Lover Enslaved: Thieves of Aurion, Book 1 (11 page)

He checked the gauges and decided to risk the mountains. Sun wouldn’t set for a couple more hours and the solar eye hopefully held its previous charge. Both factors should get them beyond the highest pass.

~ * ~

The Cloud Chaser’s warning light flashed thirty minutes after the sun sank below the horizon and several hundred feet shy of reaching Piaras’s summit. Uttering a few words that would earn blushes from even the dockworkers back in Volto, Dash swerved onto the twisty road’s shoulder. The vehicle collided with a low canopy of scrub pines before conking out.

“We’re stranded on the side of this mountain.” Mara’s voice came out a thin whisper. “Things just keep getting better and better.”

He followed her horrified stare to the murky darkness pressing against the windshield. “Look at it as an adventure.”

“She doesn’t do adventure.” Piper crawled onto the center console. “Or fun and excitement.” She snatched a napkin from the cup holder. After a thorough inspection, she spread it out with a snap of her wrists and crawled beneath it.

Taking the sprite’s cue, Dash reached for his seatback and fumbled it into a reclining position. He rotated his shoulders, seeking the softest part of the cushion, and stacked his arms behind his head.

“How can you two sleep?” Mara demanded.

“Simple.” The seat’s rough upholstery scraped his knuckles when he adjusted the neck roll. “Lay back, close your eyes and pretend you’re not sitting on a lumpy foam block.” Shifting his head, he winked at her. “Give it a try.”

“No way.” Hugging her chest tight, she shivered. “Who knows what’s lurking out there.”

“And staying up all night conjuring imaginary monsters helps how?”

She gave him a fierce look, her eyes glittering. “Damn you, this is your fault.”

“Racing the sun was obviously a mistake. Will my apology suffice? Or would you care for a pound of my flesh?”

“Don’t tempt me.” One corner of her mouth quirked. “But I wasn’t referring to the solar dying on us. All your talk of orgeels has me seriously spooked. If anything taps against the windows, I’ll probably scream loud enough to scare a banshee.”

“Good thing I didn’t tell you about the vertaglion, a fanged dragon-like beast living—”

“Stop!” Mara’s hands clamped over her ears. He laughed and she slid her hands free, glaring at him.

“Not funny.”

“You stopped dreading on the orgeels.” He tipped his head in challenge. “Mission accomplished.”

“Your asinine logic is more deplorable than your driving.” She yanked her harness off and after a quick peek over her shoulder, slouched facing him. Her fingers clutched the seat’s edge like she was prepared to rip it from its hinges and hurl it at any ambushing orgeels or vertaglions.

Guilt bloomed in his chest. His hand curled around her knuckles and pried them loose. “The most dangerous creature found in these mountains is a Gromache toad.”

“Really?” With her cheek scrunched against the seat, she blinked at him. “I can handle a toad.”

He rubbed her stiff fingers before brushing each knuckle with a soft kiss. A feathery sigh drifted from Mara.

“You two done yapping?” Piper muttered beneath the napkin. “Some of us are trying to sleep.”

Mara’s gaze met his as they shared a chuckle. The corners of her eyes crinkled in an adorable way. Like it possessed a mind of its own, his other hand lifted and stroked the side of her face. The softness of her skin fascinated…beckoned.

She closed her eyes and rubbed her cheek against his palm. Her unexpected response staggered him and he almost dropped his hand from her face. The intimate brush lasted less than two seconds, but it was enough to fire an ache deep in his gut. Deep in his soul.

He battled the primal urges surging to the fore, those pathetic cravings for hearth, home and family. This woman was a means to an end, nothing more, and he damn well better remember it.

~ * ~

An overhead thump wakened Dash. He lifted his head as Mara bolted upright.

“What was that?”

“Solar power kicked on.” He checked the gauges on the display panel. “Appears we’ll be back in business shortly.”

Mara’s shoulders relaxed. She shot a quick look out the window before glancing at him. “How much farther to the next town?”

