Kiara laughed, not really understanding his words. Pulling away from his grip, she walked into the hallway. Her toe struck something solid. She looked down.
Her numbness left her in a wake of consuming terror. On the floor were the bodies of her guards. Their eyes opened and glazed, red blood seeped through their uniforms.
Her scream echoed through the hallway.
Wincing at the sound, Nykyrian drew her into his arms and cradled her head against his chest. "Don't look," he whispered, his chest tightening into a painful knot of suppressed emotion.
He held her quietly while she sobbed. He had long ceased being horrified by bodies. The only emotion the grisly sight evoked in him was anger over the waste.
Her hot tears soaked through his shirt, forming chills on his skin. The soft scent of flowers drifted from her hair. Her slender arms clutched at him in desperation. He tightened his arms around her shoulders, wishing he could have something she would never give to the likes of him, wishing for things he could never give her— things like safety, and a better world.
"Everything will be fine," he said soothingly.
"No, it won't," Kiara sobbed. Her feelings crashed through her in waves of resounding grief and agony. She could still feel Pitala's blaster at her cheek, see his menacing black eyes.
Oh God, she had almost died!
Kiara cried against Nykyrian's shoulder, clutching him. She needed the safety he offered, the protection. She found a strange comfort in his arms. His heart beat a steady, soothing rhythm under her cheek. A faint smell of leather and musk came from his skin.
Clinging to him, she needed his warmth.
Nykyrian clenched his teeth at her embrace. Never in his life had anyone held him in such a manner. He knew only her emotional state prompted her to touch him at all. If she ever knew who and what he was, she would hate him. just as everyone did.
Swallowing the lump of pain burning in his throat, he pulled away. "We must leave."
Kiara took her cloak from his hand and wrapped it around her. She shielded her eyes from the bodies. For now, she had no choice but to trust this stranger to get her past Pitala. Nykyrian had saved her life, obviously he knew what he was doing.
"Is there another exit besides the back?" he asked.
"The caterers have a separate entrance," she whispered.
"Where?"
"This way." Kiara led him down the corridor, past the reception room.
Entering the kitchen. Kiara became self-conscious. The caterers paused their movements, staring at them with keen interest. Her stomach churned at the smell of baking sweets. For a moment, she feared she'd be sick.
Without breaking stride, Nykyrian led her to the back door and out into the street.
He hailed a transport.
Kiara stepped inside the car, pushing herself as far over in the seat as she could. She just wanted to fade into obscurity and never be bothered or hunted again.
Nykyrian gave her address to the computer.
She went cold with dread. "How do you know where I live?"
"At the moment, all mercenaries know. The Probekeins have been listing your name and address for the last week on their bounty sheets."
Her hands trembled. All this time, she had deluded herself into thinking she was safe. Could her life truly be that precarious?
Her stomach knotted even more as she thought about the dead soldiers. She had killed them. Had it not been for her, they would still be alive.
The Probekeins wanted her dead and anyone near her could be the next victim. "Aren't you afraid to be with me?" she asked quietly.
"Afraid?" he asked in a shocked whisper.
"The next assassin could kill you by accident."
Nykyrian shook his head. "Allow me to assure you, if anyone kills me, it won't be by accident. The contract on your life is paltry when compared to mine."
Kiara nodded, unable to speak around the clump of tears in her throat. Here she sat, next to a true mercenary, a brutal killer if the truth were spoken. Why was he helping her?
"Are you going to kill me?" Her voice shook from the strain and fear of her words.
He sighed. "If I had that intention, I would never have returned you to your father."
"But why are you protecting me? I thought mercenary assassins were only motivated by money."
Nykyrian rubbed his right hand over his left biceps. "You haven't met enough of us to make that assumption."
Kiara conceded he was right. "You avoided my question. Why are you helping me?"
His hand stopped. He looked away from her. "Maybe I'm a fan."
"Are you?"
"Yes."
