Revealed (13 page)

“No, he won’t,”
Merrick
rumbled in her ear. Being careful not to hurt her, he held her firmly to him, restraining her as gently as he could against his body. “It’s all right, baby,” he said, keeping his voice low and reassuring. “I’ve got you now. I won’t let him hurt you anymore.”

“You won’t? Oh, thank you!” He felt something soft brush his scarred cheek and was surprised when he realized it was her lips—she’d kissed him there. “Thank you so much. And…” she pulled back to look at him. “And you’ll take me away from here?”

“Far away,”
Merrick
said firmly. “I swear it.”

Her big brown eyes filled with relief. “Thank y—” she started to say again. But then her lovely eyes rolled up in her head and her small body went suddenly limp in his arms.

“Goddess!”
Merrick
stared with horror at the lifeless form in his arms. She wasn’t breathing and this time the stasis chamber had nothing to do with it.

The descent to Tranq Prime was easy. Despite the fact that he’d only had a few lessons, the Kindred ship seemed to respond to his hands as though he’d been flying for years. Rast wished he could say the same about the way Nadiah responded to him. Ever since their fight, two days before, she’d been distant and cold—as cold as the frozen wasteland they were about to land on.

Shouldn’t have told her how I felt. Shouldn’t have started anything with her in the first place,
Rast told himself for the hundredth time. But he hadn’t been able to help himself. When he got around Nadiah, everything practical and sensible flew out of his head, leaving only ridiculous, useless emotion. And when he looked at her, one word throbbed behind his eyes in glowing red letters—
Mine.

She’s not mine and she never will be,
he told himself sternly as
the craggy white peaks and snow-covered tundra of Tranq Prime grew larger in the viewscreen.
Even if I win the challenge, she’s still off limits. It’s clear Sylvan wants her to marry a Kindred or one of her own kind and I’m neither. I made him a promise and I’m not going to break it.

Despite his determination, the thought of relinquishing Nadiah to another man made him feel sick.
So don’t think about it,
he told himself as he went through the landing sequence.
Just concentrate on the matter at hand—getting her out of the blood bond so she doesn’t have to marry that bastard of a fiancée.

The sequence went smoothly and before long the little ship was touching down on a landing field covered with short, bluish-gray vegetation. Rast sighed and rose, cracking his neck and stretching to get rid of the kinks in his shoulders. Despite the way Kindred technology came so naturally, he’d been nervous about the landing and he was glad it was over. Of course, performing a smooth, safe descent wasn’t nearly as difficult as what was to come.

Now comes the hard part,
he thought grimly. Taking a deep breath, he called, “Nadiah—we’re here.”

He wasn’t expecting much of a response—since their fight she’d mainly kept to her room and when she did come out, she refused to talk to him. Rast was certain she’d had endured several other blood bond attacks in the past few days but though he ached to hold her and ease her pain, she denied him access when he knocked at her door. So he was surprised to see her suddenly standing in the doorway, dressed in her newly healed
tharp,
which had configured itself into the shape of a warm winter coat.

“I’m ready,” she said flatly. “We can go as soon as you put on the
vranna
skin coat Sylvan packed for you.” She held it out to him—a huge bundle of turquoise fur which looked like it would just fit his big frame.

“
Vranna
skin, huh?” Rast took it from her and shrugged into it, feeling nearly suffocated by its furry warmth. “Ugh, this is fucking hot. Maybe I should just carry it.”

Nadiah shrugged. “Suit yourself. But off-worlders have been known to freeze to death in the time it takes to get from their ship to the grotto door.” She nodded at the viewscreen which showed an arched doorway in the side of a mountain a few hundred yards away. “Sophia almost did.”

“Thanks for the warning,” Rast said dryly. “I guess I’ll keep it on then.”

“Do what you like.” She shrugged. “I don’t care either way.” She started to turn away but Rast grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.

“Nadiah!”

