"I think you've seen all the shops," he told her. "I haven't seen any sign of the demons, so we can get a room. Are you done here?"
"Yes."
"I'm thirsty. For water," he added for his own benefit. His bloodlust had thankfully calmed, but now his mouth felt dry and parched. "Drink first, room afterward."
"I drank all the water in your canteen. I'm sorry! There's an inn near here. We can have drinks and dinner there, as well as stay the night."
"What kind of creatures run it?" He wrapped his arm around her waist, and they padded down the cobbled street, circling around other shoppers.
"Centaurs and sirens. They are known allies, often protecting one another. If we keep our hoods over our heads, I can pretend to be an average siren and you can pretend to be a--"
"Nymph." He stroked two fingers over his jaw. "I think I'd make an excellent nymph."
Jewel chuckled. "They reek of sex and you, well, you smell of delicious human. Besides, you would have a line of women behind you if you were a nymph."
He gave a faux, mournful sigh. "So I have to be...what? A one-eyed Cyclops? A snake-headed Gorgon?"
"Perhaps you can pretend to be a god," she said thoughtfully.
"Pretend?" He snorted.
She chuckled. "Years and years ago, the gods visited us once a week, always taking a different human form and mingling among our ranks. It's been a long time, but you are tall and handsome enough. As a god, you would be worshipped and no one would dare attempt to harm you."
"That's a plan I can go along with." He hefted his backpack higher on his shoulder. "I've always wanted to be worshipped. How much farther is the inn?"
"About a mile. If we hurry, we'll make it before dark."
He caught the undercurrent of anxiety in her tone. "You afraid of the dark, Pru?"
"This area of the Inner City is for all creatures, but it branches off into different sections, one for each race. If we're in the wrong area at the wrong time... Once we reach the area designated for centaurs, we can relax."
He had to admit, his body was aching, his wounds throbbing, and he was more than ready to find a bed. Hell, he might have signed up for a week-long excursion in Demon Town if it meant catching some Z's soon.
"I already miss the agora," Jewel sighed. "The people, the smells, the food."
"You know," he told her, "when I'm gone, you'll have your freedom. You'll be able to visit the market anytime you want. Shop whenever you want."
Her shoulders straightened; she kept her gaze straight ahead. "That is something to dream and hope for, yes."
Manipulating her words again. When would she learn he would not be swayed so easily? "So you can dream about it," he said, "but you can't actually have it? Is that what you're telling me?"
Jewel's eyes widened. She hadn't expected Gray to fully realize what she was doing. Suspect, yes, but not call her on it. "What's to keep another ruler from stealing me? What's to keep someone who thinks I'm dangerous from killing me?" she added in a whispery, hollow tone.
A muscle ticked in his jaw. "You need to learn self-defense. You need to learn how to evade your enemy."
She snorted. "Evade an entire army?"
"It can be done. Believe me."
"I've seen many of your missions, but I doubt I will ever learn to fight and evade as you do."
"You'll do what you have to do to survive." He squeezed her hip, rubbing his thumb along the curve of her waist.
She shivered.
"I was sent to Gillirad, a planet rife with magical wars. Their armies had spells for everything, from freezing someone in place, to spells of sickness. They were destroying each other, and I found myself in the middle."
"Why were you even there?" she gasped, horrified.
"OBI sent me in. I was to do recon, nothing more. To observe them, find out how they practiced such powerful magic, and leave. I had a team of psychics with me. When one of the Gillradian armies spotted us, they cast some kind of spell over my group, a spell that killed everyone but me."
She grabbed his hand, linking their fingers. "What saved you?"
"I think it was the fact that I was the only nonmagical being there. I had no magical qualities, so their magic didn't stick. They realized that and chased me all over the planet. I overheard one of them say they wanted to study me, to experiment and use me against their enemies."
"How did you escape?"
"The same way I survived when I first arrived in Atlantis. It's all about blending into your surroundings, knowing when to strike and when to back away."
"My face is recognizable. One look at me, and everyone knows who I am."
