She started to turn away when she spotted her knife sheathed at his side. Jac relieved the guide of her blade and slipped around the tree. She’d made it about twenty yards, when she spotted the guide’s tracking partner. Her hand stung, but she couldn’t resist getting a tiny bit even with her captors. She snaked around the brush, making her way from tree to tree. She took extra care not to step on any twigs or dead leaves. She wanted nothing to impede her attack.
When she’d positioned herself behind him and was within a foot of the second guide, Jac called out. “Looking for me?”
He spun around, reaching for his rifle in one smooth move. Her foot smashed down on his knee. Something crunched. He went down instantly, writhing in pain. She followed the move with a series of frontal body strikes that her Nave SEAL father had taught her, leaving the man incapacitated. Feeling better than she had all morning, Jac dusted off her hands, then bounded into the jungle. She raced deeper through the dense canopy, her thoughts straying to her father.
Dad would be proud, that I haven’t forgotten everything he taught me. God rest his soul.
No man Jac had ever encountered lived up to the honor, strength, and pride her father had possessed when he was alive. Ares’s face floated into her mind. She quickly pushed it aside, choosing to ignore the obvious. She patted her guns. They were the only comfort she needed down here, at least until she was able to locate Rachel.
Where are you? She wondered.
Had the scouts been looking for her or something else? Jac knew she lacked a vital piece to this puzzle. Where had Ares come from? He didn’t seem to be part of any tribe down here. His skin was different, his eyes, his—well everything about him was— different. He’d said he and his people would be leaving the planet. He sure as hell didn’t look like E.T.
And what about his abilities? Jac had seen plenty of weird movies in her time, but those weren’t special effects. They were real. Could he really be an alien? Was that why the Professor had come back down here? She’d assumed he’d fled to avoid possible prosecution, but that wasn’t likely since she had been unable to convince anyone back in New York that a crime had actually occurred. Well, anyone but Brigit.
Brigit had decided the whole incident had been written in the stars, including Jac’s impending journey to the jungle. She shook her head. She loved Brigit, but sometimes the girl was out and out kooky. Her mind returned to the Professor’s motives. Was he after Ares? The discovery of alien life would be the discovery of a lifetime. People had certainly killed for less. The thought chilled her to the bone. Her emotions might be jumbled when it came to her caveman, but one thing was clear, Jac wasn’t about to let Rumsinger get him. She’d already lost one friend. She couldn’t lose Ares, too.
* * * * *
Chapter Six
Ares’s fury equaled the great disaster of Pompeii. By the time he’d returned to camp with more food and water, Jac had gone. Had he not proven that she needed him? Had he not convinced her that their bodies were meant to be joined? How could she leave him after all that he’d done for her? Anger surged through him, renewed by his visions of her. Was she laughing at his foolishness?
He crushed the fruit in his hand, sending sticky juice oozing over his palm and through his fingers. He sent an energy burst through his body, cleansing it instantly. When he found that little blonde sorceress he’d bind her and drive his cock into her until she was unable to reason, unable to move.
Ares made sure to cover any trace of the fire and then proceeded deeper into the jungle. She’d hidden her trail well, but not well enough. After tracking Jac two times before, Ares had learned to look for the signs that she left behind—a crushed fern here, a snapped branch there, just enough clues. Little indications that he knew she was unaware of that alluded to her presence.
He had run some distance when he encountered two of the trackers from the red- devil’s expedition. They appeared bloodied and bruised a sure indicator that his fierceness had been here earlier. To be sure, Ares scanned their thoughts. He smiled, feeling his chest swell with pride. She truly was a warrior at heart. The guides Jac had attacked stumbled to their feet, shaking their heads as if to clear them. Ares watched them from the cover of the trees, and then sent out a stunning energy burst, knocking both men off their feet and out of commission for hours, if not days. They would not trouble her further.
