by Storm Savage
“You?” He jerked his hand away in disgust. “Hell, you wouldn’t last five minutes with me.” He laughed outright. “Besides, how tight can you really be after whoring around?”
She openly seethed at his cutting remarks. “I will have you, Von Calder. I proved to Flame that I can take any man from her, even sweet Raef. You’re a badass, you can’t hold out very long.”
“The only urge I’m struggling with is the urge to cut your fucking head off.”
She jerked back, clearly stunned, yet recovered quickly. “If you don’t mate with me, Flame will never get Paloma. It’s my job to keep you entertained while Hatch handles your precious warrior.”
“You really are a persistent little bitch.” Not wanting to risk more tricks, he picked her up and hoisted her body over one shoulder.
“I knew you’d come around.”
“Yeah, right.” He marched straight into the bath, turned on the cold water, and held her under the shower. “Let’s see how confident you are without that fucking perfume.”
She screamed and fought with impressive might, yet he subdued her with ease, using only one hand to keep her under the cold water. He held her there until her auburn hair hung lank around her face and she shivered from the cold shower. When she ceased flailing about like a maniac, he eyed her suspiciously.
“You ready to settle down?”
She nodded with chattering teeth.
“Good.” He dragged her from the bath, then shoved her onto the bed. “Call Hatch, tell him you succeeded.”
Naami shot him a foiled look, then grabbed her cell phone off a bedside table. “Hatch…it’s me.” She listened for a few minutes then to Von’s surprise, she screamed into the phone. “Von broke the blood-bond! He took the bait and drank my blood!”
Von snatched the unit from her hand and flung it against the wall. It shattered into pieces. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“Saving Flame’s life.” She sat soaking wet, glowering at him. “There is no way I would admit to anyone that my seduction failed. I was supposed to seduce you and compel you to break the blood-bond. Since you are such a stubborn prick, I’m activating plan B.” Naami hung her head. “I’ve already taken enough from Flame. The least I can do is let her live.” Then her head jerked up and fire returned to her eyes. “But she will live without you! And you will live with the knowledge that Flame will spend eternity with her first love. Raef is waiting at the Flaming Wall for her. The only way she can survive the transition is if she enters a blood-bond with Raef…not you.”
Her wild mood swings had him reeling.
“What the fuck have you done?” He grabbed her shoulders and shook her.
“Saved both your lives. Now that Hatch thinks the bond is broken, he’ll come after you, thinking he can kill you. But he can’t, right?”
Von barely gave her a nod.
“While he is distracted trying to kill you, Flame can get away with Paloma. I can’t bear to see that horse harmed in any way. I may have issues with Flame, but I don’t want to hurt her. I’m just so tired of walking in her shadow.”
“You do realize she’ll be back for revenge when she thinks I’ve been killed, don’t you?”
Naami nodded. “If she chooses to kill me, then so be it. I’ve been stripped of everything that ever mattered to me.”
“Why did you come here?”
“I wanted revenge on Flame. She gets everything I ever wanted. Hatch found me wandering around and offered me a deal. I’d reign at his side if I could break the blood-bond between you and Flame. He really wants you dead.”
“And you can live with breaking Flame’s heart again? Do you have any idea what she went through when Raef died?”
She stared at him with empty eyes. “Do you think I care? I just saved her life and yours, be grateful.”
“You’re a psycho. You saved nothing. You only made matters worse.” He backed away and slid to the floor with his back against the wall. “Flame will think I betrayed her. She’ll be forced to go through the same hell all over again.”
“So? At least she’ll be alive and immortal and so will you. Maybe you’ll even see her again one day…with Raef. You know she’ll choose Raef in the end once she believes you severed the bond. And that’s your punishment for rejecting me.”
He stared at her in utter disbelief. “I’ll find a way…”
“And do what? Play hero and get Paloma killed before Flame gets away with her? Nobody can find the Flaming Wall without the key. Once she leaves this godforsaken place, she’s lost to you forever. Even if you find her again back in the mortal world, it will be too late. She’ll hate you by then and Raef will have the love of his life back.”
