Oceanborne (14 page)

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Authors: Katherine Irons

Tags: #Romance, #Paranormal, #Fantasy

BOOK: Oceanborne
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She'd wondered where Freyja was when Tora seized her. But if he had killed the dolphin, someone would find her body and realize that something was terribly wrong. Freyja's death might mean that her absence would be noted and her family would be searching for her. The penalty for harming or killing a dolphin was as great as that for injuring an Atlantean. It could be an error that Halimeda would live to regret.
“It would be easier on you if you would just tell me what I want to know,” Halimeda said. “Are you a virgin or not?”
“No.” Whatever else Halimeda had in mind, it couldn't be as bad as ending up on Melqart's menu. “I've played the beast with two backs with half the palace guard,” Morwena added for good measure.
“Liar!”
“No, it's true. I have taken my pleasure where I found it. As you say, Halimeda, I'm a princess. I can do what I please.”
The witch's eyes grew small and malevolent. “I don't believe you. But I'll give you time to think over the wisdom of attempting to match wits with me.” A wave of her hand slammed Morwena against the far wall where a floor-to-ceiling cutout in the stone had been left as a storage area.
Morwena's head smacked against the rough surface, but when she tried to raise her hand to touch the aching spot, she found that she was paralyzed.
“Tora!” Halimeda shouted.
It was then that Morwena noticed the pile of fallen stone blocks.
No
, she thought.
She wouldn't
.
The Samoan returned carrying a container of mortar. He opened his tongueless mouth wide, bared his pointed teeth, and then grinned ghoulishly at Morwena.
“Do it!” Halimeda said.
Morwena closed her eyes, but there was nothing she could do to prevent the sounds of
thud
,
thud
as Tora slammed the stones into place, and slapped on the coral mixture which would cement them into a sealed chamber. Morwena's heart pounded against her chest. Sweat broke out on her forehead, and she bit down on her bottom lip until it bled, but the wall grew steadily and the light faded.
In minutes, Halimeda's laughter was a dull murmur.
She won't leave me here to die
, Morwena thought.
I'll be of no use to her if no one knows what happened to me. She's only doing this to frighten me.
And Halimeda had succeeded all too well. Other than the safety of those she loved, this was what she feared most. Of all the horrors that could befall her, being shut away to slowly die of starvation in a closed casket, that was the worst.
“Alexandros!” she cried. “Orion! Morgan! Help me!” But the screams were in her head, and no sound came from her lips … no sounds at all.
 
A hatch opened and Elena and Orion were flung out. They landed in soft sand, but for a moment, Elena lay there trying to catch her breath. The time in the passage had gone on and on. How long she couldn't guess. The force of the energy around them had been fierce, and at times, she was aware of other objects tumbling in space around them. And always, there had been the roar of the wind.
But here, all was quiet. Golden light pulsed and filtered down through pale green water. The sand beneath her hands and knees was sparkling white and so very soft. Everywhere schools of multicolored fish, blue and yellow, green and black, orange and purple swam in and out of tall and graceful shrubs of sea grass. Great silver jellyfish glided through arches of seaweed like immense balloons. Elena saw tiny golden sea horses, sea fans, and pulsing spheres of light tinted pink as bubblegum twirling and spinning through the water.
Columns of bubbles rose from the seabed, and when she looked closely, she saw that scattered everywhere were crystal shells that appeared much like clams or oysters. They opened and closed, and as they opened, sweet strains of music poured out.
“Is this real?” Elena asked.
Orion shoved the point of his sword into the sand and used it to push himself upright. “This isn't where we were supposed to get off.”
“But what is it?”
“Sanctuary. No predators may hunt here, and all the fish and creatures that you see are plankton eaters.” His jaw firmed. “But we could have done worse. We can rest here for a little while, until my strength returns.”
“It's beautiful,” she said. “No sharks? No electric eels or giant squid?”
“I promise,” he said. “Nothing more dangerous than an oyster.”
She stood and looked at him. His wounds had stopped bleeding, but he still needed medical attention and probably sleep. “You were very brave,” she said. “I've never seen a man braver.”
“Come.” He took her hand, and she saw that he was able to swim, if a bit shakily, on his own. “I know a good place.” She followed him for a short ways to a spot where the seaweed grew in thick velvety fronds that formed a deep green carpet. Taller plants grew together and intertwined making small, cozy alcoves. “If I fall asleep, wake me,” he said. “We have to press on as soon as possible.”
