by Marie Harte
“Twins?” he laughed. Perfect, more of Thais to be mad at him.
“By the Goddess, I don’t need this. We have to get you out of here before—”
Shouts and gunshot exploded in the once silent night. Thankfully, Beast’s loud roar grew louder.
“Finally,” he muttered. “Your ride’s here, darlin’.”
The ground tilted as Hinto stood once again. With her help, he mounted the vore in front of Thais, making them prime targets for anyone with a gun. Then Butch ordered a ceasefire and started shouting at his men. Everything went dark as Thais leaned closer to grab the reins and accidentally nudged his leg wound.
“Hinto! Dammit, stay awake. You can’t pass out now,” Thais yelled as they raced away from danger.
“Right,” he wheezed, every jostle and bump like hell on his sore body.
They rode for some time while he struggled to stay aware.
“Faster, Beast.” Thais sounded worried. Not good.
The air breezed by them in a cool wind. He shivered and did his best to hold onto the vore’s neck.
What felt like hours passed before Thais slowed them down. “Good boy.”
“Me or Beast?” he said, shivering uncontrollably. He heard a whinny and realized the mare rode with them. “Got the horses.”
She sighed and pulled on the reins, hugging him tight. “I have our transportation, but I’m afraid Butch hasn’t given up. Beast keeps looking over his shoulder. We’ve put some distance between us, but they won’t stop. I can feel it.”
A faint memory intruded. “Beast, the cave. Take us there.”
Beast snorted and changed direction. Hinto knew they’d have to go the long way, but Butch and his men would have a helluva time tracking them through the mountains.
“He’ll get us to safety. No one knows about the cave but me.” And my brothers. I wonder how Dad is doing? His thoughts wandered like a leaf carried on winds of pain and confusion. Nothing seemed real. Not the woman at his back, the vore beneath him, or the pain turning to numbness within him.
At least they no longer had to worry about the McKenzies. Confident the vore would take them to safe passage, Hinto finally curled around Beast’s neck and slid into unconsciousness.
Chapter Ten
Thais swore again, wishing Hinto would wake so she could beat some answers out of him. If he hadn’t been so bad off she might have. But whatever guidance he’d given to the vore seemed to be working.
The rough terrain would have put her off traversing the mountains at night. Especially as they moved higher, toward the white-topped peaks looming majestically against the dark indigo sky. The Great Mother once again provided, allowing the moon to push through the clouds and light their way over the rocky pass just before disappearing again.
Thais’s mare trudged along behind Beast. The trooper had earned more than a name. Perhaps a decent meal, just as soon as Thais found her something hardy to eat.
“I’ll call you Ainippe.” Queenly mare. It fit. Thais was on a royal mission, after all.
Beast chuffed his approval. Though she at first found the vore’s intelligence odd, Thais now came to rely on the creature’s senses. Hinto trusted the vore. She would as well. He’d certainly led them this far.
Of course, leaving the McKenzie compound unscathed had as much to do with Butch’s fixation as it did Beast’s timely arrival. She’d heard Butch yell he didn’t want her harmed. Otherwise, she felt certain she’d be riddled with iron by now.
As it was, she needed to dig out the bullet lodged in Hinto’s thigh. She worried the toxin from the round might be stealing more of his strength than he could afford to lose. A rough bandage tied off more blood loss, but her partner definitely needed tending.
She patted Beast’s flank. “When you feel we’ve put enough distance between us, we need to stop. Hinto needs attention.”
The vore snorted.
Thais would have loved to see her sisters’ faces, watching Thais talk with a wild creature. Luiza would be ecstatic. Isadora, not so much. Yara…
She sighed, missing them so much. Yara could have healed Hinto with little effort. For all her talk of the nucca plant, her best friend had a healing touch. Thais had been the recipient of Yara’s hot hands a time or two and came away the better for it.
The nucca plant.
Glancing at the mare—at Ainippe—Thais breathed a sigh of relief. Her saddle bags remained, and in them, the jar of salve Yara had insisted each of her Amazon sisters carry. While the seeds Thais had given Hinto would help his father once planted and mature, the paste could help Hinto now.
