A Hero's Bargain Read online

  He still looked tired, as if he should sleep the day away, but his blue eyes were bright and alert, gleaming at her with the inner fire he possessed.

  “Would you like tea as well?”

  He shook his head. “Didn’t we discuss what that tea does last night?”

  She gave him a loud, long-suffering sigh of feigned disgust. The tea wouldn’t do anything to or for him except taste pleasant and warm his belly unless he drank huge quantities of it. It was sometimes used in massive doses as a purgative.

  “We did. I would brew yours from different leaves.”

  He smiled at her and patted the bed again. “Tea would be nice, but I’d rather have you snuggled up to me than drink tea.”

  She couldn’t resist him for long. She didn’t want to resist him at all. Climbing back into a warm bed and the comfort of his embrace was an invitation she couldn’t refuse. Still, she’d fix him a cup of tea first.

  He swung his long legs from under the covers and sat on the edge of the bed. She finished pouring water over his tealeaves and pointed at the mug.

  “What are you doing? I thought you wanted me to come over there?” Her eyes trailed down his body to his turgid manhood. She really wanted to go over there now. Her nipples tingled and peaked. He saw.

  “I do want you to come over here. I told you that.” He pointed at the back door. “I need to slip out there first.”

  She shook her head and pointed at the bucket. “Use that.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Do not argue with me. If there is still blood, I need to know.” Stubborn man. Like all her patients, he felt better, so he argued with her.

  He stood, groaning and stretching. “This is the last time I humor you on this one, Saba.”

  She could agree with him with a clear conscience even knowing she may well have to renege. Healers often had to fib to their patients to achieve the desired results.

  “Very well. Now be about it. Your tea is ready.” She carried both mugs past him to the bed.

  “I don’t even get a kiss on your way by?” Amusement was evident in his voice. She sniffed and lifted her nose skyward. He chuckled, a low wicked sound that sent her pulse racing and made her suspect he had more than a mug of tea on his mind.

  He set about completing his mission, returning from outside with alacrity. His skin was chilled as he slipped back under the covers and accepted his mug.

  “It was all clear, angel. I wouldn’t kid you about it since you’re taking such good care of me.” Ryder blew on the hot liquid then sipped cautiously. “This is pretty good. It doesn’t taste like flowers.” He draped his arm around her shoulders and inched closer.

  “I’m glad you like it. Your tea will help cleanse the internal organs.” She leaned against him, soaking up his presence.

  Last night had been more than she’d ever hoped for, but now it was daylight and the time for some reckoning. She’d glimpsed Tyree sitting outside his hut last evening as they’d crossed the yard and refused to meet his gaze. He had to have surmised what had happened in the bathing chamber. They’d been in there long enough to take seven baths. Then they’d gone into her hut and closed the door and covered the windows. There was no way Tyree could not know.

  Tyree would visit her this morning and she would be firm with him, standing her ground. What was done was done. It had been her decision, and she didn’t regret making it or acting upon it.

  “I’m going to check my weapons this morning.” Ryder sipped his tea. “I’m not going to go errol hunting with them yet, so don’t get excited and run and tell Tyree.”

  Her heart stopped then began beating faster. Did he think to avoid Tyree this morning? Surely he knew that wouldn’t be possible.

  “Tyree will present himself here this morning. Do not doubt it. He will question you closely as to just when you are going to see if your weapons will help us.”

  “And he’ll just have to be patient.”

  “While others die?” she snapped at him. Ryder fixed her with a cool blue stare.

  “I’ve seen no one die, Saba. No one. I’ve not seen this creature. I’ve not even seen evidence of this creature. I’ve only got your word it exists.”

  Anger welled up in her, fed on desperation. How could she convince him, once and for all, the direness of their situation? Acid churned in her stomach.

  He had used her and she dare not let him know she knew it. While there was still the slightest chance he’d help them, she had to play her part and play it well. She swallowed the lump in her throat and made herself appear interested in her tea.

