Heart's Lair (10 page)

Karic climbed to his feet and tucked the flask into his belt. "Let's move camp. I'm not drinking your potion until it's'safe."

A soft smile touched her lips, finding a response in the sudden warming of Karic's eyes. Together, they packed their belongings. She waited until Karic returned from disposing of the canus' body, then covered the perpetual flame box. Once more she had to steel herself to follow him back into the darkness, his proffered hand and encouraging smile the only things that kept her going.

This time Karic chose to explore the first tunnel, closest to the opening of the falls. After they walked for a while, Karic finally halted.

"Uncover the flame box."

Liane pulled it from the top of her bag. Red-gold light quickly illuminated the darkness. A small pool lay before them, and beyond was the end of the tunnel. Off to one side was a small chamber. If it were deep enough, it could block them from view.

Liane glanced at Karic. "It seems secure enough."

He swung his pack off his shoulder and lay it on the ground. "I'll check it out."

With a running start and easy leap, Karic spanned the pool, landing on the other side. Liane swallowed an uneasy laugh. His catlike grace made the action appear effortless. She knew it would not be so for her. The span of water was at least five meters across. She doubted she could make it.

Karic disappeared into the side chamber, then returned to the water's edge. "The cave's deep. We can go back far enough to use the flame box without its light betraying us." He extended his hands. "Throw me the backpacks."

Liane quickly complied.

"Now, the flame box."

She tensed, knowing she'd be in total darkness, alone on the other side of the pool. Karic's nearness and the light of the box were the only things that kept her calm in the black, smothering tunnel. If she missed the toss the flame box might be forever lost in the pool, and Karic would be on the other side.

"Throw it to me, Liane," Karic gently prodded, his voice deep and soothing. "Overthrow the pool if you must. I'll find it."

She tossed it as best she could and heard him catch it. After a moment the perpetual flame box again lit the tunnel.

Karic eyed her and the pool. "Do you think you can make it with a running start?"

"I don't know."

"Well, give it a try. I can always fish you out."

"Easy for you to say," Liane muttered under her breath as she backed away.

The leap was clean, perfectly timed, but Liane still missed the other side by a meter. With a strangled cry she sank into the pool. Karic's hands shot out, clasping her forearms, pulling her out before the water even reached her shoulders.

He laughed as his hand, placed in the small of her back, directed her toward the hidden chamber.

"What's so funny?" Liane demanded.

"I was just remembering something you said. Your unnatural affinity for getting wet rivals my tendency toward accidents."

"Unnatural! It's been unfortunate circumstances and nothing more." She paused, a slow grin spreading across her face. "Like your accidents, I suppose. Perhaps we can both be a bit more careful in the future."

He gave her a lazy, mocking smile. "Perhaps."

They made camp again and Liane changed to dry clothes. She snuggled into her blanket and propped herself up against a stone wall. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"I glanced outside after I dropped the canus' body into the lake. The sky was too overcast to see the moons or stars, but I'd hazard a guess that it's a few horas before the new sol. Why?"

Liane shook her head. "Oh, nothing reallyjust that the potion might cause you to sleep through part of the sol."

"That doesn't matter. It would be more prudent to set out this coming nocte, in case the trackers think to wait and catch us unawares. Besides, I've the advantage traveling in darkness with my Cat's vision."

"Then you'd best take the potion and get your rest."

"Wake me if you hear anything."

"I will."

"Or if you begin to get sleepy. Someone should be on guard at all times."

"Go to sleep, Karic." Liane sighed in exasperation.

"Yes, Liane."

Karic pulled the vial from his belt. Raising it to his lips, he emptied it in one long swallow. Then he lay down, pulled the blanket over him and watched her, until he finally drifted off to sleep.

Karic slept until a little past midsol. He awoke by slow degrees, lazily stretching his long limbs to ease his sleep-stiffened muscles. He felt good, sur- prisingly so. Liane had said the potion would strengthen him, and he'd accepted that. After all they'd been through, all she'd done and never once tried to betray him, the time for doubting her was past. But to feel so renewed, so full of energy . . . !

"So, the rest must have set well with you."

Startled eyes swung to hers. "You were so quiet," he muttered, flushing darkly. "I'd forgotten you were here."

Liane smiled. "I've been here all along. You told me to take guard, and I did."

He frowned, remembering the danger they were still in. "Did you hear or see anything?"

"Nothing."

"Good." Karic rose and stretched again. "I'm going to check what's going on outside. I'll be back."

Liane had laid out a simple meal of journey bread and fruit by the time he returned.

"Are they still there?" She glanced up at him.

"No. Or at least no sign of them. But they could be hiding in the trees. We'll still wait them out until this nocte."

