Forest Whispers (4 page)

“
They are not.”

She would’ve questioned him further, but he
motioned her to silence and lifted his head as she’d seen him do
several times, as if he could hear something she couldn’t. “He
headed north from here … before the sun had set yesterday.”

He seemed so positive Lana had no doubt that
he believed he knew what he was talking about. Unfortunately, she
wasn’t exactly sure of how he’d gotten the information, or that, if
it was as she suspected, it was something she really wanted to base
her decision on. She glanced around but couldn’t see any sign of
another gehuwk. “And you know this, how?”

He glanced at her. His expression was
impassive, as was typical of him if not the Ata warrior in general,
but there was a faint gleam of amusement in his eyes. “The forest
whispers of a strange one with pale hair and skin much like
yours.”

Lana surveyed him doubtfully, wondering if
he was amused because he’d expected the reaction he got, or if he
had a warped sense of humor. She might’ve leaned toward the latter,
except that, despite his habit of remaining stone faced whatever
occurred, there had been fury and revulsion in his eyes as he had
studied the dead woman. It seemed unlikely, unless she’d read him
wrong, that he would feel inclined to joke now.

Still, it was hard to swallow. She figured
she’d seen just about everything since she’d been working for the
rangers, but this was the first time she’d run up on anyone who
claimed to be able to communicate with animals—at least to the
degree he claimed. “The forest?” she echoed. “I doubt there’s an
animal within a mile of us.”

“
There are not.”

She watched him as he strode away. Animals
were a stretch, but she could get her mind around that. Animals had
brains and intelligence of a sort. If he was talking to the trees
now, though, she didn’t think she could swallow that.

Shrugging, she pulled her map from her pack.
“Computer. We’ve missed him. I need a wider range. He’ll be
traveling fast now that he’s made a kill. Give me a fifty mile
radius of this position.”

Shoving the map back into the pack, she
pulled the locator out and scanned the area. As she’d suspected,
his signature was so strong in this location, the locator was
virtually useless. When she’d stowed it once more, she looked
around.

Corin had stopped at a little distance from
her and turned to study her curiously.

“
You are not coming?”

She waved him on. “I’m waiting for the
computer to survey the area and download a map for me. You go
ahead.”

He frowned. His lips tightened with anger.
For several moments, he seemed undecided. Finally, he settled to
wait with her.

Lana sighed irritably. She’d hoped he would
go on about his business. Obviously, he knew she would, too, and he
wasn’t planning on letting her out of his sight. Mentally, she
shrugged. She’d expected to have a local tagging along when she’d
spoken to Rex Pimetrius. She didn’t like it, but there wasn’t a lot
she could do about it.

The wait made her tense—it took an effort to
resist the urge to pace—but she knew the value of resting while she
could.

Surreptitiously, she studied Corin Thantos,
remembering the passion that had blossomed between them the night
before. She’d put it down to prolonged abstinence when she’d felt
desire stir inside of her, but she wasn’t prone to lying to
herself. Sex was something she could enjoy thoroughly, but she
could leave it as soon as take it. Her libido never got in the way
of her work—not that she’d allowed it to this time, either, but she
didn’t habitually take time out in the middle of a chase for sex.
Ordinarily, she was far too focused on the job even to think about
her sexuality, and certainly too focused to look at a man as an
object of lust.

She wasn’t entirely certain of just why
Corin Thantos had had the effect he’d had on her. Granted, he was a
gorgeous specimen—he would’ve been with that body even if she’d
felt like she had to close her eyes—or put a bag over his head, but
even the fierce war paint failed to hide the fact that his face was
as pleasing to the eye as the rest of him.

There were other aspects, however, that
should’ve been a complete turn off for her—first and foremost being
the attitude typical of the Ata Prime male of being supremely
superior only because they’d been born with a dick and a set of
balls.

Her computer beeped, dragging her from her
speculation about Corin and back to the task at hand. Pulling it
from her pack, she studied the map the computer had downloaded to
her. As much as she hated to admit it, she could see at a glance
that Corin was probably right.

