by Donna Grant
He moved until Livia’s back was against a wall, and then began to plunge in out and of her with long, slow strokes that had her moaning and clawing his shoulders.
Achates eased a hand between them and gripped her nub between his thumb and forefinger, gently moving it back and forth between his fingers.
When her sex tightened around him, he could no longer hold back his climax. He pumped inside her fast and hard and finally allowed himself to peak.
He gave one final thrust and filled her with his seed, along with the hope of having children.
* * * * *
Livia sat in Achates’ arms, still wet from their recent bath as they watched the sun break the horizon. “You get to see this every day?”
“Aye.”
She turned and grinned at him. “I’m glad I’m here to share it with you.”
“Ah, so the real reason you agreed to be my wife comes out.”
She giggled and shrugged. “I can no longer keep it a secret.”
They sat in silence for a moment, and she knew he was thinking about the person who was betraying Orinjal.
“Shall we try to find him today?” she asked.
He turned her until she looked at him. “How do you know it’s a man?”
“Because no woman who has birthed a baby would ever put another mother through the pain of having their child taken.”
He sighed. “You have a point.”
“Besides, there were no women on guard, correct?”
“Correct.”
She shrugged. “Put those two reasons together, and it can only be a man.”
“I trust everyone, though.”
She reached up and ran her thumb over his lips. “That’s what makes this so difficult, but I think we have the advantage.”
“How so?”
“The betrayer believes you are occupied with your new wife. He won’t guess we’ve come up with a plan to find him.”
Achates ran a hand through his tousled blond locks. “I don’t like putting you in danger.”
“As your wife, I refuse to not aid you. This man helped the Piratirans take me away from you and my family. I want my revenge as much as you do.”
He nodded slowly. “Aye, I suppose you have a right to it.”
“I do. We will find him. In the meantime, you were right when you said we need to keep guards posted.”
“Aye. I’ll go one step further and not let any of them know what the other is doing.”
“It’ll help narrow our search.” She glanced out the window at the bright new day. She had a new life ahead of her, but before she could begin, a traitor had to be found so peace could once more dwell on Orinjal.
* * * * *
Achates fingered the dagger at his waist and slid his gaze to where Livia stood. The wind blew her black locks away from her face and made them dance in the air. With her shoulders back and her head held high, she looked like an avenging she‐warrior ready for battle.
And in truth, she was dressed as one as well. No Orinjal women wore the short skirts of their ancestors, but Livia had said it would allow her legs the freedom to run if need be. Since Achates wanted her kept safe, he had agreed with her, though he was having difficulty keeping his eyes off the tight, sleeveless shirt that molded to her curves. For an added measure of safety, Achates had given her a dagger much like his own, which she had strapped to her hip.
He licked his lips and moved his gaze down her slim legs, which just this morning been locked around his waist as he filled her. How he wanted to have her back in his bed with no more worries of raids from Piratira.
“We will finish this today,” she said suddenly.
Achates inhaled deeply and shifted his feet. “You are confident.”
“As you should be also. You came up with a good strategy. It took us all day to put it in place, but we should have our answer before the night is over.”
He knew she was right, but he could barely stand the wait. His plan had been to tell each of his commanders a different variation of their nightly defense, which he normally changed daily anyway.
Suddenly, Livia’s threaded her fingers through his. “We will do this. Together.”
Achates nodded. “Together.”
He looked out over the water from their room and watched the red ball of the sun sink beneath the horizon.
Now their true wait began.
Chapter Nine
Hours crept by. Every now and then, Livia would squeeze his hand. With his house being on the highest elevated point of the island, Achates had decided they would keep lookout there.
Candles had been lit in his room to let everyone think he and Livia were inside, when they were actually concealed in a group of palm trees outside.
“Anything?” he asked.
“Nothing,” she responded after a moment. “And it’s near midnight.”
He sighed. “We might not have given the plan enough time.”
“I just knew it would work,” she said sadly, turning to face him.
He kissed her forehead and pulled her against his chest. “It isn’t your fault. We’ll give it another hour, and then return to the house.”
Achates released her and turned to resume his lookout over his side of the small island. A heartbeat later, Livia whispered his name.
He whirled to stand beside her.
“There,” she said, pointing into the water.
He could just make out the outline of two boats much like the two he had found the other night. Part of him had hoped he was wrong, that there wasn’t a traitor on Orinjal. Now, he couldn’t deny it.
“Achates?”
He took Livia’s hand. “I’m all right. They’re moving into the cove.” Pain ripped through his chest from the cut of the betrayal.
“Lycus,” Livia whispered. “But why?”
“His sister was taken a few years before you. She’s never been sacrificed, so I’m guessing she’s still on Piratira.”
He started to turn away and go down to the cove when she stopped him.
“Why?” she asked.
“Why what?”
“If you knew where we were, why didn’t the Orinjals attack Piratira and get us back?”
