Crimson Lips [Amazon Warriors] (Siren Publishing Classic) (12 page)

“Why should we believe you?” Mrs. Gomez asked, and Sloan winced when he heard a low growl come from the General.

“We would not have come to your estate in the first place and risked men unless we did not believe we had reason to do so. I would also not be stood in the center of an Amazon mob, risking death, if I didn’t seek the truth.”

Mrs. Gomez looked the creature in the eye. Sloan could only guess that she was looking for signs of deception. She nodded slightly before continuing her questioning. “Did you ever meet the Amazon woman you spoke to? Would you recognize her?”

“I did not meet her, but I would recognize her voice.” The Cyclops stated with confidence.

“Bring forward the accused Amazon,” Mrs. Gomez announced.

Two Amazon escorts walked with Annika to the stage. Crimson stood there with strength and determination, but Sloan knew she was in turmoil, so he stepped up behind her, wrapped his arms around her midsection, and softly kissed her shoulder to give her as much reassurance as he could. There was really nothing he could say to calm her fears, so he just held her.

When Annika reached the stage, Mrs. Gomez simply told her to speak.

Annika stood before her tribe, the Cyclopes, and the woman who would judge her fate oozing with confidence and arrogance. Just like her sister, he could only smile.

“What would you like me to say?” Annika said calmly.

The Cyclops shook his head. “It was not her.”

He could feel Crimson relax in his arms as Annika yelled, “Damn fucking right it’s not, so why the fuck would your man name me?”

Oh shit!

Why did she have to poke the bear? Or in this case, Cyclops?

The beast just snarled at her. The atmosphere was tense again. Everyone seemed to be arguing and waiting for a fight to break out.

Mrs. Gomez brought order back to the proceedings with a high-pitched wail.

The space fell silent.

“Bring forward the Cyclops to accuse Annika of betrayal.”

It took some time for the several warriors to get the injured Cyclops. Everyone spoke among themselves while Sloan watched Annika and Crimson embrace each other with relief written all over their faces. Eventually, they pushed the blinded Cyclops onto the platform in a wheelchair.

“Where did you hear the name Annika?” Mrs. Gomez asked. When the creature remained stubbornly quiet, the general hit him upside the head and ordered him to answer.

The beast flinched, hearing his general’s voice. “I made a deal with an Amazon while I was in the medical building. She told me to say her name was Annika.”

“And in return?” the general asked, radiating anger.

The Cyclops looked down as if ashamed then whispered, “She did not kill me and made my stay more…pleasurable.”

Shocked gasps rent the air.

As the rest of her tribe looked at each other whispering and mumbling their shock, Crimson looked around with purpose. She was looking for any sign of guilt or panic on anyone’s face, any actions that seemed out of character. She could see from the corner of her eye that Annika and Sloan were doing the same. They stood with their backs to each other, assessing the gathering.

That’s when she remembered something. “Annika, Sloan, look for Delila.”

They both did what she asked, but Annika had to comment. “Crim, I know she’s a bitch, and I hate her as much as you do, but what makes you think she’s capable of this?”

“Remember the first attack on the estate? It’s just a hunch, but find her.”

“I can’t see her anywhere.”

“Me either, C.”

Crimson ran toward the platform to get a better vantage point, she spotted Delila walking around the outskirts of the court as if looking for a way past the surrounding Cyclopes.

Anger bloomed inside her. “Delila!” she screamed at the top of her voice. It silenced the crowd and got the woman’s attention. Then, calmly but menacingly, she asked, “Going somewhere?”

The woman snarled at her as Mrs. Gomez walked up beside Crimson.

“Something you wish to say, Crimson?”

“I would just like to know how Delila got cut by a sword during a fight with a Cyclops who only had a chain, and why is she in such a rush to leave?”

The whole tribe turned to look at Delila. The woman looked at Crimson with murder in her eyes.

“Nothing to say, Delila? Afraid our guest might recognize your voice?” Crimson’s voice held such disdain.

Mrs. Gomez put her hand on Crimson’s shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. Speaking to Delila, the elder said, “Come up here.” There was command in her tone.

Delila slowly made her way through the tribe, some looking at her as if they’d never seen her before, and some appeared to be in denial while others wore blank masks, including Delila’s sisters.

As Delila got up on stage, she stood face to face with Crimson while Mrs. Gomez gave the order for the young Amazon to speak.

With a smug, arrogant smirk on her face, she mimicked Annika’s earlier response. “What would you like me to say?”

The general nodded toward Mrs. Gomez before asking his wounded soldier, “Is this her?”

The soldier responded, “Yes, General.”

Crimson couldn’t hold back her anger anymore. With lightning-quick speed, she snapped her head forward, head-butting the little traitor and making her crumble to the floor. Before she could do any more, Mrs. Gomez stepped in front of her and held her back.

“You handed the rights and responsibilities of this trial to me. Therefore, I will decide this Amazon’s fate.”

Crimson was reluctant but gave a brief nod of her head. She had to follow this through.

She stepped back, not knowing she was stepping into Sloan’s open arms that were waiting for her. He caged her in his arms, making her feel safe, secure, and cherished.

Delila was still on the floor when Mrs. Gomez turned to her to ask, “Can you say anything that will defend or explain your actions?”

“Fuck you.” The crowd was silent, in absolute shock.

Mrs. Gomez turned to the tribe. “It is a sad day when one of our own betrays us and tries to start an unnecessary war. She risked the lives of her own tribe and refuses to give any reason as to why she felt the need to do this. I am well within my right to sentence her to death, but I believe death is too easy for one so young. She does not know the pains that time can bring. Therefore”—she looked back at the traitor—“I dismiss you, Delila LeMassor, from this tribe. We will no longer support, protect, or acknowledge you as one of our own. You have one hour to leave our estate, and if we see you in the state of Utah again, we will have the right to kill you with no burial.”

