The Reluctant Amazon (Alliance of the Amazons) (11 page)

Rebecca didn’t care whether he was as big as the Jolly Green
Giant. She wanted Artair. She
needed
Artair. Turning
her back on the new Sentinel, she sat her sore body down on the bed.

Dolan got up from the chair and came to stand next to her.
“You’re hurt, mistress.” He tugged a small embroidered handkerchief from the
pocket of his chocolate-brown vest and dabbed it under her nose. “Would you wish
me to tend to your injuries?”

The blood on the cloth came as a surprise, but after the dozens
of times Artair had dropped her on her face, it wasn’t totally unexpected. “No,
I’m not hurt. I’m just really sore and very, very tired.” Dolan didn’t look
convinced and held up the handkerchief as if she hadn’t seen the dark stain.
“Really, Dolan. I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine. Nothing an hour in a
hot tub and some aspirin wouldn’t cure.”

“A shame we don’t have that hot tub,” Megan added. “I tried
wishing for a whirlpool spa, but…” She shrugged and frowned at the changelings
before she turned her attention back to the pretty-boy Sentinel.

Dolan glanced to Beagan, who gave a curt nod. Something was
being conspired, but when Dolan glanced over at Megan, Rebecca realized they
didn’t want to talk in front of her friend.

“We will help you soon, mistress,” Dolan said. “We beg your
patience.”

“It’s fine, honey. I’m just going to rest awhile.”

The changelings hurried out of the cabin.

Kicking off her shoes and pulling off her socks, she flopped
down. She closed her eyes, not caring that her cabin was akin to Grand Central
Station.

“Can’t you hear
anything
I’m
saying?” a deep baritone voice suddenly boomed through the speakers.

Rebecca opened her eyes and looked at the monitor.

“Well, we sure can now. Damn, your voice is annoying,” Megan
answered, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “We can see you
and
hear you. I know! It must be magic from the goddesses. What do
you call this new machine, this miracle that allows me to communicate with you
from such great distances?”

Rebecca chuckled. The guy had it coming for trying to take
Artair’s job.

“Stop being sarcastic,” he replied. “The stupid speakers are
plug-and-play. You shouldn’t have had so much trouble. I shouldn’t have to come
all the way from California to teach you how to set up a damn computer. The
stuff I sent is idiot-proof.”

“Told you he was a surfer,” Megan said over her shoulder. She
sat down on the desk chair that Beagan had vacated. “Who in the hell are
you?”

The blond was incensed. “I still don’t have a picture, but your
voice is coming through now. You must be Rebecca. You should learn more respect
when you’re speaking to your Sentinel.”

“Screw that, buddy. You’re not
my
Sentinel.” Megan leaned back in the chair. “Artie’s my Sentinel. You, my friend,
are an annoying little geek who seems to think everyone in the world should
understand computers as well as you do.” She chuckled. “Do you play Dungeons
& Dragons in your spare time? Or do you just download nudie pictures of
movie stars?”

Rebecca closed her eyes again. She was too tired to spar with
another Sentinel, especially one who seemed to suffer from the same enormous ego
as Artair. Megan could go ahead and pretend to be Earth just to see how long it
took the guy to figure out who he was really talking to.

“Well? Do you?” Megan asked. “Or are role-playing video games
more your style?”

“You’re not at all the way Rhiannon described,” he complained.
“The goddess told me you were… Well, the word she used was ‘pliable.’”

Rebecca couldn’t keep quiet at the insult. “I’ll show Rhiannon
how freakin’ pliable I am.”

Megan put her palm over the microphone. “Shh. Let’s see how
this plays out.” She turned her attention back to the computer.

“Pliable, huh?” she asked. “And you don’t think I’m
pliable?
What’s your name?”

“Johann Herrmann.”

“Well, Joeman—”

“
Johann.
My name’s
Yo-hawn.
It’s German.”

“Whatever. You can tell Rhiannon that Rebecca Massee is one
kick-ass Amazon. I used my powers today. Brought my Sentinel down with killer
kudzu.”

Some feminine laughter drew Rebecca’s attention.
The other Amazons.
Their spirits were so strong, they
could have been standing in the cabin. A woman elbowed her way in front of
Johann to get her face on screen.

“Rebecca? Is that you? I can’t see you. Did you say you used
your powers? That’s wonderful,” a pretty brunette with short hair said. An
enormous grin lit her face and her brown eyes shone bright. “I’m Gina. I’m Air.
I can’t wait until we get to Avalon to meet you and Megan. I feel like we
already know you both!”

A beautifully exotic Indian woman pushed her way into the
picture. “I’m Sarita. You know, Water. I’m looking forward to meeting you and
Megan too.”

