Untamable Lover (Worlds of Lemuria: Earth Colony Book 2) (21 page)

“Demir. What are you doing?” She backed up, putting distance between them.

He tried to speak, to tell her to run. The sun would be down in minutes. She could stay in the shadows until the sun dropped below the horizon. His growl was the only sound from him.

Kill. Her.
The insistent voice left no room for argument. His body responded, tensing for his attack. 

She changed into her panther form. A low, eerie growl erupted from her throat. She’d fight back. 

He changed as well. Long, pointed claws extended from his paws. Taut muscles bunched beneath his skin. 

Her hackles rose, the raised fur a warning to stay back. 

A ball of pain grew in his chest. He’d rather die than harm Aramie. He used the energy to fight against the voice in his head. An internal struggle brewed, twisting his insides as he fought for control. The bite mark on his shoulder burned with such intensity, white stars flashed in his vision. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind.

Aramie took a tentative step toward him, her yellow eyes searching his face. She tilted her head and nuzzled his nose. Her desire to help him broke his resolve. He didn’t deserve her support and commitment. His father was right—he was weak.

Imaginary cuffs wrapped around Demir’s soul, binding him to his new master. 

You belong to me now. Kill her and come to me.
Demir recognized the voice—Ram. He pulled against the restraints, but they were iron-clad, immovable. 

Demir focused his gaze on Aramie. His large body blocked the exit. Trapped in the cave, she had nowhere to run. He tried to choke out a warning, but only a snarl emerged from his throat. Hackles raised, he bared his fangs and lunged at her. He ripped into her haunch, his sharp claws penetrating deep into the flesh. 

She snarled and scratched his face. Blood trickled into his mouth, the harsh taste nothing like the bitterness in his heart.

His sharp teeth ripped into her forearm, tearing away a piece of skin. He attacked her again, biting her on the thigh. She drew her claw down the skin over his ribcage. The snarl she emitted was filled with sorrow, and the look in her eyes was a hurt he’d never forget. 

He backed up, looking for another opportunity. Blood dripped from both her arm and her rump. His throat constricted. He’d inflicted those wounds.

She swiped at him, and he bit her paw. Blood oozed from her leg and onto the dirt, staining the earth with her life force. Her back leg wobbled, but she didn’t back down. The strength inside her made his chest tighten. 

Finish her! 

Demir couldn’t ignore the command. He bared his fangs and snarled. His muscles bunched, tensing for his launch. He fought against Ram, but couldn’t budge the evil creature’s control over him. After propelling himself into the air, he landed on her back, taking her down. 

She fell on her side. A loud whoosh burst from her lips. She bit him on the chin, the ear, the nose. The pain was nothing like the ache in his heart.

He slashed his claws over her hip and thigh, his nails digging into the soft flesh. Blood seeped from the wound. Through the haze in his mind, his heart fragmented with every lash he gave her. 

Battered and torn, she fought him until the end. He pinned her on her back and crawled on top of her. Her paws were over her head, and the image reminded him of their lovemaking only a few short hours ago. It seemed like a lifetime.

She mewled softly, her breaths ragged. The scent of blood filled the cave, reeking of the battle and portending her upcoming death. When he killed her, his heart would break. 

He opened his mouth, and a guttural growl born of anguish filled the cave. Against his will, he looked into her eyes. Expecting to see resentment, anger, and bitterness, all he saw was confusion and sadness.

His heart clenched and for a brief moment, the shackles loosened. A fleeting niggle of hope raced along his nerves before the manacles tightened once again. 

Finish her then come to me.

Compliance was the only option. His enemy controlled him, reinforcing his weakness and his own belief he wasn’t worthy of love.

He bit her at the base of the throat, in the soft spot between the neck and the shoulder. It wasn’t a coincidence this was the very place a male chose when marking a female as his mate. Aramie had already won his heart, and this was his parting gift to her. He’d mourn her as his mate for the rest of his life, brief as he prayed it would be.

As her body relaxed, he let her go and raced into the night.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Tanen entered the Throne room and stopped in his tracks. His heart raced. He’d found the scripture describing the punishment for treason. He dreaded telling the king. 

