by Lynn Carmer
Why the hells did she have to make everything so difficult? His worry ignited the power, a deep swirling ache that traveled down his chest, occasionally sparking from his fingers. His erection was rock hard and scraped against his pants, throbbing in anticipation. He needed release, an outlet. He needed Caprice.
He vented a small burst of energy, trying to maintain control on the power so he didn’t go blind. It was an experiment he’d repeated minute after minute the night before. He had to control himself, somehow harness this awesome power without losing his sight. One of the stone walls of the small structure, came crumbling down as he purged electricity.
Doesn’t matter. Nothing matters except finding Caprice.
Grasping the wooden frame of the door, he looked out and couldn’t find her anywhere.
She had run. From him.
He heard pounding footsteps through the brush, and high pitched bays. They were his only clue of an impending attack. Shuffling sounds, soft whispers and then a solid blow knocked him square in the chest. The force sent him reeling, but it wasn’t enough to knock him to the ground.
Where are they? His eyesight hadn’t failed him, but he couldn’t make out his attackers. Strange shadows, camouflaged against the green-brown trees, shifted around him. He sensed them, but he couldn’t pinpoint an exact point of attack.
Straightening, he felt another blow, one on his back, the other against his knees. He came crashing to the ground, but righted himself immediately. He cracked his knuckles and waited, grim-faced. It looked like he was going to get the release he needed after all. A good fight would do just fine.
Arun cocked his head to the side and listened for the shuffling again, raised his hands and took aim. The energy burst from him, a living current, seeking its target. One lone scream pierced the air and then a thump; he heard several shouts and gasps. But the sounds made him hesitate, were they…? It couldn’t be. They had sounded high-pitched and feminine. Like women, but not Caprice—he’d heard the sound of her screams too many times to count.
“You will die for this, pig.” A harsh but very female voice uttered the oath.
“Face me!” He stopped himself from shouting for the princess, praying she had hidden herself before the attack. Just the thought of her ratcheted him up, and his palms filled with a white light.
Damn, damn, damn! How was he supposed to fight women? He had all this power at the tip of his fingers, and he couldn’t use it. The sound of the woman’s scream still pierced his mind. He would not die this day, but if his opponents were women, neither would they. Unless they had his princess. “Are your men so weak they have women fighting their battles for them?” The shuffling continued, and he circled slowly, feeling them closing in, seeing shadows coalesce then retreat. How many were there? Nine hells!
“You think we need pigs to fight our battles?” A harsh laugh followed the question. “You will go down like all the rest.”
A shadow blurred past, striking him in his stomach. He lumbered forward, but couldn’t get his arms around the women. One blow followed another, the last striking him in the face, over and over, rocking his jaw, smashing in his eye. He knew several ran by, punching then retreating, their speed so impossibly fast he may not have seen them even if they weren’t camouflaged.
He changed tactics. He held his arm out straight and felt the blow as the woman’s soft middle come into contact with his arm. Her body slumped then fell to the ground.
One down, how many to go?
Another jumped on his back, he felt the press of feminine softness against his hard skin. She wrapped her hands around his neck and cut off his air. Simultaneously, he felt blows against his knees and head. Energy surged and bled through his skin, shocking the woman, the smell of burnt flesh stinging his nose. Not too much, not too much, he chanted, trying to maintain control, trying to keep these damn violent women alive. Finally her grip loosened, and she fell to the ground. A scream of frustration now sounded from the distance.
“Lay another hand on me, and you’ll die,” he bellowed.
A soft gasp pricked his ears. Caprice! He knew it was her, felt it in his bones. The sound of her voice ratcheted up the fervor further, and nothing could stop him. Growling, the power undulating around him, coating his skin, he felt the hair on his head rise. He lifted his hands and blasted the energy into the air, high into the trees, his last hold on sanity preventing him from frying the women on the spot. Or more importantly, Caprice.
