Shadow and Ice (Gods of War) Read online

  He frowned, and his brow furrowed. “You are... breath?”

  “Correct.” Now it was time to (figuratively) go in for the kill. Voice low and raspy, she said, “Give me your breath, Knox. Feed it to me. I crave it. I crave you.”

  “Crave...yes.” But still he resisted, his iron resolve seemingly unshakable. “No.” A snarl. “We will have sex. Only sex.”

  She inhaled deeply, exhaled sharply, her nipples rubbing against him. As friction sparked fires in her blood, exotic masculine musk filled her nose, and honeyed whiskey and a dollop of cream teased her tongue. Combined, the sensations were more than any woman could resist.

  If Vale had sex with Knox—

  No! She’d traveled that road with others—pleasure without emotion—and she’d ended up depressed, lonely and straight up pitiful. Repeating the mistakes of her past would just make everything worse.

  The past... Ugh. In high school, she’d desperately wanted boys to like her. And they had, but only in the weeks or months before they’d gotten her into bed. Mere minutes after they’d busted a nut, they’d rushed off. A few had even called her terrible names, as if she was less of a person and they were more of one.

  As tough as she’d pretended to be, every desertion had hurt. Sure, she was stronger now. But old fears whispered poison in her ear. Once he’s had you, he’ll leave you in his dust. Or worse!

  “Okay, listen. About my marriage,” she said, and sighed. He deserved the truth. “Drogo and I...we’re in the middle of a divorce. Yep. A legal separation.” Why are you doubling down on your lie? In her defense, it was difficult to get past Knox’s threat to murder her if she fibbed. “I am a single woman.”

  “Single.” Tremors shook him.

  “The truth is, I haven’t been out with a guy in a really long time, and I kind of need to be eased into this kind of relationship drama. Especially with my former captor! So all I’m offering is a kiss.”

  “Kiss...” He sounded drugged.

  “You want to taste me, and I need you to. Imagine it. Your mouth pressed against mine...our tongues thrusting together...”

  “Together...”

  “I’m so hungry for you,” she whispered. “Ravenous.”

  “I want to kiss you but won’t. I need to be inside you.” One of his big hands slid up to cup her nape and squeeze, while the other slid down to settle on her ass. He spread his fingers to cover more of her flesh. “Say yes, and I’ll have you screaming my name in a matter of minutes. Your pleasure will be my top priority.”

  Yes!

  No, no. Not ready to lose him.

  He stalked forward, keeping Vale in the circle of his arms, every step grinding his erection against her core. Little fires sparked in her bloodstream, and she groaned.

  The wall met her back. Cold behind her, heat in front of her. He trembled, and the grinding got worse—better. Argh! If he didn’t acquiesce to her kiss soon, she would accept the scraps he was willing to give.

  She had to up her game.

  “I’ll make a deal with you.” She leaned down and slowly drew his lower lip between her teeth. He stiffened, but allowed the action without protest. “We’ll kiss for one minute. Only one. If you aren’t a fan, we’ll stop, and I’ll never ask again.”

  An eternity passed in silence, his inhalations growing more and more ragged. “How you tempt me.”

  Strike while the iron in his pants is hot! Vale threaded her fingers through his hair and toyed with the ends. “Only one,” she repeated softly. “Please.”

  More tremors. Stronger tremors. “A kiss will change nothing,” he rasped.

  Pay the blip of sadness no heed. “I know.”

  He worked his jaw back and forth. “If you make a play against me while I’m distracted—”

  “I won’t. And you had better not make a play against me, either.” Maybe he was right to resist. Maybe they should cut their losses while they could. “You were right. This is a mistake. We should—”

  “One kiss, valina. Only one.” The words rushed from him.

  Then he claimed her mouth in a fierce kiss.

  Yes, yes. Their tongues rolled together, again and again, and oh, he learned quickly, reaching an expert skill level in seconds. Brain cells melting...

  He didn’t explore, he conquered. Every lick and suck, thrust and parry swept her up in a tempest of sensation, maddening her, reducing her to a creature concerned with pleasure, and how to get more.

