Sea Panther (Crimson Storm) (26 page)

After a few moments, her eyes adjusted to the filtered
light. Years of gushing water had carved a bench of sorts at the back of a
small cavern. She threw an arm out—the spray danced over her skin like a cool
shower. “Now what?”

“I wash my wife.”

The expression in his hooded eyes made her edgy with desire.
“Sounds…wonderful.”

Robert lathered the soap and squatted. He lifted her left
foot onto a knee, and she shifted her weight for better balance. When he
finished washing the first foot, he paid special attention to the second,
tickling her till she begged him to stop.

A giggle gurgled up her throat and she laughed with delight.
He joined her with a rough chuckle of his own. He wrapped large hands around
each of her calves and massaged the tired muscles. Her legs weakened when his
touch slid higher, the friction sending electric tingles upward to coalesce at
the core of her sex.

His soapy fingers teased sensitive flesh on the inside of
her thighs. Her thoughts scattered. When she swayed, he grasped her hips and
lifted, laying her on the edge of the bench. He wrapped an arm around her back,
protecting her skin from the rough stone. With breathtaking tenderness, he
toyed with the folds protecting her sex until she nearly went insane with need.

Magic fingers stroked, teased, persuaded.

Breath coming in sharp little pants, Kimberly arched her
back, silently begging for relief.

He splashed icy water over her thrumming sex, rinsing away
the fragrant soap. Before she inhaled a shocked breath, warm lips replaced his
fingers. When his tongue licked and delved and drew her taut, her moans grew
louder than the muffled sound of the cascading falls. She frantically grasped
for something just out of reach.

The contrasting sensations of cool mist and hot mouth were
almost more than she could bear. An orgasm flared, creating sparklers shooting
bright rainbow colors. Blues and purples and greens—so vibrant. Sensual reds.
Bold yellows and hot orange lighting her up from within. Her scream of release
echoed the intensity of the sizzling climax.

Robert wasn’t finished with her though. He lathered his
hands again and paid particular attention to her breasts. Her desire swelled,
but she wanted to drive him wild. Before he argued against it, she slapped his
hands away and stole the soap sliver. “My turn to push you over the edge.”

* * *

Robert groaned when Kimberly swept the soap and teasing
fingers over his rock hard erection. His breathing ragged, he tried to hang
onto his control.

Damn, she was killing him.

He sought her gaze and held it as she rinsed him with a
splash of cool water. The chill did nothing to ease the burning need. Instead,
desire flamed.

While her lips surrounded his width and she sucked him deep,
he gripped the edge of the stone bench beneath him. She stroked and licked,
circling the head of his cock.

Kimberly’s loving awed him. She was so much more than he
deserved. He wanted to stay with her, have children with her, grow old with
her. He wished he could find a way to follow her into the future after they
settled things here.

When gentle fingers caressed his balls at the same time as a
velvety tongue rasped the length of him, his heart slammed into his ribs, and
he lost the ability to think. Robert bucked, arching his back and thrusting
with his hips.

Instead of taking him back into her mouth, she used her lips
to tease him to the edge of endurance. Then she took him into her mouth, sucked
him deep into her throat. He held tight. Stayed with her. He was close…so
close. Each breath wheezed through gritted teeth. The sensation of moist satin
gripping his flesh coaxed him toward the point of no return. The erotic pull
drove him insane. He panted and strained.

She withdrew, returned, teased, pushed him to the edge. The
orgasm that followed rocked him to the core as it rolled down his length.
Colors flashed behind his eyelids. Every shade of love burst like fireworks
across a July evening sky. He exploded into her mouth and she took all of him.
Every drop. She released him for a moment to swallow then sucked his entire
length back into her moist recesses and wrung him dry.

Every muscle limp, he basked in the afterglow.

A feminine laugh of satisfaction made him raise his head. He
opened an eye to the sight of his grinning wife. Rather pleased with herself,
she was.

He babbled, actually babbled, before speaking a coherent
word. “I dinnae think I can move.”

She grabbed a hand and yanked him to his feet. “I can’t stay
here any longer, my skin is pruning.”

Returning to the sunny glen was fine with him. He’d never
get enough sun now he was no longer a vampire shifter. What he wanted to do
more than anything, though, was cuddle in the sunshine with his naked wife,
enter her silken sheath, and make love until stars dotted the midnight sky.

* * *

The fabric of Robert’s great kilt was soft against
Kimberly’s bare back. She inhaled his musky scent and sighed. His responding
chuckle muffled against the skin of her throat where he nuzzled and nipped near
her vein.

