by Helen Adams
“I need a release!” I snarled, reaching back to grab his arms. It was like clutching iron bars. My nails dug through his skin.
I turned my head and bit his hand. I tasted salty blood on my tongue – revolting, exciting – but didn’t let go. First blood was mine but I had to cut him to win.
“You’ll make an excellent mother!” He threw his head back and laughed. Fucking psycho.
I lost it. The idea of giving birth to a vaengrjarl child – knowing what they were capable of, what I was capable of – was too much. I choked on my rage and bit down harder, tendons and bones grinding under my teeth. He grunted. I pulled until my teeth groaned and my gums bled. He stifled a yell of pain and dropped me.
I hit the deck and grabbed my falchion. I leapt at him, spitting out his blood and mine, screaming.
He blocked. Just.
“What d’you think mummy would make of that, eh?” I gasped, pulling away and coming back for more. I hit him hard, bam, bam, bam. His blocks were one-handed. The other was slick with blood.
“You want to meet the king and queen, is that it?” he growled. “I didn’t think you were a social climber.” I was pushing him back. His defence was clumsy.
“Oh, please!” I laughed. Careful, starting to sound as whacko as him. “If I was a social climber I’d have had your kids years ago!”
He was recovering, his movements becoming more fluid. I couldn’t let him do that. I had to keep him off centre. I’d found his button, jabbed it a few times. Now – as Mel had advised – it was time to keep pushing until it broke.
“Is that how daddy picked mummy? Picked her out of the herd and said, ‘Hey! Wanna be my brood-mare?’”
“My parents are pure vaengrjarl.” He’d put distance between us now, a good ten feet, and was watching me with eyes so solidly green that they could have been precious gems. “I am pure vaengrjarl. But our race is small.”
He was pacing and we circled again. His movements were slow, deliberate. Cat-like.
“As you know, we’re able to take human lovers. Have half-human offspring. You have qualities that we admire – strength, beauty, tenacity. Cunning. We freshen the gene pool.” He paused, flinging blood from his savaged hand. “But we only choose the best.”
“Should I be flattered?” Fuck! He was stalking me.
He’d seen past my button pushing. To win this I had to get inside his guard, mental and physical. I thought hard. A distraction – I needed a distraction….
“Yes.” His tone was calm again, no anger now. “You should be honoured, not just flattered. And yet since those hours you spent in my bed, you refuse me at every turn.”
And I had it. I had the button.
Me.
Another woman might have gone for demure, but I’d die before I pulled that shit. He’d never believe it, anyway. But if I was careful he might believe this…
“Maybe you’re right,” I said.
His eyes flared hot and bright, a sun about to explode with a million tiny, glittering lights.
“Yes?” He paced closer. He was still wary, our swords levelled at each other. “We could end this right now, if you’d just agree to have my children. I’d even look for your little friend.”
He thought he’d be doing me a favour by finding Alice. Well… technically he was. But it was a favour that I fully intended to earn.
“How do I know we’ll still be compatible?”
“What do you mean, still be compatible?”
“In bed, Lukas.” Were all men this thick? “You could get me in the sack again and… nothing. No attraction. Like a loaded gun with nothing to shoot.”
Too crude? Nah.
Twinkle, twinkle. His sword lowered an inch. Another step forward. I could take him now – slip through his guard – but there was a strong chance that he’d block. And I’d never get this opportunity again.
“We set each other on fire,” he purred, and I had to work not to lose myself in the memories. “No woman – vaengrjarl or otherwise – has ever made me want like you do.”
“But how do you know?” I gulped. I remembered how his skin tasted, hot and salty with sweat. “I’m not giving up anything on the off-chance….”
He regarded me with a long, intense look. Had I pushed the button too hard? Had I laid it on too thick?
“So what do you propose?”
Nope. Just thick enough.
“Kiss me.”
Had I just said that? Had I just invited a vaengrjarl prince to kiss me? Oh fuck, I had. I was mad. Lock me up already.
