Can I help?
He glanced up at her and smiled, causing Ariel’s heart to do a curious little thud in her chest. I believe all is in order. Sit, it’ll be ready to eat in a moment.
Ariel did as she was told, making herself comfortable on the soft grass. Have you been awake long?
Long enough. He didn’t look up from the task at hand, just continued to work, slicing through the papaya and mango fruit, removing any seeds. Once finished Coridan turned to face her, his sticky hands extended, offering her the bounty he’d reaped from the jungle.
Ariel nodded her thanks, before accepting a big slice of mango. She took a bite, the juices exploding down her chin. She wiped the sticky evidence away and continued to eat. Coridan watched her for many moments, until she grew uneasy under his gaze. She cleared her throat and stared back, then and only then did he pick up a piece of fruit for himself and take a bite.
The rest of the meal was eaten in companionable silence. They finished most of the fruit, saving a few bananas for the morning meal. They washed down the delicious bounty with the water he’d stored in the gourds. Coridan then raised his hands above her before she could stop him, sending a cleansing energy burst through her body. The intimacy of the act did not go unnoticed.
His aqua eyes stared at her lovingly. Ariel wondered if he knew how much his eyes gave away. Probably not. She smiled to herself. She didn’t want to think about how that look made her feel. It was too…unnerving. Ariel thought it best to strike up a conversation, anything to take her mind off the man.
So how are we going to get to the transport without encountering the Professor’s men?
Coridan’s gaze narrowed, turning him instantly back into the warrior she knew…and loved? We aren’t. There is no way we can approach the transport without a battle.
Ariel tried to keep her voice calm as she spoke to him, but worry crept despite her efforts. Then what are we going to do?
We’re going to fight. Well, I’m going to fight. You are going to make your way to the transport with the missing stone and escape. I’ll hold his men back for as long as I can.
He wasn’t coming. Ariel’s mind rebelled. No!
No?
No! That plan is unacceptable to me.
Coridan crossed his arms over his muscled chest. Oh really? Why is that? he asked, his face a canvas of male incredulity.
The only way I plan to leave this planet is together. Otherwise, ‘tis impossible.
That is not true, Seer, and you know it. He swiped a hand through the air. You are being foolish.
Foolish?
Yes! You’re acting like a…like a woman. He released a bent up breath.
Ariel’s eyes narrowed on him and her lips thinned. You may not have noticed. Her voice hissed in their heads as she glanced down over her body for emphasis. But I am a woman!
Coridan glared back at her, hot and male. His gaze lazily caressed her bare skin, leaving molten heat behind. I’m well aware of your gender, Seer. He swallowed hard. In fact, there hasn’t been a second I’ve been able to forget it. My body makes me painfully aware of our differences every moment I’m in your presence. The question is how long can I go, before my baser instincts get the best of me?
Despite his harsh tone, the threat in his words thrilled her, delighting Ariel to her toes. Coridan poked the fire, stirring the embers. Ariel exhaled, filling the air with shimmering gold. Her eyes widened, her gaze shooting to the warrior’s broad back. Ariel fanned the air in front of her face madly, praying the gold dispersed quickly. Coridan turned back to her, his gaze narrowing as he took in her frantic movements.
In one breath, she could have unwittingly given him his answer.
* * * * *
Chapter Nine
What are you doing?
Nothing. Ariel stirred the air.
Is that gold?
What are you talking about? Ariel glanced around.
Coridan squinted in the low light. Whatever it had been was gone now. I thought I saw gold in the air. His eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Ridiculous, even if you had, it would change nothing.
It would change everything…
Well it’s a good thing it wasn’t, then. Ariel shrugged. Obviously, what you saw was a trick of the light, an illusion. She held her hands out, as if to show him she had nothing to hide. This can change nothing, not until we leave this place and warn our people.
