by Danica Avet
“Well, you are the best dressed tribe,” Pagan conceded with a sly grin. “The Iberville nymphs are constantly bitching about how sexy the Blood Maidens look when they end up passing through.”
“As they should! Why, those nymphs only dress in silk,” Rosetta said with a sneer. “Silk has its place, but leather. Leather should be the staple of every woman’s closet. Makes a man crazy to see a woman in leather.”
Ruby agreed, and the talk drifted to what Ruby should wear for her duel. For a while, she was able to shove Lucian from her mind and her heart thanked her for the reprieve.
* * * *
No matter how hard Lucian pushed the car, they were only in Lafayette when dawn peeked over the horizon. His eyes burned at the first rays of sunshine, and they had to pull over to a motel.
Inside, he paced and ranted at the delay while Malachi and Fallon dozed on the beds. He glared at them for looking so peaceful but couldn’t really be angry at them. They’d come along even though it was his mate in trouble.
He wiped a hand over his exhausted face. He needed to rest. Malachi had been right when he said that pushing himself beyond his reserves wouldn’t help them when it came to rescuing Ruby. Shoving his brother to the far side of the bed, Lucian stretched out next to him.
Staring up at the ceiling, Lucian had to admit if any good came of this whole farce, it would be that he finally knew the truth behind Malachi’s actions in the past. It couldn’t have been easy for him to give up his comfortable life and strike out on his own. Part of Lucian admired Malachi’s gumption even while he railed at his mother. She was a cold woman, and it didn’t surprise him that she’d ignored Malachi’s existence.
Malachi would never replace Bernard, but knowing he had another brother, one he’d once considered a friend, meant a lot to Lucian. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen when Ruby was finally safe and Bianca defeated, but he hoped Malachi would completely abandon his dreams of an Eturian empire and live within the confines of the Veil.
Eventually, he drifted to sleep, but his dreams were rife with images of Ruby being tortured by Bianca and Harrity. When he woke, it was with a gasp. The other two were sitting at the rickety table next to the window, eating something greasy and speaking quietly.
“Let’s go,” Lucian said as soon as he’d showered and changed back into his clothes.
Malachi and Fallon were still sitting at the table, but at his command, they exchanged wary glances.
“Have you fed?” Malachi asked bluntly.
Lucian shrugged. “I’m fine.”
“When was the last time you fed?” Fallon asked firmly.
“Four days ago,” Lucian admitted. He was feeling a bit weak and more than a little frantic, but he didn’t have time to hunt. His blood nearly boiled with the need to make sure Ruby was safe.
“I’m not stopping until I find her, so either you come with me, or you stay here babysitting each other.”
They stood with reluctance, not bothering to hide their displeasure. No doubt they were wondering if one of them would be a meal if Lucian became enraged and desperate for nourishment.
Fallon insisted on driving, telling them, “I know where the hell I’m going and neither of you do.” Unable to dispute that, Lucian bullied Malachi into riding in the back of the Jeep and they were off again.
The closer they got to their destination, the more Lucian’s emotions spiraled. It was a feeling he’d never experienced before. He’d always kept to a strict schedule of feeding in order to remain at the top of his game. Right now, his body was demanding food, and his soul was crying out for relief from the maelstrom of emotions he was feeling. The demands pounded through his body, making his gums throb with need.
He was so caught up in the tumult of his body and soul he barely noticed when they began driving down a bumpy road. Some sense reached out and found the thread of his bonding with Ruby. The further they drove into the marsh, the stronger the pull until he knew for certain she was up ahead.
Fallon drove the jeep into a clearing, and Lucian was out of the vehicle before it came to a full stop. His heart pumping and his emotions screaming for notice, Lucian followed the bond through the camp. He pushed past Amazons of all shapes and colors, bypassing them as though they weren’t even there. His sole purpose was to get to Ruby.
