A/N: Here we are. Next chapter. Enjoy. Feedback is appreciated. :)
Dislcaimer: Nope, not mine.
Chapter Nine
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Lux Veritatis Temple
South America, August 14th, 2003
His body lie quiescent and chill beneath her fingertips as she crouched slowly beside him, the inert figure almost serene in its absolute stillness despite the grim circumstances. Gently, almost tenderly, Lara carefully rolled him onto his back, small palms curving lightly over the motionless arch of his throat. His handsome face lolled to one side, resting in mud and grime, thick lashes shading wan flesh.
She swallowed hard, and slipped icy fingers to the base of his throat, seeking a pulse.
Nothing.
"Oh God. Kurtis..." Lara murmured, her stomach shifting violently. Loosened strands of perspiration-damp hair brushed his forehead as she bent close, and took his head into her hands. She stroked long dark bangs from his closed eyes, her fingers tracing a quivering pattern over soft flesh. *I didn't want you to die. Dammit! I didn't want you to die, you bloody Yank.*
A weak thump, a single hint of life throbbed beneath the warmth of her hand as it passed once more over his neck.
Dark eyes widened in grief-stricken features.
She checked once more, swiftly, and this time immediately identified his heartbeat, weak but certainly present.
"You resilient little piece of shit." she breathed in relief, and set one hand against his chin, tilting his head back to clear his air passage. She had to work fast if she wanted to get him breathing once more before his heart stopped for lack of oxygen.
Bending, Lara pressed full lips to his own, and exhaled a long breath into him. His chest inflated, rising slowly, then descending once more. She paused, then set her mouth against his again, and filled his body with her own precious air.
He lay silent and motionless.
She worked diligently, praying as she performed mouth to mouth, terror pooling deep within her, snaking chill fingers around her thundering heart. "Dammit, weren't you just bragging about going ten minutes without air?" Lara whispered, and breathed into him once more.
He warmed beneath her touch, his flesh heating beneath the contact of her wandering fingers, heartbeat surging harder, almost as though in response to her handling.
A ragged cough rent the interior of his throat, shuddering Kurtis' entire body.
She ceased all action, and pulled back, one hand smoothing over his lips to rest against one stubble-roughened cheekbone.
His lashes fluttered.
Lara expelled a lengthy sigh of relief, and reluctantly removed her hand as he stirred beneath her.
He coughed again, the violence of its passage trembling every limb. "Shit." he murmured through dry and cracked lips, and rolled weakly onto his side.
Vomit seared his throat, splashing hot and thick over the ground, mingling with gory soil. Its bitter tang lingered against the warmth of his tongue, curling the corners of his mouth in distaste. He spat and swiped a hand over slick lips.
Lara set a hand against his strong back as he retched, feeling the tendons cord and then lethargically relax.
He flipped back around to face her, and lie weakly back for a moment, the intensity of his gaze unmoving from her tense features. She felt warmth encase her slender hand, and glanced down to find his fingers twined gently through her own.
"Thanks." he said simply.
* * *
They walked stiffly, their steps somewhat faltering, their battered bodies leaning heavily on one another. She kept one arm firmly around his waist, and though he'd at first seemed hesitant in accepting her assistance, Kurtis now appeared grateful for the extra support. They strode weighted down with equipment once more, having hastily collected it from where it had been abandoned and loading it onto backs already bent in weariness. Karel had failed to awaken, and Lara hoped he stayed that way for a while, long enough for them to get far enough away that he could not locate them again so soon. *Or at least I hope he gains consciousness long enough to drag his ass off into the bushes, so we can return for the 4th Shard without him attempting to cramp our style.*
Their camp lie still and undisturbed, the dark inert forms of their sleeping bags just visible through thick foliage.
Lara released a silent sigh of relief and felt Kurtis relax slightly beneath the protective circle of her arm as he did the same.
"I've got bandages in my pack. I'll patch your arm up as soon as we reach camp." he said mildly, the first words he'd spoken since his murmured thank-you nearly two hours earlier.
"So do I. I can do it myself." Lara replied, swatting aside a tree branch. "Besides, it's been bleeding out so long I don't think bandaging it really has much purpose anymore."
Kurtis shrugged and fell silent once more, easing out of her hold and accelerating slightly as they tread exhausted and relieved into their abandoned campsite. He felt weakness in his knees and wished for a moment that he had not been so hasty in jerking himself from her secure grip.
She brushed past him and gratefully tossed down her heavy bag, its bulk bouncing lightly before rolling to a halt atop her crumpled sleeping bag. Her gaze surged momentarily to her taciturn companion, and mahogany orbs widened ever-so- slightly.
He'd unzipped his wetsuit to the navel, baring tanned and sleek muscles, his movements stiff and pained as he stripped. He darted a quick glance over to her, and swiftly exchanged the suit for a pair of jeans he selected from his unzipped pack.
She averted both eyes, and lay back against the comforting softness of her bedding.
His shadow fell across her a moment later.
"Get up. Let me look at your arm."
"Leave it alone." Lara responded wearily, and turned on her side, slipping both hands up to rest beneath her head.
She sensed his presence beside her, his tantalizing warmth embracing lithe curves. Strong fingers curled over the bicep of her right arm, gentle despite their power. She opened her mouth to emit a rude protest, then found herself too bone-weary to deliver a stinging remark and instead allowed him to carefully probe her wound.
Slumber draped its veil over her abused and fatigued body, and Lara slipped into waiting blackness.
He finished wrapping her arm as silently as possible, listening with the slightest of smiles to the soft whisper of her breathing. She didn't twitch as his fingers languidly withdrew from thick bandaging, their warmth trailing the toned curve of her arm.
Impulsively, Kurtis bent and lightly kissed the exposed curve of her neck, breathing her scent for a moment. He drew back, his face unchanging from its usual impassiveness, and stepped over her prone figure.
Crouching on the opposite side now, he brushed tentative fingers across her cool brow, tucking loosened strands of hair behind one ear. Something flickered briefly in indifferent cerulean orbs, and he leaned over once more to set his mouth against the silken flesh of her forehead.
Then, wistfully eyeing the tempting fullness of her lips, he rose, and retreated to his own makeshift bed.
* * *
He stared numbly at the beauty of her features, slack in their final rest.
She contemplated him blankly through death-frosted eyes, their absolute emptiness freezing his heart as even the sight of crimson liquid flowing thick over an ample chest had not been able to do.
Kurtis swallowed thickly, and dropped to shaking knees beside her.
Grief rose inside him, its passage brutal, tearing at each nerve, plunging the world to blackness before him for a moment. His eyes, so uncaring and detached to most despite their haunting beauty, roiled now with emotion, glistening beneath warm dampness.
He reached haltingly for her hand, encircling the motionless wrist, and bringing it to his face, pressing its frigid surface to one stubble-shaded cheek. Her limp fingers jerked in his trembling grip, slick with gore.
Wetness streaked both cheekbones, the tenuous hold he maintained over his anger and anguish slowly, inevitably fraying.
He gathered Lara in his arms and rocked them both, cradling her fiercely to him for long moments, his face sinking to the thick dark cord of her hair.
"Kurtis."
He mumbled something in sleep, both heavy brows tightening over closed eyes.
"Kurtis." A hand touched his shoulder. Dimly, still half-asleep, he felt himself being jostled by some unseen assailant. He struck out with one hand, the hard fist impacting soft flesh. "Ouch! You bastard!"
Something thrust hard against his head, its unyielding surface hurling him fully into consciousness. He cracked an eye at his attacker, glaring upward into blinding sunlight. For a moment he simply gazed at her, the glare dissipating for a few seconds as he recalled her face as he'd last seen it, in the disturbing dream she'd roused him from. Then, reining in his emotions, he resumed his previous unpleasant expression.
"What the fuck, Croft?" Kurtis murmured roughly, trailing a hand down his unshaven face. "What goddamn time is it?"
"6:00."
"In the morning?" he snapped, looking more pissed than she'd ever seen him. "Get the hell away from me. I've only been asleep a few hours."
