Vrasna squeezed his shoulder. "I'll pass that around."

Kiara watched the creature leave. "What was that?" she asked, studying how graceful Vrasna moved on four legs.

One corner of Nykyrian's mouth lifted. "You can't pronounce it, but she's female."

Nykyrian handed her his drink.

Kiara took a small sip, then gasped as the tart, thick liquid burned a hole in her tongue.Tears stung her eyes.

"Nasty, isn't it?" Darling asked, handing her his glass of water.

Grateful for his concern, Kiara took a large gulp trying to diminish the fire in her mouth.

"I found her," Nykyrian shouted to Hauk. "Guard Kiara with your life!"

Kiara looked up as Nykyrian left them, her heart pounding in fear and worry. She didn't know who he was after, she just hoped Nykyrian wasn't running into danger.

She watched him cross the room and meet up with an extremely attractive blond woman.

Her eyes narrowed. Jealousy gnawed at her so fiercely, she was tempted to push her way through the crowd to claim him. Then, when Nykyrian led the wench off to the back, she burned even more.

Hauk's rumbling laugh filled her ears. "Relax," he said. "Nykyrian needs information, nothing more."

He better, Kiara thought, still not satisfied.

After a few minutes, Hauk excused himself to chase after an old friend. Darling moved to sit beside her. He covered her shaking hands with his own and gave a tender squeeze for encouragement.

"Darling!"

Kiara jumped at the sound in her ear. A tall, handsome man sat down in the chair on the other side of Darling.

"You look like hell, buddy."

Kiara studied the man's gorgeous face. Ebony eyebrows slashed above merry, hazel eyes, parallel to his cheeks. His dark hair was shoulder length and worn in a small ponytail.

He whispered something in Darling's ear, then looked over at her. A seductive smile curved his lips and Kiara wondered how many women had swooned to it. "Greetings, beautiful." He extended his hand to her.

Glancing at Darling, Kiara waited for him to verify the man's friendship."Kiara, this is my best friend, Caillen Dagan, smuggler extraordinaire and lady-killer extreme," Darling shouted.

Gingerly, she shook Caillen's hand. He raised her hand to his lips and placed a warm kiss across her knuckles. Releasing her hand, he met her eyes, one corner of his mouth lifting in a way Kiara was sure would have set most women off into giggles.

"Kiara Biardi?" Caillen asked in surprise.

At her nod, his smile widened. "Whoa. It's an even greater privilege to swap drinks with you!"

Darling shoved Caillen's shoulder. "Don't start on her," he warned. Darling turned to face Kiara. "Caillen's harmless enough, he just thinks every woman breathing is dying to crawl into his bed."

"Most are," Caillen answered with an infectious laugh.

"Hi Caillen!" an attractive red head said, leaning over Caillen's shoulder to kiss his cheek.

Caillen wrinkled his nose and sent the woman away. Kiara looked at Darling who was giving Caillen a disbelieving stare.

"I think that may be the first time since you hit puberty you've let a beautiful woman get away unmolested!"

Caillen snorted. "Yeah well, Lila's a ubiquitous slut. Someone should paint an x on her back and mark it this side down."

Kiara's eyes widened at his crude response.

Caillen shrugged, that irresistible smile back in place. "Sorry about that," he said to Kiara before taking a gulp of Darling's water. "I tend to let my manners slip at the damnedest times."

Suddenly, Caillen leaned across the table and gave her a seductive grin. "I hope you're not Darling's date."

"She's Nykyrian's," Darling answered for her.Caillen's face blanched. "I'm out of here," he said, bolting to his feet. He turned around and glared at Darling. "Why didn't you tell me he was here, that I was making passes at his female. Geez Darling, what're you trying to do, get me disemboweled?"

Darling shrugged, a smile splitting his face. "Actually, I enjoyed watching you embarrass yourself."

"Hah, hah," Caillen said, casting Kiara a sheepish look. His face turned serious. "Arturo came by Kasen's a little while ago asking about you. I told him you were visiting Ryn. I don't think he believed me so watch your back."

"I will."

With a nod to them, Caillen drifted off into the crowd.

Kiara looked at Darling a smile on her face. "That was an interesting human."

Darling nodded. "Worth his weight in comic relief."

Kiara twisted the straw in Nykyrian's glass with her fingers. "I thought Nykyrian was your best-friend."

Darling leaned back in his chair and studied her face. "Nykyrian protects me and I love him for it, but he's too serious. Caillen on the other hand takes life in stride, always with a joke about it." He shrugged and reached for his water. "I don't know, he just makes me laugh."

Kiara nodded, understanding all too well the importance of laughter. "Are you and Caillen lovers?"

Darling shook his head and laughed. "No, Caillen is strictly heterosexual." He glanced around the crowd. "Are you still nervous?"

Kiara took a deep breath. "A little," she said, but inside she knew it was a lot more.

Darling picked her hand up off the table and traced the line of her fingers.

"Touching," a malevolent voice snarled between them.

Darling released her hand and rose to his feet. "What are you doing here?" he snapped.The man glaring in rage was a handsome, older man. A few faint lines marred his cruel mouth. His graying, sandy brown hair was cropped short and steely blue eyes raked her with a cold stare.

"Feeling heterosexual tonight?" he sneered, grabbing Darling by the arm in a rough grip that made Kiara cringe in response to it. "You were not supposed to leave the house until I told you to!"

