“Perhaps.” He shrugged, then flashed her a purely boyish grin. “But that is the nature of a warrior. Did I not try, we would not have each enjoyed the other just now. But did you not want the pleasure I gave you, kerima, you had only to say so.”

“In other words, I can pretty well depend on this happening again?”

“Certainly.”

“And you don’t feel that’s breaking the rules?”

“When the matter is your decision? And it is your decision. Rules would be broken only if I gave you no choice.”

She still felt she’d had no choice, not after he’d first kissed her. But she saw his point. She didn’t have to obey him outside of his “place of sleep” if his requests weren’t reasonable. Respect was all that he demanded then, and she could tend her “noes” with the utmost respect. She didn’t have to accept his advances either. He was just making sure those advances were too nice to be refused.

She gave a mental shrug. “So I was a pushover this time. Don’t expect that to be the norm, babe.”

“Yet you enjoyed it.”

“That’s beside the point. Too much of a good thing and I might get to like it here. You wouldn’t want me to become attached to you, now would you, when our arrangement is only temporary?”

“Yes.”

She frowned at him. “Why? So you can think of me pining for you when I’m gone? Isn’t that just like a man-”

She fell silent as Challen shot to his feet and grabbed up his sword. Tedra got up more cautiously. Though she’d heard nothing to explain his sudden tense alertness as his eyes scanned the area, she didn’t think this was a ploy to end the subject. The hataar was making noises of restlessness, but… maybe it sensed something they couldn’t, or that she couldn’t.

Challen was certainly expecting something to happen, and she was smart enough not to distract him by asking what.

It arrived with such speed, she didn’t see it coming. Suddenly it was just there and leaping for Challen’s throat. This was missed, thank the Stars, since Challen moved aside at the last moment. The thing went sailing past him to come to ground a good distance away. But it pivoted instantly to face him again, proving its incredible swiftness, incredible because this was no small beast, whatever it was, but a long, ugly, misshapen thing that stood about four and a half feet tall, had large pointed ears, no nose to speak of, slanted yellowish eyes, and an extended jaw with razor-sharp teeth. It was bottom-heavy, with squat, powerful legs used for leaping at its prey, and a long, spiked tail that gave it protection against attack, since its arms were so short and thin they were likely useless for anything but feeding, though there were claws on each of its stubby fingers and toes, numbering in the threes.

It didn’t think long about making another attack. It took only a few steps before those strong back legs thrust it up into the air again, and again it missed, though Challen got in a swipe with his sword this time as the creature sailed past him, but not to do any good, since its gray, hairless, wrinkly hide was so thick and rubbery, the blade seemed to bounce right off it. This went on a few more times before the animal realized it wasn’t getting anywhere and changed its tactics.

Tedra had backed away slowly, but the creature wasn’t interested in her, barely spared her a glance. It either had come upon man before or was more intelligent than it looked, for it seemed to sense Challen was the danger that must be got out of the way before it could feast on its find.

It came slowly now in simulated stealth, bent over so it crouched low to the ground, a clicking growl coming from it, as if it couldn’t make up its mind whether to smack its lips in anticipation or sound its annoyance that it was taking so long to bring down its kill. Tedra held her breath, afraid it was going to leap when it was so close that Challen wouldn’t have time to get out of the way. But he must have been thinking along the same lines, for he took the initiative with steady thrusts, moving the beast back, keeping it at bay. It tried circling around him, but the long sword remained extended, giving the creature no opening, which an actual swinging attack might have. And it was no longer making that clicking sound, was just growling now, getting good and frustrated.

This might have gone on indefinitely if Challen hadn’t stumbled on an exposed tree root. He regained his balance before he went down, but for that brief unsteady moment, the sword twisted aside and the creature grasped the opening. Leaping for Challen’s throat with that incredible speed it possessed, the thing was there almost instantly.

Tedra screamed and even took a step forward, though what she could do to help without a weapon she didn’t know. But it wasn’t soft neck those sharp teeth locked onto, it was Challen’s shield-protected forearm, raised at the last second to ward it off. And before those vicious claws could get a grip on him also, his sword came up and sank into the beast’s tender underbelly, its only vulnerable spot. Its cry was horrible but quickly dwindled to silence as the lifeblood poured out of it. Its jaw slackened to release Challen’s arm, the only thing then holding it up. It flopped loudly to the ground, twitched pitifully a moment, then was still.

When Challen turned to look at her, Tedra was trying to control a mild case of trembling-belated reaction, she supposed, but she’d prefer he didn’t notice. She finally noticed that he’d fought the beast stark naked. He was now spattered with blood from the kill, and grinning at her.

“This time you should have made your way up a tree, woman.”

His added chuckle really scraped at her nerves. He wasn’t the least put out over what had just happened, while her heart was still beating at her ribs.

“You mean that thing wasn’t another pet of yours? You could have fooled me. What is it, anyway, or should I say, was it?”

“One of the hunters of the forest that has been with us for as long as anyone can remember, one fortunately that does not eat to excess. Sa ‘abo, it is called. Its speed enables it to be on its kill usually before the victim knows it.”

“It sure had a fondness for your neck,” she remarked as she came a bit forward for a closer look at the dead sa ‘abo.

“Such is the only way it kills, ripping out the throat of its prey. Were it smart enough to do otherwise, or even use its tail as a weapon, it would be more dangerous.”

“More dangerous? That was enough for my taste. Any more killers like that I’m likely to meet up with?”

“Not this close to Sha-Ka-Ra. Sharm usually gives warning, but sensing his home ground, he has likely returned to his mate.”

“Typical of a pet, not to be around when it could be useful,” she said dryly.

“Were you concerned for me, kerima?”

“Certainly not,” she snorted. “It was big, but you’re still bigger.”

“Then that was not your scream I heard?”

“Must have been some bird,” she quipped.

To her chagrin, Challen threw back his head and laughed at the blatant lie. And then he started toward her, and she was beginning to think she could read minds, for she had little doubt what was now on his.

She put out a hand to stop him. “You can hold it right there, warrior. You’re all covered in blood, if you hadn’t noticed. And you’ve done enough advantage-taking for one day, so just turn yourself around and head for the water to clean up. I’d like to reach this town of yours before dark and any more sa’abort show up, if it’s all the same to you.”

He didn’t answer, but surprisingly, he did do as she suggested. Yet he was smiling in a very pleased way as he turned toward the stream, and Tedra could guess why. The farden warrior liked the idea that she’d been concerned about him. She, on the other hand, didn’t like it at all.