“What?” She looked down at his hand on her shoulder as though it was a dead spider. “We’re not bonded, Rast. You should probably stop touching me.”

“Is that what this was about? Because I refused to take your virginity?” he demanded. “Because I told you I could never
fuck
you?”

Her pale cheeks blushed scarlet at his rough words but she held her head high. “You figure it out.”

“If I could figure it out—if I could figure
you
out—I’d be a very happy man,” he growled, glaring at her. “Unfortunately, I have no clue and you’re not giving me anything to go on.”

“That makes two of us, Rast.” She put a hand on her hip. “Because I can’t figure you out either. I don’t even know why you’re here challenging for me.”

The words,
Because I love you!
trembled on his lips but Rast clamped down on them hard. She’d think he was crazy if he declared himself like that. Not to mention the fact that it didn’t matter how he felt about her—she was never going to be his.

“Because…” he said at last, lamely, “Because uh, it’s my fault you’re having this problem in the first place. If it hadn’t been for me distracting you and asking for your help with the missing girls you would have had time to meet a nice Kindred guy to challenge for you. So I feel, I don’t know…” He shrugged. “Responsible.”

Nadiah’s full pink lips had narrowed down to a thin white line. “Is that all you can come up with? You feel
responsible?
Really, Rast?”

“What do you want me to say?” he exploded. “Damn it, Nadiah, I’m here, aren’t I? What more do you want?”

“Too much apparently.” Her lips trembled and for a moment he thought she was going to cry. Then she lifted her chin and frowned. “Forget what I want, Rast—it doesn’t matter. Let’s just go, I’m sure my parents are waiting for me.” She grimaced. “Along with my intended.”

His hands clenched into fists at the mention of her fiancée’s name. “If he hurts you—”

“You
cannot
interfere,” Nadiah interrupted, frowning. “As far as my people are concerned, Y’dex has a perfect right to ‘punish’ me with the blood bond if he sees fit. The only way you can stop it is by breaking the bond.”

“I’ll do it, then,” Rast vowed grimly. “I swear I’ll do it, even if it kills me, Nadiah.”

For a moment her eyes were filled with emotion that made his entire body throb. “Thank you, Rast,” she whispered. A single silver tear slipped from the corner of her eye and slid down her cheek. “But it might, you know. Trying to break the blood bond might kill both of us.”

Then she turned and hit the door lock, letting in a rush of the coldest air Rast had ever felt in his life. Without waiting for him to answer, Nadiah stepped out onto the frigid crust of her home world and headed for the grotto.

As he followed her, Rast couldn’t help thinking she didn’t look at all happy to be home.

* * * * *

As she walked, Nadiah barely felt the chilly wind swirling around her face, trying to pry icy fingers between her skin and her sheltering
tharp.
She usually found the cold of the surface of her home world bracing but today she didn’t even care. Hot or cold, what did it matter? Rast didn’t care for her—he was only doing this out of pity. And of all the forbidden romance stories she had read and all the holo-vides she’d watched, the hero never broke the blood bond and won the heroine out of
pity.

He’s going to fail,
she thought miserably, as she trudged along, her face bent against the stinging ice needles in the wind.
We both are. We can’t break the bond with anything less than true love. And even though I care for him, he doesn’t feel the same for me. So it’s never going to work.

Despite the efforts of her
tharp
to warm her, she was half frozen by the time she got to arching wooden doorway that served as the entrance to the
Lanash
grotto. A quick look behind her showed that Rast looked all right—better than any human not used to the extreme cold of Tranq Prime had a right to, actually. Nadiah felt a flash of hope.
That injection Sylvan gave him must really be working.
Maybe we can get through this after all.

But the moment she pushed open the grotto door, any optimism she felt faded. Standing there, waiting, were her mother and father and her hated fiancée.

