Amazon Heat

by Leigh, Melinda

  Logan wasn’t going to complain. He was pretty much thrilled with finding her, although not being dead was a nice side benefit.

  She moved to his bedside, and the musky scent that was all Elizabeth enveloped him. His arms ached to pull her close and he wanted to inhale her natural perfume, taste her skin. His abdomen clenched as he imagined wrapping her legs around him and sliding inside her tight body. He wanted to revel in the feel of her writhing beneath him, the pressure of her nails digging into his back, the sound of her voice as their pleasure peaked. God, he’d never wanted anything more. He gritted his teeth at the thought. But, for some reason Elizabeth wanted to pretend they didn’t know each other.

  From the look in her dark eyes, the reason must be a good one.

  “Eliz—”

  “Shhh.” She cut off his question with a nod toward the door and the guard beyond. “Save your strength.”

  Elizabeth did her best to act nonchalant, but she was afraid. Logan could tell. He could almost see the aura of fear that surrounded her. Her voice was strained and her fingers flexed at her side. Both were habits that she’d had since the day he’d met her. That knowledge made Logan’s insides bunch up, even though all his mortal injuries had been miraculously cured. He may have been unconscious, but he knew he’d been on death’s doorstep oh, say about an hour ago.

  One dunk in the pool and he was perfect. What the hell was that stuff? Though it had tasted sweet, his skin bore no sticky residue.

  Elizabeth inflated a blood-pressure cuff around his biceps, watched the gauge and smiled. She ripped the Velcro free and tossed the instrument aside. Her hand slipped down to encircle his wrist. The glide of her fingers on his skin heated his blood all over again, but they weren’t alone. The woman Elizabeth had called Mari was still lingering by the door. He gritted his teeth and exhaled hard.

  Her hand lingered on his forearm as if she couldn’t get enough skin-on-skin contact. “Your vitals are perfect.”

  He felt perfect, but inexplicable exhaustion began to overwhelm the hormones raging through him. “What were they before?”

  Darkness flashed across Elizabeth’s features. She squeezed his hand. “You don’t want to know.”

  “What happened to me?”

  “You were injured in a fall,” she said.

  “That I know. I meant in the old swimming hole back there.”

  “I’m not entirely sure.” Elizabeth dropped his hand and her eyes. “But the important thing is that you’re healed.”

  “But I was dying.” It was a statement, not a question. Logan had felt his life slipping away. Mortality had tapped him on the shoulder, scythe in hand, one ticket across the river Styx included.

  She met his gaze unflinchingly, but offered no real explanation. “I know.”

  Logan scanned the room, taking in more detail. IV poles and pumps, an entire wall of labeled cabinets, crash cart, lighting worthy of an operating room. The place was set up like a modern ER, right down to the floor, which was neatly tiled in this chamber, rough carved rock from the threshold and beyond. They were in the middle of the jungle. What he was seeing was impossible.

  “How did they get all this stuff? And how the hell do they generate electricity?”

  “They don’t need electricity. The valley has its own power. It’s connected to the Amazons in some cellular way, and they tap into it at will.” Elizabeth turned a palm up in surrender. “Look, they don’t tell me much. I give them lists of things I can use and they magically appear.”

  “Can’t they just take a swim to fix everything?” he asked.

  “For the most part. But if a warrior is severely injured, she may need to be stabilized until they can get her into the water.”

  Logan was full of questions, but his brain was shutting down on him. He fought to keep his eyelids open.

  “Go to sleep, Logan.” She flipped a blanket over his body. “The more you sleep, the quicker you’ll be on your feet. We’ll talk tomorrow. I promise to tell you everything I know.”

  Her soft hand stroked his shoulder. Her touch mesmerized him. My God. He’d found her.

  “The queen would like to see you.” A woman poked her head through the doorway.

  “Of course.” Elizabeth nodded, then turned back to Logan. “You rest. I’ll be back to check on you later. If you need anything, Mari will be here.”

  The olive-skinned assistant across the room looked up from writing on a chart. She bobbed her head. “I will be happy to look after him, Doctor.”

