by T. S. Ryder
He cast a glance over them. They didn't appear to be carrying weapons, but that didn't mean much. Their loose robes could be concealing dozens of smaller guns, not to mention bladed weapons.
"Please," Vanessa whispered again.
Even if he did shoot Kulog and got away from the priests, there was his piloting skills–or lack of–to contend with. Would he be able to outfly the priest's ship?
Did it matter? Could he leave Vanessa to her fate? Even if she was Edala rather than the clueless, innocent human she was, would he really be able to hand her over to such a cruel fate? Was that the kind of man he was? Was it the kind of man he wanted to be?
"Are you sure you need her unmarked and untouched?" Kulog asked the priests.
He turned and looked up and down Vanessa in a very deliberate, violating way. She shivered, shying away from him and closer to Taliga. The T'shav tensed, glaring at his partner.
Kulog grinned at her. "Can't we have a little fun with her first?"
Taliga had fired his blaster before he even realized he had drawn it. The bolt of energy hit Kulog square in the chest, lifting him off his feet and throwing him backward. There was a sizzling and popping sound; a shower of black dots sprang from Kulog's chest. Nanite armor. Invisible, but effective once against almost any attack.
Kulog stumbled. His face twisted in a snarl as he reached for his broadsword. Taliga grabbed Vanessa's arm and pulled her back the way they had come, running half-turned, shooting at the priests as they chased after the two fleeing figures.
"Taliga!" Kulog's voice boomed over the sound of the blaster-fire. "You traitor! This is the repayment I get for saving your life all those years ago? I should have cut your head from your shoulders and used the human to my delight from the start!"
"What are you doing?" Vanessa gasped.
"Trying to save your life! Run!"
She stumbled, but Taliga still urged her faster. The sound of Kulog's screaming was getting ever closer, and if they didn't get to the ship before the other T'shav, it would be all over. Taliga didn't have nanite armor to protect him, and Vanessa's flimsy white dress certainly would do nothing to stop a blaster bolt from tearing through her soft, feminine body.
"Taliga, face me, you coward!" The rage in Kulog's voice was reaching levels of madness. He never could control his temper, even when not in musth. "Fight me! I'll make your death swift!"
Taliga cursed. He dragged Vanessa closer and threw her over his shoulder. The extra weight slowed him slightly, but he could move smoother now and didn't have to worry about Vanessa stumbling over her dress. Unlike the other times he carried her like this, she remained still. Her panting was louder than his own breathing.
"He's going to kill us," she whimpered. "He's going to kill us."
They emerged from the long grass, the ship in sight. Taliga's heart rose. Maybe, just maybe, there was a chance that they would get out of this alive…
"I prepared for the chance you'd betray me," Kulog shouted again, still in the tall grasses.
They were almost to the ship. Just a few more steps—
The ship exploded. The force picked Taliga up and threw him backward. Red and yellow flames burst from the hull, sending shards of debris all around them. Taliga tucked Vanessa into a ball and shield her with his body, covering her ears and face with his arms. Smoldering pieces of metal fell onto his back, making him grunt with pain.
Once the shockwave had passed, he scrambled to his feet. His back felt like it was on fire. Kulog and the priests emerged from the grass. Taliga threw Vanessa over his shoulder again and ran. A bolt flew by his ear.
"No, you fool!" roared one of the priests. "You'll hit our sacrifice!"
He darted into the grasses, knowing that speed was his only chances now. Just beyond the tall grasses were pale shades that might be trees, so he headed towards them. There might be a chance to hide among them. The sounds of pursuit faded behind him, though he knew it wouldn't last long. These grasses might hide where he was, but the trail he was leaving was plain as day, even in this dark world.
"I can walk," Vanessa said after some time.
The T'shav grunted. It would be better that way–they could still move, but he would also be free to fight. He slowed and stopped before setting her down. She was shivering violently, but that was only to be expected. The blue crackle of light from her restraints lit her face. Her eyes were wide.
