CHAPTER SIX

Damn him to hell, Kylie thought, as she scrabbled about on the floor, searching in the darkness for something--anything--to secure Captain Terran into her seat. Without power, the overhead harness wouldn't work, and the pilot's limp body seemed determined to end up on the floor.

Kylie stood up and then cursed as she whacked her head on a protruding instrumentation panel. Despite the fact she couldn't see a blessed thing, her senses told her the ship was extremely small and ill-equipped. Even if the salvaged power cells were sufficient to get the ship operational again, Kylie doubted the integrity of the small craft to get them safely off the planet. It would no doubt disintegrate before they reached the planet's outer atmosphere.

She groped her way through the small cockpit to the door of the craft, feeling suffocated by the cloying blanket of darkness that enveloped her. At least outside the ship, a small amount of light filtered its way down into the cavern from the overhead opening in the rock. Peering up, she could see the storm still raged outside, and she was grateful for the protection of the caves.

How long had the man been stranded on this planet? How had he survived? Now that she was faced with the uncertainty of traveling with him, her doubts increased. Was he even to be trusted? She knew nothing about him except he seemed to have an uncanny ability to negotiate his way through the pitch black with unerring ease. That, and an ability to annoy and insult her.

She recalled his last, contemptuous words to her, letting her know he held no regard or respect for royalty. That was fine with her; she'd always viewed her familial ties as more of a hindrance than a blessing, but to insinuate she was little more than a child was in itself insulting. After all, she'd traveled through nameless galaxies in pursuit of her sister, had encountered numerous dangers and survived countless situations that might have killed a less resourceful person.

She wasn't soft, despite what he thought. And she was certainly no child. With a frustrated groan, she was about to turn and reenter the ship when a noise captured her attention. Peering into the darkness beyond the small craft, she made out the bulky shape of the man as he returned. He had slung a power cell over each broad shoulder and was making his way toward the ship at a leisurely jog. Kylie snorted in disbelief. This was no man. He was a freaking machine, seemingly tireless and capable of endless strength. Just the task of running the ten kilometers from the Dauntless to the caverns had exhausted what energy reserves she had, yet this man seemed unfazed by the effort.

She stepped back as he pushed past her. "That didn't take you long," she commented.

"Didn't have you hanging onto my shirttails," he replied in a lightly mocking tone.

"You know," she said, undeterred, "you might actually find yourself grateful to have me along."

"Oh yeah? Why is that?" He had moved to the rear of the ship and she could hear the clanging of metal as he worked to install the power cells.

"I have connections."

His disdainful laughter echoed eerily back to her. "Which is exactly why I'm dumping your ass on the first habitable planet we come across. Before long, this galaxy will be swarming with imperial star ships looking for their lost princess and her diplomatic entourage. Not to mention the salvage crews who'll be looking to bring your ship in for prize money." His voice dripped with derision. "No thanks, Princess. Those kinds of connections I can do without."

"I could offer you immunity."

"From what?"

"Whatever crimes you've committed. The fact that you've rescued me has to count for something."

"I haven't rescued you yet, Princess," he said sardonically.

Kylie heard a heavy metallic thump, as if he kicked the power cells, and then gasped when the auxiliary power units suddenly surged to life, and the cabin lights began to flicker. For the first time since entering the ship, she could see clearly. It was even smaller--and more primitive--than she had imagined. Beside her, Captain Terran still slumped unmoving in her chair. The man was standing in front of the power panels, making some final adjustments to the connections. In the narrow confines of the ship, he was enormous.

Seeming satisfied that everything was operational, he turned toward her.

Kylie gasped and fell back. He had pushed his goggles up and off his face and as he looked at her, she saw his eyes were unlike any she had ever seen before. They glowed with an eerie silver sheen, as if backlit by an unseen light source.

"Who--who are you?" Kylie's heart was thumping madly, for she feared she already knew the answer. Her mind was racing, piecing together what she knew of the man who stood before her and what she knew of him.

Richard B. Riddick. Convict. Murderer.

They couldn't possibly be one and the same. Cound they? She'd heard the stories about Riddick and his spooky eyes. It was said he preferred the darkness to light; could actually see better in the pitch black than most people could in daylight. That and the fact he hadn't been seen or heard from in nearly five years...

He stopped just short of her. "You sure you want to know?"

Kylie stared up at him, feeling the color drain from her face. "I...I think I do know." Her voice was scarcely more than a harsh whisper. "You're Riddick. Aren't you? "

He stilled. His brows drew together, and he took a step closer. He leaned slightly toward her until mere inches separated them, and Kylie could have sworn he was inhaling her scent.

"Yeah," he finally breathed, staring down at her. "I'm Riddick. The real question is...who the fuck are you?"

Kylie's heart was beating so fast she thought he must surely hear it. His face was drawn into harsh lines as he studied her. She couldn't find her voice. She couldn't even move. She was frozen. As if time itself had slowed, she watched him reach out and flip open the small latch that secured her hood. He pushed the visor back from her face and dragged the hood away from her hair.

He stared at her for a long moment, the expression in his silvery eyes inscrutable. His gaze traveled slowly over her features, missing nothing. Kylie stared back at him, feeling beads of perspiration pop out on her forehead despite the frigid temperature. Nervously, she ran the tip of her tongue over her lips. For a scant instant, his eyes seemed riveted on that small movement. A muscle worked in his jaw.

Before Kylie could utter a word in explanation, he grabbed a fistful of her thermal suit and lifted her off her feet, thrusting her back up against the wall. His face was scant inches from hers. He smelled like the outdoors; like the clean, cold smell of snow and ice mingled with leather and damp wool, and beneath that, the masculine scent that was his alone. Her nostrils flared as she breathed him in. He made a small growling noise and thrust her harder against the wall.

"So tell me, do I call you Princess or Jack?"

"I--I'm not Jack," she finally managed to gasp. "She's my sister; her real name is Kyra. I've been looking for her for almost four years now. I was hoping you could tell me where to find her."

Slowly, Riddick lowered her down until her feet touched the floor, but he didn't move away. Kylie stiffened when he reached out and picked up a tendril of her hair. He fingered the silken strands for a moment, before lifting them to his face and breathing in their fragrance. His eyes never left hers.

"Interesting," he drawled softly. "Very, very interesting."