My dragons weren't the only ones who were going to need help, and Cruz was only one person. One person who was already on the brink of passing out from exhaustion.
What the fuck were we going to do?
"Sit down," I told the injured. My eyes then darted over to Danny who was about to sit, despite being perfectly unscathed. "Not you, pirate. You can help me scour the village for med kits." I glanced up at the roof, but Catalina and Alex were already on the ground with the rest of us. "You two can help, too."
They nodded, and the four of us set off, rummaging through drawers and cupboards, digging through closets and cabinets, gathering anything and everything we could find. By the time we returned a half hour or so later, we'd each accumulated an armful of supplies, including a sewing kit that was meant for clothing, but which would have to do in a pinch for sewing gashes shut.
As a royal, I'd never really needed to learn how to stitch, so I let the others take care of that. Instead, I grabbed a bottle of astringent and a tube of antibiotic ointment started slathering it on the various cuts, scrapes, and gashes and then covered them each with patches of cloth we'd found that seemed the cleanest.
Everyone would be fine, but they were in no condition to move forward in our quest toward Yaxchilan. We would have to wait a few days, at least. But if we did that, would it be too late for the sea and the sirens back home? I had no idea how much time they had before they were completely wiped out. And if they got wiped out, then this entire mission would have been for absolutely nothing.
I couldn’t' allow myself to think like that. I had to do something about it.
I was tired and bruised in places, but mostly unhurt. Alanza seemed to be in the same shape as me. Catalina, Alex, and Cruz had been on the roof so they were in an even better condition than us. Danny had somehow remained unscathed as well—probably because he'd hidden from most of the fighting or something. And Bravo, who was definitely sore, was at least fine enough to continue on, according to Cruz.
I strolled over to the wounded and squared my shoulders, preparing to drop the bomb on them. "You three will stay behind with Feroz. Those of us who are relatively unharmed will continue on in the morning without you."
Arlo tried to stand and protest, but he grimaced and gripped his side instead. "Your Majesty, no! We need to protect you! We can't do that if you charge into battle without us."
Kayo nodded his agreement to his brother's words but said nothing.
Malisa had tears streaming down her cheeks, and I knew she was fighting hard not to sob. She was a skilled fighter, but she'd never actually seen battle. She’d never been wounded like that. The gashes in her arms had to have hurt like a bitch.
"What about them?" Danny asked. "If another wave of mutants moves in, they'll be goners."
Catalina glared at him. "The closer we get to the sacred resting place, the more mutants appear. They seem to be drawn to the stone. If they come with us, they'll face even more hordes of mutated beasts. They're far safer here."
"Even still," Danny protested, "we can't leave them here without protection. I think I should stay behind."
This time, Arlo forced himself to stand. He was a whole head taller than the pirate and appeared every inch the Greek god Alex had joked that he was.
"Even injured, I would do a better job of protecting us than you. I’d have you stay behind just so you keep out of her majesty's way, and so that Feroz has a warm meal when he's finally feeling better."
Danny gulped, frantically glancing between Arlo and the massive sea dragon laying on the ground. "On second thought, the siren queen is probably right. She'll need my help to fight off the ever-increasing hordes of mutants."
Kayo scowled at him. Even Malisa stopped sniffling long enough to shoot him a daggered look.
I cocked my head. "Does no one think we should have spared the pirate? Should we just feed him to the dragons and be done with it?"
"No, no, no!" Danny shouted, moving over to my side. "I may not be the most moral person in the group, but remember when I said I was loyal to myself? Part of that includes not allowing myself to get eaten by sea dragons. So, trust me, I will fight for you—just like I did tonight, and more—and help you get the stone to Yaxchilan."
I sighed and peered around the group.
Cruz smiled. He was always about ten times more pleasant than anyone else at any given time.
"I believe him, for what's it worth," Cruz said. "The pirate is not likely to give us any trouble on the journey. He might even come in handy in a fight."
I nodded then turned to Catalina.