Taliga couldn’t help himself. He brushed his fingers against her cheek. "It's going to be okay, Vanessa. I won't let them hurt you."
She hesitated before nodding. Trust shone clearly from her eyes, making it difficult to breathe. He had never had anybody look at him like that before.
The desire to kiss her welled up in him, but he shoved it away. This whole situation was a mess, and he wasn't going to make it worse. He ought to have just handed her over. He had ruined his own chances now. Where in the galaxy could a mercenary go where he would be safe from the likes of the Wytsian Order?
"Here." He flicked his thumbs over the restraints, turning them off. The small silver clasps fell to the ground. He grabbed his knife and grabbed a handful of Vanessa's skirt. She yelped as he ripped a strip off at the knee, then tied it around her waist. "We might need to use that for bandages. Are you hurt?"
She shook her head mutely.
Taliga grunted. What had he been thinking? Risking his life, giving up everything, for a woman. This woman. Hadn't he learned his lesson with Edala? Love was a weakness. Worse than that, it got people killed. And yet when Vanessa put her hand on his arm and peered up at him, his anger at himself melted away.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"Don't thank me yet. There's a settlement five clicks that way if I remember correctly." Without a compass, it was impossible to know for sure. "Hopefully we'll find a United Species Corps base. They'll be able to hold off the Wytsians."
If the USC decided to help him at all. The Corps wasn't known for treating T'shav well, and whatever officers they found here–if any at all–might just end up handing them both over to the Wytsians with the right monetary encouragement.
He started walking, a steady pace but not one so fast that Vanessa would wear out quickly. Vanessa's hand slid into his, for comfort or to help her keep up, he didn't know. In any case, it felt too familiar, too intimate, and he shifted it to his shoulder instead.
The only ground-level indication when they entered the pale forest was that darkness became even deeper. The grasses barely thinned, although shades of the trees stretched out above them.
Taliga frowned as they walked, searching for some small niche that seemed impossible to find. Was there no way to hide from their pursuers? Vanessa's breathing was becoming labored, and though he slowed a little more, he knew she wouldn’t be able to keep going for long. They needed to rest but were too vulnerable out here.
"Once we get to the settlement, what do we do if there isn't a USC base?" she asked.
"Steal a ship and get off the planet."
"And go where?"
Taliga shrugged. "Somewhere safe."
"I'm from Zon's Sanctuary. If we could contact him, I know that he'd send somebody to come pick me up."
Taliga glanced at a nearby tree. It was spindly, but the darkness swallowed up the canopy completely. Any number of creatures could be up there and they'd have no idea. And neither would their pursuers. If he put Vanessa up a tree and then continued the path to some sort of cliff or river, he could throw Kulog off his trail, at least for a little while. Long enough to buy them time to rest, at least.
"The Sanctuary contacted us, offering to buy you back from us," Taliga mentioned idly. "Twice as much as the Wytsians, actually."
Silence answered him.
Taliga glanced at Vanessa. "I'll find a place to rest soon."
"Is that why you saved me?"
"What?"
Vanessa pulled her hand away from him. He couldn’t see her face, but her voice was thick with anger. "You saved me from them so
you could collect a bigger bounty from Zon. And you shot Kulog so you could have a bigger piece of the pie."
"No."
"Then why? Why not sell me to Zon earlier?"
He hesitated. Did he dare tell her the truth? Well, what harm would it do? "Kulog was part of the Sanctuary, long ago. He was imprisoned for using his musth to seduce women. I never liked him. But I owe him, or at least I thought I did."
"And now?"
"I think it's worth the risk to get more money," he lied. "I'll be ransoming you back to Zon after all."
"I see," Vanessa murmured.
Was it his imagination, or did she sound disappointed? Taliga opened his mouth to tell her the truth, that he lost his head at the thought of her being harmed in any way, but stopped. She didn't need to know the amount of power she had over him. And besides, giving her to Zon sounded like a good idea.
