Rapture (16 page)

No. She had given her word to Ferox, and she would stick to it.
She must help him find his scroll. Glancing at her partner-in-crime, she
started, realizing that the demon had turned the fight into his advantage. He’d
grown noticeably, his muscular arms having doubled their size. He crushed
Ferox’s body into a nearby tree, and she dropped the bag. Torch still gripped in
her hand, she tossed it in her own satchel, wishing to the gods that the demon
had found a rope. He hadn’t, so they’d have to get a bit more creative in
binding him. That was, if they
could
bind him.

She drew her sword from its sheath and darted into the fray,
wasting no time as she sliced the demon’s torso. He shrieked, in a purely
terrifying way that sent shivers through her body, and turned his menacing eyes
on her. He was strong, that was obvious, but so was she—and she had speed on
her side. Raine gave him a taunting wave and rushed off, drawing him farther
away from Ferox. When the vampire was no longer in sight, she faced the raging
demon and braced herself as he came charging toward her. She barely moved side
to side, briskly switching her weight from foot to foot as she waited for him.
When he came into reach, she swung her sword, arcing downward as it glanced off
his shoulder, blood spurting. He hadn’t slowed though, and shoved her to the
ground. She landed and bounced, seeing her feet fly over her head before
landing again on her stomach. The demon’s footfalls pounded toward her, and she
rolled just in time to miss his massive weight from crushing her. She was on
her feet the next instant. Maybe not as fast as usual, but still, she was up
before he’d reached her again, but damn she was hurting. His bad arm was
hanging limply, and she couldn’t help but smile at the sight. She spun around,
planning to draw a deep slash through his stomach.

She didn’t make it.

The demon’s arms wrapped around her, mid-spin, and pulled her into
him. Her feet no longer touched the ground as a hard forearm crushed her torso.
The other arm wrapped around her neck, cutting off her ability to breathe. She
wouldn’t die of suffocation, but it would render her defenseless if she fell
unconscious. She gripped his arm, digging her fingertips into his skin, trying
to wrench it away, when white-hot pain lanced through her. She registered the
sickening sounds of pops and cracks in time with each flash of pain that worked
through her. Dear Father, he was breaking her ribs under his hold.

Raine screamed, no longer able to keep the pain inside. The sound
of it echoed through the forest, bouncing off the tree trunks and returning to
her as if in answer. Lightning bolts crashed all around them, lighting the
night sky in brilliant flashes.

She looked up at the one of the moons, taking one final breath as
another bolt struck. It was the last thing she saw before her vision went
black.

****

“Raine. Raine! By all the gods, are you well?”

She coughed and looked up into Ferox’s eyes as he searched her
face and body, his hands roaming over her skin as though he had to make sure
she really was whole. A comfort, really, since she wasn’t all that sure that
she was. Sitting up, she expected to feel every broken and bruised rib, but
surprisingly, she felt far better than she’d thought she would. She wasn’t
dead, for one thing—always a plus in the Valkyrie handbook—but she felt
remarkable. “I am well.” Darting her gaze over her own skin, and running her
palms over her stomach and ribs, she realized she really, truly, was.

Ferox didn’t seem convinced. In fact, he looked horrified. “Your
stomach … it doesn’t hurt?”

“No.” She rolled and pushed to her feet, and then started dusting
off her ass as a sudden thought occurred to her. “How long have I been,” she
paused, “asleep?”

“Just less than two hours.”

Her eyebrows arched. “That’s all?” How could she have healed so
rapidly? She’d assumed that she’d have been out for days with how well she
felt.

“Yes. You must have fallen asleep”—he looked dubious at her
term—”just before I reached you.”

“Where is that bastard? I’m going to kill him.” And she’d make it
hurt as much as he’d hurt her.

He looked scandalized, but quickly morphed his expression into the
casual one she’d grown accustomed to. “He’s somewhere back there. I took care
of him and got us the hell out of there.” He flushed and smiled shyly before
the smile fell away. “I apologize. I shouldn’t have spoken that way in front of
a lady.”

Raine waved her hand in dismissal and snorted. “Don’t worry about
it. You probably picked up on that nasty habit from me. I’ve never been one for
formalities.” She eyed him, smiling at his flushing face. “I haven’t exactly
been acting myself, so I find it refreshing.”

He returned her smile and exhaled, visibly relaxing. “We should
probably get on the move. I don’t know what kind of demon he is, but he could
be tracking us already.”

She reached to draw her Hjörr, but found nothing in its sheath.
“Oh, damn.”

“What?”

“My sword. I must have dropped it back there … wherever that was.”

He shook his head. “I didn’t see anything. The only thing I saw
was this.” He whipped the hilt from his bag and held it out to her.

“Yes, that’s it.” She gripped it and the blade sprang to life,
appearing out of thin air.

Ferox’s mouth gaped open. “How in the fu—I mean, how is that
possible?”

“It is my sword; made for me and me alone. My Hjörr exists for no
one but me.” At his skeptical expression, she added, “My half-brother forged
this for me. It has been blessed to be only my weapon. To anyone else, it is
useless.” Unless they wanted to throw it at an opponent, she supposed. She had
been hit in the head by a hilt before. It wasn’t exactly pleasant.

“We should be on our way.” Ferox picked up her bag and handed it
to her. “Were you able to find anything we needed?”

Oh, right. “Yes, he had a torch,” she answered, drawing it from
the bag. She’d been surprised to see that it wasn’t made of wood at all, but a
dark, shiny brass. She had been so focused on finding the treasure that she
hadn’t even thought to ask to see his, or at least ask him what it looked like.