Megan glanced back at Rebecca, the guilt plain in her eyes.
Rebecca gave her a brisk nod. Gina and Sarita would figure out who was who soon,
and the new Sentinel needed a serious attitude adjustment. Megan returned the
nod as a mischievous grin spread across her lips.

She turned back to the computer. “Nice to talk to both of you.
I’m sure
Megan
will be thrilled we can all talk now.
Tell Joeman we’re looking forward to meeting him, too. We’ll pencil in an
appointment for him in, oh, let’s say…five years.”

Rebecca half dozed as Megan chatted with the West Coast
Amazons. The opening of her cabin door jarred her awake. Beagan and Dolan had
returned, carrying clothing and towels. She gave them both a smile, figuring her
nap was over.

When Megan bid her new sisters farewell and signed off, she
whirled her chair around to face the bed. “Thanks for playing along.”

“He was begging for it. Besides, if Johann thinks he’s going to
be a Sentinel, he better learn to deal with some Amazon pranks.” Rebecca sat up
and stretched before grimacing at the stiffness that had settled over her
muscles. “I’m going to take a hot shower. Then I think I’ll come back here and
fall into a coma.”

“Using your powers takes a lot out of you, doesn’t it? But,
damn, you did good. Knocked Artie on his Scottish arse.” She pumped a fist in
the air. “You go, girl.”

“Thanks.” Rebecca took a small bundle of clothing from Dolan.
He crooked his finger at her. “What?”

“A secret, mistress.” That little finger crooked again. She
bent over so he could whisper in her ear. “Follow me. I have a wonderful
surprise for you. But just for you.” The giggling changeling headed out the
door. She had no choice but to follow. She waved at Megan then chased after
Dolan, wondering just what surprise he had in store.

Chapter Ten

Rebecca squealed in delight when the changeling showed
her the hot spring.

Nature’s hot tub,
Dolan had told
her when he led her to the pool hidden deep in the woods near the cabins. He’d
given her a pink bikini and a huge, fluffy towel and left her alone in the place
he called Eden.

The glen was aptly named. Even in the fading light, the beauty
surrounded her. Lush greenery. Colorful flowers. Crystal clear water. She owed
the little shape-shifters something nice for showing her this place. Maybe she
could scrape up ingredients to bake them some chocolate-chip cookies. Or maybe
they preferred cereal and marshmallow treats.

Flat stones lined the hot spring which was surrounded by soft,
verdant moss. No doubt magic was involved in its creation, but Rebecca found it
easier and easier to accept this new world that had opened up to her.

There wasn’t a secluded place to change, and she glanced around
to be sure Dolan hadn’t stayed close to her side. For all she knew he could be
the squirrel sitting to her left, twitching its nose at her. With a resigned
sigh and a near desperate need to rid herself of her aches and pains, she jerked
off her shirt. A rustling of leaves sounded over her shoulder. Clutching the
shirt to her chest, she whirled around to find nothing but the still woods. She
took off the rest of her workout clothes and donned the bikini.

Bikinis had never suited her curvy shape, but this one fit and
an inviting pool of hot water waited for her. Grabbing her towel, she dropped it
next to the stone steps leading into the hot spring and stepped into the
water.

The spring was the perfect temperature, and her leg muscles
relaxed with each inch she descended into the warmth. Feeling along the wall,
she found a stone ledge she used as a seat, immersing herself up to her armpits.
Heaven. I’m in heaven.
With a sigh, she laid her
head back on the soft moss and closed her eyes.

* * *

Artair lifted his hand to his chin, wondering if he was
drooling.

It hadn’t been gentlemanly to watch Rebecca change her
clothing. Not gentlemanly at all. But he didn’t feel like a gentleman around
Rebecca Massee. He felt like a man in love.

She was perfect, every single inch of her. From her sun-kissed
hair to her flawlessly formed breasts to her shapely hips and long legs. He
wanted her. He wanted to run his palms over her smooth skin, wanted to kiss her
until she sagged against him, and he wanted to take her to paradise.

The bruises he’d put on her beautiful body during training made
him wince, but she was an Amazon. Most would be faded and forgotten in the span
of a day or two.

Eden had always been his secret, and he’d selfishly kept it
from his Amazons for more than two centuries. Artair needed a place to escape
the women, and Eden gave him respite from his work. Here he could rest his tired
body and reason his way through his problems.

Yet tonight, his biggest problem had journeyed to his secluded
glen. Beagan and Dolan had to have told her of its existence—that spoke volumes
of their opinions of Rebecca.

