On the battlement, flat on my back, I stared at the sky above. My body trembled violently in pain as something rushed through me. I swallowed past the taste of copper, opening and closing my mouth. Dimitri grabbed my hand, pulling me up. I cried out, staring at the others who were slowly getting to their feet.
“What the hell was that?” I asked, horrified that we’d just kicked our own asses.
“It worked, that’s what that was!” Aurora announced, standing as my sisters cheered. “Aria, we did it!”
I nodded as relief rushed through me. My sisters cheered and hugged one another while I frowned, doing a general check of my body for damage. Whatever had happened, it was fast and violent. I spat out the blood that filled my mouth, wiping my lips with the back of my hand.
I eased to the wall, peering over the edge to find Knox stripping out of his armor. I sent my senses to test the barrier, which had weakened from the assault he was waging. My eyes slid down his body as he hefted the shirt over his head, chucking it to the ground.
My gaze hungrily caressed him, and my mouth opened with a throaty purr that I could no longer suppress. Heat throbbed in my core, and a naughty grin slipped onto my lips while I feasted on his muscular form.
Knox lifted his head, hearing the sultriness of my purr that reached him through the barrier. His eyes found me as his lips mirrored mine, his rattle slithering through me, causing my eyes to grow hooded with desire.
“You eye-fuck him any damn harder, and I’m going to have an orgasm!” Kinvara teased from beside me, shaking me out of the stupor that Knox’s bare chest had created.
“That’s not funny.” I bit my lip as my attention slid back to the male, watching me like a predator marking his prey for a kill. “Damn, that man is made for sinning, and I’m just a sinner wanting to indulge.”
I caressed his abs with my eyes, inhaling his scent as it wafted through the weakened barrier, and my eyes bulged as it collapsed with a pop.
“What was that?” Reign asked, turning to look at Aurora for an answer.
“Go now!” I shouted as Aurora started to draw a portal. She wasn’t doing it fast enough, so I lifted my hands, pulling a portal open, using the spell I’d reserved for myself to keep out of Knox’s grasp. “Go! Get through the portal. The barrier is down!”
“Come with us!” Kinny urged, and Reign agreed, nodding her head as they started through the portal.
“Come on, Aria,” Callista encouraged.
“I can’t. Knox has witches who have learned the signature of my portals, and they will follow you if you don’t go before they get here. I’ll be okay. Kinny, you guard that stronghold you promised me you would keep safe. I mean it! Now go!” I snapped, watching as one by one, they slipped through to the other side.
I didn’t release the breath I was holding until the portal closed behind them. I bent at the waist, exhaling deeply, thankful that my family had escaped safely.
I heard something scrape against the side of the castle wall, and I stepped back, narrowing my eyes as hands reached over the edge, followed by a very masculine body as it came over the stone wall.
Ocean eyes locked with mine as we stood face-to-face, taking each other in slowly. I lifted my hand to wipe the blood trickling from a cut on the side of my face.
Instantly, I realized my error. If Knox had any reservations about whether I was real or just another projected body-double, they vanished at the sight of my blood.
Knox smiled cruelly, and I shook my head. He didn’t move, didn’t twinge as he waited for me to realize just how much I was fucked. He was a lethal predator, knowing it was only a matter of time before he caught his prey. Unfortunately, I was that prey.
I eased back slowly as he prowled forward, a smile curving his lips. His muscles tensed, preparing to chase me as my heartbeat echoed in my ears with every step I took away from him. The world around us went silent, other than our heavy breathing, and the sound of gravel crunching under our footsteps as we continued our dance.
“You’re trapped, woman. On your knees,” he demanded huskily.
“That’s not happening,” I laughed nervously, as he continued to stalk toward me.
“I told you that you would be on your knees for me by the end of the night. The moon is rising, Little One. You aren’t escaping me this time. You kissed another man.”
“So, I did.” Swallowing, I stepped back once more, watching him take another step forward.
