what happened, she wouldn't leave him. His mind needed to
be focused on what lay ahead. not what might happen behind
him. He reached for the handle with his left hand and
Alex drew a deep breath and held it, her heart racing and her
pulse skittering. She didn't hear the door open, but she felt
the rush of air.
And then reality twisted and shifted, the images and realization.
somehow both lightning fast and excruciatingly slow
as they tumbled, in heart-wrenching detail, one over the other.
Aiden, his gun in hand, searching in the shadows. The quick
movement on his left. Aiden's curse. Hanuman. His clothes
bloodied, his face contorted with rage and determination. The
feral snarl, the dull glint of bloody steel as he charged Aiden.
"No!" she shouted in Hindi, dashing from behind her
horse. "It's me you want!"
The hatred in his eyes as his gaze met hers, as he turned
the direction of his attack. The bright fire of explosion and
the choking smoke. And Hanuman staggering backward, the
rage still in his eyes, the blade arcing harmlessly down and
then slipping from his fingers as the darkness spread across
the center of his chest.
As he crumpled into the straw, time clicked and settled.
Perception, however, remained slightly askew. Alex couldn't
feel herself moving, but could see that she was. She could
hear her heart thundering, but it seemed to come from a
great distance. Hanuman lay sprawled on the floor, gazing
up at the rafters. his vision unfocused, his breathing shallow
and irregular, each labored exhalation producing a bubble of
blood between his lips. Her uncle, she realized dully. Her
uncle had meant to kill her, to kill Aiden to get to her.
She watched as Aiden kicked the sword away and knelt
down to snatch Hanuman's blood-soaked shirtfront with his
free hand. Lifting the limp form slightly, he leaned forward
to growl, "Where's Vadeen?"
A haunted look and another bubble of blood were
Hanuman's only response. Aiden lowered him back to the
floor and rose to his feet. "Look in that line of stalls, Alex,"
be instructed, pointing to those on his left as he quickly
moved to check those on his right. "He's here or close by."
She went, mindlessly and mechanically, vaguely aware of
Hanuman's sudden silence and her stomach coldly churning.
The mercy of the dullness ended suddenly as she pulled
open a stall door and gazed down on the slashed and bloodied
Indian propped against the inside wall.
''Aiden!'' she called, dropping to her knees and pressing
her fingers to the side of the man's neck, desperately searching
for the telltale thrum of life. It was there; just barely. His
eyelids fluttered and opened just as Aiden slid into the stall
and went to his knees beside her.
"Christ Almighty," he said softly, as he made a quick inspection
of the wounds to his arm, legs, and side. Vadeen
dragged a breath through his clenched teeth and tried to
straighten his back.
"No, don't move," Aiden commanded, pressing his shoulder
back against the wall. ''Where's the closest physician,
Alex?"
"Six blocks."
He stripped off his jacket and thrust it at her, saying as he
rose to his feet, "Stanch the worst of the bleeding while I
hitch the carriage."
He was gone in the next second. Over the sound of his getting
the horses from their stalls, Alex righted his jacket and
surveyed Vadeen's leg. Going clear to the bone, it was, by far,
the worst of his injuries. If he lived, he might never walk right
again.
"Hanu-"
''Aiden finished the task you began;' she assured him in
Hindi. “All is well. We're taking you to a doctor. This is going
to hurt, Vadeen, and I'm sorry to add to your pain, but I must
or you'll bleed to death."
He nodded and sucked one hard breath as she tied the
sleeve of Aiden's coat hard over the cut that had opened his
upper thigh from one side to the other. And then, thankfully,
he went limp and his awareness of the pain passed into the
oblivion of unconsciousness.
"Mr. Terrell!"
Sawyer. In the doorway and sounding as though he'd
sprinted from the house.
"We're all right," Aiden replied over the sound of clinking
tack while Alex tore off the shredded lower portion of
Vadeen's pant leg and used it to bind the gaping wound on
his right arm. "And that bastard deserved to die. Kindly drag
his body out of the way for me."
"What else can I do, sir?"
"Keep Preeya and Mohan out of here," Aiden answered
crisply. "In fact, take Preeya into the house and don't let either
one of them out of your sight until we get back. Here," he
added. "Take this and don't think twice about using it if you
have to."
Alex was removing what was left of Vadeen's sleeve and
puzzling that part of the exchange when Aiden snorted. "For
God's sake, man, hold it firmly by the butt and at least look
like you know what you're doing with it."
