On a Barbarian World (12 page)

She wound her legs around his waist and his rock-hard cock pressed between her thighs. They both groaned now, and he staggered a few steps backward. His knees hit the bed and he sat.

Aurina settled in his lap, her hands tangling in his hair. She kissed him with a passion and enthusiasm he’d rarely experienced. She tasted sweet and tart, of things that promised pleasure beyond reckoning. He gripped her sunset hair and tugged her head back. Her smooth, pale neck was bared to him and a primal wave of desire washed over him. He pressed his mouth over her fluttering pulse, setting his teeth to the sensitive tendon,

“Kavon.” She undulated against him, her hands pulling hard on his hair.

He had to have her. He
needed
to quench this thirst. He was about to spin her and lay her back on the bed, when a brisk knock at the door echoed through the room.

Aurina stiffened. Then she yanked away from him and scrambled to her feet. She stood there for a second, looking a little dazed. “Whoa, that almost got out of hand.”

Frustrated, he raked a hand through his hair. “Would that have been so bad?”

She fiddled with her hair, tucking some escaped strands behind her ears. “I told you, Kavon. I’m not staying…it’s best we don’t—”

Hearing her talk of leaving again, especially while he was so raw inside, made his jaw lock. “I decide if you stay or go.”

She bristled. “So, we’re back to square one. Orders and no thought to anyone else’s feelings.”

The knock on the door came again. Kavon pushed off the bed and strode over to it. He wrenched it open.

Chaldora stood there, and behind her were several young scholars, all holding piles of books.

“Kavon, we’ve brought the tomes you requested.” The old woman’s eyesight might not have been as good as it once had been, but she glanced at the slightly disheveled Aurina, then at Kavon—he doubted anyone could miss the hard bulge in his pants or the thick tension in the air.

“This is a bad time?” the scholar asked with a faint smile.

“No, I have to meet with my men.” Kavon waved at Aurina. “Bring the books. Aurina, I’m sure, is eager to start.”

He strode out without looking at her. He needed a little break from the woman who set his blood—and his temper—aflame.

***

Aurina sat on the low couch in Kavon’s room, books spread out across the table in front of her. She’d been at it for hours, reading account after account of the First Warriors and their exploits. Scouring the text for anything to do with Durendal.

Chaldora had been incredibly helpful. The scholar had already supplied her with a list of references and where to find them.

Aurina leaned back and rubbed her eyes. So far, she had a ton of information, but not much in the way of possible places to start searching for Durendal. Chaldora said there was a shrine to the First Warriors in the King’s palace, and a replica of Durendal sat in there. But it was well known not to be the actual weapon.

She got up and strode to the window. She let the curtain flap against her in the breeze. It was afternoon now, the sun slowly lowering in the sky.

She wondered where Kavon was.

Nope
. Not going to go there. She wrinkled her nose. She’d successfully not thought of him or that kiss…

Kiss… She snorted. It was more like devouring each other.
No, don’t go there
. Think of the legendary sword.

Right. Well, what did she know? The First Warriors appeared and taught the primitive people, and eventually mated with them. She’d studied the images of what the native Markarians had looked like before—taller, more muscular, with almost scale-like skin, and an elongated face with sharp teeth. Today, all that was left of their previous form was the metallic-bronze coloring of their skin.

The First Warriors had clearly been humanoid. What had made them want to mate with a primitive, almost animal-like species? Curiosity? Perhaps. An interest in the science of creating a new species? If they were advanced, why not do it in a lab? The First Warriors were clearly more advanced than the primitive Markarians. No need to move in with the native species and procreate.

Maybe it was love.

She made a scoffing noise. Love was a fairytale the central systems’ companies perpetuated to help them sell jewelry, and fancy chocolates, and romantic getaways. Aurina thought of her mother. Dala Veers had believed in love when she’d been seduced into bed by a handsome, charming wanderer. She’d still believed in it long after he’d abandoned her. She’d learned the hard way that love was a mirage.

What about Justyn and Nissa?
Aurina shoved the quiet whisper in her head aside. Well, the couple just proved that love wasn’t real, because there always had to be an exception to the rule.