“Without breaking any speed laws—an hour.”

Crossing her legs tight, Mara groaned. He easily deduced the cause. “Full bladder?” At her reluctant nod, he shoved open his door and climbed from the vehicle. A brisk mountain breeze buffeted him, stinging his cheeks and flapping the rumpled tail ends of his shirt. When Mara made no move to join him, he clutched the doorframe and ducked his head inside the Cloud Chaser’s cab. She remained stubbornly planted in her seat.

“An hour is a hell of a wait.”

Her fingers dug into the tan cotton stretched over her upper thighs. “I’m fine.”

She gave a pained smile and he rolled his eyes at the ridiculous sensibilities of females. “Rabbits use this forest as their personal commode on a daily basis. You can lower your standards this once.”

“It’s not exactly private out there, you know.”

He frowned. “Who’s going to see you?”

Her cheeks took on a becoming shade of pink and realization crept into his brain. “You think I’m going to spy on you? Babe, I’m not that hard up to catch a peek of your bare ass.” Actually he was, but keeping that piece of info under wraps was probably prudent at the moment.

Mara’s lips pulled thin and she wrenched her door open. The rusty whine of the door hinge must have wakened Piper because she crawled out from beneath her napkin tent and yawned. “Wait up. I’ll come too.”

“It’s windy. You’ll be swept off the mountain.” Mara stretched her leg out the door.

“No worries.” Piper flew from the console and grabbed the scooped neckline of Mara’s top before snuggling inside. Her squeaky voice filtered through the thin material covering Mara’s chest. “I should have slept in here last night. These things are like a pair of toasty warm pillows.”

Dash licked his lips. “Never thought I’d be insanely jealous of a sprite.”

Mara glared and slammed her door. Her stride was frenetic and slightly comical as she sprinted towards the forested slope. Waiting until she disappeared behind a screen of pines, he ambled farther down the road and took care of his own pressing needs. His trousers were halfway zipped when a shriek ripped through the woods.

He jerked his head in the direction of the noise. “Mara?” When she didn’t answer, he leapt over the rock he’d used for target practice and bolted inside the thick of the woods. His heart and feet tripped with every slap of his shoes against the moss-slick forest floor. Streams of sunlight barely penetrated the leafy canopy. “Damn it, Mara,” he bellowed. “Where are you?”

Something rustled up ahead.

“Let her go, you ugly son of a bitch.”

The yell belonged to Mara. Dash sprinted between a pair of tightly spaced tree trunks, ignoring the sharp sting of bark scraping his bare forearms. Finally he spotted her, hot on the heels of a squat, wart-covered creature bounding through the underbrush. When he recognized what she was chasing, he barreled after her until his lungs felt ready to explode. “Mara, stop,” he managed to croak.

She ignored him, of course. With a raspy growl, he ratcheted his pace. Who knew a human was capable of such speed? Bundling his last reserve of energy into a tight ball, he hurtled through the air and slammed into Mara. The oxygen escaped her lungs in a loud
ooff
and she pitched forward, her feet losing purchase with the ground. Snagging her waist with both hands, he tried slowing their fall but the slippery carpet of moss and needles wouldn’t cooperate. Looking to take the brunt of it, he wrapped her tight against him and twisted into the downward slide.

His shoulder plowed through muck, a sorry excuse for padding, and he grimaced at the jarring contact with solid ground. They continued sliding, gaining velocity as the needle-strewn earth sloped beneath them.
Damn it, I would have to tackle her downhill.

Mara craned her neck around and stared over his shoulder. She sucked in a breath, her breasts swelling against his biceps. Under normal circumstances, he would have enjoyed the sensation.

“We’re going to hit that tree!”

He dug his heels into the moss, trying to put the brakes on their downhill ride. “Over my dead body.”

“Not the best choice of words at the moment,” she shrieked.

Suddenly they stopped. Just like that—stopped. Dash would have frowned if he weren’t otherwise occupied chasing down his breath.