  Ryder’s arm tightened around her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I’ve got a lot of unanswered questions. I’ve still got a lot of weakness in my legs and stiffness in my back. The time hasn’t come, angel. You need to accept that.” His lips brushed her hair.

  The fact he spoke logically didn’t ease the pain around her heart. She gulped the last of her tea and slipped from the bed before he could finish his and suggest other activities. She could feel his gaze boring into her back as she sliced a few hunks of cheese off the round for their breakfast. Perhaps the hens would lay well today and she could fix eggs tomorrow.

  She placed the cheese, along with some bread and fruit, on a tray and carried it back to the bed, placing it between them. He picked up a slice of bread and tore it in half, offering her a piece. She reached for a hunk of cheese. His fingers closed around her wrist.

  “What’s wrong? What did I say?” His voice was soft but there was iron in it. She met his gaze.

  “There is nothing wrong. Eat. Then we’ll dress and open the door so Tyree can come and be angry with us.” She bit into her elppa and the juice dribbled down her chin.

  His eyes took on an angry glint. “Now you would lie to me, angel? All right. We’ll play it whatever way you like.”

  Ryder rose from the bed and pulled on his trousers. Before she could make her mouth move to say anything, he snatched up his pack and went out the door. She hopped up and quickly pulled on her pants and tunic, knowing Tyree watched for some sign that they were up and about for the day. She hastily smoothed the blankets on the bed then put on more water to heat in case Tyree would accept hot tea.

  She didn’t have long to wonder about Tyree. The sound of male voices drifted in through her open door. Tyree suggested he and Ryder walk to his hut. Ryder agreed and she was left to wonder about their conversation.

  * * * *

  Ryder fell into step beside Tyree, their strides well matched.

  “I’ve boots that may fit you,” Tyree offered him.

  “My thanks. If they don’t, I’m sure you can introduce me to the person capable of making me a pair.”

  “In time. My men are hunting for acapla, the beast whose hides we cure for leather.” He clapped Ryder on the back. “Be glad it’s the season of Wae and the ground is warming.”

  Ryder snorted. “I’ll be glad to get boots. I can’t go errol hunting without boots.”

  “I would not expect you to. I assume your weapons are in your pack?”

  “They are. We need to get a few things straight, Tyree.”

  They reached Tyree’s hut, and he pointed at the pair of carved chairs sitting beside the front door.

  “Sit, Ryder Vaughan, and tell me what I should know.”

  Ryder eased down into the chair, setting his pack on the ground and away from his host. There wasn’t any point in being too trusting, was there?

  “Here’s some truth for you, then. Saba tells me the errol kills. I’ve not seen anyone killed, or even maimed. I want proof this creature exists.”

  “Is my word not good enough?” There was no censure in Tyree’s voice. The headman was intelligent, and Ryder suspected whatever questions he posed would be anticipated, and the answers well thought out.

  “I don’t know you, or your people. For all I know, you’re making this up to get me to commit murder for you. That I won’t do.” Baiting Tyree was dangerous, but Ry
der needed to see how far the headman could be pushed.

  “You know Saba Duer. I think you know her very well.” Tyree leaned toward him, a cold glint in his clear gray eyes. “You have trespassed with Saba. I let you live and I do regret it.”

  Ryder wasn’t surprised his host felt that way. “Have you heard Saba say I’ve trespassed? When she tells me what we did was something she didn’t want, I’ll listen. But I’ll tell you that if she does say it, she’d be lying.”

  Tyree bristled. “Saba doesn’t lie. You dishonor her by suggesting she would. You do not deserve her.”

  That struck a nerve. Ryder knew he didn’t deserve her, and never would. But he’d never deliberately do anything to dishonor her. She’d wanted his bed. He’d not forced her.

  “And you do? If she wanted you, she’d have already been with you, and I know I was the first man to have her.”

  It was a step too far with the headman. The anger rolled off him in waves so thick, Ryder could feel it crackling in the air around them. Tyree leaned forward and spoke with deadly calm.

