by Grey, T. A.
“Oh my god, I can’t stand this. You have to talk to me. I feel like I’m losing my mind here.”
Alrik barely contained his stunned expression. She wanted him to talk to her. What about?
“Come on, we’re heading back out. I want to reach the Drego river before nightfall. We’ll sleep there.”
She sighed and came up beside him. She was much shorter than Arianna. She didn’t even reach his shoulders. Damn. Why was he even thinking these crazy ideas?
“What? I don’t even see any water.”
He pointed south. “It’s there.”
Her gaze narrowed on the distant landscape and then she shrugged. “I don’t see it.” She sighed even louder. “We have to walk all that way. That has to be, like, ten miles.”
“At least.”
She groaned and his lips twitched. He quickly schooled the emotion before she saw it. This was new for him—finding humor in something. He hadn’t felt that in...a long time. He couldn’t even remember the last time because not even Arianna had made him laugh.
“Fine, let’s go before I lose my motivation.”
She started down the hill without him. He followed behind; his gaze locked on a part of her he really shouldn’t be looking at, but couldn’t help himself. The way her pants fit her was almost indecent. Shahoulin women wore long, beautiful dresses that complimented their beauty. Abbigail, a mere human, managed to stir desire wearing nothing but tight pants that cupped her in ways that made his palms itch to feel for himself.
So wrapped up in his baser thoughts was he that he didn’t react for a long second when her foot slipped on a rock. Alrik snapped out of it as her scream ripped through the air and she started tumbling down the hill.
“Abbigail!”
He charged down the hill, his heart pounding in his throat. Something intense and terrifying filled him. He reached her just as she rolled to a stop at the bottom of the hill. She lay on her stomach facing away from him, her arms bent under her, and her legs squeezed together.
He turned her over and her eyes squinted up at him in pain.
“Ow, that one hurt.” Her lips pinched together as her brow furrowed.
He knelt beside her, his hands touching her everywhere. “Where are you hurt?” She stiffened, but he didn’t realize it. That intense feeling still held him in its tight grip.
Her voice came out breathless. “Didn’t hurt anything new except maybe my ego. A few rocks just jabbed into my bruises.”
He lifted her shirt up ignoring her squeal of protest to inspect her bruise. A part of him expected to find blood there, but her skin was intact just colored in an ugly way. Relief filled him and he collapsed over her, burying his head in her hair. A wild staccato beat pounded in his chest. He’d only ever felt that feeling once before he realized, when Arianna stepped in front of him to take the blow that would have ended his life.
“Alrik?” she asked hesitantly.
He pulled back and found her face a mask of confusion. Something changed inside of him then. Now with the panic passing, he realized he had her practically in his arms. His gaze dropped to her mouth; soft pink lips that were pouty and full. His gut clenched and what happened next he was lost to.
He slanted his lips across hers and gave in to the need inside him. The first touch was like being zapped with an electrical charge. Every ounce of his body burned, roaring at him to take more, take all that she’d give, and then take even more. She was soft and warm, her lips delicate in a way that brought out the animal inside him.
He held back the beast and savored the press of her lips but his body strained to keep it caged.
Soft, pliable lips pressed gently against his as his mouth fluttered across hers. His cock was a mighty weight between his legs, roaring at him to have her hand curl around the shaft.
Then she pressed back against him and he snapped. A shiver tore down his spine.
A feral growl sounded, surprising him. The sound came from him, from the need he’d buried deep inside of himself. As her soft lips kissed him back he did something wild and utterly stupid. He did something he’d wanted to do since he met her and thrust his tongue deep.
The sweet taste of her flooded his senses, firing his already yearning body. Then she surprised him. Her hands swept into his hair, clenching his head to her as if she didn’t want him to move.
Oh god. The way she touched him. She made sexy little noises in the back of her throat and the way her tongue met his in a wet sweep brought the need in him shooting down his spine to his cock.
