The Darkest Warrior

by Gena Showalter

  She huffed and puffed but finally nodded and said, "All right, fine. We rest."

  William dismounted without a word and flashed over to help Gillian to her feet. A shout of fury brewed in the back of Puck's throat--a shout Gillian gave voice to, bellowing to the sky.

  He'd known they were connected, but this seemed...different, as if she was even more attuned to his every mood. As if they were becoming one being, with one heart.

  No, I can never let her go.

  "Go. Drink your syrup. Bathe." William gave her a gentle push toward a long row of trees shielding the pond. "I'll stand guard, and I promise not to peek...more than twice."

  "You'll stay here," she told him. Then she turned to Puck. Her look of sheer unadulterated hunger said, You'll join me.

  He offered a curt nod, instincts surging. Going to take her this time. Gently, skillfully, masterfully. Slowly. Quickly, feverishly. Give her all the pleasure she's been denied throughout her life, and make up for every pain she's ever endured.

  If she agrees to my terms.

  Peanut trailed her as she strode off. The moment she was out of range, William got in Puck's face, the air charging with challenge.

  "Um, going to go set up my tent," Winter said. "Somewhere else."

  "Here, let me help." Cameron joined his sister, and the two raced away.

  "You will not join Gillian," William snapped.

  "You will not stop me," Puck snapped back.

  One second William had no weapons in hand; the next he plunged a dagger into Puck's gut. Sharp pain slicked through him, but other than a soft grunt, he gave no reaction.

  No need to waste magic. Warp speed would serve him well. In a blink, he moved behind William, shoved a blade into his brain stem and held it there. A blow that would have killed a human only temporarily paralyzed the other man.

  "You claim you want her to be happy," Puck said. "Do you lie? Because she hates liars."

  William gurgled a sound of sheer hatred.

  "I make her happy." Just in case Puck hadn't made his point, he shoved the blade deeper and added, "You had your chance. You didn't take it. Accept the consequences."

  Though he knew the paralysis would wear off as soon as he removed the weapon, he yanked. Blood sprayed over his hand before William spun, facing him.

  "Go, then." The command escaped through gritted teeth. "But know your time is limited, Pucker. Tick tock. Tick tock."

  Puck had once heard the same countdown in his head. A countdown he refused to heed any longer. I'm keeping her always. I'll never accept the Connacht crown and never fulfill the terms of our agreement.

  Say nothing! Remain mute! His competition would not learn the truth before he'd claimed his prize.

  Possessed by ragged need, Puck maneuvered through a thicket of foliage and approached the pond. He spotted Gillian. His body hardened, readying to give this woman--his woman--pleasure. Starvation clawed at him. She swam, only her head and shoulders visible, a beautiful rose in the wilds of nature.

  He searched the perimeter for any threat that might be lurking nearby, found none. On the other side of the pond stretched a wall of stone. A waterfall streamed from the top, pouring over the mouth of a cavern.

  Wanting to surprise his wife, he shielded himself with magic before diving into the water and climbing the rocks, where he found a rare, ripe speir growing from a vine.

  He plucked the fruit free, stepped beneath the waterfall and waited...

  *

  Where is he?

  Only minutes ago, Gillian thought she'd scented peat smoke and lavender. Anticipation had bubbled over, but Puck had never appeared.

  Now, cool water soothed her sore muscles, but failed to dampen her raging lust. Her breasts ached, the crests like tiny little spears. Heat uncoiled in her belly to pool between her legs.

  Wait. Sniff, sniff. Puck's scent had just gotten stronger. She swam closer to the waterfall--stronger still. Anticipation sparked anew. Was he hidden beyond the waterfall?

  Tremors invaded her limbs as she ascended the rocky platform. She wore a bra and a pair of panties because they'd needed cleaning, too, and had a small vial of syrup dangling from a leather cord at her neck. Her hips swayed of their own accord--a mating call--as she made her way under the spray of water...

  A jolt of pleasure shot through her as she ground to an abrupt stop. Puck was here.

  He stood at the other side of a spacious cavern, leaning against the wall, his arms at his sides, his ankles crossed. A casual pose. Or so it seemed. Aggression and power radiated from him.

