Captured & Seduced (26 page)
“Camryn and I are going back to camp,” he said.
“All right.” Jannike’s lips quivered, as if she wanted to laugh.
“I need to return to the
Indy
to collect something,” he said. “You’re in charge while I’m gone. Protect Gabby and Luke, and look after Mogens.”
Jannike snorted. “He’s seeing more ghosts than usual.”
“He hasn’t been himself since Camryn arrived.”
“I’ll watch him. How long will you be gone?”
“Two nights. Thanks. I owe you.” With a nod, he hurried to catch up to Camryn. Now all he needed to do was persuade her to go off with him.
“Camryn, you ready to go back to camp?”
“I don’t wanna go,” she said with an enticing pout.
“You don’t always get what you want.” Wasn’t that a fact? He hadn’t gone looking for a mate. It had happened anyway. He frowned before deciding on a different tack. “I need your help.”
“What help?” Her words slurred a little and she hiccupped.
“When my brother set me up to look like a thief, I evaded capture, broke into Talor’s estate, the House of the Cat, and removed several items. I think some of those things might hold answers to the things happening between us.” It was worth a shot and gave them a good excuse to spend time alone. “I need to collect them off the
Indy.
”
“You don’t need me to travel to the
Indy
.”
Clever girl, but not exactly the truth. They hadn’t been apart before. Ry suspected a separation might present a problem. Damn, how did he get her to change her mind? “If you don’t want to come with me that’s fine,” he said, attempting casual.
Jannike stepped up beside him. “You coming with us, Camryn?”
“Yes.”
Ry willed himself not to react even though his feline roared with displeasure. “I’ll see you in two days.” He walked away. He caught Jannike’s soft murmur when she queried Camryn’s decision. Camryn’s reply came instantly. She didn’t want to go with him.
Pain weighed down his chest. Hard to breathe. His stomach clenched, and he had to force himself to keep walking. Disbelief flitted through him. How could she let him walk away? How could she not feel the same? Ry fought his need to grab Camryn and depart with her over his shoulder, but pride bade she come to him of her own volition. He kept walking. The streetlamps gave way to darkness, his excellent vision cancelling out the handicap. He continued to their camp, his mind on what to do with his mate. Hell, Mogens had mentioned it so many times he’d started to believe. Camryn felt like his mate.
Uneasiness assailed him without warning. He paused, trying to decide what had alerted him to danger. Two men stepped from the shadows, their dark clothes blending to conceal. An echo of footsteps told him at least one person followed behind him. Ry grunted, his hands clenching to fists. He was in the mood to hit someone or something. Bring it on.
Camryn slouched on the wooden bench, wishing she’d gone with Ry instead of staying with the others. But he’d annoyed her with his assumption she’d run after him like a pet lamb. She clenched her tankard of ale, took a minute sip and set it down again. She’d drunk too much already. For a change, she didn’t want more.
A sense of foreboding hit her without warning. Her spine hit the wall behind her and she gasped, jumping to her feet.
“What is it?” Jannike demanded.
“Ry’s in trouble. We have to help him.”
“Are you sure?” Kaya asked with disinterest.
Jannike stood. “Let’s go.”
“Aw damn,” Nanu said with a longing look toward the kitchen. “I’m not going to get my dinner here either.” With another sigh and a scowl at the kitchen, he followed.
Camryn burst through the door onto the street with Jannike hard on her heels.
Jannike grasped her arm to halt her panicked headlong sprint. “Wait. What is it?”
“Ry. Trouble.” Camryn struggled to free herself.
“How do you know?”
“I…I don’t know. I just do.” Camryn saw Jannike’s frown despite the poor lighting. A spaceship flew overhead, a jet of flame spurting from the rear of the craft. A rumble of thunder resounded in the distance, the heaviness and humidity promising more tropical showers to come.
“I hope you’re going to feed me back at camp,” Nanu said. “I’m going to fade away.”
“This is stupid,” Kaya said. “She doesn’t know anything. Let’s go back inside and eat our dinner.”
“She has a name,” Camryn snapped, lifting her head to inhale. Ry. Without questioning her instincts, she started to run. It wasn’t the same way they’d walked to the tavern but her gut told her Ry had walked this road.
“Wait, dammit,” Jannike called.
