Dark Humanity

by Gwynn White

  “Lieska Alura.”

  “Another hunter. Your eyes give you away.”

  “As do yours.”

  His nostrils flared as he circled me. “I wasn’t aware we had a new recruit with the skill.”

  Hmm, interesting. Being a new recruit would explain why I was here, except my skills were too advanced. Best to keep as close to the truth as I could. “You don’t. I came into my adult skills a year ago on my eighteenth and I’ve been training ever since.”

  “Not a recruit then. Why’d you walk in?” He shot a look at the gate as a horse and cart rumbled in, loaded with supplies.

  “Sorry, it seems the hunter in me couldn’t be denied.”

  “Civilians aren’t permitted within this arena.” His gaze moved toward Hope who watched us with eagle eyes. “She’s a civilian too, although I’ve seen her at Loveria Castle with Silas Carver. What’s her name? How do you know her?”

  Was this protector within Silas’s inner circle? I opened my telepathic link with Hope. “Do you know this man?”

  “No, I would have said if I did. I’ve seen him around a couple of times, but not formally met him. You’re taking care, right?”

  “Care is my middle name.”

  “Don’t give me that. It’s more like lunatic.”

  “Thank you.”

  “That wasn’t a compliment.”

  “Yeah, but lunatic goes nicely with insane.” I waved, and then grinned as she scowled. She was so easy to rile.

  “Excuse me.” The man cleared his throat. “You appear rather relaxed for one who just defied Prince Davio Loveria’s rules. No one enters this arena unless sanctioned by him, or Silas Carver, his cousin and second.”

  “Then let’s not tell either of them.” I nodded toward Hope. “Hope’s my friend, and also a friend of Silas’s, if that’s of any help.” He’d seen them together, but I wouldn’t go into any further detail. “I simply wanted to see what all the fuss was about, you know, being a protector and all. I’m itching to hone my battle skills, and I’m picking this is the best place for it. You could help me out with that, right?” Although he had a good point about my relaxed state. My hunter skill had calmed and so had I since crossing to him. Strange. Such a thing rarely happened to me, not unless I was amongst my closest.

  “Davio and Silas have taken a team out to Sundrimer. I could let this slide, but only if you both remain within my sight. Are you serious about wanting to join the protectors? We could use more hunters.”

  “As long as I’m allowed to whip some butt today, I might consider joining.” I probably shouldn’t be trying to antagonize him on his own turf, but I was a warrior. That’s what we did. Riling protectors made our day. “What’s your name?”

  “Cole Cyrano.” The wind rushed into him, plastering his shimmery silver shirt to his wide chest. Broad and heavily muscled. So hot.

  Hold on. I was relaxed and now ogling the enemy? What was going on?

  “Ah, nice to meet you, Cole.” I slid my sword free, tapped it against his. “Feel free to show me what you can do. And don’t go easy on me ’cause I’m a girl.”

  “If you say so.” He whipped around and his sword slashed down. I moved with lightning speed and met his attack. Our blades crashed dead center, steel ringing loud against steel.

  “Oooh, I like a man who can fight.” I leaned past our crossed blades and tousled his golden-brown hair. The silky strands brushed his shoulders, glimmering in the sunlight. Whoa. What was I doing touching him? Get it together. He’s a protector.

  He grasped my hand, his gaze flickering with frustration. Nose to nose, he eyed me. “You feel it too, don’t you?”

  My heartbeat thumped at his closeness. “Yeah, but I have no idea what it is. What’s happening?” Inside me an urge to be even nearer burned, and I was quite close enough.

  “The bond.” He threaded our fingers together. “You’re my mated one. I’ve only ever felt the male’s drive within the bond toward Earth, and at other times beyond Dralion’s protective dome. I’ve suspected this past year my mate was a warrior since it’s only Dralion’s elite who have the freedom to travel. It’s why I stayed away from you. Did I get my bearings wrong? Are you a Peacian?”

  Oh my goodness. The truth blazed in his eyes. That’s what this was. I’d never in my life felt an attraction to any man and my skill had brought me here. From the moment I’d seen him my emotions had settled. We were mated, the soul-bond pulsing to life between us.

