Her desperate rocking stopped, like a moment’s hush in the middle of a windstorm. An unnatural stillness.
Her body went tense as a bowstring. “Charlie…you must release me.” The frenzied movements resumed on a deep shudder. “You must let me go back to them.”
“No.”
“It’s the only way. You’ll tire too quickly carrying me like this. And I’ll be able to stall them.”
“Right. While they rape you.”
“It won’t be rape…not like you think of it. He’s made me need his penetration. He’ll ease my suffering.”
“I’m not letting you go.” She was his partner now. And no SEAL left his partner behind. Period.
Besides, sweet Jesus, he couldn’t let them have her.
But minute by minute, her slight weight grew heavier. He was running out of time.
Chapter 9
“Charlie! I know this place.” The thread of excitement in Tarrys’s voice had Charlie’s hopes leaping. “There’s an abandoned crystal mine not far from here. The crystals are known to interfere with magic and may help hide us, at least for a little while.”
“Thank God.” Maybe, maybe, they finally had a chance. How many times had a chance been all he’d needed to turn certain defeat into triumph? Though heaven knew how he was going to manage it this time.
“Which way?”
“I don’t know. I can’t see....”
He swung her off his shoulder, holding her struggling body tight even as her gaze fastened on the path before them. “Up the hill. In the crags ahead, where the bushes grow thick, is the entrance to one of the old mines.”
Charlie started forward, dragging her up the rocky path.
“There. Go left,” she ordered when they reached the bushes. “Up there. Climb onto the rocks.”
He followed her every command.
“Now go left again. I think…” The rock face broke to the right, revealing a small cave no more than five feet high and about the same distance wide.
Bingo.
He pulled her off his shoulder. “Can you put on your dress?” His hands were already full with one hand clamped around her arm and the other holding her gown and weapons.
“Yes, but don’t give me the bow. I might try to shoot you.”
“Thanks for the warning.” He slung the bow and quiver over his shoulder, then handed her the dress.
Tarrys fought her way into the gown, then he pushed her into the black maw of the low cave and bent low to follow her in. The moment they stepped inside, a red glow lit the small tunnel, revealing a remarkable passage of solid crystal.
Charlie stared around him at the amazing sight, the red glow reflecting everywhere like a million flames. The faint smell of sweet wine reached his nose. “How did it light?”
“The crystal reacts to heat.” Her voice was tight, pained. “My bare feet light our way. The touch of your hand would do the same.”
“The light is going to give us away.”
“No. Not if we’re far enough ahead. The light will die behind us, erasing our path.”
“Good. Does it burn?”
“The crystal is cool.” But the eyes she turned to him were feverish with need, sending another torrent of fire rushing through his body. “The burn comes from inside.”
Charlie lowered himself to his knees and reached out to touch the roughly cut crystal with an unsteady hand. Purple-blue overlaid the red, adding the smell of flowers in a spring rain. Incredible. “The crystals have a smell.”
“Yes. Each color smells a little different.”
“Let’s get out of the mouth. Does it open up inside, or am I going to have to crawl the whole way?” The cold stone was smooth, but hard beneath his knees. No flower bed cushions in here.
“It opens up a little, enough that I’ll be able to walk upright. But not enough for you. The Esri never liked these caves because of that. The Marceils are smaller and better suited.”
“How far in can we go?”
“Miles and miles, if we need to. I was a child the last time I was here, but I think the mines go all the way through the mountain.”
Even better news. If the crystals could hide them, they might just stand a chance of getting away. He started crawling, glad the floor was smooth, at least, if cold.
“Going through the mountain isn’t an option unless there’s food stashed in here somewhere,” he murmured. “And underwater springs. It’ll take at least a week to travel through a mountain this size. Maybe longer.”
“The land provides, Charlie. Even within the mountain. But I think there are other ways out. Caves near here. I only ever left the mines once. But we always had water.”
“You traveled through these mines as a child?”
“No. I was born here.” On the last, her voice tightened, as if the sexual need rose and fell in waves just as her struggles seemed to do.
He stopped talking and concentrated on navigating the strange passage behind her. A high-pitched chirping echoed from deep in the tunnel.
“Sounds like a cricket.”
Tarrys gave a shudder. “Mine crickets.”
He looked at her sharply. “Are they dangerous?”
“No. They’re bigger then the crickets in your world, but no more harmful. One got caught in my hair when I was a girl. I’ve hated them ever since.”
Tarrys remained on her feet, bending low, until the ceiling lifted enough for her to walk upright. Charlie rose to his feet, though he had to bend low to keep from hitting his head on the low, jagged ceiling. He was going to have one heck of a backache by the time he got out of here.
Every now and then, his hand came in contact with the cool smoothness of the crystal wall, adding more light. Each time, the crystal reacted differently to his touch, sometimes glowing bright blue, sometimes blue-green, sometimes almost purple. The mine snaked and curved, breaking off into more forks than a tree branch. At each fork in the path, Tarrys chose without hesitation as if she knew exactly where she was going. He hoped to God she did. If he had to lead, they’d wind up hopelessly lost.
