Illicit Desire: Outlawed Realm, Book 2 (17 page)

“Why do we have to wait?” she asked.

He wanted to make certain they were secure. He couldn’t very well feed her and fight off the creatures at the same time.

As though she read his thoughts, Arez regarded the bones he’d driven into the ground, then the stun gun next to his thigh. “Does your weapon work against people but not animals?”

“I can only use it for so long before it needs to be recharged.”

She nodded as though she understood.

Knowing she didn’t, he explained, “On Regina’s realm, there’s an element called electricity that can be used to provide light brighter than the sun on this plane. It’s a form of energy many devices, including the stun gun, need to operate. Without a constant source of it, the weapon no longer operates properly. It’s useless, much as you and I would be if we never ate.”

Arez stared at him, clearly confused by what he’d said. Instead of asking for clarification, she cradled his cheek. “Whatever food you have, I’ll only eat what you don’t finish.”

“No, I can’t let you do that.” He turned his face, kissing her palm. “I brought all of it for you.”

“I don’t want you getting ill again.”

“I won’t.” He hugged her, burying his face in her hair, scented with jasmine and cinnamon, the same as her skin. The fragrances were far more enchanting than the fresh breeze wafting into the cave, while her concern for him was the essence of life. All that he’d never known and had yearned for.

To her, he was an individual worthy of mercy, a man whose value exceeded the sex he could provide. Not that he dismissed his carnal needs whenever he was around her. No matter the danger they continued to face or their sorry surroundings, Lukan’s body heated with desire. His blood raced. Already, his cock was too stiff for comfort.

He brushed Arez’s hair aside to kiss her moist cheek.

Instantly, she softened within his embrace, not as a slave trained to submit to whatever man wanted her, but as a woman desirous of what Lukan alone could give. He cupped her breast, stroking her nipple through her tee’s soft fabric. His gentle kisses moved from her cheek to her jaw, ending on her throat.

She moaned faintly at his lips suckling, his tongue licking.

Lukan grunted in response, lost in arousal that was better than the tastiest food, the deepest rest.

It shattered quickly with the unholy shriek from outside.

Arez went rigid, then tried to push to her feet. Not allowing her to flee, Lukan tightened his arm around her waist and reached for his stun gun.

Outside the cave, leaves and branches rustled violently, no longer stirred by the breeze but by the night’s creatures. The thing making the noise came into view seconds later.

Its eyes were as huge as the birds’, having the same filmy color. Thick fur rather than feathers covered its body. On either side of its mouth, whiskers protruded. Lukan guessed their length to be more than three feet. Despite the creature’s ten legs and its frenzy to scurry away, the spear lodged in its back encumbered it.

Rearing on its hindquarters, the thing shrieked again.

Arez pushed against Lukan, trying to distance herself from the sound.

Others followed it—the heavy pounding of feet, subhumans lumbering through the vegetation. At last, their shadows fell across the mouth of the cave.

Arez inhaled sharply. Before she could make another noise, Lukan clamped his hand over her mouth.

The subhumans hadn’t heard her. Two attacked the animal, driving their spears into its back, cutting off its anguished cries. Blood sprayed on them, looking black in the faint light from the insects. Those of the group not participating in the attack remained nearby, watching.

Unlike the animal they’d just killed, the subhumans stood on two legs, no different than Lukan and Arez, but their heads were larger, twice the size of a normal man’s, their eyes as cloudy as the other creatures’. Thin strands of golden hair covered their naked bodies. Their lengthy penises and balls made them male. Their long arms forced them to drag their hands on the ground.

One made a grunting noise, gesturing as he did so.

Lukan recalled what Damir had said about the subhumans not having language.

It didn’t stop the thing’s companions from understanding his intent. The largest male in the group hauled the slain animal across his thick shoulders, holding five of its legs in each of his meaty fists.

In a single line, they shuffled past the cave’s mouth.

Arez dug her nails into Lukan’s arm. He kept his hand on her mouth, a warning for her not to make a sound or move until the subhumans were gone. If they’d lost their fear of humans as Meelo had claimed, there was no way he could fight them all, not even with the stun gun. They’d eventually overpower and kill him, then take Arez, either for food or to mate.

A wave of nausea rolled through Lukan with the thought of her coming to such an end, frightened and defenseless because of him. He’d rescued her from the Palace’s danger to bring her to this?

He wanted to scream his frustration but was scarcely able to manage a full breath. What was happening with Nikoli? Was he close to perfecting the device and already looking for them? Would he open a portal so they could leave?

Or would he fail and have no choice other than to leave them here to die?

Stop it.
Lukan wouldn’t allow himself to consider such a thing. He watched the last of the subhumans move into view, the thing’s chest still pumping from the heated attack. In a few seconds, he and the others would be gone. If nothing else came close, Lukan could give Arez the food he’d brought, watching her eat every last bite, enjoying—

Without warning, the last subhuman paused at the entrance, his presence interrupting Lukan’s thoughts.

The thing turned to face the inside of the cave, squinting his opaque eyes as though trying to see better.

Arez strained against Lukan’s hold, fighting to be free so she could no doubt run. He kept her to him, wondering how much the subhuman could see, how little it feared.

As if to answer him, the thing lifted his large head and sniffed, much like an animal trying to detect its prey’s scent.

Lukan pulled his arm from Arez’s waist and reached for his stun gun, prepared to use it if the creature came inside and managed to get to them.

Not moving closer, not moving away, the thing sniffed again. One of the insects hovered nearby, illuminating his face. A look of curiosity, fully human, flashed across his coarse features, as though he’d smelled or sensed something he had feasted on before…a defenseless slave.

With surprising speed, the creature entered the cave.