He raised his head. “Hungry?”

The softly spoken question nudged her from a haze of bliss.
“The food is long gone.”

They’d enjoyed the picnic lunch after returning to the
clearing. She stretched to ease the exquisite aches in her muscles from hours
of mind-blowing sex. The insatiable man made love to her numerous times, in
every imaginable position, plus some. She shivered as the sun faded behind the
treetops and the clearing fell into shadow.

Rolling unto his back, Robert wrapped an arm around her, and
pulled her tight against his side. His contented sigh warmed her as nothing
else could.

Mine
. A possessive swirl of pleasure tightened her
spine. He belonged to her. She closed her eyes and allowed the knowledge to
sink in.

“Are you happy, lass?”

“I am. I’m not sure why a ceremony should make a
difference—especially one that isn’t going to mean anything when we return to
the future—but I believe we’ve bound our love together.”

“The vows we made are forever. Your needs shall always come
before my own.”

She squeezed his hand. He said the sweetest things.

They lay quietly for a while. Kimberly listened to the rush
of water and birds calling from the trees. She ran fingers through the fine
hairs on Robert’s chest, feeling lazy enough to doze. She spaced for a bit,
letting her mind roam free. When she once again became aware of her
surroundings, she noticed the quiet. The birds had stopped their chatting.

A calloused fingertip traced the curve of her lips. “You’re
frowning again. You think too much.”

“I feel exposed. I’ve had an unnerving sensation ever since
I landed on this island as if someone is watching me.” She raised her torso and
stared at the trees edging the clearing, scanning the shaded darkness beyond.

Robert sat beside her. “Are you sure ’tis not nerves from
journeying through time?”

She searched the tree line again then shrugged. “I suppose.”

He reached for the wicker hamper and withdrew a brown paper
wrapped package tied with string and handed it to her. “Your wedding present.”

Her eyes teared up. “I’ve nothing for you.”

“Nae matter.” He patted an arm. “Open the gift.”

She pulled at the string, peeled the paper back, and
fingered the exposed fabric. Soft. She unfurled the cloth and held up a whisper
thin slip of fine lawn with ecru lace edging. “It’s beautiful. Where did you
get it?”

“My ship. Bruges before that.” He ran a hand through his
loose hair, tucking the long tawny strands behind an ear. “I purchased the
chemise along with other garments to sell in Glasgow. Only I wasn’t in the city
long enough to conduct business before I was forced to leave rather than be
arrested.”

Nothing more needed to be said.

“Thank you.” She wished she had something for him.

“Ach, well, put it on.” While she slid the slip over her
head, Robert grabbed his tunic and tugged it on.

“’Tis getting late. We should return to the great house.” He
reached for the matched pair of knives and strapped them to his thighs.

“Must we?” He nodded and Kimberly stood, grabbed the dress
from where it draped a rock and slid the silk over her head. After the gown
flowed over her shoulders, Robert made short work of the buttons. She spun, and
he leaned in and planted his lips on her mouth.

Soft and sweet and oh so deep.

She was immersed in sensation until he ended the kiss and
leaned back. “You ken, lass, we might have a bairn in about nine months.”

Kimberley flipped her gaze to his. “Why do you say that?”

“As a vampire shifter I was sterile. As a man, well…” He
hesitated. “If for some reason I couldn’t return with you to the future, would
a babe be a problem?”

Kimberly frowned. “What do you mean? You’re returning with
me.”

“Aye, if I can. But we need to be realistic. We must be
prepared—” He raised a hand, and although she wanted to interrupt, she held her
tongue— “in case something goes afoul when the time for averting the curse
arrives.”

“I don’t want—”

“Will a babe be a problem?”

The force of her exhale blew fallen strands of hair from her
face. “As much as I’d love to have your baby, you don’t need to worry. I have a
contraceptive implant.”

“You do?” The expression on Robert’s face revealed
disappointment.

“I’ll show you.” She raised the arm and bent it at the
elbow, placing the palm on the back of her head. With the fingers from her
other hand, she felt along the inner side of the upper arm. Her stomach dropped
to her toes and her mouth fell open. “Shit. It’s gone!”

Not that she’d mind having Robert’s baby. A satisfied
masculine smile crossed Robert’s lips before he blanked his expression, so she
kept her smile private.

“Why would you think you’re not returning with me?” She
pinned him with her best glare.

Robert shifted his weight uneasily. “We dinnae ken how this
time travel folly will turn out, do we? Your birth control apparatus must have
disappeared going through the time warp. Who kens how fate twisted from our
actions?”

