Breaking Ice (The Jendari Book 2) Read online

  She was right, Goddess curse her. “I’ll lean on you, but you’re not to touch me.” He was only just holding it together as it was.

  “Fine. Put your arm around my shoulder and let’s go.”

  Kasim did as she asked, trying not to put any weight on her. She was a tiny thing, and her head didn’t even reach his chin. She seemed strong for her size, but she wasn’t up to supporting a fully grown rhe’hashan.

  They hobbled along the corridor and she used a security card to access the lift. Her ease with it made the hackles on his neck rise. He’d just assumed she was helping him, but what if this was another one of his captor’s experiments? He gestured to the card. “You seem pretty familiar with that.”

  “I stole it from Ben, the guy we left on the floor. We need it to access the lifts and the main doors.”

  Kasim nodded, but stayed wary. Winter might be real or she might be a trap—either way this was the closest he’d come to freedom since his capture. So he kept his mind focused in the here and now, and prayed to Badria that when his opportunity came his body wouldn’t fail him.

  The elevator stopped and when the doors opened, Winter ordered him to stay. He complied because at that moment he wasn’t sure he could walk on his own. As she moved into the corridor, he held the door open, not willing to be caught in the lift. Leaning out just far enough to keep an eye on her, he watched as she wandered up to the guard. She smiled at the human and laughed at something he said. Kasim was about to bolt when Winter pulled an object from her pocket and pressed it against the guard’s arm. When the man convulsed and fell to the floor, Kasim recognized the weapon. It had been used on him many times by the white-coats.

  Winter turned and motioned him forward. Hurrying on wobbly legs, he steadied himself on the wall until he reached her. He threw his arm over her fragile shoulders and they moved forward once again.

  And that was how they progressed out of the facility. Winter going ahead of him with her tasers, and him following up behind her, utterly useless.

  When they reached the car, Kasim was almost too afraid to hope. He lowered himself to the passenger side while Winter adjusted the driver’s seat. She passed him a hair tie. “Put your hair up. We need them to think you’re Ben.”

  Kasim did as she asked, though how anyone would mistake his six and half feet of warrior with the average-sized human male was anyone’s guess. Scrunching down in the seat, he snatched a pair of sunglasses from the console and put them on.

  Winter drove through parking lot toward an electronic gate. Her knuckles gleamed white where she clutched the steering wheel, but when she pulled up to the security camera, her movements were smooth and confident. She held up some kind of paper to the lens, then she entered a series of numbers on a security keypad.

  The doors slid open and she drove through. Only then did Kasim allow himself a relieved breath.

  They drove for a while in silence and when he deemed them safe from immediate pursuit, he straightened up and turned to her. “What were you doing at that facility?”

  She flicked a glance at him then returned her attention to the road. “I’m a journalist. I was undercover, trying to get some dirt on the Humans for Earth Coalition.”

  “For a story?”

  “Not entirely.” She spared him another glance, soon followed by a resigned sigh. “My best friend is in a relationship with a Jendari, and the HEC kidnapped her in order to get to him.” Her hands tightened on the steering wheel. “That shit doesn’t go down well with me.”

  She sounded like she was telling the truth, but Kasim felt too scrambled to rely on his instincts. In the last few days he’d been pumped full of chemicals and had been pushed to the end of his endurance. He simply couldn’t trust his own judgement right now.

  “This friend of yours, what’s her name?”

  “Jasmine Teale. Do you know her?”

  He arched an eyebrow. “Should I?”

  “Well, there can’t be that many human women married to a Jendari warrior. It’s quite likely that you would have heard her name at the very least.”

  “All right, I’ll give you that. I have heard her name.” Not only that, but he’d been among the small group who had rescued her from the HEC’s clutches. He’d also been present at the ceremony not long after when Jasmine and Tallis bound themselves together for life. Not that he was ready to share that piece of information just yet.

  “So, for the sake of your friend and a good story, you infiltrated HEC and talked your way into the facility.”