"Maybe you need to disguise your face. Color your hair."
Her shoulders slumped, and she fought back a wave of gloom. Some part of her had hoped he'd ask her to return to the surface with him. Another part had yearned to hear him vow to stay with her always. "That is no life, hiding my true identify. That is not freedom."
"Is there no one you trust to help you, then? To fight in your behalf?"
"I trust you."
His hand slid up, up, to the edge of her breast. A lump formed in her throat, and she gulped. Fire licked through her, heating her blood.
"Besides me," he said, his voice suddenly hard. "Someone who knows Atlantis and its people."
She tumbled the question through her mind, then shook her head sadly. "I could go to the dragons, I guess, but it wouldn't last long. Someone would sell my location and I would be stolen."
"What about your father?"
"As I told you, I have yet to find him. And when I do, I can't be sure he'll be able to help me."
Gray was silent for a long while. Finally he said, "I'll think of something. I won't leave you helpless."
She paused. "You could take me with you."
Gray liked the idea. A lot. A whole hell of a lot.
He liked the idea of having her in his house, in his bed. Just thinking about it got him primed; it hardened and excited him. He could strip her every night, sink into her warm wetness. He could enjoy her at his leisure.
Be her first man.
His hand fisted at his side as pure, undiluted desire rocked him. He'd teach her the way he liked to be touched, and he'd learn the sensitive spots on her body. They'd make love in every position imaginable--and some positions that weren't.
God, he was tempted. So tempted.
No matter how much he might want her with him, however, he was going to leave her here. OBI would find out about her, take her, experiment on her, and lock her away, just as the people of her own world did. There was simply no way to get her through the portal without their knowledge. They had men stationed outside of it twenty-four hours, seven days a week.
"Sorry," he told her, forcing his tone to be as unbending as steel. "I can't do that. You have to stay, and I have to go."
Her eyelids squeezed shut for a brief moment, and she let out a shaky breath. He knew he'd hurt her, and he hated himself for it. "I wish I could, Jewel, but it's impossible."
"I understand," she said softly. "I do. You don't have to explain."
Frustrated, he raked a hand through his hair. Pain oozed from her voice, and he realized he would rather kick his own ass than hear that again. "You would face the same dangers on the surface as you do here, if not worse. Here, at least, the kings and queens do not hurt you physically."
"Sometimes I think that would be better than the emotional pain I'm forced to bear."
God, she was tearing him apart inside, and she didn't even realize it. "Like I said, I'll teach you to defend yourself. We've got some time. I can whip you into a fighting machine in a snap."
They came to a white stone building, music humming from the doors, a soft melody that seduced. No one was entering or leaving the place, so Gray couldn't get a look past those doors. Intrigued, he stopped and read the sign. "The Happy Hoof."
"A centaur bar," Jewel supplied. "With dancing."
His silver gaze whipped to her, just as
his stomach clenched. Electric currents raced through him as he imagined holding her in his arms. Pulling her close, meshing her breasts into his chest, swaying with her to the gentle melody. He forgot about his aching body in that instant, his arms itching to hold Jewel, his palms burning to caress her. To sweep away her sadness. "I promised you dancing lessons, sweetheart, and I'm a god of my word."
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
JEWEL TRAILED behind Gray as he barreled his way past the double doors and inside the bar. The soft sounds of a flute drifted through the laughter and chatter that permeated the room. Centaurs were scattered in every direction, some sitting at tables, resting on their haunches, others prancing on the dance floor in a tangle of chestnut, blond and carmine fur. Several sirens were also present, their skin glowing incandescently, their dark hair silky and flowing. Then--
Everyone stopped, paused, and turned toward them, staring. Even the music ceased, cutting to quiet. Jewel shifted uneasily on her feet.
Gray stepped forward, and several people gasped, muttering, "Human."
As he jumped wholeheartedly into his role of god, his brows arched into his forehead, and his lips dipped into an imperial frown. He waved a hand through the air. "I have arrived," he said, his superior voice cutting through the silence. "Why do you not bow? Do you dare disrespect me?"
