“It’s not as pretty as I remembered it.” The confession burned a little as it came out, but she was tired of keeping it in. “Eden’s colors are prettier. And it’s quieter. It feels funny here. Even when we drove through the countryside, the earth felt antsy or something.”
Ludan scanned the open field beyond her. “Sometimes the things you don’t want are the things you end up missing.” His gaze slid to her, and he assessed her features. “Or wanting.”
A pleasant tremor rippled low in her belly, and all thoughts of scenery and distant realms fizzled.
As if uncomfortable with what he’d said, he shook his head, reached toward the radio, and punched the buttons. “We’re coming up on Mobile. We’ll stop there for today and make the rest of the trip tomorrow.”
Thank the Great One. She’d give a lot to stretch her legs. “What state are we in again?”
“Alabama.” He paused on a news channel and upped the volume. “I’ll see if we can get a hotel somewhere close to the bay so you can get a change in scenery.”
He’d barely lowered his hand from the controls before the announcer shifted to a new story.
“New developments have surfaced in the ongoing reports of people around the world being taken to a mysterious place referred to as Eden.”
Ludan shifted in his seat, planted his elbow on the center console, and clenched his fist.
“Three new individuals have come forward stating they, too, were spirited to this magical place, but also proclaimed their source promised upcoming developments that will greatly impact the human race. Government officials, already sorting through reports with past visitors, have begun interviews with the newest travelers, and report they’ve as yet been unable to prove their claims a hoax. Special task forces have been engaged to ascertain the powers behind those from this mysterious land and to gauge what, if any, risk they might pose.”
Brenna clicked it off before the man could say any more. “Is it Serena?”
“Has to be.”
The engine’s steady growl filled the quiet, and Ludan scowled out the windshield. She knew Eryx checked in with Ludan daily, but he’d never passed the details on to her. She’d thought that was a good thing, but maybe that was the coward’s way out.
“Eryx still doesn’t have any leads on where she is?” she said. “I thought she couldn’t move around without her family knowing.”
“The link is dead. The family claims Serena’s link went from barely discernible to completely gone right about the time we left.”
“Maxis told me links were unbreakable.”
“Eryx and I broke Reese’s link to Maxis, but no one else knows how. At least not that we know of.”
That explained why he never let her leave the apartment without him. Even when she’d wanted to run to the little bakery across from Eryx’s apartment the second day they were in Dallas, he’d insisted on going with her. “You think she’s free.”
The frown on Ludan’s face lifted, and his expression softened. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
He wouldn’t, at least not if it was within his power to stop. But as powerful and strong as he was, he was still human. Okay, maybe not human, but fallible.
She covered his fist with her hand and squeezed. “You can’t be everywhere all the time, but I’m glad you’re here with me. That’s enough.”
Half an hour later, Ludan parked the Hummer outside a hotel that looked like it belonged in the mountains. Huge trees with low, gnarled branches spanned heavily manicured grass on either side of the entrance. Down the road, a quaint marina stretched along the bay with smaller sailboats and powered vessels bobbing in a long line of slips. The water was flat as glass, and the setting sun rippled burnt-orange on the reflection. Not as pretty as Eden’s, but nicer than anything she’d seen so far.
They strolled inside, Ludan’s hand a comforting presence low on her back. Funny how she’d grown so accustomed to his touch, craving it when it wasn’t there.
The clerk looked up from her computer and smiled at them both. “Welcome to the Grand Resort and Spa. How can I help you?”
Brenna ambled through the lobby while Ludan checked them in. The large octagonal space strengthened the lodge décor with rough, honey-stained wood and cozy sitting areas upholstered in gold and evergreen. At its center, a huge fireplace finished in dark chocolate rocks reached to the high vaulted ceiling.
She’d barely made one circuit when Ludan turned, picked up their bags, and strode toward her. He scanned their surroundings with shrewd eyes. Pointing to the elevators at the back of the room, he guided her forward with a protective grip on her arm. “We’re on the top floor. I had two choices, a king-size bed with a view of the bay, or two doubles overlooking the parking lot.” He punched the up button.
