by Jaide Fox
Seconds passed like minutes as she searched without success, and she knew she couldn’t wait any longer if he needed rescue—it might already be too late. She inhaled a deep breath, preparing to plunge into the water to search for his dead body. Suddenly Dar burst through the surface right in front of her, slinging water in every direction. The huge grin combined with his heave of air alternately made her want to grab and kiss him because he was all right…and then punch him in the eye for nearly giving her a heart attack.
“I’ll kill you,” she gasped in surprise, clutching her chest as if it would stop her heart from overexertion. “You need—”
Her tirade cut off mid-sentence as he jumped off the bottom of the pool like a freaking merman, grabbed her thigh, and used his weight to drag her in with him. She sucked in a breath just as the cool water closed over her head. Her thick curly hair immediately plastered against her face like tentacles, and she swept the tangled mass back to open her eyes underwater. Light glinted above, refracting and making the water ripples shine like jewels. Kicking her legs, she swam to the surface, breaking through and gasping for air.
Dar caught her around the waist, behind her, spinning her in the water until she faced him. She smacked his shoulder, earning a deep chuckle.
“I should rip that smile off your face,” she growled, pushing against his chest. He tightened his arms around her, keeping her from escape. “How dare you scare me like that!”
He tsked. “So violent. Aren’t you glad to see I’m alive?” He freed one hand long enough to push her wet hair back from her forehead. “This is a good look for you. Wet and angry.”
“You’re such a dumbo. You even think about what you do before you do it?”
“I used to come here as a boy. I’ve dived the falls many times. There’re even caves beneath the water for exploring. If you’re brave enough.”
She squirmed in his arms, noticing that his great size made her feel small against him. She was used to being as tall as a man, and not much smaller. His broad chest and thick biceps were so out of the norm in her experience, she couldn’t help being intrigued and attracted. Mentally berating herself for cataloguing his assets, she switched back to an offense. “It’s still stupid. You’re too old for crazy antics.” His dimple showed. She would not be charmed by it.
He swam in a circle with her, changing her viewpoint to the cascading water. With the lush green framing the pool and falls, ornamented by the occasional exotically colored blossom, the spot looked as if it was plucked from a postcard of Hawaii or some other tropical locale. If she hadn’t still been reeling from the adrenaline rush, she would have found the entire ordeal romantic. She couldn’t let him know that, of course.
“You’re never too old for having fun.” His voice dropped an octave, and he ran his hands down her back, teasing the top of her buttocks. “Don’t you like enjoying yourself?”
“Let me go,” she said, continuing to fight against his hold. Now she was cold and wet. Her hair would never dry! She might as well resign herself to hours of tangles and brushing after what he’d done. She was beyond pissed. Reluctantly, or perhaps because of her seething breathing and frown, he released her with a heavy sigh. She swam to the rock ledge he’d pulled her off of and crawled out of the water with difficulty. Dar was right behind her, and with his level of physical fitness, he moved with surprising speed. She was still on her knees when he launched himself towards her, taking her down on a bed of moss. A cringe inducing squeak escaped her, and she landed on her chest and hands with the scent of earthy water and moss seeping into the front of her shirt.
Jasmine rolled, half-heartedly kicking Dar in the head. She was more interested in stunning him than causing any real damage. He made a strangled yelping sound and closed the distance with shocking agility, landing on top of her just hard enough to lock her into place.
“Are you trying to escape?” he asked, settling with her legs trapped between his oaken thighs and his rigid belly melded against her own.
She glared at him, breathing through her flared nostrils. Her blood pumped so furiously, she felt dizzy with it. “Would it change anything if I said yes?”
“Admit you were worried. Is this your fear or anger that makes you react this way?” He studied her face. Try as she might to look away, she couldn’t keep him from discerning her emotions.
“Both.” She wiggled, freeing one arm and then another. She pushed his shoulders.
“Does this mean you care something for me?” he said, a smile teasing his lips.
“Of course not. I need you alive to lead me back to the city so I don’t die.” She couldn’t move her legs or lift her butt to buck him off. “Plus, I always kick guys in the head if I like them,” she growled, digging her nails into his shoulders. “You inspire violence in me.”