Maybe the Amazons knew better than to get between a vampire and his bonded mate, or maybe they were just so shocked to have three males drive into their camp that they were dumbfounded, but whatever the reason, none of them stopped Lucian, Malachi, or Fallon as they raced through the encampment. A few of them looked actually stunned as Fallon hurried by and Lucian briefly wondered if he should’ve left the incubus in the car.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Lucian spotted his mate. Upon seeing her, his heart stuttered, and his emotions momentarily stopped screaming. She was beautiful standing in the firelight, her body moving with motions he recognized as training exercises. She was wearing dark brown leather pants that hugged her hips and legs before tucking into a pair of knee-high moccasins. Her torso was lovingly displayed in a leather halter similar to the ones the other Amazons wore. Sweat glistened on her ivory skin, making Lucian’s mouth water.
So engrossed in devouring her with his eyes, Lucian jumped when the familiar crack of a whip sounded and Ruby leapt to the side. She wasn’t quite quick enough though. He heard her inward hiss as the whip carved into her shoulder. Lucian felt a roar of rage growing inside him, howling for blood.
He was going to tear them apart. He was going to dine on their─
He watched, stunned and more than a little aroused, as his mate countered the vicious attack with one of her own, her whip dancing in the air, snarling and cracking. The yelp of the unknown attacker let Lucian know she hit her mark.
Lucian drew closer to her, pushing his way through the women crowded around the fight. She was amazing, he thought through a haze of lust. He felt a twinge of unease when he saw Ruby’s opponent was a mage named Mangus. Mangus was well-known for his love of hand-to-hand combat, though he used his magic just as much as any other mage. Off to the side, Lucian noticed Mortimer, Pagan, and Sheena, yet another mage with combat training, watching the duel.
Mangus drew his hand back with a word of power, throwing a spell at Ruby as she cracked her whip at his torso. Lucian’s shout caught in his throat as Ruby shuddered with the spell’s impact. She didn’t go down, though, snaking her whip out one more time, managing to wrap it around Mangus’ throat just as he was about to sing out another spell.
Lucian charged forward, his shout finally making its way out of his throat, bellowing across the training yard.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Ruby grinned at Mangus who, despite having her whip coiled around his neck, beamed back at her. The potion Mortimer had given her had been bitter as hell, but when Mangus and Sheena threw spells at her, she was able to shake most of them off and continue fighting. It had been agreed that whips were going to be used in the duel since it was Bianca’s favorite, and best handled, weapon.
The past two days had been spent practicing with the whip as well as hand-to-hand combat until Mortimer showed up at dusk with the potion. Her aunts had taken turns beating the ever-lovin’ hell out of her and then turned her over to Bretina for whip lessons. Ruby thought it was a lucky thing this Chieftain bit had made her a fast healer because she’d be so covered with cuts and bruises and in so much pain she wouldn’t be able to move. When the mages had shown up with Mortimer, they’d immediately tested the potion with small spells, gradually increasing the severity of their incantations until she could withstand even the paralysis spell Bianca had used on her two days before.
Ruby loosened the tension on the whip coiled around Mangus’ neck and was about to pepper him with questions when she heard a bellow of rage that sounded hauntingly familiar. Every hair on her body stood up at the angry roar erupting from Lucian’s muscled throat.
For a moment, she was frozen wi
th happiness until she remembered the scene from their last meeting and also that he hadn’t come to see her when she was locked up. Fury at her own gullibility and hope mingled with desperate lust and love to cause a cocktail of emotions she was unable to keep a reign on.
Whirling on her heel to face Lucian head-on, Ruby snarled, “You!”
Heedless of her fury and the gazes of the entire tribe, Lucian stalked over to her, grabbing her by the arms to give her a quick shake. “Are you insane, woman? He could’ve killed you! You could’ve died from that spell!”
As if realizing what he’d just said, Lucian turned on Mangus with a snarl. “I’m going to kill you,” he growled at the mage who began backpedaling in the face of Lucian’s fury.
