Unforgettable Lover (10 page)

He couldn’t deny his attraction to her, his need to be with her, but he couldn’t risk getting too close.
Craya.
Maybe he’d already passed the point of no return. A tendril of fear tittered over his nerves.

“I received the nick earlier coming back from patrol. It matters not.” He shrugged. Given his fast metabolism, the laceration would heal in a few hours as if he’d never been cut. 

Her eyes widened. “Your reputation as a great warrior precedes you.” 

“My team…we do our best to protect the Keep.” 

“I can imagine, but others say…” She bit her lip.

He’d heard the rumors, too, the ones about his hesitation to help Gaetan. “That I can’t be trusted?”

She looked at the ground for a moment, then returned her attention to him. Her mouth pressed together into a thin line. “I don’t believe that. I won’t.” 

His skin tingled. Her unexpected words soothed him. She believed in him. Too bad he didn’t believe in himself. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Maybe you should. You don’t know me.”

She put the brush in a small container filled with a dark liquid. As she moved toward him, she kneeled down, and placed a hand on his arm. Her soft touch on his skin tingled his nerves. When she spoke, her words were soft, but forceful. “But I do. Tell me why you don’t.”

Before he could hold his tongue, the words slipped from his lips. “Because I’m a danger to anyone I care about.”

“Really? Why?”

She didn’t know how her questions scraped his wound. He stared into her vibrant blue eyes and lost his soul. His need to keep his weakness to himself wasn’t as strong as his desire to answer her. “I lost a friend when I was a child. He was in danger, and I froze. He died because of me.”

She studied him. He steeled himself for her rejection. Instead, she smiled and placed her hand on his woven shirt, over his marking. “Your swirls are there for a reason. I have no doubt of your courage.”

His stomach contracted as if the organ had turned upside down. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

She gave him her winning smile, the one he’d grown to love. As she moved to stand, a gold chain slid out from underneath her blouse. His attention riveted on the delicate thread. A jolt of recognition flashed through his mind. Before he could think, he placed his finger under the chain and pulled. 

A small bauble emerged from beneath her blouse. As he focused on the shell with the gold inlay, he inhaled and held his breath.

She pulled back, clasping her necklace in her hand. Her wide eyes searched his, as if uncertain of his reaction.

Eyes locked on her, he stood and closed the distance between them. “It
is
you. I should’ve trusted my instincts.” As if he had the right, he stroked the fine strands of her golden hair from her head to her waist.
Mine.
His shoulder burned as both his marking for conviction and duty blazed to life. The contradiction made him pause. How could she be his when she was qithan to another male? 

He touched the gold band surrounding her left wrist. When he spoke, the words came out harsher than he intended. “Tell me about him.”

*****

His words weren’t a question, but a statement, a demand from a male with a stake in the game. Her mouth dry, Leonna couldn’t respond. The world around her dimmed, and her heightened senses became aware of this strong, virile male. His scent of cloves and rain wrapped around her like a warm blanket. Without thought, she ran her hands over his bare arms. The skin-on-skin contact tingled her fingers, and sent a shiver of excitement to her core.

He growled, the sound low and deep in his chest. Pulling her into his arms, he cradled her head in his large hand. With his free hand he ran his fingers down her back, coming to rest at her hip. His arm wrapped around her waist, and he captured her in his embrace. A warm wetness dampened her panties, and her own scent filled the air. 

He massaged the back of her scalp with talented fingers, turning her to putty. She glanced into his eyes, and the amber that flickered there spoke louder than words. A new wave of desire hit her, and she licked her lips. He bent his head toward her, caressing her lips with his. The tender, sensual kiss broke her resolve, and she parted her mouth in invitation. 

He took her up on her offer, and their tongues joined together. She tasted the slight bitter tang of blood, remnants from the gash on his lip. Did it cause him pain? He didn’t seem to mind, his mouth devouring hers with a force she couldn’t escape. Memories of Betram and their coupling raced through her mind. She pressed into him, her breasts pushing against hard muscles hidden beneath his shirt. His hand moved from her waist to her bottom, pressing her against his erection. 

A soft moan escaped her lips. 