She rolled her eyes. "He'll probably ditch us as soon as we reach the ruins, but I agree with Cruz. Until we actually get there, it might be nice to have an extra fighter on the team."
"I wouldn't call him a 'fighter'," Arlo muttered.
Kayo and Malisa sniffed out a laugh and agreed. Even I smiled. They were probably right about that.
“At least he could be another target for the mutants, instead of just us,” Alanza added.
I nodded and turned back to the pirate. "All right. Your life has been temporarily spared—again.” Then to the remainder of them, I said, “Rest up. We leave at dawn.”
///
The next morning my ass was dragging. I hadn't gotten near enough sleep to combat the exertion of the night before, and the surface sunshine was so hot it was sapping the life right out of me. I longed for the deep ocean chill, where the sun's rays barely provided any light, let alone heat. But those days were gone, and they'd never return if we didn't complete this quest.
I gathered as many tridents and spears as I could find laying around from last night’s fight—ones that hadn't been burned away by the acid-blood of the dino-mutants—and loaded up my belt. I grabbed a small canteen of water and used my power over the sea to cleanse it, then I did the same for the non-sirens.
When we were finally ready to head out, I went over to Feroz and curled up beside him. He whimpered but nuzzled his giant head into me.
"I'm so sorry," I said to him. "I was supposed to protect you, and I failed."
He let out a low growl as if to argue with me, but my mind would not be changed. I was already crying again, the tears smearing into his thick blue scales.
"When I return, and the sea is healed, I promise, we won't have to come above the surface ever again. We can stay hidden where it's cool, and beautiful, and safe. Okay?"
He sort of purred, a deep rumbling sound, and nuzzled my body with his head.
Bravo came over then and snuggled his big brother too. I could tell he was nervous to be on this journey without Feroz's guidance and leadership. I stood and allowed them a private moment.
As I was walking away, I overheard Kayo and Catalina talking.
"I'm glad it was you," he said quietly. "You might not be in the royal guard, but you're a damn good fighter. Probably even better than me."
Catalina chuckled. "I don't know about that."
"No, I'm serious," he said, and he really did seem serious. "You're fierce and brave, like a dragon. You'll do us proud in protecting the queen and saving the sea."
She swallowed, looking momentarily choked up. "Thank you, Kayo."
He smiled at her. "And when you return, maybe we can spend some time more together? Like, on a date or something?"
I watched as her gaze immediately darted over to Alex, who'd secretly been listening, too, but who was pretending not to have overheard.
"A few weeks ago, I probably would have fainted at hearing you say that,” she said.
He chuckled and grabbed her hand, but she slipped it right back out.
"I'm sorry, Kayo, but I can't. I respect the hell out of you, but I've learned a lot about myself on this journey. Dating you now would be untrue to who I am. I can’t do that."
His smile slipped into a smirk. "Is it because of the ranger?"
Alex's ears perked up, and I had to bite my lips to keep from giggling.
Catalina smiled. "He
's definitely part of it. Even if nothing ever comes of it, I at least know how I deserve to be treated, and how I want to feel when the object of my affection is around. You know?"
Kayo nodded, respectfully backing down. "I wish you all the happiness that's left in this world."
She chuckled. "That's not a lot, you know."
He laughed too. "I know, but it's the best we've got."
"Isn't that the truth?" She rose and attached a few last minute batons to her belt. Then she stood up tall and placed her fist across her chest. "Honor and glory."
Kayo crossed his chest too. "Courage and sacrifice."
Alex cleared his throat and took the lead. "Time to move out, kids."
Chapter 18
Our theory about there being more mutants the closer we got to Yaxchilan? It had proven incorrect. In fact, the closer we got, the less bullshit we encountered. It was like the mutants had dropped off the face of the earth, or were regathering elsewhere. Hopefully, they hadn’t stayed behind to devour our weak and wounded.
I quickly pushed that image right out of my head.
