He touched Rachel and she visibly relaxed. Without a doubt Jac knew this had to be Eros. His face was such chiseled perfection that it hurt to look at him. He glanced from Ares to Coridan, then to Jac. His blue gaze narrowed, censuring, but he said nothing.
A beautiful woman with long flowing hair moved to his side. She was a dead ringer for a pinup girl. She held up her hands to calm the murmuring crowd. “A challenge has been put forth for the privilege of mating with this woman.” Her elegant hand swept to Jac.
Jac glared and stepped forward to refute the woman’s words. Ares stopped her, his eyes as sharp as fiery jade, sending a warning as clear as if he’d actually spoken.
The woman’s gaze locked onto Jac, freezing her in place. “Although it has been many, many years since a challenge has been called, the rules are clear. Warriors, you’ll have a day or so to prepare. Tomorrow I will announce the tasks to be achieved. The first to complete the challenge wins.” Her gaze swept Jac’s length. “And while the competition is taking place, there shall be no self healing. If a warrior is found to have healed himself, he’ll be immediately disqualified from the challenge.”
“Who is that?” Jac asked Rachel under her breath.
“She’s the tribe’s seer. Her name is Ariel,” Rachel whispered.
Jac watched the gorgeous woman make eye contact with Coridan and then Ares. She lingered on Ares a little longer than Jac cared for, taking in his wide chest and muscled legs, pausing at the front of his loincloth long enough to be considered inappropriate. Bitch!
The woman’s lips quirked at the corner, accenting her natural sensuality, and then her gaze once again met Jac’s. She had seen that look from women before. The Seer sized her up. She stared defiantly at the woman from across the clearing. If the Seer thought she would intimidate her, she had another thing coming.
Ariel laughed and caressed Ares once more with her gaze, then shot a pained glare Coridan’s way. She didn’t speak. Instead, she strode to the nearest hut and slipped inside.
“What does the bitch think is so funny?” Jac asked.
“You never know with Ariel. She’s got a warped sense of humor.” Rachel’s eyes darted to the hut door, concern marring her features. “You really don’t want to mess with her. She can be truly evil when she wants to be.”
Jac arched a brow at her last words. “If she knows what’s good for her, she won’t fuck with me.”
Rachel attempted to hide her smile by glancing away. “This ought to be interesting.”
The crowd started to disperse. Ares didn’t release Jac until Coridan left, then turned to face her. “You will be sorry for all the trouble you are causing me, my fierceness.” His molten jade eyes captured hers, burning, promising a payback she would not soon forget.
Jac fought the strange urge to flee. She wasn’t a coward and she never backed down from a direct attempt at intimidation, but there was no mistaking the cold lump of fear forming in her stomach. “I told you.” She cleared her throat. “I’m no one’s mate.”
Ares’s eyes flashed again. “We shall see.” Then he stalked into the jungle, leaving Jac with Rachel.
The King approached. Rachel grabbed him and pulled him forward. “I’d like you to meet my husband, Eros.”
Jac’s gut clenched. It was worse than she thought. Not only had Rachel gotten pregnant, she’d somehow managed to marry this man. Jac’s mind raced, convinced the agreement wouldn’t hold up in a court of law. You needed special permission when you married in another country and she was positive Rachel hadn’t gotten the paperwork. So there was hope—but a baby would certainly complicate matters.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Jaclyn Ward, Esquire. If you kiss my tits, I’ll kick your teeth in.”
Eros seemed to be fighting a smile as Jac did her best to intimidate him. He ignored her threat of violence and dropped to his knees, greeting her in traditional Atlantean fashion. Jac glared at Rachel, waiting for her friend’s reaction. “Aren’t you going to do something?” she sputtered.
Rachel pulled a face and rolled her eyes. “Why? You get used to it after a while.”
Jac shook her head. Rachel really had changed in the short time she’d been down here. Eros rose and held out his hand. She stared at it as if he would bite, then shook it quickly and released him.
These people were outrageously crazy, even for her. This was too much. Challenges, Atlanteans, seers, and mating. Jac had to get the hell out of here before her sanity scooted off the cliff with the rest of these loons. She grabbed Rachel.
