Free Heart's Lair by Kathleen Morgan Page B

treat you so harshly," Karic's deep voice rose out of the darkness, "but I can't risk a struggle or sound from you until I know they're gone. And they'll check behind this fall. You can be sure of it."
    His hands lingered on her head. Liane nodded into them, telling him, in the only way she could, that she understood. If she could have spoken, she'd have explained she'd no intention of betraying him and never had. All she wanted was her freedom. But he'd never believe her. Her quiet acquiescence of his apology was all she could give.
    As the horas passed Liane dozed. Footsteps and snuffling sounds awoke her. She jerked into a muscular body, rigid with waiting. The trackers had arrived. A yellow searchlamp fanned the darkness ahead of them.
    "I'm telling you," the raspy voice of one man rose from the blackness behind the light ten meters away, "they're not here. The fall from the river killed them both."
    "Perhaps," came an equally gruff reply, "but I'm not giving up until I've checked out every angle. There's enough standing water in here to cover their scent from our canus, so we have to thoroughly search this area. Too much is at stake if we fail."
    The other man chuckled. "Untold wealth and that lovely little Sententian. I've always had an itch for her."
    Liane stiffened against Karic. A warning hand on the back of her head stilled further movement.
    "We're sharing her. Don't ever forget that. Necator said she was a reward for the two of us."
    "Then why does he want us to bring her back?" the raspy voice grumbled. "He gave her to us. That's one femina I'd not tire of quickly."
    "Who knows?" the gruff voice replied, moving forward once more with the lamp. "Maybe he wants a taste of her himself. One way or another, the Lord Commander means to eventually kill her. You saw her this sol. She's betrayed us for that Cat Man."
    It's over, Liane thought. In another secundae they'll raise the searchlamp and find us. Oh, Karic, I'm so sorry. She touched her forehead to his chest in mute farewell.
    The lamp's beam swung over them, passing by without a moment's hesitation. The trackers moved on, the hollow clunk of their boots echoing in the tunnel, growing fainter until they finally disappeared. Liane couldn't believe what had happened. How could they have not seen them?
    Karic's mouth lowered to her ear, his warm breath caressing the delicate shell. ''Did you forget about a Cat Man's ability to cloak his presence?" he whispered.
    She smiled and slowly nodded. Of course, Liane thought. With his body in front of hers they'd appeared invisible to the trackers' eyes. She tried to sit up.
    "No, lie still. We're not safe until they leave this cave."
    Liane sighed and squirmed back against Karic. He was right. The trackers still had to return this way.
    It seemed like horas before they retraced their steps, the thud of footsteps and snarls of the search canus heralding their approach. Though she knew Karic would once more shield them, Liane couldn't repress a small tremor. So little protected them from discovery if the search canus caught their scent.
    The trackers moved on. Karic continued to hold her there for a long while, perhaps an hora or two by Liane's reckoning, before he finally pulled her down from the ledge. He removed her gag and untied her hands.
    "Thank you."
    His deep voice rumbled out of the darkness and sent a new awareness coursing through Liane. She wanted to touch him, press into the comforting warmth of his male body. With an effort, she suppressed the tantalizing impulse.
    "I don't understand," she murmured instead. "Why are you thanking me?"
    He grasped her shoulders. "Though I had you bound and gagged you still could have moved, made a sound by kicking at the ledge with your boots. They would have heard. My cloaking can't cover sounds."
    "I've never meant to betray you, Karic."
    Strong fingers moved to gently encircle her throat. "Perhaps. Or perhaps your decision was made when you heard the trackers talk about what