We walked for hours and hours, with not so much as a hint of trouble. Unfortunately, there was no hint of any ruins or temples, either. The moon rose high in the sky before Alex finally dropped his pack and started setting up camp.
“We’re bound to arrive in Yaxchilan tomorrow,” he said, unfurling a tent cloth and stringing it between the trees. “We need to rest up. I have no idea what we’ll find when we get there.”
The ominous tone in his voice did not escape me. I glanced around the group, meeting eyes with Catalina, Alanza, Danny, and finally Cruz. Grim, sarcastic, clueless, and heated, respectively. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the mage. He captivated me, burning me to the spot with his white-hot need, and I desperately wanted to fan those flames. Nothing like the thrill of impending doom to get the hormones pumping.
“I’m going to the river,” I said, just as Cruz said, “I’ll gather some firewood.”
Catalina and Alanza glanced between us with amused expressions.
“We’ll hunt,” Alanza decided, speaking for them both. Then she glanced at Danny. “The pirate can help set up camp.”
“You’re not the boss of me,” he huffed, like a bratty child.
I started walking away but turned my head in his direction. “Actually, she kind of is. I put her in charge of you, remember? And since I’m queen and have a sea dragon at my disposal, I get to make the rules.”
Danny’s expression went grim, and he quickly grabbed a sleeping bag, unrolling it.
I grinned and strolled the rest of the way toward the river.
The water was deep and extremely slow-moving here, almost like a small lake had plopped itself right in the middle of the stream. I didn’t know if Cruz could swim, but he’d have a much better chance at staying above water here than someplace where the current was stronger.
I waded out, blissfully relishing in the sensation of going underwater. It had been too long since I was in something bigger than a tub, and I hadn’t realized how much I missed it. My heart and soul thrummed with energy. Every nerve ending in my body had relaxed and melted into the water’s touch.
When I was back in Seabella, surrounded by water my entire life, I hadn’t minded the skinsuits we wore. They were perfect for aiding in aquadynamics, and I loved how they hugged our toned physiques. But after being dehydrated for so long, I wanted the water on my actual skin. Needed it, even. As I scrambled to peel the suit from my body, I argued with myself that this had nothing to do with continuing any unfinished business with the mage.
I snorted. Who the hell was I kidding?
I hoped my semi-cryptic exit from the camp hadn’t gone over his head. Surely he knew to forget about the firewood and come find me instead? We were one day away from Yaxchilan. If tomorrow was going to be the end of the world, then I wanted to be with Cruz—fully and completely—at least once before I died. That wasn’t so much to ask, was it? Even queens had needs beyond fighting and ruling.
The glassy surface of the water reflected the light of the moon perfectly, illuminating the forest around the lake just enough for some subtle clarity. I sucked in a bated breath when I found Cruz picking silently through the trees. The cut of his body was sharp and spectacular, carved out from years upon years of magical training. His hair was smooth and perfectly tousled, somehow giving him that freshly sexed look without any of the awkward flyaways.
I bunched up my skinsuit and threw it at him, laughing as he caught the sopping wet mess in his arms.
“Care to join me?” I asked, my voice low and playful.
He held out the suit, glancing between it and me. “Are you kidding? Hell yeah, I want to join you.”
He reached his hand behind his head and yanked the shirt off his back in one fluid motion. It the sexiest thing I’d ever seen, but he made it look so casual. Was it possible he’d used magic to achieve it?
The water around me suddenly seemed colder as the heat inside of me ramped up.
He stripped the rest of the way, then waded in with a suggestive confidence, a single-minded determination that had me weak in the knees. When he reached me, he threaded his fingers through my hair and tipped my head back to look up at him.
I was vulnerable all of a sudden but in a good way. It made me want to ditch the control I always had to have. I didn’t want to be a commanding queen tonight, I wanted to give Cruz free reign of my body.
“Before I get carried away,” he muttered, lips barely a breath away from mine, “I want to make sure we’re on the same page. How far do you want this to go?”
I breathed him in and dizziness flitted through my mind. “As far as possible.”
