Earth's Mark (Lords of Krete Book 2)

by Rachael Slate

  That voice. She’d know him anywhere.

  Sinon.

  “Kleoptoleme!” he barked once more, loud enough for the entire encampment to hear him. All went silent.

  Steeling herself, she dropped Arctus’s hand and spun toward the stone wall, marching to him. What in Hades was he doing here and how could she make him go away, swiftly? “Sinon, you are not welcome here. Leave.” She crossed her arms and stared him down.

  Once, his black, thickly-lashed eyes and hard-edged jaw had drawn her in. Once, the terrible scar cutting across his right cheek had beckoned her. The menacing snarl twisting his lips and the black depths of despair promised in his eyes had been cruel and ruthless. He was tall and mighty, and his skill with a sword was deemed unmatchable. He was the greatest warrior the Gargareans had to offer.

  And he’d been hers.

  Her choice. Her breeding male. Her mark carved into his flesh.

  It was him. Her suspicions about the boar’s blood defacement of her cave had been accurate. He’d been calculating enough not to confront her until she was fertile once more. Ugh.

  After their son had died, she’d forbidden him to set foot in this place. He’d never forgiven her for depriving him of an heir; she’d never forgiven him for being so callous.

  Breeding with him had been the biggest mistake she’d ever made.

  How dare he come here.

  “Now, Kleo,” a snide curve quirked his cruel lips, “twenty long years you’ve declared you wouldn’t take another. I accepted that. Despite what you owe me. But then, I hear rumor of this?” He pointed the tip of his sword toward Arctus, who stiffened but held his ground. “What am I to make of your choice to breed once more? Hmm? If you’re breeding with anyone, it’s with me.” He flung aside his sword and snatched her wrist. “Don’t pretend to forget how much you desired me.”

  Behind her, Arctus growled, but she shoved off Sinon. He was her breeding male, and on these grounds, under her command. Sinon couldn’t cause her any harm, not without bringing a hundred Amazon warriors down on his head.

  “Whom I choose to breed with is of no concern to you.” She scoffed and shrugged aside, but Sinon roared.

  “It bloody well is, so long as I bear this mark,” and he tugged the waist of his breeches over his hip to reveal her mark, “you belong to me just as much as I do to you.”

  Arctus clenched his hands. Each word jabbed at him and he fancied nothing more than to let loose his fists at the male, but this was Kleo’s concern. He would come to her aid, if and when she asked him to.

  By the gods, if he behaved as a bonded male, she’d toss him aside faster than he could land a punch. He’d never thwart her freedom or her will. Even if it tore him asunder to stand by and do nothing.

  Besides, Kleo was more than capable. Sinon latched on to her wrist again, but she wrenched off the brute’s grasp and snarled, “Leave now.”

  Instead, the male cast him a glower. “Not going to defend what’s yours, mate? Then you won’t mind if I—” He reached for Kleo, but she sent a swift kick to his manhood. Sinon dropped to his knees, howling.

  Arctus winced, but nodded in approval. Smugly, he stalked to the cur’s side. “Why would I need to defend her? Fairly certain her boots are sharper than these.” He swiped his bear’s claws in front of the male’s face. “Do as she says and scurry off. Or she may end your ability to ever procreate.”

  Puffing, the male scrambled to his feet. “This isn’t finished. Forever, Kleo. You marked me as yours forever.” He hobbled past the gates.

  Arctus shuddered as he watched the male depart. Once the fiend was out of sight, he hedged a glance at Kleo. She had to be furious.

  Instead, she leapt at him, scrambling across him, her hands clutching his shoulders and her mouth seeking his. Her taste was decadent on his tongue. He growled low and thrust his hands through her tresses, eager to claim more.

  Yet something stretched, unfinished between them, so he leaned back, heaving. “Why him?” If Kleo had any attraction toward himself, how had she ever chosen such a cruel male?

  “You don’t understand.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “We are strangers—Amazons and our breeding males. We know almost nothing of the males who challenge us. All I heard of him were tales of his great courage in battle. He was prized by many of my sisters, yet he chose me, and I relished the honor. It wasn’t until I suffered my loss that I realized he wasn’t who I thought he was. He had no heart, no honor.” She lowered her head to face the ground. “I chose poorly.”