  Crap. Crap. Crap.

  “Cole, I think we have a problem, a very big problem.” I was mated to a protector. Only half our people were soul-bound. The bond was what I desired, but not with my enemy.

  “Hell, I’m right. You’re a warrior from Dralion. We need to talk. Now. In private.” Grip tight on my hand, he stalked toward a gap in the rail and tugged me along the first row of seats.

  “I can’t leave Hope behind.”

  “She can wait here. You said she’s a friend of Silas’s, which means she’s safe enough.”

  I threw open my link with Hope. “Change of plans. I’ll be back shortly. Go nowhere without me.”

  “What’s wrong? Should I be worried?”

  “His name is Cole Cyrano. My stupid hunter senses led me straight to my mate. I’ll be back before you know it though. I’ve gotta dump the big guy.”

  “You know the whole dumping thing, Lieska?” She snorted down our link. “Yeah, not that easy. Don’t worry about me. I’ll just hang here. If Silas finds out, I’m mincemeat, so whatever you do, make the dumping snappy.”

  “Are you speaking to her now?” Cole continued to tow me along behind him.

  “Yes, and I didn’t say I wasn’t a Peacian.” I had to try and talk my way out of this if I could.

  He stared into my eyes, the gold in his sparking intensely. “We’re soul-bound, and I can sense when you lie. I can’t hurt you, Lieska. It’s impossible because of the bond. Hell. If these protectors knew who you were though, they’d slice and dice you. Let’s keep moving so they don’t.” He turned left and strode between two rows that dipped into a darkened corridor. “This is the way to the barracks. I have my own quarters, and that’s as private as we’re going to get.”

  The tunnel came out before a short flight of upward stairs. At the top we passed through double doors and into a bright passageway. Doorways were recessed into paneled walls of pure white. Light streamed in from windows positioned between every other doorway on alternate sides. I slowed before the first window since the passageway remained clear. Wow. Flowers bloomed in a myriad of colors amongst thick green foliage. Talk about cheerful, nothing like our barracks in Dralion, which were dark and gloomy. “Nice place.”

  “Yes, and one you’re only going to visit once.” He opened a door. “This is my place. Come inside.”

  “Are you sure that’s wise? Us, alone in your room?”

  “Inside now, and before someone comes and asks me who you are. I don’t care to lie and protect a warrior’s butt, even if it is yours.”

  “Puh-lease, I wouldn’t ask it of you.” I strode past him and into his quarters, allowing my hunter senses to roam. A massive bed was pressed against one wall, a brown comforter with flecks of gold, spread over top. Four plump white pillows rested against a dark wood headboard, the letters CCC skillfully engraved along it. “Hmm, I take it those are your initials?”

  “Yes, take a seat.”

  “No thanks. What does the middle C stand for?” I strolled toward his corner desk. In delicate scrollwork on the back of the dark wood chair were the same matching initials. I trailed my finger over the etching. His wooden pen was engraved too, as was the polished stand it sat in. “Either you have a fascination with your name, or you have a furniture maker in your family.”

  “Maybe. Is this room too distracting for your hunter senses?” He leaned against the wall as he eyed me.

  “Nope. Oh, I know. Maybe the C stands for Cabinet. Cole Cabinet Cyrano.”

  “What?”
<
br />   “It’s a wild guess going off the whole furniture maker thing. C’mon, you’ve gotta give me something, otherwise I’ll think the worst. What about Choo-choo?” I’d drag his full name out of him somehow.

  He chuckled. “Where’d you come up with that middle name?”

  “I’m inventive. What about Chimpanzee?”

  “Are you calling me an ape?”

  “I wouldn’t do such a thing.” I picked up his black leather jacket slung over the padded chair seat. The inside tag again read CCC. I shoved my hands into the sleeves and tugged it on. His jacket swamped me, but cocooned within, I drew in his spicy scent.

  “Why don’t you sit and I’ll tell you.”

  “Is it Confident?”

  “Sit.”

