“Shall we bargain, then? My kingdom for your heart.”
He expected her to hand over rights to her heart after meeting him only five minutes ago? No way. Just no way. Fight!
“You don’t want me or my black heart. Trust me. But I will give you trouble, and a lot of it. I’m mean and cranky, and most people can’t stand to be around me.”
“I want everything you have to give. In return, I’ll give you everything right back.”
Tamara ripped free of Conner’s clasp to curl around Valerian’s ankles and kiss his feet. “Take my heart! It’s yours!”
Valerian didn’t seem to notice he had a woman slobbering on his boots.
“Get up, Mom,” Shaye demanded. Seeing her newly wed mother humble herself in such a way snapped her out of whatever spell Valerian had cast. “Run. Escape!”
“She is your mother? Fear not. No harm will come to her and her husband, I swear it.” Without releasing Shaye, Valerian gently lifted Tamara to her feet and urged her toward Conner.
“Only if I cooperate with you, right?” Shaye asked with bite.
“No. No harm will come to the pair regardless of your actions.”
A lie, surely.
“What’s your name?” he asked her, having to speak over Tamara’s pleas.
Mutinous, Shaye pressed her lips in a thin line. Defy him at every turn. Ignore the heady, seductive tingle in my veins. Maybe then he would tire of her.
“You surprise me,” he said, his honeyed timbre rich with confusion. “I expected my mate—”
A string of foreign words suddenly cut him off.
His mate?
Stiffening, Valerian faced the speaker. Shaye did the same. The man had black hair and eyes as blue as a cloudless sky. Like the others, he wore only pants and boots, his bronzed chest on display. He said something else.
Valerian responded in the same, clipped language.
What were they saying to each other?
The dark-haired man motioned to Shaye with a tilt of his chin.
Whatever Valerian’s reply, it wasn’t nice. His tone hardened, becoming unbending and dripping with command.
The warrior paused only a moment, shrugged and strode away.
“What was that about?” Trying not to panic again, she angled her head to stare up at her captor.
Mistake! Their gazes locked, and a wave of sexual energy sparked between them, stronger than before, undeniable and irresistible.
Need coiled between her legs, hot and wet, before spiraling through her stomach, her nipples.
Look away. Look away!
“What was that about?” she repeated.
“I’m breaking my own rules.” He bent to nuzzle her cheek with his own, an action seemingly as natural to him as breathing. “The fact isn’t...appreciated. What Joachim failed to understand is that you are not a rule, you are an exception.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’ll explain. Later.” Without another word, he spun her and hefted her onto his shoulder as if she weighed nothing more than a bag of feathers.
“Put me down!” She fought and kicked with all her might, and her knee slammed into his stomach. “Valerian!”
“I love the sound of my name on your rose-petal lips,” he said, striding out of the tent, past the line of waiting—eager—women. “Would you like to hear your name on mine?”
“Never!”
He sighed, heading for the ocean he’d risen from. At least her mom wouldn’t be forced to endure...whatever these men were going to make her and the others endure.
The warriors fell into place behind him, and the young, single women happily, blithely followed suit. Those singles were a mix of every race, size and age, though no one looked to be under twenty or over fifty; the prettiest of the bunch even had a prosthetic leg. To the warriors’ credit, they peered at each woman as if she were the ultimate prize, despite the flaws modern-day trolls would have most likely issued.
Wait. Was she praising douche bags just because they found everyone equally attractive?
I need more therapy. Shaye didn’t need praise from someone—anyone—else. She liked herself just the way she was.
Feminine sobs echoed from within the tent.
“Take me with you,” someone called. “Please. I’m begging.”
At the shoreline, Valerian stopped to whisper, “Beautiful. So very beautiful. A sky without a dome.” He spoke in English—for her benefit?
“The heavens seem to go on forever,” another said, clearly awed. He, too, spoke in English.
“I’d dreamed of this land, but never imagined such majesty.”
“Are you sure we can’t stay here?” one of the warriors asked. “We could bring the rest of the army through the portal and—”
Valerian shook his head, silky tendrils of his hair brushing her bare back.
Portal?
“I’m sure,” he said. “Layel was very clear. To remain on the surface is to die on the surface. Let us tarry no longer.” He walked into the water.
He was going for a nighttime swim? Or did he plan something more nefarious? Like a mass drowning?
Fear sprouted. “Valerian.” She slapped his butt with all her might. “This is illegal. You’re going to get caught. Criminals always get caught. At your trial I’ll request the death penalty.” If I’m still alive.
“As long as you’re in my arms, I can die a happy man.”
She beat her fists into his back, watching water splash at his feet. The echo of churning waves filled her ears. “Don’t do this. Please, don’t do this.”
“I told you I would never hurt you. This is the only way to my home. Once there, I’ll beg for your forgiveness for any hardships you endure. I’ll gift you with more jewels and gold than you can imagine. I’ll—”
“I don’t want jewels and gold, you brute! I want my freedom.”
Waves lapped at his knees...his thighs...his midsection. Cool, salty droplets sprayed over her face and burned her eyes. Though he slowed his pace, he continued on, sinking deeper and deeper into the water.
She swallowed a mouthful of the stuff—and choked. He stopped, patting her butt in a vain effort to help her catch her breath. Then he resumed his slow, torturous journey. The other women still followed merrily, each wearing a giddy smile, as if frolicking to their deaths was perfectly acceptable. Even fun.
Wait. No, not every woman followed merrily. The one with dark curls, a petite beauty, looked ready to vomit.
Shaye’s heart pounded in her chest, an erratic drumbeat. A war beat. “Don’t do this. You’re going to kill us all, you—umph.”
Butt smack. “Hold your breath, moonbeam.”
The next thing she knew, she was completely submerged. The salt stung her eyes. Her throat constricted. Hair floated around her face like strands of ivory ribbon.
The idiot man kept his strong arms locked around her, one at the bend of her knees, one at the small of her back. His palms were hot, so hot, a startling contrast against the chilly liquid.
Colorful fish swam past her. She wanted to scream, but every time she opened