Lover Enslaved: Thieves of Aurion, Book 1

by Redford, Jodi

  “Whoa, I’m only trying to help.”

  Dash pivoted, baring his teeth. It took every ounce of his control not to take a bite out of his brother’s hide. “Help? You just convinced Mara it’s a good idea to walk into a killer’s trap.”

  “Holy shit.” Blinking, Jerrick staggered back a step. “You love her.”

  He saw no point denying the obvious. “Yeah, I do.”

  Jerrick looked like he’d stumbled upon a Pardaq opal—rarest of all gemstones. “Holy shit.”

  “You already said that.”

  “I know. I’m still in shock.”

  “Me too.” Dash slicked a hand through his hair and pretended he didn’t notice his trembling fingers.

  Jerrick continued staring at him for a long moment. “She wants to do this. And I still think it’s a good plan. We’ll keep a close eye on her, bro. Between us and the sleeping drug, Baggins doesn’t have a chance in hell of hurting Mara.”

  The thought of that bastard within breathing space of Mara left Dash on the verge of puking. He squatted, hanging his head between his knees.

  “You okay?”

  Through his misery, Dash felt his brother’s hand land on his hunched shoulder. He groaned, a bad brew of fear-pumped adrenaline and love sickness churning in his gut. “Fuck no.”

  ~ * ~

  Mara paced in front of Avily’s payment desk, waiting for her customer to leave so she could finish ranting. The minute the woman’s green cape disappeared through the door, she threw her hands into the air. “Are all males complete domineering assholes?”

  “Pretty much.” Avily gave a decisive nod and returned her attention to the micro-computing pen gripped between her fingers.

  “It’s some sort of mutant gene they’re born with,” Piper chirped, swinging her legs over the side of the payment desk.

  “How can he not see the logic in my plan?”

  “Hello. Mutant gene.” Piper tapped the side of her skull. “It also destroys their brain cells.”

  Mara grunted. Yep, makes sense.

  Avily bustled out from behind the purchasing desk. She tripped over the end of the rug and made a nose dive towards the floor. Mara rushed forward, but Avily halted her fall in the nick of time, landing on her hands instead. Blowing a blonde strand out of her eyes, she grinned in embarrassment. “Speaking of mutant genes, apparently I was gifted with the one that supplies a lifetime of clumsiness.”

  Mara chuckled. “Don’t feel bad. I got a whole boatload of those babies.” She leaned down, intending to give Avily a hand up. A tattoo peeked just above the rise of Avily’s pants. She cocked her head, frowning.

  “Are you staring at her butt?”

  “What?” Mara blinked at Piper. “No. I was looking at her tattoo. It resembles the one on Jerrick’s arm.”

  “Hmm, weird coincidence.” Avily hopped to her feet and hitched her pants up, hiding the tattoo. “So tell me again about this plan you’ve devised for getting inside Baggins’ house.”

  The request effectively tore Mara’s attention from the mysterious symbol on Avily’s rear end. “It’s simple in execution, but brilliant in design.”

  “Freaking brilliant,” Piper clarified, holding up her palm.

  Mara high-fived her with a pinky. “Damn straight.”

  Avily gestured impatiently. “Well don’t keep me in suspense.”

  “I’d use a similar tactic to how I trapped Dash.”

  “You mean showcasing your boobs.” Avily snorted. “Males, magical or not, are equally predictable.”

  In unison, all three of them rolled their eyes.

  “What are you going to wear?”

  “I’m not sure.” Mara rubbed her chin, pondering Avily’s question. “It has to be super sexy. Something that’ll catch a highfalutin’ bounty hunter’s attention.”

  “Ooo…I’ve the perfect addition to your outfit. Hold on and I’ll get it.” Avily ducked around the corner. Rustling sounded the next aisle over and a few seconds later she reappeared with a pair of the most sinfully sexy high heels ever created.

  “Come on, you know you want to touch,” Avily teased, waggling the shoes.

  Giving in to the temptation, Mara caressed a finger over the tiny, sparkly gold stones beading the crisscrossed straps. “They’re gorgeous.”

  “And they look like a good fit.” Avily thrust them towards Mara. “Better try them on anyway.”

