She wouldn’t be lucky today. Her heart kept beating, and her lungs kept breathing even as the very blood in her veins slowed to a crawl and turned to needles piercing her. Her pores opened up, and bodily fluids flowed out turning the water around her a blackish green.
Her colon exploded as she lost control of her bowels and the breath seized in her lungs as her chest began to stutter. For one heartbreaking minute, she wanted to stay dead. Then his voice flowed around her from her memories, and she vowed to fight once again even as her body lie cold and limp.
Harold walked out of the shadows to look at River. Once again she was dead, but it wouldn’t last nearly long enough, and then her body would heave, and her chest would take in a breath of air. They were on the bottom of the ocean floor, and still she breathed. He bared his teeth in frustration.
River was an enigma; he knew what she was, but that didn’t give him an understanding of what it meant. She was of the Earth. Some made up stories about how as long as she lived the earth lived. Well, he didn’t want the Earth to live he wanted to blow it to pieces and all the puny lives on it that didn’t matter in the grand scheme of his life, but she wouldn’t die.
Deanna walked up behind him thinking she was quiet, but he always knew when she was around, and this was one of the times he wanted her to be somewhere else. She stopped and placed a kiss on his neck. Love and desire for her coursed through his body followed by a healthy dose of hatred and self-loathing. When all this was over, and the Earth no longer existed, and they had claimed their destiny, he would leave her. A clean slate the perfect time to start over.
“You’re watching our girl, has she learned any new tricks.” She asked moving around to stand side by side with Harold.
“Nothing new she dies and then she revives. You would think she would be tired of that same old trick by now.”
“Give it time, Harold. You knew when we decided to do this that it was going to be multiple times harder than what we thought.”
He had known, but after losing the last battle, this one was even harder. He was so sure they would win with the clone. The plan had been perfect. Nothing could go wrong, this time; they couldn’t afford to lose another daughter of the Earth.
“I am tempted to kill her myself and end this farce.” He took a step toward her.
“Then you condemn us all to death.”
“Why do you continue to think he is so powerful?” Harold turned to face her. His striking brown eyes changed and now they were slits with red, white, and black pupils. “Have you forgotten who I am?”
“No, my love.” Her hand went to his back and stroked him slowly before she pressed herself against his chest making sure he felt nothing from her except love and the utmost adoration.
When his shoulders finally relaxed, she took a breath.
“Then why, Deanna?”
“Because you have forgotten who he is. In a battle between him and us he may not survive but the chances of us surviving are slim. He would die if that meant he took us with him. None of us are ready to make that sacrifice.”
Harold nodded she was right their enemy would give up his life to make sure he kept the Earth safe. He walked over to River and watched as she took her first breath. Briefly, he thought of kicking her, but nothing but her death would do. He turned around and stretched out his hand to Deanna. She deserved to be made love to after the way she calmed him down. He’d make her scream, and she would love it. Together they walked away thinking it was only a matter of time before River’s body stopped regenerating.
River laid still although she felt her body could move. She always hated bringing attention to herself when they were around. A rare beauty, the precursor to the shark, came and rubbed his body against hers. If he could free her, he would. Any of the sea life would free her if they could. All they could do was watch out for her, make sure she had food close at hand and whisper to her not to give up hope.
That’s what her friend did now. He whispered to her through the sounds he made in the water to stay strong. Soon he said you will be free I can feel it. River laughed certain species of fish and mammals were very sensitive. They knew what would happen if only the humans would take the time to pay attention to them.
She stood up and wrapped her arms around him. He was too big to hug completely, but she did her best. Then she asked him for a ride. She loved to ride the backs of her larger friends. His head rubbed against her as he refused her. It was time for her to leave they may never see each other again but he would always be her friend. He took off leaving River in the water that would one day be her grave.
Chapter Two
River sat on the bottom of the ocean floor and watched the being draw closer to her. He was still too far away for her to see clearly but she could tell he was a male by the way he walked. His strides were powerful and graceful while screaming masculine. Her heart beat faster the closer he came to her. She had to smile as she watched the plant and sea life make way for him.
Within her brain was a litany of words asking if he was the one. Was he the voice that forced her to her feet to dance the first time she heard him. Her hands tensed the fingers pulsing and shaking with the need to do something. She could feel her blood as it moved through her body and the strange rhythm her heart took on. One long beat two short beats almost as if she were trying to send out a signal.
The one thing she was sure of was that he wasn’t one of the two males that held her captive. They could only wish for a gait that smooth. Would he free her, that small voice of hope whispered in her head? She might feel the air on her skin again and warm herself in the sunlight.
To walk on the beach seemed like an impossible dream. She might be able to find him—the male that made her feet twist and move in ways she thought were long forgotten. She tried to sit on the dream to crush it, but thoughts of freedom were rising like a tidal wave. She knew, in the end, they would devastate her when they didn’t come true.
