Rion (28 page)

Lex strained, digging in his massive claws, releasing a strained whistle from his nostrils. The rock steadied.

Had he heard her? Had her words distracted him? Or had he tried to do as she’d asked, but the pain had kicked up another level
until he lost concentration? She wasn’t certain how the pain controlled the dragons, but she knew that it hurt more when they
resisted orders.

Deep in pain, Lex might not not have even heard her words.

If Marisa wanted to get through to him, she’d have to go to a deeper level of consciousness—mind to mind. But once she established
a telepathic link, his pain would hit her, too. If she so much as gasped or screamed, she could give herself away. Even worse,
if she fainted, as she’d done earlier, she’d be helpless to hide or protect herself.

She gritted her teeth, braced for pain, and focused on Lex. On one message.

Humanshape.

As she fought to form and send the mental message, she opened a direct link to Lex. Pain slammed her like a hundred stinging
bees. Like a thousand stab wounds. Like she’d swallowed glass and the sharp edges rubbed acid into her nerves.

Despite her determination to hold on, the link snapped. The terrible agony ended, but the painful backlash took several long
moments to fully subside.

God. Tears brimmed in her eyes, and her vision blurred. How did they stand it? There were no words for that kind of torment.
Just a few seconds of torture had dropped her to her knees.

Worse, she didn’t know if she’d gotten the message to Lex. Groggy, fuzzy-headed, and close to heat stroke, she summoned the
strength to try again. A shadow fell over her, blocking out the sun.

Adrenaline failed to kick in. She’d used up her reserve. She’d pushed to the limit, and now she couldn’t even focus her vision.
Was it the Unari? A dragon? A man? She blinked away the tears, and with sheer willpower alone, she lifted her head.

“Lex.” Thank God. He was human again.

“Another hour,” he gasped and helped her to her feet, “and I wouldn’t have had it in me to break free.”

“Let’s go. Rion… waiting for us.” Weak from dehydration and residual pain, they helped each other to the floater, and, bless
him, he didn’t hesitate to step inside the machine. He didn’t ask questions. He simply followed her lead.

“Back to the tunnel,” she ordered.

So dizzy she couldn’t see straight, she longed to lie down, close her eyes. Rest.

If they hadn’t been packed in tight, she would have collapsed. Her mind was fading. With her last breath she whispered, “When
we land, order the floater to open the door.”

R
ION SEARCHED THE
sky for the tenth time in the last ten minutes. Where was Marisa?

When he finally spied a black dot, he stared so hard that his eyes ached. As the dot grew larger, his hopes rose.

Finally, the floater descended into the clearing, and he had to remind himself to breathe. It was the same floater. The one
without eyes. But was Marisa inside? By the Goddess, had she saved Lex?

The door opened with a clang, and Marisa fell out. Lex staggered out, too, just as Rion caught Marisa and scooped her into
his arms. Eyes closed, her cheeks flushed an unnatural pink, her body caked with dirt, sand, and dust, she felt light. Hot.
Her skin was burning.

He had to bring down her body temperature fast. Before her brain fried.

Rion carried Marisa to where he’d set up the hose. He laid her down in the sand, turned on the spigot, and sprayed cool water
over her. But was it too late?

He sat beside Marisa, supporting her with one arm. He used the thumb of his free hand to disperse and spray water straight
up, so it could rain down over her.

Lex wobbled toward Marisa and Rion. The man was white. Shaking. That he didn’t dive under the water with them revealed his
self-control. His concern was for Marisa. “Is she still breathing?”

“Yes. Come under the water with us.” Rion gestured Lex to his side, then gathered Marisa into his arms. “There’s plenty of
water. But drink slowly, or—”

“I understand.” Lex tilted back his head, sipped at the water, and began to rinse off the grime, careful to keep the dirty
splashes off Marisa.

Rion smoothed Marisa’s hair from her face. “Come on, Marisa. Wake up.”

“She saved me.” Lex’s voice was hoarse, choked with emotion. “I don’t how she did it, but her mental signal broke through
my pain. It was just enough for me to—”

“What?” Rion jerked his attention to Lex. “She didn’t find you in human form?”

