Adron collapsed on top of her.
Completely spent, he laid there, holding her as he waited to drift back down from heaven and into his body.
So much for meaningless sex. There had been absolutely nothing meaningless about what they had just shared.
And what terrified him most was the fact that he didn't want her to leave.
He didn't want to return to the vacant emptiness of his life. He'd been alone for so long. Had lived without anyone other than servants and family.
But she had changed that.
He didn't want to go back.
"That was amazing," she breathed against his ear. "Can we do it again?"
He laughed, and was shocked to feel his body already stirring. "Yes, we can."
In fact, he wasn't going to stop until she again begged him for mercy.
Chapter 2
Adron came awake slowly to the most incredible feeling he'd ever known.
Livia by his side.
She lay nestled in his arms, facing away from him. He wasn't sure what time they had finally fallen asleep. All he knew was that he'd never experienced such peace. Such warmth.
And there was no pain. Neither physical nor mental.
Reveling in the moment, he buried his face in her hair and inhaled the fresh, sweet scent of her.
His body stirred immediately.
How?
After the night they had shared, he should be sated for days to come and yet there he was craving her in a way that was almost inhuman. He didn't understand it.
He pulled away to kiss her shoulder, then he froze as he saw her skin in the faint morning light.
Frowning, he ran his hand over her bare shoulder and the scars that marred her back.
She'd been beaten. Severely by the looks of it. Was she a runaway slave?
She sighed contentedly and snuggled against him. Adron forgot the scars as her buttocks collided with his erection.
He tightened his arms around her while he nudged her legs apart with his thigh. God help him, but he wanted more of her.
Livia came awake to the sensation of Adron behind her, filling her again. "Oh my goodness," she breathed as he thrusted himself deep and hard into her body.
Biting her lip, she hissed in pleasure.
"Don't you ever get tired?" she asked with a hint of laughter in her voice.
"Not of you, I don't."
She smiled at that. No one had ever made her feel so treasured. And she had to admit, a woman could get used to waking up like this.
Closing her eyes to savor his long, luscious strokes, she surrendered herself to him. She came an instant before he did.
Livia rolled over to see a gentle smile on his face as he stared at her.
"Thank you," he said. "For everything." She returned his smile. "Thank you." She placed her lips against his.
Adron's senses swirled as he cupped her head in his hand. He was definitely going to keep her in his bed for the rest of the day.
"Adron, you're not going to believe-" His father's voice broke off the instant his bedroom door swung open.
Gaping at them lying entwined, his father froze. Then, all hell was unleashed.
Livia dove beneath the covers at the same time a fetid curse rang out.
Adron looked from her cowering under the covers to the six men surrounding his father. Two of them wore royal Vistan robes, marking them as an Emperor and his heir. The other four wore the dark gray uniform of Imperial Bodyguards.
"I told you it was true!" the elder Vistan snarled. His dark brown eyes were filled with hatred as he tilted his head to look up at Adron's father. At six foot six, and a former League Assassin, his father, wasn't the kind of man you addressed in anything except the most reverent of tones.
Not unless you wanted to die, anyway.
"The informant was correct when he said your son left with her."
Adron arched a brow at the contemptuous sneer on the man's face. And it was then he realized the Vistan Emperor had hair the same color and hue as the woman cowering in his bed. And as he scanned the younger Vistan, he saw further confirmation of who Livia really was.
Shit!
"You whore!" the younger man said as he threw the covers back and grabbed Livia.
Adron removed his hand from her arm and shoved him back. "She didn't do anything wrong."
Oblivious to his nudity, Adron left the bed. "You touch her and I'll tear your heart out."
Rage descended on her brother's face, but Adron saw the fear in the man's eyes as he took in Adron's height, build and vicious scars.
Her father, however, wasn't so easily intimidated. "Take her," he said to his guards.
Livia hung her head as she wrapped the sheet around herself. The guards lifted her from the bed and took her to stand before her father.
Adron ached at the frightened look on her face.
Her father raked her with a scathing glare. "Modesty isn't becoming of a whore who spreads her legs for a man she meets in a filthy bar."
Before Adron knew what he was doing, her father yanked the sheet from her body.
"Take her outside and beat her."
"Damn you to hell," Adron growled as he grabbed the first guard and shoved him away from Livia.
He pulled her behind him and retrieved the sheet from the floor, then wrapped it around both of them. Livia stood so close to his back that he could feel her trembling.
And it made him even angrier.
If her father wanted a fight, he was ready to give him one. No one would hurt her for what she'd done. Not unless they wanted a taste of him first.
"Boy," her father snarled. "This is no concern of yours. You've done enough damage."
Her father took a step forward.
"Whatever concerns my wife, concerns me."
Livia froze as soon as the words left Adron's lips. Last night, she'd had no idea that he was the Andarion heir. But Emperor Nykyrian Quiakides she knew. They had been introduced a few days ago when she and her family had arrived.
Indeed, it was business with Adron's father that had them on Kirovar to begin with. Now that the two men were together, she saw the similarities between father and son. Nykyrian had the same white-blonde hair, the same firm, sculpted jaw. They also shared an identical height and build.