As Tarrys had predicted, the light illuminating their path disappeared quickly, leaving no trail unless their pursuers were close enough to see it. The Esri weren’t likely to find them. Not unless they had a magical way to track them. And that was something he’d rather not think about.
They continued in silence, careful to touch the walls as little as possible. Charlie glanced back over and over, looking for the sign of a light in the distance that would warn him that they were being followed. But the cave remained dark behind them. Slowly, he began to believe they might actually get away.
No sooner had the thought sprouted in his head than Tarrys turned abruptly and launched herself past him.
Charlie’s arm shot out to snare her, but the illness was making him slow and his center of balance was off from having to bend over. He caught her at the last possible second, and they went down hard on the crystal.
“He calls me.” Tarrys’s voice pleaded with him to help her though she fought him like a banshee. One kick of her heel landed squarely on his jaw sending pain crackling through his head.
He yanked her hard until she was under him, her flailing fists caught in his hands as he pinned her to the floor with his body. Grasping both her wrists with one hand, he fished beneath his tunic for the length of rope he’d brought. Beneath him, her hips rocked feverishly. Sweet heaven.
He stared down into her face as she bucked and thrashed, her expression filled with a misery that tore at his heart. Tears leaked from her eyes.
“Charlie, I need…I need.”
The heat coming from her body burned him inside and out. “How long is this going to last?”
“Until I’m penetrated.”
Penetrated. The blood surged to his groin so fast his head swam. It would be so easy. So easy…
“Can you…make yourself come?”
“No. It’s not enough. I would have you.”
The breath
hissed out of his lungs.
“Please, Charlie. Mate with me. End this.”
Holy hell.
His baser nature rose to the fore, slapping him on the back. She needs it, man. It’s for her.
But that was the thing. She didn’t want any of this. Her body begged for release to relieve the torture the Esri had inflicted upon her, but that was all. And not nearly enough.
When all was said and done, he refused to help that bastard rape her, even if he longed to lift the hem of her gown and sink himself deep inside her so badly that he was shaking from the need.
“Tarrys…”
Her head thrashed back and forth, tears flowing freely from her eyes. “You don’t understand. This won’t stop until I have something inside me.” She was frantic now, her body shaking, her movements jerky and desperate. “I must end this.”
He had to find a way to help her. The last thing he wanted was to make this any harder on her than it already was. With his free hand, he gripped her chin, stilling her thrashing head, and kissed her hard.
She met his kiss with a ferocity that left him reeling…and sent his lust spiraling out of control. Releasing her wrists, he shoved his fingers into her short hair, loving the softness, and the feel of her delicate head in his hands. Her arms surged around his neck, pulling him tighter as her frantic tongue met his, as her hips rocked feverishly against his. He kissed her with all the passion that swirled inside him, telling her of his desire while his hand slowly slid down her body.
He moved off her, keeping her penned with one leg as he pulled her gown up and pushed his hand between her damp thighs. Instantly, she struggled against the weight of his leg, trying to spread her own. As he continued to kiss her, inhaling her sweet scent, worshipping her with his mouth, he stroked her wet folds with two fingers, then pushed them deep inside her.
Her cry filled his mouth as she shoved her hips upward, silently screaming for more.
He pushed a third finger inside and she took them all, thrusting against his hand, drenching him in her passion, sweeping him up until his own body shook, desperate for release, damning him for the morals that refused to let him take her.
He ground his mouth against hers as her fingers dug into his hair and she grabbed his head, forcing him closer.
Her hips rose and fell, undulating with the thrusts of his fingers. Her movements grew more frantic, more frenzied. Her groans harsher, needier, and he hoped she was racing toward completion, prayed he wasn’t making things worse. The fragrance of her sex changed subtly, floral scents filling the small space until he could almost imagine he was in the middle of a flower garden. The smells burrowed into his pores, twisting his hunger until he thought he would die from the need to fill her.
With a sudden moan, her hands clamped hard against his head and she filled his ears with the sounds of impending release. Her orgasm hit, washing over him like a warm wind that touched every inch of his flesh, nearly driving him to release. She wrenched her mouth from his, threw her head back, and screamed with passion and relief as he buried his face in her neck, absorbing the feel of her inner muscles contracting hard around his fingers.
He was gasping, panting from reaction to one of the most amazing, most intense, sexual encounters of his life. And he hadn’t even come.
Slowly her body unbowed. Reluctantly, he pulled his fingers out of her depths and lifted his head from her neck. But as his cheek slid against hers, he felt the dampness of tears.
“Are you okay?” He wished he could see her face, but the crystal lights had gone out and they now lay in perfect darkness.
“Yes.” But the crack of her voice and the subtle shaking of her body told him otherwise. She unhooked her arms from around his neck and turned away from him as much as she could with his leg still pinning her to the ground.
His heart contracted. “Tarrys.” He felt helpless. She wanted to get away from him, away from what had just happened, but he knew instinctively that if he let her curl into herself, he wouldn’t know how to get her back.
So he eased off her and pulled her against him, her back to his chest, his arm hooked around her waist, pulling her tight.
“Tarrys, I know he controlled you. I know he did this to you.” But his words had no effect. Her body remained taut and shaking, and he knew she had to be crying.