He laughed, poor fool that he was. With ease, he scooped up both of her wrists in one large hand and pinned them above her head. “I’ve seen animals fight for days before succumbing to their mate. Your defense doesn’t deter me,” he murmured. Water dripped off his chin and down the hair clinging to his forehead and cheeks. His dark eyes were shielded by lazy, heavy lids, and his wet eyelashes clumped together, looking incredibly thick and making a mesmerizing frame. She wanted to look away, to keep him from reading her face past her fright and resentment. She didn’t want him to realize that she liked him lying on top of her, that the feel of his big, hard body crushed against her curves had her insides trembling for more.
Her body was against her, reacting with fierce arousal. How long could she war with herself before giving in to him? She snapped her teeth, willing crazy mad into her eyes to discourage him. “Wild cats have teeth and claws. And they don’t like water,” she said through clenched teeth.
He leaned up on the elbow of the arm pinning her wrists, just enough to look down at her heaving chest. “You’re right. I should get these wet clothes off of you. Warm you up…since I made this mess. I’d be crushed if you caught cold.” He trailed his free hand around her ribcage, working the clinging wet fabric up until he’d exposed one breast.
She couldn’t breathe—she’d stopped without realizing. He stared at her brown nipple puckering with exposure to air, tiny wet droplets beading on her skin. Goosebumps pebbled the thin, delicate flesh.
“That answers a question I had,” he said hoarsely. He licked his bottom lip. Every action played in slow motion to her foggy brain.
“What’s that?” she croaked. Everything inside her screeched to an expectant halt, hovering on the edge of a roller coaster.
“I’ve been wondering what color they were since I met you,” he said quietly. Slowly, he dragged his gaze away from the nipple jutting out, begging for attention, and looked at her mouth.
“I thought you’d gotten a good eyeful when I was showering before…” she said.
“I’m a gentleman—I didn’t look,” he said, looking amused and insulted that she’d think that of him.
“What…what else have you been wondering...about me?” she whispered. She flexed her fingers, wishing he’d set her free—and scared that he would and she’d be unable to resist him.
He moved a calloused hand to her throat, skimming the bottom of her jaw with his thumb. The touch sent shivers down her spine. His gaze looked so hungry she thought he could eat her alive with just those eyes. “What these lips taste like. My curiosity needs satisfying.”
He cupped her jaw possessively, dipping his head until his mouth was a hair’s breadth from hers—so close she could taste his hot breath. With his thumb, he pushed her chin down, forcing her lips to part. No barrier, no way to keep him out except with her teeth. “No biting,” he warned as if reading her mind, looking hotly into her eyes as he closed the distance.
Her belly jerked on a sharp intake of breath just as he connected. Without preamble, his tongue drove into her mouth, sweeping hot and voracious along her teeth and tongue. She couldn’t hide or run from him, and he knew it. Arousal jolted her core, launching
her into a desperate response. He was on the attack, forging ahead, compelling her to react to him. She blocked with her tongue, but it was not defensive, playing into his plans like a felled chess piece. He sucked her into his mouth, making her tongue feel swollen with his ravaging kiss. Fingers stroked her jaw and neck, running down to her bared peak, and when his fingers plucked her taut nipple, sensation erupted like the fourth of July.
Jasmine whimpered into his mouth, struggling against the manacle of his hands. Captive beneath him, and dear lord, she exhilarated with feeling. Dar ignored her wriggling, shifting to his elbow and side as he freed her hip and thrust a leg between her thighs. She didn’t have time to lock her ankles together. Hell, she’d all but given up the fight. Wasn’t she just punishing herself by denying this need to be pleasured?
How long had it been since she’d felt this kind of excitement about a man? She couldn’t remember, and Dar pushed the levels of arousal fogging her thought capacity so high she couldn’t quite remember why she was resisting in the first place. He rubbed his thigh against her mound and dragged his mouth from hers, breaking suction as he kissed her chin and along her jaw. Scorching damp skin with hot breath and hotter lips, he branded her jaw and the shell of her ear, grazing the lobe with nipping teeth.