Lex shook his head, confusion in his eyes. “I figured that’s why you sent her. Because of that mental talent of hers. The
Unari threatened to kill ten people if I didn’t dragonshape… And then they made me work on the wall. Thanks to Marisa, I broke
free—just barely.”

“I didn’t send her. I was going back for you, but she tricked me and took my place.”

“She took it upon herself to go?” Lex’s jaw dropped. “But this isn’t her battle. She’s not even from Honor.”

“She may not have been born here, but her heart is with us. And it may have cost her…” Rion swallowed hard.

“When Marisa linked telepathically with me,” Lex sighed, “she suffered what I was suffering.”

Rion’s gut wrenched. “You’re certain?”

“After we linked, she dropped to her knees.” Lex frowned at Rion. “I owe her my life. If she hadn’t come… I’d still be there.”
Face grim, Lex brushed back his wet hair.

“She disobeyed—”

Lex placed a hand on his shoulder. “She risked her life so you wouldn’t have to risk yours.”

“She saved both of us,” Rion admitted. “And I’m afraid it may have killed her.”

“You love her?” Lex asked.

“I can’t have her.”

“You’re the future king. You can have what you want.”

Rion didn’t answer. If only the world were that simple. But if they managed to throw off the Unari domination, he owed it
to his people to marry someone from Honor. Someone who could help heal the wounds—not an offworlder whom they wouldn’t understand.

Lex stood. “Tell me how to handle the floater and I’ll go get Darian and Mendle.”

“If they’re in dragonshape…”

“I don’t think they are,” Lex said. “We were separated. Only my group went straight to work.”

“You sure you’re up to going back?” Rion asked.

“I can do no less for them than Marisa did for me.”

Rion nodded and gave Lex the simple instructions to direct the floater.

Lex took one last long, slow drink of water. Then he entered the floater, shut the door, and ascended into the sky.

Rion was now alone with Marisa. He sat with her under the shower, cupping water and tilting it into her mouth, pleased when
she swallowed. He fed her water until his fingertips puckered and she refused to take more. Eventually the burning heat in
her body eased and she slipped into a natural slumber.

But she mumbled in her sleep. Fretted.

Had her brain suffered any damage during her ordeal? Would she remember what had happened? Would she recognize him?

Once, her eyes opened.

“You look… so good,” she said, then closed her eyes again.

M
ARISA AWAKENED TO
the distant sounds of dragons in pain. A rumble, a shriek.

It all came back, the floater, her escape. With a groan, she forced open her eyes. Her head rested in Rion’s lap. His fingers
toyed with her hair. Sweat trickled down his temple over his cheekbone and along his jaw, which sported a sexy dark stubble.

He held water to her lips. “Drink.”

She sipped, then sipped some more.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

“Fine.”

In the distance, beyond the wall, a dragon bellowed.

Marisa shuddered. “We have to save them. They’re in so much pain.”

He leaned over her and smoothed a lock of hair behind her ear. “You’re in pain, too.”

He was clearly worried, but damn, he looked good. Hot. Sexy. Alive.

“Where’s the floater?” she asked.

“Lex went back for the others.”

“So we’re alone.” She locked gazes with him. “Make love to me, Rion.”

“You’re half dead.”

“You can bring me back to life,” she teased. While there wasn’t a woman on the planet that wouldn’t be turned on by all that
protective male testosterone, she wanted to do more than make love. She gazed at the distant wall, where dragons worked in
misery. “And maybe we can test your theory. See if lovemaking can shield them from pain.”

His eyes darkened and his voice turned low and husky. “You aren’t up to—”

“The only thing that isn’t up around here is you.” She chuckled and slid her hand over his thigh. “But I know a perfect remedy.”

His gaze locked on to hers, and he shot her with a piercing stare that raked her with sizzling heat. His sex pulsed, rock
hard. Oh, yeah. Just the mention of lovemaking and he was good to go.

He’d cleaned himself up, and with his hair still damp and his dark locks curling around his neck, her fingers itched to touch
the soft hair, to trace her fingertips along his neck.

She could read the desire in his eyes. Marisa loved having all his intense concentration focused on her. Reaching up, she
slid her fingers into his slick, damp hair. Hungry for him, she dragged his head down for a kiss.

