Fervor (The Fervor Chronicles Book 1) (12 page)

The wonder dropped from her face, and she looked almost… hurt. “A life that I would like to return to. Right now!” She spun around heading away from him. “Where is it? Where is the Bicullis?”

“Are you actually getting upset? I thought ice ran in your veins. Aren’t the Glissante supposed to be without emotion? Cold, distant, hard…”

“Once again, you are sadly misinformed. The Glissante don’t shun
all
emotion. Trust me, hatred is something we embrace.” The heat of her stare ate through him, and instead of infuriating him it just turned him on more. He loved it when she let herself go. How was he supposed to keep his distance when she set him on fire?

“Fine, it’s up to you. Stay if you want, but that portal won’t pop up anytime soon. It only appears at the rise and set of the sun. I think.” The last two words were muttered too low for her to hear. Turning, he headed toward… the east? He couldn’t even look to the sky to get his bearings, no way to gage direction with the trees and the rain clouds.

“Then I’ll wait here.” She found a log and flounced down, nearly tripping over the saggy dress that pooled at her feet.

Sighing, he fought for calm. Not knowing where the hells they were and trying to figure out how to get back was hard enough, and now this. He needed her with him, and if he could just get a chance to look over his father’s journal, he could figure this out. Brant’s warnings echoed in his mind.
You might end up inside the volcano.
“Look, like it or not, I’m your only chance out of here. If you stay behind, I won’t be able to protect you.” He turned again, expecting her to follow.

Only silence followed.

Damn her, he refused to turn back around, to show any weakness. He was King for gods’ sake. “You could be killed or even kidnapped.”

“Kidnapped?
Again?”
This time she snorted and it didn’t sound princess-like in the least.

His back was still turned, and he took one step further away although his body screamed at him to drag her back, maybe even by the hair. “Fine. Enjoy the day, but don’t be surprised by all the creepy crawlies that are going to want to get close and personal with that flawless skin.”

One more step away from her. “Creepy crawlies? What are those? I’ve never heard of such things.”

I have her.
“They come in a wide variety really. Six legs or more, some are winged, all have brittle skeletons, and the eyes… So many eyes you could hardly count them. And terrible pinchers to bite you with.” He itched to turn around to catch her expression, instead he forced himself to take another step.

“Are you referring to insects?
Please,
I may not have been aware of your
rain,
but I have seen an ice-bug in my day, even in
our
climate.” She huffed.

“But have you seen any the size of my palm?”

“What? How would you know that? You said you had no idea where we were, how would you know if they had big insects?”

Her voice trembled and he felt a moment of guilt. No not a moment, hours …
days
of guilt. He had treated this woman unfairly, taken her against her will but … he couldn’t live without her. “Princess, take a look around. Everything is
big
here—the trees, the leaves, the rocks. It stands to reason there would be big insects. But since you’re so accustomed to them, you’ll be fine. I’ll see you back here at sunset.”

“Sunset?” Her voice was just above a whisper. “But that’s hours away. I—”

Spinning around, he met her eyes, and the fear he saw almost made him abandon his plan. Almost. He had to make her believe she was coming with him willingly. Little did she know she had about thirty seconds before she was removed. Again. By him. “Yes, twelve long hours, unprotected, all alone. Unless…”

“Unless, what?” One hand drifted up and tugged on a braid, otherwise her posture was perfect. She sat as still as a statue.

“Unless you come with me right now.”

‡

F
ighting the urge
to jump to her feet, Caprice examined the log she sat on and the floor of this strange place. She gasped; she couldn’t have controlled it if she’d tried. The place was alive. Crawling, searching, moving, racing over her feet, inching up her hands, they were everywhere.
Creepy crawlies
! She jumped up, brushing the colorful creatures off as best she could, praying they hadn’t gotten inside her dress.

What had he said? There were bigger versions of these things living here? With
pincers?
She fought for control. How she wanted to scream to the heavens. She had never felt so uncomfortable in all her life. She was soaked, her dress was plastered to her body, and the liquid falling from the sky stung her. Too warm! Gods, to think she had prayed for warmth. Her skin looked blotchy and red, as confused as she at this strange land.

Looking at the giant in front of her, she wondered at why she had help set him free. She had actually felt sorry for him, sorry for what her father had done, sorry for The Trade… And how had he repaid her? By kidnapping her in turn. She felt equal parts fury and pain. Then she got mad all over again at the idea that he had any effect on her at all.

“Are you coming or not?”

Narrowing her eyes, she cocked her head to the side and studied him. His fists were clenched and he seemed distracted, not meeting her in the eye. Was he telling her the truth? Were they really trapped in an unknown land?

What choice do I have?

She walked forward, bypassing his hand. Taking a few steps beyond him, she stopped and waited. She had no idea where to go and had to allow him to take the lead; the idea of it made her blood boil.

For once, he didn’t say a word, but she heard a long sigh as he passed. He began thrashing through the brush, pushing away the vegetation to make a path for them to walk through. Sounds began to creep in, as if the place had grown silent, studying them at first, and now found them inconsequential. Cackles and caws, and high-pitched screams echoed through the air. Flapping and buzzing sounds scraped against her ears.

And by gods, the smells. They were… intoxicating. She didn’t have the words to describe the sweet perfumes permeating the air. If she weren’t so furious, she would have stopped to enjoy some of the colorful flowers peeking through miles of green.

“Wait here.” He’d led them to a stony structure, dilapidated, but it still had four walls and a roof. It was no bigger than her room at home. She turned her back on him, refusing to acknowledge anything he said. In truth, she wanted to see more of this beautiful land. If it just weren’t so loud, and so warm and so…
wet
.

