A Warrior s Desire - By Pamela Palmer Page 0,42

all she'd ever wanted.

Marceils knew better than to dream.

"Where are the Esri?" Charlie asked, not bothering to crane his neck to try to meet her gaze.

She couldn't imagine how uncomfortable he must be, forced to travel so many miles in such a position.

"A little more than half a mile back," Tarrys told him.

"They're moving faster than we are, now."

"Crap.

Then I'd better step it up.

Let me lead for a while since I'm the one slowing us down."

Charlie gripped her shoulders and edged past her, careful not to touch her any more than he had to.

As if touching her was no longer pleasant.

Tarrys tried not to care.

Moments later, as they came around the next curve, Charlie stopped so suddenly she ran into him.

"Dammit to hell," he muttered.

"What's the matter?" Tarrys held on to his hips and peered around him.

The sight that met her gaze sent her heart plummeting.

A dead end.

And they hadn't passed another fork in the road for miles.

The Esri were behind them.

There was no escape.

Charlie turned to face her, then sank to his knees and arched his back, his expression grim as he met her gaze.

Tarrys raked her hair back from her face.

"What are we going to do?" His mouth compressed.

"There's only one thing we can do, now.

Prepare to fight."
Chapter 16
Charlie knelt on the crystal floor as he faced the dark tunnel from which they'd just come.

There was no sign of light - no sign of the Esri.

Yet.

But they were coming.

And there was no escape.

He'd been itching for this battle for the past couple of days, from the moment one of the bastards had tried to rape Tarrys.

But now that it was upon him, his battle lust had turned to dread.

Dread that he wouldn't be able to keep Tarrys safe.

She might not be controlled at the moment, but he had no confidence she'd remain free if they caught her again.

She'd told him that the first thing the Esri did to a newly captured slave was cut off her hair.

He was beginning to suspect the Marceils were like Samson, their power in their locks.

And if so, would she lose that power, and her freedom, if her hair was stolen again? He refused to let that happen.

Yet how was he supposed to keep her safe and at the same time fight two armed, indestructible immortals while hunched over like a hundred-year-old man? If only he dared kill the bastards.

That he could accomplish with fire and the death chant.

He'd packed two small flamethrowers and half a dozen lighters for just such a situation.

The problem was, the moment he killed even one, he'd be marked for death with a magical X flashing his whereabouts on every map in Esria.

As tempting as it might be to eliminate this pair for eternity, doing so would seal his and Tarrys's fate.

Not his best option.

"He's calling me," Tarrys said softly.

Charlie looked at her.

"Do I need to tie you?" "No, but I think I should go to him anyway."

"Negative."

His hand hooked around her upper arm.

"You're not going anywhere near that bastard."

She met his gaze, hard determination in her eyes.

"It's a good plan, Charlie.

They'll think I'm controlled, so they won't be watching for my attack.

I might be able to help you."

"No."

"Charlie..." "Have you forgotten you have hair? The first thing they'll do is chop it off, then you will be controlled.

I'm right, aren't I?" "I don't know."

But the truth was in her eyes.

"I think you do.

They're not touching you, Tarrys."

The thought of what they'd nearly done to her made him insane.

"You're staying behind me."

She crossed her arms, temper glittering in her eyes.

"I thought I was your partner."

"You are."

Leaning forward until they were eye to eye, her stance was aggressive enough to heat his blood, and not with temper.

Until she clapped her hands together an inch from his nose, making him jerk back and bump his head on the ceiling, dammit.

"Get your priorities straight, Charlie.

You must get by those two Esri without killing them if you want to save your world.

I'm not asking you to leave me behind.

I'm demanding you use what may be your only advantage in this fight - the fact that they think they control me...and don't."

"They may know you're not controlled the moment they see that hair."

"That's a chance we have to take."

Clearly she didn't get it.

He gripped her head between his hands and leaned in until they were nearly nose to nose.

"They'll try to rape you."

"So? It's not like human rape.

They won't hurt me."

"How do you know that? They're more than capable of hurting you."

"It