He was closer now she could see his body. He was tall with dark hair and eyes that blazed, his mouth curled up into a smile at the joy of discovery.
He came to stop beside her and took a seat on the bottom of the ocean floor by her. It was only now that River thought to ask herself what he was. Very few people could survive the weight of the water sitting on their shoulders.
“Hello, River.”
Her joy died this wasn’t the voice she wanted to hear. He didn’t make her heart beat faster, and her body wasn’t reaching for his. Her eyes closed to cover the disappointment she felt.
“Little one,” his hand touched her face.
“You know my name.”
“My name is Dante, and now we are on equal footing.”
Her laugh met his smile. She would never be on the same footing as him, but it was nice of him to make her feel better.
“How did you find this place, Dante? It’s a prison. You should leave I wouldn’t want you trapped with me for the rest of eternity.”
“No one should ever be trapped that long.”
“I know, but it happens you know it does.”
“I know River, but I can’t help everyone so right now let’s focus on you.”
“You don’t understand I’ve been here for centuries trapped and the four beings that trapped me intend for this to be my grave. I’ve tried to escape them over and over again. No matter what I try or how long I plan I can’t find my freedom.”
Dante’s eyes turned silver as he opened the palm of his hand and a small fish came to hover over it until it rested in his hand.
“The fish like you,” she whispered in awe. They hated her captors.
“And I like them.” He ran his hand over the back of the fish, and it glowed with a light before it swam off.
“What did you do?”
“I made sure they wouldn’t be dying off anytime soon.”
River turned to watch the small fish swim off. The ocean used to be filled with them, but over time they died off. When they were gone, the ocea
n floor would change for the worst.
“Are you ready?” Dante asked standing up.
“Ready?” What could he be talking about?
“Ready to leave this place and start your journey.”
“I…maybe.” He seemed so normal when he first walked up. That is if you ignored the fact that he was walking on the ocean floor and breathing water like he did it every day.
“Yes,” she was willing to give anyone a chance if there was a possibility they could help her gain her freedom.
“River,” he said as he took her hand. “Forget.”
Her eyes fogged over for a minute as she wondered how she came to be so deep in the water. A smile took over her face because she knew this stranger would help her. Together they walked going higher in the water. There was confusion behind her loud voices that demanded they stop, but she couldn’t look back only ahead.
“What’s happening?”
“Nothing to worry about a few of my shark friends are reminding my enemies why they don’t want to fight with me.”
She nodded her head as they broke the surface and stood on the water. Her eyes slammed shut unable to take the glare of the sun. Her body burned in the heat, and soft whimpers of pain came from her.
Her body sagged, and Dante caught it.
“Welcome back, River.”
He turned to look at the four beings behind him.
“That was a stupid move, Dante,” Sloan said. He was the being in charge of the other three. “She may have lived forever on the bottom of the ocean floor. Now you’ve signed her death warrant. Our hands were tied when she was our captive, but now—”
“But now she has a chance at the life you would have denied her. If she dies at least she will have had a chance to live.”
“She’s dangerous. They all are. How many Daughters of the Earth will you allow to roam free?”
“The only one I’m concerned about is the one in my arms.”
“That’s sad because she will die.” Sloan disappeared taking the others with him to plan his next move.
*~*~*~*
“Eli,” Damon called out as the male in front of him ignored him.
Eli stopped and turned to face him. “Are we going to spend all night arguing or are you going to follow me. If you are not interested in the female, then I will give her to another.”
“You can’t just give females away, not even here in Sin City. They are not chattel, and you don’t own them.”
Eli’s laughter disappeared into the night. “You’ve spent too much time with Mick’s mate. This is my domain. The minute you step inside I can do anything with you that I want.”
Damon smiled daring him to try.
He shook his head. “Why must The Created challenge me at every turn?”
“I blame it on Dante,” Damon said coming to stand before a small house.
“I do too.”
“Isn’t this 22 Cherry way?”
“It’s yours for as long as you need it.”
Damon opened his mouth to ask why a female of the night would be given a house here, but he was already gone. He was almost as fast as The Created.
Damon reached out to touch the door handle when his heart started to beat erratically the chambers tightening, warning him to stop. The base of his neck tingled while pain walked down his spine causing each joint to protest. His body told him if he opened that door his life would change. Knowing better he opened the door and walked in; it slammed behind him, but he never noticed. On the walls were pictures of life at the bottom of the ocean beautiful and vibrant. These were not the pictures that were here the last time he was in this house; his mind told him in case he forgot.
He walked out of the foyer and into the living room. There lying on the couch was the most beautiful female he ever laid eyes on and she was dead.
