Bound in Darkness (4 page)

For all he knew one of the gods had put her in his path for expressly that purpose. The thought made him frown. Now he was being paranoid. But the fact of the matter was that one day the gods would figure out what he was up to and then there would be a hefty price to pay. He simply had to make sure he was more than ready for it by the time they caught on.

Besides, what price could he pay that would be steeper than the one he was already paying? He had made the leap for immortality and had paid the price for it. Many times over. And the only other choice was to continue to pay that price for the rest of eternity.

He regarded her once again.

Come to think of it, she had a point. A thief could come in very handy. Provided she wasn't overselling her skills, he might be able to use her in their next little adventure.

“Cooking, mending, thievery, and…sex,” he said, grinning on the last lasciviously—at least to her eye he was. “And five percent of the take.”

“Ten or you can forget it!” she snapped.

“Fine. Forget it then.”

She had no choice but to blink first. “Oh, all right. Five percent! But with the option to bump it up to ten after I have proved my worth.”

“You must be quite good in bed,” he mused, scratching his chin, “to merit ten percent.”

“I meant proving myself as a thief!”

“Oh,” he said, clearly being purposely obtuse. “Well, I guess that'd be fair. But I decide when you've proven yourself.”

“Of course,” she muttered.

“Now let's go. I've already wasted enough time chasing after you.”

“Um…” They were moving again and she hurried to keep up with him. “There's one other thing. I stabled my horse and I…um…don't have the money to pay to get him back.”

He shot her a glare. “That was stupid,” he said.

“Well, I was planning on having cash and plenty of it,” she pointed out. “The gems on that thing would have fed me and my horse for a couple of months at least.”

He sighed, sounding very put upon. “Where is he?”

“The Ox and Lamb.”

“Lead the way,” he said, sweeping a hand in front of himself. She hurried to get in front of him, which left him with a rather nice view of her bottom in the skintight breeches she wore. They were practically obscene, he thought grouchily as he forced his gaze to the crowd, making sure to keep an eye out for trouble in case there was any. Cities were known for being wild cards. There was always the potential for trouble. Of course some were maintained better than others. When his brothers ruled a city there was very little in the way of crime and discontented behaviors. People didn't starve in his brothers' cities.

But none of that mattered. What mattered now was getting to the Ox and Lamb and then gathering up his men. Upon reaching the city he had immediately sought out the five most likely places a thief might go to sell a pricey item. Fro's had come up first and foremost, so he had taken to watching for her there. He had sent his men to the four other likely places on the off chance she would go there but he had suspected she would take the easiest and quickest route first and he had been right. She was damn smart, but desperation had made her drop her guard. He had no doubt that she would have preferred to skip the nearest city and ride to the next one just to avoid the possibility of getting caught, but clearly she'd had no other choice.

And now, looking at her more critically, she did look a little thin. Like she hadn't been eating regularly. He wondered how she had let it get so bad.

“So if you're such a good thief, why are you starving?”

Her step faltered a little and she stole a glance at him over her shoulder. “A string of bad luck,” she said. “Besides if I can avoid thieving I do. Getting caught is always a possibility no matter how good you are and some things just aren't worth the risk.”

“And yet you risked thieving from someone like me,” he said, his tone low and dangerous, almost angry. Was he still peeved about her swiping the talisman? That was over and done with, he should learn to move on, she thought.

What she didn't know was that he wasn't angry because she had stolen from him but that she had risked her little neck stealing from someone like him. Had he been a different man he might have sought a fierce retribution. He could have easily been the type to kill a thief for something like that, woman or no.

“I didn't have much of a choice. As you've noted, I am in a bad way.”

“Maybe you should give up thieving, find a good man, and settle down.”

She scoffed and shot him an acidic glare. “You're just saying that because I'm a woman.”

“You're damn right I am! Traveling the open country is no place for a woman alone. You could find yourself in all kinds of trouble.”

“You mean like now?” she muttered. Louder she said, “Are you going to lecture me the entire time we're together? If so, I'm going to have to rethink this situation. I could easily go back to the market and pick a few pockets for the cost of my horse.”

It would be a risk…a great risk. Each pocket picked was one pocket closer to getting caught. But risk was a thief's forte. She was just afraid desperation would make her sloppy. As it already had. Otherwise he'd have never caught her.

“Consider it a perk of being with my group,” he said with a smug grin.

She grumbled some more and continued to lead the way.

T
hey reached the Ox and Lamb a few minutes later and fetched Hero. Then they made their way back to the market where they gathered up his men one by one. If his men thought anything of a woman joining their ranks, they didn't say much about it. Clearly Maxum was in charge and what he said was what happened and there were no arguments about it. Well, that might work for them, but she wasn't exactly the docile following type.

