Woman Beware

by Tianna Xander

  That is why he wrestles with the feelings he has for you. He does so to protect his compassionate spirit. He wrestles with the feelings he has. He does so to protect his heart, just as you are protecting yours.

  “Just the idea of trying again scares me.” Lena bit her lip.

  Love is a fearsome thing for those lucky enough to experience it. Would you live the rest of your life alone knowing that you could have been happy had you but had the courage to try?

  That was the real question, wasn’t it? Was Lena really willing to pass up the chance at the sort of relationship she dreamed of having?

  The answer was a resounding, no. As painful as love was, it was also joyous when one found the right person. Lena had already seen that first hand.

  Go to him, my child. Show him the Fates are not the evil bitches he thinks. Tell him Urd said you are his past, tell him that I, Verdandi, says you are his present and that Skuld says you are his future and he is yours.

  Lena felt Verdandi leave, much as she had felt Urd disappear. Sticking the tip of her thumb in her mouth, she bit the nail, thinking. After a moment, Lena, having made up her mind, headed for the door and, she hoped, her future.

  Just as she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw him standing on a balcony. With a shake of his head he leaped into the air and flew off like a shot.

  Raising her hand, Lena started to call him back, but changed her mind. Perhaps he needed as much time to think as she did. She would approach him when he returned.

  Chapter Ten

  Artu flew home as fast as he could. He needed to see Lena. He needed to know that she was okay. Once he mentioned her and told his friend of her plight, he knew he had made a mistake, but it was too late.

  How could he not have seen she told him the truth? Now, the man he had thought was his friend had told the authorities and his people wanted her imprisoned and they knew where he left her. How could he have been so stupid? Why hadn’t he listened to those strange voices in his head? Because he had thought he was crazy, that’s why.

  He poured on the speed. A loud boom coincided with his acceleration, and he smiled. He didn’t know he still had that in him. The world blurred as he flew over it, his body hurtling through the sky as those who would imprison Lena and steal her wonderful spirit raced to his home.

  It was a race. If he could beat the authorities to his home and claim her as his, they couldn’t touch her.

  He scowled down at the water as he flew over the ocean. He had trusted Benton to keep his secret. He had trusted Benton with his secrets for years, and the ass had betrayed him. It made him wonder how many other times Benton had undermined him. Perhaps his friend was the reason the other women had run from him in the past.

  The entire situation confused him. For years the people of this world threw women at him. Now, just when he wanted their blessing to try to keep a female for his own, they wanted to incarcerate her. It didn’t make sense.

  Artu shook his head. None of that mattered now. All that mattered was reaching Lena before the others. He would take her to his safe room and lock them in until he managed to convince her that he wasn’t the arrogant ass he had pretended to be when she first arrived. If he failed, the authorities would imprison her and he would be alone, yet again. Only this time, he would have no one to blame but himself.

  He sighed with relief when he saw that there were no aircraft surrounding his home and he could hear none in the distance. He had time. He hoped. His stomach clenched at the thought that the others could have been here and gone already, taking his Lena with them.

  His Lena. Artu smiled at the thought. She would forever be his Lena if she didn’t hit him over the head with something before he told her he was sorry for being such a jerk.

  Artu had one trump, and he planned to use it, if possible. No government could incarcerate a defender’s mate for illegally entering their system.

  The people realized that a soul mate was someone ordained by the gods. Who were they to say a defender’s other half didn’t belong on the same planet as their mate? Generally, a soul mate couldn’t be charged with anything less than the most grievous of crimes. Even then, they were presumed innocent until proven guilty.

  He barely touched the balcony when he started running to her room. Knocking on the door, he opened it and his heart fell. She was gone. They had beaten him here after all. Had he gotten so complacent and slow that a small craft could travel faster than he could?

  His shoulders slumped as he stared at the empty room. He fisted his hands, his anger getting the best of him.

  “What’s the matter with you? You look like you lost your best friend.” Lena said from behind him.

  Artu spun around, grabbed her wrist and started dragging her down the stairs. “We have to hide.”

  “Hide?” She tugged her arm away from him, stopped and stared up at him, her brow wrinkled. “Why do we have to hide?”

  He could see when the realization dawned. Her expression cleared and she swallowed. “How long before they come for me.”

  “They’re on their way now. We must hide in my safe room. They will not find us. It will buy us some time.”

  “Buy us time for what?” She sighed and went to the nearest window to look out at the sea.

  It would be a long time before she would be able to do anything like that again if the authorities managed to capture her. He must make sure that never happened.

  “Come on.” He grabbed her wrist again. This time, he made sure she couldn’t pull free. “I will carry you if I must. Would you rather I do that?”

  “I’m coming,” she said with a sigh, “but I don’t see how it will do any good.”

  “It will. Take my word for it.” He dragged her through his home, down to the lower levels where he opened a secret passageway only he knew about. The plans and the designer were long gone from this world. It was one perk of being an immortal defender. He outlived everyone until he found his mate and began to age. That included anyone who could have known the location of his bolt hole.

