When that wasnt enough, he pressed his thumb against the sweetest little spot on earth. She was so small, so tight, he knew he was nearly too big for her. Perhaps that should have made him take care, but she was strong and she could take anything he meted out. So he meted out a lot, hitting her hard and fast. The kiss never ended, never slowed, and he loved that they tasted of each others passion.
One of her hands lifted, those nails next digging into his scalp. Strider, she gasped, pulling from his lips. Yes. Yes.
Such a sweet benediction. His muscles quivered with the depths of his need. His bones ached. Had toneededwoulddamn it! Hed held his release back for so long, he couldnt quite breech the resistant wall hed erected.
He hammered at her, hips pistoning, and when that didnt work, he dropped to his side, the ice barely noticeable, taking her with him, moving her top leg over his and spreading her as wide as he could.
Harderharder stillbut release continued to elude him. He was becoming desperate, sweating so much the ice melted and pooled beneath him. His fingers dug into Kaias hip with such might he knew bruises would form by morning.
She moaned and groaned and whimpered. And when she cried, I love you, as she broke apart, shattering, her inner muscles clenching at him, he realized that was exactly what hed been waiting for, what hed needed. Her declaration.
He, too, broke, her body practically ripping the seed out of him, the hot jets shooting inside her. Bright lights winked behind his eyelids, his roar echoing through the night.
When hed emptied himself out long moments later, he collapsed beside her. She was shaking. Not from cold, but from exertion. He was too weak to smile and bang his chest with the force of his pride. His womanhis wifewas pleased.
Did you mean it? he managed to ask, sleep tugging at him as surely as she had.
She didnt pretend to misunderstand. Yes. Her voice was delicate, exhausted.
About damn time.
Oh, just shut up and afterglow with me.
Okay, so he wasnt too weak to smile after all. You gonna sleep? For real?
Try and stop me. She yawned and burrowed her head into the hollow of his neck.
You trust me to protect you?
Several minutes dragged by in silence.
Kaia?
What? she murmured sleepily.
Do you. Trust me. To protect you?
Of course, she said. Her eyes were closed and within minutes, she was sagged against him, completely lost to the sweet kiss of slumber.
Of course, shed said. As if she hadnt made him sweat about the answer. He dredged up the strength to carry her back to the tent, where he held her tight, all night, swearing to the gods he would never let go.
KAIA WAS STILL REELING over Striders absolute possession of her body two days later when they reached her sisters. They had their heads bent over their weapons, sharpening the tips and preparing for the third competition.
She and Strider hadnt made love again and they hadnt discussed their feelings for each other. A courtesy on his part, she knew. She had to remain focused, her eye on the prize. Unfortunately, she hadnt been able to kidnap and torture Juliette for information about the Paring Rod. Which, Strider had told her, was apparently all too real and not the fake theyd been hoping for.
And there was no time to do so now, either. The journey from Alaska to Rome had eaten up her chance. While Juliette was now within her reach, the game would be starting in half an hour.
Bianka noticed Kaia when she glanced up to find her polishing stone. Kye! Grinning, she jumped to her feet, her weapon clattering to the floor next to her bucket of water. She rushed over and gathered Kaia in a welcome embrace. I almost killed Strider when he refused to let me see you, but I knew youd disapprove if he got so much as a scratch. A long-suffering sigh. Thankfully, hes been texting me daily reports, so I knew you were on the mend. But seeing you
Hot tears stung her eyes. Yeah, I know. I needed to see you, too. She knew Strider hadnt told her sisters about the fire thing, and neither had their men, whod witnessed the aftereffects. Not that Strider had explained things to them.
Hed left the decision up to her.
To tell, or not to tell? If she did, her sisters wouldnt want her to fight. Like they do anyway? She ignored the harsh inner voice. Their reluctance would be wise. She may or may not be able to start another fire. If the Harpies pissed her off, yeah, she probably would. Like the Hunters, they would die. And that was fine, expected even. Using your abilities was encouraged during these kinds of competitions, every advantage exploited.