He woke on and off as they moved, but she wanted to put more distance between them and their followers before they settled. They pressed forward for another hour before Beast found a massive cave and entered without pause.
Though it was pitch black, Thais trusted in the vore’s ability to sense trouble. Even the mare remained docile, a good sign. They moved along twists and turns before dead ending at a stone wall. Beast ambled near a thin trickle of water that pooled upon the ground. A gap in the rocks above allowed patches of soft moonlight to illuminate the ground. A ring of stones, where a fire might burn, indicated the cave had been used before.
“Hinto? We’re here,” she said before jumping to the ground. He mumbled under his breath, still weary and in pain. After taking a blanket from her mare, she spread it on the ground and turned back to Hinto. It took some doing, but she managed to help him off Beast without too much bruising on her part. She laid him down on her blanket by the stone ring, took off the saddles from Ainippe and Beast, and made Hinto as comfortable as possible by propping his head over a folded shirt, to pillow him from the hard, cold ground.
While the animals drank from the small pool of water by the wall, Thais removed Hinto’s clothing. Though bruised and bloodied, his injuries couldn’t hide his masculine beauty. She’d been raised to look at men with bias, as less than worthy in the Goddess’s own eyes. Yet staring at Hinto, she couldn’t see what made him physically inferior to a woman.
Sure, he had differences. But the sheer power in his taut frame spoke of a man used to hard work. Muscles didn’t form in one with an idle cause, nor did his bravery diminish because of his gender. No woman could have defended Thais any better than he had. Her gaze drifted to his thigh, reddened and swollen over the bullet encased in his flesh.
Unable to stop herself, she studied the rest of his body, taken with his muscular chest, so smooth, in contrast to his legs and the thatch of dark hair that cushioned his sex. Now it lay soft and unthreatening. But she couldn’t forget how powerful he’d felt when ridden by lust. How large and thick he’d been when rubbing against her, seeking warmth.
Hinto shivered and moaned, and she flushed with embarrassment. Thank the Goddess Yara wasn’t here to see her ogling a man when he clearly needed care. She’d blister Thais’s ears for certain.
Thais covered Hinto with his blanket when he shivered again. Though it felt cooler in the cave, she didn’t feel a chill. That Hinto did worried her. She placed a hand on his forehead, as she’d often seen their healer do.
His temperature warned of infection. The bullet in his thigh needed to come out, and she noticed another gouge, where a bullet or knife had grazed his calf. She stroked his chest, thanking him without words.
Finding a clean, soft cloth, she wet it in the pool and gently cleaned the dirt and blood from his wounds. With his face cleared, she saw much less damage than she’d feared. A huge weight seemed to lift from her chest.
After applying a thin layer of the nucca salve, she removed his blanket and cleaned the rest of him. He didn’t stir as she dried him. She only hoped he’d sleep through the next part.
Using her knife, she made a small cut over the bullet’s entry. He cringed but otherwise didn’t make a sound. Thais felt sick as she probed his torn tissue. But she couldn’t find the bullet. She opened the wound wider, alarmed at the wash of blood flowing from it once more.
No matter what she did, she couldn’t find it, yet there was no exit wound. Wishing once more for Yara’s calm presence, she set aside her knife and used her fingers to poke and prod. The sensation of warm, bloody flesh made her lightheaded but didn’t deter her. After what felt like an eternity, she felt the edge of metal and managed to pull it out.
He groaned and swore. “Good.” Hinto sounded as weak as he looked, his lips bloodless, his face waxy, as he looked from her to the round. “Throw it…away.”
After she nodded, he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Thais tossed the iron to the ground with distaste, alarmed to feel tears gathering. She blinked to disperse the weakness and attributed her fragile emotions to the strain of the day. She’d been attacked and kidnapped, nearly run to ground, and chased for half the night. Even her mother would have needed a break after so much turmoil. And Thais wasn’t done yet.