“So where are we going?” she asked once they had retrieved their horses and left the city behind them.

“East,” Maxum said shortly.

“East
where
?” she asked.

“We're going east. That's all you need to know.”

“That is not all I need to know. Where east? Why east? How far east? What will we do when we get east?”

He released a put-upon sigh. “We are going east to Docking Bay.”

“There, now was that so bad?” she asked smugly. “Why are we going to Docking Bay?”

“Why does anyone go to Docking Bay?” he countered wearily.

“To catch a boat?” she asked.

He glanced at her with a raised brow.

“So we're catching a boat. To where? How far is it? Why?”

“Enough! Enough questions!” he barked. “Keep quiet or I'll bind and gag you and you'll ride the rest of the way fanny up across my lap!”

“You wouldn't dare!”

“Wouldn't I?” he asked, the gleam in his eyes dangerous.

She swallowed noisily. “Fine. I'll stop asking questions. For now. But if you think I'm going to just blindly follow you you're sorely mistaken. I haven't kept my neck safe on my shoulders this long only to have you get me in trouble.”

“You're already in trouble,” he said. “Or have you forgotten how you got here and the agreement you made to stay?”

She blanched.

He really should let her off the hook, but he was enjoying putting her in her place too much to do so quite yet. Besides, he wasn't sure if he was going to let her out of her predicament completely. He rather liked the idea of having that sweet little backside all to himself.

He sighed.

No, he wouldn't do that. But still, it was fun to imagine. Especially when she was irritating him with a thousand questions.

Airi found herself fidgeting in her saddle frequently as they traveled the rest of the day. She knew they would eventually make camp and when that happened she would be forced to keep her end of the bargain. She was working her mind incessantly to try and think of what her next step should be. There was no way Hero could outrun the powerful stallion he was riding, and anyway there were no opportunities to escape along the way.

She had finally settled on a course of action by the time they had made camp. She could only hope it was enough to keep her out of trouble until they reached Docking Bay and she could make her escape.

“Make yourself useful,” he said. A pit of dread sank into her stomach. Useful how? She decided to build a fire.

She made up the fire from dead wood she found along the path of the forest they were riding through. She could wait until everyone was asleep and sneak away then, but there was only one way in and one way out on horseback and that was via the road. There was a good chance they'd catch up to her so that was not an option.

Kilon disappeared into the woods as she built the fire and returned a short time later with three xixi pheasants hanging from his belt. He dropped them unceremoniously in front of Airi and it was clear they wanted her to pluck and cook the birds while they kicked back and relaxed. As the sun set, Maxum disappeared from sight, having walked off into the deep woods for some unexplained reason.

She began the task without complaint. She had signed on for this, offering her skills. And more, she thought with a gulp. Maybe if she performed her other duties satisfactorily she could weasel her way out of her other expected services.

She plucked the birds, then went into the forest in search of wild herbs and vegetables. She asked for and received a tin pot and prepared the potatoes and mushrooms she'd found within it. The mem, the religious woman at the orphanage where she'd grown up, had taught her how to cook. It was a key skill for any woman, she had said. Of course, the mem had thought she was going to use the skill when she married and settled down. Airi snorted to herself. Like that would ever happen. She wasn't ever going to tie herself down to one place, never mind one man. Far too many men looked at women as their possessions. Someone to care for them and fuck them when needed and to keep quiet and out of sight the rest of the time.

Well, no thanks. She couldn't keep quiet if she tried. As was obvious all through dinner as she made nervous conversation with Maxum's men.

“So how long have you all been together?”

“A year or less,” Dru said. “I've known Maxum the longest. We set out on the road together from the moment we landed on the Black Continent. I was with Jaykun's army until then.”

“Who's Jaykun?”

“Maxum's brother. Anyway, we were on the road about a month when we came across Doisy. Then a few weeks later we met up with Kyno. A month after that Kilon. We've been together ever since.”

“And I gather from last night's celebrations that you've had a good deal of success together?”

“That's right,” Doisy said. “Some good treasure to be had in Maxum's company!”

The men agreed with a round of grunts. During the conversation she found out they'd had a great deal of success; if she could bear staying, five percent would net her a great deal indeed. By the time Maxum returned, sometime after juquil's hour, she was heavily weighing her options.

Maxum went to the fire and reached for what remained of the game birds. He sat across from her and watched her steadily as he ate. His regard felt lecherous to Airi. She shivered in the cool night air. Winter was coming soon. She needed to secure a warm place before the snow fell. Maybe she could barter passage on a boat heading south…or maybe she could find a job at an inn in Docking Bay. Something just to get her through the winter.

If only she could stay with Maxum's men without this idea of servicing their sexual needs hanging over her head. She could probably gain a small amount of prosperity if she stuck with them. It could be the turn in her fortunes she had been needing. Perhaps she could renegotiate the terms of their agreement, she thought.

