Forsaken Realms (Bounty Hunters United Book 1) (9 page)

A heartbeat later, she sobered and pulled away. “What am I doing?”

Syan drew away with a look of regret. “Gemmina, I was getting ready to warn you that, if we kissed, our bond would deepen.”

Her head spun. “Kissing tends to do that.”

“I meant to tell you that Kironian saliva has pheromones that will make you crave more. I love your kiss. I want to kiss you, and I couldn’t resist, but now I feel guilty about biting you and making you do these things against your will. I wish this had happened on its own—willingly.”

She shrank. “We got off on the wrong foot. There’s no doubt about that, but you’ve saved my life and been patient with me—while I know I’ve not been very nice to you.”

“You’re uncomfortable accepting anyone’s help, and you certainly don’t want to care about anyone. I know this about you. I saw it, and it makes me feel even worse about what I’ve done.”

“I’m pretty sure that, claim-bite or not, I would still want to kiss you, but I need to be on guard around you. Above all, I have to behave like a professional. It’s important to me.”

“Gemmina, I know by your standards we are strangers but Kironians are different—we know our mates on sight. You are a perfect match for me. I knew even under sedation and after taking a beating from Naveen’s guards, when I was dragged toward your ship, and I first saw you—I felt so much hope. I thought who is this beautiful woman? She can’t be one of them. This is something special. Perhaps she is for me? Now I’ve ruined things by acting too quickly and taking away your free will. I’ll never know if you would have chosen me on your own.”

“You were trying to avoid being cryptoerased, which sounds like something horrible that would frighten anyone. I understand, and I can let it go.”

”There’s something more. I’ve searched your memories and thoughts, and I have mixed feelings about what I have found.”

A jolt of dread rocked her. The lingering fear that something was missing and she wasn’t good enough had always haunted her. “What did you see?”

“It was not right for me to force emotions and desires on you that were not your own. If I had left you alone, you would have behaved professionally toward me, which I now understand is part of your integrity, and quite admirable. Deep down, you do not trust, and you don’t want to give into love. I see that now.”

She was stunned by what he said and felt vaguely condemned by it. It wasn’t entirely true. She loved the rowdy streets of New Mumbai on festival days. The sights, noise, and crush of a crowd were exhilarating. Love had come to her in the form of a few stray dogs and cats that she’d cared for far more than she should have, and she cried her eyes out when they disappeared into the city or simply ran away. Even riskier, she’d loved and worried over a few street children who vividly mirrored her past to her and even managed to find a couple of them real homes. The thrill of hunting hardcore criminals and bringing them to justice was something she savored. A few lovers had won her affections as well, but she always held them at a safe distance so she wouldn’t feel devastated once they got the message she wouldn’t gamble her heart and moved on.

Syan drank more bava and cast the empty chunk of vine aside. “Gemmina, what I said was not a judgment. It is merely an observation. You are a woman who cannot be rushed, manipulated or tricked into anything. That is a good thing.”

But was it? Maybe she needed something like this; a personal confrontation so big and unavoidable it shattered her own self-made little cage that kept her heart safe but lonely. “I’m glad I kissed you. I don’t regret it.”

A flicker of elation shone in his eyes. “I’m happy to hear that. Perhaps after the strongest effects of my bite pass and you are able to think clearly for yourself, we can start fresh.”

“How long will that take?”

“I am unsure about a human, but a Kironian female feels the effects for at least three days. What you would call a long weekend. A claim-bite gives a male a chance to make an impression and prove himself to a potential mate. Of course, we are civilized now and do not bite strangers without consent.”

“But you did.”

Syan’s gaze dropped. “And I am ashamed of it.”

“Let’s skip the shame for now okay? To be honest, I don’t feel that my judgment is impaired. I freely admit I like you. You’re a great guy, perfect actually, and I’m pretty sure I would have felt attracted to you regardless. Maybe Kironian love-bites don’t work on humans, and this is really how I feel?”

“They are called claim-bites,” he gently corrected. “Wait until dark.”

“What do you mean?”

