Mystik Warrior: (Dark Warrior Alliance Book 2) (3 page)

The hurt that welled up was potent. Given how protective he had been acting, and how close he was holding her, she thought he felt something for her. The moment he had taken her from Jax’s arms, electricity had sparked between them. His statement felt like a betrayal of all that. It was ridiculous to feel that way, especially, since it was impossible to forge such an expectation in a short time. Still, it was there. Cailyn needed to keep her head about her. Jessie and Elsie were everything to her, and she’d never forgive herself if anything happened to either of them.

*****

Shaking uncontrollably, Jace feared he would drop Cailyn if he didn’t calm down. He was drowning in the flood of his emotions. He was awed by her beauty, and at the same time, arousal ran a hot race through his body. Saliva pooled in his mouth, and his stomach churned. He silently cursed the revulsion his body had to any arousal. He wanted to beg the Goddess to give him one night where he didn’t get sick to his stomach and could indulge in a female. He should have known that after seven centuries of nausea, he wasn’t going to experience anything else.

Thankfully, he had lived with the sensation long enough that he functioned perfectly well. However, that didn’t stop the shame from running hot through his veins. He wished he were a normal male, rather than the ruined shell he had become.

He wanted more than anything to be able to lose himself in a female’s body. But not just any female. He wanted this one, more than he had ever wanted a female. Problem was, he’d never pursue Cailyn, because he refused to taint her. It could never go any further between them. No one needed to live with the hell that he dealt with night and day. Still, he was drawn to her like a moth to the flame, and he’d gladly burn to ash for one night with her.

He wanted those lush full lips pressed against his. Or better yet, wrapped around his aching cock. He could imagine her down on her knees, licking the fleshy head teasingly while she smiled up at him. And that fast, he was hard as steel in his pants, certain his zipper was going to break.

The fantasy playing out in his head brought his gaze down to her beautiful face. He breathed deeply of her spicy cinnamon scent. He knew his eyes had to be glowing, displaying his arousal more evidently than his erection. He was unable to look away, and watched her glare turn wary. She had no idea what his eyes were telling her, but she wasn’t frightened. He saw the curiosity and desire she tried to hide.

“Promise me that nothing will happen to her. Even if she becomes a mindless killing machine, no one hurts her. And you find a cure for what happened to her,” Cailyn demanded. He was awed by her strength and determination, and in that moment he would promise her anything.

“I will do everything in my power to help your friend, but we need to contain her until we know more. I have worked closely with the scientists for centuries, but this is a first. We need time.”

“I, for one, promise that nothing will happen without your involvement, Cai,” Elsie vowed, grabbing Cailyn’s attention.

“
A ghra
, doona make promises you canna keep,” Zander chided.

“Oh, but I can keep this promise, I am your Queen, after all. And, you, my King, will make sure that happens,” Elsie told him sweetly. Jace watched the interaction and felt a tightening in his chest. He envied them their connection. He had never wanted someone to belong to him, but sometime in the past few months, he had begun to hope for more. From the moment he had met Cailyn he’d felt something more than an appreciation of a beautiful, intelligent female. He had to continue to remind himself that he’d never have a female of his own.

“Thank you, El. I feel better knowing that,” Cailyn whispered, her eyes drooping a bit. This entire night had to have taken its toll on her, and her body was still injured.

Without thinking, he leaned down and brushed his nose against Cailyn’s slightly pointed one. His gaze went straight to her mouth. She had a mole on the right side of her delectable mouth. A mouth he desperately wanted to taste. Her startled gasp stopped him before he acted on that particular desire and had his gaze searching her hazel depths. He suddenly realized that her eyes matched the serpent’s eyes on his staff. Once again, he wondered about this female that had been brought into his life.

The tension in the room reminded him that they weren’t alone. He ignored the concerned stares he felt burning into his back from Elsie and the others and shouldered the door open to what had now become Cailyn’s room. “Let’s get you healed and taken care of, shall we?” Jace asked as he tried to lay her on the bed. His arms refused to cooperate, pulling her closer to his chest.

