Men of Anderas II: Dak the Protector (8 page)

She was a tiny thing but rounded in all the
right places. He could almost span her waist with his hands. Was
she too small to take him? He would have to be gentle with her--go
slowly until her body adjusted to him. He would make love to her in
the tub with the swirling, bubbling jets of water stimulating their
skin. Later, after they rested, he would gently dry the water from
her skin with towels heated by the energy stone. Knowing his own
sensual nature, the bath would be just the beginning of the
pleasure they would give each other.

Raucous laughter and foul cursing jerked Dak
back to reality. With a snort of disgust he shook off the illusion.
What the fuck are you thinking about? You can't perform with
this rock. You can’t take Kierin back to Anderas and you won't stay
around here long enough to get that friendly
. Still … the
thought of her in his world.
Forget it and her. The law forbids
it. Remember
?

"Dak, will you back up so I can reach my
clothes?"

Obeying her request, he moved until he could
feel the warmth from the water. He followed her movements by the
sounds she made. The rush of water when she stood. The splash when
she twisted the water from her hair before wrapping a towel around
her head. The soft plop of water dropping from her foot when she
stepped over the edge of the tub.

It was her sharp gasp that spun him around
to grab her around the waist when the unstable stool tipped,
threatening to topple her into the mud.

Dak flexed his fingers against the soft skin
above her hips. Taking his time, unable to look away, he stared
into her startled aqua eyes before letting his gaze drop. He traced
the dewy softness of her mouth, the slender column of her throat,
her breasts.

"Pink.” He whispered, strangely pleased when
the objects of his attention hardened before his eyes.

Continuing down her body, he paused, drawing
a deep breath into his lungs, at the sight of the pale curls below
her waist. Unlike the tight curls he was accustomed to seeing, the
silky strands lay in damp waves inviting a man's attention.

"So beautiful." He whispered.

Acting on instinct alone, he pulled Kierin’s
wet body against his and covered her mouth with his own. When she
pushed against his shoulders, he stroked her back, gentling her
until she gave herself up to his kiss. When she opened her mouth on
a sigh, he deepened the kiss, stroking his tongue along hers. When
the need for air forced him to break off the kiss, he nipped along
her jaw to the shell of her ear.

Tracing the delicate shell with his tongue,
he whispered into her ear. "Remove the stone, little witch. This is
why you bought me, isn’t it? Let's finish it."

Dak's words had the effect of cold water on
her heated skin. Falling back on the only stability she knew,
Kierin focused on her crystal, sending a jolt of energy to his
hands.

"Damn it!” He yelped, flexing his fingers.
"A simple no would have worked."

"Give me my clothes and leave me to dress.”
She hated the husky, breathless way her voice sounded. She needed
to be strong against him. It would be too easy to give in to him.
Not just his passion--
by the Goddess Jovena how did he continue
to defy the stone
--but to the essence of the man himself. He
embodied all that she lacked in her world. Security. Caring.
Someone to share the burden she guarded. She couldn't afford to
need him on a permanent basis. It would mean his death.

Dak jerked her cloak from his shoulder but
there was no anger when he handed it to her. There was no emotion
at all. He was back under the control of the amulet. Kierin
clutched the fabric against her chest and wanted to cry.

"I told you I'm not leaving. Get
dressed."

In less than ten minutes, she was dressed
and even managed to twist her wet hair into an orderly knot. The
silky material of her loose trousers and matching tunic felt
wonderful after so many days in the same traveling clothes.
Luckily, the swirling pattern of blues and greens helped hide the
wrinkles. If Dak was aware that she was dressed, he didn't show it.
He didn't offer to carry her through the mud this time. With a
heavy sigh, she stepped off the stool and sank to her ankles in the
mire. She had no one to blame but herself.

“I’ll wait for you outside.” Kierin mumbled
as she walked past his rigid body.

“I’m not getting in that tub unless you’re
stupid enough to order it.” He growled.

