A Big Shiny Blue Marble Ch. 29

The girl never missed.

Never.

Cha'Khah was furious with herself for allowing her personal little wants and infatuation over a male of all things to get in the way of a simple bit of business. Her stupidity was now likely going to cost an innocent man his life if she didn't act instantly and for what?

Her hope that he might like her?

"Nau!" she shouted, switching to her mother tongue without meaning to. She couldn't let this happen. If she didn't get to him in less than a second, she knew that Shaevre's concern for her would leave the cattleman dead on the slope of his range. She was glad that the Xer had left Meg at home. One keening burst from that weapon and there wouldn't be enough of him left to feel sorry over.

Barrett blinked and the woman was gone. Before he could turn to face whatever the new threat up the hillside was, he was amazed to see the dark woman right there in front of him, less than three feet away.

He'd never seen violet eyes before.

He knew that he'd never get a last request, but he suddenly knew what his dying wish was. He'd never get that either, but he'd have liked so much to have been able to feel a kiss from those lips, just once.

Just one time.

He blinked once more as he felt her wrap her fingers around the barrel of his rifle as she pushed it away to his right. He felt a light impact against his chest on his left side and looked down. What he saw looked like a small black arrow sticking out of his coat, but the sting in his chest told him that it had gotten through. He felt heavy and slow a heartbeat later. Then he saw that she held something like a pistol in her right gauntlet. His eyes drifted up to her face.

She wore a hard expression there, but as his vision darkened, he saw that it changed and she looked very sad. He blinked once more and he was watching her mouth move. It wasn't until he felt his knees buckle that he realized that she'd said that she was sorry.