  “Whatever tale you may have heard of the centaurs from Krete, know this, Kleoptoleme. We have honor. It is what has kept us alive.” He snared her hand and she raised her gaze to his, those hyacinth eyes piercing. “I am not like him. Centaurs cherish our ma…” He couldn’t finish, and coughed into his fist to hide his predicament. A mate deserved vows. Pledges of devotion. As a bonded centaur male, he yearned to swear them.

  They were the last thing his mate wished to hear.

  “Would it be difficult for you, to have me close and not bond with me?”

  The question was like a sharpened edge of a blade. How could he swallow it without slicing himself open? He opened his mouth, and closed it again.

  She sighed, releasing his hand. “Come, we must prepare for the morrow.”

  He may not have been sent away like Sinon, but damn, he’d been dismissed all the same.

  What was there to say to him? Kleo bit her tongue and strolled through the encampment, greeting her sisters and explaining Hippolyta’s mission. Some refused, including those breeding, but many were eager to join her. They claimed the pick of desirable Gargarean males was getting slimmer every year, and the promise of robust centaurs to mate with enticed them.

  Kleo wholeheartedly agreed. The farther away from Sinon she was, the better. Besides, as Arctus strode alongside her, his magnetic centaur form strutting proudly, she couldn’t deny the allure. Centaurs made the best lovers. Although she’d never mated with one, the rumors must be true.

  For what else explained the flutters in her stomach each time she glanced his way? They had to be the tingling jolts of lust. They weren’t anything else, were they?

  When Sinon had confronted her, Arctus had once again proven his worth. He’d stood aside while she’d controlled the situation. He’d trusted in her judgment.

  How many other bonded males would do as much? She snorted. From what she’d observed, none. Not even Kyme’s Arsenius was so abiding.

  Perhaps it was Arctus’s tragic youth, or his carefree nature, but he seemed to fit so well in her world. The question now was…how would she fit in his?

  Part of her yearned to mate with him, and the other feared what that would mean for their future. Would his view of her change? She refused to relinquish her life, her people, her will.

  Ainia sent her a bright beam as they approached. “Krete, heh?”

  “Will you join us?” A hopeful tug squeezed her heart.

  The female bit her lip. “Possibly. It’s a grand adventure.”

  Arctus dipped his head. “My people would be forever grateful for your aid.”

  “Well, how could I refuse eternal gratitude?” Ainia chimed. “How grateful, do you think?” She twirled her fingers through the air. “I have always wished for a centauress child.”

  Arctus chuckled. “With prowess like yours, they’d line up for the chance to fulfill your request.”

  Ainia smirked at him. “Good. Then I will join you. I had better gather my things.” She waved at them and marched toward her cave.

  “Thank you.” Kleo squeezed Arctus’s arm.

  He shrugged. “ ’Twas nothing. We require every warrior we can muster.”

  She smiled, knowing it was more than nothing. Arctus sensed things about her she didn’t share with anyone. Desires a warrior ought not to have. Though she might be braving a new future, she longed for a piece of her past to be included in it. Ainia was her closest friend.

  “That
we do,” she agreed, surveying the encampment. They’d spoken with most of her sisters. Anyone else was already breeding or uninterested.

  “I should gather my things as well.” She veered toward her cave, Arctus trailing behind her. Outside the flap, he propped against the wall. “What about your other belongings, in your permanent home?”

  She squinted at him. “These are my things. Everything of importance to me, only what I can carry on my back. It’s the warrior’s way.”

  He drew his thick brows together. “Show me. What are the objects most meaningful to you?”

  Laughing at him, she slipped inside and treaded to the shelves carved into the walls. He followed behind her as she plucked a satchel and set it on the table. Then she scanned the shelves. “This. It’s the dagger from my initiation, my first kill. After, I received this.” She drew aside her chiton to reveal the coin-sized mark burned into her flesh.

