Tingling all over, nearly drunk from the avalanche of sensations he roused, she straddled his waist and anchored her weight on her knees. As her hair cascaded down to create a curtain around them, pulses of electricity arced across her skin.
“I’m going to kiss you here.” His fingertip grazed a fiery path along the center of her panties. “Then I’m going to pleasure you the way I’ve wanted to from the first moment I saw you.”
“Yes.” She rubbed against the hard, hot length of his shaft. “Pleasure me. Do it.” Please!
“Nothing will stop me.”
“Except this conversation? Because I’m hearing a lot of talk but not seeing enough action.”
He pressed his thumb in the new center of her world, and she cried out with bliss.
He rolled her over, ripping her panties from her body and discarding the tattered remains. Cool air kissed her where she burned.
Completely naked and unabashed, she reached between them and did her best to unfasten his pants. But her motions were clipped, eager, even more desperate, and she made no progress.
“I can’t get them off,” she said, beating at his chest. “Help me!”
Within seconds he had the material peeled away, and she was peering at paradise made flesh. Mmm. He was magnificent. Bronzed perfection. Strength personified. And big. Really, really big.
“You’re so soft,” he praised. He traced a path along her collarbone, then nipped at her neck, grazing her overly sensitive flesh with his teeth.
Every point of contact, every move he made, proved masterful. Exactly what her body needed. He lit her up from the inside out.
He readied her.
And oh, she could feel the girth of his massive arousal on her belly, a white-hot band of steel. Staying still wasn’t an option. She arched against it, already needing it inside her.
“Now,” she said. “Before I change my mind.”
A mock growl. “You won’t change your mind, Moon.”
No. No, she wouldn’t. “More! Gimme! Obey your queen.”
His shaft jerked against her, and his teeth bit more sharply. “Kiss first,” he said hoarsely. He licked down her body, exploring her breasts again, lingering at her stomach before flicking his tongue in her belly button.
His mouth worshipped her until she thrashed against the pillows.
“Grip the top of the bed,” he demanded.
She’d been reaching down, intent on threading her fingers through his hair. “But—”
“Do it. Grip the bed.”
She obeyed. In this, she trusted him completely.
The moment her fingers curled around the ivory base, his tongue glided over her molten core. An avalanche of pleasure rolled through her. She screamed. Her hips shot up, and she gasped his name.
With one hand, he opened her fully. With the other, he glided a finger into her, probing her, stretching her. But his tongue never stopped working her, and the combination of sensations shattered her.
Another coast of his tongue. A pump of his fingers.
This man knew what he was doing.
He sucked at her and increased the tempo. She cried out. She sobbed for more…less…more, please more. Oh, the bliss! Her legs locked around his shoulders. Her hands clutched the headboard so tightly her knuckles could have snapped into pieces.
Her eyelids squeezed shut. In her mind she saw him between her legs, his tawny hair falling onto her thighs. The muscles in his back knotted as he reined in his own need.
“Valerian! I can’t take any more. It’s torment.”
“By the end of the night, you’ll have taken everything I have to give.”
“Give me…let me come. Mercy, just this once.”
She writhed. On the verge. So close, yet not close enough. He slid another finger into her, and it was a tight fit, stretching her further. Filling her up. And it was so much better…and so much worse.
He flicked his tongue over her aching bundle of nerves, showing absolutely zero mercy. Not that she wanted any, no matter how much she’d begged for it. This was everything she’d ever dreamed, everything she’d needed without knowing she did.
“I’m going to sink into you, Shaye. You’re going to spread your legs and welcome me, take every inch.”
“Yes.” Oh, yes. The thought of this man inside her hurled her over the sweet edge. Pleasure exploded inside her, and her inner walls spasmed around his fingers, clenching them tight. A scream, a sob as flashing white lights blinked behind her eyes.
He loomed above her, spreading her legs to open her fully. To expose her completely.
He poised himself on the brink of penetration.
“Wait! What bout children?”
“I took a potion. I can’t get anyone pregnant until it wears off.”
Good, that was good. She wasn’t ready for a family.
“Once I’m inside you,” he said, “you will be mine. Say it.”
“I’ll be yours.” There was no denying it. She was his. Now, this moment…forever?
Like an animal, he growled his approval. His wild eyes glittered with heat and possession.
She reached up to tangle her fingers in his hair…draw him closer. Will never push him away again. His chest pressed against hers, and she could feel the fine-grained sand that still clung to him from the fight, adding friction, another depth of pleasure.
“Kiss,” she beseeched.
His head swooped down, and he claimed her mouth. The moment their tongues touched, he slammed inside her. No waiting. No gradually letting her become accustomed. He was simply in her fully, as if he couldn’t go another minute without being one with her.
She cried out in his mouth, still so aroused, so slick with desire. She’d been prepared for him, but a slight sting remained.
He stretched her erotically, filled her inexorably, but didn’t move. Now he allowed her to become accustomed to him.
On and on the kiss continued. She tasted herself on his lips. Tasted him, the heat of him, and the passion. In and out his tongue probed…eventually, his body began to move in sync. In and out. Slowly, then quickly, hurtling them both toward the stars.