He didn’t need a scanner to know dead when he saw it. His body tensed in fury that someone had dared to touch her. His nails became claws digging into the palms of his hands. He wanted to roar his fury and kill every soul alive because she was gone. Instead, an invisible cord between her body and his pulled at him. He stumbled as his feet moved toward her. He fell to his knees knowing his life was over. He lowered his head to lay on her abdomen feeling the first breath of life she took.
He stood up in shock to watch her as she turned her head and opened her mouth torrents of water flowed from her body. He created a bucket out of the materials in the air around him and caught what she was throwing up. He would analyze it when he could think. All his mind could say at this moment was mate.
His eyes took her in; she was beautiful. He would laugh if he thought he was capable of sound. She had that drowned rat look, but all he could see was her beauty. Her skin was a flawless shade of brown that had that just kissed by the sun look. Her eyes were hazel a true mix of green and brown. He was willing to bet given her mood they could be either color. Her pink lips were bow-shaped, and her lashes were long enough to hold him captive for days.
He reached out and followed the gentle slope of her nose before pulling his hand back.
No touching before you introduce yourself; he admonished himself before smiling at her.
“Hi, my name is Damon.”
Her eyes widened, and she tried to sit up before giving up.
“It’s you,” her voice came out as a hoarse whisper. “You’re the voice I heard that made me dance.”
He didn’t need confirmation that she was his mate, but her small confession allowed him to know that he was also her mate. What to do? In the back of his mind, he was forming battle plans, even as his hand reached for hers. The need to touch her was overwhelming.
He took her slender fingers in his feeling the satiny smooth feel of her skin.
“What’s your name?” He asked as he reached down to help her sit up. She was trying to move again. Knowing he shouldn’t, he sat next to her and settled her head against his shoulder.
“River,” she whispered her mouth close to his ear. “My name is River.”
Desire hot and heavy ripped through Damon at the sound of her name, her voice in his ear. He wanted her, and with more willpower than anyone male should have he pulled himself back from the brink and simply allowed the feel of her weight against his body to make him happy.
“River do you know what happened to you?” His hand came up to stroke her hair. It was bronze and hung down to the small of her back. It was wild and free as if she refused to have it trimmed or tamed.
“I was a captive…they held me in water.” Her hand went up to her head, the blood vessels in her brain constricted. She raised alarmed eyes up to his. “I can’t remember anything.”
“Don’t worry that happens after a trauma. You will remember eventually. River, when I walked in you were dead.” He stiffened his body again to keep the anger he felt inside, he didn’t want to scare her.
“That happens ever since I came here. There is no rhyme or reason to it. I may live an hour before I die or ten minutes. It doesn’t matter because I continue to die. One day I won’t wake up.”
She convulsed against Damon and died again.
Chapter Three
The fury that he felt at his mate dying was pushed aside by his need to find out what was happening to her. He laid her body on the couch with care and reached for the scanner that he always carried with him. He ran it over her body; it confirmed what he already knew she was dead. He went to gather her to take her to his medical wing, but the no he heard in his mind was overwhelming. It came on a channel he didn't use, but he knew his brother's voice.
He ground his teeth feeling like his hands were tied. Once again he ran the scanner over River, this time, allowing the knowledge he accumulated over his long life help him interrupt the results. The different systems of her body were flawless as if she had never encounter smoke, fog, the diminishing ozone layer or any of the other thousands of things that affected the human body.
He’d only seen one other body like that before, his
brothers mate, but she was alive at the time. Even dead, River’s body was amazing. She took a breath as he read and interrupted the new signs he was receiving from the scanner. Her head turned again as torrents of water flowed from her. He made his way around the couch and held her hair back for her as he continued to watch his scanner. When she was finally able to rest, he leaned over and kissed her forehead before stroking her cheek.
“How much longer do I have?” she gave him a weak smile and looked at the scanner in his hand.
“I’m a doctor River, a good one and I’m not letting you die.”
“I don’t think you have a choice. I knew when I escaped that I was signing my death warrant.”
“Then why did you do it?”
River stopped to look at him. Damon was beautiful he stood tall with a muscle-bound physique that she was enjoying. His hair was red with black highlights that moved repositioning themselves while making him look continually different. He had the lightest of blue eyes that darkened until they were black and then as if they didn’t know what color they wanted to be they reversed the process until they became light blue again. Some might be scared by his eyes, but they fascinated her. His voice was deep, and his face was a pleasure to look at. His nose was aquiline giving his face distinctive character. A smile touched her lips because the answer to his question was so obvious.
“I escaped to meet you.”
His eyes warmed with shock and desire as he looked at her.
“Me?”
“Yes.” She would have nodded, but her body wasn’t going for sudden moves. “I heard your voice on the beach, and I had to find you.”
The beach. Damon stood still and allowed his senses to flair around him. Her scent caught him full force, she smelled of sand and water and flowers. The same scent that teased him at the beach driving him crazy with his inability to find it.
Damon: The A'rouk Brothers: A BBW Paranornal Page 18