“Thank you, gods.” Mara’s head flopped back against his shoulder.

Strange, it’s almost as if we’re suspended.
Apprehension tap dancing along his nerve endings, Dash moved the arm braced over Mara’s rib cage and gingerly tested the ground near her hip.

“This is no time to try feeling me up,” she grumbled.

“That’s not what I’m doing. Besides, my hand is nowhere near your interesting parts.”

Before he could stop her, she wrenched from his grip. Four distinct snaps sounded.

Oh fuc—
Dash’s stomach dropped the same second he and Mara flew towards the leaf-canopied sky.

Chapter Eight

“What the
hell
?” Mara flailed around, feeling like a giant tuna trapped in an invisible net. Forty-some feet in the air. In the middle of a forest.

Yeah, perfectly normal.

She tried unfolding from her u-shaped position and howled in frustration when her body refused to cooperate.

“Save your energy,” Dash muttered near her ear. “We’re not going anywhere. Gromaches are master snare builders.”

“Gromaches?” Why did the name sound familiar?

“The creature you were chasing—it’s a Gromache toad.” Dash reached past her knees and shoved against the invisible structure binding them. They teetered slightly and she sucked in a breath. “I’m guessing this snare is his handiwork.”

“That
thing
was a toad?” The cobwebs slowly cleared from her memory. “Wait a minute. Are we talking the same creature you told me about last night?”

She felt the slide of his grin against the nape of her neck.

“Glad to know you listened to my every word with bated breath.”

“Hardly.” She wiggled, trying to get comfortable. Hah, like that was remotely possible. “You said it was the most dangerous creature in these mountains.”

He spread his arms. “And your point is?”

“Toads aren’t dangerous. Or big as an overfed cat. And they definitely don’t have four eyes.”

His breath fanned her ear. “Hmm, guess I should have been more specific.”

Forget promises. If they ever escaped this snare, she was going to knee his balls again. “Ya think?” Scowling, she reached out until her palm pressed against the invisible barrier. The filaments were tightly woven and no matter how hard she pushed, the strands refused to budge. “What is this thing made of?”

“Gromache spit.”

She jerked her hand away and scrubbed it furiously against her pant leg. “We have to get out of here and chase down that four-eyed bastard. He has Piper.” The sprite may drive her nuts, but she couldn’t sit by and let the Gromache season his fly stew with Piper, if that’s what he had planned.

“Already told you there’s not much chance of escaping the snare.”

Tears of frustration welled and she blinked to keep them from leaking down her cheeks. Gideon’s face swam in her mind’s eye. He’d be twenty-eight now. Would she even recognize him if they passed on the street? Twelve years was a long time, and prison would have carved more than its share from his soul.

Oh gods
. She didn’t want to die in the middle of nowhere without telling him how much she loved him. And how sorry she was. For everything.

“Mara?” Dash’s fingers squeezed her waist. “You still with me?”

She snuck her hand up and swiped at a tear. “Where else would I be?”

“There’s little chance of escaping our predicament—”

“I’m not deaf.” She tried to silently sniff back another tear. “Heard you the other two times you insisted on shredding my hopes.”

“Good. Then maybe you’ll let me finish my sentence for once.”

She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from growling. “You were saying?”

“There is a way out of here.” His lips brushed just beneath her ear. “But I’ll need your help.”

His words were a new lease on life. Literally. Giddy with the news she wouldn’t be meeting an untimely death on the side of a mountain, she laughed. “You might have skipped the beginning of your sentence and mentioned that part sooner. Would have saved me a mini breakdown.”

“Don’t get excited. My plan might not work.”

“It will.” She nodded vigorously. “You’re a master thief. A stupid Gromache toad can’t outwit you.”

The fingers wrapped around her waist tightened. “No one’s showed such faith in me before.”

She found his admission telling, and somewhat sad. Before she could think of anything to say, Dash cleared his throat.