Here I come. Strider inhaled the thickened airheldheldand strode forward. His skin continued to heat, but he didnt catch fire again, and finally he reached her. Gently, so gently, he cupped her cheeks, his thumbs tracing the fine bones beneath her silken skin. He was surprised to see his own claws had emerged. The demons claws. Yet he didnt cut her, was oh, so careful.
Oh, baby, he groaned, his chest aching. Im so sorry.
Tears leaked from the corners of those midnight eyes, and he knew he was reaching the woman inside. He hadnt protected her from this and he wasnt sure why he wasnt in pain as a result of his failure. Because she would heal? Please let her heal. Because someone other than Harpies had done the damage? If that was the case, who had done it? Hunters again?
Desperately he wanted to slice open his jugular and give her all the healing blood she needed. But he couldnt. Not yet. He couldnt risk her bones and flesh healing around the metal that caged her in place.
Im going to remove the swords, okay? He couldnt allow this to happen to her again. Ever. He couldnt bear it. That is a challenge, he told Defeat. A challenge you will accept. She is ours to protect and if we fail her again, we will suffer, even if she will later heal. Understand?
A pause. Then, a faint, Win.
Though Strider didnt want to release her, he did, and gripped the swords. They were hotter than the dagger hed used to cut his pants and his already blistered hands throbbed in pain. He didnt care. His pain mattered little. What did matter? Her pain. That small movement tormented her, he knew, because her tears fell more quickly.
Unwilling to prolong the agony, he jerked with all of his strength. For several seconds, the metal caught on bone. He had to jerk harder. She didnt make a sound. Finally, though, she was free and sagged forward. He dropped the swords and caught her, easing her to the ground. There were also wounds on her ankles, but they werent bound, so he ignored them.
Again he wanted to hold her. Again he didnt allow himself the luxury. He used his claw to slice deep into his neck, leaned down and placed the wound just above her mouth.
Drink, baby doll. Youll feel better, I swear. And then youll tell me what happened and Ill punish everyone involved. That I swear, as well.
At first, she gave no response. Then her tongue licked, a flick of fire, as hot as the sword hilts. He had to pant through it, but he didnt pull away. Then her mouth latched on, branding him now and forever, and she sucked and sucked and sucked, and oh, yeah, did he like that.
Thats the way, he praised. Good, good girl. Take all you need. Take everything.
She took him at his word and drank her fill. When she finished, dizziness swam through his head, but he didnt care. He was only glad Defeat hadnt viewed that as a challenge, either. He straightened and peered down at her.
Her eyes were closed, her breathing harsh, shallow. Her temperature had cooled a little and her face wasnt quite so pallid. That meant she was healing. Right?
He needed to get her out of this smoke-infested cave. His holey shirt rested a few inches away. He grabbed it up and wrapped what was left of the material around Kaias body. As tenderly as he was able, he lifted her in his arms. He wobbled on his feet, but didnt let that deter him.
At the mouth of the cave, he called for Lysander. The angel appeared a second later, hovering just in front of him, wings gliding gracefully through the air.
Take us to our tent, he croaked. He couldnt lose this woman.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
COME ON, BABY DOLL. Ive let you sleep long enough. Now youre just being lazy.
Strider, Kaia thought dazedly, her entire body sparking to life. He was here, next to her. He had to be. His voice, so close, so sweet. Soft fingertips smoothed the hair from her brow. She knew that touch. Loved that touch and she leaned into it.
Come on. Thats the way.
His husky baritone proved to be a lifeline and she clung desperately. Inch by inch, she pulled herself from the thick, cloying darkness surrounding her. Even though every movement hurt. Strider, she had to reach Strider. That had been her last thought, she recalled. Her last thought before
Shed heard so many screams. Of terror, of pain. Hers, so many others. The scent of melting skin had hit her nose and shed gagged. Gagged now, remembering. Released the lifeline. Down, down she fell, back into the darkness.
Kaia! Im not going to tell you again. Wake the hell up. Now!
