He swallowed and looked away. "A false charge of treason had been leveled against him, and his government wanted him executed."

Kiara bit her lip, considering his words. "How do you know he was innocent? If a court found him guilty- "

"No court was involved," Nykyrian interrupted her. "For a large enough fee, the League will convict and execute anyone."

Her throat tightened in fear. "So the League doesn't really protect anyone."

"Only the fat politicians who run it."

Her stomach knotted at the thought. "Why doesn't someone stop them?"

Nykyrian shrugged like he found the whole matter boring. "Who knows?"

In a daze at her newfound knowledge, Kiara got out of her chair and headed to her room.

She paused at the hallway, looking back to where Nykyrian sat on her couch.

"Nykyrian?"

Kiara waited until he faced her. "When you left the League, did it feel good?"

He looked away from her and for a moment, she thought he'd just ignore her. "It felt great."

She nodded, her heart hanging heavy with just one more thing she needed to ask.

Finally, she found the courage she needed to bring it up. "Do you ever think of dying?"

He rubbed his hand across his jaw. "Do you?"

Tears welled up in her eyes. "I never did until a little while ago." Her tears poured down her cheeks. "I'm so afraid of it!" she sobbed.Covering her trembling lips with her hand, she ran down the hallway to the safety of her room. Kiara threw herself across the bed, her sobs wracking her body. She didn't want to die, not now, not ever. There was so much more she wanted to do, to experience.

Suddenly, she found Nykyrian's arms around her, pulling her into his lap. He sat on the edge of her bed, holding her against him like she was a small child who had broken its favorite toy. She leaned her head against his shoulder and sobbed out her grief.

Nykyrian remained silent, comforting her, holding her, brushing her hair from her cheek, rocking her gently in his arms. Never had Kiara felt so protected. She didn't know how long she cried, but when she finally pulled away, the silk of his shirt clung to his chest where her tears had fallen.

"I'm sorry," she said with a sniff, wiping the back of her hand over her cheeks.

He moved her hand and wiped the moisture away for her. "Feeling better?" he asked in a gruff voice. Kiara nodded. "This isn't like me," she whispered, reveling in the feel of his warm, strong hands moving over her icy cheeks.

"It's understandable. You're not used to people holding blasters to your head."

She swallowed her tears, wishing once more she could see his face, read his thoughts.

"Are you?"

He took a deep breath, his hand tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "It's happened more than twice." Kiara stared at him. In so many ways he was a complete stranger, yet they sat now like old lovers. She burned for him, ached to kiss his lips, but knew if she tried, he would push her away again and end this peaceful moment. And she desperately didn't want it to end. "Aren't you afraid of dying?" she asked, stifling the next wave of tears that threatened to fall. "That one day, you won't escape when someone puts a blaster to your head?"

His arms tensed around her. For a moment, she feared he would get up and leave. When his answer came, it wasn't what she expected. "The only thing I fear is growing old."

"What's wrong with growing old?" she asked, aching to touch his cheek.

"Nothing," he said, his voice hoarse. "Unless you do it alone."

Her heart wrenched, then to her utmost disappointment, he stood. He reached down and fingered her cheek like he was touching precious china. "No one's going to harm you.On my life, I'll keep you safe," he said, then was gone.

Kiara's heart pounded at the audible sincerity behind his words. Her cheek burned in the memory of his fingers. There was so much more she wanted to say to him, to ask him, but she didn't know how.

He was so contradictory. In one minute he pulled away and snapped if she dared to even touch his hand, then the next he held her like a treasured love and comforted her tears.

Kiara drew a trembling breath, wishing for the nerve it would take to strip her clothes from her body and go out to the main room where Nykyrian slept. Shera had done that to gain her last lover and had told Kiara it was a never-fail ploy to be used when she really wanted someone. But Kiara couldn't do that, she was a coward.

Sighing, she leaned back on her bed, imagining what it would be like to have Nykyrian by her side, making love to her, soothing her fears all night long.

He was still on her mind when she finally drifted off into a fitful sleep.

When Kiara awoke, Nykyrian was gone. She had rushed from her bed to see him before he left, but she was too late. Hauk sat on her couch, munching what was left of her friggles.

Giving him a shy, disappointed smile, she went to dress. Kiara took her time, wishing she had stayed in bed and slept through the hulking Andarion's guardianship of her. She held no desire to spend the day under his glares and threats.

When she returned to the main room, Hauk had a plate of muffins waiting for her. She lifted a questioning brow, shocked by the gesture.

"They're not as good as Nykyrian's, but they won't kill you either," he said gruffly as if being friendly with her embarrassed him.

"I thought you hated me?" she asked, retrieving a muffin.

He shrugged and flipped stations on her viewer. "I hate over-privileged people in general. You just happen to fall into that category."

She swallowed her bite of muffin. "Nykyrian didn't strike me as being exactly poor. As the son of a wealthy, respected commander I would think he falls into your category as well."A harrumph was all that answered her.

After a moment, he snarled. "I don't suppose you have a better way of occupying our time? There's nothing on that's even good enough to rot my brain with."

Kiara laughed, understanding his mood all too well. "Other than eat friggles and humans, what do you like to do?"

Hauk stood and towered over her. "Anything beats talking."

She sighed at the underlying hostility in his words and indicated the closet in the hallway with her thumb. "I have some games."

Without a word, he moved to the closet and began rummaging through her things. He emerged with a wide smile, his fangs flashing. "Tareba!" he exclaimed, pulling out the strategy game. "Would you mind playing?"