His mouth was blistering hot, savage, rough. Ravaging her lips, he plundered her mouth, his five-o’clock shadow soft and erotic.
Heat shimmied through her and settled in a hot aching pool between her thighs.

Her reaction was instantaneous. His scent, his kiss, his touch, were primal and elemental, and need raced through her with
a ferocity that made her mind swim.

He tasted like torrential rain during an electric storm.

She couldn’t get enough of his mouth. His touch.

Their mouths fused, and she scraped her palms over his shoulders to his collarbone, then to his muscular pecs, which were
crying out for a good stroking. She wanted him. Ached for him. She needed him inside her.

The friction of his hot skin against her palms had her crazy for more of him, and she squirmed to her knees, straddled his
thighs.

And kept right on kissing him.

She loved the way he lay back, grabbed her butt, and pulled her tight against his length. Loved the feel of his heartbeat
against her ribs. Loved the way he made her feel all hot and feminine.

Rion grabbed her cheeks, splaying his fingers between the seam of her pants, and she almost jumped out of her skin. Damn,
he felt good. She was wet, slick, so ready for him she ached with need. Her breath came in long, thick gasps.

Craving for him to take her, she broke the kiss, stood, and unsnapped her pants. Rion sat up and slid his hands onto her hips,
and she straddled him, one foot to either side of his knees. He cupped her butt and tugged her forward until his warm breath
blew into her soft curls. Her nipples tightened.

She closed her eyes and savored the delicious feel of him dipping his nose into her core and breathing in her scent. In anticipation,
moisture seeped between her thighs. After all she’d been through, she wanted this moment to last forever. She ached for this
lovemaking to go on and on. And yet, when his breath blew onto her center, she arched and moaned. “That tickles.”

“You want me to stop?” he teased, so low and husky an answering tremor rippled through her.

“Don’t even think about it.”

“That won’t be a hardship.” He blew again softly, and her toes curled into the warm sand.

She was standing before him naked in the hot sunshine. She’d never felt so vibrant. So alive. So ready for a man.

Rion played his fingertips over the sensitive skin along the insides of her knees and the inner curves of her thighs. Her
expectations spiraled as he worked his way up her parted legs, and as he gently stroked the folds of her plump flesh, she
trembled for more.

Her every cell tensed as she waited for his lips. When he flicked the tip of his tongue over her sensitive clit, she bit her
lip to keep back a scream. But she couldn’t contain the tiny coos of pleasure that escaped her throat.

His lips closed over hers. As he laved her with wondrous long strokes, it took all her will to remain still and let the burn
pulse through her. When she would have bucked her hips, his hands squeezed her bottom, and his tongue flicked mercilessly,
keeping her in place.

She couldn’t hold on. She was too close to the edge. He was recklessly driving her over. Her muscles bunched, tightened, clenched,
straining for release.

She tried to wait. “I want… you… inside me,” she demanded.

He kept his mouth nibbling on hers. He slipped his fingers between her cheeks, teasing oh-so-sensitive flesh, driving her
straight over the edge. She was falling, flailing, gasping, and laughing as she swam in a fiery explosion of stars.

She never even noticed when he changed positions or removed his pants and drew her down onto him. But finally she was free
to move her hips. While his teeth captured her nipple and his fingers slid between their bodies to caress her nub, she rode
him like a wild woman, her head thrown back, her lips clenched, back arched, and breasts thrust forward. She was beyond thinking,
only feeling.

Feeling him slide into her and filling her with delicious friction.

As that feeling built, she never stopped coming. Didn’t know one explosion could follow so hot and hard after the other. If
he hadn’t placed his mouth over hers and swallowed her scream, no doubt the dragons even miles away would have heard her pleasure.

As she slowly came back into herself, she realized he was still hard inside her. With a wicked grin, he flipped their positions
until she was on her back, staring at his face silhouetted against blue sky.

And then he began to move again, slowly, sensuously, seductively pumping inside her. The delicious friction had her winding
her legs around his waist, hanging on to his shoulders. Her breath came in gasps, and the desire burned anew. And this time
when she exploded, he came with her.

Moments later, he tenderly held her head close to his heart.