by ML Guida
He braced himself for three, but she pushed his shoulder back into his socket, and he cried out. Misery slammed into him, and he couldn’t breathe. The pain blinded his vision.
Isabella gently moved his arm into the sling. She cradled his head against her small breasts. “I’m sorry.” She wiped his hair out of his eyes and caressed the top of his head with her hand.
He listened to her beating heart, inhaling her tempting scent until he could move without wanting to scream. He lifted his head. “We...need...to move.”
“Which way do you think we should go? We can’t go back the way we came.”
“Underwater. ’Tis the only way. The stream must go under the cavern. You could go and find out.”
She shook her head. “I’m not leaving you.”
“I’m in no shape to swim.”
“I’m a mermaid, remember?” She put her hands on either side of his face and kissed him.
He could feel his lungs filling with air, and his body tingled. Rather than dining on her sweetness, he tasted a tinge of bitterness, not much, but enough he knew it was there. The poison was growing stronger. He had to get her to Mariah. ’Twas their only choice.
She released him and took his hand. “Follow me.”
Her green eyes had a yellow ring around her pupils that hadn’t been there before. He thought maybe it was a trick from the cave, but in his heart, he knew he was fooling himself. Her body was succumbing to the poison.
She led him into the cool water. He bit back the panic threatening to seize him and put his trust in her. She squeezed his hand, rubbing her thumb across his palm, releasing the tension in his bunched-up muscles. He took a deep breath and plunged into the water, following Isabella.
Surprisingly, the water was clear and stalagmites grew underwater. She swam toward a dark tunnel. His heart raced, and he prayed that Zuto wasn’t lurking in the darkness. He didn’t think he could take another beating. But what if the bastard went after Isabella? He’d die trying to protect her.
Chapter 10
Isabella pulled Leif next to her and headed toward the black cave that grew deeper, darker, more dangerous. She ignored the terror pumping through her veins. There wasn’t much choice. Leif was right—if they stayed behind, the crew of the Fiery Damsel would break through, and a burnt, pissed off Palmer would be bent on revenge.
Weariness pulsed through her, and bitterness burned in her tummy. She clamped her jaw to keep from spewing into the clear, blue water. Damn, Zuto. Soon she’d be dead. Would her father even care? Or would he rejoice that the daughter he blamed for his beloved wife’s death had finally met justice? She wanted so desperately to make amends with her father, but the chances of that happening was slipping through her fingers.
She swam toward the cave, slower than she ever had in her life. Her legs were heavy, and her arm pulling Leif was bulging with pain. She’d been able to pull a full grown merman to safety, so Leif shouldn’t have been a problem. He squeezed her hand, and she looked back at him. He gave her a reassuring smile. Despite his bruised face, he was so handsome, and what was worse, he was stealing her heart, which would seal her fate with her father. He’d banish her and would probably find some way to blame her for Angelica mating with a pirate.
But that wasn’t the only reason they should stay apart. If she laid with him, then she could become pregnant. Zuto would seize their child and use the baby for his evil purposes. It would be better if their child was never conceived. She just had to bury her growing feelings for Leif—for their sake and their unborn child’s sake.
Her resistance was waning though. Leif had risked so much for her, and when he kissed her, she liked his masculine taste—better than any mermaid. She liked how he was possessive of her. No man had ever tried to protect her. Most men were afraid to face her father. He was a kind and just ruler to all but her. No matter what she did, even with rescuing countless mermaids from tsunamis or hurricanes, ’twas never good enough for her father. Just once, just once, she’d have liked to have heard him say he was proud of her. He said it all the time to Penelope and Angelica, but never her.
Isabella reached the cave and swam into the darkness. Her form lit the way underwater, and if Zuto was hiding, they’d be able to flush him out, but there were no red eyes lurking. Only pale, blind fish, their eyes bulbous from straining to see. She pulled on Leif, ignoring the strain in her arm. She forced her tired legs to kick toward the surface.
