"Do you still want that tea?" He whispered against her ear.

"Yeah, I think I do." When he shifted her off his lap and started to rise, she gripped his arm. "Let me. I need a few minutes to...."

He just smiled and steadied her until she stepped off the wilderness bag. The water was heating on the fire, tea leaves were in the cup and she knew it was now or never for her to set her plan into play. Time for a song.

"Kava ain't got no tail...."

"Blue! By all that's holy in the universe, will you please stop with the noise?" He couldn't guarantee he wouldn't do something drastic-like tie her up and gag her-if he had to endure another second of her singing.

"I'll make you a deal." She kept her back to him so he wouldn't suspect what was coming.

"Anything!" He agreed without hesitation.

"Give me your word of honor."

He chuckled and raised his right hand. "I give you my solemn vow that I will do whatever you ask of me to guarantee you withhold any and all musical entertainment within my hearing."

"Hold that thought." She dashed to her room and pulled his vioharp from her bag. It boasted new strings thanks to an instruction sheet she found in his mother's desk. He would have to tune it since her musical talent was obviously nonexistent. Holding it behind her back, she stood at the end of the hallway.

"Close your eyes." He looked confused but he did as she asked. She kneeled in front of where he sat. "I won't sing another note or play the mouth harp-ever again-if you will play one song for me on this."

He opened his eyes when she laid the vioharp across his knees.

Chapter Thirty.

Talon couldn't speak past the ma.s.sive pain squeezing his chest. h.e.l.l, he could barely breathe. His fingers traced the loose strings before moving to the tuning keys without conscious thought. Once, a lifetime ago, this instrument was his constant companion. He remembered the last time he held it under his chin and coaxed the music to life. His mother, a talented musician in her own right, said his talent would outshine hers before he finished school.

He tried to imagine her sitting at her desk while he practiced his scales but the image instantly flashed to the central square and the brutality of her death. Shadow was wrong about him. She believed he held all the pain bottled up inside him. It wasn't the pain that could destroy him-it was the love. Pain left a scar to remind you of what you survived. The love...especially the unquestioned, limitless love of a mother for her child...was supposed to be the glue that kept your life together. When that glue, and the stability it created, was suddenly ripped away it left a hole in your soul.

Shadow knelt there on the floor, silently waiting for him to keep his word. There was a look of such longing in her eyes. A blind man could see the hunger. Was this all because she cared for him or was she grasping at the fragments of a family she never had for herself? He couldn't let it matter because as soon as he found Draagon, her contract would be over and they would go their own way.

She presented the bow with as much reverence as a queen to a knight in a child's bedtime tale. He was honestly surprised that his hand didn't shake when he took it from her. If he relaxed for an instant he'd shake apart. If that happened he didn't know if he'd ever pull himself together.

You can do this for her. When she sees that nothing changes, we can get back to the way we were earlier. You gave your word and you've never gone back on that word-not even at your drunkest.

Talon fit the vioharp beneath his chin, closed his eyes, and drew the bow across the strings. He had to make a couple of adjustments to get the correct sound before fitting it back beneath his chin. This time, when the bow stroked the strings, the sound was clear and rich. He closed his eyes again, drew a deep breath, and cleared his mind of everything but the music. After a few chords to familiarize himself with where to place his fingers, he started playing a simple child's tune. It was short but would fulfill his promise.

Shadow allowed her shoulders to relax once Talon accepted the bow from her. She pushed him to give her his vow because she knew his sense of honor wouldn't allow him to back down despite his reluctance. He definitely didn't want to do this, but he would. His reasons for continuing weren't as important as the fact that he was playing.

The inhabitants of Cypriana would never believe their resident conman knew what music was much less handle the instrument with such delicate control. She expected him to play something as short as her kava song. When the music faded she reached for the vioharp. She would put it in the vault on their way to the hover-boat in the morning.

Instead of stopping, the music blended seamlessly into a light, happy number that sounded like another childhood favorite. His mother wrote in her diary that his talent would surpa.s.s hers. She expected him to perform in major cities around the galaxy. Kings and heads of state would jockey for a spot in his tour schedule. Shadow thought they were the words of a doting mother but the longer he played the more she saw the truth.