Why was I really doing this? Was it just a pathetic way to get back at Lee? But if he’d never cared for me, he wouldn’t give a shit about what I was doing now.
“While I will always find the idea of kissing you exciting,” Lukas drawled, those sparklers never leaving my face, “how do I know that you won’t use the opportunity to strike? You must agree that it would be convenient. We could test our ‘compatibility’ just as easily after the fight.”
I felt a grin bubbling beneath the surface. I pushed it down. I was going to use the opportunity, all right, just not in the way he thought.
“You mean you don’t want to kiss me right now?” I said, arching both eyebrows. “Doesn’t fighting get you horny?” I moved closer, pushing the button again and again, running my tongue over my lips. I could still taste his blood. “Doesn’t it get your blood up?”
“A fight and a fuck. You know vaengrjarl well.” His eyes were fireflies in a forest, his accent thickening by the second. “But the fact remains, warrior maiden. The moment my lips meet yours you’ll cut me.” His voice was a deep, sexy thrum, vibrating through my bones.
He stalked across the sand. We were shrinking the distance between us.
“I’ll put Baby down,” I countered. “You put Vedr down.”
“The crowd won’t like it.” But he was smiling.
“Do you care?”
His smile widened. “We put our blades down – together.”
I nodded. “On three.”
We counted. The swords went down. The crowd fell silent, uncertain what was happening. A discontented murmur rose from their unified throats.
Lukas opened his arms. I stepped into his possessive embrace, arms curling around his neck. Heat radiated from his body. I wanted him.
“Now, Daphne,” he growled, demanding. “Now.” And he kissed me.
Everything vanished. The crowd, the ground, even Baby just a few feet away. There was nothing but heat and sensation. His tongue left a wet trail over my lower lip, the rough press of his teeth making me gasp before he sucked my tongue into his mouth.
My body remembered the last time that I’d been in this position, his arms around me, the smell of blood in my nose. Desire made every nerve-ending tingle, made me hyper-sensitive to his hands exploring my back. I tangled my fingers in his thick brown hair. Green light spilled out from his closed lids and through mine, giving the world a verdant tinge.
I was ready to jump his bones. Just throw him down, rip off those leather trousers and let him fuck me in front of the entire crowd. The way he ground his erection against me said that he was in perfect agreement.
And as I pushed the final button and kneed him in the balls, I knew that this kiss had been well worth the wait.
Lukas collapsed into a crumpled heap and wheeled away. Laughing like a loon I grabbed Baby and swung for him.
Even though he was in excruciating pain he still managed a weak block. I attacked again, landing a long, shallow gash across his chest.
The crowd went nuts. Was it support for my victory or a clamour for my blood? Couldn’t tell, didn’t care. I’d beaten Lukas and his own code of honour dictated that he follow through with our bargain. He straightened, slow and careful, and I backed away. I’d kneed him in the balls and his erection still hadn’t gone down! That must have hurt like an unholy bastard.
“One day I’m going to marry you, Daphne McArthur.” What the fuck… “Beautiful, strong and devious – I’m going t
o make you my queen.”
I gave him a sick little smile. “When hell freezes over. Now find Alice.”
“Follow me.”
“You’d better be taking me back to my friends!” I held Baby in a half-guard position, still not entirely sure that he wasn’t going to attack when my back was turned.
“Relax.” His eyes were still blazing. “Although if we hadn’t made that bargain, I’d throw you down on the arena floor and make love to you until you forgot about everything except me.”
“In front of all these people?” My voice was a rough croak. “Kinky.”
Oh my God, why couldn’t I control my fucking mouth? Three years ago I’d let my sex drive do the talking for me and here I was, living the consequences.
“Any time, any place. But now, let’s go find your friend, before I forget that I have some self-control.”
The knowledge that he was close to the edge – that I’d pushed him close to the edge – was exciting. It was also terrifying, because I felt the same.
