Rebel Heat (11 page)

“Maybe I intend to trade you for my men.”

If only it were that simple. “Why didn’t you make that offer to Elias rather than being obnoxious?”

He smiled, clearly entertained by the memory. “Why did my boast bother you? Are you ashamed of the things I did to you or that you enjoyed them so much?”

Ignoring the taunt, she pushed back her chair and stood. “I’m going to take a shower. Can I have my other outfit?”

He shook his head. “We’ll both dress in fresh clothes before we depart. You can sleep in that.”

Depart for where? And she’d just awaken from a long nap. It was unlikely she’d fall asleep again. Unless he compelled her. She shivered. Knowing he could make her do whatever he wanted was terrifying, so she refused to think about it.

Rather than ask for a clarification, she said, “At least give me the toiletries. I’d like to brush my teeth.”

“Fine.” He motioned toward the backpack Phil had given him. “Help yourself.”

She rummaged through the contents and found what she’d need in the bathroom then held up both hands. “Can you unlock me, please? I don’t want to get the cuffs wet.”

He’d checked the bathroom for escape routes and possible weapons when they arrived, so there was no reason for him to refuse. There wasn’t even a window in the small space. Still, his hesitation was proof positive that he didn’t trust her. Why should he? She’d given him nothing but trouble since he forced her into the Suburban and she didn’t intend to become sweet and docile now.

Dragging the key out of his pocket, he unlocked the cuffs then quickly worked the buckles, freeing her from the restraints. “They go back on as soon as you’re finished.”

“Whatever.” She hurried into the bathroom and closed the door, unable to hide her frustration or her growing desperation. Out of habit she locked the door then shook her head. What good were locked doors when her adversary could teleport through walls? She could pound on the bathroom wall and scream her head off, but it wouldn’t do any good. Nazerel would flash them to a new location before anyone who heard her screams could dial 9-1-1. Never before had she faced an opponent who had this many advantages.

Nazerel knocked on the door, startling her out of her gloomy thoughts. “Get going. I’d like a shower too while there’s still time.”

She glared at the door. The mystery package wouldn’t be ready until morning. What was his problem? She turned on the water at the sink rather than the shower then freed her toothbrush from the rigid packaging.

After giving her teeth a good scrubbing, she closed the shower curtain and turned on the water. The bathtub was small, but the curtain rod bowed outward, keeping the enclosure from feeling claustrophobic. She gave the water a few minutes to warm up then climbed into the bathtub. With her back to the spray, she tilted her head and let the water saturate her hair.

She couldn’t fight her way out of this situation. Nazerel was faster, stronger, and much more powerful than she. Still, her other options were nearly nonexistent. Nazerel had teleported her from Phil’s shop to the hotel room, so she had no idea where they were. Still, if she could get the communication device away from Nazerel, maybe she could figure out how he’d called Elias. Did the Rodyte version of a phone have a redial function?

With a sigh of frustration, she picked up the miniature bottle of shampoo and poured a good amount into her palm. Nazerel was so different from the man portrayed in his dossier. He was ruthless, no one could deny his focus, but he wasn’t bloodthirsty or cruel. Well, he had moments of cruelty. What he’d said to Elias had certainly been mean-spirited. But she’d heard enough of what Elias said to understand the reaction. Elias had rubbed Nazerel’s face in his failure and Nazerel lashed out. If the situation were reversed, Elias might have done the same or worse.

Oh dear God, she was defending Nazerel like a besotted schoolgirl.

She raised her hands to her hair and closed her eyes as she worked the shampoo into a fragrant lather. Nazerel’s treatment of Elias might be debatable, but there was no excuse for what Nazerel had done the night before. He’d mercilessly seduced her, used her passionate nature against her in the most humiliating way.

Lather slid over her breasts and belly like a whisper-soft touch. Her nipples peaked and her core ached as images rolled through her mind. His kiss had been consuming, intoxicating. Just thinking about it made her head spin. He’d looked into her eyes and made it clear that one word from her would have ended the session. So why had she remained silent? Why hadn’t she tried to negotiate, to calm him down and shift his focus away from her body? She’d been trapped by her own stubbornness as much as by his agenda.

She was doing it again, justifying his deplorable behavior. He wasn’t a hapless victim of circumstance. He was the leader of the Shadow Assassins, one of the most ruthless groups of mercenaries she’d ever heard about.