The trail zigged and zagged, winding through lianas and vines, over ferns, through cats claw, and around ginger. His woman would pay when he caught up to her. Ares pictured her tied with the jade scarves he’d brought with him, her white skin glistening like a rare pearl under the moonlight as he lapped at her nether lips, bringing her to orgasm until her body collapsed from exhaustion. He could almost see her lithe muscles flex as she strained against the confines. Her slim hips bucking as he plunged his tongue into her wet chasm.
Ares growled. The rumbling sound rippled through him, causing his cock to rise. He took a deep breath, scenting the air. Jac’s musky perfume flooded his system, drowning him. His shaft pushed against the confines of his clothing, demanding her return.
“Soon,” he murmured.
* * * * *
Jac stopped to catch her breath. She’d been traveling for hours with no sign of Ares or anyone else for that matter. She couldn’t believe that there were no trails anywhere. How in the world did anyone make their way through this place? Shouldn’t she have spotted a sign that Rachel had been here before? Had they even come this way? There were always things left behind in the movies. Hell, right now, she’d be happy to have a sign anyone had been here before.
She scrubbed a hand over her face, her palm came back slicked with sweat. If the jungle floor got any hotter, she was convinced her blood would boil. The vegetation thickened and she proceeded forward at a slower pace. Her knife wasn’t made for slashing at vines, but she’d have to make due. Jac stepped forward, searching for a place to sit and rest when a giant of a man stepped around a tree twenty yards in front of her. Her skin prickled and her heart rate picked up to a maddening pace. She took a step back silently, hoping he hadn’t seen her. He wore a loincloth like Ares, but that was where the similarity ended.
Jac inched back once more, right into a snare trap. She shrieked as her feet were yanked out from under her, the knife flew from her hands, and the ground quickly slipped away. She twisted from her upside down position like a fish on a line, trying to keep her eyes on the approaching stranger. A smile quirked the corners of his lips as his gaze strayed from her feet to her breasts. She relaxed, bringing one hand to her side, until her palm rested on her gun.
He was as fair as Ares was dark and as strikingly handsome. His long blond hair hung to his trim waist like a Viking of old. His eyes were unusual, a rare shade of aqua that Jac had only seen in colored contacts. The man’s gaze locked onto her face and he inhaled deeply as if he could pick up her scent from across the distance. She raised her arm and smelled her pit. It wasn’t exactly roses, but she didn’t stink that bad.
The giant smiled then, as if he’d read her thoughts. Was this guy from the same tribe as Ares? Not that she knew what that tribe was exactly. If so, why was he so fair? Surely he wasn’t as old as Ares, he looked to be no more than twenty-eight.
Now Ares has me believing the three thousand five hundred year old crap.
The man raised his hand in what Jac took as a greeting, but she watched him closely, well as close as she could from her precarious position. She’d seen what Ares could do with his hands, not to mention the rest of his anatomy. The last thing she needed was to find another crazy. She’d just gotten rid of the first caveman.
Her heart clenched at the thought of Ares. She did not miss him. She did not.
Jac didn’t think she could pull her gun before he could send one of those funny glowy things at her. His eyes were too intent, watchful, knowing. She felt like a gunslinger from the old west, weighing in who was the faster draw. In the end, she eased away from her weapon, deciding diplomacy
was probably a better call here. The blond giant visibly relaxed.
“Hello there, big fella.” Jac waved, trying to appear calm. “I could use a little help.” The man’s smile widened and his eyes glowed. She pointed to the weapon. “I can’t cut the rope with my knife on the ground.”
His gaze went to her blade and then to her snagged foot. He raised his hand once and his palm began to glow.
She wasn’t ready for another one of those energy bursts. Her body clenched, then began to tingle. Her nipples peaked, tightening into marbles beneath her t-shirt. Jac’s breathing deepened and her body moistened in anticipation. She cursed beneath her breath. In a few short hours, Ares had trained her body to respond like fucking Pavlov’s dog. She growled in frustration.
“Just get me down,” she snapped.
