Studying his shadowed profile, Maria suddenly had the urge to kiss him.
Obviously reading her thoughts again, Oz turned his face toward her and pressed his lips against her own.
Maria softly moaned. She could kiss Oz every day for the rest of her life and never grow tired of it.
“I will never tire of you, either,” Oz sent through her mind.
“We are nearly there,” Zaureth called back over his shoulder. “I see the lights up ahead.”
Maria’s stomach tightened in dread. She’d been a prisoner the last time she’d darkened the halls of Aukrabah. How would she be received by the Bracadytes on her second trip to their home? She didn’t know, but she would soon find out.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Oz came to a stop next to Vaulcron, his gaze touching on the faces of the soldiers standing at attention near the entrance to Aukrabah. At least twenty rifles lifted simultaneously.
“Stand down,” Fiona barked, strolling up next to Oz, her gaze on the men in uniform.
One of the men raised his arm, motioning for the others to lower their weapons. “Sorry, ma’am, we didn’t realize who you were.”
“No harm done, Roosevelt,” Fiona stated, following the soldiers as they disbursed back to their stations. She stopped next to Roosevelt, her hands moving with quick, jerky movements as she spoke.
“I wonder what he said to piss her off?” Oz muttered more to himself than to Vaulcron.
Vaulcron bumped Oz with his elbow. “Take a look at that.”
Oz stood in stunned silence, his gaze landing on the progress the military had made to the main entrance in a matter of days. “Wow. These guys have been busy.”
The entry hole had been dug out to create an opening large enough to drive ten semis through. Side by side. A massive concrete ramp had been poured, and tents were situated on both sides of the entrance. Inside and out.
Vaulcron blinked. “I am not sure how I feel about this. It is as if we have opened the door to our home and invited disaster to follow.”
Oz understood Vaulcron’s hesitation to accept the inevitable. If the president decided to take Aukrabah, there would be nothing the Bracadytes could do to stop him.
Zaureth stepped up next to Vaulcron. “Do not worry, son of my king. I would never allow Aukrabah to be taken by the land walkers.”
Oz glanced at Zaureth’s tense expression, saw the determination in his pale green eyes. From what Oz had seen of the healer’s powers, he knew Zaureth spoke the truth. If anyone could stop a full-on military invasion, it would be Zaureth.
Vaulcron clapped Zaureth on the shoulder. “I am not worried, my friend. Aukrabah will be safe as long as we have you and Gryke with us.”
Gryke strode past, taking the concrete ramp into the belly of the cave. “The humans would do well to stay near the surface,” he called over his shoulder. “The first one I see breaching the interior of our home will be returned posthaste. Without a head.”
Oz adjusted Maria in his arms and trailed off after Gryke. Zaureth followed suit.
Fiona and Vaulcron brought up the rear.
* * * *
Oz glanced at his watch and gripped the hem of his T-shirt to wipe the sweat from his face. They’d been walking for almost ten hours, stopping only long enough to relieve themselves and seek out fresh water along the way.
“We have arrived,” Gryke announced, jerking his chin toward the waiting throng of Bracadytes in the distance.
Mallory pushed her way through the anxious crowd. “Vaulcron?”
“I am here, my mate.” Vaulcron barreled past Oz and jogged toward his pregnant mate.
Zaureth hurried ahead also as Amy stepped from the crowd of Bracadytes while clinging to Rauneca’s arm.
Maria’s emotions swam through Oz’s psyche in a kaleidoscope of feelings he couldn’t get a bead on.
He reached out and grasped her hand. “It’ll be okay. I promise.”
She squeezed his fingers in return, but kept her gaze locked on the king now striding toward them.
“Gryke?” Klause acknowledged, gripping the Bracadyte’s forearm. “It is good to have you back.”
“I am happy to be back, my king.”
Klause glanced at Fiona before returning his gaze to Gryke. “I am pleased that you kept the human female alive. Protecting her ensures Braum’s safety.”
Oz didn’t miss the indignation that flashed in Fiona’s eyes.