Camryn heard the thud of boots when Jannike raced after her. She never slowed and splashed through puddles, heedless of the wet, cold water. Ry. His name echoed through her mind, desperation to get to him reverberating through her. She kept running, Jannike and the others following.
A battlelike cry up ahead made her put on a spurt of speed. Damn, she’d known he was in trouble. Four men on one. They were just about to even the odds.
Stay back, Camryn
.
And miss all the fun?
You distract me.
One of the attackers planted a solid fist in his middle. Camryn heard the air hiss from Ry, his pained groan. With a battle cry, she launched herself at his attacker. Jannike, Kaya and Nanu arrived and waded into the fight. A curse sounded. The crunch of fist hitting bone. One attacker fled while the other three continued with dogged determination.
Camryn seized a man’s shirt. He tried to throw her off to attack Ry again. Laughing, she clung. Let him try to throw her off. Better animals than he had tried.
Get ready to jump.
Ry’s thoughts shot through her head and she tensed, waiting for his signal.
Now.
Camryn let go and pushed herself away from the man. She landed hard in the middle of a pile of smelly bovine dung. Ry clipped his jaw and the man went airborne. He hit the mud and didn’t move. The remaining two took off, leaving their friend to his fate. Jannike crouched beside him to go through his pockets.
“Are you okay?” Ry hauled her into his arms, his hands running over her body to check for injury. Heat suffused Camryn, her sexual response instantaneous. She shivered and let out a soft moan. “Where does it hurt?”
“Stop touching me,” Camryn hissed. “I’m not hurt. I…I…” She groaned again, the sensation of his hands brushing across her nipples shooting desire straight to her core. All Camryn could think was how much better it would feel if there were no clothes between them and if his mouth drew on her nipple.
“No identification. Nothing to say who sent him. Are we done here?” Jannike asked.
“I’m hungry,” Nanu said in a plaintive voice. “I need food.”
Jannike’s brows rose when she saw where Ry’s hand rested. “Do you need us anymore?”
“No, we’re good.” He glanced at her. “I take it you’re coming with me?”
Camryn swallowed, fought a brief inner battle and finally nodded. “Yes.” She had to accept it. There was something wrong with the way she craved sex with Ry all the time. Her skin burned and she throbbed with desire. And her heightened senses. It wasn’t right. Heck, it scared her because she was starting to behave like him.
“We’ll go back to the pub,” Jannike said.
Nanu nodded enthusiastically. “Maybe I’ll get to eat my dinner this time.”
They left to head back into the center of town, leaving Camryn with Ry.
“How do we know there aren’t more people lying in wait for us?”
Ry wiped a spot of blood from the corner of his mouth. “We don’t, but I don’t sense anything. Do you?”
Camryn lifted her head and opened her senses. She couldn’t feel anyone lurking in the shadows or hear the elevated breathing of an assassin hiding in the shadows. “No.”
Ry chuckled, the rough edge sending another wave of arousal through her sensitized body.
“Kiss me,” she whispered, standing on tiptoe with her lips pursed.
“No, not now.”
“Why not?” Camryn could feel the tension in him.
“Because if I kiss you I’ll need more, and I don’t want to take you in the middle of this dirty street. I want privacy for what I have in mind. Besides, you need to sanitize.”
“No argument about that.” Camryn shivered and nodded, her head feeling strangely heavy. Every inch of her body tingled and craved him, the strange tattoo on her shoulder feeling scorching hot. She shrugged, part of her uneasy but the rest excited and eager. The hot expression in his green eyes increased her tension, and without another word, Ry took her hand, setting a fast pace and practically dragging her down the rutted street. He snarled at a beggar who approached them and ignored a pair of prostitutes offering sensual delights.
“We’ll do a foursome, love,” one shouted after them. “Discount prices for a handsome gent like you.”
“They all want you,” Camryn said. “Even Jannike and Kaya look at you but you never look back.”
Ry stopped walking and frowned at her. “I’m not a saint. I used to fukk any handy woman who wanted me.” He swallowed, his eyes glowing when he looked down at her. “I had to—it was a compulsion inside and the medicine Mogens gave me only helped between spaceports. Since you’ve arrived I haven’t been with anyone except you. I haven’t wanted anyone else.”
“Is that good?”