Von’s head jerked up. A pinpoint vibe had escaped Naami’s deception.
“You and your high ruler staged this!” Every muscle in his body tensed. “This is your redemption ticket, isn’t it?”
The look of shock on her face said it all. “You are powerful. Even Hatch hasn’t caught on.” She gasped. “It doesn’t matter now. You’re here…Flame will soon be on her way. The Supreme Lioness is an intelligent leader and our women are the supreme race. We do not bow to men…ever.”
“Your ruler is nothing but a liar.”
“She’s a very clever woman. In war, there are no rules.” Naami stood up and dressed. “Give me your knife.”
“What?”
“Are you deaf or just stupid? I said—”
“I know what you said. No way!”
“If I can’t convince Flame that you are dead, then she will not leave the island and Hatch will track you and her down. Is that what you want? Or would you rather she make a safe escape? Flame’s destiny is not with Twilight’s scum. Now give me the damn knife.” She held out her hand. “It’s you or the horse, Flame cannot have both. Can you do that to Flame? Can you honestly live with yourself if you stop her from receiving her gift? Do you really think that your worthless soul is more valuable than hers? Our nation offers her immortality. You truly believe that your love can save her?” Naami laughed sadistically. “Love is for the weak. We waged the entire success of this plan on your obsession with our esteemed warrior.”
“Fuck you.”
“Whatever. Just hand it over. Hatch was easy to seduce, putty in my hands, and by the time he realizes he’s been duped, Flame will be gone. Seriously, we don’t care what happens between you and Hatch once Flame has fulfilled her calling, because we will have the one weapon that will keep Twilight under control forever.” Malevolence glimmered in her eyes. “I came in here for one reason and one reason only…to make sure Flame believes you are dead and give Raef time to win her back.”
“You’re insane.”
“Why? Because we outsmarted you?” She let out a contemptuous laugh. “Just give me the knife…now!”
“Take it, bitch.” He threw it on the floor at her feet. “You’ve underestimated the love between me and Flame. Your entire nation has just made their biggest mistake.”
She clutched the knife and dropped to her knees in front of him. Their eyes met and he saw nothing but ice. In his next breath, she drove the knife straight into his heart and twisted the blade. He gasped at the pain but knew he’d heal once she withdrew the blade.
“And just for the record, Von,” she purred next to his ear while holding the knife in his chest. “I’d fuck you even if you are Twilight scum because you are just that hot.”
* * * *
“Here she is.” Sandra pulled open a large door. “Don’t try anything stupid before Hatch gets here.”
Flame peeked inside and saw her stunning golden palomino munching hay. She appeared unharmed, clean, and well fed. “Hey, girl,” she whispered while stroking her mane. “Soon, I’ll get you out of here.” Paloma nuzzled her hand and tossed her head.
Within minutes after she’d entered the stall, Hatch breezed into the stable. “Newsflash, Flame, your new lover has succumbed to the lovely and seductive Naami. Your blood-bond is broken.�
� He turned to Sandra. “Don’t let the horse out of your sight before I get back.”
“You’re lying!” Flame raced after him.
“No time for chit-chat, darling, I’ve got a Satellite to kill. You stay here, though, I’ll be back to settle unfinished business.”
Her throat went dry. Von and Naami? No, not again, not Von. He said he couldn’t be seduced or tricked. Hatch is lying. She raced toward the exit.
“I wouldn’t do that,” Sandra called after her.
Flame whipped around. “Shut up.”
“If you leave the barn, I have orders to kill the horse. Are you willing to risk it?” Sandra smirked with evil eyes.
She strained to see where Hatch had gone but he simply disappeared. The odd environment offered very poor visibility. Her thoughts scrambled for a way out. She realized that in his realm, he had the upper hand. He could appear and vanish without warning—she’d seen him do it. He was, after all, the master of this dark and horrifying world.
Overpowering Sandra seemed easy enough. Still, Flame did not know how much power Hatch had instilled in her. With so much uncertainty, she didn’t want to make the wrong move. Before she came up with a plan, Naami came running into the barn from the other side. She pulled Flame by the arm.
