by Jaide Fox
Chapter Seven
Navarre’s dark brows drew angrily over his eyes. As fierce as he might be, strong and brutal, deep inside, she knew his heart was tender, easily manipulated and broken. He put on a front of not caring for anyone or anything, but she knew the truth. She always had.
“I…hate…you,” he gritted out, his jaw clenched in fury.
She felt tears sting her eyes. “You don’t. I know you don’t. I know you want to, but you can’t. You’ve tried to hide it behind your anger, but you can’t keep a secret like that from me. You never could.”
“Fuck you, you fucking bitch,” he growled, and then his mouth was on hers.
His lips crushed against her mouth with bruising force. She felt her bottom lip split from the intensity of his kiss, tasted blood. He bit her lip, forcing her lips to part for him.
She opened on a gasp, accepting the invasion of his thick tongue viciously raping her mouth. Kittana sucked his tongue hungrily, eager and desperate.
He tasted like a brutal hailstorm, male and intense, powerfully addictive and frightening. She hungered for him like no other, thought she would die from his kiss and the furious anger she’d invoked within him.
She felt the tautness of his ripped body, heard his desperate moans, almost animalistic and loud in her ears. His cock jerked against her belly, no more immune to desiring her as she desired him.
He ripped his mouth from hers as suddenly as he’d begun. His forehead pressed into hers. Their breaths mingled hotly together.
“Why do you torture me, Kittana? Haven’t you done enough to me as it is? You’re not happy destroying my life? You have to finish off my mind as well?”
The pure pain in his voice and eyes sent a shiver down her spine.
She swallowed, still tasting him in her mouth. “I don’t want to hurt you. Please, unbind me and let me tell you the truth. If you can stand to hear it.”
He lifted off of her, as if merely touching her sent weakness flooding through him. He straddled her hips, looking down at her, his eyes dark and hooded…wary. “How can I believe anything you tell me?”
“I want you to know what happened. It’s a matter of public record, but you need to hear it from me. I know you do.”
“All right. What choice do I have?” He got off her and turned her over, untying her hands.
Kittana rubbed her wrists and rotated her shoulders, working the soreness out of them.
She sat on the edge of the bed while he paced the room. She pulled a sheet up to cover her chest, watching him prowl like a wild beast. Gathering her chaotic nerves and thoughts into a coherent whole, she began by taking a deep breath.
“I met you at a crossroads in my life. I’d been searching for years for my father. He’d left my mother, brother, and I when we were young, off to mine for his fortune somewhere in the galaxy. I hated him for the life he forced us into. Mother had no skills except in the bedroom to get by on, and she whored herself to keep us alive.”
Navarre stopped pacing and propped his back on a wall, crossing his arms over his chest as he listened to her story.
“The fact that he never came back to look for us, I thought he’d found his fortune somewhere out there. I came to your home planet because I’d heard about the riches buried beneath the sand and thought it one of the likeliest places he would go.”
“Our people have been slaughtered and warred with for centuries for that wealth,” he said quietly.
She nodded. “I know. And I knew the dangers of the ShadeShifters, but I was willing to risk it to find that bastard. That’s when I found you. I’d never been with anyone like you before. You made me forget about all my problems, about my search for my father. I saw on your tablet that you haven’t forgotten about me in all this time either.”
“So you’ve been snooping all day?” he asked, his voice tight, his face cold.
“You know I’m a curious person. And I’m used to being outdoors. I was bored. Anyway, my mother knew where I’d gone and tried to come and find me. That’s when the passenger ship she was on got picked up by space pirates. They held everyone for ransom. When they discovered where her only contact was, they assumed I’d gone and discovered riches. They wanted more money than I’d ever earn in a lifetime. Ten lifetimes. Without it, they would kill her and my baby brother.”
“So you’re telling me that you didn’t target me from the start because of my money? And I’m to believe this?”
“I wish you would, but nothing I say will sway you unless you are willing to listen and believe me, and hear the truth in my voice. I loved you, I didn’t want to hurt you, but I couldn’t allow what family I had to be destroyed either. I cleaned out your accounts, and ran, took the money to them. They let them go, amazingly, but I couldn’t go with them. I still don’t know where they went, or if I’ll ever see them again. I’ve had to live with the hope that they’re safe and well somewhere. As for me, I had to run to keep from going to jail. But the galactic authorities you’d sent after me caught me after a few years of living on the run. You’d already disappeared, but they didn’t need you to testify in my trial. They had all the evidence they needed to send me away for the rest of my life. That’s when the Antarians, I guess, found me, thought I was good breeding stock, and bought my sentence from the prison system. It’s all in my record, if you care to look.”
