by Zoe York
He smiled. “Something about me being an arrogant ass?”
“Oh, right. It’s coming back to me now.”
He kissed her and it was almost gentle. As his tongue stroked hers, his firm lips moving against her mouth, she knew the gentleness was a cover. The heat and need and hunger lurked underneath, waiting for a chance to consume them.
Oh, and she wanted that. She wanted this man like she’d never wanted a man before.
He pulled back. “Now, let’s take a closer look around. I know this chamber is too circular and the ceiling too regular to have been made by nature. The priestesses have left a clue here, somewhere.”
Reinvigorated, Lexa set her shoulders back. “Okay.”
They circled the chamber again. Dathan and Damon touched the walls, kicked at things of interest. Lexa stayed back, walking slowly, drinking it all in. It had been designed by the priestesses, she was sure of it. Women in tune with their goddess, renowned for healing, sensuality and love. A rough touch wasn’t going to help here. She let her gaze flow over the wall.
There. Something caught her eye.
She wandered closer. The tiny indentation was smaller than her palm. It could be natural—she peered closer—but to her it looked like it was shaped like an egg.
She kept moving. There. Another one. This one higher up the wall, barely visible. But definitely egg-shaped.
“What have you found?” Damon appeared at her side.
“How do you know I’ve found something?”
He leaned closer, his warm lips brushing her ear and making her shiver. “You get this look. It’s kind of a mix of excitement and what I imagine a hungry cat would have in her eye as she tracked her prey.” His voice lowered. “It’s so sexy. It makes me hard every time I see it.”
Heat shot straight through her belly and between her thighs.
He made a growling noise. “The look on your face right now is just as good.”
She pushed a hand to his chest. “Step back. I can’t think when you’re too close.”
He gave her a wolfish grin, but moved back a little. “What did you find?”
“Look at these indentations.” She pointed to the closest one and the previous one.
“They could be natural.”
“Maybe,” she conceded. “Let’s see if we can find any more.”
They explained to Dathan what they were looking for. They found another marking. And another. They were all getting excited now, Lexa felt it vibrating through her.
“Look, another one.” Dathan scraped a hand across the wall at about head height.
“Keep looking,” she said.
“Can’t see another one,” Dathan said, frowning at the wall.
Lexa spotted something at the base of the wall, near the floor. She crouched and brushed the sand away.
And gasped.
“Holy space dust,” Dathan breathed.
“Is that what I think it is?” Damon asked.
Lexa traced the red jewel set into the egg-shaped indentation. “Looks like a gem of some kind.”
“Rubania,” Dathan said. “Named after old Earth rubies. Not much of it left on Zerzura. It’s been mined out.” He grinned. “It’s very valuable. Can I have it?”
She elbowed him. “You are getting paid a nice pot of e-creds, Phoenix. Don’t get greedy.”
He grimaced. “Aww, you’re no fun, Lexa. You promised me three artifacts.”
With a shake of her head, she touched the jewel again. It was like it was beckoning her, the faint sunlight in the cavern making the gem glow a deep red.
Then the jewel moved, sinking back into the wall.
“What the hell?” Dathan demanded.
A distant clang echoed through the chamber and Lexa’s heart stopped. What now? There was a rumbling noise, and the walls started shaking. Now her heart lurched. It reminded her too much of when the whirlpool had opened up above.
Strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her back. Damon kept her securely against him.
Sand puffed up in a cloud. It stung her eyes and made them all cough.
Then the wall in front of them started moving.
***
Damon had seen some pretty amazing things in his life—the royal gem collection of Windassia, the firefalls of Molta, and the monastery of the pilgrims on Paradarn.
But all those things paled in comparison to the stunning wall of incredibly detailed carvings in front of him. They depicted curvaceous women wearing willowy wisps of translucent white fabric doing an array of activities—healing the sick, tending offerings in an incredible temple, bathing in a lake and…hmm, having sex…with men and women.
