"b.a.s.t.a.r.d," she muttered.
Today, two miserable days into her trek, her kind, considerate, I-only-want-to-help-you guide had stolen her backpack and abandoned her here. Now she had no food, no water, no tent. She did, however, have a weapon. A weapon she had used to shoot that b.a.s.t.a.r.d in the a.s.s as he ran away. The memory caused her lips to curl in a slow smile, and she lovingly patted the revolver resting in the waist of her dirty canvas pants.
Her smile didn"t last long, however, as the midday heat continued to pound against her. In all her wildest dreams, her need for fulfillment had never ended like this. She"d envisioned laughter and- Something hard slammed into her head and jostled her forward. She yelped, her heart pounding in her chest as she rubbed her now throbbing temple and skimmed her gaze over the ground, searching for the source of her pain.
Oh, thank you, thank you, she mentally cried when she spied the rosy-colored fruit. Mouth watering, she studied the delicious- looking juice seeping from the smashed remains. Was it poisonous? And did she care if it was? She licked her lips. No, she didn"t care. Death by poison was preferable to walking away from this unexpected treasure.
Just as she reached down to scoop up what she could, another missile crashed into her back.
She gasped and jerked upright.
Spinning, she sent her narrowed gaze through the trees. About ten yards away and fifteen feet up she discovered a small, hairy monkey holding a piece of fruit in each hand. Her jaw dropped open in disbelief. Was he... smiling?
He swung back both of his arms and launched each piece at her. She was too stunned to move and simply watched as they splattered against her pants, stinging her thighs with their impact. Laughing, proud of himself, the monkey jumped up and down and waved his limbs wildly through the air.
She knew what he was thinking: ha, ha, there"s nothing you can do about it. This was too much. Robbed, abandoned, then a.s.saulted by a primate who should pitch for the Yankees. Scowling, at her wits end, she picked up the fruit, claimed two mouthwatering bites, paused, claimed two more bites, then launched what was left. She nailed her target in the ear. He lost his smile.
"Nothing I can do about it, huh? Well, take that, you rotten fuzz ball."
Her victory was short-lived. In the next instant, fruit sailed at her from every direction. Monkeys littered the trees! Realizing she was outnumbered and outgunned, Grace grabbed what fruit she could, ducked behind a tree, jumped over a swarm of fire ants and ran. Ran without knowing what direction she traveled. Ran until she was certain her lungs would collapse from exertion.
When she finally slowed her pace, she sucked in a breath, then bit into her bounty. Sucked in another breath, then bit into the fruit again, continually alternating between the two. As the sweet juices ran down her throat, she moaned in surrender.
Life is good, she thought.
Until another hour pa.s.sed. By then her body forgot that she"d had any nourishment, and lethargy beat rough fists inside her, causing her feet to drag. Her bones were liquefying, and her mouth felt dryer than sand. But she kept walking, each step creating a mantra in her brain. Find. Alex. Find. Alex. Find. Alex. He was out here somewhere, looking for that silly portal, perhaps blithely unaware of her presence.
Unfortunately the deeper she roamed through the jungle the more lost and alone she became. The trees and liana thickened, as did the darkness. At least the scent of rot evaporated, leaving only a luscious trace of wild heliconias and dewy orchids. If she didn"t find shelter soon, she would collapse wherever she found herself, helpless against nature. Though her vaccinations were up-to-date, she hated snakes and insects more than hunger and fatigue.
Several yards, a tapir and two capybaras later, she had made no progress that she could see. Her arms and legs were so heavy they felt like steel clubs. Not knowing what else to do, she sank to the ground. As she lay there, she heard the gentle song of the insects and the-Her eardrums perked. The peaceful trickle of water? She blinked, listening more intently. Yes, she realized with excitement. She was actually hearing the glorious swoosh of water.
Get up, she commanded herself. Get up, get up, get up!
Using every bit of strength she possessed, she pushed to her hands and knees and crawled into a thick tangle of vegetation.
Forest life pulsed vibrantly around her, mocking her weakness. Brilliant, damp green leaves parted and the ground became wetter and wetter until becoming completely submerged by an underground spring. The clear, turquoise water smelled clean and refreshing.