The vaengrjarl whistled Vedr away and headed for my staging area. I put Baby across my shoulder and followed. Lorl glided to me on silent wings, a tiny lavender blur that plastered itself to my neck. She chirruped and stuck her nose in my ear. I giggled, glad for the distraction, glad for the release of emotion. This was the next best thing to a cold shower.
Lukas turned to give me a considering look as I drew level, the crowd a buzz of white noise. The cut across his chest was bleeding, sending dribbles over his skin, pooling around his belt in a sticky mess. A shallow cut like that must burn like hell. He didn’t let it show.
“I’ve heard that there’s nothing like the love of a taufrkyn.” He sounded unusually curious.
“They’re basically flying cats, but yeah.” His past experience of Lorl had mostly involved watching her eat and throw tantrums. “They love their people.”
“It never ceases to surprise me that they only choose supernatural humans.”
I heard a catch in his voice, something like… jealousy. Vaengrjarl lived for centuries. When they married, was it for love or power? Were they soul-mates or just partners of convenience?
Did they even feel love?
“What’s it like?” I asked, on a whim. “To live as long as you have… to see people change? To see the world change?”
“Exciting. Exhilarating.” His eyes slid away from mine, losing that merry twinkle. Back to flat, expressionless grey. “Lonely.”
I was not going to feel sorry for Mr. I’m-A-Fucking-Prince. I was not.
Ah, dammit…
“I’m sorry.”
He gave me a half-smile. “Don’t be. There is nothing stronger, more terrifying, more magically talented than a vaengrjarl.”
But his eyes didn’t meet mine. Perhaps there was some humanity behind those green sparklers, after all.
We left the arena. Grabbing my sweater I tied it around my waist, then slung the duffle over my shoulder. I followed him through more tunnels – losing all sense of direction, yet again – and emerged in a plush room full of cloud-sofas and cloud-armchairs.
Raz and Lee stood as I entered. I met a wall of folded arms, hostile stares – and silence.
“Hey, how you doing, I’m just fine!” I said, more loudly than necessary.
“I’ll leave you in Aki’s capable hands,” Lukas said. A discreet glance proved that his hard-on had – finally – vanished. Bloody hell.
Was it my imagination, or did Aki seem just a touch harried? Had he learned that babysitting berserkers was a job that separated the men from the boys? I hoped so.
“You’re leaving?” I asked.
“To find Alice,” Lukas reassured me. “I’ll return in an hour. Aki, give her whatever she wants.”
“And my friends…?”
“Oh, yes. Them too.”
SEVENTEEN
I thought it the height of arrogance that Lukas claimed he could find Alice so quickly, but I also knew that it wasn’t a boast – if he said that he would do it, it would be done. Vaengrjarl had access to resources that I could never imagine. They were connected.
“May I get you anything, Miss McArthur?” Aki asked.
His tone was polite – painfully so – but his eyes were full of contempt. I might have impressed Lukas (and the idea still made me shudder, in lots of different ways) but Aki was no fan of mine.
“Food, please,” I said, “and something to drink.”
“I will return shortly. Please remain here.” Aki executed a neat, precise bow and departed.
When he was gone I dumped the duffel and flopped onto a sofa, delighting in the soft cloud-stuff touching my tired body. Lorl squeaked. I eased her against my chest and stroked her fuzzy head.
Now that I was resting the adrenaline faded away. Exhaustion weighed my body down. I struggled to remember just how many fights I’d had today, and couldn’t.
“If you’re going to lynch me for the way I won that spar, get it out of the way so that I can get some fucking sleep,” I mumbled, eyes closing. This sofa was comfy.
“You kissed him.” Who was that? Raz? Lee?
“Well done, genius. Your powers of observation are stunning. Wake me up when there’s food.”
“I thought you hated the very ground he walked on?”
OK, so that was definitely Raz. Part of me had hoped for Lee, that I’d made him jealous, but that ship had sailed. More than that – we’d set the ship on fire and pushed it out to sea. Maybe if I could see his face… I didn’t want to know.
“I was finding his buttons.”
