Untamable Lover (Worlds of Lemuria: Earth Colony Book 2)

by Rosalie Redd

  Good thing the king’s Throne room was close by. He stopped outside the massive double doors and rapped his knuckles against the hard wood.

  Silence.

  He knocked again.

  Nothing.

  With an impatient huff, he crossed his arms. No one was allowed in the king’s Throne room without specific authority from Noeh. He could always come back later, but that would be out of his way. With a quick whip of his head, he peered down the hallway, first to the left, then the right. Empty, except for him.

  He raised his chin and inhaled. Certainly, as council leader, the king wouldn’t mind if he entered to retrieve Gaetan’s satchel. Convinced with that rationale, he pulled on the heavy doors.

  As if in protest, the doors creaked at the intrusion. He entered the room, and the sunstones lining the walls brightened. The chamber contained a trace of pine and sage, Noeh’s scent, and the only sound was Tanen’s own breaths. Feeling like an intruder in his king’s sacred room, his muscles bunched beneath his tunic. Maybe I should leave.

  Glancing around, he focused on Noeh’s desk. On the edge of the massive piece of furniture sat a small, brown leather bag—Gaetan’s satchel. The tension in Tanen’s shoulders relaxed.

  He hurried across the room, his shoes swishing along the stone floor. With a quick swipe, he grabbed the soft leather bag and stowed it in the pocket of his overcoat. His gaze followed a path across the top of the desk, riveting to the spot where he’d seen the blue sunstone.

  His back stiffened, and his fingers smoothed the material around his neck, straightening his collar. He cleared his throat, the sound loud in the empty room. Riveted in place by the memory of the magnificent blue sunstone, he couldn’t move.

  The sunstones lining the Keep’s walls brightened, and a wave of heat filled the room. Sweat formed under his armpits. The old, familiar tingling started in his fingers. He cracked his knuckles, trying to ease the itch.

  One peek, that’s all. I want to see the crystal. The old wooden owl hovering in the corner seemed to watch his every move. His fingers trembled as he reached for the knob. Cold metal against his skin fed his need. The tingling in his fingers moved up his arms until his whole body vibrated with anticipation.

  He yanked open the drawer. The blue sunstone of legend sparkled against the drab background of the dark wood. His vision narrowed. Focused solely on the object of his desire, the rest of the room seemed to disappear.

  His brain fogged, white dots forming before his eyes. He held his breath, and his body shook.

  Don’t touch it. Don’t touch it. But of course, he couldn’t resist.

  With a gentle caress, he stroked the edge of the crystal. The nerves along his fingertips tingled, sending tendrils of electricity up his arm. He cradled the stone and brought the crystal closer for further inspection.

  Twirling the stone in his hand, blue rays landed on the desk, the walls, the ceiling. The light shone with an eerie glow and mesmerized him. He couldn’t put the precious gem down, not now, maybe not ever. Endorphins flooded his bloodstream, and his inner beast roared, eager to break free.

  Before he could think better of it, he put the sunstone in his pocket next to Gaetan’s satchel. A strange warmth emanated from the cloth, warming his thigh through his trousers.

  A sense of urgency raced through his veins. The last thing he needed was to get caught. He shut Noeh’s drawer and headed for the exit. Closing the doors behind him, he had the sense to realize he’d started along the dark path once again. A part of him didn’t care.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  The hallways of the Keep looked all the same to Aramie. Still learning to read the sunstones that lined the walls, she headed along a corridor she thought led to the Portal Navigation Center. If she could get out of here without anyone knowing, all the better. The last thing she wanted was to run into anyone from her Pride. They’d see her bite mark and know she was Demir’s mate.

  She passed a female Stiyaha headed in the opposite direction. The tall female nodded. Her eyebrow arched and an inquisitive look formed in her eyes, but she didn’t stop to ask questions. Aramie’s pulse pounded.

  A passageway on the right didn’t look familiar, and Aramie slowed down. Heat escaped from the entrance, warmed by the sunstones that glowed from a large pit in the center of the room. Several Jixies wore protective headgear and goggles, apparent protection from the heat. Swords in various stages of creation lined the walls. A forge.