Shaking with the force of her need, she cupped her hands together, scooped up the cool, heavenly liquid and drank deeply. Her parched lips welcomed every wet, delicious drop... until her chest began to burn, hotter and hotter, like she was swallowing molten lava. Except, the sensation came from the outside of her body, not the inside.The heat became unbearable, and she shrieked. Jolting up, her gaze locked on to the twin dragon heads dangling from the silver chain around her neck. Both sets of ruby eyes were glowing a bright, eerie red.
She tried to jerk the thing over her head but was suddenly propelled forward by an invisible force. Arms flailing, she broke past an amazingly thick wall of flora. She abruptly stilled as the medallion cooled against her chest.
Her eyes grew impossibly round as she studied her new surroundings. She had entered some sort of cave. Drip. Drip. Droplets of water beat against the rocky floor. A cool, welcoming breeze kissed her face as relief nearly buckled her knees. The tranquil ambiance flowed into her, helping to calm her racing heart and labored breathing.
"All I need now is the powdered eggs, canned beans and coffee that were in my pack and I"ll die happy."
Too exhausted to care what might be inside, waiting for a tasty human to appear, she scrambled deeper inside the pa.s.sage and down a steep incline. The ceiling constricted and lowered, until she had to crouch and kneel. How long she crawled, she didn"t know. Minutes? Hours? She only knew she needed to find a smooth, dry surface so that she could sleep. Gradually a ribbon of light appeared. The muted beam snaked around the corner like a summoning finger. She followed.
And found Paradise.
Light crowned a small, iridescent pool of... water? The dappled ice-blue liquid seemed thicker than water, almost like a clear, transparent gel. Instead of lying on the ground, however, the pool hung upright at a slight angle, much like a portrait on a wall.
Yet there was no wall to support it.
Why wasn"t it spilling over? she wondered dazedly. Her foggy brain couldn"t quite sort through the bizarre information. Balmy tendrils of mist enveloped the entire haven. A few ethereal strands reached the cavern top, swirling, circling, then gently dipping back down.
She uttered a nervous laugh, and the sound echoed all around her.
Grace reached out carefully, meaning only to touch and examine the strange substance. At the moment of contact, a violent jolt exploded within her, and she felt as if her entire being was sucked into a vacuum, pulling her, tugging her in every direction.
The world crumbled, breaking around her piece by fragile, needed piece, until finally ceasing to exist. Terror unfurled and consumed her. She was falling slowly, falling down. Her arms reached out, desperate for a solid anchor, yet no tangible object greeted her palms.
That"s when the screams began. High-pitched, disharmonized, like a thousand screeching children running all around her. She covered her ears to block the sound. She needed the noise to stop, had to make it stop. But the screams only grew louder.
More intense.
"Help me!" she cried.
Stars burst like fireworks at her side, spinning her round and round. Spinning her up and down. Waves of nausea churned inside her stomach, and she tried valiantly to regain any sense of time or place.
Suddenly everything quieted.
Her feet touched a hard surface; she swayed but didn"t fall. The nausea slowly receded. Cautiously she shifted her feet, ascertaining that she truly stood on a stable foundation.
In. Out. Relieved, she drew in a breath and slowly let it out. In. Out. When her head cleared, she cracked open her eyelids. A haze of dew still rose from the small pool like strands of pale, glistening ivy composed entirely of fairy dust. The beautiful sight was spoiled only by the stark contours of the gloomy cavern-a cavern that was different from the one she"d first entered. Her brows furrowed. Here, the rocky walls were covered with strange, colorful markings, like liquid gold upon forgotten ash.
And... was that splattered blood? Shuddering, she tore her gaze away. The floor was damp, burdened with odd-shaped twigs, rocks and straw. Several crudely carved chairs pushed against the far corner.
Instead of miserable humidity, she inhaled air as cold as winter ice. Air that possessed a sickeningly metallic bite. The walls were taller, wider. And when she"d first entered, the dappled pool had been on the right side, not on the left.
How had her surroundings changed so drastically and quickly without her moving a step? She shivered. What was going on?
This couldn"t be a dream or a hallucination. The sights and smells were too real, too frightening. Had she died? No, no. This certainly wasn"t heaven, and it was too cold to be h.e.l.l.
So what had happened?
Before her mind could form an answer, a twig snapped.
Grace"s chin whipped to the side, and she found herself staring up into cold, ice-blue eyes that swirled in startling precision with the mist. She sucked in an awed breath. The owner of those extraordinary eyes was the most ferociously masculine man she"d ever seen. A scar slashed from his left eyebrow all the way to his chin. His cheekbones were sharp, his jaw square. The only softness to his face was his gloriously lush mouth that somehow gave him the hypnotic beauty of a fallen angel.