The fluidity of his words, as if he'd spoken her language his entire life, still amazed her. She'd never before considered the abrupt syllables sensual, but when Gray spoke them, a hungry shiver traipsed along her spine.
"You can't truly expect us to bow to you, human," a huge centaur snapped, darting forward menacingly. His arms were tanned and thickly muscled, his chest bare and laced with scars.
Jewel's mouth went dry. The centaur planned to snap Gray in half like a twig. She read the thought so clearly in his mind. Coming here had been a bad idea, she'd known it, but had allowed her desire to be in Gray's arms overwhelm common sense.
"I am Adonis," Gray said, layer upon layer of power in his voice, "and you will bow."
That voice...compelling and enigmatic, hypnotic, laced with an all-encompassing authority that left no room for argument. Half of the people in the room gasped and stepped toward him, wanting to touch the god who had stepped into their midst. Hope filled them. It had been so long, they thought, their excitement growing, and they hadn't been forgotten as they'd supposed.
The centaur wavered in his surety that Gray was nothing more than a human, but retained a firm grip on his doubt. "Prove it," the horse-man snarled.
Hisnameis Bradair, Jewel whispered in Gray's mind. She hadn't been able to reach him this way since his sickness, and she had no way of knowing if it worked this time.
"Shall I strike you down with a lightning bolt, Bradair? Shall I turn your flesh to ash?"
It had worked! Perhaps his defenses against her were down. Perhaps he wanted her inside his head. Either way, she was grateful.
Color drained from the centaur's bronzed skin, revealing a fine trace of blue veins. "How did you know my name?"
He fears snakes, Jewel added.
Gray never missed a beat. "Shall I toss you into a snake pit?"
"I--I--"
Ready to end this, Jewel closed her eyes and projected her thoughts into the patrons' minds, willing all of them to think Gray was floating, that fire crackled from his head, and lightning sizzled on his fingers.
Bradair fell to his knees, babbling, "I am so sorry for my doubt, my lord. Please forgive me. I am a foolish man, and I will despise myself for all eternity for daring to question you."
"You are forgiven. Make sure it doesn't happen again."
"Yes, yes. Thank you, thank you."
"Table, chairs." Gray clapped, obviously enjoying his role. "I have immediate need of them."
Centaurs and sirens rushed to please the man, or rather god, beside her. A table was quickly cleaned, the contents swept to the floor with giddy eagerness, and two chairs dragged in front of it. "Your table, oh Lord of Lords."
He strode to it with an arrogant swagger, everyone he passed reaching out to touch him. He helped Jewel into her seat, then plopped down next to her. No one seemed inclined to leave; they hovered around the table, their expressions rapt. A female centaur with a silky mane of carmine hair stepped forward. Her chest was bare, and her large breasts bounced with her movements.
Jewel's hands fisted at her sides as she fought the urge to cover Gray's eyes.
"Please allow me to serve you, Divine One. It will be my greatest pleasure."
"Two of your finest." Gray flicked Jewel a glance and noticed her chair was several inches away. He grabbed the edge of her seat and scooted her closer, until their thighs brushed.
She gasped at the hot, electric contact. Her gaze locked with his, and his lips slowly teased in a half smile. Every time she looked at him or touched him, she felt as if her soul were exposed. As if she were raw and vulnerable, and oh so needy.
"That's better," he said to her, then to everyone else, "Continue about your business."
Gradually, reluctantly, they obeyed, though everyone kept a reverent eye on him.
"I never expected you to announce your godliness like that. I thought we'd mention it only if absolutely necessary." She paused. "You're always surprising me."
"Then we're even. Besides, I wanted them deferential, not suspicious."
Jewel tore her focus from the hot intensity of his gaze and glanced around. The walls were painted with beautiful murals of frolicking centaurs, lush meadows, and blooming flowers. The wide array of colors was breathtaking, from the brightest azure to the palest pink.
Their drinks were deposited on their table a moment later. "Is there anything else I may get for you, Glorious One? Anything? Anything at all?" As she spoke, the centaur's finger traced the outline of her nipple.
