The Reluctant Amazon (Alliance of the Amazons) (8 page)

A growl rumbled deep in his throat. His hand went behind her
head, tilting it gently to give him better access. His mouth slanted across
hers, searing, demanding and brutal. Rebecca responded in kind, kissing him with
passion that matched his. The hand in his lap began to move restlessly, driving
him mad.

She tasted sweet with a touch of mint. He needed more. Artair
teased her lips with his tongue until she parted them, and then he invaded the
warmth of her mouth. Her responding mewl was almost more than he could bear. Her
tongue tentatively rubbed across his before she grew bolder, returning his
ferocity with her own.

“Gee, I’m
really
sorry to interrupt
but… Eww.” Sparks’s voice drifted into the cabin and stark reality came back in
a rush.

Artair broke away. “Yer nae sorry.”

Rebecca drew back, both physically and in her mind. Those eyes
that had seemed so clear, so easy to read, were now guarded. Her hands returned
to her own lap, busily rearranging the ice pack as her cheeks flamed. The moment
was lost. Perhaps forever.

“Becca mine…”

She gave her head a small shake, put the icepack on her injured
hand and glanced away.

Angry at himself for his foolish abandon and having no idea
what to say to her, he stood and walked to the door. Over his shoulder, he
called back, “We begin training at dawn. Don’t be late.” He waited a few
heartbeats before she nodded. Then he left the cabin with Sparks following like
a shadow. The same way his younger brother, Darian, used to.

The slamming of Rebecca’s door echoed through the compound.

They weren’t more than ten yards away before Sparks started in
on him. That was more restraint than she’d normally be able to show.

“You’re being an idiot, Celt. She’s your charge, you know. An
Amazon. She’s not some groupie priestess of Freya’s giving you a piece of ass or
a blow job on a tropical island.”

The woman was the embodiment of blunt. Artair nodded but
refused to discuss the matter. Rebecca was his concern, and this damn well
wasn’t a democracy. Sparks’s opinion shouldn’t count, but it did. And he
probably needed to hear everything she had to say. Heaven knew he’d lost his
discipline with the girl.

“It’s against the rules,” she added, trying to match his long
strides.

He gave her a curt nod and increased his speed, wanting to get
away from her nagging at him with the stark truth.

“Rhiannon won’t like it.”

The irritating woman seemed to have a knack for stating the
obvious.

“You could—”

He stopped, put his hands on his hips and glared. “Is there
something you wanted,
Frida?
Or were ye just
wandering around camp and decided to intrude where you didn’t belong?”

“I came to ask about training, and it’s a damn good thing I
did. You can’t—”

“’Tis nae your business.”

“It
is
my business. It’s all of our
business, you stubborn bastard. We need to get these girls ready. If you get
involved with her, you won’t be able to do your job. It’s the reason the
goddesses forbid it.” She pulled a pack of cigarettes from her pocket, tapped
the last one out and put it between her lips.

Artair grabbed the cigarette, made a show of breaking it in
front of her face and dropped it to the ground, hoping to make her as miserable
as she’d made him. His body was knotted with need, his mind drowning in
troubling thoughts.

A couple of sparks popped from her fingers. “Fine. I took away
your pleasure—you take away mine.”

He scowled at her.

“Artair, you have to let her be. I’ve never seen you like this.
If you get personally involved—”

“I’m nae involved—”

Sparks cut him off with a chuckle. “Then what were you doing?
Teaching her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation? If I hadn’t come in, you’d have her
naked by now.” Her expression grew serious and revealed a little of her true
age, of all she’d seen in her decades as a warrior. “If you get involved, you
won’t let her be what she’s meant to be. She’s shaky as it is. You saw her in
the bar. It took an attack on Megan to get her to kick into gear. Think about
it, Celt. Maria’s dead. We can’t find Helen or Trishna. Instead of us going
after evil, evil’s coming for us, trying to wipe us out, one by one. If you fall
for Rebecca, you’ll spend all your time trying to protect her. That leaves us
two men down. She won’t fight, and you’ll act like a shield. Don’t you see?
You’ll get her killed. And you’ll get yourself killed too.”

“I cannot be killed.”

“That’s a lie, and you damn well know it. All it takes is one
blade.” She poked his chest with her index finger. “One damn blade through your
heart.”

“Thank ye kindly for that pleasant reminder.”