Finished spilling the truth, Kittana stood up from the bed, wrapped a sheet around her, and dragged the rest on the floor behind her, crossing over to Navarre. He looked like he didn’t want to believe anything she’d said, and yet, she had the glimmer of hope that he would.
She uncrossed his arms and he dropped them to his sides. Kittana closed her arms around his waist, snuggling close to him, rubbing her face against the base of his throat. She breathed in the smell of him, masculine and wild and all Navarre. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to tell you the truth, how much it hurt to betray you. I know I deserve every punishment you give me and more. Nothing could make up for what I’ve done. I just hope that someday, in your heart, you can see fit to forgive me, and maybe trust me once more.”
Slowly, she felt the tension leave Navarre’s muscles. His arms drew up her back, trailing over her skin where the sheet left her bare. She shivered at the tender, whispery touch. He closed his arms around her, making her thrill at the first loving touch he’d given her in nearly five years. His arms locked around her in a fierce hug, crushing her against his chest.
“I want to believe you so much. I’m tired of fighting, Kittana. Tired of having only death in my life. It’s drained me. Changed me. I live with the berserker constantly tugging at my sanity.”
Kittana traced her fingers up the markings on his arm, seeing them glow a soft blue, so faint it was barely discernible in the light of the room. She tilted her face up to him, kissing his stubbly jaw. “Please, do believe me. I left my heart with you when I ran away. I haven’t had it since.”
His hands tightened against her. “Damn you, Kittana. Damn this fucking doubt.”
He pulled her off her feet, bringing her up to meet his kiss, digging his hands into her buttocks to crush her against his body.
Had she bested the wild, savage beast? Brought him to heel, ready to love her again? Should she dare even hope that the possibility still existed between them?
When his mouth met hers, she felt no anger, only desperation. He nibbled her lips and she met his kiss eagerly, pouring every ounce of feeling she had into it, willing him to feel the love she still had for him.
She forgot to breathe, and when she did, it came hard and ragged, flaring her nostrils. She didn’t want to break from his mouth, from the desperately vulnerable kiss. He’d been solitary before her, alone ever since she left, she knew this with a certainty she felt deep in her bones, in her soul.
Finally, he ended the kiss, leaving her aching and disappointed that he pulled away. He looked down at her, meeting her eyes with searing need she felt down to her toes.
She cupp
ed his jaw. “Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?”
Navarre sighed. “I think I can. It’s exhausting to live with nothing but hatred to sustain me. I’m ready for a change. It may take me a while, though. I can’t blame you for wanting to save your mother and brother. If you’d only told me to begin with, I could have done something to help you.”
“I wasn’t used to trusting anyone with my problems any more than you were. We’ve both suffered in the past. And it was so much money. I would never believe you’d willing give it to me. I’m used to taking what I needed to survive and never asking for help. It’s my fault for being stupid and stubborn.”
“That’s true.”
“Speaking of which, I made a surprise for you. I hope you like it. Come, follow me to the dining area.” Kittana took his hand and led him to the table, making him sit down.
She got the knotted bread off the counter and presented it to him, thrilling to see a happiness cross his face that she’d forgotten the sight of.
“My mother’s bread?” he asked, looking hopeful.
“I was a little distracted the last time I tried to make it. You’re insatiable in the bed. Here, have a slice. I hope it tastes good.”
She fixed him a plate and herself one, then sat beside him. The moment he dug a fork into it and placed the concoction into his mouth, he looked like he’d entered heaven.
He dug into the food with gusto, clearing his plate and asking for more. She couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her and obliged him, feeling gratified that he enjoyed her cooking so much. Finally, he seemed to have his fill, leaned back in his chair, and rubbed his belly.
“Thank you for that. I never expected you’d remember my mother’s recipe. It’s the closest I’ve had to it since she passed.” He smiled at her across the table, and she felt warmth spread through her.
She nodded. “I can do more, if you can remember anything else.”
“That would make me happy.” He sighed. “I don’t know if I can trust this feeling. I want to. But it’s hard.”
Kittana looked at their surroundings. “Is this really your life? You go to the arena to train and fight and come back here? To a windowless prison?”
He followed the direction of her gaze around the room. “We all do. The Antarians praise us for our entertainment, but they do not wish to socialize with us, nor we with them.”
“If I could have something to wear, hell, even if I have to go out naked, I’d like to go outside with you. Show me this world. You need sunlight and fresh air. You’ve lived in this dungeon for so long, it’s no wonder all you can feel is hurt and anger.”
