Shadow and Ice

by Gena Showalter

  He flicked her a loaded glance. “When combatants make a kill, they inherit the ability to activate the victim’s weapon, nothing more. Creating fire was an innate ability Ranger possessed, not a weapon, and yet you can do the same. An interesting development, no?”

  “I will neither confirm it nor deny it.” Staring roughly fifty yards ahead, she clinked her Rifters and waved her hand.

  The landscape split, two layers peeling away from each other, revealing rocky walls. No sign of people or animals. Perfect.

  Zion chucked Knox as if he were a baseball and said, “We’ll chat again.”

  Knox flew through the rift, skidded over a dirt floor and slammed into a rocky wall. Vale followed him inside. Sword ready, she spun lest someone dared to enter.

  Zion had already changed directions. He clashed with Pike, who gave as good as he got. Someone was going to die bloody—

  The rift closed, the scene vanishing, and relief buckled Vale’s knees. The weapon fell from her trembling hand. But concern overshadowed relief as she crawled to Knox. What injuries had he sustained? Why wasn’t he waking up?

  Vale gently patted his cheek. “Wake up for me, baby. Let me see those ocean blues.”

  No response. She looked him over. His clothing was torn and soaked with blood. Tremors intensifying, she felt for a pulse, whimpered. His heartbeat was slow and reedy, but it was there. A good sign, right?

  Or not.

  One hour trickled into another, and Knox remained as still as a corpse. Dang it, she had to help him. But how? Gunnar’s sword had healing properties, but came with consequences she knew nothing about. What if she did more harm?

  Another hour ticked by. Knox’s pulse grew weaker rather than stronger, and she decided she had no other choice. She had to act, regardless of her ignorance.

  After double checking to make sure no one hid nearby, she opened a rift into his bunker, collected the sword, and raced back into the cave. Perfect timing. The doorway closed.

  She placed the sword over Knox’s chest, mimicking what she’d seen in her dream. One second passed, a seeming eternity.

  Nothing happened.

  Knox must have to do something to activate its power, since he was the one who’d won it. Which meant she couldn’t help him.

  Another hour ticked by with no improvement on his part, but she didn’t freak. Instead, an eerie calm descended over her. Or maybe shock. She felt like she’d just watched an F-5 tornado rip up trees by the root and demolish houses brick by brick. It had been horrible to live through, but amazing to survive. But now that the storm had passed, and the debris had been cleared, she could see the world with fresh eyes.

  The All War was awful, and provided irrefutable evidence that there were forces beyond her control—forces Earth wasn’t prepared to face. The High Council. Enforcers. Portals and rifts. Other realms. Alien technology.

  Whatever the cost, Vale had to win this thing. It was time to get her butt in gear. Not as a sidekick, but as the superhero she’d professed to be.

  Her gaze returned to the unconscious Knox, shivers of regret stealing through her. She owed him, so she would guard him while he healed. And he had better heal. As soon as he was better, she’d give herself a night with him, make a memory to last the ages...and then she would say goodbye.

  * * *

  KNOX CAME AWAKE with a jolt, jerking upright, his body teeming with aggression. Kill!

  Reaching for his daggers, he leaped to his feet. A sweep of his gaze revealed a spacious cavern, with colorful deposits of iron ore.

  How had he gotten here? Better question: Why wasn’t he dead?

  The hot, humid breeze contained a metallic bite but lacked any kind of electrical charge. No other combatant lurked nearby, and yet he scented Vale’s pheromone.

  Realization—she saved my life. On the battlefield, she’d aided him, true, but this was different. She must have opened a rift and lugged him through. Which would have taken energy and time, putting her own life at risk.

  Had she died because of it...because of him?

  Red flashed through his vision. If someone had hurt her, that someone would die.

  The fine hairs on the back of his neck lifted in warning as he sprang toward the exit. A combatant approached...

  {Dangerous. Slay without mercy.}

  Vale whizzed into the cavern, igniting a storm of relief and desire. She was alive and well.