"Nothing else," Jewel snapped. If anyone was going to invite Gray to bed, it was her. Jewel.
Expression crumbling, the female trotted away.
"What was that about?" he asked, lips twitching.
"As if you don't know. Pervert!"
"Sheath the claws, Blaze. There's only one woman I'm interested in at the moment."
Her stomach clenched deliciously, but she barely had time to explore the wonderful sensation before he was pushing a glass at her and saying, "Drink up. We really can't stay here long."
Curious and unsure, she sipped tentatively at the amber liquid. It was sweet with an apple flavor. "Mmm." She drained the rest and despite its coolness, it warmed her inside out.
Gray gulped back a drink, then paused and grimaced. "What is this stuff?" He held up his glass and eyed it suspiciously. He even sniffed the rim. "It's like pure sugar."
"I've never tasted anything so delicious."
His gaze dropped and lingered on her lips, intoxicating and heady.
Her cheeks warmed with a blush, that one look affecting her as strongly as a caress, moving along her skin. Her nipples hardened. What would it be like if he licked her there? What would it be like if his fingers delved between her legs, spread her moisture and glided inside her?
She shivered.
What would it be like to clasp his penis in her hand and gently stroke up and down? Tasting the bead of maleness from the tip? So many times she'd dreamed of those things, prayed for them. Been desperate for them. Would he ever give them to her? Would he ever truly want to give them to her?
Her gaze strayed to the centaurs dancing in the middle of the large room. Their arms were clasped around each other, their hooves swaying left and right, their tails swishing, and a deep pang of longing rebounded.
"You ready to begin your dancing lessons?"
"I've been ready for years," she said, then pressed her lips together. She hadn't meant to say that out loud. She didn't want Gray to know how she felt about him. He claimed he preferred relationships over quick, forgotten entanglements, but she'd seen the number of women who had fallen in love with him only to watch his back as he walked away
.
He was not a man who accepted ties easily.
Pushing to his feet, he intertwined their fingers and tugged her up. The calluses on his hand ignited an inexorable friction. Everyone watched as he ushered her onto the dance floor. He turned, facing the crowd, his back blocked by a corner, and spun her. He drew her into the hard embrace of his arms.
Her lashes fluttered down. She lay her head on his shoulder and breathed in his scent. Her hands wound around him, anchoring on his lower back, right above his buttocks and beneath his bag. She felt the strength of his muscles, the heat of his skin, and never wanted to leave that spot.
The music continued to play, soft and slow, and they swayed to its seductive beat. It felt so wonderful to be in his arms. So...perfect.
"You're a natural," he praised, his voice thick. He buried his nose in the hollow of her neck, inhaling deeply. "Hmm, you smell good. Ever heard of dirty dancing?"
"No."
"Want me to show you?" His legs spread slightly, fitting hers between them, and his hips began to rock forward, brushing and retreating, his erection straining against her core.
Shock waves of pleasure shot through her, sizzling like the lightning Gray had threatened to use against the centaur, and she gasped. Every point of contact seared her.
"Move your hips against mine."
She did, moving in the opposite direction and connecting in the middle. "It's--it's--" The words caught in her throat, suspended on a jolt of pure carnality. Faster and faster they rocked, arching into one another.
"Perfect. God, I know." One of his hands strayed to her buttocks, gripping, and the other lifted to her neck, tangling in her hair. He pulled her deeper into his embrace, so deep their mouths were only a breath apart. Gazes locked together with sultry intensity, he moved one of his legs so that the apex of her thighs straddled him.
"Oh, gods." Another gasp slipped from her. If they kept this up much longer, she was going to explode. Already her body rushed toward completion. A coiling of pleasure. A search for release.
"I want you tonight," he said. "I shouldn't, but I do. I want you so much I'm aching with it. I told myself I wouldn't take you all the way, just play a bit, but that's not going to be enough. Not nearly enough. Right now, I can't make the consequences matter. I want you tonight," he repeated.