Gladiator (8 page)

“She’s only seven months...”

Lucilla tried to calm him. “I was a midwife before the war. We need to find shelter.”

Alex cried out again—only this time it was a scream of terror. “I don’t think she’s going to wait for shelter,” he said as they reached the Kentucky side of the bridge. “Does anyone have water in their canteens?” he asked as her he set her gently on the ground. He looked at Lucilla. “Mark my words—if this kills her or our children, I’ll hunt him down and finish what I started.”

Lucilla placed a steadying hand on his and said, “She needs you now. Do you understand? Your touch heals her. These children are going to take a lot out of her. She doesn’t need you riding off on a murder spree right now. That’s later. Right now you need to get ready to help your children be born.”

He positioned himself behind Alex, and he shouted to the guards to surround them and keep their backs to them. He placed his hands to her belly as Lucilla pulled Alex’s panties off and pushed her white gown up as she eased her legs apart.

“I love you Alexandra. I will always love you. Just come back to me, come back to the world, come back to our children. They need you, the world needs you,
I
need you.”

Suddenly Alex’s body glowed a dazzling white. She relaxed visibly, and leaned back against him, pushing with her palms against the ground. Alex pushed and with Lucilla’s help gave birth to the daughter. Lucilla laid her on Alex’s belly. Tristan reached into his pocket and took out his penknife with which he cut the cord. Alex held her daughter tight and pushed again. The son came out screaming and flailing his arms. He had a thatch of blond hair and blue eyes—his sister also had blonde hair, but her eyes were amber. Tristan cut the boy’s cord and took him in his arms as Alex pushed out her placentas.

Alex looked up at Tristan with tears of exhaustion in her eyes. “They’re beautiful. They look so much like you.”

“What will we name them?”

“Hope. For your wife. And Daniel. For your brother.”

“Are you sure?”

She gazed into his eyes and said, “Yes. You deserve everything I can possibly give you. You saved my life. These children saved my life.”

Lucilla pulled Alex’s panties back on and brought her dress back down to her ankles. “All right boys,” Tristan said, “let’s get them cleaned up and find a shelter. It’s not just us anymore. We have newborns to consider.”

The men turned around and stood in awe. “Come on boys,” she said, “it’s just me.”

The men gently cleaned the babies and handed them back to Alex and Lucilla, who swaddled them as best they could. Tristan created papooses for them; he carried Daniel while Alex carried Hope. He prayed they didn’t run into trouble on their way to finding shelter.

Chapter Eight

Life for the last three months had proven to be the most insanely normal ones in the last ten years. The group had found a pocket of rebels who believed the Healer Prophecy. They had provided a house—and so all Tristan had to do was patrol the wall separating Louisville from Tennessee. He lamented the way the boundaries were what they were. But if they were taken by force they would either be executed or forced back into slavery. Now that he’d tasted freedom with his wife and children, he could not return to the life which he’d known before.

“Mmmm, good morning,” he said, gazing down at Alex. She looked beautiful but pale. She had looked wan since the birth of their children—she was still suffering from what Damien had done to her. And because of puerperal bleeding, penetrative sex had been out of the question. So when she reached down between his legs and wrapped her hand around his cock and smiled it was a pleasant surprise.

“I need you, Tristan.”

He touched her face; he could feel the heat emanating from her skin. He wanted desperately to make love to her. Being unable to touch her was agonizing. Especially when he knew she needed him as much as he wanted her.

She began to stroke his cock, making it harder than granite. She rolled him to his back and mounted him, taking him inside her. She took his hands and placed them at her breasts and said, “Fuck me, Tristan. Prove to me that I’m yours. Over and over again. Save me from this darkness threatening to take me from you.”

He pulled her down and crammed her breast into his waiting mouth, and sucked hard as she began to rock back and forth, up and down. He dug his fingertips into her plump ass and could feel her body trembling violently against his.

