Snatched

by Vijaya Schartz

  Zania took Svend’s hand and quickened her steps. "This way." She hoped he would like her love nest.

  Upon entering the alcove, Svend’s eyes rounded as he looked around. He opened his mouth but didn’t speak. Smiling, he set the torch into the pile of rocks Zania had built for that purpose. "Were you expecting company?"

  "Just you."

  "Good choice." Svend spread his pelt on top of Zania’s blanket, sending the torchlight aflicker. Then he removed his fur vest and rolled it to make a pillow.

  He stood, facing Zania, so close. His sweet breath caressed her forehead. Anticipation made her heart pound like a base drum. As she laid her hands flat on his chiseled chest, she realized his heart beat hard, too. He smelled like the jungle moss.

  "What now?" Zania whispered.

  He fluffed her long hair with deft fingers, sending tingles from her head all the way to her toes. Rising on the balls of her feet, Zania inched her face closer to his.

  He bent to meet her, and the curtain of his silky hair brushed Zania’s shoulders. When his lips touched hers, a hot flood flushed her entire body. Her head swam. She reveled in his kiss, gentle but insistent, sweet and imperious. He tasted like the Juju wine they had at the feast, sweet and heady.

  Zania yielded when Svend grabbed her waist, bringing her gently down to the pelt on the makeshift bed. The coarse fur made her shiver as it brushed her bare legs more sensually than satin sheets. Then she remembered Svend was a professional. He’d been trained to please women, make them feel special.

  How much of this was loving concern, and how much learned technique? At this point, Zania didn’t care. She wanted him. All the women he had pleased before her could go to Hades. She wondered whether he’d made love to Dakini, and jealousy twisted her gut, but she refused to spoil this moment. Tonight, Svend belonged to Zania alone. Aphrodite, goddess of love, help me.

  Did Zania need help? She'd never surrendered to a man before. Even in bed, she’d always been the aggressive one. Yet, Svend made her feel like a virgin in the hands of an experienced lover.

  When Zania stiffened slightly, Svend cradled her in his arms as he stretched on the pelt next to her, and she relaxed, trusting him.

  "Shush," he whispered in her ear. Then he caressed her hair, somehow melting the surrounding shadows as he stared into her eyes.

  This magnificent warrior cared about her. He’d saved her life, he’d given her freedom. And now this sex champion offered to give her pleasure. What more could a woman want?

  Svend didn’t rush through the motions like Zania’s previous lovers had, eons ago, in another life it seemed... He took his time sliding off her boots, slowly caressing the inside of her bare legs. Inch by inch, he unlaced her vest, freeing her breasts.

  He grinned, his eyes sparkled, then he kissed each one.

  The necklace of claws and fangs clicked as Svend unhooked it then deposited it on the pelt near Zania’s head.

  She covered the fresh scar at her throat with her hand. "It must look ghastly."

  "Not at all." Svend lifted her hand to see better. "It’s almost gone, but it’s strong and beautiful, like you." He traced the scar with a light finger, then sprinkled butterfly kisses on the length of it.

  Zania shuddered. Her fingers raked his smooth hair. She longed for a stronger touch. She arched when Svend cupped her breasts and laved them. Then his teeth worried her nipples, and jolts of desire coursed down to her loins.

  She melted in the heat of his lusty ministrations.

  His mouth left a moist, shivering trail down her body. By the time his teeth unlaced the ties of her leather skort, Zania was mad with desire. She wanted this man, she craved the attention he lavished on every inch of her skin.

  He buried his mouth into her womanhood. Zania squirmed as tension built inside her. But she didn’t want to climax yet, not like this. "I want to feel you inside me, now."

  Svend rose, shedding his boots and leather britches. Zania glimpsed his erection and marveled at such a gloriously endowed man. No wonder he’d become sex champion. He wasn’t circumcised, like the men of her world. The face of Adonis, the body of Hercules, and the manhood to match.

  Zania shivered when he lowered himself over her. His strong hands pinned her hips down, and his sheer weight on her made her head reel. Blond strands caressed her hot skin.