“You let another man touch what belongs to me,” he growled, and anger mixed with desire flared to life in his eyes.
“Only a little,” I countered, smiling at the heat burning in his gaze.
“That’s a little too much for me, woman.”
“What the fuck are you going to do about it?” I asked, noting the way his eyes slid over my shoulder.
“I’m going to reinforce my claim, and remind you who the fuck you belong to, witch. If I were you, I’d make it easier on myself and kneel like a good girl.”
“You’ll have to catch me first.” I took one last step backward, rushing toward the far edge of the battlement as Knox gave chase. The sound of his feet hitting the rough stone, filled my ears as I jumped onto the wall and leaped over the edge without looking, relieved to find a river below me.
“Aria!”
His scream of frustration caused a laugh to bubble within my chest until I glanced up to see him fly over the edge to follow me.
Well, shit.
Chapter Thirty
I hit the water hard, breaking its icy-cold surface with a gasped cry. I sank into the murky depths, my feet touching the slimy bottom before I sprung forward and shot up toward the light. I sucked in air greedily when I crested the surface.
Knox entered the water behind me, bubbles exploding around his form as he sank into the depths. Long, fast strokes took me toward the bank, and I crawled quickly from the frigid water, looking back to see how far Knox was from me. I swallowed past the cold, standing to stare at where he’d entered the river.
He didn’t emerge, so I sent my magic to find him. It only took moments to sense the issue. The magic I sent rushing toward the water caused heads to lift from the shimmering surface.
Blonde hair skimmed the top of the water before eerie, green eyes rose to stare coldly at me. I frowned, still waiting for Knox to emerge from the depths, and then sensed a bigger issue.
Still, he didn’t surface from its icy grasp, holding him beneath its watery grave. I watched in silence as a female head lifted from the water, spitting out liquid while coldness filled her eyes.
“The Queen of Nymphs sends her regards, witch. Did you think she would allow your insult to go unanswered?” Her clear aqua-blue eyes smiled, watching me. “He is ours now as payment to the queen for your trespass against her.”
“Oh, I don’t think so!” I growled, taking in the creatures below the surface.
Stepping toward the river, I watched flesh becoming visible to my eyes. More nymphs swam just below the dark surface, and I groaned. I marched into the frigid water, and a nymph bared serrated teeth at me as I prepared to dive into the depths.
“Stupid Knox, jumping off the stupid battlement. Who does shit like that! That dick is mine! And it’s attached to him, which makes him mine by default. Stupid hussies, get your own caveman!” I roared, inhaling deeply before diving into the water.
I shot toward the first female nymph that was fighting Knox, who was slowly drowning. My claws extended, and I tore through her skin, grabbing her and shoving her away from him. He was tearing into another female who was running her hands down his torso.
I fought off a third that came up behind me. My teeth tore through her hand as she tried to remove my head, failing to notice the sharp, elongated teeth I’d allowed to break free from my gums. My other hand shot into her chest, ripping her apart easily.
The fighting exhausted my air, and my lungs burned from a lack of oxygen. Shooting toward the surface, I gulped air into my lungs before diving under
once more, reaching for the nymph who was readying her siren’s call to use against Knox.
My hand pushed through her chest, withdrawing her lungs as her corpse began to sink to the river floor. Knox glared at me through the crimson water as I swam closer. I grabbed his face between my hands, claiming his lips, feeding air into his starved lungs.
Once I was certain he wouldn’t drown, I dove lower to the roots of the plants that had wrapped around his legs while he watched. My claws shredded them easily, freeing him, and we both swam toward the surface for more air.
Arms wrapped around me, and I turned to peer over my shoulder. We sank toward the murky bottom, and fear rushed through me as my oxygen depleted. Knox smirked wickedly with bubbles escaping his lips. He held me beneath the water, and my eyes widened with panic, fire burning within my lungs from the need to inhale air. Knox realized the problem and pushed us off the river’s bottom, bringing us to the surface where we gulped in air together.