  Elizabeth gave his arm a final pat before following the messenger.

  Whatever he’d gotten himself into, at least he’d found Elizabeth. With that thought in the back of his mind, Logan’s eyes drifted shut. But before he could sink into sleep, the bed began to move. He wrestled his eyelids open. Two Amazons were pushing the gurney through the doorway.

  The hairs on the back of Logan’s neck tingled. The tallest woman was the one who’d pointed an arrow at his chest. He doubted she was taking him out for a stroll. The hostility in her ebony eyes hadn’t dimmed. If anything, she looked even more angry.

  “Where are you taking him?” Elizabeth’s assistant protested. She crossed the room and grasped the metal handrails of the gurney, as if she had a chance of stopping his exit. Mari was tall, but slender. The other two women were seriously pumped—and armed with an array of sharp and pointy weapons.

  “He will not be harmed.” From the head of the gurney, the leader glanced down at him with hatred. Did she hate everyone? Just outsiders? Or only men? “The queen has ordered a change in his accommodations.”

  “Stop.” Mari stepped between his gurney and the doorway. Her posture was protective, but fear shone in her eyes. “Dr. Elizabeth said nothing of this.”

  “Dr. Elizabeth has no authority,” the warrior said. “Be careful, slave. Your rebellious nature has been tolerated thus far, but there are some lines that cannot be crossed. Do not think because you are Amazon you are immune to punishment.”

  The leader pushed the gurney straight at Mari, forcing her to move or be run over.

  No love lost there, Logan thought as the Amazons wheeled him through a series of corridors. The hallways twisted and turned. He concentrated hard. He had to remember which way they were taking him. He had to get back to Elizabeth. Now that he’d found her, nothing could keep them apart.

  Chapter Five

  “Please sit down.”

  Elizabeth lowered into the seat facing the desk. In her high-backed chair, Phoebe’s expression was set in its typical poker face.

  The queen steepled her fingers and leaned toward Elizabeth. Despite her neutral features, more than polite interest glimmered in her dark eyes. “How is he recovering?”

  “Well, I think. He is tired.” Elizabeth folded her hands on her lap and forced her body into a relaxed posture. Her concern for Logan should appear clinical, maybe humanitarian, but never personal. The less the queen knew, the better.

  “That is normal. His injures were extensive. Even with the help of Quedas Sagradas, healing was a great feat for his body. By tomorrow, he should be well enough.” With a satisfied nod, Phoebe reclined. “Maybe more than well enough.”

  Elizabeth tilted her head, feigning simple curiosity. “Well enough for what, Your Majesty?”

  “To assume his new role in the tribe.” The queen clasped her long slim hands together in uncharacteristic excitement. “He is a beautiful male. Well formed and strong. I am particularly pleased with his fair hair and blue eyes. We have not had such blood in the tribe for several centuries.”

  Breeding stock. Omigod. She’d been right.

  Queen Phoebe rose, striding round her desk to face a mural that spanned the entire wall. On it was depicted an artistic rendering of the tribe’s family tree. Not enough branches for healthy genetics. “His arrival is most fortuitous. I know you’ve done your best to discover the cause and cure for the wasting disease, but in light of the recent losses of tribe members, we need to reproduce. S
ince we have not yet discovered a way to produce offspring without a male of the species, he will be used for breeding purposes.”

  Oh, no.

  “We have not produced offspring for fifty years, and we haven’t kept a male for that purpose in twice that time. But as we exhausted our supply of frozen seed, it is time. Perhaps his fresh blood will produce infants not prone to the disease.”

  “He could refuse to mate with all these women. Human men often prefer one mate.” Or at least they should, thought Elizabeth. Anyway, Logan was definitely a one-woman man. For a while, she’d been the lucky woman. Until she’d totally blown it and cast his love aside. How would he ever forgive her?

  Confusion knitted the queen’s brows. “He is male, is he not? Males rut.”

  Elizabeth stared at the mural. The queen’s supposition reminded Elizabeth of the highly intelligent nature of the Amazons. Fresh DNA might indeed help, she knew.