  This man had no equal.

  A shadow beard glimmered with water droplets. Wet hair hung over his broad shoulders, the ends dripping onto his bare chest, sliding down the ridges of his abs and catching in the waist of his pants. A newly scabbed wound decorated his torso, and she didn't have to wonder where he'd gotten it. William!

  Irritation was no match for her arousal, however. Or Puck's. He remained as hard as a rock. As far from indifferent as possible.

  Cool air kissed her overheating skin, and her eyelids turned heavy. Her heartbeat raced faster and faster. As she fought for breath, her nipples stiffened further, rubbing against the fabric of her bra. Mmm. More. Tingles spread through her, sensitizing every nerve ending.

  Puck looked her up and down, slowly, as if savoring a bounty of riches, then offered her a small, violet...plum? "For you."

  Had any temptation ever looked so sweet? "What is it?" Another gift?

  "Speir."

  Truly? She'd heard talk of the fruit found only on Connacht land, and only ever in the spring...sometimes.

  Gillian sauntered closer, Puck's eyes tracking her every move. She accepted the treat, bit into the tender flesh and moaned with delight, tasting a blend of pineapple, coconut and spiced rum. Reminded her of a pina colada Cameron had once made her, using a secret stash of ingredients he'd brought from the mortal world.

  Puck took the speir and bit into the same spot, a kiss by proxy...and a carnal invitation. Shivers rained over her, and passion-fever ignited ever hotter.

  In tension-drenched silence, they finished off the fruit, passing it back and forth, always watching each other. Awareness made the damp air electric.

  "I'm still hungry," she whispered, need consuming her.

  His pupils flared as, with measured steps, he circled her. "You want all of me? Want your first time to be with me?"

  "Yes." Please. "Very much."

  "Then you shall have me...after you agree to my terms."

  She gulped. "Terms?" How ominiously he'd uttered the word.

  "William will dethrone Sin. I will decline the Connacht crown. You and I will rule the Shawazons together, as husband and wife."

  What! "But you long to rule the Connachts...long to rule all the clans."

  "I want you more."

  Realization dawned--and devastated. I've killed his dream, just as predicted. He could co-rule the Shawazons with her, no problem. If he put the work in, he could even unite all the clans with another man acting as Connacht king--but he could never actually rule the Connachts, which meant he could only ever rule five of the six. Five clans would never be enough.

  Puck stopped in front of her, only a whisper away, so close her nipples brushed against his chest every time she inhaled. "Agree."

  "No." No way, no how. "I told you I won't let you forget your goals, and I meant it. I won't kill your dream."

  "I have new goals. A new dream. Agree, lass." He framed her face with his big, calloused hands. His thumbs brushed the rise of her cheekbones, soft, almost reverent. "Life is both endless and too short, and I don't want to go another minute without filling your beautiful body with all that I am."

  Mercy! Thoughts muddled, heart like a speeding bullet in her chest, she leaned into him. "I..." She gulped. "I will never agree."

  He narrowed his eyes, but nodded with slow, calculated assurance. "Very well. No agreement, no sex."

  "You're blackmailing me?" she gasped
out.

  "I am." He lowered his head...only to let his lips hover over hers, one second ticking into another, the warmth of his breath fanning her lips. "I'd do much worse to win you."

  For an endless eternity, he remained unwavering. At first, anticipation thrilled her. Her body ached...ached so badly. Heat melted her resistance, and her bones. She sagged against him, every point of contact setting off a new bomb of sensation, rousing primal needs. Eagerness owned Gillian.

  She had to have more. But eagerness soon turned to torment. She was dying.

  "Do something!" she demanded.

  He brushed the tip of his nose against hers. She moaned. He groaned, as if he'd just gotten a hit of his favorite drug.

  But it wasn't enough.

  "Give me what I want." Warmth spilled through her once again. "What we both need."

  "I'll kiss you," he rasped. "I'll touch you. But I won't take you until I have your agreement."

  "Puck..."

  "Gillian." Finally--blessedly--he kissed her. His lips pressed against hers, his tongue persuaded rather than demanded.