“Can’t…slow…down,” he panted. “Need…”
“More.”
Tension coiled in her stomach, in her blood. He twisted his hips, hitting her in a new spot, and she screamed, exploding for the second time.
“Shaye!” he roared. He pumped into her. “Mine.”
Mine, she silently repeated.
The climax gripped her, more intense than the first, making her shudder against him. Her knees clenched on him, and to the heavens she soared. High, so high.
He joined her there as he gave a final, pounding thrust, his eyes squeezed tight. Bliss consumed his features.
“Now. Time for round two,” he growled.
* * *
VALERIAN HAD NEVER felt more powerful. Strength radiated from him, filled him, pulsed and sizzled inside him. He always felt invigorated after sex, but this… No, never like this.
And with Shaye it hadn’t been sex, he thought. It had been lovemaking. A union. Total and complete. Especially the second when they’d licked her favorite fruit off each other.
Mine.
The word refused to leave him. He’d never felt so possessive of another person. Actually, he’d never felt so possessive of anything, including his cherished sword. Including the palace. She’d tasted like no other woman. Erupted like no other woman. Pleased him like no other woman. Strengthened him like no other woman. All of his injuries were healed.
He was the nymph, and yet it was she who wrapped him in her sensual spell. She who enslaved him.
She snuggled into his side, nestling her curves against him. He could feel the soft exhalations of her breath and thought he would die without this woman. He would simply perish. Cease to exist.
He wanted to give her the world, wanted to offer her everything her heart desired.
Keeping the palace had been the right decision. He would no
t have his woman homeless, staying in whatever shack he could find for them.
I will cherish her always.
When he’d returned to the dungeon, and she had not been inside the cell, his heart had stopped beating. Panic, dread and fury had consumed him. He’d nearly hacked Dylan and Terran to pieces. Then, when he’d seen Shaye as relaxed and at ease as if she hadn’t a care in the world—while standing next to the portal—he’d panicked again.
How close he’d come to losing her.
Then she’d begun issuing orders with bravery and wisdom, acting every bit the queen she was meant to be, and he’d been struck by love for her.
Love. The all-consuming kind. It gave rather than took. It protected.
Somehow, some way, he would gain her oath to stay forever. Because, he could never let her go.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
AFTER HE’D SATED himself on another round of scrumptious female and listened to their tales about the surface world, Poseidon had whisked himself to the nearest river, a crystal stream of tranquillity. Lilies floated on the surface. He blended into the water itself, flowing with it, absorbing its coolness.
The nymphs had indeed broken the law. He needed to punish them quickly, before others thought to do the same. And he knew just what to do.
When he reached a fork in the river, he stopped. The water stilled, as well. No waves, no ripples. Wind whistled, and the patter of nearby animals echoed.
The bank to his left suddenly flooded with enraged dragon warriors, their wings flapping as they landed. Still, the water did not ripple.
Poseidon watched as their dragon forms faded, leaving a human facade. Skin instead of scales. Silky hair. Teeth instead of fangs, their tail vanishing. Of course, they were now naked, wearing only dragon medallions and holding swords.
As the warriors drank from the stream, angry chatter bounced between the trees. Poseidon scanned the masses until he came to Darius. The leader of the dragons barked orders to several of his men, his expression fierce.
He hadn’t liked abandoning the palace. His instincts demanded he stay and fight the nymphs—Valerian in particular. But Darius was a warrior who weighed the odds, studied the situation and calculated the percentages. He’d been severely outnumbered, and he hadn’t wanted his men injured when a sneak attack could work in their favor and even the odds.
A very smart man. Exactly what Poseidon needed.
Come to me, he said, his voice carrying on the wind.
Darius paused and stiffened. He searched the surrounding wooded area, glazed over the river, saw nothing and returned to his men. His shoulders remained stiff, however, his posture erect and his hands clenched tightly on the hilt of his sword.
Come, Poseidon said again.
Darius’s attention whipped to the river for the second time. His eyes narrowed.
The water provided only a reflection of Poseidon’s image, a glint in the fading light. Still, Darius obeyed at last, long strides leading him to the river’s edge. The men he’d been speaking with frowned, clearly confused.
“Is something wrong?” a hulking blond giant asked.
The dragon king never looked back. “Rest a while, Brand.”
When Darius stood alone, he said, “You called, Poseidon?”
He recognizes me, and yet he shows no reverence.
Annoyance caused the water to churn. “You know me, then.”
“I know of you.”
“Then you know the consequences of speaking to me in such a manner. You know the suffering I can mete out.”
Darius gave a clipped nod. “I do.”
And still the dragon did not bow.
Admire his courage or strike him down?
Admire. Why not? He’d hated his life so much he’d come here to set a new course. Want different circumstances, do different things.
“I’ve learned some disturbing things since my return, Darius, and I am not pleased. Because of this, I have several tasks for you.”
A muscle jumped beneath his eye. “Then I am at your command, of course.”
Excellent. “First, you will return to the palace.”
There was a heavy pause. “That isn’t my plan.”