  How to get everything.

  He was like a starving man who’d been offered a feast, a king invading a new country, a warrior who would kill anyone who tried to take away his prize. She could not get enough, emotion seeming to pour from him. Pain, hate, guilt, sorrow—things he must have buried long ago rising to the surface in this moment of vulnerability. She took the darkness into herself, willing to carry the burden for him.

  Groaning, he angled her head just the way he wanted it, granting himself better, deeper, perfect access. He arched his hips and gyrated against her, wringing a strangled cry from her—a cry he swallowed.

  As tightly as he squeezed her, she suspected she would feel his possession for weeks. Not nearly long enough.

  “Think...your minute...is up,” she managed to say between flicks of his tongue.

  “Not done. Want more. Give me more, everything.”

  “Yes, yes. Everything.”

  The most delicious sex noises left him as he spun, marched across the room and lowered her onto the bed. His weight settled over her, and oh! The size of him! He engulfed her with heat and power, muscle and man.

  “What are you doing to me, valina?” He plunged a hand under her shirt to knead an aching breast. “Tell me.”

  “Same thing...you’re doing...to me.” With every wicked caress, the ache intensified, her nipple rock hard. The contact electrified her, the bra an unwanted barrier.

  As he plucked the distended crest, her desires flamed hotter, sensual smoke blowing through her, filling her, drawing her body as taut as a bow. She undulated her hips; his erection was like rigid steel—so big, so wonderfully hard—and it tormented her feminine heat.

  Desperation liquefied her bones, her legs falling open in invitation, pleasure skidding through her. Pressure built, so much pressure, and it was agonizingly sweet, until the pheromone began to churn inside her, demanding release.

  Vale thrashed, fighting the pheromone while seeking a release of her own. Never had she reacted so intensely to a man. Formerly neglected nerves became overly, deliciously sensitized. Every movement he made, every breath, every movement a wealth of incomparable stimulation.

  Then it happened. The pheromone escaped, wafting from her to create a perfumed cloud around them. One reminiscent of midnight fantasies and boundless passion. Knox didn’t seem to notice, not consciously. Or perhaps he was too far gone to care. He deepened the kiss, increased the pace of his seeking tongue and continued grinding his massive erection against her.

  Pressure building...

  Need more!

  Growing crazed with desire, Vale planted her feet on the edge of the mattress, and met the next thrust of his hips with one of her own. Heating...heating... Still building...

  “You smell so good,” Knox murmured.

  If he ended this, she would kill him, or she would die. Maybe both. She’d gone too long without this blissful sense of connection, and required more. Actually, she’d never known this sense of connection.

  “Can’t get enough.” A fine mist of sweat glistened on his forehead as he lifted his head. He was panting, still moving against her. “I’m losing control.”

  “Yes. Lose control with me.”

  “Never want to stop.” He was snarling now, his pupils enlarged. “Whatever you’re doing to me...do more.”

  More. Yes, yes. “Clothes off. Now.” They would be skin to heated skin. Ma
le to female. Hardness to wetness.

  A hidden corner of her mind whispered, Going to give him what he wants, so he can walk away, then?

  Yes. No. Maybe?

  Maybe she would take what she wanted and walk away from him. She just... She needed some part of him inside her. Once they were naked, she would figure out—

  The window shattered, a man diving into the room.

  Vale’s mind processed his entrance at warp speed, real time seeming to slow. He held a crossbow, three arrows nocked. Whoosh. Those arrows soared.

  She screamed in shock, momentarily frozen, her head emptied of all thought. Knox had no such problems. Without missing a beat, he rolled to his side, creating an immortal barrier around her, taking an arrow in the shoulder, back and thigh.

  He protects me, even though he said he wouldn’t?

  In spite of his injuries, he leaped to his feet. He yanked out the projectiles, palmed a revolver and a dagger with a brass knuckle handle, then closed in. He was vengeance incarnate, capable of any dark deed.