Chapter Seven

It took Smiley closer to four hours to
deliver their supplies and another hour before Dak had them loaded
onto the pack animal. At best, they would have three--maybe
four--hours of daylight before they had to make camp for the
night.

He was stalling. He knew it. Kierin knew it.
Other than an occasional glance at the small stack of supplies and
the slowly setting sun, she hadn’t said anything about it. Yet. He
just couldn’t come up with a good reason to stay here--at least one
that would persuade Kierin. He didn’t know how long it would be
before they reached another town with a Communications Center. Here
was his best chance of contacting JarDan. His crew was out there.
Somewhere. And he was their only hope of rescue or survival.

Adjusting the cinch for the third time, he
struggled with his options. The familiar actions of preparing for
mounted travel required no conscious effort. It was as natural to
him as walking. It left his mind free to think. To plan.
Here
was his best chance for escape, but Kierin was
determined to return to her home. He’d tried and failed to free
himself from the power of her amulet. And Talon, who was willing to
kill him to free him from this nightmare, risked injury trying to
help. There was a lot more to his crystal witch than he
thought.

Just
be grateful she’s
good-hearted. You could be in serious trouble if she were like
Morandoni
.

Dak’s nightmares often contained images of
the evil Oracle who imprisoned JarDan’s mother for over twenty
years while everyone thought her dead. His death caused little
grief to those who remembered him. No, she wasn’t evil, just driven
by some pretty powerful demons of her own. If he could just figure
out what they were he’d have another piece of this puzzle.

He was back to the same circle of questions.
Why did she buy him? Why the need for total control? The bodyguard
theory only worked with Draagon in the picture and he wasn’t much
of a bodyguard when she controlled most of his actions. Almost
everyone they encountered since she appeared on Safe Haven seemed
to be terrified of offending her. If she were capable of
administering a stronger jolt of energy than Talon received on the
shuttle or what he experienced at the bathhouse, he’d just as soon
not be around to see it. His fingers still tingled.

She said she needed an
Anderan
.
Why? We’re no different from any other humanoid race. Since the
plague, we aren’t considered worthy candidates for the
marriage-minded. So what did she need with
him?

Dak reluctantly admitted that only Kierin
knew the answer to his questions and only she could remove the
stone. All he had to do was come up with a good enough reason for
her to make that choice. Brute force was obviously not an
option--even without the power of the stone. It just wasn’t in him
to pit his greater strength against a woman. There had to be
another way.

“Dak, we really need to leave. It will be
dark before we know it.”

“Yes, Kierin.” Her look of surprise was
almost enough to restore his good humor. If nothing else, he was
keeping her off balance. Swinging himself into the saddle, he
sought the balance of an unfamiliar mount. He was accustomed to the
larger warhorses of Falcon Tor but the mare seemed content to carry
his weight. Kierin was apparently satisfied with his riding skills.
She turned north and headed out of town. It was bitter irony that
he, trained from birth to lead men, now followed a woman. No
weapon. No supporting patrol. Not even a plan of action if anything
went wrong. And it was his experience that something
always
went wrong if you weren’t prepared.

Once clear of the city gates, she set a
steady pace toward the line of trees in the distance. At least
there would be some cover in the heavy growth. He couldn’t shake
the feeling that someone was watching. Was it Draagon and his
killers? Talon? He knew by the prickling of hairs on the back of
his neck that someone followed Kierin, but which one was it? By the
Beard of the Prophet, this endless barrage of questions was driving
him mad.

Kierin headed for home, constantly aware of
the disturbing man behind her. He continued to surprise and confuse
her. He was under the control of the stone yet he managed to do
things without her directives. Animal Control Units used the same
stones to control the largest wild animals without harm to
themselves or the beasts. Animals twice Dak’s size became meek and
docile. He shouldn't be capable of even simple actions, like
feeding himself, without her specific instructions. Her Anderan
managed much more than feeding himself.

