Chapter 10

As soon as Kalpar heard the soft cry, he knew Constance had overheard his conversation.

"Tomorrow," he said curtly and ended the call as he hurried over to the stairs.

Panic filled him when he saw her sprawled at the bottom, blood covering her face, only abating a little when he kneeled next to her and she gave him a betrayed look before her eyes closed. Fuck. Although he doubted she'd heard the entire conversation, he suspected she'd heard enough to be aware that he hadn't told her the entire truth.

An unusual feeling of guilt washed over him as he gently gathered her limp body into his arms. Her eyes fluttered open again, and she regarded him with a mix of fear and resignation.

"Why?" she whispered hoarsely.

The need to protect his fellow warriors conflicted with his protective feelings for this small human female, and he took refuge in dealing with the immediate situation.

"You're injured. Let me tend to you first."

She whimpered as he carried her up the stairs to the small apartment and more guilt filled him as he remembered that she'd made the same sound after her experience with Vexian and her father. As gently as he could, he laid her on the threadbare sofa. Despite his excellent night vision, he decided to take the risk of turning on a small lamp, masking it with a worn towel.

Ignoring her soft protest, he ran his hands quickly over her body, checking for injuries. She had a gash on her forehead and a badly skinned knee but otherwise she was intact. Thank the gods.

He fetched another towel and a bowl of water and began washing the blood from her head and leg. He was as gentle as possible, but she still flinched several times as he cleaned the wounds. She didn't cry out, only watched him with those huge blue eyes, dark with pain and betrayal.

After he fastened a bandage around her head, she laid back, her eyes closed, exhaustion and pain etched on her pale face. His chest ached at the sight. The last thing he wanted was to cause her more pain and suffering.

"Rest now," he said gruffly, covering her with a thin blanket. "We'll talk when you've recovered some strength."

Her eyes opened, crystal tears shimmering in their depths.

"There's nothing left to talk about," she whispered. "It was foolish to think that I could escape. To think that I could trust someone."

"I wasn't going to betray you."

But he had been planning to use her. Perhaps she heard the guilt in his voice because she simply closed her eyes and turned her face away without responding.

Unable to stand the silence, he rose to his feet and started pacing, his mind churning. The image of her body at the bottom of the stairs kept flashing before his eyes, along with the terror he'd felt at the sight. He'd promised to protect her, not cause her harm.

With a sigh, he sank down on one of the rickety kitchen chairs and watched the steady rise and fall of her chest as he tried to sort through the tangled mess of duty and emotion filling him. He didn't think she slept, and eventually her eyes fluttered open, regarding him solemnly.

"I owe you an explanation."

She said nothing, just continued to watch him with those dark blue eyes that saw far too much.

"I didn't set out to deceive you, but my intentions were never pure. Originally I only thought of you as a means to protect my fellow warriors, or at least I tried to think of you that way. I was never very successful."

"Fellow warriors?" she whispered, her eyes shadowed.

"I told you I served during the war on Vizal. Ten years of hell. My first squad commander was a charming male who was secretly engaged in trafficking females." The familiar guilt that he'd been blind to the male's activities washed over him, but he pushed it aside. "After he was arrested I was assigned to another squad. Commander Temel is the finest officer - the finest male - I have ever known. He always put our needs before our own, even after the war ended."

Unable to keep still, he rose and paced across the room again.

"All of us had… trouble adjusting to civilian life and he was determined to find a way to help us. He eventually purchased a farm, or rather several farms, many of them abandoned, in the hope that working on the land away from the city would help heal us."

"Did it?" she asked softly.

She'd pushed herself upright while he paced, her face pale but determined as she watched him.

"I'm not sure that I will ever be healed," he said honestly, "but most of our squad has managed to find peace."

And mates, but he wasn't ready to bring up that subject.

"I'm glad it helped, but what does that have to do my father? Or me?"

"On at least two occasions, your father has sent someone to infiltrate the farm."

"I don't understand. Why?"

"We don't know - which is why I am here. To find out what he's searching for, and what he intends to do if he finds it."

"And you thought I was the key?" A bitter smile twisted her pretty lips. "I never thought he cared a great deal for me. Now I know he is only interested in using me."

He wished he could disagree, but she was right. What kind of evil bastard only thought of his child as a bargaining tool? That struck a little too close to home and he winced.

"That still means you have value for him," he pointed out reluctantly. "Especially now."