He never thought...
He never knew...
She touched him as if she never wanted him to stop.
His cock throbbed, feeling ready to explode. One of his fists curled into the grass beside her head before he did something he’d really regret--like touching her. Touching her in ways they both craved.
Her tongue stroked his, wet, soft, and eager. She made a soft, needy noise in the back of her throat and her body pressed up into his like an undulating wave. Her breasts crushed against his chest, the pebbles of her nipples scraping him through their shirts. His hips jerked with a needy thrust.
He broke away, stumbled back away from her as his chest pumped hard. Her eyes were fogged with passion as she looked at him. Her cheeks were flushed, lips wet and swollen. Her chest rose and fell in fast waves, straining her breasts against her shirt.
His emotions teetered all over the place. He had to find some semblance of control before he went right back over to her and finished what had started. Just the thought sent his gaze between her thighs. Her hips jerked in response as if she felt his touch there and he nearly groaned. So badly did he want to feel her soft femininity. He clenched his hands as if to keep his fingers from wanting to dip into her jeans and feel her soft sex. How wet was she? How hot? Would she burn against him? Another shudder wracked through him.
He couldn’t touch her though, he wouldn’t.
So he said the one thing he knew would work. “Don’t ever touch me again.”
Hurt flashed across her face and he hated himself for putting it there. Then, just as quickly, anger surged and she jerked to a stand. “You kissed me.”
His jaw popped he held it so tightly. “Come on.” He strode past her. He had no other choice. He had to ignore her or else he might do something irrevocably stupid. He hid the tremble in his hands by curling them into fists.
He had about two seconds of peace before she stormed beside him marching like she was taking her anger out on the grass. “You are un-fucking-believable. I mean really. You are such an ass.”
“Watch your tongue, Abbigail,” he warned. He’d only take so much of her insults.
“Watch your tongue, Abbigail,” she mimicked in a high voice. She darted a lethal gaze at him. “You watch it, demon. With how I feel right now you don’t want to piss me off.”
He almost laughed, actually. “And just what do you think you could possibly do to me.”
No sooner had she sucked in a deep breath did he feel the warmth of her magic surrounding him. He realized he’d made a mistake just as he went flying through the air. Air rushed past him, blowing hair in his face. His stomach felt like it was kissing his spine. Surprise kept him from responding, or at least that’s what he told himself. He landed on the grass some fifteen feet away feeling as though he’d just been run over by a horse.
He jumped to a stand ready to exact retribution, but she squared her shoulders and spread her feet looking ready to fight. Her eyes glowed dimly from the magic running through her veins. She looked so small yet stood as a warrior ready to battle at the front lines. She looked more beautiful than ever.
His anger fled as swiftly as it came. His lips twitched again and he stifled a laugh. The emotion felt so odd he didn’t know how to hide it.
“Glad to see you’re improving on your skills.”
With that, he turned and continued south.
Her soft growl brought a full smile to his mouth.
Cha
pter Ten
Abby didn’t know how she managed not to freeze her butt off during the night, but she slept surprisingly well. She’d asked Alrik to build a fire and he’d refused, said it’d leave them vulnerable. She didn’t get that and when she pressed him, he shook his head in a condescending way then explained that: “If we leave a fire lit it only brings dangerous eyes to our position while we rest unaware.”
Well he may have a point but she didn’t like the idea of another freezing cold night without a blanket. However, now that she thought about it, she woke up warm and comfortable each morning. Strange.
Not to mention she needed new clothes badly. She’d give almost anything to have a pair of fresh jeans, a shirt, and a warm jacket. Scrubbing her clothes in streams and lakes worked only so much.
Alrik was already up and moving around when she got up but she figured he hadn’t been up long. The strange light in the sky, not a sun but a bright enough light that looked as if it always had a hazy fog covering it, just broke into the sky.