  {Slay her. Now.}

  Defiant, Knox sheathed the daggers. The eyaer had one purpose, and one purpose only: to save his life. Trusting anyone else, even the woman who had risked her life for his, would get him killed. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon.

  He didn’t care.

  He drank her in, the beautiful temptress who’d upended his world. She looked delicate but tough in a black tank top, ripped blue pants and steel-toed combat boots.

  Just like that, he shot to full arousal. He wanted this woman more than...anything.

  The realization was startling, but true. There, in that moment, he recognized her for what she was—a prize worth dying for.

  He would have to be careful, have to remain guarded, but he would not give her up.

  “Knox!” She squealed with happiness. A first for him. Most people screamed his name in fear or cursed it with hostility. Throwing herself into his open arms, she said, “My sleeping beau awakens.”

  He held her tight, one hand on her nape, the other on her ass. Lust was a living entity inside him, filling him up, reaching all the hidden nooks and crannies.

  Control shredded, he crashed his lips against hers and thrust his tongue into her mouth. He devoured her hard and fast. Shaking. Burning up. Slow down. Savor.

  He had a choice. Take her here, in this cave, endangering her life, or pause and whisk her back to his bunker, where they could continue in peace.

  No contest. With a moan, he wrenched his face from hers. “How long was I out?”

  “Forever.” She toyed with the ends of his hair, her heated green-gold gaze glued to his lips. “Fine, fine. Only a few days. Let’s celebrate with another kiss.”

  Days? “What is this place?”

  “A cave in the Amazon jungle. I had to leave you here to run errands, but before I left, I smeared my blood on you to coat you with my scent. Smart, huh? I remembered how Celeste turned the lavender field into a total beat-off zone. If a combatant found you, they would’ve jumped your bones rather than take your head. You’re welcome. And check it! I went back to the ice mountains, hoping to get a look at our slain shooters, but their bodies were long gone.”

  He stiffened. “You must take more care. What if someone had set an ambush?”

  “I would have kicked butt.” She patted his cheek, all aren’t you adorable, and chattered on. “I filched these clothes from a log cabin Erik owns. The place I stayed before I stumbled upon your prison. I’d hoped I’d catch him while he’s weakened from his foot amputation, but no such luck. I came back here and scouted the area, just in case someone had sneaked in while I was gone. They hadn’t. But, uh, can we chat about the rest later?” The flush in her cheeks deepened. “In case I haven’t been clear, I want to sex you up immediately.”

  He grew harder. They had a thousand things to do, to discuss, to decide, and momentary pleasure would never be more important than the war. But he wasn’t going to deny their bodies any longer.

  One of them could have died during the assembly. Time was limited and precious. He was done putting his happiness on hold. Especially now, with Vale peering at him with such yearning, as if he wasn’t just good enough, but good, period.

  “I want to be with you, valina. I accept your invitation to sex up.” He would have her, finally, the pheromone be damned. “But not here. And not until after our bath. For our first time, I’m not going to be covered in battle grime.”

  He set h
er on her feet, surely the most difficult task he’d ever done, and opened a shadowed rift into the bunker. Amid the snarling protests of his eyaer, he tugged Vale inside.

  Waiting for the doorway to close, he realized this was more difficult. He had his woman where he wanted her, but he was still unable to act.

  The second they were sealed inside, he picked her up, carried her over and tossed her in the pool. She came up laughing, but quieted when he stripped, amusement no match for the ravages of their desires.

  Ruined shirt, gone. Belt buckle, dropped. Boots, off. Pants, shucked. She watched his every action, as though mesmerized. When he gripped his rigid length, shivers cascaded through her, sending ripples dancing over the water.

  “You’re conditioning me to become aroused anytime I even think about taking a bath,” she told him, a glimmer of her luscious scent wafting through the air.

  “What can I say, valina? I like you wet.”