He stood in front of her, at least six foot five and pure, raw muscle. He was shirtless, his stomach cut into several perfect rows of strength. A six-pack, she mused, the first she"d ever seen in real life. Shards of mist fell around him like glittery drops of rain, leaving glistening beads of moisture on his bronzed, tattooed chest.
Those tattoos were glowing, but more than that, they appeared alive. A fierce dragon spread crimson wings and seemed to be flying straight out of his skin, like a 3-D image come to life. The dragon"s tail dipped low, past the waist of the black leather pants. Around its body were black symbols that boasted curling slashes and jagged points. These stretched the length of his collarbone and around the biceps.
The man himself proved more barbarous than his tattoos. He held a long, menacing sword.
A wave of fear swept through her, but that didn"t stop her from staring. He was utterly savage. Fascinatingly sensual. He reminded her of a caged, wild animal. Ready to strike. Ready to consume. Danger radiated from his every pore, from the dark rim of his crystalline, predator eyes, to the blades strapped to his boots.
With a flick of his wrist, he twirled the sword around his head.
She inched backward. Surely he didn"t mean to use that thing. My G.o.d, he was lifting it higher as if he really did mean to...
"Whoa, there." She managed a shaky laugh. "Put that away before you hurt someone." Namely me.
He gave the lethal weapon another twirl, brandishing the sharp silver with strong, sure hands. His washboard abs rippled as he moved closer to her. Not a trace of emotion touched his expression. Not anger, fear, or mischievousness, offering her no clue as to why he felt the need to practice sword-slicing techniques in front of her.
He stared at her. She stared back, and told herself it was because she was too afraid to look away.
"I mean you no harm," she managed to croak out. Time dragged when he didn"t respond.
Before her horror-filled eyes, his sword began to slice downward, aimed straight for her throat. He was going to kill her! On instinct, she swiped her gun from the waist of her pants. Her breath snagged in her throat, burning like acid as she squeezed the trigger. Click, click, click.
Nothing happened.s.h.i.t. s.h.i.t! The cylinder was empty. She must have used all of her bullets on her b.a.s.t.a.r.d of a guide. The gun shook in her hand, and terror wrapped around her with the chill of a wintry storm. Her gaze scanned the cave, searching for a way out. The mist was the only exit, but the savage warrior"s big, strong body now blocked it.
"Please," she whispered, not knowing what else to do or say.
Either the man didn"t hear her, or he didn"t care what she said. His sharp, deadly sword continued to inch closer and closer to her neck.
She squeezed her eyelids tightly shut.
CHAPTER THREE.
Darius uttered a fierce curse and allowed his sword to pa.s.s just in front of the woman, never actually touching her. The action danced a delicate breeze through the red tendrils of her hair. The fact that he could see the actual color, a tempest of carmine that tumbled around her shoulders, startled him enough that he hesitated to destroy the possessor of such brilliance.
He fought past his shock and gripped his weapon at his side, trying to prepare his limbs to wreak destruction. Trying to force icy determination through his veins and push away any thoughts of mercy or sorrow. He knew what he had to do. Strike. Destroy.
That was his oath.
But her hair... His eyes basked in their first intake of color in over three hundred years. His fingers itched to touch. His senses longed to explore.
Kill, his mind demanded. Act!
His teeth gnashed together, and his shoulders tightened. His tutor"s voice echoed through him. "Killing travelers is your obligation. Killing them is your privilege."
There were times, like now, he loathed the tasks he performed, but never once had he hesitated to do what was needed. He"d simply continued on, a.s.sa.s.sination after a.s.sa.s.sination, knowing there was no other alternative for him. His dragon life force had long since overpowered his mortal side. There was a conscience living inside him, yes, but it was shriveled and decayed from lack of use.
So why was he hesitating now, with this traveler?
He studied her. Freckles dotted every inch of her skin, and streaks of dirt marred her jaw. Her nose was small and elfin, her lashes thick, sooty, and so long they cast spiky shadows on her cheeks. Slowly she opened her eyes, and he sucked in a heated breath. Her eyes were green and flecked with ribbons of blue, each color dusted with determination and fear. These new colors mesmerized him, enchanted him. Made his every protective instinct surface. Worse...