Artair slowly worked his way to the end of the spring where she
rested. He fantasized about slipping into the water, taking her into his arms
and coaxing her to respond. Her kiss would be welcoming and deep. She’d beg him
for more. He’d slip off that pink barrier, have her straddle his lap and bury
himself inside the part of her he knew would offer more pleasure than the real
Eden. With a shake of his head, he took a different and much saner approach.

Silently creeping up, he crouched next to her. Slipping his
hands to where her shoulders met slender neck, he rubbed out the knots he found
there.

Rebecca never even opened her eyes. “Oh, Dolan,” she purred,
relaxing to his touch. “Mmm. That feels wonderful. But you don’t have to do
that. I don’t expect you to be my masseur.”

He smiled to himself as his hands rubbed her tight and sore
muscles. So trusting. So easy to please. She was unlike any woman he’d ever
known. Her muscles began to relax to his gentle pressure as her head fell to her
right to give him better access when he worked his fingers over a particularly
nasty tightness.

“Um. That feels
so
good. Wow, your
fingers are like magic.”

Tired of letting the changeling get credit for his hard work,
Artair announced his presence. “Aye, my hands can do much to make your body feel
pleasure.”

Rebecca jerked away, placing her right hand over her heart. She
shot a nasty frown over her shoulder. “Artair. For the love of God, you scared
the life out of me.”

“My apologies. ’Twas just you looked in need of some tender
care, and since I was the one who gave you most of your pains, I thought to ease
them.”

“What are you doing here?” She eyed him suspiciously, not that
he could blame her. Only hours ago he’d been repeatedly throwing her to the
ground.

“Same as you,” he replied, rising to his feet.

“I was here first. You can’t stay. I’m—” She glanced down to
her chest, then sank deeper in the water. “I’m not dressed.”

He chuckled. “’Tis nae a place for clothing, lass.”

The lingering anger was still plain in her eyes. “You wanted to
send me back.”

“Aye.”

“You hurt me.”

He couldn’t believe he actually felt guilty about the marks
he’d inflicted on her body. He was her Sentinel, her trainer. Injuries came
along with the bargain—both hers and his. “Aye, but the bruises will heal.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Oh? And what did you mean? Yer bloody
nose?”

She was shaking her head before he even finished speaking. “You
lost faith in me. I was trying, Artair. I really was.”

“Becca mine, I didn’t lose—”

“Yes, you did. Just listen to me for a minute. I know I’m slow
to learn, especially physical stuff, but I always get it. I promise. I
always
get it in the end.” Her face was fixed with a
frown. “Do you think you can sit down or something? It hurts my neck to keep
looking up at you. I’m already stiff enough.”

So am I.

The time had come to make a choice. From the moment he’d met
Rebecca Massee, he’d hidden his feelings. With the exception of the kiss they’d
shared, he’d been as discreet as possible, battling each and every day to keep
his emotional distance. As he’d gotten to know her, to know the beautiful and
warm woman he admired and desired, he realized how rare a find she truly
was.

For the first time in his life, he stopped fighting and
surrendered to what was inevitable.

Artair took his clan’s jeweled brooch off his plaid before he
pulled the material from his shoulder.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going in for a soak. You’ll nae have to get a crick in yer
neck if we’re on the same level.”

“You’re coming in?”

“Aye. ’Tis not an easy task to train an Amazon. Especially a
stubborn one. My body aches, and you aren’t the only one who enjoys the hot
spring.”

* * *

Rebecca wasn’t sure what to think. Artair stared at her
as he worked his way out of his plaid, and the intensity of his gaze set
butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She distracted herself looking around at
the flowers lining the glade.

Today, for the first time, her power coursed through her. Today
she had channeled her fear and love for Megan and Sparks and turned it loose.
Today she had brought those vines hurtling from the ground to bring down the
person who could have torn her from her sisters.

Something else, something she hadn’t shared with her Guardian
or her Sentinel had happened. As she’d stood above Artair, her victory within
her grasp, memories had flooded her mind. She could see other Amazons, standing
on the same patch of earth. Some had won their fight. Some had lost. But for
that moment, she’d known what had happened on that very spot, as if the Earth
itself was passing the recollections to her.

Oh, yes. Today she was an Amazon. The Earth Amazon.

The announcement of her pride and satisfaction stuck in her
throat when she saw him standing on the stone steps. Naked. Her mouth went
dry.

Rebecca had seen him before. Not splendidly bare, but he
trained in skintight workout pants and often threw his shirt aside when he got
too sweaty. She’d admired his arms, his chest, his back. That gorgeous ass that
begged to be squeezed. She’d imagined smoothing her fingertips over every plane
on his bronzed body, but she hadn’t seen him in all his glory.

And she sure as hell hadn’t seen him aroused.

