by I. T. Lucas
Lifting her head, she looked into his eyes. “I’m not letting you go either.” She chuckled. “Lucky for me, you have nowhere to run.”
“I wouldn’t even if I could. The other true-love mates couples, did it happen so fast for them?”
She smirked. “Oh, so now you believe me.”
“I do, but I might have lost my mind because this cannot be happening. We barely know each other, and we are not in love because we can’t be after less than twenty-four hours.”
“I have to admit that this is unusual. As far as I know, it didn’t happen so fast for any of the other couples. Ella and Julian struggled for a long time, but that was because of you and your compulsion. She might have realized that he was the one for her weeks earlier. He knew it right away, by the way. In fact, he fell in love with her picture before ever meeting her.”
“That ruins my theory about this being a chemical reaction.”
“It’s the Fates, Lokan. I told you that.”
“Sorry, but I don’t buy it. There must be a rational explanation, like rare genetic compatibility, or pheromones. I’m not a scientist, so I don’t know what else it could be. But it must be something other than some imaginary beings pulling the strings.”
“I don’t care what it is.” Cupping his cheek, Carol gazed into his eyes with so much adoration that his heart felt like it was going to explode. No one had ever looked at him like that. “I’m just grateful beyond words for being granted this boon, and I’m offering my thanks to the Fates. You can thank genes or Lady Luck if you want.”
“You’re calling being paired with an imprisoned enemy luck? I think your Fates could have done better for you.”
“Are you kidding me? I got myself a bona fide prince. I’m lucky beyond measure.”
37
Carol
As Carol opened her eyes, it took her a split second to realize that the pair of glowing red embers hovering over her face belonged to Lokan. He was close, and the light he was emitting was so intense that her pupils must have contracted protectively, and that was why everything else looked dark in comparison.
“Good morning, babydoll.”
“How do you know it’s morning?” The only indication she was getting that it was time to get up was coming from her bladder.
He lifted her hand. “Your watch.”
“Oh.” She’d forgotten to take it off. Not that it mattered. Keeping Lokan in the dark, so to speak, didn’t apply to the time of day. “I should get up and make you breakfast.”
“Don’t.” He put a warm hand on her shoulder. “Stay in bed with me.”
“I can’t.” She lifted her wrist and glanced at the time. “I need to go.”
“Where?”
Flinging the comforter off, she swung her legs over the other side of the bed. ”First, to visit the bathroom, then to make breakfast and lunch for you and Arwel because I need to be somewhere this afternoon.”
“Can’t you cancel?”
Rounding the bed, she leaned over him and kissed his lips. “I can’t. We’ll talk after I’m done in the bathroom.”
As she padded toward the door, Carol was acutely aware of Lokan’s eyes on her bare bottom, and she gave it a little swing.
“Gorgeous,” she heard him murmur.
In the bathroom, Carol counted back from ten as she quickly used the toilet, washed her hands, and brushed her teeth with the new toothbrush she found in the vanity drawer. The door opened as she counted down to zero and then to minus one. Lokan sauntered in, a pair of silk pajama pants hanging low on his hips.
Scrumptious male.
Tall, lean, every muscle perfectly defined as if it was sculptured by a loving hand. And that smattering of dark hair marking a trail from his navel to the top of his pants…
Yum.
Her appraisal hadn’t gone unnoticed, and as his shaft rose to attention, tenting his pants, Carol’s core tightened and tingled in response.
They hadn’t even scratched the surface of what they could share in bed, but regrettably, she was pressed for time.
Cupping himself over his pants, Lokan smirked. “You keep staring at me like that, I’m going to take you straight back to bed.”
Still staring, she licked her lips. “I wish I could, but I need to shower and get ready.”
He pulled on the string holding his pants up and let them drop down his muscular thighs. “We can shower together. I promise to be quick.”
That was an offer she couldn’t refuse.
“How quick?”
“Let me show you.”
In a blink of an eye, she was in his arms, pressed against that incredible hard body of his while he carried her into the shower.
As he’d promised, twenty minutes later, Lokan carried her out into the bedroom, wrapped in a towel, squeaky clean and thoroughly satisfied.
“Room service in this hotel is unbelievable,” she said as he put her down on the bed. “I feel obligated to leave a generous gratuity. I’ll do it later, though. After dinner.”
“I’ll await it with bated breath.” He padded back to the bathroom and returned a moment later wearing his sexy, black silk pajama pants. “Where are you going to be at lunch?”
There was a note of jealousy in his voice that she didn’t like. Not because she found it objectionable, but because she wanted him to have good thoughts about her while she was gone, the kind that brought him pleasure and not irritation.
Carol lifted her panties and pants off the floor. “The clan is having a big barbecue to celebrate Vivian and Ella’s safe return. And since Ella is my friend, I need to be there.”
He grimaced. “I’m sure my capture is a big part of the celebration.”
She glanced up at the camera which Lokan had draped her bra over last night. “Can you get it for me?”