One of the three elevators dinged and whisked open.
To heck with a view. The thought of sleeping with Ludan, even if he got nowhere near her, fired the equivalent of ten oven fires in her stomach. “Which one did you choose?”
The doors slid closed, leaving their reflection in the chrome finish.
His thumb shuttled against her bare skin, and in that second she made a silent vow to always wear tank tops so she wouldn’t ever miss such perfect contact. “You need to see something pretty. I don’t sleep that much anyway. If I get tired, I can crash on the floor.”
They reached their floor before she could argue. He hustled them down the hallway, his booted footsteps muted by the thick hunter-green carpet. Taking what looked like one of his credit cards out of his back pocket, he swiped it through a little slot on the door.
“What’s that?”
He pushed the door and held it open. “A key card. It’s based on electronics more than a key mechanism. I could monkey with it mentally, but the old-fashioned way is faster.”
The carpets inside were nicer than the hallways, a pretty pattern of forest green and russet with ivy woven into the design. The room was bright and light, and sage walls and ivory curtains opened to a pretty view of the bay beyond. A big bed graced the center with an ivory headboard, crisp white sheets, and a pretty teal accent throw near the foot.
Ludan stalked to the window and slid it open. A black rocking chair with homey cushions was angled into one corner of the balcony, and a small iron loveseat anchored the other. He ignored those and gripped the wrought-iron railing, gauging the grounds below.
She waited until he finished his walk-through, then dug in with her questions. “When you say you don’t sleep much, is that because of the voices?”
He paused mid digging through his duffle, then shrugged and started up again. “Yeah.”
No wonder he was moody. Given the same circumstances, she wasn’t sure if she’d have stayed sane. She bypassed the suitcase he’d left for her on the foot of the bed and stilled his rummaging with a grip on his forearm. “Then doesn’t it make sense for you to sleep in the bed?”
His muscles beneath her palm went rigid, and the twitch at the back of his jaw kicked into high gear.
God, had she screwed things up between them so badly? “I’m not asking you for anything. I’m offering you a little peace. You said it’s better when I’m close. You don’t have to touch me if you don’t want to, just let me give you this. Something valuable after everything you’ve given me.”
Before she could blink, he’d freed his arm and gripped her by both shoulders. “Everything about you is valuable. Don’t underestimate what being with you has meant for me.” He dropped his hold on her. If she read the surprise on his face right, his little outburst wasn’t something he’d planned on confessing.
“I wasn’t devaluing myself. I was offering someone I care about something they need.” She unzipped her bag. “It’s just sleeping. You’re the one making more out of it than it needs to be.”
The next ten minutes passed in silence, Brenna unpacking what little they’d bought for her so far and Ludan scowling out the window with one hand braced on the wall. He shoved away from
his brooding so fast she nearly jumped. “I’m going to check out the restaurants. Maybe see if I can find some food you can tolerate.”
So, he’d noticed that. She really shouldn’t be surprised. He noticed everything. Taking her brush and pajamas with her, she headed to the bathroom. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got to get used to it eventually, right? Besides, after all that time in the truck, all I want is a bath and to stretch out in bed.”
Shutting the door behind her, she rested her forehead against it and let out a shaky breath. What a crock of crap. Brenna had heard that expression a hundred times from Lexi since she’d arrived at the castle, and now she really understood what it meant. A bath and a bed to stretch out in indeed. What she really wanted was to curl up next to Ludan and forget about everything for a good long while. No Serena. No rebellion. None of her past and no disappointing future. Just Ludan, his strong arms around her, and a quiet night with a pretty view.
Only when she heard the hotel door open and click shut did she jump in the bath, zipping through her routine faster than she’d intimated. In no time, she’d donned the pink cotton nightshirt she’d pilfered from Lexi’s stash and slipped beneath the covers. She plucked the TV remote from the bedside counter.