“If you’ll excuse us.” Jac glanced at Eros. “I need to have a word with my friend.”
She tugged Rachel along, heading for god only knows where. She needed some peace, some distance. She needed New York.
Rachel pulled her hand from Jac’s. “Stop pulling. I’m coming. I know just the place we can go.” She walked to the fire and picked up a small burning log to use as a torch, then guided her down a well-worn trail that led to a small stream. Flowers scented the air. A gentle wind tugged at their hair. The soft murmuring of the current as it washed over the rocks soothed her nerves—a little. When they reached the banks, Rachel stopped and stuck the log in the mud so that it would remain upright.
“Are you going to tell me what in the hell is going on here?” Jac’s voice cracked. “Is this a camp for escaped mental patients who just happen to be gorgeous?” She shook her head. “Because the crap I’ve been hearing and witnessing cannot possibly be true.”
Rachel crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not sure where to begin.”
Jac began to pace. All the nervous energy from the altercation flooded her muscles until they practically jerked with spasms. She couldn’t take much more of this. “You need to tell me the truth, Rach. Are they keeping you prisoner? I’ve evaded Ares twice, so I’m pretty sure I could get us out of here.”
“No, it’s nothing like that.” Rachel stilled her movements. “I need to sit down, do you mind?”
Jac glanced to Rachel’s stomach. “Sorry.” She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath, then sat next to her friend on the soft grass lining the shore. The air smelled fresh along the stream and felt a tad cooler, when the breeze didn’t shift the smoke from the burning log in their direction. At this point, Jac welcomed anything that would add to comfort. “Why don’t you start with that lovely message you left me on my answering machine and go from there. I need to tell you, Rachel––it terrified me. I thought you’d been killed. I played it for Brigit and she threw up.”
Rachel grimaced. “I really regret leaving you that message.” She frowned. “I tried to call you back to let you know I was okay, but the phone doesn’t work in here.”
“Shocker.” Jac’s gaze narrowed. “Where is here exactly?”
“We’re in the heart of the electromagnetic field.” Rachel gestured around her. “You remember me telling you and Brigit about it?”
“Vaguely. What I do recall is you saying you wanted to explore the area and bring back your discovery so that you could get your much deserved promotion,” Jac said with more venom than she’d intended.
Rachel sighed. “Yeah, that was the plan in the beginning…”
Jac’s chest squeezed, pushing out the air in her lungs as the tension coursed through her. “And now?”
Rachel’s brown eyes met hers. They seemed to be searching for something in Jac’s face. “Things have changed in ways that I hadn’t anticipated--couldn’t have anticipated.”
“Like?” Jac drew the word out.
Rachel smiled. “Like I’m married and I’m going to have a baby.”
Her lips thinned. “Congratulations.”
Shadows filled Rachel’s eyes as she answered, “Thanks, but I know you don’t mean that.”
Jac ran a hand through her hair. “What you’ve told me doesn’t explain what happened down here. It’s like the world’s been flipped on its ear.”
“The professor sacrificed me.” Rachel’s hands tr
embled as she rubbed goose-bumps away. “If it wasn’t for Eros, I’d be dead.”
Anger burned through Jac quicker than a spark on dried brush. “The bastard tried to pull the same shit on me, except he’s gotten braver. This time he’s successful in making his problems go away permanently.”
Rachel gasped. Her eyes roamed over Jac.
“I’m fine,” she said waving the worry away. “To be honest, I think I just got in his way.”
“How?” Rachel asked.
“I think the Professor is after this tribe. He’s been camped in one spot for a few days. Though I doubt he’s still there now, since I came across two of his scouts not far from here. They weren’t looking for me.”
Rachel bit her lip. “We were searching for the lost tribe when Rumsinger went off the rails. I honestly figured he’d return to New York with my botanical discovery and claim the credit.”
Jac stared at the torch. “He’s really lost it. There’s something about this jungle that makes everyone a little squirrely. I barely escaped. I wouldn’t have without a little help.” It irked her to admit it, but Ares had probably saved her life.
Relief etched Rachel’s features. “Who rescued you?”
“I didn’t say anything about being rescued,” Jac said.
