Tangles and Temptation (34 page)

She dived away as the head attacked again. Her hands reached out protectively as huge boulders and smaller stones came tumbling down. She pressed her body tightly to the steep surface and prayed aloud. Whether she was struck down by the thundering avalanche or felled by the deadly creature, either way her body would reach the ground lifeless. She refused to die this way. She could not be defeated, not now. Her life could not end, not when she had finally begun to truly live.
No!
She had too much to fight for.

Pushing herself mercilessly on, her fingers finally curled over a ledge above her. She yanked up, but she sorely lacked the upper-body strength to hoist herself fully. Her feet thrashed desperately, seeking much-needed purchase. All she met was smooth surface. The muscles in her arms screamed in agony as she stared down in panic. Her feet pumped, relentlessly searching for a foothold, but continued sliding against the unblemished solid plane. The creature rose behind her. She stilled but only for a heartbeat.

Somehow, either sheer terror or pure determination gave her strength. Adrenaline surged through her as her weakened arms toughened dramatically and dragged her up and over the edge. She crawled away frantically. Sitting and gasping, she stared at the opening. Stark, blank darkness greeted her. She frowned. Where was the beast? It was imperative that it follow her. Just as she was about to venture forward and peer over the precipice, the dark head appeared. Piercing eyes assessed her with cold, calculating precision.

Kyra dragged in a breath of relief. It was behaving exactly as planned, as she had imagined. Her mother had lavished compliments on her about her unique ability to visualize scenarios and plan fail-proof stratagems. It was time to put her talent to use. Eris was at a disadvantage. He faced an enemy who possessed not only ruthless and greater size, but it also held a second lethal weapon. This was where she could be of assistance to him. She would engage one of the weapons, leaving him with ample time to even the battlefield. She just prayed he realized the plot and that she would be successful in gaining him sufficient time.

She sat stubbornly and stared into the demonic eyes before her. Drawing herself slowly onto her haunches, she searched the ground with her hand. It skimmed over loose sand, tiny pebbles, and larger stones. Finally her palm grated against a palm-sized rock. Her fingers curled around it as she smiled cunningly. It was not a great weapon, but it was adequate for the task ahead. She had no intention of killing the creature. It was patently clear she would never succeed. She simply wished to lure it.

She sprang up as the rock sliced through the whistling air, veered out the opening of the cave, and struck the serpent with a dull thud. Waiting only for its answering shriek of fury, she turned and ran into the dark confines of the cave. The head darted forward, and she lunged around a sharp corner. Without hesitation, she lurched up and sprinted away. The serpent continued, stretching and squeezing its body through the tight passages.

Kyra changed her direction constantly. She wanted the snake truly submerged, lost in this maze of caves. As fast as her pace was, the snake kept up. She was tiring, slowing. The danger was gaining on her. A narrow passage opened ahead. She dived in just as the snake made a lunge forward. Landing on her knees, she turned and scrambled back on all fours. She yelled as the head slammed into the entrance. It was too large to enter. An eerie silence settled in the cave before the head pounded again.

Kyra quickly looked around for an escape route. She found none. This was a dead end. She jumped as the creature lashed out again. Tiny cracks fanned out on the walls as dust and grime fell from the rocky ceiling.

A single eye peered through the opening, the menacing, dark, slit-pupil focused on her. Kyra stood helpless as the torment resumed. Her time had drawn to an end. The plan was not foolproof. The maws of the beast would penetrate the flimsy barrier in to time. Her only hope was Eris. She prayed as silent tears cleared a path down her grimy cheeks.

“Merciful Gods, Ares, guide his hand to victory in this battle. Hermes, aid his speedy return to me, whole and hale. Help him. Save me.”

* * * *

Eris twisted and slithered, propelling his body vigorously. Fear for his mate’s life and determination to conquer the opponent fueled his movements. He whizzed by the crashing sea of swaying wheat, swaying violently in an erratic, hypnotic dance. The deafening roar as the heads of the wheat butted against each other spurred him on like a thunderous applause. The stalks parted reverently before his low, swift-moving head and quickly gathered together to conceal his magnificent body.