It shouldn"t have-G.o.ds, it shouldn"t have-but desire coiled inside him, powerful coils that refused to loosen their grip.
When the woman realized his sword tip pointed to the ground, she crouched down ever so slightly, clutching an oddly shaped metal object. He could only a.s.sume she was in attack position. She was frightened, true, but to survive she would fight him with all of her strength.
Could he really destroy such bravery?
Yes. He must.
He would.
Mayhap he truly was the heartless beast Tagart had called him. No, surely not, he thought in the next instant. The very actions that made him evil made him a keeper of the peace and provided safety for all residing in Atlantis.
There could be no other way.
Yet looking at this newest intruder, really looking at her, he felt like a beast. Her features were so guileless, so angelic, sparks of some unfamiliar emotion crackled within him. Concern? Regret? Shame?
A combination of all three?
The sensation was so new, he had trouble identifying exactly what it was. What made this traveler so different from the others that he saw colors-and, G.o.ds forbid, felt desire? The fact that she resembled a delicate fairy queen? Or the fact that she was everything he"d always secretly wanted-beauty, gentleness and joy-but knew he could never have?
Unbidden, his gaze drank in the rest of her. She was not tall, but had a regal bearing that gave her an air of height. Her skin was smudged with grime and sweat that did nothing to detract. Her clothing fit her rounded curves to perfection and paid her beauty proper homage.
More unwelcome sensations pulsed through him, un-namable sensations. Hated sensations. He should feel nothing; he should remain detached. But he felt; and he wasn"t. He yearned to trace his fingertips all over her, to immerse himself in her softness, to bask in her colorful brilliance. He yearned to taste, yes, actually taste her entire body and drive away the flavor of nothingness.
"No," he said, more for his benefit than her own. "No."
He must destroy her.
She had broken the law of the mist.
All those years ago a Guardian had failed to accomplish his duty, had failed to protect Atlantis, and in turn brought about the deaths of many people-people Darius had loved. He could not, would not allow even this fairy queen to survive.
Knowing this, Darius still remained in place, unmoving. His cold, hard logic warred against his primitive, male appet.i.te. If only the woman would glance away... but seconds turned to minutes, and her gaze remained fixed on him, studying. Perhaps even appreciating.
Desperate to escape the mental hold she had on him, he demanded, "Turn your gaze, woman."
Slowly, so slowly, she shook her head, whisking red tendrils around her temples. "I"m sorry. I don"t understand what you"re saying."
Even her voice was innocent, soft and lyrical, a caress of his senses. Yet he had no idea what she had said.
"d.a.m.n this," he muttered. "And d.a.m.n me."
The corners of his lips twitched in a scowl. He commanded himself to remain indifferent to her even while he sheathed his sword and closed the distance between them. There was no reason to do what he was about to do, but he could not stop himself. His actions were no longer controlled by his mind, but by some force he didn"t understand or want to acknowledge.
She gasped at his approach. "What are you doing?"He pressed her back, crowding her until she met the rock-lined wall; she kept the metal object directed at him, the silly thing clicking over and over again. Did she truly expect to protect herself from a dragon warrior with such a useless object? He easily pried it from her fingers and tossed it behind his shoulder. Unbeaten, she lashed out, kicking and hitting and scratching like a wild demon.
He secured her by the wrists, pinning them above her head. "Cease," he said. When she continued to squirm, he sighed and waited for her to tire. Only a few minutes pa.s.sed before her movements slowed, then halted altogether.
"You"ll go to prison for this," she said, dragging in breath after breath.
Her warm exhalations caressed his chest, their intoxicating sweetness a tangible ent.i.ty that prodded his memory, like a gentle reminder of the family he couldn"t quite banish from his mind. He almost jerked away from her, but the scent of fear and woman enveloped him, a sensual declaration of her appeal. He"d smelled nothing but ash for so long; he couldn"t help but luxuriate in this new fragrance. Inhaling deeply, he pressed against her, brushing her body with his, closing all hint of separation. The need to touch her, any part of her, refused to leave him.
She shivered. From the cold? he wondered. Or from a turbulent desire similar to his own? Her nipples were pebbled against his ribs, erotically abrading, and as he watched her nibble her soft bottom lip, the arousal he felt for her became a storm. A desperate, wild storm. A storm so intense it was like a supernatural ent.i.ty. His dragon"s blood flowed to his c.o.c.k like a freshly sprung river, hot and consuming.