He shrugged. “Contrary to what you seem to think, you’re in no condition to fight your way out of an attack. I just thought I’d keep an eye on you. Dante beat me to it so I left you in his capable hands.”
Amaryllis frowned. “I thought it was the cyborgs you were worried about.”
“Not the cyborg twins—not that way. They’re both besotted with you and wouldn’t harm you. Are we looking for anything in particular? Because if you’re thinking they might have concealed the ship here, I can’t agree. The vegetation is far too thick.”
The blush that had mounted her cheeks at his comment about Reese and Dante deepened. “I’m not looking for a ship,” she said crossly, plunking her hands on her hips and looking around the area.
“What then?”
She sighed irritably. “Signs of civilization.”
“It’s in the other direction.”
“You’re so funny! I meantothercivilization. Natives.”
“The cyborgs cleared them out.”
Amaryllis looked at him in surprise. “There are other intelligent beings here?”
“Now why are you so surprised when you just said you were looking for them?”
Amaryllis gritted her teeth. “Christ and all the saints! You are the most irritating man! Will you be serious?”
His eyes glittered with speculation. “As you please. Why are you looking for them?” he asked coolly.
Amaryllis looked away. “Just curious,” she lied.
“They are barbarians, dangerous savages. And, since I’m not allowed to wear a weapon as of yet, I’m thankful to say quite a distance from Gallen.”
Disappointment flooded her, but she wasn’t ready to give up yet. “You called the cyborgs barbarians, too, and they’re civilized.”
“Why are you looking for them, Amanda?”
Amaryllis glanced at him sharply. “I’m not Amanda anymore,” she said tightly.
“Because Robotics Inc. gave you the designation Amaryllis, so you would fit in with all the rest of their ‘flowers’? But you were born Amanda Maria Rios, weren’t you?”
“Christ and all the saints! Doeseveryoneknow? Because if I’ve been quaking in my boots all this time when it’s common frigging knowledge, I wish to hell someone had told me!”
His eyes widened. “The cyborg twins know?”
“Iwishyou’d quit calling them that! Yes! They know. Reese got into my file. He knew before we even started this mission. Dante discovered it after the crash. He was the medic that treated me.”
Cain’s eyes narrowed. “That’s how Dante induced you to hide in his quarters?”
“He did it to protect me!”
“Did he? It looks to me as if he took advantage. I may have to kill him after all.”
Amaryllis gaped at him in stunned surprise. Her teasing, often annoying, companion had vanished and in his place was the killing machine Cain had been designed to be. A shiver of dread scratched its way down her spine. “Don’t! Please! I’ll never forgive you!”
His eyes narrowed. “You’re so certain I need your forgiveness?”
“He didn’t do anything I didn’t want him to,” she said a little desperately. “I was scared to death. I needed … comforting.”
His gaze moved pointedly to her belly. “It looks like he did a little more than comfort you,” he retorted dryly.
When she said nothing more, merely looked at him reproachfully, he drew in an exasperated breath and expelled it slowly, raking his fingers through his hair as he struggled to regain control of his temper. “I don’t understand you, Mandy. Are all females as completely contradictory as you? Or only the purely human variety? What are we doing out here? Why are you looking for the native inhabitants of this world?”
