“Because the next town is another six days’ ride and then you get into the larger cities. If they needed a doctor they would go to the closest place to get one where they have the least risk of getting caught, and Sanguar is only a four-day ride at most. She ran her index finger along a blue line on the territory map. “I think this is where you last caught her scent, when I met with Rhem. We need to backtrack toward there and try and find more markings along the way. Hopefully we won’t have to backtrack the entire way.”
Chapter 9
Scarlet wished she’d never met a man like General Gavin Theron, but the sad truth was she had. Three decades ago on Earth she’d grown up with a stepfather who had more in common with the general than anyone else she’d met since. Both men shared quick, violent tempers and loved only their alcohol. Scarlet had taken her share of beatings from that horrible man until she’d finally run away at seventeen. Long buried feelings of fear and rage bubbled to life in her heart. What the hell does Harlan see in this monster? At any rate she was glad they had finally made camp. They’d been all over this place riding for almost six hours with only two breaks to eat and rest. She hoped they found Harlan soon because she didn’t know how much more of this she could take.
Summoning her coolest demeanor, she grabbed the kit with the pain medication and made her way over to Gavin’s tent. He was just finishing up with Gypsy so Scarlet took a few extra minutes outside to try and calm her nerves. Images of the scout’s head cutting clean from his body flashed into her mind and she squeezed her eyes shut to push the memory out. She’d never seen anyone killed that fast.
Gypsy ducked out of the tent. Without her armor, Scarlet noticed that she was thinner than when they’d started and Scarlet wondered if she’d been eating enough. Losing weight for an AEssyrian warrior was not good. They needed to maintain enough muscle mass to fight on a moment’s notice. It wouldn’t surprise her if Gypsy was too stressed to eat. Having to deal with Gavin, the sleazy mercenaries and worry about her mother was probably taking its toll.
“He’s ready for you,” Gypsy said wearily.
Scarlet touched Gypsy’s arm before she could rush off. “Are you okay? You look a little underweight.”
Gypsy nodded stiffly. “I’m okay,” she said as a ribbon of tension ran through her voice. “I’ll try to eat more.”
Scarlet watched her go then entered Gavin’s tent. He was sitting with his back to her on a reed floor mat, his legs crossed under him. His uniform tunic was off and Scarlet could easily see the swollen tissue surrounding each vertebra. She crept around in front of him and handed him a few pain pills. A half empty bottle of Sawjack Whiskey sat next to him. He grabbed the whiskey, tossed the pills in his mouth and swallowed several gulps.
“You’re going to kill yourself doing that and then Harlan will have no one but Gypsy to help her,” she said softly.
Gavin trained his golden eye on her, its pupil narrowing to a sharp sliver. Scarlet examined her previous notes taking slow, measured breaths, wondering if he was going to strike her again. The very air around them seemed to be electric with the general’s demonic energy.
“I thought we covered this ground already?” he growled.
“I’m just telling you a fact. If you keep drinking while on that medication, you will die. It’s not a matter of if only a matter of when. You can do what you want with the information.” She opened the case and took out one of the injections, wishing her hand wasn’t trembling so hard.
Gavin glared at her. “Rumor has it you’ve been seeing my son Desmond and he is more to you than just a bodyguard.”
Scarlet blinked and forced herself to relax. It was now time to screw with the doctor. She lowered the injection. “I’m not seeing him, I’m fucking him.”
“Are you in love with him?”
“No. He’s just a good lover, that’s all,” she replied, trying to keep her voice deadpan.
“Do you think he has feelings for you?”
“Nothing that lasts beyond his orgasm.”
Gavin chuckled deep in his chest. “Why not take an AEssyrian lover? Perhaps someone with more honorable intentions.”
She squinted at him. “Like who? A warm, nurturing AEssyrian male like you? No thanks. I don’t date AEssyrians.”
“And why is that?”
