by Cathryn Fox
An eager smile curled his lips as he followed her into the dimly lit lair. With the guard distracted by her breasts, she quickly took control of the situation and pulled her dagger.
His dark roar of laughter rattled her confidence. The dagger trembled in her hand. “What is a slip of a thing like you going to do with such a toy?”
He pulled his own dagger. “Now this is a weapon.”
She swallowed past the fear constricting her throat and held her ground. “And this is a locked door,” Katrina bellowed, running from the liar and securing the door shut with a heavy metal rod. Listing to his muffled curses from behind her thick-paneled door, she crept down the long corridor.
Expecting opposition, her heart pounded like thunder as she rounded each corner. She found no resistance as she slipped outside the kingdom walls.
With no time to spare, she swallowed her debilitating fear and gathered all her strength as she shot to the surface.
She had to find Ranek and warn him before it was too late. Before Kohan’s men killed him.
In her desperate effort to save Ranek, she fought her way to the surface. She battled the enraged sea’s powerful current for what seemed like hours until finally her head broke through the wind-tossed surface. Her lungs nearly burst from fear and exhaustion. Her limbs throbbed from the exertion, but she forced herself to go on.
Angry waves crashed over her face as she took a moment to locate Ranek’s signature. Nausea took hold and she fought it down. An uncontrollable shiver racked her body as her heart cried out for his safety.
A flash of lightning cut through the dark sky. Wind whipped through her hair as another angry wave pulled her under.
She fought her way back to the surface and raked her heavy, wet hair off her face.
Up ahead she saw a flicker of light and heard the muted sounds of voices.
“Ranek,” she hollered out to him, but the loud crash of the swells swallowed her cries. A clap of thunder roared in the distance.
Ignoring the threatening waves ready to swoop over her and drag her under, she pushed on.
She rushed forward when she saw Ranek and his band of warrior treading water a few feet away. She grabbed his shoulders and he spun around, his dagger poised, ready for battle.
His eyes opened wide with shock as comprehension filtered through him. He captured her shoulders in a tight grip and shook her. “Go back, Katrina. It is not safe for you here.”
She shook her head and pleaded for him to listen. “You don’t understand, Ranek. It is not safe for you,” she yelled over the thrashing of the sea. But before she had a chance to explain, a boat came into view.
“Go now,” he hollered and turned his attention to the loud cries of the men sailing toward his band of warriors,
Katrina’s heart leapt into her throat when one of the sailors shot a spear at Ranek. Her stomach twisted and she shrieked as it missed his head by a fraction of an inch.
She closed her eyes with relief when he safely moved on to battle another. The second she shut her eyes she felt something cold penetrate her skin. She gasped for a breath but it wouldn’t come. A sharp stab of pain cut through her. She opened her mouth to cry out to Ranek, but the words were lodged deep in her throat. She touched her hand to her stomach. It was warm, sticky, and in an instant she knew she’d been badly wounded.
Ranek instinctively spun around and caught her gaze. “No!” he bellowed, lunging for her. He gathered her into his arms while his warriors fought off their enemies.
“Katrina?” His face was drained of color.
“I’ll be fine,” she lied, feeling herself slipping in and out of consciousness.
“You shouldn’t have come here.” She could hear the anguish in his voice.
“Kohan,” she whispered, her lids closing. She felt his warm hand on her face bringing her back.
“What about Kohan?”
She gasped and sputtered for her next breath. “He said he’d sent men to kill you.”
Ranek’s muscles tightened around her. “I have killed his traitorous men already.”
She nodded toward the boat. “Then who are they?” As she drifted, their voices became faint in the background.
“They are drunken mortals, hunting us for sport.”
No longer able to move a muscle, she felt her body go limp.
“Katrina, no! Please stay with me.” His voice was panicked, anxious. She knew his hands were touching her but could no longer feel their warmth. “I’ll take you back to our kingdom and find a way to heal you.”
“Is it true, Ranek?”
“Is what true, my love?” He brushed her hair from her forehead, dropped a soft kiss on her cheek, and hugged her against his chest. She heard his breath catch in his throat.
“That when a Bandara is killed by a mortal…they will be reborn on earth?”
He nodded his head.
“Then you shall never stop looking for me?”
“I love you, Katrina, and will never stop my search. I will find you and bring you home. I swear it.”
* * * * *
Katrina awoke, gasping for breath. Her eyes were wide with fear, anger and something else, something Ranek couldn’t quite put his finger on.
“Ranek,” she whispered, reaching out to touch his face. “Please forgive my foolishness. I never should have gone to the surface looking for you.” She lowered her head. “I regret not having more faith in your abilities.”
The pain in her eyes tormented him. He hooked a finger under her chin and lifted her face to his. “Kohan is capable of great evil, my love. You feared for my life and that is understandable. Trying to save me shows great strength and courage.”
She shook her head. “My foolishness has cost us decades.” Tears slid silently down her cheeks.
“Shh.” He held her tight and wiped her face. “None of that is important now. What is important is that I have found you and want to bring you back to where you belong.”
She gazed at him, her expression puzzled. “But how? I’m still half-human.”