Which brought up another contradiction, Nazerel’s ongoing focus on his men. Heartless murderers weren’t generally loyal to their subordinates.

A familiar scrubbing sound interrupted her troubled thoughts. It sounded like someone brushing their teeth. She opened her eyes and tried to detect Nazerel’s tall form through the curtain, but the rubbery material barely let any light through much less a silhouette. She eased one side back an inch and cringed. He stood in front of the sink, naked to the waist, casually brushing his teeth. Unbelievable!

She started to bolt then realized he stood between her and the door. He’d catch her and push her up against the wall. And she’d be naked while he was still partially dressed, an advantage he obviously enjoyed.

Maybe he’d finish cleaning his teeth then return to the outer room. He hadn’t announced his presence. Maybe he was just tired of pizza breath. And maybe she’d win the lottery tomorrow. She sighed. He was about to join her in the shower. There was no other reason he’d be in here now. All she could do was decide how to react when he did. The ends of her hair were still sudsy, so she stepped back under the spray and closed her eyes.

A strange current washed over her naked body. Her nipples tingled and goose bumps broke out on her arms. That was fast. Had he taken time to undress? She cleared the water from her face with a quick swipe of her fingers then opened her eyes. Nazerel stood in front of her, stark naked, a miniature bar of soap resting on his palm.

“You forgot the soap.” He punctuated the observation with a sexy smile.

He was obviously hoping for a reaction, so she calmly took the soap from his hand and turned around. “Thanks, but I’m not quite finished. Give me another five minutes and the shower’s yours.” Despite her wildly pounding heart and the need spiraling through her body, she sounded casual, as if showering with her captor were an everyday occurrence.

Moving up behind her, he pressed his chest against her back and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I have a better idea.” He snatched the soap out of her grasp and spun the tiny bar between his hands. With his arms still wrapped around her, he set the soap aside and began to lather her arms and shoulders. “I’ll make sure you’re nice and clean.”

“Like hell you will!” She turned around and shoved against his chest. “Enough with these games. I’m your hostage not your pet. Stop trying to seduce me.”

His slick fingers slid across her shoulder and down her back while his other arm banded her waist. “Am I to believe you felt nothing when we kissed last night? Were you pretending to enjoy my touch?”

“I was staying alive.” She arched, using his chest as leverage, but the action only drove her pelvis into his. Each of her agitated movements emphasized the conspicuous hardness rapidly forming against her belly. So she stilled and glared up at him. “Let go of me.”

“I’m not human.” His tone was deep and filled with meaning.

“I’m aware.”

“I sense things, smell things,
taste
things no human can understand.”

She closed her eyes and balled her hands into fists. If this was where he told her she “tasted” like his mate, she was going to scream. “I don’t care what you think you know. I want out of this shower.”

“Kiss me and I’ll let you go.” Challenge rippled through his voice and one of his hands slid down until his palm cupped her behind.

Her body stirred as memories of the pleasure he’d given her the night before surged to the surface again. His hands caressing, his lips sucking, and his tongue… Gritting her teeth against the temptation, she took two slow breaths. “I don’t want to have sex with you.” She opened her eyes and met his smoldering gaze. “Has no one ever told you no before?”

“You claim that you don’t want me. I think you do. Prove me wrong. Kiss me so deeply my head spins then shrug it off and walk away.”

How could she resist such a challenge? The fastest way to shut up a bully was to confront them. And after last night it would feel damn good to put this jerk in his place. She slid her hands up to his shoulders and rocked to the balls of her feet. He bent his head, ready to take over, but she nipped his bottom lip.

“I’m kissing you, remember?”

“Then kiss me.”

The growling roughness of his voice sent shivers through her body and still she refused to be rushed. She pressed her lips to his, hers barely parted. Then she moved her head back and forth and caressed his lips with hers. His hand fisted in the back of her hair, but he didn’t pull, didn’t try to control her.

Empowered by his restraint, she traced the seam of his lips with the tip of her tongue. His cock bucked against her belly and she smiled. He tasted of mint, his breath hot and humid. She continued to tease his mouth while her hands began to wander. His body felt as incredible as it looked, every bulge and ridge of muscle covered with hot silky skin.

