5

Chapter 5

They ran. Down the darkened corridor, following it farther and farther until he finally eased her out, shouldering her pack, on the other side of the outer wall. The air outside was still warm, but the still-dark sky would provide plenty of cover. Andrei waited there, as Daniel knew he would. The others he’d had in his entourage had melted back into society. He knew if he had need to call for them again in the future, there’d be fewer. Fardelle’s grasp had tightened. Security had become far more difficult to work around. Some of the operatives who helped them would be discovered; it was a basic fact of what they did. A fact he tried not to think about even as he appreciated and respected their choice to do right, no matter the cost.

They could not take horses or any sort of vehicle while in the sight of the compound. Remaining on foot would keep them quieter and less easily sighted by the spotters who would most definitely be called up when she was discovered missing. If their luck held, they’d be off ’Verse by the time her disappearance was discovered.

His cargo began to speak, but he shook his head. Her mouth firmed and her eyes narrowed, but she obeyed. He didn’t dare look at her mouth any longer; he’d already been too distracted by it. All his attention needed to be on the mission. On eluding their enemy and getting to the portal. He’d shaken off Mortimer and was fully Daniel again. He needed to keep focus.

His field glasses showed Imperial troops along a nearby road. He pulled out the map and looked it over. There was no way around the path they were on. They’d been stationed on a narrow bridge over a dry gulley, far too steep to climb into and out of, and the nearest crossing beside that one would take them several hours out of the way and make it full day by the time they reached the portal. Their options were limited.

“Stay here. Both of you.”

Andrei nodded once and pulled her back into a more secure location.

“Why? Is there a problem I can help with?” She kept her voice down.

“There are troops between us and the portal. I have to take care of that.”

Her eyes widened. “But . . .”

“This isn’t going to be easy. If you want to live and get the fuck off Caelinus, you need to let me do my job. They will, without a second thought. They’re not going to let you pass; you have to know that. They’ll kill us and send you back. And then what? If you want that, tell me now before I risk my life or my partner’s life.”

Hanging her head, she sighed heavily. Part of him felt bad for what she’d be seeing between that moment and the time she got off the transport in Ravena, but it was his job to make sure the latter happened. And his job wasn’t pretty.

“They’re my people. I’m supposed to protect them.”

“No they aren’t. They’re your father’s people. Those men are Skorpios. Do you understand the distinction here?” He took her upper arm, not to harm but to bring the point home. “Giving up now solves nothing. Making hard choices is the mark of a true leader. Be one now. You can’t help them here.”

“All right.”

Trusting Andrei to keep her safe, he moved quickly and quietly to the knot of soldiers. There were only three, and if he could have managed a good diversion, he would have rather than kill. Not because he cared about them particularly. They had their job and he had his. But it made far less of a mess. Bodies were a pain in his ass to deal with.

These were Skorpios, Fardelle’s shock troops, and they weren’t likely to fall for that anyway.

He planned how to take them all out as quickly as possible as he crept toward them. Once he began to work, he went into his head deeply. Part of him detached, entirely focused on the details of the job. It was like he watched a vid as he managed to take one out with a knife, hitting the other in the temple and grabbing his knife to finish the job and hit the third.

With a signal to Andrei to get moving, he turned back to his work. Using the powder that would burn the bodies to little more than ash, he had cleaned up enough to cover their tracks by the time the other two arrived.

She tried not to make a big deal out of looking around, but he could tell she did it nonetheless. She was freaked out, out of her element and, he had to admit, stronger than he’d thought she’d be.

“Let’s move.”

Though she was pale, she nodded and kept the pace.

They had three standard hours until the first sun began to rise. This was not a time to walk. He was grateful she’d been telling the truth about being physically active daily, because she kept up as they continued their quick pace. He’d have carried her if necessary, of course, but it would have taken more out of him, and he was pretty sure he’d need every bit of strength and guile to get the hells out of the Imperium alive.

Andrei took up the rear, watching their backs, while Daniel continued to run all the options through his head. It was so automatic, his mind wandered back to her again.

Daniel knew she was on the verge of losing it. He’d probably never forget the devastation on her face when he’d told her to not leave the note back in the passageway. A note to her mother, he’d guess. Most likely it was becoming real for her. The cost of this decision. She was bound to grieve the loss of her mother. Even if she wasn’t dead, it wasn’t as if they could see each other again any time soon.

And the soldiers. That lay heavy on her, he knew. It should, of course, but he’d been at this a lot longer than she. Her path had been far different than his.