But if she lost control, would she harm her family, too?
She wished she had time to practice, to test the limits of her Phoenix side. Was strong emotion the trigger? Or would simply thinking about the flames work? Even now, the heat coiled through her veins, at the ready.
She would have liked to ask someone, but the only other Phoenix she knew was her dad and she would rather spend the rest of eternity wondering about the truth than speak to him for a single minute. His evil, his absolute lack of concern for others, for his own daughters well-beingshe shuddered. He wasnt exactly Father of the Year material.
That was another reason to remain out of the game. If she caught fire, or set someone else on fire, word of her new ability would spread. Daddy Dearest might come for her.
Damn, girl. Are you feverish? Bianka was sweating when they parted, though her twin didnt sever all contact, keeping her arm wound around Kaias waist.
Nope, she lied. Flushed. And I know, you dont have to say it. Strider is a lucky man.
Thats the truth.
Quashing a spark of guilt before it could formshe absolutely hated lying to her twinKaia glanced around the room. Taliyah nodded in acknowledgment before returning to her blade-sharpening task. Gwen blew her a loving kiss. Neeka offered her a small smile and the others waved.
Catch me up, she said.
Bianka pulled her forward. Kaias other hand was intertwined with Striders and stayed that way until the last possible second. As she and her twin sat on the floor of the Team Kaia tent, she saw Sabin, Lysander and Strider gather in a corner and put their heads together, chatting, their voices low.
She tried to listen, her ears twitching, but she couldnt make out the words. She tried to read their lips, but they kept their bodies angled away from her, not allowing her a single peek.
She was very close to standing up, stomping over, gripping her man by the shoulders and shaking him. Then she would demand he tell her what was going on, what he didnt want her to know.
You trust him. You know he would never hurt you. And that was true. She did. She trusted him with her life. Obviously. Otherwise, she never would have slept, truly slept, with him.
Gods, that had been amazing. Rousing from seductive dreams and feeling her man beside her. Shed been cocooned, had luxuriated in his strength, his thick arms banded around her. Sleep had still held him in a tight fist and his features had been relaxed, boyish.
Never in her life had she been so content.
Sowhat do you think? You in? Bianka asked, drawing her attention.
Shit. She hadnt heard a single word her sister had said. In what, exactly? Tell me again, because your explanation was so lame it confused me.
Bianka knew her very well and rolled her eyes. You are such a bad liar.
Am I? she almost asked with a smug lift of her chin. You didnt catch my last one. Youre projecting. Continue.
I was telling you how were in Rome, in the Coliseum. And get this. Its the Coliseum of old, exactly the same as it used to beonly way different.
Kaia supposed that, when you were as pretty as Bianka, you didnt need to be smart. Bee, darling. You are so, so exquisite, but you are also highly deranged. Do you have any idea how contradictory that statement was?
What are you talking about? I make perfect sense if you dont actually ponder anything I say. Now guess what? The Coliseum is hidden from the mortal eye. Were hidden from the mortal eye, in a realm we didnt need a portal to access. Here, but not here.
And howd we manage that?
Juliette. Somehow.
Just the name had her gritting her teeth. Juliette had set her up, had arranged for mere mortalsand Striders enemiesto slaughter her. Bitch needed to pay. Soon. And?
And well be fighting like Gladiators. Which is what I was trying to tell you before, if only youd paid attention. So anyway, youre very good with your hands and our team needs you this round. You up for it? You were hit pretty badly in Alaska.
They needed her? When theyd brought home their first victory without her? She eyed her sister critically, searching for any sign of duplicity or placation. Only innocence and assurance rested in those lovely amber eyes. Only determination hardened those red lips.
No placation, then. No recrimination over her past defeats, either. Bianka believed in her.
Could she believe in herself?
Her new ability might hurt her sisters, yes, but it would definitely aid her in a second victory. A victory Strider needed her to achieve for his very survival.
She glanced over at him. He was still in that circle with his friends, but he was facing her now. His blond hair was mussed, his cheeks flushed. They were always flushed around her, as if he were constantly aroused. She liked that.