The energy burst shot out with a loud pop. Birds squawked and all manner of creatures scattered. The acrid smell of burning fiber assailed her nose. Jac glanced down, attempting to judge the distance, as the rope smoked and crackled. A second later it snapped and she fell. Once again, she was snatched from the air into a pair of waiting arms. The giant had moved with lightning speed to catch her. It was déjà vu all over again.
He held her cradled against his wide hairless chest. She inhaled. His body had the musky odor of sweat mixed with adrenaline, yet his breathing remained steady and deep. Jac’s hand rested against him. His skin felt warm, heated to the touch. His strong heartbeat thumped beneath her fingertips.
She pushed herself away, not liking the soothing comfort of his strength. He set her on her feet and took a step back. She ran a trembling hand through her hair, slicking it off her face.
“Thanks for the help,” she said.
Jac wiped her hands on the side of her shorts. It took her a moment before she could actually look him in the eye. When she finally did, she regretted it. He was beautiful. Truly beautiful. Almost so perfect that he could be called pretty. If it weren’t for his stark masculinity, he would be. His gaze locked to hers, holding her, caressing, challenging. Jac swallowed hard and put some distance between them. His brow cocked in that all too male, arrogant way, but he said nothing. She brushed her clothes off. “I best get on my way.” She attempted a shaky smile.
“Why are you here?” he asked.
His questioned surprised Jac. She’d assumed he could speak English like Ares, but even as the thought swept through her mind, Jac hadn’t considered the strange response her body would have to his deep voice. What was it about the men down here? Jac gathered herself up to her full height. She tilted her head to look at the blond giant’s eyes.
“And you are—” She held out her hand.
He glanced to her hand, but made no move to shake it. “I’m Coridan Antares.”
She dropped her hand to her side. “It’s nice to meet you Coridan Antares.” She nodded and pointed around them. “Have you been wandering around these parts for a while?”
He looked puzzled.
“Are you from here?” Jac restated.
“This is my home, if that ‘tis what you ask.” He nodded.
Jac thought about her friend and figured what the hell. It couldn’t hurt to ask. “You wouldn’t happen to have seen a friend of mine; she’s about five foot two, dark wavy hair, answers to the name Rachel Evans?”
The man’s brow furrowed. “You search for Queen Rachel?”
Jac’s mouth dropped open. Surely she’d heard him wrong. Had he called Rachel, Queen? It only took her a moment to recover. She was so happy the stranger knew Rachel she didn’t care what he called her, as long as he took her to her friend this instant.
“Do you know where I can find her?” she asked.
“Of course.” The man nodded in the affirmative.
Jac’s hands shook so badly she put them behind her back. “Can you tell me, or better yet, take me to her?”
“If that is your wish.” The man stepped forward. He towered over Jac, like Ares.
She forced herself to hold her ground. The man’s eyes wandered over her legs, along her body, resting on her breasts, before returning to her face. His smile devastated her insides. He took another deep breath and the grin slipped from his face, like wet paint sliding down a wall.
“You have encountered Ares.” It wasn’t a question. There was a bite to his tone that hadn’t been there before.
Jac shifted, her discomfort growing. She didn’t like the way the man’s eyes narrowed at the mention of Ares’s name. He inhaled again. The next thought hit her in the gut. He could smell Ares on her. She didn’t even want to consider that far too humiliating possibility. It was her imagination, had to be her imagination, anything else was unacceptable.
She considered the picture she must present, disheveled, flushed, lips swollen, like she’d been having mind-blowing sex all night. The guy didn’t have to be a mind reader after all. Coridan scowled. Maybe Ares had been as much of a pain in the ass to this guy, as he’d been to her. Right now, she didn’t care. Jac needed this man if she hoped to find Rachel.
So Jac did what she did best. She smiled and stepped closer into the man’s personal space, her lashes lowered to half-mast, then she held out her hand again and introduced herself. “Forgive my rudeness. My name is Jaclyn Ward, but you can call me Jac.” She breathed her name across his chest and saw him quiver.