Looking between her whip and Lucian, Ruby tossed it and threw herself on his back, wrapping her legs and arms around his neck and torso. “Calm down, you idiot, he was helping me!” she hissed in his ear, hoping he might appreciate her not screeching at him.
What she hadn’t counted on was the feel of him between her thighs, even in this innocent pose. The width of his waist was well-remembered, and the press of her chest against his back sent trills of pleasure through her body. He was so hot, she thought, breathing deeply of his scent. The spark of lust became a flame that quickly took over her body.
Ever since she’d beat Mangus, she could feel…something building in her core. For some reason, the fighting and resulting victory made her body hungry for hot, rough sex. Having Lucian here made it even worse, and she feared she might throw him down on the ground and take him in front of the others. She gritted her teeth as her core clenched with want. She had to fight it. She could fight it. She hoped.
Lucian paused, trying to gently shake her off, but she stuck like a burr, refusing to let him hurt the mage. “Let go of me, woman,” he muttered, grabbing her hands and unlocking her arms from around his neck. But instead of throwing her off, he kissed her palms gently, tickling them with his tongue, one after the other. “Why are you here, mate?” he growled, his body relaxing under the weight of hers.
Ruby carefully disengaged her legs, sliding down his back. It took nearly everything she had not to rip his shirt off and trail a path down his spine with her tongue. Knowing her family’s tribe looked on gave her a little semblance of control. She cleared her throat. He was an idiot man with a bitchy woman waiting for him to come home after sowing some wild oats. The flame of her anger, which had wavered under the onslaught of lust, began to grow again.
Turning to face her, Lucian looked down at her, crossing his arms over his chest. Ruby copied his stance, but when he went so far as to ask her again why she was there and dared to call her “mate,” following his question with an arrogantly raised eyebrow, she lost it.
She poked him in the chest, trying not to think about what she really wanted to do with her fingers and his chest. “Look here, Luc. I did what you wanted. I went back to Council without a fight and guess what? Your crazy ass girlfriend was planning to kill me, so excuse me if I grabbed the first ticket out of there, which just so happened to be my family!” she yelled, pointing a finger at her aunts and grandmother, who’d begun creeping towards them.
Lucian shook his head. “You should’ve come to me. I am your mate. I will protect you,” the cave vamp said, grunting out each word.
Ruby literally saw red. “My mate?” she jeered. “I thought mates were supposed to stay together, not lock each other up.”
Watching his beautiful lips tighten, Ruby felt a pang in the vicinity of her heart. He hadn’t even bothered denying he and Bianca had a relationship. Either he was still thinking she was in danger from Malachi, or he was just determined to keep her with Council.
“May I?” a voice sounded from behind Ruby, causing her to jump since she’d been so focused on Lucian.
Spinning around, she gaped at Malachi. The Eturian leader bowed to her, smiling sweetly. Well, that theory just flew out the window, she thought with a sinking feeling. They had obviously arrived together. Betrayal seared through her. He was planning to take her back to Council, like a lamb to the slaughter.
“Butt out, Malachi,” Lucian growled, spinning Ruby around again and tossing her over his shoulder.
“This is getting to be a bad habit with you, Lucian,” Ruby snarled, pummeling his back with more fury than she had the last time.
No one interfered as Lucian lugged her over the practice field towards the tents. She heard him ask someone for directions and, next thing she knew, they were in her tent.
He tossed her on the bed where she bounced right back out, rushing him with a screech of fury. They wrestled for several minutes, and Ruby knew he was trying not to hurt her while she lashed out at him with everything she had. In the end, she was back on the bed, this time with Lucian wrapped around her like a boa constrictor, holding her until she ran out of fight.
“Why did you come here?” he asked softly, his voice tinged with what Ruby suspected was hurt.
What did he have to be hurt about, she snarled silently, refusing to answer him. He’d left her at the mercy of her enemy, and he wanted to play the injured party? “This is my family,” she squeaked out when he flexed his arms around her rib cage.