  “I really don’t have time to get too comfortable.” Although he did have a rather cozy looking padded couch of beige with floor length curtains of the same velvety fabric tucked behind it. I crossed to his glass door, pressed a hand to its warm surface. Sunlight bathed his private garden. “I like the golden roses. Flowers barely survive where I live.”

  “And where is that?” His hunter skills had him as intrigued as me by the drilling sound of his voice, and it wasn’t good to leave a hunter with unanswered questions. I’d tell him what I could then get this day over with. There wasn’t a chance we could work out any form of relationship. Hope and Faith had, but they hid a ton of secrets to make it work.

  “In Dralion my parents have a cottage in a village near the snow-capped mountains. Snow equals no roses. Then there’s the warriors’ barracks. Not one garden to speak of there. On Earth, I live on a station in the blazing heat of the outback.”

  “Ahh, that explains why I was drawn to Earth.” He moved in behind me, his chest brushing my back. Usually such a move would have my defenses on alert. Instead I eased back and allowed his presence to surround me. He was my mate, the one man meant to be mine. Destiny though had backfired with this bond. “Lieska? You know what we need to do, right?” His voice was a soft murmur in my ear.

  “I sure do.” I tugged his jacket tighter around me. “Time to break up, not that we’ve actually gone out, but you know, it’s not likely to work.”

  “Protectors and warriors don’t mix.” He stroked my arms.

  “I take it that’s why you never came for me. You’d already decided to let our bond pass?”

  “There’s a war, and we’d never suit.”

  “I know.”

  “I’m not happy you’re here, but at least it’ll give us the chance to end things the right way.” Yep, releasing each other would mean we could move on, even though we still held the other half of each other’s soul. Distance and time though would aid in the separation.

  I turned in his arms and faced him. “Speak the words I need to hear, Cole. Release me, and I’ll release you.”

  His gaze intensified. “I like your strength.”

  “Yes, and you’re—oh, perhaps the C in your name stands for Challenging?” Geez, I really had to know. He had to give me something before the hunter in me got really serious.

  “That’s not it either.” He cupped my cheeks. “It’s Chase. I’ve always gone after what I wanted and never deviated from the set course.”

  “Cole Chase Cyrano.” My pulse sped up. I liked his warm hands on my face and the intense look in his eye, all for me. “That’s why we hunt. Thank you for telling—”

  “Lieska? You gotta minute?” Hope’s frantic voice rang clear in my mind.

  “What’s up?”

  “I hate to interrupt whatever’s going down, but it seems I’ve attracted some attention.”

  “I’ll be there soon. We’re almost done.”

  “Maybe I should have said a lot of attention.”

  “Hold still then. I’m on my way.” I covered Cole’s hands and squeezed. “Sorry, but there’s an emergency. Hope’s in need of a pick-up. An urgent one.”

  I flashed us to the safety rail since I had the image. Oh boy, and a lot of attention was right. Four beefy protectors, their swords drawn, towered over Hope.

  Shoot. What had she done now?

  Dralion’s princess certainly knew how to find trouble.

  Chapter Two

  “PUT YOUR WEAPONS away!” Cole bellowed as he heaved in front of me and faced the others. “This is Hope, a friend of Silas’s. I can vouch for her.”

  Wow. My mate was a rather imposing force. Nice. I liked.

  One of the towering menaces spun around. “Cole, she still shouldn’t be here. She’s a civilian.”

  “I was keeping an eye on her.”

  “Not a close enough eye.”

  “It’s okay. I’ll leave.” Hope eased past the brute in black leathers and whipped in beside me. “We’re leaving, right?”

  I glanced at Cole. He clapped the man on the back then urged him and the others away and into the throng of battling protectors. Well, this was it. We didn’t suit, and now I’d made him lie to protect Hope and me. I couldn’t ask anymore of him. A twinge of pain settled around my heart. Dismissing our bond wasn’t going to be easy, but we had no choice.

  I drew his leather jacket collar over my nose and breathed deep. If I had his scent close, I’d manage the separation with more ease, or at least the hunter in me would. “We’ll leave, Hope, after one more small task. This won’t take long.”