  A sense of wonder crept along her nerves. On a table, not far away, a pair of throwing stars glinted in the light. Her chest expanded, and she touched her favorite weapons lining her belt. She’d lost two in the encounter with Ram at Blue Pool, leaving two remaining. After moving into the Keep, her supply of stars had dwindled away.

  “Hey there, you need somthin’?” A stout Jixie removed his headgear and approached her. With bright red hair and a long beard, he reminded her of the human stories of elves. He wiped his hands on a cloth already blackened with grime. A broad smile crossed his face and set her at ease. “You lookin’ for somethin’ in particular?”

  “Actually, I was looking for the Portal Navigation Center.” Somewhere along the way, she’d made a wrong turn, and the diversion was not what she needed. She didn’t want to be rude to the little male, but she needed to get to her destination.

  “That’s two levels up. Take the third right and you’ll be fine.”

  “Thanks.” She glanced at the throwing stars one last time and turned to leave.

  The male touched her on the elbow. “Hey. You’re a warrior, right?”

  She stilled, afraid he’d try to stop her, prevent her from searching out Ram as any Panthera male would. She peered at him.

  His smile and inquisitive eyes made her breath catch. He didn’t hold her back and try to control her. On the contrary, he seemed willing to help.

  “Y-yes.”

  “I saw ya eyein’ them throwing stars. You want ’em?” His eyes twinkled and a shy smile graced his face.

  The stars caught her attention once again. She’d love to have them, but she wasn’t sure she should. “Really? They’re not made for someone?”

  He shook his head. “Naw, we make extras of different types of weapons. I saw several of you Panthera had ’em. Thought I’d give it a try. Here,” he headed over to the table and picked them up, “you let me know how they turn out.”

  She accepted his gift, grateful for the finely crafted weapons. The light metal and etched edges were perfectly crafted. “These are exquisite. You’ve done a fabulous job.”

  He beamed at her compliment. “Thank you. Please, take them.”

  She hid them under the lining of her belt, underneath her old ones. Her gaze focused on the exit before returning to him. “Thank you for the directions as well.”

  He nodded and headed back to his work.

  She ran down the hallway and took the third right. It wasn’t long before the walls and the sunstones started to look familiar. She passed a few Stiyaha, some warriors, some merchants, all in a hurry going somewhere. Rounding the last corner, she bumped into Leon.

  His presence filled the corridor, his scent of jasmine and spice sending warning spikes along her nerves. He glanced at her throat, recognition reflecting in his eyes.

  “You’re a mated female now. How…convenient.” He looked behind him then returned his attention to her. “Where are you going? As if I don’t already know.”

  “Demir and I aren’t fully mated. I didn’t submit to him. Where I’m going is none—”

  Jonue strode alongside him, her short, dark hair pushed behind her ears. She wore her battle gear, the long pants and black shirt effective camouflage in the dark forest. “Be careful, Aramie. He’s taken over the Pride.”

  Aramie’s heart skipped a beat. “What? Demir is Pride leader.”

  “Rin spread the word about what happened…with you and Demir.” Jonue’s gaze flicked to Aramie’s neck for a brief moment. “He almost killed you and went t
o the enemy.”

  Leon’s eyes narrowed. “If Demir is aligned with the Gossum, then he’s lost to us. Someone had to take over the Pride, so I did. Now, you will obey me.”

  “Ram is controlling Demir through the effects of the blue sunstone. We have to help him.” Adrenaline surged through her body, her need to get to Demir burning in her chest.

  Leon puffed out his chest, and the hair on the back of his neck visibly raised. “You will remain here at the Keep.”

  There was no way she’d stay here. She’d find Demir, even if she had to fight every male in the Keep first to prove her dominance.

  “I don’t have time for this. I know Ram’s hideout. It’s in a white farmhouse with a picket fence, east of the human town of Tygh Valley, near the river. I will save Demir.” Her nostrils flared, and she had to resist the urge to bare her fangs. She didn’t want a fight on her hands, not when she needed to save her energy for the Gossum.

