Ria stared up into the night sky. The stars were so bright here. Like a spill of lights on a megacity world. She’d alwaysloved stargazing, imagining zipping through the vastness of space, where anything was possible.
She frowned at the thought. That wasn’t right. She’d rarely had the chance to study the stars. The red glow of the Devil’s Nebula blocked out almost everything in the night sky. And she’d been too busy with her grueling training to worry about vastness and possibilities. Shaking off the strange thoughts, she focused ahead, trying to see through the dark. They were climbing up a hill, on a narrow track, with scraggly trees appearing here and there from out of the darkness.
She wasn’t sure where they were headed, but the horse seemed to know where it was going. As long as the thing didn’t lead them back to Ray and Clint, she was happy. “Any idea where we’re going?”
“I thought the hills would be cooler in the day time. And we’ll have a better view from up there once the sun rises.” Zayn shifted, his body pressing firmly against hers.
She swallowed the growing lump in her throat. “Right. Sounds good.”
“Keep an eye out for somewhere decent for us to rest. We both need to get some sleep.”
She only realized then that she was feeling a little tired. She’d been trained to block out her body’s responses. Zayn shifted again, and she closed her eyes. She wasn’t having much luck blocking out her desire for this man.
Then she felt the hardness pressed into the small of her back.
“Sorry.” His tone was rueful. “Automatic response to being pressed up against a woman like this, and the damn rocking of the horse.”
Right. Nothing to do with her personally. “It’s fine.”
“Might be for you,” he muttered.
His hand moved a little on her belly, slipping one inch lower. She didn’t think he was paying any attention, but his touch wasburning through her clothes, right to her skin. So, so tantalizing, just mere centimeters away from where she was growing hot and damp.
“Talk to me.” His voice sounded a little hoarse. “Distract me.”
“Talk about what?” Her voice didn’t sound much better than his.
“Anything. Tell me about growing up.”
“A boring story.” Ria drew in a breath. She didn’t often dwell on the past. “The Guild starts our training young. As soon as we can sit up, they start subliminal training. Different fighting techniques, strategy. Once we can walk, they begin the physical training.”
“You’ve got to be kidding. They abuse babies?”
She heard the horror. She knew it was hard for others to understand. She shrugged, her gaze on the stars overhead. “We have a warm bed, clothes, food. Regular medical checkups and an education.”
“So you can become their slaves. Their personal property.”
“Maybe.” She’d never thought about it like that until recently. Until she’d started to dream of something different, something more. “When we turn five, they start the assassin training. They start making us kill.”
“Jesus.” He muttered a few curses. “What about love? Did someone hug you, kiss you goodnight?”
She had no memories of anything like that. Just hazy images she knew were her own secret longings. Her silence was obviously answer enough.
He cursed again and hugged her from behind. “Everyone needs that.”
“You had that?”
The breath he released ruffled her hair. “For a while. When I was little, well, my parents were happy then. We grew up on Zerzura.”
“So you’re used to the desert?” Zerzura was a desert planet filled with ancient ruins. No wonder they’d become treasure hunters.
“Yeah. But it isn’t the harsh, rocky place Diablo is. It’s all giant sand dunes, palm-fringed oases, and an inland sea that glimmers like a jewel. My brothers and I grew up sledding down the dunes, exploring the old ruins that are scattered over the planet. Skinny dipping in the sea.”
Her chest tightened. She could imagine Zayn as a boy, racing after his older brothers. “Sounds idyllic.”
He was silent for a moment. “Then my mom left and everything changed.”
“Why’d she leave?”