Kiara stared at him too shocked and confused to feel anything. Nykyrian sat so still next to her, he seemed ethereal. His blond hair was loose, spilling over his shoulders. As before, the dark glasses obscured his face, giving her no real idea what he looked like.
"Who are you?" she asked, needing to know.
Nykyrian shrugged. "Never figured it out, It takes too much time to think about myself, and time is one luxury I don't own."
Kiara fell silent, thinking, remembering. "I killed those guards you know."
Her words seemed to soften some of his rigidness. "The Probekeins killed them."
Kiara shook her head, her tears spilling down her cheeks. "No, they were protecting me."
Nykyrian sighed again and looked in her direction. "They were soldiers. Death is nothing more than the hazards of the business. They knew the risks."
His words cut through her. "How can you be so cold?" she said with a sob. "They were people with families."
Nykyrian stared at her. Even in the flickering, faint light, he saw her tears sparkling against her cheeks. He knew her pain, her guilt.
Again, a need to comfort her consumed him. Pushing his desire away, he looked back out the window. "I'm a soldier. Emotions are bred out of us during training."
Kiara scoffed. "You are a mercenary. There is a difference."
"True. Mercenaries are better paid."
Frustration welled up inside Kiara. How could she ever have thought Nykyrian to be different. He was of the same caliber as Pitala. Would he hold a blaster to her head if given the right amount of money?
The thought chilled her.
Her dreams were a warning to her that she couldn't trust him. Trust belonged to the past. She had trusted the dance company's security to protect her in the hotel and she'd been abducted. She had trusted her father's soldiers and she'd almost been killed. Never again would she be so foolish.
Nykyrian would have to be watched.
The transport stopped outside her building. Nykyrian exited first and scanned the street.
After a minute, he helped her from the car. He shielded her with his body as they crossed the sidewalk and she inserted her key card into the door's lock. When the door opened, he grabbed her arm to keep her from entering the building before he scanned the hallway, then the street.
"You're making me nervous!" she snapped.
"You should be nervous."
Kiara gnashed her teeth in frustration, stepped into the corridor and headed for the lift. "My flat is on the top floor."
"I know."
He infuriated her. If he knew so much, why didn't he lead the way? Oh what she wouldn't give to knock some of his cockiness out of him. "It must thrill you to always be right," she said testily, pushing the number for her floor.
As the doors closed, he faced her. "You can attack me all you wish. I don't give a minsid damn whether or not you like me. But you will respect me, listen to me, and obey me!"
Anger stung her cheeks at his rapid dictation for her behavior. "I'm not yours, you have no ownership papers! My God, I haven't even hired you."
"You haven't, your father has."
Kiara stiffened in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean? I was there when Rachol turned my father's proposal down."
"We reconsidered."
The knot in her stomach loosened
. "Why?"
He stepped back from her. "Pitala and Aksel Bredeh."
Kiara frowned. Pitala she knew only too well. "What is Aksel Bredeh?"
"He's another rancid mercenary assassin, mu Tara. "
She clenched her teeth. "Why do you keep calling me Tara? Is it an insult?"
Nykyrian tensed for a moment. "It's Andarion for lady," he said softly and turned away from her.
"Oh," she whispered, curious as to why he chose to call her that after his rough treatment of her.
"Who is Aksel Bredeh?" she asked at last, wondering what there was to the new mercenary that would motivate Nykyrian to help her. Could he be any worse than Pitala? She shivered at the thought. Silence answered her question.
She glared at Nykyrian, awaiting a response. Before she could ask again, the doors opened on her floor.
Nykyrian stepped out and scanned the corridor.
Tempted to shove him and say boo, Kiara bet herself he'd jump twelve feet. Or shoot her, her mind cautioned. If he really were an ex-League Assassin, he was very dangerous if startled.
She reached her door and stopped. "This has been tampered with," she whispered to Nykyrian, seeing a strange device hooked into her card slot.
She swallowed the panic surging through her body. Someone was inside her flat! She could hear them.