The terrain east and west of their location
didn’t look promising … which was probably why Corin had decided
Sadin must have gone north, whatever he said about talking to the
trees.

Shrugging mentally, she stowed the map and
stood up, shouldering the pack. “North it is.”

Corin gave her a look, which she
ignored.

Crossing the farm, they caught the cart
track north of it. The track meandered but basically led northward.
When they stopped briefly to eat, Lana pulled her map out and
studied it, wondering if they could cut some time off their walk by
taking to the forest at any point, but, considering the rougher
terrain would slow them, it seemed the trail was the best bet.

“
What is that you eat?”

Lana looked up at Corin in surprise.
“Food.”

He frowned. “It looks the same.”

“
Same as what?”

“
That you ate this
morning.”

Lana looked down at the bar. “I guess it
does.” She thought it over for a moment. “I guess it is the same. I
hadn’t really thought about it. It’s field rations—perfectly
balanced to meet nutritional requirements … for humans.” She broke
off a piece and handed it to him.

He looked it over skeptically, sniffed it,
and finally popped it into his mouth and chewed.

His expression was priceless.

Lana chuckled.

He shuddered as he swallowed. “Dirt has more
taste.”

Lana looked him over with amusement. “I
don’t eat it for taste. I eat it to keep strong and stay physically
fit.”

A faint smile curled his lips in response,
but his gaze was assessing. “You live much like a warrior. Did you
choose this?”

Lana wasn’t really surprised by the
question, all things considered, but she was far less amused. “Not
only did I choose it, I worked damned hard to get where I am. Even
where I’m from it isn’t enough for a woman to be as good as a man
at her job. A woman has to prove she’s better than most.” She shook
her head in disgust. “Women have been trying to reach a point where
they’re treated as equals for hundreds of years now—I’m thinking
it’s never going to happen.”

He frowned. “You do not value men.”

It wasn’t a question. The statement
irritated her, but she stopped and considered before she answered.
“It would be more accurate to say that, in a general way, I don’t
trust them … especially not if they’re in a position of power over
me. Mostly, I just don’t give men much thought at all, or feel one
way or another about them, but there are some, at least, who have
great value to me … some I admire, respect … love. So, if you’re
suggesting I hate men—I don’t.”

It occurred to her that he’d been acting
just a tad miffed all day and she wondered if whatever it was that
was eating him was behind the remark. It might have been nothing
more than an observation based on her verbal irritation about the
way she’d been treated since her arrival on Ata Prime, but she had
a feeling it went a little deeper.

Thinking back to the night before, there
were only two possibilities that came to mind that might be
responsible. The fact that she’d caught him by surprise, which she
didn’t doubt had wounded his ego, and the possibility that he
hadn’t particularly liked the fact that she’d initiated the sex and
pretty much controlled it thereafter despite his earnest attempts
to wrest control of the situation from her.

When she looked up, she saw that he was
giving her a steady look.

“
No one likes being used.”

She flushed guiltily but managed an off
handed shrug as she got to her feet. “Sorry. You seemed willing
enough. I was under the impression men liked hot, raunchy,
meaningless sex.”

“
As long as both parties understand
that that is all that it is, and agree to it, it has value and a
meaning of its own.”

The comment pissed her off, mostly because
she knew he was right. If it was true that she tended to lump men
together as if they weren’t individuals and despised them in
general because of certain traits that were widely shared—which
they were—that still didn’t make it right to assume everyone was
the same and treat them accordingly. And the worst of it was that
she realized she was no better than those who had, in the distant
past, treated her that way.

She sighed gustily. “I apologize.”

He glanced at her in surprise.

She smiled wryly, shouldering her pack.
“You’re right. I made an assumption and I shouldn’t have. From now
on when I want hot, meaningless sex, I’ll make sure the guy knows
that’s what I’m looking for.”

He looked first taken aback and then
angry.

Lana sighed. So much for a truce. Apparently
he just had one of those even dispositions—he was evenly mad most
of the time.