Must keep her safe. Must…
The energy moved out of him, exploding; he heard the sizzle of burning wood and the sound of a massive tree going over. More feminine screams, and then silence. “You will bring her to me now, or I will pick you off, one by one. I haven’t directed the energy toward you yet. If I don’t see her, you will die. Caprice!”
He was lost to the energy. But when he heard another small gasp—Are they hurting her?— his eyes blinked out.
Blind. Again.
Chapter 17
‡
Cameo narrowed her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. “We wait here.”
“You may do whatever you like.” Caprice turned and ran, panic setting in. Where was he? What if the bloodthirsty women had killed him? Just the idea had the ice in her veins pumping. It wasn’t as strong as usual, the heat of her surroundings had depleted her strength, but it was still there. And she knew, in her heart of hearts, she would wrap her icy grip around anyone who harmed her Giant.
“Oh no. You heard The First Warrior. We’re supposed to stay here. Hey, wait!” Cameo ran, staying right behind Caprice. Every so often she’d reach forward as if to grab her and then pulled back her hand, remembering the leader’s warning.
“I have to see what’s happening.” Stones cut into her slippered feet, and leaves slapped against her face as she raced through the brush. Stopping, she gasped when a rush of white light shot into the sky, just beyond the small building where she’d stayed with her Giant.
“You care for this man?” The athletic woman kept pace but didn’t stop Caprice, apparently feeling comfortable enough to ask personal questions.
Yes. “No. I-I don’t want to talk about it. It’s complicated.” The whole conversation seemed ridiculous. She’d never met anyone as strange as Cameo in her entire life. She obviously felt the need to chat with Caprice, even as they ran toward a battle.
“Why?”
“Just… because. Why do you hate men so much?” If Cameo could ask questions, why couldn’t Caprice? One particularly large leaf slapped Caprice in the face, and she fought to get through. She swore she heard a giggle coming from Cameo.
“I don’t really hate them. In fact, at night…Well, I wouldn’t mind cuddling up to one of the ‘big uglies.’ Of course, if you tell any of my sisters that, I will have to kill you. They say I’m too young to remember; I didn’t see the destruction they wrought.”
“Surely you can’t paint all men with the same brush?”
“Every man who has come through that portal has taken from us, stolen, even raped our women, our way of life. Over the years, our men were slaughtered defending us, and always by pigs who came through that portal—looking for gods-know-what. So yeah, I can pretty much safely say they are all bastards.” For once, the woman looked serious, the mischievous twinkle, gone.
“Then why do you dream of cuddling with one?”
“I thought maybe if I went through the portal, I could find one of the good ones. Anyway, don’t worry about my dreams. You need to ask yourself if you would die for this man, because when The First realizes you’re together, you’re a goner.”
“The First?”
“Our leader. The First Warrior. Stop changing the subject. We were talking about your man.”
“I never said we were together. What do you mean, when The First realizes we are together, he’ a goner?”
“History, finished, DONE! So choose what side you’re on now, because it looks like your man is about to go down.”
Ro
unding the bend, she saw her giant in the middle of a field. The lake had narrowed and become a meandering stream; he stood feet from the water. Flashes and blurs surrounded him. Oh gods. The women with shields slowly walked the perimeter while the faster ones blinked in and out, running toward the behemoth like streaks of light. Somehow they could blend in with their surrounding.
Her heart dropped when she heard him say, “You will bring her to me now or I will pick you off, one by one! I haven’t directed the energy toward you, yet. If I don’t see her, you will die. Caprice!”
She went to rush toward him, but Caprice felt Cameo’s breath on her neck.
“Sorry, can’t let you go any further. I may not be able to touch you, but you’ve gotten a taste of my voice. If I wanted to, I could make you take a dagger to your own heart. Are you still so ready to rush to his side?”
The cold coalesced. Caprice paused, allowing the freeze to wrap around her. She believed the girl, realizing what a weapon Cameo had at her disposal. If she could direct her to harm herself, what of the giant?
