Pursued Read online

  “What?” Merrick growled, beginning to lose patience. “Just tell me what to do or where to go.”

  Mother-Healer frowned. “The only cure for your agony is the female life-essence of the one you were wounded for. Only she whose punishment you took may heal your hurt.”

  Merrick knew at once what she was talking about, and his heart sank. “No,” he said, shaking his head firmly. “No—not going to happen.”

  “What’s not going to happen?” Elise demanded. “What—how can I help? What can I do?”

  “Nothing,” Merrick growled, before the old woman could answer. “Not a fucking thing, baby, so don’t worry about it.”

  “But…” Elise was clearly frustrated but that was too damn bad as far as Merrick was concerned.

  Mother-Healer didn’t seem to care either way. “Very well,” she said shrugging. “Then you must prepare yourself for a year and a day of agony.” Rising, she pointed at the little pink leaves she’d stripped off his back. “Gather these and throw them to the winds. Then move yourself into the guest’s sleeping chamber at the far end of the hall. I’m tired of having you in the middle of my floor, taking up space.”

  Merrick did as she asked, moving stiffly and trying not to let the pain he was feeling show in his eyes as he picked up the leaves. He had a year and a day of this burning agony to look forward to, so he might as well get used to it. Elise walked silently beside him, but he could feel her worry and frustration clearly through their link. And something else as well…hunger. It was like a roaring beast inside her, throwing itself at the bars of its cage, desperate to get out. But he saw none of the desperation he felt inside Elise on her face. Guess I’m not the only one who can lie with my eyes, he thought grimly.

  They went outside together into the deep blue dusk and he noted that they were high in one of the grandfather trees. The broad road-sized limb they were on was mostly quiet with only a few women and children passing along it, but Merrick could hear more activity in the rustling branches above their heads. The Ancient Ones must have a whole city up here, situated in the branches of this one tree. How the hell had they gotten him up here while he was passed out? He would have been dead weight—and with his size and muscle mass, he wasn’t exactly the lightest male in the galaxy.

  “It took four of their biggest guys to get you up here,” Elise said, answering his unspoken question. “I couldn’t see how they had gotten up the tree and I was scared to death they’d take you away and I’d never see you again.” She let go of a handful of the pale pink leaves and watched as they fluttered away on the wind. “Then a little boy named Tooy showed me how to climb up the vines on the side of the tree. The Ancients dumped you in Mother Healer’s house and that’s where we’ve been ever since. This is the first time I’ve been outside since we got here.” She took a deep breath, as though savoring the rich air of the indigo jungle.

  “How many days was I out?” Merrick asked, as casually as he could, scattering his own double handful of leaves.

  “Four.” Elise let go of the last of her pale pink leaves and then dusted her hands together. “Well, we’d better get back inside.”

  She started to turn but Merrick grabbed her wrist. “Wait.”

  “What?” She looked up at him wide-eyed.

  “You’re hungry,” Merrick growled. “So fucking hungry you’re nearly starving. And no wonder—I’ve been out four days and you haven’t done a damn thing to feed yourself.”

  “What was I supposed to do?” she snapped, yanking her wrist away. “Hump your leg while you were passed out? You were lying right in the middle of Mother-Healer’s floor and she already thinks I’m the Whore of Babylon because I was wearing my nice red underwear when we got here.”

  “You could have done something to help yourself. To get skin-to-skin contact while I was out,” Merrick countered. “You knew I wouldn’t care.”

  “I did,” she said defensively. “I helped change the dressing on your back. And, well…” She looked down at her feet. “I spent a lot of time stroking your cheek…watching you sleep.” She cleared her throat. “It wasn’t much but it was enough to keep me from going into, uh, withdrawal.”

  Merrick had a sudden vision of her kneeling beside him on the grass mat and gently stroking his face as she guarded his slumber. Abruptly his anger left him, replaced with a surge of emotion so strong it nearly knocked him off the tree branch. Damn it, how could he be upset with her now?

  “Ah, baby…” he sighed.

  “Can we please go back inside now?” Elise’s cheeks were pink with embarrassment. “It’s getting dark fast and I don’t want to risk walking off the side of the branch because I can’t see past the end of my own nose.”

  “Sure. Let’s go.” Merrick led the way back to the leaf hut. The hut had an empty feel and Mother-Healer was nowhere to be seen. Well, maybe she was down at the marketplace getting supplies. He fervently hoped that some of what she was getting was food. After four days without, he was starving. Yet, his physical hunger was nothing compared to the emotional hunger Elise was feeling. Merrick frowned—time to do something about that, right now. “Come on,” he told Elise. “Let’s go check out my new room.”

  She shrugged, apparently thinking the subject of her hunger was dropped. “Okay.”

  They went down the hallway and entered the room at the very end, just as the old woman had directed. Inside was a large, low sleeping platform covered in a quilt of yanyan leaves which had been stitched together with plant fibers.

  Merrick lowered himself stiffly to the platform and felt the soft give as it took his weight. The mattress was probably stuffed with dweezle fluff—a soft, downy substance that grew on the edge of the Deep Blue. The Rageron natives gathered it too and the Ancient Ones never complained—it was almost directly between the regular jungle and the Deep Blue and there was always plenty to go around for both races.

  Elise hovered uncertainly beside him, as though she wasn’t sure if she should stand or sit.

  “Come here.” Merrick reached up and dragged her down into his lap. At once she began to struggle.

  “Let me go!”

  “No,” he said roughly. “Not until we feed your hunger.”

  “No!” Elise insisted, pushing at his chest.

  Merrick growled in frustration. “You’re starving! Why in the seven hells not?” he demanded, glaring at her.

  Elise glared right back. “Because I refuse to let you help me until you let me help you.”

  “Help me? Help me how?” He frowned.

  Elise put a hand on her hip. “Don’t pretend like you don’t remember. Mother-Healer told you the only antidote to the venom in your back was my life-essence. So here.”

  To his surprise, she shoved the inside of her wrist against his mouth and began pressing hard against his fangs.

  “What the hell?” Gently but firmly he removed her wrist. “What do you think you’re doing, baby?”

  “Giving you my essence,” she insisted. “My blood—isn’t that what she meant? Come on, Merrick—bite me. Take what you need.”

  He shook his head and pushed her gently out of his lap. “No, baby, it isn’t your blood that I need. That’s not what Mother-Healer meant by your female life-essence.”

  “Well, then what?” she demanded. “I don’t understand!”

  “You don’t have to,” he growled. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine.”

  “Like hell you will!” Elise shouted at him. “I got you into this mess, Merrick and I can see you’re in pain. Why won’t you let me help you?”

  “Because I don’t need your help. I feel fine.” He rose from the sleeping platform angrily but the gesture sent bolts of pain down his back and he groaned out loud before he could stop himself.

  Elise narrowed her eyes. “Liar.”

  “Liar yourself,” he countered. “Why were you acting like you weren’t hungry, pretending everything was fine when I woke up?”

  “Because.” Elise’s voice suddenly