Aiden had given him the gun, she realized as she packed
the fabric into the grisly gash on Vadeen's side and Sawyer
asked, "And where are you going, sir?"
"Tell Preeya we'll be late for dinner," was the only answer
the man got.
"Very good, sir."
The horses snorted and pawed and then there was the
heavy slap of leather against wood. In the next second Aiden
was striding into the stall. "Good," he muttered, reaching
down and sliding his arms under Vadeen's. "He's not going
to feel the rough handling."
Alex watched in amazement as Aiden hefted the man's
dead weight up the stall wall and then bent down to plant his
shoulder in his midsection. Vadeen groaned as he was bent
double and pulled over Aiden's shoulder. She trotted after
him and then dashed ahead to open the carriage door before
he reached it.
Depositing Vadeen on the front-facing seat, he stepped
back and vaulted out to stand in front of her. "What the hell
were you thinking, Alex?" he demanded, his eyes flashing
with anger. "I told you to keep that horse between you and
the barn. Were you trying to get yourself killed?"
"Better me than you," she replied honestly.
He rocked back on his heels and then instantly leaned
forward, his brows knitted. "I could turn you over my goddamn
knee," he seethed. "Don't you ever do anything like
that again. Do you hear me?"
"Yes, I hear you," she countered, her own anger flaring
and her hands going to her hips as she met his gaze unflinchingly.
"But it doesn't mean that I'm going to blithely
obey."
He swallowed and the muscles in his jaw ticked furiously.
"When we're alone tonight," he said evenly, emphatically,
''you and I are going to have our first significant row."
"Good," she retorted, pushing past him and hopping up
onto the step. "I'm looking
forward to it."
He caught her around the waist and hauled her hard against
him. "Fair warning," he whispered. "I'm going to win."
His kiss was fierce and harshly, utterly consuming. And
beneath the heat of his anger, she felt not only the eddying
currents of his fear and his relief, but also the depth of his
caring. It was a precious gift she'd thought she'd never receive
and with a grateful sob she accepted it, melting into
him and surrendering.
He set her from him as abruptly and roughly as he'd
seized her. "We're Dot done discussing it, Alex," he warned.
Ah, but the sparks in his eyes weren't just those of anger
anymore. Desire and amusement flickered there, as well.
She turned and climbed into the coach, saying, "I'm willing
only if you promise to kiss me like that again."
Grinning and shaking his head, he closed the door behind
her.
God, if he hadn't known before that Alex had a backbone of
steel, the last few hours would have Convinced him of the
fact. Both he and the doctor had tried to send her out of the
surgery, but she'd adamantly refused. And then scrubbed her
hands and lent her strength and resolve to the suturing and
bandaging. Aiden had seen some men faint dead away at less,
seen others heave the contents of their stomachs on their feet.
But not Alex. Her dress was ruined, stained with Vadeen's
blood, and she didn't care. Her hands had cramped from the
exhaustion of holding the tom flesh in place while the doctor
sewed the wounds closed and all she'd done was silently flex
her fingers before moving on to the next. Vadeen had cried
out in pain and she'd tenderly spooned the opium tincture
into him and whispered encouragement until the drug dulled
the edges of his pain. And now ... Now she was bearing a
fair portion of Vadeen's weight as they gingerly guided him
toward the rear door of the Blue Elephant.
"It is not appropriate," Vadeen said with a lopsided, drug induced
smile, "for a princess to assist a man in walking."
''And it is appropriate," she countered, "for her to stand
idly by and let him fall flat on his face?"
Aiden chuckled. "Surrender the point now, Vadeen, and
get it done. You're in no condition to use the only tactics that
will win the contest. And if you were and did, I'd kill you.
I'd rather not have to do that."
His head lolled on his shoulders as he tried to turn it to
look at him. "You have tolerated much, Aiden."
"Don't tell her, but I really haven't been all that miserable."
He stopped as a sudden realization struck. ''The peacocks."
Alex looked back over her shoulder. "They're gone."
Thank you, Aiden offered up to the stars. ''The neighbors
must have finally had enough and taken matters into their
own hands," he ventured. "Frankly, I'm surprised they didn't
dispatch them long before now. Lord knows, I've been
tempted."
"They do smell good," Vadeen contributed, grinning.
"Have you ever eaten roasted peacock, Aiden?"