The darkness dimmed as they moved, and the water changed from black to dark purple to icy blue. She burst through the water, and sunlight warmed her face. Leif came up beside her, sputtering. He shook his head, and water sprayed onto her.
“We’re inside an extinct volcano.” He looked up. “Palmer won’t...be...able...to find...unless...they turn into bats.”
Isabella shuddered, looking up at the far away vent, half expecting to see bats swoop in, but only happy rays of sunshine shone down. She could even make out white clouds.
Leif bobbed up and down in the water like a piece of driftwood. “I need to....rest.”
“Let me help you.” She draped his arm over her shoulder, his weight sinking her down into the lake. She sucked in water and actually panicked. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Zuto and his damn poison.
He swung a long muscular leg up on the edge and rolled onto his stomach. “Thanks.” His wet hair fanned out around his massive shoulders.
She sat next to him and admired the extinct volcano. ’Twas beautiful. The jagged rock walls were all different colors from light orange to deep red to purple. They rose at least one hundred feet straight up and ended at the mouth of the volcano. There was no way to climb the walls, but if Leif changed into a dragon, it would be so easy for him to fly...except for his damaged wing.
A sharp pain stabbed her gut, and she doubled over, crying out.
Leif turned his head. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
He studied her. “’Tis the poison, isn’t it?”
“No.”
“I can help you.”
“How?” She gave him a hard look.
“By lettin’ me please you like a man pleases a woman.”
The acid burned stronger in her gut, and she held her stomach tighter, curling up into a tight ball. She broke out into a hot perspiration, and her flimsy dress stuck to her sticky skin. She wanted to rip her dress off, not caring if Leif saw her naked. She wasn’t a virgin for heaven’s sake.
“I have the gift of healin,’” he said, clearing his throat.
“Yes, I know. ’Tis not like you can lick my stomach and heal me.” Her voice came out sharper and edgier than she wanted.
Leif didn’t blink. “Aye, I know. ’Twas not your lovely tummy I was thinkin’ of. Dracul thinks if I lick your hidden curls, I’d ease some of your sufferin’.”
The pain grew intense, and Isabella thought acid would burn a hole from her stomach all the way to her back. ’Twas as if fire burned inside. Her heart quickened, and she stopped breathing, only taking in snippets of air. Sex was the last thing she wanted.
He rubbed her back. “Will you please let me try? Your face is so very pale, too pale. Zuto said you’ll be dead by the full moon. With what happened in the cave, the rogue might have shortened his damn deadline.”
Sweat burned in her eyes, and his handsome face blurred. Isabella wanted to tell him to keep his hands to himself, but the truth was that his cool touch lessened the torrid heat raging inside her. “I can’t even think of kissing you.”
“You wonna have to do anythin’. I’ll take care of you. I promise.”
Intensity filled his green eye, and his voice pleaded with her to trust him. Dracul was a red dragon, and maybe he sensed what was going on in her body and knew what was best. Or was Leif lying and just trying to think of a reason to seduce her?
She shoved the accusation away. He’d been naked practically the whole time with her, and despite his flesh being erect, he’d never once tried to rape her.
“F
ine, get it over with,” she said, her voice scratchy and weak.
She’d do anything to ease the pain, even allow a vampire dragon to feast on her most secret curls.
Leif gently pulled out each of her tense legs. One arm in a sling, he had to use one hand to slowly lift up her torn dress. He brushed his knuckles against her hot skin, sending gooseflesh down her tummy. He removed her drawers, and she shivered. How was this going to work when all she’d wanted was for this miserable pain to vanish?
He spread her naked limbs apart and lay on his stomach. His dark hair brushed against her molten skin, and gooseflesh traveled up her trembling thighs. Raw desire stamped his features, his eyes devouring her. He kissed her mound, and only pain curled in her stomach. This wasn’t going to work, but then he licked her with his velvet tongue. The fever raging within her lessened. He swept his tongue over her curls again, and the acid churning in her gut eased.