She'd be safe there, and all he'd have to worry about was the Wytsian Order coming after him after he dropped her off.
Chapter Five – Vanessa
Taliga had found a river some time ago, and had made them walk down it for what felt like hours. Every so often he would break off and move through the grassy forest around them, presumably to create false trails. Every time he did this, he told Vanessa to stop for nothing and to just continue downstream.
By the time he said that they could stop to rest, Vanessa's feet felt like blocks of ice, and her head was drooping against her chest as she stumbled over the sandy bottom of the river. The adrenaline had worn off long ago. She wasn't sure how much further she could go.
"Here we go."
Taliga pulled some fallen tree branches over the entrance of the cave that had eroded out of the bank of the river. If she wasn't so tired, Vanessa would have hoped that it wouldn't collapse in on them. She wasn't sure she'd care at this moment, though.
The T'shav sat beside her. "In this darkness, they won't be able to see anything amiss, even if they bring lights. If they have thermal imaging we might be in trouble, but since Kulog blew up our ship I know they don’t have access to our equipment. I don't think Wytsians collect much technology, either."
"My feet are freezing. I'm going to lose my toes to frostbite."
"You're alive, aren't you? And if you lose your toes, you can have bionic replacements."
Vanessa sniffled. She knew she should be more grateful that he was saving her life, but he was the one that put her in danger in the first place. Besides, the only reason he was saving her was to get more money.
Taliga wrapped his arms around her, fumbling at the knot he'd made in the tattered remains of her skirt. "Give me your feet."
She obeyed, shivering. He pulled off her shoes–flats, made from a nanite material to conform to the shape of her foot but offered little protection–and tore the strip of cloth in half. He dried each foot before binding it in the cloth. They were still cold, but warmer than they had been. Taliga pulled her close to him.
"We'll have to share body heat," he said. "Hope you're not shy."
Vanessa shook her head mutely. His body was so warm she wished she could wrap herself in it. Weariness dropped heavily in her eyes, but as she inhaled the T'shav's oddly sweet scent, a different sort of heat flared in her. It settled in her core, sending tendrils up and down her body. She shivered again, for an entirely different reason. Even now she was feeling drawn to him, wanting him.
"Are you…" she hesitated.
"Am I what?"
"On your musth."
There was a moment of silence, then Taliga tucked her even closer to himself. "No."
"How can I be certain?"
"I don't suppose you can be. There are certain indications that a T'shav male is in his musth, but if I was in the early stages only a trained eye would be able to see the physical differences. Not that the earliest stages really affect females that much."
"That's not very comforting."
"If I was in musth, we'd be dead right now."
Vanessa laid her head on his chest. His heart beat strong and steady. It was a soothing sound. "Why do you say that?"
"Because the fighting instincts are very strong during musth. If I was in it, then grabbing you and running wouldn't have occurred to me. I would have tried to kill Kulog and all those priests. And that would have ended with me dead, and you would have hopefully gotten caught in the crossfire…"
He gripped her thigh unexpectedly, making her gasp. He guided her leg between his, adjusting his calves to enclose her foot. The warmth made her sigh as her tense muscles relaxed.
"That's not true," Taliga murmured. "I'd have killed you myself the moment I knew that I was going to lose. I should never have taken this stupid job. I knew what it would entail. And I don't think I would be able to turn you over to those zealots, even if…"
Vanessa's fingers began unconsciously tracing the contours of his muscles. "Even if what?"
"Even if I wasn't so drawn to you. I don't know what it is about you, but I have never been so angry in my life as when those priests said that they were going to kill you. Priests. More like cult leaders. Something that preaches such hatred shouldn’t be considered a religion."
Vanessa rose her head. As much as she would like an ecclesiastical discussion, that wasn't what was drawing her attention. "You're drawn to me? In what way?"
There was another silence. When Taliga spoke again, his voice was low and husky. "From your question about my musth, I imagine it's the same way you're drawn to me. Ever since we picked you up, I've wanted to… well, I won't get graphic. But it's not all sexual. I've felt protective of you."
