He grinned. “Think you could take me, little rebel?”
“No, but at least I’d have the satisfaction of trying.”
He brushed a stray lock of hair off her forehead. “Fighting is such dirty work, Eryn. Wouldn’t you rather reserve your strength for the loving I plan to give you later?”
No, her body screamed, I can’t wait for later. I need it now.
“Are you sure you’re all right, galita? Aside from being flushed, your nipples are as hard as pebbles and visible through your gown. I think the reason for your heightened color might not be the sun at all, but rather, the sight of your half-dressed mate. Admit it, Eryn,” he whispered. “You want me.”
She took in his teasing grin and how he seemed unaffected by her, and jerked her face away. “I’ll admit no such thing, warrior.”
“Omission is still a lie, pretty little one.” Matching her slight retreat with a forward advance of his own, he slid an arm around her waist and pulled her against the length of his body. Before she could launch a counter measure, he sealed his mouth over hers. His tongue swept in, and as he maneuvered her with her back against the tree, his arms fell away, holding her with only the persuasion on his lips and tongue.
Surrounded by his presence and the wonderful masculine scent he exuded, Eryn opened to his hungry possession, living in the moment. It was glorious, freaking hot, and what she’d been dreaming about forever, it seemed.
All too soon, one of his men interrupted their kiss by calling his name.
“Ram, it’s unfair how you flaunt your pretty new mate in front of us. The rest of us haven’t been lucky enough to be paired yet. You’re heartless.”
When he raised his head, the molten gold of his gaze blazed down on her with unquenched desire. “I have to go, little rebel, but plan on finishing this discussion tonight.”
Prepared to be left high and dry and completely aroused again, her tongue let loose her frustration and channeled the Eryn of old. “It will be very one-sided. Never will I submit to you.”
His eyes dipped to her chin, raised in defiance then moved lower, his grin reappearing as he eyed the hard points on the front of her dress professing her the liar he had named her. “Never is a long time, Eryn. We’ll see how stubborn you can be.”
“Or how patient you are because you’ll be old, gray, and shriveled in various places before I yield to my captor.”
He winced, reaching down to adjust the front of his trousers. “Again, we’ll see. As hard and aching as I stay around you, I doubt shriveling is something I need to be worried about.”
“Ram, I’m becoming weak in this heat while waiting for you to finish playing with your female. In fact, I think I feel faint and will need a nap under the shade tree, too.”
Her eyes shifted to his side, finding the young warrior who baited him at her expense. With her body wound tighter than a spring, she couldn’t stand any more teasing. She bent, grabbed the knife out of Ram’s boot, and, with a flick of her wrist, sent it flying. Her aim true, the blade embedded dead center in her target—a tree a few feet wide of the mouthy youth and about five yards past. A hush fell over the men while they stared at the hilt still quivering from the impact.
“That’s how faint this female is, foolish warrior,” she quipped, her words echoing over the stilled gathering. “If you need a nap, I’m happy to change places and you can wear this ridiculous dress.”
After a moment, laughter erupted, not directed at her, she noted with satisfaction, but at the cheeky young man who had turned five shades of red after being challenged by a girl.
“Eryn,” came the low warning in her ear. At the same time, hard fingers wound around her wrist. Not tight, Ram wasn’t that way, but he could be firm, when she defied his rules and especially when it came to—her breath caught in her throat—impertinence and disrespect.
Her head snapped around. Surely, he wouldn’t do something about it here, in front of his men. She met his gaze, reading a mixture of anger and what she thought may have been pride, although fleeting, and she couldn’t be certain of the latter.
“I think you’ve forgotten a certain lesson we had not so long ago.”
“No, I haven’t. I didn’t say a disrespectful word, not to you.”
“You will also not challenge or embarrass my men. No matter how young and foolish he is.”
“He mocked me, calling me weak. Am I not due the same respect because I am merely an unimportant female?”
“You have proven often enough you aren’t weak. And that we wanted you for mates the instant we saw you should make it clear you are far from unimportant. His taunt was for me, poorly aimed, I agree, but it did not necessitate hurling a knife in his direction. What if you had missed?”
With as much arrogance as he typically displayed, she also equaled his boldness as she declared, “My aim is always true. If I’d really wanted to teach him manners, I would have made the dagger split his legs, rather than the tree. You’d have one less warrior in your practice yard because he’d be trotting home to change his shorts.”
His black brow quirked in surprise, and she thought she saw his mouth twitch. He had more control than she did, however. “I will address the behavior, both yours and his. Yours will come later, at home. In Gailen’s defense, he is a youth, impulsive, and unused to having women on the training grounds. What is your excuse, mate?”
She didn’t respond to his last question, her gaze skittering away. “Once again, Ram, it wasn’t my idea to come here. I did try to leave quietly. You stopped me.”
He caught her chin in his hand and tipped her face up to his. “You’re right. I ordered you here, and here you will stay until I am through. So, sit, observe, take a nap if you would, but you will behave, and you are not to leave this field without permission. Is that understood?”
She scowled, unable to help it. How could she want him so badly and, at the same time, want to smack the big jerk? But she nodded all the same. What choice did she have?