“Jac,” she prompted, her mouth quirking at the corners. “Helped is the same thing as rescued in Jac talk, so who rescued you?”
“That dark, muscle-bound, green-eyed jerk, Ares.”
Rachel burst out laughing. “I knew you liked him.”
Jac stood up, her hands planted firmly on her hips. “I didn’t say that.”
Rachel shook her head, sending curls falling over her shoulders. “You didn’t have to. The sparks were flying off you two every time your eyes met. You were combustible.”
“So the sex was good.” She shrugged. “Sue me.” Jac looked away not wanting to meet Rachel’s knowing eyes.
Rachel reached up and clasped Jac’s hand, drawing her gaze back, and then rose. “You forget I know you too well. If it were only sex, you wouldn’t bat an eye. You’d immediately tell me all about your latest conquest in detail.” She smoothed her skirt. “You also wouldn’t be so mad.”
“These people are crazy. Don’t you understand?” She pleaded with Rachel. “They think they’re aliens and thousands of years old. It’s a classic example of mass delusion.” Jac let the fear she felt inside show. “I don’t want you here when this turns out to be some suicide cult.”
Rachel’s expression softened. “I know what I’m about to say to you is going to sound completely insane. I thought the same thing when Eros explained the tribe’s predicament to me, but every word is true.” She explained how the conception of her unborn child would somehow power a portal, which would allow the Atlanteans to return to their planet and the rest of their people.
Jac listened in horror as her friend recited the outlandish story she’d been told. “Oh, Rach, not you, too. I thought seeing me again would help you snap out of it. Did they give you something strange to drink? That’s how it starts.”
Rachel balked. “Jaclyn Monroe Ward, when have I ever done anything crazy, out there or otherwise insane?”
“Other than going on this godforsaken expedition, then getting yourself hitched and knocked up?” Jac clenched her teeth and thought about it for a second. “Never.”
“That’s right. Never. So what makes you think I’ve gone off the deep end now?” Rachel asked, genuine hurt in her eyes.
“Maybe because you’re living in a hut in the middle of B.F.E.” Jac tilted her head and stared down at Rachel. “I suppose it could be some kind of fever?”
“This is not bum fuck Egypt and I do not have a fever. I’ve never been healthier in my life.” Rachel snorted. “If you were around Ares for any length of time, then I’m sure you’ve seen some strange things—”
“That I’m sure can be explained logically,” Jac said, searching for plausible answers.
“Okay, go ahead and try.” Rachel challenged.
Jac threw her arms up in the air. “I don’t know. I admit that I’ve seen some crazy shit, but you can’t expect me to dismiss a lifetime of knowledge and take this alien crap on faith. I can’t do it. Not even for you.” Tears burned her eyes.
Rachel hugged her. “Just promise me that you’ll keep an open mind and reserve judgment until you’ve seen all the facts,” she whispered in Jac’s ear.
“I promise,” Jac said reluctantly. She wasn’t sure she could keep that promise, but she’d try for Rachel’s sake. Given more time, she might be able to figure out what the tribe had done to her friend to convince her that what she was saying was true.
“Let’s talk about something else,” Rachel suggested. “Tell me, what do you really think of Ares?” Her dark eyes sparkled with mischief.
Jac readily accepted the change of subject. “I think he’s a sex god,” she paused. “Who also happens to be a royal pain in the ass.”
Rachel giggled. “That about sums him up.”
Ares’s anger raged deep, tearing at his gut. In three thousand years there had never been a challenge set forth for a mate. Ariel had foretold Jac’s arrival. There had been no mention of a challenge for the right to mate with her. He’d already joined with her. He slammed his fist against the table, knocking a cup from its surface. He feared not of others hearing him, since his hut lay several hundred yards from the village. He’d always preferred being away from the others, giving himself space, but now he felt eons away from Jac.
His heart clenched at the thought of his blonde demon lying with Coridan, even though he knew she had not. She could have stepped forward expressing her acceptance of Ares’s claim, yet she chose to remain silent behind him. Had he misjudged her emotions? No! He knew his fierceness better than she knew herself. Jac was torturing him, tormenting him to no end. She knew not that she played with fire. And if she did, she mustn’t realize how dangerous it was or else she wouldn’t dare.
