Neither blood-sickness, invisible snipers nor even Damon himself would stop her.
Lurching back to the bushes, she crouched to dig in her pack for a spare shirt and took off her jacket, wincing at the pain, and then put on the fresh shirt. She strapped the VS to the back of her pack and dragged it over her shoulders. Finally, she picked up the weapon Damon had given her and tucked it in her belt.
Inhaling a deep lungful of air, she set out after the men, praying she would reach them in time.
* * *
If there had been any other way, Damon would have taken it. For Alexia’s sake.
But he had to know. And though he and Carter had made it well away from the area of the colony and over the hills to their western border without once being attacked, they both knew there would be no fond farewells between them.
And Carter was still prepared to fight. He moved fast against Damon the moment he had the chance, and his speed was almost enough to let him shed his pack and slip Damon’s grasp. He managed to work his knife free during the struggle and slash Damon’s arm before Damon got his hands around Carter’s throat and slammed him up against the nearest large tree.
After that, it was as if the dhampir had given up. He let Damon remove his weapons and stood quiescent in his enemy’s hold, breathing hard but offering no further resistance.
It was if he’d wanted to be defeated.
“What did you do?” Damon asked, staring into Carter’s catlike eyes.
“I don’t...know what you’re talking about,” the dhampir said without inflection.
“When you uncovered Alexia’s other wound,” Damon said softly, “you were shocked.”
Carter gave a choked laughed. “She’s my partner. What did you expect?”
“It was not your concern that was strange,” Damon said, “but the way you expressed it.”
“Naturally. Your kind doesn’t have normal feelings. You wouldn’t know a real one if it hung you up and left you out to dry.”
Damon didn’t rise to the bait. “I was trained to understand human feelings,” he said.
“Funny. I’m not human.”
“But in many respects you are as much one of them as if you had been born of two human parents. And I know you were overreacting. The way a man does when he isn’t as surprised or shocked as he wishes to appear.”
Carter spat. Damon dodged, and the shot went wide.
“There isn’t much you wouldn’t do to hide your own part in this,” Carter said, grinning like a death mask. “Just because she doesn’t believe you betrayed her—”
“That is an interesting word, betray, ” Damon said, returning the operative’s smile. “I had understood the loyalty between Aegis partners to be virtually unbreakable.”
“And there’s nothing you can do to change that,” Carter said. “Alexia and I would die for each other. That’s a concept you couldn’t possibly comprehend.”
“Perhaps. Unless your commitment has already been given to someone or something else. Or your hatred is too powerful to bind you to anyone.”
Carter lunged against Damon’s grip, but Damon held him fast.
“I was born to a mother who was abused and abandoned by a bloodsucker, like all of my kind,” Carter rasped. “If we could find a way to wipe you out once and for all—”
“Again,” Damon said. “Too histrionic, like your accusations against me. Even Alexia discounted your charges because you were clearly not rational.”
“I saw you grunting on top of her.” Carter pushed forward again, seemingly indifferent to the risk of strangling. “Whatever you did to her back there, it only worked because she’s—”
“Weak?” Damon finished. “Too trusting? Yet, in spite of your mistrust of me, you were willing to leave her to my mercy.”
For the first time Damon saw uncertainty in the slight twitch at the corner of Carter’s mouth. “I didn’t have much choice,” he said. “She’ll die for certain if I don’t get another patch. But you always knew that, didn’t you?”
Lurching back to the bushes, she crouched to dig in her pack for a spare shirt and took off her jacket, wincing at the pain, and then put on the fresh shirt. She strapped the VS to the back of her pack and dragged it over her shoulders. Finally, she picked up the weapon Damon had given her and tucked it in her belt.
Inhaling a deep lungful of air, she set out after the men, praying she would reach them in time.
* * *
If there had been any other way, Damon would have taken it. For Alexia’s sake.
But he had to know. And though he and Carter had made it well away from the area of the colony and over the hills to their western border without once being attacked, they both knew there would be no fond farewells between them.
And Carter was still prepared to fight. He moved fast against Damon the moment he had the chance, and his speed was almost enough to let him shed his pack and slip Damon’s grasp. He managed to work his knife free during the struggle and slash Damon’s arm before Damon got his hands around Carter’s throat and slammed him up against the nearest large tree.
After that, it was as if the dhampir had given up. He let Damon remove his weapons and stood quiescent in his enemy’s hold, breathing hard but offering no further resistance.
It was if he’d wanted to be defeated.
“What did you do?” Damon asked, staring into Carter’s catlike eyes.
“I don’t...know what you’re talking about,” the dhampir said without inflection.
“When you uncovered Alexia’s other wound,” Damon said softly, “you were shocked.”
Carter gave a choked laughed. “She’s my partner. What did you expect?”
“It was not your concern that was strange,” Damon said, “but the way you expressed it.”
“Naturally. Your kind doesn’t have normal feelings. You wouldn’t know a real one if it hung you up and left you out to dry.”
Damon didn’t rise to the bait. “I was trained to understand human feelings,” he said.
“Funny. I’m not human.”
“But in many respects you are as much one of them as if you had been born of two human parents. And I know you were overreacting. The way a man does when he isn’t as surprised or shocked as he wishes to appear.”
Carter spat. Damon dodged, and the shot went wide.
“There isn’t much you wouldn’t do to hide your own part in this,” Carter said, grinning like a death mask. “Just because she doesn’t believe you betrayed her—”
“That is an interesting word, betray, ” Damon said, returning the operative’s smile. “I had understood the loyalty between Aegis partners to be virtually unbreakable.”
“And there’s nothing you can do to change that,” Carter said. “Alexia and I would die for each other. That’s a concept you couldn’t possibly comprehend.”
“Perhaps. Unless your commitment has already been given to someone or something else. Or your hatred is too powerful to bind you to anyone.”
Carter lunged against Damon’s grip, but Damon held him fast.
“I was born to a mother who was abused and abandoned by a bloodsucker, like all of my kind,” Carter rasped. “If we could find a way to wipe you out once and for all—”
“Again,” Damon said. “Too histrionic, like your accusations against me. Even Alexia discounted your charges because you were clearly not rational.”
“I saw you grunting on top of her.” Carter pushed forward again, seemingly indifferent to the risk of strangling. “Whatever you did to her back there, it only worked because she’s—”
“Weak?” Damon finished. “Too trusting? Yet, in spite of your mistrust of me, you were willing to leave her to my mercy.”
For the first time Damon saw uncertainty in the slight twitch at the corner of Carter’s mouth. “I didn’t have much choice,” he said. “She’ll die for certain if I don’t get another patch. But you always knew that, didn’t you?”
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