The General's Daughter (Snow and Ash #1) (18 page)

“What’s wrong, princess? Am I not licking your butt properly?”

I pinch him between the shoulder blades.

“Cut it out!”

“You cut it out,” I shout over the noise of the engine. “If Dad hasn’t caught up to us by now, he’s not coming.”

“You don’t know—”

“I do know. When I was kidnapped, he sent assassins after me.”

He twists his head like he’s trying to look at me. Not even remotely possible on this thing.

“Me being kidnapped made Dad look weak. He had to make a point to General Barry that he couldn’t get to him through me. I matter so little he’ll kill me himself, see?”

He’s silent, but his back is straight. Stiff. I’ve shocked him.

“Don’t worry,” I continue. “Me running away is just saying he has an ungrateful daughter. I’m bad PR now. He won’t want me back.”

He’s quiet after that.

We’ve been following Interstate 40 south for some time. We’re somewhere around the Tennessee-North Carolina border, but I’m not sure. We’re definitely in the forest, definitely in the mountains. We’ll start heading southwest anytime, as soon as we find the Appalachian Trail. But dark-fall is almost here, and we stop and make camp.

“What if there is no Tintagel?” asks the redheaded girl, Bethany.

“Then we make one.” I’m staring at the fire, not really paying a whole lot of attention.

“How’s that, ungrateful daughter?” Lawrence leans over and offers me a strip of jerky.

I blink at him, but I take it. Seriously, wow. Not even a hint of bitterness in his voice.

I shrug. “Dad didn’t start with much.”

Lawrence’s eyes sparkle with challenge. “How would we protect ourselves?”

I think about that ancient city the professor talked about. Tintagel,
village on top of a mountain
. History was full of wars.
The Art of War
is a classic book on military strategy. Dad had two copies. “Pick a high spot where you can see what’s coming for thirty miles in any direction. Build a fortified structure there. Anyone here have engineering training?”

Lawrence wrinkles his brow. “I got as far as my junior year at Georgia Tech.”

“Perfect. Build a structure, say, ten stories tall, and plant the potatoes I brought. If anyone was smart enough to steal seeds—” I glance at Gwen and she smirks. She worked at the gardens. “We set up our garden the same way Dad did. If anyone flees from Bluefield Mountain, they can stay with us.”

“Dream on,” says one of the guys.

I shrug. He’s probably right.

“You’d better find Tintagel, then.” I take a bite out of the jerky. We’ll be out of fuel soon. What will we do then? Hike, I guess, but that will leave us more vulnerable to predators. The human kind.

We settle in for the night. This time I don’t even bother to touch myself. There’s no relief there. I fall asleep to the sounds of deep, even breathing and the crackling of fire.

A hand clamps over my mouth, shooting me full awake.

“Gotcha,” someone whispers in my ear.

Joy surges through me and sends tears to my eyes. I know that voice.

“I’m going to take my hand away,” he says in a low voice. “Don’t scream.”

I’m already wet for him. I nod, and he takes his hand away.

“Are you kidnapping me?” I can hardly breathe.

“I told you,” he says. “You’re mine.”

I swallow at the lump in my throat. “My pack is under my head,” I whisper. “I stole a crossbow from Dad’s weapon room. It’s in the back of the red-striped snowmobile.”

He gathers me up. A figure I didn’t notice retrieves my pack, then heads for the red snowmobile.

Talon carries me half a mile or so in silence. I rest my head against his chest and listen to the strong, steady beat of his heart.

Finally he sets me down and unwraps me from my cocoon. With my arms free, I brush the hair out of my eyes. He seizes my hands in his hard grip and holds them as though telling me, showing me he can do what he wants. He scowls down at me, and my breasts feel heavy. He crushes me to him and kisses me with the passion of a madman.

Our tongues touch, and his masters mine until I whimper against him. God, all I want him to do is touch me, fuck me until I scream for him to stop. When he steps back, he looks pleased, like he’s just broken in a new colt.

“How’s your wound?” he asks. He balls up the bedding and hands it over to that guy, the one I never seem to notice. He’s tall. He’s a shadow.

The guy nods at me. “That her?”

Talon takes a deep breath. “That’s her.”

The guy smiles, and I see a flash of white against the darkness. The smile disappears again, and he moves off ahead of us.

“Can you walk?” Talon takes my hand and leads me along a path I can’t see.

“I’m not sure how far,” I tell him. “I’m healing, though. I got my stitches out recently.”

He draws a ragged breath and squeezes my hand tight. “I can’t believe… You were almost dead. I thought, no way you’d make it.”

“Yeah, well, I thought Garrett killed you. For a while, anyway.”

He tosses his head, indicating the camp. I can’t even see the glow from the fire anymore. “He’s the one that let me go.”

“How the hell did you get him to do that? He’s like Dad’s perfect soldier.”

“He felt sorry for you. He said your dad didn’t give a shit about you and I was probably your only friend.”

“No freaking way.”

“Said there’d be a party heading this way in a few weeks, and I might want to watch out. See if you’re with them.”

And Garrett let me worry all that time. Jerk. “You know, I’m bloody sick of secrets. Why do people have to keep everything from me?”

“I’m not keeping anything from you.”

I bite my lip, and I can feel my eyes glow as I gaze into his.
 

“You’re the only one who never did.”

We’re miles from the highway now, and I’m trying not to be a pain in the butt, but this is a lot. When we reach the top of an especially grueling hill, I bend over to catch my breath. I’m tired, I’m weak, and I’m shaking. I thought by now I’d be all healed, but I guess my body’s not on board with that.

Talon runs his hand down my back. “It’s another four miles, baby. Think you can make it?”

Four miles. In this terrain? I want to cry. But I hold it in. “Okay.”

“You don’t sound okay.”