He couldn’t tell her his fear that once they stopped the
curse he would no longer recognize her. Nor would he be immortal. Nor live in
her time. Robert planned to stop the Voodoo priestess from casting the black
magic. He’d already instructed his quartermaster to kidnap Kimberly afterward
and sail with her into the Bermuda Triangle.

He prayed once there, the time portal would suck her back to
the future.

He would do his best to make it up to her during their short
time together—before he faced Zola. He swallowed hard. Damn, it hurt to think
about her returning to the future without him. He pulled her close and kissed
her deep. When she opened her eyes they were unfocused, then they widened.

Adrenaline surged, his body primed for danger. Robert
pivoted on a heel. In one fluid motion, he released the daggers from the
sheaths strapped to his thighs, and positioned his bulk in front of Kimberly,
ready to face the threat.

He didn’t see any danger. “What the—”

“I thought I saw someone running through the trees.”

“Are you sure?”

“Not really. I saw a flash of bright blue. A blur.” She
sounded embarrassed.

“Could it have been your mind playing tricks on you? A
bird?”

“Maybe. I’ve been nervous ever since I saw that redheaded
pirate near the garden.”

“What?” Robert yelled.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you.” Kimberly bit her lip.

“Maybe you should enlighten me.” He uncurled the fist he
hadn’t realized he’d made.

With her gaze glued to his shoulder, she replayed what she’d
seen the prior evening.

“The red-haired pirate must be LaRoux. The man you describe
him meeting with might be Mr. Page, the governor’s deputy secretary.” Robert
scrubbed his face with a hand. What a tangled mess. “Dammit, Kimberly. I can’t
believe you forgot to tell me you saw a pirate on the grounds of the governor’s
great house.”

“I had other things on my mind. Like getting married.
Remember?”

“Bloody. Brilliant.”

“That’s unfair.” She bunched her hands on her hips and
scowled.

“Did you forget what we came here for?” He couldn’t believe
she neglected to tell him something of such import.

“No.” Kimberly stared at the ground and slid her toes
through the blades of grass at her feet, refusing to look at him.

“I should have never let us become distracted from our goal.
Our only goal.” He grasped her chin and lifted it. “Look at me. We are here to
stop Zola from performing the curse. For no other reason.”

The stare she shot him sizzled. “You’re right. But no
worries, you won’t need to divorce me when we get home because we’re not
legally married by twenty-first century standards.”

“Dammit, Kimberly, I dinnae want a divorce.” He released her
chin, crossed arms over his chest, and held her glare.

She stepped back, putting space between them. He would have
none of that. He reached for her—

Pain exploded at his temple, and he crumpled.

A
s Robert fell
to the ground, breath shot from Kimberly’s lungs. Pressure from the thick arm
squeezing her chest sent panic screaming through her system. A sweaty, giant of
a man jerked her from her feet and swung her to the side, trapping her in an
unrelenting grip.

Kimberly couldn’t inhale enough air to scream. Her vision
blurred. When her eyes refocused, she was hanging stomach-down over a hard
shoulder with her hands secured behind her back, tied with rope that chafed her
wrists. Though it hurt like hell, she craned her neck. Robert lay with his face
planted in dirt at the center of the once-peaceful clearing. A gash at the
temple oozed blood. Worse, the barrel of a pistol pointed at his prone form.

“No!” she screamed.

The red-haired pirate from the night before snapped his head
up at the raspy shriek. His eyes flared. Greed and hate and something she
didn’t want to define burned in the intense stare. She bit down on her back
molars, refusing to succumb to fear.

She’d screwed up and both their lives were in danger.

“Damnation. Ye drivelin’ codfish. Get the wench the hell out
of here,” the pirate bellowed.

The man who held her turned on a heel and strode into the
trees. She thrashed in his grasp to no effect. He carried her squirming weight
as if no burden at all. After several long steps, she was tossed in the air and
repositioned on his shoulder. A sharp jolt to her stomach on landing made her want
to vomit.

The bile she swallowed churned in her gut along with fear
and anger.

After several agonizing minutes, her captor threw her over
the back of a horse and tied her in the most uncomfortable position—belly down.
Blood rushed to her head. Muscles stretched and burned as the horse pawed the
earth.

No point in screaming. They were too far from the great
house for anyone to hear, nor reach them in time to help. Moments passed like
eternity. Foul-smelling animal sweat and manure tainted each inhale. She tensed
when the horse moved forward in a slow walk.