Immersing his body in the water, Artair moved to the opposite
side of the small pool, sat down and stretched his arms out to rest on the moss.
His stare became intense, as if daring her to mention what she’d just seen.
Instead, she glanced away. His responding chuckle spread a hot flush over her
body.

“’Tis nae a crime to look, Becca.”

Finding something other than his nakedness she could use to
make conversation, she turned back to him. “Why do you call me that? Why do you
always call me Becca instead of Rebecca?”

A smile crossed his lips. “You’ve never looked like a Rebecca
to me. A sour-faced woman in my clan carried that name. I cannot think of the
two of you in the same way. From the moment I saw you, especially when I watched
you deal with your reluctant groom, you’ve always been my Becca.” Artair’s gaze
grew tender, almost maudlin. “Becca mine.”

He’d called her “Becca mine” many times, and she’d always
assumed it was nickname. Just like “Sparks.” Although staring into his eyes, she
began to wonder…

No.
He couldn’t know how she felt.
Rebecca had never shown him the depth of her attraction. She was sure of it. “So
it’s just something you call people? A nickname? An endearment… Like ‘Megan
mine’ or ‘Sparks.’”

He had the gall to laugh at her. “You shall
never
hear me call Fire ‘Megan mine.’ Nay. I mean
exactly what I say.”

Before she could offer a defense, he leaned forward, grabbed
her wrists and dragged her across the pool. He settled her on his knees. Her
token resistance was to put both hands on his chest and try to push away. Her
water-soaked palms slipped across his muscles, turning her struggle into a
caress.

“Let me go,” she whispered. “What if a goddess is
watching?”

“They will nae watch me here. They agreed. ’Tis my place of
rest. Besides, I don’t care what they think.”

She wiggled against him, trying to slide from his lap. “We
can’t. It’s not allowed.”

He wrapped an arm around her waist to anchor her. “Stop. I only
want to talk.”

“I need to go. I can’t…stay here. Not this close. Please. Why
won’t you let me go?”

“Because I cannot. Tell me your mind, Becca mine.” Artair
lifted a hand to stroke her cheek, leaving a small trail of water across her
tanned skin. She felt the touch all the way to her toes. “Tell me your
thoughts.”

She leaned her face into his palm and savored his touch. There
was no way she could put all she felt into words. After a few more moments
passed in stilted silence, she found her voice. “You need to let me go.”

“Nay. I cannot.” He stroked her cheek again, and she closed her
eyes.

* * *

Artair couldn’t let her go. This woman had pulled his
heart to her—had plucked it from his chest and kept it from the moment he first
saw her. This woman had made him risk the kiss that haunted him night and
day.

This woman was every reason he wanted to be mortal again.

Rhiannon might damn him for it, but Artair needed Rebecca. She
was as precious as life, and he planned to indulge himself, if only for these
few moments. “Open your eyes. Look at me, Becca.”

Her lashes fluttered then those incredible brown eyes regarded
him with such a tender expression he couldn’t breathe. He wanted to pick her up
and carry her away from Avalon, to leave this world behind. He wanted to take
her to the Highlands, build a small home and spend the rest of his life gazing
into those eyes. All he felt for her was so empowering, he could take on a
legion of revenants and win if she waited for him when the battle was done.

Lost in his thoughts, he came tumbling back to Earth when
Rebecca’s wet fingertips slowly rubbed his lower lip. “I…”

“What, sweeting?” He playfully nipped at her fingers. “What do
you want from me?”

“I want you to kiss me again. Like in my cabin,” Rebecca
whispered. “Would you please kiss me, Art—”

His mouth came down hard on hers. They had no time, no chance
and no future. He would take what he could for whatever time they had together,
and now he took all she had to offer.

It was a kiss of total possession, his tongue sweeping into her
mouth, mating with hers. She trembled in his arms but returned his kiss with
abandon. One of her arms rose to drape around his neck, her fingers lacing
through his hair. Her other hand rubbed his chest, tangling through the patch of
crisp hair. He growled his approval, splaying his hand between her shoulder
blades, slanting his mouth across hers.

Artair pulled away from the kiss to trace his lips down her
neck, pressing them against her pulse point, leaving a trail of gooseflesh in
his wake.

“Ah, lass, I want you,” he whispered in her ear.

“We can’t,” she quietly replied. Her hand tickled down his
chest, moving lower.

He wanted to take her torturing hand and lead it to his cock.
Touching her, loving her, made him so hard it was painful. He wanted to feel
those small hands caress him, wanted to show her how much she meant to him.

He caught a rustling through the trees.

With a Gaelic curse, he took her hand in his and pulled it away
a second before she would have had his cock in her grasp. “Someone approaches.”
She seemed slow to understand—the passion still darkening her eyes. “Lass,
someone’s coming.”