She sighed and tentatively rubbed her head.

"I was thinking that earlier - that Vexian must have something he wants. But I have no more idea of what that might be than you do," she added.

He hesitated, struggling to find the right words.

"You need to understand something. I admit that my original plan was to use you to manipulate him, but when I carried you away from the ball last night, I was only thinking of protecting you from him. It occurred to me afterwards that I could still use you as a bargaining chip, even though I have no intention of turning you over to him. What you heard earlier was a conversation I was having with one of my contacts. I was arranging for them to watch over you while I dealt with your father. Then I was planning on taking you to the farm."

He didn't miss the quick flash of pleasure in her eyes before she frowned.

"Deal with my father? How?"

He sighed and pulled out one of his knives, watching her face as he flipped it.

"I aim to convince him to leave the farm alone. By any means necessary."

"And then you'll just walk away after that? Leave me here?"

Her voice wavered slightly. He hesitated again, then sheathed his knife and went to sit next to her on the couch.

"No. I meant what I said about taking you to the farm - if you still wish to go. I want you to have the chance to live your life on your own terms."

Those blue eyes searched his face. He suddenly felt uncomfortably exposed, but he let her take her time examining him. He'd been as honest as he could. Eventually she sighed and leaned against his shoulder.

"I must admit the idea appeals to me, but I can't imagine that Father will stop looking for me. Not unless he gets what he wants from Vexian. And even then, he'd probably want to use me to get some other advantage." She looked up at him, her expression heartbreakingly sad. "It was foolish to think I could ever escape him."

"He can't pursue you to the farm if he doesn't know you're there."

"Don't you think he'll put my disappearance together with your demands?"

She had a point, but he was convinced there was a way out of this situation, for all of them.

"Can you at least agree to go there while you consider your options?"

She closed her eyes, but when they opened, he could see determination in their blue depths.

"You were protecting me, even if your reason for doing so was not what you led me to believe. I will go with you to your farm. If things are not as you say, I will leave."

Relief filled him. He knew he didn't deserve her trust but she had given it to him nonetheless. His relief was short-lived. The perimeter alarm he'd set up around the safe house beeped once, then again and again. He swore under his breath as he checked his wrist com.

"What is it?"

"We're about to have company," he said grimly as he went to retrieve his getaway bag, quickly throwing in her jewelry and some additional food.

"M-my father?"

"I don't know who else it would be. Someone must have spotted me when I went out this afternoon. Can you walk?"

"Yes," she said at once.

Despite her brave words, she swayed alarmingly as she stood.

"I'll help you as soon as I can, but I need you to support yourself for a few minutes."

"I told you. I can walk."

"Brave little human. Hold on to the couch for a few minutes."

A quick glance showed him that intruders were moving closer, but they were moving slowly, no doubt checking for traps. They'll find one soon enough, he thought grimly as he removed the panel concealing the ladder to the roof.

"I need you to climb this ladder. I'll be right behind you and I won't let you fall."

"I believe you," she said quietly as she came to join him.

She took a deep breath, then started to climb. He threw his bag over his shoulder and followed her. Her hands and legs shook but she kept climbing. As soon as they reached the roof, he closed the trap door and checked the monitors again. It was going to be close.

She didn't protest when he picked her up, then set off across the roof as quickly and silently as he could manage. There was a considerable gap between his warehouse and the one next to it, but he knew he could cover it.

"Don't make a sound," he warned, and then he jumped.

She clutched his neck desperately, but she remained silent. Carrying her threw off his balance and he teetered for a second on the edge of the second roof before he found his balance. He crossed that roof and leaped the smaller distance to the third roof before he checked his com again.

"Time's up," he whispered, crouching down and covering as much of her body as he could.

"Time-"

Her words were interrupted by a loud roar as flames shot up into the night above his warehouse. A few pieces of debris floated through the air but he had calculated the explosion correctly so that it would only affect his own building.

As soon as the initial explosion was over, he returned to his feet. She gave him a wide-eyed look as he picked her up again.

"You blew up the building?"

"It's no longer a safe house if people know where it's located."

"Oh." She bit her lip as he started across the roof, keeping a cautious eye on the rush of activity below. "You don't think that my f-father was there, do you?"

"No, sweetheart. He sends people to do his dirty work. He doesn't do it himself."

"You're right."

She didn't ask any additional questions but her body relaxed a little against his. He gave her a quick, reassuring hug, then concentrated on their escape route.