The woman had given up everything to get her daughter and the information out. He would not fail Esta Fardelle or Carina. Or, more important, the Federation.

He’d already discovered Carina Fardelle was a lot more than he’d first imagined, but he wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or concerned. Both, he supposed. She wasn’t the kind of woman he’d have to tranquilize and carry back because she fainted at the barest whiff of danger.

And damn it all, that intrigued him. Enough to make him wish she had been some silly, weak female, or at the very least, less attractive and capable, so he could stop thinking about her legs, her ass, the way she looked so caught between grief and concentration.

She was so ridiculously, utterly beautiful. A man like Alem would have taken this gift and destroyed it utterly.

He’d been thinking about how arousing the small slice of her bare legs had been when she got out of her gigantic bed earlier, when Andrei put a hand on Daniel’s arm to get his attention.

They stopped, taking shelter behind a nearby outcrop of rocks. They’d be at the portal shortly; he could see the approach just off in the distance.

“What is it?” Carina asked softly. She waited for his next instructions, and he thanked the gods for it. If she was at least that malleable, his job was easier. Some of her behaviors led him to believe she was fighting off shock. Should it set in at some point, he wanted to get them safely ensconced in their room on the ship first. It would be normal for her to fall apart—most would—but it had to wait until the time when he could shut a door and keep her safe while she did it.

Andrei cut him a look, reminding him to keep gentle with her, as he handed a small container of water to Carina, who took it, sipping cautiously. The look, and truth be told, his conscience reminded him he’d been a cad for not thinking that she’d need a bit of a breather and something to drink.

“How are you feeling?” Daniel asked, pulling some dried fruit from his pocket and passing it her way. “That should help with energy.”

She took it, eating calmly. “I’m feeling quite glad I am not a corpulent, lazy layabout like Hartley Alem.”

She surprised him, this princess who could run like an athlete, with a sense of humor, too. He laughed quietly. “Me, too. We’d have never squeezed him into that passage. Let’s stay for a little while longer, and then we need to keep going. We should be at the portal within the hour. We have a berth on several vessels. We’ll decide which one to take when we arrive.” He didn’t want to probe on her emotional state. That had to lie untouched until it was safer to deal with. Preferably with someone who wasn’t Daniel.

“All right.”

Going over timelines, he looked back to her again. “When do you normally rise?” Once he’d allowed himself a look at her, he couldn’t tear his gaze away from her mouth and the delicate way she chewed.

“Second sunrise. Claira is the one who comes in to wake me. She can be trusted.”

“She can’t hide it forever, and she’s been instructed not to. The last thing we want is for her to be implicated in this. Still, we’ve got time then.” He dug in his pack again. “Take these pills.” He handed them over. “They’ll darken your skin a bit. That one there,” he indicated as she swallowed the pills, “will change your hair, just for a cycle or two.”

She swallowed both quickly, looking wary but not hesitating.

“Thank you. For this.” Her voice shook, but then evened out.

“No need to thank me. It’s our job. Just follow our lead.”

He stood and noted her skin was already beginning to darken. By the time they reached the spot where she’d need to change her clothing, she’d have made the transformation.

“Ready?” He held out a hand and she took it, allowing him to help her to her feet. “You’re doing a good job, princess.”

“Stop calling me that!”

He grinned and she locked her jaw and rolled her eyes. Good. Anger was better than fear, easier to manage and control.

“You’re an idiot,” she muttered, bringing a startled laugh from Andrei.

“No argument there.”

And they ran again.

She must have hit her head in the passageway. There was no other explanation for why she couldn’t seem to stop thinking about the strength in his hand as he’d helped her up, the way his voice had softened as he’d told her she was doing a good job.

Ridiculous to be excited by such a rude man. Though, she thought as they ran, he was so very masculine and imposing. Nothing like anyone she’d ever met before. The other man was handsome, too, mysterious and quiet, but she couldn’t stop looking at Daniel. He was just, so . . . something. Big. Bold. Strong. Fearless. She admired it, was attracted to it even as it puzzled her and made her breathless.

Her muscles began to burn and ache. She killed the time and tried to ignore the fear and encroaching exhaustion by thinking of other things. But those other things were either about losing her entire life, those dead soldiers or about Daniel.

At least thinking about Daniel warmed her, made her nipples harden against the material of her blouse. She didn’t need to change her fantasies, or even feel guilty about it.