  Arctus whistled low. “You have many scars, Alala. And you wear them with pride.”

  “So do you.” She smiled at him in approval and handed the silver-handled blade to him.

  Twisting it about in his hands, he rumbled in appreciation. Arctus flourished his hands in a playful strike toward the wall. “Ha, yah, heh, ho.” He jabbed several times at his imaginary enemy. “A fine weapon,” he grunted.

  “If you’re finished vanquishing my wall, perhaps you can help me.” She stuffed the satchel into his arms and plucked the knife from his grasp. After wrapping the blade in a soft leather cloth, she stuck it inside the satchel. Humming, she searched the shelves. “Aha. There you are.” She rose onto the tips of her toes and snatched a jeweled comb. “From my mother. Before she died.”

  Empathy glistened in his depths, but she waved it aside. “She died a great warrior’s death, in battle, fighting a fearsome enemy. It was when I was young, and I don’t remember much of her. Except this comb.” She placed it inside the bag as well.

  Kleo collected a handful of garments, an extra pair of boots, and one pair of sandals, and stuffed those into the satchel, too. “Well, I believe that’s everything.”

  Arctus frowned into the bag. “Truly? This is all you possess in the whole world?” He whipped his head. “Lass, I could fit all of this into my boot. When we reclaim my parents’ lands, and our estate, you’ll have a hundred grand rooms full of trinkets to amuse over.”

  She stiffened and glared at him. “I don’t want a hundred rooms full of trinkets. I’m not a doll you can dress in fine gowns and parade about. Arctus, if you ever try to, you’re going to learn the hard lesson of just how much of a warrior I am.”

  Chapter 9

  Arctus grinned at the fiery lass prancing before him. “Aye, and I wouldn’t take you any other way.”

  She gaped, her mouth open from her protests. “You wouldn’t?”

  “Nay,” he coaxed her closer, “because everything you are is what I have spent my life searching for. One who is my match in every way. I admire both your fierceness and your softness.” Solemn, he curled his finger beneath her chin. “I have grown fond of you, Kleo. Very fond.” He cleared his throat before greater confessions escaped. Tossing around the word “love” would be disastrous with an Amazon, yet he didn’t deny it bloomed within his chest.

  He would love her, even if she never permitted him to.

  A laugh burst on his lips at her rounded eyes. “Fear not, Amazon. My hearts aren’t an enemy in need of vanquishing.”

  “Good. Keep it that way.” Her mouth relaxed into a smile. “Exactly how fond of me are you? Fond enough to demand this?” She clasped his hand and drew it to her breast.

  He gave the full weight a gentle press and groaned. “Oh, aye. So very fond of that particular part of you.”

  “More than here?” She lowered their hands to her bottom, and he squeezed her firm flesh, grunting in appreciation.

  “ ’Tis no fair question to query, Alala. Asking a man to choose between those two tempting curves.”

  “It’s not?” Playfully, she arched one brow. “How about inquiring if you prefer this?” She guided their hands to her belly, sliding them downward along her thigh, and then back up again beneath her chiton, to the luscious heat between her legs.

  Growling, he leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers while his fingers brushed the softest silk. He stroked her folds, his fingers skimming along those delicate petals toward her core. “What I might be craving most in this moment is,” he plunged two fingers inside her sheath, “right here. Ughn.” A light gasp escaped her parted lips and drove him to explore her deeper, thrusting his fingers in and out, coating them in her sweet honey. His thumb sought and claimed her nub, rubbing across her swelling bud. She rode his hand, bracing against his shoulders.

  “That’s it, Kleoptoleme,” he purred. “Take what you seek from me, for everything I am is yours.”

  His cock could hardly stand the torment. The scent of her arousal pounded through his nostrils, into his veins, and through every inch of his muscles. Curse the gods, he longed to take her. Bonding be damned. She wouldn’t accept his bonding, and he refused to live without having her. Arctus snared her mouth, swallowing her airy cries as her body shattered around his hand. She came, long and hard, convulsing in ecstasy. The beauty of her devastated him.

  She was everything he needed and craved and dreamed to hold.

  Somehow, she was his.