With half the compound’s residents following him, now was not the time to give into desire. He forced his fingers to uncurl and laid her gently on the bed. She winced in pain and a light sheen of sweat coated her body. Her complexion had gone even paler, and he knew she was in tremendous pain, yet she didn’t make a sound. He admired her strength. Even the warriors bitched at him when he had to patch up their wounds. This tiny female continued to amaze him.

“I’m sorry. I will take the pain away and you’ll be as good as new,” he soothed, tucking her loose hair behind her ears, needing the contact. Touching her soft skin brought a sense of relief and calmed him, while at the same time it wound him tight with arousal. A dark, insidious need had taken root. For the first time in his life, he needed to taste a female, to explore her lush body, and get lost in her heated depths. It scared the hell out of him.

Jace hated how his hands shook nervously when he ran them down her arms, not ready to heal her and lose his excuse to touch her. He held her hands for several silent moments before he moved them to her broken leg. She was so soft and supple beneath his palms. It took great effort to shove his lust aside before calling upon his healing ability. Surprisingly, his power came readily to his fingers without much effort, despite the energy expenditure from the portal. He sent his magic into her body and his blood turned to ice when a blast suddenly knocked everyone in the room off their feet. He flew from her side and landed roughly against the wall.

“What the hell just happened?” Cailyn murmured as Jace scrambled to get back to her side.

“Nothing good. Remember those words the Fae was saying? It was a spell that I just activated,” Jace replied grimly as everyone else stood up, looking baffled.

“What kind of spell? Can you undo it?” Cailyn asked, lethargy clearly weighing her down.

“I have no idea. What I wouldn’t give to have the Mystik Grimoire appear right now,” Jace mused, but knew better. Dread settled in his gut at the thought of what could happen to Cailyn now.

Jace groaned out his discomfort, as the familiar slab bit into his back. He had nothing to cushion his body or protect him from the ice cold marble. He shivered from the cold and nausea. How long before she came to him this time? For that matter, how long had it been since she had left him? Time had come to mean nothing to him. He had no way to know how many days or months or years may have passed since his capture, never mind whether it was day or night, winter or summer.

“Goddess-damned-bitch,” he grated. Rusted metal cuffs surrounded his wrists and ankles, and were connected to chains that held him to the marble altar. He had prayed night and day to be free of his prison, but had given up hope of any rescue or escape.

Water dripped from the ceiling into a shallow hole in the ground. Goddess, he was so thirsty, would give anything for a drink. But that was part of her torture. Deny him everything, and offer food, water, or a shower for what she wanted. He refused to give her anything. Not that he was able to give her what she wanted anyways though. He didn’t have the book and didn’t know where it was.

He opened his eyes and gazed around at the rough stone walls. No windows, no pictures. Nothing but endless stone surrounded him. He could scarcely recall the color of the sky, or the smell of the outdoors. As his body shook, he tried to conjure a fire in his palm. Chanted the spell over and over, like he had thousands of times before, but nothing happened. The dampening collar around his neck made sure of that.

He tugged the chains again, wanting to rip them free and wrench off the collar, but he couldn’t manage to budge them one bit. She had rendered him weak as a human. Every rusted, moldy inch of his prison was mystically reinforced by one of her spells.

His body stiffened, and bile rose in his throat as sandalwood incense reached his nostrils. She was coming for him. His cock tried to crawl into his body to escape her clutches. If he could have, he would have chopped the damned thing off. Anger at his predicament rose, and he uselessly struggled once more.

He hated what she did to him, and his body hated it even more. He pushed aside his despair, hatred, and revulsion. Showing her any emotion only fueled her desires and made things worse. The door creaked as the heavy wood was pushed aside by one of her worshipers. He shut down in preparation for what came next.

She glided through the door in her emerald gown. With a wave of her hand and a word, she lit the torches that lined his cell. He could do without having to see her flawless features. Her mocha skin gleamed with health and radiance. She was truly beautiful, with her dark brown locks hanging straight to the middle of her back, but he had never seen anything more disgusting.

“Hello, sweet. Have a nice nap?” Lady Angelica whispered next to his ear. She ran her tongue along the shell of his ear as her fingernails scraped down his stomach, forcing him to inch away from her touch.

He glared defiantly into her black as night eyes, refusing to answer. The white pupil always unnerved him, forewarning of her evil nature.

“No? Well, you know how you can sleep in my bed with me.” She paused for an effect that was lost on him. Tell me where I can find the book.”

