Untamable Lover (Worlds of Lemuria: Earth Colony Book 2) (14 page)

Blood rushed to Demir’s face. He hadn’t seen Bet since she’d washed his body. The memory made him flinch. He composed himself and offered her his hand. “Forgive me. I didn’t see you there.”

Her cheeks reddened, and she wiped her hands on her stained apron. “Oh, I guess the rumors are true. You’re awake.” She dropped her gaze then quickly glanced at him again. She took his proffered hand, and he helped her stand.

His own desire to escape flared to life, but he ground his feet in place. He would not run from this tiny female. She’d seen his scars, and like the adult females when he was a child, she’d pitied him. Bile rose in his throat. Pity was the last thing he wanted or needed from anyone.

“You’re in time for the first repast. Is there anything special you’d like?” She’d recovered her composure and was the attentive Jixie he’d known before, not that he’d treated her well.

“I’m looking for Aramie. Have you seen her?”

“No, not this evening. If I do—”

He didn’t have time for niceties and left before she could finish her sentence. A quick bang of regret hit him between the eyes at his sudden dismissal of the small Jixie. At the Grand Hall’s entrance, he stopped and turned. She met his gaze, her mouth downturned in a sad frown.

He raised his voice to be heard above the din of the crowd. “Thank you, Bet.” 

A grin broke across her face, and her eyes glinted with amusement. “Hurry now, Demir!” She shooed him on. He raised his hand and raced into the corridor.

 Although she seemed happy at his acknowledgement, he couldn’t forget she’d seen his scars. His encounter with her brought back memories, ones he didn’t want to revisit, but couldn’t seem to avoid.

Demir hated the training sessions with his father, the throwing stars in particular. He’d failed to hit the mark, yet again. 

His father grabbed him by the back of the neck and raised him off the ground. He shook Demir, his feet tangling together from the force. 

“You’re an embarrassment to me.” With a shove, his father tossed him to the ground. “Go find a switch.”

Demir choked back a sob. He headed into the underbrush, searching for a stray branch. If he didn’t find a suitable candidate, his father would give him extra thrashings for the error.

Demir didn’t speak, but handed the young hazel branch he’d found to his father. Their gazes met. Demir longed to see some kind of compassion in his eyes, but there was only the glint of disappointment.

“Pull down your pants. Assume the position.” 

Demir did as he was told. His bare ass exposed, he bent over and grabbed his ankles.

His father’s feet squeaked on the wet grass when he backed up. The switch whistled through the air.

Pain registered in Demir’s brain, and he couldn’t stop the sob that escaped his mouth. 

His father let out a bellow so fierce, it echoed off the pine trees.

The next lashing was stronger than the last. Each strike to his buttocks was another reminder of his weakness. He’d never be good enough and in his pre-pubescent mind, he wondered if he’d ever live up to expectations. The beating stopped when drops of blood coated the damp leaves at his feet.

“Pull up your pants and run home to your mama.” 

Demir yanked on his trousers with as much dignity as he could and ran. Now that he was away from his father, the tears flowed down his cheeks. When he entered the small cave they used as their home, a group of females turned from their food cleaning duties to stare. The pity on their faces almost broke him. 

He ran to his small blanket at the back of the room and lay on his abdomen, face turned away from inquisitive eyes. His wounds would heal in a few minutes, but the scars, those would be added to the others already there and last a lifetime. 

The hair at the back of his neck stiffened. He curled his lip. His constant disappointment and punishment—an endless cycle in futility, one he vowed never to repeat.

A soft glow emanated from the entrance to the Portal Navigation Center. Demir arrived to see Rin cleaning sunstones at his workshop table. The little Jixie turned in his seat, the old wooden chair creaking in protest.

“Eh, ya woke up, did ya? What brings ya here?” Rin wiped his hands on a cloth and tossed it onto the bench.

Demir flared his nostrils. A trace of strawberry fragrance lingered in the air. “Where did you send Aramie?”

