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  “We can’t do this. It might kill you this time.”

  Fingers in her hair, eyes shining with excitement and resolve, he leant forward to nibble her ear.

  “Then I’ll die in you.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  He had spread their long cloaks on the floor, like a blanket. He didn’t hurry undressing her, and by the time he had her naked, Cara was wet. Warmed by the fire, both sitting on their heels, knees touching, they faced each other. A twig crackled. Shadows of flames dancing on his skin, she drank in the sharp contours of his naked body.

  He raised a hand to her face to trace the curves of her mouth, and clenched his jaw when she licked it with the tip of her tongue.. An inch at a time she drew his finger into her mouth, lips moving up and down the firm flesh. A sigh slipped through his parted lips as she enclosed his knuckle in her warmth.

  Cara felt sucked into the lost depths of his emerald eyes. While she slowly drew in the finger, she had the impression their minds were making love. His breathing quickened, his eyes darkened.

  “Touch me, Cara.”

  Her insides fluttered, filled with a violent need only his rigid sex could satisfy. Seizing his snared finger with her hand, she drew it out of her mouth. He tensed. She moved her palm up along his wrist, arm and broad shoulder. When she caressed the smoothness of his chest, his muscles bulged and anticipation stiffened her nipples.

  His dick grew even longer, the head swollen. Her whole body yearned to be taken by this man. Taken, pounded and hammered by the big cock aimed at her belly.

  But she tarried over his pecs, his flat stomach, the lean muscles of his loins. A low rumble rolled in his throat as she neared the thatch at the top of his legs. She circled it with light fingers, thin skin stretching under her caress. Unable to take her eyes off his rod, she closed her hand around his hard-on without touching it. He began panting.

  His love sounds heated her blood. His obvious craving increased the wetness of her folds. Although she hadn’t yet laid a finger on it, she thought his shaft would burst with anticipation. Placing both her hands on his strong thighs, she lightly raked her nails on his skin. He shuddered.

  But when he trapped her nipples between deft fingers, she shuddered even more forcefully. His intense stare seeming to plunge into hers, his prolonged rubbing extracted low moans from her. He licked his lips. She moved her hands towards his glistening shaft. Soft as a spring breeze, she grazed a finger along its length and he inhaled sharply through clenched teeth.

  She desired him too much to withstand his burning touch much longer. Already a deep sensation had taken hold of her belly, pushing downward, and her cunt throbbed for the hard feel of his shaft. But as he leant forward to lay her down on the layer of cloaks, she halted him with her hands on his shoulders.

  Clutching them for balance, she stayed on her knees but advanced her thighs on each side of his. Her pussy wetted his tip as he sucked her nipple into his mouth. She uttered a cry, her hands lacing the back of his head. Would he lick her forever if she desired? Would he love her with his dying breath?

  He released her bud as she sat on the top of his cock. His hands trembled around her waist and he shut his eyes. Because the powerful sexual tension between them tortured their bodies and minds? Because he was afraid to die? Torn between craving and reason, she hesitated.

  He tightened his fingers around her and glanced up. No fear. No wavering. Only a wonderful light that enveloped her soul.

  “Love me, Cara.”

  She took his cock inside her. As their flesh joined she cried out and he tensed. His eyes widened to their limit from the penetrating touch, but he kept a firm grip around her waist. Drawing her closer he buried his face between her breasts.

  “Love me.”

  Hands on his shoulders, she pushed herself up slowly, quivering as the whole length of his dick rubbed her clitoris. He groaned with pleasure against her breasts. His panting driving her wild, she glided down onto him again. And she wailed as a relentless throbbing engulfed her in its lascivious wave.

  She felt his hands dig into the curves of her hips, she heard his harsh breathing match her rapture. Face pressed against her cleavage, he lifted her up along his shaft until his engorged crown reached her slit. A sensation so powerful, an instant out of time that lasted a lifetime.

