Lover Enslaved: Thieves of Aurion, Book 1 (37 page)

She bit her lip, trying to stop a fit of giggles. Dash turned his head and gazed up at her. Unable to hold it in, she laughed. She buried her face in his chest and he chuckled, tugging the panel loose. When she started to roll off him, he grabbed her hips, holding her firmly in place as he pumped inside her. A low moan tore from her throat and she dug the heels of her palms into his shoulders in an effort to keep her balance.

“I imagined us like this the night you kidnapped me. But this is far better than the fantasy.” His hips undulated beneath her, stealing a gasp from her. Desire and love flamed bright in his eyes. “You’re better than a fantasy.”

She pitched forward, sprawling across his chest. He made a sharp inhalation. Too late, she remembered his battered ribs. “Are you okay?”

His arms gathering her tight, he rumbled a laugh against her neck. “You’re the sweetest torture,
Sher ’tian
, but I fear you’ll be the death of me yet.”

The irony of his words elicited a fresh sheen of tears. She would do whatever it took to ensure his blood wouldn’t be on her hands.

Even if it meant leaving him.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Mara listened to the heavy, even breaths sawing from Dash. The candles had long ago been snuffed out, leaving the room shrouded in dense shadows and the lingering earthy scent of beeswax and paraffin. Sitting up, she studied him, branding each square inch of his beautiful face into her memory.

I’ll love you. Always
. A painful ache spiraled in her chest and she pushed out of the bed. Hot tears blurred her vision. Stepping over the canopy frame, she padded to the footboard and pulled on her discarded clothes, trying to be quiet as possible. She hefted up her valise before drifting towards the nightstand and looping the collar around her elbow. Pain intensified in her heart when she sent a final glance towards the bed. Beating it back, she slipped into the hall and closed the door on a soft click.

The main room held more shadows. An indistinct lump swaddled by thick blankets occupied the chair—Jerrick. Piper’s muffled snores came from elsewhere in the cavernous space. The rune box sat unguarded on one of the mahogany end tables. Stuffing it inside her sweater pocket, she wasted precious seconds hunting for the Cloud Chaser’s key. It turned up inside a small bowl chiseled from rose quartz, and she palmed it before rushing towards the rock doors. Piper would have to stay behind. She couldn’t risk waking the sprite and alerting Dash to their hurried departure.

Night air misty with fog embraced her when she darted from the cave’s entrance. The moon still rode high, providing enough illumination to save her from taking a nasty spill on the pathway. She reached the Cloud Chaser with nary a scrape. After throwing her valise inside, she dropped behind the wheel. Tension and heartache blanketed her all at once and she dropped her head against the steering wheel. Her shoulders shook with the force of her silent tears.

A hand settled on her back and she jerked. “
Dash
.” The word came out a panicked gurgle.

“No.” Jerrick hunkered in the doorframe, his gaze dark with sympathy.

“But…the chair…how…”

“That wasn’t me. Just a pile of blankets designed to throw you off.”

She swallowed down the lump of misery congealed in her throat. “You knew I would leave?”

“I suspected after the conversation we shared earlier.”

Her hand fell from the wheel and slumped to her lap. “This is the only way. He won’t let me leave. I know that now. But I don’t have a choice. I have to go back.”

“Blondie, I don’t envy your choice. That’s why you don’t have to worry about me judging what you’re doing.” His hand moved from her back and squeezed her elbow. “I know you love my brother.”

Though it embarrassed her to break down in front of Jerrick, she couldn’t stop the tears spilling down her cheeks. Thankfully he averted his eyes, giving her some much-needed privacy.

“I, uh, found something that should prove useful when you approach Nalia.” He dug inside his jacket and pulled out a slip of paper. “It’s the contract Baggins signed with Finian.”

Wiping her cheeks, Mara snatched the paper and skimmed over it. “Where in the world did you find this?”

“The steel box in the Range Hover. Lucky for us, Baggins is apparently paranoid about keeping everything with him at all times.”

