The second night out he found a spot by a natural spring. After caring for the horses, Dak checked the laser gun before starting his hunt. The stews Kierin prepared were delicious, especially after the unidentifiable slop he’d eaten on Safe Haven.
Providing something as simple as fresh meat made him less dependent on Kierin. There was something elemental in hunting for food. From the dawn of time, man’s survival, and the survival of his family, depended on his ability to hunt. Even the act of tearing the hot, succulent meat from the bone triggered a primitive knowledge that life would continue one more day. Kierin continued to refuse his nightly offering, preferring her diet of vegetables and dried fruit. He was getting to her, though. Dak had to fight a grin every time she inhaled the smoky aroma of the roasting meat.
"I haven’t seen any sign of other travelers since yesterday. It should be safe enough for you to bathe in the spring. I won’t be far from camp, and you’ll have privacy."
"That sounds wonderful. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine"
With a quick nod, Dak moved silently into the thick trees, careful to stay within hearing distance of the camp. He’d barely gone a hundred yards when Kierin’s scream sent him running back to find the crystal witch in the middle of the pool of water, shivering and squealing.
"What’s wrong?” Dak armed his laser gun, searching the area for an intruder.
"Dak! What are you doing back? You said you were going hunting? Go away! No! Don’t turn around!"
Dak ignored her orders. Kierin sat chin deep in the water with her arms wrapped around her shoulders, lips already turning blue. It didn’t take a genius to figure out the water was icy cold.
"You screamed, little witch. What kind of bodyguard would I be if I didn’t check out the problem?"
"Are you laughing at m-me?"
If looks could kill, Dak would be in tiny pieces, probably scattered across the galaxy. The fury in those strange aqua eyes could pierce the hide of a dragon. He might be more impressed if her teeth weren’t chattering hard enough that he heard them from his vantage point on the bank.
"If it’s so cold, why don’t you get out?” Dak let his voice drop to a husky, suggestive level, ripe with promise. "Or I could stand guard here until you’re ready to come out?"
"G-go away."
"I’m yours to command, little witch.” With a slow grin and a wink, Dak resumed his search for food. He completely missed the first two kavas he spotted. By the time he tracked the third one, he was determined to keep Kierin and her present activities out of his mind. Taking aim at the small, furry creature, Dak fired a clean shot to the head.
Working his way through the trees, Dak took the kava downstream from where Kierin still splashed in the water to clean it. She was close enough to where he squatted on the rocks that he could smell the floral fragrance of her soap. Her delighted giggles brought a smile to his face. It was all he could do not to slip through the bushes until he was close enough to see what was giving her so much pleasure. He didn’t need to sneak a peek to know what she looked like wet. Sitting there in the gathering dusk, listening to the sounds Kierin made, his memories of the last time she bathed had blood pounding through an erection a stallion would be proud to own.
By the time Kierin made her way back to the camp, Dak had the kava skewered and roasting over the coals and a fresh pot of clover tea steeping. She had changed from the blue and green outfit she’d worn since her last bath into a loose gown of deep gold. A sash of crimson gathered the soft material around her slender waist. With its long sleeves and high neck it covered all but the tips of her toes. It was the sight of those slender feet peeking from beneath the hem of her gown that pushed Dak over the edge.
"I’m going to clean up while you finish dinner.” Stripping off his clothes, he welcomed the chill of the night air against his heated skin. It was going to be a long month. His extended celibacy was causing problems he had no way of solving. Without protection, he couldn’t satisfy this gnawing hunger for the crystal witch. He cancelled his annual birth control injection before he left Anderas to rescue Logan from Earth. It was less than three months, round trip, and he had no plans for a trip to a Pleasure Station, so he’d cancelled the appointment. Hind-site was always clearest. Things would be a whole lot simpler if he’d had the damn shot.