Scarlet didn’t let her guard down as she maneuvered around behind him with the injection. She ran her fingers gently down his swollen spine and felt him stiffen. “Because,” she said preoccupied, “I find them too aggressive.” She slipped the needle into a gap between two vertebras and injected a small amount of anti-inflammatory. Gavin grunted but didn’t move. She was surprised by his restraint. That first shot must have hurt a lot. She did a few more then stopped.
“That’s all I can do for now.” Scarlet placed the used syringe in a small black case with a few others. Gavin arched his back and let out a long, quiet hiss. “Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?” she asked.
“What?” he barked.
“Do you really love Harlan or are you just pissed off that someone took your property?”
“That’s an insulting and idiotic question. Of course I love her. Why do you ask?”
“Just because I can’t imagine you loving very much of anything in your life,” she said.
“I love three things and three things only. My wife, my daughter, and my job. Everything else is disposable,” he said, taking great care to lie down on his bedroll.
“You didn’t mention your son Desmond,” she said, feeling her gut tighten.
Gavin grinned wickedly. “He and I tolerate each other. Besides, he doesn’t need nor does he want me to love him. He has you.”
“I told you,” she said, grabbing the kit and snapping it closed. “I’m not in love with him. We’re just having sex with each other.”
He let his eye flutter closed. “Liar,” he croaked. “If he meant nothing to you but sex, he would have been the last person to come to your mind. But interestingly enough, he was the first. Good night, Doctor.”
Scarlet stood there as a seeping dread oozed through her body. She’d given away too much and now he knew. Or at least, he thought he knew. She’d just have to be extra careful talking to him in the future. Now that she was spending so much time with this savage asshole she was beginning to understand Desmond a little bit better. Prior to this journey he often said very little and usually expressed his feelings physically, but now whenever he finished dealing with Gavin he became absolutely sullen and uncommunicative. She could barely get any conversation out of him and that was adding to her loneliness on this mission. Of course she didn’t blame him. Having a conversation with that evil bastard was an opportunity for him to verbally assault you and one never knew when an attack was coming. The thought of having to grow up with him made her cringe and she was amazed at how well adjusted Gypsy seemed to be. Well one thing was for sure, she was not going to let him damage her and Desmond’s already fragile relationship.
Chapter 10
Gavin was pleased.
Trajan had turned out to be a much better scout than Gavin would have thought. The sometime bounty hunter was cunning and had an excellent eye for detail, and Gavin credited Gypsy for choosing him.
In fact, in all her duties, his daughter was turning out to be a talented soldier. She kept the camp running smoothly and so far had kept the mercenaries in line, which was no small feat. But the most impressive thing about it was that she did all this while under the enormous pressure of not knowing what had become of her mother.
The moment his thoughts touched on Harlan he was destroyed. Vivid memories of her scent, her eyes and her warm skin became agony in his heart. What he wouldn’t give to have her back in his arms again. We’ll find her. You need to believe it or you’ll never get through this.
Trajan had ridden up to a tall tree and was scanning the ground. He dismounted, picked something up, and examined it in his palm. Gavin rode up with Gypsy close behind him. “Did you fi
nd something?” Gavin asked.
Trajan held his hand out to Gavin.
A few wispy strands of long black hair rested in Trajan’s green palm. Gavin leaned in close and caught the scent of Harlan’s white tea shampoo. His guts tightened into a hard knot. “Yes,” he said, fighting not to show any emotion. “That’s her.”
“She’s a smart woman, your wife. She’s done a great job leaving me plenty of markers to find.”
“How much longer until we catch up to them?” Gavin asked.
“A few more days. They rode hard when they first took her but they’ve slowed down since,” Trajan said. A small devilish grin curved his mouth. “I guess they don’t think you’re coming.”
A loud snapping erupted through the quiet forest and everyone started and turned around. One of the mercenaries had backed his hyperia into a rotting stump and it broke free of the ground. The mercenary swore as his mount struggled to get out of a hole that opened up from the tangled decaying roots under the center of the stump. But just as he had maneuvered the beast out of the hole a new problem emerged. Small black beetles no larger than the length of a little finger were spilling from the broken stump.