Hope whittled away a little corner of her misery. “This is exactly the proof we needed. Finian can’t lie his way out of the hot seat now.”

“No, but he’ll probably try.” Jerrick’s mouth quirked into a half smile. “Almost wish I could be a fly on the wall during that confrontation.”

“Funny, I’d give anything
not
to be.”

Compassion flickered across Jerrick’s face again. He glanced to the indigo sky. “You better leave. Dash is a late sleeper, but I still wouldn’t take my chances.”

She grabbed the tail of his jacket before he could fully stand. “Don’t let him come after me. You have to promise me that much. Make Dash see how it’d only mean the death of him.”

“You’ve seen how stubborn my brother is. It won’t be that easy.”

Her grip fisted on the supple leather of his jacket. “Whatever it takes, do it. He can’t step foot within Zalan’s borders,
ever
.”

Jerrick stood, forcing her hands to drop. “I’ll do my best.”

She could ask for no more than that. “Thank you.”

His features softened. “I hope your brother appreciates the sacrifice you’re making for him.”

Before she could respond, he swiveled and disappeared into the growing fog.

~ * ~

Dash stretched out an arm, seeking the warmth of Mara’s soft curves, and instead encountered a lumpy pillow. Raising his head, he frowned at the vacant side of the bed. The dark of the room returned his thoughts to the absence of the slave collar and its flashing lights. A prickle of alarm tickled the back of his neck and he jerked around, seeking out the nightstand.

When he saw the collar was missing, foreboding knifed him in the chest. Throwing the covers off, he jumped out of bed and raced to the door. He grasped the knob and shoved. The lock clicked in the housing, but the door wouldn’t budge. He knew better than to credit Mara with that inconvenient piece of luck. His suspicions became confirmed when he shot a volt of magic at the lock and the counterspell shielding the door knocked him on his ass. He sprang to his feet with a growl.

“Jerrick!” He followed up his bellow with a vicious pounding on the door.

His brother’s response came quicker than anticipated. “What?”

The fact solid oak separated them didn’t keep Dash from drawing his lips back in a menacing snarl. “Let me out of here, you little shit.”

“Sorry, but no can do. I promised Mara I’d try talking sense into that dense brain of yours.”

“By trapping me inside this room? Brilliant plan—except the pesky problem of me keeling over dead after a few days without food or water.”

A sigh sounded on the other side of the door. “I’m not going to let you starve. And this is only temporary. I’ll let you out of there once you see the idiocy in running after Mara half-cocked and with no logical plan in sight.”

He leaned his weight into the wood, testing the magic shield for weaknesses. There were none. He’d have to rely on his wits instead.

“Are you still there?”

Dash glared at the door. “Where the bloody hell else would I be?”

“Thought maybe you’d found some corner to pout in.”

I’m really going to enjoy kicking his ass when I escape this room
. Stalking to the trousers strewn on the floor, he yanked them on and settled on the bed’s edge. “How long ago did Mara leave?”

Jerrick’s silence stoked the fury brewing inside Dash’s chest. With some effort, he corralled his ire. “Answer the question. It’s not like I can chase her down at this point.”

“Almost four hours.”

He smothered his curse. “Tell me you at least accomplished the thing I asked of you last night.”

“You mean with Astor’s project?”

Dash waited lightheaded for his brother to continue. If Jerrick hadn’t managed that integral step of the plan, they’d all be—

“Yes, I did it.”

The breath escaped Dash’s lungs in a relieved rush. “So what story is she planning to give Nalia for my disappearance?”

“The most obvious—that Baggins succeeded in killing you. I found his contract with Finian and gave it to Mara. Don’t think she’ll have too tough a time putting on a convincing act with that damning piece of evidence in her possession.”

The news eased the tight ball of worry in his chest a fraction. If the gods looked over them, maybe Nalia wouldn’t immediately see through the elaborate ruse.

“I know you’re not happy about any of this. But you won’t do Mara any favors running after her while your head and heart are tied up in knots. Once you calm down, we’ll put our heads together and figure a way to spring her from those sonsofbitches.”