“Von is dead! Hatch just killed him—you have to get out of here before Hatch comes back for you!”
“That’s impossible. We have a blood-bond.” Flame wrenched free of her grip. Hatch’s words echoed in the madness of her mind. Your new lover has succumbed to the lovely and seductive Naami. Your blood-bond is broken. She refused to believe it. This has to be a trick.
“Hatch cut my hand and forced Von to drink my blood.” She held up her left palm for Flame to see the knife wound, still bleeding. Her words came out in a frantic rush. “He was too strong, I tried to fight him. You know I’m squeamish and would never do any kind of blood ritual. Hatch tricked me, told me I was only supposed to seduce Von.” She presented the knife with blood dripping from it. “Hatch was determined to kill him and he found a way. I took this and ran before Hatch used it to kill me, too. I figured you’d know better than me what to do with this.” She shoved Von’s knife into her hands. “I’m so sorry, Flame, for all of this. Please hurry. Take Paloma and get to the wall. Don’t let Twilight win after you came this far.”
“I’m not leaving without Von.” She glanced around nervously, then down at the knife. Hesitantly, she raised the blade to her lips. She had to know if this was true. She tasted the blood. Tears flooded her eyes. No!
Naami appeared terrified and appalled. “Go! Hatch is getting rid of his body so it can’t be brought back, then he’s coming for you.”
“Why are you doing this?”
Sandra came running down the corridor. “What’s going on?”
“Mind your own business, bitch,” Naami growled, then grabbed a pitchfork and killed Sandra by sticking her to the wooden wall with the long metal tines.
Flame covered her mouth to hold back a scream of shock. Her eyes darted between Naami and Sandra’s lifeless body stuck to the wall. The former queen didn’t seem so squeamish now.
“You have about five minutes to get the hell out of here,” Naami warned.
Staring at Von’s knife in her hands, she felt tears streaming down her hot cheeks. Everything happened so fast and their plan had taken an unforeseen turn.
“Hatch is much more powerful than you ever thought,” Naami told her. “He let you and Von believe that the blood-bond made him powerless when in fact all it did was channel Von’s gifts to you. Now you truly are of both worlds…and he wants you in the worst way.”
“I-I can’t leave without Von. I don’t know how to travel immortally by myself.”
“Paloma does, remember?” Naami grabbed her shoulders. “Get a grip, Flame! Don’t you think if Von were alive, he’d be here instead of me? Now go!”
“Naami!” Hatch called from outside. “You have some explaining to do.”
“Go,” Naami whispered.
She’s right, Flame thought. Von would be here if he were okay. Fight-flight mode kicked in amidst her panic. Her mind blurred. Flame slid the knife into the back waistband of her pants, then sprinted down the dirt floor to the stall holding Paloma. In two fast moves, she was on the horse’s back. She lowered her head and gave a soft whistle while signaling her with her legs. Paloma’s ears perked. Instantly she came to full attention. Flame guided her from the barn using her legs. Once free of the musty building, she leaned forward, drew her legs up tight, took a firm grip of the mane and gave the command, go!
* * * *
Naami hid behind a stack of hay, praying this plan didn’t fall apart now. She needed to stall Hatch long enough for everyone to be where there were supposed to be. Hatch stalked around the barn, clearly enraged and shouting her name.
“There you are,” he growled upon finding her. “Why are you hiding?”
“I’m a queen, not a warrior.” She feigned her fear.
“Get your ass out here.” He glanced at Sandra hanging there and scowled. “Who forked her?”
“Who do you think?”
“Fuck,” Hatch grumbled while staring at Sandra. “I liked her.”
“Sorry, I tried to stop Flame, but you know what she’s like.”
“Women.” He sighed then shrugged. “What the hell happened to Von? I thought the blood-bond was broken. I can’t find the prick anywhere.”
“It is broken.” She held out her palm where the cut she made on the way to the barn had begun to clot. “Did you really expect him to hang around and let you kill him?” Naami took a deep calming breath, trying to steal a glimpse around.