  Jonue placed her hand on Leon’s shoulder. “Maybe we should help her…help Demir. You could round up the male warriors. I’d get the females—”

  “No! Absolutely not.” He grabbed Jonue’s hand and pushed her away. “You are a mated female as well. I won’t have Hallan end up a widower like me.” A twitch in the skin around his eye betrayed his pain.

  Aramie’s chest constricted. Leon had lost Kitani. In the midst of her desire to save Demir, she’d forgotten that others were in pain as well. She bit her lip. “I’m sorry, Leon. Kitani was a good warrior. She helped Jonue and I escape with the blue sunstone that saved Demir.”

  He glared at her. “Like I said before, she died because of you. Mated females shouldn’t fight.”

  “Mated females have a place on the battlefield.” She shook her head. There was no winning an argument with this male, not in his current state of mind. “I’m leaving. Do I need to fight you?”

  His eyes narrowed. The muscle in his jaw twitched. Silence stretched out for several seconds.

  She’d bested him not long ago. Did he really think he’d be able to take her down? She didn’t think so. She rose up, arching her shoulders in a display of dominance. “Move. Out. Of. The. Way.”

  Leon stiffened, but didn’t attack her. He held his shoulders back, chest raised. They were in a standoff.

  The temperature in the passageway dropped several degrees and their breaths became visible in the air. A low rumble emanated from the Keep and fine dirt and rocks sifted through the air.

  Aramie slowly walked past Leon, careful not to let her guard down.

  Jonue stepped aside and motioned with her hand in a gesture to proceed. “Good luck.”

  Aramie bolted along the corridor, eager to reach the forest and find Demir.

  “Aramie!”

  Jonue’s shout stopped Aramie in her tracks. She glanced behind her.

  “Gaetan…he said to tell you…the stone…it’s missing.”

  A large ball of fear grew in her stomach, festering, spreading throughout her body. A fine sheen of sweat broke out on her arms. With renewed energy, she sprinted toward the Portal Navigation Center and a way out of this place.

  As she rounded the corner, she skidded to a halt inside the portal room. The smell of pine and fresh rain still permeated the air. The portal must have opened recently. Somehow, she’d missed the chimes.

  Rin polished a red sunstone in a rag. He stared at her, as if she had an extra eye. “I didn’t expect to see ya here again so soon.”

  “Can you open a portal for me? Near the town of Tygh Valley?”

  “Well, of course I can, but why would ’cha want ta go there?” He placed the stone in one of the inner rings of the porte stanen.

  “I just…need to. Please, open a portal.” She stood on the raised platform where the gateway would appear.

  “Dern it, get off there. Ya have to jump through it.” He motioned for her to move, his lips pursed.

  If the situation weren’t so dire, she’d find amusement in his reaction, but her heavy heart was too worried about Demir.

  The little male circled his hands over the porte stanen, moving faster and faster with each round. A mist grew in the room, swirling until it coalesced into a ball. In the center, the forest solidified and the smell of pine and wet grass filtered into the room.

  She didn’t wait for his approval and dove through the opening, taking her fears and hopes with her.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Aramie peered through the trees at the top of a forested ridge. A vast landscape of rolling hills filled with a patchwork of green lay before her. The sounds of domesticated animals—cows, horses, pigs—along with their stench, carried along the breeze. Human farmland.

  She didn’t like humans, didn’t understand their motivations and their need to control and destroy their own home—Earth. Interaction with them wasn’t forbidden, but highly discouraged. Homo sapiens could be transformed and turned into players in the game, but once changed, they couldn’t return to their former lives. As long as they didn’t find out Lemurians existed, they still had a chance of remaining human.

  Aramie released the tree branch and let it fall back into place. The pine tree’s pointy tips poked at her arm, as if pushing her along. She needed to leave the shelter of the forest to reach Ram’s hideout.

  Shaking her head, she followed a trail that led through the ever diminishing forest. A breeze kicked up. The familiar, unpleasant fragrance of Gossum set her on edge and fueled her excitement.