“It’s clear. We can wait out the rain in here.” He spoke through gritted teeth and then growled when she refused to turn and acknowledge him.

Glancing at the sky, feeling the large drops of water hitting her face, she knew she had to enter. A break from the rain would be welcome, but she didn’t want to deal with him a minute longer than she had to. But this place, now
this
was different. She was curious. If it weren’t for Addy and the ache that sat in her chest from missing her, she might relish this adventure.

Addy.
Reality slammed back at the thought of her friend. That Addy might be harmed, that the Pre-Dom might have her cruel hands upon her, it made Caprice want to scream.

Storming through the entryway, she noticed a sheet of water streaming down the back wall of the hut. Most of the roof was missing, so the kidnapper sat upon stone steps running along the front of the room, as far away from the waterfall as possible. Knowing what the Pre-Dom, and now her father, were capable of gave her strength, and for once she forgot proper decorum and conduct. “Do you understand what you’ve
done?”

He glanced up and the heat of his stare made her stomach drop. The full weight of his eyes always affected her so.

“Do you understand that the death of my friend might be on your head? Does that mean nothing to you?” Her voice caught on a hitch, and she felt the cold rise up and coalesce in her hands. Just one touch,
one touch,
and she could punish him, punish him for hurting her like all the other men in her life.

He sighed and threw his pack aside. If he came just a bit closer, he would take the decision from her. He would walk into her cold embrace. Her heart fought against the idea, but fury rode her hard.

“Princess, I never meant to hurt your friend. There are circumstances—
Gods,
this is bigger than me, and I had to do what was best for my kingdom.

“Your kingdom?”

“My people. They are days away from death. My kingdom is dying, about to be consumed by a volcano. I came through the portal in the hopes,” he laughed bitterly. “In the hopes that your people would actually help me. Imagine that.”

Refusing to lower her guard, she asked, “But what has that to do with me? I helped you, felt sorry for you—”

“Save your pity.”

“But I did! I wanted nothing to do with The Trade. I
saved
you. And this is how you repay me? There are plots and schemes you would never understand going on in my palace, and Addy, the only person in the world who loves me, is caught in the middle of it. Why? Why did you have to take me?”

“Because I need you!”

The words branded her. “Why?”

He paced in front of her, limping slightly but still commanding in his presence. “It’s because of the heat. My people call it a
fervor,
and you received only a taste of it back in the cell with me. Don’t you remember how it felt?”

His deep voice danced along her skin. She watched, fascinated at the ripple and flow of muscle that flexed and relaxed in his back as he paced. Never had she seen such a broad expanse of bronze flesh. Memories rushed through her mind, the silky heat of his erection in her hands only a short time ago, the pulsing stream of fluid… The passion of the images cooled the ice in her palms and she allowed her hands to drop to her sides. “I—”

He stopped walking and stared at her, his whiskey eyes taking her in. “Once it starts, once it has chosen, it can’t be stopped. The
fervor
between us will only grow, and if we were to part too soon, it would… It
could
do permanent damage.”

Alarm skidded down her spine. “Damage? What do you mean, damage?”

His eyes dropped away. He resumed pacing. “Look, I assume you want a normal sex life again one day. We have to complete the cycle, usually the length of the rise of a full moon. After that, well, that’s up to us. But if we part too soon…”

“What, what,
what?
Why must I pull every detail from you? You have obviously entangled me in some mess. Some
fervor
I know nothing about and have no control over, and you won’t even give me the full truth. Just tell me, or I will fight you, every second of every minute we’re together.
I
have nothing to lose.” Her voice broke and she hated the weakness but she didn’t care, she just wanted the truth.

He looked agitated, restless. For the first she noticed his chest rose and fell as if he’d run a long race, reminding her of the times he’d lost control. But his eyes remained brown. “The truth? Should I give you the truth as I know it, as it’s been explained to me, or the new truth that exists between you and me?”

Why was he so angry? He had no right to be taking any of this out on her. Oh, but he was beautiful in his fury. The cold had completely receded and now a new heat grew in her chest. Ignoring it, she pushed on. “Tell me everything.”

He blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. Acting as if he couldn’t help himself, his eyes roamed her body, pausing at her chest. Then he growled and started pacing again. “The males of our race covet the rush of the
fervor
for many reasons. The most important being, we come into full strength.”

Strength didn’t look to be one of his problems, but Caprice didn’t interrupt.

“I had thought the
fervor
lost to me. I’ve lived a long life, a good life. I didn’t think I needed the
fervor.
I had honed my strength over the years, and I had yet to meet a man who could best me. Most dared not try.”

“You’ve kidnapped me to make yourself stronger?” The pounding of the rain slowed, and the oppressive heat grew. The air in the room closed in around them, making her feel as if they were alone in the jungle.

His bitter laugh filled the space. “If only things were that simple. I am stronger, but … I’m…
Nine hells
 …Nothing like this has happened before! I don’t know who I can trust.”

She paused, considering his words. She ached to know the truth, but was he worthy of her trust? “If this knowledge does not endanger me—or my people—then you can trust me. Does it?”

“I don’t know.
I don’t know.”
His agitation grew and tiny sparks lit the air. “The
fervor
has given me strength, but nothing… I—I possess an energy now. When I’m agitated or excited or
needing,
it overtakes me, as it did with the guards.”

“Is that what that was? The energy that came from your hands when you… when you hurt those men?” Fear crept in, the memory of blackened bodies fresh in her mind.