AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Desire proved unrelenting. Hunger more so. They were the only two people in the universe. Neeka and her ravenous beast. A ruthless warrior who acted as if he was devouring his first meal in centuries. She thrilled, overwhelmed with—
He wrenched free without warning, drawing a groan from deep within her.
Panting, he rushed out, “My body will hate me for doing this, but it’s what is best for you. Neeka...carrot... I’m mated.” Infinitely tender, he caressed his fingers over her cheekbone. “I hired you to find Lore’s bones, so I can bring her to life. We ended up in an ice world. You were freezing and needed my body heat to warm.”
“Shh, shh. Give me—” She ceased writhing. Wait. What? Her stomach twisted. Mate, he’d said. He was fated to be with someone else? He wasn’t Neeka’s consort, and he didn’t intend to keep her?Always unwanted.
She gathered her defenses and spat, “Okay, I’m done.”
When he remained in place, silent, she attempted to shove him off. With her wings pinned, she lacked the strength. Unacceptable!
“I will do another count,” she snapped. “If you haven’t moved by the time I finish, you’re dead. One.”
She struck, going for his throat. He didn’t want her? Fine! But he shouldn’t have kissed her as if she held the air he required for survival.
Regret radiated from him as he caught her wrist. Holding tight, he told her, “I wish things were different.”
“Lie!” Why did people always say that? “If you wished things were different, you’d do something different.”
He flinched.
“But that’s okay,” she said, going for a breezy. “I’m not mad. Not about that. You haven’t thanked me for your rescue. You’ve only complained.”
“Thank you?” He sputtered. “Where ismine?”
As if. Leveling her most patronizing mien on him, she said, “Rathbone, you’re alive because I’ve kept you that way. And I don’t need my memories to know that. It’s common sense.”
After a few seconds, he huffed, puffed, and glided to his feet. Neeka exhaled with great relief,notdejection.
Motions jerky, he stuffed his legs into a pair of leathers he ripped from a cord and strapped on combat boots. “We can go home as soon as you to cut metal shards from my body. They prevent me from transporting us.”
She stood and dressed in the remaining clothes without a care. Yep, no doubt about it. Zero cares. There were plenty of other thousand-eyed fish in the sea.
“Well?” he demanded. “Will you do it?”
With a cheery if brittle smile, she told him, “Slice into you? Happily.”
Okay, so, maybe she had a slight care.
He gripped her chin, forcing her to peer up at him. This seemed so familiar. Had they argued like this before?
A memory hovered at the edge of her mind...
With fire and brimstone in his dark irises, he said, “You are the most—” He stopped himself. “If I wasn’t—” Again he stopped. His lids slitted anew. His breathing turned choppy.
Her heart pounded against her ribs. “Just say it, whatever it is.”
His lips peeled away from his teeth. “I don’t know what I want to say,” he roared. Sheknewhe roared. The vibration traveled over the ground, through her and—wait. Something approached. Something big.
Rathbone must have realized it, too. He released her, his gaze darting.
As if they’d been partners forever, they grabbed as many weapons as possible and pressed against each other, back-to-back. He watched the rear of the cavern, and she observed the mouth. Until a massive boulder fell into the opening. Bye, bye light. Sheets of dust plumed the air, and she coughed.
“I have a prediction.” She gagged when the putrid scent of decay assaulted her nose. Another vibration started up, this one a bone-rattler. “We’re about to engage in a battle to the death.”
12
Expecting Nova to be running like a well-oiled machine, with no problems or disturbances of any kind, Azar appeared in his home world. His strategy was simple. Speak with the warrior he’d left in charge, visit the Hall of Secrets, and learn more about his opponents. Instead, he discovered nothingbutdisturbances.
