"Leave him! He can heal himself."
Claire ignored the sharp command, summoning her healing.
The door opened abruptly and she was shoved aside. "You are one stupid, stubborn wench! I said leave him!"
"Chain her. She will die trying to heal him."
Diana caught her by one arm and dragged her to the bars. Looping a chain around two, she manacled each end to Claire’s wrists and then left the cell again.
"It would be better to separate them."
Zeus didn’t answer at once and Claire could sense that he was studying her speculatively. "Leave them for now. He is in no condition to be a threat at the moment. Later … we will see."
Exhausted as she was, the comments lifted her spirits. They believed Eros would recover or they would not have been concerned about leaving them together. Relaxing, she gave up the effort to remain conscious.
She felt stronger the next time they woke her. This time it was both Diana and Mercury who came. Mercury held a sword at her throat as Diana unlocked the manacles and pulled her to her feet. She was confused until she saw that Eros had pulled himself up to watch them. Relief flooded her. She smiled at him tentatively as Diana dragged her from the cell and escorted her from the room.
She was allowed the use of the facilities that she had used when she had first been captured. She was not given anything to wear, either her own clothes or the robe that had been furnished before. She found that she was beyond anxiety about her modesty, though, in fact, hardly gave it more than a passing thought, for they passed Eros and Mercury as she was returned to the cell.
A short time later, Eros was returned to the cell, prodded along by the sword Mercury held to his back. Zeus entered the room behind the two of them.
Claire stared at him, trying to decide what seemed different about him. After a moment, she realized that he was wearing a band similar to the one he’d given her—so, too, were Mercury and Diana. Why, she wondered? Protection from Eros?
He studied Eros for several moments, then nodded his head to the left. Both Claire and Eros turned to look. An archer stood in the shadows. "He is to put an arrow through her heart if you try to escape."
Eros’ face darkened with rage, but he said nothing.
Zeus smiled. "I had begun to worry that she would prove useless as leverage. I am relieved to see that we have use for her."
Eros shot a glance at Claire, frowning.
Zeus chuckled. "You thought we were only interested in her healing abilities? I knew you would not turn on Thor. I perceived a need for a tool to help control you."
"You allowed me to infiltrate?" Eros said slowly.
Zeus nodded.
A contemptuous smile curled Eros’ lips. "You lie."
Mercury gave a snarl of rage and surged forward, but Zeus checked the movement. He shrugged philosophically. "As it happens, you are right. We did not know … at first, but I had begun to suspect you could not be trusted. That is why I sent you to watch the female. Interestingly enough, while you were occupied, there was not so much as a whisper of rumor regarding our activities.
"Of course, that in itself was not proof. I had to be certain, one way or the other. Then I realized that I had only to figure out a way to use your … affection for the female."
Eros’ lips tightened in anger, but his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "The band was no more than a ruse?"
Again Zeus shrugged. "As it happens, you were right about the band … not that one that she wears now. I had not thought you would be brazen enough to take the band with you, but I thought it safer to replace our newest technological development with something less harmful to our cause. I had expected you would only carry news of it, but you had it in mind to make a switch as we had, did you not?"
Eros said nothing and after a moment Zeus turned to go.
"What do you mean to do?" Eros said sharply.
Zeus turned to study him speculatively. "Only to prevent you from warning Thor before we can move. When we are done, you will be tried as a traitor and executed."
Chapter Eleven
Claire had moved to the bunk and plopped weakly onto it, covering herself with the blanket to try to warm herself. She felt like she might never be warm again. It had been bad enough when she had believed they had brought her to this horrible place to help them in their cause, to make use of her ability to heal.
They had only brought her to sniff out the traitor among them? She wondered if she was simply too tired to make sense of it, or if it was just outrageous enough to be true.
"Do you believe him?" she asked when they had gone.
Eros glanced toward the archer and then moved toward her. Climbing into the bunk beside her, he pulled her close, rubbing her arms. "You are chilled."
Claire nuzzled closer. "It’s cold and damp in here. They took my clothes."
Removing the band from her head, Eros studied it a moment and then tossed it aside. We must be careful about what we say.
Can he not hear your thoughts?
Not in this place.
Is it true—what Zeus said? You aren’t a rebel?
No. I am one of Thor’s captains. We could not discover what the rebels were up to and needed someone to infiltrate and learn their plans. We manufactured a dispute, where I was accused of conspiring with the enemy, and then I was allowed to escape.
Despite their situation, relief flooded Claire. She’d found it difficult to resist Eros’ charm, but she had found it equally difficult to trust him. I feel stupid. The more I learn, the more confused I am. I don’t even understand what this is all about. Why would they need me at all?
I do not know. I wish I did, Eros responded, clearly as confused and irritated about it as she was.
You might at least tell me what started it, Claire thought irritably.
Eros’ arms tightened momentarily. Shifting, he pulled her onto his lap, tucking the blanket around her. Playing god … conceit …corruption … Long ago, in the time when it was decided to remove ourselves from the rest of the world, it was only partly because of the threat the barbarians represented to our culture. Technologically, we knew we could defeat any of them who attacked—we simply tired of being attacked. It was costly, in lives and property. It interfered with our way of life, and our pursuit of knowledge and the arts. But, in part it was also because we felt so superior, because we did not wish to share what we had learned with the rest of the world.