  She bit her lip when her swollen clit throbbed. Muscles strained, he brought her down on his erection and a long cry ripped her throat as she came in his arms, ecstasy striking her so hard she locked her fingers around his shoulders. He embraced her tightly, his cock implanted deep as he burst out, his life rushing inside her, his raucous grunts meeting the violence of her own orgasm.

  Hanging on to each other they shook, they trembled, they blew laboured breaths. When she loosened her clutched fingers he snuggled her and kissed the hollow between her breasts. Although her body cooled, her mind wouldn’t stop churning. The love he had just given her affected the very substance of her being.

  Cara blinked as he straightened up to kiss her lips before looking at her. In his shining eyes she saw herself like a priceless treasure, a goddess to be worshipped. Heart overflowing with too much emotion, she smiled at him. He smoothed her cheek with the back of his hand. He cupped her face and kissed her again, lips warm and gentle on her mouth. Then he stared at her.

  “What have you done to me?”

  “I haven’t killed you.”

  She knew he wasn’t talking about the strange attacks he had suffered each time they had been about to become intimate, and she enjoyed the moment. For once, she was teasing him. A grin appeared on his lips.

  “Thank the Mighty Gods.”

  Although his smile sent shivers of happiness down to her fingertips he didn’t fool her. He must be pondering on what had caused such a reversal. To this question neither of them had an answer. Still, he sighed like a fully contented man as he let go of her. He stood up and fed the fire.

  Skin brightening in the heat of the flames, he looked like a warrior from old times. Trying not to drool, she removed his cloak from the floor. She lay down on hers while he joined her then covered their bodies with the thick leather. Only a few days ago in a beautiful meadow, she had wondered with dread where New York had gone. Right now, all she hoped for was to spend her days in a cave with the stranger.

  Safe and happy in the circle of his arms, her head resting in the crook of his neck, her arm across his body, Cara breathed life. The fire crackled, embers glowed strong. He tightened his embrace and sighed.

  “I’d have died in you.”

  As her throat constricted, a swell of pure joy prevented her from replying. Holding on to the awesome feeling, she stroked his belly. Although tired, she wanted to replay their lovemaking in her mind… How he had kissed her for the first time…how he had been willing to risk his life for her. The way his hands…

  * * * *

  She has made it to Pier eighty-three despite the fear gnawing at her bones. The pull doesn’t leave her any option. She doesn’t know if she can stand this pressure much longer. Although the building lies a few feet away the distance appears as wide as the Pacific. Reluctance impeding her movements, she walks to the metallic door.

  Her hand freezes on the handle. Instincts screaming at her to turn tail, she falters. Fleeing is the reasonable thing to do. Fleeing means staying alive. Yet…she hasn’t searched the whole city for so long just to quit when she’s finally found it.

  She pushes the handle down and enters. The metallic door shuts her inside the monster’s lair. Heart pounding, she observes the small, empty room. Nothing lives here. Nothing breathes. This is the Antechamber of Death.

  Trapped between four metallic walls, she doesn’t understand why she has been pulled to an empty place. But if her long quest turns out to be a complete waste, why is her blood still rushing up and down her veins? Why is her body poised for danger, her hands clenched into fists?

  Something shines on the floor. On guard, she picks it up and lifts it to eye
level. Attached to a thin suede string, a piece of quartz glimmers in the reflection of the electric light. She gasps. As harmless as a stone should be, the quartz terrifies her. She knows now this isn’t what she came for.

  She backs to the door, but the handle is gone. A pitiful cry rises up her throat and her hand trembles. In the centre of the room a black hole appears. Thick, hollow, infinite, the hole is here to gobble her up. It swells and churns like a whirlwind, it has already eaten half the room. From its dark depths she hears screams of pain and anguish, tortured souls shrieking their unbearable agony.

  She swallows her own screams. There’s no way out but the gaping vortex coming for her. The floor has disappeared and she stands on the last parcel of solid ground. It’s too late for hope, the monster has caught up with her.