Rin narrowed his eyes. “She told me not ta tell ya.”

A burn raced through Demir’s veins. The predator in him took over. He stalked closer to the little male. His fear for Aramie brought out his aggression. “Open the portal to her location.”

Rin backed up until his butt hit the porte stanen. “I don’t know where she is.”

“Not now, maybe, but you know where you sent her. Open a portal.” 

Rin turned around, his back to Demir. The little male ran his hands over the stones. They brightened, and the mist formed.

The outline of evergreen trees, ferns, and moss materialized before them. The smell of dew and pine carried into the room on a stiff breeze. 

“Very good. You’ve done well.” Demir changed into his panther and jumped through the gateway.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Aramie stopped by a small lake. Douglas fir trees surrounded the edge and looked like upended pencils in the darkened forest. She’d left right at nightfall, as soon as the sun had set. Although she’d searched for hours, she still hadn’t found Blue Pool again. If she hadn’t seen the magical place for herself, she might’ve believed it didn’t exist. 

What she needed was a moment to catch her breath, to think. She exhaled and stared at the stars. 

A rare snowy owl flew over the lake, its brilliant wings reflecting the moon in an eerie dance. She wanted to be free like that bird, to live without emotional pain and worries—to live without fear. She and Sidea had always been on the run, escaping or running from something, and Aramie was tired.

This was the first time she’d actually been on her own. Aramie’s chest constricted. The raw wound of losing Sidea cut deep, opening a giant chasm of agony. It was times like this she ached for the father she didn’t know. She craved a strong, supportive influence in her life, someone to help her navigate the waves of loss that tossed her around. 

Before the tears could start, she shook her head, clearing her mind of what would never be. Heat flushed through her body as her anguish turned to anger. She wallowed in the emotion, using the energy to drive her temper. If she couldn’t find Blue Pool and locate her enemy’s scent, she’d find Ram some other way. 

With the quickness born of her species, she shifted into her panther and headed deeper into the forest. Lithe and strong, her muscles moved in a graceful rhythm as she prowled. Her sense of time and place fell away, and the raw instincts of the animal took over.

Forest scents infiltrated her senses—rabbit, deer, pine, ferns, moss, dampness—she enjoyed every one. The bitter tang of astringent burned her nose, the first sign of Gossum. Turning toward the smell, she doubled her efforts.

So focused on her goal, she didn’t hear the snap of a twig until it was too late. A heavy weight landed on her back. She hit the ground face-first, damp soil cushioning her fall. Air whooshed from her lungs. Panic welled in her mind, sending a flush of adrenaline through her veins. 

Her attacker pinned her to the forest floor, his body covering her in an instant. Instinct kicked in and she lashed out with her feet. Her claws raked down skin.

The pressure in her lungs finally relented, and she took a large breath. Musk and incense. The familiar essence made her heart skip a beat.
Demir.

A deep male growl reverberated into her chest.
 

She froze.

His feline nose nuzzled against her ear, his breath tickling the fine hairs. With a low growl, he nipped the back of her neck. The dominant display was his right as Pride leader, but the sensual nature of it sent tendrils of excitement through her body. She responded against her will, secreting her unique strawberry scent.

His muscles tensed, becoming rigid. His own pheromones filled the air in response to hers. The growl he emitted was deep and sensuous. With deliberate movements, he rubbed his whiskers against her cheek, marking her with his scent.

Her pulse raced. She didn’t want this. The urge to break free, to get away from him drove all her thoughts, and she changed into human form. Adrenaline surged through her body, and she pushed against him with all her might, but she couldn’t break his hold.

When she’d changed, he’d done the same. “Stop. I won’t hurt you.”

She fought him all the more. Twisting and turning, she managed to get her knees underneath her. He used her momentum to flip her over, and then engulfed her in his arms.

She pushed against his biceps bulging beneath his black T-shirt. His strength overwhelmed her, and she had a conflicting desire to bite him on the shoulder, both to cause him pain and to mark him in her own way. The contradictory yearning made her cry out in frustration.