  “You will not touch her again. The price of your life is that you kill the errol. How you accomplish this I do not care. The errol is coming this way. If it stays on the path it’s on, it will be in the woods in three days. Then you will see for yourself, Ryder Vaughan.”

  Ryder matched Tyree’s pose. “You are correct on one thing, Tyree. I will see the errol for myself. Then I, and I alone, will decide if I murder for you. And you’re mistaken if you think I’ll stay away from Saba unless and until she tells me to.”

  “I am headman here. My word is law.”

  It was time to play a card. “I am not Ramalho. I live by a different law. A law that says to kill when your life isn’t in danger is wrong.”

  “Your life is in danger, my friend.”

  “Is that a threat, Tyree? If it’s, I urge you to reconsider.”

  Tyree’s jaw tightened. “It’s not a threat. It’s a warning. I won’t hesitate to kill you if I deem it in the best interest of my people.”

  “I was told the Ramalho do not murder.”

  “I would not consider it murder, outsider. I would consider it my duty.”

  Ryder met Tyree’s gaze without flinching. It was time he ended this farce of a conversation. He knew, beyond doubt, that if Tyree came after him it would be over Saba, and only Saba. He knew—man to man—and he could see that Tyree knew he saw it.

  He picked up his pack and stood, preparing to leave Tyree’s hospitality.

  “I’m harder to kill than you would think. And if you kill me, Saba will call it murder. She will be lost to you forever. Remember that, headman.”

  Chapter 16

  Ryder slipped though the village gate and cautiously made his way into the woods. He should have gotten the boots before he pissed off Tyree. He stopped just far enough inside the trees so as not to be too visible to anyone the headman might have sent to watch him. Finding a suitable rock, he sat down and opened his pack and removed his stunner and the larger, more lethal Eliminator. Both could kill, but the Eliminator vaporized whatever it hit. He’d never used it outside of target practice or competition events.

  Somehow having a ninety-two percent competitive hit ranking didn’t feel important any longer.

  He checked the safety on each weapon and laid them in a patch of sun. They both carried about half-power. Solar charged, it wouldn’t take long for them to get to maximum load. He leaned over, propped his elbows on his knees, and dropped his head into his hands.

  Deliberate killing was so far outside of who he was that just the idea made his guts churn. There had to be a way to reason with the errol, and it didn’t sound like the Ramalho had tried to discover it. But what did he know about reason? Hell, he couldn’t even reason with one stubborn, pigheaded woman.

  He’d better find a way to reason with her, and fast. He’d seen the look on her face this morning. Hurt.

  That’s what honesty did for him—it hurt the ones he cared about—but it was still the best plan around. Saba was quite intelligent. She’d think about what he’d said and come to understand it, or so he hoped.

  A movement on the edge of his vision snapped him to attention. He slowly wrapped his fingers around the stunner. A slender blond-haired woman was walking toward him. She saw him and stopped, her hand rising to cover her heart. She started, recognizing him, then continued coming up the path. He took his hand off the weapon.

  She halted in front of him and smiled. “You are not the errol.”

  “Neither are you.” Ryder smiled up at her. He knew the voice. She’d been there when Saba had tended him. “I thank you for your part in saving my life.”

  She looked surprised. “You remember me?”

  “Yes. I don’t know your name, though.”

  “Jennica Pendain, Saba’s aunt.”

  He held out his hand to her. She looked at it, confused. “I’m Ryder Vaughan, but I suspect you know that.” He turned his hand palm up. “It’s called a handshake and it’s just something we do where I come from. Don’t worry about it.”

  Jennica sat on the rock beside him. “Saba fears you won’t help us.”

  “Saba misunderstands. I tried to tell her, but she wouldn’t listen. I will help your people if I can, but I’ve yet to see this creature. No one can tell me if the Ramalho tried to communicate with it.” He gusted out a deep breath. “I’ve got a lot of unanswered questions and all Saba, and Tyree for that matter, can say is ‘kill it’. For a peaceful people, that makes little sense to me.”