  Soft. Tantalizing. She groaned and wondered where he would place his hands...

  One combed through her hair to angle her head. The other slipped under her panties to cup her ass and draw her closer, putting them skin to heated skin. Her breasts smashed against his chest, and her nipples throbbed.

  "More," she croaked. Delicious...

  With a growl, Puck thrust his tongue past her lips, parting them. He jolted, lifted his head for a split second. "I love the taste of you." Another growl. His tongue dueled with hers.

  The taste of him drugged her. He was molten honey chased by pineapple-infused champagne. Sweeter than the speir, and the perfect contradiction to his wicked exploration.

  He was more necessary than air.

  To anchor her body against his, she wrapped her arms around his waist. Pleasure bombarded her in waves, one after the other, but still she needed more. She needed...everything. Up, up, her fingers traveled over the ridges of his spine, his muscles jerking beneath her caress.

  So much strength harnessed by one man. My man.

  He kissed her deeper, as if ravenous for her. She kissed him back, just as deep, just as ravenous. Control? She had none. Desperate--a common occurrence in his presence--she chased every sensation he elicited, her nails digging into his shoulder blades, new moans escaping her.

  Her world spun, the kiss never slowing. Then cold rocks chilled her back, and a hot man heated her front; she gasped. And he wasn't done. He kneaded one of her breasts. His other hand glided down her stomach, tunneled under her panties and played her until she writhed and screamed and begged.

  "Agree," he grated. A bead of sweat trickled from his temple.

  "N-no." His future meant more to her than pleasure. Barely. "Please, Puck. Please. If you refuse to give me an orgasm, I'm going to spontaneously combust."

  "I'll simply combust with you. I doubt there's a better way to go." He stopped all movement, just stopped, and she screamed for an entirely different reason, frustration like her own personal demon.

  She beat at his chest. "What are you doing?"

  "The impossible. I'm...walking...away." He released her breast...lifted his hand from her panties--no! "Hardest thing I've never done. But going to do it. A future with you means too much."

  "Puck." She clutched his wrists and stared up into his eyes. Strain tightened his features. He clearly needed to come as desperately as Gillian. "Stay."

  "You know how to keep me here."

  She opened her mouth, closed it. He fed her a swift, hard kiss and stood, severing contact.

  But...but... "You said we could kiss and touch."

  "And that's exactly what we did. I never said I'd let you'd come."

  "You lowdown dirty rat!" Lungs heaving, she scrambled to her feet to face off with him. "You finish what you started or...or..." Nothing sounded violent enough. "Or I'll take care of myself."

  "I don't think you will. Because of the bond, I don't think you can." Leaning down, putting them nose to nose, he said, "But either way, your orgasm belongs to me, and me alone. You will not make yourself come, Gillian. Do you understand?"

  Always so possessive. "No!"

  He crowded her against the rocky wall. With his hands on the rough surface beside her temples, caging her in, and his erection rubbing between her legs, he ran her bottom lip between his teeth. "The moment you agree to my terms, I'll be in you so deep you'll feel me for the rest of eternity."

  Tremors. Wavering...

  Again, she opened and closed her mouth. Then her defenses rallied. This is for his own good.

  He must have sensed her momentary weakness, because he gave her a look so smug she wanted to smack him and throw herself into his arms. Smug looked good on him.

  "Hear me. Heed me well. If you make yourself come now," he said, "I won't make you come later."

  Her frustration spiked. By "later" did he mean "ever"?

  "You're going to return to camp, aching for me," he continued with a silky tone.

  "Yes," she said, staring into his eyes. Two could play this game. As he watched, she licked her lips. "But so are you."

  31

  As the others slept safe and snug in their sleeping bags--everyone but Gillian, who tossed and turned--Puck marched the perimeter of their campsite, weapons in hand, a howling demon in his head.

  The only reason he wasn't going insane right now, considering the awful racket in his head: my woman needs me.

  Gillian hadn't made herself come. She'd waited for him. Whether purposely or inadvertently, he didn't know, didn't care. All that mattered? She ached for him. And she'd sought to avenge him.

