn't it?" Darling asked, handing her his glass of water.

Grateful for his concern, Kiara took a large gulp trying to diminish the fire in her mouth.

"I found her," Nykyrian shouted to Hauk. "Guard Kiara with your life!"

Kiara looked up as Nykyrian left them, her heart pounding in fear and worry. She didn't

know who he was after, she just hoped Nykyrian wasn't running into danger.

She watched him cross the room and meet up with an extremely attractive blond woman.

Her eyes narrowed. Jealousy gnawed at her so fiercely, she was tempted to push her way

through the crowd to claim him. Then, when Nykyrian led the wench off to the back, she

burned even more.

Hauk's rumbling laugh filled her ears. "Relax," he said. "Nykyrian needs information, nothing more."

He better, Kiara thought, still not satisfied.

After a few minutes, Hauk excused himself to chase after an old friend. Darling moved to

sit beside her. He covered her shaking hands with his own and gave a tender squeeze for

encouragement.

"Darling!"

Kiara jumped at the sound in her ear. A tall, handsome man sat down in the chair on the

other side of Darling.

"You look like hell, buddy."

Kiara studied the man's gorgeous face. Ebony eyebrows slashed above merry, hazel eyes,

parallel to his cheeks. His dark hair was shoulder length and worn in a small ponytail.

He whispered something in Darling's ear, then looked over at her. A seductive smile curved his lips and Kiara wondered how many women had swooned to it. "Greetings,

beautiful." He extended his hand to her.

Glancing at Darling, Kiara waited for him to verify the man's friendship.

"Kiara, this is my best friend, Caillen Dagan, smuggler extraordinaire and lady-killer

extreme," Darling shouted.

Gingerly, she shook Caillen's hand. He raised her hand to his lips and placed a warm kiss

across her knuckles. Releasing her hand, he met her eyes, one corner of his mouth lifting

in a way Kiara was sure would have set most women off into giggles.

"Kiara Biardi?" Caillen asked in surprise.

At her nod, his smile widened. "Whoa. It's an even greater privilege to swap drinks with

you!"

Darling shoved Caillen's shoulder. "Don't start on her," he warned. Darling turned to face Kiara. "Caillen's harmless enough, he just thinks every woman breathing is dying to

crawl into his bed."

"Most are," Caillen answered with an infectious laugh.

"Hi Caillen!" an attractive red head said, leaning over Caillen's shoulder to kiss his cheek.

Caillen wrinkled his nose and sent the woman away. Kiara looked at Darling who was

giving Caillen a disbelieving stare.

"I think that may be the first time since you hit puberty you've let a beautiful woman get away unmolested!"

Caillen snorted. "Yeah well, Lila's a ubiquitous slut. Someone should paint an
x
on her back and mark it this side down."

Kiara's eyes widened at his crude response.

Caillen shrugged, that irresistible smile back in place. "Sorry about that," he said to Kiara before taking a gulp of Darling's water. "I tend to let my manners slip at the damnedest

times."

Suddenly, Caillen leaned across the table and gave her a seductive grin. "I hope you're

not Darling's date."

"She's Nykyrian's," Darling answered for her.

Caillen's face blanched. "I'm out of here," he said, bolting to his feet. He turned around and glared at Darling. "Why didn't you tell me he was here, that I was making passes at

his female. Geez Darling, what're you trying to do, get me disemboweled?"

Darling shrugged, a smile splitting his face. "Actually, I enjoyed watching you embarrass yourself."

"Hah, hah," Caillen said, casting Kiara a sheepish look. His face turned serious. "Arturo came by Kasen's a little while ago asking about you. I told him you were visiting Ryn. I

don't think he believed me so watch your back."

"I will."

With a nod to them, Caillen drifted off into the crowd.

Kiara looked at Darling a smile on her face. "That was an interesting human."

Darling nodded. "Worth his weight in comic relief."

Kiara twisted the straw in Nykyrian's glass with her fingers. "I thought Nykyrian was

your best-friend."

Darling leaned back in his chair and studied her face. "Nykyrian protects me and I love

him for it, but he's too serious. Caillen on the other hand takes life in stride, always with a joke about it." He shrugged and reached for his water. "I don't know, he just makes me laugh."

Kiara nodded, understanding all too well the importance of laughter. "Are you and

Caillen lovers?"

Darling shook his head and laughed. "No, Caillen is strictly heterosexual." He glanced around the crowd. "Are you still nervous?"

Kiara took a deep breath. "A little," she said, but inside she knew it was a lot more.

Darling picked her hand up off the table and traced the line of her fingers.

"Touching," a malevolent voice snarled between them.

Darling released her hand and rose to his feet. "What are you doing here?" he snapped.

The man glaring in rage was a handsome, older man. A few faint lines marred his cruel

mouth. His graying, sandy brown hair was cropped short and steely blue eyes raked her

with a cold stare.

"Feeling heterosexual tonight?" he sneered, grabbing Darling by the arm in a rough grip that made Kiara cringe in response to it. "You were not supposed to leave the house until I told you to!"

Kiara gulped, this must be Arturo. Panicking, she looked through the crowd trying to find

Nykyrian, Hauk or Caillen, but she didn't see anyone who looked familiar.

"Why don't you just leave," Darling shouted, his temper out of control. "I told you I wasn't coming home anymore."

Arturo's response was a vicious backhand. Darling fell against the table, upturning it.

Without thinking, Kiara ran forward and shoved Arturo away from Darling. She barely

budged him.

With a ringing curse, he slapped her hard, knocking her backward into a group of men.

Ignoring her stinging cheek, Kiara pushed herself off the floor, intending to return to the

fight, but found herself surrounded by a group of smelly humans.

"Excuse me," she said, trying to break through them.

"Just where do you think you're going?" one of them asked, a snide smile on his face.

"I don't think she's going anywhere," another answered before grabbing her by the waist and pulling her back into the center of the group.

Terror engulfed her, she had to do something. Kiara fought against the man's hold,

clawing at his hands. With a heated curse, he slung her over his shoulders. Kiara shrieked

and screamed, but couldn't get free.

She glanced up and saw Arturo dragging Darling through the rear door. She renewed her

struggle with vigor. She had to help him!

The man holding her laughed at her attempts and bounced her hard against his shoulder.

Her breath left her with a loud, painful
whoosh
. Pulling at his hair, she clawed at his exposed neck.

He took her outside to the landing bay and threw her onto the filthy ground where she

landed with a solid thud. Kiara moaned at the pain twining through her body, her ribs and

back ached to the point she feared they were broken.

"You'll pay for that,
harita,"
the man snarled, drawing a huge dagger out of his boot.

Kiara shook all over, her mind seeing Chenz coming after her again with his cruel blade

moving over her body.

The others in his group surrounded her. She had nowhere to run. Gulping in fear, she studied the shining blade. The blade glinted as he raised it. Too panicked to move, Kiara

waited for it to descend. Suddenly, it was snatched from his hand.

"What do you think you're doing?" Nykyrian snarled, balancing the knife under the man's chin.

A bead of sweat ran down the man's temple. "This is human's business, Andarion."

The cold look on Nykyrian's face sent a shiver down Kiara's throbbing spine. "She is my

mate, scab. What you do with her
is
my business."

Kiara saw the man shake uncontrollably. He looked to her, to Nykyrian, then back at her.

"You're his mate?" he squeaked.

"Yes," Kiara answered with conviction, trembling with relief that Nykyrian had saved her life. Again.

Nykyrian dragged the knife under the man's chin, leaving a small trail of blood before