“You should have kept running while you had the chance. I’m not letting you go now, woman,” he laughed, turning me in his arms as I continued to suck in air greedily. His hands held me tightly, running the tips of his fingers over my midriff, keeping me above water.
“I wasn’t just going to leave you to die, asshole,” I seethed, coughing as water splashed into my face. “The water’s filled with magic, and you would have drowned. I may not like you, Knox, but I don’t want you to die, either.”
Now that my panicked thoughts had quieted, I remembered that Knox had magic too, which meant he could have escaped if he’d chosen to do so. Stupidly, I realized he waited for me to jump in, thinking to save him. I hadn’t been thinking clearly because I hadn’t expected him to follow me over the wall.
He was a king, and I was pretty confident they weren’t supposed to do life defying moves, but then, he was Knox. He’d known what was on the other side of that wall and hadn’t hesitated to jump in right behind me. Then, he’d stayed beneath the water’s surface, testing me because he knew I wouldn’t leave him to die. I was the biggest idiot!
Knox pulled me tightly against his body while holding my gaze captive. His mouth lowered, kissing me hungrily until a groan of need left my lips, only to be captured by his kiss. He held me securely, uncaring that the river was dragging us further downstream toward the current of oncoming rapids.
His tongue dueled with mine, demanding I cave to the need rushing through me. His hands tangled through my hair, devouring me like a starving beast that was denied food for far too long. Everything was tangled while we kissed. Our legs. Our tongues. Our thoughts. We were tangled together, the need to get closer, driving us past reason.
Knox growled against my kiss, rattling his approval of the need exploding from me for this carnal beast that promised to consume me whole. His mouth ignited a fire within me, doing more than his hands had ever sought to do as he kissed me like I was everything he wanted or needed. Knox breathed fire into my soul, fanning embers of longing, and showing me what true passion was, all while somehow holding us both above the waters’ surface.
I lifted my hand when he started to pull away, yanking him back as his touch created a heat that throbbed within me. My sole focus became the feel of him against my lips, drinking him in as everything around us faded away. Chuckling darkly against my lips, he kept us afloat as my legs wrapped around his waist, securing him to me.
All coherent thought slid to the back of my mind, replaced with the desire he’d promised to deliver. Knox rubbed against my core, showing me exactly how that promise would feel. His mouth brushed against mine, nipping my bottom lip while a deep, husky growl escaped his throat.
“There are only three things in this world I wish to do right now, Aria. They all include you. I want to touch you, to trace every curve of your body with my fingertips explicitly. I want to taste every part of you until you’re nothing more than a quivering, trembling mess that begs me to stop, and yet I won’t. I want to bury myself so fucking deep inside your tight body that you ache, yet never ask me to withdraw because I’m burrowed within the very being of your center, and you can’t think without me there.” His eyes studied the heat burning within mine. I leaned closer, intending to beg him to do just that, but a horrifying sound grew louder around us, pulling me from my thoughts, forcing us to break apart.
Knox reached out and grasped my arm, holding me even tighter against his body, if at all possible. Our eyes slid to the white-water rapids we were about to enter.
Huge, sharp rocks cropped out from the water, exposing our perilous situation. Knox turned us, staring toward the shore, realizing the water had changed while we were lost in the heat of our kiss. The river had grown wider, placing the shore on either side of us out of reach.
“Bloody hell,” he groaned while spitting out water. “Hold onto me, Aria,” he urged, his hands and arms tightening around me protectively.
The water slammed us against the rocks, and Knox grunted. It was the only indication he’d felt the stone against his back. He prevented me from smashing against several larger rocks, holding onto me as we fought to stay above the rapids threatening to suck us to the bottom of the river. I coughed violently as water filled my mouth.
