Forbidden Craving

by Gena Showalter

  He hated to leave her and wanted to kiss her again, to linger this time.

  He hefted up his shield and stalked from the enclosure, heading for the dining hall. Broderick caught up with him halfway.

  “The men are ready.”

  “Excellent.” He pushed Shaye from his mind, determined to act as a warrior: cold, unemotional and lethal. “Where are the dragons now?”

  Valerian and Darius had fought only once before, and though Valerian had injured the hulking beast, the end had been a draw, with neither man able to completely conquer the other.

  “The Outer City,” Broderick replied.

  “Have they any allies with them?”

  “No. They’ve come alone.”

  Their mistake. “I want our best men on the parapet and a group of soldiers strategically placed in the surrounding forest. I want the dragons’ every move tracked. If flyers land on the roof, cut them down without mercy.”

  The two advantages dragons had: their wings and their fire.

  Their forces had to be stopped quickly, before they had an opportunity to decimate everything on the ground from a perch in the air, where no one else could reach them.

  At least the palace, which had been made for dragons, was fire resistant.

  The one advantage the nymphs had: the power to seduce.

  Males were not immune, and they, too, could be caught up in the spell of a nymph, becoming a slave to desire.

  “Shall I unleash the traps we set around the palace?” Broderick asked.

  He considered the idea. “No. Let the dragons reach us without incident. Perhaps we can reach a truce before a single battle must be fought.” Whatever would keep the women safest.

  Broderick blinked in astonishment before rushing to convey all he’d been ordered.

  In the dining hall, Valerian stopped at the wall of windows to peer out. Empty streets greeted him. The citizens who lived in the Outer City must have spied the dragons and run home, fearing for their lives.

  Wise.

  Valerian spun on his heel and strode to the arena. Broderick was busy instructing the men. As they received orders, they raced to obey.

  “May your strength only flourish,” he told those who passed him.

  “And yours, my king,” he heard numerous times.

  Those without assignments formed a line and eyed him expectantly. He paced in front of them, saying, “I want you to circle around the Outer City undetected and remain behind the dragons. I want them flanked by nymphs on every side.”

  They nodded in unison.

  “When you receive my signal, close in on them and finally let them know you are there. Now go.”

  Hurried footsteps echoed as the men rushed to obey. Valerian found himself alone. Gripping his sword hilt, he stood there for a moment, his thoughts drifting inexorably to Shaye. Had she not been here, he most likely would have led a section of his army into the outskirts of the city and attacked the dragons there. As it was, he wanted his forces surrounding the palace. Close at hand. Forming a circle of protection.

  All he had to do now was await the dragons’ arrival. If a truce couldn’t be reached, blood would flood through the city, a crimson river.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  SHAYE STUDIED THE other women who’d been locked inside the cell. Of course, they were the same women who’d been trapped inside the hobby room and attended the wedding. They didn’t seem to grasp the danger of the current situation and were, in fact, chatting amicably with one another.

  If she stayed in Atlantis, this would her life. She would be locked away every time war threatened.

  Considering the creatures populating the underwater world, war would always threaten.

  Shaye wasn’t sure why, but a new card filled her head. One that had nothing to do with her circumstances: Congrats! You started your period. May you snarl at nothing, cry about everything, eat as many pies as humanly possible and opt not to murder your loved ones.

  “—reason I would kick him out of bed,” Martina was saying, pulling Shaye’s focus out of her head, “was to do him on the floor.”

  Chuckles abounded.

  Another girl said, “I’ve never been this happy! I mean, who cares if we are being used for sex. Sex feels good. We should only care if we’re being used for cooking and laundry.”

  More chuckles.

  Another comment arose from the midst. “I once had to explain to my ex that sex without foreplay was like going down a waterslide without water. I don’t have to explain anything to my nymph.”

  Okay, maybe the card did apply to her circumstances. She wanted to scream: This isn’t you! You’re drugged by that stupid pheromone. You’re better than this.

  What a nightmare this was. The men were in danger, and no one wanted to talk strategy.

  The conversation changed, taking a new direction. Apparently there was a new nymph in residence. One more handsome than any of the others, including Valerian. He liked to ask questions, and he could bring a woman to climax with only a look.

  Ugh. Was Brenna here? Shaye really needed an ally. Someone to share her worries with—someone to help her remain calm.

  “Brenna,” she called.

  The beauty shouldered her way through the crowd. “I’m here.”

  Thank the good Lord above!

  At the sound of her raspy voice, some of the women shared pitying looks. Brenna noticed, and her shoulders rolled in.

  Shaye considered throwing a pimp hand around. No one hurts my friend!

  She pulled Brenna into the nearest corner. First things first. “How are you? Did Shivawn punish you for trying to escape?”

  “Escape. This again?” A woman named Tiffany tsk-tsked. She leaned against one of the bars. “Please tell me you two aren’t trying again. If you are, at least wait until everyone is sleeping and you have a chance of success.”

