Kasen curled her lip as she raked Syn with a less than kind smirk. Oh yeah, Caillen was right. His sister was insane to confront Syn with anything except devout respect. "The imbecile's lucky I'm not choking the breath out of him right now."
Caillen snorted. "Love you too, sis."
Kasen sneered at him. "Don't you dare get lippy with me after the week you've put us through, you little worm."
Desideria's temper flared at the insults and the way Kasen treated him. How dare she! Especially given all the messes she'd gotten Caillen into over the years... such as the stunt that had almost resulted in his execution.
Before she realized what she was doing, she stepped forward to confront her. "Excuse me, but in case you haven't noticed this really isn't about you, cupcake. For all the misery you think you've suffered, I assure you it pales in comparison to what we've been through over the last few days. So before you continue to jump on him, you might want to steer down and step back. In the mood I'm in right now, I will do damage and unlike your brother, I don't mind hitting women. Live for it, point of fact."
hahara gaped, her expression astonished, then she laughed as Tessa and Kasen glared at her for it. "Oh, Cai, I really like her. You done good, little brother."
Kasen's nostrils flared before she started toward Desideria.
Caillen caught her by the arm and held her back. "Girl, don't even. Trust me when I say the little dumpling can take you down. Remember, it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog and Desideria has more fire in her than any I've encountered. She will hurt you."
The light in Kasen's eyes said she was willing to test them both.
"Kase," Shahara said with a sharp, commanding note. "Be nice for once. It's not often we find a woman who can tolerate your brother, never mind actually defend him."
Hatred flared deep in Kasen's eyes as she shrugged off Caillen's grip. "Fine. Whatever. She's just a passing fancy for him anyway. Just like all the others. I'll be here long after she's gone and he's moved on to his next lay."
Those words viciously slapped her and brought home the fact that Caillen, for all his tenderness with her, was nothing except a player who changed women more often than she changed her mind. Oh yeah, that reality slammed into her and burned.
Caillen felt his own temper rise at Kasen's cruelty. "You need to shut up. Fast. I've about had it with you."
She shoved him back, then invaded his personal space, daring him with her smug expression to hit her. "What are you going to do?"
He wanted to punch her. Hard. But she was right. Other than shooting her to protect her from the authorities, he hadn't laid a hand on any of his sisters since his adoptive father had died.
Before anyone could react or he even realized her intent, Desideria pulled Kasen back and slugged her, then flew into a round of what he assumed must be heavy Qillaq insults. Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately, his Qillaq wasn't fluent enough to know them.
Kasen moved in to retaliate.
Caillen scooped Desideria up in his arms and physically removed her from harm's way at the same time Shahara blocked Kasen's path. While he had no doubt Desideria could take his sister, Kasen was by no means unskilled and she not only outweighed, but out-towered Desideria by a full head's height. Last thing he wanted was a knock-down, drag-out bloodbath between the two of them.
"Put me down!" Desideria growled between her clenched teeth.
"Nah, I don't think that's a good idea. Both of you need a time-out."
She glared at him. "You're not funny."
"Really not trying to be at the moment. Just trying to protect two women I care about from a mutual ass beating."
Desideria froze as those words broke through r anger and calmed her substantially. She stopped fighting his hold. "You care about me?"
Caillen felt as if all the air had been sucked completely out of the shuttle as every eye turned to him and a silence fell so loud that it was deafening. Yeah, he was like a Gondarion antler beast stuck under a microscope for some kind of genetic mutation.
Tell her yes. You care about her.
Yes, asshole, yes.
He knew it was the wise thing to do.
The honest thing to do.
But everyone from Syn to Fain to Hauk and his sisters were watching. Not the ideal place to make a first declaration of affection. Those were for private time between a man and a woman.
His vocal cords seized up so that all he could get out was a very weak "Um..."