Abby stretched the sore muscles in her body. She was getting more of a workout with all the hiking than she’d had in a long time. She could already feel her stomach slimming some. Normally she might be happy that she’d slimmed down, but in this case it made her jeans bag on her and without any replacement clothes it just served to remind her how much she needed to be home.
Alrik set a packet of cooked, dried meat on the ground then announced, “I’ll be back.”
A flicker of panic instantly swept through her. He was leaving her? He’d never said any such thing before. When he started walking into the woods, underneath a high-rise cliff on their left, she hollered out to him.
“Where are you going?”
He kept walking for a few steps then seemed to debate with himself before he stopped and turned back. Her breath squeezed tight in her throat, her entire body caught fire just having him look at her. All because of that kiss. She swore his masculine, sexy taste still filled her mouth. It surprised her, but if he came to her right now and took her mouth she’d gladly give in.
Not once in her whole life had she ever been kissed like that. It was as if kissing her had been the most pleasurable act in his life, as if he couldn’t get enough, and as if it took every ounce of willpower in his entire body not take her body. And she’d felt the same. She hadn’t wanted it to ended, not even for a second.
A shiver quivered down her spine. Her breasts pulled tight and her nipples hardened. She gulped but hoped, and didn’t hope, that he would notice.
His dark eyes caught hers and she swore—he knew. He knew every sensual thought she just had because he’d had it too.
“I’m going to the lake to bathe.” He voice sounded even deeper than normal.
Her eyebrows flew up.
As if sensing where her thoughts were leading her he jabbed a finger in her direction. “You will not follow me, Abbigail. You will stay here and eat until I return. If anything seems amiss, cry out and I’ll be here.”
Abby looked around in dismay. A stream of cool water trickled down over the rocky cliff above and flowed down southwards, bubbling over rocks and crags. He told her it all poured out into the Drego lake, but a thick expanse of forest kept it from view.
This forest looked different from the ones she’d seen before. There were many bushes and shrubs colored dark yellow like mustard, bright yellow like a cheery tulip, and a beautiful dark cherry red. Some were as tall as her waist and others even taller than she was. They fit amidst the thick trunked trees creating a beautiful, earthy juxtaposition. Their leaves were heart shaped but elongated and thinner with the ends coming to a point. They brought a smile to Abby’s face with their earthly beauty.
Alrik followed her gaze and he scowled. “And do not touch anything. Some of these plants are dangerous to the touch.”
Abby’s smile died. The forest just went from a pretty little garden she might explore to something dangerous. She took in the beautiful shrubbery one last time. Looks like she wouldn’t be going in there without her little guide after all. Sighing, she took a seat on a rock that had a smooth flat surface.
“Fine, I’ll wait here.” She popped her chin up on her fist and gave him her bored expression. She was trying to play it bored, but truth be told she didn’t like the idea of being here alone. The crazy demon was all she had in this strange world, and she needed him as much as he did her.
Alrik turned and followed along the cliff before disappearing around the bend.
Abby fidgeted then moved to sit Indian style. When that didn’t bring any comfort, she kicked her legs out in front of her and crossed her ankles. Time seemed to slow after he left. She was never one to idle, always preferred to keep moving.
The peaceful quiet of the woods didn’t help that any. The wind blew by rustling the leaves of the trees creating its own form of music. She sighed with disgust. This was no good. Sitting alone left to her thoughts to fill the silence.
She probably lost her job. If she made it out of this ordeal then she might be able to explain to Stan and get her job back. He was a good teacher but harsh. He’d probably make her redo her entire internship and that’d leave her back at square one working towards her supernatural medical examiner’s certificate. God, she wanted it so badly she could almost taste it.
She wanted that laminated badge with her picture and name on it. The one stamped ME on it by the state. Not her intern’s badge. She wanted to finish her autopsy training and be in there with the victims, finding cause of death, and helping detectives like Mike to find murderers. She wanted to be someone who helped to make things a little better in the world. She didn’t want to stand by as bad things happened. She could do something to help and she wanted it so bad she could taste it.