  “We did try to communicate with it. I’m sure I know why Saba didn’t tell you about our attempts.”

  Ryder looked at her. She was a pretty woman with her flaxen hair and huge green eyes, and yet she didn’t stir him the way Saba did. Those green eyes watched him with uncertainty. She knew one of Saba’s secrets—she didn’t know if she should tell him. He had to know and would pry it out of her by any means necessary.

  “Jennica, anything you can tell me, anything at all, would be appreciated. I’ve got to learn all I can or I won’t be able to help you.”

  “I know. Don’t be angry with Saba for not telling you. Promise me?”

  Now wasn’t the time to tell lies to these people, but he would if forced to it. “That’s not fair.”

  “No, it’s not. But it’s my price for telling you.”

  He was boxed in. What choice did he have but to agree? “Okay. I won’t be angry with her. Tell me.”

  Jennica took a deep breath and looked away. “I don’t know where to start. Forgive me if I don’t seem to make sense.” She looked around as if checking to make sure they were alone, and then started her story.

  “When the errol came, we were not sure what to do. We have legends of wanderers coming from the heavens in fantastic vessels that fly. My mother’s father was said to be such a man. We saw the fireball and we went looking. We were sure nothing could have survived in the wreckage we found.”

  “But something did.”

  She nodded. “We didn’t know that at first, for we found no one. Then we started to notice that every few weeks livestock would go missing. We never found remains so we were confused. The larger predators would have left a carcass, but our animals rarely wander, so what should we think?” She paused and took another deep breath.

  “Then one day a group of the women were out gathering. Saba’s mother wandered farther than the others. When it was time to go back to the village, Saba went looking for Kalsie. We heard the screaming and ran to them as fast as we could. It was too late. The creature had already killed my sister and would have killed Saba as well had we not appeared. The men immediately attacked it and left it for dead. Only it didn’t die. It lived and we’d made it angry. It has been attacking us ever since.” Jennica paused, a faraway expression on her face.

  “So you see, it’s real. It’s a threat to us. What would you have Saba tell you? I am not sure she remembers that day clearly, so please do not bring it back to
her. Do not make her relive it. I beg you.” She laid her hand over his. “Please believe me when I tell you there is no other choice but for the creature to die.”

  Ryder stared into the woods for several moments then looked back at Jennica.

  “Tell me the rest of it. Tell me what Tyree doesn’t want me to know.”

  She nodded and began.

  * * * *

  Ryder watched Jennica walk away, numb from what she’d told him. Saba had given him no indication she’d been that close to the creature. She’d never given him any reason to believe she herself had seen it kill. Gods. To see it kill her own mother and say nothing? Why?

  Was Jennica correct that Saba’s memories of that day were unreliable? He could certainly understand how that could be. His own memories of crashing here were sketchy at best.

  But not tell him? She’d shared her bed and her body with him. Why not give him what she did remember? He pushed down a burst of anger. Was not confiding in him some sort of test? Tyree certainly could have told him.

  Or was it just that he was still a stranger among them? Saba’s pain could even now be so great she couldn’t tell him, not yet. If he wanted a life with her, and gods help him he did, he had to be careful of pushing her.

  It all boiled down to the fact he still had more questions than answers. And the questions were growing exponentially.

  One thing was clear. The creature was sentient. It knew who had hurt it and it sought revenge. Its brain was capable of reason.

  But Saba’s mother? He still felt the loss of his own mother’s passing more than fifteen years ago. Her passing had been peaceful, not brutal. He couldn’t even imagine how Saba had been affected.

  Well, he wasn’t accomplishing what he’d set out to do. He picked up the stunner and checked the setting. He looked about for a small animal of some sort and spotted a little furry…something. It vaguely looked like a rabbit. With the stunner on the lowest setting, he pointed and pulled the trigger. The rabbit didn’t even flinch.

  Ryder upped the setting and shot again. Still nothing.