Deviant Warrior: (Dark Warrior Alliance Book Three)

by Brenda Trim

  She sent both fists toward it at once and while one of her arms was knocked aside, she managed to hit the thing in the eye. He screamed out in pain and she was pleased to see it swell shut.

  They went back and forth like this for several long minutes where they exchanged blows. Eventually, she slid her way to the other side of the cage and tried to catch her breath. She was bruised, bleeding and covered in smelly demon pus. Not a way she wanted to spend the evening. Shaking off the pain and discomfort, she focused her energy on her next move.

  She ran as best as she could and climbed up its body, keeping as much distance as possible between her bare skin and its nasty, mushy body. She hated the fact that she was naked and used that anger to wrap her hands around its neck and twist. A satisfying crack echoed in her ear. She’d broken something, but had not killed it.

  She balanced her feet against its chest and wrapped her arm around the wounded neck, pulling back and twisting with all of her strength. “Go back to hell!” she yelled, landing hard on her ass as the head popped from its shoulders. The crowd cheered and growled and clamored around the cage. Breaths heaving in her lungs, she stood to her feet.

  “Anyone else,” she challenged. She’d kill every last one of them.

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

  Kyran’s mate challenged him at every turn. He’d never been in a relationship so he had no idea how to deal with a female who spoke her mind and forced him to question his decisions. It was an infuriating and arousing combination.

  He shook his head as he considered how Mackendra had trusted his judgement to keep the extent of their status with the dragons a secret from the fire demon. It had meant more than he expected that she trusted him with her life. However, it hadn’t been long after they’d parted ways that she had rounded on him and yelled about how his distrust was going to be the death of them. In fact, ten minutes later, she was still harping on him about how he couldn’t keep shutting people out.

  “How the hell do you expect to get out of this God-forsaken realm when you refuse to take a chance with anyone? Someone does or says something that you deem questionable and the next thing I know we’re sifting through this jungle,” she criticized, flailing her hands all around her. “Nate seemed nice enough, gave you clothes, let us clean up and then fed us. Just because he called some friends over you had to sift us out of there.”

  “He called a cadre of dragon Máahes, Mackendra. Not a few friends.”

  “Stop calling me Mackendra. My name is Mack!”

  “I told you I doona like that name, Mackendra. You are no’ a truck, although, you’re as loud as one. Keep up, you’re slow.”

  “Kiss my ass, leech.”

  “Oh, I plan to kiss it…before I take it.” His mate mark had been a constant ache on his chest and chose that moment to deepen. It was difficult, but he forced himself to ignore the pain.

  “Arrrgh,” she yelled in obvious frustration. What struck Kyran was that his normally, vociferous mate was struck silent by his promise. She wasn’t offended by his statement. On the contrary, he smelled her arousal spike.

  He slowed his pace to walk beside her. She tried to walk faster and he sped up with her. “Would you stop?” she snarled.

  “Nay. You pretend to be offended, but I know differently.”

  She pulled her blade from her backpack and held it in front of his groin as they walked. “I will cut off your balls if you so much as hint that I want you to do that to me.” She would have been more convincing if her desire wasn’t so obvious.

  “There is no shame in wanting me to pleasure your body. ‘Tis natural between mates. ‘Tis no’ forbidden.”

  “Maybe it’s natural between blood-suckers, but it’s not for the rest of us. How about this, let me shove something up your ass and see if you like it.”

  He laughed at her challenge. “Only you would think of it that way. I promise to make it feel good,” he said on a smile. He was irritating her and enjoying every minute of it.

  “You aren’t talented enough to make that feel good,” she mocked him. He saw the flush to her cheeks and the spark in her eyes. She was having as much fun teasing him as he was her. She took up their pace again and rubbed Pip’s fuzzy head.

  “Stop a minute,” he called out to her before he climbed a nearby tree. He’d been searching for something to eat besides Pip and thought he saw fruit. He jumped up and grabbed onto a low branch then swung himself onto the large limb. He had no idea what type of fruit it was, but it looked like mangos with a smooth, green and orange skin. He took out one of his blades then cut down as many as he could reach.