  Holding his gaze, she removed her sodden shirt and tossed it aside. Her pants—jeans, according to his translator—received the same treatment, then the undergarments, leaving her wonderfully bare.

  Slowly, he walked into the water. Her purrs of pleasure caressed his ears, a siren’s song. Compared to the sizzling temperature of his skin, the liquid was like ice. He dunked once, twice, washing away the evidence of war before moving to the makeshift waterfall, where he tilted back his head and drank, cleansing his mouth.

  “Your control of the pheromone has improved,” he said, impressed.

  “My control is nearly shredded,” she admitted, “but I’m definitely getting better. Celeste’s ability—”

  “Your ability, not Celeste’s.”

  “Mine,” she said with a nod. “I’ll keep the scent on a tight leash as long as I can, so you won’t have to worry.”

  “I’m not sure I care where the desire comes from anymore.”

  A hint of her luscious scent gave way to an irresistible deluge. He inhaled deeply, couldn’t stop himself, and savored the fragrance. He’d missed it.

  Jasmine and dark spices infused his cells, so that he wasn’t just Knox of Iviland anymore. He was Knox, Vale’s man, and glad for it.

  New tides of pleasure sensitized him. Suddenly he could feel every droplet of water that sluiced every ridge of muscle, could feel the stroke of oxygen against his pores, could hear the raggedness of Vale’s inhalations.

  Need ruled him. Need to have her in his bed, to kiss and taste every inch of her, to plunge inside her, to become one being with one purpose—climax.

  Need for her.

  He used his shadows to lift her out of the water.

  “I’m floating!” The darkness whisked her through the bunker, drawing little gasps of delight from her. “Knox, this is incredible.”

  She was incredible, and he wasn’t going to keep his hands off her a moment longer. He climbed out of the water and stalked his prey...

  The shadows eased her upon the mattress and whisked away.

  Vale’s hair spilled over the pillows, white twining with black to create a glorious merging of light and shadow.

  He devoured the rest of her with his gaze. Her pink nipples tightened for him. The flat plane of her stomach quivered. When he caught sight of the small thatch of curls between her long, trim legs, he nearly started drooling.

  He placed a knee on the bed, then the other, and crawled up her perfect body. She welcomed him, as eager and tantalizing as ever, creating an erotic cradle for him. Hot, wet skin pressed against hot, wet skin. Male against female. He groaned. She gasped.

  Soft and pliant against him, she twined her arms around his neck, as if she feared he would leave. As if he was strong enough for such a feat.

  “You feel so good,” she said, her breaths becoming more hectic. “I need more.”

  “More. Yes.” To him, she felt like...life. Like everything he’d ever wanted or needed. As if she was made just for him. A prize to be savored, a treasure to be enjoyed. “There’s no woman lovelier than you. No one I’ve ever wanted so desperately.”

  Eyes framed by the thickest, blackest lashes he’d ever seen widened. Expression ravenous, she cupped his jaw, glided her thumbs over his beard stubble and rubbed her knees up the sides of his body, the heels of her feet gliding along his calves.

  “I’m in love with those words,” she said, and turned her attention to his lips, tracing her finger around the edges, “but I want you to stop talking and start kissing again. Always finish what you start.”

  Defeated, Knox drew her face closer to his slowly, unbearably slow, allowing anticipation to build and burn in them both, burn so hot. His grip on her was too tight, he knew it, knew he needed to relax his hold before he bruised her tender flesh. But she moaned a ragged sound that dripped with pleasure, and he exalted, gripping her tighter.

  Their lips met, electricity arcing between them, powerful and undeniable. A dark primal urge to possess her assailed him. Then. That second. Knox realized another startling truth. If he had to train with Ansel five hundred more years, if he had to win a thousand more All Wars, if he had to kill a million more warriors simply to be here with Vale and experience more moments like this, he would.

  “Don’t stop,” she gasped out. “Whatever you do, don’t stop.”

