CHAPTER TEN

The stench was the first thing Kylie noticed as they approached the city. It was a vile odor of raw sewage, rotting garbage, decay, and sickness. She gagged and flung an arm over her nose and mouth.

"Oh my God," she gasped, "what is that smell?"

"Life on Antellion Prime, Princess."

Kylie stared at Riddick, unable to believe the overpowering stench didn't offend him as much as it did her. But his steps never faltered, and if he was feeling at all fatigued from carrying the unconscious captain over his shoulder, he gave no sign of it. In fact, it was all Kylie could do to keep up with his long strides.

"We need to get Captain Terran to a doctor," she said, concerned by the fact the other woman had not yet regained consciousness. "I don't think we can wait to steal another ship and get her to a safer planet. Don't you know anyone here who can help her?"

Riddick chuckled. "Sure, they can help her. Right into an early grave."

"I think she has internal injuries. She could die unless we get her some help."

Riddick stopped walking so abruptly that Kylie plowed into him. He turned his head and impaled Kylie with a hard, silvery glare. "What are you suggesting, Princess?"

Kylie gestured helplessly. "I don't know...don't you have any connections on this planet?"

Riddick gave a snort. "You think because I'm a convicted murderer that I associate with these sick fucks? That I befriend them?" He gave her a scathing look and then turned and began walking once more, yanking Kylie along behind him.

"No," she began, trying to explain. "I just thought...maybe you knew someone who could help her."

"Actually," he said over his shoulder, "there's this guy who used to be in Slam with me. He was a doctor once. Before his wife left him. Before he became an opium addict. Before he accidentally killed some guy on the operating table because he was too fucked up to know what he was doing. Last I heard, he was here on Antellion Prime, too doped out to care about anything. Might still be here, too. That the kind of guy you're looking for, Princess?"

Kylie frowned at his back. "No, of course not."

"Then shut up and keep up." He gave the chain a yank, nearly jerking Kylie off her feet.

"I don't think I've ever met anyone as unfeeling, obnoxious, and inhuman as you," she

muttered.

"I'll take that as a compliment." She heard the smile in his voice.

They had entered the city, and as they made their way through the narrow, twisting passageways that served as streets, Kylie tried not to look at her surroundings. They were being watched. She had seen the pathetic souls who sat huddled together in the dark alleyways, their faces gaunt and shadowed, their boney wrists and ankles protruding from clothing that was torn, filthy and sizes too small. They passed a woman who clutched an infant against her breast, and Kylie winced. She was certain the baby was dead; had been dead for some time.

In addition to the homeless souls who watched their passing with bleak eyes, Kylie was aware of others who also watched. Shadowy, furtive figures who appeared in the open windows of the rickety buildings that towered over them. Kylie fancied she could hear their eager whisperings to one another, feel their greedy hands reaching for her, smell their fetid breath.

She moved closer to Riddick's solid bulk.

They passed a flash house that was vibrating with the rhythm of some dark, pulsating music. The door was thrown open and as they passed, Kylie got a glimpse inside. Figures coupled frantically in corners while others sprawled on the floor amidst a thick, smoky haze. A man leaned against the exterior wall and watched them through narrowed, red-rimmed eyes. His hair was lank and greasy and hung in limp disarray over a face that bore a puckered scar along one cheek, drawing the lip up in a mocking sneer. He slid back inside the building as they passed. A movement overhead caught her attention and glancing upward, she realized there were figures crawling along the rooftops, following them as they navigated their way through the narrow streets.

"Um, Riddick?"

He grunted in reply.

"I'm not sure, but I think—I think we're being followed."

"You just figure that out?" he asked sardonically. "Actually, there are thirteen of them. They're not just following us; they're laying in wait for us."

Kylie couldn't suppress her gasp.

"There are five on the rooftops," Riddick continued, as casually as if they were discussing the weather, "three more inside the building on our left, two behind us, and three more in the alleyway up ahead, waiting for us."

Before Kylie could ask what he intended to do, he yanked hard on the chain and shoved her through an open door on their right, following close behind her. They were in a brothel. Both men and women sprawled on stained and tattered sofas in various stages of undress as they pleasured each other. Kylie paused, arrested by the sights before her. She wasn't ignorant, but the blatant sexuality that surrounded her caused her eyes to widen. She didn't have time to appreciate the full extent of the talent that surrounded them, however, as Riddick made a growling sound of impatience and shoved her ahead of him down a dimly lit corridor.

"C'mon, Princess," he rasped. "If you're that fascinated, I'd be happy to teach you a few tricks. Later."