Cold fear washed over her.
Nykyrian pulled her behind him then knocked twice.
"Who is it?" a deep growling voice asked from inside.
"The Tourah Beast," Nykyrian answered sarcastically. "Open the damn door before I get shot in the hallway!''
"Geez, what a temper," the voice said as the door slid open to reveal a large Andarion male.
Kiara's heart slid into her stomach at the massive form. She had thought Nykyrian to be tall. This man stood a head taller. His long teeth flashed at her.
Was he considering her for dinner?
Nykyrian grabbed her arm and pulled her past the man.
Her eyes widened as she brushed up against the Andarion's chest. The crimson and white eyes sent a chill down her spine. No wonder Nykyrian wore dark glasses. Eyes like those were terrifying.
"Where's Rachol?" another voice drew her attention to her couch.
"On his way," Nykyrian responded.
Kiara stared at the human male reclining on her couch with his feet propped up on her table. His dark auburn hair, almost as long as Nykyrian's, concealed the right side of his face. He seemed completely comfortable in her home.
The sight angered her.
How dare they invade her privacy in such a manner. Her agitation increased when the Andarion returned to her favorite armchair, picked up her bag of friggles from the low table and began munching them!
Seizing the bag, she narrowed her eyes. "This is my home, not some free-house!"
The Andarion looked at Nykyrian, his eyes wide. "She's got spunk," he rasped with a dark laugh. "I bet her meat is equally as spicy."
His gaze returned to her. Kiara took a step back, clutching the bag to her chest.
"You might want to return the food to him," Nykyrian said from behind her. "It's unwise to starve an Andarion. If Hauk decided to nibble on you, there's not much we could do."
Hauk raked her with a measuring stare.
Her anger vanished. Handing the bag back to Hauk, she swallowed the lump in her throat. What had she gotten herself into? How could her father have turned her over to these people?
"They're only teasing you," the red headed man said with a bright smile. "I'm Darling Crewell." He stood and extended his hand to her.
Kiara shook his gloved hand. Something in Darling's manner reminded her of an aristocrat. He seemed easy enough to get along with, unlike the two Andarions.
"The glutton is Dancer Hauk," Darling said as he retook his seat.
"Dancer?" Kiara smiled, amused by the revelation, "It means killer in Andarion," Hauk snapped.
Darling laughed, a deep throaty sound. "You wish! I believe Nykyrian told me it meant: of beautiful cheeks."
Hauk gave Nykyrian a glare that bordered on murder. Nykyrian shrugged, apparently unconcerned by the hostility. "Well, it does."
Kiara sighed, relieved by their play which took some of coldness out of them and the awkward nervousness out of her.
Darling smiled again. "I'm sorry if we overstepped our bounds. Being the only one here with Hauk, I encouraged him to scrounge for other sources of food."
At least Darling had manners. "It's all right," she assured him. "I'm still upset over what's happened."
Turning around, she faced Nykyrian. He leaned against her bar with his arms folded over his chest. His head was angled toward Darling, but she was sure he was watching her. She could feel his eyes on her. If only he wasn't wearing those blasted glasses.
Did he ever remove them?
"I need to change," she said absently. "I suppose I don't need to tell the three of you to make yourselves comfortable."
Nykyrian smirked.
She really hated those glasses. She would love to be able to read his emotions and moods.
Kiara paused at the entrance to her hall and glanced back at the three men. She was uncomfortable about removing her clothes with strangers milling about.
She looked at Nykyrian's stoic face.
"You don't have to worry about us," he said roughly, reading her thoughts. "Hauk isn't attracted to humans, Darling isn't attracted to women, and I'm . . ." Nykyrian paused.
What could he say? All too well, he remembered the sight of her in the skimpy nightgown. He wanted her more than anything.
Her eyes held the look of expectation. He steadied himself. At the moment, she thought him a hero who had saved her life. He wasn't. The best thing would be to make her hate him now instead of later.