With a grunt, Abby fell back against the slab of rock and stared up at the strange sky. Out of all the doubts she’d ever entertained about her job, she never once figured she might get her dream job because a sexy demon would kidnap her. Yup, can’t say that ever crossed the mind, she thought.
Maybe not being smart enough for the job or not being able to stomach what she saw—those were legitimate fears she’d had. The thought of a cursed psycho storming into her house and kidnapping her into a dimension filled with different kinds of demons never entered her mind. Not even once.
What that meant for her was almost too scary to think about. Could she really be that powerful? If the queen was as powerful as he said, and if she sent those birds with the deadliest storm ever after them, then she must be. That meant she might be more powerful than the queen and the thought terrified her. What if when she finished harnessing her power to get out of the rift it went to her head? What if it corrupted her or changed her? She didn’t want to change. She was perfectly happy how she was.
Okay, maybe that’s not entirely true. She’d been stuck in a rut, bored when not working, and living without really living life. Her daily routine had consisted of getting in her internship hours and staying at home. Ever since she’d been out of college her relationship with her best friend Jenna had even started to deteriorate. If anything, they should be spending even more time together what with all the free time Abby had.
Well, she was certainly living life now just not in the way she’d ever thought possible. Now she was in a strange world with a strange man. No, a demon, she corrected. Alrik was no man. He was too powerful, too mysterious, too sensual, too dangerous...too everything to be a man.
And, he kissed her like she had always wanted to be kissed. Heck, like any woman would want to be kissed at least once in their lifetime. Like she’d been his air. Once his lips touched hers, something zapped between them, something too powerful to be contained. Her stomach fluttered and she ran her hand over it to settle it. Her lips felt suddenly dry and she darted her tongue out to wet them. She wanted that again. She wanted it so badly it was a physical need telling her to go after him and make him kiss her like that again. She wanted to see what else he was capable of, and discove
r what other passions existed between them.
A twig snapped nearby. Abby jumped up, her gaze searching in the direction of the cliff where Alrik had disappeared behind. She held her breath as her heart thumped in her chest. She despised the jumpy feeling she got every time Alrik left her. Her instincts were on full alert, preparing her body for fight or flight mode. She recognized it which only made her eyes widen further to see what had made that noise.
The sound of leaves rustling came and then Alrik stepped around the bend of the cliff. Her breath wheezed out of her in a long rush, and she collapsed on the rock as her muscles relaxed.
“What’s wrong?” he asked his voice curt.
Abby sighed and pushed herself back up. When she looked at him her breath caught in her throat. He was shirtless, again, and very wet. His hair was slicked back over a set of broad, hard shoulders. Water dripped down his chest and dampened the top of his pants. He must have just done a quick wash and pulled his pants on. Saliva pooled on her tongue.
“Abbigail?”
Her gaze met his eyes which were dark again. Well, they were always dark, but they had fire to them now as they did after he’d kissed her. Breathing suddenly became a difficult task as her chest squeezed tight.
“You startled me, that’s all.”
“Pull your gaze away, Abbigail.” It was a command. God, his voice sounded so deep and husky.
Easier said than done though she didn’t say so. She couldn’t help but be fascinated with the hard play of muscles on his chest. They looked soft to the touch yet hard at the same time. She found herself wanting to run her fingers over his stomach and find out which it was.
“What are you doing?”
The edge in his voice brought her gaze up to his again. His eyes were wide, his body language tense. It was then she realized she’d gotten up and started walking to him. She stood only a few feet away and had no recollection of moving.
She swallowed and looked back at the rock she’d just been sitting on then down to the ground where she stood. His question left her fumbling. How did she explain that she’d wanted to touch him so badly that she’d just marched right on over to him without even realizing she was doing it? That couldn’t be explained without horrible implications on her part. So, she said something else.