Whatever he was, whoever he was, he’d unleashed something inside her, sent it rushing through her veins. At least she could blame any breathlessness or flushed skin on the running. If she lived long enough to stop, that was. Good gods, she’d not done this much physically intense activity in many years.

The first arches around the portal city meant they needed to slow down. Excitement and fear woke her up again once she’d caught her breath. She hoped she looked nonchalant as she ate up the details of what she saw all around her.

The portal city was always awake, always working. It was one of her favorite places on Caelinus, and she took every chance she got to come out and greet visitors or see off guests. It was totally different from the compound. Vibrant. Everything smelled and sounded spicy.

People milled around, but not in as great a number as they did once the suns had risen until midday. As such, the three people headed toward the departure decks weren’t given more than a second glance. They were just like everyone else, leaving, arriving, doing business.

They passed an open-air fried dough booth and her smile faded as she wondered if they had anything like it on the other side. She’d miss the smell of home, miss the people, miss how they spoke, their accents, the way they looked on festival days. She would have to leave it all behind. The ache of it made it hard to get a deep breath as she struggled to hold it together.

The portal was just ahead, and Daniel stopped, steering them into a space between two outbuildings. A nearby door squeaked when Daniel unlocked it, nearly sending her out of her skin.

Andrei touched her arm briefly, calming her, ushering her inside after Daniel. The room beyond looked relatively unused. Dust covered the stacks of boxes against a far wall. There were no windows and no other doors but the one they’d just used.

Daniel strode over, handing her a bundle. “Traveling clothes and some papers. It’s pretty simple: You’re my sister Rina. We’re on our way to Monteh to attend the harvest festival and to meet your intended. I figured it was close enough to your real name you could remember easily enough.”

She’d been simmering with anger that he seemed to consider her an utter idiot, but then he turned his back and began to strip. Though she knew it was rude, there was simply no way she could stop herself from staring at the wide expanse of his shoulders tapering down to a narrow waist. Oh, gods, this was so ridiculous, but it pushed all her buttons! He stepped from his pants, and his rear was the finest she’d ever seen. Not that she’d seen a lot of bare asses in her lifetime, not on adult men anyway. But the few she’d espied over her life had given her a fair enough spectrum, and his was right at the top.

Her gaze glued to his body, her hands fumbled, but she managed to change into the simple gown he’d provided. It fit fine, and the fabric had been softened by age. Her skin had darkened, and from what she could see, her hair was now the same shade as her eyes. No one would expect to see her in the first place, but now she felt even better about their ability to remain undetected.

His muscles flexed and bunched as he moved. As he slid weapon after weapon onto his body. He was so taut and dangerous. Beautifully lethal and it stole her ability to think. His clothes fit his body well and even though she’d watched him strapping on all that gear, she couldn’t tell by looking at him.

“I never thought to carry a weapon there,” she said, and then he looked up. Their gazes locked, and she felt it all the way to her toes. This was how she wanted to look at a man. There was something there between them. It wasn’t the same sort of depth of want she’d witnessed in the loft, but it was not the calculating greed she’d seen on Hartley’s face either.

It had been less than a day, not even half a day since he’d been some fop bowing and scraping to her father. It seemed as if weeks had passed, as if worlds had slid between her and the woman she’d been before the first moonrise. Instead of Mortimer, or even the man who’d introduced himself as Daniel in her bedchamber, he was something else again. Capable. Aggressive. Hard. This Daniel was posing as a boot maker, he’d told her. Ha!

She’d had boots made for her over her lifetime, and none of the men who’d crafted them ever looked like Daniel. She might have worn boots more if they had.

“Ready?” Daniel, broke his gaze away from her face as he looked her up and down. He made a sound and stepped into her space, fussing with her hair. She tried to pull back, but he held on, yanking just a bit harder than he needed to, and she slapped at his hands.

“I don’t appreciate being manhandled.”

“Too bad. Look, you’re sheltered obviously, but common people don’t have that sort of hair, not the way you have it styled. What woman who had to work all day long would have the time to do something so ornate?” He took down the updo she’d created and began to braid it in the back.

It felt . . . intimate to have his hands in her hair that way. Even as she wanted to be angry at him for handling her as if she were a doll or a thing, he was gentle once she held still. She didn’t get touched very often. Other than her mother and YaYa, no one hugged her tight or touched her with absent affection.

She slammed the door on that. If she went that way, she’d only end up more upset.

“There.” He stood back, and she patted his work, finding it more than satisfactory.