He strode away, knowing Sparks would follow. Common sense took
hold, and he acknowledged the truth. “Aye. You’re right. I ken it.” But his
heart wouldn’t listen. Stopping at her cabin, he opened the door. “You best be
sleeping, lass. You’ll be needing yer rest for tomorrow.”

Sparks went into her cabin before turning back to give Artair
one more stern frown.

He walked away, heading for his own cabin.

Training. That was the answer. He’d throw his heart into
training Rebecca and Megan. He’d help Sparks sharpen her skills. He would work
them and himself into sheer exhaustion so they could do nothing but collapse on
their bunks every night.

Maybe then he could escape this madness.

Chapter Seven

“I still don’t see why I can’t just use my gun,” Megan
grumbled. Artair rolled his eyes heavenward and asked the Ancients for patience
for what seemed like the millionth time since the new Amazons had come to
Avalon.

His new Fire had proven to be every bit as impulsive as Sparks
had been when she’d first arrived so many decades ago. Megan’s constant need to
play with her new skills had started too many spontaneous blazes. He’d finally
resorted to relocating her to Sparks’s old training cabin. The thatched roof
would discourage her from throwing fire and force her to learn control over her
powers. If she didn’t, she’d burn her home to the ground, and he let her know he
wouldn’t allow the changelings to replace it.

“You’ll most likely be fighting a revenant,” he explained yet
again. “A bullet will only slow one of the creatures, nae stop him. Few demons
can fall to a gun, and all you’ll do if you shoot a demig is anger him.”

“I know, I know. You told me that. But I could go get my .357.
If it doesn’t kill ’em, it’ll at least leave a hell of a hole.” Megan picked up
her sword and stepped to where Sparks waited to spar with her.

“Artair,” Rebecca interrupted, “could you please show me that
stance again? I can’t seem to get it right.” She held her sword before her,
trying to keep her balance with the heavy weapon. She wasn’t succeeding.

He turned to see Sparks taking swings at Megan and gave a grunt
when Megan deftly parried the blows. Knowing Sparks was training Megan well, he
turned his full attention to Rebecca.

He stepped behind her, pressing his chest against her back. He
wrapped his arms around her shoulders and steadied her limbs with his own. Big
hands covered much smaller ones over the leather-covered hilt of the sword. She
smelled wonderful, and he resisted the urge to bury his nose in her
lilac-scented hair. He closed his eyes for a moment and savored the feel of her
in his arms, wanting what he could never have.

Rebecca glanced over her shoulder. “Artair?”

“Aye, lass. You must widen your stance.” Placing his foot just
inside her ankle, he nudged her feet farther apart. “Better. See how you can use
your hips to balance the weapon?” He splayed his hand over her abdomen, pushing
against supple muscle. “Is it nae too heavy, Becca? There are lighter
swords.”

“No. It’s—it’s fine.” Yet she quivered in his arms.

“Are you cold?”

“No, I’m not cold.”

“Then why are you trembling?”

She ignored the question.

Artair helped her swing the sword, guiding her through the
motion, slicing through the air in smooth arcs. “Better, lass. You’re
improving.”

“I’m trying. It’s just not easy. The thing’s so awkward.”

“Nay. ’Tis smooth as a warm knife through fresh butter when you
master it.”

He should turn her loose. She had the proper stance now. While
she handled the weapon like one new to its feel, she would improve with time.
Chastising himself for acting like some beardless lad anxious to touch his first
woman, he stepped back. Swinging the sword, she continued her training as if
unaffected by his absence. He walked out of the sandpit, fearing he’d left a
part of himself behind.

Turning his attention back to the Fires, he was happy to see
Megan holding her own against Sparks. He waited for what would come next. Sparks
didn’t disappoint. In a catlike move, she took a swing of her sword then dropped
to use a front sweep to kick Megan’s feet out from under her. As Megan fell,
Sparks swung again, hitting Megan’s weapon and knocking it from her hands.

Sparks was one of the sharpest warriors he’d ever trained. He
smiled when she helped Megan back to her feet before handing her the dropped
sword. He could always count on Sparks to have a friend’s back.

“Go show your sister what I just taught you,” Sparks said.

As Megan went to Rebecca, Sparks came to stand by his side.
“Megan’s got what it takes,” she said as she watched the new Amazons.

“Aye. A true Fire.”

She inclined her head toward Rebecca. “She’s weak.” This time
her words were barely above a whisper.

