Pursued (28 page)

She handed the pot back to Merrick silently and he stowed it in the backpack he was wearing. “Well…” He gave her a long look. “Guess we might as well go.”

Elise nodded. “Yes, I guess so.”

“We’ll walk you to the edge of the jungle,” Shuura said diplomatically. “After that, you’re on your own.”

They left the house with its two roof-piercing trees and walked through the town. The native Ragerons watched them silently but every now and then, one of them would touch a single finger to their forehead, lips, and heart and then point to the jungle. The fourth time this happened, Elise asked for an explanation.

“They know you’re going into the Deep Blue,” Tongs explained in a low voice as they walked.

“How would they know tha—oh, the camouflage. Of course,” Elise murmured. To be honest, she’d almost forgotten she was wearing the blue paste. It seemed to be reaching a powder-like consistency as it dried, almost like the mineral foundation powder she put on when she wore makeup. There was no doubt it was still there, but it was so light she barely felt it.

Another native made the signal Elise had asked about and Shuura spoke up.

“It’s a gesture of respect and protection. I can’t really translate it very well but essentially it means, ‘May the Ancient Ones listen to your mind and heart as well as the words that pass your lips.’”

“Why would they want the Ancient Ones to do that?” The idea of some strange, older-than-God beings getting into her head and listening to the desires of her heart made Elise shiver. She’d had enough of having someone rifle through her private thoughts and memories when she’d been captured by the AllFather, thank you very much.

“Because most people are fucking idiots and what comes out of their mouths is stupid garbage,” Merrick growled. “But the Ancient Ones can read people—figure out their true thoughts and intentions. That ability probably kept more than one fool who wandered into the Deep Blue alive.”

“Are we really going to meet them in there?” Elise felt a cold fist clench in her gut. “How dangerous are they, anyway?”

Merrick turned to study her for a moment. “Very fucking dangerous, but don’t worry, we’re going to try to avoid them. If they find us, keep calm and let me do the talking.”

“But what if they want to do more than
talk?”
she demanded.

Merrick gave her a long, level look. “If they attack, I’ll protect you. With my life, if necessary.”

Elise felt sick. “Oh, you don’t have to—”

“Yes, I do,” he snapped. “You’re my responsibility. My female to care for and protect…at least until our bond is broken and I have to hand you back over to that son-of–a-bitch who didn’t even know you were missing until after I found you.”

His words struck home in a way that really hurt. It was true—James hadn’t even known about her abduction until long after she’d been rescued. “Leave James out of this,” she flared, put immediately on the defensive.

Merrick stopped walking and turned to her. “I’d be happy to, baby. But even if I did, he’s not the only thing standing between us, is he?”

“I…” She opened her mouth to reply and closed it again when she realized they had all stopped walking and were standing at the edge of the dense gray-blue vegetation that marked the beginning of the jungle. “Are we here?” she asked, ignoring Merrick and turning to Shuura instead.

“Indeed we are, my dear.” He smiled at her and made an expansive gesture toward the jungle. “Go and may the Goddess go with you.”

“Thank you,” Elise said faintly. “It was very nice to meet you.”

“And you, my lady fair.” Tongs smiled and captured her hand. He rubbed it against his rough cheek as he had when they first met before relinquishing it. “I hope to see the two of you alive and in one piece again very soon.”

“We’re shooting for a week,” Merrick said shortly, apparently deciding to ignore his uncle’s courtly gestures. “If you don’t see us after then, assume the worst. I won’t ask you to come looking for us…”

“You don’t have to,” Shuura said quietly. “If you’re not back in one solar week from today, we’ll come.”

Tongs grinned. “Exactly. I don’t know if we’ll find anything, but we’ll at least look.”

“Thank you.” Merrick nodded formally. “I’m not asking for myself but for Elise. She must be returned in time for her joining ceremony. I swore an oath that it would be so.”

“We’ll make sure you haven’t given your word falsely,” Shuura said. “And now you’d better go.”

“As should we,” said Tongs.

“Goodbye,” Elise said but both of them had turned away. As she watched, they left without looking back once.