With trembling hands, she tied a band of cloth around Hinto’s leg to staunch the bleeding, cleaned him once more, and covered him with the blanket.
She would have liked a fire but didn’t want to give away their position should Butch or his men have followed. The Nolan brothers were short on brains but not on brawn. And she wasn’t up to another confrontation before she’d had some much needed rest.
Resolving to sleep as lightly as possible, she clutched her dagger and a rifle she’d taken from Hinto’s pack, and settled down next to him. But the weather made sleep impossible. Her teeth chattered as a cold wind tore through the cave.
Swearing at her own stupidity—he’s injured, how much of a threat is he, really?—Thais made sure not to press too close to him as she joined him under the blanket. Immediately, his warmth bled into hers. She fell into a state of hazy rest, on her side, one hand on her knife, the other on his gun.
Thais woke to the muttered groans of a man gripped by fever. He felt hot, but from what she knew, that might be a good thing.
The sunlight streaming through the window in the ceiling showed the dawning of a new day. The cave seemed brighter and bigger, and more defensible.
She left Hinto to see to her needs well away from their position in the caves. When she returned, she washed in the cave water. Refreshed and feeling more like herself after a decent rest, she checked on him again.
He opened his eyes, raised a hand to catch her braid, and smiled at her.
“Thank the Mother.” She exhaled with relief. “Good morning.”
“You’re damned right, it is.”
“So how are you feeling? You look much better.” The swelling on his face had lessened considerably.
“But not as good as you. Make sure Wolf knows you’re mine.”
Wolf? She looked around her. “Who’s Wolf?”
He closed his eyes, still smiling. “That’s right, little brother. No way my Amazon would ever fall for your ugly face.”
Hell. “Hinto?” She gently shook him, but his mumbling turned to laughter and then into a deep sleep once more. So much for his incredibly fast recovery.
The joy of the day sucked right out of her, she asked Beast to accompany her while she familiarized herself with the deep cavern. Following the vore, she trekked through the dark maze back to the entrance and left tiny markings along the bottom of the rock walls with her knife. Once outside, gathering storm clouds convinced her to spend the day in the cave. Gathering black berries off a tree, she held out her hand.
“These any good?”
Beast sniffed and ate one, then another. Before she knew it, he’d eaten them all.
“Right. Let’s go grab Ainippe then. You two can eat while I gather some food for Hinto.”
Once all three of them were back outside, the horse and the vore munched on berries and dried grasses while she foraged. Thais gathered berries and a few flowers she knew to be edible. They had a bit of jerky left and a source of water they would make good use of. Enough food to hole up in the caves for a few days, at least.
Returning inside, the odd threesome made small talk. Thais muttered to herself about stubborn males as she watched Hinto fight his fever. Ainippe flirted with Beast, and Beast snorted and huffed as vores do, probably flirting right back with her mare.
Hinto remained asleep. For hours she cared for him, using a damp rag to cool him off when needed, and replacing his blanket every time he shrugged it off. She ate a few berries but saved the majority for him. The nucca paste she reapplied did wonders for his face. The swelling had all but disappeared, leaving him with mottled shades of blue, green and purple around his eyes, cheeks and mouth.
The bullet wound bled bright red when pressed. It smelled fresh, not of disease. No sign of infection.
Hinto, it seemed, was a fast healer…and an interesting companion.
The first few times he’d murmured nonsense she’d turned a deaf ear, resting while giving him a measure of privacy he would have wanted. She ignored him for the first few hours. But later in the day, he called her name. Several times.
Finally, she answered. “I’m here, Hinto.”
Glassy blue eyes blinked at her. “Thais, how are we doing?”
“Better, if you’re finally aware of me.”
“Honey, I’ve been aware of you from the moment you killed Bob.”
“Who’s Bob?” The name sounded familiar.
“What?” He looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Well, hell. Mahpee, Wolf, meet Thais.”
She glanced behind her and saw no one there. Perfect. Now I’m part of his delusion.