  He would keep his super powers, as some were wont to call them, all of his life, but in the end, he would age and Artu waited for that. He longed for that. He dreamed of a day when he could finally rest, leaving the protection of this world to one, or more, of his offspring.

  Artu glanced at Lena through the corner of his eye and realized that she could very well be the mother of his children, his partner, his wife. A lump formed in his throat as he pulled her through the entrance to his secret room and closed the door behind them.

  On the other side of the door, he heard the shelf full of wine slide into place in front of it. There was no way to find this room if one didn’t already know where it was. He had enough supplies in here to keep them alive for weeks, if not months.

  If the world must do without his help for that long of a time, so be it. They should have thought of that before they sent people out to apprehend her. He had told them she could be his match. It was more to keep them away from her than what he had perceived as the truth, yet they had condemned her anyway. Still, they had decided they needed her in custody more than he needed to cultivate a relationship with the one woman who could finally make him whole.

  Did the fools not realize what could happen if he stayed single much longer? Were they afraid that he would age and die, leaving them undefended? What were they thinking? Did they really think that any prison would keep him from her? He would leave this world before he would give Lena up to them now.

  “We can’t stay down here forever, you know.” Lena turned and glared at him. “Did you think I would want you to do this for me?” She rested her hands on her hips. “Well?”

  Artu grinned.

  Lena sucked in a startled breath and said, “Oh, I knew you’d be devastating if you ever showed real good humor.”

  His grin got even wider. “You’re saying you find me attractive?”

  “Of course, I’ll admit that you’
re attractive.” She fanned herself with her hand. “I’m from another world. I’m not blind or dead.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Lena stared up at Artu, her throat dry. Why does he have to be so damned hot? She fought the urge to fan herself again. She had already given the man reason enough to gloat. She was lucky that he hadn’t done so yet.

  “I’m glad you find me so,” he said with that infuriating grin still on his face. “It means that perhaps I have a chance, after all.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Lena crossed her arms and strode away from him.

  His hiding place wasn’t small by any measure, but he made it seem as if it were. It was as though he sucked all the air out of the place just standing there. What is it about the man that makes it so difficult to breathe when he’s near?

  It wasn’t his good looks. She’d seen and spoken with handsome men before. She’d even worked with good-looking men before. So what was it about this man that took her breath away? Was it the kiss they shared? As many times as she had seen, spoken to and worked with men that were at least as handsome, she had never kissed one of them before today.

  “Okay. So, let me get this straight. We’re staying down here until you can convince them I’m not a bad addition to your society. How do I manage that?”

  “You don’t.” He moved to sit on a large chair, stretched his feet out and looked at her with an expression that made her want to run into the next room and barricade the door. “We do.”

  “We?” She raised her brows as she stared at him. “Do you have a mouse in your pocket? What’s up with this we stuff?”

  “I have no pockets. It’s just as I said. We shall convince them that you have a good reason to be here.” He sat up, rested his elbows on his knees and gave her an earnest expression. “What if I told you that I was willing to see if you were my match?”

  “Are you serious?” Lena snorted. “I don’t really believe that any more than you do. Why are you willing to try that now?”

  “Oh, I don’t know.” He shrugged then sat back stretching his arm over the back of the chair. “I figured we should give it a shot. After all, if you’re not from here, it could explain why I’ve never been able to find my match.”

  Lena bit her lip with a frown. “It makes sense, I suppose.” And there was that picture of them together. They were standing in front of the water, with the horizon and a beautiful sunset behind them and they had looked happy. That hadn’t happened yet.

  “What if I’m not your match and you risked your position for me?” She couldn’t have him resenting her because she lost him his job or whatever.

  “I cannot lose my position. I am defender of this world, and I will remain so forever if I don’t meet my match.”

  “What happens if you meet your match?”

  “I get to die.”

  “What!” She scowled at him, rested her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. “Then, I won’t help you. Why would I want to fall in love with you, only to have you die?”

  “I won’t die right away, Lena.” He grinned at her again. “Your reaction gives me hope. Dare I believe that you are already developing feelings for me?”

  “Don’t flatter yourself, mister. I would be upset if your dog died.”

  “What is a dog?” A little crease appeared between his eyes.

  “It’s a pet—an animal that people keep in their homes for companionship or protection.”

  “Oh, we have those. We call them ta’arnoks.”

  “What’s a ta’arnok?”

  “You have seen a few wild ones. They are the animals that looked upon you as their dinner not too long ago.”

  “Oh!” Lena wrinkled her nose. “I’m not sure I’d want to keep one of those as a pet.”

  “They’re perfectly harmless when they are domesticated.”

  “That doesn’t mean that I want to meet another one up close and personal.”

  He smiled, showing her his adorable dimples.

  Lena fought the urge to reach out and touch them. What was it about this man that made her struggle to keep her self-control around him?