"Someone isn't a morning person." she replied dryly, tapping a boot lightly against his forehead in an effort to irritate him further. He looked sinfully sexy for someone who'd just been awakened after only four or five hours of sleep, a fact that didn't fail to aggravate her.
He shoved her foot away and flopped over on his stomach, burying his face within the soft ripples of his sleeping bag.
She persisted, planting one booted foot against his back now, its weight resting uncomfortably against hard muscles. He muttered a few words which she did not quite catch, but rightly guessed were not complimentary. "Rise and shine. We've got work to do. The 4th Shard still needs to be recovered from the temple's wreckage. We can't leave here without it, and I'm already a little sick of this place, so I'd like to get this over with as soon as possible if you don't mind."
He curved both hands over his ears in response, the ring he wore glinting in a sudden flare of brilliance, its edges trapped within effulgent sunlight. Lara, drawn by its abrupt sparkle, reached down, and deftly slipped it off his finger.
Its sudden removal claimed his attention, as she had hoped.
She twirled it on one slim finger, full lips curving slightly beneath the weight of his glower. "This is awfully pretty for a rugged he-man such as yourself."
He held out a hand for it without speaking.
She paced backward a step, lifting the small object to dark eyes in an attempt to scrutinize it further, her perusal thorough as she kept one eye carefully trained on him.
"Lara..."
"What's that, Kurtis? You'd like me to play an elaborate game of keep-away with you because you love being teased and annoyed after only three hours of sleep?" She shrugged. "All right. But remember, I'm just doing this because you asked me to."
He rose, scowling, barefoot and bare-chested, dark hair lying adorably disheveled and tousled over stormy indigo orbs.
She paused, allowing him to move close, their bodies nearly grazing one another. His scowl slipped at her nearness, the anger dissipating from the beautiful depths of his gaze.
Her own gaze surged upward to twine as one with his. The tangible pull between them, the spark which always seemed present and prepared to ignite any moment suddenly flared hotter, its presence no longer dormant and silent.
*Go around him, dammit!* a voice screamed, at the same moment another one was attempting to persuade her to ravage him.
He lifted an arm, and she ducked beneath it, wondering for a brief second whether he'd meant to embrace her or simply been reaching for the stolen object she gripped in a white-knuckled fist.
She felt perspiration slick both palms beneath the gloves she wore, her pounding heart thundering within sensitive ears. Its drumming rhythm intensified, strangely augmented in the tense quiet. *This is ridiculous. I feel like a bloody child, running away from him like this. Why don't I just stick my tongue out and say 'Nyah nyah nyah I've got your toy!'?"*
He closed a powerful hand over her forearm as she lunged from him, the crushing grip halting her momentum instantly. Roughly, he spun Lara into his arms, yanking her against his naked chest, her body pressed all along his now. She opened her mouth to voice a stream of particularly unlady-like words at his rude handling, and now his lips slammed down on hers, effectively ending whatever barrage of insults she'd been about to utter.
The kiss was the complete antithesis to the one they'd shared in his father's study; rough and hard, his mouth devouring hers, both arms grinding her against him as close as humanly possible while both were still fully clothed. He almost seemed to be reassuring himself of her presence, as though he'd nearly lost her and now intended to make sure she was indeed real and alive.
Her eyes fluttered automatically shut at his touch, and she found herself responding, both hands tangling in his hair, supple body arching against his. She could hardly breathe, so tight was he holding her, but it was a distant thought, one that hardly registered in her lust-fogged mind.
She felt his tongue slip along the curve of her bottom lip, and parted her lips to allow him entrance.
He tasted her thoroughly, showing no sign of drawing away anytime soon, their tongues writhing against one another, breath flowing raggedly through flaring nostrils. His mouth moved hard and passionately against her own, his masculine scent filling her nostrils as they kissed.
He lifted her slightly, narrowing the distance between their bowed faces even more, his grip never slackening. His hand trailed the soft curve of her back, slipping teasingly beneath the hem of her shirt, smoothing over warm flesh and raising unblemished skin in goosebumps.
Her hands began to explore him as well, skimming light fingertips over strong broad shoulders then cupping them in both gloved palms, her teeth gently nipping his open mouth. He pushed harder against her in response, probing the depths of her mouth with his tongue, tracing the fullness of her lips, then thrusting back into the warmth of her mouth, his hands settling against her voluptuous hips.
Finally they separated, their lips no longer touching but their bodies still crushed against one another. He peered, startled, into her eyes, his face still close enough to kiss, should she close the mere two inches between them. Both strong shoulders rose and fell in heavy breath, sleek with sweat, his breath caressing her face.
He opened his arms, and she slid breathless to the ground. He eyed her without speaking, tempted to make a comment, unwilling to allow them both to ignore this sudden shift in their relationship, as they had once before.
Talking, however, did not seem to be high on her to-do list for today. Or, at least, not now that he'd thrown himself at her and crammed his tongue down her throat, in a very un-Kurtis-like loss of control. Her face hardened slightly, closing him out, and he knew that he'd better savor the moment in the deepest corner of his mind, because there wouldn't be another one like it.
"Here. I think you dropped this." she said, and tossed the shining object to him.
He caught it one-handed, without taking his eyes from her.
She turned her back on him, and strode off without another word.
* * *
"I wonder where our delightful little friend dragged himself off to. I hope he bled to death on the way." Lara said cheerfully. "Too bad it wouldn't be permanent." She lowered herself another few inches, carefully gouging both boots into the dirt cliff she clung to, then pausing to be sure of her balance before descending once more. Her muscles bunched with the effort, no climbing equipment present to assure against a nasty plunge.
Kurtis, slightly above her, affording Lara a rather nice view of his ass on the rare occasion when she glanced up to check his progress, merely grunted in reply. "Reverting to your cave-man origins of communication, I see." she commented, easing herself down once more.
*Maybe my lips or so swollen from kissing you that I can't talk right.* he fired back silently, then decided against such a response, as he'd been the one to initiate the kiss. *She did kiss me back though. It's not like I held her at gunpoint and threatened to kill her if she didn't shove her tongue down my throat.*
Their light banter and bickering had picked up once more on the trek back to the crumpled remnants of the Lux Veritatis temple, the strained silence finally breaking when Lara voiced a rather offensive comment about his lack of intelligence, the prompting for such a remark eluding his memory at the moment. He'd still been reeling with her earlier brush-off, the rejection hurting more than he cared to admit, burning in his mind as though he were some damn angst-ridden teenage boy who'd just been ditched at prom.
At times he found it difficult carrying on normal conversation, particularly when he kept envisioning them entwined and kissing hungrily. He could still taste her, still feel the press of her body on his, both hard and soft, every inch of her front molded to his. However, he'd disciplined himself long ago to shove aside any distractions, to bury them within the deepest recesses of his brain, and while Lara was certainly the most tempting of distractions he'd ever encountered, he was not about to allow some female to worm her way beneath his skin.
"Reverting to your bitch-like origins, I see." he replied, clutching securely to the craggy surface of a protruding boulder.
Lara glanced upward, a scowl marring full lips. "What was that?"
He looked down, and caught her eyes. His mouth twisted in a sardonic half- smile, one she found both intriguing and adorable. "I think you heard me."
"Why don't you come down closer so I can hear you better? Be careful, though. It's treacherous going. I wouldn't want you to have an accident and fall."
"Your foot might not have the same reservations, though, when it kicks me in the ass and knocks me over the side."
She smiled impishly. "It does seem to have a mind of its own at times."
He shook his head, long bangs rustling over both heavy brows. Below, the sound of her graceful landing wafted to his keen ears, the thunk of boots impacting hard dirt reverberating over the lake's bottom.
"Karel really did a number on this place." Lara murmured, surveying the destruction for a moment as he clambered downward. "You think we're going to be able to find anything? We don't have any sort of digging equipment." She snuck a quick glance over at him as he landed a few feet away, and rose, coiled muscles slowly untensing. The black T-shirt he'd donned clung to each muscle, enhancing a well-defined abdomen and toned arms. She swallowed hard, and looked away. *You could have had that. If you'd just let go for once and allowed yourself to finally be with him instead of pushing him away out of fear that you'd fall in love with him.* "I know you must think of yourself as the epitome of manliness, but I doubt even your brawn is going to lift some of this." she continued, thrusting aside the irritatingly correct voice inside her head. "Oh right, I forgot. You have magical powers."