But none of that was as interesting as that damn look on Lexa’s face. Her eyes were glistening as she took in the engravings and the bright paint barely dimmed by the millennia. Her face was a little flushed, her eyelashes fluttering. There was excitement but also reverence.
Yep, a man would sell his soul to have her look at him like that.
With a silent curse, he adjusted his trousers. Damn cock was almost constantly hard now. He had to have her soon or he wouldn’t be able to walk.
“Look at the glyphs here.” Lexa rushed forward, her hand sweeping over what looked like some sort of writing. “This is the Orphic language.”
“I’ll get some pictures for you.” Damon pulled out his Sync and took the shots.
Her smile was blinding. “Thanks.” Then her face paled. “Look.”
And he saw it. A priestess, her lush curves barely contained by her dress, holding a red egg covered in gold filigree in her cupped palms.
“Unbelievable,” Dathan said. “A part of me didn’t believe it was real.”
Lexa moved back to the glyphs. “Okay, I think I can translate most of this.” She wrinkled her nose. “Wish I still had my old Sync with my Orphic database, but I can make do.”
Damon watched her mutter to herself, touching the glyphs, moving back to previous ones. She stared off into space for a second, then started reading again.
Suddenly, she spun in a giddy circle. She grabbed Dathan and planted a loud kiss on the kid’s lips. Dathan looked startled for a second, then grinned like an idiot. Damon scowled.
But Lexa leapt on him, her legs clamping around his waist. He grabbed her fine ass to steady her. The kiss she planted on him was nothing like the one she’d given the young treasure hunter.
God. Desire exploded, smacking into him like a starship. Her hands gripped his hair, her mouth hungrily taking his. He groaned. She tasted like all his favorite things rolled into one.
“Man, do I feel like the third wheel.”
Damon rested his lips on Lexa’s forehead and shot Dathan a look. “One day, you’ll find your own woman.”
Dathan cast a long look at Lexa. “Not sure I’ll ever find class like Dr. Carter, here.” He straightened and grinned. “And I don’t want some astro-archeologist who’ll bitch at me for being a treasure hunter. Besides, there are so many beautiful women in the galaxy. Why limit myself to one when I can spread the joy around?”
Damon shook his head. He’d believed the same thing not that long ago. He looked down at Lexa, who was rolling her eyes. She was trouble. She’d never just come when he crooked a finger, or leave him to brood when he wanted to, or let him get away with being an arrogant ass. She’d push and pull him…and damn, he was excited by the prospect.
“One day, some woman is going to knock you off your feet, Dathan Phoenix,” Lexa predicted. “You wait and see. You’ll do anything for her.”
Dathan waved a hand. “Never going to happen.”
“So, Dr. Carter, apart from my manly physique, what’s got you so worked up?” Damon set her down and she hurried over to the wall and pointed at the lettering.
“See here, it says we have to head south-west.” Lexa gestured at the glyphs. “That south-west is the right path.”
He smiled. “Well done.”
“And the next clue?” Dathan asked. “We head sou
th-west until…?”
“We meet the Dragon’s Spine and follow it to the temple divine.”
Dathan looked up at the ceiling. “God, why can’t they just say what they mean? All this cryptic bullshit…”
Lexa shoved her hands on her hips. “For being the best treasure hunter on Zerzura, you don’t have much of a sense of adventure.”
He gave her a mock glare, then his face turned serious. “I’ve never heard of anything called the Dragon’s Spine. Not south-west of here and not anywhere on the planet.”
Lexa’s face dropped. “Really?”
Dathan shrugged. “There are plenty of myths and legends that say dragons lived on the planet once. This was well before the Terrans ever came here. But no one has ever found a skeleton, or anything resembling dragon remains, so most people think it isn’t true.”
“People were selling dragon bones in the market.”
He grinned. “Yeah, probably ballo beast bones or desert gazelle.” His grin widened. “They like to sell ground up ‘dragon bone’ as an aphrodisiac to unsuspecting tourists.”
“Well, we have a direction to head in,” Damon said. “We’ll keep going until we find this Dragon’s Spine, whatever it is.”