“The pheromones are sensitive to your body chemistry and will become active at dusk.”

“But it's afternoon. I’m feeling a little buzzed now.”

He pointed at the dense canopy overhead. “We’re in the shade. See how little light reaches the ground? Once it’s actually dark, we’ll have to be extra careful.”

This wasn’t going to be easy. Thoughts of running her fingers through his hair and touching his skin were hijacking her at every turn.

Syan picked up the discarded top of his pressure suit, thrust his arms through the sleeves, and pulled it over his head. In a single fluid motion, his beautiful chest and shambu were covered. For a fleeting moment, she had the intense certainty he was thinking of undressing her slowly kissing her bare shoulders and delivering a playful nip her throat. The thought was so sweet and fiery it almost stung when he snatched it away and consciously masked his thoughts. In a flash it felt as if a psychic door had been slammed in her face.

“That’s what I mean about being extra careful.” He looked away. “It will soon be almost impossible to avoid being pulled into each other’s thoughts. But be vigilant and try not to give in to temptation.”

She stepped forward, crunching leaves beneath her boots. “You mean like that old-fashioned saying, ‘don’t think of pink elephants.’”

The tense set of his jaw made him appear comically determined. “Why would I think of pink elephants? I’m not even certain what they are.”

“It’s just a saying, and, for the record, pink elephants don’t exist.”

A look of utter confusion clouded his face. “Then why are we are talking about them?”

“I don’t know.” A burst of laugher flew out of her. “We shouldn’t be thinking of sexual stuff.”

Syan laughed too, and his whole face lit. “You’re right. I won’t be able to walk.”

“Speaking of which, how far do you think Naveen’s compound is? I have a strong sense of the direction, but I can’t get a fix on the exact distance.”

“It is difficult to say. This jungle is dense. Fortunately we didn’t drift that far after the crash.” With expressive hands he pantomimed a swooping motion. “We went up and came straight down. I got a good look at the coastline before we splashed into the sea. I would guess we have at least two and half days of walking, maybe more.”

“That much? Tonight we’ll have to camp somewhere out here and hope to God we don’t show up on anybody’s surveillance scanner.”

The packs were tossed over his shoulders, and he resumed hacking the machete against the brush, blazing a path for her to follow. “I will find a safe place for us to camp.”

“I could do that too.”

A quick glance over his shoulder and a confident grin was his immediate response. “If you would like to pick our campsite that would be fine with me.”

His agreement came so easily it seemed too good to be true. “You would trust my judgment?”

“Yes.”

“No input of your own?”

“It is not necessary.”

“You’re not going to argue about it?”

“No.”

She paused. “What if I choose a terrible site?”

Hack, hack, hack.
His arm was as precise as a chainsaw.  “You won’t.”

“But I could, and, if I did, would you speak up?”

The hacking continued undeterred. “If it did not pose an immediate danger to us, probably not.”

Provoked by his casual attitude, she persisted. “But you would think it was a bad decision and say nothing. Eventually, I’d read your mind and see your true opinion that way.”

Syan nodded. “Yes.”

“You would deliberately allow me to make a bad decision?”

Even as he spoke, he executed each machete strike with machine-like rhythm. “I would allow you to make a neutral decision and say nothing.”

“Is that the best choice?”

“Yes.” He was panting from exertion.

“You’re going to keep agreeing with me no matter what I say aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because you can’t help what you’re doing.”

She balked. “I can’t help being disagreeable? Did you really mean to say that?”

“Yes.”

“This is so difficult because I feel super-agitated, like all I want to do is argue with you. You know, work up a head of steam and get a good confrontation going. I’m dying to wrestle you to the ground, rip the clothes off you, and spank your naked ass.”

He groaned and came to a halt. The machete was dropped to the ground as he turned. “Gemmina.” He reached for the sides of her face and gazed down at her with loving eyes. “These feelings are not your fault. The bite causes a rise in aggression and will make you crave physical confrontation if nothing else. Let’s try not to fight with each other.” With tenderness he leaned down and kissed the top of her head, allowing the gentle swell of his lips to linger. “By the way those thoughts are mine. I would love to spank and play hard just to get my hands on you. I’m struggling not to do those things. So let’s go easy with each other, all right?”