Noeh leaned back in his chair, and tapped his ring against the massive chair’s engraved arm. He raised an eyebrow. “What news do you bring?” 

Melissa placed her hand over Noeh’s, and he grasped her fingers with a gentle squeeze. The intimate contact was something Tanen had never experienced. As council leader, he didn’t have time to deal with a female. Besides, he was too uptight, and the females confused him with their mixed signals and wild moods.
I’m better off alone.

Anlon sat on Melissa’s lap. The little prince’s blond hair and blue eyes were the spitting image of his father’s. The babe had grown so much over the past few weeks. Perhaps his growth was due to Melissa’s quick Dren metabolism. In any case, the happy family brought much-needed hope to the residents of the Keep, and for that, Tanen was thankful.

He raised his chin and approached his king and queen. “I pored through many ancient tomes in the Hall of Scriptures. Stacks and stacks—” 

“Tanen...”

“—of books on the old law—”

“Tanen!” Noeh’s raised voice was a clear warning. “Get to the point.”

A small rumble shook the Keep.

Noeh peered at Melissa, and she shook her head. The small interchange seemed as if more than a glance had passed between them. 

“My apologies, Your Majesty, but I thought you’d want to hear how—”

“I care not for how, only what.” 

“Tanen, please forgive Noeh. Demir and Aramie are missing. Noeh is worried about them.” Melissa looked at Noeh and pursed her lips.

Noeh ran his hand through his hair. “Please, Tanen…continue.”

Tanen bowed before his king. “According to the scriptures, one hundred years in the Strong room is the sentence for kidnapping and attempted murder.” He cleared his throat. “For treason—death.”

“So it shall be done.” Noeh rose from his chair and strode over to his ornate desk. The monstrosity stood in the corner. A small carved owl hung from a nearby post, as if watching over the Keep’s best kept secrets. 

Noeh grabbed a piece of parchment from the stack of papers and a quill pen from the carved burl holder. The scratching of stylus on paper echoed in the room. Tanen stepped closer to receive Mauree’s death sentence. 

Noeh set down the pen and opened the desk drawer. On the end of the carved inner tray, a giant blue sunstone glinted in the light.
The sacred stone. Gaetan must’ve given it to Noeh.

Tanen’s fingers twitched and his mouth went dry. The sudden urge to snatch the mesmerizing crystal raced along his nerves. He swallowed, but the lump that had formed in his throat wouldn’t go down.

Noeh pulled out his seal and an ink pad. He raised the marker above the paper and brought it down with a loud bang. With great care, he cleaned the seal with a small cloth, put it back in the desk, and closed the drawer.

Although the sunstone was no longer visible, Tanen couldn’t pull his eyes away from its home. Why had Noeh left such a valuable crystal in his desk drawer? 

The temperature in the room heated. Tanen’s collar seemed tight around his neck, choking him. Unable to handle the discomfort any longer, he unclasped the top button. The fresh air did little to cool his skin. He hadn’t reacted to a bauble like this in years. A shiver of dread raced over his arms.

Lines of determination ringed Noeh’s eyes, and he tightened his lips. “As king, I proclaim Mauree guilty of treason and issue a death sentence.” 

Tanen accepted the official parchment. As council leader, his duties included enforcing the laws. He’d soon be on his way to deliver the news. The flapping of paper caught his attention. He peered at his shaking hands. In an effort not to call attention to his turmoil, he folded the paper then placed it in his coat’s breast pocket.

Noeh returned to his chair and tickled his son’s cheek with his finger. The babe’s giggles and coos were sounds Tanen hadn’t heard in centuries. “I assume you still haven’t pulled the information about Ram’s lair out of Mauree.” 

Memories of his latest encounter with the traitorous female filtered through his mind. Cunning and dangerous, she’d used her curves to taunt him, enticing him to let her out. She’d almost succeeded. That wouldn’t happen again.

“Not yet, but I’m making progress.” His face heated, and a drop of sweat rolled down his back.
Craya!
An urge to rip off his sweaty shirt and throw it on the ground increased his frustration.

“You’re out of time. We’ll find Ram some other way, or we’ll wait until he finds us.” Noeh shook his head. “Bring Mauree to the Grand Hall. I’ll sanction her in public before the execution.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty.” Tanen bowed to his king, glanced once more at the desk and its hidden treasure before racing out the door.