Ares rose from his chair and walked to a small hidden compartment in his wall, his lithe muscles tensing, ready to spring at any second. He pulled out a container holding a thick green liquid. The odor of melons and chocolate filled the air. He grabbed a cup beside the liquid and filled it to the top. He started to return to the table when he sensed Eros’s approach. He turned and picked up another glass and filled it.
Enter, my King.
A smile touched Eros’s lips as he came through the hide-covered door, his blue eyes sparkling in the light of the fire pot. Ares handed one of the glasses to Eros then returned to his seat. Eros raised the glass in a toast and then took a drink. He joined Ares at the table, taking the seat across from him. For a few minutes they drank in silence, each giving the other time to gather their thoughts.
I take it there was trouble on the journey here. Eros didn’t try to hide his amusement.
Ares’s gaze met Eros’s, then returned to his glass. Nothing I cannot handle.
It appears as if this woman-taming is a little more difficult than you anticipated.
Ares shrugged. I find no humor in the situation. It’s simple. Jac is mine.
Eros laughed aloud. Their gazes clashed.
“Forgive me, my friend, but after the little support you gave me during my trials with our Queen, I decided a moment of return was called for.” He smiled wide, clapping his hand on Ares’s shoulder, and then released him.
Ares couldn’t help but answer his smile. He nodded, conceding to Eros’s point, allowing the moment to lighten his heart as he recalled the few nights Eros had to leave the Queen’s side with his nether regions in great discomfort. Now that the loincloth was on the other man, it wasn’t quite so funny. Ares took another drink, his face once again hardening into unforgiving lines.
“What am I to do about the challenge?” he asked.
The smile left Eros’s face. “Coridan was a fool to put forth such a thing. He cannot possibly win.” He paused. “Ariel will state the challenge tomorrow and
you both will have a week to prepare. Our rules are clear. You must accept or lose Jac.”
“I will not lose what is mine.” Ares’s body stiffened, coiled for attack. “I have claimed her as was my right. I’ve performed the healing ceremony on her. She has lain beneath me, writhing, as I slid into her body, repeatedly.”
Eros released his breath, shifting uneasily in his chair. “Does Coridan know this?”
Ares nodded. “He must, my scent was all over her. There could be no mistaking what had occurred. I made sure I left my mark upon her creamy skin.”
“What was he thinking?” Eros’s jaw hardened. “The only way he could claim her then is if he won the challenge and she chose to join him.” He rolled his shoulders. “Do you think Jac would do that?”
Ares’s eyes sparked, anger and pain clouding his voice. “I think Jac would do anything to avoid the feelings that I stir within her.” He took another drink, then slammed the glass down. “She fears our mating. She fears the emotional connection that comes with it.”
“Does she not know what that would do to your name? Your family line?” Eros set his cup on the table.
Ares ran a hand through his long black hair, shaking his head. “She knows not of our ways. She wants nothing more than to escape this place—and me,” he added softly.
Eros rose, his face a mask, concealing the emotions so close to the surface. “She will have to learn our ways. Our Queen did and so shall Jac. There will be no escaping her fate.” With that said, Eros walked to the door. “Be well, my friend,” he tossed over his shoulder as he left.
Ares picked up the cup and stared at the green liquid, swirling it around and around. His body ached for Jac, cried for her. His cock was so hard beneath his loincloth that he was sure it would burst before he got to thrust inside her warmth once more. He finished the contents of the glass, then returned to the compartment where he kept the bottle. Without Jac’s company, it would be a very long night.
* * * * *
Chapter Eight
Jac slept like a princess on a whole bagful of peas in the little hut Rachel had shoved her in last night. Sunlight splashed through the window, illuminating all the dust mites floating in the air. She shoved her hair out of her face and rose off the soft bed of hides she’d been laying on. Naked, she stretched and then recalled the previous night. She’d done nothing but dream of Ares’s muscled body over her, under her, surrounding her. He hadn’t come to her during the night. She should’ve been pleased, overjoyed really, but for some reason it left her feeling disgruntled. His threat of payback rang in her ears, haunted her thoughts and scattered her wits. Not since her father had she let a man get under her skin, into her heart.
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