  “Here, catch,” he called down to her.

  She set Pip down and held up her hands. “Okay, ready,” she replied, with her head tilted back and her hands outstretched. He tossed several pieces of the fruit down to her and she deftly caught them all.

  “You think this is poisonous?” she asked as soon as his feet hit the ground. He picked up a piece and cut it in half. It was very much like a mango with a peach flesh and a large pit in the center. He brought one half to his nose and smelled it. It had a sweet scent that told him it was likely okay. Poison usually had a bitter smell.

  “Lass, you doona have to worry aboot poison. You’re immortal now. ‘Tis time to think like one. But, I will taste it first, if you’d like.”

  “I have been human for twenty-nine years so forgive me if I can’t stop thinking like one. Besides, just because it won’t kill me doesn’t mean it won’t make me sick. You eat it, that way you can vomit.”

  He held up one half and slowly licked the juice that had dripped down his hand. Her pupils dilated and darkened. He took his time, darting his tongue between his fingers, teasing her. Finally, he bit into the flesh. “Mmmm, ‘tis sweet and succulent…and no’ poisonous.”

  She rolled her eyes at him and cut into her own piece. She moaned loudly at her first taste. He caught her smile. The little firecracker was teasing him. “Saucy wench,” he growled and grabbed her sticky hand and slowly licked it. Before things got out of hand, he forced himself to walk away. The mating compulsion made staying on track impossible.

  She filled her backpack with the remaining fruit then picked up her half-eaten piece and followed him. He glanced back to see her sharing the food with Pip. He turned around and kept walking. He heard birds singing in the trees and critters scampering on the jungle floor. He didn’t detect a major threat, but kept his steps light. No reason to announce themselves.

  A screech broke his concentration and he swiveled to find his mate missing. Panicked, he scanned the area and looked in the trees, but didn’t see her. He heard her screaming from somewhere close by. It was then that he noticed the hole in the dirt. He quickly checked for trip wires or any other signs of a trap as he ran back. The hole she fell through was narrow, but deep and she was lying at the bottom of a small cavern. He cautiously lay on his stomach so he didn’t cause another collapse.

  “Are you okay?”

  “No, I’m not okay. Fuck that hurt.” She tried to stand up and fell back down. She bit her lip and looked up at him. “I think I broke something,” she called out. Their bond told him the amount of pain she was in, yet he knew she wouldn’t admit to it. Her strength was one of the things he loved most about her, even if it was a pain in the ass at times.

  “Give me a minute.” He judged the distance down to the bottom and figured he’d make it without serious injury. The problem was going to be getting back out, but he needed to get to her and give her his blood. His shaft hardened at the thought of her taking his blood again. The bastard had a mind of its own and it was starting to piss Kyran off. Now was not the time to be caught up in lust for his mate, he chastised. She was hurt and needed him.

  He stood up when he was several feet away and heard her call out to him. “Kyran, where the fuck are you going? Get the hell back here.”

  “Be quiet,” he snapped, “or you are going to announce to every dragon within two leagues of here where we are.” />
  “Excuse me for being in pain and lying here with a broken leg,” she grumbled.

  He smiled at her surly tone. “You are trying my patience, lass. Now, shut the fuck up and move away from the opening if you can.”

  “Go to hell,” he heard her mumble. She likely thought she was whispering it, but he heard every word. He snatched the first vine he found and cut it from the tree it was attached to. It was only about seven feet long so he grabbed several more. He tied them together and searched for a place to secure the vine-rope. There was a tree close enough to the hole and he tied one end around the trunk and tested its strength. It would hold.

  He crawled back to the hole, and peered over the edge. That damn animal was curled up in her lap and she sat there cooing to it while she petted its fur. He’d bet Mackendra saved the thing from injury and allowed herself to get hurt in the process. He dropped the vine in and she tried to reach out and grab it.

