Heart's Lair (13 page)

He gently pushed her forward. "Let's go. There's no cover here. We need to get back to the trees and our packs as soon as possible."

Liane thought of the small spring sheltered by the trees. "Yes," she said, "the sooner the better. I can't wait to wash your foul touch from my body."

Karic stared after her retreating form, anguish twisting his heart into an aching, quivering mass. It was never meant to happen like this, he thought. It should have been gentle, pleasureable and oh, so loving. But in that one moment of uncontrollable lust, I've forever destroyed it for the both of us. Utter disgust for his Cat's blood filled him. With a heavy heart, Karic strode out after her.

They reached the trees about midsol and spent the rest of the sol there, hidden in the leafy shelter. Neither spoke save for what was absolutely neces- sary. Even when Liane prepared to bathe in the spring, she neither asked nor seemed to care if he watched.

And watch her he did, with sad, burning eyes, wincing at the sight of the bruises he'd left on her body, his heart turning to a lead weight as he saw her fiercely scrub herself, as if to cleanse all trace of him from her flesh. He watched her, sick with longing, as she rose from the water, her slender young body pink from her rough cleansing. His glance traveled down her curving form, past the pale swell of her breasts and gently flaring hips, to the dark triangle of curls and exquisitely long legs.

Liane halted, suddenly aware that Karic's glance had intensified. She scowled, visually challenging him. He met her gaze with a bleak look of his own, then swung away. Liane exhaled a breath, suddenly aware she'd been holding it. The rage boiled, once again, dangerously close to the surface.

The next few horas passed in tense silence, Liane sitting several meters away from Karic, essentially ignoring him. She was sifting through all the ways she might find to kill him, when a buzzing caught her attention. The sound grew closer. Far in the distance Liane saw a skim craft glide by. She leapt to her feet and ran toward it, screaming to gain the pilot's attention.

Karic tackled her before she'd taken ten steps, wrestling her to the ground, his hand smothering her cries. It was too late. The skim craft paused, then turned to fly in their direction.

Dragging a muffled Liane with him, Karic pulled her and the backpacks well into the shelter of the trees. He gagged her with a rag and bound her, hand and foot. Then, shoving her beneath some bushes, he lay down in front of her, firmly ensnaring her in his arms.

Liane struggled against him with all her might but, even as she did, knew it was futile. Karic's cloaking ability would shield them from view of the skim craft's pilot. Curse him! she thought. While her powers were now gone, shriveled to utter nothingness, he still possessed all of his. With a defeated moan, she relaxed in his arms.

Karic held her for a long while after the skim craft's departure, the full realization of the extent of her hatred slamming home with painful clarity. To see him dead she was now willing to risk even her own life. He'd have to watch her very carefully from now on and keep her tied most of the time. The thought sickened him, but he had no choice.

Finally, he rolled away. "That was very foolish, Liane," Karic growled. "Now I can't trust you, and I don't think you're going to like being bound and gagged."

He pulled her out from beneath the bushes to a more comfortable spot, placing a backpack beneath her head. He checked her hands and feet, assuring himself the bonds weren't too tight. Then, leaning against a nearby tree, Karic closed his eyes.

"Go to sleep, Liane. We've got several horas left of light and may as well make the most of it. We've a long nocte of travel ahead of us."

He could feel the heat of Liane's glare, raking over him with burning fingers of hatred, until, at last, he fell asleep.

They reached the foothills of the Serratus Mountains just before solrise, their journey slowed by an uncooperative Liane who had to be either dragged or carried most of the way. Karic was grateful for the shelter of a small cave by the time the sun's rays began to peek over the mountains. He untied Liane and removed her gag to allow her a brief respite to attend to her personal needs.

Before letting her go, Karic grasped her arm. "I give you this moment of privacy just this once. If you squander it by trying to escape, you'll never have it again. Do you understand?"

Mutinous blue eyes glared back at him. "Yes."