Strider. She grabbed the lifeline once again. Again she tugged her way upup A bright light waited at the surface. She had only to reach outgrab italmost thereanother tug
Her eyelids popped open as a gasp of shock and lingering outrage lodged in her throat. She was panting and sweating, muscles locked onto bone. She tried to sit up, but hard hands held her down.
No. Youre still healing, so I dont want you moving.
Suddenly Striders beautiful face loomed over her. His deep blue eyes were glassy, feverish. Concern etched deep lines around his mouth and his normally tanned skin was nearly as colorless as his hair. No, not true. There were spots of color, but they were bright red welts and blisters.
He was naked. Seeing him, something sizzled inside her. Knowledge, power, connection. Yes, a connection more prevailing even than what she felt with Bianka. More than binding them, that connection wove them together, until she couldnt tell who was who. They were simply one.
Are you all right? Gods, even speaking hurt. Her throat was raw, agonized, as if someone had scraped the insides with jagged glass and then, just for funsies, painted the bleeding flesh with acid.
Im fine, so dont worry about me. Worry about you. Youve been out for three days.
Three days? Her eyes widened. The third game
Starts two days from now. Bianka has kept me informed.
Thank the gods. Still. Three days. I must look terrible, she muttered. She would have finger-combed her hair, but decided lifting her arm would require too much effort.
You look alive, and thats goddamn beautiful to me.
Darling man. Her heart skipped a beat as she soaked up his praise.
Besides, he said, were both clean. Lysander gave me robes. Angel robes. A stack of them. Every time I put a new one on, it was like taking a bath. You, too. Everything from your hair to the bottom of your feet wasiswashed. And let me tell you, that was weird.
Why tell her that? Unlessoh. Oh. He wanted her. Okay, she would put the effort into that. Arousal warmed her up and her nipples tightened.
Her gaze swept over her body to catalog the damage shed have to work around.
She was naked, her shoulders discolored and scabbed. Stomach, fine. Legs, fine. Ankles, bruised. Not bad.
She was lying on a faux fur rug her twin must have delivered, inside a nearly barren white tent, the air around her heated even though the air by the flapping entrance was almost crystallized from cold.
Leaning his weight into one arm, Strider was careful not to brush the long, thick length of his erectionand oh, yes, he had oneagainst her. Warm heat instantly pooled between her legs. She craved his touch, his mouth. Wanted to explore this new, deeper connection thing. She licked her lips.
You move fast, she said with a grin.
Damn it, Kaia. Get your mind out of the gutter and talk to me. Ive been waiting patiently for days.
His pet name for her brought her gaze back to his face. The concern was back full force and she recalled why she was here, in the condition she was inand the danger she had become to this man. She didnt have to push her sexual need aside. It vanished on its own.
Okay. Yes. What do you want me to talk about?
His eyes glinted down at her. First, if you ever had any doubts that Im your consort, you can put them to rest. You slept next to me.
Not the terrible topic shed expected and she relaxed against the fur. Sorry, darling, but thats not how the consort sleeping thing works.
He gave her a fierce frown. How does it work, then?
Naps dont count if the Harpy falls asleep while injured. I have to sleep next to you when Im healed and that hasnt happened yet.
It will. Determination radiated from him and she knew he saw this as a challenge. A challenge he clearly accepted.
She didnt let it bother her, though. She wanted to sleep next to him, cuddled into his side, something shed never done with another man. How or why that occurred didnt matter.
Now tell me what the hell happened, he continued, each word gruffer than the last. Did those menare you? Okay. Blisters werent the only thing coloring his face now. Fury did. So much fury.
Fury over her mistreatment? Did they what? Pin me to the wall? Yes. Did they catch fire and burn to death? Yep, that, too. Once more the screams and the flames flashed through her mind. Rather than torment her as they had in the dark, dark void, she experienced a surge of satisfaction.
Victory belonged to her.
No, baby doll. His expression softened, became tender and seeking. He traced a gentle fingertip along the slope of her nose. Did theyrape you?
No. She shivered from the succulent contact. I would have killed them deader if they had.