  The farmhouse wasn’t too hard to find. Surrounding the property was a stand of alder trees, the tall, skinny branches reaching for the sky. Closer in, a picket fence surrounded the house and gave it an air of innocence the home didn’t possess. An old swing hung from cables attached to the ceiling on the wrap-around porch. Shadows stretched behind the curtains, the movement catching her attention.

  She crept closer, using the trees for cover. To encourage herself, she traced her fingers under the lining of her belt and over her new throwing stars. The cold metal on her fingertips was a familiar comfort. She envisioned her fictional father giving her advice, helping her in the most basic of ways. The mental images fueled her with confidence, her slow breaths easing the tension in her chest.

  Muffled voices, heated in conversation, escaped through the cracks in the walls. A loud laugh burst from the home, one Aramie recognized—Ram. She ran through an old garden and stepped on an overripe tomato. The fruit squished under the toe of her shoe. Hiding behind an overgrown rhododendron bush, she willed her heartbeat to slow.

  Demir. She touched her throat where he’d marked her. The flesh had healed, leaving a ragged scar, evidence he still lived. If he’d died, the mark would’ve faded and disappeared when his heart stopped beating. Determination, raw and powerful, welled up in her chest. She loved him and would find him, no matter what.

  While casing the house, she’d thought through her plan. She needed to create a diversion, something to draw out the Gossum.

  The high-pitched squeal of a pig pierced the night air. She glanced toward the sound. Behind the house, on a spot of land next to the road, was a large barn. An idea formed in her mind and she smiled. Keeping close to the bushes, she approached the building and the animals within.

  As she entered the structure, the animals quieted. A tenseness filled the air. Three pigs, a goat, and two horses called this place home. She didn’t want to spook them, have them raise a ruckus and alert the Gossum, so she crouched to make herself as small as possible.

  As she grew closer, the horses skittered in their stall, pounding the ground with their feet. With angry grunts, the pigs moved to the rear of their pen.

  The goat placed its head over the stall door, its mouth moving in a rhythmic chew. White with a dark ring around one eye, the billy seemed interested. The goat would serve her purpose and maybe he’d enjoy the freedom she offered.

  She removed her jacket. The material already carried her perfume, but she wanted to call attention to the coat, so she rubbed the sleeves ag
ainst her mouth, marking it with her scent glands.

  With slow movements, she opened the stall and grabbed the goat by his collar. The animal mewled, but he didn’t fight her. She wrapped her coat around the small creature, securing the collar with the top button. After leading the goat to the entrance of the barn, she gave the small critter a whack on the behind.

  The goat ran down the road, its loud bleat carrying on the wind. The other animals stirred at the commotion. Time to hide. She exited the barn and waited for the excitement to begin.

  *****

  “Those damn animals.” Ram slammed his glass on the Formica countertop. Vodka spilled over the lip, coating his fingers with the fiery liquid. He squeezed the glass in his fingers. Tink. A crack ran up the side.

  Jakar closed the pantry door, a bottle of Smirnoff’s in one hand. He pointed at two of the brood who sat at the rickety kitchen table. The sound of shuffling cards was like an undercurrent to the noise outside. “You and you, go see what’s spooked the animals. Find the others and take them with you. It’s time to let off a little steam anyway.”

  As the males stood, chair legs scraped against the wooden floor. The screech made Ram wince. One ran outside, the other retreated farther into the farmhouse to find his brethren.

  “Tell me again, why do we have these,” Ram waved his hand in the air, “animals?”

  “To blend in with the humans. Besides, they came with the property. The prior renters left them here to compensate the owner for unpaid rent, at least that’s what he told me.” Jakar shrugged.

  “What do you think spooked them?”

  “My guess—coyote. This is the third time this week.”

  The six remaining members of his brood raced out the front door. One male hung back, the largest of the bunch—Oliver. He gave Ram a quick nod, intelligence in his dark orbs. “We’ll catch the critter this time. I promise you that.”