That sounded better in my head. I debated telling them about Mel, but decided that I’d only get a lecture about taking advice from strangers.
“I’d say he was finding your buttons,” Raz sighed. “Have you got any idea of the consequences of what you did?”
“Oh, yes.” I didn’t hide the bitterness. “He wants to make me his queen.”
Silence fell. And I mean it fell. It dropped like a hammer and smashed through the conversation.
“You should marry him,” Raz said eventually.
I wiggled a finger in my ear. “Sorry, I think I’m going deaf.”
“Think about it. Lukas will be a king and you’ll be his wife. His equal. The first berserker to hold that position. Think of the good you could do.”
“Oh…”
I’d never thought of it that way before. Lukas would be the most powerful person in the world, and I’d be married to him. I’d share that power. I could end the troll gang-wars, curb the worst excesses of the vampires. All the low-life scum who preyed on humanity, I’d control them. I could crush them –
I opened my eyes. Sat up. Cradled Lorl.
“No,” I said into the charged silence. “I won’t marry him. You get too close to a vaengrjarl, you start thinking like them. A girl needs to marry for love, right?”
I kept my real reasons – that ex-cons just did not become princesses – firmly in my head. And I wasn’t going to marry someone who remembered the good old days of the Roman Empire with fondness.
And a few hours ago I’d broken up with Lee. Talking about marriage now was tacky, even if I had just kissed someone I’d previously had sex with. Someone who wasn’t my ex-boyfriend. Did I mention how fucked up this was?
“But Daph –”
“I said no, Raz!” By my side Lorl chirruped, reacting to my anger. The noise vibrated through my chest. “I won this fight. Doesn’t matter how. I won. Neither of you has even said ‘well done’.”
“You were mad to go through with it in the first place,” Lee grunted, finally joining the ‘Let’s Nag Daphne’ parade.
“Do you have a best friend?” I ground out, frustration making me want to scream.
“Me?” I could see him shifting mental gears, trying to work out where I was going. “I ran with a couple of guys. They’re all dead or in prison.”
“No pals in the secret service?”
“It’s not the secret service. Bu
t we get on.”
“Another no, then.” I looked at Raz. “If Mina had taken you, I’d cut my way through a horde of trolls to get you back.”
“But I’d have put her down first.”
“That’s not the point!” Damn it, why did they have to be so bloody short-sighted? “The point is that I don’t have many friends. And I have precisely two best friends. You’re one, Alice is the other. I would do anything – absolutely fucking anything – to get you out of trouble. Do you understand that? Can you get it through your thick heads?”
Raz heaved a sigh. “I’m sorry. It was an excellent fight. I just hope that Alice realises what a good friend she’s got.”
I thought that should be the other way around.
I curled up on the sofa and slept. I had nothing more to say. I hadn’t forced Raz or Lee to come with me; when we got back, they were free to leave. I’d take on Mina without their help… if it came to that.
I hoped it wouldn’t.
An annoying, repetitive squeak pulled me out of deep sleep – Aki had returned with a laden trolley.
“Food and drink,” he announced.
He’d done himself proud. The trolley was stacked – cooked meat, cheese, bread; fruit; desserts groaning under mountains of cream. I stood in one fluid motion and hugged the startled vaengrjarl, dropping a kiss on top of his head. He stiffened, face twisting in revulsion, and I let him go. He could have thought I was the worst thing since sliced bread and I wouldn’t have given a shit.
“Oh my God. Aki. I love you.”
He looked as if he’d swallowed bleach. “If you require anything else, I’ll be next door.”
I gave him a wave – whatever, whatever – and we descended on the food.
An hour later it was gone. And I mean all gone. Berserkers have higher metabolisms than dewdrops, and berserkers who’ve been in fights burn through calories as if they’re going out of fashion.
I felt as if I’d never tasted anything so good. Even the drink was liquid perfection. Aki had only brought jugs of water, but it was cold and crisp and orgasmically good as it slid down my throat.