  When she felt his engorged member pressing against her, Zania couldn’t delay any longer, but his devilish grin said he enjoyed delaying.

  "Now, please?"

  He winked. "If you beg, I might."

  Beg? What the hell? Zania writhed under him. "Take me this minute or I’ll take you myself."

  Svend chuckled. "In that case..."

  The force of his thrust made Zania gasp. Something tore inside her, but the pleasure and the heat at her core forbade any second thought. He filled her so completely, so deep... "Yes!" She matched each thrust, meeting him half way, adding her strength to his.

  Soon, Zania lost all sense of where she was, reveling in the smell of Svend, the touch of Svend, the connection between them that went beyond the physical depth of their reckless mating. She felt her core shift and wanted to cry, laugh, scream.

  She heard the cries before she realized they came from her. And Svend didn’t show any sign of slowing down. He kept driving into her with the same force, the friction eliciting liquid heat, like the lava filling these very tunnels centuries ago.

  Zania felt part of the jungle, part of the mountain, part of the cave, and part of Svend. She belonged to this wild realm, and the intensity of Svend’s lovemaking reminded her of the primal forces that created life. He dominated her and wouldn’t be denied, and Zania loved the feeling.

  Like two warriors in a fight, their lovemaking endured, and Zania eventually lost her voice. Her throat now only let out low moans, but the waves of ecstasy kept flooding her. She felt spent by the time Svend accelerated the rhythm, and the throbbing inside Zania took her to new heights of bliss. She never knew it was possible to experience such intense pleasure.

  When Svend exploded inside her, she held on to him as he quivered with each wave of his tremulous release. For a while, they lay there, panting, entwined. Then Svend disengaged himself and lay beside her.

  "This was incredible." Zania gently kissed his collar bone. "Better than anything I could imagine."

  Svend rose on one elbow and winked. "Don’t give up so fast. I have barely started... This was one position. A true night of love should at least include three..."

  Zania thought he was joking, but when his hand went up her thigh and his fingers made her arch again, she glimpsed his second erection and realized he meant everything he said.

  Zania didn’t resist when Svend flipped her on her stomach. Relishing the pleasure she knew would come, she braced herself for his second round. Three times... Zania smiled as fur tickled her cheek. There was still time for her to get on top.

  Chapter Ten

  Startled awake, Zania jumped to her feet. A deep rumble shook the cave. Unsteady on her legs, she clutched the rock wall as dust fell into her hair, until the trembling subsided. Her muscles felt weak and shaky. Had her night with Svend sapped all her stamina?

  Although she’d loved every second of his lovemaking, Zania realized with a start that such a drain of energy might endanger her life. She needed her strength, and her wits about her. Speaking of Svend...

  By the diminished torchlight, she saw his rolled vest on the mat of leaves but no trace of him. So much for a morning cuddle. Slam, bam, thank you Maam? How dare he treat her like this? Did he only care about sex? Men!

  Retrieving her clothes from the floor, Zania dressed in a rush, shook the dust from her hair and tied her high ponytail. Then she slipped on her necklace. At least, Svend had the courtesy of leaving the torch behind. Where could he have gone in the dark?

  Zania picked up his fur vest then lifted the torch from the rock pile. As she retraced her steps toward the main tunnels, she noticed faint light filterin
g from small skylights in adjacent tunnels. Daylight already?

  Could she have overslept? Maybe Svend didn’t have the heart to wake her. That’s what she would choose to believe. But in her mind Zania considered other reasons why a man would leave the love nest early. Had she disappointed him? Or, once satisfied, had he no further use for her?

  Whatever the case, Zania shouldn’t get too attached to Svend, or she would set herself up for heartache. After all, he was a sex symbol on several planets. What did she expect? Exclusivity? Time to behave like a survivor, not a victim.

  The main hall buzzed with activity. So Zania had overslept. As she doused the torch and set it in the pile, everyone stared at her, or so it seemed. An Amazon giggled, and a Centurion had a little smile. Was she that transparent? Could everyone tell what she’d done all night?