She pushed her tongue all the way into his mouth and inhaled his appreciative moan. His tongue slid against hers and his response grew more demanding. Before she lost herself in the need he ignited so effortlessly, she tore her mouth away from his and stepped back.

He caught her wrist, his gaze narrowed, the rings glowing.

“I’m not leaving,” she assured him and his expression turned quizzical. She reached over and grabbed the soap, quickly lathering up her hands. “I want to touch you, like you touched me. Are you brave enough to let me?”

“If you mean to leave me wanting…”

She closed her slick fingers around his rock-hard cock and he didn’t finish the warning. “Did you leave me wanting?” Her hand slid up and down, her thumb brushing across the sensitive tip at the top of each stroke.

He grasped the back of her neck and drew her to his side so he could kiss her without interfering with the motion of her hand. She didn’t want to kiss him, wanted to remain in complete control while he lost himself to the demands of his body. But his mouth was warm, his kiss coaxing rather than demanding, and she couldn’t make herself pull away.

She savored the tenderness threaded through his passion, amazed by the patience it revealed. His hips began to rock, driving his shaft with more force between the circle of her fingers. Her body ached, craving the fullness she stroked with her hand.

“Oh gods.” His head dropped back and tension rippled down his body. She tightened her hand as his cock bucked against her fingers. His hand covered hers and tripled the speed of her stroking. Pearly fluid jetted from him with each frantic motion. He shuddered and came, then groaned and came some more.

She watched his face as well as his body, fascinated by the agony of his surrender. He’d lost control, submitted to her touch just as quickly as she’d succumb to his. She felt dizzy and empty, yet giddy as she realized what she’d just done. She hadn’t needed restraints or compulsions. With nothing more Mystic than her kiss and her touch, she’d commanded the mighty Nazerel.

Before he could recover from the rush, she threw back the curtain, snatched a towel off the rack and rushed into the outer room.

Bracing his hands on his knees, Nazerel fought to catch his breath after the powerful release he’d just enjoyed. That crafty little vixen had not only taken control of his game, she’d turned it back on him. He’d challenged Morgan to make his head spin. Well, she’d done that and a whole lot more. Still, he didn’t dare leave her unsupervised. She’d left the bathroom without grabbing her T-shirt, but there was still an outfit in the backpack. Luckily, her boots were locked in the wardrobe.

He quickly washed then turned off the water and stepped out of the bathtub. He wrapped the remaining towel around his hips as he opened the bathroom door. Morgan had borrowed his T-shirt again and stood at the window carefully peeking out between the blinds.

“If you keep stealing my clothes, I’ll have no choice but to go around naked.”

She turned from the window with a sigh. “You just like being naked. It has nothing to do with me.”

“I enjoy being naked, but it has everything to do with you.”

She rolled her eyes then motioned toward the window. “It’s starting to get dark outside. Any chance we can go for a walk? I’m going stir-crazy in here.”

He smiled, amused by her transparent ploy. As long as she stayed bound and contained within this room, her chances of escape were basically nonexistent. “I might be persuaded to change our surroundings.” The longer they lingered in one place, the greater the chances were that Varrik would stumble upon some clue to their location.

Without explaining what he had in mind, Nazerel dressed. He put on the T-shirt he’d intended for the following morning, not wanting to fight with her about the one she was wearing. Then he unlocked the wardrobe and tossed Morgan the rest of her clothes. She dressed without argument while he packed up the rest of the room.

He held up the cuffs and motioned her over.

“Is that really necessary?” she grumbled.

“You tell me? If you could put me back in the collar, would you?”

Her gaze narrowed and she tilted her head. “Do you still have it?”

He laughed. “It wasn’t hard to figure out you’d triggered some sort of homing signal. I threw it in a lake about fifty miles from the campsite.” A sudden gleam in her eyes revealed that she’d tucked the fact away for future use. “Do you ever stop strategizing?”

She arched her brow in silent challenge then whispered, “Do you?”

Rather than fuel their budding argument, he crossed the room and buckled her into the cuffs. He attacked the locks as well, but allowed her the relative freedom of the connecting chain. Finally, he pulled the bedding off the bed.

“Why do we need blankets? Aren’t we just going for a walk?”