He took the torch from her outstretched hand and inspected it,
nodding before handing it back. “It looks like you have what you needed.” He
cleared his throat. “But you’re still here.”

Raine averted her eyes, taking special care as she placed the
torch with the other treasures she’d acquired. She faced him again, her eyes
narrowing as she stared at the male in the moonlight. “What do you mean?”

“You have the treasure you needed to move on to the final one. Why
didn’t you just take it and go?”

There was something about that look in his eyes that had her
rubbing her arm, and darting her gaze around the forest so she had time to
think of a good response. She had thought about taking it and going for the
final treasure. It had crossed her mind for a split-second before she’d
rejected it, determined to keep her word to the vampire. But her promise hadn’t
been the only reason she stayed. In truth, she had enjoyed their time together
and hadn’t wanted it to end, despite the fact that she may have—or still
could—lose the round. Could she tell him so? Nope. What would he have done if
his treasure had been found instead? “You know that I already hold a scroll.
Why didn’t you take
that
and leave me behind?”

“I couldn’t do that to you.”

Silence stretched between them, the only sounds in the forest
coming from the insects singing their nocturnal songs. “Why not?”

Ferox regarded her, indecision on his face. She wasn’t quite sure
what to say to him, not wishing to admit why she hadn’t taken the torch and run
for the final treasure. A moment later, he exhaled loudly and ran a hand
through his hair before he stepped toward her, placing his hand lightly around
her neck. She inhaled sharply as her skin tingled from his touch. His mouth was
on hers a second later. Excitement bloomed within her as the warm softness of
his lips caressed hers, and as the stubble on his chin rasped against her skin.
It was so different than the last time. This kiss wasn’t hesitant, nor did it
feel like a friendly exchange between unlikely friends. Holy gods, she’d never
felt anything like this. It was so ... so...
right
, and wrong, and everything in
between. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, drawing him closer to her.

She needed more.

He lifted her off her feet, palming her ass. She let him, wanting
this as desperately as he seemed to. And then her back was against a tree and
her legs wound around his waist. Not once had his lips left hers, and he had
started licking
inside
her mouth, playing
his tongue against hers.

Ferox growled against her, and she pulled back, giggling at the
feel of it. His palms found her breasts through her top, massaging them as he
brushed his thumbs over her budding nipples. She moaned, throwing her head back
as her body arched into him. Oh gods, she needed this. How could she have never
known what this was, or that she craved this so? Her lips found his again, and
this time, she met his tongue with hers, licking his mouth as he’d done to her.
He growled again, holding her more forcefully against the tree as his hands
roamed over her shirt and pulled the two pieces apart, revealing her breasts to
the cold night air.

They weren’t chilled for long. Ferox’s palms were on them again,
and the warmth of his skin against them sent her body into blazing heat. Her
hips ground against him, the ache between her legs growing too painful to
resist. Oh, how she hurt. She’d never felt this way before, had never wanted
someone so badly that it physically hurt her.

Suddenly, the kiss changed, and it was no longer just their
tongues in his mouth. She grazed his fangs and pulled her head back, shocked at
the feel of them.

What she saw gazing back at her wasn’t the male she’d started kissing.
His eyes now glowed vibrant green, and his fangs grew larger by the second as
they peeked out from behind his swollen, pink lips. She should have been
terrified—well, no, not
her
—but
she should at the very least had the urge to feel disgusted. But instead, she
found the sight strangely erotic. The old hag’s comment about what vampires did
to each other crept into her mind. He wanted her for more than just her body.
He wanted to taste her.

Ferox squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head. “Raine ... I’m so
sorry. I didn’t mean for—”

She hesitantly touched his fangs with her forefinger, smiling as
he twitched in astonishment.

“You …
like
them?

It was in that very instant that she knew: This male—this
vampire—would not hurt her. “Yes,” she breathed. “I do.” She inched her face
closer to his, flicking her tongue out, stroking the tip of one lightly.

He made a choked sound and groaned, gripping her to him as his
mouth clashed against hers. She wanted to hear it again. Angling her head to
the side, she darted her tongue into his mouth, licking his fangs as he ground
his hips into hers. They were both panting, both sweating at the friction. She
wanted more. Needed it beyond belief—

Twigs snapped a few yards away, and Ferox sprang away from her as
she reached for her sword. The cold chill of the night air alerted her that her
breasts were out in the open and she bent to pick up her top. Sword in hand,
she hastily righted herself, and the two of them stood side by side, waiting
for whatever creature careened toward them. Before she even realized it
happened, Ferox rushed forward, disappearing in a blur as the demon broke
through the tree line. The creature was knocked flat on his ass as her vampire
collided with him, growling furiously. She’d never heard him sound so feral.

“Wh-wha?” was all the poor bastard had a chance to say before he
was whipped upward. Ferox introduced his fist to the demon’s face, knocking his
head backward, and shortly after, his body. He fell flat on his back, ogling up
at Ferox, barely having time to throw his hands up in defense. Ferox pummeled
him—not asking questions, and not giving his opponent a chance to ask. He
didn’t stop until the demon had been knocked unconscious, at which point, he
rose to his feet and strolled back over to Raine while he caught his breath.

She looked him up and down as he neared her, unable to hide the
smile that spread across her face. His fight had been undeniably hot, keeping
her pulse at a fast pace as she’d watched Ferox hand the demon his own ass.
“What was that about?”

He shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “I sensed a threat, and I took
care of it. We really should get going.” He bent down and picked up his bag,
extracting an unraveled scroll.

“You have a
scroll?
” she gawked. “An opened one? You…” She hadn’t seen him open
his scroll, and the only way he could have opened it was if he’d already
acquired all the other treasures. “When?”