"Can't say that I have," he admitted, starting them forward
again and wondering why he hadn't noticed the silence
and the delicious scent the moment he'd driven into the yard.
It was almost as though, with the death of Hanuman and the
doctor's assurance that Vadeen would live, the larger part of
his brain had decided to go on holiday.
"They taste much like chicken. Only wild."
Of course they did. Everything supposedly tasted like
chicken, only different. Quail. Pheasant. Partridge. Dove.
Pigeons. And none of them came even remotely close to
tasting like chicken. And he knew that because he'd been
lured into trying each and every one of them on the same
empty promise. Aiden shook his head and expelled a long
breath. Lord, the part of his brain that had remained behind
was frightening in its devotion to the consideration of the irrelevant
minutiae of his experience.
The back door of the store opened and the brightness of
the lamplight on the other side blinded him. He blinked into
it, his pulse quickening with apprehension as he realized that
on the other side of it were a good half -dozen large men. He
reached back for his gun, remembering that he'd given it to
Sawyer just as Vadeen spoke in Hindi and lurched forward,
threatening to pull all three of them off their feet.
"Your highness," Alex translated, gasping and struggling
to keep her balance.
His brain returned with an almost audible snap. The man
holding the lantern was an Indian and clearly a servant of the
regally dressed, somewhat older version of Hanuman advancing
toward them. Mohan walked at his uncle's side, followed
comrades-in-arms.
"It is not necessary, Vadeen. Please do not add to your
injuries in trying," the man replied. his English studied, his
accent fairly light He motioned to the men behind him and
they quickly moved forward to take Vadeen from him and
Alex. as their master went on. saying, "I have seen the proof
of your success. Take your rest, Vadeen. It has been earned."
Relieved of the burden, Aiden squared up to the man and
resolutely faced the inevitable reckoning. ''I gather that you're
Prince Sarad."
"I have been told that you would be John Aiden Terrell."
"I am."
Sarad slowly, deliberately took his measure and then
brought his gaze back to meet Aiden's. "I have also been
told that you have been the protector of my brother's children
in recent weeks."
He nodded, knowing what was coming next, his heart
growing more leaden with every beat.
"On behalf of my brother Kedar," Sarad went on, apparently
oblivious to the pain his words were inflicting, "I thank
you for all that you have done. I have entrusted the payment
for your services to your man, Sawyer. He bas removed your
belongings and awaits your return to your own home. Prince
Mohan," he added. motioning offhandedly to the boy, "has
indicated that he would like to gift you with the horses and
the carriage you assisted him in acquiring."
"Thank you, Mohan. That's very generous of you."
"It is my pleasure, Mr. Terrell." He smiled sheepishly and
shrugged. "And I cannot take them with me on the ship."
"Well," Aiden replied, forcing himself to chuckle, "when
you're done with them, let me know and I'll come collect
them."
"You should take them now, Mr. Terrell. We sail in the
morning."
"In the morning?" Alex gasped. her hands pressed hard
against her midriff, the anguish on her face the mirror, Aiden
knew, of that tearing him apart on the inside. "Why so
soon?"
"The danger is past and your father wishes to have his
children home," her uncle replied. "Were it possible to have
the ship ready to sail before then, we would not spend even a
single night."
"But," she
stammered, her voice edged with barely contained
tears. "My shop. Our home. All the things in it ... "
"Preeya is directing my men in the packing. She is upstairs
if you wish to speak with her concerning the task."
Aiden watched Alex swallow, saw her look past her uncle
and into the open back door of the Blue Elephant. She was
close to tears and in a few more minutes she was going to
lose the struggle to hold them at bay. He knew exactly how
she felt. The only thing he could think to do was to get their
parting done as quickly and as cleanly as possible. The rug
had been pulled out from under their feet and the next blows
would hurt less if they came while they were both still
stunned and reeling.
"You'll tell Preeya good-bye for me, won't you?" he
asked, turning to her and offering a smile. It was tight, but it
was the best he could do.
"Of course," she offered, clearly dazed, the smile she
gave him in return vacant and weak.
"Behave yourself, Mohan," he said briskly, reaching out
to ruffle the boy's hair.
"I will. Thank you for all you have done for me. I am honored
to have known you, Mr. Terrell."
"The honor's mutual." He started to turn away and then
stopped to look back over his shoulder and jauntily ask,
"You are taking the cats with you, aren't you?"