His lashes were so long they curled upward. And wow, were they the perfect frame for those wicked blue eyes. His lips were swollen, delightfully red. They may not have had sex again, but theyd certainly kissed. A lot. At every possible opportunity she had sucked on his tongue.
No question, she was addicted to him.
Her study intensified. There were cuts on his fingers and palms, she noted. Hed borne those same injuries before, but those had healed. Hadnt they? She frowned, hating that he was hurt again. Hating more that she didnt know why or how. Had she inflicted the damage?
The thought caused her stomach to cramp. She just, well, she loved him so damn much. She hadnt known for sure until shed shouted the words, but she did. He was strength personified. He was devilish. He was fun and charming, with a smart-ass mouth she couldnt resist. He made her laugh. He pushed her to the edge, knowing she could take it. He teased her, didnt fear her. He knew her, understood her, was sometimes tender, sometimes harsh. He worried about her, trusted her.
Hed also married them.
The knowledge had shocked the hell out of her. Yeah, he thought that was still his little secret, but she was onto him. She wasnt sure why he hadnt confessed, or even why hed done it, but she was stubborn enough to wait him out. And she was just devious enough to tease him until he came clean.
After all, she liked his methods.
She also loved the knowledge that she was as much his as he was hers. And thats exactly how she knew hed done it. She felt him. He was a part of her mind, in her blood, her soul, her heart, that bone-deep connection stronger than anything shed ever experienced.
Since waking up in his arms, shed known something was different between them and had spent many, many hours puzzling over what it could be. Little flashes of memory had come and gonethe glint of a blade, the drip of crimson, the press of Striders skin, the whisper of his breath. The words, You are mine, and I am yours. We are one. From this moment, we are one.
Oh, yes. They were wed and shed never been happier. She owed this man so very much.
She watched as he pulled a packet of Red Hots from his back pocket and shook the contents into his mouth. He chewed, his strong jaw working. Her chest constricted at the sensuality of him.
He must have felt her gaze because he glanced over at her and winked. Again her chest constricted. She had to keep him safe. Whatever that entailed, she had to keep him safe.
She had to get that Rod.
She turned her attention back to her sister and lifted her chin. Ill fight, she said.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
ONCE AGAIN STRIDER SAT in the stands to watch his womanwife!compete. But the Roman Coliseum was a far cry from the bleachers in Brew City, Wisconsin. Hed been here a time or two, remembered the travertine, tufa, brick and marble, and had never thought to see such things again. Not in such pristine condition, at least. As if no time had passed, as if the ancient world had somehow blended into the present.
There were four floors. The first three boasted wide, arched entryways fit for nobility, and the fourth, the bottom, had rectangular doorways meant for the common man. Nets rose from the arena to protect the spectators.
And the arena itself, well, he remembered that, too. A wooden floor stained with the blood of thousands covered the entire area, but it was a floor that could be removed, the land then flooded with water to reenact navel battles. Oh, how the Romans had loved their games.
And how the Harpies loved their games. The combatants occupied one of the subterranean chambers, waiting to be summoned. Meanwhile, Juliette droned on and on about what was to happen. If ever thered been a blah, blah, blah moment, this was it. He wanted to stab his own ears more now than when the twins had been singing.
toughest match yet, she was saying now. And with two competitions under our belts, this one might just identify a clear leader.
We know. The teams would fight each other, all at once, with any weapon of their choosing. But they were only allowed one weapon each. They could, however, pick up discarded weapons as the fight progressed.
There would be ten combatants from each team. That was fine, whatever, except Kaia only had seven in her cornercounting herself. Which meant they all had to go in. If they wanted to go in. Big surprise, each of them had wanted, even though they were already at a disadvantage.
Around him, females were cheering. Hit em hard, break their backs, thats the way to show em what they lack!
Kaia had nearly died mere days ago and though hed kept her fed and medicated, she wasnt yet at top strength. But hed known better than to ask her to bow out. Her pride was important to her, and what was important to her was now important to him.