So, what else made an advanced humanoid race stay and mate with a primitive one?

Desperation
. She froze. What if the First Warriors were stuck here and had no choice?

She raced back to the table, pushing aside the books to find the notes Chaldora had left her. The First Warriors clearly spoke English. What if they weren’t from Markaria at all? What if, like her, they’d crash-landed here, with no way off?

Aurina pushed more books and papers aside. Chaldora had said the meteors were a symbol of the First Warriors, and that the first appearance of them coincided with the omens of falling stars.

She sat back.
God
. What if the same meteor shower had brought down the First Warriors’ ship thousands of years ago, just like it had brought down hers?

Aurina sprang up and yanked open the door. A warrior standing guard in the hall spun to face her.

“Skyflyer?”

“I need Chaldora. Can you get her for me, please?”

The warrior nodded.

Aurina paced the room, unable to sit. She was on to something, she could feel it.

Finally, Chaldora entered. “Aurina, you needed to see me?”

“Tell me again about when the First Warriors came, please. You said there were falling stars then as well.”

The scholar nodded. “They are an omen, a symbol of luck, because they are said to have appeared when the First Warriors did.”

“Anything else about the first appearance of the warriors?”

The woman shrugged. “They are said to have come from the north. They appeared from out of the Darken Wilds.”

“The Wilds.” Hmm, that didn’t narrow anything down.

“One account, more lurid than the rest so it has often been discounted, talks about fire and light. It also says the First Warriors brought sickness. That some of the primitive Markarians were not strong enough and died.”

“Sickness?” Aurina spun away pacing. “The First Warriors could have brought some disease from off-planet that the native Markarians weren’t immune to.”

Chaldora’s eyebrows rose. “You think the First Warriors were skyflyers?”

Aurina nodded. “You speak English, Chaldora. That is
not
from this planet. I think the First Warriors crash-landed here, just like I did. Maybe brought down by the meteors.”

The woman dropped into a chair, her brow creased. “I guess it is not inconceivable.”

“They were possibly travelers or explorers from old Earth. If it was thousands of years ago, it would have been during the early days of space exploration. They may have gotten lost or been a group headed out this way to make a new home somewhere.” She spun, excitement a fizz in her blood. “My brother, Justyn, and his wife, Nissa, recently discovered an old starship wreck from Earth not too far from here…relatively speaking. So some Terrans made it this far.”

“So, you think the First Warriors were from this planet…Earth?”

“Yes. Earth seeded much of the life throughout the galaxy. War eventually destroyed the planet, although one of my cousins recently got the chance to go back to Earth. It’s pretty wild and still highly radioactive…uh, poisoned from the powerful weapons used, but there are apparently some survivors.”

“Incredible,” Chaldora breathed.

“Don’t tell Kavon yet. I need to do more research and beef up my theory a bit yet before I tell him.”

The elderly scholar frowned. “Beef up?”

“Never mind.” Aurina waved a hand. “Just don’t say anything yet.”

“I will not. If this proves true…it will be difficult for some Markarians to accept, to change the beliefs they have grown up with.”

“Let me do more work, first. Thank you, Chaldora, for your help. You’re a good sounding board.” Aurina tapped a finger against her chin. “So, if the First Warriors crashed here, and they had Durendal with them, then maybe the sword is still at the crash site. We need to find where they crashed.”

Chaldora made a humming noise.

“Any legends about places that are special to the First Warriors, or where they first appeared, or where they visited a lot?”

“Just that they came from the Wilds.”

Okay, that was as good a place to start as any. “Thanks.” As Chaldora turned to leave, Aurina thought of one more niggling thing. “Hey, Chaldora?”

The woman glanced back with a raised brow.

“Why, when the barbarian shoves food at me, does everyone look like he’s hit them over the head with the hilt of his sword?”

Chaldora smiled. “A warrior does not waste time feeding a woman he simply dallies with. When he takes the time to feed her, offer her sustenance with his own hand, he is…staking a claim.”

Aurina sniffed. “I should have known.”