“Stand over there.” He pointed to a dead spot in the camera’s view angle.
When she obliged, he leaped on the bed, bouncing up and snatching her bra on the fly.
“Impressive.” Carol clapped her hands. “Do you play basketball?”
He tossed her the bra. “When I’m on the island. The warriors play soccer and basketball in their free time.”
“Your father allows it?” She closed the clasp and reached for the blouse. “I thought that he sucked all the fun out of his people’s lives.”
“Not all of it. Just most. After the training is done for the day, the men can do as they please. They can’t hang out in the resort, because they might intimidate the guests, and other than that there isn’t much to do. They can visit the brothel, but they have to pay for the services, and it’s not cheap, or play sports games, or take a swim in the ocean.”
“Doesn’t sound too bad.” Carol finished buttoning her blouse.
“The simple soldiers see nothing wrong with any of it. They count themselves lucky for having such a great leader who provides them with everything they need. Between the compulsion and having to recite it in a devotion five times a day on their knees, they can’t help but believe it.”
She arched a brow. “Were you required to do it too?”
“Of course.”
“What does it say?”
“Do you really want to hear it?”
“I’m curious.”
“Do you speak the old language?”
She shook her head. “I understand a little of it. But I can’t say even the most basic things. It’s so different than all the languages I know that I think it’s based on entirely different principles.”
“It is. None of the modern languages have their roots in it.” He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “The translation is not going to sound as impactful, but here it goes. Glory to Lord Navuh, the wise and the just, with his bounty we thrive, by his will we live or die, we are all brothers in the Devout Order of Mortdh, in his name we wage this holy war.”
“Short but to the point. It sums everything up.”
“Now imagine nearly twenty thousand warriors saying it in
unison five times a day.”
“Only twenty? I thought there were more.”
“That’s what my father wants everyone to believe. He never says the exact number, and most people don’t bother to count.”
Carol shrugged, acting as if the information he’d let slip was inconsequential. “Twenty thousand is plenty. No wonder Navuh has a god complex.”
“Does your goddess demand anything like that?”
Carol laughed. “No way. Annani is a diva, and she likes being the center of attention, but she doesn't require anyone to recite devotions or pray to her.”
“How do you address her, then? By her given name?”
He seemed almost disgusted by the lack of respect it implied.
“We address her as Clan Mother and try to be very polite, but we do it out of respect, not out of fear.”
“Did the goddess choose Clan Mother as her title?”
“I think so. Why?”
“No reason. I was just curious.”
She had a feeling there was more to it than that, but this was a talk for another time.
“I’m going to make something quick and simple for breakfast and lunch.” She glanced at her watch. “I’ll be back in about half an hour. Do you know how to operate the coffee machine?”
“I’m sure I can figure it out.”
Pampered prince.
It seemed that Lokan had never made coffee before. Great. “Let me show you how it is done, so next time you can do it yourself.”
38
Lokan
While Carol was gone, Lokan got dressed, made a pot of coffee and drank a cup, then another, and then emptied the carafe and brewed a fresh one.
It really wasn’t complicated, and it came out tasting decent enough. He was learning. From now on, he could make it every morning and bring a cup to Carol in bed.
One less excuse for her to get out of it. If he had his way, they would be making love every night and every morning and sometimes after lunch too.
Good times.
He chuckled. It was ridiculous to refer to his capture and imprisonment as good anything, and yet, he couldn’t help the buoyant feeling that was all about Carol.
The difference the right woman could make.
She was the difference between a life of meh and a life of joy, between apathy and energy, between despair and hope.
She was everything, and the prospect of losing her was more terrifying than facing a battalion of Guardians in a life and death fight.
Damn. If his father was hiding his true-love mate in the harem, Lokan could now understand why he was guarding the place with such zeal. It wasn’t about jealousy or control; it was about fear of anything happening to her.
Navuh had always been paranoid, searching for shadows of conspiracy and dissent even though neither was likely because of his compulsory hold over his people.
Lokan hoped he would never get as crazed.
Except, Navuh having a true-love mate didn’t make sense. His many sons couldn’t have been born to one mother, which meant that Navuh had several immortal females in his harem and was dividing his attentions between them. That wouldn’t have been possible if he’d bonded with his one and only like Lokan had with Carol.
Exclusivity wasn’t a matter of choice. Lokan just knew that no other female would ever appeal to him.
Dear Mortdh, he was losing his mind.
What was taking Carol so long?
He didn’t have a watch to check the time, but it seemed like much longer than half an hour. He wondered whether preparing the meals for the day was taking her longer than she’d estimated, or if his perception of time had been altered by her absence.
It was strange how a woman he hadn’t known even existed twenty-four hours ago had become so vital to him so quickly.
Were the imprisonment and loneliness getting to him?
That combined with the incredible first-time sex with an immortal female must have been the reason he’d let himself get swept away on the wings of fancy.
The Fates were a myth, and there was no such thing as true-love mates.