  “Like that, did you?” After removing his hand, he nuzzled her neck and clutched her tighter while she hummed in a seemingly dazed contentment.

  “Mmm hmm.”

  “You’re not finished yet, are you?”

  She pushed back and panted, “No, are you?”

  Chuckling, he combed his fingers through her locks. “Nay, sweetling. I’ll never be finished with you.” Then he scooped her over his shoulder amidst her pounding fists.

  “Unhand me, you beast.”

  “Indeed, I think not. Instead, I’ll show you what a beast I truly am.”

  Kleo shuddered at Arctus’s promised threat. “You’d better.” He plopped her on top of the table and planted his hands on her knees, spreading them.

  “Oh, I will.”

  “Not like this.” She eyed his centaur form in dismay.

  “Hmm? How about like this?” He flashed into his human form, nude and erect before her. The thick length of him jutting proudly for her admiration. She licked her lips and did exactly that.

  He gripped himself and eased between her legs, guiding his tip to her sex.

  She pressed a hand to his shoulder. “Not like this, either. You would seek to be with an Amazon, centaur?”

  He tipped his face to hers. “Most assuredly, I do.”

  She ushered him backward and hopped off the table, directing him to the sleeping furs. “Lie down. On your back.”

  “Aye, Mistress,” he teased, flopping onto the furs. He folded his arms behind his head and stalked her with his intense stare.

  Nerves fluttered in her stomach as she clasped the hem of her chiton and slipped it above her head, baring herself to him. Strange, since he’d just pleasured her, and he’d viewed her nude form before, and yet, this was their first coupling.

  All her anxiety vanished at the desperate rumble in Arctus’s throat.

  Humming in satisfaction, she stepped to him and seized his legs, bending them up toward his head. “Ah, Kleo?” His eyes widened at the odd position, but she smiled at him. “Trust me. This, you’ve never had before.”

  She climbed atop him, her legs straddling either side of his bent ones. Settling his shaft at her entrance, she slowly eased down onto him, moaning at his decadent width. He filled every needy inch of her, making her wet with the urgency to take him yet deeper. Kleo shifted forward and, bracing against his shoulders, thrust her hips forward, slamming him inside her.

  “Sweet gods,” Arctus puffed, his fingers growing white at clutching the furs beside him.

  “I told you.” She drove her hips forward and back. In this way, it was like h
er spearing him, but he was the one inside her.

  Command and control. Why Amazons liked this position best. They assumed the authority, and both parties enjoyed even greater pleasure.

  She adjusted her hips, loving dominating her male, how his eyes rolled back in pleasure.

  Angling forward above him, she planted her hands on his shoulders and rocked against him in a relentless rhythm.

  He growled, then swooped and claimed her breast in his mouth, suckling her. The heat of his tongue sent lashes of delight straight through to her core and she cried out.

  The impulse was impossible to deny. Her body clenched around his thick, solid weight, and she toppled forward, screaming into his chest. While her body convulsed, he flipped them over and drove himself deep inside her, searing heat pouring into her body that propelled her release. She thrashed her head against the furs and dug her nails into his back, unable to withstand the blissful torment.

  His face beside hers, he roared, slamming his hips into her in a relentless frenzy.

  Finally, his pumping slowed, and she relaxed, the spasms calming. He groaned, long and deep, and collapsed his heavy weight on top of her.

  The rich, heady scent of their lovemaking spread through the air. Perspiration glistened across his glorious body and slickness coated her thighs. His thickness remained inside her, no longer quite as hard, and he gave one good grunting shove to ensure he stayed there.

  She sighed, long and low, releasing the last traces of tension from her body. This was heavenly.

  Usually, she commanded the male off her immediately after spilling his seed, but with Arctus, she longed for him to stay there forever. Was that wrong?

  She shoved aside her uncertainties and closed her eyes instead, drifting away to where any dream could come true.

  Arctus flopped, sniffing for his mate. His fingers searched through the furs for her soft warmth. Yet the bed beside him was cold and empty. Kleo’s scent had gone stale. He flashed open his eyes. Where was she?