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2024-10-29 19:42:56“Done.” Relieved to be quit of this place and its depressing selection of weaponry, he made arrangements for delivery and then escorted Andrea to the car. He couldn’t help a frown as she slid behind the wheel. Driving was one of the things he would have to learn if he stayed here much longer.
Would he want to? He looked around at the traffic lights and passing cars as he considered the question. This world was very different from his, and he wouldn’t like to give up the Dark Lands.
Fallon seemed content enough straddling two worlds, and although he’d come along as a curious visitor, Mathin couldn’t help but wonder how he’d feel about that. Certainly it would take more study than the overview he’d absorbed about Earth befo
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Scent of Danger 15
Mathin didn’t have to ask to know that Andrea would not be. Even if she discovered the true nature of the Haunt and feared it, she would never seek to destroy them, not once she was assured that they were no threat.It was giving her that reassurance that would be tricky.***Panic faded to a sense of foolishness as Andrea put away the groceries less than an hour later. Mathin had helped her bring the sacks into the kitchen and then disappeared; not that she blamed him. She grimaced, absently cradling a small canister of cocoa to her chest. He must think she was pretty weird just now. She didn’t even kn
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Frowning, Fallon shook his head. “You’re going to make yourself miserable.”“Then you’ll be highly entertained this evening,” Mathin said cheerfully, placing his hands on Andrea’s shoulders for the blessing.Andrea didn’t miss the wolfish look Mathin cast her as he sat opposite her. He purred in ecstasy at his first bite, and the glow in his eyes as he looked at her showed another kind of hunger. “Delicious. I can’t wait for dessert.”She snorted softly and picked up her sandwich. After they’d taken the edge off, she asked Fallon, “So, what is it you do? Grandma never said.”
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She flinched, and he sympathized. It wouldn’t be pleasant if the cults got to her. “Many Haunt died this way. To defend themselves and stop the slaughter of their families, some Haunt began assassinating any known charmers. Others searched for another way.“They found it. One Haunt, a prospector, discovered a doorway between worlds. The world he discovered was a place of beauty, yet danger. Best of all, as far as he knew, it was unclaimed. He told his people about this world, which he called the Dark Lands, and many of them chose to leave Earth with him and settle there. The ones who chose to stay elected an ambassador, a man to serve as an emissary between worlds, should any of them ever choose to leave Earth. The Haunt who crossed over conquered the Dark Lands, and flourish there to this day.”
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Seriously off balance, she stumbled hastily from the room.Crossing his hands behind his head, he stared at the ceiling and brooded. Why did women have to make everything harder than it was? He was a man of action. If he wanted something, he went for it. He’d certainly never stayed up nights worrying whether he deserved it or not. What was it about females that made them protest every gift and analyze every action? More often than not they came to the wrong conclusion anyway and then blamed the man.Moving her to the Dark Lands wasn’t going to be easy. Nor would she take the move in good grace, especially with her grandmother to consider. He felt no guilt over his plan; not when the alternative was seeing her fall into the wrong hands. Adaptation might be d
Scent of Danger 19
Mathin observed her. His nose told him something wasn’t right. While still lovely, her scent was tainted, and her hand shook a little as she brushed her hair from her face. It worried him. “You’re not feeling well, are you?”Startled into looking at him, she reluctantly shook her head.“What do you need?”She sighed. “I explained about the blood sugar thing last night. I just need to eat something healthy. I’m already feeling better.” Her head felt clearer, and she wasn’t heading for the floor. It could have been much worse.“Maybe you should lie down for a
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“No one really knows,” he answered easily, ignoring Fallon’s dark look. “The Haunt like to call them parasites, but any Symbiont-human will argue that they are anything but. For one, they restore life and health to their human host, feeding off the impurities and dead cells in their body. In return they enable rapid healing, agility and an increased life span.”“Huh. Sounds kind of gross. Is it like a bug?” Andrea mussed aloud, thinking of several Star Trek episodes. She smashed another mosquito. “I hate bugs.”“It’s not a bug,” Mathin told her, annoyed at Fallon’s snort of amusement. “And if we ever enter the Dark Lands, it’s the first thing I’ll find for you.”