That had the same effect as setting fire to a foul mood feline. Desideria literally jumped out of his arms and turned loose more Qillaq that was probably questioning not only his paternal status, but his species and manhood. Even though she'd never been here before and had no idea where anything was, she stormed off the shuttle.
Caillen let out an audible groan as his stomach tightened enough to form a diamond. I'm so screwed.
Putting her hands on her hips, Shahara sighed heavily and rolled her eyes so far back in her head it was a miracle they didn't stay there. "I swear I raised you smarter than this." She looked helplessly at Syn. "I swear I did."
Hauk slapped Fain in the stomach. "Gah and I thought you were inept with female feelings." He shook his head at Caillen. "Damn, boy, you might as well have told her those pants made her ass look fat."
He was right and Caillen felt like crap over what he'd done. There was only one thing to do...
Desideria stalked through the hangar as her temper boiled. She wanted to beat Caillen until he bled. She wanted...
"You all right?"
That had to be the deepest male voice and the most exotic accent she'd ever heard before. She paused to turn and see a man so perfectly formed he'd rival Caillen in looks. With a mask similar to Fain's pulled down to cover his Adam's apple, he wore his dark brown hair cut short, but long enough to form a beautiful mess of curls around his face. With hazel brown eyes that were tinged with a haunting ferocity, he was devastating. At the same time, there was something eerily familiar about him. Yet she'd never seen him before.
"Who are you?"
A set of perfect dimples flashed in his cheeks as he answered. "Chayden Aniwaya."
Her gaze fell to the patch on his black flight jacket that matched the symbol Fain had on his mask. In the back of her mind, she was trying to think of how she knew this man and why he seemed to be a familiar stranger.
Before she could ask him about it, Caillen came running up behind her.
And with that, her anger overrode everything else. "I'm not speaking to you."
Caillen let out a tired sigh while Chayden laughed.
"Damn, Dagan, what is it with you and women?"
"Don't ask. In the mood I'm in, I might actually tell you."
Chayden shook his head as he laughed again. "As an FYI, we surrendered the assassin to the Sentella who took him to a holding room for you when you're ready. But I should warn you... getting any information is going to be damn near impossible."
He figured as much. Bad thing about assassins, even paid ones, they seldom gave info or intel, even under torture. But Caillen had a way for getting what he wanted. "Did you check for a suicide cap?"
There was no missing the offended expression on Chayden's face. "Do I look like an infant?"
"You're still a little wet behind the ears."
Desideria waited for the pirate to slug Caillen for that. The expression on his face said he really wanted to.
Instead, Chayden's verbal response was in a language she couldn't understand, but she was pretty sure it was an insult even though Caillen grinned in response.
"So are you heading out now?" Caillen asked him.
Chayden's gaze went to her and something strange flickered in the depths of his eyes.
What was that look? He was hiding something, but she didn't know what. "I sent my men on before the Sentella changed their mind and decided to arrest them. But I think I'll hang around for a bit."
A tic started
in Caillen's jaw as he looked at her, then locked a glare on Chayden. "You're not planning on a payback, are you?"
Chayden held his hands up in surrender. "Absolutely not. I promise you."
Desideria wasn't sure what their vague conversation was about, but she had a bad suspicion that she was the subject at hand and that Chayden might have just insulted her. Great. That was all she needed to feel worse.
Chayden gestured over his shoulder with his thumb. "I'm going to go find the head. I'll catch you two later. Buzz me when you interrogate the assassin."
Desideria watched him leave. Still that nagging sensation was there. She knew him from somewhere. "Is he famous?"
"Only if you travel with a lot of outlaws or hound the bounty posts. He's extremely notorious there. But all in all, he keeps a low profile. Why?"
"There's something about him that's so familiar... I can't place it. It's like I know him somehow." Her gaze sharpened as she pierced him with a malevolent glare. "And I'm still not speaking to you."
Caillen squelched his smile before he made her any angrier. He adored the fact that she was incapable of giving someone the cold shoulder. Unlike Kasen who could freeze a star. "I wanted to apologize about what happened."