“Hi, Wolf,” she said dryly. “Fancy meeting you here.”
“How long?” Hinto murmured something.
“What?”
“How long have we been married? I can’t remember the date.”
She stared at him in shock. Married?
He glared at his imaginary friends. “You know better than that, Wolf. Hell, I don’t give a shit what Mahpee did with Dana. I’m not sharing.”
Sharing? Dana?
Married?
“Well, I guess you can watch. She won’t mind, will you honey?”
“Mind what?” she rasped, completely off balance. Hinto thought of her in terms of marriage? A permanent joining between mates? The Amazons didn’t take a male for more time than it took to get with child.
“Come here.” His lazy grin should have warned her he was up to something. But as sick as he was, she vowed to help him no matter what he needed.
She leaned closer when he startled her. His arms locked around her and pinned her to him, surprisingly strong.
“Easy, Hinto! You’ll tear your wound. And watch your mouth, mmph—”
She didn’t struggle except to shift over his body, mindful of his many injuries. How could the man want to do anything sexual when he was obviously in pain—which their brief kiss quickly reminded him?
He moaned. “Shit, I ache. And not in a good way.”
She sat up and straddled his waist. His hair stood up in sections, bruises darkened his face, and disappointment clouded his gaze. He looked so put out she had to grin.
“Easy, Hinto.” Thais leaned down and placed a whisper-light kiss on his lips. He sighed into her mouth, and she did it again.
The small pecks that soothed him aroused her to a level of frustration she could have done without. Once again, Hinto made her want. And he didn’t even know it.
The idiot male had fallen back to sleep with a goofy smile on his face.
She ran a hand over his cheek and slowly eased off him. Crouching to his side, she looked at him but saw so much more than a man.
Why couldn’t she wrap her mind around anything but Hinto lately?
Their plan to take care of Gregor had failed. Now they had to find him while avoiding his maniacal brother and more men with guns. Just one more hurdle to cross in Thais’s never-ending journey toward redemption.
She didn’t believe in coincidence. Why now, after so much time away from her people, would Thais find affection for a forbidden male, right when she’
d had her first lead on Pilar and Bartel? This strange lust for Hinto distracted her from her purpose and crossed the very conventions she’d been raised to believe. Thais faced the truth of her gradual slide into failure’s familiar path. She had a chance to make things right, to leave Hinto behind and forge her own way to victory.
Yet honor demanded she not abandon him. Hinto deserved her respect; he’d earned it. If a sister warrior had saved her, she’d owe her the same care, nursing her back to health. A quandary, to be sure, because honesty compelled Thais to admit she liked having to help him.
Hell, her sisters were even now scouring the Territories for Bartel, sacrificing their own happiness, their lives if need be, to fulfill Estefina’s last wish. All because they’d played when they should have seen to their duties—duties she now avoided because of a man.
She couldn’t take her eyes from Hinto, noticing that even at rest he looked hard, on edge.
And still, the affection grew.
Beast made a sound behind her, breaking the spell.
On a curse, she rose and spun on her heel to dunk her head under the water trickling from the cave wall. Yanking her braid apart and making it hurt, she forced herself to refocus. No more thoughts of pleasure with Hinto. No more tender musings, and she’d forget she ever heard him mention marriage in context with her. Then again, for all she knew he’d imagined she was someone else, a woman from his past, perhaps. Maybe even DeeDee.
The thought depressed her and she swore, annoyed all over again.
“I can’t find Pilar soon enough to suit me. Just five minutes with the woman, Goddess. That’s all I ask. Then you should do with me as you will. But please, grant me some peace. Give me leave to depart from this man.” Before I do something I’ll regret. Before it’s too late.
***
Pilar grinned as she, Deke and Brian rode from the train with over a thousand in gold. This was their best take of the month, and it made her uneasy. She wouldn’t have figured Bartel to be this sloppy. Then again, under her direction, the Flower Gang had vastly improved their efficiency. Hit hard, move fast, exit with stealth. Always follow the plan.