  “Really?” Not giving Avily the opportunity to rethink her generosity, Mara kicked off her sandals. She bent over and reached a hand up for the high heels. When her fingers groped nothing but air, she frowned and lifted her head.

  Avily’s focus was riveted on the front of the store. “Um…”

  Mara peeked over her shoulder. Dash stood in the doorway—stare centered on her arched butt. His expression reminded her of the one Ronan wore the time he slammed his thumb in the aerocoach’s door. She swung upright and torqued her back. Biting off her pain-filled grunt, she turned to face him. “What do you want?”

  For some odd reason, her question made him grimace. Rather than answer, he inched towards the exit. “I’m done fighting with you. If you want to tempt Baggins, go right ahead.” He bolted from the door.

  She turned and stared at Avily and Piper. “Is it my imagination or did he look green?”

  “As a toad,” Avily amended.

  Shoving her feet back into her sandals, Mara rushed from the shop. She found Dash a few shops down, slumped against the speckled trunk of a flowering Borasha tree. “Are you okay?”

  “I really wish everyone would stop asking me that.” Without looking at her once, he strode to the street-side water dispenser situated in front of the bookshop next to The Fairest Rose and gulped down several long swigs.

  She waited until he straightened before touching his arm. His thick biceps stiffened beneath her fingers. “What do you want?”

  A chuckle escaped her. “Funny, isn’t that what I asked—” She broke off when he turned and granted her a dark stare. “You don’t look okay.”

  “I’m fine,” he snapped. “Absolutely terrific. Want to check my goddamn vitals?”

  His uncharacteristic hostility lanced her heart. Tears pricked at her eyes and she stubbornly blinked them back. “You know what? Piper’s right. You do have a mutant asshole gene.” She whirled from him and stumbled towards the hotel.

  “Mara.”

  She ignored his pleading croak and powered up her pace. The warmth of his hand encircled her wrist and she tried shaking him off. “Go to hell.”

  He jerked her to a halt and eyes brimming with misery speared her in place. She became lost in the depths of his caramel irises. Feeling like a moth hypnotized by a burning flame, she stood stock-still while he threaded the fingers of his free hand through her hair.

  “I’m already there,” he whispered, right before his mouth crushed down on hers.

  I’m doomed. Like a starved person seeking sustenance, Dash feasted at Mara’s mouth. He couldn’t live without her taste, didn’t want to even try.

  Feverish, he thrust his tongue inside her mouth. Licked at her like a delicious treat. She gasped, clutching the front of his shirt.

  Someone gave a racking cough close by. “Okay, time to take this off the street. You’re starting to attract attention.”

  Jerrick. Dash growled and pulled Mara tight before kissing her deeper. His brother grabbed the back of the slave collar and physically hauled him off Mara, dragging him towards the Crystal Lodge.

  Her eyes huge, Mara stared at the small crowds clustered in the nearby shop doorways before chasing after the two of them.

  They all three remained silent during the ride up to the appropriate floor. When they reached Dash’s room, Jerrick finally allowed his wrath full reign. “What the hell were you thinking? From now on, no more public displays of affection. Got it?”

  Dash continued staring at Mara unblinkingly. He wanted nothing more than to vault across the bed separating them and unbutton her prim litt
le top with his teeth. Then he’d kiss and lick every inch of her creamy skin.

  Muttering beneath his breath, Jerrick disappeared into the bathroom. The sound of running water preceded his return. Grasping Dash by the collar again, he yanked him inside the bathroom and shoved him behind the water shield.

  Icy pellets drenched Dash, making him yelp. A strange mist rose off his skin. “Why the devil am I steaming?”

  “Because you’re overheated, you bonehead.” Jerrick shot a quick look over his shoulder before lowering his voice. “When’s the last time you had sex?”

  “Three weeks, six days, twenty hours, and three and a half minutes.” Dash glared at his brother. “This has nothing to do with sex.” His nosy brother didn’t need to know about the thoughts tormenting his brain.

  Jerrick cocked an eyebrow.

  Am I that transparent? He mentally backtracked to the soul-deep kiss he’d planted on Mara minutes earlier. Shit. “Fine, it’s a little to do with sex.”