Her last statement gave Coridan reason to pause. Exhaustion beat at his body. Had he seen gold? Between the firelight and the flicker of glow bugs, he wasn’t sure. Yet Ariel’s words seemed to be offering them a modicum of hope. He latched onto that tiny speck, however faint, refusing to let go. He kept his face purposely blank, so as not to draw attention to her words. Not only was her body coming around, but her mind also.
We need to come up with a plan we can both live with. She sounded exasperated.
Coridan didn’t miss the double meaning of her words. Fine. He conceded. The Professor will not be expecting a frontal attack. You will go to the tree stump where I’ve hidden the transport stone and retrieve it before we strike.
All right, but we must not underestimate Rumsinger.
Coridan’s face hardened. I underestimate no one.
Ariel nodded.
You’ll come in from the south, carrying the stone. I’ll enter the clearing from the north.
Then what?
Coridan released a heavy breath. While I’m holding the Professor and his men at bay, you’ll slip to the transport and replace the missing piece.
Ariel smiled. And then I’ll join in the fight?
His brows furrowed. No! Coridan shook his head.
Ariel’s smile slipped to a frown. I’m not going to just stand there as the red-devil tries to kill you.
Coridan felt his lips thin. Try being the operative word. He will not kill me, and you will not join in the fight. Is that understood?
For a moment Ariel said nothing.
If you do not agree to my plan, then I will take you far from this place and claim you as my mate, with or without the energy bind, as is my right. We will never see the Atlantean people or Zaron again. Is this what you wish? The part of Coridan that feared returning to his home planet prayed she’d disagree, give him the excuse he needed to act.
Ariel scowled. You know, you are such a…a…hard-headed warrior!
Coridan smiled, letting her see the heat her words brought to his blood. He was sure she’d been about to call him something else far more unpleasant. He was indeed a warrior, an Atlantean warrior to be exact. Few were fiercer in this world when called upon to do battle.
As I was saying… He arched a brow, knowing it would annoy her even more. He couldn’t resist. The pout that came to her luscious lips when she didn’t get her way held him in thrall. As if on cue, Ariel crossed her arms over her ample breasts and stuck her lower lip out in a perfect pout. Coridan laughed to himself and then thanked the goddess for blessing him so.
Once you’ve put the stone in place and made sure the transport works, you will send me a signal letting me know it is safe to make my way to the portal. His gaze locked to hers, willing her compliance. At which time, you will slip through the transport and I will follow.
I don’t like it.
You don’t have to like it. You just have to do it. I cannot do battle and worry about your safety at the same time.
Ariel’s shoulders squared. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself.
That’s not what it looked like when I found you.
Her nostrils flared. The Professor had gotten the jump on me. You would have fared no better.
He snorted. You think not.
Ariel’s jaw closed with a slight clank. What kind of signal should I send? She asked, easily avoiding the subject.
Any will do. Coridan waved his hand in the air. In the end, it wouldn’t matter. It was basically the same plan he’d suggested earlier, but wrapped in a nicer package. He didn’t bother to
tell her that once she was safely through the other side he would stay behind and destroy the transport, ensuring the safety of the Atlantean people and his reluctant mate. Hopefully his last heroic deed would change his family’s reputation from disgrace to honor in the eyes of the Atlantean people…and in her eyes.
* * * * *
There was something about Coridan’s plan that didn’t sit well with Ariel. She knew he wasn’t revealing all and it sounded suspiciously like the old plan reworded. Did he think her a fool? There had to be another way other than direct assault. A full frontal battle would amount to death. Before she could formulate her own plan, he spoke.
‘Tis best we rest while we can. Tomorrow will be a busy day, fraught with much danger.
Ariel returned to where they’d lain together. She settled once more into the soft grass and willed herself to close her eyes. Her mind churned with ideas that she gradually dismissed one by one. She was no strategist. Ariel glanced at her warrior. Coridan crouched near the fire, feeding the hungry flame, his gaze distant, tinged with sadness.
The last thing Ariel saw before exhaustion claimed her was the resolve chiseled in Coridan’s expression, as if he’d made a monumental decision. One which Ariel was sure she would not like or agree with.
