Ravager's Redemption (The Argadian Heart Book 3)

by Adrianna Dane

  “You’re a bit the worse for wear, little brother,” Devon said as a corner of his mouth curved upward. “I don’t remember the eye patch, gives you sort of a rogue pirate look. Kind of like those games we played as youths. Do you remember them?”

  Pain ripped through Alekos’ chest at the memory. They managed to convince Kierra to play the captured maiden back then. She fashioned an eye patch for him so he could play the pirate, while Devon played the hero.

  Who could have known what the Beyond would hold for them all?

  “That was a long time ago.” He tapped the eye patch. “Courtesy of an Enforcer.”

  Devon winced. “I’m sorry, little brother.”

  Alekos shrugged. “Not your fault. They caught me with my pants down. At least I got away with one good eye. And you’re right, it does give me that pirate look I wanted when I was a child.”

  Devon surveyed the enclosure defining their prison.

  “I can’t say it was in my plans for us to meet again quite this way, but apparently someone betrayed our location.”

  Alekos nodded. “Same here. I am betting Zydon paid pretty well for the information.”

  “I expect you’re right. We aren’t dead yet, so there’s still a chance of getting out of this alive.”

  Devon rose slowly to his feet. His ankles chained together as they were, he shuffled slowly around the perimeter of the room, intently surveying every corner.

  “Ah-ha,” he said as he bent down and picked up something long and slender. He turned back to Alekos. “Ever pick a lock?”

  Alekos snorted. “Does a goat give milk?” He rose to his feet and shuffled over to Devon. Leaning down he saw another slim piece of metal nestled in a crack in the floor, reached down and picked it up. As he straightened, he came up eye-to-eye with Devon.

  His brother’s eyes bore into him. “Even in these circumstances, it is good to see you, little brother. I’ve missed you.”

  Alekos saw pain flit through his gaze, the colors swirling, filled with regret.

  “If I must be locked up with someone, it might as well be the man I trust the most,” he responded in a husky voice.

  “We will get out of here,” Devon said as he moved back across the room and lowered himself to the floor.

  “Zydon will not let us live if he can help it. It is going to be a challenge, as he maintains a pretty tight compound.”

  Devon nodded, then bent forward, his attention focused on attempting to work the lock free in the chains on his wrists. “I know.” He lifted the pick. “But in the meantime, this will give us something to do. We need to be ready.”

  “Ready for what?”

  “They will try to rescue us.”

  “Until they find out who betrayed you, I wouldn’t think that’s the best of ideas.”

  “Bakari is in charge, he’ll figure it out.” He bent over the cuffs. “Whatever happens, Eluria will come, and we must be ready when that happens.”

  Alekos hunched over his own shackles. “You do realize how far down we are buried in this place.”

  “It won’t matter.”

  Alekos paused and looked up at him. “What do you mean?”

  “You know of my union with Eluria. I am sure you have heard of Guardian’s hand in it.”

  Alekos nodded. “Yes, and I saw the markings on your skin.”

  “There is more to it than that. We are bound in all ways and our hearts beat as one. I will sense when they’re close. And that same connection will allow her to determine my location.”

  “That’s crazy. You do realize what she’ll be up against if she does manage to get inside.”

  “Guardian has connected us. If my heart stops beating, so shall hers.” His fierce gaze connected with Alekos. “I must stay alive if only to be certain she lives. I will not be the cause of her death.”

  “You realize Zydon wants her.”

  “He wants her dead. I know that. If I had a choice, I would not allow her to come, but Eluria is very strong-willed.”

  Alekos snorted. “You have that right. I’ve never seen anyone as single-minded as she was, determined to find an antidote to the Nanus process when everyone told her it couldn’t be done. And then she put her life on the line to rescue Kierra. She’s an amazing woman. Even I’ve heard the stories about her fearlessness.”

  “Very much so,” Devon agreed. “And she is mine. I do what I can to keep her safe, but driving myself insane in an attempt to control her actions when she puts herself in danger is a lost cause. We simply must be ready when they get here.”

  “Your injuries—how bad are they? You look like Haydon to tell the truth.”

  “And you think you’re such a pretty thing right now?” Devon retorted.

  “Yeah, well, it has been an adventure. But the bruising on your ribs—it didn’t feel like any ribs were broken, but now that you’re awake—”

  “I’ll live. I’ve had worse injuries. I don’t think they’ve damaged anything internally.”

  Alekos was silent for a long time as he picked diligently at the locks on his chains. Finally, the one on his right ankle sprang open. “Got it,” he muttered in satisfaction. He turned to look at Devon, who had his leg shackles off and was working on the ones at his wrists.

  “You know why they haven’t killed us yet.”

  “Yes,” Devon responded without looking up, a tense, tight expression crossing his face as he concentrated on the chains binding him.

  “He’ll be watching and waiting for her. I was the decoy to get you here. And he will be using you to get to her. He means to break the back of the rebellion.”

  Devon’s fingers curled into a tight fist. “I know that. I have to believe she will not take unnecessary chances. But on the other hand, of any of us, she will be the most knowledgeable about the layout of her father’s compound. She’ll have no choice but to come. I wish it were not so—I’d do anything to protect her from having to face the father who’s repeatedly attempted to destroy her.”

