Chapter Seven
RUNE looked down at the smashed globe protruding from the wing and swore viciously. All four solar collectors had been wrecked—one snapped completely off its base, the other three crushed.
“Why the hell didn’t you retract them back into the wing?” Cassidy demanded, her fists braced on her hips.
He raked a hand through his hair in frustration. “Because they were jammed—the manual controls weren’t working. I had to come out here and deploy them by hand. And then there wasn’t time to push them back in when the caravores came.” Rune turned away from the device in disgust and stalked back up the wing. “I assumed they’d be sturdy enough to withstand the beasts.”
She followed him, her boot heels clicking on the wing. “Yeah, well, you assumed wrong. Now what are we going to do?”
He shrugged. “Wait for a search party from my ship.”
“If they send one, and if they can find us.”
“I assure you, my Wing Brothers will make it their business to find us.”
Cassidy bared her teeth at him. “Assuming my people don’t get to us first. Or that those damn caravores don’t come back and fuckin’ eat us.”
“If you have an alterative, I would be delighted to hear it.”
“There’s a settlement about a week’s walk from here,” she said. “There’s a mountain range between us and it, but I don’t think we’d have trouble climbing it. They’d have communication equipment, maybe a transport.”
He turned to look at her. “Cassidy, I’m an enemy combatant. They will not willingly help me.”
“We can’t stay out here indefinitely, Rune.”
She had a point. “I could take what I need—a beamer, a com system capable of reaching the Conquest.” He surveyed the wrecked fighter. “Better than sitting out here waiting for a surprise visit from the enemy. However . . .” Rune turned to look down into Cassidy’s clever face. “Once we climb that mountain range of yours, we will be in com range of the settlement. I can’t allow you to call them.”
Something flickered in those green eyes, and he knew that was just what she planned to do. His lovely enemy did not lie well. “Rune . . .”
“I will not be taken prisoner, Cassidy. If you bring the local authorities down on us, my duty as a Dharani warrior will require me to kill you, then as many of them as I can, and then myself.”
Green eyes widened. He’d actually managed to shock her. “You’d do that?”
“Yes. My honor would not permit anything else.”
“But it’s not necessary.” Cassidy shook her head. “Rune, even if you were captured, you’d be sent back to the Conquest after the war’s over.”
“I wouldn’t even be allowed to set foot on that ship. I’d be expected to suicide in the airlock rather than bring my stained honor aboard. And I’d do it without hesitation. I have no desire to live with that shame of being captured.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
He sighed, realizing it would be difficult to make her understand. “Cassidy, honor is all a Dharani warrior has. Without it, we’re nothing.”
“Look, no matter how good a warrior is, sometimes he just has bad luck. That has nothing to do with honor or ability, and anybody with any knowledge of combat knows that.”
“You don’t understand. You’re not Dharani.”
“Thank God!”
They were wasting time. “Pack up your rations. We’re going to need something to eat on the walk.”
With a huff of frustration, Cassidy slid down into the cockpit, jerked open a panel in a console, and dragged out her emergency pack. She unsealed it, revealing spare beamer batteries—dead thanks to the Pulse—ration bars, and a couple of tight bundles his comp identified as a sleep sack and a tent. Cassidy dug around until she located a canteen, then pulled it out and tilted it to her mouth for a drink.
Rune licked his dry lips, suddenly realizing how thirsty he was. He’d have to get his own supplies out of his wrecked fighter. With any luck they had survived the crash better than the craft had.
To his surprise, Cassidy reached up and handed him the canteen before scrambling out of the cockpit. Giving her a long look, he took a sip and handed it back to her. “Thank you.”
“Figured you were thirsty,” she said gruffly, tucking it away before slinging the pack across her shoulder.
Together they hopped off the wing; Cassidy followed him as he strode back toward his own fighter. He could almost feel her tension.
Despite her generosity with the canteen, she still had the knife he’d given her when the caravores had attacked the ship. And judging by the agitation his sensors detected, she was trying to decide whether to use it.
“I’m tempted to tie you up,” he told her as they walked. “But the chances are good we’d encounter some more of the local predators on the trip, and I’d rather you could defend yourself. On the other hand, I really don’t want that blade in my back, either. If you give me your word you won’t attack me, I’ll leave your hands free.”
Cassidy studied him, her gaze speculative. She didn’t seem surprised he’d read her intent. “You’re assuming you can tie me up again.”
“I can.”
She made a sound halfway between a snort and a laugh. “Every time you say something like that, I itch to prove you wrong.”
Rune sighed and stopped, dropping into a combat crouch.
For a long, vibrating moment they stared at each other. Finally she broke the stalemate with a roll of her eyes. “Hell with it. It’s been a long, exhausting day, and I’m not in the mood for another fight.”
“Give me your word you won’t attack me.”
Now faint amusement broke through her tired frustration. “You’d take the word of mercenary?”
“Most mercenaries, no.”
She stopped and looked at him thoughtfully. “But I’m an exception?”