Beneath Lukan’s palm, Arez gasped.

The thing howled as the first row of bones impaled his feet. His arms flailed grotesquely, but the movement didn’t stop his fall. The next row of bones pierced his knees and then his arms as he toppled forward. More bones penetrated his cheek and right eye.

He screeched and wailed, but the others didn’t return to offer assistance.

Seconds before, Arez had stopped twisting beneath Lukan’s hand, no doubt too stunned to move. The subhuman thrashed repeatedly, trying to extricate himself. It took numerous attempts, but at last he crawled backwards out of the cave, blood pouring from his ragged wounds as he disappeared into the surrounding vegetation.

Arez cringed.

Lukan wrapped both arms around her, holding her protectively. It didn’t help. She couldn’t seem to stop shaking.

He kissed her cheek and murmured, “We’re safe.”

She shook her head. “They’ll return. One of them will come inside again. He’ll—”

“Shhh.” Lukan rubbed her narrow shoulder and arm. “They have their kill for the night. They’ll eat it and sleep.”

“What about the other creatures?” She pressed her face into his neck. Her harsh breathing warmed his skin. “What if they try to come inside?”

“I’ll drive more bones into the ground. They won’t get past them anymore than the subhuman did.” He kissed her ear. “We’re safe.”

“For now, but how long will we be here, Lukan? Eventually, the guards will know we’ve escaped. They may realize it already. Will they look for us here?”

“No.”

She dug her nails into his arms. “Don’t lie to me.”

He had no choice. He wasn’t about to tell her what they faced if they had to spend too many days here, waiting for Nikoli to find them. “We were both marked for death. They won’t risk their safety to look for us.”

“What about Vakar? He won’t give up, will he?”

No. From what Meelo and Damir had told him, Vakar was sadistic to the point of madness. No one took from him. No one escaped his rule. He’d send his people out to look for them as soon as he knew of their disappearance. Lukan could only hope the guards would keep the truth from Vakar for as long as possible. If he knew they’d allowed two slaves to escape, they’d forfeit their own lives.

Surely, they’d claim nothing at all had occurred until torture made them confess to everything.

How long would it be before that happened? A few more hours? Until daybreak, when the scant light allowed the other guards a better opportunity to see within the jungle and avoid the nightly predators, including the werewolves that were both animal and human?

“He won’t,” Arez said, breaking the silence.

“Nikoli will find us before anyone else can,” Lukan insisted, hoping he was correct, prepared to fight if he wasn’t. “He’ll bring us to Regina’s realm where we’ll be safe. It’s even better than the plane I told you about in the place of bathing, the one where Meelo created us. On Regina’s plane, everything’s bright and colorful. There’s an abundance of light to see everything clearly, but it won’t hurt your eyes if you wear a special device her people have. They call them sunglasses.”

He tightened his embrace, rocking them as he did so, desperate to reassure her. “The outside air is unbelievably sweet, perfumed with plants and flowers in brilliant colors. Most of the vegetation is green. The flowers are red, yellow, blue, pink, even white. An endless variety of shades. There aren’t any subhumans or frightening creatures there. Birds are no bigger than the palm of your hand. The worst sound they make is a constant chirping. They fly away if you approach. The humans aren’t afraid of animals. They own ones called dogs and cats.”

Arez continued to watch the mouth of the cave. With each passing minute in which nothing approached, she continued to calm down. Now, she spoke with curiosity, “They use these dogs and cats for food?”

“No.” He stroked her arms. “They keep them as pets, loving them as they would another human. They provide their animals with whatever they need to eat.”

She shook her head. “Where do they get the food?”

“In a kitchen. Meat, bread, fruit and hundreds of other things are always there. An endless supply.”

Her body relaxed even more. This time when she pushed against his embrace, wanting to be free, Lukan didn’t stop her. She turned so she could face him and leaned forward, her eyes glittering with interest. “What’s a kitchen?”

“It’s a room within a house.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What’s that?”

Lukan smiled at her questions, similar to the ones he’d asked Meelo and Damir when they’d brought him to Regina’s plane. “A house is a building where no more than a few people live at a time. Some of these places have only one occupant even though the structure is ten times the size of a slave’s room within the Palace. Within the building’s walls, there’s privacy. No one watches you. No one tells you what to do. You’re never shackled to a bed, never bathed by others or taken by them. Your body is yours to do with as you please. You can awake whenever you want. You can sleep the moment you grow tired, whether it’s during the day or at night.”

Her expression grew absorbed as if she were trying to imagine such a thing.

Wanting to share all that he knew, Lukan continued, “Within the kitchen there’s an instrument called an oven. Hot food comes out of it. From a refrigerator, the food is cold. You can have it either way. It’s your choice. But there’s even more food in these things calls cabinets and pantries. There, it’s stored in containers. All you have to do is open them and start eating.”

Arez clutched her hands to her chest. “The food is always there? No matter how much you eat, there’s always more appearing to take its place?”

Lukan warned himself not to laugh at her assumption. It was what he’d thought during his first days after Meelo and Damir rescued him. “There are places called stores on Regina’s realm. You go inside and choose whatever food you want to bring to your kitchen. Before you leave these stores for your house, you give the rulers there these pieces of paper called money.

“Everyone smiles and tells you to have a good day. It’s a form of farewell that you answer by saying ‘You bet. You too’.”

Arez mouthed the English words, then asked, “You’ve seen these stores?”

He boasted. “I’ve been inside two of them countless times. I even told one of the rulers at the first one that the fruit wasn’t of the fine quality I’d seen before.”

Her lips parted in shock. She grabbed his arms. “Did he beat you for complaining? Did he alert the guards and the other rulers about what you said?”