“I am. Dr. Avanti said my kidney’s healing just fine.”

He nods, but his lips thin. “Kidney. Right.”

He hands my pack to our mystery friend, Mr. Shadow, and scoops me up over his shoulder.

“Oh for crying out loud, Talon.”

“I can’t have your wound opening up.”

“I feel ridiculous.” I do. My ass is, like, on show. It doesn’t matter that it’s too dark to see it.

“I’ll beat your behind if you don’t shut up.”

He sounds serious. But he’s joking. Isn’t he?

I shut up.

Along about light-time I detect the smell of wood burning.

“Are we close?” I ask.

Talon grunts.

I take it for a yes.

“For goodness’ sake, please put me down. My head feel like it’s going to pop.”

Our shadow companion chuckles.

Without a word Talon kneels down and sets my feet on the ground.

“Thanks.” I sway for a moment or two until the blood leaves my head.

When I right myself, I try to see more of our invisible companion, and immediately I understand why I could barely see him in the dark. He’s Mediterranean. Either that or he’s Middle Eastern. Specifically what group, I don’t know, but this man is dark.

So that’s it.

I smile tentatively, then duck my head. I’m not sure of my welcome here.

“Guess I can see why you like her,” the man says. “She looks like Lucrezia Borgia. You remember, that old Showtime series.”

“That’s enough, Urick.”

“I’m just saying your lady’s fine.”

Talon squares his shoulders and stares Urick down.

“All right,” the man says, stepping back. “I get the hint.”

He dips his head to me in a slight bow. “I’ll see you later.”

Talon’s fist tightens. “Urick.”

Urick’s laugh fades as he walks away.

Talon presses a hand in my back and guides me along the street. It’s dotted on each side with various-sized cabins. It’s a tiny town, maybe twenty or so structures.
 

“What is this place?”

“Used to be cabin rentals. My friend’s dad owned it.”

“It’s so cute.”

“Cute.
 
Right.
 
It’s safe.
 
The terrain around here is intense. If you don’t know it’s here, you’ll never find it. The road was only ever a dirt trail, and I don’t think anyone could find the place even if they tried.”

He turns toward the second to the last and pushes open the door. The remains of a fire smolder in the fireplace. “You want to hide from the world, this is the place to do it.”

“Oh my gosh, this is perfect! Is this yours?”

Talon spins me around, slams the door shut, and pushes me against the wall. His lips find mine, and it’s like the sun has returned. His hands are all over me, down my back, up my hips, under my clothes. He steps away, lifts my tops over my head, and flings them to the floor. He gives the bra one glance, frowns, and rips it from me.

“Hey! That’s my only bra!”

He hoists me up on the back of the couch and takes the whole tip of my breast in his mouth. Liquid fire shoots directly to my womb, and I gasp. He draws hard, and it’s like the world shifts, and the only thing I want is his mouth on my body.

He unbuttons my jeans and switches to the other breast.

“Off,” I groan. “Off.” I hop off the couch, reach for the waistband of my jeans, and slide them down my legs. All I have on is my panties, and they’re doing me no good. They’re so drenched they’re practically stuck to me.

“Yeah,” he sighs. I’m still bent over, trying to free my feet from the snug jeans, and Talon strokes my backside. He pulls me to him, and I can feel how hard he is, how ready. He steps back and tosses his coat aside, tugs the layers of clothes over his head.

He’s shaking. So am I. He positions me over the arm of the couch and unzips his pants. He barely gets his dick out before he clutches my backside and brings me to him. I spread my legs, and the thick head teases me.

“Do it,” I beg.

With a grunt, he shoves in, all the way up to the hilt. My insides twitch at the sudden invasion, but my eyes flutter shut at the sheer beauty of the connection. I need this moment to never end. I want to spend the rest of my life bent over this couch with Talon’s cock deep inside my cunt.

“You’re mine,” he says roughly and begins working his hips. He’s not gentle, and I don’t want him to be. Balls slap against flesh, and breasts bounce and sway. I bend lower, lifting my hips higher against him.

He groans with every thrust like he’s a starved beast. With each stroke his grunts grow louder, fiercer, until they become violent.

“I can’t,” he groans. “It’s too good, baby. Too good.” He’s scraping my naked skin against the brocade material of the couch when he gives a shout. He shoves with one final thrust and lets loose stream after stream of cum.

He continues his strokes, slower now, massaging my backside until he’s released every drop.

I’m not done. Disappointment punches me in the chest, sharp and almost unbearable. I can’t believe this is it. I needed it so badly.

“Are you okay?”

“I didn’t come.” I choke back a frustrated whimper. Then I’m ashamed.

His face falls. “I’m sorry, baby. I couldn’t stop. I needed you so bad and I just…” He frowns and reaches over to the side table, opens a drawer, and pulls something out.

It’s a highly polished metal contraption. It looks like something from the
Terminator
movies, curved and with larger, rounded tips on each end.

“What do you think you’re going to do with that?”

He lifts me over so my hips are on the arm of the couch and my head is bent back down on the cushions. He kneels between my legs and begins to…

“Oh God!” His tongue flicks my clit once, twice, then moves in the dirtiest little massage. My eyes roll shut, and the tension begins to build again. I feel something cool and hard against my opening, but before I can protest, he’s pushed the larger of the ball-shaped ends inside me. He works the thing in and out, and with each stroke he goes deeper. He licks and sucks me like he has a PhD in clits.

I’m being fucked by a piece of steel, and it’s incredible. It’s so good. My breasts beg for sensation, and I squeeze and knead them.

He maneuvers the phallus to another angle, and he hits something different. A tender spot. The tension in me is so tight I could burst with it. I never imagined myself splayed out on a couch with a sex toy in my pussy and a man licking my clit.