A horribly conflicted mix of emotions gripped her—joy that he wanted her, a desire to give in, and bitter disappointment that surrendering to these urges was absolutely out of the question. It was challenging to resist the intense impulses that had hijacked her, and she wasn’t certain she could handle what was coming.  “I’m losing it. I feel like I’m going crazy.”

“I will try to do a better job of masking my thoughts so that they will not be so present in your mind.” He picked up the gear and resumed clearing a path through the brush. “How did you become a bounty hunter?”

The thought of being held naked on Syan’s lap and spanked was burning a scorching hot hole through her brain. “Do you really care or is the question meant to be a distraction?”

“Both.”

“Kironians are natural diplomats, aren’t they?”

“It is true that we are happiest when everyone gets along.”

“That must be nice.”

“It wasn’t always that way. The Kironians were once fierce warriors who fought to the death over petty things.”

Gemmina looked him over loving what she saw. “Well, you haven’t gone soft. You still look like a warrior.”

His lashes dipped. “Thank you. The clan of Syan reaches into distant Kironian history. I am a descendent of the only family allowed to use that noble name, but I don’t want to talk about myself. I want to know more about you.”

“My story may not interest you.”

“It will.”

“I was abandoned on the streets of New Mumbai.”

“No mother or father?”

Uneasy feelings rose within her. This was a subject she hated to discuss. “No one I remember. I was left at a police station actually. I was later told they thought I was about two-years old, but they weren’t sure. A police officer, a woman who had no children of her own, was kind to me. Unofficially she took me in. I lived with her for many years.”

“What was her name?”

“Devi. She was loud, funny, and fearless. Devi liked people and wanted to trust everyone. Considering her line of work, that was probably a mistake. One day while trying to help a shopkeeper who had been robbed, she chased a bandit into an alleyway and was shot and killed. The thief’s friends helped him get away. I was twelve at the time and found myself on the street. I quickly got into trouble. My life got tangled with some of the same people who had ended Devi’s life. It was shameful, but it happened. We have a saying in my old neighborhood, ‘when you slip, you fall in muck’, and that’s what happened to me.”

Syan did not turn to speak. “But you were a child. You don’t blame yourself do you?”

“I did, but things got better. One day a man asked me for help catching these criminals. At first I did not trust him. It sounded too good to be true. The man wasn’t an official policeman but he seemed ethical and lived on the right side of the law. His name was Von and he called himself a bounty hunter. I offered him some useful information that led to the capture of an awful man who exploited street children. I helped put that man in prison. It felt good to be useful and help someone else. I got hooked. That was when I gave myself a new name and changed my life.”

“You became a bounty hunter, too?”

“Yes, but much later. I helped the bounty hunters of New Mumbai in an unofficial way for several years, but, as soon I was old enough to be weapons certified and licensed, I joined their ranks.”

“The first man you helped put in prison, what did he do?”

“I don’t like thinking about it. It used to give me nightmares. The man was an ugly old creature obsessed with youth and living forever. The street children of New Mumbai were used as a private DNA bank for himself and wealthy clients. His name was Pindu Vindomar, and he was selfish and disgusting. Many of the children he preyed upon were left scarred and traumatized. I am proud we stopped him.”

“It sounds like a back alley version of Jason Naveen.”

The hairs stood on her arms. “Why did you mention that?”

“There are similarities, except Jason Naveen was exploiting the DNA of an entire planet.”

“Do you have proof of that? I’m inclined to believe you, but these are huge accusations. This is too important to tackle half way. If we want the outside world to listen to our story and take it seriously, we have to convince them beyond doubt that Jason Naveen is responsible for what happened on Sarna. To be honest, I don’t even know if anything happened at all. All I saw was an image on a screen, and imagery can be faked.”

“It happened.” Syan sneered. “This is the evidence.”

“What evidence?”