  “Yes.”

  “I imagine it took a lot of work to get this far. Why throw it all away to rescue me?”

  The startled look on her face was fast and honest. “You have to be kidding.”

  “No.”

  She turned, holding his gaze for longer than was safe for someone driving, before once again offering him her profile. “I got into journalism because I believe the truth is important. The stories I write are about exposing the cheats and liars of this world. They’re about uncovering injustice and inequity.” Winter took a breath and let it out long and slow. “If I sacrificed you—or anyone—for the sake of a story, I’d be turning my back on the things I believe in the most.”

  That mindset was something he understood, something he believed in as well. For the most part. He only hoped she was telling him the truth. And in the shape he was in right now, he didn’t have the luxury of relying on himself alone. The days of captivity had worn him hollow, and his body was heavy with fatigue. Now he was out of immediate danger, his systems were shutting down. It would be only minutes before he succumbed to sleep.

  So, he had to decide here and now whether to trust this human. With a quick prayer to Badria, he took the leap.

  “I need to sleep for a while. Wake me if you need me.”

  “Of course.”

  Kasim barely heard her before his eyes closed and the darkness took him.

  ****

  It only seemed like moments later that he was being shaken awake. “What?”

  His eyes snapped open to find Winter leaning over him, unbuckling his seat belt. “We have to get you inside, quick and quiet.”

  It was evening now, the shadows long and the light soft. Kasim struggled out of the vehicle and Winter threw a blanket over his shoulders. Clutching the rough weave close, he cast a quick look around as he followed her. They were in a small parking area surrounded on three sides by two-story buildings with multiple doors spaced evenly along each level.

  “Where are we going?”

  “I’ve booked us a room.” She glanced at him over her shoulder, and she must have read the confusion on his face. “This is a cheap motel in a mid-sized town. The kind of motel that takes cash and doesn’t ask for ID, in a town big enough that strangers don’t garner any attention. As soon as I get you inside, I’ll dump the car at the nearest bus station and walk back.”

  He followed her up the stairs, her firm, tight ass right in his eye line. He was male enough to appreciate the view, although he was in no shape to do anything about it. Not that he would even if he’d been in the peak of health. They made their way to a corner room on the ground floor, right next to an external set of stairs. Winter unlocked the door and led him inside.

  The room was dingy and smelled of stale smoke and desperation. It had twin beds, a counter running along one wall, a small TV, and an air conditioning unit that looked ready to fall apart. Winter closed the door behind them but didn’t come further into the room.

  “I need to get rid of the car. Will you be all right on your own?”

  “Yes.” In fact he craved privacy in a way she would never understand. “How long will you be?”

  “I’m not sure. An hour, maybe more.”

  He nodded and tried not to look as weak as he felt. “Take your time. I’m going to clean up and then try to get some more sleep.”

  “All right. I’ll see you soon.”

  The moment she left, Kasim double-checked the door was secure
. Stripping out of the HEC-supplied clothing, he headed for the bathroom. He didn’t need to be in his skin to shift into his animal form because his clothes were part of the phase. When a rhe’hashan was on the battlefield, he or she needed to be able to go from fur and claw to skin and weapons at a moment’s notice. Whatever Kasim was wearing—or carrying in the case of weapons—became part of the shift back into his two-legged form.

  Locking the bathroom door behind him, he moved to the center of the tiny room. Closing his eyes, he began to sing the song that connected him to his Goddess-given abilities.

  As soon as the first quiet notes passed his lips, he felt Her power surge inside him. Filled with divine love, he tapped into the other half of himself—the half he’d been forced to hide during his captivity. The lepardine surged, and as he phased from one form to another, Kasim dropped to all fours, reveling in the power and freedom of his four-legged body.

  Stretching out on the cool tiled floor, he let the power of the shift heal his body—eradicating hurts, mending cuts and bruises, replenishing his energy. All rhe’hashan had some healing skill, but nothing could beat the healing power of phasing into animal form.

