Redeemed in Darkness Read online

  “When did you teach her that?”

  He reached over to better align one of the cards before answering. “I was going to talk to you about that. This morning, after you left. When I came upstairs, Bavi was waiting for me with a knife. I don’t blame the boy for not trusting me, and I admire that he’s so protective of his sister.”

  He looked up. “This little one, though, seems to think I’m okay. She helped me build with the cards until Bavi made her go in the other room. I realize that it wouldn’t do for her to get attached, since I’ll be leaving soon.”

  He couldn’t resist reaching over to ruffle Shiri’s soft dark hair. “She’s a heartbreaker, though.”

  “They both are.” Lusahn set a plate heaped with cheese and vegetables in front of him. “Bavi is slow to trust, but that’s not surprising. Shiri is more open.”

  “I was interested to learn that Bavi speaks a little English.” Though he was more interested in what the boy had said.

  “Why? What did he say?”

  Rather than rat the boy out, Cullen shrugged. “Something about Shiri being his sister. He was harder to understand than you are.”

  “If he’s a problem, let me know.”

  “Don’t sweat it.” He nibbled a piece of cheese, which reminded him of goat cheese. “What kind of animal does this come from?”

  “No animal. It’s made from the juice of a plant that grows high in the hills.”

  “So you don’t eat meat?”

  Barak was vegetarian, so it wouldn’t surprise him if Lusahn was as well.

  “We keep few animals, mostly only pets. Meat is too expensive to produce when energy is in short supply.”

  Another reason to stop the energy thefts. He almost shoved the plate away, feeling as if he were stealing food from people who had little to spare.

  “How soon until dark?” When his judge and jury would arrive. Did the man also plan on being his executioner?

  Lusahn was filling a large pot with water. “Not long. I need to start dinner cooking, but afterward maybe we could practice with blades.”

  “I’d like that, if you promise to go easy on me. The last time we crossed swords you left me bleeding on the tunnel floor.”

  That was clearly news to her. “I marked your face as you marked mine.”

  “And on that last lunge before you crossed back over the barrier, you sliced my ribs up pretty good.” He stood up to yank up his shirt to show her where her blade had caught him.

  Her horrified look was gratifying as she reached out to trace the faint scar. “Is it true that you can die from a wound and yet live?”

  “The wound wasn’t that serious. We Paladins are tough to kill.” He wasn’t about to confirm or deny any rumors she’d heard about the Paladins, even if it felt a little like lying to her. He hated this dance of avoidance between them, but feeding information to an Other, no matter how he felt about her personally, skated too close to treason.

  The concern in Lusahn’s face immediately disappeared. “I would say I’m sorry, but that would be a lie.”

  “I wasn’t asking for an apology, just a rematch.” He laced his words with enough temper to match hers.

  “Fine.” She dropped a double handful of vegetables into the water and adjusted the heat on the stove. “Let’s see if you’ve learned anything since the last time we fought.”

  He let her lead the way downstairs. Perhaps sensing the tension in the air, Shiri followed them down and perched on the steps, where she had a clear view of both Lusahn and Cullen.

  Lusahn kicked off her boots before going through a series of movements that reminded him of the routine Barak used to warm up for sparring. He’d referred to it as a dance of some kind. Several of the other Paladins had tried to mimic the movements without much success, perhaps because they were more heavily built than Barak was.

  Cullen had picked up a few steps of the routine from watching, and Barak had shown him some more as time permitted. Without saying anything, he kicked off his own shoes and socks and fell into step beside Lusahn. Lusahn faltered a bit when he twirled and kicked in unison with her, but then her movements smoothed out again.

  She had a few flourishes that he hadn’t seen Barak do, but he did his best to keep up. After about fifteen minutes the two of them had worked up a sweat, their muscles thoroughly stretched and ready for action.

  “I see my brother has been teaching our ways to your people.” She didn’t sound happy about that.

  “No, we saw him in action and tried to copy him. He’s a helluva swordsman.”

  “Yes, he is.”

  Lusahn pulled a long, narrow chest out from under the bed and opened it. Inside was a pair of matched weapons with wide, curved blades. “These were Barak’s practice blades. Let’s see how you handle one.”

  He accepted the weapon. Even with a dulled edge, it had the feel of a quality blade. It was heavier than the sword he fought with but lighter than the battle-ax he used, so the weight shouldn’t make much of a difference. What would, though, was fighting with a single-edged weapon.

  He gave the sword several wide swings through the air. “Your brother has good taste in weapons.”

  She clearly didn’t want to talk about Barak. Instead, she paced off a short distance and turned to face him. With a wicked grin, she offered him a quick salute with her blade, and then the game was on.

  Lusahn had to admit that other than Joq and her brother, Cullen was the worthiest adversary she’d ever faced. Even with a weapon strange to him, he quickly adjusted both his style and his response to her attacks. Both of them were soon grinning like fools as the advantage quickly switched from her to him and back again.

  She was about to lunge forward with the intent of scoring a telling point when a loud shout startled her. Only quick action on Cullen’s part kept them both from getting hurt. Once she had her feet under her, she turned her temper on the culprit responsible for the near accident.