Lexa brightened, but he saw the dark circles under her eyes, and the way she was moving told him she had some aches and pains from the fall. Not to mention Dathan’s injured arm. They wouldn’t get far without recharging. “But, we need to rest first.”
“Damon, no! We need to keep moving—”
“Lexa, you’re about to fall flat on your face and I can tell you’re in pain. Dathan has a broken arm.” Damon looked at the young man. “And we’ve lost the bulk of our supplies.”
Dathan nodded. “It’s a death sentence to head farther into the desert without supplies.”
Lexa kicked the sand and exhaled loudly. “I know.”
Damon gripped her shoulder and squeezed. “The temple isn’t going anywhere.”
Dathan snapped his fingers. “I know a place. It’s a traveler’s rest at an oasis not too far from here. We can rest there, get some decent food, and for a pretty hefty price, they’ll have supplies.”
Damon gave a short nod. “Perfect.”
Lexa cast one last longing look at the carvings. “There’s just one problem—how are we going to get out of here?”
Damon glanced around, then saw something they’d failed to notice in their excitement over the carvings.
He smiled and pointed. “How about we take the stairs?”
A small arched doorway had opened up at the far end of the wall. Beyond it, was a set of stone steps leading upward.
“Problem solved,” Lexa said with a laugh.
— ELEVEN —
The heat of the day and the rocking gait of the ballo beast—not to mention the security of Damon’s arms around her—had almost sent Lexa off to sleep. They were following some path that Dathan assured them was there, but she couldn’t see it. This patch of sand looked just like the rest of the dunes to her.
Another rock came into view in the distance. This area of the desert was dotted with small, rocky outcrops. But as they kept moving, this new rock grew larger than the others, rising above the sand dunes.
As they crested another large dune, Lexa straightened and rubbed her eyes. The rock was dotted with carved dwellings. These ones were recent, fitted with modern window coverings, and a couple even had large transmission dishes attached. The sunlight glinted off the still water of the small lake at the base of the rock. It was lined with an odd mix of tents and prefab buildings, a combination of modern and old.
They entered the oasis village. People stopped what they were doing to look at them—store holders, a few elderly people sitting on benches, kids playing in the street. Most people smiled and waved. A few of the children followed along behind the ballo beasts, laughing and calling out to them with wide smiles.
“Welcome to Liwa,” Dathan said. “Friendliest place on Zerzura. “The traveler’s rest is up at the rock tower.” He pointed ahead of them with his now-healed arm. Thankfully, the break had been a clean one. After Damon had set the bone, the medscope had knitted it together.
Up close, the rock tower was even higher than Lexa had thought. Some of the carved rock windows were lined with boxes of colorful flowers, while others fluttered with gauzy curtains and were lined with sturdy shutters.
When Dathan signaled for them to stop, Lexa noted a lovely hand-carved sign by a double door. It said “Visitors always welcome.” Through a large synth-glass window, Lexa saw a bar and restaurant.
A tall woman bustled out of the doors, her long skirts swishing around her. She stood with one hand on her hip, the other hand shading her eyes. When she recognized Dathan, she clapped her hands together.
“Dathan! Darlin’, it is always a pleasure to see your handsome face. You look even more scrumptious than the last time I saw you.”
Lexa blinked. The woman’s voice was…really deep. She looked closer and realized the woman was a man dressed as a woman. He had a raw-boned face, painted with very good makeup. Lexa wasn’t sure if his blond hair was a wig or not, but it was long and piled up on his head.
“Hey, Pris.” Dathan dismounted and held out a hand. “Don’t try and kiss me, or I’ll smack you.”
Pris laughed—the sound deep and real—and shook the treasure hunter’s hand. “Don’t worry, gorgeous. I know you like the ladies.” Pris gave a theatrical sigh. “Such a shame.”
“Need some rooms, Pris. And help buying some supplies.”
“Anything for you…and the right amount of e-creds.” The innkeeper’s gaze landed on Lexa and Damon. “What a handsome, sand-covered couple.” Pris’ heavily-kohled eyes zeroed in on Damon.