Achates had been waiting for her to ask, and now that she had, the answer stuck in his throat. “Besides the fact that Piratira is double the size of Orinjal, there is the matter of what we are.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Livia,” he said and took her by the shoulders. “Once an Orinjal comes of age on this island, they cannot set foot on another land.”
She swallowed visibly. “And if one does?”
“We die.”
“Then how have I been able to live?”
“You didn’t come of age here,” he explained. “It’s also why you never got your gills. But now that you are truly an Orinjal, you cannot step foot on other soil, either.”
“We’re only safe in the water.”
He nodded. “I’m sorry, Livia. I’ve wanted nothing more than to come and rescue all of you from Piratira. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, to not go after you.”
She placed her hand on his cheek. “I believe you, but we can put a stop to all of this tonight. It’s time we confronted Lycus.”
“Aye,” he murmured.
They moved swiftly and quietly down the cliff. Livia stayed a few steps behind him in case they ran into trouble. His lungs burned by the time they reached the cove.
He moved them from tree to tree to help them stay hidden. And just as he had feared, Lycus stood on the shore waving the boats in. Achates would never have thought his first-in-command, the friend he’d had since childhood, would have ever betrayed him.
But it had to stop.
“There are four men in each boat,” Livia whispered.
Achates clenched his teeth. He and Livia were outnumbered. They needed more men. “There is a patrol on guard around the cove. Can you get to them?”
“In a heartbea
t,” she promised. With a kiss on his cheek, she was gone.
Achates waited to hear a twig snap and alert Lycus and the Piratirans that they weren’t alone, but Livia moved as stealthily as a ghost.
The two boats were still a good distance away, far enough out that Achates could capture Lycus before they arrived. He stepped from his place behind a palm and waited for his friend to notice him.
It didn’t take long.
His long time friend and first in command didn’t seem surprised to see him. “Achates.”
“Lycus.”
“I thought you might have something like this planned.”
He fought the urge to hit Lycus. “Yet you still sent word to them.”
“I had no other choice.”
“You are allowing them to take our people,” Achates growled. “You should have been fighting them, not aligning yourself with them.”
“They have my sister. They promised me they would let her go if I gave them access to the island.”
Achates didn’t want to hear his reasons. “You can try to explain yourself to the parents who have lost children.”
Lycus blew out a breath. “That will be difficult, since I’m leaving tonight.”
“What?” Lycus couldn’t have surprised him more. “You must be here to explain your actions.”
“Nay, I won’t. They are bringing Narda with them. I will have my sister returned. Once she’s here, I will live my life in the ocean.”
Achates eyed the incoming watercraft. “It doesn’t look as though there is a woman on either of those boats.”
Lycus followed his gaze. “They promised,” he said in a strangled whisper.
Achates saw movement out of the corner of his eye and spotted Livia coming toward them with the patrol. “It seems I wasn’t the only one deceived,” he said.
He held up his hand to keep Livia and the patrol hidden for the time being. He wanted the Piratirans on shore before they knew they were surrounded.
He and Lycus said no more as the boats moved closer. Once they were beached and the men came ashore, Achates punched the man closest to him in the face. The Piratiran fell to the ground unmoving. The next instant, Livia and the patrol rushed from the trees and surrounded the rest of the foreigners.
Achates walked over to Lycus, who looked at the eight men who had come ashore.
“Where is Narda?” Lycus asked.
One of the men laughed. “Did you really think we would give her back to you?”
Before Achates could blink, Lycus lunged at the man and buried his dagger in the Piratiran’s heart. Once the man fell dead at Lycus’ feet, he turned to Achates.
“I’m sorry, Achates.”
“You can tell the tribe that,” Achates said and motioned the guards to take Lycus prisoner. Next, he turned to the Piratirans. “You were warned not to come back.”
He again gestured to the guards. “Take them.”
Then he watched as Lycus and the Piratirans were hauled away. The Orinjals’ revenge would be swift and brutal, but he couldn’t blame them.
“What happens now?” Livia asked as she moved next to him.
He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“What about all the other Orinjals who have been taken?”
“I want them returned, but I cannot go get them myself.”
She stepped in front of him and smiled. “But there are those who can.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You said yourself that you cannot leave here, but those who didn’t come of age on Orinjal can leave. We need to go to Piratira and retrieve the ones taken.”
He stared in wonder at his new wife. “You’re amazing.”
“I know,” she replied with a grin. “It’s why Poseidon chose me for you.”
“I believe it.”
“So,” she asked. “Do you think it will work?”
“If they will go, I think it will.”
She took his hand and pulled him toward the village. “Let’s go talk to them.”
“Nay,” he said hastily and dragged her back against his chest. “You don’t need to see what they are doing to those we just caught.”
The screams of the men could be heard in the silence of the night, as could the shouts from his people begging for revenge.
