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He cocked his head to the side. “And allow you to regain your full strength and powers?” he asked. “I don’t think so.”
He dug his booted feet into the muddied bank and carried her up and away from the water that urgently beckoned to her. “You don’t understand,” she said, hating her panic-induced voice. “Without water I—“
“Stop,” he growled, as though her pleading with him was an offense. “You can swim as much as you’d likeafteryou’ve answered my questions.” His eyes glinted, his determination all too obvious. “I give you my word I will even return you to the river once you’ve told me everything you know about the Dronians.”
Whatever power she’d felt from the pull of the water was evaporating now, weakness sucking at her very soul. “You’re wasting both your time and mine,” she said, her voice as parched as her throat. Though her feet had managed to suck in some moisture from the silt and mud that had edged the river, it hadn’t been anywhere near enough to fortify her.
She might have cried if she’d had the energy. How long was this winged madman going to imprison her and try to make her tell him things she knew nothing about? She only had a handful of days to find the rest of theraresso they could meet and perhaps find a way to continue surviving here on planet Earth.
That the Dronians had only one weakness that she knew of wouldn’t be of any use to Gray. Earth’s atmosphere was unique. She’d be telling him nothing he needed to know.
It was only when one of her breasts brushed against the stretchy leather surrounding his torso that she remembered she was naked. On her own world, nudity was considered normal, yet with Gray she’d never felt more exposed. “I left my clothes back near the river,” she said quietly.
“I know. I left your rapier there too,” he reminded, as though she should be far more concerned about being weaponless. Under normal circumstances she would be, but none of this was normal. Not even close.
That his voice was detached and emotionless made her stiffen. There was no getting through to him now. He was in bounty hunter mode. He’d captured his quarry, his payment was likely within reach—once he dragged the answers out of her that he needed. She gritted her teeth. Never! Even if she knew what he wanted she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of telling him.
“Are you cold?” he asked, looking down at her nudity with a bland expression. Either he didn’t lust after her anymore or he had too much else on his mind. Like the reward he’d be getting for her?
“Would it matter to you if I was?” she asked in a brittle tone.
He snorted, as though her question was all too obvious. “I’m not completely heartless. I might have killed others in the past but they deserved to die. You, on the hand, deserve to live.”
“How very kind of you.” She blinked up at him. “It wouldn’t be because you’ve yet to ask me some serious questions? In which case, my death would be very inconvenient to you.”
“Have you always been this cynical?” he asked drily.
“Cynical or rational?” she countered hoarsely. “You must be pretty good at killing,” she added conversationally, like they were talking about something as mundane as the weather.
“Oh?”
“How many Dronians did you kill back in the train?”
“There were only two,” he stated just as blandly, like killing two armored soldiers was insignificant. “I’m not some killing machine, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“I wasn’t thinking that,” she lied, though any further debate was next to impossible with the river getting farther away and her energy fading fast. “They’ll be after you too, now,” she added in a thin voice. She wasn’t one to give up, not ever, but she had no fight left in her. Even his long, rolling stride seemed to want to rock her to sleep.
As her lashes fluttered closed, all consciousness faded away...
When she forced her eyes open sometime later, it was to find sunshine flooding through a net curtain that covered a square window, a breeze making the bottom of the curtain dance and snap against an aged, cream-yellow wall.
She sat, aware of a mattress beneath her and the silken touch of a sheet against her bare skin, the top sheet them tumbling off her as she sucked in deep, panicked breaths.
No amount of training had prepared her for this. Not with weakness flooding through her veins and taking away not only her ability to react but to think straight. That she was alone in the room was clear to her right away. Gray had a presence about him she’d sense anywhere, no matter how indisposed she might feel.
She slipped her legs to the side of the mattress, surprised to find she wasn’t restrained. But then, Gray probably knew she was as defenseless as she’d ever be, and as weak as any human.
She stood, the worn linoleum cool beneath her feet but her limbs trembling as they supported her weight.Bloody hell.She’d never once allowed herself to get to this point, but she had only herself to blame. Yes, she could live without the river sustaining her and giving power to her abilities, but it’d be like expecting a duck to live without water.
There were two doors. She tried one but of course it was locked. The next door swung open, revealing a windowless bathroom with a showerhead fitted above a bathtub, a toilet in the corner. After using the latter, she tossed up between having a bath—the water covering her body wouldn’t have the minerals of the river, but it would be better than nothing—or exploring the bedroom.
Her need for water could wait a few more minutes. She stepped back into the bedroom and headed to the window, flipping aside the net curtain to stare through the fly-screen at the drop beneath.Shit.The sloping ground had to be at least ten meters below her. She glanced at the outer walls of the house. There was nothing to grip onto, nothing that she could use to make her escape, not in her weakened state.
Three little bangs sounded on the locked door behind her as its bolts were flipped aside. It creaked open, and though her pulse thudded wildly, she didn’t turn around to greet her captor. Instead she squeezed her eyes shut while panic squeezed her chest. She hadn’t escaped the Dronians just to be imprisoned by this man!
“I brought you breakfast,” he said, as casually as though he was speaking to some honored guest. “I’m guessing you must be hungry.”
Her stomach clenched and growled fitfully, but still she didn’t speak or acknowledge him in any way. He’d kidnapped her! He’d taken away her liberty! What he didn’t know—or did he?—was that he’d probably also taken away her chance to meet up with the remaining six of her kind.