When she slipped behind a boulder, Karic listened intently but heard no sound of her trying to sneak away. In the next instant, he heard a crack of branches and a soft cry.

He was on his feet and around the boulder in a secundae. Two meters away a hole, formerly covered by greenery, lay open. Karic tensed, the sense of danger so strong he could smell it. It was a trap.

Running over, he gazed down into the pit. Thankfully, it wasn't deep, and Liane hadn't been hurt. Even now she was climbing to her feet, brushing dirt from her breeches.

"Here." He knelt and lowered his hand. "Take it and I'll pull you out. We need to be awayand fast."

Liane's gaze suddenly shifted to something behind him. Karic whirled around, agilely twisting to leap halfway to his feet in the same movement. A booted foot caught him in the side of the head, stunning him and bringing him back to his knees. Before he could recover he was flung to the ground and shackled hand and foot.

A shiver of fear rippled through Liane as she gazed up at their captors. Though she'd never seen any before this moment, Liane recognized the dreaded Atrox trackers from the horrifying tales about them. The huge, swarthy, wolfish-faced mutants were renowned for their savage cruelty and peerless tracking abilities, and for the fact their loyalty always belonged to the highest bidder. She wondered how long they'd been on their trail. She well knew who had bought their servicesNecator.

Well, it didn't matter what they did to Karic. There was no hope for him now, not in the clutches of those beasts. She didn't care what happened to him anyway, except that she wished to be the one to kill him. If she could but win the Atroxes' trust . . .

Liane managed her brightest smile and raised a hand to the mutant who looked like the leader. ''My thanks to you for finally rescuing me from the Cat Man. The Lord Commander will be pleased to know I'm safe."

As the other two Atroxes trained their blaster guns on her, the leader pulled Liane out of the pit. He jerked her close and sneered at her.

"And what makes you think Necator cares what happens to you, except that you're captured and suitably punished?"

She resolutely returned his stare, though her heart was pounding in her chest. "Because I've information he desperately needs. You'll be well rewarded if you take me back to him."

"And what might that information be?"

"The location of the Cat Men's lair."

At her words, Karic stiffened. The fear that she indeed carried that knowledge within her flared once more to life. It could be a bluff, an attempt to save herself, but he couldn't be certain.

The thought made him wild. This couldn't be happening, not now, not after all they'd been through, not when they finally were so close to his lair. He had to get free, to find some means of escape. Karic struggled in his bonds but did little more than abrade the flesh from his wrists and ankles.

The mutant leader noticed Karic's desperate struggles and smiled grimly. "Perhaps you do have knowledge of value. Tell me where the lair is."

"No," Liane firmly replied. "My information is for Lord Necator's ears only. It is his to do with as he wishes. You must take me back to Primasedes."

"And the Cat Man?" he softly inquired. "What are we to do with him?"

Liane shot Karic a disdainful glance. "You know as well as I that Necator wants him dead. I ask only that I be allowed to kill him."

A bushy eyebrow lifted over cruel, glittering eyes. "And why is that?"

She faltered for the span of a breath. "Hehe took something from me, something of priceless value. I demand the right of retribution."

"And what gives you the right to demand anything?"

"The right of Bellatorian supremacy. It is the law. You dare not defy it."

The Atrox shrugged. "It matters not to me who kills him." He handed her his blaster. "Just do it and be quick about it. We've wasted enough time tracking you two."

Karic rolled over to face her. Liane had the gun pointed at his chest, a look of implacable determination on her face. A myriad of emotions ran through him, but the overwhelming one was of griefgrief that he'd driven her to this, that he'd never have the chance to make it up to her, and grief for the eventual fate of his people. The memory of them and his obligation for their welfare surged through Karic, clearing his mind of remorse over Liane. Personal pain was a luxury he had no time for, not while his people were still in danger. He struggled to his knees.