“Aye,” he replied in kind. “But so was Helen when she started
training. Earth is oft the slowest to develop. Not all Amazons take to the
skills with your speed.”

As he expected, Sparks let one of his rare compliments pass
without comment. “She’ll need work.”

Artair nodded.

“Lots of work.”

“Are you here to tell me my job?”

“I’m their Guardian. I’m supposed to watch over these women, to
see to their wellbeing. It’s not a job I wanted, it belonged to Maria. Or better
yet, Helen should be here.” She gave an exaggerated shrug. “But I’m the Guardian
now, and I need to help you decide if she’s gonnna make it. I’m not worried
about Megan at all.”

Artair followed Sparks’s gaze to where Megan and Rebecca
sparred in the sandpit. Megan went on the attack, swinging the heavy sword like
a barbarian of old, as if she had been fighting her whole life. She was a
warrior, no doubt.

Rebecca made a valiant effort to block the blows, but her
strength was ebbing. Three more swings found her on her knees. The fourth
disarmed her, the sword falling from her hands and landing on the sand.

Megan, to her credit, didn’t celebrate her victory. Instead,
she clasped Rebecca’s wrist, pulling her back to her feet. “You’ll get me next
time, Rebs.”

Rebecca didn’t look like she believed her. “Yeah. We’ll
see.”

“I mean it,” Megan insisted. “You’re getting better every
day.”

The link between his new Amazons had already formed. Damn, but
they pleased him.

Sparks shook her head. “See? She’s weak.”

“Together, they’re strong.”

“God, but you’re a stubborn ass.”

He tried not to grin at her, but the corners of his mouth
twitched in spite of his discipline.

“Fine. I want her to learn, Celt. I really do. I’ll spend more
time with her, I’ll—”

“Nay,” he interrupted, not wanting to debate the point any
longer. Artair knew what was at stake for Sparks, and he understood her near
panic that she still couldn’t sense Trishna or Helen.
Two
Amazons in the wind.
While that might have happened in earlier
decades, earlier centuries, modern communication should have helped them stay in
touch. All calls—tangible and mystical—went unanswered.

The search was already on to discover who had attacked Maria.
Every night, Artair pored through the old texts, looking for some hint of which
demon or demigod was foolish enough to target the Amazons. Most kept their
distance, realizing the power the Amazons wielded. The only time their paths
usually crossed was when humans were victimized. Rhiannon was checking on some
of the names he’d provided, but nothing of any value had been discovered.

The last time he’d “lost” an Amazon was the beginning of the
twentieth century. His Fire, a woman named Adele Brennen, had been sent to bring
a
gueebuce
to heel in Brazil.
Gueebuces
weren’t particularly dangerous, but those evil spirits
were known to snatch virgins and pitch them into active volcanoes. Adele had
assured him she could handle the job on her own and was sent to the Andes
Mountains to find the one wreaking havoc on Chilean villages.

She’d been wrong.

When she’d failed to respond to her sisters’ spiritual calls,
Artair took the remaining Amazons to find her. All that remained was her ravaged
body.

Losing his Fire had been difficult. Sparks had been called to
replace Adele, and it had taken Artair years to warm up to his new recruit. He’d
learned a lesson that he would never forget. Lost Amazons wouldn’t be allowed to
remain “lost” for long. As soon as he had any information on Helen and Trishna’s
whereabouts, ready or not, he was leading these women to find them.

Sparks needed reinforcements, but Guardian and Sentinel were
both concerned that Rebecca wasn’t a typical Amazon.

Could she eventually learn?

When the goddesses called together all four new Amazons, would
Rebecca hold her own? He hated that Water and Air weren’t training where he
could supervise their progress. Instead, a new Sentinel—the one who would
replace Artair—saw to their induction and reported daily to Artair.

Thank the Ancients, Rebecca trained in Avalon where he could
keep an eye on her.

“You work hard enough, Sparks. If the lass needs more training,
I’ll give it. Time for them to climb. I’ll see to the weapons and join you
shortly.”

Sparks used her best drill sergeant voice to send Megan and
Rebecca scrambling from the sandpits to the climbing tower where they would
scale the wall and then rappel back down. He brushed aside a quick pang of guilt
for sending the new Amazons to the tower again, knowing Rebecca was deathly
afraid of heights. She had never come out and told him, not in words. But the
fear was etched on her face each time she’d scaled the sheer wall, nothing short
of terror in her eyes. Yet, there had been no tears. She did all that was asked
of her without complaint.