“Answer aloud, Eryn.”
“It’s understood, Master Warrior.” Although she tried, she couldn’t conceal her derisive tone.
“Defiance doesn’t help your cause, galita. It adds color to your cheeks and a brightness to your gaze which enhances your beauty and makes me want you even more.” He pulled her in for another kiss, this one hard and short, yet stirring like the one earlier. When he released her, his eyes swept over her face, and the glint of pride seemed to have changed to approval. Then he left her to rejoin his men.
For the next hour, she sat in silence, leaning against the tree with her eyes closed, like she took the nap he’d suggested. But her mind wouldn’t quiet.
Here she was, on Primaria, having no remembrance of her arrival. Her memories still intact, but in her dreams, she’d skipped over a big chunk of time. Up until then, they’d come in sequence. Why the change, and why come to this place, one she didn’t know?
Nothing made sense. Why, with the old Eryn absent, did she remain at odds with Ram and slip into the old role of the defiant captive. Maybe the dreams were trying to remind her of what she already knew—they weren’t meant to be—that even if their paths changed and they met later, or if she hadn’t betrayed him, the fact remained, they didn’t match. Physically, they sizzled, burning for one another, but beyond that as mates, not so much, always arguing and in opposition.
A shrill alarm echoing through the field snapped her eyes open. She jumped to her feet, looking back toward town and its source.
Footsteps pounded behind her.
She spun to find Ram almost upon her. “What is that?”
“It signals an emergency at the mines.” He pulled her away from the tree and began walking. “Gailen will see you home. Take this opportunity to make your apology.”
“To him? I don’t think so!”
“I don’t have time to argue, Eryn.” He signaled the young warrior over. “Escort her home and stand guard. She is not to leave my residence.” He placed a kiss on her
forehead. “We will discuss this more after the mine situation is resolved.”
Gone the next instant, his long strides took him back to the crowd of rushing men where he disappeared among them.
* * *
“Hurry,” Gailen urged her, except when she turned, she didn’t see him.
She spun in a circle. “Where did you go?” She yelled to be heard over the alarm which continued to blare. “Gailen?”
“Hurry”!” he repeated, his voice sounding muffled. “Or we’ll lose her.”
Perplexed by his words, she became more bewildered when she realized the young warrior’s voice hadn’t been male but female.
’Without warning, her world tilted on edge. She found herself hovering on the edge of awareness, halfway between the sun-drenched field on Primaria, and pure, unadulterated torment.
With a jolt, she hurtled into the present, her dream world vanishing in the gray swirling mist. Pain swept in, racking her body in its unyielding grip. All she wanted to do was return to the training field where Ram pinned her against the tree, or if she couldn’t have that, sinking into the blackness which brought relief, at least. Anything would be better than this.
“I need another moment,” a woman advised, sounding harried.
For what? came Eryn’s frantic response, but as always, no one could hear her.
Pop!
The agony subsided, replaced by a numbness encompassing her lower body from the waist down. She still couldn’t move, although considering the alternative, she didn’t care and closed her eyes, savoring a pain-free state.
Exhaustion swamped her, not just physically but emotionally. The constant shifting of her state of reality leaving her drained and confused. She felt trapped, without hope, and so frustrated hot tears welled up behind her eyes. How much longer could this go on?
“She’s crying. She must be in pain.”
Ram. But he assumed wrong. Except for her head, the pain was gone. Even his presence didn’t bring her comfort, nothing did while stuck in this senseless, mystifying limbo.
“Not any longer,” Juna told him. “Dr. Martin has given her a spinal anesthetic. There might be some pressure in her upper abdomen, but no more pain.” Worry filled in her voice. “Ram, I have to ask, again. It might not be possible to save them both.”
“I don’t accept that,” he snapped. “Do what you must to keep them both alive.”
A crushing heaviness settled over her chest. Oh my God. I’m dying. And my baby may be, too.
Another alarm blared, and bright swirling lights flashed behind her eyelids. Her body began to float, drifting upward, different from the last time because she could see everything around her. Washed in white, the room appeared hazy. Even so, she could make out Ram near the back, Maggie at his side, both watching in horror as people swarmed the bed. And no wonder, chaos had ensued with some people yelling, others barking orders, all of them talking at once.
“I need to intubate.” Juna’s voice rose above the others. She glanced at Ram and Maggie while she moved to the head of the bed. “I had hoped to avoid it, but with her crashing every few minutes… We can’t risk her and the baby any longer.”
“Do what you must,” was Ram’s gruff response. “But please, save them.”
“Number three blade,” she ordered.
A nurse stepped aside to get what she needed, and Eryn stared at the patient on the bed—pale skin, lips turned blue, red hair dull… Red hair. Oh my God!
Although she’d long suspected, the reality of seeing herself lying unconscious on a hospital bed came as a shock.
The nurse returned, blocking her view as they continued working, which was probably for the best. She looked at Ram. What about our baby? Juna mentioned crashing, and since they were putting a tube down her throat, that meant she’d lacked oxygen, which didn’t sound good for her or their child. As she pieced it all together, she came up with a bleak conclusion.
