Shadow Runners Page 7

  All five men, she discovered, were studying her with varying degrees of suspicion.

  “Your sister,” Rafe prompted sardonically.

  Sonja sniffed. “My identical twin! I knew something had happened! I felt it. It’s so hard to describe, but we just seem to know things about one another.”

  Jarek snorted. It was amazing, Sonja thought irritably, how much sarcasm the man could put into grunts and snorts!

  “And what has happened to her?” Byron asked soothingly.

  She sniffed and tried to smile at him as a reward for being so kind and understanding. “She has been foully used by the … uh … her master! And she’s a virtual prisoner! I have to get her out of there! I must!”

  “And you want us to help you rescue her?”

  Sonja studied Thorne speculatively at the question, but as intriguing as the idea was, she discarded it. “Oh! No! Of course not!” she said finally. “I know you can’t leave the Shadow Lands because … uh … because ….”

  “We are beast men,” Jarek growled.

  “Because you can’t and I certainly wouldn’t want it on my conscience! I’m sure I can find a way once you’ve helped me to reach Thalon.”

  “She looks just like you?” Arman asked, clearly interested.

  Sonja covered her face and sobbed. “My image! No one could ever tell us apart.”

  “Not even your parents?”

  Sonja dropped her hands and stared at Jarek blankly.

  “The aged parents you’ve been so worried about,” he prompted.

  “Oh. I told you I’d lied about them! They never existed.” She stopped and considered that. “Well, I suppose they did. I just don’t remember them. It’s only been me and my sister as far back as either of us could remember. We depend upon one another. I can’t let her down. Somehow I must get there and help her to escape … before … it’s too late!” She finished on a wobbling note she was sure must affect them if they had any sensibilities at all.

  “And the attacks?”

  Sonja stared at Jarek blankly. “What attacks?”

  He gave her a sardonic look.

  “Everything I’ve told you is the absolute truth, the gods are my witness—except the part about my parents.”

  “Who didn’t exist and therefore could not have indentured you to the tinker, who probably also didn’t exist and therefore was not attacked.”

  Sonja gaped at him in disbelief. “How could you say that? Did I not look battered enough to suit you! Of course all of that happened! I indentured myself to him. That is the only part I prevaricated about.”

  “And the parents,” he reminded her.

  She looked down at her feet instead of glaring at him. “And that.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us about your sister to begin with?” Thorne asked.

  Sonja squirmed uncomfortably. Because she hadn’t thought of it? She cleared her throat. “Well, I … uh … I didn’t know you well then. Now, of course, I realize that you are all very noble and completely to be relied upon, but I had no reason to trust you to begin with. She’s my baby sister! I didn’t want to lead a … uh … group of men down upon her that might be worse than the one who holds her now.”

  “I thought she was your twin?” Jarek asked sardonically.

  Fuck!

  “Well! We did not come out together!” she snapped indignantly. “I am the eldest and that makes her my baby sister! In any case, I have always looked out for her since we were abandoned and we were very small then.”

  Jarek was studying her piercingly when she finally met his gaze. “How small?”

  Sonja frowned, abruptly regretting the impulse to weave any of her true background into the story. She shrugged. “I’m not really certain, to be honest.”

  Thankfully, he didn’t press the issue. Instead, he went to check the meat roasting on the spit. Returning shortly, he handed her a chunk skewered on a stick and they all settled to eat their fill of the kill. When they’d finished eating, Jarek escorted her to the stream to bathe, much to her irritation.

  Inwardly, she sighed in disgust. She’d known an attempt to flee would put them on alert and make things that much more difficult if she failed. What to do now? If her latest tale did not have the desired results, was there any way to convince them to take her? And if not, could she find a way to elude them?

  She was still inclined to consider the former more to her liking.

  “How many years have you?” Jarek asked as she knelt to bathe, breaking into her thoughts.

  She sent him a startled look and then frowned. “It’s very ungentlemanly to ask such a thing of a lady,” she retorted tartly.

  “But then I am no gentleman ….”

  She felt her face heat when he left the comment hanging. Although mildly annoyed at the implication when she put so much effort into trying to behave like a lady, she shrugged it off philosophically after a moment. She hadn’t been born a lady and she knew she wasn’t no matter how carefully she mimicked the behavior of the ladies. “Twenty and five,” she said finally. “Or thereabout. Mayhap six or seven. Or possibly a bit younger. It does not matter, does it?”

  “It does not matter to me. I was merely curious.”

  Yes, but curious about her age? Or curious to know if she would lie about it?

  When she didn’t comment, he crouched beside her and caught her face in one hand, tipping it up to study it. “I would have guessed that you were closer to eighteen.”

  She was genuinely amused. “You would have been wrong.”

  “Why are you not wed?”

  “How do you know that I am not?”

  “Are you?”

  Sonja sighed. “You are in a strange mood.”

  “Because I find you intriguing? Do not tell me no man has ever shown interest.”

  She chuckled. “They have been greatly interested in tossing my skirts over my head,” she said wryly. “But their attention span rarely lasts beyond that.”