“Not of ownership,” Chaldora said. “Of his intent to provide for you.” With a last mysterious smile, the scholar left.

After the woman had left, Aurina stared across the room for a long while before she shook off confusing thoughts of Kavon and went back to the books. She pored over story after story, but wasn’t having much luck finding any special reference to a specific location in the Wilds.

Suddenly the door slammed open. Startled, she spun and saw Kavon standing there.

Heat flushed over her.
Dammit
. She was hoping the hours apart would have dulled the impact of him.

But no. He looked just as tempting as earlier.

“Chaldora told me you’ve had a breakthrough, but she wouldn’t tell me anything about it.”

Aurina nodded. “I asked her not to, not until I’d done some more research.”

He strode closer, his long legs eating up the distance. “And?’

She pulled in a deep breath. “I believe the First Warriors crash-landed here, like me.”

Kavon jerked to a halt. “Impossible. They were of Markaria. From the north.”

She frowned. “Kavon, just because you say something doesn’t make it true. All my research shows you’ve never found any ruins or sign of anyone living in the north.”

His frown deepened.

She turned on the chair. “It doesn’t change the things they did, how they helped your ancestors.”

He grunted.

“I need to find where their ship went down.”

He strode closer. “There is no ship. They were not skyflyers.”

She leaped up. “Barbarian, I know you aren’t stupid. Why won’t you consider it?”

He was silent for a moment, staring past her at the wall.

“Kavon—”

“The First Warriors…they were benevolent, honorable. They were the protectors of Markaria.”

All the fight went out of Aurina. “You think if they crashed here and were stuck, that they just helped the native species because they had no choice?”

He kept staring at the wall.

She moved closer. “That may not be the case, Kavon. The truth is, even if we do find a ship, we will probably never know their motivations.” She lifted a hand, hesitated, then touched his hard chest. “It doesn’t have to change your beliefs. They helped, they taught, they loved. They couldn’t have done all of that out of desperation. They may not have wanted to leave.”

“Unlike you.”

He was staring at her now, his amber eyes ablaze.

Her heart kicked in her chest. “Kavon—”

“There is a distant mountain in the Wilds. Off limits to all Markarians. No vegetation grows there, and the beasts that call it home…are different. Bigger, twisted.”

Her chest hitched. “Go on.”

“It is riddled with the tunnels of an ancient mine, said to be filled with these beasts. It was cursed by the First Warriors, and no one is allowed to step foot on it.”

Adrenaline surged in her veins. “Why didn’t Chaldora mention it? I’ve seen nothing in the records.”

“Mount Furioso is known only to the warlords.”

“This could be it, Kavon. We need to get there. Durendal could be on that mountain.”

He was silent for a moment. “It is a dangerous place—”

“We made a deal. I help you find the sword, and you give me the e-beacon.”

He cursed under his breath. Then he gave a short nod. “We’ll leave at first light.”

Chapter Eight

Kavon hated this.

He held the reins as Tarm negotiated a section of particularly bad ground near the base of Mount Furioso. It rose above them, a fierce spire of black rock. Their journey through the Wilds had been uneventful, although he and his warriors were alert to any signs of the unfriendly denizens that called the place home.

Colm and another two of Kavon’s most experienced warriors, Darroch and Viken, rode their hargon beasts nearby.

Aurina was nestled in Kavon’s arms, her head tipped as she stared up at the mountain.

“Well, it’s certainly creepy enough,” she said.

Yes, he hated that he was approaching a mountain forbidden by his people, that he’d brought Aurina to this dangerous place. And he hated that he was doubting his ancestors.

Could the First Warriors really have been skyflyers? People stuck here, trying to make the best of a bad situation?

Hardly the lofty stories his people sang about. Or the tales his father had told him with such pride.

“Kavon, are you sure this is a good idea?” Colm asked.

Hell, no.
He stared up at the sharp, ragged spires of the mountain. It was made of a dark rock, and devoid of vegetation. Only a few twisted, black trunks that may have been some sort of tree once remained.

“We need to check for a crash site,” Aurina insisted. “The sword might be in the wreckage.”