* * * * *
Ariel awoke as dawn stretched like a lion’s claws across the horizon. She immediately closed her eyes against the light. Her body felt snug and warm, tucked protectively next to Coridan’s bulk. She shifted her legs and then her arms, feeling a wonderful stretch. Her mind focused on each movement as her lashes fluttered open. Her fingers flexed, clasping a nearby branch. Ariel’s mind stilled. At least she thought it was a branch.
She frowned a second, before her eyes opened fully. Coridan’s aqua gaze bore into her, his jaw set, and his nostrils flaring. Her gaze traveled from his chin, over his chest to where her hand rested. Somehow, during the night, she’d clasped his cock. Her eyes widened as she started to uncurl her fingertips.
Do not! Coridan bit out as if he were in an extraordinary amount of pain. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat. If we are to die today, then I ask one request.
Her gaze met his, steady and strong. We will not die. The trouble was Ariel could not be sure what their fate held. She didn’t have the herbs needed to bring about a vision.
Be that as it may. His voice hissed in their minds. I’d like to experience the sensation of being inside you before we go.
You’ve already been inside of my body.
You know what I mean.
Ariel’s stomach clenched. She’d denied him and herself for so long. What if they died today and never got to experience the pleasure of a real joining? Her heart stammered at the thought. There was a good possibility they would not succeed. Could she meet the goddess without knowing the pleasure of having Coridan’s, her true-mate’s, cock inside her aching body? She didn’t think so.
Moreover, what of the energy bind that would bond them for eternity? No, she must stand firm on the binding. As for the other, she’d denied him and herself for long enough. Her mind made up, she focused once more on Coridan.
Come to me, warrior. She exhaled, sending gold floating in the air.
* * * * *
The second Ariel acquiesced Coridan practically pounced on her. He pinned her body to the ground, allowing his weight to settle between her firm thighs. With a simple exhalation, she’d confirmed his suspicions. The sun made the gold sparkle. This was no trick of the light. No wonder she’d not allowed him to kiss her earlier. She’d mentioned the energy bind as being something possible, not probable. He’d seen the gold last night, but his mind had refused to accept the truth.
You’ve lied to me, Seer. His voice was harsh, his body demanding.
I’ve never lied to you. I simply withheld the facts. There is a difference.
His gaze pinned her as he shifted his hips so she could feel his growing erection.
The time for games is over.
Ariel’s eyes widened. Coridan, we must not perform the energy bind, remember our people.
This is no longer about our people, Seer. He reached between their bodies and untied his loincloth, pulling the material away until they lay skin to skin. This is about a warrior and his mate. You know it and I know it.
Ariel held up her hand, gently covering his lips with her fingertips. I want you, but you’ll have to promise me there’ll be no energy bind or I won’t be able to go through with this, no matter how much I long to do so. You know, as I do, if we joined and anything happened to either one of us it would be like sentencing the other to death.
Coridan felt his expression blank. She still denied him the final step in their ultimate joining. Yet he knew she spoke the truth. He knew that whether they joined or not, if anything happened to Ariel, his life would not be worth living. Coridan didn’t want to consider what Ariel’s life would be like on Zaron if he didn’t make it through this battle. Would her pain be as great? If they joined, he knew that would be the case. He debated whether to stop their physical pleasure before it continued any further. Ariel shifted her hips before he could move, taking all his decision-making abilities with her.
You have my word. He groaned, nuzzling her neck, nibbling her lobe. Her body burned like lava beneath his hands, his lips. Coridan traced the gentle dip of her waist as it flared into full hips. He ran his palms along her outer thighs, relishing the feel of her long legs, the slight trembling his touch ignited.
Her breath came out in short, gasping pants as he found her rock hard nipples and rolled them between his thumb and forefinger. Gold filled the air and energy sizzled around them. Coridan closed his eyes, shutting out the temptation of claiming all. He didn’t want to force himself on his mate. He wanted Ariel to come to him willingly.