She still couldn’t get over all the channels there were to choose from. Foreign languages, stations just for men, and others just for women. Channels with nothing but reality shows or music, and broadcasts about nothing but food. The Food Network had captivated her for hours her first night. She’d walked by the skinny black panel mounted on Eryx’s wall a dozen times thinking it was horrible art. Eventually, she’d spied the little button on the bottom corner, pushed it, and nearly leapt out of her skin when it flickered to life.
She punched the up button on the remote, and a news channel popped up, one with an anchor positioned on the right of the screen and a smaller box showing video on the left. At the bottom was the graphic, Is It Real? Or a Hoax?
Excellent. More Eden. She’d kept the volume low, worried that the people in the other rooms might be disturbed by the sound, but it was still high enough to hear the cheering from the spectators in the top left box. They danced around with signs that said, Take me! and, I’m ready to go home!
Every damned one of them were certified idiots. If they had any inkling just how powerful Myrens were and how they could completely upend their powerless lives, they’d run and hide. Maybe that was why she was the judge. Maybe her whole purpose was to keep the wall up and protect her race.
Too angry to tolerate any more of their nonsense, she clicked to the next channel.
Slow, sultry music pulsed through the speakers, and a shadowed image filled the screen. A woman and a man, both naked, but beautifully so. The camera switched to a shot of their hands, the man’s fingers intertwined with the woman’s and squeezing tight. A low, broken moan blended with the music, one filled with passion and pain.
She clicked another channel and tossed the remote to the bed. Her heart galloped as though she’d sprinted a mile from a dead standstill, and she couldn’t convince her lungs to function properly. She swallowed and tried to process what she’d seen. It wasn’t cheap or gaudy. Quite the contrary. It was beautiful. Intimate.
The remote sat where she’d tossed it, stark black against the vivid white sheets.
She could turn it back. Hadn’t she wanted to know what something decent looked like? To know what normal looked like? No one would know but her.
She snatched the remote and leaned back against the headboard. Her fingers shook as she pushed the up arrow.
Music filled the room as it had before, this time stronger and more potent in its rhythm. The man trailed his lips along the woman’s neck and she arched for him, giving him better access. Lower and lower he kissed, licking the space below her belly button before the camera shifted to show the woman’s response.
She knew that look. It was exactly how she’d felt when Ludan had kissed her, needing so much more but not having a clue how to get it. Brenna’s fingers tightened on the remote, so much so the plastic groaned beneath her grip. She soaked it all in, letting the actors’ passion ratchet hers along with theirs. So what if it wasn’t real. It was twenty times better than what she’d experienced by Maxis’s hands and gave her hope for what could be.
A click sounded from the entrance, and the doorknob turned.
Brenna pried her tight fingers from the remote and almost fumbled it trying to change the channel.
Ludan ambled in carrying a huge tray loaded down with plates and bags. He paused at the foot of the bed. “You okay?”
Her cheeks burned. “I’m fine.” At least it hadn’t been a whisper. A little on the husky side, but she could chalk it up to being tired.
Ludan glanced at the TV, then stalked to the table in the corner of the room. “You sure you’re okay?”
Slowly, she peeled the covers back and glided to the table. The space between her legs felt funny. Wet and achy, but also very nice. “I promise. I’m better than I’ve been in a long time.”
Chapter 16
Warmth and a soft tickle skated along Brenna’s jawline. Lips, the same full, delicious ones she’d craved since Ludan had kissed her, the scruff of his beard leaving the same unforgettable impact as his mouth. His wavy hair slid through her fingers, a weighted silk that teased her forearms. He slanted his mouth across hers and licked inside.
Perfect. The slide of his tongue, his taste, the way he groaned into the kiss and sent perfect trills coursing down her spine. Nothing on earth was better.