Merrick obviously saw her puzzled look. “What—did you expect them to wait around and watch us walk off into the sunset?” he asked roughly.

“Well, I thought they might at least have waited until we were out of sight.” Elise frowned. “After walking us all the way here it just seems like such an
abrupt
parting.”

Merrick shook his head. “It’s bad luck to watch someone you care about walk into the jungle—it means you won’t see them walk back out again. Come on—we need to make some miles if we’re going to reach the Deep Blue before dark.”

Elise followed him into the jungle as he strode ahead, apparently following a path only he could see. “But I thought this
was
the Deep Blue,” she protested, ducking to keep a springy branch from slapping her in the face.

“Not even close, baby.” Merrick threw a glance over his shoulder. “This is just the town’s backyard. You’ll know it when we get to the Deep Blue.”

“How? How will I know?” she asked, scrambling over a huge fallen tree which Merrick simply stepped over.

“You’ll know,” he murmured and would say no more.

They walked for hours in silence, Merrick following the scent trail through the blue-gray leaves with Elise close behind. He could feel her
hunger
growing with every step but he studiously ignored it. They weren’t at the danger level yet and he was in no mood to be rejected again.

He ached when he thought of how she’d pulled away that morning when he was only touching her face. There had been nothing sexual about that touch—nothing threatening or frightening. Elise had even seemed to enjoy it at first. Then he’d felt the
hunger
turn into something else—something more intense—and suddenly she went stiff as a board and jumped back as though his fingertips on her skin had burned her.

What the fuck?
Merrick thought angrily, shoving the thick vines and creepers out of the way and holding a springy branch of
soothoom
bush back so it didn’t slap Elise in the face.
What the hell does she want from me? Now I can’t even touch her non-sexually, even though she needs it so bad she was about to go fucking crazy back there.
Though he hated to admit it, her constant
hunger
was affecting him too—making him short tempered and irritated at every little thing. It was like an itch he couldn’t reach to scratch, not to mention a constant reminder of her absolute rejection of him.

Why was she acting like this? Did she really care that much about her stupid fiancé? Yes, she’d agreed to join with him, but from what Merrick had seen, there didn’t seem to be much of a connection between them—nothing like what he and Elise shared. Of course, that was from an artificial bond, he reminded himself. Could
that
be the reason she was keeping her distance? The fear that everything they had would go up in smoke the minute the bond was dissolved? Or was there a deeper, darker reason, as Merrick had long suspected?
What happened to you, baby?
he thought, casting a quick glance over his shoulder to see her trudging along behind.
Who hurt you and what did he do?

He had a billion questions but Elise’s stubborn silence offered no answers. She didn’t even speak when they stopped along the way several times for a brief rest and a drink from the water bottles Merrick carried in his pack. Since she remained obstinately quiet, he maintained a stony silence as well.

He’d packed light for the journey—just the water, some nutrition-dense dried protein strips, and a first aid kit. Anything else would slow them down and the jungle could provide almost everything they needed if they knew where to look—and Merrick did. He’d spent hours out here after fleeing from Tranq Prime, wandering, lost in more than one way and trying to come to terms with what he’d done and what he’d seen. He felt the old pain like an ache beneath his ribs and stroked his scar thoughtfully, as though trying to rub the memories away. Gods, he tried not to think about those days but he couldn’t help it now—the jungle brought everything back all too clearly…

“What are you thinking?” Elise asked, breaking the silence for the first time in hours. “Why have we stopped? Is this it?”

Merrick frowned and looked around. He’d lost the trail and his feet had automatically stopped walking. The vegetation around them had gotten considerably denser and darker but it still wasn’t the solid indigo of the Deep Blue.

“Not yet,” he said aloud, frowning. “Hang on—lost the fucking trail.” He lifted his head and sniffed, trying to pick it up. There were two possible ways it could have gone but if he picked the wrong one, they’d wind up right back at the town and have to start all over again. He sniffed harder but all he could catch was Elise—her heat and need invading his senses, making him crazy.
No fucking good. I have to get away to find the path or I’ll screw this up for sure.
“I need to scout ahead,” he told her. “And I need to go by myself—have to concentrate. You’ll have to stay here.”

