Hanna and the Hitman - Honey Phillips Page 0,36

demanded. “What are you doing here?”

“I…” The words wouldn’t come, and he shook her arm impatiently, the strength of his grip almost knocking her sideways.

“Speak, female. Where is your master?”

Frustrated indignation finally gave her the courage to speak. “I don’t have a master. I’m here with a…friend.” She hesitated, well aware that she might be making a huge mistake, but so far, the male hadn’t hurt her. Maybe he was the reason Aidon had chosen this place to land. “But my friend is sick. Can you help him, please?”

“Sick? What kind of illness do you bring to my planet?” The bright-yellow gaze burned even hotter.

“It’s not like that. He said this was the only place that could cure him.”

“Cure him? He is Pardorian?”

“Yes.”

As soon as she agreed, the male turned and strode off toward the ship. Since his hand was still fastened around her arm, she had no choice but to accompany him, almost running to keep up. She was afraid that if she fell, he would just drag her along.

As they reached the bottom of the ramp, he stopped abruptly, and his nostrils flared before he rounded on her.

“What is your friend’s name?”

“A-Aidon.”

“Damn the boy.”

With an impatient snarl, the male started up the ramp, but he moved so quickly she lost her balance. He snarled again, but he caught her and held her upright until she regained her footing, then dropped her arm and stalked up the ramp. She hurried after him, not at all sure she wanted him alone with Aidon. She arrived in time to see him lifting Aidon’s body over his shoulder.

“What are you doing?”

“I can’t heal him here. I need to take him with me. You stay here.”

“No! I’m not leaving him.”

“This is no place for you.” He brushed past her and started back down the ramp, Aidon’s body limp in his grip.

“No!”

She chased after him. Burdened by carrying Aidon, he wasn’t quite as fast, and she managed to dart in front of him. Finally remembering the knife, she pulled it out with a shaking hand.

“I’m not letting you take him away from me.”

The male sighed, obviously unimpressed by the weapon. “Don’t be a fool, female.”

“I’m not afraid to use this,” she warned, hoping that her voice didn’t shake.

He gave an impatient grunt, then moved almost too quickly for her to see as he wrenched the knife out of her hand and glared at her.

“I said, don’t be a—” He stopped abruptly, his eyes focusing on her shoulder.

The wide collar of Aidon’s shirt had slipped down during the brief struggle, exposing her skin from her neck down to her elbow.

“What is that?” he demanded.

“What’s what?” Confused, she put her hand to her shoulder and felt the slight ridge left by Aidon’s bite. Her cheeks heated. “It’s nothing. He just got a little enthusiastic.”

“Nothing?” he growled. “He’s as much of a fool as you are, determined to repeat his father’s mistakes. You’d better come along. Stay close.”

He thrust the knife at her and started off again while she was still gaping at him, but she shook away her stupor and followed him. Nothing he’d said made much sense, but at least he was letting her accompany him, and that was all that really mattered.

“Thank you,” she started, but he had already resumed walking. “Wait! Who are you?”

“Name’s Tanor,” he muttered without looking around.

“I’m Hanna.”

His only response was a grunt as he headed for what looked like a solid wall of jungle. She hurried after him, afraid that if he disappeared into the thick vegetation, she would lose sight of him. He pushed aside a branch, stepped over a log, and parted a curtain of leaves before emerging onto a narrow but well-kept path. Huh. She would never have known that such a well-marked trail existed behind what appeared to be an impenetrable wall of foliage.

At first the pace he set was too fast for her to do anything other than hurry along in his wake. Between the thick, warm air and the rapid journey, sweat was soon dripping down her body. Aidon’s shirt felt heavy and uncomfortable, and she even had a flash of nostalgia for Hothrest’s icy wastelands.

But Tanor eventually slowed to the point where she was no longer gasping in his wake, and she could look around enough to appreciate her surroundings.

Huge trees draped with vines rose all around them, but they were supplemented by an astonishing array of other plants. Just as she would have guessed from seeing the planet from space, the