He stood, chest heaving, blood dripping from the side of his head. How much more could he take? His eyes were pure white, and she understood at this point what that meant. He was full of energy, lightning, power—whatever it was called—and it was fighting to come out. These women didn’t know what they were up against. “Cameo, tell them to get back. You don’t understand, he’s trying to control that, that power but he doesn’t know how. He might not be able to stop. He could incinerate us all.”
“What is he?” She thought she heard a trace of awe in her tone. The woman’s eyes roamed his body, lingering as she glanced between his legs.
Curling her fists, Caprice fought the urge to slap the greedy look off the redhead’s face. “He is Fiera but something has afflicted him, he fights the fervor…”
“The fervor? Oh, hot hells, I’ve heard about that. The First made sure we knew about all the strange maladies that befall the men of our planet. That way, we change our fighting style depending on the circumstances. Each kingdom has its own special name for it. The fervor? That’s powerful! Nothing will stop him. You could have mentioned this earlier.” She placed a hand between her lips and whistled.
Close to twenty women materialized in a circle around him. Two of the girls were unconscious, smoke floating from their skin. Dear gods, had he—? They were being carried off into the dense jungle.
One of the blondes standing near Caprice ran to the injured women, kneeled down and brushed a hand against her cheek. Letting out a war cry, she palmed a blade and ran at him. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared, yet not, only the ghost of her form could be traced as she ran toward her captor at breakneck speed.
“No!” Both she and Cameo screamed and the giant’s head turned, zeroing in on Caprice’s voice.
Without thought, Caprice ran, arms outstretched, knowing she didn’t have a chance to reach him in time. She didn’t care if Cameo used her voice against her, didn’t care if the women came at her en masse, she had to get to him, warn him, save him. Her throat seized and her lungs lumbered, never having breathed so hard before.
Even as she struggled, she saw the blonde’s shadow jump, hand raised, the blade slicing down, carving a deep furrow through the his arm.
“Kona, no! I don’t want to be electrocuted. Damn it, Glissante, run faster!” Cameo shouted, as she shoved Caprice, pushing her from the middle of the back, careful not to touch her skin.
Caprice flew through the air, stunned at Cameo’s strength. The giant roared and swung wildly. The blonde’s blade slashed him again and again. He moved lightning fast bringing up his second hand, capturing the blonde warrior’s wrist as the blade pressed into his throat.
Battle cries pierced the air. Caprice tripped, and fell to her knees hard, the bite of rocks and dirt cutting into her skin. Desperate, watching as the blade cut deeper, she reached forward, grabbing hold of the blonde’s ankle. “Remove that blade. Now!”
“Never!” The blonde shouted, and the Giant let out another roar. Hunched over and shivering as he battled, Caprice realized he fought the energy more than the blonde at his throat.
Fury ran through her, and the cold gathered. She fed the feeling and gathered the ice from within, using up her small reserve of freeze. Unable to use the freezing temperature of her environment, she looked within. Her fingers tingled, and Caprice felt the sizzle of the woman’s flesh dying under her palm. The blonde’s scream pierced her heart, until she remembered the warrior’s intentions. She meant to kill Arun.
“Drop the knife now!” Caprice tightened her grip.
The blade fell with a thud, and the Giant grabbed the warrior woman under her arms and tossed her aside. “Caprice.” His voice was an agonized whisper.
“Release the power again, aim for the sky. I’m here.” She struggled to stand, needing to touch him. Blood gushed from his wounds, how would they stop it?
“Not… yet. Not… safe.”
The women circled, frenzied now that Caprice had joined the battle. Some even gasped, perhaps shocked that a woman would defend a man. Caprice stepped in front of the Giant, blocking him, her hands raised, prepared to fight if she had to.
Cameo came to a stop in front of Caprice, kneeling at the feet of the blonde, examining her ankle, watching as dry ice floated from the blackened wound. “What did you do to her?”