“I can be quiet,” she objected.

“Yeah, I know,” he growled impatiently. “
Very
fucking quiet—you proved that all afternoon. But it’s not your noise that bothers me.”

Elise put a hand on her hip, glaring up at him. “So what
does
bother you about me?”

Merrick ran a hand over his head.
You want the short version or should I recite the whole fucking list?
He managed to keep himself from saying it out loud—barely. “Your scent,” he said briefly, instead. “It confuses my nose—I can’t find the trail with you hanging around so close.”

“My
scent?
Are you saying I
stink?”
she demanded.

“No,” Merrick snarled, finally losing it. “You smell
hot.
Your
hunger…
your
need…
they’re coming through loud and clear, baby. I can feel it through the bond…see it in your face. And now it’s hanging in the air like a Goddess-damned cloud of perfume. You’re so
hungry
you’re practically in heat but you won’t fucking admit it!”

Elise opened her mouth to reply, but Merrick didn’t give her a chance to say anything. Suddenly, the thin thread of self control he’d been holding on to all day snapped. Grabbing her around the waist, he lifted her and pulled her in for a fierce, hungry kiss.

At first she fought him, beating against his chest with her small hands and trying to get away. But Merrick wasn’t about to let go. He’d promised himself he wouldn’t take her by force—but this much, he permitted himself. This kiss, this touch, was what Elise needed—what they
both
needed, so desperately it was about to tear them apart.

Then, suddenly, she was kissing him back, her arms looped around his neck and her lush lips open, welcoming the invasion of his tongue. Merrick groaned low in his throat and took her offer readily. Gods, she tasted so sweet, felt so right in his arms… Despite all the holding and touched they’d done before Elise had begun to shy away from him, this was their first kiss. And somewhere in the back of his mind he realized it might be the last. He wanted to make it count.

Easing up on the intensity some, he stroked her tongue with his, savoring her sweetness, and then sucked tenderly at her bottom lip. His shaft was hard as a rock and throbbing for release inside his pants, but he refused to rush. He held her to him, one hand cupped under her full ass, and threaded the fingers of his other hand through her long black hair, pulling her closer, letting her know through his gentle, persistent touch how much he needed her.

Turning the oral assault into a gentle caress had the desired effect—Elise moaned softly and melted in his arms. Merrick could feel her
hunger
turn to
lust
, could smell her sweet, feminine scent intensifying and he knew she was getting wet. Gods, what he wouldn’t give to peel down the tight black jungle-pants she was wearing and expose her hot little pussy. He wanted to touch her again, wanted to slide his fingers deep into her slick channel and stroke her soft, slippery petals until she moaned his name.

But even more than that, Merrick yearned to taste her. He imagined parting her thighs and burying his face between her legs, learning her taste with his tongue, lapping her wet little cunt until she quivered and clawed his shoulders, until she came all over his face again and again…

Suddenly he realized he was right on the edge of losing all control. If he didn’t stop kissing her
right now
, he wouldn’t be able to stop. He wouldn’t rape her—that was out of the question. But the need to taste her, to get his tongue inside her and lap her sweet nectar would be too great to be denied.
And she doesn’t want that…I know she doesn’t. I can’t…I can’t…

With a grim effort, he broke the kiss and pushed her away. Before she could even cry out in protest he put her down on her feet and took three big steps away. Then he turned away from her and breathed deeply, trying to get the rich, growing smell of the jungle into his lungs, trying to erase the maddening scent of her desire. He became aware that he was panting, his chest heaving and his heart pounding in his ears. Behind him, he heard Elise panting, too.

“What…I don’t understand,” she said at last. “Why did you—”

“Because you fucking needed it,” Merrick growled, turning to face her. He was beginning to feel more in control, but he still didn’t trust himself any closer to her. Now more than ever he needed to get away, to find the trail and clear his head. He lowered his voice and looked her in the eyes. “And because I needed it too,” he admitted. “Don’t forget, baby, we’re in this together.”