“You’ll see.” He draped the bedding around her shoulders and put on the backpack. On impulse, he grabbed the half-full bottle of cola and tucked it into the limited space remaining in the backpack. Then he pulled her into a firm embrace and teleported out of the hotel room. She gasped and clutched his shoulders, clinging to his body as well as the cuffs allowed. He wasn’t sure where he was going, so he scanned far ahead. He needed something secluded, yet not so inhospitable that it would make their night miserable.

It was easier to travel along familiar paths, so he found himself in the Toiyabe National Forest, the same general area as the campsite. Though this location was much more secluded. There were no hiking trails or dirt roads, just trees, mountains and the sky. He materialized and continued to hold her as she acclimated to their new setting.

Her arms relaxed and her hands slid down from his shoulders to his chest. She looked around, eyes wide, legs still shaking. “Where are we?”

Ignoring the question, he motioned toward the western sky. “I thought we’d watch the sun go down. Nothing cures stir-craziness faster than fresh mountain air.”

She seemed almost reluctant to let go of him and her hesitancy made him want to pull her back into his arms. Rather than satisfying his passions, what she’d done in the shower only made him want to continue their sexual exploration. No other female had inflamed his senses so fast or so well.

As if sensing the direction of his thoughts, she stepped back and turned around. “Wow. Now that’s what I call a view.”

He agreed wholeheartedly. The mountain on which they stood rested at one end of a broad valley. Other peaks and canyons undulated off into the distance, creating a jagged foreground for the expansive sky. The sun hovered on the horizon, stubbornly fighting for its last few minutes of supremacy.

Morgan shook out the bedspread then sat down, wrapping the blanket and the sheet around her shoulders. She hadn’t offered him the protection of the bedding, but at least she’d left room for him on the bedspread. He slipped off the backpack and sat down beside her.

She watched the sunset and he watched her. How could such strength and such fragility reside in the same person? She was so tiny compared to him and yet she was fierce and unafraid. “What happened to your mate?”

He didn’t realize he spoke the question out loud until she turned her head and looked at him. But the pain in her gaze confirmed his suspicions. She hadn’t been ignored by the men of Earth. She’d been claimed and then lost her mate.

“I thought we already established that there isn’t a man in my life.” She turned back around and gazed out across the serene valley.

“But there once was. What happened to him?”

She drew her legs up and flipped the chain over her knees so she could wrap her arms around her legs. The blankets slipped off her shoulders, but she made no move to retrieve them. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

He scooted closer and wrapped the bedding around them both. “Is he still alive?”

“Yes. At least, I presume he’s still alive. We haven’t had contact since he left the taskforce.”

A certain catch in her tone sent protective anger rushing to the surface. “Was he your mentor? Did this man take advantage of you?”

“What part of ‘I don’t want to talk about it’ was unclear?”

He wanted to wrap his arm around her, or better yet pull her onto his lap, but he did neither. He sat beside her, acutely aware of her small warm body so close to his. He turned his face toward the horizon and silently watched the sunset. Gold gave way to orange then the bottoms of the clouds turned bright pink.

When he’d offered her glimpses into his past, she’d reciprocated. If the strategy had worked once, perhaps it would work again. “As I said, I’ve never had a female who was mine and mine alone. But there was this one pleasure giver who was special to me.”

“What was her name?” Morgan’s voice was barely above a whisper and she didn’t turn her head.

“Rinatta. Her father sold her to the elders so he could feed his other six children. She was young and terrified, so my father gave her to me.”

Morgan did look at him then and disapproval shadowed her confusion. “Why would your father give you a girl who was utterly terrified?”

“Because I was patient and willing to—”

“Break her in very slowly?”

She was echoing the taunt he’d used when he first met her, hoping to make him feel guilty. Rather than backing down from her displeasure, he pressed onward. “The elders had very different means of motivating people to do their will. Starvation, isolation, cold, and pain were my father’s favorite strategies. I saw
300
and it made me curious about the Spartans. Their training methods were similar to ours. Like Sparta, there was no place for weakness or cowardice in the world below. If you didn’t grow hard and ruthless, you died.”

“So you made Rinatta hard and ruthless?”

He sighed. If she insisted on twisting each word he uttered, he would do better to remain silent. Reaching back, he pulled the backpack to him and retrieved the two-litter bottle. He took a swig, wishing it were something a whole lot stronger than cola.