Gryke shrugged. “She did not need my protection. Mayhap you should ask her how many men she killed while we were gone.”
Klause grinned at Gryke’s words. “Perhaps that is why I sent her with you.”
Shifting his attention to Oz, Klause softened his gaze. “Nicho. It is good to see you. When Vaulcron notified me of your arrival, I had a room readied for you.”
“Thank you,” Oz responded, extending his arm.
Klause clasped his forearm in a firm grip. “No need for thanks. I hope that you will be staying with us for a while.”
“That’s the plan.” Oz pulled Maria in close to his side. “Maria will be staying with me, if you so permit.”
Klause looked up at the ceiling, feigning exasperation before meeting Oz’s gaze once more. “What is one more human running amok through my halls? I am about to have two more grandchildren that are part land walker.” He bent and kissed Maria’s free hand. “I would be a hypocrite to turn this beauty away.”
Oz could feel the relief Maria experienced at Klause’s words.
“I really appreciate your hospitality,” Maria stated, a grateful smile on her face. “You’re very gracious.”
Klause made a soft sound in the back of his throat. “Oz is family. If he can lie down next to you, I can certainly walk next to you.”
Oz laughed, pinning Maria with a humorous look. “Klause has never been known for having couth. You’ll get used to it.”
“I do not know what couth means,” Klause murmured, turning toward the great hall and motioning for them to follow.
Not about to elaborate on the definition of couth, Oz trailed off after the King of Aukrabah, keeping a firm hold on Maria’s hand.
The three of them arrived at Oz’s new quarters a few minutes later. Klause stopped outside the entrance. “I will leave you to get settled. Some of the females prepared food and readied your bed. I trust that you will be comfortable.”
“Thank you.” Oz briefly gripped Klause on the shoulder and then guided Maria into their new home.
Chapter Thirty
Maria gazed around in wonder as she and Oz entered the large room she would call home.
“It’s incredible,” she breathed, taking in her surroundings.
Sconces were situated along the walls, holding moonstones that gave the room a soft glow.
A stone table sat in what could only be described as the kitchen area, with smooth rocks on either side. “Are those chairs?”
Oz nodded. “They were sanded to create a comfortable seat.”
“What are those gray things resting on them?”
“The Bracadyte version of cushions,” Oz responded, moving to pick one up. “They’re made from sharkskin. They fill them with sand from the gulf’s floor. The beds are fashioned in the same manner.”
Maria trailed off toward the archway that led to the bedroom. A massive bed sat in the center of the room, with smooth rock tables situated on either side.
She bent and pressed her palm against the makeshift mattress. “Oh wow. It’s like memory foam.”
Oz grinned. “Better, in my opinion.”
“What’s that?” Maria nodded toward an alcove on the far side of the room.
“The bathroom,” Oz informed her with a wink.
Maria hurried to the alcove, amazed at the detail she saw inside. “Is that a toilet?” she asked in awe.
Oz explained how the toilet worked before showing her the sink and the contents nestled in the wall behind it. “We have toothpaste and toothbrushes right here.”
Oz nodded toward the doorway. “In the bath house.”
Maria wanted a shower more than anything. “Will you take me there? I would love to bathe before I go to bed.”
“Of course,” Oz assured her, signaling for her to follow him. “I’ll see if Rauneca has anything you can wear.”
“Rauneca?” Jealousy instantly replaced Maria’s excitement.
“She’s a Bracadyte female who usually takes care of Arcanum.”
Maria cleared her throat, feigning nonchalance. “Did you ever know her on a romantic level?”
Oz stopped before entering the hall. He turned to face her. “I have never been intimate with any of the Bracadyte females, Maria. And I don’t intend to. As long as you and I are in Aukrabah, I will only be with you.”
The fact that he spoke of the present and not the future wasn’t lost on Maria. Did he see her as a burden? An obligation? “I was just curious is all.”
A slight chill ran through Maria’s body, and her vision grayed momentarily.