"Is this true?" her father demanded angrily. "Are you his wife?"
Livia swallowed. If she said yes, Andarion law would recognize them as married.
"Adron," his father said sternly. "Do you understand what you're doing."
Adron turned to face her. He tilted her chin until she looked up into his icy blue eyes. "It's entirely up to you."
Aghast at his offer, she stared at him. She'd never known a man so honorable. He could have left her to her father's wrath and yet here he was offering her sanctuary.
"Are you sure about this?" she whispered.
"No," he said with a hint of a smile. "But then, I've never been sure about much of anything in my life."
She looked to her father's angry face, and her brother's. If she went home, they would have her beaten until she passed out. But if she stayed....
She had no idea what that would be like.
The known or the unknown.
"Take her," her father ordered.
Adron put himself between them.
"Nykyrian, tell your son to step aside. He is interfering with royal Vistan business."
For the first time, Livia noticed the deep, angry scars bisecting Adron's body. His back was completely covered by them. It looked as if someone had once carved him into pieces.
Then, her gaze fell to the dragon and dagger tattoo on his left shoulder that marked him as a League Assassin.
She trembled. She knew absolutely nothing about him.
Nothing except for the kindness of his touch. Nothing except for the way he had made her feel when he kissed her. The way he made her feel wanted. Safe.
And in that instant, she made up her mind.
"What ha
ppens to me is the business of my husband," she said quietly.
Her father's face turned to stone. "Then your ties to our house are severed." He glanced at her brother. "Come, Prinam."
Her brother's features softened a degree before he caught himself. Without a word, he followed her father from the room.
Nykyrian stepped forward with an amused light in his green eyes. "Some things must run in our blood."
Adron frowned. "I beg your pardon?"
"Ask your mother one day how we ended up married." He looked to Livia. "In the meantime, welcome to our family, Highness."
Adron's frown deepened as he regarded his father suspiciously. "You're being awfully understanding about all this. Should I be afraid?"
Nykyrian laughed. "Probably. I hope this means you'll rejoin the world again. We've missed you."
A tick started in Adron's jaw.
His father's face was kind and not the least bit judgmental as he smiled at Livia. "You know, you'll have to bring her to the palace to meet the rest of your wayward siblings."
"And Mom?"
He nodded.
Something strange flickered across Adron's features. Something Livia couldn't define, but it looked as if Adron wanted to avoid his mother. "When?"
"Tonight."
"Will Jayce be there?" Adron asked.
"He is your brother."
Hatred flared in Adron's eyes. "He's your son. He ceased to be my brother the day he refused to uphold the League's Code."
Nykyrian sighed, then looked to Livia. "I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into."
The bad thing was, she didn't.
Nykyrian left them.
Now that they were alone, the reality of what she'd done came crashing down on her.
She was married. To a stranger.
"Well, isn't this interesting," Adron said, turning to face her. "I don't know about you, but when I went to The Golden Crona last night, I never intended to find a spouse."
She laughed. "Since I was there to avoid one, I can honestly say that never crossed my mind either."
He cupped her face in his hands, and smiled a warm, dimpled smile at her. And when he kissed her, she quivered at the tenderness of his lips.
"God, you taste so good," he said as he nibbled the corner of her mouth. "I could kiss you forever."
Desire stabbed her at his words. "You're not so bad yourself," she said.
He laughed, then scooped her up in his arms.
Livia gasped at the unexpected feel of his strong arms surrounding her. But as he reached the bed, he staggered.
Agony contorted his face as he let go of her and fell to his knees.
"Adron?" she asked, kneeling beside him.
She could tell by his face that he hurt too much to speak. "Here," she said, "lie on the floor."
She helped him to lie down, then she took his knee in her hand. Livia did her best to summon her powers, but they refused to come.
No!
Adron held his hand to his head as if something vile was being plunged into his brain. He writhed in misery and she ached that she couldn't help him.
Her heart hammering, she rushed to the night stand.
"The injector," he snarled from the floor. "There's a bottle for it in the drawer."
Livia found them and took them to him.
He placed the bottle in the injector, then held it against his stomach and pulled the trigger. Sweat drenched his body as he shook all over.
Livia covered him with the blanket and then held his head in her lap.
Adron tried not to fight the pain. It hurt less when he did and yet it ripped through him with such a torturous fury that it left him weak. Drained.
He stared up at Livia as she brushed her hand through his hair and held him close.
He'd never before allowed anyone near him when he was like this. Not when he had a choice about it, anyway. But there was something about her that soothed his tattered spirit.Better still, he didn't see contempt or pity on her face. A peaceful calm stared at him from her green eyes.
After a few minutes, his pain ebbed enough to where he could move again.
He sat up slowly, carefully, but it felt as if every muscle in his body had been shredded again. He started to push himself to his feet.
She moved to help him.
"Don't," he said with more rancor than he meant. "I can stand on my own."
She took his angry tone in stride. "Can I get you anything?"
"A bottle of alcohol." He laid back down on the bed.
"Adron, it's morning. Shouldn't you eat something?"