  But the idea of the Amazons imprisoning Logan to use as an unwilling stud—anger and disbelief boiled in her belly, knotted her gut. It was nothing short of reverse gender white-slavery. In Phoebe’s head, men were like stallions that would gladly mount any mare in season. Such men existed, but Logan wasn’t one of them.

  “Human men are not the same as livestock.”

  The queen cocked her head as if she couldn’t comprehend the statement. Elizabeth said no more, lest Phoebe decide a male who didn’t care to rut wasn’t worth keeping alive.

  She was going to have to find a way to get Logan out of the valley. But how? Elizabeth’s blood ran cold. She had tried to escape early in her life with the Amazons, covertly searching for an exit, always knowing she would be hunted and killed if she succeeded. But the stakes were higher now—she would not allow Logan to be kept like an animal. Imprisonment. Rape. That is what he faced unless she could find a way out. She had let him down before. She wouldn’t do it again.

  Phoebe brushed off her concern. “It is no matter. Physical mating is the preferred method of reproduction, but we long ago learned to breed using more scientific methods. Whatever technique we employ, we require his seed.”

  They must have used artificial insemination or something similar a century ago. That explained the antiquated equipment in the back of the lab.

  “Tell me, Doctor, has modern human medicine made advances in reproduction?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “And are you familiar with these practices?”

  Not really. “I’m well acquainted with modern fertility methods,” Elizabeth lied. She would stay on the queen’s good side only for as long as she was useful. So useful she would remain. Otherwise she’d be no help to Logan.

  “Once we are assured of at least five young, we will stock his seed, as we did his predecessor. Then we can decide what to do with him.”

  “Do with him?”

  “He is strong for a human male. That could present a problem.”

  “How so?”

  “That is none of your concern.”

  There was no use arguing about Logan’s humanity. Phoebe’s prejudice was too deeply ingrained. Elizabeth went with a lie. “We don’t know this man’s history. He could carry diseases that aren’t externally obvious. Please allow me to run some tests on him before you proceed. To protect the tribe, I’d like to make sure he is one hundred percent healthy before any reproduction takes place.”

  The queen turned from the mural, searching Elizabeth’s face. To assure a neutral countenance, Elizabeth visualized the periodic table.

  “Excellent idea.” The monarch returned to her chair and sat with you-may-go finality. “You have until morning next. Then we begin. While Amazon women are long-lived, they produce viable eggs only once every few years. Areta will be fertile in the coming days. She is my best warrior and her lineage is the only one with no sign of the disease. Her bloodline must be preserved.”

  Areta? A mother? The lieutenant exuded as much warmth as a bag of dry ice. “Does Areta wish to have a child?”

  “Are you questioning my decision, Doctor?” Phoebe’s eyes sharpened and her face darkened. “You might not be an Amazon, but you know the penalty for disobedience is severe.”

  Shit. She’d crossed the line. She couldn’t save Logan if she were chained in the courtyard reflecting on her transgression. Elizabeth backpedaled. “My apologies, Your Majesty. As a scientist, I am unnaturally curious. Please, forgive me.” She dropped her head in mock subservience and looked at the queen through her lashes. Her heart thudded as the queen considered.

  “You are forgiven. This time.” Phoebe’s features smoothed out, and Elizabeth nearly sagged. “Areta wishes what is best for the tribe. She knows her place. My lieutenant will do her duty. The future of the tribe depends on her.” The queen placed both hands palm down on the desk. “The male is of great strength. We have drugs and restraints for just this purpose, and my warriors are available for your protection. Be careful, Dr. Elizabeth. I wouldn’t want to find you with your neck snapped.”

  Elizabeth swallowed her fear at the thinly veiled warning and smiled blandly. “Of course, Your Majesty. Thank you.”

  She exited the queen’s office without rushing, taking the time to inquire of the guards’ health before heading back to the hospital. She must appear calm, although adrenaline ran rampant through her system. She could give the Amazons no sign of her distress over Logan’s fate if she wanted to maintain her freedom. She couldn’t help Logan if she were chained up. The tribe was desperate. And the Amazons were ruthless enough on a good day.

