CarnalPromise (3 page)

When she turned back to Drakkar, her smile was one of a
sexually satisfied female. She folded her hands across the swell of her abdomen
and chuckled again, her voice sounding like the light tinkling of an intriguing
wind chime. She scanned Drakkar from head to toe then did the same with his
fellows. “Perhaps we can clean you up first then I will let you speak with
Hypatia.” She moved to leave.

“It is not your priestess I want.”

“No?” The woman turned with controlled slowness to look at
him. “Regardless, we like all who enter to go through the ritual cleansing.
After that, if there is something more, we can discuss it.” She nodded to him
then addressed the priest. “Awake a few of the women for the bath.”

The priest cut his gaze to Drakkar. “Should I rouse some of
the men as well?”

She smirked and cast a mocking glance at Drakkar. “No. We
will need only those who would be on guard tonight.”

The man nodded to her then she left.

Frustration rose in Drakkar again but his logic controlled
him now. He stood silent, knowing any attempt to bypass the priestess would be
met with restraint from the Nyphosian men. And attacking the outlet of the
Nyphosians could bring down the Telrusian peacekeepers, definitely a more
formidable bunch. Although at the moment he could use the release that pounding
a Telrusian guard would give. Still, the final result would not be what he
wanted.

When the priest waved them forward, Drakkar followed, yet
his senses remained alert.
She was here.
He knew it.

Her capture was only a matter of time.

* * * * *

A dark shadow passed across the House of the Nyphosians and
hurried its way toward those seedier parts of town the Vulgarian mentioned—ones
this shade of a man had recently left.

Soaked through to his skin, Cassius gritted his teeth. At
first he’d watched as the Svendian royal approached the door but he’d waited
too long to make his move, holding back when the common man from Vulgaria who
claimed the Svendian entered the outlet with the woman’s nephew in tow. Hypatia
had gotten there safe. That was all that mattered now.

His plans thwarted for the night, he headed for the warren
where his enslaver waited for news, but he wouldn’t be empty-handed. He would
give Craddock something, for if he didn’t, the man would ensure Cassius paid
with his skin. Literally.

Letting the low hum of a growl rest in his throat, Cassius meandered
onward, hating the ex-headmaster. Hating what he, Cassius, had to do, hoping
that soon, he could make freedom his.

Half comatose, Jinn growled then jerked a turn to lie on her
other side. Jumbled thoughts seared her brain, the recent events bringing to
light her tenuous situation. Somehow she had to protect herself from Drakkar
until she completed her quest. She knew a tentative peace agreement with the
Vulgarians had been signed—tentative based on when they found her. Her bonding
to the captain of the
Intrepid
would finalize the pact.

Hell. What antiquated shatz!
To be forced into such a
union. Besides it wasn’t like she wouldn’t eventually bond with the damn man.
Her fucking body had already decided that. The pain of separation from him was
growing too great. She needed sex.
Soon
.

But only with Drakkar. He was the only one she wanted now.

She tossed again. Still in that ethereal, dream-like state,
she lifted her hand to finger her tit. God she wanted him. Needed him. At least
his body.

Damn the Vulgarian and his primeval ideas!
Yeah,
Vulgarians were supposed to have more progressive laws regarding the female
sex, except Drakkar was having none of it. Okay, so the fact that she was a
Svendian trooper and their two peoples had been at war might be a mitigating
factor, but not completely. Now that they were at peace…

Damnation
. He didn’t care about that. He just wanted
a woman he could fuck. Probably to be a good housekeeper too. Stupid provincial
mindset. She bet he wanted someone who would fawn over his uber-sexy male body
as well, the egotistical lump of…sculpted…male…flesh. Fuck. Her libido
thrummed.

Damn her biology. She had to get control. She wouldn’t live
the life he wanted for her.
You can be a warrior no longer, though I swear I
will find something else to occupy you.
That’s what he’d told her. What?
Did he think her incapable of leading her own life? Shatz, even though she might
bond with him, she sure as hell wasn’t going to be some soft, dutiful little
mate. She had her own fate to decide. One that included her being a warrior.
And she wasn’t going to give in on that until he accepted it. And
that
the son of a bitch could count on.

She moaned, letting her eyelids flutter, allowing her
fingers to work their magic on her breasts, giving her some respite to her
unrequited needs.