“Don’t stop.”
Leif fulfilled her request. He was a master, spreading warmth and joy within her. Each time he licked her or kissed her mound, the pain in her tummy lessened. She gasped for breath, her chest tightened, her heart pounding faster. The stiffness in her bunched-up muscles faded. She tangled her fingers in his thick hair, wanting to press him against her feminine core. “Yes!”
He raised his head. “You taste so creamy.”
He flicked his tongue in and out hard and fast, discovering her sensitive zone. Pleasure gripped her so strongly she shuddered. She throbbed between her legs, and pressure built inside her. She’d never experienced anything so divine. Her first release was hard and fast, her muscles tightening until the sensitive nerve endings were on fire, but he didn’t stop.
She didn’t want him to cease, wanted so much more. It had been so long since a merman had worshiped her. She’d never been with a human, and she liked it. No wonder Angelica had decided to mate with her human. Most of the mermen Isabella had been with had been selfish and fast, only caring about their own satisfaction, but this was different, so much different. He did things with his tongue that she hadn’t known were possible.
He rubbed her clit, and all heaven broke loose. Her orgasm came fierce, and endless. She panted for air and cried out his name.
“How do you feel?”
“The pain. It’s gone.”
He flashed her a confident smile. “I told you I could heal you.”
Ignoring all the reasons to resist him, she decided to ask for what she wanted. She’d never been shy when it came to sex, and this would be no different. “I want you.”
His smile slowly faded. “Are you sure?”
“You’re going to make me beg?”
He turned his head, and the huge bruise on his right cheek had faded.
“Your face. ’Tis different.”
“Aye.” His voice was soft and sheepish.
“’Tis because we were intimate, wasn’t it?”
“I didna want to tell you. I can be healed if I have sex with you and only you.”
“Why me?”
“Dracul says you’re his mate.”
She noticed he hadn’t said he believed she was. Disappointment stirred inside her. She wasn’t sure why. She’d long believed that mating was a myth, no matter what her mother had told her. “And you?”
“I donna believe in this matin’ nonsense, but I can tell you I want you. You’re so pure, better than any woman I’ve ever seen. You’re a fighter, and even though you hate pirates, you’ve always come back to help me.”
She lifted his strong chin. “I don’t hate you. Please love me. I need you.”
“We’re playin’ into the demon’s terms.”
“Maybe I’ll not become pregnant. I am not a virgin and have never been pregnant before. So, why would this be any different?”
“Black magic is at work here. I fear his power is growin’ or he’s tapped into another source. I’ll pull out to keep my seed from gettin’ you pregnant.”
“I could be barren, Leif.”
“We canna chance it.”
Isabella sighed and leaned her head back. “Charybdis—my stepmother. She must have shared some of her evil magic.”
He ran a hand down her thigh, which sent tremors and anticipation through her. “We must tread with caution or suffer an evil fate.”
“Before we go into battle where one of us or both of us may die, do I need to ask you again?”
A circle of gold outlined his dark green irises. “Nay, you donna.”
“Help me out of this wet dress.”
She turned around, afraid if she did it herself she’d rip the gown to pieces and be traipsing around naked with the foulest pirates in the Caribbean patrolling the island hunting her.
Leif untied her laces, and she was surprised he didn’t rip any of the fabric. “You’re so gentle.”
“I have two younger sisters, and after my parents died, I took care of them.”
“I didn’t know you had sisters. Where are they?”
“Someplace safe.”
She glanced over her shoulder. “You don’t trust me?”
He stopped untying her laces. “My sisters are my life. I’d die if anythin’ happened to them.”
“Then let’s make sure nothing happens to them. Like you, my sisters are my world.” Angelica and Penelope loved her and had never blamed her for their mother’s death, or at least they’d never said anything of the sort to her. If they did feel that way, they’d never unloaded their feelings on her, since their father dumped the whale’s share onto her shoulders, never letting her forget that if she’d not investigated the sailing ship, their mother would still be alive.