  “I still don’t understand why you’d want to escape, anyway.” The redhead who’d left Valerian’s room that very first night stepped forward, unabashedly joining the conversation. “He’s the best lover in the history of ever. I polled my body parts and they all agreed.”

  Well, well. Here was one of those testimonials Valerian had considered giving her.

  Shaye’s hands fisted as...yes, oh, yes—as jealousy speared her. There was no denying it or convincing herself another emotion was at play.

  Diamonds were a girl’s best friend until Valerian happened.

  “I still dream about him,” another woman said. Her blade of a nose gave her a regal air. She sighed dreamily. “Does he ever speak of me? I’m Ameena, by the way.”

  Shaye’s teeth gnashed together as images of Valerian and Ameena—naked and straining—consumed her mind.

  Jealousy was new to her, and she wasn’t exactly sure how to deal with it. “No,” she said. “He hasn’t mentioned you.”

  “Oh.” Ameena’s shoulders sagged with disappointment. “Let me know when he tires of you. I give the best ‘get over her and get under me’ blow jobs.”

  When, she’d said. Not if.

  I will cut first and ask questions never!

  But...if Shaye were being honest, she’d admit she feared the same.

  How long would Valerian remain interested in her?

  Would she lose him soon after he awakened desires that she’d thought buried?

  How long until his eye began to rove in search of someone else? Someone sweeter and more biddable?

  He was a nymph, after all, and commitment had never before been his jam.

  But he hadn’t yet met me.

  I’m a novelty, that’s all.

  Valerian would tire of her at some point. Already he’d expressed dissatisfaction with her. She complained, never praised.

 
A fair criticism.

  Let’s face it. Everyone she’d ever loved had either abandoned her or disappointed her so massively she had never recovered. No one stuck around. No one had ever wanted to work at the relationship.

  Yet here she was, falling for Valerian and giving him more of her heart than she’d ever given to another.

  Her first instincts had been right. She needed to leave him.

  The pang in her chest said only one word: stay.

  Clinging to hope, like a fool.

  Well, it was time to destroy that hope once and for all!

  “What makes you so certain he’ll tire of me at all?” What did these women see when she and Valerian interacted?

  Ameena shrugged. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but he’s a king and you aren’t exactly queen material.”

  There was a right way to take that?

  A dozen new cards took shape in her head. All of them about breaking up.

  It’s not you, it’s me. I’ve finally realized you’re terrible for me.

  Don’t cry because the relationship ended. Laugh because your ex is now someone else’s problem.

  Remaining friends after a breakup is like keeping your dog after it dies. FYI we’re done.

  It’s better to love and lose than to live with your scum of an ex.

  I almost can’t get over how easily I can get over you.

  Shaye shook her head to dislodge the rest. Before rage overwhelmed her.

  Brenna latched on to her wrist. “If you’re thinking about catfighting her, don’t. I don’t have the tools to patch her.”

  Deep breath in...out. In, out.

  Ameena flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Please. I’m not to be harmed. My man—”

  In a lightning-fast movement, Shaye hooked her foot behind her knees. At the same time, she shoved the girl backward.

  Between one blink and the next, Ameena dropped.

  She lay on the floor, blinking up at the ceiling with confusion.

  Shaye pressed her foot against the woman’s vulnerable throat. “What your man orders has no bearing on this situation. My word will always trump his. Just ask Valerian. Better yet, don’t. You won’t even mention his name without first requesting my permission.”

  Ameena turned pallid.

  Point made, Shaye removed her foot. She scanned the cell’s occupants and everyone looked away as if suddenly fascinated with the walls and one another.

  Enough. She’d had enough.

  Determined, she whispered to Brenna, “This is our best chance for escape.” The ache in her chest intensified, but she ignored it. “Are you with me?”

  Indecision played over Brenna’s lovely features. She nibbled on her bottom lip and wrung her hands.

  Finally she nodded.

  Good. That was good.

  Shaye pushed through the crowd, stopping at the bars. Still thick, about the width of a baseball bat, still bright and blue. They were also hot to the touch, she realized as she curled her fingers around two. Not hot enough to blister, just enough to burn.

  She tried to rattle them, but they didn’t move. How had the warrior caused them to turn to mist?

  She replayed the goodbye kiss Valerian had given her—no shivering! Terran hadn’t had to push a button or use a key to allow her to step into the cage. But, once she’d stood inside, another warrior had waved his hand through mist. That’s right! The bars had first become mist. With that wave of his hand, he’d caused the bars to solidify again.

  Was an outside touch required? Or had the warrior worn some type of sensor?

  Only one way to find out.

  “I have a plan,” she told Brenna.

  Head high, she strode over to Ameena. “You want to get rid of me, then you have to help me.” She explained what she wanted the woman to do.

  Ameena’s eyes narrowed to tiny slits. “You’re trying to get me into trouble.”

  “No, I’m giving you a chance to get rid of me.”

  “So you plan on leaving Atlantis?”

  “Not all of us are happy being sex slaves.” Again Shaye’s chest throbbed. “But yes. I am.”