  “Bavi! What were you thinking? You could have caused one of us to be badly hurt!”

  The boy glared down at her from the steps, clearly not about to back down. “He deserves to bleed. Ask him how many of our people he has killed to become that good with a sword.”

  “I will do no such thing. I do not believe he is our enemy, Bavi. Can’t you accept that?”

  Cullen stepped between them. He hadn’t understood anything they’d said, but he seemed intent on intervening. Maybe the two males needed to fight it out between themselves.

  The Paladin spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. “Bavi, have you ever fought with a sword?” He held the blade out, as if offering it to the boy.

  For a minute she thought Bavi would pretend not to understand, but then he shook his head. “I am not a Blademate nor a Guardian.”

  Cullen shot her a questioning look, asking for an explanation, which brought back a little of her temper. He’d avoided answering her questions about Paladins, but he expected her to tell him about their culture.

  “As a member of my family, I was born into the warrior class. I served in a Blade until I became a Guardian. Bavi is neither. Without his parents to sponsor him, he has not received training by the Guild.”

  “So he can’t defend himself or his sister in a world where people routinely wear swords?” Cullen’s dark eyes snapped with anger. “How in the hell does that make any sense? If he’s your family now, doesn’t that make him a warrior, too?”

  Bavi was doing his best to follow the heated exchange, his head swiveling back and forth. Finally, he charged down the remaining steps and thrust himself between Cullen and Lusahn.

  “What saying?” he demanded in English.

  Lusahn shot Cullen a look that should have fried him on the spot before gentling her voice to speak to her adopted son. She answered him in their language, deliberately shutting Cullen out of the conversation.

  “He is trying to push himself into Guild business. I can’t allow that.”

  “What does he want?”
<
br />   They were treading on dangerous ground. On one level, she agreed with Cullen: Bavi would be better able to protect himself and his sister with some solid weapons training. But no one outside of the warrior families could be taught self-defense without Guild approval. She hadn’t thought to submit Bavi’s name, something she’d rectify as soon as she had control over her life back.

  “He wants me to submit your name for training. No, that’s not what he said.” She made it a habit never to lie to Bavi; the trust between them was too new to test. “He said if you are now my family, then you should be a warrior, too.”

  Bavi looked past her to where Cullen stood glaring at them both. The son of her heart stared at the human as if seeing him for the first time.

  “Why care if I fight?” he asked Cullen.

  “You took on a man’s responsibilities with your sister. You should have a man’s skills to protect her with.” Once again, Cullen held out the practice blade. “If Lusahn won’t teach you, I will.”

  That did it. “Bavi, go upstairs and take your sister with you.”

  “But I want—”

  “Not now, Bavi.” She used the same voice she used to show new recruits who was in command, then softened her expression. “I’m not saying no, and I promise we will discuss this later.”

  The boy reluctantly retreated, shooing Shiri up the stairs ahead of him. When Lusahn heard the click of the door closing, she rounded on Cullen.

  “Don’t you dare question my decisions in front of the children.” She got right up in his face. “How much do you think you can teach him in a single moon cycle? I will tell you: enough to get him killed. Right now, if threatened, he runs. That works for both him and his sister.”

  She poked Cullen in the chest with her finger. “But if you convince him that he knows enough to stand and fight the wrong person, he will die. Maybe you can live with that on your conscience, if you have one, but I can’t.

  “Furthermore”—she poked him again—“this is my world, not yours. You don’t understand it and you never will, so stay out of my business.”

  Cullen caught her finger and brought it up to his mouth for a soft kiss. “Let me start again. Would you like me to teach the boy some of the basics, just to get him started? I’ve nothing better to do with my time, and I’d like to feel useful.”

  How dare he be reasonable when she wanted to fight! But the way he gently massaged her finger was turning her temper into something else completely. When he released her hand and slid his arms around her waist, she forced herself to step back. Then back again. But Cullen followed her step-for-step until he’d backed her into the wall, leaving her no room to move or even breathe.

  Warmth, rich and potent, surrounded her as Cullen eased closer, gradually leaning his muscular body into hers. When he kneed her legs apart to settle himself against her, she sighed and surrendered, the last bit of her temper banished by his gentle touch.

  “This won’t solve anything, Cullen Finley,” she warned, feeling better for having made that clear.

  He nibbled kisses down the side of her neck. “No, it won’t. In fact, things are only going to get more complicated.”

  Her fingers felt the muscles in his arms, loving the hard feel of his warrior’s body against hers. When he settled his mouth—finally!—over hers, she went on the attack, demanding he allow her to deepen the kiss. She felt him smile against her lips just before they parted in invitation.

  As their tongues dove and stroked, his hands slid down the curve of her back to cup her bottom. He squeezed; she moaned as he lifted her more solidly against his erection. She rocked against him in approval. She’d never felt this needy, this close to falling over the edge from only touch and taste.

  She wanted to strip them both down to the skin so he could plunge inside of her to ease this awful, lovely ache between her legs. As if sensing her thoughts, Cullen’s hand eased between them, centering right over her core, and squeezed slightly. Her lungs emptied of air, leaving her panting.