He kissed her bare shoulder. “So, beautiful.” He finished untying her laces and carefully lifted the gown over her head.
Damp cold air rushed over her, and she shivered.
“I’ll make you warm. I promise,” he said as he took her into his arms.
She leaned into him. “I bet you will.”
He kindled a trail of flames from her lips to her neck, to the pulse beating wildly there. He placed his hand over her budded nipple, pushing against the flimsy material. Arrows of heat flashed down her belly and darted between her thighs.
He stepped away and removed her shift. Isabella immediately went to cover her small breasts. She wasn’t as full as Angelica, and she waited for the dreaded disappointment to fill his eyes.
He frowned. “What are you doin’?”
Heat rushed over her cheeks, and she avoided his eyes so as to not see disappointment in his face. “I know they’re too small.”
He removed her hands. “Look at me.”
Isabella forced herself to raise her head and meet his scowl, but what she met was the furthest thing from her mind.
Admiration shone in his eyes. “You’re beautiful.”
She’d heard this before but never believed it. “Except for my small breasts.”
“Who told you this?”
“I’m not a virgin,” she said, trying to hide the hurt in her voice. Her last lover had compared her to Angelica and said cupping her breasts was like cupping shriveled peaches.
“So other eejit lovers have said this to you?” A flash of anger flared in his eyes, and a small growl rumbled in the back of his throat.
She held her head up proudly. “Yes.”
“They’re fools.” Flicks of gold shone in his green eyes, and he lowered his head, his warm breath rushing over her. “They’ll never look on my treasure again.”
She opened her mouth to him, accepting the hard thrusting of his tongue. His kiss was possessive, dominating. He tugged at her lower lip with his teeth, then bit it. He slid his hand possessively over her breasts, his rough fingers tugging at her nipple.
She leaned her forehead against his. “Your treasure?” she panted.
A tremor rippled in his stubbled cheeks. “I’m sorry. Dracul said it. And I...um...it just tumbled out.”
“I’ve never been anyone’s treasure before.”
“You are now.” He stepped toward her, his manhood pressing against her thigh.
She put her hands on his massive shoulders and widened her stance to take him inside her, but he stopped her.
“Not yet. I want to explore what’s mine.” He put his hand on her lower back and maneuvered her toward the edge of the lake where there was a soft mound of dirt. “I wish this was a bed.”
“Doesn’t bother me. I like the feel of the earth on my hot skin.”
He smiled, and they both knelt on their knees. She lay on her back. Leif leaned over and captured her nipple in his mouth, sucking hard. Her heart beat was loud, matching his. She arched her back, allowing him to take more of her flesh, drowning with no way to surface. His hand was hard and hot on her body, his tongue flaming another release. She traced her trembling fingers down his back, his muscles rippling beneath her touch. He traveled his hand down the side of her curves, and she jumped, already so sensitive that when he cupped her wet feminine core, she cried out. He slipped a finger inside her, igniting the same frenzied passion he had done earlier. He rubbed his thumb on her clit, stroking waves of passion inside her. He took his time, stimulating her, creating a hunger that she’d never thought possible. The last shred of hoping for her father’s approval buried deep inside her.
All this time, she’d been trying to please him, begging for him to love her just a little. She was tired of it. He’d never understood that she’d been a child and foolish. ’Twas time to forget her cold and icy father. Mother may not have wanted this for her, but she needed something for herself. She’d always cared for Angelica and Penelope, and she needed something for her own—Leif.
“Take me,” she said.
“Not yet.”
He moved his head from one breast to the other, driving her into another frenzy of desire. She’d admired his manhood and wanted him pulsing inside her, pushing aside the fear of dying and forever losing her father’s love. She moved her hands down his broad back and stopped. The ugly purple bruises were fading. She’d never affected a man like this before, and it stimulated her into a desire for only him.
“Please,” she moaned.