As one melody merged with the next she was drawn into the magic he created. She held perfectly still, afraid the slightest movement or whisper of sound would destroy the moment. His musical selections suddenly changed. The notes became harsh and discordant. This music felt like panic and fear.

Shadow pulled her gaze away from Talon's hands and focused on his face. His face mirrored the music! He wasn't playing music he had learned as a child! He was composing as he played and every single moment of Draagon's slaughter of his clan was trapped in the notes he created! Was he aware of what he played?

She couldn't look away from his face. The man sitting cross-legged on a wilderness bag wasn't the one playing the vioharp. This performance was given by the twelve-year-old boy forced to grow up too fast. Tears flowed down her cheeks at the pain of loss and loneliness that would cripple most men. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and tell him...what? That it would get better? That time would heal and it wouldn't always hurt like this? Useless plat.i.tudes uttered by strangers as talismans against the knowledge that it could be them the next time.

The music changed again. The haunting strains of total, heartbreaking isolation faded to near silence before slowly building in strength to a hard, steady tempo-relentless and unchanging. This was his commitment to his family-to his clan. It wouldn't change until Draagon paid for his crimes.

Shadow shifted positions, ready to take the vioharp from him and pack it away in the case waiting in her room. The music changed again and she froze. This new sound wrapped around her, touching her like a tender lover. It spoke to her. Cherished her. One glance at Talon confirmed he was still held captive by the music. He was no more aware of what he was playing than he was the color of the curtains covering the window. Did he feel more than grat.i.tude for her? She only admitted her love in her head-never spoken aloud. This glimpse felt like a violation. It was almost a rape of his soul. She didn't want to hear this. She didn't want to deal with this. By all the stars in the universe, the possibility both thrilled and frightened her. Their mutual salvation was in the fact that he was unaware of what he revealed in his music. The beautiful sound slowly faded and Talon lowered the vioharp. She held her breath waiting for...something...a clue to his reaction to the past hour, maybe?

He looked up and straight at her. She gasped at what she saw in his eyes. He knew exactly what the music described!

"Be careful what you ask for, Blue," he whispered, softly. "I've only ever hated one person in my entire life. Until tonight. What was this little game of yours supposed to accomplish?"

Talon stood and walked to the fire pit. Without warning, he smashed the vioharp against the stones and dropped the shattered pieces into the fire. "I'm going to sleep on the hover-boat tonight. If you're not there by first light, I'll leave you on this island you love so much. Do you want my word of honor, again?" He rolled his wilderness bag and shoved it into his pack along with his personal items. He turned at the door and pinned her in place with all the hurt and fury and regret in his gaze. "I asked you to drop it, Blue. There's not a moment in time when I forget about any of it. I memorized every word in her diary before I ever left here. All you did with your deliberate disregard for my privacy was destroy something that might have grown between us."

Shadow stared at the closed door long after Talon left. The dropping temperature forced her to seek the warmth of her wilderness bag where she buried her face in her pillow to m.u.f.fle the sounds of her heartbreak. She cried for what might have been. Her heart was shattered and she had no one to blame but herself. It was supposed to make him...it no longer mattered what it was supposed to do. What it did was cost her the chance of a future with Talon.

By the time she ran out of tears, it was too close to sunrise to risk falling asleep. She had no doubt he would do exactly what he said and leave her here. She changed into the durable clothes she wore on a.s.signment and shoved the blue dress to the bottom of her bag. In the long, lonely years ahead of her, she would pull it out and remember the night when a special man thought she was beautiful. When he told her with soft music that he cared.

With a final check of the house, she gathered her equipment and headed out. The sooner they reached the mainland, the sooner Talon would deal with Draagon and she could get on with her life.

Chapter Thirty-One.

Talon made good time back to the mainland. The mountains were visible on the horizon and they would dock before nightfall. Conversation consisted of single word responses unless it pertained to keeping the hover-boat skimming along. She didn't know what he was thinking or feeling. He was in full 'bounty hunter' mode so his voice and expressions created an emotionless mask that she couldn't penetrate.