Orion stretched out on his side, and she sat beside him and pulled his head into her lap. “You rest,” she urged. “I'll keep watch.” Against what, she wasn't certain. He'd told her that no sharks would come here. But it seemed the right thing to say, and it seemed to calm him.
“Just for a little while,” he said sleepily. “Just long enough for me to get my strength back.”
“Shh. Close your eyes.” She stroked his head, running her fingers through his long, thick yellow hair. “It's all right,” she soothed. “I'm here.”
Slowly, Orion relaxed, and the lines on his face eased and smoothed. His breathing came easier, and to Elena's surprise, his injuries began to knit almost before her eyes. After some time had passed, he had fallen into a deep sleep. She found herself almost unable to keep her eyes open.
With a sigh, she stretched out beside him, and almost instantly, fell asleep. And when she awoke, it took her a little while to orientate herself and remember where she was, or at least where she thought she was. What kind of nightmare was this, where she slept and woke without breaking the dream?
She was reluctant to move. Somehow, lying beside Orion had become nestling against him and placing her head in the crook of his arm. Not wanting to wake him just yet, she rolled carefully onto her back and gazed up at the curved roof of their secluded arbor. Silver starfish, smaller than the palm of her hand, drifted in lazy patterns over her head, moving in and out of the leafy canopy. And interspersed with the starfish, seemingly engaged in the same stately dance, were tiny triangular fish, nearly translucent, with black eyes and gilded tails.
“What is this?” she murmured. “Where on earth?” But she wasn't on earth. Whether she had conceived this world in the throes of a coma or in her own imagination, it was obvious that she was surrounded by salt water. She knew it was salt by the faint taste of brine on her lips and tongue.
Orion stirred and gave a sigh beside her.
She turned on her side and pushed up on her elbow so that she could look at him. He was still sleeping, taking slow and steady breaths. All his weariness seemed to have vanished, and the bruises and cuts were gone as if they had never been there.
She gazed into his face with wonder, suddenly struck by his beauty. Had there ever been such a perfect man? Orion's lashes gleamed as golden as the lock of hair that fell over his broad forehead. His nose might have been the model for Michelangelo's David, and his mouth …
Hesitantly, she touched his bottom lip and shivered at the thrill that ran through her. So male … so sensual … and yet …
The urge to kiss him was overwhelming. She leaned close and brushed his mouth with hers. He sighed again, and stirred, but he didn't wake. Emboldened, she moistened his bottom lip with the tip of her tongue.
His eyelids flickered, but he still slept soundly.
“Orion?” She slipped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his. “Orion, wake up.”
He moaned, deep in his throat, and he shifted. One arm went around her waist. “Elena,” he murmured.
Heat flashed through her as she realized what she wanted of this man… . What she needed … what she had to have or die.
CHAPTER 14
E
lena kissed his mouth, his chin, and his eyelids. “Orion … Orion,” she whispered. “Are you all right?”
Orion moaned.
“Orion.” She took his hand and lifted it to her cheek. She kissed the tops of his fingers, pinched the knuckle of his index finger lightly between her teeth. “Wake up,” she urged. “Please wake up.”
Need for this woman surged through his body. He sighed and rolled his head, but forced himself to keep his eyes closed. Fortunately, she must have been looking at his face, because if she'd gazed lower, she would have seen just how awake he was.
“Please, Orion,” she said. “You have to wake up.”
He opened one eye and gave her a lazy grin. “Why? This is just getting interesting.”
“You!” She tried to pull away, but he caught her. In one swift movement, he pinned her to the bed of seaweed and stretched over her, bracing his greater weight on one elbow and his knees. She opened her mouth to protest and he kissed her. Their tongues touched, and the kiss deepened. Suddenly, he was caught in the throes of his own passion, and this was no longer a game.
“Do you want this?” he asked her between kisses.
“Yes, yes, I do.”
She was so warm and soft, the feel of her skin intoxicating. With each breath he inhaled her scent, and it drove him wild. Her hands moved over his chest, her fingers stroking, and he touched and caressed her in turn. Each kiss seemed to bring them closer and intensify the heat igniting in his groin.
“Elena,” he murmured as they struggled to remove what clothing they were wearing without breaking the mood. “My beautiful Elena.”
He kissed her neck and pressed his lips into the hollow of her throat, inhaling her woman's scent and reveling in the taste of her sweet, salty skin. Elena chuckled, and the sound of her voice sent shivers through his nerve ends. “Woman … woman,” he said hoarsely. “Are you a sorceress that you do this to me?”
She nuzzled the crown of his head and murmured softly. He couldn't make out the words, but it didn't matter. What was between them here, in this time and place, needed no words.