  “Doona try to get up, I’m coming to you.” She looked up at him and glared. He bent down then jumped.

  He landed in a crouch next to her. “How do you do that so gracefully?” she asked.

  “I’m a vampire. Or have you forgotten?” He enjoyed the way her chin tilted up at a haughty angle.

  “As if I could forget, blood-sucker. Your fangs remind me every five minutes. Don’t you have any control over them?”

  “I used to and then you came along and all control was lost,” he admitted.

  “You say the prettiest things, ow…stop that,” she groaned as he probed the length of her injured leg.

  “You need to be quiet, Mackendra. I know this hurts, but I need to see where the break is,” he warned before he continued. When he reached the middle of her calf he found the problem.

  The bone was broken clean through. He was further impressed by her when she was able to stifle her scream and silently bear her pain. The pain from a break of this nature was excruciating. He’d broken enough bones to know that she was managing very well.

  He leaned in and kissed the side of her mouth as he felt further down her leg to make sure there were no more injuries. She kept hers pursed and her jaw clenched. Her ankle was swollen and he’d bet bruised. He didn’t know if it was broken, as well, but it was clearly damaged. He didn’t have Jace’s ability to heal so had to resort to his only option, his blood.

  “What are you going to do? You didn’t bring anything to set it.” He narrowed his eyes at her chiding tone.

  “I am going to give you my blood, Mackendra. We could wait a couple days and you will heal on your own, but we need to be on the move sooner than that. Besides, it won’t be long before someone finds us.”

  “Oh, no, I don’t think so. I’m not taking your blood again. That is the last thing we should do. Look over there. I think this is part of a cave system. We can hide in there and not be found.”

  “Why doona you want my blood, lass? Afraid of the pleasure it can bring you?” He needed to distract her enough that she didn’t object. If they were in a safe place, he would consider allowing her the time to heal, but that wasn’t an option at the moment.

  “Your blood did not bring me pleasure, leech,” she denied.

  He was trying to be gentle and nice, but she insisted on being difficult. Two could play at that game. “Lie to yourself, if you must, but I know the truth, Mackendra. Now,” he bared his fangs and brought his wrist to his mouth and opened a vein. He grabbed onto the back of her neck and threaded his fingers into her short hair and refused to let her move. He held his bleeding wrist up to her mouth. “Drink,” he ordered.

  “Fuck off,” she retorted. She tried to scramble away, but her injury stopped her short.

  “If I’d known you enjoyed pain so much, I’d have played more when I had you in that cove of ours,” he taunted.

  “Not on your best day. Give me your damn arm so you can stop touching me.” He chuckled, seeing her defenses go up. She couldn’t stand to be vulnerable and he knew she would never indulge his more deviant fantasies. He had sensed her distaste for his predilections and surprisingly enough, he found his tastes were slowly changing since he met her.

  He sat behind her and cradled her body against his and placed his wrist to her mouth. She grabbed hold with both hands, grumbling the entire time. His mating brand flared with pain despite the clothing separating them. “I said stop touching me, not touch me more.”

  “Looks like you’re the one touching me, Mackendra,” he whispered in her ear.

  “Insufferable, jackass,” she mumbled and he lost all thought as her tongue darted out and she licked his wrist.

  His cock went rock hard and he was on the verge of climaxing a second later. She made a little humming noise as she latched on. He told his body to back the hell off, but it wasn’t listening. The last thing his mate needed was for him to find pleasure when she was suffering. Through their bond, he felt her discomfort, but also her arousal.

  It wasn’t like the last time she took his blood when her orgasm hit her suddenly. This time because of her injury, her desire built in slow measures. He hoped the fact that it increased with each draw of his blood meant that she was healing. She moaned against his flesh and he swore the vibrations went straight to his shaft.

  He knew the moment she felt his erection pressing into her backside when she stiffened in front of him. He expected her to turn around and curse at him, so he wasn’t prepared when the vixen wiggled her ass back into him, settling closer.