Kurtis smirked. "Jealous?"
"What? That I can't make things fly through the air?" She waved a hand loftily in the air. "I can do that just fine. I just prefer to use different methods. I found that my .45, which you lost, did a fine job of clearing more than a few bad guys from my path."
"You hold a grudge against everyone you come across?"
"No, not usually; most people I don't like don't stay alive long enough for me to hold a grudge against them."
He quirked both eyebrows. "Insinuating that you don't like me?"
She paused a moment, and set a slender finger to her chin, as though the question required some pondering. "Well, I suppose you have a certain charm, but you don't shave and you do smoke, and you did steal my painting back in the Louvre, not to mention all my weapons. That alone makes you a prime candidate for an ass- kicking." she responded, with a nonchalant shrug, conveniently neglecting to mention that she found his rugged, unshaven appearance extremely sexy.
"Hey, that was *my* painting. You just happened to get to it first."
"I don't remember seeing your name written on it." She crossed both arms over her chest, and leveled him with a challenging look. "In fact-"
Something shifted within the swirling depths of his eyes, and he shot a hand roughly up to clamp it over her parted lips. Her words fell muffled and unheard against the curve of his palm.
He thrust his Boran X free of its restraints, and thumbed the safety.
The pistol thundered once, and Lara dropped, spun, and came up in firing stance once more, Glock gripped steadily in both hands.
They emerged from thick foliage, gripping deadly automatic weapons, a dozen in all, cold features unchanging even as their companion slumped dead before them, Kurtis' bullet thrusting through bone and brain tissue to explode the man's head.
*Shit! An ambush. And we walked right into it.* Lara thought angrily, the barrel of her weapon surging to the man nearest her.
Kurtis stepped up beside her, their bodies touching, his pistol leveled before him as well, no sign of surrender present within icy orbs.
"What do you say? Divide them between us? You take six, I take six?" she said casually.
"Sure. Hundred bucks says I can pop at least three of them before they kill me."
"I didn't say it was the best idea I've ever had."
"Weapons on the ground, please. My men have orders to shoot you if you open fire." a new voice intervened.
"Gunderson." Kurtis whispered grimly beside her.
His tall, intimidating figure strode from the jungle's concealing plantlife now, as formidable as Kurtis remembered, a holstered pistol present at one thick hip. He tread surprisingly lightly toward them, boots thrumming against dirt almost silently. "Kurtis Trent, you were always a reasonably intelligent man. I think it would be in your best interest to put away your weapon. Or rather, in *her* best interest." He motioned to the darkly-garbed figures encircling Lara and Kurtis. All guns automatically slipped to target Lara's beautiful features. "I don't think you can take them all out before one of them manages to kill her."
*Fuck.* Kurtis thought savagely, perusing his former employer through chill, hardened eyes. Gunderson had always possessed an uncanny talent for recognizing another's weakness. Had Kurtis been alone, he'd have most likely began firing and made a desperate run for it, damn the consequences.
But not now. Not now they had Lara at the business end of a dozen separate firearms.
Hesitantly, he relinquished his weapon, slipping one tense finger from the trigger and tossing the Boran X unceremoniously to the ground. His Chirugai swayed lightly with the savage motion, its movement thankfully unnoticed by Gunderson.
Lara reluctantly loosened her hold on the Glock, and a soldier paced forward to relieve her of it. Dark orbs converged on him in a nasty glare, brows growing taut with its malevolence. Another man stepped forward to tightly grip her arm, their weapons lowering now that their quarry had given up.
The Chirugai snapped free of Kurtis' belt, and spun outward, deadly blades thrusting tender flesh, shredding deep into pulsing veins, hot gore erupting over its metal exterior.
A scream ascended the sky, the sickening cry mercilessly cut short as slashing blades severed a gasping throat. The shriek abruptly dissolved into a gurgle, blood foaming thick to parted lips, blood vessels bursting in both widened eyes.
The man gripping Lara drooped against her, and she tore from his dying hold.
Kurtis' Glaive slipped over his waiting fingers, the blades slowly, lethargically withdrawing into waiting steel. "Don't touch her." he ordered coldly, and murder glinted coolly in his intense gaze.
Gunderson lifted both brows slightly, fear churning briefly inside him.
"Where's Karel?" Lara demanded, stepping back to join Kurtis.
"Healing. He needs time to regenerate after his encounter with the two of you. But he'll be waiting for us. He has plenty he'd like to do with you both."
"What does Karel need the two of us for? We're not a part of his sick quest for world domination." Lara replied. "We're interested in killing him-not becoming a part of whatever strange plan his demented little Nephilim mind has cooked up."
Gunderson smiled coldly. "You're not the real prize, Ms. Croft. Mr. Trent, as the last surviving Lux Veritatis initiate, is vitally important to the Great Work. But Karel wanted you as well, for your mental and physical prowess, and your well- known durability."
"Durability."
"Yes. A good trait for the entirety of the Nephilim race."
"And Karel is going to inject me with a magic potion which will extract that specific trait, so he can pass it along to his human/angel hybrids?" she retorted sarcastically.
"Perhaps. I'm sure Master Karel will be more than happy to explain everything to you."
Lara blinked, features expressionless. Kurtis shifted warily beside her, and she felt his arm glide gently against her own as he reached for the Chirugai he'd slipped back into his belt.
She clasped his hand in strong fingers, halting its motion, unwavering gaze never straying from Gunderson's impassive features. *Don't do anything stupid, you overgrown gorilla. He'll kill one or both of us the next time you try your stunt with that fancy little frisbee, no matter what shit he's spouting about Karel needing us for the Great Work.*
"Who don't you tell us yourself, before I get really nasty?" she pressed, squeezing Kurtis' hand with bone-crushing force before releasing it. "And if Kurtis is so vitally important to this 'Great Work,' why did Karel nearly kill him just the night before?"
"He can be taken dead. His body is valuable to us, alive or slain. But Karel prefers you both alive. Which is why I hope you will both cooperate, and not force me to shoot you."
"Well when you ask so politely..." Lara remarked dryly.
Gunderson smiled without humor. "If you please, we have quite a long hike before we reach the rendezvous point. There will be a helicopter waiting to airlift you to Karel. If you would hand over all your equipment and weapons?"
Kurtis smiled grimly. "No thanks."
"It wasn't a request."
Lara shifted a hand protectively to the pack lying heavy and still over both softly rounded shoulders. "If you don't mind, I'd rather keep it. Feminine products and that sort of thing. A woman has her needs."
Gunderson looked briefly to Kurtis, who stood smirking at Lara's show of defiance. "If you value her life, you might want to advise your friend to stop fooling around."
"I don't own her."
"Yes. What do you think I am? His pet dog?"
"Kill her." Gunderson ordered apathetically.
All around them, weapons surged upward once more, eager fingers slipping down chill metal to caress waiting triggers.
Kurtis' sudden lunge surprised even Lara, the abrupt motion nearly a blur as he thrust his own body in front of hers. His larger frame obscured her own slender one, muscles corded in anticipation, perspiration trickling downward beneath the thin material of his shirt to kiss the tense curve of his spine.
"Weapons up." Gunderson barked, and something sinister glistened deep within otherwise blank dark eyes.
She set a hand gently against Kurtis' back, and moved him aside, loosening the straps of her bag. Warily, she removed it and handed it across to Gunderson. "Here. Now, maybe we can get this show on the road. I haven't been for a helicopter ride in over a year."
* * *
Its rotors thrust thick jungle air savagely, the helicopter's thrumming blades thundering above them as the weighty aircraft slowly ascended humid sky. Through lucid glass windows, Lara glimpsed the verdant brilliance of the Amazon as it grew smaller beneath them, the craft rapidly gaining altitude.