She held her hand up in a sharp gesture. "Oh don't even go there. I'm done. Okay? I didn't expect you to like me. That's fine. But did you have to embarrass me in front of everyone?" It was something her mother or sisters would have done and she was tired of being publicly humiliated and ridiculed. She'd expected better from him and the fact that he'd disappointed her cut so deep that she couldn't stand it. "Especially after--"
He interrupted her words with a fierce kiss.
She kneed him in the groin. Not hard, but enough to make him pull back and cup himself. "Next time, I won't be so gentle."
Caillen cursed under his breath as she stalked away. "You don't know where you're going," he called after her, wanting her to come back so that he could explain.
She didn't even pause her gait. "Don't care."
I told you what to say. Did you listen? No. Idiot. Why couldn't you say you cared about her?
Because it would have been an admission of weakness.
No, that wasn't the truth and he knew it. He wasn't ready to be with one woman forever. Especially not someone so hardheaded and irritating.
And yet as he watched her head out of his sight, all he could remember was how good she'd felt in his arms. How much he wanted to go to her right now, strip her naked and make her beg him for mercy.
He took a step toward her, intending to apologize.
One heartbeat later, an explosion ripped through the bay. The force of the blast literally picked him up and slammed him into the wall. Pain tore through his entire being as he looked down and saw the nasty piece of twisted shrapnel embedded in his thigh. He tried to pull it out, but the gushing blood made it too slippery.
Chaos erupted as techs and Sentella members rushed to put out the fire and prepare for the possibility that there might be another blast coming.
Caillen didn't care about that. No more than he cared about his injuries. He had to find Desideria and make sure she was all right. That was his only concern.
But as he tried to walk forward to find her through the flames, something hit him from behind. His legs went numb. His vision dimmed.
An instant later, everything turned black.
20
Desideria saw Caillen go down. Everything moved in slow motion as her world came to an end. He hit the wall with such force, there was no way he could live through it.
None.
Unable to breathe, she ran for him with everything she had while images of his death tore through her. Don't you dare die. Don't you dare.
She couldn't stand the thought of it. Not after they'd fought.
Why had she fought with him?
Suddenly, nothing mattered to her. Not her mother's death. Not her standing.
Nothing.
All of that paled in comparison to losing him. She slowed as she drew near. Caillen lay on the ground, covered in blood, completely unmoving. This wasn't like he'd been on the outpost. His features were so pale...
Tears blinded her.
Qillaqs don't cry. Yet, she couldn't stop herself. "Caillen?" She sobbed, falling to her knees. She pulled him into her arms and held him close. "Don't you leave me." Not after he'd taught her to depend on him. Not after he'd made her want something she knew she couldn't have.
"Caillen, please open your eyes."
He didn't.
"Desideria?"
She heard his sister's voice, but didn't respond. She couldn't. Images of Caillen's teasing smile haunted her. The way he'd felt when he made love to her earlier. The sound of his voice.
I need you. Please, please don't die. Not like this. Not with the last words I said to you...
Shahara pulled her back. "You have to let him go."
She started to argue until she saw the medics. Her entire body quaking in fear, she released him to their care. Syn and Shahara were saying something to her, but she couldn't understand them. Not through the painful haze that shredded everything.
"We'll meet you at the hospital."
She inclined her head to them, knowing that wasn't where she was headed.
First, she had someone to kill.
Caillen came awake to the sound of whispering voices nearby. He opened his eyes to find himself lying on a sterile hospital bed, hooked to monitors in a small room. It took a full minute before he remembered everything that had happened.
The explosion. His leg.
Desideria!
Shed been ahead of him. Right in the line of fire...
Fear seized his heart as he sat up and started to leave the bed to find her.
Shahara stepped out of the shadows to catch him. She refused to allow him to put his feet on the floor. "Don't you dare." She hadn't used that tone with him in a long time.