His palm enveloped hers and didn’t let go. “It ‘tis my pleasure, Jac,” he said.
Coridan dropped to his knees and kissed her nipples through her shirt, before Jac realized what he was doing. His firm lips pressed against one, allowing the pressure to build, and then the other. He flicked his tongue over the latter and gently nipped, leaving a trace of moisture behind. The buds beaded instantly against his mouth. All Jac could do was gape. Coridan smiled then rose to his feet.
“Why did you do that?” she asked, trying to ignore the hormonal riot-taking place inside of her.
He looked confused. “’Tis proper Atlantean greeting.”
“Of course it is, sunshine. I don’t even know why I asked.” Jac made no attempt to hide her sarcasm.
His lips kicked up at the sides. “Let me take you to your friend.” He grabbed her hand as if she were a child, to lead her through the jungle.
She steadied her voice as they hiked along. “Has Ares ever met Rachel?”
Coridan nodded. “He prepared her the day of the mating ceremony.”
“Prepared?” Jac yanked her hand from his and swallowed the sudden unwelcome jealousy. Where had that come from? She’d never been jealous in her life, and certainly not of Rachel. “Forget it, I don’t want to know,” she said, then took a couple of deep breaths to get her emotions in check. “Let me make sure I understand you. Ares knows how to get back to the village, where Rachel is located?”
Coridan looked at her as if she were dense. “Of course.”
That no good, son-of-a-bitch has been lying to me the whole time.
Jac recalled the conversation she’d had with Ares. No not lying, deceiving, which was just as bad in her book. She clenched her fists so tight she could almost feel her skin tear. If she ever saw Ares again, she’d kick his tight ass all the way to Brooklyn.
She stared at Coridan’s luscious back for the next several hours, afraid to speak for fear her anger would come raging out in a flood of emotional diarrhea. He was so much like Ares, yet so different. While Ares was gruff and arrogant, with the most amazing pair of jade colored eyes, Coridan seemed amiable, as if he went out of his way to be pleasant. He held branches so that she could pass. He retrieved water for her when she indicated she thirsted, picked her up when she slipped, and lifted her over a five-foot high log, when she was unable to scale it.
It was charming, really. He was charming, but all his chivalry was getting on her nerves. Jac liked a challenge. She liked her warriors to be warriors, not that she’d met many outside of the SEALS.
“So how do you know Ares?” she asked, nearly choking on his name.
Coridan glance
d over his shoulder, but kept walking, his expression unreadable. “He is part of my tribe.”
Jac gritted her teeth. She’d figured as much. She couldn’t believe she was about to ask this. “You said your tribe was called the Atlanteans?”
He nodded again.
“As in the Lost City of Atlantis, Atlanteans?”
“Yes, we are one and the same,” he said.
That explained why Rumsinger was still here. It would be the find of the century. Or it would if what Coridan said was true. There was always a chance that he and Ares were insane. “Are you a friend of Ares?”
She caught a slight smile at the question. “I wouldn’t say that.”
Jac’s brow rose. “An enemy?”
“It is difficult for me to describe our relationship.” Coridan laughed. “I guess the best word I could use would be challenging. Yes, that’s it. Our relationship is very challenging.”
Jac joined in with his laughter. She could definitely see Ares and Coridan having a ‘challenging’ relationship. In the short time she’d been around Ares, she’d found him quite challenging. Her heart thudded at the thought of Ares. I do not miss him. If she kept repeating it enough times, she’d eventually believe it. “That’s a kind way of saying Ares is a pain in the ass,” she said.
Coridan shot her an amused look. “If you believe that’s the case, then why did you join with him?”
Jac stopped dead, almost tripping. A liana snapped beneath her boot heel. She could feel heat rising in her face. The muggy perfumed air refused to give her a breath. How much did she want to tell this man? How much should she tell him? It really wasn’t any of his business what she and Ares had shared.
Atlantean's Quest Volume 1 Page 27