The water was more than cold, it was frigid but he stayed until his teeth chattered from the cold. It took care of his problem completely until he walked back into camp. Kierin sat before the fire combing her freshly washed hair and humming softly. She smiled at him. Nothing about her actions was the least bit provocative, but his body didn’t seem to notice. In less time than it took to pour himself a cup of tea, he was rock hard and ready. Grinding his teeth in frustration, Dak forced himself to be civil until Kierin finally curled up under her blankets and slept. He couldn’t remember a single word he’d spoken, but if Kierin noticed his attitude, she was smart enough to keep her comments to herself. It took two more trips into the icy water before he felt it was safe to lie down so close to the cause of his discomfort. He managed to fall asleep a few hours before dawn only to awaken with his heart pounding, breathing as if he’d run up a mountain. Damned if he didn’t dream about combing Kierin’s hair! To keep what was left of his sanity, there would be no more campsites near water any deeper than six inches!
Two days ago they left the relative safety of the forest. The terrain was increasingly dry and desolate by day, and at night the freezing winds bombarded their camp. There was nowhere to hide if Draagon showed up again and nothing big enough to offer any kind of cover if they did have to fight. Dak’s temper, already feeding on a constant diet of rampaging testosterone, was dangerously close to flash point. Last night the meager trickle of water where they made camp barely satisfied the horses thirst. So far today he’d seen nothing to make him think their chances of finding adequate forage were any better.
"How much farther, Kierin?” Dak knew he was being surly and didn’t really give a damn. He was stiff and sweaty and definitely tired of being on a horse so short his feet dragged across every bush and rock they passed. She told him this morning they would reach her mountain before noon tomorrow but that couldn’t possibly be right. There wasn’t a high spot in sight, much less a mountain.
"If we continue at this pace we should be there by mid-afternoon tomorrow."
"You’ve been in the sun too long, little witch. Why don’t you just admit that you took a wrong turn? It would be easy to do in this place. Everything looks the same--flat. There’s not a mountain visible in any direction. If we’re that close, we should be able to at least see it."
"Yes, I know."
"You know?” Dak snapped. For a woman lost in the desert, she seemed entirely too pleased with herself. "What kind of answer is that? Do you know where we are or not? And stop that damn grinning!"
Kierin’s laughter did strange things to him. Dak felt his anger melt away like snow in the sun.
"Yes, I know where we are and no, we are not lost. If you can’t see the mountain then my security system is still functioning. Trust me, Dak. My mountain is about twenty miles north and east of where we are now.”
Trust me she says. She expects me to believe a security system can hide an entire mountain? And why the hell am I tempted to believe every word out of her mouth? What is it about you, little witch? You enslave me, humiliate me, laugh at me and all I want to do is bury myself so deep inside you that neither one of us would be the same again. Trust you? I don’t think so. Want you? More than my next drink of water. What am I going to do about the situation? Not a damn thing, even if I end up being the first man to die from a terminal hard-on.
The rest of the afternoon passed in silence. Dak didn’t trust himself to do more than scan the horizon in all directions. If he talked to Kierin, he had to look at her or think about her. That would only bring his semi-erection into full life and he was uncomfortable enough without that added discomfort. He kept his mind focused on Draagon ins
tead. If the Phantom Riders managed to follow them this far, he would see them coming hours before they actually arrived. Whatever it was Kierin was hiding in her mountain must be worth a great deal of gold for Draagon to be so single-minded in his pursuit. He would never admit it to Kierin, but his curiosity was driving him crazy. Puzzles were his passion and Kierin and her secrets threatened to become an obsession.
"There’s a small water hole about a mile off the trail. It’s the only water between here and home."
Dak nodded and followed Kierin off the trail onto the sandy gravel. Watching her slender back sway with the plodding horse Dak wondered at her strength. The strain of constantly watching their backs was taking its toll on him, yet Kierin was always cheerful and optimistic. He knew she was tired and sore from the long days in the saddle and nights sleeping on the ground. He would catch her stretching and shifting when she thought he wasn’t looking. The woman should be complaining and she wasn’t. What was she trying to prove?