  The quest is lost. The quartz feels cold in her palm. She passes the string over her head and the stone nestles between her breasts. She has failed, yet she will not go as a prey. She jumps into the hole.

  * * * *

  Cara yelled her way out of the nightmare, clawed her passage back to the waking world. Body aching from strain, cheeks wet, she kicked the cloak as she felt his arms squeeze her and his words flow into her ear.

  “Shshsh…it’s a bad dream. You’re all right, it’s just a dream.”

  But she couldn’t help whimpering like a terrified child. Even as her mind told her she was safe in the cave beside him and not locked in a metallic room, the fear clung to her skin, glued her to the terrible screams of death.

  Between murmurs of appeasement and light kisses on her brow, he cradled her in his arms until her breathing slowed. Held against his warm body she let herself go. Her muscles unknotted and the ache inside her diminished to a dull sensation. More relaxed, words tumbled out of her mouth.

  “God, oh God, I was so afraid and alone.”

  “I’m here with you. It’s over.”

  “You don’t understand. There was no way out and I felt so helpless.”

  Although she believed herself to be in need of hours of reassurance, he didn’t allow her the leisure. Shifting his body, he took her chin in his fingers.

  “Look at me, Cara.”

  His abrupt, serious tone gave her a start. Without any other option but to raise her face, she stared into his eyes.

  “I don’t care who you are, what you’ve done or what you’re supposed to do, but I won’t let anything happen to you. Trust me, I’ll protect you with my life.”

  He meant every word. The ring of truth his message conveyed hit her hard and opened her eyes. She might have been alone and helpless at some point, but it wasn’t the case anymore. He would stand by her. Whatever the cost he would defend her. And coming to terms with the real significance of his presence by her side gave birth to a new feeling.

  Sparks fired in her stomach. She glided her hand along his back, all the way down to his firm buttocks. His eyes widened. She breathed.

  “Love me, stranger.”

  A shadow flitted across his gaze when she spoke. His dick stiffened against her belly as he let go of her chin to bring her to him. Overwhelmed by the sudden need for him, she lifted one leg over his and pressed his cock on her moist pussy.

  “Love me now.”

  He pushed his hips. She gasped when he penetrated her with urgency. Then he rolled over her. His chest flattening her breasts, his hands under her shoulders, he drove himself deep inside her. Limbs on fire, mind delirious from the hard thrust of his shaft, she moaned her pleasure. And as his long cock took possession of her body, his voice brought tears to her eyes.

  “My name is Morgan.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “I’m not sorry, you know.”

  Cara spoke while she studied the horizon, in search of a black dot with wings. He cocked an eyebrow in silent query.

  “Remember the meadow? You said I wouldn’t be sorry if I kept on rubbing you. Well, you were right. I’m not.”

  A smug look painted on his features, he straightened the weapon belt around his hips. They stood near the cliff, on the same patch of dry ground they had landed on the previous evening. Waiting for their ride. Cara had experienced so much happiness in the cave that she had been somewhat reluctant to leave, but they had to go to the man named Caius. Outside, another sunny day gave the promise of more joy to come.

  Morgan. When the name had passed his lips for the first time, his cock had been deeply embedded in her. His trust heating up her mind and contracting her pussy, he had made her come in less than a minute. Since dawn, she had had to bite her lips several times to refrain from saying his name out loud like a high school girl with a crush.

  As she cast him a glance he seized his daggers with incredible speed. While he faced the forest at the back of the cliffs, his attention was directed at the bordering line of trees. Branches moved. Even without tracking skills, Cara perceived danger. Pulse quickening, she started when he gripped her forearm.

  “Go back to the cave. Now.”

  “I’m not leaving you.”

  “Go!”

  She stepped aside reluctantly. Nothing seemed to come out of the woods, but he might be right and she’d better hide. No sign of the dragon in the blue sky, only a large bird flying towards the sun. Silence over the countryside. Cara had walked three quarters of the way when the attack began.