  His expression hardened. She’d known he wouldn’t like a reminder that she was certainly no maiden when they coupled, but his interest unnerved her. The sooner he accepted that she was not the sort of woman a man had interest in outside of the bedroom, the more comfortable they would both be.

  “All men are not the same,” he said tightly. “Is that why you have not wed? Because you have been ill used?”

  “Not all women are the same,” she responded. “All of us do not pine for floors to scrub and babes swung from our tits.”

  “And you are one of them?”

  The thought flickered through her mind that she wouldn’t have been distraught if she’d had at least one babe, but what sort of life could she have given it? There had been many, many lean years before she had found her way—completely by accident, as it happened. She didn’t suppose the law would see it that way, however, and the idea of leaving a child to fend for itself as she had been left was not something she would willingly contemplate. “I might consider it someday if I am fortunate enough to meet a man who makes me want those things, but I have not and so I am not. I have never seen much use in pining for things I am unlikely ever to have.”

  He smiled faintly and released her. “So … you believe in fate?”

  She sent him a look of surprise but finally chuckled. “I believe fate has conspired against me and is determined to thwart me at every turn.”

  “Fate? Or me?”

  Wariness flickered through her. “Do you perceive yourself as fate?” she asked, amused.

  He shrugged and straightened. “Not as fate per se, but perhaps yours.”

  Sonja was still struggling with that intriguing comment when they returned to the campsite, but she discovered that Byron and Arman fully expected her to keep her word.

  Inwardly, she sighed. Life was so difficult with so many lovely, randy men to appease, but she took her ‘medicine’ like a good girl and settled between them to sleep.

  * * * *

  Sonja was vastly disappointed in the
men. She’d been so certain that she had them hanging on every word the night before, convinced that, if only they would take her to the border, they could look forward to doubling their fun!

  But, no, they’d continued the circuit they’d begun when she’d insisted they start out at once for Thalon! There was no hope for it, she thought glumly. She would have to think of a way to elude them and return to Doral and make her way.

  It disturbed her that she’d already lost so much time dallying with them and, at the same time, she couldn’t completely regret it. There was no getting around the fact that they were wonderful lovers! To think that she’d actually believed she had enjoyed coupling before she’d met them only because, once in a great while, she came! She’d had no idea that it was even possible to experience so many orgasms so closely together!

  It was a great pity that she had business to attend to and couldn’t linger, but she comforted herself with the thought that she might pass this way again and allow them to capture her once more—when she had plenty of time to indulge.

  That wasn’t something she could afford to focus on at the moment, however. Business would have to come before pleasure and achieving her goal, she realized, was going to be more a problem than she’d previously encountered. She didn’t know what Jarek thought she must be up to, but whatever he’d latched on to, it had become crystal clear that he wasn’t going to let go of it.

  The problem was, how to elude them short of braining them in their sleep?

  She didn’t want to be put to that extreme measure. In spite of the fact that it frustrated her no end that she was having so much difficulty getting them to do what she wanted, she was far too fond of them to consider harming them in any way.

  Beyond that, she was too wary of retaliation. Despite Jarek’s profession that they weren’t gentlemen, they had been far more ‘gentlemanly’ than most of the men she’d met who considered themselves gentlemen. They had provided her with as much comfort as there was to be had as if it was a matter of course that they would take care of her and regardless of how much she’d tried their tempers, they had done no worse than scowl at her—hadn’t even bellowed at her, let alone raised a hand to her.

  She couldn’t forget, however, that they were beast men or convince herself that she had seen their worst.

  In any case, if she burned her bridges with them there would be no coming back this way for another fun-filled romp with them and she wanted to be able to return, she realized. She needed to. If nothing else, she needed to work her growing desire for them out of her system so that she could leave without looking back with deep regret. There was no place in her life for regrets or yearning. They were debilitating, distracting emotions she couldn’t afford.

  She knew they suspected her of treachery and yet they hadn’t treated her as an enemy—far from it. To a man, and despite the differences in their natures, they treated her as if she was precious to them—with great care for her wellbeing. She couldn’t prevent her growing fondness for them though the gods knew she’d tried hard not to allow it to prosper.

  She didn’t waste any time agonizing over the cover story she’d made up. It had been a good one. With anyone else it would’ve worked, she was sure. She didn’t think the absolute truth would’ve worked with Jarek, but that didn’t matter either. She couldn’t tell him the truth.

  By happy coincidence, near dusk they came upon a rocky crag very similar to the one she’d spent the first two nights in. Naturally enough, it didn’t look just the same, she thought wryly, because they’d approached it from an entirely different direction. It at least answered the question for her of where the caves led, however. There was a large opening much further up than on the opposite side that water spilled from, creating a lovely waterfall with a clear pool beneath. It was a pretty place and she admired it unabashedly, partly because she truly was captivated, and partly because she thought any woman would, and partly to convince them that it hadn’t occurred to her that it was the same damned cave system they’d taken her to when they’d first captured her.

  She considered her options while she gathered wood for the campfire. Byron had been left to make camp while the others went off to hunt. She knew very well that he’d been left to guard her. Beyond the campfire itself, there was nothing to do to make camp other than to make up the pallet and that took no more than a few moments.