Her russet gaze slipped unnoticed to Kurtis, who perched close beside her, both strong arms bound at his back. He leaned uncomfortably against the hardness of the helicopter's side, hands bent awkwardly, violent cramps searing them.
Surrounding them, large crates sheathed both from prying eyes, the cargo area they'd been unceremoniously tossed into allowing them a moment of privacy. Their legs lay intimately entwined, courtesy of the hard tumble they'd taken from Gunderson's brutish men, their bodies thrown quite literally against the wall.
His warmth burned against the exposed flesh of her shapely legs, her now- empty gunbelt jabbing the firm, athletic solidness of his waist. She snuck another glance at him through thick dark lashes, her skin flaring white-hot beneath his touch.
He looked over at her, and she hastily turned her head, chagrined at having been caught gaping.
"Can you reach my back pocket?" he asked quietly, his lips close beside her ear. His breath lightly caressed the flesh of her earlobe, its gentle contact prompting a shiver unbidden down her spine.
"Kurtis, if you're scared, I suggest maybe picking up a teddy bear when we're back in civilization. I've heard they make wonderful security blankets. Getting comfort from a girl fondling your ass is a bit over the top, if you ask me."
"You're a riot, Lara."
"I try." she said with a shrug, slyly mocking the phrase he'd uttered only days ago in his father's study.
"There's a knife in my back pocket."
"Gunderson didn't do a very thorough job in searching us for weapons. I have a gun in my bra." Lara replied, with a smile. "I'm not sure I can get to your knife. You must be sitting on most of it."
He transferred his weight to the opposite hip.
"Try it now."
She stirred against him, and he felt her hand slip lightly across his hip, the angle awkward but doable for her more flexible body. Her wandering fingertips now brushed weightlessly across the curve of his ass, and he tensed.
"This is purely in the interest of saving both of us. I'm not about to take this up as a regular hobby in my off-time, you know." *Good Lord, does the man have an ounce of fat on him *anywhere*?*
He remained silent, not speaking as her hand twisted ungracefully, its warmth curling over the edge of his back pocket now, groping for the blade he'd spoken of. He felt his breath catch slightly in his throat, and swallowed hard.
Vibrant color flowered in both high cheekbones, heat spreading all throughout her face as she fumbled for the knife's smooth handle. Finally clasping it, she inched her fingers out once more, twisting and writhing against him in her effort to free the weapon.
"Got it?" he asked brusquely, relieved his voice sounded normal.
"Yes."
The shining blade thrust outward with an audible *snick!*
She maneuvered in closer to him, and began to hack at the rope binding his wrists, sawing precariously near tender flesh.
"Easy." Kurtis hissed. "I won't be able to do much good if you cut both of my hands off."
"All right, then how about I just cut your big loud mouth off?" Lara retorted, her gaze plunging up to hold his own, fiery dark eyes perusing him intensely. The heat of her body settled thickly over him, its warmth stroking perspiration-glazed flesh.
"Just keep cutting." he said quietly, his eyes boring with equal fervor into hers. "The *rope*." he added as an afterthought. *And quit looking at me, because I want to kiss you.*
He felt the jungle's oppressive atmosphere, its thick hotness flowing through the chopper's open doors, falling sultry and heavy across his sweating body. The clinging sweetness of damp foliage wafted gently to him, threading the breeze to softly tempt his keen nose. He leaned against Lara as she worked, her small lithe body alternately tensing and slackening with the rhythmic motion of his knife. Her hair tumbled thick and silken over his left arm, its length teasing goosebumps to taut flesh.
"Got it." she murmured, and eased backward.
Kurtis rose, shaking out his arms, both limbs stiff and numb.
Lara tossed the weapon down, and nudged it toward him with a booted foot.
He seized it, and crouched beside her. Her own ropes fell limp and pliant to the floor only thirty seconds or so later, his freedom allowing him to move much more quickly and skillfully than Lara had been able to.
"Your Chirugai?" Lara whispered, accepting his hand and standing.
"Gunderson has it. On his belt."
"Good. At least it's accessible. I half expected them to chuck it over the side or something. I believe you scared the piss out of them after you cut through one of their heads with it."
He half-smiled in acknowledgment of her comment. "I'll take out the guards. You go for the pilot."
"Doable." Lara agreed.
* * *
She struck swiftly, moving with supple ease through undulating shadows, her presence unnoticed by either Gunderson or the pilot. The staccato drumming of the rotors overhead cloaked all noise made by the quiet tread of her boots over chill steel.
She reached deceptively slender hands for the pilot's neck, slipping strong fingers over exposed flesh. "What the fu-" he yelled in alarm, the curse ended mid-word as she wrenched his head at an odd angle. The vicious parting of sinew and bone reverberated surprisingly loud in her ears.
Gunderson twisted immediately in his seat, one large hand surging to the pistol dangling at his side. Lara pit both hands against the back of the pilot's chair, thrusting herself upward, one boot plunging out to ram deep into his throat.
A startled gurgle died uselessly against full lips, his grip on his weapon loosening.
She slammed one small hard fist into the firmness of his jaw, hurling him backward to lie gasping against the control panel.
He thrust to his feet, swaying slightly, immense frame unsteady beneath the unexpected barrage delivered by this slender woman. She snatched Kurtis' Glaive from his belt and chucked it over her shoulder, wondering briefly why he hadn't collected it himself yet.
They circled one another warily now, shadows twining as one and then fracturing as they sought the other's weakness. Gunderson had retreated to the cockpit's opening, and slipped through it now, backing into the cargo bay area.
The floor lay thick with bodies beneath them.
Thankfully, the chopper had only been able to accommodate four men besides Gunderson, Lara, Kurtis, and the pilot, leaving them with much more agreeable odds. She suspected these remaining men were the ones Karel placed his trust in, the ones privy to his location, while the others were mere hired goons who would be picked up in a later aircraft, and most likely quietly disposed of.
"Lara." a voice called from behind her, and she chanced a glance out of the corner of her eye to his familiar figure. Something glinted in his right hand, and she plunged out her own hand to catch it as he lobbed the slender dark object across the space separating them.
"Always feel better with one of these in my hand." she commented, and thumbed the safety on her Glock, which he must have pilfered from one of the guards.
Its barrel surged to target Gunderson's impassive features.
He lunged with surprising speed, one strong arm encircling Kurtis and thrusting her companion up against his hard chest as the other hand retrieved his holstered pistol. Chill steel settled against Kurtis' temple, the Lux Veritatis initiate not even blinking at this sudden turn of events.
Dark eyes sought emotionless cerulean ones, probing deeply for a moment as her gun wavered slightly.
Gunderson pulled Kurtis in front of him as a shield, taking care to crouch slightly so his taller frame was completely sheathed by Kurtis' hard body.
Lara swallowed hard.
"Put down your gun."
Gunderson stood just within the helicopter's opening, precariously close to its edge, his arm tightening vise-like around Kurtis' middle. Her companion's familiar lips parted in an involuntary gasp, seeking precious air, beautiful eyes widening slightly.
Dampness caressed the flesh of her back beneath the tank top she wore. Sweat trickled in a meandering stream over heated flesh, its passage tightening skin at its loathsome touch.
"Put down your gun." he repeated.
One strong finger bucked restlessly against the trigger guard, trembling with a sudden ferocity. She darted a tongue out to moisten parched lips, her weapon unmoving from its position.
Kurtis peered almost unconcernedly at her, and she read the resignation in the swirling intensity of his gaze.
"I'm sorry." Lara whispered. *But whatever they're planning to do to you is much worse than a quick bullet to the forehead.*
She aimed, taking a two-handed grip to steady her quivering arm. A thick lump rose to crust the interior of her throat, its presence making it extremely difficult for her to swallow.
She touched a finger to the trigger, and steadily tightened its tip against cool metal.
The bullet struck him dead-center between brilliant cerulean orbs, his body sagging instantly against Gunderson. Kurtis' sudden deadweight forced his assailant off balance, the man's arms backpedaling fiercely as he struggled to regain his footing, terror enshrouding widened verdant eyes for a single moment.