He had caught sight of Kyra many times with his keen predatory senses. Were he not so furious with her for her blatant disregard for her own life, he would have admitted admiration. Reluctantly, despite his fierce fear and extreme displeasure at her careless actions, he could not stifle the pride that strummed through his flexing length. His mate was deft and sure-footed. She ducked beneath deceptive shadows and moved with great agility and cautious speed. The thousands of stalks lovingly strove to keep her well hidden from the tyrant. She used this cover with intelligence. But he still could not figure out her stratagem.

Twice he had caught up with the larger, faster hunter. Twice his attempts to deflect its attention proved futile. The beast had scented a prey it would not surrender, a vulnerable, weak woman who had needled and challenged its might. It would stop at nothing to show its ultimate dominance. Eris had shuddered as she had dived, narrowly escaping the beast’s fury. He had trembled in relief each time she scrambled away unharmed.

His heart sank to the very pit of his belly as he realized her destination. She raced to the boundary of his domain. She sought protection in his brother’s mountains. He could not protect her, or even sense her as clearly, once she entered Sappho’s treacherous terrain. Thankfully she did not flee heedlessly into the distance but began to climb the hill closest to the perimeter. This was where he was finally given a chance to gain on the enemy.

He lurched as he watched Kyra climb the precarious incline, riddled with loose stones and unsteady boulders. The wind beat against her as she teetered and ascended with heart-grabbing bravery. Eris rose into the galling gust, regal and majestic, targeting the enemy from behind. Each time the beast lunged for Kyra, Eris attacked from the back, redirecting its aim. Still it paid him little heed as it continued to prey upon Kyra. Finally the head of the opponent reached higher than his own height. He swayed, helpless, ducking the menacing scorpion sting upon its tail as he watched Kyra vault over the edge and disappear into the mouth of a cave. He hissed in desperation as the monster hesitated only a moment before going in after her.

From his lower vantage point he could see the futility of climbing the incline after her. He would not fit through the opening. The beast blocked it off effectively with its bulky weight. Its tail, however, dangled free, striking out blindly, unaided by the hidden head. As Eris dived away from yet another violent swish of the sting, he suddenly realized Kyra’s goal. She kept the watchful eyes and lethal fangs occupied while he could dispatch of the deadly scorpion sting. She bravely placed her life at risk in order for him to even out the battle arena. He would not let her sacrifice be in vain. He drew back.

He watched the sting carefully, assessing its level of maneuvering before striking. His fangs sank into the tender, scale-free base of the wriggling tail. The sting veered up immediately. Eris waited until the very last second as the sting descended before withdrawing. The point, glistening with droplets of life-threatening venom, pierced its own flesh. Eris swiftly snapped his jaw over the embedded tip, holding the sting firmly in place. Vile, fetid fumes made him gag and convulse as the venom drained out the hanging glands and into its own body. He held on as the tail whipped frantically, until every last drop of the poison had been injected. The roar of the serpent was so great, the rumble sent down a cascade of stone and debris. Boulders and dust rained upon Eris and the writhing tail.

Strong, frantic contractions made Eris smirk. The beast was withdrawing its body from within the cave. The goal had been achieved. It did not possess a second weapon. While the sting could still rent through his hardened exterior, it had no poison to infect him. He hissed, soft and low, a sound of deflation. While Kyra was not in threat now, he prayed she would remain within the safety of the cave, if in fact she had survived. He refused to believe he had been too late. He could not allow grief and speculation any portion of his thoughts. The demon was exiting fast. His full concentration would be needed if he was to defeat his enemy.

It appeared with a thunderous bellow. Eris stayed well back as the furious reptile fell from the great height, landing with a solid thud. He did not waste a moment. Springing upon the fallen, he immediately wrapped his body around it in confining bands. Their lithe lengths wound around each other in a deadly embrace, meshing and grinding together in a violent dance. Their bodies crashed. The ground vibrated. Jaws snapped ferociously as their muscles rippled and flexed powerfully. Heads tossed wildly as each sought the advantage over the other.

