Nykyrian watched the stars above him. Kiara was finally quiet after hours of crying and cursing his soul. He tipped the bottle of alcohol back against his lips, letting the liquid burn down his throat. Rachol had been right, the stars were a hell of a lot more interesting when you were flagged than sober. He sighed, aching for a friend he knew was dead, aching for a woman he knew he couldn't have. If Driana hadn't contacted Hauk this afternoon, Kiara would now be dead and it would have been all his fault. God, if he had been two seconds later this afternoon, she'd be captured or dead. His gut twisted. He took another swig of grenna. What a life.
Before he could stop himself, he left the room and headed down the stairs to Kiara's bed.
He pushed open the door of the viewing room, careful not to make a sound.
His breathing intensified and desire pounded in his veins, demanding he do something more than just stand here like a gaping fool. But he knew tonight he wouldn't listen to the part of him that loved Kiara, that part of him which would die for her.
Bitter longing welled up inside him as he watched her chest rise and fall in peaceful sleep. She was lying on her side, her curly hair fanning out behind her.
His hand tingled with the memory of what those strands felt like. Nykyrian clenched his teeth. His body throbbed and for a m oment, he feared he might yield to his wants after all.
"Nykyrian?" Kiara whispered, opening her eyes to look up at him with a pitiful, sad face.
He gripped the door frame in indecision. He had to let her go. Aksel was just one of a hundred assassins who would do anything to bring him down. Anything.
"Go back to sleep," he snarled and slammed the door.
Kiara stared at the portal, her heart breaking. Why had he come to her? Why did she care?
She placed her hand over her stomach, tempted to tell him about the baby, but she couldn't. With his present temperament, who knew how he would react. The last thing she needed was an even more irate assassin roaming around the house while she slept.
Besides, it was her child she nurtured. A remembrance of a happy time she doubted would ever return.
*
"Aren't you ready yet?" Nykyrian growled as Kiara plaited the last piece of her hair. "Stop snapping at me!"
So he glared at her instead.
Kiara ground her teeth together in aggravation. All he had done since he roughly woke her up was snap and hiss. "Where are you taking me anyway?"
"Out."
Disgusted, Kiara sighed. "You're such a fountain of information. Maybe you should consider a job in the media."
By his face, she could tell her sarcasm struck home. "If you're through making asinine comments, I'm supposed to be meeting someone."
Kiara froze. "Why are you taking me along?"
Anger and hatred blazed at her from his light green eyes. She took a step back, afraid of him. "Rachol's gone," he snarled. "I have no idea who knows about my house now. If I leave you here, with my luck someone will find you."
She frowned at him. "Rachol's gone?" she repeated, her body going numb. "What do you mean?"
Nykyrian pulled his coat on with irate jerks. "I mean he's vanished. No one has seen him in weeks and his flat was torn to pieces. We're assuming someone acted on your father's contract and killed him . I suppose I should go to your father's house to see if Rachol's head has been delivered to him as he requested."
"No," she whispered, unable to believe it. Tears gathered in her eyes as she thought about how much pain Nykyrian must be feeling, despite the coldness in his voice while he spoke.
Nykyrian curled his lip at her, his eyes blazing. "I wish I had killed your father instead of saving you."
Kiara sobbed at the bitterness in his voice. "Then why didn't you?"
"I don't know!" he roared. "I don't know why I do anything anymore."
Kiara reached to touch him, but he turned away. "Just get into the fighter and leave me alone."
Tears fell down her cheeks as she obeyed his order. She knew she should be mad at him, curse him, something. But at the moment all she could do was see images of Rachol teasing him. They had been family, brothers in spirit.
She sniffed back her tears.
Kiara watched the stars zoom past as they flew to a destination she didn't even bother to ask about. She was tired of being snapped at. All she wanted was a day of peace. To go back to the days before Nykyrian was shot.
Nykyrian landed with a jolt. Kiara gasped, her body aching. She frowned at him wondering about the rough landing, but held her tongue.
Without a word, he led her from the bay, out into a small row of houses. Kiara looked around, trying to get her bearings, but nothing seemed familiar.
She followed him down several back streets before he finally came to a large, white house. He glanced up and down the street in a manner that reminded her of the night he had first started protecting her, then he knocked sharply on the door.
He pushed her to the side of the door and unholstered his blaster.
The door opened to display the attractive blonde from the club. "If you like, you may search the entire place," the woman smirked, opening the door wide enough for them to enter. "I'm sick of the way you guys go around expecting an am bush."
Kiara didn't miss the underlying hatred in the wom an's voice.