Wild Embrace by Nalini Singh Read Free Book Online Page A

or he’d be useless the next day.
    â€œGood,” he said, doing a stretch as they stood outside their tent; his wince broke through the normal lack of expression on his face.
    â€œStop it,” she muttered, glaring at him. “It’s a bruise, needs a cold pack on it.” Except, with power at a premium, no one was using it to make ice, much less chill cold packs.
    â€œHeat may do as well.” Stefan glanced at the sun-warmed sand that surrounded them. “I could bury myself for a short period.”
    Shaking her head, she said, “Scorpions.”
    â€œYou have a point.” He stilled as an elderly man from the village began to walk in their direction.
    She could tell the elder’s respectful nod made Stefan uncomfortable. His face had settled back into its usual expressionless lines, but she’d begun to learn to read his moods . . . or at least she’d fooled herself in believing she could. Now she glanced away from him to find the elder waving her over.
    When she went to him, he gave her a painstakingly hand-drawn map and said a single beautiful thing in the language that mirrored that of her homeland closely enough that she could understand him. “Hot spring.”
    Her eyes widened. “I thank you,” she said, then glanced at Stefan before turning back to the elder. “He will not be comfortable with others around.”
    â€œThere will be no others. It is my family’s secret, the spring.” He passed her a faded photograph with wrinkled hands that held an age tremor. “Go there.” Then he pointed out the location on his map.
    â€œI thank you,” Tazia began, but the white-bearded man waved it off.
    â€œThe gratitude,” he said, “is ours.”
    Walking over to Stefan after the elder left, Tazia told him of the hot spring, showed him the photograph of the distinctive rock formation not far from that spring. “Have you enough energy to ’port there?”
    Stefan considered the image. “I won’t know until I try.”
    â€œYou should try,” Tazia said. “The hot spring will soothe the ache, help you be in shape for further work.” She added the last becausethat was the only thing about which Stefan seemed to care—his own health was important only when it threatened to become an impediment to his task.
    â€œYou hate being dirty,” he said, to her surprise. “You can come and bathe in the spring.”
    Tazia sucked in a breath. To be naked with Stefan . . . But no, he’d never expect that. So they’d take turns. She could handle that, knew he’d never peek . . . though she might. Skin flushing, she rubbed her hands over her face. “I should stay, do some more work on the power station. Sooner I get that up and running at full capacity, the better.”
    â€œYou said yourself the fading light is dangerous. You could make an error with the finer components.”
    Tazia nodded. She’d stopped work fifteen minutes prior for that very reason. “All right,” she said, but glanced around the area, guilt still gnawing at her. “Do you think it’s okay?” She felt filthy, but that was nothing, not in comparison to the destruction around them. “I don’t want to waste time.”
    â€œWe won’t be gone long.” Stefan glanced at the rubble. “And there are only the dead waiting below now.”
    Her hand rose toward his arm; she had to consciously wrench it back before she made contact. “You’re sure?” she whispered.
    â€œYes.” No expression on his face, no change in his tone . . . but his eyes, they were fixed on the crushed ruin of the village. “At night,” he added, “when the humans fall into exhausted sleep, the area is clear and I can search with my telepathic senses. There are no longer any living minds under the rubble.”
    Heart a lump of pain in her chest