As the people of the tribe slowly started turning their backs on her, including Crimson, she heard someone from the crowd shout, “Look out!”

Instinctively, Crimson spun and ducked. Delila was lunging at her with a dagger in hand. Crimson defended herself as other warriors came onto the stage to restrain the fighting Amazon.

“I challenge your leadership!” Delila roared.

The tribe silenced, and Crimson looked into the eyes of the other Amazon.

“Accepted.”

* * * *

“Will someone tell me what the fuck is going on?” Sloan demanded in frustration as the tribe seemed to be moving to the edge of the court while Crimson and Annika seemed to be readying for something. He didn’t like the sound of this challenge Crimson so easily accepted.

When no one answered him, he caught Crimson by the arm, stopping her movements. “What. Is. Happening?”

She looked him dead in the eye and said in a cold voice that didn’t belong with his warm, loving woman, “She doubts my ability to lead. We fight, winner leads, loser dies.” Crimson turned and walked away from him while he stood there stunned and horrified. He couldn’t lose her.

He stayed motionless when he felt someone stand next to him.

“Before a fight, she thinks she has to mentally and physically distance herself from everyone. She says it’s the only way she can focus,” Annika stated with a sigh.

“Oh, really?” Sloan stormed over to where Crimson seemed to be stretching, readying herself for the coming fight.

She must have sensed his approach as she turned toward him. He stopped a foot away from her, and they just stared at each other.

She broke the silence with an angry outburst. “Don’t even think about trying to stop me, I am capable...”

Before she could say another word, he grabbed her upper arms and dragged her into a bone-melting kiss. She resisted at first then sunk into the kiss with as much desperation and feeling as he felt. His arms went around her back, hers around his neck. They licked, sucked, and nipped at each other’s mouths until they were both panting for breath.

When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers, looked into her eyes trying to convey how much he loved her without saying the words.

“I’m not going to try and stop you. I know you will win this. You’re a strong and beautiful Amazon warrior, but you’re my Amazon warrior. Don’t distance yourself from me, ever. I want you to know you’re not just fighting for your life, you’re fighting for mine. You are my life now, C.”

She nodded her acceptance of his words. She didn’t say anything back, and she didn’t need to. He saw everything he needed and wanted to in her eyes. She may never admit it, but she loved him.

“Now, go out there, kick her ass, and come back to me. You’ve still got a lot of punishments waiting for you.” He said the last with a small smile and lightly tapped her ass, trying to ease her tension. It seemed to work as a slow smile crossed her face. She pulled him down for one last gentle kiss before moving toward the center of the court, which now looked like more of an arena.

A few minutes later and the fight was on.

* * * *

Crimson circled the younger Amazon. Where she had experience and strength on her side, Delila had speed and cunning.

Delila was the first to make a move. She slid her sword from behind her back and swung it over her head as she spun toward Crimson, bringing the blade down sharply in a slashing motion. The speed of the movement caught Crimson off guard, but she quickly regained her composure and spun to the side.

Delila turned to follow Crimson’s movements, and when she did, Crimson kicked out her leg with precise, powerful movements and knocked the sword from the other woman’s hands. Everyone knew Crimson had always been better at hand to hand than with weapons, so now she had the advantage.

With her speed, Delila managed to land more blows than Crimson would have expected, but they weren’t very effective. Crimson overpowered the young Amazon with strength and more efficient maneuvers.

Delila got in a lucky shot and managed to wind Crimson and took advantage. As Crimson was hunched over, Delila landed a heavy punch to the side of her face, knocking her to the ground, followed by a swift kick to the abdomen.

In the distance, Crimson could hear words of encouragement coming from the side of the court. Annika’s voice felt like home, but when she heard Sloan telling her to “get the fuck up!” she remembered what she was fighting for. Sloan’s voice was life itself, even if what he said pissed her off.
Let’s see him do this.

With all the strength she had left, she grabbed the foot heading toward her stomach and twisted it, breaking it instantly. Delila fell to the ground with a shout of pain, but as she tried to get back up, Crimson knocked her back down with a stiff right hook to her jaw.

Crimson stood over the fallen Amazon and pressed her foot into her neck, cutting off her air supply. She looked down at her with shame and disgust in her eyes. “You have been sentenced to dismissal, and that is the punishment you will receive for your treachery to the tribe. Although I am within my right to kill you, you do not deserve to die in battle. You will not be honored with a warrior’s death. You were given one hour to leave. There are only ten minutes remaining. I suggest you use them to get as far away as you can because the next time I see you, I will kill you. Plus, as you are no longer under the tribe’s protection, in ten minutes the Cyclopes can do with you what they will.”

She showed Delila no respect as she turned her back on her and walked into the open arms of her man.

As Delila struggled to stand, she had to have the last word.

“I have been defeated, and I will leave the tribe. All I wanted was the best for this tribe, to make us great warrior women once again, worthy of a god’s respect. Men have taken that from us, mortal society has taken that from us, we are no longer the warriors we claim to be. But I, for one, will be a warrior again, with or without the rest of you. Who’s coming with me?”

Several of the younger warriors and some not even out of training stepped forward. There were protests from their families, but they all appeared to be just as stubborn as Delila.

Delila looked around the circle. When she saw her sisters had not stepped forward, Crimson saw hurt in her eyes. Her voice, however, was hard as steel when she asked, “Why?”

Vicki spoke. “You are our sister by blood, and we have stood by you all this time because we are family, but by betraying the tribe, you have betrayed us. You showed no loyalty toward us, only your greed for power. We will not follow a sister we do not respect. We choose to stay with the family of our hearts, not our blood.” With that, both of Delila’s sisters turned their backs on her, dismissing their youngest sister from their lives.