Relief joined the fury and the tenderness. I wont piss on their charred remains, then. So howd you kill them? I mean, I know they burned to death, like you said, but how did you manage that? You had to have done it after you were pinned. Otherwise you would have been sliced like a Christmas ham.
Smart man. I As those memories surfaced, she frowned, looked away from him. I dont want to tell you, she whispered. While she was satisfied with the end results, getting those results had opened a veritable Pandoras box of complicationsand she didnt think Strider would appreciate the irony.
Dark lashes fused together. Do it anyway. Now. And start from the beginning. I want to hear everything.
So commanding, her warrior. So sexy. She hadnt wanted to tell him, but she would. Had planned to even while uttering the refusal. She would do anything, even this, to keep him from experiencing a moment of pain. I climbed the ledge and the Hunters were waiting for me. They rushed me and we fought. I would have won, too, but they knew to go for my wings. Probably courtesy of Juliette, even though discussing such a weakness with anyone was forbidden and punishable by death. Once those were broken, pinning me with the swords was easy.
Every word had him tensing. I didnt hear you scream.
She knew that; shed made sure he hadnt, holding her cries inside. She hadnt wanted to distract him from his fight with Lazarus. Which he must have won, since he was here and evidently pain-free.
Had she called him sexy? She meant irresistibly ravishing. But why hadnt he heard the Hunters screams? she wondered. Interesting. Had someone somehow kept the noise inside the cave?
The rest, he urged on a croak.
Do it. I was so mad, sodesperate, the heat inside me just kind of spilled out.
I know that heat, he said huskily.
Her brows knit together in confusion. You do?
Yeah. When we made love, you burned me pretty badly.
What! She must not have been paying attention to his body, only her own. Selfish much? Gods, Strider. Im so sorry.
Im not. His lips twitched in his first true display of humor since shed woken up. I liked it.
That didnt calm her. She could have killed him. Rather than considering that, however, and perhaps bursting into tears, she hurried on with her story. I caught fire, but it didnt hurt me. I didnt understand what was happening, just watched as the men around me caught fire, too. And when the others tried to run out of the cavern, I looked at them and the next thing I knew, they were writhing as they burned. My Harpy laughed. To be honest, so had she. Then I just kind of blacked out.
I dont understand. How could you catch fire and be okay minutes later?
The answer was the very reason she hadnt wanted to discuss this. I should have put the pieces together before this, but I discarded them as silly. Maybe because I was too distracted with the courting of my consort.
He barked out a laugh. Discarded what as silly? And youre saying you courted me? Baby doll, if the past few weeks are your idea of courting, we seriously need to work on your dating skills.
Shut up. I nabbed you, didnt I?
Yeah, he said tenderly, huskily. You nabbed me.
That mollified (and melted) her. As I was saying, my father is a Phoenix shape-shifter. I must have inherited a few of his abilities. And she didnt like that she had! Of course she valued her newfound ability to fry her enemies to a smoldering crisp, but the Phoenix were an exclusive, unwelcoming race and anyone who displayed the tiniest bit of pyrokinesis was captured and keptforciblywithin their territory.
Honestly. She had no idea how her mom and dad had ever hooked up in the first place.
O-kay. Gross. She shied away from that thought. Anyway. Thats why her dad had kidnapped her and Bianka all those centuries ago, to ensure they did not exhibit an affinity for fire. They hadnt and so theyd been set free. Not just set free, but told never to come back.
She should not be exhibiting such an affinity now. Phoenix could withstand intense heat and control fire from birth. Until now, shed never been able to. So how had this happened? Why now? Latent ability, perhaps? But then, shouldnt it have hit with puberty? Only other thing she could think of was the one thing that had changed in her life. Her need, her burning desire, for Strider.
Whenifher dad found out, would he come for her? Demand she live with his people? No need to consider it. Yeah. He would. And she would refuse. Would she be forced to war with him and all his brethren, just to live her life as she wished? Would he make a gamble for Strider in an attempt to force her hand?
Im glad you inherited your fathers abilities. Youre alive and nothing is more important than that, Strider said. You did a great job.