It was easy for him to avoid her. The hover-boat could safely carry a dozen pa.s.sengers. With just the two of them, they could avoid each other for days. He spent most of his time in the command center and she kept busy as best she could. She wanted to do something-say something-to ease the tension between them. As a seasoned warrior, she faced death on a dozen different planets over the years. Her courage under pressure was proven time and time again. Suddenly, she had to face the fact that she was too much of a coward to confront him again.

You jump into armed combat without a second thought and you're running scared at the thought of upsetting him. Pathetic! What happens when we dock? It could take weeks to locate Draagon. Weeks of traveling through back country and wilderness. You have to com-mun-i-cate.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." She muttered. "Instead of nagging, could you come up with a plan? Maybe a suggestion? A hint? Anything?" Shadow listened to the now silent voice of her conscience. "That's what I thought, so if you're not going to be part of the solution, quit adding to the problem."

d.a.m.n! She was arguing with herself. Again! Thank all the deities known to man that there wasn't a soul around to hear her! Spending the rest of her life in a home for the mentally deficient wasn't her idea of a retirement option.

They only had a few hours before they docked. It was time to suck it up and...and what? Talon had to talk to her! Plans had to be made. "I'll think of something." She mumbled, heading for the front of the hover-boat.

Talon watched Shadow work her way to his location. He knew he spent way too much time watching her when she didn't know he was anywhere around. The past few days with very little to keep him busy had given him time to think. He thought about his life and the choices he made. There were things he'd do differently, both good and bad. He figured that made him normal-if there was such a thing. As with all men, his choices came with consequences and contributed to the creation of the man he was now.

Shadow was the one choice he didn't regret. His life would never be the same because of her. She made him see things-feel things-that hadn't been in his life for a very long time. He didn't know if he should kiss her or shoot her for dragging him from his miserable existence. So what are you going to do about it?

"Can we talk?" She asked, softly, from the door.

d.a.m.n, he hated how guarded she was around him. He did that to her with his anger and his hurt. He wanted the old Shadow back-the one who could turn the air blue with her language and kiss him senseless with the same potty mouth.

"Anytime, Blue." He motioned her to the co-pilot's seat. He slowed their speed until the hover-boat was barely moving. They were too close to land for anything less than total focus on piloting the craft.

"What's the plan for when we dock?"

That was his Blue, jump straight to the heart of the problem. "I'll check in with the Bounty Office. We need to explain about the hover-boat and notify them about the two escapees. They'll also have the latest location for Draagon and his Phantom Riders."

"Makes sense. Someone is probably looking for this." She waved her hand around indicating the vessel. "Do you think Draagon's still on Cyperia?"

He nodded. "From what I heard on the streets, that explosion at his compound almost ruined his operation. Rumors circulating around the strip said he stored the bulk of his wealth there. He still has most of his men and they follow his orders without question so he's busy rebuilding his corrupt empire; but it would take longer than two years to come up with enough gold to fund any off-world activities."

"Speaking of funds...."

Talon raised his hand to stop whatever she was going to say. "I'm betting those two visitors of ours had a bounty on their heads. Let's hold off on that conversation until after we see the Bounty Officer."

"You've been out of the bounty hunter game for quite a while. He's not gonna take your word that you eliminated part of his problem?"

He couldn't contain his grin. "Not even when I was active did they take just my word. I cut the ID numbers from their shirts before we cremated them."

A heavy silence settled around them but Talon didn't know what to do next. Their time together was growing shorter by the hour but he refused to think about how he felt about that. The red spikes in her aura bothered him more than he wanted to admit. He knew she was nervous and uncertain when she approached him. Time would tell if there was more to it than that.

"Talon...."

"Look, Blue..."

They both started to speak at the same time. The heavy sigh from Shadow twisted his gut. It couldn't be good.

"Let me go first, okay?" She pulled a deep breath and let it out slowly as she spoke. "If I don't, I may not have the guts to say it later. I'm so sorry for...the vioharp...and everything. I wanted...s.h.i.t! I don't know what I thought I wanted and it doesn't make a d.a.m.n bit of difference 'cause it's not about me and I just wanted to tell you that."

Talon didn't think she would appreciate the grin he was fighting so hard to keep hidden. "Breathe, Blue." He grinned despite every effort to stay straight-faced. "I don't think I've ever heard so many words uttered on a single breath."

