by Aja James
“I feel like I’ve wanted you forever.”
He hadn’t understood her fully when she’d spoken those words, but somehow, he understood her now in perfect recall.
Heavens, how he wanted her back!
He wanted her forever too.
“Amazons don’t keep men,” she whispered. “It is our law. It is what binds us together against all odds. I love my people, my queen, my sisters, and the little girls who will grow up into fine women warriors one day. I love our way of life. The freedom. The passion. The independence to do as we please.”
She swallowed and stared intensely into his eyes.
“But…but… I want to be yours. I want you to be mine. I don’t want anyone else to have you, to touch you and taste you as I do. I want to own all of your kisses and smiles and looks. I want to devour you, consume you, drink you up and soak you in until your essence fills me from the inside out, and when I sweat I smell of you, because every part of you has mated with every part of me.”
“What am I to do?” she asked him. “I don’t even know what your name means, but already I can’t imagine living my life without you. Always beside me, inside me, a part of me.”
Cloud groaned, his body vibrating with raw, primal need.
He wanted to Mate with her so badly. To be a permanent part of her. To make her a permanent part of him.
He craved her so desperately he hurt. Every part of him ached with yearning for every part of her.
But then the memory abruptly shifted.
His heart flailed and thrashed within his chest with bruising force, as a soul-deep pain flooded his veins, filling him with acid.
“You are here to stud for my finest warrior,” the Amazon queen said bluntly. “It is your honor to be chosen amongst all the men of her acquaintance, across all the cultures we have encountered. Your role is to bed her, impregnate her, and in so doing, secure the future generations of Amazon warriors, should her child be female. If not, a courier will deliver any male offspring to you, wherever you may be. You are free to do with the child as you wish. It is not our concern.”
No…it wasn’t true.
Aella would tell her it wasn’t true!
But that wasn’t what she said…
“He is my stud. He is the sire I have chosen for my firstborn. We have already consummated the union. Even now, I could be with child”…
“He needs to leave. I have what I want…I will choose another stud to replace him”…
Cloud began to shake uncontrollably.
It hurt too much.
Everything hurt too much!
“That’s it? You’re walking away?” he demanded, his heart thundering so loudly in his ears he could barely hear himself speak.
“Let go,” she said, tugging on her hand. “You have to go. We have to part ways here and now.”
He shook his head, holding on to her more tightly.
“Come with me. Leave with me. I…I love you. Aella…”
She yanked hard and freed her hand, which had gone icy cold in his grip.
“Just leave,” she whispered with a hard shake of her head.
Unbidden, a tear leaked out of the corner of his eye, as his heart broke apart all over again.
He didn’t understand.
Why did she push him away? Death would be preferable to being alive without her.
Why would she push him away?
“Cloud…wake up…open your eyes, baby…”
He heard her voice through the cacophony of memories, but it was all jumbled together. He could no longer distinguish between present and past.
But the pain was real.
So very real.
Coursing in black streaks throughout his body. A living, clawing, biting thing.
Suffocating his lungs. Stabbing into his heart.
Images of Aella taking one male after another.
So many…
Hundreds…then thousands, across the millennia of her Pure One existence.
Trapped in his invisible prison, it was like a death each time she took another inside her body.
It should have been him!
He was her Mate!
He loved her beyond comprehension. He loved her more than heaven and earth combined!
But she didn’t love him…
She never loved him…
She couldn’t have…
Not the way he loved her.
He’d died a thousand times in that prison.
“Have you learned your lesson, Xiao Yun?” the Master’s voice finally sounded amidst the clamoring chaos in Cloud’s mind.
“Do you see the folly and capriciousness of selfish love? Trust only in the Balance. Rely only on logic and duty…”
“I want no memory of her. I want her to have no memory of me…Only then, will I become the heavenly warrior you have trained me to be.”
“So be it.”
Cloud jolted awake on a sudden inhale.
His eyes opened wide, blazing fiery, lightning blue.
Violet orbs, framed by long, gold-tipped lashes stared down at him.
Aella’s achingly beautiful face.
Her expression both sad and joyful, concerned and relieved.
Waves of her sunshine hair cascaded over her shoulders, a silken curtain that hid both of them from view as she leaned over him.
“Hey, gorgeous,” she murmured softly. “Welcome back.”
He remembered.
He remembered everything.
*** *** *** ***
Aella was at the end of her patience.
Granted, she didn’t have a large store of it. But she tried. She really tried.
It was obvious that Cloud needed space, and for the past several hours, she’d given it to him.
Now…
Now, she wanted to get right up in his face and either kiss or slap him senseless.
They found the path to the other side of the mountain behind the waterfall that splashed into the secret pond of the Snake King’s lair.
After Cloud awoke from the venom-induced coma, he efficiently guided Aella and Eveline through the meandering cavern tunnels without uttering but a handful of words.
No matter how Aella tried to engage him in conversation, even as she held her questions and concern in check, he only replied what was minimally necessary.