He growled a sound of pure frustration. Releasing her from their embrace, he rested his forehead against hers. His quick pants were evidence of his own desire. “Does he kiss you like that?”

She tensed. The gold chain on her wrist pulled her down like a shackle. She pulled back to look at him.

Gold flecks mixed with the blue in his eyes. He studied her, waiting for her answer.

“N—N—no! Nothing like that.”

“You’ve known all along it was me, didn’t you?” His brows furrowed. “How?”

“You weren’t wearing your shirt…” Her gaze darted to his shoulder where his three markings hid beneath his top. 

He tilted his head, the skin around one eye furrowing. “If you knew who I was, why didn’t you say anything to me?”

“What difference would it have made? Even now?” Tomorrow was her appointment with the council to complete the public bonding to Blaine. Her lip trembled, and she bit the traitorous thing.

“It matters to me.” He stroked a lock of her hair once again.

The sensation calmed her, yet made the agony all the more real, rawer. An urge to get away, to run and be free one last time overwhelmed her. 

“Come with me.” She gripped his hand, pulling him away from her workstation.

He didn’t move, but held on to her hand, preventing her from leaving. “Where?”

“Please. I want to enjoy your company for as long as we can, even if it’s just tonight.” The implications of what she’d said raced through her mind, and she placed a hand over her mouth. As she was qithan, she shouldn’t go, but the need to get away drove her onward. “I’m sorry. What I meant to say is that I want to go outside, enjoy the night, run free, be free.” She swallowed. A small ribbon of doubt crept along her spine. “Will you go with me?”

The amber in his eyes darkened for a moment, and she’d never seen anything more alluring than the male standing next to her. A shiver ran over her shoulders. She wanted him more than she could express with words. It would take all her resolve to maintain propriety. Even so, he’d still break her heart—and further earn his reputation as a heartbreaker.

Without taking his gaze from her, he raised her hand to his mouth and gently kissed her fingers. “As you wish.”

Chapter Seventeen

“But the Portal Navigation Center is that way.” Nicholai pointed down the long corridor. The sunstones lining the Keep’s walls brightened in response, sensing his destination. Leonna pulled on his hand, the gentle nudge all that he needed to change his mind. 

“I don’t want anyone to see us leave.” Her whispered words teased him. “Come, let’s find one of the manual entrances. I’m sure we can get out and back before dawn.”

As a warrior, he knew several of the manual entrances, the ones hidden from view of prying eyes, whether human or Gossum. “You know it’s forbidden to leave through the manual entrances without alerting either the portal navigator or a council member.” 

She didn’t speak, but the corner of her mouth lifted.

He shook his head, his own smile forming on his face. “I know of a way. Follow me.”

To make this rash decision wasn’t like him, his need to follow protocol screamed in his head, but she did this to him, she brought out his adventurous side. The tension in his chest lightened at the realization.

He led her down one of the side halls. They’d only passed a few others on the way here, and no one had paid them any particular attention. That was good. He’d rather not have to answer any inquiries. Where were they going? Why was he with her? What were they going to do? Those were questions he wasn’t sure he could answer.

As they progressed further into the seldom used reaches of the Keep, the corridor narrowed. The sunstones lining the walls thinned to a single crystal spaced farther and farther apart. Dampness crept into the air. Still, he led her forward, his own desire to be with her driving him as much as her need to escape.

Their hands clasped together, he relished the softness and warmth of her skin. Memories of their time in the forest flooded his mind. His beast, sensing an opportunity for a repeat performance, fueled his energy, and he picked up his pace.

To take her again would be wrong. He shouldn’t even be here with her now, but he couldn’t stop, and if he was honest with himself, he didn’t want to. His shoulder burned hot as his marking for duty faded. He felt the skin lighten, and his own guilt grew like a small knot in his gut.

The hair on the back of his neck rose. He stopped and Leonna bumped into him. Her firm breasts pressed into his back, and her hands landed on his waist. 

Umpf.
“Why’d you stop?”