Their skin slid like silk against each other’s, and he worked her body as she pumped him hard. She was going to come fast this first time, and when she cried out, bucking hard against him; it was as if she were chasing the light. She needed more though; he could see it in her eyes. They rolled over so she was beneath him, and he slowed his movement inside of her and stilled for a moment.

He captured her mouth in a deep, long kiss and reached between her legs. He pressed his finger to her clit as he pumped slowly in and out of her. She gripped the bed sheets and spread her legs wide.

“Make me yours.” She gasped hoarsely. “Make me yours again. Now.”

He knew better than to rush it this time. He brought his hand to rest at her chest as he allowed his tongue to catch every drop of her perspiration lining her skin. His hand began to flicker with bioluminescent light and her body swayed with his, her voice moaned for him, her soul cried out for his touch.

He teased her mouth with punishing and brutal short kisses. Biting at her lips he reveled in her and the exotic chemistry they created between them. He found himself unable to be gentle with her, as he became enthralled by their tangle of pleasure.

When she wrapped her legs around him and said harshly, “Pin me to wall. I need you, my Gladiator. I need you, my husband.”

He lifted her up and pushed her against the bedroom wall and pounded into her. Harder with each successive stroke he feared he may hurt her.

“Look at me,” she commanded breathlessly.

When he did he saw the fire burning in her amber eyes turning them to spun gold. He thought he might finally find the release he was seeking, but he only wanted more and more of her. He buried his face into her hair and neck and drove repeatedly into her as if it was the last thing he would do. She began to chant in ancient Scottish again, but the esoteric words in her ethereal voice were perfectly understandable to him—veritable salves to his old wounds.

“Your son is a great warrior. When you find him you will find he has become the man you always hoped he would be. Your daughter, in the face of great adversity has maintained her innocence and when she finds love, she will find you.”

He could feel the hot tears running down his face, as he looked down into Alexandra’s face. He kissed her and she screamed in rapturous pleasure as he thrust inside her.

“Mine,” he whispered hoarsely, “not anyone else’s. Not the planet’s. You are mine, only mine.”

She placed her feet to the ground. And clung to him.

“Do you understand that?”

“I’m yours,” she whispered.

He looked down into her eyes and asked, “Where are my children?”

“Your son is nearby. I can sense his heartbeat. He’s a lot like you.”

“Then I hope he has a woman like you, shepherding him through all this mess.” He paused for a moment. “And my daughter?”

“She’s a very resilient girl. She reminds me a lot of myself.”

“We have to keep looking for them.”

“I know.”

“Time for playing house is over.”

“Do you think Isaiah and Lucilla will come with us?”

“I don’t know. But we’ll need the help with Daniel and Hope.”

“If they renege we’ll find someone else, don’t worry.”

He pressed his lips to her forehead and walked to the dresser. The money, trinkets, salves, ointments and other things there would probably prove useful in the future. He grabbed a duffel bag and threw everything into it.

“Get in the bath. I’ll be there in a minute.”

She looked at him and winked. “I think I’ll give you pleasures most men only ever dream about.”

He chuckled. She was back. His angel was back. And he was going to fuck her until she was senseless today.

“You’d better run,” he said with a devilish grin giving chase. She squealed and raced for the bathroom.

When he caught her he herded them into the whirlpool bath and turned the hot water on. He pinned her face first to the wall and raised her hands high, pressing against her. She gasped and groaned in pleasure. And as he rubbed his stiffening cock between her bum-cheeks he knew he would have to risk everything to keep his family together.

She writhed against the wall and when she came he let go of her wrists and turned her around. He entered her and their bodies and souls and minds were as one. Again and again, he plowed his cock inside of her warm, slick, and steaming hot pussy and she writhed and shouted his name.

“That’s right, Alex, say my name.”

“Tristan.”

“Say it again.”

“Lover.”

“Say it,” he said, grunting hard.

“Husband!” she shouted.

He thrust hard and released again, all the built up tension draining from his body. She was beautiful. She was wonderful. She was sensational. “Do you really have to go to work today?” she asked with a playful smile.

“Little devil. It’s a good thing I know what an angel you really are.” He kissed her tenderly. “I love you Alex. Do you believe in me?”