Kiara smiled in disbelief at his exuberance. "Of course not," she said.

He was like a child with a new toy as he pulled out the pieces and set up the board.

A smile curled her lips at his enthusiasm. "Where'd Nykyrian go?" she asked while she watched him.

He looked up from the box with a stern frown. "Did you ask him?"

"Didn't have time."

The frown lessened. "He went to get information about the people after you."

She licked her lips, trying to bolster her courage enough to ask the next question. "Why is Aksel Bredeh so important to Nykyrian?"

"What do you care?" he barked.

Kiara glared at him, her cheeks warming in anger over his unwarranted hostility. "You guys have to be the most defensive group alive. Mia kitana, can't I ever get a simple answer out of any of you?"

Hauk laughed deep in his throat, a sound that she found far from comforting. "You're right. We are a prone to evasiveness. You should play Questions with them sometime.I've never seen anyone hedge an inquiry better than Nykyrian and Rachol."

It was magical the way his personality changed from coarse to friendly. "I'm not even sure what went on between Aksel and Nykyrian. Then again, there's not much I am sure about where Nykyrian is concerned except for the fact he would die for me."

She frowned at the newfound knowledge. "Why do you say that?"

"He's taken enough shots protecting my hulking ass over the years."

Kiara watched him finish setting up the game, thinking about what he said. "Have you ever seen him smile?"

Hauk closed the box, his eyes carefully shuttered.

"No."

His response brought an ache to her chest. She used her next ploy to gain more tidbits about Nykyrian from him. "How long have you known him?"

Hauk gave her a cold stare. "Since he was nine."

She dropped her jaw in shock, his revelation pouring through her. "And you don't know him well enough to have ever seen him smile?"

Hauk shrugged. "He doesn't smile. Hell, he barely speaks. It was worse when he was a kid. At least now he doesn't glare and hiss every time someone speaks to him."

Kiara's heart lurched at the thought. Nykyrian was a strange fascination for her-the more she learned about his past, the more she wanted to know all about him. "Then you've seen his eyes," she said, hoping to find out why Nykyrian hid them.

Hauk sat perfectly still and watched her. "Yes, I have."

"What do they look like? Yours?"

"If he wants you to know, he'll take his glasses off. Were I you, I wouldn't wait on that day."

Kiara sat back on her heels, gnashing her teeth in frustration. At this rate, she'd die of old age before any of these tight-lipped misers gave her any information about their belovedcompanion.

Well fine, she'd just have to see if she could get a glimpse of Nykyrian's eyes by herself.

She never could stand a mystery and she wasn't about to leave this one unsolved!

Six.

Kiara and Hauk were watching a comedy when Nykyrian returned. She looked up at him with a smile, but he didn't even bother to glance in her direction. Disappointed, she shifted her gaze to Hauk who offered her an apologetic shrug before standing.

"Well, I guess it's time for this baby-sitter to evaporate," Hauk said, nodding to Nykyrian. "Beware of her roast," he said before leaving them.

Nykyrian looked at her. "What was that about?" he asked gruffly.

Kiara shrugged. "He told me he liked it. Would you care for any? I left a warmer on the stove." She tossed the pillow from her lap and uncurled her legs.

"I'll get it," he said, dropping his pack by the door.

He was acting strange, even for him. Kiara watched him move slowly to the kitchen, a deep frown on her face. What had happened?

Several minutes went by as she waited for him to rejoin her, but he stayed in the kitchen out of her sight. Worried and curious, she went to check on him.

He sat at the table, his food untouched. His head was propped against one arm and he appeared to be staring at the table as if something had his mind transfixed.

"Is something wrong?" Kiara asked.

Immediately, he straightened up and retrieved a fork. "I'm just tired," he said before taking a bite.

Kiara sat down across from him. Drawing her legs up in the chair, she propped her chin on her knees. "Hauk and I spent the afternoon playing games," she said, trying to bring him into conversation and out of the melancholia he seemed to be wallowing in. "Do you play any?"

His grip tightened on the fork. "No."Exasperated, she glared at him. "You don't have to bark at me. I was just- "

"Look," Nykyrian interrupted her, making her jump in surprise at the sharp tone. "I'm in no mood to be sociable. Why can't you leave me in peace!"

Sputtering in indignation, Kiara came to her feet. She rounded the table to stand next to his chair. "You know, I'm getting really sick of this abuse. If we have to be together constantly, the least you could do is be civil."

Nykyrian came to his feet with a loud scraping of chair leg against her porcelain floor.

His lips snarled at her, his breathing labored. "Why do you continue to pursue me when you know I have no interest in you as a woman? Are you incapable of having a man in your home without having him in your bed?"

She had never had words cut her so deeply in her life. Before she could think, she slapped him as hard across the face as she could.

He didn't even flinch. He just stood there, motionless. She couldn't even detect the rise and fall of his chest. Kiara was horrified by her actions. Her palm stung from the blow.

She had never in her life struck anyone for anything.

"Forgive me," she gasped, cupping his face in her hands.

He pushed her hands away. "Don't touch me," he growled in a low, fierce voice.

She opened her mouth to speak, but a sharp knock on the door silenced her. Nykyrian went to open it.

Kiara stood in the kitchen, gripping the counter as a multitude of emotions tore through her. What had made her do such a thing? His insult rang in her ears, reminding her the action was justified. Wasn't it?

A lump in her throat, she moved towards the front room to see who was here and what was going on. She hovered in the hallway, watching Rachol unbutton and peel Nykyrian's shirt back.