She’d begged him to enter her. Begged him. And he’d refused.
Was that part of the problem? Did she think he hadn’t wanted her?
“Tarrys…I wanted to come inside you so badly I thought I was going to die from it. But when I make love to you, it’s going to be because we decide to. You and me together. Not because a son of a bitch Esri forced the need on you.”
Charlie felt her soften ever so slightly and suspected he’d hit the source of her pain. His rejection had hurt her. Humiliated her. And that’s the last thing he’d meant to do.
He lifted his head and kissed her damp cheek. “Taking you would have been like helping him rape you. I couldn’t do that to you. I wouldn’t do that to you. You’re my partner. I would never do anything to risk hurting you like that.”
Though she didn’t respond, her shaking slowly subsided. When she moved as if to roll onto her back, he released his tight hold on her, then rose onto his elbow, propping his head on his hand.
The move lit one of the crystals and he found her wiping the tears off her face to look up at him with pained, troubled eyes. “I don’t want you to mate with me…to make love to me,” she said miserably.
Not exactly the words he’d longed to hear, especially considering he was hard as a rock for her and suspected he was likely to stay that way. But he wasn’t surprised, not after all the abuse she’d taken. And he was suddenly, profoundly glad he hadn’t taken advantage of her.
He released her waist and lifted his hand to stroke her cheek with his thumb. “I’m attracted to you, Tarrys. I can’t help it. And I probably can’t stop it.” He cupped her face, forcing her to look at him, to see the truth in his eyes. “But I’ll never do anything you don’t want me to. Ever. I promise you.”
Her chin trembled and her mouth compressed with a misery that broke his heart. Tears rolled from her eyes. But she nodded and he leaned forward to lay a soft kiss on her temple.
“Rest. I’ll keep watch.”
Without saying anything, she turned and scooted back against him, gifting him with her trust. Charlie pulled her tight, relief washing through him, a warmth growing deep in his chest.
He’d die before he let anyone hurt her again.
But a short time later, that terrible exhaustion slammed him like a wall of bricks.
“Tarrys…I’ve got to sleep. I’ve got to tie you first, so he can’t…” Struggling against a thick, body-numbing lethargy, he managed to retrieve his rope from his gear vest. With slow, awkward movements, he tied her wrists together, looping the rope around himself to tie it at the back of his waist. She wouldn’t free herself. But if the Esri found them while he slept, all his promises to keep her safe were forfeit.
Chapter 10
Tarrys lay in total darkness beneath the warm weight of Charlie’s arm, listening to the mine crickets and watching for sign of light in the distance. A sign that the Esri had followed them into the mines. Charlie slept behind her, his deep, even breaths stirring her hair, his body warm and solid. But the feeling of being cherished was an illusion. And the warmth wouldn’t penetrate the chill of her heart.
Charlie Rand would never again mistake her for anything but what she was…a slave and a tool of the Esri.
For a few precious days, she’d seen respect in his eyes. Friendliness. Even genuine desire. Charlie had looked at her as if she were a woman. A human woman, not the little oddity he’d seen her as at first.
For a few precious days, she’d felt strong and whole, as if she could be the partner he called her. She’d felt she could be worthy of him. As a friend. Perhaps, someday, a lover. Even donning her slave’s garb again to follow him into Esria had been an
act of strength, because she’d donned it of her own free will. She’d chosen to follow him despite his wishes. There was power in that.
But that power had been stripped away with the touch of an Esri hand.
Charlie had seen the truth. He’d seen what she was—nothing but a slave used for men’s basest desires. Powerless. Useless to him as guide or friend now that she was controlled by his enemy.
She’d never felt so worthless or desolate in her life.
Tears burned her eyes as she realized it was only a matter of time before her new master claimed her. Never again would she be free.
She shifted her bound hands, covering Charlie’s much larger one, needing the feel of her skin on his as he held her tight. The tears ran faster as she clung to him, knowing this warmth and kindness might well be her last.
If Charlie wished to survive, he needed to let her go.
That she was still with him was a testament to the deep vein of loyalty that drove this man. Loyalty that would get him killed if her new master had the power to control her from afar. He could, conceivably, use her as a weapon against Charlie. The best thing would be for her to go back to them.
But Charlie would never allow that. And if she managed to get herself free? He’d only come after her again, and almost certainly get himself killed this time.
Her fingers curved around the edge of his hand. She knew he needed to let her go. And desperately hoped he wouldn’t.
Something caught her eye—a tiny flicker of blue light against the mat of black. Her pulse jumped.
“Charlie.” Her hand gripped his tightly. “Charlie, wake up. You have to get moving.”
She felt the change in him though he made no movement, no sound to indicate he was awake.
“I see light,” she whispered. “The Esri have followed us into the mines.”
“Damn.” The softly spoken word barely reached her ear, but he started to move.
Tarrys dug her fingers into his hand. “Be careful. If I can see their light, they’ll be able to see ours. Light your way by pressing a single fingertip against the crystal. They should be too far away to see it.”
A Warrior's Desire (Harlequin Nocturne) Page 8