Within seconds, they were swarming up the hyperia and onto the unfortunate mercenary. His voice broke with hysterical screaming as they began eating him. His mount fought to escape but the beetles had already eaten through the flesh of his feet. Unable to stand the hyperia screeched as it fell on its side. Then there was silence.
Gavin scowled. “Sarcophagi beetles,” he said. He turned to Gypsy. “Lead the men down to the river below. We’re going to have to cross it to escape them.”
“Yes, Excellency,” she nodded as she reined her mount around. It reared up, hissing in panic. “Down to the river,” she ordered. A group of mercenaries on the far side of the beetles raced over to join her. They all grouped around her like she was their last hope for survival, which indeed she was. With some of the mercenaries in tow, Gypsy rode down a steep embankment straight for the river.
The rest of the mercenaries unlucky enough to be closest to the beetles were being covered and devoured at a startling rate. Gavin knew from prior campaigns that they could strip an army in minutes. The only protection was to get into the fast-running water of a river. Anything calmer than that, they’d swim out and finish the job they’d started.
A woman’s scream pierced the air. Scarlet was struggling with her panicked hyperia who had decided to try and dislodge her so it could escape faster. It reared and jumped in the air, fighting to get her off. She looked up at Gavin with more anger than fear in her eyes. “I can’t get this damned thing to go!”
The beetles, feeling the vibrations from her struggling mount, were starting to swarm the ground around her.
Gavin spurred his mount forward, when Desmond came thundering past him out of nowhere. He rode through the pooling mess of beetles so fast, only a few of them were able to grab on but it didn’t stop them from snacking on him. Making it to the other side where Scarlet was, he grabbed her hyperia’s bridle and tore off down the embankment so fast, Gavin was sure they were both going to break their necks. To his amazement, Desmond plunged into the water below and managed to wash off the few beetles that were attached to him.
Not to be outdone by his son’s bravado, Gavin turned his mount toward the river and charged off after him.
Chapter 11
Scarlet, still mounted on her hyperia, gasped as she hit the cold water. White foam splashed up from the rushing river and she could feel the beast beneath her thighs struggling to get its footing. Desmond got a better grip on her bridle as the terrified hyperia continued fighting all restraint. Blood ran down his forearm into his glove from where the animal had already bitten him several times. The hyperia was beyond wild, fighting and thrashing so hard Scarlet was sure he not only wanted to kill himself but drown everyone near him. Desmond tried to climb up on the creature’s back behind her but it fell beneath the water taking Scarlet with it.
Immersed in the coldest water she’d ever felt, Scarlet hung on for her life. She knew if she let go, she would be pulled downriver by the strong current. This is it. I’m going to be killed on this God-forsaken planet without ever seeing Earth again. Then, just like being reborn from the dead, the hyperia emerged from the water and Scarlet took a deep, frantic breath of air.
Images flashed before her eyes and her ears exploded with the roar of the rushing water. Gavin forced his hyperia up alongside her swearing angrily in English. The black shiny beetles swarmed along the shore looking like an oil spill. A sudden sensation of falling and she was down in the water again. Scarlet wasn’t ready to be submerged and she took in a mouthful of water. Panic exploded in her brain as she realized she’d inhaled liquid. Help me someone, please! I’m drowning! I’m drowning!
A large, powerful hand reached down, grabbed her by the back of her shirt, and hauled her from the depths of the rushing current. Scarlet came to the surface, coughing and choking on the water in her lungs. With all the strength she had left, she clutched at the person pulling her up. Her savior tossed her on the back of his hyperia.
It was the man she hated most in the world. It was Gavin.
Before them, Desmond was delivering a death blow to her crazed mount. He plunged his saber under the creature’s jaw and into its brain. It stopped fighting and slipped ever so gently off the blade into the water. Within seconds, the current pushed it onto the bank where the beetles stripped it to bare bones.