  Alekos turned back to his task. Devon was right, they needed to be ready, because if someone was successful in freeing them, every minute would count.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Daelyn felt totally naked, and it wasn’t strictly her minuscule clothing that caused the feeling. It was the fact she was headed into a confrontation with so many emotions spiraling inside her. She couldn’t concentrate adequately.

  Maybe it was that she felt she carried too much inside her, not too little. As an Enforcer, there were no emotions to contend with, only the killing frenzy and no fear of death or reprisal.

  But now, as she walked toward the Zydon Compound, she tasted fear and it was a new experience.

  To compound her problems, Eluria also had provided her with a dose of the pleasure drug. Daelyn had never experienced real pleasure and there was no way she would be able to imitate the effects adequately in order to get past the guards. There was still the fact that her radiance had yet to appear on its own. Maybe it was because she fought so hard from allowing the emotions to overwhelm her.

  She was ostensibly there to provide pleasure to the Commander. These guards would examine and test her as thoroughly as necessary to be sure she could meet the voracious demands of their leader.

  Even that one time with Alekos Andromeda there had only been twinges of feeling. But now, between the removal of the block and the enhancement of the drug, she shuddered with the manufactured sexual lust.

  If it came down to it, Daelyn didn’t even know if she would be able to defend herself adequately. She walked into this knowingly, offering herself as the sacrifice. Eluria had argued, but in the end, knew it was the better plan.

  Zydon would be expecting Eluria and watching for her. A lone woman approaching the compound dressed as a twilight companion would make him believe it was Eluria trying to gain access through the main gates.

  The attentions of the guard and the Commander would be on Daelyn, dressed as Eluria, a wig cloaking her hair to assist with the i
llusion, lenses covering her eyes, and the drug to create the crimson sexual radiance of lust.

  It had to be enough to get her past the guards and into the Commander’s presence before she was discovered. It should provide enough time for the others to set the explosives, take the guards by surprise, release the Andromeda brothers, and escape.

  If they succeeded, then it would have been worth it. She assured Eluria that when it was over, in the midst of confusion, she would be able to escape as well. It was the safety of the Andromeda family that was paramount—they were the core of the rebellion—and if she was unable to manage an escape, at least she might have redeemed her soul in some respect by assuring their success.

  Daelyn had the skills to at least give them all a good fight. But none of it would be to any avail unless she was successful in gaining entrance, or at least in focusing their attention to her as she approached the gates.

  In her time as an Enforcer she had never met Tribunal Leader Zydon, but she’d heard of his excesses, as she knew of Odon’s masochistic training sessions. She hoped she was up to the challenge.

  She was trained in the sex skills as all Enforcers were, to mimic responses and interest to perfection, to use her body to elicit the maximum sexual experience for her target. But this was different.

  The drug enhanced her vulnerability in ways she had never felt before. Suddenly, her shax dripped with her juices, pulsed with a need to know a man’s khout inside her, filling her. She could feel her sexual radiance all around her, vibrant and pulsing, indicating her need, her willingness to accept a male’s attention.

  Her body said one thing, and her mind another, but her mission was to seduce the enemy and that is what she planned to do to the best of her ability. Lives depended on her success.

  As she drew closer, she noticed two guards at the gate. The twilighter bells on her ankles announced her arrival and what she was here for.

  One of the men stepped forward as she halted in front of them. It was her guess he was the dominant of the two, and it was him she must please in order to gain entrance.

  Daelyn allowed her gaze to slide over him in a sensually assessing manner, attempting to maintain the most seductive pose she could. Her focus moved along his body, down to the root of his male heat, and lingered there. She waited without speaking, a small smile on her pink-tinted lips.

  The drug made her want to expose him and taste his khout, but her mind controlled the need, tempered it with her duty. It was an internal batt she was determined to win.

  “Your purpose?” he demanded, a leering grin on his lips as his eyes attempted to undress her.

  “I am here for the Commander,” she answered, in as sultry a voice as she could manage. Her body responded to the nearness of the two males, as though they were the answer her needy flesh required to ease the turbulent desire surging inside.

  The guard circled around her, studying her, until finally he stopped in front of her again. She kept her eyes lowered in deference as he surveyed her, indicating she understood he was in charge and would be the one to allow her to enter.

  “So you want to fuck the Commander, do you? Do you not know the stories about him? Are you sure he is what you want? We could give you a better time.”

  “I want to feel his power. I have heard many stories from others of his prowess. I wish to experience him for myself, firsthand.”

  Daelyn heard his ugly laugh, wanted to dismember him, wanted to fuck him, never had she felt so much pain, so much desire, so much fear—and anger.

  “Maybe we could test her?” the other one suggested.

  She trembled inwardly at his words. Emotion was messy, she had not realized how much so in the years she was without it. It rattled her now. As an Enforcer it would not have mattered, she would simply have done whatever it took to get beyond the gates. Fucking or killing, it wouldn’t have concerned her because she would have felt nothing at all, she’d have been just following orders.

  This was so very different.

  “Think we should do that, twilighter? Fuck you first to see if you are any good?”