  When she'd returned to camp, she'd gotten in William's face and snapped, "I know you stabbed Puck. Don't do it again."

  "What?" the warrior had replied. "He walked into my knife."

  "If you do it again, you'll walk into my knife--repeatedly."

  A thousand times, Puck had almost given in and gone to her, frantic to make her come, ready to follow her over the edge.

  Too much at stake. Resist!

  Take all or accept nothing.

  Knowing he would be too amped to sleep, he'd requested the first night watch. One hour bled into another and another until Cameron appeared, startling him. He reached for a weapon.

  "My turn for guard duty," his friend said, grinning from ear to ear. "A bit agitated, are we? And distracted? Surprise! I've been your shadow for the last two laps. I considered stabbing you to prove a point, but I figured you were in enough pain." He motioned to the bulge between Puck's legs. "I'd put that thing away."

  "That's the plan," Puck muttered. He sheathed his dagger and scrubbed a hand down his face. The fact that he hadn't heard the warrior's approach...he deserved a flogging.

  He strode back to camp, letting his boots thump into the ground, not even trying to be quiet. As he slid into his sleeping bag--which he placed right next to Gillian's--she turned toward him with a low, needy moan.

  My woman is agonized. Must give her--

  No! Not until she caved.

  Moonlight caressed her exquisite face as she blinked open her eyes and peered over at him. "Puck," she whispered.

  "Agree," he grated softly. William and Winter slept only a few feet away, but he didn't have the strength to end the conversation.

  "Agree to my terms--sex without commitment," Gillian said, her tone just as soft, "and I'll do anything you've ever fantasized about. I'll do everything."

  Yes. Harder than I've ever been. Need her. "Do you want me, lass?"

  "So much." A ragged admission that only made him harder.

  "Prove it, then. Agree to my terms. Give us both a happily-ever-after."

  She sucked in a breath, as if he'd just scraped a raw wound with his claw. "You don't fight fair, husband."

  "Never have, never will." Not with a prize of prizes awaiting him. "Agree."

  "I...can't."

 
; "You can, but you won't. So we wait, and discover who can outlast whom..."

  *

  Puck never managed to fall asleep, the demon too loud, and his need for Gillian too great. He waited, hoping against hope that she would be the first to cave. But, as morning light dawned on the horizon, she remained still and quiet.

  Resting peacefully? He--

  The ground beneath him began to rattle, and he frowned.

  Threat? Ready for battle, daggers in hand, Puck got up in a hurry. William, Gillian and Cameron joined him. A wide-eyed Winter stood at the camp's perimeter, holding on to a tree branch for balance.

  Between them, small circles of ground crumbled, imploding from deep in the realm's core.

  "Get over here. Now," Cameron demanded, motioning to his sister. "What the hell is happening?"

  "I don't know." Winter bounded over, twisting and leaping to avoid falling into one of the pits. "The shaking doesn't reach the chimeras. Let's gather our gear and haul ass."

  Good plan.

  "I'll take care of the gear," William said. The bags and weapons vanished.

  But getting to the chimeras? Impossible. Wind blustered through the camp. Magical wind. Sin's magic. In an instant, everyone was flashed to a new location, yards apart from the others, each standing directly in front of a pit.

  Some of the pits were bottomless, some weren't. In the yawning hole before Puck's feet, spears were anchored into the ground and angled up. A fall inside guaranteed impalement.

  Winter teetered, and Cameron lunged to catch her. At the same time, William snatched up a fallen branch to extend toward Gillian, but Puck had already followed Cameron's lead and lunged toward her. He stood behind her, one arm wrapped around her waist to hold her steady.

  "This is Sin's doing," he said.

  "You know him best." Gillian gazed around, her mind clearly whirling. "Would he create a way to stop this?"

  More rumbling.

  "Do we move? Do we stay put?" Winter asked.

  Too late. New pits formed.

  "Need to think." Puck's scattered thoughts began to align. Sin had always liked to toy with his enemies, so yes, he would create a way out, ensuring the game continued.

  The first pits had formed when Winter stood at the perimeter, and the rest of them were close to the fire. The second set of pits formed after the wind had blown in, and magic had flashed everyone to new locations.