  She didn’t particularly like the idea of trying to make a run for it when she had no idea where the others were. That was why she’d attempted her last escape while they were congregated around the campfire. That hadn’t worked particularly well, however. Obviously Jarek had followed her and had simply circled around to intercept her.

  The caverns weren’t far from the border, however. She hadn’t even realized that they had chased her across at first, which meant it would not take her much time or take much effort to reach King Vladislav’s territory and the escort he’d sent with her should still be camping on the other side not far from the border since they’d been ordered to wait for her return.

  She supposed she should have simply taken the mount she had and made the best time she could circling around the Shadow Lands, but hindsight was always perfect. She would have, though, if it had occurred to her that she wouldn’t get a mount to carry her once she crossed over or that she would be waylaid by a pack of beast men determined to hold her until they discovered what she was up to.

  Dismissing the thought, she returned with the sticks she’d gathered for the fire and dropped them beside Byron. “I believe I will go up and explore the cave,” she said as casually as she could.

  Byron sent her a sharp look and then tilted his head to look up at the opening. “It isn’t safe.”

  “Then I’ll be careful.”

  His lips tightened. “You could get lost.”

  She smiled at him. “If I do, I’ll yell for you. I’m sure you can rescue me.”

  She could see he was struggling to come up with another argument.

  “Don’t be gone long,” he said finally. “It’s too dark inside for you to see anything anyway.”

  Sonja checked the pocket inside her skirt to make certain she still had the pieces of flint and the dry moss she’d collected. “Which means it won’t take me long to explore. I’ll only be able to see the area lit from the outside and it’s already dusk. I’ll just take a look around and if I run into trouble I’ll call for you.”

  She didn’t wait for him to think up another argument. She strode away. Studying the rocks to decide the best ascent, she reached between her legs and grasped the back of her skirt, bringing it up between them and tucking it at the waist to form trousers of a sort. Far less encumbered, she made her way up, pausing now and then to gaze at the ‘view’ to convince Byron she had no particular goal in mind and to search for any sign of the missing men.

  It was disappointing that her vantage point didn’t give her as good a view of the woods as she’d hoped, but she dismissed it and kept climbing until she’d reached the opening. Slick green moss grew on the stones in the edge of the opening. She studied it uneasily and glanced down at the drop she faced if she slipped. It made her belly flutter uncomfortably, but after a moment she focused on studying the rocks for handholds and the possibility of secure footing. Gripping the rocks she’d selected as tightly as she could, she stretched one leg inside until she managed to place her toes on a rock that seemed free of slippery vegetation. When she’d tested it for a wobble and felt that it was as secure as it appeared, she threw one last glance around to see where Byron was and if any of the others had returned or had moved within her view.

  Byron was standing by the fire looking up at her, his hands on his hips. He said something, but the rush of the watered drowned his voice. Nodding even though she hadn’t a clue of what he’d said, she shifted her weight to the foot she’d placed and slipped inside. There was a ledge of sorts just inside the small, corridor-like chamber. The rocks were wet, as if the water gushed and eddied as it made its way ou
t, but they weren’t submerged. Keeping one hand on the wall for support, she carefully inched deeper into the cavern, pausing to search every now and then. Finally, she spied several openings, partially hidden by shadows and boulders.

  Setting her feet on as firm a rock as she could find, she checked the moss and flint in her skirt pocket. The likelihood was, she told herself, that she would only have time for a quick glimpse before the moss burned. She needed to make certain she chose the right passage.

  Unfortunately, the one where the water emerged was too small for her and filled with water. Another was barely deep enough to create a shadow at the back. Hoping they’d lied to her before when they’d told her there was no way out of the cavern except the way she’d entered, she moved to the last possibility nearest where the water was emerging and fished the flint and moss from her pocket. Her hands were shaking with nerves by that time. It took several tries before she managed to set off a spark sufficient to catch the moss on fire.

  She lifted it immediately and moved forward, trying to see any hazards that might be between her and her goal. Excitement flooded her when she thought she detected a dim glow far at the other end. Casting one last glance back to make certain Bryon hadn’t followed her, she rushed along the narrow passage, her gaze focused on the opening before her and searching the floor and walls for any pits or turns.

  Her heart vied with the sound of rushing waters when the moss finally burned out. For several moments, panic nearly overcame her. As her eyes began to adjust to the darkness, however, she caught a barely discernable glow in front of her. She knew it had to be light from outside.

  Galvanized by the realization that she wouldn’t have that much to guide her for very long, she began to jog along the passage as quickly as she dared, trying to mentally count the time since she’d entered the cavern. She gave up on that after a few moments as a useless exercise. She couldn’t count on Bryon waiting long before he came to investigate. He certainly wouldn’t if the others returned. Jarek and Rafe, she was certain, would know immediately that she was up to something. Like Byron, Arman was more gentle natured and more easily duped. Thorne’s temper more often than not overruled his head, although he was far from lacking in intelligence, but Jarek and Rafe were forces to be reckoned with. They would be on to her ruse the instant they discovered she was gone.