A tic started in his jaw as he locked gazes with his tiny sister. If she honestly thought she could keep him here, she'd need a lot more backup than Syn who stood behind her. "Where's Desideria?"
She exchanged a nervous glance with Syn over her shoulder that did nothing to help his terror. Oh God... Desideria was hurt.
Maybe dead. Why else wouldn't she answer the question?
Unimaginable pain slammed into him as he struggled to breathe. Their last words had been a fight. Of all people, he knew better than to let someone leave angry.
Why hadn't I been faster?
Why hadn't he apologized?
"Where is she?" he demanded.
Shahara cringed.
He felt tears sting his eyes as unimaginable grief tore through him. How could he have failed to protect her? How? "She's dead, isn't she?"
All the color drained from her face before her cheeks turned bright red. "Good Lord, child, no! I swear you get the most bizarre ideas sometimes."
Relief poured through him. Desideria was alive. He could finally breathe again.
At least a little bit. "Then where is she?"
Syn grinned evilly as he moved closer. "Locked up at present."
Caillen scowled in confusion. "What? How? Why?"
Syn let out a low laugh. "You remember the explosion?"
How could he forget it? His ears were still ringing.
Caillen sat back on the bed as he tried to figure out how that related to Desideria being locked up. Surely they didn't think she had any part in the explosion...
Did they?
"Of course I do. Was she caught in the blast?"
Syn shook his head. "No. She was clear, but she ran back to you when you hit the wall."
"She was hysterical," Shahara interjected. "And worried sick about you. Just like us. She barely beat us to you and she threatened our lives if we hurt you."
Syn snorted. "Yeah, she was impressive in her rage and she didn't budge from protecting you un="3">Synhe medtechs arrived. Once you were stabilized and ready for transpor
t, we thought she'd follow us to the med center. She didn't."
Caillen's frown deepened. "Where'd she go?
Shahara let out an annoyed breath. "Your little bunny headed over to lockup, forced her way in and then damn near killed the assassin who's been following you."
That didn't make sense to him. "Why would she do that?"
Shahara picked at the lint on his hospital gown before she smoothed over a wrinkle. "He was the one who'd set a trap on his ship that the techsperts accidentally set off while trying to see if the ship was wired to detonate. Since you were hurt by the blast, she wanted his head in the worst sort of way."
"And she got it too," Syn said with a hint of laughter in his voice. "Damn, boy, I thought your sister had a temper on her. I do believe you've found the only woman alive with one worse than--hey!" he snapped as Shahara popped him on the stomach. Grimacing, he rubbed the area where she'd hit him. "See what I mean? She's brutal to live with."
"Anyway," Shahara continued after she passed one last malevolent glare at Syn, "she got information out of the assassin, but not before she almost killed him during the interrogation. And she wasn't beating him for answers. I swear, she hit him twice as hard when he answered her correctly as she did when he didn't. I take it the Qills don't instruct their people on the fine art of interviewing prisoners."
Syn laughed again. "Yeah, it looked like she went to the School of Nykyrian for that."
Caillen wasn't sure if he should be amused or appalled by what they described. In the end, he was flattered that he meant enough to Desideria that she'd come back to check on him and then had decided he was worth breaking someone's ass over. On the other hand, he definitely didn't want her questioning him. Especially after their fight. "And you locked her up?"
Syn shrugged. "Had no choice. She was planning on heading to Exeter to beat the crap out of your uncle's advisor. We thought it best to confine her until her sanity returned... or they died of natural causes. Whichever comes first."
Caillen shook his head. "Good call. So what did she find out?"
Shahara's gaze turned grim and deadly. "The assassin was hired by your uncle's primary advisor to kill you and your father. Then after you escaped, he was to make sure you didn't return alive."
He winced at the confirmation of his worst suspicions. "So it's true. Talian purchased the contract on my father's life."