Unfortunately, we were not as knowledgeable as we thought. We had always been fascinated with breeding—we had mastered it, bred the traits we found most desirable until we had become what we are—telepathic, capable of manipulating our cellular structure to shift to suit our needs—or sometimes merely to demonstrate our superiority.
He shook his head in disgust. We were children playing with things we barely understood ourselves. By the time we fully understood the limitations of genetics, we found ourselves in the position of breeding the strength from our race by too much interbreeding.
That is when the dispute first began. Many had already tired of being virtually cut off from the rest of the world. They wanted the freedom to wander at will, to trade with others. When the council of elders decreed that we could no longer have freedom of choice regarding our mates, the dissatisfied rebelled. The council tried to rectify the problem by agreeing to allow selected outworlders to join us. They would have final approval, and the outworlder must demonstrate some of the same traits we value so highly—such as your ability to heal—but we would be allowed to find companions.
By that time, however, the rebels had decided that nothing would satisfy them but to raise Atalantium once more.
Claire pulled away to study his face for a moment. "You were … willing to accept your government making that sort of decision for you?" she asked hesitantly, revolted at the idea. It went beyond the line of acceptable as far as she was concerned. Not that she could agree with the rebel mentality, but clearly they had some serious issues.
He frowne
d, shook his head slightly. I was not. It is not the place of government to treat its citizens like children, to protect them from themselves or make their decisions for them. I completely disagreed with the decree. It is my government, however. Changes need to be made within the limitations of the laws, not outside of the law.
The rebels will destroy everything, not just the government. If they succeed in their goal, they will destroy the entire world we have built for ourselves. There are things that must be changed, but there is far more that deserves to be preserved.
Claire frowned. You’re talking about the loss of your culture by opening Atalantium to outworlders?
That is not possible, Eros said angrily.
Then … I still don’t understand. If you really believe that joining the rest of the world isn’t going to interfere with the culture, wouldn’t it solve all of the problems?
Not in any way desirable. If they try to raise Atalantium, the continent will disintegrate.
Claire sat up abruptly, staring at him in wide eyed horror. "This whole place?" she gasped. "Here? Where we are right now?--My God! Are they mad?"
Eros gave her a look and Claire clapped a hand over her mouth self-consciously, turning to look for the guard. He was staring straight at her, but he was so far away she couldn’t be certain he’d heard her—for that matter, she wasn’t certain what she’d said and what she’d only thought.
They are not mad enough to do it if they truly believed it would destroy Atalantium. The problem is, they ceased to trust the council long ago. They refuse to believe it’s no longer possible.
Claire frowned. So what this really all boils down to is who trusts whom. You trust the council, who say it can’t be done. They don’t. Neither side really knows.
Eros sighed tiredly and scrubbed a hand over his face. What it boils down to, beloved, is how we will destroy ourselves. Make no mistake, it will come to that, one way or another.
Claire subsided. She supposed it was really terribly shallow to allow herself to be so easily distracted from really important, life threatening issues, but it wasn’t like she had any way to make a difference … and she was intrigued by the fact that Eros had called her beloved.
His lip quirked at one corner when she looked up at him. Tucking a finger beneath her chin, he tilted her head up and lowered his own, brushing his lips lightly across hers. As it happens, I can think of nothing I would prefer to do at this moment beyond exploring … us. I did not thank you for saving my life.
The brush of his lips made her feel weak all over. She sighed. "I think I should confess it was entirely selfish."
"Was it?" he asked, tugging gently at her lips with his own.
"Mmmm."
Is that a yes?
Mmmhmmm.
It can not be that difficult to say.
"What?" Claire asked vaguely, but she couldn’t hold back a smile.
He drew back, studying her face, but his own expression was serious. He caressed her cheek. "I would have spared you this if it had been within my power—I could not, and I can not promise more than the best that I can do to protect you—but I am only a man. I can not promise to bring you safely through this."
Claire swallowed with some difficulty, but she didn’t want to think about what might happen. "I know that. I just wish … things had turned out differently." She settled closely to him. "If it hadn’t happened like this—I mean, if you’d found me under other circumstances, do you think we would still have come to know each other?"
He kissed her forehead. "I wanted you the moment I saw you … yes, I would have tried. But I am not at all certain you would have welcomed me. I am not at all like the men of your world."
Claire chuckled. "Most certainly not!"
"I would not begin to know how to court you in your world."
She turned her head and kissed his collar bone, and then his throat. "I think you would’ve figured it out."
He cupped her face in one palm and nudged her face up once more, covering her lips with his own. Heat flooded her as his essence enveloped her--his scent, his taste—it was like the strongest aphrodisiac ever conceived. When had she come to crave him, she wondered? He was like a strong addiction. It took no more than the lightest touch, the tamest of kisses to heat her blood to boiling point.