He pulled her tighter, closing the distance between them. “Relax, Aramie, relax.” He practically purred her name. 

The vibration rattled over the skin on her back, tickling her bottom. She couldn’t stop her body’s natural shiver.

“Please, let me go.” Even as she said the words, the deepest part of her didn’t want him to ever let her go.

He glanced at her mouth, and his pupils dilated. The memory of his kiss raced through her mind. Unbidden, her tongue slid over her bottom lip, moistening it.

The muscles in his jaw tightened, but his hold on her remained gentle in its control. “Did you really think you could escape me?”

Yes.
She’d left the Keep intent on her mission—to kill Ram. Had she intended on returning? Even she didn’t know the answer.

He raised an eyebrow. “Indeed, your expression says it all.”

She squirmed under him and awareness of his desire caused her to still once again. A warm wetness dampened her panties, and the scent of strawberries thickened. Her body’s betrayal made her angry, and heat rose to her cheeks. 

Demir was the epitome of an alpha male. Her desire for him grated against her independent and willful nature. Most Panthera didn’t mind casual sex, but she couldn’t—not with him. Even as much as she cared for Demir, she wouldn’t allow any male to get that close. Her chest tightened as adrenaline born of frustration raced through her body. 

She bit him on the lower lip, as much a warning as a need to taste him again.

The guttural sound he emitted was a mixture of desire and anger.

“Why did you come after me?” She said the words with such force, spittle landed on his face.

A small smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth, and the diamond stud above his lip glinted in the moonlight. With quick reflexes he released her and stood. Like a splash of cold water, a draft of cool air replaced his heated body. He grabbed her hands and yanked her to her feet.

“You knew I would. I protect my Pride.” He scrutinized her, his brow furrowing, accentuating his deep brown eyes. With the back of his hand, he wiped the drop of blood from his lip. “It’s a good thing I did. Had I been the enemy, you’d be dead.” 

He was right. She’d been distracted. Demir had approached her from downwind. In her anger and grief, she hadn’t paid attention, and he’d caught her easily. She wouldn’t make that mistake again.

His features softened, and he trailed his fingers over her cheek, his palm cradling her face. “I never told you how sorry I am—for Sidea. She was a great warrior, a vital member of our Pride. She will be missed by many.”

Tears welled in Aramie’s eyes. She couldn’t stop them as they spilled onto her cheek.

His thumb caught one on the way down, and he wiped it away. His tender care brought on a fresh round. She couldn’t do this, not with him, not with any male. She pulled back and raised her chin. 

His hand remained in the air for a moment, as if hesitant to let go. He studied her, his assessing gaze roaming her face. His brow furrowed, a pained expression crossing his features. “I never apologized to you—for backhanding you.”

She blinked. His words were unexpected.

He closed his eyes for a moment and swallowed. When he opened them, a fire burned in their depths. “You stood up to me. No female has ever done that before.”

Her heart skipped a beat, but she refused to speak, giving him the chance to come clean.

“You were right to do so. I was out of line with Melissa. As a promise to you, I swear I will never hit you again.” He stood tall, proud, his head held high, but his eyes tracked her. Was he waiting for her reaction to see if she would accept his assurance?

Memories of her mother dominated and controlled by male after male raced through her mind. Fear weaseled its way into her heart, erecting the familiar barriers, strengthening them. The urge to bolt overwhelmed her and her leg muscles tensed in anticipation. She backed up, putting distance between them.

He gripped her arm, but his touch was gentle. “Talk to me…” 

Her dry mouth prevented her from swallowing the lump in her throat. She trembled, but a strange anger burned inside. The old wound ripped open, and before she could think better of it, she blurted the words. “I never knew my father. My mother left him and every other male in her life.” 

Demir blinked and released his hold on her arm. If she hadn’t known him better, she wouldn’t have caught the slight flinch that crossed his face. “You didn’t have a good male influence in your life. I understand, but not all males are bad, Aramie, not all.”