She put a hand on his chest, and he felt the heat of her palm and small fingers. Sexual pleasure he knew all too well, but he was unfamiliar with this sensation of yearning to share sensual pleasures only with this one woman. He and Elena were two different species, forbidden to mate by the rules of Atlanteans and humans alike, yet he wanted her as fiercely as if this were his first sexual encounter.
He kissed a line from her throat to the spot between her breasts. Elena sighed and molded her body to his, scorching him with the heat of her life force. Her seeking fingers skimmed the nape of his neck, and the intimate gesture sent small bursts of lightning down his spine and turned his bones to liquid.
“Ah, my sweet Elena,” he whispered. He couldn't get enough of her. The taste of her skin was sweet as honey and so soft that he wanted more. He longed to sample the beads of dew between her thighs, licking and sucking until she screamed with pleasure. He wanted to bury his face in her cleft and tease her hard pearl with his tongue until she opened wide for his throbbing cock.
Thinking about what it would feel like to bury himself to the hilt in her wet sheath inflamed his desire. He was hard as marble, swollen to the bursting point, and when he trailed his hungry mouth still lower it was all he could do not to lose control like some untried boy.
He pressed hot kisses into her woman's mound, inhaling her scent, and she groaned as he sought the treasures below with his tongue and lips. She bucked under his embrace, but she tilted her hips to allow him even deeper access. His heart pounded, and the raw hunger to have all of her tore away his last bonds of restraint.
Bright sensations swirled around him, and he felt the first rush of primal creation. With Atlanteans, the pleasure of sexual intercourse was fierce and long lasting, but the mental enjoyment was an undertow of intense magnitude, so great that lovers forever shared a bond once they had joined.
All his life, he had been taught that this experience was true only with two or more Atlanteans. It shouldn't be happening with Elena. She was human … she was less evolved physically, mentally, and spiritually.
It couldn't be … and yet it was.
He should have waited, should have prolonged the joy between them, but the madness gripped him. She laughed and opened for him and he plunged deep inside her wet and willing body. Crying out, she rose to meet him, catching his rhythm, meeting his wild desire with equal abandon.
“Deeper,” she urged. “I want you! All of you!”
Oceans rose and fell; stars wheeled in a black sky, and the fresh wind of creation blew over a blue and seething planet. Images of smoking volcanoes and cresting tides folded one over another. Tiny pinwheels of life sparked to life, for time out of mind, evolving into ever more complex creatures until great leviathans and predators of sky and depths ruled the seas.
And always, amid the wonders of sight and sound, Orion was acutely aware of this exquisite creature … this woman beside him and with him and part of him. “Elena … Elena …” And when the final wave crested and broke, he found her wrapped in his arms, her arms and legs clasped around him, clinging to him and weeping.
“What's wrong?” he begged her. “Did I hurt you? Did I frighten you?”
She opened her eyes and gazed into his. “Orion … I … never …” She sighed and nestled against him. “You were …”
“What? I was what?” He kissed her forehead and eyebrows. He kissed away the tears on her cheeks and threaded his fingers through her dark brown hair. “I wouldn't hurt you for the world, my precious, precious darling. I'm so sorry that—”
“Shhh.” She brought her fingers to his lips and silenced him. “I've never, ever imagined … I mean … I've been with other men, but …”
“So you're not hurt? I didn't disappoint you?”
She chuckled and burrowed even closer into his chest. “Wonderful,” she whispered. “I don't have words to …” She pulled his head down and kissed his lips. “You'll be so puffed up, I won't be able to stand you,” she teased.
Orion gave a sigh of relief. “I didn't know. You … you're different. I was afraid that I …”
She nibbled at his lower lip. “Shh, let me just …” She closed her eyes and made a sound that reminded him of contented cat's purr.
He sat up and pulled her into his arms, cradling her against him. “It's never been like that for me before,” he admitted. “Not with anyone else. You're special, Elena. More special than you could ever realize.”
The intensity of his feeling for her jolted Orion to his core. He'd been with hundreds of women in his lifetime. What made this one so different? Was it because she was human and forbidden? The word
love
rose in his mind and he pushed it firmly away. He was an Atlantean prince. Infatuation was normal for him—but love? Never.
She smiled up at him. “Does that mean we can do it again?”
His gut clenched. One smile from her lips and he felt like a boy in the throes of his first encounter with a woman. What weapon did she possess that she could cut to his heart with a look … a word?