Rast came in behind her, stamping his feet and blowing on his hands. “You weren’t kidding—it really is cold out th—” He stopped abruptly when he saw her parents and Y’dex. “Well, well, if it isn’t the welcome wagon,” he muttered, shoving the door shut behind them. “Real friendly of you folks to come down to meet us.”

Nadiah realized it was up to her to make introductions. “Mamam, Patro,” she said, ignoring her intended. “This is Detective Rast. I mean, Rast,” she said quickly, trying to cover for herself. But it was too late.

“Detective?”
Y’dex stepped forward, frowning, his white-blond brows pulled down over his pale, bulging eyes. “Not ‘Commander’ or ‘Warrior’? What kind of Kindred designation is ‘Detective?’”

“It’s not Kindred, it’s human.” Rast stepped forward. “
I’m
human. Got a problem with that?”

“None at all.” Y’dex grinned. “Without the Kindred compounds in your blood, it should be even easier to best you.” He laughed nastily. “I have to hand it to you, Nadiah, you certainly know how to pick yourself a champion.”

Nadiah lifted her chin. “He’s a better male than you’ll ever be, Y’dex, no matter what type his blood is.”

“Nadiah, please, such insults to your intended are rude and unnecessary.” Her mother frowned disapprovingly.

“No, what’s rude and unnecessary is the way this little bastard has been yanking on the bond between them, putting your daughter through excruciating pain.” Rast fixed both her parents with a glare and then looked at Y’dex. “That stops
now
by the way. You might have gotten away with it before because I couldn’t reach you. But I’m here now and I give you fair warning—you hurt Nadiah again and you’ll have me to answer to.”

Y’dex’s pale face twisted into a sneer. “Nadiah is my property to do with as I please.”

“Your law may say that, but where I come from we believe that no one has the right to own another person.” Rast frowned. “Understand me on this, buddy—I’m not just threatening to make you sorry if you hurt her. I’m
promising.”

“Threaten or promise whatever you like—Nadiah is mine as the challenge will soon prove, weak-blooded
human.”
Y’dex turned to Nadiah, “This is a joke, my lovely—there’s no way your champion can best me. In fact, why don’t we just call the challenge over and start the first night of our bonding together right now?”

“You won’t be spending tonight or any other night with Nadiah.” Rast stepped in front of Nadiah protectively, his voice a low, menacing growl.

“We’ll see about that, won’t we?” Y’dex smiled coolly.

“That’s enough of this male posturing. Nadiah, come with us.” Her mother made a preemptory gesture with one hand. “Though your father and I don’t approve of what you’re doing, you’ll be staying in our domicile until after this whole unpleasant business is finished.”

Nadiah crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to budge. “Where is Rast going to stay?”

“With me, of course.” Y’dex gave the human detective a nasty smile. “Unless he’d rather take shelter in the public reflection area.” He looked at Rast. “Your choice.”

“You can’t expect him to stay with you!” Nadiah exclaimed. “You’re rivals…
enemies
.”

“Of course we are but there’s no reason why we can’t be civilized about it, is there?” Y’dex’s smile abruptly turned into an ugly frown. “Besides,
female
, it’s not your place to say where a male stays or what he does. Now go home with your parents until I see fit to claim you.”

Nadiah lifted her chin. “You don’t tell me what to do. I am
not
your slave.”

Y’dex spit on the ground at her feet. “You are less than a slave. You’re…what did this human champion of your call you? Oh yes, you are an animal—my
pet
. And a pet has to be taught to
obey.”
He closed his hand into a fist and made a twisting motion.

Nadiah’s whole body clenched, getting ready for the burning blade to slide between her ribs. She felt it come and fought not to double over, fought to stand her ground despite the fiery agony…

And then Rast took a step forward and punched Y’dex in the face. There was a crunching sound and the sharp pain beneath her heart ended as abruptly as it had begun.

“Ahh!” Her fiancée staggered backward, his long, beaky nose pouring blood. “You!” He glared balefully at Rast. “You…
human.
I think you broke my nose!”