  “Think maybe you should do something to cure your pesky ailment?” Jerrick challenged.

  “I’m not having sex with Mara. I promised her I’d be a gentleman.”

  “You’re doing a great job. That mauling scene down on the street? Total gentleman material.”

  Groaning, Dash slid onto the tiled floor of the bathing cubicle. Jerrick dialed the water jets off. “Sorry if that sounded harsh.”

  “No, it’s true.” Dash slicked his hair back. Fat rivulets of water streamed down his face and neck, adding moisture to his already sodden clothes. He lifted his foot and stared morosely at his waterlogged loafer. “These are bloody ruined.”

  “There’s the fashionable brother I know and love.”

  “You’re just jealous because you wouldn’t know quality Faltronian workmanship if it flashed its boobs and gave you a lap dance.”

  “No way will you make it to four weeks.”

  “I have to.”

  A light tapping announced Mara’s presence. “Is everything okay in here?”

  Dash met her worried gaze. “Well, my brother tried drowning me.”

  “Only for your own good.”

  Mara stepped farther into the bathroom. A lovely blush pinked her cheeks when she looked at Jerrick. “Would you mind giving us a minute?”

  “Take all the time you need. In fact, the longer the better.” Ignoring Dash’s glare, Jerrick abandoned them with a cheerful whistle.

  “What did he mean by that?”

  “Nothing. His mother dropped him on his head as a babe. Now he constantly babbles nonsense.” Dash stood up and more water gushed from his trousers. He frowned at the small lake ebbing around his feet. “Think I’ll stay in here for the time being.”

  She remained mute and he lifted his head to find her staring at him. “Why did you kiss me like that? It was almost…frantic.”

  “I’m sorry if I frightened you.” His thoughts instantly shifted to Finian and Mara’s mother and he nearly growled at his monumental stupidity. He was doing a bang-up job convincing her he was nothing like Finian. “It’ll never happen again.”

  She blinked. “You mean you’ll never kiss me again?”

  The suggestion triggered a wrenching cramp in his abdominals. He waited, heart pounding, for the painful queasiness to pass. “I can’t promise that.”

  “Oh. Well good.” She chewed the corner of her lip. “Because I rather like it when you kiss me.”

  Mist began gathering on his skin again. “Perhaps you’d best go now,” he said hoarsely. “I seem to be having issues.”

  She blinked. “Why are you steaming?”

  “It’s a long, dull story.”

  “Maybe I can—”

  He groaned. “Sher ’tian, I’m begging you. If you feel the tiniest compassion for my suffering…leave.”

  Thankfully she didn’t argue further and instead scurried from the bathroom. Seconds later, he heard the connecting door whoosh.

  The mist evaporated, along with the desire pounding through his blood. Good gods, maybe Jerrick’s right and I’m experiencing some kind of sex withdrawal. No, it was more than that. So much more. He didn’t just want sex from Mara. He wanted her. All of her. Body, heart and soul. Where the hell was the cure for that ailment?

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  She couldn’t believe the time had come to leave Tul’dea. A part of her felt relief that the mission was finally moving forward. An even bigger part wondered if her brain had been off enjoying a sunny vacation in Frittona when she decided to seduce Baggins.

  “You ready to go?”

  Gripping the balcony rail, Mara turned her attention from the sun’s slow ascent over the distant mountains. She nodded, but Dash didn’t look too thrilled by the gesture.

  “It’s not too late. We can always put together an alternate strategy.”

  “No, I want to do this.” She almost believed her own words. Regardless, fear wouldn’t keep her from sticking to the plan.

  Dash’s jaw remained tight. “The Cloud Chaser is all packed. Some last-minute business came up for Jerrick, so he won’t be meeting us in Skalage until early evening.” He stepped to the door leading into her room and shoved the curtains aside. “I’ll be down in the parking garage.”

  She watched his broad back through the glass while he strode across the room and exited into the hall. Ever since the strange scene in the bathroom yesterday, he’d been acting weird. Well, weirder than usual, anyway. He pretty much refused to look directly at her, and he kept a distance of several feet between them at all times. His usual grins and droll quips were also kept to the barest minimum.