He sat down, helped himself to a slice of bread and grinned at it wryly. "This would slide down a lot easier with a slab of meat."

She didn't glance up from the cerasa fruit she was slicing. "Sorry. Nothing edible scurried by while you slept."

Karic laughed, the sound deep and throaty. "You amaze me, Liane. One moment you're the serious healer, and the next moment a dry wit. And then there's your tender heart, which is constantly at odds with your fiery temper. For a Bellatorian femina, you are really quite intriguing." "Oh, really?" Liane paused to chew a slice of fruit. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

He chuckled. "I see I must tread carefully here or risk offending. What I meant to say was that most Bellatorian ferninas, at least the ones we've captured, are docile, obedient creatures who readily accept a new master."

At Liane's angry glare, Karic quickly hurried on. "Truly, I mean no offense, but if you recall, your people are raised with a blind obedience to authority. Once they realized there was no hope of escape, your feminas quickly transferred their obedience. In many ways, it was the only practical thing to do."

Liane snorted in disdain. "They were probably only trying to lull you into a false sense of security, counting the secundae until their first chance to escape."

"But none of them ever did, Liane." At her look of surprise, he nodded. "We are not a cruel or uncaring people. I think, in time, they found happiness with us. I know my mother did."

"Your mother was Bellatorian?"

"Yes."

"I'd like to meet her."

"That won't be possible. She died over five cycles ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is your father alive?"

"Yes."

"Did he love your mother?"

His full, finely chiseled mouth curved up in a smile. "Yes, very muchand she, him."

Karic frowned at the color that rose to Liane's cheeks. "Is that so hard to believe? That a Bellatorian femina would find a full-blooded Cat Man worth loving?"

Her eyes darkened with some emotion Karic couldn't discern. "No, not hard to believe at all. I am glad they found happiness together."

Liane lay aside her fruit, suddenly warm under the intensity of Karic's gaze. It was too close, too smothering in the chamber. She wanted to leave, breathe fresh air and clear her head of the entangling emotions that threatened to choke off all logic and reasoning. But she couldn't. There was nowhere to go.

Instead, Liane gathered her blanket around her and lay down. "I am tired. With your leave, I'd like a few horas sleep before we head out this nocte."

Karic nodded, eyeing her with a sharp, glittering awareness.

Unable to bear the intensity of his gaze, Liane rolled over to face the wall.

Prickling bursts of fire coursed through Karic, warming his flesh and heating his blood. He stirred uneasily, glancing over at Liane's sleeping form. The sensations rippling through his body only intensified. With a low curse, Karic rose and began to restlessly pace the confines of the chamber.

The triple moons of Agrica were nearing their triannual alignment; they could be doing so this very nocte for all he knew. And forces, too powerful for any Cat Man to resist, would soon be set into an inevitable sequence of events. It could be a most pleasurable sequence of events, to be sure, when both participants were driven by the same impulses, but Karic knew Liane would never understand, much less willingly participate.

Once every three cycles, the Cat Men's innate urge to procreate flared to uncontrollable heights. Deeply instinctual, the compulsion overrode all conscious thought or reason, stirring needs that had to be sated. Failure to find a mating partner resulted in an agonizing death.

Karic knew that special nocte was drawing near and thought he'd be able to make it back to his lair in time, but now he wasn't so sure. A full eight sols had passed since he'd left his people's hiding place in the Serratus Mountains. Three sols journey and nearly five more had been squandered in his capture and escape. With the considerably slower pace of traveling with Liane, another three if not four were left before he'd reach the lair once more. Was there enough time left?

He should have felt the first stirrings earlier, but so much had transpired of late to override the warning signs, much less find the time to pay heed to them. And it had never been an issue before. Though breeding females were limited in their lair he'd never lacked for willing partners. But now, there was only Lianeand he'd given his word not to touch her. The vow had been made with the greatest of difficulty, as it was, and only because he rationally convinced himself there was no other choice. But this lust smoldering within him, awaiting only the combined force of the triple moons to set it into inexorable motion, was unthinking, uncaring and savage.

His long, agitated strides carried him to the edge of the pool. Better for her if he left her here and came back when the time had passed. But the time could be two, three, even four sols away. He had no way of knowing until he saw the nocte sky, a sky that had eluded his gaze for the past five sols. Perhaps this nocte he would know. Until then, time was still of the essence. He must continue his journey back to his peoplewith Liane.

Karic turned to the chamber. It was near dusk; he could sense it. Time to waken Liane and prepare for their journey. They had a long nocte of travel ahead. If they were fortunate, they could just reach a farming village set at the edge of the forest before it was too light to go further. It was a farming village, Karic recalled with a growing sense of relief, wherein lived a lusty maid who'd be more than happy to bed him.