Mackenzie's Pleasure by Linda Howard Page B

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    be exemplary soldiers or they wouldn't have been chosen as embassy guards, still, they were
    nothing like the man who held her so protectively. They were soldiers; he was a warrior.
    He was as different from them as the lethal, ten-inch black blade strapped to his thigh was
    from a pocketknife. He was a finely honed weapon.
    For all that, he wasn't immortal, and they weren't safe. Their hiding place could be
    discovered. He could be killed; she could be recaptured. The hard reality of that was
    something she couldn't ignore as she could hunger and cramped muscles.
    After a long, long time, the voices went away. Zane released her and walked noiselessly to
    the door to look out. She had never before seen anyone move with such silent grace, like a big
    jungle cat on velvet paws instead of a battle-hardened warrior in boots.
    She didn't move until he turned around, the faint relaxation of his expression telling her
    the danger was past. "What were they doing?" she asked, taking care to keep her voice low.
    "Scavenging building materials, picking up blocks, any pieces of wood that hadn't rotted.
    If they'd had a sledgehammer, they probably would have dismantled these walls. They
    carted the stuff off in a wheelbarrow. If they need more, they'll probably be back."
    "What will we do?"
    "The same thing we did this time—hunker down and keep quiet."
    "But if they come in here—"
    "I'll handle it." He cut her worry short before she could completely voice it, but he did it
    with a tone of reassurance. "I brought some food and water. Interested?"
    Barrie scrambled to her knees, eagerness in every line of her body. "Water! I'm so
    thirsty!" Then she halted, her recent experience fresh in her mind. "But if I drink anything,
    where will I go to... you know."
    He regarded her with faint bemusement, and she blushed a little as she realized that
    wasn't a problem he normally encountered. When he and his men were on a mission, they
    would relieve themselves wherever and whenever they needed.
    "I'll find a place for you to go," he finally said. "Don't let that stop you from drinking the
    water you need. I also found some clothes for you, but as hot as it's getting in here, you'll
    probably want to wait until night before you put them on."
    He indicated the black bundle beside his gear, and she realized it was a robe. She thought
    of the modesty it would provide, and gratitude flooded her; at least she wouldn't have to face
    his men wearing nothing more than his shirt. But he was right; in the heat of day, and in the
    privacy of this small room, she would prefer wearing his shirt. They both knew she was bare
    beneath it; he'd already seen her stark naked, and demonstrated his decency by giving her
    the shirt and ignoring her nakedness, so there was no point now in swathing herself in an
    ankle-length robe.
    He produced a big jug and unstoppered it. "It'll taste funny," he warned as he passed
    the jug to her. "Purification tablets."
    It did taste funny—warm, with a chemical flavor. But it was wonderful. She drank a few
    swallows, not wanting to make her stomach cramp after being empty for so long. While she was
    drinking, he unwrapped the bits of food he'd procured—a loaf of hard bread, a hunk of cheese
    and several oranges, plums and dates. It looked like a feast.
    He straightened the blanket for her to sit on, then took out his knife and cut small portions
    of both the loaf and cheese and gave them to her. She started to protest that she was hungry
    enough to eat much more than that, but realized that what he had would have to last them all
    day, and perhaps longer than that. She wasn't about to complain about the amount of food she
    did have.
    She had never been particularly fond of cheese, and she suspected that if she hadn't been so
    hungry she wouldn't have been fond of this cheese, either, but at the moment it was
    delicious. She nibbled at both bread and cheese, finding satisfaction in the simple act of
    chewing. As it happened,