By all appearances, he was back to his preternaturally controlled, cool and stoic self.
He’d even put on another layer of clothing, a long-sleeved shirt and those shapeless, loose trousers that she detested, once again hiding all of his body from view, save just a hint of his throat, his hands, and face. He also bound his hair into a tight, efficient bun, not a strand out of place.
She missed the wild side of him already.
“We must rendezvous with Sophia’s group in Sais,” Cloud said in his no-nonsense, emotionless voice, as they neared the cavern exit.
Aella could feel the fresh air from outside, mingling with the stale, still air within the cavern.
Soon, she’d breathe freely again, out in the open, not enclosed on all sides by impenetrable rock.
But not as freely as she wanted, because Cloud had become his old impenetrable self again, and Aella was locked on the outside.
As always.
She practically growled with frustration.
It was as if the past few days had never happened. Their journey together through the Zagros mountains never happened.
Aella didn’t know how to get through to this Cloud. This block of ice who showed no emotion, no weakness, not even a hint of a crack in his armor for her to wiggle through.
She didn’t know how, but she wasn’t giving up.
No more Ms. Nice Amazon.
“You say this as if we have no choice,” Eveline noted. “Is something going to happen?”
“Yes,” was his cryptic, dark response.
Finally, they exited the cavern, squinting their eyes to adjust to the early morning light.
Miraculous
ly, White Dragon was waiting for them as planned, casually grazing on a patch of grass beside Eveline’s docile little mare.
The stallion huffed softly in greeting, lifting his head from his breakfast.
Aella went to him directly, stroking her hands up and down his neck and side with affection.
Abruptly, Cloud led White Dragon away from her, as if he didn’t want her touching his horse.
Ass, Aella thought, glaring at him.
“How do you know?” she pressed, following up on his previous statement.
She hardly expected him to answer her; he’d been doing such a phenomenal job of ignoring her so far.
But, of course, when it was about “business,” he was the consummate professional, for he did indeed respond.
“The memories the Snake King shared with me showed what he suspected of Medusa’s plans. She’s sending another wave of soldiers to attack Sais. Perhaps they are already there, if not well on their way.”
“How do we get there in time? We’d have to charter a plane,” Eveline said.
“Bai Long can get us there. But it will only be good for one ride.”
Aella looked at Cloud dubiously.
“I know White Dragon is the greatest steed on earth, but there is no way he can gallop across thousands of miles in a few hours or less! How can he possibly—”
But Cloud had turned away from her to address Eveline.
“I need you to return to the Shield with Aella. You will find transportation in Miyan Ghaleh. Take a bus or hired vehicle to the nearest airstrip and go from there. I will make this trip to Sais alone.”
“The hell you will!” Aella exclaimed, coming to stand in front of him so that he could no longer avoid her.
“I’m coming with you. Not up for debate.”
“I can take care of myself,” Eveline chimed in. “I might not be much of an adventurer, but I’m good with directions and can certainly make my way back to the Shield by myself. Besides, I have Gifts too. Aella should go with you if there is fighting to be done.”
“No.”
Just one word. Said with cold, precise finality.
Cloud sidestepped Aella and went about checking Eveline’s mare, making sure to pack enough jugs of water that he’d filled at the spring for her journey to Miyan Ghaleh.
“I’m going whether you like it or not,” Aella said beside him, “There’s nothing you can do about it.”
He looked briefly into her eyes, his own like an icy lake.
“I don’t want you with me,” he said bluntly. “This is not your battle.”
“Bullshit,” she retorted. “Any battle you’re riding into is my battle too. And if it’s about Sophia and our friends, then it’s about me. I’m not walking away from my family.”
“Your presence is not required,” he intoned.
“Why?” she asked, taking a different tack, narrowing her eyes at him.
“Because you’re planning to save the world by taking your true form?”
Cloud’s eyes widened at that before he schooled his expression into impassivity again.
She smirked.
“The Snake King shared a few interesting tidbits with me too. I know what you are.”
“Then you know that I don’t need your interference.”
“Oh, I think you very much do.”
“I can make you stay back.”
She stepped into him, crowding his space, brushing up against his body, until he couldn’t help but retreat.
“Try me, warrior,” she growled. “What will you do? Manipulate my mind? We both know how that turned out. You can’t control me like everyone else.”
“I’ll knock you out if I have to,” he threatened.
“Umm… guys…let’s talk this out. No need to resort to violence,” Eveline tried to intervene from the sidelines.
They both ignored her.
“You won’t,” Aella said confidently. “A Pure male cannot cause his Mate physical harm.”
Cloud staggered a step back.
“You are not my Mate,” he gritted out, his cool reserve starting to crack.
“Oh yeah?” Aella taunted. “Why don’t you try it and see? You’re not afraid to find out the truth, are you? Come on, lay one on me. A little punch right here.”
She pointed to her perfect nose.
“Tap me on the bridge. That’ll put me right out. Go head. Try it.”
Cloud practically shook with frustration and fear, but he didn’t move.