  “Come for me, Lusahn. Give it to me now.” His voice was rough even as his touch was gentle. One by one, he released the buttons on her trousers until his hand found its way between her clothes and her skin. Instinctively she spread her feet farther apart, giving him easier access to work his wicked magic on her. His fingers teased her slick heat with just enough pressure, making her moan. She buried her face against his chest, trying to hold back the need to shout her approval.

  “That’s it, honey, just let it fly. I’ll catch you.”

  He eased two fingers deep inside of her, at the same time teasing her sensitive nub until she shattered into tiny little shards of light and energy.

  Afterward, as she tried to gather up all of the pieces, Cullen held her sweetly, murmuring gentle nonsense near her ear.

  When she could once again string a sentence together, she cupped the side of his face, letting his whiskers tickle her hand. “That wasn’t a fair way to end an argument.”

  He grinned unrepentantly. “No, but it worked.”

  When he planted a kiss on her nose, she gave him a gentle shove back. “I will talk to Bavi about training, but he is my responsibility, not yours.”

  “I know.”

  Was that hurt she heard in his voice? Surely not. Why would a Paladin warrior care so much about a boy who had been nothing but rude to him from the first?

  The upstairs door opened, and Bavi called down, “Lusahn, that pot on the stove smells funny.”

  Not again! If she burned dinner, Joq would never let her live it down. “I’ll be right there.” She told Cullen, “My friend will be here soon, now that it is dark. Speak to him carefully.”

  “I will.” Gone was her gentle would-be lover; in his place was the hard-faced warrior whom she’d faced in combat. “But if he attacks, Lusahn, I will fight back.”

  That would be her worst nightmare—her mentor and this man fighting to the death. They were warriors both; it would go against their natures to surrender.

  “We will have dinner and then talk afterward. He knows something that will help us investigate the thefts; I’m sure of it.”

  “Then you did the right thing in talking to him.”

  “I hope so, Cullen Finley.” She wished she could feel more confident about that, but only time would tell whether Joq would offer her advice or Cullen’s head.

  Figuring Lusahn needed a little time alone with her kids, Cullen decided to wait in the basement until her mysterious friend arrived. He found it interesting that the man felt it necessary to cloak his arrival in darkness.

  Who did he think would be watching the comings and goings at Lusahn’s house? Whoever was coming clearly needed to preserve secrecy as much as Cullen did.

  If he hadn’t been expecting someone, he would have missed the soft brush of a boot sole on the stone steps outside. He drew his sword, stepped to the far side of the door, and waited to see who had come in and what kind of mood the man was in.

  The door opened no more than a hand’s width. “Human, I can hear your heartbeat. Stand back and I will enter, sword sheathed.”

  Just because Lusahn trusted this guy didn’t mean Cullen did. Hell, the man might have brought reinforcements. He considered his options and finally decided to see what the man had to say. “I’m backing away.”

  When he’d gone a handful of steps the door swung open completely, revealing an Other male dressed in the usual black and gray. He stepped across the threshold, meeting Cullen’s gaze directly, his eyes narrowed and suspicious.

  “So we meet, human.” He stared for several long seconds in silence. Then he grinned, the sudden change in demeanor startling Cullen into stumbling back a step.

  Just that quickly, he had a knife blade at Cullen’s throat. “You aren’t bad looking for your kind. I can see why she wants you. By the gods, it’s been long enough since she unwound enough to let a male so close. But what I want to know, human, is what do you want from my apprentice besides the chance to share her bed?”


  Cullen ignored the blade and the question, answering with his fists and temper. “Show her respect, or I’ll beat you senseless!”

  The older man took the punch and then held up his hands. “You’ve answered my question well enough, human.”

  “My name is Cullen Finley. Not ‘human.’”

  “And mine is Joq.” The older man calmly sheathed his knife. “Now, shall we find Lusahn and see if her cooking is as bad as I remember it?”

  He started up the stairs, leaving Cullen to follow.

  Chapter 5

  D inner was…interesting, Lusahn decided. Both children sat with their eyes flitting from one adult to the next, no doubt picking up on the tension that simmered below the surface of everyone’s good manners. She drew comfort from the fact that while they eyed the two males with suspicion, they looked to her for reassurance.

  She wished she was as calm as she led them to believe. Both Joq and Cullen ate the meal she’d set in front of them, but she seriously doubted either of them could have told her what they’d eaten. They were too busy exchanging dark looks to take note of anything else going on around them.

  Would Cullen even notice if she stripped off her clothes and danced naked around the room? The idea made her smile, which did catch his attention. His spoon paused halfway to his mouth.

  “Did I miss something important?” he asked, setting his spoon down.

  “No, my mind was just drifting.” Back down the stairs, and right back to where the two of them had left off earlier.

  He gave her a knowing smile. “Mine, too.” Then he went back to eating the soup. Joq watched the brief exchange with great interest, his pale eyes revealing nothing of what he was thinking, unlike Cullen’s expressive dark ones.

  “More soup for anyone?” She reached for the ladle, ready to dish it out.

  To a man, everyone quickly shook their heads and pushed their bowls toward the center of the table. Rolling her eyes, she set the pot back down.