  If she didn’t know better, she’d swear an alien creature had somehow taken over his body. She abandoned the balcony and checked her room one last time for anything she or Piper might have left behind before heading downstairs. When she spotted Avily waiting by the entrance doors, chatting with Piper, she chuckled. Who would have thought those two would ever be buddies? Shaking her head, she approached the odd couple.

  “You forgot something yesterday.” Avily held up the high heels from her shop and her eyes sparkled as brightly as the shoe’s gold gemstones. “It’s understandable. Anyone’s memory would be fried after that doozy of a kiss.” She fanned her face with one hand while passing the shoes over.

  Jeez, did the entire population of Tul’dea witness it? Maybe it was a good thing they were leaving this morning. Better than having to dodge everyone’s smirks. “Thanks for these.” Mara jiggled the shoes.

  “I hope they do the trick.” Concern shadowed Avily’s face. “But be careful. This Baggins character sounds like a huge creep.”

  Mara’s pulse sped up at the reminder of the mission ahead of her. “Dash and Jerrick will be nearby. They won’t let anything happen to me.” Hopefully. Pushing aside the worrisome doubts plaguing her, she squeezed Avily in a hug. “I’m going to miss you.”

  “Come back and visit me if you’re ever in the area.”

  That obviously would never happen, but Mara nodded anyway. It was easier than explaining the arrangement tying her to Nalia for the rest of her life. Feeling a bit emotional over their goodbyes, she glanced towards Piper. “Come on, we better go before Dash starts wondering what happened to us.”

  They walked outside. Dash had pulled the Cloud Chaser from its space in the parking garage and it waited idling at the curb. “Guess this is it,” Mara said to Piper. No turning back now. With a final wave to Avily, they both hopped in the vehicle.

  The drive to Skalage took most of the morning, but it felt like forever. Between Dash’s moody silence and Piper’s excited chatter, Mara’s nerves were strung tighter than a Saurton lute. She rubbed the back of her neck as they circled the city center. Skalage lacked the size and industry of Tul’dea, so she didn’t understand Dash’s compulsion to make three laps around its business section.

  She frowned at him while he surveyed the signs hanging above the various shop doors. “Are you looking for something in particular?”


  “Just scouting the area.” He accelerated and the four-lane street became an indistinct blur of brick-faced buildings. Without warning, he swerved onto one of the side streets.

  Mara rolled in her seat, clutching the center console for dear life. The Cloud Chaser straightened and her heart returned to her chest. They halted abruptly in front of a small, single-story house with dense ivy climbing up its brown shingled exterior.

  “This is where we’ll be staying.” Dash cracked his door open.

  Forehead scrunching, Mara eyed the neatly tended roses blooming in front of the porch. “Who lives here?”

  “My friend Gordon and his daughter Astor. They’re both away from the city at the moment, so the house is all ours.”

  Dash climbed from the vehicle and Mara scurried after him. They made short work unloading their bags and she helped lug everything to the porch. He punched in the code for the front door and escorted her inside.

  “I’ll be back within the hour.”

  Mara tore her gaze from the colorful landscape mural taking up all four walls of the room she stood in and stared at Dash as he turned on his heel. “But we just got here.” When he didn’t slow his progress, she rushed to intercept him at the door. “Wait, I’ll go with you.”

  He shook his head and ducked through the doorway. “Stay. Make yourself comfortable. If you get hungry, there’s a fully stocked pantry in the kitchen—avail yourself.”

  “But—”

  Dash’s loafers made a slapping sound as he practically tripped down the porch steps in his haste to reach the Cloud Chaser. He jumped in, revved the engine and peeled down the street.

  Piper fluttered next to the porch post. “Geesh, did someone light a fire under his feet?”

  No. But I’m sorely tempted. Gnashing her teeth, Mara shoved her hands in her pants pockets before traipsing back inside the house.

  “Ooh look, Shimba dice. Wanna play a game?”

  Mara slid her gaze from Piper’s excited expression to the jelly-filled cubes resting in the center of the Lucite dining table. Normally she wouldn’t even think of playing with Piper. The sprite was a giant cheat—the only thing giant about her. But the situation with Dash still rankled. Maybe it’d help get her mind off it. And him. “Sure, why not.”