Maybe her ‘people’ skills were getting a
little rusty?

She hadn’t had a partner since Sadin had
killed Patrick a year ago and she spent most of her time alone—or
with people who only tolerated her presence because she was a
ranger—or with criminals.

Dismissing it, she dragged her locator from
her pack and scanned the area as they walked, relieved when she saw
it was picking up a clear signal again. They were on the right
track. Sadin would be looking for a place to lay low now, she knew.
Unless an opportunity he just couldn’t resist fell into his lap, he
wouldn’t be looking for another victim so soon—she didn’t
think.

He didn’t ‘play’ well with others and tended
to avoid heavily populated areas because he was always noticed as
being ‘different’. Moreover, despite his ability to assume most any
form he wished, he could only adopt those he saw. And a double
always stood out within a very short length of time, particularly
since it was only visual characteristics he was able to mimic, not
personality traits.

He’d tried that when he’d first launched his
killing spree, or at least when they’d first become aware of
it.

That was how he’d gotten her partner. He’d
imitated her. It hadn’t taken Patrick more than a handful of
minutes to figure it out, but that was more minutes than he’d
had.

That was also one of the reasons she
preferred to work alone. As long as she was alone, she didn’t have
to worry about losing another partner or getting killed herself
because she didn’t trust anyone else enough to get that close to
her.

She would’ve felt better if she could’ve
shaken Corin. Since she couldn’t, there seemed nothing for it but
to keep a close watch on him.

She glanced at him speculatively with that
thought, realizing belatedly that she shouldn’t have given in to
her physical needs. It would’ve been all right if she’d just felt
indifferent about him otherwise or if she’d disliked him. The
problem was, she didn’t, and, now that she’d been intimate with
him, there was a better than even chance that she might hesitate
when she couldn’t afford to.

It was probably just as well that she
managed to piss him off every time she opened her mouth. She really
couldn’t afford to get too friendly with him. The obvious danger
aside, she wouldn’t be on Ata Prime long and it wasn’t likely she’d
be heading this way again.

They came upon an abandoned cabin near dusk.
Lana stopped, studying it in surprise for several moments before
she dragged her map out. She saw she hadn’t missed it. It wasn’t on
the map, probably because the forest had grown up around it until
it was completely concealed from the air.

Pulling her pistol, Lana approached the
dilapidated building warily. Corin merely watched, his arms folded
across his chest.

Obviously, the trees had told him it wasn’t
occupied, Lana thought wryly, but she’d just as soon take no
chances.

She saw that the building was only one room
and it wasn’t occupied, unless one counted the critters that
scattered when she pushed the door open. Holstering her pistol,
Lana checked the building out in the dim light of dusk and decided
to use it for the night.

Corin appeared in the door after a few
minutes, apparently overcome by curiosity.

“
You will stay here
tonight?”

His voice was carefully neutral, but she
sensed disapproval in his tone. She shrugged. “It’s no dirtier than
sleeping on the ground. At least it’s shelter if it rains.”

He said nothing for several moments. “I
thought you were anxious to catch the killer.”

“
I’m not anxious to catch my death. I
don’t hunt at night. It’s too easy to walk into a trap. We may not
gain ground, but we’re not going to lose any by stumbling around in
the dark and getting lost. Anyway, Sadin won’t be traveling at
night.”

“
How do you know this?”

“
I know Sadin Quyz. He never travels
at night. Either his night vision is poor, or … he’s afraid of the
dark.”

Chapter Four

Corin gave Lana a look of skepticism.

Lana ignored it. She had no intention of
trying to explain further. If he wanted to keep going, he was
welcome to, but she’d learned from hard experience that impatience
and a disregard for safety procedures generally only led to failure
and/or death for the ranger too gung ho to use common sense. She
was in unfamiliar territory. Corin might know it like the back of
his hand. Corin might, or might not, have some special gift that
allowed him to commune with nature—but she didn’t and she wasn’t
about to be led around blindly by a man she didn’t know well enough
to trust when she was stalking a killer she knew far too well.