Enslaved (24 page)

Okay, this entire situation was so fucked up it wasn’t even funny. They were standing in the middle of a gruesome murder scene, he was bleeding all over her, and she’d just drugged him with the ancient Greek equivalent of a bottle of Viagra. And now she was getting turned on by the fact
he
was turned on? They needed to get the hell out of here
, right fucking now
.

She shifted her weight, angled them toward the door, and pulled as hard as she could. “Come on. Let’s just get to the truck.”

He pressed forward. Stumbled. Banged into the wall with his shoulder. Didn’t even seem to notice. “Coming. Come…
coooming
. Would like to be coming.”

Holy hell. He was worse off than she thought. Her stomach tightened. She was thankful for the cool evening air when they stepped over the threshold and into the parking lot, which kept the heat burning in her belly from becoming a full-blown inferno as she slid her arm around his waist and he leaned into her side.

Somehow they made it to the truck. She pulled the passenger door open, helped him in, then dropped the backpack at his feet. His head fell against the headrest as she shut the door. A quick glance at the front of the small motel confirmed her fear. The office windows were smashed out, which meant those daemons had hit there first before coming after them.

She wanted to go check to see if anyone else was still alive. Wanted to know if the kid who’d checked them in had made it out, but knew they didn’t have time. There was no telling how many other daemons were in the area. Knowing that it was all she could do, she said a quick prayer for the kid, then swallowed the fear and ran for the motel room once more.

The stench hit her even before she stepped into the room. She covered her mouth with her hand. Grabbed towels from the bathroom and forced herself not to look around too much as she went back into the bedroom and grasped the sword. She didn’t breathe again until she was back in the parking lot, relieved to see Gryphon still sitting in the truck. His eyes were closed, his face pale, his body covered in blood and other things Maelea didn’t want to think about. Anyone walking by might think he was dead, but as she climbed into the driver’s seat, she saw his chest rising and falling with his even breaths. Relief spread through her all over again.

She placed a towel against his wounded abdomen, laid his hand over the terry cloth. “Hold this here until I can get you some bandages.”

His hand covered hers. Warm. Electric. So very alive. And he tipped his head her way on the seat back but didn’t open his eyes. “Like when you touch me,
sotiria
. Dreamed ’bout it for months.”

Her pulse picked up speed at the lazy way he called her his salvation. At the memory of the way he’d watched her from the window of his room when they were at the colony. At the slide of his skin over hers. And that connection she’d felt when he kissed her earlier, the one that had amplified when they stood in the hallway minutes ago, flared hot all over again.

She had to force herself to tug her hand away, so she wouldn’t be tempted to touch him anywhere else, and started the truck. Her heart raced against her ribs as she pulled out onto the highway. She didn’t know which direction they were going. All she knew was she had to get them both as far from this nightmare as she could.

That and the fact that things between them had dramatically changed tonight. And that her life—her future—might never be the same because of it.

Chapter Fourteen

Gryphon’s head felt so light, for a moment he wondered if it would float off his shoulders and disappear into the clouds.

Of course, he had no idea if there were clouds up there. At the moment he didn’t know what the hell was up there. Above him. Below him. Shit, he didn’t know much of anything.

His body jostled against…something. A seat? He opened his eyes to see Maelea’s face, illuminated by an eerie green glow, one vaguely similar to the glow of the therillium in those caves.

Dashboard lights, he realized as he looked up at her. She was driving, and he was lying across the truck’s bench seat, his head pillowed on her thigh. A blanket covered him, but it was her heat—blessed heat—that seeped from her body into his that warmed places inside he hadn’t known had been cold.

Her hands were clenched on the wheel, her eyes focused straight ahead. She’d swept that long fall of silky dark hair around her neck to drape down her left shoulder, leaving her throat bare and beautiful from his viewpoint. And man, she had a great jawline—sleek, covered in the creamiest skin he wanted to taste and sample. An angular little chin that led up to soft, supple lips he only craved more of. Desire spread through his abdomen and burned in his groin as his gaze drifted to her breasts, only inches from his face. Small, firm, high. The perfect size to wrap his hands around. The perfect shape to draw into his mouth and suckle.

The truck rolled to a stop. The muscles in her legs flexed as she pressed on the brake. Surprise lit her eyes as she looked down. “You’re awake.”

“Just.” Was that his voice? Damn, it didn’t sound like him. It sounded as if he’d swallowed a mixture of sandpaper and gravel. And why the hell weren’t his eyes working? He could see her, but everything else was fuzzy. He should be over the effects of freezing those daemons by now.

“I thought I’d have to wake you. How are you feeling?”

“Tired. And sore.” Add to that light-headed as hell. And horny.

Shit. He hadn’t been horny in months. And after what had happened back in that motel… Yeah. He didn’t need a repeat of
that
. What he needed was to get his fucking head on straight and refocus on what was important. And figure out why the hell she was having this strange effect on him.

He tried to sit up and move away from her, but rethought it when the truck spun. Sweat broke out on his forehead. He lay back down.

“Wait here.” She popped the driver’s door, carefully climbed out of the cab, and threaded her fingers into his hair so she could ease his head onto the seat. The vinyl was warm from her body. And her fingertips…Tingles spread all along his scalp wherever she touched, seemed to shoot sparks straight to his dick, brought every inch of his body to life. And oh, damn, it was good. So good.

It was also gone way too fast. The door closed softly behind her. Her shoes crunching on gravel echoed through the cab, then faded. His skin chilled, and panic spread through his chest when he couldn’t hear her anymore. Darkness pressed into the truck. No streetlights, not even the moon, shone in through the windows. He tried to sit up again to figure out where she’d gone, only his head spun with such ferocity, he was afraid he might pass out.