Kiara gulped, this must be Arturo. Panicking, she looked through the crowd trying to find Nykyrian, Hauk or Caillen, but she didn't see anyone who looked familiar.

"Why don't you just leave," Darling shouted, his temper out of control. "I told you I wasn't coming home anymore."

Arturo's response was a vicious backhand. Darling fell against the table, upturning it.

Without thinking, Kiara ran forward and shoved Arturo away from Darling. She barely budged him.

With a ringing curse, he slapped her hard, knocking her backward into a group of men.

Ignoring her stinging cheek, Kiara pushed herself off the floor, intending to return to the fight, but found herself surrounded by a group of smelly humans.

"Excuse me," she said, trying to break through them.

"Just where do you think you're going?" one of them asked, a snide smile on his face.

"I don't think she's going anywhere," another answered before grabbing her by the waist and pulling her back into the center of the group.

Terror engulfed her, she had to do something. Kiara fought against the man's hold, clawing at his hands. With a heated curse, he slung her over his shoulders. Kiara shrieked and screamed, but couldn't get free.

She glanced up and saw Arturo dragging Darling through the rear door. She renewed her struggle with vigor. She had to help him!

The man holding her laughed at her attempts and bounced her hard against his shoulder.

Her breath left her with a loud, painful whoosh. Pulling at his hair, she clawed at his exposed neck.

He took her outside to the landing bay and threw her onto the filthy ground where shelanded with a solid thud. Kiara moaned at the pain twining through her body, her ribs and back ached to the point she feared they were broken.

"You'll pay for that, harita," the man snarled, drawing a huge dagger out of his boot.

Kiara shook all over, her mind seeing Chenz coming after her again with his cruel blade moving over her body.

The others in his group surrounded her. She had nowhere to run. Gulping in fear, she studied the shining blade. The blade glinted as he raised it. Too panicked to move, Kiara waited for it to descend. Suddenly, it was snatched from his hand.

"What do you think you're doing?" Nykyrian snarled, balancing the knife under the man's chin.

A bead of sweat ran down the man's temple. "This is human's business, Andarion."

The cold look on Nykyrian's face sent a shiver down Kiara's throbbing spine. "She is my mate, scab. What you do with her is my business."

Kiara saw the man shake uncontrollably. He looked to her, to Nykyrian, then back at her. "You're his mate?" he squeaked.

"Yes," Kiara answered with conviction, trembling with relief that Nykyrian had saved her life. Again.

Nykyrian dragged the knife under the man's chin, leaving a small trail of blood before extending his hand to Kiara. Grabbing it like a lifeline, she allowed him to pull her to her feet.

"I'm sorry," the man spoke in a hurry, wiping the blood from his chin with the back of his hand. "She crashed into us. I had no idea. I mean . . . Well- "

"I suggest you leave," Nykyrian snarled, showing the man his teeth.

The group ran faster than Kiara could believe. Shaking with her emotions, Kiara buried her head in Nykyrian's shoulder laughing in hysterical relief. "Had you said boo, I think they would have died of fright!"

Nykyrian held her against him, his arms soothing away the shaking in her limbs. "What happened?" he whispered against her hair.Kiara drew a trembling breath. "Hauk saw someone he knew. Then Darling and I were talking . . . Arturo showed up. He's got Darling!"

Nykyrian's body went rigid. "Where'd they go?"

"Out the back door."

Nykyrian pulled her by the arm back into the club and through the crowd. As they passed Hauk, Nykyrian grabbed him with a furious curse. They burst through the back door. Nykyrian paced around, scanning the area.

"Remind me later to kill you," he said bitterly to Hauk, his face contorted in rage.

"What's happened?" Hauk asked in confusion, looking at Kiara.

Nykyrian curled his lip. "Nothing of any great importance. Arturo has Darling."

"Shit!" Hauk raked his hands through his hair. "Where do you think they went?"

"I have no idea."

Caillen came running through the back door. "Where's Darling?" he asked Nykyrian.

"Arturo has him."

Caillen let out a curse that brought heat to Kiara's cheeks. "Kasen just told me she saw them together a little while ago. So help me, I'm going to throttle that woman!"

"Do you have any idea where Arturo would take him?" Nykyrian asked Caillen, taking Kiara's hand.

"Maybe."

Nykyrian pulled out his link and called Rachol and Jayne to start a search. He tossed his link to Caillen. "Keep in touch with them. I'll take Kiara home, then join the search."

"How will we keep up with you?" Caillen asked, tucking the link into his belt.

"I have Darling's link at home."

Guilt gnawed at Kiara while Nykyrian led her to his ship. If not for her getting intotrouble again, Nykyrian might have been able to get to Darling in time.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as they launched out of the bay.

"You didn't do anything," Nykyrian said with a sigh. "I should have known better than to leave Hauk with the two of you. Sometimes he just doesn't think."

Kiara remained quiet the rest of the trip, her thoughts whirling over what had happened.

She prayed for Darling's safety.

Nykyrian rushed her inside his house, grabbed the link and was gone before she could even wish him luck. Her heart heavy, Kiara made her way up to bed.

She lay for hours watching the stars twinkling above her head, praying for all their lives.

When she saw Nykyrian's fighter fly over, her heart pounded in relief. Grabbing her robe, she dashed downstairs to wait for him to enter. The lorinas curled about her legs, mewing softly.

Exhausted, Nykyrian came through the door. He dropped his helmet to the floor and opened his arms to receive her tight squeeze. "We found him," he said in a tired voice.