  “You live on the edge, mate. Be careful with that. It may go off,” he told her honestly. Try as he might, there was a point of no return where that was concerned and he was dangerously close.

  Her response was to give his wrist a hard suck and reach back with her hand. He’d only allowed her to touch him one time, but he was addicted to it. Rather than backing up, he pushed his erection into her palm.

  He wanted more contact, but didn’t want to cause her pain. Paying attention to what her soul was telling him, he was torn when he sensed her rapidly rising arousal. He settled his free hand in the apex of her legs and she lifted her hips then winced in pain. He was about to pull away and take his wrist from her when she placed her hand over his and pressed down. He doubted there was any blood left, but that didn’t stop her from sucking on his flesh anyway.

  He loved how she took what she wanted. He pressed his hand down and held her closer to his body. He didn’t dare slide his hand into her pants because he would not be able to stop from indulging further. He pulled her hand away from his shaft and groaned.

  She smiled up at him with a knowing look. “You like the thought of my discomfort way too much,” he murmured and laid his head on top of hers.

  “Yep, I do, bloodsucker.” He shook his head at her. At some point, the term had changed from an insult to a term of endearment and he liked it.

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

  Mackendra sat forward, tossing the peel from her fruit aside. With each encounter she had with Kyran, they became closer and while she may have fallen in love with the vampire, that didn’t mean she was comfortable with it or wanted him to know. Pip chose that moment to run to her side and she tossed him a piece of fruit.

  Having heard Kyran’s history with females, she hadn’t expected him to be gentle with her, but he was. She’d felt the evidence of his arousal and had expected him to take his pleasure as he saw fit. It hadn’t dawned on her until now how difficult this may be for him. It was obvious that whatever was driving her insane lust for the vampire was driving his as well, yet he was so much stronger than she could ever hope to be. She hadn’t been prepared for how he’d cared for her, placing his needs aside, no matter how uncomfortable.

  “Careful, lass. How does your leg feel?”

  His question reminded her where they were and why she had been drinking his blood. “I’m not sure,” she moved her leg and cried out when pain shot up the limb.

  “Doona move. I’m going to check it again. My blood should have healed it by now, but that does
na mean it did.” He made his way around her and kept his hand at her back. He had been touching her with more frequency, keeping Mack on edge.

  In her experience, men were selfish creatures. First, there was her abusive father who had robbed her mother of every ounce of self-worth she ever had. Then, in high school, her boyfriends only had sex on their minds and would manipulate her to get what they wanted. Finally, there was her former fiancé. He had been the worst of them all when he left her the second she was no longer his perfect Barbie Doll.

  But, Kyran was surprisingly different when given his history he should have been worse. The formidable vampire was savage when dealing with his enemies, yet caring and patient with her when she’d needed him.

  He gingerly made his way to her feet and wrapped his hands around her boot. His touch was light until he reached her ankle where he increased the pressure ever so slightly, making her wince.

  “That’s better than it was before. The swelling is nearly gone here. I’m going to apply some pressure where your leg was broken, tell me if it hurts.” He kept his head bent and she could see the side of his face was scrunched in concentration as he gently probed his way up her limb. She was watching him, ogling his gorgeous face when he hit a sore spot.

  She hissed in a breath, “That hurts,” she said between clenched teeth.

  His head snapped up and there was an adorable crease between his eyes. The expression didn’t look natural on him. It was clear he was trying his hardest to fix this and make her feel better.

  “My blood should have healed you by now. I doona understand.”

  “Well, apparently, your blood isn’t the heal-all you thought it was. I know that must be a blow to your ego, but it can’t repair bone in a matter of minutes.” She smiled at his scowl.

  “Mackendra,” he growled. She didn’t hate her given name, but she didn’t like to be called by it. It reminded her of her parents. Her father would yell at her using her full name when he was drunk and pissed, making her hate the sound of it, but she’d come to like the sound of it in Kyran’s deep timbre, heavily accented by his Scottish brogue.