  “I’ll never stop.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CONNECTION. SOMETHING VALE had longed to share with a man, but never had. She’d craved adoration, too. Amusement and comfort. A partner to share the good, the bad and even the ugly. Acceptance. Had yearned for a companion willing to stick by her, no matter what. Knox was a bigger flight risk than most, but here, now, he made her feel everything she’d ever wanted, and more.

  With increasing intensity, he teased her with sweeping flicks and forays of his tongue. Soon she was frenzied, drunk on honeyed whiskey. Then he sucked harder, nipped, nibbled and bit, and she burned hotter, ached so fiercely.

  Her scent fused with his, the way the pheromone had fused with the lavender, becoming their scent. Sweet and wicked, deliciously heady.

  Once, twice, he lifted his head to peer down at her, his yearning palpable, as if he needed to assure himself she was here, and she was real and she was his. That look was more addictive than any drug.

  He was addictive. Vale craved every inch him...the muscle stacked upon muscle, the dark smattering of hair on his broad chest. The darker line that led to his navel, and even below it, providing a path to his erection. A real prizewinner, it checked all of her boxes, and then some.

  Physically, no other man compared.

  Before the night ended, she would have that shaft in her mouth.

  Knox—he’s what’s for dinner.

  But her desire for him wasn’t just based on appearance and all that masculine perfection. She valued his cunning mind, delighted in his wit and sharp sense of humor—something he’d shared with her and only her. When he wanted something, he fought for it. Nothing swayed him.

  Desperate for him, she petted his chiseled jaw with one hand and grabbed a fistful of his hair with the other, sinking her nails into his scalp. His every shallow, raspy inhalation drove her wild, and his every exhalation warmed her skin, making her crazed.

  He kissed her jaw and nibbled on the lobe of her ear, and goose bumps popped up all over her. Goose bumps he chased with his tongue. When she was writhing against him, he turned his attention to her breasts.

  He suckled one nipple and pinched the other, and the dual sensations—one worshipful, one wild—maddened her.

  “Knox,” she said, his name an entreaty from deep within her soul. “Please.”

  “Does my valina need more?” He rose to his knees and maneuvered her so that her ass rested on his thighs. Biceps bulging, he settled his hands on her knees to push them farther apart.

  Vale sucked in a breath as cool air met heated flesh. “Ye
s, yes. More.”

  His gaze gobbled her up one bite at a time. Only fair. Her gaze devoured him. His dark hair was still damp from the bath and stuck out in sexy spikes. Tension etched every line of his face, a testament to his raging desire. For me, only me.

  “This,” he said, curling his fingers around the base of his shaft and stroking once, twice, “is all yours.” A bead of moisture wet the head.

  “I want it, give it to me.” She imagined sucking on it, just the way she craved, and drew her lower lip between her teeth. Soon! But first things first. She had to get him inside her before he changed his mind. “Condom,” she said. “We need a condom now.”

  “No need. Immortals are immune to disease, and I can’t get you pregnant.”

  Wait. “Ever?” she blurted, then cringed. A casual lay shouldn’t care about starting a family in the future. Knox hadn’t offered her a commitment—he couldn’t. And she couldn’t offer him one, either.

  Ugh! She didn’t know what they were, or what they would be, only knew she craved him. Time was short, and not just because of the war. She would be leaving him, but for now, she was done resisting the pull between them. They were together in this moment, and that was enough.

  She cleared her throat. “Let me rephrase. How can you prevent pregnancy without a condom?”

  He teased her inner thighs with his fingertips, wrenching a ragged groan from her. Those fingertips traced the wet heat between her legs, then stopped to circle her navel as if—no, surely not. But...maybe? As if he imagined her big with his child...and he liked it.

  “During my third All War, I won a magical realm. While there, I bought a potion. Until I take an antidote, I cannot get you or anyone pregnant.”

  So, one day, after this newest war had ended, they could—

  Nope. They couldn’t have each other and victory. Don’t go there. You’ll only ruin the moment.

  “How do you know your king hasn’t given you an antidote already?” she asked.