Was he just saying that? Vanessa tried to infuse her voice with as much doubt as possible. "Why?"
"Maybe it's because Kulog is entering his musth, and there is a natural defensive response by other males when they're around a warrior entering musth."
"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself."
"Maybe. But… I've never heard of another man's musth making a woman desire a male who isn't in his musth…"
Vanessa felt something stir inside of her. Before she was really aware of what she was doing, she had lifted her hands, seeking out Taliga's face in the darkness. When she found him, she pushed herself up and pressed a kiss to his mouth. At least, she tried. Since she couldn't actually see him, she missed and ended up on one side of his nose. She decided to just roll with it, ghosting her lips down to his.
Taliga's hands rested gently on her hips. As she teased his mouth open, he shifted her, bringing her over him. Her ripped skirt rode up on her thighs as she straddled him, surprised by her own actions and the building heat in her core. The T'shav's kiss became more insistent, his arms wrapping around her. He pulled her tight against him, making the heat already inside snap and sway. Vanessa couldn't stop herself from moaning. When one of his hands moved to her breast, her small cross pendant popped out of her cleavage and dangled from her neck.
What was she doing? This was completely the wrong time and the wrong man! It had to be because of adrenaline. They were on the run, they didn't have time to… do this.
Taliga's hand continued to massage her breast, the other working under her skirt. Vanessa pulled away, grabbing both hands and pulling them away from her body. "No."
"No?" The surprise in his voice made it clear he didn't hear the word very often. At least not in situations like this.
Vanessa rolled off him. She pulled her skirt lower, trying to cover as much of her legs as possible, and tucked her cross back into her cleavage. If it hadn't popped out, would she have stopped him? Of course she would have… it wasn't like she could just make love with a man she barely knew. She tried to pull away from him, but he held her tight.
"We have to share body heat. Nothing more, I promise."
"Okay."
Vanessa settled back down beside him. Her body ached to continue what they had been doing, her weariness almost completely gone with the surge of hormones that had accompanies it. She sucked in a deep breath. Th
ere was no use in thinking about it. No matter how much her lips tingled to taste his again, she wasn't going to give in.
"Did you stop because you think I'm in musth?"
The question genuinely surprised her. "No."
"Then why?"
"A bunch of reasons. For one thing, you kidnapped me. Even if you are rescuing me right now, you still kidnapped me in the first place. And you killed that priest when he tried to save me. So I shouldn't even be feeling this in the first place."
"I didn't kill him. The gun was set to stun. Kulog's too. Our cover story was that we were sent from another parish so you could lead our rites, and if we have killed anybody that would have been impossible to convince the authorities of our story."
A rush of relief came over her. She fought it down. How could she believe that he was telling her the truth? But she did believe him… she wanted to think that he was a good person beneath the ruthless mercenary. After all, he was rescuing her…
"That's not all," she whispered. "Why I stopped."
"You don't have to give me reasons, Vanessa. It's best if we rest, anyway. I don't know if we'll get any sort of daybreak here, but if we do it'll be easier for Kulog to track us. We have to be strong for whatever comes our way next."
Vanessa propped herself onto her elbow. All of her other reasons were just excuses. It was the necklace that made her stop what she had been doing. And she wanted Taliga to understand her reasons. "But I want to tell you. The humans at the Sanctuary, they all seem to go one of two ways when it comes to human religions. Either they reject them outright or become almost fanatical about clinging to their beliefs. I'm caught somewhere in the middle. I don't know what to think. But…"
Taliga was quiet.
"I was raised in a fairly religious household. I was always taught that marriage comes before sex. And no matter how much I've rebelled against that over the years… it feels like the last thing I can cling to. This necklace is the last relic I have of my old life, but that teaching… Maybe it's silly, but I feel like it's the last thing I can do to honor my parents and the way they raised me. To wait until marriage before I have sex."