  It took all her concentration to form the words and maintain the illusion. “Whatever will get me to the Commander.”

  “Your sex radiance says you are ready. For anything. It is pulsing pretty hot right now. You want it badly.” His eyes burned through her and she shuddered at the possible intentions they exhibited.

  She said nothing. At least she had their attention, maybe more so than she wanted, but still, she was accomplishing her goal and could only hope that each passing minute gained the rebels the time they needed.

  “Strip,” he commanded. “We need to examine the goods before you get inside. Make sure you have no contraband and what we see is what the Commander gets. We are paid well for presenting him with prime females. Let us see if you are all you seem to be.”

  It was the only way to get inside. Eluria had tried to prepare Daelyn as best she could with the knowledge she retained from her years as a twilighter. But being here now, knowing these men would touch her, and feeling their hands on her body, was going to require all of her willpower to allow herself to submit.

  Daeyln was a fighter, had always been the aggressor, but now, she must submit or others would pay the price of her failure. It was she who’d suggested this change in plan; she must go through with it.

  Raising shaking hands to the front of her short tunic, she pried the snaps open and then let it fall to the ground, and stood silently, awaiting their miserable examination.

  Staring at the ground, attention focused on their booted feet, she saw them move in opposite directions around her, surveying her. Long moments passed as they circled her slowly. Finally, the dominant one stopped in front of her and the other stood behind.

  The one in front cupped her breasts. Her body responded as her nipples tightened beneath his hard, callused fingers. He tugged them.

  “Nothing fabricated about them. They are real, no alterations?”

  “No,” she rasped out, sucking in air as he twisted the nipples of both her breasts, making them turn a deeper shade of pink.

  He seemed to relish her response. “Spread your legs.”

  As she moved to comply with his command, she felt hands on the cheeks of her ass and she stiffened.

  “Do it now,” the first one barked. “We need to check you for contraband. You know the rules by now.”

  “Nice and firm,” the other one remarked. “Bet she knows how to use them, too.” He snickered as he gripped and prodded her flesh. A rough hand traced the length of one of the scars on her back. “The Commander will like these. Shows she know how to handle pain. Do you like pain, twilighter? Is that why you want the Commander?”

  Daelyn refused to respond to his taunt. If she did, she’d probably end up attempting to separate his hand from his arm—or worse. It wasn’t why she was here.

  “Use the oil,” the first one responded. “If we decide she is worthy of being presented to the Commander, she better not be damaged or there will be Haydon to pay.”

  The one in front of her lifted her arm, and it was only then that she remembered the markings Eluria had painted on to mirror her own, put there by Guardian on her union to Devon.

  The guard studied her wrist closely, then dropped it back to her side.

  “Interesting,” was all he said, but something told her that he knew exactly who she was supposed to be, and that the humiliation these two men were intent on subjecting her to was because of who they thought she was. They had been ordered to do so.

  She straightened her spine, determined to accept whatever they planned to do to her, knowing it brought the others closer to freedom. Spreading her legs as he directed, she waited.

  What she hated was that the drug made her eager for his touch, for any male’s touch. In order for the drug to dissipate she must orgasm through intercourse. Until then it would circulate through her body driving her sexual frenzy higher and higher until she managed to find a mal
e who would provide her with what she needed.

  She had known the risks and accepted them.

  Suddenly, she felt two fingers thrust between her shax lips, deep inside her shax, and she gasped at the pleasure that spiraled through her.

  Just as she attempted to adjust herself to the invasion, she felt something prod at her anus, piercing past the muscle into her channel.

  She stood poised between them, pierced and controlled by them, unable to do anything but await their pleasure. The guard in front of her pressed close to her breasts, and the guard behind pressed close to her back.

  She felt the fingers thrust in and out of her shax as the finger in her ass pushed in and out, ostensibly probing her for weapons.

  The scent of their bodies, sweat, male arousal, and cruelty filled her nostrils.

  “No contraband here,” the one from behind her growled. “But nice and tight. The Commander should enjoy this one.”

  The one in front continued to saw at her, his fingers flexing inside her. Her body was responding to the demanding use, and her hips begin to undulate, needing to reach the orgasm their use could potentially provide her.

  The guard in front of her moved closer, dropping his head close to her neck and inhaled.

  “You want it, don’t you? You would lie down right here in the dirt for us if we asked.”

  “Y-yes,” she breathed, pushing harder at the fingers invading her. “Anything to be allowed to be with the man of power.”

  “You want to orgasm, I can feel it.” He crooked his fingers, touch a spot deep inside her, driving her desire a notch higher. “You are so wet and getting wetter with each stroke. Tell me you want it. Right here, on the ground with anyone watching from the towers. Tell me and I might take you to him.”

  “Anything,” she cried out, in a frenzy of need, even forgetting why she was here in the need to orgasm.

  “Tell me what you would do.”

  “I-I will lie here on the ground and let you fuck me—both of you. Please.”

  The hands retreated from inside her, leaving her perched on the edge of an abyss, painful pleasure spasming through her, feeling empty and alone, panting as though she had just run the course up a steep mountain and had yet to reach the top.