Scarlet was coughing violently but kept her arms around Gavin as he and Desmond spurred their hyperia up onto the opposite bank. All the mercenaries were there watching in stunned silence. Scarlet guessed her, Gavin and Desmond were the last ones to make it. Gavin lowered her to the ground and she collapsed onto her hands and knees still coughing out river water. Desmond crouched down by her and put a blanket around her shoulders.
“Are you okay?” he said.
Scarlet nodded and fell onto her back closing her eyes and pulling the blanket closer around her. The world was still spinning. “How’s your arm?” she asked when she could breathe again.
“It’ll heal,” he said.
She opened her eyes and shielded them from the sun with her hand. “I should look at those wounds.”
“I’m alright. You need to rest before we start moving again,” he said, shaking his head.
She sat up, raking her wet hair back from her face. Only a few yards away, Gavin was talking to Gypsy, gesturing to the river. Gypsy looked stressed and drained from her many duties and responsibilities but he didn’t. He looked fresh and full of energy like he’d just come out here for a pleasure ride.
That was when she knew. There wasn’t going to be any rest. Not for her, and not for any of them. Not until the general achieved his goal of finding his wife. And strangely enough she yearned for him to succeed in his rescue, now more than ever. Because any man who was that dedicated to a woman deserved a little happiness. So she decided that she would work that much harder to help him. After all, the evil bastard had just saved her life and even though she still hated him, she owed him.
So if he wanted her to stay up all night sticking needles in his back so he could travel five more miles, she would do it.
And this time she wouldn’t even complain.
Chapter 12
Gavin stalked along the riverbank watching Desmond and Scarlet talk out of the corner of his eye. They looked casual, just as friends should, but Gavin knew in his gut they were much more than that. He could read that sultry look in Scarlet’s eyes when she watched his son. Her relationship with Desmond was much more than casual lust. As for his son, he appeared relaxed around the new doctor and genuinely seemed to enjoy her company.
It confounded him why they were trying so hard to hide their relationship from him as anyone with half a brain could see that they were in love. Was his son so distrustful of him that he couldn’t let his guard down for even a moment? The thought stung, but Gavin knew it was tr
ue. The roots of Desmond’s pain reached back many, many years to the death of his brother Northe. Renewed shame and regret tore at his gut. He shouldn’t have pushed Northe so hard to be a warlord like himself. Perhaps if he’d let the boy have more freedom growing up he might not have betrayed Gavin the first chance he got.
But a new truth reared its ugly head. A truth he could barely face even now after all these years.
Gavin had bedded Northe’s wife only one month after her marriage to his son. And worst of all—despite all Gavin’s vows to the contrary—Desmond knew it. Desmond knew that was the real reason why Northe had turned on Gavin and gone to join another kingdom. That was also the reason Gavin had been forced to kill his son in self-defense all those years ago.
The memory of Northe’s death sickened him. He sat down on a nearby rock and a bolt of pain shot up from his back. Gavin held his breath until it passed.
Of course all this happened long before he met his wife, Harlan. Gavin had a million regrets but he never regretted taking that wonderful woman for his bride. Harlan was much more than the love of his life, she was his heart and soul; the one reason he had for fighting to be a better man. Without her there was only darkness.
A moment of crushing despair filled his heart until it ached like it was going to burst. He would have given his own life happily in exchange for Harlan’s safe return. The last twenty-two years of his life have given him more satisfaction and happiness than the eight hundred previous years. But blast it all, here they were delayed again. How much longer did his beloved have? Days? Hours? Thinking about what they might be doing to her sent him to the brink of madness.
Desmond came over, his lips set in a thin line. “We’ve had a desertion.”
Gavin ran the back of his hand over his mouth. He needed a drink bad but he decided against it. “I’m not surprised. How is the doctor?”
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