Knox did the same as the rapids sucked us below. His powerful legs touched the bottom, pushing us back up to the surface as we slammed into more rocks, both of us being tossed upon them while the water swirled in eddies with white kissing the tops of the waves. Knox spun us, and we slammed against another set of rocks, and then another. His body took each blow as the rushing rapids tossed us around.
The water’s sound grew deafeningly loud, and I sucked air in. I saw the clear water swirling like a cyclone into the deep. My heart stopped, and the color drained from my face while I wrapped my legs around Knox, who was still protecting me from the deadly rocks with his body. His eyes turned and widened in horror to where the water was rushing us toward.
“Knox!” I shrieked in panic, burying my face against his shoulder, pretending we weren’t about to die as the whirlpool grew louder the closer we got.
“Breathe in now, Aria!” he shouted above the thundering water, drawing in air before the water sucked us into the vortex.
We were pulled into the whirlpool, thrown around in a wide circle as we clung to one another tightly. My lungs burned, even as Knox pulled me against him, pushing air into my lungs from his without care that his lungs were starving for it as well. For being such a prick, he certainly was fighting to keep me alive and unharmed from my own stupidity.
I was jerked hard by debris, and something slammed into Knox, forcing us apart as the water ripped me out of his hold. I was sucked down violently and was dizzy from being twirled in the tornado of water. I exhaled, fighting the dizziness, and blackness started to envelop me as water filled my lungs.
Knox’s scream echoed in my mind as if coming through a tunnel, forcing me to open my eyes as I coughed up water. The whirlpool had released its hold, and we were in a dark cavern with green glowing crystals that offered a dim light.
“Aria!” Knox screamed, urgency filling his tone as I coughed violently.
“Knox?” I whispered, throwing up copious amounts of water as my chest lessened with pressure. Exhausted, I leaned back, floating, noting the cave grew lighter as the water’s sound seemed to get louder.
“Swim to me, now!” he demanded, and I rolled my eyes, bobbing in the water. I turned toward his voice, moving my arms and legs to go deeper into the dark tunnel.
I caught sight of Knox, watching the relief play in his eyes until he looked over my shoulder. He shot forward, rushing to me with long, powerful strokes of his arms as the water pulled me away from him.
My arms burned, and my legs stopped kicking. I turned, staring at the light at the end of the cave. The water vanished over the rim as if it just dropped off.
My mind caught on to the problem, and I screamed. My body fought to get to Knox, knowing that he was my best shot at survival.
&nbs
p; I didn’t make it to him before water rushed us toward the mouth of the cave and shot us over a waterfall that made Niagara Falls look like a kiddie pool. I screeched as I free fell in the air, staring up as Knox dove headfirst toward me with his arms outstretched, as if he intended to catch me midair.
Screeching sounded, and I swung my head toward the noise, shouting out in horror as a large, black, three-headed bird-like creature flew toward me. It looked like something straight out of a Stephen King book of nightmares.
The moment it got close, I flipped my body, kicking it hard in one head. It recoiled briefly, flapping giant black and orange wings tipped with fiery crimson-colored feathers.
The three heads opened their jaws of long, needle-like teeth that snapped toward me. The moment it would have caught me, Knox landed on its back, slicing through the three necks in one swift, well-placed strike of his deadly claws.
I fought the tears that escaped from the relief I felt that he’d saved me from death by the horrid creature’s teeth.
Knox held out his hand, and I reached for him as I peered down at the water we were about to hit.
His fingertips touched mine, and I tilted my body, slowing my fall as he dove close enough to grab me. He pulled me against his chest, holding my trembling form before he purred softly, searching my face for injury.
“This is going to hurt a lot,” he muttered. He stared at me before peering between our bodies at the fast-approaching water.
When he lifted his head, I closed the space between us, nipping his lip softly before his hand cupped my neck, kissing me hard and fast, ending it abruptly.
“Brace for impact,” he warned, forcing his body lower so that he would shoot through the surface first. I held on to him, hugging my arms around his neck as I inhaled.
Ashes of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms Book 2) Page 22