“I don’t know.” Ry’s powerful shoulders moved in a helpless shrug and he started walking again. They skirted a group of men standing outside a crowded tavern and another group of men standing in a tight circle. They cheered and shouted, offering encouragement to something Camryn couldn’t see.
“What are they doing?”
“Bird fight. The birds fight to the death and the men bet on them.”
Camryn hurried past, glad Ry was at her side. Many of the men staggered, drunk on the local ale, and she witnessed three fights during their hurried trek down the center of the street. She shot a glance at Ry and found him scowling. It wasn’t difficult to pick up the tension. A different tension from before, but Camryn didn’t understand. They’d talked about sex and women…
Shit, what would happen when she left to go home?
She shot him another uneasy look while her mind grappled with the problem. If they won the race, Ry would have a wife and money. He wouldn’t need her. So why did she hate that idea?
They walked in silence. Camryn noticed they were both scanning the street for signs of danger until they reached their campsite.
“Anything wrong?” Mogens called from his seat beside the small campfire.
“Something’s come up,” Ry said. “Camryn and I are making a quick trip to the
Indy
. We’ll be back before the final race.”
Camryn smiled at Mogens. “Can you make sure Gabby gets plenty of exercise? We need to keep up her fitness levels for the race.”
Mogens’ mouth firmed to a slash of disapproval. “Do you want me to ride Gabby?”
“If she’ll let you,” Camryn said.
“We were ambushed on the road tonight. Jannike will tell you about it when they get back to camp. Take extra care with security.”
Mogens dipped his head in acknowledgment. “Someone tried to steal Gabby. I scared them off and will continue to keep watch. I can’t sleep anyway,” he said. “The restless ghosts whisper.”
“Will you be all right here alone?” Camryn asked with a quick glance at Ry.
“The clouds said so. The men ran off screaming. They will not return.”
Ry nodded. “If you’re sure. Do you need anything from the tender?”
“Bring me my spare satchel of medical supplies,” Mogens said. “I will have need of it. When do you leave?”
“We’ll go as soon as we unload the necessary supplies off the tender.”
“I did it earlier,” Mogens said. “The clouds foretold of a journey so I prepared.”
A shiver went through Camryn. Sometimes the seer was damn creepy.
They flew the tender to the private spaceport on the other side of the planet where they’d left the
Indy
. After a while Ry couldn’t take the silence anymore. It throbbed between them, reminding him they were alone. He ached for her, but along with desire came guilt. She’d asked about other women. Camryn had all the information, but he didn’t think she’d put it together yet.
He wasn’t going to let her go.
He couldn’t.
The self-reproach played with his mind, and Mogens wasn’t helping with his attitude. He understood Ry wouldn’t let her leave. Ry knew he hadn’t acted wisely with Camryn, letting his libido rule his actions. In his defense, he hadn’t known the consequences until too late. Now he’d trapped both of them. Ry wanted Camryn, needed her for survival.
“Are you going to let me know how we’re going to win the final race?” He didn’t want to fill the silence with tortured thoughts any longer.
“I think we should treat this race like the ones we have at home. I’m going to ride Gabby.”
“No!” A sick sensation churned his stomach. “Some of the hell-horses are veterans. They’re man-eaters and have grown used to the taste of flesh.”
Her chin lifted in firm challenge. “Do you have a better idea?”
“No.” He’d thought long and hard about the race and Talor. “I could ride Gabby.”
“Yeah, that would work,” she mocked. “Gabby tolerates you at best and you’re big, too big. Your extra weight will slow her down.”
Ry exhaled in irritation. She was right, dammit. Admitting defeat, he said, “We need to keep this quiet. We don’t want anyone else knowing beforehand because we’ll lose our edge.”
“What if someone has seen me riding Gabby and preparing her for the race?”
“Hopefully they’ll think you have a death wish and not consider other possibilities.”
Camryn snorted. “How much longer before we reach the spaceport?”
“Fifteen mins.”
“Perhaps you should go faster.” Camryn smoothed back a lock of her long hair and he caught the furtive way she licked her lips, leaving them glistening.
Ry clenched his fists to stop reaching for her and did as she suggested, pushing the tender to greater speed.
They made it in ten, slipping into
Indy’s
bay. If they kept a low profile no one would realize they were there.