"You're laughing?" She growled, narrowing her eyes at him. "I've been beating myself up for days! You haven't spoken to me or acknowledged my existence for three days! Three days! And now you're laughing at my apology? f.u.c.k you and f.u.c.k the horse you rode in on!"

She jerked herself from the chair and started for the door, still muttering some extremely creative suggestions for s.e.xual acts with himself and various animals. He did the only thing he could do. He grabbed her arm, spun her around, and lifted her off her feet against his chest. "Such language," he whispered against her cheek. "You've fallen back into some old habits, Blue. What do you think I should do about that?"

"You can shove it...."

He covered her mouth with his before she could issue another suggestion. She was certainly inventive. He kept the kiss going until she stopped struggling and slipped her arms around his neck. He reluctantly broke the kiss so they could breathe.

"I wasn't laughing at what you were saying, sweetness, just how you said it." He nuzzled her neck, inhaling the fragrance that was pure Shadow. "My head knows you did what you thought you had to do. The rest of me resented it-and you."

"You said you hated me," she whispered, staring at something below his chin rather than his face.

He closed his eyes, not wanting to admit the truth to her. "At the time, I did."

She gasped at his words and a single, fat teardrop landed on his chest.

"You tricked me-forced me into a situation that I couldn't control and didn't want to deal with. When this is over...when Draagon is punished for his crimes...I want to...."

Whatever he was going to say to Shadow was cut short by the blare of a sh.o.r.e patrol siren.

"Ahoy on board!" A disembodied voice amplified by a bullhorn announced their intent. "Prepare to be boarded. You are in possession of a stolen vessel. We are authorized to use deadly force."

"Don't make any sudden moves, baby," Talon whispered while making the boat ready for boarding. "We'll clear this up and be on our way in no time."

Chapter Thirty-Two.

Shadow shoved her hands in her pockets and glared at the man standing outside her cell. Her CELL! She was being held as an accomplice until they could verify Talon's statement. What the h.e.l.l were they going to do? Go back to the island and scoop up the piles of ash?

"Woman sit on cot." The jailer pointed to the lumpy mattress on the floor.

"Not even on a dare, monkey nuts." She muttered under her breath. There was an a.s.sortment of insects crawling all over the ragged piece of c.r.a.p. Nothing could make her go near it. That left the floor as her only other option for seating. As far as she was concerned it wasn't an option because she couldn't begin to identify all the different sticky, slimy, and generally too-gross-to-think-about spots covering the rough stone.

"Where's Talon? You know the really big, really mean bounty hunter I came in here with?" He better show up soon or she wouldn't be responsible for what happened to the guard.

"Woman sit on cot."

Did the p.r.i.c.k not know more than four words? Jeez, what a mess. We'll be on our way in no time. HA! They were searched, cuffed, and stuffed into the miniscule brig on the sh.o.r.e patrol's boat. When they reached land, she was transferred here while Talon went with his guard someplace else. All in all, her day just couldn't get any worse.

"Woman sit on cot. Cover face."

"Guard kiss my...."

"Careful, Blue, this town is governed by a male dominated, ultra-conservative sect. They don't like it when a female speaks out of turn."

"Talon! Get me out of here! Where have you been?" His sudden appearance managed to temper the urge to kill. "Wait! Why aren't you in cuffs, too?"

"I'll explain everything later. We've got a slight...problem but not one that can't be handled."

The man wouldn't even look at her. What are you up to, bounty hunter? She was missing something and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out it was directly related to her. She'd cut out her own tongue before she asked the questions. Mr. Know-It-All Bounty Hunter got her into this mess; let him explain how to get her out. She didn't understand why the sh.o.r.e patrol captain wouldn't handle taking their statements. Talon just kept repeating I'll handle this, Blue. Look how well that turned out! Y-chromosome arrogance! He handled it, alright. He handled them into jail! When he finally looked at her, she raised her eyebrows but remained silent.

"Yes, well," Talon cleared his throat. "The laws here forbid a woman to wear pants...."

Shadow rolled her eyes and snorted.

"...or appear in public without covering her entire body."

Her glare made Talon fidget and look anywhere but at her. She had fought in battles on several planets where women were treated with similar laws. She still thought it was barbaric. "Just spit it out!" She snapped. "What do we have to do to get out of here?"