Tied to a lead horse, her horse followed along. Aching
muscles made every minute stretch. When they finally cleared the forest, the
animals broke into a trot. Agony tore through Kimberly’s limbs and dangling
neck with each jarring step the horse took. Head pounding, she threw up lunch.

Closing her eyes, she wracked her brain. How would she get
them out of this mess?

Caught in cobwebs of time, panic escalated. Her pulse raced.
Overwhelmed, her vision went from fuzzy gray to black. Dammit, not again.

She ran through the jungle. The stranger chased her into
the dense foliage. She tripped on a loose root. When she fell, he morphed into
a big cat and lunged.

Kimberly froze, breathing hard. A scream threatened to
explode from her lips, but the cat dissolved in mid-leap.

Her mind whirled, trying to understand. Although the
nightmare had returned, waking brought the dread of reality.

Kimberly stayed still, not wanting to alert anyone who might
be watching that she was awake. Taking inventory, she ached from head to toe,
but ropes no longer bound her wrists. She still wore the damp gown and her feet
were unencumbered.

Where was she? She must have passed out. A gentle rolling
motion along with the briny tang of the sea aggravated an already-sour stomach.
Could she be on a ship?

She lifted crusted eyelids a mere crack. Light burned her
retinas, forcing her to blink.

When her vision cleared, she opened her eyes. Rays of hazy
sunlight penetrated grungy panes of glass. The size of the window confirmed in
whose cabin she’d landed.

Other women in such a situation might think themselves
fortunate to be ensconced in the captain’s cabin. Kimberly might have agreed,
if said cabin belonged to Robert. She didn’t consider being held prisoner in
LaRoux’s cabin a good thing. Although, the alternative might get her tossed to
his despicable men. She didn’t have any misconceptions about possible fates.

Considering the sunlight, she must have been out cold the
whole of the night. She was in a dire situation, but fear for Robert tore at
her heart.

Her muscles cried when she rose to a sitting position on the
bunk. The bed was rather opulent like what she imagined one would find in a
fancy bordello of the period. An abundance of jewel toned silks and
velvets—garnet, emerald, sapphire—draped the mattress along with luscious
pillows. Gold cords with tassels pulled open gauzy fabric hung from hooks in
the ceiling.

She touched her chafed wrists, raw from the rope bindings.
Okay, she needed to get out of there. Now. Her legs wobbled when her feet hit
the cold floor. She stood for a moment to regain balance. Drawing strength from
deep within, she rushed to the heavy oak door and yanked. Locked from outside.
Double
shit
.

The window
.

She ran across the cabin, climbed up and kneeled on the
cushioned window seat. She leaned against the glass and peered through. Wow,
the cabin sat high in the ship. What remained in her stomach did a somersault
and a wave of nausea forced her to sit back onto bent legs, clutching her
belly. When the sick sensation passed, she clamped down on her fear of heights
and looked out the window again.

The ship sailed a short distance from land. Unfortunately,
the damn window had small panes. Even if she broke the glass she wouldn’t be
able to climb out. But if she managed to break the glass and bust the frame
in-between the panes, she might be able to shimmy through, dive into the water,
and swim for shore.

She twisted around and searched the cabin for something hard
she could grip. On the desk sat a bronze-like object that looked just the
thing. She raced to the desk and picked up the heavy piece of metal. Latin
words were engraved into the flat, round end along with a sailing ship. Must be
one of those seal thingies used with hot wax to secure documents.

Kimberly tested the weight. Perfect. She wrapped some cloth
around the seal end to muffle sound and slammed it into the window. Glass
shattered, a few pieces falling free. She paused. Had anyone heard the noise?

Laying the seal on the window seat, she crept to the door
and listened. Quiet. She rushed back to the window, picked up the seal and
lifted her arm to swing. Footsteps sounded in the corridor outside the door.

Shit! She slipped the matrix under a cushion and swung
around to face the door.

The door slowly creaked open and a small face with wide
brown eyes appeared from behind it. A runt of a boy slipped into the room. He
never removed his gaze from her as he clumsily set a bowl, pitcher, and cloth
on the desk. “The captain says ye stink.”

No news there. She smelled worse than the locker room after
a particularly vigorous exercise class at the health club she belonged to
before the financial fall from grace. Kimberly eyed the boy then the open door
and took a step in that direction.

“Hey. Nice to meet you,” she said, trying to set him at ease
while taking another step toward the door.

The boy’s eyebrows rose into a crusty hairline. He shook his
head. “The drivelin’ codfish is a wait’n for ye ta run.”

She almost laughed. Did everyone call the clod who’d
captured her a drivelin’ codfish?