Yet her mind wandered.
Bonding.
God’s teeth, the word
scared her. There was only one reason for it. To produce heirs. The Svendians
and Vulgarians believed in the old ways—impregnating a woman through coitus.
Many advanced races still did. There was something primitive, special about the
process, something that kept the people connected to their roots, their
families, their people, and the child itself. Yes, if something went wrong,
modern technology could save her and most probably would, but with her life and
the places she could be, the act could be one in which she or the child could
perish, a death where she would have no control and that frightened her beyond
reason. Why? She didn’t know. Not exactly. Yes, her aunt’s death troubled her,
yet…

Perhaps it had been all the blood when the stillborn came.
But the idea of having children, of raising a child, of suffering to save them…
She shivered, remembering the intense fear on her father’s face. His deep voice
still echoed in her ears.
I can’t lose you, my priceless daughter. I will
die for you.
And he had by pushing her off into the shuttle even as the
slow melting ray dissolved his legs.

Perhaps that was it. The fact that he had sacrificed himself
for her. For her!
Why?
He was a leader to her people. A good and wise
man. She had only been a spoiled waif of a girl. If she had left when he’d
asked her the first time, he could have saved himself.

Her fingers stilled on her breast. She didn’t deserve the
blessing of children. She couldn’t be counted on to handle the responsibilities
of a child but unless she bonded with Drakkar, the treaty for peace between
their people might never take effect.

Could she avoid it? Doubtful. Unless, of course, her uncle
or his bio killed her first. She sneered. Either her or her uncle. A primeval
way to prove who was right.

She grimaced. Perhaps if she died that would be best, as
long as she took her uncle with her. Besides,
that
would free Drakkar’s
instinct and let him do as he truly pleased. Find some soft, pampered woman to
sing his praises and caress his taut—hard—muscular body.

“God’s teeth,” she grumbled even as the sex of her body
betrayed the depraved depths of her soul. Unbidden, her skin heated, her clit
tingled and the moistness from her sex dampened her thighs.

No
. She squeezed her legs together and worked to
dismiss the remembrances of Drakkar’s taking, his body in hers, the heat of his
loins, and the rhythm of his penetration. Shatz, she’d had plenty of men that
satisfied her but no one could compare to what she’d had with Drakkar.

She swallowed. When her mission was complete, she would deal
with these other issues. She had no choice, but it frightened her.

Of course, that was
if
she didn’t perish first.
Perhaps even that would be a welcome respite, especially at the moment. Better
than the sexual suffering she was forced to endure.

Jinn tossed again under the silken cover, trying to dispel
her wayward thoughts. She shivered, knowing that in truth, her death was a very
real possibility, especially with the bio Cassius involved.

She let the feelings of danger consume her.
A good thing.
Only the fear of impending doom was strong enough to defeat her need to mate.
Her terror was the only way she could control the other primal drive but the
effort left her frustrated. And that frustration was growing in leaps and
bounds.

She growled again as her anger built. Letting her eyes
flutter open, she inhaled a deep breath and stared at the fire globe alight in
the room.
Shelter. Protection.
She had that at the moment but her mind
would not let her rest.

Her stomach grumbled, reminding her she’d missed a few
meals. Her body showed the strain of her current existence. The burden on her
soul made it even worse. She missed so much in her old life, now more than
ever. She’d never felt this alone.

Oh, hell.
She let her anger come to the fore again.
She could handle this. She had to. Besides, she hadn’t the time, much less the
money, to take care of herself. The last time she tried to tax her credit
account, Drakkar had almost caught her. She couldn’t chance that again.

She closed her eyes once more, praying this time she’d sleep
and not be kept awake by thoughts of Drakkar or her uncle. Her stomach grumbled
again and Jinn considered raiding the antiquated kitchen then decided against
it. Her body ached for sleep and it was too late now anyway. The facilities
would be locked. She glanced at the darkened window. Rain still tapped on the
panes.
No
. Morn would come soon enough.

Batting her eyes, Jinn willed herself to sleep, yet unbidden
specters of the past came to her. Things she sacrificed. Things that were
sacrificed for her.

Just before sleep claimed her, she relived the horror of her
father’s death. Sweat beaded on her skin from the fear.

Ignoring the bathing priestesses’ pleas for him to stay,
Drakkar showered and shaved. Disposing of the Telrusian disguise, he changed
into his Vulgarian officer uniform in deference to the Nyphosian’s hospitality
and his role in any bargaining that would take place. Quickly he made his way
into the hall, leaving his compatriots to distract the guards and entertain the
women. His intent was to return to the parlor and get this business over with
but when he passed another darkened aisle, he scented Jinn again. Stronger this
time. Scanning the corridors, he followed the trace.

As he passed each door, her perfume grew stronger then, when
he passed another, it faded again. He worked his way back and scented the air,
feeling like a Vulgarian wolf searching for its mate.

Here
. He stopped in front of one of the doors he’d
passed. Glancing throughout the hall to ensure he was alone, he put his ear to
the portal and listened.

Nondescript murmurs came through to him. Female ones.
Jinn
.
His dick jumped. She was there.