I am addicted to you, as well. I can think of nothing but touching you when I am away from you and nothing but loving you when you are near.
We have an audience, she reminded him half-heartedly.
This bothers you?
Not nearly as much as I would’ve thought. Don’t stop. In the back of her mind she knew that it wasn’t so much that she didn’t care as it was that she was too fearful that any moment might be their last together. She wasn’t about to let something as unimportant as a lack of privacy deprive her of finding joy in his touch.
He twisted, settling her on the bunk and stretching out beside her. Catching the blanket, he pulled it over them like a tent. Claire grinned up at him in the dimness. "Don’t you think he’ll figure it out when we start moaning and panting?" she whispered.
Eros’ lips twitched. "I do not care what he hears. Only that I have your complete attention."
"Me first," she murmured, lifting up to suck a love bite on his pec and then licking a trail upward to his ear. He shuddered, his eyes sliding closed when she traced the whorls of his ear with her tongue, then sucked his earlobe. Releasing the blanket, he skated one hand across her ribs and cupped a breast.
She pushed his hand away. "No. You hold the blanket. You’re at my mercy. I can do anything I like and you can’t defend yourself."
He looked both doubtful and intrigued. "You promise to have your way with me?"
"Mmmm. I do," she murmured, moving down again and licking at one erect male nipple. He gasped, his hands tightening on the blanket. A sense of satisfaction filled her. Lying back once more, she lifted her hands and placed both palms on his chest. Only the day before—or had it been more than that?--he had been wounded almost to death. Now, there were not even scars where there had been ragged, ugly gashes.
She ran her hands over his smooth flesh, marveling at the beauty of flesh and muscle. Dark, curling hair grew in a rough T on his chest, across his bulging pecs and then down the center in a narrow line across his belly. She rubbed her palms over it, raked her nails lightly back and forth and finally reached down and cupped his testicles, massaging them gently. They tightened at her touch, and she glanced up at his face.
His eyes were squeezed tightly shut, his face drawn into harsh lines. How could she love him so much, she wondered, when she had only known him such a little while? Did it really matter? There was no doubt in her mind at all that she did, completely, utterly. She had not thought, or cared, that it could cost her her own life to safe him. The only thing that had mattered was that her own life meant nothing to her if he wasn’t in it.
He opened his eyes and looked at her then. She gazed back at him a long moment, and rose up and kissed and licked and nipped a trail down his body, slowly moving down the bed. Capturing his cock in her hand, she kissed the rounded head, ran her tongue over it, tasting him. He groaned, began to tremble with the effort to hold himself still. Opening her mouth wide, she took his cock inside, cupping it with her tongue, allowing it to slide slowly in and out, stopping occasionally to suck the rounded head again and run her tongue around the sensitive rim.
He began to groan, as if in pain, trembling with the effort to hold himself still. Pleased with his reaction, feeling her own desire mount higher and higher, she renewed her efforts, moving faster, then slower, sucking then licking him. Moisture pooled in her sex. Her muscles began to clench rhythmically with need.
Abruptly, he grasped her and dragged her up the bed once more, covering her mouth hungrily, almost violently, and thrusting his tongue into her mouth. She moaned, sucking his tongue as she had his cock moments before, stroking his chest, reaching down between them to cup his testicles and massage them, then his
cock. He caught her hand, pushed it away. Before she could protest, he released her lips and began to chart a burning path of kisses down her body. She moaned as he bathed every inch of her flesh he could reach with his tongue, kissed her, placed sucking love bites in a narrow path from her breast bone to her lower belly. And then he moved lower still, biting down gently on her inner thighs.
Her belly clenched, drenching her passage with hot, moist heat. She gasped, moaned, cried out softly as he moved back and forth, from one thigh to the other, pushing them further and further apart. When the heated pressure of his mouth settled over her clit, she jerked, cried out, grasped his head.
He lathed her with his tongue, teasing her clit, each nudge of his tongue sending a jolt of pleasure through her. She was gasping as if she was dying, her heart beating so hard she felt as if it would rupture, her breath coming so hard she felt blackness swarm close. She began to struggle when she felt herself nearing her crisis, desperate to have him inside of her when she came.
He caught her hands, sucking and licking her clit until, abruptly, she screamed with the force of the climax that hit her, gasping for breath, struggling to elude that maddening tongue that made jolt after jolt of pleasure continue to rock her. Finally, when she thought she would die if he didn’t stop, he moved over her, pushing her thighs apart and thrusting his cock inside her passage.
The muscles, still clenched in spasms of ecstasy, resisted. By the time he’d worked his cock deeply inside of her, she felt her body tensing to embrace yet another climax. Opening her eyes, she looked up at him as he moved in and out of her, thrusting, pulling a little away and thrusting again.
His body glistened with sweat. His face was contorted with effort. His arms, where he held his body away from her, strained, his muscles bulging and trembling with effort. She skated her hands over him lovingly, caressing him, moving with him. Abruptly, he stilled, hesitating on the verge of completion. She rose up, tracing the seam where his lips met with her tongue and then thrust her tongue inside his mouth. He closed his mouth around her tongue, sucking.
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