Aella knew what he was thinking.
If he tried but couldn’t hit her, he’d be faced with a truth he wasn’t ready to accept.
At the same time, he really wanted her out of his way. He couldn’t stand that she challenged him like this.
Well, tough.
She was an Amazon. She was a First General at that. She didn’t take orders from anyone. Not even her over-protective Mate.
“Eh…when did you two get Mated?” Eveline interjected. “I feel like I’m missing whole chunks of time here.”
“We are not Mated!” Cloud roared.
“When he banged me against the cavern wall,” Aella said at the same time, sending Eveline a cheeky wink.
“You gotta try it sometime with your own male,” she added with a lopsided smile. “Once you finally pin him down, Eve. Best thing ever to work out kinks in the spine.”
Eveline’s mouth dropped open in a little “O.” She didn’t even bother to protest Aella’s shortening of her name.
Aella turned to Cloud, noticing with satisfaction that his eyes were no longer icy cool. They were blazing hot, practically shooting bolts of lightning at her person.
“We are Mated, gorgeous,” she grinned at him. “See these fabulous fangs that came in?”
She bared her teeth at him and pointed to the two long incisors he hadn’t noticed before. They must have elongated in her mouth as she spoke.
“Only Pure females who have Mates grow fangs. These babies came in right after our…vertical tango against the wall.”
Cloud flushed a deep red all over at her words.
“It’s not possible,” he growled.
She tilted her head at him in consideration.
“You mean it was some other male with his stupendous stallion cock buried so deep inside of me I can feel him all the way in my throat even hours after the fact?”
Impossibly, Cloud’s color turned even darker, while Eveline coughed to cover a nervous burst of laughter.
“I’ll just be leaving now,” she said, though neither Elite warrior paid her any mind.
Quietly, she pulled herself atop the placid little mare and began to make her way down the mountain, traveling a much easier path than the one they’d come up on.
“You are not my Mate,” Cloud ground out, shaking with vehemence.
“Keep telling yourself that, baby,” Aella cooed, undaunted. “I can wait a while for you to come around. Not too long though, I warn you. I don’t have a lot of patience.”
He stared daggers at her for a lengthy moment. Until finally, he turned away with an aggravated exhale, ending their staring match.
He stepped in front of White Dragon and held his muzzle so that he could look directly into the stallion’s eyes.
Fiery blue met fiery blue.
“Time to go, little cousin.”
And then, before Aella’s wide, disbelieving eyes, the horse’s body shimmered with a pale blue light. Within a blink, it transformed into a pearlescent, winged dragon, the size of perhaps two large elephants.
Flying elephants!
“Holy shit!” Aella exclaimed.
Instead of taking a step back when confronted with such a monstrous, magical creature, she stepped forward, eagerly reaching out a hand toward the dragon’s nose.
It unfurled a great, rolling tongue, licking her entire arm from shoulder to wrist.
There was her gorgeous White Dragon. He knew her no matter his form.
“How in Goddess’s name have you been
hiding him all these years?” she blurted to Cloud.
“He can only transform once into his true form,” Cloud said.
What was left unsaid, but what she heard perfectly well, was that Cloud, too, could only transform once.
Without further ado, Cloud climbed on top of White Dragon’s neck.
Ha! Aella finally got it!
Bai Long. White Dragon. He’d been hiding in plain sight all along.
As she stood gaping at them, Cloud steered White Dragon around, turning away from her.
“Oh no, you don’t,” she muttered beneath her breath.
Effortlessly, she leapt on top of White Dragon behind Cloud just as the beast poised on the edge of the mountain cliff.
In the next second, it threw itself down the ravine in a dive so sudden, Aella would have elevated right off her seat if she hadn’t grabbed Cloud around his waist, hanging on for dear life.
As fast as the dragon dove, with a flap of its great white wings, it soared back up like a rocket, heading straight into a mass of fast-moving clouds.
Aella whooped in an Amazon war-cry, exhilaration and adrenaline zapping through her body like a shot of pure lightning.
Cloud steered White Dragon to bank left, flying westward toward Egypt. At this speed, they’d be there within two hours.
Aella plastered herself to Cloud’s back and squeezed him tight.
The eye-watering speed they were flying was not conducive to conversation. Just as well. Aella needed to think. She had two hours to figure out what to do.
They’d be flying into what promised to be an epic battle, if she read between the lines of Cloud’s understated forecast.
She had to find a way to convince him not to transform. While at the same time, she had to make sure they won the fight.
There was no telling how many soldiers Medusa sent.
Between them, they numbered four Elite warriors, a human child, a reawakened Pure queen, and a somewhat “human” professor.
Not the best of odds. Even with a flying dragon on their side.
Two hours.
Aella ran through possible scenarios in her head, while she prayed fervently for a miracle.
*** *** *** ***
It was their last day in Sais.
They’d already stayed longer than planned. Sophia had been loathe to leave, but now she wondered whether they’d missed their chance.