Activating his personal cloaking device, he tested the
old-fashioned door knob.
Locked
. Feeling for his pack, he searched
desperately for something to open it. Anything that would be quiet enough not
to warn her before he could reach her. Her scent surrounded him. He grew
impatient.

“Finally,” he muttered as he pulled out an eating implement
and jimmied the door. Scanning the corridor once more, he slipped through the
crack he’d made and closed the portal after him, turning the ancient lock again
to ensure some privacy.

She lay in the middle of the lush Nyphosian bed, the covers
only half over her nubile body. She was asleep. The glow of the fire globe
highlighted the naked parts of her frame. His sex hummed with anticipation. His
mind tamped the sense down as best he could. He didn’t want to alert her too
soon and risk losing her once more.

Keeping the threat foremost in his mind helped him instill
control. Silently he stepped closer, reminding himself she could still slip
away if he made a mistake.

She tossed, moaning in that intoxicating way of hers. He
clenched his teeth. It was all he could do to hold himself back.

But he had to. He had found her. He wanted her to know
intense pleasure, the joy that being with him would bring. She couldn’t fight
that. He knew the truth all too well. In the way of their people, she was part
of him now, as he was part of her.

In moments, he stood by the bed and watched her chest rise
and fall with every gentle breath. The simple beauty of the vision stunned him,
held him at bay a moment to study and appreciate his mate. Her long hair lay
against the sheets unfettered, like strands of spun gold against the
tawny-colored pillows, as if tossed there by the storm of passion and left to
rest. The reddish hues from the fire globe outlined her breasts, peaking at the
taut nipples on top. He watched the dusky nubs move with each inhalation, and
with each breath, the heat within him stirred with something more than sex,
some primitive sense of possession he could not name. Yet his soul latched on to
the one truth his gut knew—that he could not live without her.

Looking farther down, he studied her narrow waist and wished
the sheet had slipped past her hips as well. He would have liked to have taken
his time to reflect on her pretty mons, her firm rounded ass.

His gaze went back to her abs, her navel. The sinewy muscles
in her midriff stood out more, were more defined.

He frowned as she mumbled and tossed again, lifting an arm
over her head as she turned toward him. Although a fit woman, Jinn had leaned
out more than was good for her. From necessity, he had gotten severe in his
pursuit. Running had taken its toll on her body. He hadn’t wanted that.

But it would have been worse if he had lost her. If she’d
found Craddock, her uncle would have killed her.

Assuaging his concern, he uncloaked and stripped then
slipped under the covers with her, needing her, unable to forgo his instinct
any longer.

She sidled next to him, a deep erotic sigh coming from
deeper within. She needed his sex as much as he needed hers. He could tell. Her
scent thickened.

“Drakkar,” she muttered in her sleep and turned away from
him toward the fire globe. Her hand came up and settled on her naked tit.

Undeterred, he slid his arms around her and nestled her
against him, holding her in wary earnest in case she awoke and tried to bolt.
“I need you, Jinn,” he barely whispered, his voice breathy against her skin.
Lightly he nibbled on the exposed side of her neck. “As much as you need me.
Please don’t fight me anymore.”

He deftly moved her hand away and replaced it with his,
rolling the nub of her breast between his fingers.

His penis jumped. His sex hardened like Ploruvian steel. He
let his male flesh slide between her legs and rubbed the tip of his penis
against her clit. The sense pained him, his need so great for her, but he
wouldn’t take her. Not yet. He wanted her to know, to feel the intense drive
for him he knew she had, to understand that without him, she would never again
be satisfied.

Just as he, Drakkar, could never be sated again. Not without
this woman.

Semi-conscious
. Jinn could feel the fire again and
the heat from some large body. She moaned and snuggled against the flesh. Warm
muscular arms surrounded her.
A man
. She could feel the softness of his
chest hair against her back. His firm torso molded against her. The way he held
her—it felt right somehow. Safe.

Dreaming
. Yes. She had to be dreaming. The Nyphosians
would never intrude on her privacy. She savored the languid feeling, not having
luxuriated in the somnolent state for so long. Dreams, especially romantic
ones, were a strange wonderful land where she could do anything, be anything,
with impunity. More than that, her dreams didn’t lie to her. They revealed her
deepest fantasies, her hidden desires, what her real truth was, even those her
logic refused to recognize.

“Drakkar,” she moaned, knowing in her innermost self that
she wanted him. Her voice lifted in the air, sounding detached from reality.
“Need you,” she muttered and felt a salty drop track down her cheek.

A calloused finger feathered her skin and brushed the
moisture away. Muscular arms brought her closer, held her as if she was
precious to him, as if they would never let her go. A ragged breath brushed her
ear and titillated her libido.