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The object of her terror turned its black head toward them and waved its antenna, mildly interested.Andrea yelped and skittered behind Mathin, using him for a shield. “It’s the size of a cocker spaniel! You’ve got the gun; shoot it!”With a grunt of amusement, he grabbed a small stick from the forest floor and tossed it half-heartedly toward the beetle. It bounced off its back with a dull clunk, sending the creature scurrying.“There. Now…” He frowned as she backed away, her eyes on the towering forest.Wild spice scented the air of the alien world around her. The surrounding wo
Scent of Danger 22
“Keilor!” Relieved at the interruption, Mathin greeted him, clasping forearms with the dark-haired warrior who entered the clearing. He kept a grip on Andrea, knowing she couldn’t be trusted.With high cheekbones reminiscent of a Cherokee warrior, the man radiated energy and command. Several volti followed at his heels like a pack of tamed hunting dogs.The man’s dark eyes settled on Andrea, assessing and reassuring at once. He shook his head. “My wife has shared those exact sentiments; particularly as he dragged her through the swamps and fed her giant snails. Will you come and meet her? She is human, like you.”Keilor’s calculation worked. With a nervo
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Scent of Danger 81
“Wonder what that was all about,” Mathin muttered at her side.“I don’t know, but I’m beginning to feel like the unappreciated fairy godmother,” Andrea complained.His grin sent firecrackers popping clear to her toes. Mathin took her glass and set it down. One quick tug pulled her into his arms, slightly bent at the perfect angle for a kiss. “I think I can do something to change that.”A superb dancer, Mathin twirled her around the dance floor, his grace as beguiling as his dark good looks. The man danced like he made love, and every burning look was enough to set her blood aflame. Schemes and plans for others were lost in the dreamy whirl of pleas
Scent of Danger 80
The next morning, well before the party was to begin, Leo presented Mathin and Andrea with a copy of her notes and sketches. “A gift,” she said simply.Mathin was more excited than Andrea would have dreamed possible. “Do you know how much I’ve wanted something like this?” he demanded of Leo, his eyes glued to the pages. “It’s almost impossible to get any information on the Beasts in the Dark Lands.”Leo and Andrea exchanged pleased looks.“Wait a minute.” His brows furrowed as he stared at the page. “I’ve seen this picture somewhere else, only…”
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“At least there’s that.” More silence. “I never did thank you for all you’ve done for me and my wife.”“It was nothing.”“It was something,” Mathin returned forcefully. “And I won’t forget it. If there is anything, at any time, that I can do for you, you have only to name it.”Scy searched his face. “Be careful what you offer, brother.” He smiled a little. “I might accept.”“Do that.” Mathin left, satisfied that Scy would turn his words over.
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Mathin stilled. Taking her hand, he placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. “He stayed home with his wife, my love.” His tone became sorrowful. “They lost the baby.”The color drained from her face. Her eyes welled. “No,” she whispered, and slumped to the bed. Jasmine had been so happy!He didn’t try to make it better with platitudes, just held her. “I know.” He rubbed his face against her hair. “I know.”She grieved, but even as she cried for her friend’s loss, in her heart Andrea had to wonder. Had the baby been lost because of some unavoidable defect, caused by the mixing of such alien blood? Might the child have been born
Scent of Danger 77
“Can you help her?” Andrea tried to control her shivering. Scy kept one eye on the swordsmen while his symbiont worked on Leo’s head. Still unconscious, she didn’t move.“I’m trying.” He handed a gun to her. “Fire if you get a clean shot. If anything happens to Mathin, you won’t have time for more than one. Got it?”“I...yes.” Determined to control the contractions that squeezed her lower belly, she tried to keep her eyes on the fighters. It wasn’t easy. Not only were they moving in a virtual blur, but the cramps distracted her. They didn’t feel like the false contractions that had squeezed her whole stomach as the pregnancy advanced. No, these were lower, more intense. They felt like t
Scent of Danger 76
Shivering as much from the spookiness of that as from the damp chill, Andrea glanced toward the dim light coming in from the single exit. A brackish puddle had collected in the sunken depression under the stone tiles, and it reflected a bit of the light and the occasional shifting shadow of a guard. Odd how she’d never felt so wary of her Haunt, but then they’d gone out of their way to put her at ease. There was nothing remotely friendly about these dark warriors.Every now and then Leo would stand up to stretch, but her chains didn’t allow her to lift her arms past her hips. The bolts in the floor were very solid; she’d tugged on the chains enough that she’d bled, trying to loosen them.“I’m sorry.”
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The cycle eased out of the gate, gathering speed as it headed up the road through the village. Naked fields flashed by as the woods edged closer.“Hang on!” the Ronin tossed over his shoulder, and suddenly they were flying.Eyes narrowed against the wind and flying insects, Mathin felt the rope bite into his wrists where he’d looped it. He held on as best he could with the toes of his boots against the edge of the platform as the cycle began a series of fast maneuvers around the trees that blurred past. The slight lip on the edges wouldn’t prevent him from flying off on one of the turns if he weren’t careful.As if to prove his point, the platform took a sharp dip,
Scent of Danger 74
“I wasn’t going to ask her any,” Leo protested. “Scy…” When he continued to ignore her, she placed her body right in front of him. “This is very important to me.”A light like golden foxfire hazed his blue eyes. His body began to tremble. “Don’t,” his voice was hoarse and he couldn’t seem to tear his eyes from Leo’s mouth. “Don’t get so close to me, woman, unless you want to get close to me.” His nostrils flared as her eyes widened. “I’ve long run out of herbs, and you’re provoking far more than my temper.” He brushed past her.“I’m not afraid of you!” she yelled at his back.
Scent of Danger 73
Mathin read his wife’s latest letter, and then sat in silence before the fire in the banquet hall.This might be difficult.He took a long drink of his wine, smiling without humor. His wife had a gift for understatement.Thought you needed to know…Had he? Had he really? He crumpled the edge of the letter in his fist and then tossed it aside. For most of his life, he hadn’t known about these strangers spawned of his father’s madness. No doubt they were content to keep it that way as well. What did his wife think, that the three of them could take up friendly relations as easily a