  He took up nearly all the available space. In this body he measured over five feet long and he weighed almost five hundred pounds. His heavy muscles were covered in thick, white fur dotted with black rosettes. Perfect camouflage for the snow fields that were home to the Ice Plains clan, but utterly useless in an urban environment.

  Indulging himself in a way he rarely allowed, Kasim permitted his mind to drift back in time. Back to when all he knew was the snow and the ice, and the support of his family. Comforted by those memories, he drifted toward sleep.

  Where have you been! Shallamar’s angry shout jerked him awake.

  Shallamar. Are you all right?

  No. Not all right. You left me.

  Kasim winced. He wasn’t ready for this conversation yet, but now Shallamar had a bead on him, he had to deal with her. I didn’t leave you on purpose. Some humans took me.

  Took where?

  I don’t know exactly. But I’m free now. I’m all right.

  Me come.

  Of course she would. Shallamar would be hurting from the separation, just as he was. But it wasn’t safe for either of them to indulge in their need to be together. Don’t come yet. I’m a long way from New York and it’s too dangerous for you to travel across the country looking for me. The humans don’t know about the me’hendra, and if anyone sees you, they’ll think you’re a wild animal. They’ll try to kill you.

  There was a long pause, and when Shallamar spoke again, it was with haughty disdain. Me not stupid. Me know how to hunt unseen.

  Despite everything, her tone tugged a smile from his lips. Not this far, and not on this planet. The humans have surveillance technology everywhere, and every one of them carries a recording device on their person. Someone will see you.

  She remained silent and Kasim growled in frustration. Please, Shallamar. I’ll be home soon, I promise. Just wait for me.

  Me not like you alone.

  No, he didn’t like it either. He and Shallamar were inseparable, and he didn’t feel right with her so far away. She steadied him, kept his emotions balanced and in check. Neither of them wanted to contemplate what would happen if he had a panic attack when she wasn’t around.

  I’m not on my own, he replied. One of Jasmine’s friends is helping me.

  Itohan’s Jasmine?

  Yes. Itohan was Tallis’s me’hendra. When Tallis and Jasmine became lovers, Itohan claimed Jaz as his own.

  Very well. Me wait. But not for long.

  Of course. Thank you, Shallamar. It was a conditional surrender at best, but it was one less thing for him to worry about in the immediate future.

  The link closed and Kasim went back to letting his mind drift. It was a long time before he phased back into his two-legged form and turned on the shower.

  Chapter Four

  Winter was beyond exhausted. She’d driven to the next town, parked the car at a bus terminal, and purchased two tickets to New York in order to lay a false trail. She made her way to the public bathroom, ditched her blonde wig and blue contacts and pulled her sunglasses from her bag. Head down, she exited the terminal and caught a town bus to the local mall. After purchasing some toiletries and clothes for herself and Kasim, she’d taken a taxi to get back to the hotel.

  Her feet were dragging as she crossed the almost empty car park. Entering the room, she called out to Kasim.

  “I’m back.”

  A few moments later, the bathroom door cracked open. “I’ll be out in a minute.” Then his head poked out a little further. “What happened to your hair?”

  “Oh.” She stilled, feeling strangely self-conscious under his stare. “I was wearing a wig and colored contacts before.” Shrugging, she touched her messy ponytail. “This is the real me.”

  Kasim blinked, then shut the door without further comment. His silence was strangely deflating, and for a moment, Winter stood at the end of the bed like a lost puppy. Then she realized what the hell she was doing. Shaking her head in the hopes that the movement might resettle her brain, she tried to put some steel into her spine. Kasim might be an alien, but he was also a man, and no man had the right or the ability to make her feel anything less than what she was. Winter was smart, hardworking, and independent. And she was self-reflective enough to have a good handle on her strengths and weaknesses. And those weaknesses would never include an alien with eyes the color of ice.

  Unpacking her purchases, she kept her hands busy while her mind worked at the one problem she could solve—getting Kasim back to New York with her dwindling emergency funds.

