Hanna and the Hitman - Honey Phillips Page 0,62

on familiar ground, she headed for their house at a run. Trouble whined, and she let him down to run next to her. He stayed glued to her side.

When she reached the house, she hesitated momentarily, her breath rasping in her lungs as she tried to think. She knew Aidon kept weapons here, but the only ones she could use were the poisoned darts. Could she take them and go back after him? She stared out at the lengthening shadows as she tried to decide and finally concluded that it wasn’t a sensible option. No matter how good her aim, she didn’t think she could drop six males before they stopped her. Instead, she quickly placed the darts in her wrist sheath and headed for the door. Trouble whined when she tried to get him to stay in the house.

“I have to go to the village. You can’t come with me.”

But despite her best efforts, he managed to slip past her when she opened the door, then hovered just out of reach. She didn’t have time to chase him down, and to be honest, having him at her side made her feel a little better. Urgency was a drumbeat in her veins. Taking a deep breath, she set off at a run.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Aidon snapped back to consciousness with a start, but he was too well trained to reveal that he was awake. His head ached, and he could feel dried blood matting his hair, but it was a minor injury. He would heal. He was tied to a tree, his arms stretched painfully behind his back by the rope connecting them. More rope circled his waist and pulled his feet apart. The tight knots dug into his skin, but he should be able to slither free of them as soon as he evaluated the situation.

His head had sagged forward over his chest, and he left it there, using his other senses to gauge what was going on. How could he have been such a fool as to be captured by a simple pit trap—and how had the strangers known enough to create one?

His first thought was of Hanna, but to his great relief, he couldn’t detect her sweet scent. Instead, he caught the acrid smell of the intruders. Teasing apart their individual scents, he could detect four—no, five. His heart sank as he recognized Chotgor and realized why they were here. Apparently the bastard hadn’t died in the fire after all.

Another scent drifted past, and he almost flinched—Chotgor had a Pardorian with him? Aidon would have sworn that no Pardorian would ever assist an offworlder against one of their own. Perhaps with his mixed blood, they didn’t consider him to be a true Pardorian. There was something elusive but familiar about the Pardorian’s scent. Could it even be someone that he knew?

“I don’t understand why we don’t just take over the bastard’s house. I hate this fucking jungle.” The harsh voice came from close by, but Aidon remained limp in his bonds.

“You heard what that Pardorian said—that he would have set traps.”

“Yeah, well I think I’d rather take my chance on some theoretical trap than face another one of those things that took Deerel.”

“He said we would be safe here on the beach.”

“We’d better be. I don’t like the green son of a bitch.”

“Just be patient. You know Chotgor will let us take care of him as soon as we’re back in the city. Him and his bitch.”

The first man laughed. “As long as we get to play with her first. It’s been too long.”

“You go two days without getting your dick wet and you think it’s too long, Chindek.”

“Well, it is.”

The ribald jokes continued as the two males moved away, leaving Aidon to consider their conversation. If they were avoiding his house, that meant that Hanna should be safe. Although he didn’t understand why they would think he had extensive security measures. Why had the Pardorian told them that? For that matter, why had he suggested that they set up camp here? While the clearing beside the river was safer in some ways, it could also be far more dangerous if they attracted the attention of one of the river predators. Had the Pardorian known that? It certainly sounded as if he was not assisting them voluntarily if they were threatening his female.

Even as Aidon thought that, a hand brushed against his where they were tied behind the tree. Three slow taps. A hunter signal to indicate that he