"Don't do this, Liane," he pleaded, his eyes boring into hers. "Not for my sakeI don't expect nor deserve mercybut don't do this to my people. I have to get back and warn them of the dangers. Kill me if you wish, once I've done that. I swear I won't try to stop you. But not now. Please, not now."

A warning voice whispered in her head,
Don't listen to him. Kill and be done with it
. Yet even as the thought flashed through her mind, a sickening realization twined its tendrils about her heart. One way or another, she must kill this sol, either Karic or the Atroxes, for one couldn't live if the other did. But who?

She hated Karic with all her heart and ached to see him die. He
deserved
to die, but not at the expense of his people. They were innocent, far more innocent than these mutant trackers, known to cold-bloodedly slaughter their victims for the price of a few coins. But to kill . . .

From some place deep within she summoned the courage, the sheer will power to turn against all her Sententian training, but perhaps there was nothing of that left in her now. And the Bellatorian part, the warrior blood, she knew was more than equal to the task.

Liane swung around, taking out the two other trackers in a long, fiery blast. With a cry of rage the leader leaped at her, dagger in hand. Karic flung himself into him, knocking the mutant to the ground. The Atrox stabbed wildly. Only by the quickest of reflexes was Karic able to evade his thrusts.

With a jerk, Liane roused herself from her shocked inaction. Even now, the Atrox had pinned Karic and was raising his dagger for the fatal blow. She took quick aim and fired. The mutant toppled onto Karic.

She dropped the blaster and ran to where the Atrox lay. Dragging the body aside, Liane quickly ascertained Karic was unharmed. As she dug in the mutant's pocket for the means to free him of his bonds, Karic struggled to a sitting position. His gaze met hers when she finally turned, the key control in her hand.

"Thank you, Liane."

"I didn't do it for you."

"I know."

He glanced down at the key control. "We need to get out of here. There may be other trackers."

She pointed the device at him, then hesitated. "I'll free you if you swear to let me go. I don't want to go with you, and you know I have no idea where your lair is."

"I don't know that, Liane, but it's not the point anyway. Your only safety lies in coming with me."

She gave a bitter laugh. "I've never been in more danger in my life than since I've been with youand the only thing I have left now
is
my life.

"No," Liane fiercely shook her head, "I won't go with you. I won't spend the rest of my sols as some breeder. And that's all I have left, all that's of any value to your people."

"I won't let them use you that way, I swear it!" Karic said, a plan beginning to form in his head. "I can give you so little anymore, but I'll give you my word on that." She sadly smiled. "And what power would you have if they decided otherwise?"

"I have some influence through my father. He's Lord of the Cat People."

"But would he back you in this? The welfare of an entire people is of more import than the wishes of one man, even if that man were his son."

"I think he'd understand."

Liane studied him for a long moment, then sighed her acquiescence. "I want the ability to leave when the time is right. I don't want to have to stay with the Cat People forever."

Karic nodded.

"And one thing more." Her glance hardened. "It changes nothing between us. I still hate you and want you dead."

He smiled, but it never quite reached his eyes. "I gave you my word. I'll stand by it."

She aimed the key control, and Karic's bonds sprang loose. He climbed to his feet. Without a word, he dragged the bodies of the three Atroxes over to the pit. After divesting them of their blaster guns and other weapons, Karic shoved them into the hole. He quickly covered them with stones and dirt, then spread greenery over the spot.

Liane watched him as he loaded the extra weapons in his backpack and slung the three blaster guns over his shoulder.

Karic noticed her quizzical look. "There's always a need for weapons. We don't have the resources to make anything too sophisticated. The blasters will be invaluable."

When had the Cat People not been at war with Bellator? Liane wondered. Neither in her nor Karic's lifetime, nor several generations before them. The loss of the Knowing Crystal had led to this situation on Agrica, and each planet in the Imperium could tell an additional tale of cruelty and chaos. Was there no end to it all? It seemed not.