“Good,” he all but growled, capturing my mouth in his.
He kept one hand wrapped in my hair as he slid the other down my thigh, hooking my leg around his waist as he pulled me closer and deepened our kiss. My breasts pressed into the rigid muscles of his chest, and my hands trailed down the lean length of his back. If his dick was as hard as his body, I was in for one hell of a night. He gently thrust his hips, pushing into my stomach, and answered my silent question clear as a bell—yes, he was built like a boulder all around and I was about to get my world rocked.
I smiled as I kissed him, imagining what he’d feel like inside of me. Electric tremors skittered through my abdomen, leaving heat and desire in their wake. This moment had been a long time coming, and I was anxious to have every inch of him in, on, and all around me. Too anxious. If I was smarter, I’d try to drag these sensations out as long as possible, savoring every intoxicating wave of passion as it pulsed through my body. But, apparently, I wasn’t smart. I was desperate.
I rolled my hips into his, and grabbed his ass, pulling him as close to me as possible without him literally being inside. Okay, so maybe I was going to be a demanding queen. Old habits die hard. Thankfully he got the message. The next time he pulled his hips back, he lined himself up against me and slid inside. My other senses fizzled, as desire surged between my thighs. I grabbed his shoulders and wrapped my other leg around him too, trying to take as much of him in as possible.
He groaned into my mouth and pressed deeper, forcing a strong tingling sensation through my core. It stole my breath and filled me with need. As in, I needed him to move faster. There was a time and place for slow-burn lovemaking, but this was not it. This was the verge of annihilation. This was all-out madness, a time for reckless, gritty passion.
“Faster,” I demanded, but my voice came out all feathery and frail.
He growled and nipped at my bottom lip, sending another rush of pleasure through my blood, as he increased his pace. Carnality overwhelmed me like the water lapping at my skin. The pressure built, flooding my body with mind-numbing ecstasy until I could hardly breathe. It was absolutely exquisite, and so much more intense than I imagined. There was something about this man, some sexual magnetism my body just automatically responded to. Like I couldn’t hel
p but crave him.
As he moved faster, he also pressed deeper, drawing a strangled gasp out of me.
He immediately slowed.
“You okay?” he asked, panting, his voice full of concern but also barely contained need.
“Yes, don’t stop,” I begged him, arching my back to try and drive him further in.
Leaning down, he took a nipple in his mouth and sucked hard, making me absolutely insane. I moaned, startled by the yearning in my voice, and rocked my hips into him. If he wasn’t going to keep up the pace, then I would. The next moment, his mouth found my other nipple, and his fingers replaced his lips on the first. I couldn’t handle it. The pleasure was too much. My breathing shallowed and the pressure quickly built to the breaking point.
He started to move again, and I exploded. I anchored my nails into his shoulders, as he drove in and out of me, again and again, wringing every last drop of pleasure from my body until I couldn’t even see straight. The forest doubled and wavered out of focus. He slowed but didn’t completely stop.
“You still okay?”
I nodded because I didn’t think I could formulate a complete sentence.
With burning eyes, he lowered me down and slowly spun me around so that my back was pressed into his chest. From here, he had full access to every sensitive, orgasm-triggering body part I owned, and I had a feeling he intended to use each and every one of them.
His hands found my hips and he pushed his hard length back into me from behind. My head rolled back onto his shoulder as I savored the renewed sensations from a different angle. I was exhausted from the first round, but he was having zero trouble gearing me up for round two. One of his hands moved up my stomach to my breasts, while the other slipped lower, dipping between my thighs to where I still ached.
Oh god, I wasn’t going to last long. Not with him touching me like that, and his dick stroking in all the right places. I took a deep breath and tried to drag it out, giving him a chance to reach his own orgasm, but I couldn’t fight it. I unraveled in his arms, and he swallowed the sounds of my moaning with his lips, capturing me in a possessive kiss.
Siren Awakened (The Cursed Seas Collection) Page 15