Lips thrust wide in a final scream, and they plunged together into open air.
Dislcaimer: Nope, not mine.
Chapter Nine
________________________________________________________________________
Lux Veritatis Temple
South America, August 14th, 2003
His body lie quiescent and chill beneath her fingertips as she crouched slowly beside him, the inert figure almost serene in its absolute stillness despite the grim circumstances. Gently, almost tenderly, Lara carefully rolled him onto his back, small palms curving lightly over the motionless arch of his throat. His handsome face lolled to one side, resting in mud and grime, thick lashes shading wan flesh.
She swallowed hard, and slipped icy fingers to the base of his throat, seeking a pulse.
Nothing.
"Oh God. Kurtis..." Lara murmured, her stomach shifting violently. Loosened strands of perspiration-damp hair brushed his forehead as she bent close, and took his head into her hands. She stroked long dark bangs from his closed eyes, her fingers tracing a quivering pattern over soft flesh. *I didn't want you to die. Dammit! I didn't want you to die, you bloody Yank.*
A weak thump, a single hint of life throbbed beneath the warmth of her hand as it passed once more over his neck.
Dark eyes widened in grief-stricken features.
She checked once more, swiftly, and this time immediately identified his heartbeat, weak but certainly present.
"You resilient little piece of shit." she breathed in relief, and set one hand against his chin, tilting his head back to clear his air passage. She had to work fast if she wanted to get him breathing once more before his heart stopped for lack of oxygen.
Bending, Lara pressed full lips to his own, and exhaled a long breath into him. His chest inflated, rising slowly, then descending once more. She paused, then set her mouth against his again, and filled his body with her own precious air.
He lay silent and motionless.
She worked diligently, praying as she performed mouth to mouth, terror pooling deep within her, snaking chill fingers around her thundering heart. "Dammit, weren't you just bragging about going ten minutes without air?" Lara whispered, and breathed into him once more.
He warmed beneath her touch, his flesh heating beneath the contact of her wandering fingers, heartbeat surging harder, almost as though in response to her handling.
A ragged cough rent the interior of his throat, shuddering Kurtis' entire body.
She ceased all action, and pulled back, one hand smoothing over his lips to rest against one stubble-roughened cheekbone.
His lashes fluttered.
Lara expelled a lengthy sigh of relief, and reluctantly removed her hand as he stirred beneath her.
He coughed again, the violence of its passage trembling every limb. "Shit." he murmured through dry and cracked lips, and rolled weakly onto his side.
Vomit seared his throat, splashing hot and thick over the ground, mingling with gory soil. Its bitter tang lingered against the warmth of his tongue, curling the corners of his mouth in distaste. He spat and swiped a hand over slick lips.
Lara set a hand against his strong back as he retched, feeling the tendons cord and then lethargically relax.
He flipped back around to face her, and lie weakly back for a moment, the intensity of his gaze unmoving from her tense features. She felt warmth encase her slender hand, and glanced down to find his fingers twined gently through her own.
"Thanks." he said simply.
* * *
They walked stiffly, their steps somewhat faltering, their battered bodies leaning heavily on one another. She kept one arm firmly around his waist, and though he'd at first seemed hesitant in accepting her assistance, Kurtis now appeared grateful for the extra support. They strode weighted down with equipment once more, having hastily collected it from where it had been abandoned and loading it onto backs already bent in weariness. Karel had failed to awaken, and Lara hoped he stayed that way for a while, long enough for them to get far enough away that he could not locate them again so soon. *Or at least I hope he gains consciousness long enough to drag his ass off into the bushes, so we can return for the 4th Shard without him attempting to cramp our style.*
Their camp lie still and undisturbed, the dark inert forms of their sleeping bags just visible through thick foliage.
Lara released a silent sigh of relief and felt Kurtis relax slightly beneath the protective circle of her arm as he did the same.
"I've got bandages in my pack. I'll patch your arm up as soon as we reach camp." he said mildly, the first words he'd spoken since his murmured thank-you nearly two hours earlier.
"So do I. I can do it myself." Lara replied, swatting aside a tree branch. "Besides, it's been bleeding out so long I don't think bandaging it really has much purpose anymore."
Kurtis shrugged and fell silent once more, easing out of her hold and accelerating slightly as they tread exhausted and relieved into their abandoned campsite. He felt weakness in his knees and wished for a moment that he had not been so hasty in jerking himself from her secure grip.
She brushed past him and gratefully tossed down her heavy bag, its bulk bouncing lightly before rolling to a halt atop her crumpled sleeping bag. Her gaze surged momentarily to her taciturn companion, and mahogany orbs widened ever-so- slightly.
He'd unzipped his wetsuit to the navel, baring tanned and sleek muscles, his movements stiff and pained as he stripped. He darted a quick glance over to her, and swiftly exchanged the suit for a pair of jeans he selected from his unzipped pack.
She averted both eyes, and lay back against the comforting softness of her bedding.
His shadow fell across her a moment later.
"Get up. Let me look at your arm."
"Leave it alone." Lara responded wearily, and turned on her side, slipping both hands up to rest beneath her head.
She sensed his presence beside her, his tantalizing warmth embracing lithe curves. Strong fingers curled over the bicep of her right arm, gentle despite their power. She opened her mouth to emit a rude protest, then found herself too bone-weary to deliver a stinging remark and instead allowed him to carefully probe her wound.
Slumber draped its veil over her abused and fatigued body, and Lara slipped into waiting blackness.
He finished wrapping her arm as silently as possible, listening with the slightest of smiles to the soft whisper of her breathing. She didn't twitch as his fingers languidly withdrew from thick bandaging, their warmth trailing the toned curve of her arm.
Impulsively, Kurtis bent and lightly kissed the exposed curve of her neck, breathing her scent for a moment. He drew back, his face unchanging from its usual impassiveness, and stepped over her prone figure.
Crouching on the opposite side now, he brushed tentative fingers across her cool brow, tucking loosened strands of hair behind one ear. Something flickered briefly in indifferent cerulean orbs, and he leaned over once more to set his mouth against the silken flesh of her forehead.
Then, wistfully eyeing the tempting fullness of her lips, he rose, and retreated to his own makeshift bed.
* * *
He stared numbly at the beauty of her features, slack in their final rest.
She contemplated him blankly through death-frosted eyes, their absolute emptiness freezing his heart as even the sight of crimson liquid flowing thick over an ample chest had not been able to do.
Kurtis swallowed thickly, and dropped to shaking knees beside her.
Grief rose inside him, its passage brutal, tearing at each nerve, plunging the world to blackness before him for a moment. His eyes, so uncaring and detached to most despite their haunting beauty, roiled now with emotion, glistening beneath warm dampness.
He reached haltingly for her hand, encircling the motionless wrist, and bringing it to his face, pressing its frigid surface to one stubble-shaded cheek. Her limp fingers jerked in his trembling grip, slick with gore.
Wetness streaked both cheekbones, the tenuous hold he maintained over his anger and anguish slowly, inevitably fraying.
He gathered Lara in his arms and rocked them both, cradling her fiercely to him for long moments, his face sinking to the thick dark cord of her hair.
"Kurtis."
He mumbled something in sleep, both heavy brows tightening over closed eyes.
"Kurtis." A hand touched his shoulder. Dimly, still half-asleep, he felt himself being jostled by some unseen assailant. He struck out with one hand, the hard fist impacting soft flesh. "Ouch! You bastard!"
Something thrust hard against his head, its unyielding surface hurling him fully into consciousness. He cracked an eye at his attacker, glaring upward into blinding sunlight. For a moment he simply gazed at her, the glare dissipating for a few seconds as he recalled her face as he'd last seen it, in the disturbing dream she'd roused him from. Then, reining in his emotions, he resumed his previous unpleasant expression.
"What the fuck, Croft?" Kurtis murmured roughly, trailing a hand down his unshaven face. "What goddamn time is it?"
"6:00."
"In the morning?" he snapped, looking more pissed than she'd ever seen him. "Get the hell away from me. I've only been asleep a few hours."