  It was late afternoon when they’d returned with Logan from the falls. It must be evening by now. She had little time to figure out what the hell she was going to do. Planning an escape would take preparation, time they didn’t have.

  She walked back to the medical wing in a daze. When she entered the hospital chamber, it was empty. No gurney. No Logan. Fear crawled up the back of her neck.

  “Where is he?”

  Mari hunched on her stool. She lifted her forehead from where it rested on her hand. “Areta took him. She said she was moving him on the queen’s orders. I’m so sorry, Dr. Elizabeth. You’ve done so much for me, and I couldn’t even follow one simple order.”

  “It’s alright, Mari. There’s nothing you could’ve done.” The weight of the situation that confronted her overwhelmed Elizabeth. She needed to sit, to breathe. Hoisting herself onto a stool, she laid her arm on the work table and rested her forehead on it. Areta harbored more hatred of outsiders than any other Amazon, and she had a personal conflict with Phoebe, but the lieutenant would never defy a royal order. Areta obeyed Amazon Law to a fault.

  She lifted her head. “Where did they take him?”

  “There’s an old enclosure behind the barracks. I imagine they took him there. Areta said the queen was concerned for the safety of the tribeswomen.” Mari looked doubtful. “But he didn’t look dangerous to me.”

  He isn’t. Elizabeth wanted to scream. Logan would never hurt a woman. But she could hardly make this argument. She wasn’t supposed to know him. If Phoebe found out Elizabeth was lying, that would be the end of her freedom, maybe even her life. Logan would be doomed. The whole time they’d been calmly discussing Logan’s future, Phoebe conveniently neglected to mention she’d ordered him to be moved. The monarch’s betrayal firmly slotted Elizabeth into her outsider role.

  She glanced at Mari. How much could she trust her assistant? Not at all. Elizabeth couldn’t compromise Logan’s safety by confiding in her. Even if it did seem like her assistant wasn’t happy with the queen’s treatment of Logan or that the overly curious Mari was treated like a misfit by her own people. When Elizabeth had first come to the valley, Mari had been little more than a slave, relegated to the lowest level of their society for some unknown infraction. Both at the bottom of the Amazon societal ladder, they’d formed a bond of sorts over the past two years. Still, Mari was Amazon. Elizabeth was not.

  “Will you show me where he is? I promised the queen
I would give him a thorough exam before any breeding takes place.” Guilt surged as she lied to Mari. Elizabeth closed off her emotions. Logan was her priority now, as he should have been two years ago. Fooling her assistant wasn’t going to be easy, but she’d never given Mari any reason to doubt her before.

  “Certainly.” Mari’s eyes searched Elizabeth’s face. But Elizabeth saw no sign Mari suspected her deception. “Brace yourself, he’s been moved to a holding chamber for males. You’re not going to like what you see.”

  Dread and relief rose up inside her. She was inclined to agree with Mari. She wouldn’t like this one bit. “Holding chamber” was just a prettied up way of saying “prison cell,” but at least she wasn’t being denied access. As long as she could get to Logan, she could get him out.

  Logan woke to a cacophony of frogs and insects and something else…

  Listening, he eased himself upright on the hard, narrow cot in his new quarters. Moonlight streamed through windows and illuminated the cramped space in eerie light. Four mortared stone walls, heavy timber ceiling and door, one barred window. Pressing a palm flat to the rough stone wall for stability, he pushed to his feet. No worries, not on that front anyway. His legs were steady as tree trunks, like he’d never been injured. A mix of unease and wonder passed through him.

  He should be dead.

  Instead, he felt amazing. Every muscle, every nerve tingled as if super-charged. Energy pulsed through his veins. It was like being connected to a car battery and building up to the best orgasm of his life all at once.

  What had they done to him? He had vague, nightmarish memories of being drowned in orange-flavored water. Must’ve been a dream or a hallucination. Maybe Elizabeth or the Amazons had discovered some wonder drug. Talk about odd twists of fate. Elizabeth left him to search the jungle for some undiscovered plant that might be the cure for cancer, disappeared for years, yet somehow managed to discover exactly what she came here to find. Then she wound up using it to save his butt.