“I stopped her from killing him. He did not come here to hurt you. He was trying to get back to his people, the Fiera.”
“Oh sure, and now it’s a coincidence that he’s here, frying my sisters instead. I don’t think so.”
“You have to believe us. The Bicullis brought us here. We didn’t…”
Cameo looked shocked. “I helped you, I let you live, and you repay me by hurting my sister. Look at her.”
“She will recover. He would not have if she’d taken his head from his shoulders!”
“Caprice, I am on the edge. I can’t—” His voiced was rough, strained. How much longer till he blew? Without thought, she half turned, placing a hand on his chest, to comfort him, forgetting she still harnessed the freeze. As her palm hit his silky chest, she fought back a moan. The warmth of his skin consumed the cold, drinking it in, greedy for more.
Heat pooled between her legs. She pulled her hand back from him. She couldn’t afford to become distracted, and she needed to avoid his warmth. The freeze was her only defense against these warriors.
The women advanced, running in circles, coming in closer with each pass. Cameo held up her hand. The women retreated, some covering their ears. “She’s mine! I’ve never used my voice against a woman, never thought I’d have to…”
Caprice wasn’t close enough to get her hands around Cameo. Even if she were, she didn’t want to hurt her, but what would she do to them? Turning to her, she said, “You don’t have to. Please, I didn’t tell you before, but at night I would dream too.” She caught the girl’s eyes, willing her to understand, “Wanting things I thought I could never have. Sometimes, those wishes are answered in the strangest way. I didn’t have to go looking for it, it came to me.”
The girl hesitated.
“He doesn’t want to hurt anyone.” The power of her words diminished as tiny flashes of electricity sparked around her, flying off his skin. It was the residual power he couldn’t control that was dancing around her, tiny reminders of how powerful he was. Strangely enough, most of them landed on Caprice, but she felt no more than a slight shock.
The blonde warrior moaned as her sisters lifted her, and Cameo’s head whipped around. Her eyes narrowed, and she advanced, stopping well out of Caprice’s reach.
What am I going to do? The giant came up behind her and bent toward her ear. “Just point me in the right direction. This ends now.”
No. “Wait. Just give me…” Her palms felt warm, the ice having melted because of his touch. The lapping sound of the brook caught her attention. The redhead started to run her fingers through her hair, her hands swe
eping down, touching her breasts, between her thighs. What? Was this the only way she could access her power?
Thanks the gods the giant was blind right now.
Cameo opened her mouth, and the most dulcet tones Caprice had ever heard came flowing out, surrounding them in a warm wind, too beautiful to step away from.
“Caprice!” The giant shoved her aside, falling to his knees, patting the ground, his hand coming closer and closer to the blade the blonde had dropped. “I can’t stop! Can’t control my actions!”
I could make you take a dagger to your own heart echoed through Caprice’s mind.
Cameo paced away from them as she sang, putting distance between herself and the battle. The music was enthralling, but Cameo must have been directing the melody toward the Giant—either that or it wasn’t as potent on Caprice. Maybe it didn’t work as well with women.
Searching around, desperate for a source of cold, anything to revive the freeze, she focused again on the water. It was cold, nothing like the temperatures at home but… Reaching forward, she tried to pull the cold from the stream into her hand. Her palm tingled, and a small slush ball, the consistency of melted snow, flew from the brook.
Did I do that?
“Caprice, get down! I’m going to…” His right hand held the blade while his left was wrapped around his wrist, fighting himself, doing anything to keep the knife from plunging into his chest.
“No! You will kill us all!” Concentrating, she stumbled to her feet, pulling the cold from the water with every ounce of strength she had left, running as she did so, imagining the water hardening, flowing out and toward…
A ball of ice flew from the brook and landed smack against Cameo’s face. The water was harder then slush, more like a snowball, not too wet but perfectly formed. It wasn’t hard enough to knock Cameo out, but it hit her right in the mouth, and it knocked her off balance, silencing her deadly song.