"Someone isn't a morning person." she replied dryly, tapping a boot lightly against his forehead in an effort to irritate him further. He looked sinfully sexy for someone who'd just been awakened after only four or five hours of sleep, a fact that didn't fail to aggravate her.
He shoved her foot away and flopped over on his stomach, burying his face within the soft ripples of his sleeping bag.
She persisted, planting one booted foot against his back now, its weight resting uncomfortably against hard muscles. He muttered a few words which she did not quite catch, but rightly guessed were not complimentary. "Rise and shine. We've got work to do. The 4th Shard still needs to be recovered from the temple's wreckage. We can't leave here without it, and I'm already a little sick of this place, so I'd like to get this over with as soon as possible if you don't mind."
He curved both hands over his ears in response, the ring he wore glinting in a sudden flare of brilliance, its edges trapped within effulgent sunlight. Lara, drawn by its abrupt sparkle, reached down, and deftly slipped it off his finger.
Its sudden removal claimed his attention, as she had hoped.
She twirled it on one slim finger, full lips curving slightly beneath the weight of his glower. "This is awfully pretty for a rugged he-man such as yourself."
He held out a hand for it without speaking.
She paced backward a step, lifting the small object to dark eyes in an attempt to scrutinize it further, her perusal thorough as she kept one eye carefully trained on him.
"Lara..."
"What's that, Kurtis? You'd like me to play an elaborate game of keep-away with you because you love being teased and annoyed after only three hours of sleep?" She shrugged. "All right. But remember, I'm just doing this because you asked me to."
He rose, scowling, barefoot and bare-chested, dark hair lying adorably disheveled and tousled over stormy indigo orbs.
She paused, allowing him to move close, their bodies nearly grazing one another. His scowl slipped at her nearness, the anger dissipating from the beautiful depths of his gaze.
Her own gaze surged upward to twine as one with his. The tangible pull between them, the spark which always seemed present and prepared to ignite any moment suddenly flared hotter, its presence no longer dormant and silent.
*Go around him, dammit!* a voice screamed, at the same moment another one was attempting to persuade her to ravage him.
He lifted an arm, and she ducked beneath it, wondering for a brief second whether he'd meant to embrace her or simply been reaching for the stolen object she gripped in a white-knuckled fist.
She felt perspiration slick both palms beneath the gloves she wore, her pounding heart thundering within sensitive ears. Its drumming rhythm intensified, strangely augmented in the tense quiet. *This is ridiculous. I feel like a bloody child, running away from him like this. Why don't I just stick my tongue out and say 'Nyah nyah nyah I've got your toy!'?"*
He closed a powerful hand over her forearm as she lunged from him, the crushing grip halting her momentum instantly. Roughly, he spun Lara into his arms, yanking her against his naked chest, her body pressed all along his now. She opened her mouth to voice a stream of particularly unlady-like words at his rude handling, and now his lips slammed down on hers, effectively ending whatever barrage of insults she'd been about to utter.
The kiss was the complete antithesis to the one they'd shared in his father's study; rough and hard, his mouth devouring hers, both arms grinding her against him as close as humanly possible while both were still fully clothed. He almost seemed to be reassuring himself of her presence, as though he'd nearly lost her and now intended to make sure she was indeed real and alive.
Her eyes fluttered automatically shut at his touch, and she found herself responding, both hands tangling in his hair, supple body arching against his. She could hardly breathe, so tight was he holding her, but it was a distant thought, one that hardly registered in her lust-fogged mind.
She felt his tongue slip along the curve of her bottom lip, and parted her lips to allow him entrance.
He tasted her thoroughly, showing no sign of drawing away anytime soon, their tongues writhing against one another, breath flowing raggedly through flaring nostrils. His mouth moved hard and passionately against her own, his masculine scent filling her nostrils as they kissed.
He lifted her slightly, narrowing the distance between their bowed faces even more, his grip never slackening. His hand trailed the soft curve of her back, slipping teasingly beneath the hem of her shirt, smoothing over warm flesh and raising unblemished skin in goosebumps.
Her hands began to explore him as well, skimming light fingertips over strong broad shoulders then cupping them in both gloved palms, her teeth gently nipping his open mouth. He pushed harder against her in response, probing the depths of her mouth with his tongue, tracing the fullness of her lips, then thrusting back into the warmth of her mouth, his hands settling against her voluptuous hips.
Finally they separated, their lips no longer touching but their bodies still crushed against one another. He peered, startled, into her eyes, his face still close enough to kiss, should she close the mere two inches between them. Both strong shoulders rose and fell in heavy breath, sleek with sweat, his breath caressing her face.
He opened his arms, and she slid breathless to the ground. He eyed her without speaking, tempted to make a comment, unwilling to allow them both to ignore this sudden shift in their relationship, as they had once before.
Talking, however, did not seem to be high on her to-do list for today. Or, at least, not now that he'd thrown himself at her and crammed his tongue down her throat, in a very un-Kurtis-like loss of control. Her face hardened slightly, closing him out, and he knew that he'd better savor the moment in the deepest corner of his mind, because there wouldn't be another one like it.
"Here. I think you dropped this." she said, and tossed the shining object to him.
He caught it one-handed, without taking his eyes from her.
She turned her back on him, and strode off without another word.
* * *
"I wonder where our delightful little friend dragged himself off to. I hope he bled to death on the way." Lara said cheerfully. "Too bad it wouldn't be permanent." She lowered herself another few inches, carefully gouging both boots into the dirt cliff she clung to, then pausing to be sure of her balance before descending once more. Her muscles bunched with the effort, no climbing equipment present to assure against a nasty plunge.
Kurtis, slightly above her, affording Lara a rather nice view of his ass on the rare occasion when she glanced up to check his progress, merely grunted in reply. "Reverting to your cave-man origins of communication, I see." she commented, easing herself down once more.
*Maybe my lips or so swollen from kissing you that I can't talk right.* he fired back silently, then decided against such a response, as he'd been the one to initiate the kiss. *She did kiss me back though. It's not like I held her at gunpoint and threatened to kill her if she didn't shove her tongue down my throat.*
Their light banter and bickering had picked up once more on the trek back to the crumpled remnants of the Lux Veritatis temple, the strained silence finally breaking when Lara voiced a rather offensive comment about his lack of intelligence, the prompting for such a remark eluding his memory at the moment. He'd still been reeling with her earlier brush-off, the rejection hurting more than he cared to admit, burning in his mind as though he were some damn angst-ridden teenage boy who'd just been ditched at prom.
At times he found it difficult carrying on normal conversation, particularly when he kept envisioning them entwined and kissing hungrily. He could still taste her, still feel the press of her body on his, both hard and soft, every inch of her front molded to his. However, he'd disciplined himself long ago to shove aside any distractions, to bury them within the deepest recesses of his brain, and while Lara was certainly the most tempting of distractions he'd ever encountered, he was not about to allow some female to worm her way beneath his skin.
"Reverting to your bitch-like origins, I see." he replied, clutching securely to the craggy surface of a protruding boulder.
Lara glanced upward, a scowl marring full lips. "What was that?"
He looked down, and caught her eyes. His mouth twisted in a sardonic half- smile, one she found both intriguing and adorable. "I think you heard me."
"Why don't you come down closer so I can hear you better? Be careful, though. It's treacherous going. I wouldn't want you to have an accident and fall."
"Your foot might not have the same reservations, though, when it kicks me in the ass and knocks me over the side."
She smiled impishly. "It does seem to have a mind of its own at times."
He shook his head, long bangs rustling over both heavy brows. Below, the sound of her graceful landing wafted to his keen ears, the thunk of boots impacting hard dirt reverberating over the lake's bottom.
"Karel really did a number on this place." Lara murmured, surveying the destruction for a moment as he clambered downward. "You think we're going to be able to find anything? We don't have any sort of digging equipment." She snuck a quick glance over at him as he landed a few feet away, and rose, coiled muscles slowly untensing. The black T-shirt he'd donned clung to each muscle, enhancing a well-defined abdomen and toned arms. She swallowed hard, and looked away. *You could have had that. If you'd just let go for once and allowed yourself to finally be with him instead of pushing him away out of fear that you'd fall in love with him.* "I know you must think of yourself as the epitome of manliness, but I doubt even your brawn is going to lift some of this." she continued, thrusting aside the irritatingly correct voice inside her head. "Oh right, I forgot. You have magical powers."