He lifted his head. His ice-blue eyes glowed with need and so much passion it resonated in her soul. “This is what you want.”
Odd. It was Ludan’s voice, but her own was superimposed with it. And it wasn’t a question, but a statement.
Candles surrounded them, and a scarlet satin comforter stretched beneath them.
Not real.
“This is what you want,” Ludan said again, ghosting his knuckles along her collarbone and slipping his fingers beneath the neckline of her nightshirt.
Her heart leapt at the touch, his caress only hinting in the direction of her breast, but drawing her nipples to hard points. “Yes.”
He smiled and lowered his gaze, a long lock of hair falling over his forehead. “So beautiful.”
Cool air assaulted her flesh, sending goose bumps along her torso. Her nightshirt was gone, whisked away by her dreams.
Inch by inch, he trailed his fingertips down her sternum, his expression so reverent and caring she was afraid to move.
He cupped one breast, and she arched into the contact, too overwhelmed with the sensation to do anything but close her eyes and surrender to its magic. She tightened her grip on the back of his head, urging him closer. “Ludan, please.” She didn’t know what it was she needed, only that she did, and badly.
“Shhh.” He dipped his head and smoothed his lips along the path his fingers had taken.
More.
Over and over, the word echoed through her head. Nothing else mattered except the feel of him against her. His weight, the warmth of his skin, and the safety of his arms. She closed her eyes and splayed her hands across his wide shoulders. So much strength. Power as rigidly contained as the man. “Ludan.”
One of his big hands cupped her shoulders, and his lips disappeared.
She squeezed her eyes and willed them back. “Ludan, please.”
He spoke again, but this time it was different. Farther away and muffled. “Brenna.”
No.
She rolled her head back and forth on the pillow. No, no, no. She couldn’t lose him. Not again. She hadn’t done anything wrong this time. Had she?
The hand at her shoulder tightened. “Brenna, wake up.”
Heat registered beside her. Not the kind from her dream, but real. Tangible, deliciously masculine heat and muscle.
Her eyes snapped open.
Ludan lay propped on one elbow beside her, the other hand holding her shoulder as she
’d felt in her dream. In the daylight, his form was intimidating, but in the night’s shadows, he was downright scary. “You okay?”
Not really. Sweat misted her skin, and her heart jack-rabbited in an out-of-control rhythm. The covers were too heavy, pressing against her tight breasts. She shifted her legs and nearly moaned at the throbbing pulse between them. “I’m fine.”
The comment earned her a sharp frown. He relinquished his hold and leaned back far enough that the bay’s moonlight brought him out of shadow. At some point after she’d fallen asleep, he’d removed his T-shirt, leaving his perfect body on prime display. “You didn’t sound fine.”
She pushed upright and leaned against the headboard, careful to hide her aching nipples with the sheet. Looking at him only made the ache worse. In that moment, she’d give a lot to let her fingers have free rein. “It was just a dream,” she whispered.
He stared at her, then lowered his gaze to her clenched fists in the sheets. “You’re afraid.”
“No.” It came out too fast, and his eyes snapped to hers. “I mean, it was an intense dream, but not something I’m afraid of.”
An odd look flittered across his face, caution or suspicion. “Tell me.”
This is what you want.
Clearly, her subconscious wasn’t in the mood to mess around. And while she’d happily go there in dreams every night, she wasn’t so sure Ludan would appreciate the concept of them together as much as she did. Especially after what had happened last time.
“I…” What could she say? “I’m not sure it’s something you’d want to hear. It was personal.”
His eyes narrowed. “Personal, as in…”
“Personal.” She pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. “It was about the two of us.”
His head snapped back, and his breathing accelerated. He clenched the sheet at his waist, and his nostrils flared. “What about us?”
A strange yet not unpleasant sensation swirled low in her belly, and the pulse between her legs ramped to blistering demand. She could keep the dream to herself. Never say a thing and let it slide.
Eden's Deliverance (The Eden Series Book 4) Page 13