  “Perhaps, one day, you shall change your mind. We have other types of pets, as well.” He stood and moved toward her. “Maybe you’ll decide on one of those instead.”

  “Well, let’s not start picking out pets just yet,” Lena said wryly. “I wouldn’t want you to have to bring it to visit me in prison or anything.”

  “It won’t come to that.”

  Lena, noticing his slow approach, took a step back. She couldn’t afford to let him get close to her. He might kiss her. For one thing, he was liable to blame her for it again. Besides, if he got much closer, she might kiss him, instead. At that point, he would be justified in blaming her. She couldn’t allow that.

  How could she let him put his reputation, his life on the line for her? Sure, he said that no one could hurt him, but what would it do to his reputation? Not to mention that she was sure that being a pariah might not hurt physically, but it could hurt emotionally.

  “Stop right there.” She held her hand up.

  Artu didn’t listen. Instead of stopping, he took her hand in his, brought it to his mouth and kissed her palm.

  Lena almost melted on the spot. “How can I resist you if you keep this up?”

  Her throat ached. She swallowed thickly when his gaze met hers. Neither of them moved for what felt like an eternity. He held her gaze with those eyes, as blue-green as the sea that surrounded his home. Lena stood spellbound, watching helplessly as his head grew closer and closer to hers.

  What the hell, she could talk him out of this foolishness later. For now, she determined to enjoy his kiss. And, if it led to something else, she would enjoy that as well. Then, she would give herself up afterward, whether Artu liked it or not.

  For once, a handsome man wanted her, really wanted her, and Lena refused to ruin it with arguments. For whatever reason, the Fates saw fit to send her here to this planet and to this man.

  Even if they didn’t end up together as the Fates planned, at least she would have this one day.

  Chapter Twelve

  Artu looked down at Lena. He pulled her closer, watching as her lids fluttered down over her strange blue eyes flecked with brown. She leaned her head back against his arm. It was an invitation that he couldn’t refuse.

  Slowly, he covered her full lips with his. Energy shot through him as his mouth moved over hers. He took care to be gentle. Drawing her closer, he wrapped his arms around her.

  His heart expanded when he licked the seam of her lips and she opened for him. Thrusting his tongue into her mouth, he groaned. She tasted of the berries he left on his kitchen table. Whether she’d eaten them or not, he didn’t know. He only knew that as he held her and kissed her, he knew she was the one. That was when he realized he could be gentler than even he thought possible before today.

  Artu’s nostrils flared when he scented her arousal. Hell, he hadn’t even known he could smell that if his face wasn’t down near a woman’s cunt. Yet, here he was, enjoying the scent of her cream as he aroused her with his kiss.

  Gooseflesh covered her arms and legs as he held her tight. She mewled deep in her throat when he reached lower to pull her up, fitting her mound against the ridge of his cock. Gods she felt good, tasted good.

  His cock grew harder when she arched against him, pressing her mound tighter against his erection.

  “Gods, Lena,” he said as he put a small amount of distance between them—so small, his lips brushed hers as he spoke. “I don’t know if I feel this way because I’m beginning to care about you or if it is something the Fates designed.”

  She opened her eyes and met his gaze. “Does it matter?” she asked, breathless. “Aren’t the Fates supposed to be responsible for everything that happens to everyone?” She pulled back a bit, her gaze shifting to his lips that were still wet from their kiss. “I mean—” She paused
to lick her lips. “If they’re always designing our lives, why should we feel uncomfortable about what’s happening just because we know for a fact that they’ve orchestrated this?” Reaching up, she brushed his hair back with a smile.

  He smiled down at her, reached up and, in turn, smoothed her hair back before palming the back of her head. “I don’t give a damn why I feel this way.” He searched her gaze for any uncertainty. He smiled. “You don’t either. Do you?”

  She slowly shook her head, reached up and pulled his head down to hers. “I stopped caring before you returned from the city.” She rested her hand on the center of his chest. His heart still hammered in reaction to their kiss and his skin prickled with awareness at her touch. No woman had ever stirred him so completely.

  “I had a long time to think while you were gone.” Her hand traveled lower.

  He sucked in a shuddering breath as her fingers moved over his stomach, down between her legs to his hips and covered his hard shaft. She had already given him more pleasure in the last few minutes than all of the women he had been with before her. What she did now, nearly made his eyes cross.

  Gritting his teeth, he struggled to maintain control. Reaching down, he grasped her hand. “Don’t.” He smiled to reduce the sting of what she must perceive as rejection. “Not yet.” Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. “I don’t want to do this here.”

  Taking her hand, he led her from the main room. He planned to lead her down the hallway to the bedroom but found that she didn’t move fast enough. He tried not to look at her on the way to the bedroom. One more look at her hard nipples straining against her top would have had him pulling her down to fuck her hard and fast on the floor. Scooping her up in his arms, he bolted down the hall, into the bedroom and locked the door—just in case.