She’d never been alone before. Even though she was twenty-six years old, her family had viewed her as a child up until a couple of weeks ago. She’d been surrounded by guards and servants. Her sisters and aunt. It was a lost feeling to not be able to reach out and summon them now. Or anyone else who could lend her a hand. Her mother had never experienced this isolated sensation either.
But her father had. Stranded on a foreign planet with foreign beings who’d seen him as a weaker entity who only deserved their disdain and abuse.
Caillen had assured her that she’d receive the same treatment from the Andarions if they discovered them. They’d be pawns with no way to escape and no hope. She glanced around the bare gray walls as panic set in. How had her father stood being a prisoner for all those years?
It was terrifying. For the first time, she fully understood everything he’d given up.
Suddenly, Caillen’s link rang.
Krik! That could get her discovered. Her heart hammering, she picked it up, then froze. Caillen had turned it off. She’d seen him. How could it be ringing?
Was it a trick?
What if it wasn’t? It could be help.
Maybe.
Hoping for the best, she answered it before it rang again.
“Who is this?” It was a gruff, accented male voice.
“Desideria,” she whispered. “Who are you?”
He hung up.
She quickly did the same as her gut knotted and this time she made sure it was turned completely off.
And then she heard it… the sound of the Andarions returning to the warehouse in force and they were a lot more animated this time.
I’ve just given our position away.
They were going to come for them and it was all her fault. Damn it! Why had she answered the link?
15
Desideria held her breath as the voices came closer and close. There were animals with them and it sounded like a lot of them. She could hear them whining and barking as the Andarions searched through the building.
As fast as was possible, she grabbed the spray that Caillen had used earlier out of the bag, and turned it loose on the door and on them. Please don’t have an erackle in that hunting herd.
According to Caillen, that would be bad. And since he had yet to be wrong about anything to do with their pursuit…
Yeah, a horny erackle would most likely ruin her day.
What she hated most about all of this was her feelings of vulnerability. She’d always prided herself on being self-sufficient—on being able to handle anything thrown at her. And she was.
But this…
This was way out of her realm of experience and expertise. She was in an alien culture with an unconscious stranger. Here, she didn’t know the rules or the climate. She didn’t even know what foods were safe to eat or how to find them. It now struck her as peculiar that her aunt had taught her to fight to survive, but never how to scrounge and use resources. Not the way Caillen did.
She glanced to him. For some reason she couldn’t explain, his presence soothed her. Yeah, it made no sense whatsoever. He was completely out of commission. Would be worthless in a fight or even if they had to run and yet… she could hear his sarcastic voice in her head, giving her tips on what they needed to escape and survive.
What is wrong with me?
Desideria had been taught to trust no one. Not even family. And right now, when she needed to listen to that training, she didn’t hear her aunt’s careful instruction.
She heard Caillen’s.
Without thinking, she took his hand into hers. Even though it was filthy and calloused, it was beautiful—just like the rest of him. He had long, tapered fingers with nails that were clipped but not manicured the way other noblemen’s were. Caillen’s were rugged work hands. Masculine hands.
And they, too, comforted her…
Something struck the trapdoor. Hard. She bit her lip to keep from making a sound as she tightened her grip on Caillen’s hand and her blaster, waiting for them to break through.
They hit it again.
An animal barked, then ran off making unfamiliar noises that sounded like a whine. There was a huge ruckus before the Andarions followed the creature. After a few minutes, everything was quiet again.
Still, she held her breath and kept her grip tight, waiting for them to return and discover their lair.
Hours and hours went by slowly as her heart beat a fearful rhythm. Finally she allowed herself to relax and accept the fact that they were safe.
Even if it was only for a moment.
Sighing, she leaned her head back against the wall and laid the blaster down. The muscles in her arm were tight and strained from having held its weight for so long. She laced her fingers with Caillen’s and sat in silence as she let the roughness of his skin soothe her even more. It felt so good to know that she wasn’t completely alone in this. Even though he was unconscious.
Thank the gods the Andarions were gone. This one moment of peace was worth a fortune to her.
Please don’t let it end.
She’d had enough excitement for one day, or actually fifty thousand. Really, she didn’t need any more. Relieved to the point she could almost cry, her gaze fell to Caillen who hadn’t moved in so long she became worried about it. When he’d slept earlier, he’d had a faint snore.
Now nothing…