“Miserable bastard likes ta hurt the skirts.”

Kimberly swallowed hard. She needed to get out of there. And
fast. Lifting the pitcher, she poured water into the bowl, wet the cloth with a
shaky hand, and glared at the boy. “You don’t plan to watch, do you?”

The young boy’s cheeks blushed red. He darted through the
door and slammed it shut.

Water from the cloth she held to her chest dripped between
her breasts, wetting her gown, reminding her how difficult it would be to swim
with all the fabric weighing her down. Impossible.

She yanked on the bodice, ripping free the few buttons
remaining from when Robert undressed her by the waterfall. After quickly
stripping to her new chemise, she lunged back to the window seat and grabbed
the seal from its hiding place. Heart hammering, she took another shot at the
window. More glass broke free, but hardly any damage to the wood frame. She
hauled back and swung fast. The wood splintered, making a loud cracking sound.

A couple of more swings and maybe she’d be able to squeeze
through. She leaned forward and looked at the turquoise water far below. Keep
tight. You can do this.

She inhaled a deep breath and hit the sash hard. Holy crap.
What remained of the window broke free and fell from the ship. As Kimberly
stared at pieces of the frame floating in the water, an unsettling thought took
hold. What if Robert were held prisoner somewhere in the ship? She shouldn’t
jump. She should try to find him.

Ka-bam. The heavy wood of the cabin door crashed against the
wall behind her.

* * *

The sour taste Robert woke with from the foul smelling gag
wasn’t as disconcerting as the rancid water teeming with vermin chewing his
skin. Gagged, and bound hand and foot, he was at a disadvantage.

A trace of yellow light entered from cracks between the
boards overhead. Once his eyes adjusted to the dimness, he still couldn’t make
out much of the dank cell. The rolling motion and groan of timbers confirmed
his guess though. They held him prisoner in the hull of a ship. If everything
had gone as before—Laroux’s ship.

What happened to Kimberly?

Dammit. He’d made a mess of things. He couldn’t dwell on his
fear for her though or he’d go mad and be of no use to either of them. Stiff
muscles and joints screamed each time he attempted to move. Festering sores
burned his skin. How much time had passed? He couldn’t guess.

Where were they taking him? He knew the answer to that
question too well. He’d already lived this nightmare. They were taking him to
the other side of the island where Zola would perform the curse.

He kicked bound legs in an attempt to dislodge the rodents.
A particularly large rat with shiny pink eyes hovered close, waiting for the
thrashing to stop. If only he were still a vampire, he could control the wee
creature’s mind. Force the rodent to chew through the ropes rather than ravish
his wounds.

He shimmied to and fro, searching for something to use to
break free. Time might be repeating itself, but he refused to allow the same
outcome. He wouldn’t become a member of the shifting undead. A minion of
Séaghdha.

That monster couldn’t be permitted to enter the earth’s
realm. God, when Robert thought of Raven, his once sweet twin, pressure weighed
on his chest. He couldn’t allow the guilt to immobilize him. He needed to
escape, find Kimberly, and stop Zola.

Robert almost wished himself still cursed, able to call the
panther to the fore. The transformation to the big cat would have shredded the
rope securing him, freeing him of the bindings.

Footsteps from outside the cell made him stiffen. The door
swung open and blinding light shot at him. He blinked several times to clear
his vision.

The swabbie who entered jarred Robert’s memory. Something
struck him as different. An uneasy sensation swirled in his gut. The last time
he went through this, he’d been left alone until they reached Zola’s lair. This
time he wore his plaide from the wedding, not the trews he’d worn when captured
previously.

Traveling through the portal to the past
had
changed
things—disturbed the flow of time. He couldn’t expect everything to go as
before.

The lad pulled a sword from its sheath and stuck the point
under Robert’s chin, drawing blood. “Make no move,
Captain
.”

What the hell? Robert flinched, but quickly masked his
chaotic emotions. A second lad, big and burly, entered the cell and tossed a
cloth bundle into the muck beside Robert before unsheathing his sword. Rats
scattered then eased closer.

Teàrlach, one of his men, stumbled in, a sword at his back,
eyes large with fear. Swollen purple bruises marred the poor lad’s face.
Obviously, an unwilling participant in whatever drama was to be performed.

Bloody hell. Robert surged against the ropes. Had the
bastard pirates raided his ship? Or had they plucked the mate from a tavern? He
cursed against the gag in his mouth

More importantly, where had they taken Kimberly?

“Captain, pardon the insolence.” Teàrlach wearily eyed the
others. “I am to dress ye fer yer trial.”