So why was he rubbing his chest to alleviate the ache that had settled there as soon as Carol had left him?
Lokan had thought himself a loner before, but the truth was that he’d always been surrounded by people. Not friends or family, but he’d shared the Washington accommodation with his small contingent of soldiers, and he’d met with politicians and lobbyists and other influential humans at least twice a day. During his visits to the island, he’d been even busier.
Never before had he been so completely isolated and with nothing to do.
That was the most logical explanation.
Soft-hearted women could entertain such mystical beliefs as Fates and true-love mates, but hardened warriors who'd lived for as long as he had should know better.
Except, this hardened warrior’s heart leaped like a teenage boy’s when the door’s mechanism engaged, and the gloom that had shrouded him during Carol’s absence dissipated as if waved away with a magic wand.
“Bye, Arwel. I can take it from here,” he heard Carol say, and a moment later she walked in holding two large plastic containers in her arms, and a plastic shopping bag hanging from the crook of her elbow.
He rushed to take them from her, stopping to plant a quick kiss on her lips before carrying them to the dining table.
“I missed you,” he admitted almost despite himself. “What took you so long?”
She cast him a bemused glance. “Ten minutes longer is not that long.”
“It felt like an eternity.” He took her hand and pulled her into his arms. “I need to kiss you.”
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she stretched up on her toes and pulled him down at the same time. “Then kiss me, big boy. I missed you too.”
Kissing alone wasn’t going to cut it, though. His hands roaming over her back soon found their way to her bottom, lifting her up and pressing her against his erection.
Breathless, she pushed on his chest. “Save it for later, lover boy. I want to eat breakfast with you before I have to run.”
“Can’t you skip it? If the entire clan is going to be there, maybe Ella is not going to miss you.”
She cupped his cheek. “You can survive a couple of hours without me.”
“Is it far? How long is it going to take you to come back?”
Hearing himself sounding needy and whiny irritated the hell out of Lokan. Where the hell were his damned balls?
In Carol’s pocket. That’s where.
“It’s not far, and no, I’m not going to tell you where it is.” Turning away from him, Carol opened the top plastic container. “I didn’t have time to make anything elaborate. Do you know what a shakshuka is?”
“It’s a Mediterranean dish. I’ve had it before.”
“Not like I make it.” She took two paper plates out of her shopping bag and loaded them with poached eggs in tomato and pepper sauce. “What I love about it is that it’s an entire meal made in one skillet. The fewer dishes I have to wash, the better.” She pointed at the fridge. “Can you get me a soda? And get one for yourself too. This is spicy.”
Why did he like it so much when she bossed him around?
Was it the novelty of it?
Or maybe because it implied a familiarity that had been missing from his life?
As he handed her the soda can and joined her at the table, Carol popped the lid and took a long sip. “I see that you made coffee while I was gone.”
“It wasn’t hard.” He lifted the fork and scooped an egg with some sauce on it. “If there was a kitchen here, you could have taught me how to make the shakshuka. It seems simple enough to make.”
She arched a brow. “Have you ever cooked anything in your life?”
“No, but I can learn. I would love to serve you a meal once in a while.” More like every day.
He really needed to pull his balls out of Carol’s pocket. What was happening to him?
/> “That’s so sweet of you, and so uncharacteristic, not only for a Doomer, but for any male from your part of the world.” She chuckled. “What am I talking about? That’s uncharacteristic of most males period. Guys like to get served, not to do the serving.”
“I wouldn't know. It’s not like I grew up in a normal family unit or have been exposed to one.”
“Where did you grow up?”
“In the Dormants’ enclosure. I was taken away from my birth mother when I was still a baby and given into the care of a Dormant. All of Navuh’s sons are raised like this.”
“Why? That’s so cruel, for the mothers as well as for the children.”
“Harem politics. That’s the answer he gave me. None of us knows who his mother is. I can be the son of the chief wife, or that of the lowliest concubine, but it doesn’t determine my position in the Brotherhood. Navuh decides who does what based on merit, or whatever he feels like toward that son at a particular point in time. Some of his sons never make it to the top, and they are either low-level commanders or even rank and file. It also eliminates some of the rivalry between the sons. Killing one another is not going to advance anyone’s agenda.”
She nodded. “In an odd way, it makes sense. It also explains why he shows no love to either one of you. He might think that he’s protecting you from one another.”
Lokan finished chewing and forked another egg. “You’re giving him too much credit. I think he is a self-centered megalomaniac who doesn’t care about anyone but himself and his world-domination agenda.”
“You’re probably right. You know him personally, while I only have hearsay and speculation to base my opinion on.”
“It’s impossible to know him because he doesn't let anyone get close to him. Perhaps the females in his harem know more, but he keeps them completely isolated, so they won’t reveal his secrets. That's why I wanted to get Vivian and Ella. If I could have snuck one of them in, she could have communicated what she’d learned to the other, and the mystery would have been finally solved.”
“Doesn't he isolate them because he doesn’t want his sons to know who their mothers are?”