Kurtis smirked. "Jealous?"
"What? That I can't make things fly through the air?" She waved a hand loftily in the air. "I can do that just fine. I just prefer to use different methods. I found that my .45, which you lost, did a fine job of clearing more than a few bad guys from my path."
"You hold a grudge against everyone you come across?"
"No, not usually; most people I don't like don't stay alive long enough for me to hold a grudge against them."
He quirked both eyebrows. "Insinuating that you don't like me?"
She paused a moment, and set a slender finger to her chin, as though the question required some pondering. "Well, I suppose you have a certain charm, but you don't shave and you do smoke, and you did steal my painting back in the Louvre, not to mention all my weapons. That alone makes you a prime candidate for an ass- kicking." she responded, with a nonchalant shrug, conveniently neglecting to mention that she found his rugged, unshaven appearance extremely sexy.
"Hey, that was *my* painting. You just happened to get to it first."
"I don't remember seeing your name written on it." She crossed both arms over her chest, and leveled him with a challenging look. "In fact-"
Something shifted within the swirling depths of his eyes, and he shot a hand roughly up to clamp it over her parted lips. Her words fell muffled and unheard against the curve of his palm.
He thrust his Boran X free of its restraints, and thumbed the safety.
The pistol thundered once, and Lara dropped, spun, and came up in firing stance once more, Glock gripped steadily in both hands.
They emerged from thick foliage, gripping deadly automatic weapons, a dozen in all, cold features unchanging even as their companion slumped dead before them, Kurtis' bullet thrusting through bone and brain tissue to explode the man's head.
*Shit! An ambush. And we walked right into it.* Lara thought angrily, the barrel of her weapon surging to the man nearest her.
Kurtis stepped up beside her, their bodies touching, his pistol leveled before him as well, no sign of surrender present within icy orbs.
"What do you say? Divide them between us? You take six, I take six?" she said casually.
"Sure. Hundred bucks says I can pop at least three of them before they kill me."
"I didn't say it was the best idea I've ever had."
"Weapons on the ground, please. My men have orders to shoot you if you open fire." a new voice intervened.
"Gunderson." Kurtis whispered grimly beside her.
His tall, intimidating figure strode from the jungle's concealing plantlife now, as formidable as Kurtis remembered, a holstered pistol present at one thick hip. He tread surprisingly lightly toward them, boots thrumming against dirt almost silently. "Kurtis Trent, you were always a reasonably intelligent man. I think it would be in your best interest to put away your weapon. Or rather, in *her* best interest." He motioned to the darkly-garbed figures encircling Lara and Kurtis. All guns automatically slipped to target Lara's beautiful features. "I don't think you can take them all out before one of them manages to kill her."
*Fuck.* Kurtis thought savagely, perusing his former employer through chill, hardened eyes. Gunderson had always possessed an uncanny talent for recognizing another's weakness. Had Kurtis been alone, he'd have most likely began firing and made a desperate run for it, damn the consequences.
But not now. Not now they had Lara at the business end of a dozen separate firearms.
Hesitantly, he relinquished his weapon, slipping one tense finger from the trigger and tossing the Boran X unceremoniously to the ground. His Chirugai swayed lightly with the savage motion, its movement thankfully unnoticed by Gunderson.
Lara reluctantly loosened her hold on the Glock, and a soldier paced forward to relieve her of it. Dark orbs converged on him in a nasty glare, brows growing taut with its malevolence. Another man stepped forward to tightly grip her arm, their weapons lowering now that their quarry had given up.
The Chirugai snapped free of Kurtis' belt, and spun outward, deadly blades thrusting tender flesh, shredding deep into pulsing veins, hot gore erupting over its metal exterior.
A scream ascended the sky, the sickening cry mercilessly cut short as slashing blades severed a gasping throat. The shriek abruptly dissolved into a gurgle, blood foaming thick to parted lips, blood vessels bursting in both widened eyes.
The man gripping Lara drooped against her, and she tore from his dying hold.
Kurtis' Glaive slipped over his waiting fingers, the blades slowly, lethargically withdrawing into waiting steel. "Don't touch her." he ordered coldly, and murder glinted coolly in his intense gaze.
Gunderson lifted both brows slightly, fear churning briefly inside him.
"Where's Karel?" Lara demanded, stepping back to join Kurtis.
"Healing. He needs time to regenerate after his encounter with the two of you. But he'll be waiting for us. He has plenty he'd like to do with you both."
"What does Karel need the two of us for? We're not a part of his sick quest for world domination." Lara replied. "We're interested in killing him-not becoming a part of whatever strange plan his demented little Nephilim mind has cooked up."
Gunderson smiled coldly. "You're not the real prize, Ms. Croft. Mr. Trent, as the last surviving Lux Veritatis initiate, is vitally important to the Great Work. But Karel wanted you as well, for your mental and physical prowess, and your well- known durability."
"Durability."
"Yes. A good trait for the entirety of the Nephilim race."
"And Karel is going to inject me with a magic potion which will extract that specific trait, so he can pass it along to his human/angel hybrids?" she retorted sarcastically.
"Perhaps. I'm sure Master Karel will be more than happy to explain everything to you."
Lara blinked, features expressionless. Kurtis shifted warily beside her, and she felt his arm glide gently against her own as he reached for the Chirugai he'd slipped back into his belt.
She clasped his hand in strong fingers, halting its motion, unwavering gaze never straying from Gunderson's impassive features. *Don't do anything stupid, you overgrown gorilla. He'll kill one or both of us the next time you try your stunt with that fancy little frisbee, no matter what shit he's spouting about Karel needing us for the Great Work.*
"Who don't you tell us yourself, before I get really nasty?" she pressed, squeezing Kurtis' hand with bone-crushing force before releasing it. "And if Kurtis is so vitally important to this 'Great Work,' why did Karel nearly kill him just the night before?"
"He can be taken dead. His body is valuable to us, alive or slain. But Karel prefers you both alive. Which is why I hope you will both cooperate, and not force me to shoot you."
"Well when you ask so politely..." Lara remarked dryly.
Gunderson smiled without humor. "If you please, we have quite a long hike before we reach the rendezvous point. There will be a helicopter waiting to airlift you to Karel. If you would hand over all your equipment and weapons?"
Kurtis smiled grimly. "No thanks."
"It wasn't a request."
Lara shifted a hand protectively to the pack lying heavy and still over both softly rounded shoulders. "If you don't mind, I'd rather keep it. Feminine products and that sort of thing. A woman has her needs."
Gunderson looked briefly to Kurtis, who stood smirking at Lara's show of defiance. "If you value her life, you might want to advise your friend to stop fooling around."
"I don't own her."
"Yes. What do you think I am? His pet dog?"
"Kill her." Gunderson ordered apathetically.
All around them, weapons surged upward once more, eager fingers slipping down chill metal to caress waiting triggers.
Kurtis' sudden lunge surprised even Lara, the abrupt motion nearly a blur as he thrust his own body in front of hers. His larger frame obscured her own slender one, muscles corded in anticipation, perspiration trickling downward beneath the thin material of his shirt to kiss the tense curve of his spine.
"Weapons up." Gunderson barked, and something sinister glistened deep within otherwise blank dark eyes.
She set a hand gently against Kurtis' back, and moved him aside, loosening the straps of her bag. Warily, she removed it and handed it across to Gunderson. "Here. Now, maybe we can get this show on the road. I haven't been for a helicopter ride in over a year."
* * *
Its rotors thrust thick jungle air savagely, the helicopter's thrumming blades thundering above them as the weighty aircraft slowly ascended humid sky. Through lucid glass windows, Lara glimpsed the verdant brilliance of the Amazon as it grew smaller beneath them, the craft rapidly gaining altitude.