  The hirsute freedom tribesman, the one who had protested about saving the citizens the night Zania arrived, spoke feverishly to a few Vikings and Centurions. When Zania passed by, he fell silent and all watched her, as if waiting for her to walk away. Conspirators? The man seemed to be recruiting new members to his cause.

  "It’s not enough to do the deed, you have to flaunt it, too?" Morrigan’s voice shook, and her angry words stung like darts.

  Zania turned to face her friend, who rose from a sitting rock, her long naginata in one hand, a sharpening stone in the other. Morrigan’s green eyes flared and pink flushed her freckled cheeks. Why was the woman so perceptive?

  "I’m not flaunting anything." Zania hated the defensive tone in her voice.

  "You don’t fool me. I know that dreamy look in your eyes." Morrigan choked on the words, as if holding back sobs. "You used to look like that after we made love."

  Although Morrigan seemed to remember those times, for Zania they hadn’t happened yet. "I’m sorry, but I can’t pretend any longer."

  "Pretend?" Surprise and outrage battled on Morrigan’s face. She leaned her long weapon against the wall and set her sharpening stone on a flat ledge.

  Morrigan reached for Zania who stepped back. Morrigan flinched. "You didn’t use to pretend. We were happy in the Andromeda sector. What happened to you?"

  "About that... I’m sorry, Morrigan, but I really don’t remember us ever being lovers. I don’t have any memory of being in the Andromeda sector." Zania’s theory of time travel was too abstract to explain, but at least this was the truth. "Listen... I do like men. As far as I remember, I always did..."

  "That’s a lie!" Morrigan punched the fur vest Zania cradled against her chest.

  Zania stumbled back one step under the blow. If not for Svend’s vest it would have knocked the air out of her. "No, I swear I never met you before I came here..."

  "It’s Svend, isn’t it?" Morrigan spat the name like an insult. "He’s the one who turned you."

  Zania drew the vest behind her protectively. "I like you, Morrigan, but only as a friend. I never meant to hurt you..."

  "But you did!"

  "And I’m sorry, but I don’t know how to fix it. I would really like for us to be friends."

  "I don’t think so."

  "Can we at least be civil to each other?"

  Morrigan’s faced crunched up, then she took a deep breath, nodded, and wiped her tears.

  "Where is Svend?"

  Morrigan shot her an angry stare. "With the other leaders."

  Zania couldn’t see him in the crowded cave. "Where?"

  Morrigan motioned with her chin towards Gray’s chamber. "That way."

  Happy to leave Morrigan, Zania went in search of Svend and the leaders. She wanted to share her idea about a possible network of subways. The train that took the warriors from the bunker to the arena couldn’t possibly be the only one ever built. There must be other similar tunnels.

  When she came upon the small room where six people sat on the stone floor, Zania wondered how they would receive her theory. After all, she held no rank of importance among them.

  The conversation stopped as she entered, unannounced. Gray looked up in surprise, so did Raven, and the Centurion in Roman armor. Dakini and the Gorgon, representing the Amazons had their backs to the entrance.

  Svend glanced up at Zania and winked. "Did you sleep well?"

  Blushing at the rush of lusty images filling her mind, Zania tossed him the vest.

  Svend snatched it, then he scooted sideways and patted the ground beside him. "Come sit."

  Zania basked in the recognition. So, he wasn’t afraid to make their relationship official, but in what capacity? She sat next to him. As she looked up, she met the dark, wrathful gaze of Dakini, sitting across from her. Beside the Amazon queen, the Gorgon stared with icy green eyes as the snakes on her head hissed, ready to strike.

  "She has no right to be here," Dakini snarled. "This is a conclave of leaders."

  Svend held up a placating hand. "Zania knows a lot about technology. She can help us deal with our problem."

  "What is this about?" Zania appreciated Svend’s support and didn’t want to let him down.

  Gray scratched his beard thoughtfully. "The city defenses. Once we get inside Dagora, the machines will kill us on sight if we don’t find a way to destroy them."

  "Robots? Do they look like people?" Zania remembered old sci-fi flicks.

  "No." Gray chuckled. "Flying machines the size of a large cooking pot. They shoot lethal darts so fast that you can’t get close enough to destroy them."