  Daggers cut through the crisp air and birthed shrieks of pain. Although Cara broke into a run, she glimpsed two bodies twitching on the ground and three more men racing towards him. From the look of it he couldn’t possibly deal with so many without his blades.

  With the entrance of the cave only a few paces ahead, she slowed down. Morgan had made it to the nearest dead guy, but the others were coming fast. He pulled a dagger free from the corpse and whirled up to face the first remaining assailant. He aimed straight at the heart. The man toppled down.

  The other two overthrew him. When Cara spotted them punching and kicking, she saw red. They were battering her man, to hell with hiding in the cave! Blood boiling in her veins, she turned back.

  A violent pain brought her down to her knees. Back on fire, raspy breaths not quite able to fill her lungs, she stared at a growth of weeds. Her vision clouded with tears, she couldn’t even lift her head up. She didn’t have to. Two large booted feet appeared in front of her, kicking up dust.

  Rough fingers grabbed her hair to haul her up. She uttered a sharp cry as the pain in her back sharpened and her scalp began to burn from the vicious pull. The bounty hunter dropped the log he had used to hit her. Where the heck had he come from? In all likelihood, he had circled the back of the cliff to creep up on her.

  “You’re coming with me.”

  Her hair still pulled back, Cara stumbled forward when he dragged her towards the edge of the forest. From the corner of her eye she caught sight of Morgan fighting like a demon. If she called out to him, her yell would cause him to lose focus. She winced as another sharp tug made her teeth clack.

  Pulled along the cliff, she had no choice but to keep up with the thug. She heard a shout when they got to the first line of trees. As much as she wanted to glance back, the grip on her hair hurt too much.

  Six horses had been tied up to tree trunks. There would be no avoiding it this time. The bounty hunter released his grasp to throw her over the saddle like a sack of potatoes. Her forehead hit the stirrup, her legs dangled on the other side of the animals’ flanks.

  The saddle crushing her stomach, Cara seized with both hands the thick leather strap encircling the horse’s body. At least she’d hold on to that.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  Positive he wouldn’t answer, she attempted to breathe slowly to assuage her most urgent fear—riding.

  “To the Castle of the Seven Ravens.”

  Now that made her day! An unfamiliar name in an unfamiliar country, and why did she always have to ask irrelevant questions? Sighing, Cara listened to the bounty hunter untie the horses, jump on his and take all the reins into his han
ds. She also imagined hearing a crash out where Morgan was fighting, but she couldn’t be sure. Then she prayed.

  Her mount shifted, moved, trotted and did whatever horses were meant to do. Body bouncing up and down, belly jolting with each stride, hands clasping the strap, pulse beating in her head, Cara gritted her teeth to bear the pain. Shit, but that hurt!

  They must have ridden for hours, a long journey during which her thoughts stayed with Morgan. Had he been hurt? Or taken prisoner? There was also the worst possibility, the one she refused to envision.

  The beat of hooves finally came to a stop and the thug pulled her off of the painful saddle. She believed last night’s dinner would end up on a pile of dead leaves as her stomach lurched from the change of position. Mouth open, she inhaled a lungful of pure, clear air. And when she straightened up her body felt sore in many places.

  Ahead of her stood a castle. Thick and crude, built with dark stone and featuring heavy watchtowers on each end, the fortress reminded her more of a prison than a fairytale palace. She looked for seven ravens but didn’t spot a single one. A stable boy came running to pick up the horses and the bounty hunter dragged her across the paved ground leading to the main gate of the castle.

  They passed under the gate supported by a stone arch, into a smaller inner courtyard. He veered to the left and pushed her towards a tall wooden entrance. Her shoulder hit the door as she tried to regain her balance. Lips tight, Cara glared at him while he shoved her inside.

  Dozens of men were guzzling beer around the longest table ever. Alerted by the bang of the door, their attention shifted to the newcomers. Some cheered, others raised their glasses, but most leered at Cara while shouting to the thug.

  “How much did you pay for that beauty, Bullface?”