She should have seen it coming from the
beginning. He had a strength of will, a determination unlike anyone
she'd ever encountered. Admittedly, her experience with men was
limited. Her father and brother sheltered her from the harsher
realities of life. Draagon's threat only intensified their
protectiveness. Now, when she needed all her focus on getting them
safely to her fortress, he kept slipping past her guard right to
her heart. She had to remember that he wouldn’t be in her world
long no matter how badly she might want him to stay. If she started
thinking about a future that might include him, she’d only be hurt.
He was already more important to her than she ever intended for him
to be.

She overreacted to his kiss this morning. It
was her only excuse for what she’d done to him. His actions didn’t
warrant the use of her power. Those remarkable brown eyes had the
power to turn her common sense to mush. The approval she saw when
he looked at her made her feel very special, but scared her to
death. She didn’t know how to deal with him nor his effect on her.
When he touched her she couldn’t get enough air. When she finally
did manage a deep breath, she couldn’t let it out. And his kisses.
If she could bottle those kisses there would never be another cold
woman on the entire planet!

"Is there a problem little witch?"

Dak’s slow drawl, so close beside her,
startled her out of her mental rambling.

"What?” She asked, glancing around. The late
afternoon sun was barely above the treetops, gilding the meadow
around them with golden light. The blossoming grasses, swaying in
the gentle breeze, filled the air with their delicate scent. The
myriad colors attracted insects and birds intent on an afternoon
meal. She didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

"I asked if anything was wrong."

"No, everything’s fine. Why?"

"You’ve been stopped in the middle of the
road, staring off into space for about ten minutes. I was just
curious."

A furious blush exploded across her face,
which only raised Dak’s eyebrow even higher.

"You’re exaggerating
.
"

"Am I?

"He continued to stare at her, daring her to
contradict him.

"I was lost in thought for a few minutes at
most."

"Minutes? Take a look at the sun, Kierin.
It’s almost to the tree line. It won’t be long before we have to
find a place to make camp for the night. What were you thinking
about?"

Kissing you.

Dak heard her answer in his head but before
he could absorb the implications she was urging her horse into a
trot. She had her head tilted in what he recognized as her
‘I-dare-you’ angle. Just as on the transport, it was all the proof
he needed that what he
heard
was the truth.

So, little witch, you liked my kiss, did
you? I can do a lot more than kiss you senseless if you’re
interested.
She was aware of him as a man. He’d suspected as
much since the first night on Safe Haven. He wasn’t an untried boy.
He recognized female interest on the most primitive male level. Did
her awareness indicate desire? Was that desire enough to make her
remove the stone? He kept coming back to the same point in his
endless quest for answers. Could it be as simple as stud service?
Everything he thought he knew about women rebelled at the idea but
nothing else made any sense. Murdock alluded to the possibility,
but Kierin didn’t seem the type to buy sex.

For the sake of argument, suppose he was
right. It was possible she didn’t want an involvement with anyone
she knew. Or her powers did, in fact, scare the pants off any man
who knew about a crystal witch. For what this trip and his purchase
cost, she could spend several months at a pleasure station getting
all the action she wanted. Safe. Healthy. Unencumbered. He supposed
she had her reasons for doing things this way and he never claimed
to be an expert on the thought processes of the female of any
species.

Okay, she wanted him for sex. He had no
problem with that. She was a beautiful, desirable woman and he
hadn’t visited a pleasure station in a long time. He could still
feel the softness of her skin beneath his fingers. And her mouth. A
man could die happy with nothing more than a constant diet of her
mouth. Every part of his body responded to the little crystal
witch--except the one part that was necessary to finish what his
kiss started. They both knew he couldn’t get a hard-on as long as
he wore the amulet. If he had the time, he had no doubt he could
kiss her into removing the stone. Could he arouse her enough to
remove the stone without being able to touch her? To whisper words
shared by lovers in her ear? Trouble was she was already expecting
him to try getting close to her again and after that jolt of energy
this morning, the next time he touched her it would be by
invitation.