It was the same song and dance they had been doing for Goddess only knew how long. Again, he deployed his only weapons, his defiance and his glare. He relished his fantasy of cutting her into tiny pieces, hoping she saw how he felt.

“I hate hurting you, sweet. Tell me where the Mystik Grimoire is. We will rule together,” she murmured as she rubbed his arm. What a crock of shit, she loved hurting him. In fact, he was certain she climaxed as soon as she began torturing him.

“How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t know where it is,” he uttered before he could stop himself. He had no idea where the book had disappeared to when his father was killed, and even if he did, he would never tell this wretch where it was.

His family had been charged with keeping and protecting the Mystik Grimoire for as long as the Tehrex Realm had existed. The book contained all spells of the sorcery, and the prophesies of the realm, as well as information on the spells of other creatures. It was magically connected to his family’s bloodline, but the book decided who could access it, and when.

He wasn’t one of the ones who had access to it. He could not count how many times during his incarceration he had needed the book, but it had not answered his call. He was convinced he was cursed. That was the only explanation for why the book refused to help him. He wanted it more than she did, but not for the same reasons. There were spells contained within that he could use to break the enchantments on his bonds.

She slapped him across his face, leaving furrows from her fingernails. The blood dripped into his hair, sticking with the years of grime and dirt.

“Now look what you made me do. Cooperate and you can have a real meal this night. It will help you heal that gorgeous face.”

He spat in her face in response.

“You will regret that, slave,” she shrieked.

His regret was instantaneous, as the Gaelic words of her spell tumbled from her mouth, and bile turned in his throat. He heaved the moldy bread he had been fed the night before while he felt his shaft fill with blood and stiffen against his wishes. He prayed to the Goddess for an end to his torment.

“No, Angelica, don’t do this. I have no idea where the book is. It won’t respond to me. I swear,” he promised, hating how weak and helpless he was. He hated even more that he was pleading with a heartless bitch.

“Mmmm, that’s better,” she purred, fueled by the sound of his desperation and the sight of his growing erection. He clamped his lips shut, refusing to give her more.

He went stock-still as she ran her fingers over his testicles. Any movement and she would sink her claws into his flesh.

“Bring me the oil,” she ordered a servant.

Shuffling footsteps echoed followed by scorching hot liquid pouring over his chest and abdomen. Angelica’s hands played through the oil, spreading it across his taught body. He couldn’t stop the flinch when her hand encircled his shaft. He was rewarded with her nails embedding in his erection. Unfortunately, her spell prevented him from deflating. She climbed onto the altar with him, straddling his hips. He once again tried to access his powers and counteract her spells. Nothing.

“You cannot refuse me. Let’s make this interesting.” She snapped her fingers. A cane was slapped into her waiting palm. She crawled her way to his face, and placed her core on his clenched mouth. Rubbing herself across the slash of his lips she brought the cane down on his erection. He screamed out in pain and she climaxed on his face. She loved causing him pain and humiliation. He gave up praying to the Goddess to save him from this hell. He was never getting out.

Jace jolted upright, confused and drenched in sweat, his heart pounding. It was difficult to push the fear and anxiety back so he was prepared to deal with whatever Angelica forced upon him next. Getting his bearings, he looked around the room and saw Cailyn sleeping fitfully on the bed next to him. Clarity struck, and he realized that it had only been a dream, and he wasn’t back in that dungeon. Thank the Goddess. His relief was short-lived as nausea overtook him and he hurried to the bathroom.

He bent over the toilet and in between his stomach’s heaves he rubbed his Cuff de Draiocht. He hated these nightmares, and in the past six hundred years they had yet to leave him, and he rarely got a full night’s sleep. It wasn’t enough that his captivity had robbed him of the ability to be intimate with a female. Lady Angelica had taken everything from him, and continued to do so.

More than anything, he wanted a normal life. The problem was, he had no idea how to take control and make that happen. She had dug her claws in and left her venom behind, and no matter what he did he was unable to purge it from his system. He flushed the toilet and washed his hands before reentering the bedroom to see Cailyn still sleeping.