*****

Pain, numbing pain. The throb in Aramie’s neck burst through her consciousness, waking her into a nightmare. Her entire body ached. She stared at the ceiling, trying to focus on her location. Although the rocks looked like those in the Keep, no sunstones lined the walls. She moved, sending a new wave of agony through her muscles. 

Raising herself onto one elbow, she peered around the small cave. Dried drops of blood and tufts of fur littered the soft soil, reminders of her encounter with Demir. 

Demir!
A trace of his scent still lingered in the air, but he was long gone. Her chest ached, sending a new round of pain through her body. Blood oozed from a deep gash in her thigh and three long scratches still marred the skin on her abdomen, but the rest of the marks were pink scars. 

The last image she remembered was Demir’s face, his yellow eyes penetrating into her soul. Although he’d attacked her, his pained expression belied his intent. Instead of killing her, he’d marked her as his mate.

Heat raced up her neck and into her face, but at the same time, a deep sense of peace enveloped her. She bit her lip as her mind spun, confusion warring with her pain. 

Moonlight cascaded on the rocks at the cave’s entrance. By the looks of it, she’d been out for several hours. Where was Demir?

 Strewn across the ground, her clothes were another reminder of their time together. Her chest constricted as a new pain enveloped her heart. Although Demir had bitten her, she hadn’t submitted to him so they hadn’t completed the mating ritual. 

She pulled on her pants and shirt, careful to avoid the tender cuts and bruises, and crawled on her hands and knees to the cave entrance. The wind picked up, catching the ends of her hair, flipping them against her face.
My barrette!
She touched the empty spot where her hair clip normally held back her strands. Always so careful with her precious piece, she hadn’t had time to deal with it when Demir had attacked her. 

She ran back into the cave. On the floor, next to the place they’d made love, the spot of red stood out from the dark colors in the cave. She clutched the hair piece to her heart. This time, though, it wasn’t the memory of her gran’ma that crossed her mind, but of Demir. She’d asked him to put the barrette in her hair. He’d swallowed, his serious gaze searching her face. He wanted to make sure this was what she’d wanted. She’d wanted nothing more.

The ache in her chest competed with her other injuries, the pain raw and new. She couldn’t believe for one moment Demir had intentionally attacked her. Not after his gentle touch, and the tender way he stroked his fingers over her skin the look of reverence and love in his eyes.
No, Demir wouldn’t do this.
Yet, he had. Tears formed in her eyes.

After their brief nap, Demir had rubbed his back. Caught up in their lovemaking, she hadn’t paid close attention before, but a thin blue liquid had coated his fingers. Blue—like the sacred sunstone. Aramie sat on her haunches. Her heartbeat raced, ringing in her ears.

What did the stone do to him besides bring him out of his coma? 

His attack was so out of character, she didn’t think he’d hurt her of his own free will. He was their leader, protector of all of their kind, and would rather die than kill another Pridemate unprovoked. Something else was at play here, and she needed to find out what it was. 

She sniffed the air, searching for his scent, but the bitter winter wind had erased Demir’s tracks. Not that she was in any condition to hunt him down. She needed to see Gaetan, get some medical attention and find out more about the sacred blue sunstone.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

The gash on Aramie’s leg still burned, as much from the injury as the fact that Demir had done this to her. A surge of adrenaline rushed through her veins, her need for information hurrying her along the corridor. She knocked on the infirmary door, and then pushed it open without waiting for a reply.

“Ent—” Gaetan focused on her. His eyes widened. “Aramie, I’m so glad to see you. When you didn’t return to the Keep last night, everyone figured you were dead.” 

“Gaetan, I need to know more about Blue Pool.” She stood in front of the old healer, searching his face for answers.

His cane clattered against the stone floor as he raised himself from his stool. Gaetan’s measured stare roamed over her face, stopping at her neck for a moment before continuing on. When his gaze landed on her torn pant leg with the dried blood, he tsked.

“Let’s get you fixed up first, shall we?” He rubbed her shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze. Nodding at the closest carved stone medical bed, he studied her, his blue eyes rimmed with concern. “Hop up here.”