He smoothed her hair from her face. “With every memory, you become more and more Bandara. The final transformation is up to you.”
She sniffed. “I don’t understand.”
“Now that the memories are complete, the only thing left is for your mind to fully accept them. The human part of you must believe in order for the final transformation to happen.”
“How will I know when that happens? How will I know what to do?”
“You must will it to happen. Don’t worry, Katrina, you will know what to do when you are ready,” he assured her.
“But—”
He cut her off by pressing his fingers to her lips. “You have been on a very difficult journey, Katrina. You must rest while your body and mind understand what you have learned.”
A comfortable silence fell over them as he held her tight. Her hands trailed over his arms. He loved how she touched him in such a familiar way. The sweet friction began to ignite his skin.
“There is something I don’t understand, Ranek. If a Bandara can only travel to the mortal world during the night, how is it possible that Kohan was here today in my office?”
He clenched his jaw and fisted his hands. Anger burned in his eyes. “He’s close, Katrina. Too close. He’s using a magic potion. My men search for it as we speak.” Ranek looked to the sky. Fingers of golden light edged the horizon. “My time is nearly up, Katrina.”
“There is one more thing I need from you before you go.” Her voice was a low, velvet murmur. She stroked her long fingers over the contours of his body and burrowed her mouth into the crook of his neck. She surfed her lips over his chin and cheek until she connected with his mouth. She broke the kiss and looked deep into his eyes. “Make love to me.”
His heart filled with longing. Was she asking for his love, not his memories? “Your memories are complete now, Katrina.”
“That isn’t why I want to make love to you.” The emotion in her g
aze held him captive.
His heart swelled with emotion. The gift she was bestowing upon him touched his soul.
She ran an impatient hand over his chest and leaned into him, her mouth poised, her legs widening.
Fierce need took over. He tangled his hands through her hair and urged her closer. She moaned into his mouth and arched her back.
“I want your release inside me,” she whispered, and reached down to stroke his swollen cock. “I want to feel your explosion in my body.”
His fingers roamed over her scorched nakedness and slid over her quivering belly. He dipped lower and touched her silky, wet pussy. He growled when he felt her moisture.
Her juices dripped over his fingers. She was already so close. He touched her clit and she shuddered.
“You are very excited, my love.”
She smiled up at him. The desire in her face matching his own. She squeezed his cock and he drew in a quick breath. “I believe I’m not the only one.”
He chuckled. “You are so undisciplined, Katrina.”
“You would prefer for me to be docile?” she asked, an amused expression on her face.
He rolled his eyes and grabbed her by the hips. “I prefer for you to be on top.”
Without another word, she positioned his cock at the opening of her pussy. She closed her eyes and let the length of him slide deep inside her. “Ahhh,” she moaned and thrust her hips forward, rubbing her rigid clit against him. “I believe I may prefer it this way myself.”
He reached out and stroked her nipples, pulling on the buds until they were full and erect. Her breasts bounced in his hands as she began riding him, her body lifting and lowering, driving him deeper with each frantic thrust. She seemed almost desperate for an orgasm.
He reached around and pulled her ass cheeks apart, allowing his balls to smack against her tender flesh. She groaned and increased the rhythm.
His blood pulsed at the tip of his cock as he struggled to hang on. Gripping her hips, he drove into her harder. He was panting so loud he barely heard her throaty cries. The sound of her pleasure drove him over the edge. His sharp release was only seconds behind hers.
Minutes later he pulled her closer and smoothed her hair back. “I love you, Katrina,” he whispered breathlessly. “You’re mine for eternity.”
Chapter Eleven
Katrina awoke the next morning with her emotions in a tangled mess. There was so much to understand and assimilate she didn’t even know where to begin. The human part of her mind wanted desperately to cling to the belief that none of this was real.
In a few days, she was to marry James. How could she possibly go through with the ceremony when her heart belonged to another?
And what if she really was losing her mind and Ranek was nothing more than a figment of her imagination?
Would she give up her dream of belonging to a family for something that didn’t even exist?
Not so, an inner voice urged. He is your soulmate.
She flung her legs over the edge of her bed and drew in a weary sigh. Her toes touched the chilled floor and she shivered. The early morning sun filtered through her lacy curtains and shone directly into her eyes. Katrina winced and turned away. Off in the distance, birds chirped as they began their daily search for food.
Katrina’s stomach grumbled, reminding her she hadn’t been eating properly for the last few days.
As she stretched out her limbs, she stifled a yawn and couldn’t remember ever being so tired. The emotional roller coaster she’d been on had drained her of her energy.
The sound of Susan moving around outside the bedroom forced her thoughts to the day ahead. Hopefully her busy schedule would help keep her mind off the jumbled mess that was her personal life.
She didn’t want to think about her wedding or the rehearsal dinner with James and his family that was planned for later that evening. All she wanted to do was fall back into bed, curl up into a safe cocoon and forget about the real world, or any other world that existed beyond the realms of the deep.
The knock on her door roused her from her thoughts. She hastily pulled a robe over her naked body.
“Come in,” she yelled, climbing to her feet.