Rune shrugged. “I fought you. I know how you think. And yes, you are an honorable opponent.”
Cassidy huffed out a laugh and shook her head. “Just when I want to punch in your teeth, you say something like that.” She sighed. “Look, I can’t promise I won’t fight you, but I won’t ambush you, either.”
Rune contemplated the compromise, then nodded slowly. “Keep the knife.”
THEY walked through the alien forest in silence. His emergency pack slung over one shoulder, Rune moved with all his senses alert as his computer did a constant scan for predators. He had no intention of being taken off guard again.
At the moment it looked as if they were safe. There was nothing larger than small rodents and birds for kilometers.
Which meant he could safely attend to Cassidy.
Though she walked freely at his side, she had withdrawn from him. What do you expect, fool? Rune’s mouth tightened into a grim line. You just threatened to kill her if she calls the authorities.
Still, he didn’t regret telling her the truth. First, it might make her hesitate to com the colonists.
More than that, he’d rather be honest with her. She needed to know what her situation was. Deception had never suited him anyway, regardless of the cause.
On the other hand, he had to do something to tear down the emotional barriers she was busily constructing between them.
And sex was the best weapon he had.
He knew she liked his body. He’d glimpsed admiration in her gaze even before he’d challenged her back in the clearing. So as they walked, padding through the thick ferny undergrowth, Rune opened the seal of his armor and shrugged out of the sleeves.
“What are you doing?” she demanded, turning to watch as he peeled the top half of the suit down to let it hang around his waist.
“It’s too hot to wear all this armor without a functioning coolant system.” Rune let his head fall back, sighing in elaborate pleasure at the cool breeze that kissed his bare, sweating chest.
Cassidy gave him a tart glare. “You’ll wish you kept it on if more caravores show up.”
“My sensors will detect them in plenty of time, now that I know they’re a threat.” He glanced at her slyly. “You might want to loosen your suit, too. You wouldn’t want to get heatstroke.”
“I’ll risk it,” she said tightly.
Controlling a grin, Rune reached for his canteen, popped the top, and lifted it to his mouth. The distilling unit in the little device pulled water molecules out of the air, so it wouldn’t run dry.
He pretended not to notice the way Cassidy watched him, eyes darkening as he tilted his head back to drink. Just wait, sweet, he thought, silently toasting her. This is only the opening salvo.
The heat was only part of the reason he’d taken the suit top off. Without the thick armor to absorb them, the pheromones in his sweat would soon start to work on her libido again. And judging by past experience, it wouldn’t take Cassidy long to feel the burn.
“Beautiful day,” Rune commented, clipping the canteen to his belt again.
“It’s too damn hot,” she grumbled. One gloved hand went to the top clip of her suit and opened it. She hesitated a moment, then opened two more, revealing a narrow V of pale flesh. Her cheeks were flushed and sweating.
He glanced over at her and frowned. He really did need to get her out of that armor, and for more than carnal reasons. She was dangerously close to overheating.
“Drink more,” Rune ordered.
Cassidy lifted a brow at him. “Who died and made you my captain?”
“I’m not your captain—I’m your captor. And I don’t want to have to stop and nurse you back to health when you keel over from heat stroke. Drink more water, curse you, or I’m going to strip you out of that armor myself.”
Giving him a long, steady look, she unclipped her canteen and took a drink. “Feel better now?”
“Much. Open a few more of those clips.”
“You’re pushing it, Alrigo.” But she opened the suit all the way down to her flat little belly.
He still didn’t like her color, though. Computer, are there any bodies of water nearby?
Senors indicate a pond 1.2 kilometers southwest.
That’ll do. He changed direction.
“Where are we headed?” Cassidy lengthened her stride to keep up with him.
“There’s a pond up ahead. We both need to cool off. Besides, it’s time to make camp.”
THE pond was perfect.
Rune surveyed it with satisfaction. It was no bigger than the warrior’s bath on the Conquest—barely a hundred feet across, backed on one side by a cliff. A waterfall tumbled down the rock wall, hissing and thudding on the surrounding stone. Apparently the pond had an underground outflow somewhere, since there was no river to carry the water away.
“It looks . . . cool,” Cassidy said, longing in her voice.
Rune looked over his shoulder at her and smiled darkly. “Yes, it does.”
Without another word, he started stripping, toeing off his boots and pushing the suit the rest of the way down his legs.
“Uhhhhh . . .” Cassidy said, sounding strangled.
“Nothing you haven’t seen before.” Balancing on one leg, he pulled the other from the suit. Finally free, he picked the armor up, folded it neatly, and started for the pond.
As he waded into the water, Rune was intensely conscious of Cassidy’s fascinated gaze. His comp scanning for hidden dangers, he headed toward the waterfall at the other end.
“I know what you’re doing, and it’s not going to work.” She glowered at him, attempting defiance. “I’m not having sex with you.”
He looked back at her just before he stepped under the cool tumble of the waterfall. “Aren’t you?”