He tried to tell himself that he shouldn’t be concerned with
Rebecca’s feelings, that she was just another on the long, long list of women
he’d trained to be warriors. Except the voice in his head kept whispering,
“Liar.”

* * *

Rebecca stood at the base of the wall she despised. She
was glad Artair wouldn’t watch her climb. It was embarrassing enough having
Sparks and Megan see her fear, especially because there was no way to hide her
emotions from them.

The more time the women spent together, the more she felt their
connection, their sisterly bond. They shared feelings, sometimes even thoughts.
It was more than a little eerie and often left her feeling emotionally naked.
Would she ever get used to being that open with the other Amazons, especially
the two sisters she’d yet to meet?

At least they weren’t connected every minute of every day. She
could steel herself to guard some of her thoughts and assumed the others could
as well.

Sparks and Megan started up the tower first in one of their
usual races. Adjusting her ropes, Rebecca shut her eyes, swearing to herself she
wouldn’t cry. Figuring she’d learned the mechanics well enough to climb the
stupid rope, she went at her task blind. The panic wasn’t so bad if she didn’t
look.

Her muscles screamed at the exertion, but she crept slowly up
the tallest wall of the damned tower. Hand over hand. An inch at a time. She
would make it this time, and that made pride rush through her although she
wouldn’t celebrate until she found the uppermost ledge with her own hand.

Megan let out an excited whoop when she reached the summit
first. Rebecca peeked to see her give Sparks a high five when the older Fire got
to the platform. She quickly closed her eyes again, fighting the dizzying
vertigo that always haunted her when she glanced up or down steep drops. Taking
a deep breath against the lightheadedness, she started to climb again.

Megan cheered when Rebecca’s hand brushed the ledge. Rebecca
couldn’t help but smile as she hauled the rest of her body up and onto the
platform. Sparks grinned as she leaned back against a support pole, crossed her
arms over her breasts and nodded.

“Hoo ya!” Megan stared down at her, pumping her fist in the
air. “You finally did it! I knew you could!”

Rebecca rolled to her back and sprawled on the wood, grateful
the ordeal was over but basking in Megan’s pride over their accomplishments.

Then she remembered she still had to get back down.

As Sparks worked on preparing her rope, Megan grabbed hers,
readying herself to rappel back down. The woman was perpetual motion, never
needing to stop and rest. “See you at the bottom, Rebs.”

Rebecca’s instincts kicked in, making her glance to Megan’s
rope. A large section of her rope had become twisted and knotted. Megan was
going to jerk to a sudden stop halfway down the wall.

Rebecca’s heart started pounding a rough cadence. Megan would
surely lose control and topple the rest of the way to the ground. “Wait!”

But Fire was already on her way down.

Rebecca grabbed her rope. She had to get to her sister.

Throwing herself over the side, she swept her vertigo aside and
scrambled down the wall. Megan was faster, so Rebecca opened her hands to let
the line slide through at a speed that burned her palms. She kept her gaze down,
watching Megan move closer and closer to the tangled knot that would send her
hurtling to the ground.

The knot hit her hand and Megan let go, tumbling backward.
Rebecca caught Megan’s arm just in time. She held tight to her sister as she
quickly locked her own rope to free her other hand. Panting for breath, the two
of them stared at each other for a few suspended seconds.

Hanging upside down, her red ponytail dangling and her ass
brushing the wall, Megan burst into laughter.

All the fears Rebecca had for what could have happened
vanished, and she couldn’t help but smile at Megan’s cheekiness. Working the
knot loose, she helped Megan right herself, and they rappelled down the rest of
the wall side by side.

Rebecca didn’t realize she was on the ground until she started
to habitually gather her ropes. Her fears came flooding back as her mind’s eye
saw Megan lying on the ground, battered and broken. A shudder ripped through
her, and a wave of nausea roiled her stomach.

“Thanks for bailing my ass out up there,” Megan said, slapping
Rebecca between the shoulder blades, jostling her already queasy stomach.
“That’ll teach me to check my ropes before I throw myself down a damn wall.”

Rebecca nodded, wondering if she was turning green. She dropped
her ropes and ran to the trees.

I will not throw up.
Staring at the
ground, she took deep breaths.
I will not throw up. I will
not throw up. Never again.