“Ram,” Juna said moments later. “She’s critical and because it’s premature. So is the baby. Surgery in this situation is high risk, so I must know what you want me to do. If it comes down to Eryn or the baby…”
Save my baby. Eryn’s answer came in an instant.
“It’s an impossible choice.” His raspy voice held uncertainty.
A sob came from Maggie. Pale, with dark circles under her eyes, her friend looked exhausted, but Ram seemed worse, ravaged as though he hadn’t slept in weeks. A dark scruffy beard shadowed his face, and his expression showed his shock and confusion.
Tell her to save our baby. She willed him to somehow know her answer.
“I’m sorry,” Juna urged, “I need to know now, before we take her in.”
I do, too. But her awareness began to wane, and the sights and sounds in the hospital room shifted, becoming muted.
No, please, wait. I need to know, too.
However, like each time in the past, she had neither choice nor control. She floated again, drifting in another pool of warmth. This time, however, it wasn’t pleasant or relaxing, rather, consumed with darkness.
17
When her eyes popped open the next time and she didn’t see a hospital room, she wanted to scream. She’d been left with another fucking cliffhanger. Instead of being here, wherever here was, she needed to be back with Ram and to find out what happened to her baby.
“Are you ready, mate?”
She twisted around in surprise. Ram strode through a wide arched doorway. As he moved further into the high-ceilinged, sun-drenched room, his boots rang out on the tile floor, becoming muffled when he reached a thick-woven circular rug. On his way to her, he passed a formal, yet comfortable seating area. She knew she would sink into the enormous plush couch, so deep her feet wouldn’t reach the floor, because she had sat on it many times in the past when she’d stayed here, in his two-story capital city residence, similar to a New York townhouse, a very spacious, expensive one.
“Eryn?”
Not bothering to dwell on the how and why of where she was, since she’d yet to figure it out, her focus shifted to him. Clean-shaven, hair smoothed back in a sleek ponytail, his dark-red tunic molded perfectly to his broad chest, he was a well-put-together version of the man she knew, and a stark comparison to the last time she’d seen him looking tired and scruffy in the chaos of her hospital room.
This must be Heaven, she decided, because a man so gorgeous he made her teeth ache had to be an angel, rather than be consigned with her in hell.
“Eryn, I asked you a question.”
She stared, trying to remember what he’d said when he walked in. “Ready for what?”
He tilted his head, brows gathered in consternation as his gaze dipped down her front. Her eyes followed, widening in surprise at the deep-scarlet, floor-length formal gown. She recognized it instantly.
She wanted to stop the clock from advancing, to live in this moment forever, because she remembered this night well. It meant her time with Ram on Primaria was almost over, and events would be set in motion tonight that led her down a dark path, the beginning of the end for them.
“Are you feeling all right?”
Her head came up, and she found him standing close. Lost in thought, she hadn’t seen him move.
“Um, yes, I’m fine.”
“You’re stunning, galita.”
She glanced down at her dress. Red again, with black beading in a similar design to his tunic, the gown was stunning. She remembered thinking she looked like a princess the first time she’d worn it, even though back then, she hadn’t appreciated it.
“We match,” she blurted.
His head tilted ever so slightly, his mouth curving into a bemused smile. “It is tradition for you to wear my colors for formal gatherings. We’ve done this before, Eryn.” He raised a hand to her chin and angled it up, scanning her face. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
This close, she could smell him. Not cologne or anything artificial, but a heady, masculine scent that was all man. If she co
uld bottle it, she’d make a fortune. Staring up at him, she noted the clean-shaven line of his jaw and wanted to rub her cheek against his skin and savor the smooth texture. She licked her dry lips. His gaze dropped to follow the motion, the gold heating to liquid desire.
Wanting him for so long and knowing after tonight nothing would be the same, she took her shot. And with the old Eryn absent once more, she veered from the script of the past and leaned in, raising her mouth in blatant invitation.
He didn’t hesitate, accepting what she offered, and claimed her with a kiss, his hunger sending new spirals of desire coursing through her.
“We’re going to be late,” he groaned after a moment.
“Do you care?”
“I should, but I don’t,” he admitted, speaking through a series of shivery kisses. “I hadn’t thought to claim you for the first time on the couch in the front room.”
“Know something?” she whispered.
He licked along her full bottom lip. “What’s that, galita?”
“I don’t care, either, at least not where…just that you do.”
His deep growl rumbled against her lips and down her throat. That he wanted her so much sent a tremor of desire through her body. One arm wrapped tight around her waist, while his free hand slid up to the nape of her neck, spearing into her hair which came down in a tumble. And while he plundered her mouth—yes, plundered, there was no other word for the voracious, steamy heat of his tongue plunging inside—he lifted her then sat on the couch, bringing her astride his lap.
Together, they raked up the yards of satin making up her long skirt. His palms slid over her hips to the curves of her bottom. She moved her hands up his chest and around to the back of his neck, wanting to feel the smooth silk of his hair. Pulling the band free, like he so often did to her, she then threaded her fingers in the satiny strands.
His Rebellious Mate (Primarian Mates Book 3) Page 21