“Are you all right?” Oz was instantly at her side, his arm around her shoulder.
Maria wearily smiled. “I’m just hungry and exhausted. I’ll be fine after I eat and get some sleep.”
“Let’s get that bath,” Oz murmured, swinging her up into his arms. “And then I’ll feed you.”
Maria shook her head. “You really don’t have to keep carrying me everywhere we go. I told you, I’m perfectly fine.”
“Maybe I like having you in my arms,” Oz shot back, striding off down the hall.
Laying her head against his shoulder, Maria inhaled his intoxicating scent. “You smell so good.”
A soft growl vibrated from his chest. “Careful, my little temptress, or we might not make it to the bath house.”
Maria snuggled closer to Oz’s heat. She couldn’t seem to get warm enough. “Promises, promises.”
Oz chuckled. “You’re pushing your luck.”
The sound of water running caught Maria’s attention. She lifted her head in time to see what appeared to be an Olympic-size pool, swirling with water. Steam rose up from its surface like an early morning fog, calling to Maria with the promise of paradise.
“This is the most amazing thing I have ever seen,” Maria breathed as Oz slowly slid her down his body.
He turned her to face him and undressed her with precise movements.
Maria stepped cautiously into the steamy water, a sigh of contentment escaping her lips. The heat felt wonderful on her chilled flesh.
She shuddered in relief, turning to watch as Oz swiftly peeled his own clothes off.
He stepped in next to her and pulled her into his arms. “You’re shivering.”
“I don’t know how I can be so cold,” Maria murmured, pressing her body close to his. “Everyone else is dressed in barely anything at all.”
Oz frowned, laying his palm against her forehead. “Do you feel all right?”
Maria thought about that for a second. “I think so. Just a little tired is all.”
Moving Maria to the side of the pool, Oz picked up a cake of strawberry-scented soap and set about bathing her.
Maria basked in the feel of his hands on her skin. She tilted her head back and met his hooded gaze. “As magnificent as this place is, it pales in comparison to your eyes.”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “Are you trying to seduce me, Miss Acosta?”
“Is it working?” Maria stood on tiptoes and lightly raked her teeth over his chin.
Oz wrapped his fingers around her wrist and dragged her hand beneath the water to his erection. “You don’t have to seduce me, Maria. I’ve wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on you. I can’t seem to get enough.”
His mouth covered hers in a kiss that left her weak with desire. Her breasts grew heavy, and an almost frantic ache formed at the juncture of her thighs.
Maria closed her fingers around his impressive shaft and dragged them to the tip before sliding them back to the base.
He groaned into her mouth, his hips moving against the flow of her hand.
Maria wanted him with a power that weakened her. She broke off the kiss and gazed up at him with blurred vision. “Oz?”
His arms tightened around her. “Maria? Talk to me, baby.”
The room began to spin, and her stomach lurched. “I’m going to be sick.”
Oz quickly scooped her up into his arms, grabbed a towel to cover her nakedness, and ran back toward their room.
Maria heaved the instant he set her down in front of the toilet. Her insides ached, and her head spun, heightening her nausea to its maximum potential. She heaved again.
“You’re burning up,” Oz rasped, gently wiping her face with a cool washcloth.
No longer able to hold her head up, Maria moaned and laid her face along the side of the smooth rock toilet she knelt in front of.
Oz picked her up and carried her to the oversized bed in the center of the room before pulling the blanket over her.
Maria’s teeth began to chatter. She felt cold to her very bones.
Pulling another blank over her, Oz bent close to her head. “I’m going to get Zaureth. Take deep breaths through your nose and exhales through your mouth. It should help slow some of the nausea. I’ll be right back.”
Maria attempted a nod, watching as Oz poured her a cup of water from a pitcher sitting on the nightstand, lifted her head from the pillow, and held the cup to her lips.
She drank as much as her sick stomach would allow.
Oz slowly lowered her head back to the pillow, kissed her on the forehead, and set the cup on the nightstand. “I’ll be right back.”
