A Warrior s Desire - By Pamela Palmer Page 0,45

close, then."

"Yes."

"We'd better get moving."

He ran his thumb down her bloody cheek.

"Do you want a bath before we go?" A small fire lit deep in her eyes.

"I don't think there's time."

Charlie smiled wryly.

"There's time if I don't join you."

He gave her a quick kiss, then lifted her from his lap.

His body rebelled against letting her go, but now wasn't the time for more intimate pursuits.

Besides, he wasn't ready to make love to her again.

Sex with Tarrys was too complicated, too...everything.

The woman thought she was in love with him.

And it didn't matter that he was starting to have feelings for her - soft, warm, wildly protective feelings.

Charlie Rand didn't do love.
Chapter 17
Two days later, Tarrys was leading the way through the low, cramped tunnel, lighting the crystals with frequency and impunity.

But as she turned yet another corner and slapped her hand against the cool, hard wall, the light flew into darkness.

She stopped abruptly.

"Whoa," Charlie muttered, bumping into her and gripping her shoulder to keep from knocking her down.

"What's the matter?" "Do you smell that?" Charlie pressed against her back, then pulled her behind him.

"Water.

We found the way out."

"No, we couldn't have.

We're deep in the heart of the mountain."

"Are you sure?" "Positive.

Light more crystal, Charlie."

Charlie edged forward, slapping his palm against the walls in half a dozen places, but the light couldn't penetrate the darkness ahead.

Tarrys gripped his waist.

"Let me go first.

I think I might know where we are."

"Tell me."

But when she pushed past him, he let her go.

"Better yet, I'll show you."

Little by little, she eased her way carefully forward, to the very edge of the darkness, until the wall of the tunnel ended abruptly.

Sliding her hand around the curve, she pressed, sending the light outward, beyond the tunnel for the first time.

Lighting a wondrous sight.

"Holy cow," Charlie murmured.

Joining her, he reached up, lighting the outer wall around the edges of the tunnel in a dozen places, sending light cascading outward in a glorious rainbow to illuminate a huge crystal cavern that, at once, ran far below their cliff-side perch, and soared high above.

A stream ran through the middle, flanked on either side by tall grasses alive with colorful frogs and small birds of pure white.

"Amazing."

Charlie took her hand.

"Let's hope we can find a path down there from here."

Tarrys edged out to where she could see clearly and quickly spied what appeared to be stairs cut into the crystal.

How many Marceils had come through here in the past? "This way."

She started down the stairs, moving as quickly as she dared, her now bare feet lighting each step along the way.

"How long is this cavern, any idea?" Charlie asked behind her.

"The light doesn't penetrate that far."

"I don't know.

Miles, I think."

"Good.

We'll make better time if I can walk upright."

Tarrys glanced at him.

"How well do you run?" He grinned at her.

"Damn well."

The faster they made it through the mountain, the better their chance of reaching the Forest of Nightmares before the Esri caught them.

At the base of the stairs, the cavern floor stretched out, smooth and wide, soft ground instead of hard crystal.

"You set the pace," Charlie told her, and she did, her legs having to work harder to keep up with Charlie's longer stride.

For more than an hour, they ran, the cavern showing no sign of ending.

Finally, Charlie pulled up.

"I need water."

Tarrys glanced at him, not liking the sudden redness of his face or the perspiration running from his temples.

She'd pushed him too hard.

"You should have told me to slow down," she chided.

He said nothing, just collapsed gracelessly onto his knees beside the stream as if he'd expended his last ounce of energy.

Her heart clenched with the certainty that a healthy Charlie would have been able to keep up that run for hours.

Though she'd hoped her newfound power had somehow cured him of the poison, it was clear they hadn't been that lucky.

And they were still days, if not weeks, away from reaching the antidote.

Kneeling beside him, she pressed her palms to the floor, begging the land to provide food, then sat back on her heels, waiting...praying...for a response.

To her relief, a fruit tree appeared, as before.

Charlie was too busy scooping handfuls of water into his mouth to notice.

Tarrys plucked a pair of fruit and joined him, dangling her feet in the water as she took a bite.

As he splashed water on his face and scrubbed his skin with his hands, she looked for signs of mottling.

And while she saw none, she knew it could appear at any time.

Charlie shook the water