  When she heard the bathroom door open, she turned, and her righteous pep-talk fell clean out of her head. Damp and fresh from a recent shower, he wore nothing but a barely adequate towel around his hips. She knew it was rude to stare, but she couldn’t drag her gaze away from all that skin and muscle. Though if she was honest with herself, her attraction to him went way beyond the physical. There was something compelling about him, as though he spoke to her on a level that only her soul could hear.

  Finally, her eyes lifted to his face, and when she saw the cold anger in his gaze, she stumbled back a step.

  “Um, sorry.” She turned to the bed, fishing inside a bag that she’d already repacked. “I’ve put some clothes on the bed for you. I went to the mall to get some necessities for us.” Her words were coming too fast, but she couldn’t seem to stem the tide. “Toiletries and whatnot. Clothes. I had to guess the size so I don’t know—”

  “Thank you.”

  Winter used his interruption as a chance to clamp her lips shut. Keeping her eyes on the hideous flowered bed spread, she clenched her fists and fought to regain her balance. She couldn’t believe how out of depth she felt. It was a condition as uncomfortable as it was rare. Winter prided herself on her cool, emotional control. She was smart and had trained herself to adapt immediately to any given situation. She’d never behaved like a gauche teenager, even when she was one. And she never, ever got so far on her back foot that she rambled.

  Walking around the bed so her back was to Kasim, Winter sat on the mattress and stared out the grimy window. She could hear the rustle of plastic bags and the quiet slide of fabric against skin. Hopefully she’d be able to hold her shit together once he had some clothes on.

  “You can turn around now.”

  He was standing at the end of his bed. The jeans were a little loose at the waist, and an inch too short, and his black t-shirt was too tight—yet he still looked like a Viking god. His shoulder-length hair was damp, and it fell thick and sleek well past his shoulders. His feet were bare … and she was staring. Again.

  “I’m sorry.” The apology just popped out of her mouth.

  “For what?” His voice was deep, and there was a timbre in it that seemed to resonate right down to the marrow of her bones.

  “For staring. I know it’
s rude, but I’m finding it hard make my eyes behave.”

  He shrugged. “Most humans don’t interact with the rhe’hashan. It’s natural to be curious.”

  “Rhe’hashan?” She’d never heard the term.

  Pulling out the vinyl chair that was tucked under the counter, Kasim sat down and crossed an ankle over his knee. “We are the warrior class of our race. The defenders and protectors of the clans.”

  “Oh. Well, I’ve only met Tallis.”

  Kasim nodded. “Tallis is also a rhe’hashan.”

  Which didn’t explain why Tallis had no effect at all on her, but Kasim was making her brain and body go haywire. Scooting around to the bottom bed, she sat so she could face him as they talked.

  “Would you like to call him? I have Jasmine’s number.”

  “No, not yet.” His jaw tightened and his eyes skittered from hers. “I need some time to … process what happened to me.”

  He didn’t move, his muscles didn’t flinch, but she felt the tension coming off him in waves. “I’ll help you in whatever way I can, but I don’t know how much time I can give you. Those assholes will be hunting for you and, while I’ve covered our trail as best I can, it won’t be long before they track us here.”

  He nodded, accepting her risk assessment without argument. “How soon do we need to leave?”

  “I think we’ll be safe tonight. We’ll rest up and leave in the morning, just as soon as I can arrange transport for us.”

  “It will have to be a private vehicle rather than public transport.” He gestured to his face and body. “I can’t hide what I am.”

  “I’ll sort something out.” Winter hoped she sounded more confident than she felt. “I’m going to get us some takeout for dinner and then we’ll lock ourselves in for the night.”

  “What are you doing for cash?”

  She smiled at him, liking the fact that he assumed she knew not to use her credit cards. “I had an emergency stash sewn into the lining of my purse. If I’m careful, it should get us home.” She’d also taken the battery out of both of her phones when she’d dumped Ben’s car. They were as off the grid as she could make them.