He pressed his finger to his lips, and pointed behind them. She closed her mouth. He listened, straining to hear the slightest sound. Only their labored breaths echoed in the silent hallway. He thought he’d heard the slight squeak of boot against smooth stone. Was someone following them? He could’ve been wrong, but he didn’t think so. They stood that way for several more seconds, watching, waiting. The stillness seemed to go on forever.

Leonna’s warm body rubbed against him, encouraging his desire. He looked over his shoulder at her heated, inviting eyes. With a quickness born from his battle skills, he turned toward her and pinned her against the wall, caging her in his arms. 

A delightful squeal escaped her lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and giggled. Her hot breath tickled his neck, sending a shiver of delight down his back to his buttocks. He growled, letting her know she’d hit a nerve.

Cradling her head in his hand to protect her from the rough cave walls, he gave her a scorching kiss. She ran her fingernails over his scalp. The sensation both relaxed him and raised his craving for her. When he broke their connection, he stared into her eyes. 

With his free hand, he trailed his fingertips down her throat to the thin chain of her necklace. He traced the golden string under the edge of her blouse to where the seashell rested in the “V” of her breasts. Her chest rose and fell in concert with her panted breaths. The carnal glimmer in her eyes just about did him in, but it was her breathless words that finished him off. 

“Nicholai, please.” 

He picked her up, and she straddled her legs around his waist. Ravaging her with kisses, her soft mewls were all the response he needed. He growled. The sound echoed down the corridor. He broke their embrace, and ran his thumb along her plump bottom lip. “Not here, not in the tunnel.”

She nodded, and he placed her back on her feet. They resumed their trek down the corridor. At each new turn, he expected to see a familiar sign. A small niggle of dread grew in his mind. Were they lost? He wouldn’t admit this to her or himself. 

They rounded a bend. He stilled in his tracks, holding his arm out to stop her. A giant chasm spread out before them in what used to be the passageway. “The Keep blocked this exit. Gossum must’ve found the entrance.” The Keep looked after the inhabitants like a mother hen, and caused cave-ins to protect the residents.

Nicholai peered over the edge. Even with his preternatural vision, the sunstones didn’t provide enough light to see the bottom. 

“I think they went this way.” From down the hall, the sound of his brother’s voice sent a chill over Nicholai’s skin. 

They were in a no-win situation, trapped between an impassable fissure and his unrelenting brother. Nicholai wrapped his arm around Leonna and turned to face his sibling.

Feet pounding on the stone floor echoed down the hall as his brother and his posse approached. Tiernan rounded a bend and stopped. His two henchmen, Alden and Macion pulled up behind him. Tiernan glanced from Nicholai to Leonna. 

“What are you doing down here?” Tiernan’s eyes flashed with a hint of amusement, and his upper lip curled.

“Nothing that concerns you.” Nicholai widened his stance and held his ground. 

Tiernan and his cohorts crept closer. 

“You ok there—Leonna? He hurt you?” Tiernan’s gaze raked her body, and then he focused on her face.

Nicholai didn’t like the lustful glint in Tiernan’s eyes.
Protect. Mine.
Nicholai moved Leonna behind him, away from the other males. The ledge was dangerously close. A cold draft from the opening raised the hair on the back of his neck.

“I’m fine. Wh…what do you want?” Leonna wrapped her arm around Nicholai’s waist, pressing against him. Her cheek rested against his shoulder.

“My, my, does my brother have a love in his life? That’s a first.” Tiernan chuckled. “Maybe we’ll have some fun with her later, boys.” 

Nicholai’s body shook with rage, and his vision blurred.
He’s goading me.
A roar erupted from his throat. He wanted to rip the offending male in half, brother or not. 

Leonna’s grip tightened on his arm. “Please, don’t. He’s not worth the effort.” 

Nicholai fought the beast, taming him at her request. He focused on his brother, watching him like a hawk. “You followed me. Why?” 

A flash caught Nicholai’s attention. 

In Tiernan’s palm, the dagger he intended to give their father for his birthday glinted in the subdued light. 

Tiernan’s lip curled. “You made me look weak tonight, in front of the other males.” 

Nicholai took a step forward, balancing the distance between the two threats. Alden stood close by, his body tense, mouth set in a grim line. Macion hung back, brow furrowed.