Dash made a face and prepared to utter the two most appalling words in any known language. “You’re right.” The depths he’d stoop to in order to go after the woman he loved amazed even him. He leaned across the mattress and clicked the lamp on. Blinking, he took a moment to adjust to the light. “If you’re serious about not starving me, how about fixing some breakfast? I haven’t eaten since yesterday afternoon.”

“Okay. Give me a few minutes to scrounge something up.”

“Don’t have much choice, do I?” Dash decided the surly approach was a nice improvisation when a responding grunt leaked through the door. Good, meant his brother might be less prone to suspicion when he returned with the food. Pushing from the bed, he prowled the room, looking for something he could knock Jerrick out with. It had to be something easily concealed. He might have eased Jerrick’s suspicions, but it didn’t mean his brother wouldn’t be on the lookout for the old lamp-upside-the-noggin trick.

He spied the coin purse wedged halfway beneath the bed. A smile curved his mouth. “The gods
are
looking down on me.” Hunkering to his knees, he grabbed the purse and unzipped it. He palmed the vial of sleeping potion and stood.

Humming beneath his breath, he ambled to the closet and freed a white shirt from one of the hangers. After tossing it on, he waited impatiently for Jerrick’s return. What seemed like a lifetime passed before he caught the distinct aroma of hot gorak porridge. The air shimmered as Jerrick’s counterspell dissolved. Seconds later, the door cracked open an inch, revealing the left side of Jerrick’s face.

“Move to the wall by the closet and keep your hands where I can see them.”

Keeping his grumbles loud and convincing, Dash stalked to the appointed wall. Jerrick entered the room, watchful and alert. He placed the tray on the foot of the bed and stepped back.

“I also found this in Baggins’ vehicle.” Jerrick held up a generation ten Nevis taser.

“You threatening to use it on me?”

Jerrick cocked an eyebrow in challenge. “Take a single step past the foot of that bed and you’ll find out firsthand.”

Heeding the warning, Dash walked to the tray of food. He reached for the bowl of porridge and with a strategic twist, deftly uncapped the vial tucked inside his other palm. Wedging the bowl against his chest, he dug the spoon into the steaming porridge and took a bite before spitting it onto the floor with a grimace. “Good gods, are you trying to make me sick? It’s rancid.”

“What the hell are you talking about? I just bought that stuff.”

“Well, you were gypped, my friend.” Satisfied he held Jerrick’s incensed stare, Dash tipped the bowl slightly and tapped most of the vial’s contents on top of the porridge. He had just enough time to slip the vial from sight before his brother’s attention dropped to the bowl.

“Put it back on the tray and go stand by the wall again.”

“You have some serious trust issues.” Growling, Dash returned to his post. He watched Jerrick stride to the bed and heft up the bowl. When his brother sniffed at its contents he threw his arms out in disgust. “You can’t tell anything by smelling it.”

His jaw rigid, Jerrick scooped a healthy serving of the porridge into his mouth and swallowed. “You’re out of your mind. There’s nothing wrong with this.”

“Take another bite.”

“Why? It’s not going to change my opinion.”

Dash made an impatient gesture with his hand. “Just humor me.”

Eyes flashing his annoyance, Jerrick shoveled in another bite—the one bite that should ultimately do him in. “Yep. Still tastes fine.” He settled the bowl onto the tray before retreating a few steps. “Eat up.”

Glaring, Dash shoved away from the wall. He was relieved to note the relaxed sag of his brother’s shoulders. The potion seemed to be working, and fast. Picking up the bowl, he pretended to taste some of the porridge before flinging the crockery against the wall near the bed. Tainted cereal slid in a goopy trail towards the floorboard.

“You’re…starting…ta pissh…” Jerrick’s words slurred deeper into unrecognizable territory with each shuffling step he took forward. He opened his mouth, formed the next word. His eyes rolled in the opposite direction of his body as he pitched against the bed. A snore broke from him even before his cheek hit the mattress.