The water hole was little more than a puddle, but Dak managed to fill both of their water skins and satisfy the horses. Pouring the last of the grain onto the ground, he hobbled the horses and rubbed the sweat from their backs before replacing the blankets. It would be bitterly cold when the sun went down and there was no protection from the wind.
"I’ll see if I can find enough wood for a fire.” Before Dak could reach for his laser gun, Kierin stopped him.
"Don’t waste your time. There isn’t anything out here that will burn this time of year. We’ll have to eat cold bread and dried fruit, I’m afraid. Will you stay where you are while I … I mean, I need to …there’s nothing …."
"See to your needs, Kierin.” Why did women act as if body functions were something they should keep secret? By the Beard of the Prophet, every living creature had to flush out its body on a regular basis. A man just turned his back and took care of business. Shaking his head in confusion at the workings of a female mind, Dak spread out their bedrolls, careful to keep his back turned away from Kierin. Without a fire, their blankets were all they had for warmth.
The unleavened bread was tougher than the dried fruit, but it filled an empty spot and they washed it down with the cool, sweet water. Since Kierin seemed content with the silence, Dak lay down, almost groaning as his tired muscles relaxed. Closing his eyes, he listened to the whine of the wind gathering strength. Gradually, the sound of movement penetrated his thoughts. Turning his head in Kierin’s direction, Dak sat up with a jerk.
"What, by all the Ancient Prophets, are you doing?” He bellowed.
Kierin jumped at the sound of his voice and turned to face him. "Stretching. Is something wrong?"
Before he yelled at her, she was bent over at the waist, legs spread, bouncing her forehead against one knee then the other. She now stood silhouetted against the setting sun and Dak would swear she was as naked as the day she was born.
"Do you usually strip when you stretch or are you trying to see how far you can push me before I give you the son you want?"
Her laughter whipped across the plain on the back of the wind. "I’m fully clothed, Dak. Don’t you have winter undergarments on Anderas?"
When she sat down on her bedroll, no longer haloed by the sunset, Dak could see that she wore fitted pants and a pullover shirt. Very fitted. He could see the whorls of her navel through the thin material.
"Not anything that has to be painted on and the garments are usually thick enough to actually keep us warm.” He may never have to don winter underwear again in his life. All he had to do was think about how Kierin looked now and his body temperature would climb a good ten degrees.
"You don’t need thick if you have spider silk. Feel."
The foolish woman actually put her leg across his lap. She was either the most innocent woman he’d ever met or the most calculating. Either way, he was about as close to the limits of his control as he’d ever been.
"If you have any sense at all, little witch, you’ll get dressed and bury yourself in your blankets--now! I won’t be responsible for what happens if you don’t.” Dak pushed the words out between clenched teeth, shoving his hands into his vest pockets to keep from pulling her into his lap.
"Nothing will happen, Dak. You’ve already turned down my request. Remember?"
The words were teasing and her voice was soft and inviting, but she had the sense to move back to her bedroll and pull her gown over her head.
"There are a number of ways to satisfy what you’ve started and you’d still be a virgin in the morning. If you’re willing to settle for that type of relationship, then crawl back over here and we’ll heat up the night. If not, then I suggest you go to sleep."
He honestly didn’t know if he was glad she stayed in her own bed or disappointed. Either way, he spent the night staring up at the stars. He was still awake when the sun brought its meager warmth.
Twenty-two days left.
Chapter Twelve
Dak’s mood had gone from impatient to surly since their encounter last night. She knew she was playing a dangerous game when she put her foot in his lap. The raw hunger in his eyes when he ordered her to her bed made her heart race in a crazy combination of excitement and fear. The feeling reminded her of a story from her youth about a girl who tickled a wild beast’s whiskers never knowing if he would lick her fingers or devour them. Unlike the girl in the story, she had no illusions about taming her Anderan. A small smile tugged at the corners of Kierin’s mouth despite the heavy tension between them. The man could protest all he wanted but he was more willing to give her a son than he claimed.