He tried to cover the rush of emotion he felt for her … emotion tangled with desire. Already he could feel the pounding in his blood. “Yes,” he answered lightly. “If you'll give me a few minutes to—”
Elena skimmed a fingertip down Orion's bare chest, lingering on the hard nub of his nipple just long enough to see his throat tighten. “Maybe I can do something to help,” she suggested.
A sleepy grin spread across his face, and his beautiful green eyes radiated with an inner flame that made her knees go weak and sucked the oxygen from her lungs.
“What exactly did you have in mind?”
“Just a game I know,” she managed. Her pulse skipped and fluttered as she broke off a leafy section of seaweed and tied it around his head, taking care to cover his eyes. “Trust me.”
“Elena …” Sounding dubious, but amused, Orion sat upright, but made no attempt to remove the blindfold.
“Do as I say, for a change,” she coaxed. “You don't always have to be in control, do you?”
“Usually.”
“Not this time.” She placed her hands on his chest and pushed him firmly onto his back. “You'll like it, I promise.”
“I'd better.”
Elena felt a sudden rush of blood flush her face and throat—not embarrassment—but proof of a rekindled hunger for this beautiful man stretched out in front of her. She drew in a ragged breath. She wasn't an inexperienced teenager. What was it about Orion that made her giddy as a schoolgirl and gave her goose bumps just by being near him?
He was an incredible lover. No man had ever made her feel so intensely when they were making love. Orion was tender, passionate, imaginative, and immensely exciting. Considering what they'd done, she should have been satiated, contented with the sweet afterglow of utter satisfaction rather than greedy for more. But the thought that they might reach those same heights of rapture again made her reckless.
“I'd better like it,” he said.
“Don't you trust me?” Tendrils of yellow-blond hair drifted over his forehead, and she had to stifle the urge to brush them aside and shower kisses across his temple. She'd barely touched him, and already her mouth was dry and she could feel an increased sensitivity in her breasts and an aching in her nipples.
“No,” he teased. “I don't trust you.”
“Give me your hand,” she ordered. Pulling loose another piece of seaweed, she knotted it around his left wrist and tied his arm to a swaying column of sea grass. “Not scared, are you?” She quickly repeated the action with his right wrist.
He smiled, and the sexy way the corners of his mouth turned up gave her shivers. She couldn't help thinking of how Orion's mouth had felt against hers … on her breasts and between her legs.
“Terrified.”
She stifled a giggle. It was no secret to either of them that Orion could have snapped the seaweed bonds easily, but there was something erotic about the thought of having him in her power and she counted on him going along with her charade. “Now the rules are that you can't move,” she explained. “If you do, you lose.”
“Do I have to pay a forfeit?”
She nodded. “And I'll make it brutal.”
“I'll keep that in mind,” he said. “And how do I win?”
“If you lie perfectly still, no matter what happens, then I lose.”
“What if an eleven-foot tiger shark comes up and takes a bite out of me?”
“No excuses. If you move, you lose.”
“It sounds as if the cards are stacked against me. Are you sure you aren't making this up as you go along?”
She giggled. “Nope. Do you want to play, or not?”
“All right, Diana. Have your way with me. But if the squid comes back to finish—”
She smacked his chest with the palm of her hand. “What did you call me?”
He laughed.
She pulled back her hand. Hitting him, even in teasing, had been like striking an oak tree. Orion's skin was softer than bark, but his taut muscles were every bit as hard and unyielding.
“Diana … the huntress,” he explained. “Diana of your Greek mythology.”
“She was real?”
“Absolutely. I never knew her personally, but I have it straight from a reliable source that she was a take-charge kind of woman.”
“I'll take your word for it.”
“You're sure you're not worried about that squid?”
“If it comes back, I'll be the first to let you know,” she promised. “You can't talk either. If you speak, I'm the winner.”
“It sounds to me as if you win, no matter what.”
“No more talking,” she said. “We start now.”
She leaned down to brush a feather-light caress on his right knee. Orion sighed, and she trailed soft kisses higher, dipping to tease his inner thigh. He groaned and she nipped his skin between her teeth. “Not a word,” she warned.
Mischievously, she reached down to stroke the length of his shaft. It was warm and smooth, and still thick, despite their recent lovemaking. With her free hand, she cupped his large testicles in her hand, marveling at how heavy they were.
“Woman …”
“Shh,” she murmured. Touching him like this gave her a feeling of power and sent sparks spiraling through her. Orion was a man like every other man, and yet … He was somehow more … super vibrant, stronger, exceptionally virile … larger than life. Everything about him was an exclamation point, and when she was with him, he made her feel as though every moment was thrilling.

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