Ariel spread her thighs wider, cradling his hips. Coridan’s cock dropped, immediately immersed in the wetness of her slit. His body shook. He had to taste her. He released her earlobe and slid down her body, palming her rounded globes one last time before settling between her legs.
* * * * *
Coridan’s tongue snaked out, taking Ariel’s breath from her lungs. He undulated the muscle, teasing closer to her clit. Her body screamed in anticipation, tightening to a razor’s edge, where she remained, balanced and waiting to fall. This was it. In a few moments, she would know what it felt like to embrace a warrior and hold him deep within her.
He dipped his head, and began to nibble on her clit like he’d been nibbling on her ear only moments ago. Coridan’s lips were excruciatingly soft as he feasted upon the tiny bud, building her need, driving her desire. He flicked his tongue once, then twice before plunging inside her saturated channel.
Ariel bit her lower lip to keep from screaming aloud. Energy pulsed within her, dancing and caressing the sensitive inner walls of her woman’s center. Pressure began building inside, unlike anything she’d ever experienced. If felt bigger than herself, than them, greater than all the things she’d ever accomplished for the tribe.
Coridan pulsed again, sending energy rippling through her sex, vibrating her clit at the same time. Ariel shattered. Wave after wave of delicious release roared through her until the world dimmed around her. When she was able to see, to focus again, Coridan rose above her, his thick cock sliding to her entrance.
Ariel’s eyes widened, locking to his as he slipped the tip of his cock inside her. The sensation scalded as her body gripped him, drawing him deeper. Sweat dotted Coridan’s forehead and his aqua eyes turned molten like an underwater lava flow. His gaze held hers as his palms brushed her skin, electrifying her as he neared her hips. Ariel tilted her pelvis instinctively as Coridan slid his cock an inch deeper.
Her breath caught as he nudged the natural barrier guarding her innocence. Coridan’s gaze never wavered.
I am honored to be granted this gift you give me now, Seer.
Ariel… My name is Ariel.
Ariel. He repeated, smiling down upon her. Pure male sati
sfaction rumbled in his voice, sending shivering darts of pleasure over her skin.
After this, no other warrior will be able to pleasure you. Know this, Ariel, for ‘tis the truth I speak.
Coridan…I—Ariel shrieked.
In an act of dominance, Coridan thrust forward, tearing through her feminine barrier, imbedding himself to the hilt.
* * * * *
Her body fisted his cock, gloving him. The time for arguments was over. Coridan’s breath strangled in his throat as he tried to speak. You are mine, Ariel. He punctuated the statement with a roll of his hips.
Ariel’s lips parted, as her body stretched to accommodate him. I belong to no man.
Coridan stilled. That is correct. He smiled once more into her determined face. You belong to a warrior—not a man. Ariel’s jaw set. Before she could say anything to deny his claim, Coridan started to move, taking all protest away.
Their bodies merged and melded, twisting in an act men and women have performed since time immortal. Coridan rocked his hips, relishing the gentle glide and tight grip her body offered. Her moans echoed in his ears, the sound a soothing balm to his wounded soul. Nails raked, skin scraped, and still they fucked until all the energy from the universe converged and exploded, sending them into eternal orbit. By the time their bodies separated, their position in each other’s lives had solidified. An hour later, they departed the tiny sanctuary sated and ready for battle.
Ariel and Coridan worked their way through the jungle, taking care to remain undetected. Rumsinger’s men stalked through the vegetation, flushing out all living creatures from their hiding places in an attempt to locate them. Trees were felled and animals killed as the guides’ search became frantic.
Worry creased Ariel’s delicate brow as they neared the transport. Coridan stopped, halting her movements. From here, we’ll take to the trees. He pulled a liana free, cupped his hands to give her a leg up, and waited for Ariel to climb. They reached the treetops safely.
Atlantean's Quest Volume 2 Page 10