Her russet gaze slipped unnoticed to Kurtis, who perched close beside her, both strong arms bound at his back. He leaned uncomfortably against the hardness of the helicopter's side, hands bent awkwardly, violent cramps searing them.
Surrounding them, large crates sheathed both from prying eyes, the cargo area they'd been unceremoniously tossed into allowing them a moment of privacy. Their legs lay intimately entwined, courtesy of the hard tumble they'd taken from Gunderson's brutish men, their bodies thrown quite literally against the wall.
His warmth burned against the exposed flesh of her shapely legs, her now- empty gunbelt jabbing the firm, athletic solidness of his waist. She snuck another glance at him through thick dark lashes, her skin flaring white-hot beneath his touch.
He looked over at her, and she hastily turned her head, chagrined at having been caught gaping.
"Can you reach my back pocket?" he asked quietly, his lips close beside her ear. His breath lightly caressed the flesh of her earlobe, its gentle contact prompting a shiver unbidden down her spine.
"Kurtis, if you're scared, I suggest maybe picking up a teddy bear when we're back in civilization. I've heard they make wonderful security blankets. Getting comfort from a girl fondling your ass is a bit over the top, if you ask me."
"You're a riot, Lara."
"I try." she said with a shrug, slyly mocking the phrase he'd uttered only days ago in his father's study.
"There's a knife in my back pocket."
"Gunderson didn't do a very thorough job in searching us for weapons. I have a gun in my bra." Lara replied, with a smile. "I'm not sure I can get to your knife. You must be sitting on most of it."
He transferred his weight to the opposite hip.
"Try it now."
She stirred against him, and he felt her hand slip lightly across his hip, the angle awkward but doable for her more flexible body. Her wandering fingertips now brushed weightlessly across the curve of his ass, and he tensed.
"This is purely in the interest of saving both of us. I'm not about to take this up as a regular hobby in my off-time, you know." *Good Lord, does the man have an ounce of fat on him *anywhere*?*
He remained silent, not speaking as her hand twisted ungracefully, its warmth curling over the edge of his back pocket now, groping for the blade he'd spoken of. He felt his breath catch slightly in his throat, and swallowed hard.
Vibrant color flowered in both high cheekbones, heat spreading all throughout her face as she fumbled for the knife's smooth handle. Finally clasping it, she inched her fingers out once more, twisting and writhing against him in her effort to free the weapon.
"Got it?" he asked brusquely, relieved his voice sounded normal.
"Yes."
The shining blade thrust outward with an audible *snick!*
She maneuvered in closer to him, and began to hack at the rope binding his wrists, sawing precariously near tender flesh.
"Easy." Kurtis hissed. "I won't be able to do much good if you cut both of my hands off."
"All right, then how about I just cut your big loud mouth off?" Lara retorted, her gaze plunging up to hold his own, fiery dark eyes perusing him intensely. The heat of her body settled thickly over him, its warmth stroking perspiration-glazed flesh.
"Just keep cutting." he said quietly, his eyes boring with equal fervor into hers. "The *rope*." he added as an afterthought. *And quit looking at me, because I want to kiss you.*
He felt the jungle's oppressive atmosphere, its thick hotness flowing through the chopper's open doors, falling sultry and heavy across his sweating body. The clinging sweetness of damp foliage wafted gently to him, threading the breeze to softly tempt his keen nose. He leaned against Lara as she worked, her small lithe body alternately tensing and slackening with the rhythmic motion of his knife. Her hair tumbled thick and silken over his left arm, its length teasing goosebumps to taut flesh.
"Got it." she murmured, and eased backward.
Kurtis rose, shaking out his arms, both limbs stiff and numb.
Lara tossed the weapon down, and nudged it toward him with a booted foot.
He seized it, and crouched beside her. Her own ropes fell limp and pliant to the floor only thirty seconds or so later, his freedom allowing him to move much more quickly and skillfully than Lara had been able to.
"Your Chirugai?" Lara whispered, accepting his hand and standing.
"Gunderson has it. On his belt."
"Good. At least it's accessible. I half expected them to chuck it over the side or something. I believe you scared the piss out of them after you cut through one of their heads with it."
He half-smiled in acknowledgment of her comment. "I'll take out the guards. You go for the pilot."
"Doable." Lara agreed.
* * *
She struck swiftly, moving with supple ease through undulating shadows, her presence unnoticed by either Gunderson or the pilot. The staccato drumming of the rotors overhead cloaked all noise made by the quiet tread of her boots over chill steel.
She reached deceptively slender hands for the pilot's neck, slipping strong fingers over exposed flesh. "What the fu-" he yelled in alarm, the curse ended mid-word as she wrenched his head at an odd angle. The vicious parting of sinew and bone reverberated surprisingly loud in her ears.
Gunderson twisted immediately in his seat, one large hand surging to the pistol dangling at his side. Lara pit both hands against the back of the pilot's chair, thrusting herself upward, one boot plunging out to ram deep into his throat.
A startled gurgle died uselessly against full lips, his grip on his weapon loosening.
She slammed one small hard fist into the firmness of his jaw, hurling him backward to lie gasping against the control panel.
He thrust to his feet, swaying slightly, immense frame unsteady beneath the unexpected barrage delivered by this slender woman. She snatched Kurtis' Glaive from his belt and chucked it over her shoulder, wondering briefly why he hadn't collected it himself yet.
They circled one another warily now, shadows twining as one and then fracturing as they sought the other's weakness. Gunderson had retreated to the cockpit's opening, and slipped through it now, backing into the cargo bay area.
The floor lay thick with bodies beneath them.
Thankfully, the chopper had only been able to accommodate four men besides Gunderson, Lara, Kurtis, and the pilot, leaving them with much more agreeable odds. She suspected these remaining men were the ones Karel placed his trust in, the ones privy to his location, while the others were mere hired goons who would be picked up in a later aircraft, and most likely quietly disposed of.
"Lara." a voice called from behind her, and she chanced a glance out of the corner of her eye to his familiar figure. Something glinted in his right hand, and she plunged out her own hand to catch it as he lobbed the slender dark object across the space separating them.
"Always feel better with one of these in my hand." she commented, and thumbed the safety on her Glock, which he must have pilfered from one of the guards.
Its barrel surged to target Gunderson's impassive features.
He lunged with surprising speed, one strong arm encircling Kurtis and thrusting her companion up against his hard chest as the other hand retrieved his holstered pistol. Chill steel settled against Kurtis' temple, the Lux Veritatis initiate not even blinking at this sudden turn of events.
Dark eyes sought emotionless cerulean ones, probing deeply for a moment as her gun wavered slightly.
Gunderson pulled Kurtis in front of him as a shield, taking care to crouch slightly so his taller frame was completely sheathed by Kurtis' hard body.
Lara swallowed hard.
"Put down your gun."
Gunderson stood just within the helicopter's opening, precariously close to its edge, his arm tightening vise-like around Kurtis' middle. Her companion's familiar lips parted in an involuntary gasp, seeking precious air, beautiful eyes widening slightly.
Dampness caressed the flesh of her back beneath the tank top she wore. Sweat trickled in a meandering stream over heated flesh, its passage tightening skin at its loathsome touch.
"Put down your gun." he repeated.
One strong finger bucked restlessly against the trigger guard, trembling with a sudden ferocity. She darted a tongue out to moisten parched lips, her weapon unmoving from its position.
Kurtis peered almost unconcernedly at her, and she read the resignation in the swirling intensity of his gaze.
"I'm sorry." Lara whispered. *But whatever they're planning to do to you is much worse than a quick bullet to the forehead.*
She aimed, taking a two-handed grip to steady her quivering arm. A thick lump rose to crust the interior of her throat, its presence making it extremely difficult for her to swallow.
She touched a finger to the trigger, and steadily tightened its tip against cool metal.
The bullet struck him dead-center between brilliant cerulean orbs, his body sagging instantly against Gunderson. Kurtis' sudden deadweight forced his assailant off balance, the man's arms backpedaling fiercely as he struggled to regain his footing, terror enshrouding widened verdant eyes for a single moment.
Lips thrust wide in a final scream, and they plunged together into open air.