She lightly touched his arm, drawing his attention. “I’m sorry. My world is very different from yours. It’s hard to accept that things like you describe happened in this day and age. You mentioned the Spartans, and I understand the similarities. But the Spartans existed hundreds of years ago.”

He handed her the bottle and watched as her lips pressed against the place where his had been moments before. “This land enjoys a freedom that I have yet to experience. I understand that. But such is not the case all over your world. There are still many nations who are barbarous and warlike. Some even kidnap women—and children—to sell for the pleasure of others.”

“You’re right.” She looked into his eyes as she added, “And those humans are just as wrong as the Shadow Assassins.”

They lapsed into silence as they passed the bottle back and forth. The sunset faded and the temperature dropped with staggering speed. He eased closer to her and she didn’t object, so he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“Tell me about Rinatta. I promise I won’t interrupt.”

Her request surprised and pleased him. He’d thought the opportunity lost. Choosing his words carefully, he spun his tale. “First of all, I want you to know that I wanted to free her.”

She tucked her shoulder into his armpit and pressed against his side. “Why didn’t you?”

All he could see was the top of her head, but her willingness to touch him was more important anyway. “If she’d belonged to my father alone, I would have. But she belonged to all four of the elders. They’d shared equally in her cost.”

“Why did that make a difference?”

“They would have demanded my life if I released her without their permission and they made sure Rinatta knew it.”

She tensed, her head shaking back and forth. “That’s wrong on so many levels. I don’t know where to start my objections.”

“The elders were master manipulators. On that Varrik and I agree.”

“I don’t think the elders were the only ones,” she muttered under her breath as she set the empty bottle aside. “I know I’m going to regret this, but continue the story. I’d like to know what happened to the poor girl.”

“I’ll spare you the details of her training, but—”

She pushed back and her gaze locked with his. “She wasn’t the first one you’d ‘trained’ was she? That’s why your father gave her to you. You didn’t just teach the men how to deal with reluctant females. You also taught females how to submit to… No wonder I was putty in your hands. You’ve been doing this for years, maybe decades.”

He couldn’t deny her charge. He’d been the primary trainer for all things sexual and Rinatta had played an active role in that development. Still, the story was more provocative to her than he’d realized. “I think we should change the subject.”

“Not a chance. I’m curious now. Why did you think your seduction of a virgin would appeal to me?”

Her sharp tone rekindled his determination. She had drawn so many false assumptions about the world below. He felt obligated to enlighten her. “Once Rinatta realized there was no possibility of her returning to the world above, she not only accepted her new life, she reveled in it.”

“She was to be the sexual play thing for four old men. How could she possibly have any other reaction?” She pulled her side of the blanket closer about her and averted her gaze.

“You obviously never met Rinatta. She was shrewd and intensely determined to control her own destiny.” Morgan reminded him of the feisty little pleasure giver, but Nazerel wisely kept the observation to himself. “She told me that she wanted to be so captivating, so passionate and so skilled that the first man who actually took her would kill to keep her from the others.”

“You never actually…” She glanced at him then away. “Then how did you teach her… Never mind. I really don’t want to hear the specifics.”

Hadn’t their interaction in the tent taught her how many pleasures could be found without actual penetration? Perhaps she needed another demonstration. Desire wrapped around him, speeding his heart and hardening his cock. They still had all night to kill and nothing much to do.

“So did it work? Was she so desirable that the first elder who took her fought off the others?”

Fine. So they’d talk for a little while longer. “Tribe North was prime, so Elder North was Rinatta’s first lover.”

“Why was Tribe North prime and what exactly did that mean?”

“Vade, the founder was the original Elder North so his vote basically counted as two. That practice kept many votes from ending in a tie, so every Elder North that followed was considered slightly above the other elders.”

“Okay, got it. Now back to Rinatta. Did her plan work?” She sounded impatient, as if she wanted the conversation over so they could move on to more important things. Like giving each other pleasure?

Well, he might be projecting his desires just a bit, but she did sound anxious. “North paid off the other elders, but the result was the same. She was North’s consort for seven years and many whispered that she was responsible for many of his decisions. She also made sure the other pleasure givers were not abused and did her best to help the mates accept their fate.”

“You already know how I feel about that subject, so I’ll spare you another tirade. I’m still curious about one thing though.”

“Only one?” He nudged her with his shoulder, hoping to lighten her mood.