Her wet pants robbed her of sensation and penetration. His thigh rubbed her trapped sex, making her want more. He massaged her breast, teasing her nipple mercilessly with the proximity of his fingers, always just brushing against it, but never enough to take her where she wanted to go. Her pussy was wound so tight she thought she would explode.
“Touch me down there you fucking tease,” she ground out. “Or let me go so I can do it.”
He lifted his head from her ear, giving her a lust-drunk look. “Where? Here?” he asked, extending his arm and firmly grabbing her mound. She groaned when he massaged her through the damp pants. “I’d never let you deprive me of stroking your hot little cunt, Jasmine. I admit I like seeing you struggle though.” He freed her hands, getting up on his knees to allow him access to her pants. Thick fingers fumbled at the waist and button holding them closed. He cursed under his breath, popping the button off to widen the opening for his hand.
Her belly jerked on an intake of breath. She arched her spine, her eyes rolling back in her head as his rough hand sought and found her drenched pussy. Neglected for far too long, her clit jolted at the unfamiliar touch.
“Oh my god,” she groaned, needing to buck and writhe, do anything to get him closer to her, moving and grinding and—
A branch snapped behind them, followed by a loud crash of brush and twigs as something huge launched itself straight towards them.
Chapter Nine
Dar jerked his head toward the disturbance. Without pause, he leapt to his feet and dragged her up from the ground. Before she could get steady footing, he pushed her away from him. “Run, Jasmine. Get my gun.”
A growl carried on the wind, sending a chill up her wet back. Jasmine launched herself into a run, not daring a look behind. Dar waved his arms, catching the beast’s attention away from her as she ran toward the bags. She bent and searched his bag, looking for his gun, hyperventilating when she couldn’t find it. Behind her, she heard the growl again, accompanied with Dar’s grunts of exertion. In her mind, something horrible was tearing him apart. Dumping the contents on the ground, feeling her blood pressure skyrocketing, she almost passed out when she saw the black and silver gun skitter in a circle in the dirt.
Snatching the gun from the ground, she spun, facing Dar and the animal.
With his knees bent and his hands in loosely curled fists, he looked like a mixed martial artist first entering the cage, bouncing foot to foot as he dodged the animal’s rampage. Stocky of build, with thick shoulders and tapered hips, the animal looked like a cross between a rhinoceros and a dinosaur, but it stood no higher than Dar’s waist. A four inch, ivory horn jutted from its short snout, and spiny protrusions erupted along its spine and feathered into small greyish green scales that covered the rest of its body. It pawed the ground with dirty, ivory claws, and swung a stumpy tail as it lifted its head in fury. Its movements and reactions reminded her of a wild boar.
Dar focused on the beast, his eyes never leaving the animal as it circled him.
“I’ve got the gun!” she yelled, running closer.
He held up his hand to stop her. She rooted to the spot, afraid to distract him from the movements of his foe. Jasmine palmed the gun, placing her finger on the trigger and taking aim.
“It’s a biometric trigger. I have to shoot it. Throw it to me now!” he said, holding his hand up.
She launched the gun into the air. Dar lunged for it and missed. With his distraction, the beast charged, gouging Dar in the stomach and knocking him back. It jerked its thick head, slashing an opening through cloth and flesh as one. Lifting its head, droplets of blood slung through the air like rain. The gun hit the dirt, sending dirt clods and bits of moss flying as it buried itself in the loam. Dar groaned in pain, clutching his stomach. Jasmine screamed, blood thumping in her ears and horror turning her movements sluggish as she ran for him and scanned the area for another weapon. He hit the ground on his knees, scrambling for the gun as the animal closed in for the kill with its horn aimed. Gathering on its haunches, it lunged for Dar’s throat, baring a mouthful of small, razor-like teeth. He twisted, elbowing the beast in the jaw as he fell back and hit the gun with his shoulder. The beast dug claws into the ground, turning for another lunge. Falling onto his back, Dar grabbed the grip and aimed in one fluid move.