Kylie stumbled, then regained her footing and allowed Riddick to propel her through a twisting maze of corridors and rooms until they emerged once more into the night. Swiftly, keeping to the shadows near the buildings, Riddick pushed her ahead of him until without warning, he dragged her into the relative sanctuary of a dead end alleyway and pushed her up against the wall. He deposited Captain Terran onto the ground beside her.

"Stay here, don't move," he said, his voice rough and low.

"Where are you going?" she hissed in a desperate whisper.

"Got to shake the cons on our tail."

"But you're coming back. Right?" She hated the way her voice sounded. Scared.

But it wasn't until Riddick's silver eyes dropped meaningfully to his chest that Kylie realized she was clutching the front of his jersey in both fists, reluctant to let him out of her sight. Even with his long hair and shaggy beard and moustache, he was infinitely more appealing than the creatures she'd caught sight of since they'd entered the city of Viron. And what he'd said…about teaching her a few tricks. The very thought of Riddick teaching her anything of that particular nature made her feel oddly warm and tingly inside. She felt both overheated and shivery at the same time.

He leaned in toward her, until Kylie could feel the heat that radiated from his large body. He inhaled deeply, breathing in her scent. Kylie wanted to curl into him, to let him surround her with his strength. When he stepped away from her, she felt bereft.

"I'll be back," he said. His voice was husky and caused a shiver to go through Kylie. He pressed something cold and heavy into her hands. "Use this if you need to."

Then he was gone. Kylie stared at the automatic weapon in her hands and then at the spot where Riddick had exited the alleyway. She was alone.

Bending down, Kylie checked on Captain Terran. The other woman's skin felt hot to the touch and her pulse was thready. Scooting over to the opening of the alleyway, Kylie crouched in the darkness and listened. The night was filled with sounds that were both foreign and frightening. Somewhere, a scream reverberated on the air; a scream that sounded almost inhuman in its pain.

Kylie caught her breath when she heard the unmistakable sounds of a scuffle from somewhere in the darkness. There was the meaty sound of fists hitting solid flesh, and the sounds of men grunting with effort. She heard the sound of splintering wood, as if something large had crashed through a wall, and then the noises grew more distant. She closed her eyes when she heard several muffled popping sounds; the sound of a gun being fired in rapid succession, and then silence.

Silently, carrying her chains lest the sound they make reveal her location, she crept back to where Captain Terran lay on the ground, and crouched over her with the gun aimed toward the entrance of the alley. If Riddick wasn't coming back; if the men who had stalked them through the city somehow tracked her to this alley, then she'd be damned if she'd go quietly. She'd take as many of them with her as she could.

But even so, she was unprepared when an enormous black shape filled the entrance. Before she could raise her weapon and fire, the figure launched itself at her. She found herself spread-eagled on her back, pinioned under a warm, heavy weight. The gun she'd been holding went skittering across the alleyway into the darkness. She was preparing to scream when a large hand covered her mouth. Through the panic that clogged her throat and seemed to immobilize her, she realized she recognized her captor. Both the feel of him and the smell of him were familiar. And in the moments before he removed his hand, Kylie was aware of something else, too. It was a feeling of nervous anticipation. He had captured both her hands in one of his own and held them over her head. His body had settled intimately over her own. She could feel the hard bulk of him pressing against her breasts, his muscular thighs intruding against her own.

She forced herself to relax and was rewarded when he removed his hand. She saw the silvery glint of his eyes in the darkness just before he bent his head and covered her lips with his own. His mouth was hot and sweet. The intensity of the kiss was primal, designed to imprint himself on her, both physically and emotionally; to claim her as his own. Kylie moaned softly and arched herself against him, wanting more. Needing more.

He dragged his mouth from hers, and Kylie was certain his breathing was heavier, more rapid. He lifted his head and gazed down at her. "Told you I'd be back," he rasped softly.

"Great," she heard herself respond. Was that her voice that sounded so breathless and shaky? "Maybe now we can find another ship and leave this hell-hole behind us."

There was a momentary silence. "Something I gotta do first, Princess."

Kylie shoved at the broad thrust of his shoulders, and he rolled off her. She pushed herself into a sitting position, hating that he could see her so clearly while he was nothing more than an enormous, hulking shadow in the darkness beside her.

"What?" she asked, frustration making her voice tight. "What do you have to do that's more important than getting us off this planet? You said it yourself; it's a cesspool of humanity. Why the fuck can't we leave right now?"

There was a brief silence, and when Riddick finally spoke, his words fell between them with all the impact of a proteon bomb. "Because I saw Jack. And I'm not leaving here without her."