  I flashed us to Cole’s quarters. If I was taking something of his to aid me, then I’d leave him something of mine in return. I wriggled my hands back through my shirtsleeves, jiggled about and managed to remove my black lace camisole. I tugged it over my head then shoved my arms back into my shirt.

  Hope gaped at me. “What are you doing?”

  “We’re trackers. Having a piece of clothing that holds our scent will calm the craving to hunt. Taking in the scent is like a fix.” And I couldn’t go without my shirt or pants, so the slip was it.

  “Are you sure? I’ve seen dogs go berserk when given a scrap of material to sniff. It makes them want to hunt even more.”

  “Did you just call me a dog?” I flicked her arm. “I’ll get you for that later.”

  “Sorry.” She chuckled. “I make the worst wing-woman.”

  “You just need more practice, and we were pretty much done. I’ll leave Cole a note to make sure I’ve got my bases covered.” I folded my camisole and laid it on his bed. At his desk, I scrawled him a message.

  * * *

  Dear Cole,

  I have your jacket and I’m keeping it. In return, I’m leaving you something of mine. It was nice meeting you and all. Have a fabulous life, and go and chase the one you really want.

  Yours no more,

  Lieska.

  * * *

  Good. Brief and blunt. I tucked it on top of my slip.

  “Lieska? Where are you?”

  Cole. His voice echoed in my head. No fair. He couldn’t go creating a telepathic link of trust with me. That really wasn’t on.

  “Lieska, answer me.”

  Should I? No. It was best not to.

  “I need to know you’ve gotten away all right. Have you left?”

  Holy moly. I better do that now before he thought I might have returned here. I seized Hope’s arm and brought the image of Wincrest Station into my mind. I ’ported us, and we arrived, the red outback dust swirling and settling over our booted feet.

  Hope grabbed the corral railing. “Whoa. That was fast. Why the rush?”

  “I sensed a problem, and now I’ve averted it.” I hugged her. “Thanks for coming with me today. It helped having you on hand.”

  “No problem.” She squeezed me back. “And if you need to talk, I’m here. I know how tough it is to be mated.”

  “We broke up.”

  Smiling, she patted my back. “Sure you did. Okay, I better go and get some actual work done. I’ll catch you later.” She walked toward the feed sheds, whistling chirpily as if she knew something I didn’t.

  “Lieska, I’m in my room.” Cole, back in my he
ad, and sounding very aggrieved. “You left me your camisole? Hell. Couldn’t you have made it something less personal to stay my need to hunt?”

  “It was all I had on me.” Drat. I probably shouldn’t have answered him.

  “Where are you?”

  “It’s okay. I got away without a problem.” I strode into the long run of white weatherboard stables and nabbed my Stetson off the hook in the central holding room. Argh, Hope’s hat. I’d have to retrieve it for her later. Or buy her a new one. I’m sure she’d understand about getting a new one. “I’m in the outback. How’d you explain our disappearance to your comrades?”

  “I didn’t. The less said the better. That jacket was one of my favorites by the way.”

  “I’ll take very good care of it.” I stroked the soft black leather. “Promise.”

  “I have an old sweater you might like more. I’ve worn it a million times.”

  “Lieska.” Maslin jogged toward me. “Goldie asked me to look for you. That bushfire on the other side of the hills has spread. It’s still some hours from here, but winds are now fanning the flames our way. We’re going to need all hands on deck for roundup. Have you seen Hope?”

  “A minute ago. She was headed toward the feed sheds.” Damn. One could count on the land being ripe for bushfires in November, but we were only midway through October. Summer temperatures didn’t even spike until after New Year’s. “What does Goldie want me to do?”

  “You’re to ride out toward the closest watering hole. If there’re strays, herd them down to the river.”

  “Will do.”

  “You still there, Lieska?”

  “I am. Sorry.” I grabbed my gear, raced out to the corral and saddled a bay mare. “Cole, if you really need the jacket back, I can swap it for the sweater. Hand it to Silas and I’ll ask Hope to get it from him.”

  “You sound anxious all of a sudden. What’s wrong?”

  “Bushfires, but some distance away. Sometimes they arrive on our doorstep, and other times, well, they tend to get even closer.”