“Perhaps you are right. I will go and find a gown for you. Wait here until I return. We shall see if this idea of yours has any merit.”
Chapter Eight
When Navarre returned, he brought with him one of the nearly sheer gowns favored by the Antarian women. It was pale lavender, offsetting the color of the undergarments he’d brought to her earlier. Kittana dressed in both, feeling glad to be covered in more than her skin. And the way Navarre allowed his gaze to roam over her left her feeling heated and needy.
He removed the collar from her neck for the first time, and she felt a weight lift off her shoulders. He seemed willing to try and forget the past, at least for now.
She ignored the siren call of desire and took his hand, allowing him to lead the way out of the underground ShadeShifter den and into the open air outside.
The moment the light of the sun touched her face, she blinked against its brilliance. She’d become accustomed in a short time to the artificial light underground, and feeling the warmth of the sun and smelling the fresh air lifted her spirits.
Her enjoyment of the outside seemed to be felt by Navarre. He kissed her palm, then walked with her along a smooth sidewalk. The streets were adorned with great shady trees dripping in purple clusters of flowers. The scent of flowers perfumed the air with a sweetness she enjoyed breathing in deeply.
She’d heard tell once that the Antarians loved their architecture almost as much as nature, that they constructed their buildings to reflect the beauty of their surroundings. Glancing around, she could see tall spires reaching into the sky, mirrored with glass that sparkled in the sunlight like diamonds.
Along the walkway, Antarians passed, casting them curious glances, though none stopped to speak to them. Their pale blue skin intrigued her, as well as their height and slenderness. They were a strange race, their appearance and manners oddly incongruent with their savage tastes in entertainment.
“What think you? Is it to your liking?” he asked, leading her down a secluded path between giant buildings. The branches of the trees intertwined with one another to form an arched, leafy canopy above them. She looked at the ceiling of dark green leaves and purple clustered flowers, feeling charmed.
“I love it. I haven’t had a place to call home in many years. I thought I would never see the light of day again, that I would die buried in some cell deep in the ground. I am glad I have a chance for a different life. Do you like it though? It’s a far cry from the desert.”
“No, it’s not the desert. I had to leave from there. Too many memories. I thought by coming here, I could channel my hatred and rage into something else, but they only threatened to consume me,” Navarre said, walking the path.
“I’m sorry. Again,” she said, looking ahead and trying not to feel any guiltier than she already did.
The path opened up into a series of round pools fed by a sprinkling fountain. In the rim of the pools glowed lights that alternated in color, from red to purple, to blue and white and every color in between.
Kittana sat on the edge of one of the pools and dipped her hand in the water, surprised to find it warm. “Are these for swimming?” she asked, glancing up at him.
Navarre stood beside her, looking down at her. “These are some of the many lovers’ pools in the area. They say if you make love in the waters of Antares, you bind your love to you forever and always.”
She smiled. “That’s silly.” She met his eyes, seeing desire slant his lids. “Would you like to give it a try?” she asked, feeling breathless and nervous all of a sudden.
He said nothing, merely pulled the edges of her gown apart, allowing it to drop around her waist. He divested himself of his loincloth, showing his rock hard erection already standing at attention. Bending down, he scooped her up into his arms and crossed over into the pool.
Water lapped around his hips. He sat down in the water on a bench beneath, taking her there with him.
The warmth of the water seeped into her bones, heating her from the outside in, but just looking at the expression on Navarre’s face was enough to send her blood roaring into an inferno.
Wrapping his hands around her back, she reveled in the feel of his rough callouses caressing her skin in concentric circles. He crushed her against his chest, flattening her breasts against the hard planes and making her nipples tighten into hard, achy peaks. She moaned, tipping her head up, expectant of his kiss.
His head descended, mouth hungry, slanting over hers and she ceased breathing. Blood rushed through her veins, throbbing in secret places. Hot and hungry, he devoured her with his mouth. This was tenderness for Navarre. As tender as he’d ever managed in her experience. She loved the wildness of him, the savageness that always hovered beneath the surface. He excited her with the edge of danger.
His tongue tangled with hers and she moaned into his mouth. She felt the bite of his fingers as he tangled a hand in her hair, trapping her against his desperate kiss.
She wrapped her hands around his chest, rubbing herself against him, eager for more.
Breaking from her mouth, he nibbled a path down her chin to her ear, whispering hot, sweet nothings into her ear that she couldn’t understand. His breath sent shivers down her spine. She trembled, wanting more.