“Do you braid your wife’s hair?” Well, that was very obvious. She fought a blush and thanked the low light of the room.

He took a few more steps away and the distance yawned between them and then she felt like a fool, wondering if he’d misinterpreted what she’d said. Or interpreted it correctly.

“No. My sister has very long hair though, like yours only dark as obsidian.” He shouldered his gear and motioned to hers. “Grab your pack. I can’t carry it for you.”

“I don’t expect you to!” That bag held what little she could safely take with her. She’d hold it and keep it safe herself.

He rolled his eyes. “Stop being so offended all the time. You’re a workingwoman; you’d be expected to carry your personal pack. If it were heavy, I’d take it for you. But you have to remember your role here.”

It was right at that very moment when she promised herself that she would never again live a lie or use masks with people unless it was absolutely necessary. She had a big job ahead of her, and she’d be alone. She owed it to herself to be a real person, the Carina Fardelle she was when she was alone in the passageways.

“In the first place, do you have another complaint to make? I’m bored with this one now.” She glared. “I’m not offended! You keep going out of your way to think I’m someone I’m not. It’s vexing. It’s like you want me to be offended. If I mess up, then do correct me, but you have no right to prejudge me. You don’t know me enough to think me spoiled and lazy.”

“Deal with it.” He turned and fussed with something in his pack, so she was content to make a face at his back.

She tested the weight of her bag; it wasn’t too bad. Offended! The only thing she was offended by was his assumption that she was offended in the first place. She hated that he thought she was a spoiled princess. Yes, she had grown up with things many others didn’t have, but she wasn’t so sheltered she didn’t know how to carry her own bags.

“Carina.” He kept his back to her.

“Yes?” she asked with mocking sweetness.

He may have snorted; she wasn’t sure. “You’re right. I apologize.”

Ugh! He was so infuriatingly unexpected. Before she could reply, Andrei came back into the room, and the moment had ended.

This time he faced her. “We’re going now. Follow my lead and remember, you’re not Carina, you’re Rina, and you’re my sister. I’m hoping they don’t find you missing for a while yet. At least until after we get checked in. But if they do, if we encounter anything dangerous, you have to trust me and follow my lead. Have your papers within easy reach; you’ll need to show them multiple times.”

She clenched her fists so her nails dug into her palms, just needing that sharp edge of pain to keep it together. Carina needed to remember that it was still some time until she’d be expected. There was no reason to go searching for trouble. They had enough already.

“Fine. I’m not stupid, you know. I’m educated and capable. And”—she arched a brow at him, reminding him she was more than some half-witted twit who couldn’t find her way from a wet bag—“I’ve been to other ’Verses many times throughout my life. I’ve been on transports before. I’m also a qualified pilot.”

He stopped so close to her she felt the heat from his skin. So close she could scent him. That male whatever he seemed to exude—and it made her heart beat faster, her breath catch and all sorts of wonderful things happened to her nipples and her clit. She might have been embarrassed by that even just days before, but right then, she reveled in it.

He leaned his head down, just inches from touching her. She could almost feel his lips against her temple. How could his nearness make her so befuddled? It was as if the closer she stood to him, the more fluff-headed she felt.

“I don’t believe you’re stupid. I do believe I know more about this sort of thing than you do. In fact, let’s get this clear right now. You will give me your complete obedience in all things. Once this is over and you’re safely on the other side, you can do whatever you want. But until then, our lives are on the line, and all my concentration will be necessary to get us out of here. If you can’t do that, tell me now.”

She had a few things to tell him all right. “You’re such an ass.”

He grinned, and it infuriated her. Both that he was so arrogant and pushy and that her body seemed to find those things attractive.

“I’ve been told this a time or two. I may not have the best manners of any man you’ll meet. Then again, I’m not a torturer either. In any case, I’m the best hope you have of escaping, so let’s just get to the point where you agree, and we can get going.”

With a barely restrained growl, she clamped her lips and nodded. “Fine.”

“Then let’s move.”

And they went from the quiet little room out into the city again, surrounded by noise and people. Andrei touched his forehead with a slight bow and then turned to Daniel.

“Travel safe, friend.”

Before she could say another word, Andrei had melted into the crowd and she lost sight of him. She swallowed hard at the unexpected swell of emotion at the loss of someone she’d only known for a short time.

Daniel squeezed her hand a moment and tipped his chin toward the departure decks, and she took the big, scary step into her future.