  By the time the intruder landed, he was jerking and shaking, as if he was in the midst of a grand mal seizure. Courtesy of the safety measures Knox had stationed around the window? Shadows remained with Arrow-man, encompassing his face and upper body, clearly blinding him.

  Celeste’s memories recognized him as Rush.

  What should she do? Fight or flee?

  While she debated her options, Knox unloaded the entire cylinder of rounds into the newcomer. Rush bellowed with pain, blood pouring down his legs as both his kneecaps splintered into countless bone shards.

  The sheer violence of the action left her cringing. And Knox wasn’t done. Stab, stab. The first blow sliced through Rush’s throat. Or maybe his arm. Vale couldn’t see past the shadows, either, only knew his hands were raised protectively. The second blow cut into his chest, the blade exiting with tissue attached.

  Breathe. Decide!

  Maddened, Rush kicked out a leg. A metal spike glinted from the toe of his boot, and it was clear he planned to realign Knox’s throat chakra. Knox reached up to block, and the spike slashed his wrist. He dropped the revolver and stumbled back, a scarlet river streaming from the wound.

  Neurons in Vale’s brain began to rapid-fire suggestions. The loudest one—Grab the weapon, protect your man.

  He’s not my man. Still she lunged—

  Dang it! The guys crashed together in a tangle of limbs, blocking it. Blood spurted as the warring pair snipped and snarled at each other.

  Ding, ding. Motel cage fight, round two.

  Knox tossed shadows like daggers. Rush dodged with inhuman speed.

  More of Celeste’s memories tore through Vale’s mind, and she cried out. Everything centered around the newcomer. He had a wife awaiting his return home. Since he could only return if he won the All War, he would stop at nothing to ensure victory.

  Must stop him. Vale sprinted to Knox’s bag and dug inside. Come on, come on. No sign of Celeste’s sword or Rifters. Argh!

  Go! Run. Let Knox deal with him.

  Should she?

  In a pro/con situation, aiding Knox might not be the wisest move right now. Before their kiss, he’d said, This changes nothing. When the time came, he would kill her. Yes, he’d granted her a temporary stay. Yes, he’d protected her. Yes, she wanted to learn more about the war and get her hands on Celeste’s stuff. None of that mattered if she died tonight.

  At the end of the day, he would look out for number one. She had to do the same.

  Thump, thump.

  She gasped and whipped around. Two other males had just climbed through the broken window. A bearded man who held a rod—the rod she’d seen in the ice cave—and a guy with a multicolored mohawk, strange symbols shaved into the sides of his head, and a black horn hanging from his neck.

  Again, Celeste’s memories filled in the blanks. The bearded man was Erik, and the mohawked one was Adonis.

  Dread flash-froze the blood in her veins, momentarily immobilizing her. Then adrenaline surged, melting the ice. Not that it did any good. Where could she go? Erik and Adonis had blocked the exit. And what were the odds she could overcome two skilled warriors with supernatural abilities who’d once been known as gods?

  Zero to none.

  Erik and Adonis sniffed the air and pivoted to face her, eyeing her up and down as if she were slab of barbecue ribs. Her heart hammered against her ribs. She had no weapons, no escape route, no training and no shield.

  No hope.

  Left with no other recourse, she sprinted for the bathroom. Shut and lock the door. Break the window, scramble through. Run.

  Strong arms snaked around her waist. Her world spun as her captor tossed her atop the bed. As she bounced on the mattress, yelping, he leaped on her, pinning her down.

  Adonis, she realized with a flare of panic.

  They tussled. She managed to slam the heel of her palm into his nose. Score! Cartilage snapped. Blood poured, dripping onto her neck and chest.

  He didn’t notice or care. “Want you...need you.” His heavily accented voice tasted like cinnamon and cloves, filling her mouth as he peered at her with blatant masculine appreciation. “Accept me as your man.”

  Always be a lady, until you’re forced to be a land mine.

  Vale—utterly—exploded.

  She clawed at his eyes, bit his chin and rammed her knee between his legs. His only reaction? A grunt.

  Tougher times, tougher measures.