She gazed up at him and said, “I’ve always believed in you. Now let’s go find your children.”

He touched her and knew she already knew what he did. Their twins would have to be entrusted to the care of someone else for this to happen.

“I can’t ask you to do this. Our children are just babies.”

“You will have them again. Trust me on this.”

“We will have them again.”

She smiled sadly at him. “You are not going to die. If I can protect you and heal you, I can save you.”

“Do you believe that in your heart of hearts?” she asked.

“Yes,” he whispered desperately.

“Then I believe you.”

He kissed her as if he would never know thirst or hunger again and then said, “I have to make arrangements. Prepare our things and the children.”

“Of course.”

As he turned off the water and walked away he couldn’t help but feel a nagging pain that he might, despite his best efforts, lose her. Saviors were all too often sacrificial offerings to a greater cause. And if he believed in the truth of the Prophecy at all, he had to accept she might die. He shook his head to clear it.

He couldn’t give into that doubt. The thought of raising their twins by himself was crippling. It was something he had to push out of his mind.

At the moment, duty called. He had to speak to his fellow rebels, and gather munitions for the long road ahead.

* * * *

“Isaiah!” Tristan called.

The young warrior, hearing the note of fear and anxiety in Tristan’s voice, turned around, his blood running cold. “Is everything okay?”

“I’m afraid not. Alex is determined to help me find my son, and my daughter, and I don’t think I can stop her.”

“Why would you want to?”

“Because, you idiot, it puts our twins at risk. We can’t very well pack up and take them with us. It would be like painting a bull’s-eye on them and Alex. If something happened to them it… Let’s just say the ones responsible for it would have to stay clear of me.”

“What do you need from me?”

“You’re close to Lucilla, correct?”

“As close as she’ll let anyone get, nowadays, I guess. The only one she really trusts is Alexandra.”

“Do you trust her?”

“I would die for her. Not that she’d notice.”

“Would you die for my children?”

“Yes.”

“Then I need your help. Alexandra is not going to like it, but I need for you and Lucilla to take care of Hope and Daniel for us, while we search for Kevin and Elizabeth.”

“No.”

“What do you mean, ‘no’?”

“I will not be a party to separating another mother from her children. I watched it happen too many times to ever do it again.”

“We need you to do it for us.”

“Then you underestimate what you and the children mean to her. If she’s the Healer sent to save us all, and I believe in my heart that she is, she hasn’t much time left on this earth. She’ll want to spend it with you and your children.”

“She is not going to die. Do you hear me?” Tristan said from between his teeth.

When Isaiah turned away he wanted to throttle him.

“Don’t, Tristan.”

He whipped his head around and saw Alexandra standing with Lucilla, each of them carrying a baby.

“We can’t make the journey like this,” he said, walking up to her.

“I can’t leave them behind. But if Lucilla and Isaiah come with us, then it will be easier.”

“How? Instead of four mouths to feed there will be six.”

“And when we find your children there will be eight. It doesn’t matter. We will find a way. Right now we need help with our children. I will not leave without them, and it would be foolish to set out with them alone.”

Tristan closed the space between them and gazed down at Hope, and then back to Alex. “Do you understand if something happens to our children, or to you, I won’t be able to live with myself? I’ve already lost one family. I can’t bear it to happen again.”

She placed his palm to her heart and he could feel its steady rhythm. “Okay,” he said softly. He turned to Isaiah. “Will you join us?”

“Of course. I even know where I can get us a car and weapons with which to protect ourselves.”

“Cars draw far too much attention.”

Isaiah insisted, “You have served these rebels with distinction and honor. They won’t hesitate to help you and Alex. And with four adults and two babies, we definitely need a car.”

“Damn it.” Tristan looked around. “Lucilla, stay with Alex and the twins. Isaiah, come with me.”

He moved through the rebel stronghold, once a thriving an industrialized center but now a mere shambolic shell, and sought out the man in charge, a former Marine. He was a tall muscle-head of a man.