No, he doesn’t want to give me a son, but he definitely wants me in his bed. Dak’s active imagination constantly bombarded her with images. It wasn’t deliberate on his part, she was sure of it. To a man like Dak, accustomed to being in control, knowledge was power; and to know someone’s innermost thoughts was the ultimate knowledge. He would never willingly give anyone that control. He wasn’t the least bit happy about his reaction to her, either.
Kierin turned from the main trail onto the obscurely marked track leading to her mountain. She would be home in less than an hour. Dak made much better time than she did alone. This trip would be a long and lonely one after he went back to Anderas. Stop thinking about what you can’t have.
She was tired and sore and longed for the comfort of her own bed. With a heavy sigh, Kierin arched her back, stretching to relieve the cramped muscles. An extremely graphic image of her sitting astride Dak’s face, her back arched in exactly the same way, jolted through Kierin, bringing a furious blush to her face. Dak was certainly creative. She had no idea there were so many different ways for a man and woman to mate. Swallowing hard, she tried to focus on anything but Dak. She was amazed that she’d managed to hide her reaction to his thoughts so well. Only at night, in her dreams, did her body betray her. She would awaken, breathless, heart pounding, shaking with needs she didn’t understand and longing for a completion of what the dream promised.
When Kierin pulled her mount to a stop, Dak came up beside her.
"What’s wrong?” It was the first words he’d spoken to her since they broke camp this morning.
"We’re home.” Tears she refused to allow threatened to choke her. She’d made it back one more time. Without Dak and Talon the outcome of this trip would have been far different. Draagon would never give up and she knew her life became more precarious by the day. She had to have a son. Why did Dak have to be so … so … stubbornly honorable? A part of her admired his strong character. It was a large part of what made Dak the man she was afraid had stolen his way into her heart. Another part of her, the part that was driven to keep her father’s crime hidden, regretted Dak’s integrity. This confusion and conflict within her threatened to destroy her sanity, but it didn’t change what she planned to do. What she had to do. Forgive me, Dak, but you give me no choice.
"That must be some security system you have."
Kierin looked at Dak and smiled. He still did
n’t believe her. That was evident in his voice. "It is. My father designed it. Come on, I’ll show you."
Dismounting, Kierin handed her reins to Dak and reached into the pouch she carried at her waist. Pulling out the piece of smoky black crystal, she turned and offered it to him. "Here. I’ll show you how to open the gate."
When Dak hesitated, giving the stone a wary glance, she giggled. "It’s harmless, Dak. The stone is nothing more than a key. Come on, take it."
He gingerly picked up the cool rock between his thumb and forefinger.
"You have to hold it in your palm. Can you feel the slight indentation? Place the pad of your thumb there and aim it at the portal."
"Kierin, there’s not a damn thing in front of us but more of this wasteland."
"The key will show you the portal, Dak.” She grinned at the skeptical expression on his face. The Anderan was slow to believe.
"You can easily test the truth of what I’m saying. Face any direction and point the key."
Dak continued to look doubtful, but he slowly turned until he faced the opposite direction.
Stubborn man. "Now, point the crystal."
"What the …." Dak’s arm pulled him back to face Kierin. Twice more, her companion tested the crystal and both times he ended up facing her.
"Think of it as a compass needle. It will always point to the portal. Just point it where the pull is strongest, imagine an open doorway and project the image along the energy flow of the crystal."
"That simple?"
"That simple. Try it."
He looked more like a man going to battle. Feet spread for balance, right arm extended toward the portal, left hand fisted on his hip; he was in perfect en guard position. His intense mental focus was strong enough that Kierin easily picked up the images he was projecting and erupted in laughter.
Men of Anderas II: Dak the Protector Page 11