“You’re right,” she said shakily. “It can wait until morning.”
Yet for all their planning, by the time they reached his house, they had visitors. Their demand: the return of the other Orinjals.
Livia looked up at him and nodded. “It will be best if we go now. The Piratirans won’t expect it.”
He studied her. She had a point. “We have little time, then. Gather enough people. We have four boats for those who can’t swim. The rest of us will stay in the water and take the ones who won’t fit in the boat.”
Achates and Livia rushed back to the cove to find a large group already waiting for them. Achates shouted his orders, and a few moments later he was in the water with Livia beside him.
“Are you sure you want to go back?” he asked her.
“Nay, but I won’t let the others return and face them alone. I am your wife. They need to know I will stand beside them.”
He gave her a wink and dove under the water where the others had taken the ropes tied to the boats. They swam with them, pulling the vessels fast through the water, and reached Piratira quickly.The ones who were able rushed onto shore armed and scattered themselves throughout the island. Achates, Livia, and the others waited in the water.
“I wish I could go with them,” Livia said as she stared after them.
Achates nodded. “I wish I could as well.”
Most Orinjals had come with them and circled the island in case the others couldn’t make it back to the boats. They would want to have someone in the water with them.
It wasn’t long before an alarm was raised on Piratira, and moments later, people rushed toward the shore. Many carried infants or children in their arms, while others ran beside them.
“There are so many,” Livia said. “They’ll never fit in the boats.”
“Which is why so many Orinjals came with us,” Achates said. “Remember, love, to keep their heads above water.”
She nodded and swam closer to shore to help those already in the water. Achates watched Livia and the others start back toward Orinjal. Just when he thought the rest of his people might make it to the water and into the boats without harm, he heard a scream and saw one of them fall with an arrow in her back.
Anger surged through him. He might not be able to touch shore, but he could still inflict damage. Achates pulled out his dagger and threw it. It embedded deep into a Piratiran’s chest.
Other Orinjals soon followed suit. It allowed the ones fleeing Piratira to reach the water safely. Until finally no more Orinjals inhabited Piratira.
* * * * *
Livia stood on the shore of Orinjal and watched for signs of Achates. A slow trickle of their people began coming onto ashore.
With her stomach in knots and her hands clenched in fear, Livia watched for her husband, the man who had given her a life, the man who had given her freedom. The man who had given her love.
“Achates,” she whispered, slowly walking into the water.
A cheer rose up when they spotted the first boat. Livia wanted to smile, but she couldn’t, not until she saw her husband. All but a few Orinjals had come ashore, but she still refused to give up hope.
As ruler of Orinjal, Achates would be one of the last to leave Piratira. He would want to make sure every Orinjal held there was able to flee.
But had it cost him his life?
Livia blinked back tears at the thought. It took her a moment to realize the cheers had stopped and the people had lined up behind her to await their leader.
The first rays of the sun broke through the gray sky, and she saw the small head of a child clutching something beneath the water.
Livia gasped and moved farther into the waves,
her heart in her throat. And then Achates’ head broke the surface. Livia smiled and swam toward her husband.
She waited until someone had taken the child from Achates before she flew into his arms. “Don’t ever scare me like that again,” she whispered into his neck.
“Never,” he vowed. His arms wrapped around her as he carried her to shore. “Your plan worked.”
“Our plan,” she corrected him.
He laughed. “Yes. Our plan.”
Cheers rose up for both of them, but neither heard them. They were too intent on each other. Livia raised her face and kissed him.
“You missed the sunrise.”
A blond brow rose. “Then I’ll have to make it up to you.”
“And I know just how you can do it,” she said.
He grunted. “How’s that?”
“It involves you naked.”
“Hmm. I believe I can manage that, as long as you’re naked with me.”
Livia squirmed out of his grasp and jerked off her dagger and clothes before diving into the water. She surfaced and looked back at him.
“What are you waiting for?”
He threw back his head and laughed before he shed his pants and joined her in the water. “Where to, love?”
“Your secret place.”
“Our secret place.”
She grinned. “Aye, ours.”
He brushed a lock of hair from her face. “I love you, Livia. I know you may think it’s too soon, but I do love you.”
Poseidon’s magic filled her as the music from the water reached her. “And I love you, Achates. You were right. Poseidon doesn’t make mistakes,” she said and took his rod in her hand.
“Ah,” Achates moaned as he went under the water. In the next instant, his mouth suckled her nipple.
Heat infused her body, but it was nothing compared to the feeling of his mouth on her sex, his tongue licking her nub. She stopped treading water and went under to find Achates watching her.
A new life awaited them. One of water, and of magic.
ENTICED BY ECSTASY
Second book in the Wicked Treasures series
For six long years vengeance has driven Channing St. John. He will do anything – even if it means using his enemy’s daughter – to punish the man responsible for ripping his world apart and nearly killing him.