“No, you wish to gather more men. That will take time, and I want my will obeyed now. This moment.”
Darius stood firm. “That will place dragon lives in unnecessary danger, and that I will not do.”
A refusal. Admiration dwindled fast. “Sneak inside, and there will be no danger to you and yours.”
“I do plan to sneak inside. But there will be danger if the nymphs and vampires outnumber us ten to one.”
Poseidon grinned slowly. “O ye creature of doubt. You will destroy half of the nymph and vampire forces before you even reach the palace hallways.”
Darius’s brows arched, interest sparkling in his eyes. “Tell me how that’s possible.”
He thinks to give the orders now? Poseidon’s hands fisted. “There’s a doorway. A secret entrance below the portal.”
“Below?” He sounded faraway, as if he was already breaching it in his mind. “How did I not know of it before now?”
“Not my problem. You’ll sneak inside, gather the humans and return them to the surface, with their memories wiped clean.”
Poseidon continued. “To get the women in one place, you’ll send an army back to the palace, as if they meant to fight. The women will be hidden below.”
“Done.”
“Once they are returned, you will focus on the nymphs. They’ll be weak without their daily dose and easy for you run down. Six nymphs dared to enter the surface world, so six nymphs will die.”
“What happens next?”
“Easy, you take back the palace and slaughter the rest of the nymphs. A cautionary tale for any who think to follow their lead.”
Darius balked. Interesting. A warrior should enjoy taking down his enemy.
“You have done such deeds before, Guardian. This should be no hardship for you. But, if you think to refuse me, I’ll have your wife sent back to the surface. You acquired her from there, did you not?”
A blaze of fury sparked inside the dragon’s eyes, revealing the merciless killer he had once been. “I won’t allow Grace to be taken from me. She is mine, a daughter of Atlantis now, pregnant with my child.”
“The child is the only reason I’m allowing you to keep her,” Poseidon informed him. “For now.”
Fury blazed in the dragon’s eyes. “I’m so…grateful you have finally decided to take an interest in your people.”
“Is this sarcasm something you acquired from your bride?” Poseidon wasn’t a fan. “Watch your tongue, or I’ll feed it to the vampires. Go now,” he said. “Return to the palace. I’ll be there waiting, and I’ll show you the way inside.”
“Wait. Before you leave,” Darius said, irreverence still blazing in his eyes, “perhaps you could be a dear and gift us with clothing.”
“Of course. It will be my pleasure.” As a slight punishment for Darius’s impertinence today, Poseidon blew his breath upon the dragon army, spraying them with a fine mist of sea…and leaving them dressed in women’s scarves.
Their hisses of shock rang in his ears long after he left them.
* * *
BRENNA’S HANDS twisted together. She stood just outside the dining hall, observing Shivawn while waiting for him to notice her. He was speaking heatedly with a female she’d never met—a white-haired beauty with blue eyes and bloodred lips.
Brenna watched the interaction with only mild curiosity. What would happen to her if Shivawn decided to be with another woman? Would Brenna be given to someone else?
Joachim, perhaps?
Her stomach quivered.
Would she be jealous or irritated if Joachim talked so heatedly with another woman?
Her stomach quivered harder.
But…she still feared Joachim. Didn’t she? He was everything she should despise: controlling, dominant and violent.
Why d
id she have to desire him at all? Why could she not want Shivawn, and only Shivawn?
She sighed. Like she’d told Shaye, if she had any hope of forging a better future, she had to let go of the past.
Would one of these men help her reclaim a life of contentment and joy?
The feminist part of her being screamed You can reclaim your life without a man!
And at any other time, she would have agreed. But men were the foundation of her fear. By cutting one—or two—from her life, she merely perpetuated that fear.
I’m going to do it, then. I’m going to sleep with someone. Today!
Joachim’s image barreled into her mind. Probably because the man himself was forceful!
He lay in bed, his finger motioning her over, a silent request for her to join him.
She shivered. One way or another, she was going to dive headfirst into a relationship: sexual, emotional and uncomfortably intimate. But which man would she pick?
Life with Shivawn would be sweet and tender.
Life with Joachim would be turbulent…and possibly exciting.
Shivawn shook his head and snarled something to the now-scowling woman. When his gaze met Brenna’s, he jolted with surprise. Why? Because he hadn’t sensed her the way Valerian always seemed to sense Shaye?
He stalked toward her, clasped her hand and dragged her from the room. Thoughts of him—of being with him—failed to heat her blood.
Was he taking her to his room?
Would she trace her hands all over his body?
Her body gave no reaction, and she wanted to scream with frustration.
They weren’t heading toward his room, she noticed a moment later.
“Where?” The walls surrounding his room were in a different state of repair than the ones here. These had…
The murals that led to Joachim’s room. Her eyes widened. They were going to Joachim’s room, where menacing weapons hung on the walls, a blatant reminder of why she couldn’t want a man like him.
Now her blood heated with a mixture of apprehension and anticipation. “Is Joachim okay?”
“He’s well, yes.”
That meant…what?
Atlantis Series Complete Collection Page 78