Dark Warrior: Kid (Dark Cloth Series Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

her hand and winced as pain shot up her arm. She tried to speak, and quickly discovered that it hurt too much to do that either. Staring up into Kid’s dark gaze, she nearly cried when he placed his hand ever so carefully on her cheek.
    He leaned in to whisper to her. “You tied yourself to your pony.”
    She tried to nod. She remembered doing so, though barely. Instinct had told her that she wouldn’t make it home, if she didn’t.
    “Did you get them?” he whispered.
    Again, it hurt to nod, but Kid got the message.
    “Good,” he said. He brushed her cheek. “Now sleep. I’ll be right here, when you wake.”
    With a sigh, Kat closed her eyes. She felt sore as hell. She couldn’t imagine how she’d ever sleep. But she felt safe here now, with Kid. And that’s what mattered.
    When she woke, she found Mandy asleep in the chair beside her. She’d leaned forward and fallen asleep, with her arms cradling her head on the bed, beside Kat. As soon as Kat shifted, Mandy woke.
    Mandy’s red-rimmed eyes flew to Kat’s face. “You’re awake,” she said in a groggy voice.
    Kat tried to smile. “You’re not,” she squeaked.
    Mandy grinned at her, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “You scared the hell out of us, Kat,” she said, taking Kat’s right hand in her own.
    Kat gave her hand a weak squeeze. “I’m sorry,” she said.
    Tears filled Mandy’s gray eyes. “I’m just glad you’re as good as you are—that you got them—and that you lived,” she said, leaning up as her tears broke free and slid down her face. “More than that, I’m just glad you made it home.”
    Kat stared up at her friend. “Stop,” she whispered. “You’re gonna have me crying too.”
    Mandy grinned. “You?” she said. “Now, that would be something to see.”
    Kat tried to grin, then winced as pain shot through her split lip. “You’d probably run tell Hawk, and he’d tell Kid, then I’d never hear the end of it.”
    Mandy grinned down at her. “Oh, you’re probably right about that,” she said. “The idea of Kat, who’d held McCandle at the end of her skinnin’ knife, crying. That wouldn’t do at all.”
    Kat squeezed her hand again. “I’m all right,” she said, serious now.
    Mandy smiled through her tears. “Good. And I’m going to make sure you stay right here, till you’re mended.”
    Kat groaned at that and promised herself she’d change Mandy’s mind about that, as quickly as possible. But, for now, she gave into Mandy’s demand that she get some rest, and she let herself drift back to sleep.
    Kat dreamt of Kid and woke searching the room for him, finding him asleep in a chair. From the moment she’d met him, when he’d leapt over her and succeeded in taking away the knife that she’d been holding on McCandle, she’d been taken by the young warrior.
    Even though Kid had been raised for the first half of his life with his Cheyenne tribe, when he’d gone with Hawk because his family had been wiped out, and Doc had sent him back East to school—since then, he’d lived with the White-man—had even helped Hawk through some bad times, when Hawk had hunted for the man who’d murdered his sister and nephew during the Civil War—and Kat had felt like she’d been given a blessing, having Kid with her now.
    Since Kat had been raised by her mother’s people, she shared that same background with Kid. And that had forged the foundation of their relationship—was why she understood his need to be out in the open, under the night sky. He understood how hard she worked to tame her wilder nature.
    Watching him sleep, now, comforted her, and she slept.
    Early the next morning, Kat woke to the sun’s warm fingers splaying gently across her face. Its rays felt healing, caressing her broken skin. She lay still and let it do its magical work, knowing her peace would end as soon as she tried to change her position.
    But move she did. She couldn’t help it, though she knew the shock of pain that would tear