He glared the glare that had never failed to send his family scurrying away from him. "Get me something to drink."
She got dressed, then returned a few minutes later with a glass of milk.
"Dammit, Livia! I'm not a child."
"Then stop acting like one."
Before he could answer, the door chime sounded.
"Should I answer it?" she asked.
"I don't give a damn what you do."
Livia sighed at his hostile tone as he shifted slightly in the bed, then grimaced. She went to the door and opened it to find a tall, attractive brunette barely dressed. The short, red halter was scooped low and the black tight leather skirt would have given Livia's parents the vapors.
The woman removed her sunglasses to where Livia could see the red irises and white pupils that marked the woman as a full-blooded Andarion.
"You must be Livia," she said cheerfully. "I'm Zarina."
Livia cocked a brow at her.
"Adron's sister," she added. "Dad just old me about the marriage and I had to come meet you."
Unsure what to make of his unconventional sister, Livia let her in.
"You're really cute," Zarina said as she stepped inside and dropped her bag on Adron's couch.
"But I wouldn't have pegged you for his type."
"Excuse me?"
"Adron always had a thing for long-legged blondes with the depth of a piece of paper. You look like you actually have both a brain and a soul."
Livia arched a brow at her words. "Should I be offended?"
Zarina laughed. "Please don't be. The only people I ever intentionally offend are my brothers. And speaking of, where's Big Bad Angry One? Dad said he was actually up and walking around without his cane."
Before Livia could answer, a loud crash sounded in the bedroom. She ran back to Adron with Zarina one step behind her.
As soon as they entered the room, she saw him leaning with one hand braced against the night stand. Livia gasped at the sight of blood covering him and every time he coughed, more blood came up.
"Oh, God," Zarina gasped, running to a communicator.
Terrified, Livia went to her husband.
He opened his mouth to speak, but only coughed up more blood. His entire body shaking, he fell back against the bed where he writhed in agony.
When she tried to touch him, he pushed her away.
"A med tech unit is on its way," Zarina said the instant she rejoined them.
Livia locked gazes with Adron. She saw the torment and the shame in his eyes. He was embarrassed.
But for her life, she couldn't imagine why.
"He needs his clothes," she said to Zarina over his shoulder.
By the time they'd wiped the blood from him and dressed him, the med tech team had arrived.
"I need to call our parents," Zarina said, leaving Livia to watch as the team worked on her husband.
They inserted a tube down Adron's throat and gave him another injection while they started an IV. He just laid there and his calm acceptance of their actions told her he was well used to things like this.
Dear Lord, what had happened to him?
Could it be because of what they'd done? Could having sex with him kill him? The thought horrified her.
As the air Gurney went passed, Adron gave her a tired, sheepish look, then turned away from her.
"C'mon," Zarina said from the
doorway. "I'll give you a ride to the hospital."
Livia followed her to a transport and got inside. "What happened to him?"
Zarina winced as if the memory was too painful to even contemplate. "Five years ago, Adron was the League Assassin who was assigned to terminate Kyr Omaindon."
Livia knew the name well. Kyr's blood-thirsty cruelty was the stuff of nightmares. He'd blazed a two year trail of rape and slaughter through the Brimen sector.
Zarina raked a graceful hand through her hair. "When Adron entered Kyr's home to execute him, Kyr grabbed one of his servants and locked himself inside his study. The woman was pregnant, and Adron blamed himself for letting her get taken."
Livia remembered the famous stand-off. There had been hours of media coverage. And it had ended when one of the League Assassins had allowed his hands to be cuffed behind his back, and then traded for the pregnant woman.
Now she knew the name and face of that assassin. Worse, she knew his gentle touch.
Zarina drove through the crowded sectors. "Kyr decided to make an example of Adron. He wanted to insure that the League thought twice about sending another assassin after him. So, he tortured Adron for days, then carved him up like a roast. A week after Adron vanished, my brother Jayce found him barely alive inside a dumpster."
Livia blinked away the tears in her eyes as she imagined what it must have been like for Jayce to find his brother in such a condition. "Why does Adron hate Jayce?"
"Because, according to League Code, when an assassin finds another assassin who has been permanently maimed or disfigured, he's supposed to terminate him. The idea is to die with honor and dignity."
Livia cleared her throat as she ached for her husband and his family. "Jayce couldn't do it."
"No, he couldn't. The two of them were too close. Plus, Jayce would never have been able to face the rest of us if he had killed him, or let him die."Zarina sighed. "I wish you could have seen Adron back then. He was something else." She smiled. "He was always rushing around at warp speed, joking, laughing. Now, there are days when he can't even leave his bed for the pain."
Livia remembered catching a glimpse of that playful Adron last night. "What happened to Kyr?"
"My father tore him to pieces."
Livia had never condoned violence of any sort, but after seeing Adron and the constant pain he lived in, she understood his father's reaction. Now, she just wanted to make it better for him.
She just didn't know how.
Chapter 3
Adron pushed the oxygen mask off his face.
His doctor gave him a peeved glare. "Would you stop that, you need it."
"I can't breathe with it on."
Fire and Ice Page 3