"I'm not interested," he finished.
Kiara's blush deepened at the harsh words spoken before the other two men. Narrowing her eyes, she seethed in her humiliation. How had she ever thought she might want this man? He was despicable.
Without a word, she stomped down the hall to her bedroom and slammed the door.
What had she been thinking when she considered him handsome. He wasn't even human!
Kiara paused. That must be his problem.
No, he said Hauk didn't like humans and he wasn't interested.
Jerking her costume off, she tossed it. on the bed. Never had she been so embarrassed. Who did he think he was? A mercenary assassin? Hah! He wasn't worthy of such an awe inspiring title. He was just a crude, low-bred gimfry with the manners of a ghoul!
She would show him how little he meant to her. In fact, she'd never even speak to him again.
Kiara belted her robe around her waist and entered the hallway. She stopped and looked back to where Nykyrian still leaned against her bar. Her body trembled in rage.
Nykyrian's skin tingled. He knew he was being watched. Turning his head, he saw Kiara's blazing amber eyes. Good, she hated him. Hatred was one thing he could easily deal with. But then, why did he ache with the knowledge that she despised him? He should be happy.
Shaking himself out of his emotions, he turned back to Hauk. He heard Kiara enter the bathroom. When the water came on, an image of her naked body caressed by the water's spray flashed through his mind.
Against his will, his body responded with a hammering need.
"Are you all right?" Darling asked.
"Tired." Nykyrian cleared his throat. "You were saying you placed scanners outside in the corridor."
"Right. Hauk reworked the communications system to prevent anyone from accessing it. The channels will be clear should you need to contact us."
Nykyrian nodded. "I still intend to use the link."
"Probably for the best," Hauk said. "Once Bredeh learns you're guarding her, he's going to come after you with full arsenal."
"I'm ready."
Hauk snorted. "I wouldn't be so arrogant. He won't stick by League rules and attack you openly. He wants your life more th
an he wants Kiara's." Hauk crunched a friggle.
Nykyrian shrugged. Aksel was the least of his present concerns.
Nykyrian heard Kiara leave the bathroom. Squelching the desire to look at her, he returned his thoughts to their discussion. "You act as if Aksel wanting me dead is something new. He's been trying to kill me since I was ten."
Hauk snorted. "True, but— "
Kiara's scream echoed in the flat.
Nykyrian went cold. Drawing his blaster, he ran down the corridor to the back room where the sound had come from. Carefully, he entered the studio, then froze.
With a stern frown, he looked at Kiara's rage flushed face. She stood in the center of the room, hands on hips.
"What is going on?" he snapped, angered over her unwarranted shriek.
"What have you done?" she snarled. "Look at my room!" She gestured toward the black blaster shields over her floor length windows. "How dare you people come into my home and rearrange my furnishings. And what is that thing?"
Holstering his blaster, Nykyrian stared at the opaque window coverings. "It's a blast shield."
Darling and Hauk exchanged wary looks.
"I forgot to mention that," Darling said. "We covered all the windows to keep snipers from seeing a target."
Kiara fumed. "I want you to leave! All of you. Out!"
Nykyrian nodded to Hauk and Darling, excusing them. Without a word, they left.
"I meant you as well."
"I know you did. Get used to me, I'm not leaving."
She walked right up to him, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. "You're fired."
Her audacity almost made him smile. It had been a long time since someone dared stand up to him in anger without a weapon pointed at his head. "You didn't hire me."
Kiara's eyes widened. Never in her life had she been so angry. In fact, it was rare she ever lost her temper. She stared at Nykyrian wishing she were Trisani and could splatter him against her walls with just her thoughts.
"I want you out of my home."
For a brief moment, she thought he winced, but his face quickly turned back hard. He left the studio.
Satisfaction washed over her as she surveyed the empty room. Tomorrow she would have the building's maintenance crew remove the shields. Tonight she would enjoy the peacefulness of being alone and alive.
The League 1: Born Of The Night Page 5