“Just checking to make sure everything was okay,” Susan said, opening her door. The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled her senses as Susan crossed the room.
Katrina smiled her gratitude and eyed the coffee. “Everything’s fine now. Thanks,” she replied, accepting the hot cup from Susan’s hands. Katrina sipped the warm liquid and felt a little rejuvenated. “I’m sure after a shower I’ll feel as right as rain,” she said.
Susan took a seat on the bed and patted the empty space beside her. Once Katrina settled next to her, she looked into Susan’s questioning eyes.
“Did you dream about him again last night?” Susan asked.
Katrina nodded, took another sip of coffee, and listened to the birds chirp outside.
“Would you like to talk about it?”
She picked an imaginary piece of lint from her robe. “He told me he loved me,” she whispered.
“I see. And how do you feel about him, Katrina. Do you love him, too?”
Katrina shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m just so unsure about everything.”
“I think you better figure it out. Soon. You’re getting married in a few days.”
Katrina met her gaze. “Susan, do you think I’m losing my mind?”
“You are one of the most sane, reasonable people I know, Katrina,” she assured her. “I’ve done a lot of thinking about this since we talked yesterday. Perhaps there is more to our world then what we can see and touch. And maybe, just maybe, your sea god really does exist.”
Paying heed to Ranek’s warning, Katrina planned on keeping close to Susan for the entire day. She drove to work with her and then secured herself in the safety of her office, where she planned to spend the day finishing off a few projects that were well past due. Susan assured her she’d allow no one into Katrina’s office.
Hours later, Susan peeked around the corner of Katrina’s office door. “Are you going to keep yourself cooped up in here all day or do you want to go grab some lunch?”
Katrina stole a glance at the clock. “I’m expecting a phone call.”
From across the room Susan’s stomach grumbled loud enough for Katrina to hear.
Katrina tossed her an apologetic look. She felt guilty for keeping her best friend chained to the office, but she needed to follow Ranek’s orders. “Let’s order in Chinese, my treat.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” She grabbed her purse. “Would you mind ordering?”
“Okay,” Susan agreed. “Since you’re paying, I’m ordering one of everything on the menu.”
Katrina chuckled before returning to work while she waited for her phone call.
* * * * *
Ranek pulled on his battle armor and summoned his warriors to the front gates. Today he would lead another group of men into the underworld, and this time he wouldn’t stop his search until he discovered the forbidden potion.
Standing before his group of warriors, he outlined the details of their attack. Once done, he raised his dagger high above his head. “We stop at nothing. Those that resist our efforts will be killed.”
His warriors raised their daggers, mimicked his cries, and prepared themselves for battle.
Ranek opened the great kingdom walls and they all filed out, following their leader into the dangerous underworld.
Deep below ground, Ranek made contact with one of his warriors who had infiltrated Kohan’s followers. The watcher led them to the outskirts of Kohan’s fortress.
“Be careful, Lord Ranek, you will meet with much resistance from Kohan’s vassals.” The watcher bowed his head and backed away, allowing Ranek’s men to lead the assault.
Moving stealthily, his warriors broke into Kohan’s fortress, knocking men to their knees with the surprise attack. While his men battled Kohan’
s vassals, Ranek’s searched for his brother’s lair, hoping to find him and put an end to his treachery once and for all.
After kicking in the door to Kohan’s quarters, Ranek blinked and forced his eyes to adjust to the dimly lit room. Dagger drawn, he took a cautious step forward, expecting Kohan to attack at any moment.
He inspected every crevice, but in the end came up with nothing. The room was empty.
One of his men came running in, breathless. “Lord Ranek, I think you should follow me!”
He spun around. “Have you found Kohan?”
He shook his head from side to side. “I am not sure what we’ve found.”
As Ranek turned to follow, he felt an icy cold chill move down his spine. The air was forced from his lungs as the room spun before him. He grasped the wall to balance himself.
In that instant, he knew exactly where to find his brother.
Another chill cut through his body, turning his blood to liquid ice.
Katrina.
He could hear her cries, hear the agony in her voice and feel the pain in her heart. His stomach plummeted as a feeling of helplessness roiled within. If anything happened to her, he’d never forgive himself.
She was calling for his help, yet in broad daylight he would die before he could save her.
He needed to work fast, to find what he was searching for so he could save Katrina from the deadly clutches of his brother.
“Lead me to your discovery,” he bellowed.
He followed the young warrior into a murky laboratory. Ranek glanced briefly at the slain men lying across the floor. Stepping over them, he studied the display of potions before him.
“Lord Ranek.”
He turned in the direction of the voice.
“I think I have found what you are looking for.”
* * * * *
The bell strung over the front door tinkled and Katrina assumed it was their Chinese food.
A movement outside her office doorway drew her attention. She looked up expecting to see Susan with their lunch.
“That was fast—” Her words lodged in her throat. She drew in a sharp breath as her pulse leapt in her neck. Frantically, she looked over Kohan’s shoulder into the gallery. Susan was slumped over her desk. Katrina jumped up, sending her chair flying backwards. It hit the wall with a loud thud.