“I am your mate,” he insisted, sounding far too patient, like he was teaching a child how to say the alphabet.
“That’s what you say,” she huffed, blowing a stray chunk of hair out of her face.
“It’s what I know.”
“So I was supposed to tell my grandmother ‘sorry you went through the trouble to knock a hole through a solid stone wall with a sledgehammer, but I’ll just wait here until the man who claims to be my mate comes to get me?’ You must be out of your mind, Luc. That bitch was going to kill me. I wasn’t sticking around to let her do it.” Ruby took a deep breath. “Besides, you left and never told me you were coming back. For all I knew, you were going to come back before the wedding, get a little nookie, and ride off into the sunrise again,” she added bitterly.
* * * *
Lucian frowned at the canvassed ceiling. Her lack of faith in him hurt more than he would ever admit. Seeing her facing down a mage with nothing more than a whip had put him in a fury of lust and disbelief. Lust because there was nothing sexier than his mate meting out punishment. Disbelief because she somehow thought she needed such skills to protect herself when she had him.
Holding her close, his body yearned to bond with her again, and his soul cried out for relief from the emotions turning him inside out. His lovely Chieftain fit so perfectly against him, he thought with relish. Her bountiful curves sank into the hollows of his own body, making him feel like he was ten feet tall.
He felt guilty for leaving her in Bianca’s care, and nothing would ever erase the terror he’d felt at thinking Bianca’s personal guard had put their hands on her. Seeing her in the midst of an Amazon camp had settled something in him while the mated part of him realized his battle for her heart was just starting. He’d given Ruby plenty of reasons not to believe in him. But now, it would be different because he would protect her and never leave her side again. Well, until he contacted Council and they worked up a plan to dispose of Bianca and her entourage with as little bloodshed as possible.
Lucian told himself it was a good thing she’d found her family because now he could leave her here while he took care of Bianca and was officially set up on the Council. Then their lives could start, he promised himself. Just one more little separation, and they’d be together forever.
Unable to help himself with her so close, he swirled his tongue around the delicate shell of her ear, feeling her shiver slightly in his arms. Maneuvering her onto her back, he trailed his lips over her cheek until he found her lips, already parted and moist for his kiss.
The howling in his soul briefly abated as he fed on her mouth, his tongue thrusting and tasting the sweet depths. He growled, pulling her into him as he devoured her. It seemed like years since he’d tasted her, and he was suddenly starving.
She moaned softly, pushing her hands into his hair, pulling the strands down around them to form a curtain. Her touch sent a shockwave through his body, and he suddenly needed her more than he’d ever needed anything or anyone else.
Ruby never protested once as clothes were ripped, shredded, and torn away from their bodies. She just eagerly helped. Her hands were greedy and hot as they roamed over his naked skin, sending him in a frenzy of lust.
* * * *
She couldn’t get enough of him, Ruby thought desperately. Her body was on fire, her folds already saturated with arousal. Fueling her lust was her earlier victory and the skills she’d learned earlier in the day came to mind.
With a wicked smile, she flipped Lucian on his back, straddling his waist. He looked startled until he saw the flame in her eyes.
“I am going to rock your world, vampire,” Ruby whispered boldly, leaning down to press a hot, open mouthed kiss on his sexy mouth.
Their tongues dueled with no clear winner. They were both moaning in hunger by the time Ruby tore her mouth away to trail her tongue down his jaw to his throat. The bite she’d placed there so long ago was still visible, and she pressed her teeth into it lightly.
Lucian’s hips arched off the bed and his hands tangled in her hair, holding her to him. She could feel his pulse beneath her mouth, and it was so arousing she nearly sank her teeth in fully.
“God, baby,” he moaned, his hands stroking down her back to rock her against his stomach, his arousal pressing against her buttocks. “I need you so much.”
His words caused her womb to clench with lust. He leaned up, his mouth latching onto one beaded nipple, ripping a cry from her throat. She rocked against his stomach, her wetness saturating his skin.