“You seem on edge.” Hatch followed her line of vision. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing, why? All this killing, it’s not my thing. And I wasn’t fond of cutting my hand and letting that sexual beast drink my blood. Your race is very primitive.”
He took her hand and inspected it. “Where’s the knife?”
Naami thought fast. “Flame took it. Did you expect me to stop her, too?”
“No…I guess not. I’ll catch up with her in time now that Von is on the run. You did your job. C’mon, let’s go back to the house.”
“Uh…what about her?” She nodded toward Sandra.
Hatch sighed again. “Ah hell, I’ll get the men to clean up this mess.” He began leading her from the barn. “I need to get moving if I want to track Flame before she initiates another blood-bond. She could be anywhere by now, probably heading back home to look for Von.”
“I doubt that.” Raef swooped into the barn like a modern-day Zorro dressed in white.
Naami felt her heart race just at the sight of him, but she knew he was off limits. If she wanted her throne back, she had to stay away from Flame’s intended one. Still, he looked every bit the hero while coming to her rescue.
Hatch swung around, his eyes wide with shock. “What the fuck?”
“Sorry, old boy,” Raef said with a smug grin. “You’re not getting this one, either.”
Naami ran to him. “Just in time.” She breathed a sigh of relief.
He grabbed her waist. “Did the plan work? Did Flame get away?”
“Yes.”
Hatch made a move in their direction, but she wrapped herself around Raef and took off with him before Hatch could stop them. Raef smelled irresistible as they soared through the virtual darkness that spanned the gap between worlds. She longed to lay with him again and conceive his child once more. If only she could find a way. He held her tightly while traveling immortal style back to their world where everything almost made sense and laws kept people in place.
Flame had been crazy thinking she could have a future with Twilight’s spawn. Naami didn’t blame her for trying—the man was downright gorgeous and oozed sexual charisma unlike any man she’d ever seen. Bedding him didn’t seem like a bad idea. Her thoughts began to churn. Then reality set in again. Flame’s second lover had made his posi
tion quite clear—he truly could not be seduced.
Chapter Ten
Von moved around in the thick mist that had blanketed the island of Nekkar, using his supernatural manner to zip from place to place in search of Flame. The territory spanned a vast area and seemed never ending. No signs of life lurked anywhere thus far. He ignored the burning pit, refusing to think that Hatch or one of his minions would consider throwing Flame into that hell. Hatch’s agenda felt clouded. Von couldn’t sort the bastard’s intentions.
Naami was an entirely different story. The nutcase had gone from A to Z in record time. He’d met a lot of women, but none had come close to exhibiting as many personalities as the insane queen. Her intent was so twisted he couldn’t even grasp it.
A large building loomed in the distance, finally something besides trees, ash, and muck. He raced inside and saw that it had been used as a makeshift stable. An empty stall with fresh hay and water meant only one thing—Flame had found Paloma and made her escape. The scent of his woman lingered in the air.
“Fucking hell,” he muttered, kicking a bucket across the floor. Glancing around, he noticed Sandra’s body stuck to the opposite wall of the barn. “Damn…who the hell did her in?” He walked over to inspect the killer’s method. No daggers. Someone else did the deed. Who? Not that it mattered. He didn’t care about this woman. She’d played a large part in Flame’s suffering. He knew Flame had enough restraint to use a more tactical manner of destroying enemy than gouging them with a pitchfork.
Flame, where are you right now? The reality of their situation settled over him, gripping his heart with icy fingers. Have you reached the wall yet? Is Raef there with you? Do you really believe I am dead? Baby, you’ve got to know this is a trap. You have to hear me reaching out to you. If you accept a blood-bond with Raef, then ours will truly be broken. Don’t let them get to you. For the first time in his long hellish existence, he felt lost.
The one woman who’d made him feel again was gone and none of his supernatural talents could find the place she’d be. Only her sisterhood knew of the mystical wall between worlds that they’d compelled the horse to find. He leaned against the wall, locked in contemplation. There had to be a way to reach her. Can our blood-bond enable telepathic communication from one world to another?
