Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Colm came awake suddenly.
What had woken him? He took a second to take in the warm woman snuggled in his arms, the warm fur wrapped around them. He breathed deep, drawing in the sweet smell of her. Honor.
But his nanami were vibrating.
He’d known his nanami would warn him of anything approaching. That was the only reason he’d allowed himself to sleep. He let them expand, his senses moving outward.
He heard sounds. The scrape of something—a foot?—on ice. A quiet grunt. An answering grunt.
He shook Honor awake. “Get dressed,” he said on a soft breath.
She sat up, pushing her hair from her face. She blinked at him, and his serious look must have gotten through. She jumped to her feet and grabbed her clothes. She pulled on her pants and shirt, then tugged the bottom of her enviro suit on, and strapped the top of it to her backpack.
Colm felt a brief sting of disappointment as she covered her naked body, but he pushed it away. Now was not the time for those thoughts. After he dressed, he helped her stuff their belongings in their bags. He snatched up his coat and tied it to his backpack.
“What’s going on?” she whispered.
“We have company.”
With his hand, he gestured for her to head out into the tunnel. To the right, it was easy to hear that someone, or something, was coming.
Together, they turned left and quietly slipped deeper into the tunnels.
Finally, after putting some distance between them and their mysterious visitors, Honor grabbed his arm.
“Who was it?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I couldn’t see. But I believe the question to ask is ‘what was it?’”
“So not the pirates. Why are you so worried, Colm?”
“It wasn’t wolves, Honor. Whatever they were, they were searching. And they were communicating.”
“Shit.” A line creased her brow. “An intelligent species?”
“Maybe. For now, we keep moving, and put as much distance between them and us as we can.”
They snaked their way through the twisting ice tunnels. Every now and then, Colm stopped and strained to hear something. Nothing.
He’d just decided they were safe, when faint sounds reached him again.
“I can hear grunts. They’re following us.”
Honor tilted her head. “I can’t hear anything. But I trust you.”
Hearing those words made his chest go tight. He knew she was a woman who didn’t trust lightly. To have a woman like Honor’s trust meant the world to him.
The grunts got closer and louder.
Her eyes widened. “I can hear that.”
“Run.”
They sprinted down the tunnel. Moving so fast meant that at times they both slipped on the slick ice, but they kept moving.
They were deep into the ice tunnels now. Finding a way out would be tricky. But for now, he focused on evading their pursuers and keeping Honor safe.
They turned a sharp corner, and ahead, a huge, white creature appeared.
Colm cursed, and he and Honor skidded to a halt. He took a second to take in the white fur on the massive humanoid body.
The creature roared at them.
Colm drew his sword. Protect Honor. That single imperative beat inside him. Protect Honor.
His nanami flooded him with energy, more than he’d ever felt before.
He charged at the beast. It let out another roar and charged to meet him.
The beast swung out with sharp claws. Colm ducked and thrust his sword forward.
He felt the sting of claws on his chest. He saw the spurt of red blood on the creature’s side, bright against the white fur.
Ignoring the sting of his wounds, he attacked again.
Three more thrusts of his sword and the creature fell, collapsing onto the icy floor.
He stepped back, dragging in air. Power raged through him, and he couldn’t rein it in.
“God.” Honor appeared, clutching her pistol. “More are coming, Colm.”
Let them come. He wanted to shed more blood. His hand curled around his sword.
“Colm?” She stepped in front of him, her worried gaze on his face. “What’s wrong? We need to go.”
Why was she questioning him? He was a warrior. He knew how to fight. He felt his hearts drumming in his chest, a muscle ticking beneath his eye, rage flooding his veins.
Was this how his father had felt?
Colm froze.
“Colm?” Her voice edged with concern. “Tell me what’s wrong?”
“No…control. Move away.”
Her eyes narrowed and she stepped closer. “You are the most controlled man I know.” She pressed her hands to his cheeks. “Let me help you. What can I do?”
Just the warm touch of her seemed to help. It seeped into him, and he managed to draw a deep breath into his chest.
“I feel better.” Now he could hear the grunts and snarls approaching them quickly. He grabbed her arm and pulled her forward. “Come.”
They ran again. The sounds of the creatures echoed down the tunnels.
Honor and Colm rushed out of a tunnel and into a huge ice cavern. The white-blue walls glittered and the ceiling was a huge dome above them.