He locked his nightmare down, and recalled why he was in a room with the female who had been occupying his fantasies for months. He checked his watch and saw that he had slept for a couple hours. Everyone had gone to their rooms to rest for the day shortly after he had failed to heal Cailyn. His failure still burned. She was suffering because he had walked right into the Fae’s trap.

Setting his guilt aside, he texted Bhric to make sure Jessie was secured in the dungeons. The warrior’s reply was instant - the female was sleeping peacefully in a cell, something that had upset Cailyn, but they had no choice with so many unknowns. At least she was still alive.

He cocked his head listening for the other warriors. The house was quiet this time of the morning with everyone sleeping. Jace had used his position as a physician to be the one to stay at Cailyn’s side so Elsie could take her day rest. It had been difficult to pry Elsie from her sister’s side, but as a new vampire Elsie was forced to rest during the early morning hours. Checking the time, Jace saw that he had a couple more hours alone with Cailyn.

Jace crossed to the bed and sat next to Cailyn who was far from peaceful in her sleep. He pressed his fingers into her wrist and noted that her pulse was still racing. Lifting the covers he saw that the splint and wrap was snug around her broken leg. The bruising and swelling were rising above the bandage. His healing hadn’t done anything except set off that Fae bastard’s spell. He watched his thumb run over her wrist when a noise had his head snapping up to her face. She stirred and her eyelids fluttered open.

“Hi, beautiful,” he murmured.

*****

“Hey,” Cailyn croaked out, swallowing to wet her arid throat. She felt far more ancient than her twenty-nine years. “God, I need some water,” she groaned, trying to sit up and reach out to the glass on the nightstand. Jace was there helping as soon as she stretched her arm out.

“Let me get that. You don’t need to be moving too much. Here, I’ll prop you up against the pillows,” he said as he piled pillows up and stretched his arm behind her. Cailyn leaned into the warmth of his chest and inhaled his masculine scent. He smelled like a thunderstorm, strong and potent. Rather than lying back against the pillows he had prepared she remained tucked into his side. She felt him stiffen around her before he relaxed and placed the glass to her lips.

“Thank you,” she whispered in between sips.

“Not too much. I don’t want you getting sick on me. How are you feeling?” he asked as he ran his hand down her head and arm. She liked the feel of his caress a little too much.

“I feel as if I have been hit by a wrecking ball a couple dozen times. Can I get some ibuprofen for this headache?”

“Let me exam you first. I want to make sure it wouldn’t cause more damage than good. I’m going to unwrap your leg and that’s going to hurt, but I want to make sure its stable,” he said as he laid her back into the mattress. She immediately missed his warmth. Being close to him felt natural and right, like she belonged there. Apparently, pain made her mawkish.

He grabbed a penlight from the table and shifted so he was facing her fully. Bright light shone in her eyes, making her wince. “Ugh, that hurts like hell,” she complained as her head exploded and stars winked behind her closed lids.

She squinted open her eyes when the light abated and noted that his handsome features were now twisted in concentration as he proceeded to take her blood pressure. Something was wrong. She attempted to send her telepathy out but it hurt too much. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

He paused with the cuff around her arm and his stethoscope pressed in the crook but didn’t say anything. He finished taking her blood pressure and pushed back her covers. Instinct had her grabbing for the blanket to cover her bare legs. She had to remind herself that he was a doctor and had seen plenty of naked women and that it was no big deal that she was in nothing but a t-shirt and panties. She still blushed to the roots of her hair.

He stopped her with his hand on hers. The moment their skin touched, electricity zapped straight to her abdomen. The heat built and she fought to keep it from spreading lower. She looked into his amethyst eyes and saw they were glowing purple. Knowing he was as affected as she was made it easier to let go and allow him to exam her. He lifted her shirt and probed her stomach. His touch felt more intimate than any doctor’s exam she’d ever had.

“Without having scans done I can’t say for certain what is going on, but something isn’t right. Like I told you this morning, you have a minor concussion along with bruising and your broken leg,” he said as he settled his warm palm on her stomach. He stayed with his hand like that for several long minutes. She felt the heat build and thought his hand was trembling. As she opened her mouth to ask if he was ok, he rolled her to the side, exploring the area just below her rib cage. She heard his heavy sigh and glanced back to see him looking furious.

“I don’t like that look. Tell me what you are thinking.”