Eris arched his head back as the opponent grazed his vulnerable throat. The incision stung, the outer layer already discoloring from the potent venom. The stench of putrid singeing assailed his nostrils. It took a while for him to realize the odor came from him, from the gaping wound. He unwound his body and buried his injuries into the cooling sands. The poison had not gone deep, but he was not prepared to accept another lethal kiss. They stretched and faced each other across a short expanse.

Eris weighted his chances of success. It looked grim for him. He would have to use his weaknesses to his advantage. The first was his lighter build, which meant swifter attacks. He would have to avoid further fatal punctures. The poison would travel fast, leaving him paralyzed. And his second and strongest advantage was his knowledge of the surroundings. He knew the precise lay of his land. He fell to the side at the first strike.

As expected, the beast pressed the advantage. Eris stayed low, dragging his body in small, urgent twists until he found what he sought. The dip in the ground was well concealed by dense forage. He waited until his pursuer was almost upon him before tossing his weight deftly to the side. The giant snake fell. Eris’s senses flared and picked up the dull thwack as it landed at the bottom of the deep valley. This would be his only chance. He peered over the ledge just as the smoldering, red eyes rose.

Eris struck, taking the emerging beast plummeting back into depths with him. The fangs’ sharp razor ends sliced through the protective scales and embedded themselves deep within the flesh of the tender underbelly. His aim was true. Before the stunned serpent could retaliate, he again looped his body around his enemy in an intimate embrace. Under his added weight, they staggered back into the pit. He tightened his hold until his tendons stretched, ached. The scorpion sting tore ruthlessly at his nether parts, slashing and shredding until his blood flowed, dark and hot. He clenched his jaw and endured. The frantic creature lurched and tossed, trying desperately to dislodge him. He contracted his tail, sending a chain of muscle reaction as his suffocating hug became more merciless. The head, screaming in torment, dived erratically in hostile attempts to gorge its captor’s throat with pristine incisors. Eris maneuvered agilely, escaping near blows by hairs’ breadths. He concentrated solely on his unrelenting choke hold and the periodic spasm at his jowl. Venom, rancid and lethal, pounded into his victim’s blood stream. He never allowed his poisonous weapons to be uprooted.

The volatile, explosive jerks within his victim turned slowly to short, unsteady tremors. Eris kept himself as firmly inserted and dedicated as an ardent lover. The sturdy attacks of the sting became futile taps. The head lolled back as the slender tongue lagged out of the gaping mouth corner. Eris continued the fevered kiss, feeding his fatal juices. Finally the body drew a long, deep shudder, its last. Eris moved away. His body strained as he raised his head regally and hissed his victory to the churning sky.

* * * *

Eris looked up. Kyra stood on the banks. Her blonde hair glowed as the clouds clashed together and lightning laced across the sky. He heard the steady drum of her heartbeat over the deafening thunderbolts. The heat of the sizzling light as it laced down from the heavens seared uncomfortably in the vicinity of his cold skin. He did not turn to watch the ultimate destruction of his nemesis. His gaze never left the shimmering, stormy-gray eyes that returned his unrelenting stare. Eris drew in a deep, fortifying breath. He began the journey to her, winding his length gracefully, keeping his stately head high. But within he trembled.

He could not ascertain whether her earlier panic upon sighting him had been due to his beastly form or the enemy behind. His visions had been clear yet with significant uncertainties left to be unraveled. This was reality. The truth would show in her eyes. The time for that truth had come.

As he towered above her, unwilling to lower himself in any way, he scrutinized her every feature. Changing into human form would have been more merciful, but he remained stubbornly resolute. He would not hide. He was not ashamed. The battle-frenzied blood that had pounded furiously through him had not abated. It pulsed even more frantic now. His heart thudded louder. His entire length clenched with anxiety, strummed with hope. He lowered his massive head.

Eris stared at her lovingly, trying to convey all that was in his heart. He wanted her to see his need clearly. He needed her acceptance. He needed her. His jaw dropped open slowly. But no words spewed forth. The forked tongue flicked out in silence. Eris screamed from within the beast, praying she would see the truth revealed in his eyes.

He held his breath as one heartbeat turned into two, and an eternity later into three. Finally she lifted her hand. Her smooth palm caressed his jaw delicately. Her words left her on a breath. “You are truly magnificent. I never thought…”