  "Armed drones?" Of course, such a city would have high tech defenses. Taking a mental inventory of the small arsenal brought by the Vikings, Zania remembered the electric rods taken from the guards. "Are these drones made of metal?"

  Gray nodded. "The best alloy in the galaxy."

  "Then the guards’ rods might neutralize them." Zania could only assume.

  Dakini scoffed. "Even if this is true, we’d never get close enough."

  "Unless you throw the rod." Zania’s mind bubbled with creative excitement. "Even a short contact could disrupt the electronics inside."

  The Centurion emitted a disapproving moan. "We only have a dozen rods. The machines are many."

  Zania wished she had explosives. Then it struck her. Survival training camp. She had everything right here to make her own. "We can build small bombs."

  Gray’s eyes lit up. The other leaders, including Svend, gave her questioning stares.

  Even Dakini seemed more surprised than hostile. "What do you mean?"

  Zania made a quick mushroom gesture. "Boom!"

  Svend creased his forehead as if it hurt. "I’ve seen this before." His voice barely rose above a whisper. "It destroyed my village."

  Zania wondered what happened to him, but she’d have to ask another time... "I can make bombs. We need charcoal from burnt hard wood, the kind that makes little ash. Then we need saltpeter, the crystals that grow under bat droppings."

  The Centurion’s face lit up. "You mean Greek fire? I’ve seen it before. We would need brimstone."

  "Exactly." Zania smiled. "The yellow deposit around the pools of hot stinking water that bubbles up from the ground. I’ve seen it around here. It’s brimstone, also called sulfur."

  Gray nodded. "Primitive, but it could work. The drones are not heavily armored."

  Dakini’s face remained belligerent. "How can these things explode?"

  Zania struggled to remain calm. "Each ingredient has to be ground separately, then mixed in the right proportions."

  Dakini still stared, waiting for a better explanation.

  "Then we add urine to form a paste. We press the compound into small gourds or bamboo segments. We add a braided fuse of dry fiber and cork the container."

  Except for Gray and the Centurion, the leaders now looked completely lost.

  "Trust me." Zania really hoped they would. "You light the fuse, throw the bomb, and when the fire reaches the powder inside, it will explode."

  "I don’t believe it." Dakini’s defying glare exuded hatred. "Don’t listen to her. She is misleading us
."

  "And why would I do that?" Zania couldn’t believe Dakini’s negative attitude. "I swear, it can work."

  Gray nodded. "Not only it can work, but it’s our best weapon so far."

  Dakini and the Gorgon glanced at each other with uncertainty.

  "Okay." Zania breathed and exhaled slowly. "Let’s do a trial. We have nothing to lose."

  "I agree." Gray rose. "My people know the area well. I’ll send them on a quest for these substances." He stepped toward the main hall and stopped a Freedom woman walking by. He spoke to her in hushed tones.

  As they waited for Gray, Svend asked, "What about getting inside Dagora unnoticed?"

  "I have an idea about that, too," Zania offered, maybe too quickly.

  "You have it all figured out, don’t you?" Dakini hissed.

  Gray returned and sat.

  Ignoring Dakini’s scorn, Zania explained. "You know the tunnel where the train rides to take us to the arena?"

  Svend nodded. Of course, they all knew that cursed train.

  "If I’m right, there must be a whole network of similar tunnels, forming a web around the city. Kliks and kliks of them." Zania picked up a rock and drew on the dusty floor straight lines shooting from a central point.

  Dakini shook her head. "I’ve never heard of anything like that."

  "In my world," Zania started, bracing herself for more opposition, "the trains from that industrial period carried food and supplies to the cities from the surrounding farms, mines, and factories."

  Even Gray seemed fascinated by the idea. "My people are not taught ancient history anymore, but it makes sense."

  "This must have happened here, too, before the shield and the rain forest. The food had to be grown on the surrounding slopes."

  Svend listened with great attention. "You mean we could walk straight underneath the city shield?"

  "Exactly." At least one person saw the advantages of her idea.

  Gray smiled, pulling at his beard. "But how do we find these tunnels?"