  “In that case, helping you will be my pleasure.” Ameena sashayed her way to the front of the crowd. She gripped the bars, smiled sweetly, and called, “Terran, you look so handsome today. I could just eat you up.”

  He grinned over at her, hungry yearning in his eyes.

  “You look handsome, too, Dylan,” Ameena added, playing her role perfectly. “Your muscles are so big. May I feel them?”

  Both men trudged toward her as if pulled by an invisible cord. What they didn’t do: reach for her.

  Shaye kept her attention divided between the men and the bars, ready to exit at a moment’s notice.

  Amenna whispered throatily, “May I lick your neck, Terran? Please. I have to taste you.”

  He didn’t even think of denying her. “Of course.” He gripped the bars and leaned into Ameena’s waiting lips.

  In that moment, the bars turned to mist.

  “I want to lick you, too,” another woman said.

  The entire group surged forward, exiting the prison. Everyone but Shaye and Brenna focused on the two guards, capturing the pair.

  Well. The dragons could learn a thing or two. Want to defeat the nymphs? Offer a sexual favor.

  Shaye easily and silently slipped away, Brenna beside her. They tiptoed into a section of the cavern.

  “All right. Time to return to the cell.”

  Moans and groans.

  “I mean it! Return to the cell. Please.” Amid the guards’ now-frantic pleas, she and Brenna rounded the corner.

  Guilt flared. Before Valerian, sneaky hadn’t been her style. But that’s what she was doing right now. Sneaking away without saying goodbye. As if he meant nothing to her.

  He’s something. He’s heartbreak waiting to happen.

  Strengthening her resolve, she followed the curls of fog wafting through the air and soon reached the portal. Heart racing, she approached tentatively. The center swirled and churned.

  Shaye shivered from the cold—not from regret, she assured herself—and wrapped her arms around her middle.

  “I can’t believe how easy that was,” she said. But she didn’t take another step.

  Brenna didn’t respond.

  She faced her partner in crime—who was twisting her hands together, her expression tortured.

  “What’s wrong?” Shaye asked.

  “Joachim and Shivawn...they need me.”

  Ah, crap. The nymphs had brainwashed another one. If Brenna backed out...

  “Joachim is healing nicely. You said so yourself.”

  Brenna bit her lip. “But Shivawn...he’s so sweet. He would rather die than hurt me. He keeps me safe.”

  Understanding dawned. At some point in her life, Brenna had been abused. She’d probably shut down sexually...until the nymphs awakened her desires.

  I know the feeling.

  Desire alone wasn’t the reason for her reluctance. Safe, she’d said. She felt safe. A heady feeling indeed, for someone who’d gone any amount of time without it.

  Expelling a sharp breath, Shaye pushed a hand through her hair. “You really want to stay with our captors?”

  A moment passed in silence. Without any kind of reaction. Then Brenna nodded. “I think I do. I’m ready to face my fears at long last. No, not ready. We’re never really ready for anything, are we? I will face my fears. I hate the life I’ve been living and want a better one. The only way to have change is to make change.”

  Wow. Talk about a punch to the throat!

  Shaye had thought herself content. Until Valerian. He’d opened her eyes to the truth. She’d settled. She’d settled for half
a life because it was easier than risking her heart for a full one.

  But here she was, running again. Running away from him and the things he made her feel. All because she feared he would one day grow tired of her.

  What if he didn’t?

  What if he meant what he said—she was his one and only, now and always?

  What if Valerian was injured during the battle with the dragons? He would need her.

  What if he was killed? If she left now, she would never know his fate.

  What if she stayed and he fell deeply, madly in love with her?

  Her heart fluttered with...longing?

  But...she didn’t believe in love, right?

  Love wouldn’t be temporary. Love wouldn’t allow someone to hurt another person. Love...

  Maybe wasn’t what she thought it was?

  Like, maybe she’d never actually seen an example of real love. Maybe her mother and father had waxed poetic about lust not love.

  Shaye bowed her head and stepped back, away from the portal. “I’m not ready to leave him,” she admitted, her voice breaking. He was right. He’d said she would forgive him for abducting her, and she had.

  Not that she was okay with his actions. She wasn’t and wouldn’t be—ever. What he’d done was wrong. But they’d both made mistakes, and she could finally see past his.

  Brenna patted her shoulder, a show of solidarity.

  She rubbed a hand over her eyes and pushed out a frustrated breath. “I’m afraid,” she whispered.

  “Of what?”

  “Of falling for him, giving up everything to be with him, and then losing him.”

  “If we do not let go of the past and grasp onto the future, we will regret it for the rest of our lives.”

  “You’re right. I know you’re right” She licked her lips. “And these men could use a queen. I mean, already I can think of a million laws I need to put into motion.”

  Snorting, Brenna banged her shoulder with her own. “You’re doing Valerian a favor, really. Fixing his kingdom.”

  “I’m a giver.”

  They shared a smile.

  “Ameena is going to be ticked,” Brenna said.

  “Well, she’ll just have to get over it.”

  They shared another smile.