Pulsing orange blasts of light erupted from the barrel, splintering from a small silver cartridge as it hit the animal square in the neck. Forward momentum carried the lifeless creature onto the ground and across Dar’s legs. He collapsed with his head and arms back, breathing heavily for a moment before sitting up and pushing himself free of the weighty carcass.
Jasmine rushed forward, unable to speak as she knelt beside him. Her insides felt jumbled like a puzzle. He winced, clutching his stomach as blood seeped between his fingers.
“Let me see this,” she whispered, forcing his hand away to peel up the saturated and torn clothing. Ripped flesh and welling blood greeted her eyes. Bile rose in the back of her throat, threatening to pour out. She choked it back, shook her head, and stood. Indecision and alarm throttled her brain.
Dar closed his eyes and lay back down. “At least we have dinner,” he murmured weakly.
She choked on a hysterical chuckle and retrieved the spare clothing he’d brought, which she’d dumped onto the ground when looking for the gun. Moving with purpose, she shook the sand free and staunched the blood flow with a wadded up shirt, her mind racing as she tried to think of what to do. He could bleed to death out here, she realized.
“How bad is it?” he asked with a rough voice.
“Just a little blood.”
“Okay. Good. I thought maybe it had broken the tip off inside my stomach. It feels like something is in there. The jajas tend…to do…that. Good eating…though. Good…” Every word seemed an effort for him to speak. He gritted his teeth, breathing shallowly.
That statement raised her alarm level. She glanced at the dead animal and saw his suspicions were correct—the point of its snout horn was missing. She gulped back the returning bile, closing her eyes and feeling hopeless inside.
He couldn’t afford for her to fall apart right now. She realized she’d have to dig the tip out with her fingers. “The horn tip is missing. I’m going to look for it. This is going to hurt.”
His eyes still closed, he nodded. “Do it.”
Taking a steadying breath, she lifted the cloth and pushed the opening in his side wide, going by feel more than anything. Red stained her fingers, thoroughly obscuring her path. Dar cried out hoarsely. The blood came quicker as his blood pressure skyrocketed. She didn’t have to go too deep to find the sharp intrusion. Pinching it with her thumb and forefinger, she struggled to grip the slippery
horn. Dar groaned, and she patted his chest, shushing him as she finally gripped it and yanked the tip from his body with a great gush of blood.
She made a whimper of victory and realized Dar had passed out when he didn’t react to her replacing the wadded cloth on his stomach. She bit her lip, praying for strength to help him. There was no possibility that she could carry him down to the valley on her own. He would die here if she couldn’t stop the bleeding.
A shadow blotted the sun from the sky. Jasmine jerked her head up. Tears of joy blurred her vision.
Chapter Ten
Waving her arms and jumping up and down futilely, she stood staring blankly at the sky before she remembered Dar had stuffed the dragon call into his pocket. The silhouettes limned by the sun grew smaller, she realized. She had no idea how far away they were, and if they would even be able to hear the call. Renewed urgency quickened her search. She dropped to the ground and dug into his pockets, grasping the small cylinder and victoriously withdrawing it. Sucking in a deep breath, she blew as hard and long as she could before whistling again, staring at the sky with hope bursting in her chest. The call made no sound her ears could detect, but she knew from Dar’s previous attempt that was normal.
Overhead, the shadows wheeled in the sky like vultures, circling in a downward spiral straight for them.
The tree canopy rattled from great gusts of wind. She squinted at the shapes, shielding her face until the worst of the blasting wind died down. Jasmine never thought the sight of dragons would make her happy, but when the three zhala finally lit upon the ground, casting up dust and debris with their great wings, she ran straight for them.
A man with close-cropped ashen hair jumped off the lead dragon. “Jerik Warsong. Your cousin, Samara, sent us for your rescue. Where is Captain Tagnon’s zhala?”
She waved her hands. “It flew off to mate or something.” Words spilled out of her in a rush. “Dar is hurt. He was gored by that thing over there. You need to get him to a doctor as soon as possible. I already dug the horn tip out of the wound.”