He practically ran from the room, his face pale with worry.
Maria wanted to assure him that she would be all right, that she’d obviously just caught a bug or managed to get food poisoning. But she couldn’t force the words through her weak lungs.
Real fear suddenly crept into her mind as she lay there, growing weaker by the minute. Only one thing she knew of that could take a person down that quick was…the Incola virus.
Chapter Thirty-One
Oz’s heart twisted with dread as he jogged his way to the catacombs. Had Maria contracted the Incola virus? He didn’t know, but he couldn’t have gone through everything he had with her only to lose her now. He just couldn’t.
“Wait!” Oz called, noticing the healer turning toward the steps to the catacombs.
Zaureth stopped, cranking his head around in Oz’s direction.
Oz came to a stop next to the giant Bracadyte. “I need your help. Maria is sick. She looks really bad.”
Amy appeared at the bottom of the steps, her gaze landing somewhere above Oz’s shoulder. “I heard voices. Is something wrong?”
“Stay back,” Oz blurted. “Maria has come down with something bad. If it’s the Incola virus, you don’t need to be anywhere around her.”
Amy’s hand flew to her mouth, her eyes growing huge with horror.
Zaureth shifted his gaze to his mate. “Do not leave the catacombs until I return.”
“What about Mallory?” Amy breathed, lowering her hand from her mouth. “And Glenn. He’s human too.”
Zaureth descended the steps and wrapped his mate in his arms. “I will inform Vaulcron of the situation. Anderson as well. No matter what happens, do not leave our quarters.”
“I won’t,” Amy swore, tears swimming in her light blue eyes.
Zaureth planted a firm kiss on her lips and rushed back up the steps. “After you.”
Oz made it back to his room in record time to find Vaulcron waiting outside his door. “It’s best that you not go inside. If it is the Incola virus, it’s airborne. I wouldn’t want to risk you taking it back to Mallory.”
Zaureth stopped behind Oz. “Mallory carries a Bracadyte child inside her womb. The chances of her contracting the virus are very small.”
&n
bsp; “But not impossible,” Oz pointed out, rushing inside. “What about Amy? How will you prevent her from being exposed?”
Zaureth followed Oz toward the bed where Maria lay. “I will go to the bath house and cleanse myself after I am done here. Viruses outside the body normally only live minutes in the air and up to twenty-four hours on a hard surface. As long as we keep this section sealed off from visitors, the virus should stay contained.”
Oz glanced back toward the door where Vaulcron stood with a worried look in his eyes. “It is best that you don’t come in here. And please make sure this section stays closed off.”
Vaulcron nodded. “I will be sure that Anderson stays near the south end as well.”
Zaureth sat on the edge of the bed and laid his palms on either side of Maria’s face. “She burns with fever.”
“Maria?” Oz softly called, touching her on the shoulder. “Can you hear me?”
She moaned but otherwise didn’t move.
Oz studied the seriousness of Zaureth’s expression. “Do you think it could be Incola?”
Zaureth moved his hands down to her shoulders, obviously sending her healing energy. “It is difficult to say at this point. I can feel the sickness present inside her, but I am unsure of its origin.”
Oz felt as if he’d been kicked in the gut. “What can I do to help her?”
Sliding his hands down her body, Zaureth glanced into Oz’s eyes. “You can give her some of your blood. If it is Incola, the blood probably will not cure her, but it might give her a better chance of survival.”
Feeling his fangs descend on command, Oz bit into his wrist and laid the bleeding wound against Maria’s partially open lips. “Drink this, baby. It will help you.”
Maria made a soft sound in the back of her throat before opening her mouth over the puncture wounds in Oz’s wrist.
“Good girl,” Oz praised her, massaging her throat to help her swallow.
Zaureth got to his feet. “I have done all that I can with my hands. But there is something else that might help her. I will go and fetch it now.”
Oz sent the healer a grateful look as he strode from the room before taking up his position on the bed next to Maria.
Oz: A SciFi Alien Romance (Enigma Series Book 5) Page 12