“Over there.” She pointed across the cavern. “We can climb the wall. It’s cracked, so we should be able to find toe and hand holds.” She smiled at him. “I hope you can climb, warrior.”
They reached the wall and he watched her start upward. She didn’t rush, taking her time to find cracks to jam her feet and hands into.
Colm took a breath and followed her.
A few times, his hands slipped. The wall was slick; some of the cracks couldn’t hold his greater weight and crumbled. Above him, Honor looked like a Markarian monkey. Damn, she was good.
“Come on, Colm. Almost there.”
Finally, he pulled himself onto a high ledge beside Honor. He saw another tunnel entrance nearby. Quickly, he reached out and touched her face, just to reassure himself she was okay.
She pressed her palm over his hand, turned her face into his touch.
“You okay?” she asked.
He nodded. He was. For the moment.
Then he heard noises below. He pulled back, holding a finger to his mouth. Together, they leaned over and looked down.
Five of the white-furred creatures had entered the cavern below. Even from up high, they looked huge. Their fur was thick and covered every part of their body. The lead beast moved around the cavern, searching, sniffing.
If these things were what Colm thought they were, he knew they’d have an excellent sense of smell.
“We need to keep moving.”
The creature reached the base of the wall they’d climbed. And looked up.
Colm saw dark eyes lock with his. He ducked back, away from the ledge. “Go. Into the tunnel.”
Honor scrambled up and into the tunnel. Side-by-side, they carried on.
“So, more than the wolves call Ansar home,” she said. “Do you have creatures like these ones on Markaria?”
He shook his head. “But we used to.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“They look like early Markarians. Like my ancestors.”
Her eyes widened. “Before you had nanami? Before the First Warriors bred human DNA into them?”
“Yes. These creatures are similar. They just appear to be adapted for the cold weather. Instead of the bronze skin, they have fur.”
She slowed to a stop and put her hands on her hips. “Okay. So what do we need to know about them?”
“They are wild, beast-like, and excellent hunters.” He met her gaze. “Meat eaters.”
She groaned. “All right, let’s keep moving.” She looked at her watch. “We still have several hours until the storm dissipates and we can go topside.”
Colm reached out and touched the nape of her neck. “You don’t mind…that I come from something like those beasts hunting us?”
She touched his chest. “Warrior, that’s a stupid question. You’re part human, as well. You make the choices in your life to be good, be bad, protect, hurt. Those creatures don’t have that capability.”
Her words reminded him that one day he would no longer have that capability either.
“What?” she demanded.
He saw her watching him. “I am closer to those beasts than you think.” He shook his head. “We need to keep going.”
She looked like she wanted to demand more explanation, but she fell into step beside him. “Colm?”
He tensed. “Yes?”
“I don’t mind being stuck in ice tunnels, hunted by wild beasts, stranded on an icy moon, and lost in barbarian space as long as I’m with you.” Her tone was soft.
The feelings that moved within were a mess of savage satisfaction, hope, anger, and despair. He felt the connection between them, knew his nanami had been telling him this from the moment he’d met her.
Honor was his.
He dropped his hand and stepped back. And he could never claim her.
“Let’s go.”
Trekking through the ice tunnels, Honor could feel the tension throbbing off Colm.
“Colm, talk to me.”
She saw a muscle working in his jaw, but he stubbornly remained silent.
She stopped. “I’m not taking another step until you tell me what’s wrong with you. I know you’re hiding something?—”
“My nanami…they have slipped my control. Seeing you threatened has them riled.”
“I’m fine.” She nudged him with her elbow. “And I can take care of myself, remember?”
He stopped and looked down at her. “I know, my little warrior, but that doesn’t change my need to protect you.”
Quiet fell between them and all she could hear was the rapid beating of her heart. “Do you…do you feel that way about all the women who share your bed?”
“No.”
His answer warmed something deep inside her.
They walked on, taking twists and turns through the tunnels. As they came to a junction, she saw him cock his head.
“What is it?”
“They’re coming.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her forward.
They broke into a run, sprinting down the ice tunnel. Honor took the lead, glancing back periodically to see if she could spot their pursuers. She turned a corner, and the solid ice beneath her feet disappeared. She landed waist-deep in icy, slushy water.
“Honor!” Colm roared.
The water had chunks of ice floating in it and she felt the cold seeping in through her clothes. It was frigid.
Gasping, she fought to get back to the edge, but there was a small current. The water was pulling her away from Colm.