Lexa expected Damon to stiffen, but he stayed relaxed, eying their host.
Pris’ gaze flicked between the two of them and back to Damon. “I suppose you’re going to disappoint me, too, and tell me you like the ladies.”
“Yep.” Damon handed Lexa down to Pris.
The innkeeper set her down with an easy swing. After Damon dismounted, the two men looked at each other. Their host stiffened. “Helix?”
Lexa watched Damon morph from weary traveler to high-alert security expert. She felt every muscle in his body go tight.
“It’s Damon. Damon Malik.”
The man…woman—Lexa wasn’t sure what to call him or her, but she guessed since the innkeeper was wearing a skirt, she’d go with she—swallowed and nodded. “I was Lancer…in my previous life.”
Damon relaxed a fraction. “You did good work.” Damon glanced at the inn. “Never knew what happened to you.”
“I got out.” Pris set her shoulders back, pasting on a wide smile and shaking her skirts. “I decided to find an out-of-the-way place where I could be my real self.” She smiled at Lexa. “Well, at least you have good taste, even if you are an exceedingly brave woman.”
Brave? She looked at Damon but his face didn’t give anything away.
Pris flicked a finger at Lexa’s hair. “You are a beautiful thing. I love your hair. Tell me it isn’t real and you paid a small fortune in e-creds for it.”
She shook her head, still trying to piece together that little exchange. “Sorry.”
“Ah, we should all be so blessed.” Pris waved them in. “Come in, come in. I’ll find you some rooms.”
Behind a cluttered table, she rummaged around in a cabinet and handed something to Dathan and something to Damon.
“What the hell is this?” Damon held up a slim piece of metal.
“Oh, it’s a key.” Lexa touched it, studying the clunky lines of it. “For an old-fashioned lock. Fascinating.”
Pris winked. “I’m an old-fashioned kind of gal.”
“And where’s mine?” Lexa asked.
Pris laughed again. “My darling, when a man looks at you the way Hel…Malik is, you have absolutely no need for your own room.”
Lexa glanced at Damon. He didn’t seem to be
looking at her any differently than he usually did. But then she really looked at his eyes and she caught the flash of dark intensity and potent heat. It hit her low, left her feeling needy.
Pris leaned down and whispered, very loudly, “Honey, you grab that, ride it until you can’t ride no more, and don’t let go.”
Lexa choked on a laugh and saw Damon’s lips twitch.
Pris’ face sobered. “And he’s one of the good guys, who always does the right thing, no matter how tough it gets.” The innkeeper spun with theatrical flair and gave Damon one more wistful look before sighing. “Come along. I’ll show you your rooms.”
They dropped Dathan off with a promise to meet him that evening for dinner. Pris told them there would be a community meal by the water with dinner and dancing, and they wouldn’t want to miss it. The last part was added with a wink.
Damon unlocked the door Pris had shown them. It swung open and Lexa got the impression of a huge bed draped in filmy white fabric.
“Have fun, my darlings.” Pris waved, the bracelets on her wrist tinkling. “And please, make sure you get at least a little bit of rest.” She spun with a swirl of skirts and was gone.
Lexa wandered into the room. It was surprisingly cool. The rock-cut walls were smooth but there were narrow veins of some glittering mineral here and there. She stopped at the window and took in the wide sweep of golden desert. It looked just as magnificent and unforgiving from here as it did when you were riding in the middle of it. But, right now, with sand in places she didn’t even want to think about, she was happy to take a short break from it.
Damon was silent, and Lexa found nerves were starting to creep in. It was silly. They’d been through so much in a short period of time and she’d come to trust him. In fact, she hadn’t felt this close to someone in a long time.
A door opened and she turned. He was heading into an adjoining room. She followed and moaned in pleasure.
The room was carved back into the rock and against one wall was a deep-cut pool with water bubbling up and steam rising off it. The room had no window, but three modern ball lights were suspended from the ceiling, each one glowing with a soft light.