Doooulas…

Fuck.
He closed his eyes tight, pressed the heels of his hands against his eye sockets. He didn’t need this right now. Where the hell was Maelea? He breathed deep. Tried to get the damn truck to stop spinning. Tried to block out that fucking voice.

Long minutes later, the passenger door opened, and the darkness inside leaped with excitement, telling him Maelea was close. Followed by a wicked curl of heat through his abdomen and hips when she slid those tantalizing hands under his back and helped him up.

“Easy,” she whispered.

Easy. Right. Not the word he was thinking.
Hot. Sultry. X-rated.
All were words more suited to what was flooding his veins. All were words he shouldn’t be thinking. Her fingers skimming his bare back were electric. And her scent…sweet jasmine flowers…was way too exotic. She took the bloody towels from his stomach and dropped them on the floorboards of the truck as she helped him out. Cool air washed over his skin, tightened his nipples, did shit to cool him down.

“Where are we?” he managed, trying like hell to stay focused.

“Outside Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Come on.”

He had no idea where they were heading, but he wasn’t in the right frame of mind to protest. So long as they weren’t going back to the colony, he didn’t care.

She wrapped an arm around his waist, propped his over her shoulder so she could help support his weight, then closed the truck door with her hip. Gravel crunched under their feet as they moved at a snail’s pace. He had the impression of tall trees in the darkness, a narrow path, a downward slope, and the sound of water lapping a shore somewhere close. But it all swirled together in front of his eyes, making zero sense. And his legs and chest ached as if he’d taken the mother of all beatings, which made walking and focusing at the same time fucking hard.

“Why?” he asked as he kicked up gravel.

“Why what?”

“Why Coeur d’Whatever?”

“We needed to get as far from that motel as we could. I should have stopped sooner but didn’t want to risk it. You need bandages.”

He had no idea what she was rambling about. The forest swayed. His feet stilled. He reached out to brace himself on the base of a pine tree so he wouldn’t go down. Holy Hades, his head was seriously fucked-up and his legs felt like they were about to give out at any second. “I’m just gonna”—he let go of her, eased down onto the ground—“sit here a minute.”

He dropped to his butt. The ground was cold but solid. Yeah, that was better. Sitting kept the spinning to a minimum. Maybe he’d just lie here awhile too. He drew in deep breaths of mossy air, rested his head back against the tree trunk.

“Come on, Gryphon. It’s just a little farther.”

“No, you go. I’m…good.” He closed his eyes. Yeah, this was definitely better. With his eyes closed, he didn’t feel like he was on a freakin’ Tilt-A-Whirl.

“Dammit, it’s wearing off,” Maelea murmured.

Her hand brushed his side. Heat seeped from her into him, reigniting the arousal he’d experienced before when she touched him. Then her soft and silky fingers grazed his jaw, tipping his face her way. “Here, drink this.”

Something small and glass brushed his lips.

He opened his mouth to tell her he didn’t want anything, that he just wanted to sleep, but sweet liquid flowed across his tongue, and on instinct, he swallowed.

Warmth immediately spread straight down his chest, exploded in his belly, sent wicked flares of electricity through every limb that bounced back and condensed in his groin. His eyes rolled back in his head. Every muscle in his body relaxed, then surged with anticipation, quad-rupling the arousal from before until it was all he could focus on.

He dragged his eyes open, looked up to find Maelea cradling his head in her lap, her shadowed face expectant and worried.

Dark hair fell like a curtain around her face, but he could still see her mesmerizing eyes. And her small nose. And that luscious, kiss-me-crazy mouth.

Gods, he wanted to taste that mouth again.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Ss..fine. Better zan fine.”

Shit. What was wrong with his lips? He knew what he wanted to say, but it was coming out wrong. He frowned. Or tried. The muscles in his face weren’t working either.

Whatever. He didn’t even care. He just wanted
her
.

“Let’s get you up,” she said.

She pushed up on his shoulders, all but dragged him to his feet, then slid her arm around his waist again, wrapping his around her shoulder like before. Only this time, heat exploded everywhere they touched, drawing him to her like a magnet, making him want to curl around her, slide inside her, lose himself in every inch of her sweetly scented skin.

Gravel turned to wood beneath his feet. And through the haze ahead he saw something moving. Something big.

“Step over,” Maelea said. “Careful.”

The ground rocked, adding confusion to his already messed-up head. She pushed against his chest. His back hit something hard. Water slapped a solid surface nearby.

“Stay here for a second.” She eased her hips against his, using her weight to hold him upright. Heat and electricity flared once more in his groin, tightening his dick where she pressed against him. The door directly to his left opened. Her scintillating voice drifted to his ears. “That was easier than I thought it would be.”

She pulled him into the darkened room before he could ask what she meant, closed the door at his back, and helped him down a set of steps. As the floor rocked again and he tried to make sense of their surroundings, he realized they had to be on a boat.

“Where…we?”

“Someplace no one will see us.” She pulled him forward. A click echoed in the dark, and a steady stream of light illuminated the small cabin. “This way.”

He had trouble seeing, especially the way his vision kept coming and going, but it looked like they passed a small galley off to his left, a U-shaped padded bench and table. Ahead was a door that had to lead to a bedroom, and relief flooded through him at the thought of dropping on a soft, supple mattress. But Maelea turned him before they reached it, and pushed open a different door.

She shined the light around the closet-size bathroom. After pushing him in, she pressed down on his shoulder. He dropped onto the closed toilet lid. “Wait right here. And don’t fall over.”

He didn’t have much of a choice. He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. Gods, he could fall asleep right here, if it weren’t for that damn rocking. And the ruckus from the other room.