But one look at the hungry way he was devouring her from across the way quickly dissolved that notion. As she narrowed her eyes on him she thought he looked freshly bruised along his cheekbones. As if he'd been punched in the face and broken his nose. There appeared to be dark circles under his eyes.

No. That had to be a trick of the firelight and darkness. How could he possibly have gotten into a fight all the way out here? Wouldn't he have said something about it?

He was still staring at her and she looked away, terribly discomforted.

Maxum was toying with her. It was cruel, he knew, but he couldn't seem to help himself. Of course, it wasn't all that hard for him to imagine himself taking advantage of that supple young body. He had come close to it the night before only to be denied in a cruel twist of fate. The fact that she had conned him hadn't seemed to put a damper on the way his body had wanted hers. Neither did hours of being crushed beneath the rock and soil. He had found himself a stream to wash up in after the dirt had spit him out, but he still felt the grime of it under his skin and he still was healing broken bones.

Still he wanted her. He had to admit that. His appetite for her had not waned. In fact, it seemed to be growing. Damn her for teasing him…for kissing him. He couldn't seem to forget the sweetness of her flavor, couldn't keep himself from wanting more.

But he wouldn't take her until they were on equal footing. He didn't want her to give herself to him because she felt she had no other choices. He would wait until she had some fortune in her pockets…until she no longer needed to be with them…until she only wanted to be with them. Then he might take her.

Might. He wasn't going to give it too much thought. He had other goals. Bedding a little thief should not be one of them. Bedding her would not get him what he needed.

Still, that didn't mean he couldn't entertain himself in the interim.

He made a show of stretching out and yawning.

“All right, boys. It's time for bed. Come on, little thief. You'll be sharing my bedroll tonight.”

He watched her pale in the firelight. She stood up and he could see her hands were shaking. But she took a deep breath and followed him to where he'd laid out his bedroll. He dropped down onto it and pulled off his boots. Other than that, he didn't disrobe. He never did when they were on the road. He wanted to be able to move at a moment's notice if needed. Sometimes he didn't even take his boots off. But he wanted to give her the impression he was undressing so he pulled his shirt free of his breeches.

The panicked look that entered her eyes almost made him laugh and give himself away. But he wanted to enjoy this to the last possible second. Payback for her stealing from him.

“I have my monthly woman's blood!” she blurted out suddenly.

He froze for a minute, absorbing the missile. Then he smiled and said, “So? I do not care. I am not squeamish about such things.”

He reached out for her and she yelped and jumped back. He grinned, enjoying himself a great deal.

“Come now, a bargain is a bargain. It's me or…if you'd prefer the rest of the men…” He trailed off meaningfully.

She looked from him to the other men. Doisy chose that moment to give in to a bout of flatulence. Kyno was picking at his nose. Kilon was scratching his ass. Maxum couldn't have orchestrated the moment any better. She deflated. “No,” she said glumly. “You'll do.”

He ought to have been insulted. And he was. But that didn't keep him from ringing an arm around her waist and jerking her forward, her small body thumping against his. Just the feel of her up against him was stimulating to him. He should tell her she was free of the promise to service him and his men, but he wasn't quite ready yet. He jerked her mouth beneath his and kissed her until she melted bonelessly in his arms. All the tension simply bled out of her and she went lax and sweet against him. Her mouth fell open and he readily took the invitation, slipping a searching tongue into her mouth.

Ah, damn she was sweet. There was just something about the way she tasted, so smooth and sultry and beckoning. He found himself wishing she hadn't stolen from him the night before, wishing they were on equal terms and he'd been able to bed her like he'd wanted to in that inn room.

Then she bit down on his tongue, kneed him in the crotch, and ran.

She reached Hero in a flash, throwing herself up onto his bare back. She heard a bellowing roar of pain and fury, but she didn't stop to look. She kicked Hero's sides and sent the horse bolting forward. So what if Hero's saddle, her saddlebags, and provisions were all on the ground by the bedroll she had laid out? She didn't care. She was getting out of there as fast as she could.

She was riding like the eight hells were yawning open to get her. She didn't look back once, which was why she wasn't expecting a hand to grab her at the back of her neck, seizing a fistful of her shirt and plucking her right off Hero's back.

She screamed and kicked and fought against him. She went for a dagger but only got it out of the sheath before he was wrenching her wrist and forcing her to drop it to the ground.

“Enough, you little hellcat! Enough!” he bellowed.

He dragged her across his lap, her fanny up in the air as he kneed the horse to a halt. He smacked a hand down hard on her buttocks and she yelped with pain and indignation.

“Let me go!” she cried, as she tried to wriggle away.

“If you'd shut up and sit still for two seconds we can put an end to this!” he roared.