  Punch, punch. She put every ounce of her strength into the blows. Bone met bone—and hers cracked. Again, he didn’t notice, just leaned down to sniff her hair.

  Frick! Thanks to the pheromone, sexual lust had overshadowed his battle lust.

  With an animalistic snarl, Erik ripped Adonis away from her. Not to offer aid, but to take his place. Before she could buck him off, he’d dropped the rod and cupped her face.

  “Let me go,” she commanded.

  “Never.” His softer accent tasted of salted caramel. He stared down at her, navy blue eyes glazed with hunger. “You’re mine now.”

  She grappled with him, but was only managing to tire herself. Not sure...how much longer...she could...

  A blade flew from the nightstand drawer, riding a wave of darkness, and plunged into Erik’s eye.

  The sounds he made would forever haunt Vale.

  Freed at last, frantic, she scrambled up. Knox and Rush still fought. They’d disarmed each other, and yet the clash was just as lethal. They punched and kicked, breaking bones that quickly reset. Skin tore, but soon wove back together.

  Erik latched onto her arm before she could run. With his free hand, he jerked out the blade—and removed his eyeball in the process.

  Vale hunched over to retch on the bedcovers, her thoughts swirling. Despite his own dilemma, Knox had used his shadows to toss the knife at Erik.

  Maybe things had changed between them.

  Only fooling myself. Everything Knox did, he did to ensure victory. Nothing more.

  From the corner of her eye, she saw him roll across the floor, pick up a dagger and swipe Rush from hip to hip. The other man’s intestines spilled out of his body.

  Another retch. Too much violence, real and in her face, not on the other side of a screen or in the pages of a book.

  Rush gathered his organs and reclaimed his sword.

  Ding, ding. Round three.

  One-eyed Erik picked her up and darted away from the bed, and she was too weak to stop him.

  “Mine.” Adonis latched onto her other arm, preventing her from going any farther.

  “Run,” Knox shouted to her. “I’ll find you.”

  Yes. Run! But how? She had become the rope in a tug-of-war between Erik and Adonis. What was more, Knox and Rush blocked the window and door. If they inadvertently landed a mighty blow on
her, she’d be out for the count.

  “Hear me well, viking. I won’t be giving her up.” With no other warning, Adonis stabbed Erik in the gut.

  Blood, so much blood. Another retch geared up.

  “I will die before I part with her.” Erik brandished the rod like a baton, nailing Adonis in the side of the head, the tip slicing his cheek.

  Such a savage display of unwarranted jealousy. Then, shockingly, the two stopped fighting. One frowned, and the other scowled. They spun in a circle, scanning the room.

  Erik: “Where did she go?”

  Adonis: “Is Knox hiding her in his shadows?”

  They couldn’t see her? But...how? Knox hadn’t used his shadows, that much she knew, because she wasn’t blinded.

  The answer hit her like a baseball bat twined with barbed wire: Celeste’s ability. Of course! She had the power to render herself invisible.

  Guilt hit her harder than a baseball bat. Can’t afford to wallow. She had no idea how she had accessed the power, or how to sustain it—or if she would be able to reappear—but she wasn’t going to stick around to ponder.

  “We must find her.” Adonis reached out, patting the air.

  Go, go, go! Vale raced to the window, intending to shove Rush out of the way. She passed through him instead, her entire body tingling. So weird!

  Don’t slow. Broken glass sliced her bare feet, the sharp stings dulled by a fresh rush of adrenaline. As she climbed outside, she cast a final glance at Knox, and their gazes met. Could he see her?

  Could she help him, now that she was invisible, or would she only make things worse for him?

  Rush landed a punishing blow to Knox’s jaw. As he fell, he shouted, “Run!”

  Definitely worse. She obeyed him, sprinting away as fast as her feet would carry her.

  * * *

  KNOX STRUGGLED TO center his thoughts. Invaders. Enemy. Kill them, kiss Vale.

  One moment he’d been frantic with lust, starved for the woman beneath him, lost in the throes of his first kiss, unaware of anything but his female, the next he’d been fighting for his life—and hers.