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  Chapter Six

  Bracing his hands on his knees, Nazerel fought to catch his breath after the powerful release he’d just enjoyed. That crafty little vixen had not only taken control of his game, she’d turned it back on him. He’d challenged Morgan to make his head spin. Well, she’d done that and a whole lot more. Still, he didn’t dare leave her unsupervised. She’d left the bathroom without grabbing her T-shirt, but there was still an outfit in the backpack. Luckily, her boots were locked in the wardrobe.

  He quickly washed then turned off the water and stepped out of the bathtub. He wrapped the remaining towel around his hips as he opened the bathroom door. Morgan had borrowed his T-shirt again and stood at the window carefully peeking out between the blinds.

  “If you keep stealing my clothes, I’ll have no choice but to go around naked.”

  She turned from the window with a sigh. “You just like being naked. It has nothing to do with me.”

  “I enjoy being naked, but it has everything to do with you.”

  She rolled her eyes then motioned toward the window. “It’s starting to get dark outside. Any chance we can go for a walk? I’m going stir-crazy in here.”

  He smiled, amused by her transparent ploy. As long as she stayed bound and contained within this room, her chances of escape were basically nonexistent. “I might be persuaded to change our surroundings.” The longer they lingered in one place, the greater the chances were that Varrik would stumble upon some clue to their location.

  Without explaining what he had in mind, Nazerel dressed. He put on the T-shirt he’d intended for the following morning, not wanting to fight with her about the one she was wearing. Then he unlocked the wardrobe and tossed Morgan the rest of her clothes. She dressed without argument while he packed up the rest of the room.

  He held up the cuffs and motioned her over.

  “Is that really necessary?” she grumbled.

  “You tell me? If you could put me back in the collar, would you?”

  Her gaze narrowed and she tilted her head. “Do you still have it?”

  He laughed. “It wasn’t hard to figure out you’d triggered some sort of homing signal. I threw it in a lake about fifty miles from the campsite.” A sudden gleam in her eyes revealed that she’d tucked the fact away for future use. “Do you ever stop strategizing?”

  She arched her brow in silent challenge then whispered, “Do you?”

  Rather than fuel their budding argument, he crossed the room and buckled her into the cuffs. He attacked the locks as well, but allowed her the relative freedom of the connecting chain. Finally, he pulled the bedding off the bed.

  “Why do we need blankets? Aren’t we just going for a walk?”

  “You’ll see.” He draped the bedding around her shoulders and put on the backpack. On impulse, he grabbed the half-full bottle of cola and tucked it into the limited space remaining in the backpack. Then he pulled her into a firm embrace and teleported out of the hotel room. She gasped and clutched his shoulders, clinging to his body as well as the cuffs allowed. He wasn’t sure where he was going, so he scanned far ahead. He needed something secluded, yet not so inhospitable that it would make their night miserable.

  It was easier to travel along familiar paths, so he found himself in the Toiyabe National Forest, the same general area as the campsite. Though this location was much more secluded. There were no hiking trails or dirt roads, just trees, mountains and the sky. He materialized and continued to hold her as she acclimated to their new setting.

  Her arms relaxed and her hands slid down from his shoulders to his chest. She looked around, eyes wide, legs still shaking. “Where are we?”

  Ignoring the question, he motioned toward the western sky. “I thought we’d watch the sun go down. Nothing cures stir-craziness faster than fresh mountain air.”

  She seemed almost reluctant to let go of him and her hesitancy made him want to pull her back into his arms. Rather than satisfying his passions, what she’d done in the shower only made him want to continue their sexual exploration. No other female had inflamed his senses so fast or so well.

  As if sensing the direction of his thoughts, she stepped back and turned around. “Wow. Now that’s what I call a view.”

  He agreed wholeheartedly. The mountain on which they stood rested at one end of a broad valley. Other peaks and canyons undulated off into the distance, creating a jagged foreground for the expansive sky. The sun hovered on the horizon, stubbornly fighting for its last few minutes of supremacy.

  Morgan shook out the bedspread then sat down, wrapping the blanket and the sheet around her shoulders. She hadn’t offered him the protection of the bedding, but at least she’d left room for him on the bedspread. He slipped off the backpack and sat down beside her.

  She watched the sunset and he watched her. How could such strength and such fragility reside in the same person? She was so tiny compared to him and yet she was fierce and unafraid. “What happened to your mate?”

  He didn’t realize he spoke the question out loud until she turned her head and looked at him. But the pain in her gaze confirmed his suspicions. She hadn’t been ignored by the men of Earth. She’d been claimed and then lost her mate.

  “I thought we already established that there isn’t a man in my life.” She turned back around and gazed out across the serene valley.

  “But there once was. What happened to him?”

  She drew her legs up and flipped the chain over her knees so she could wrap her arms around her legs. The blankets slipped off her shoulders, but she made no move to retrieve them. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  He scooted closer and wrapped the bedding around them both. “Is he still alive?”

  “Yes. At least, I presume he’s still alive. We haven’t had contact since he left the taskforce.”

  A certain catch in her tone sent protective anger rushing to the surface. “Was he your mentor? Did this man take advantage of you?”

  “What part of ‘I don’t want to talk about it’ was unclear?”

  He wanted to wrap his arm around her, or better yet pull her onto his lap, but he did neither. He sat beside her, acutely aware of her small warm body so close to his. He turned his face toward the horizon and silently watched the sunset. Gold gave way to orange then the bottoms of the clouds turned bright pink.

  When he’d offered her glimpses into his past, she’d reciprocated. If the strategy had worked once, perhaps it would work again. “As I said, I’ve never had a female who was mine and mine alone. But there was this one pleasure giver who was special to me.”

  “What was her name?” Morgan’s voice was barely above a whisper and she didn’t turn her head.

  “Rinatta. Her father sold her to the elders so he could feed his other six children. She was young and terrified, so my father gave her to me.”

  Morgan did look at him then and disapproval shadowed her confusion. “Why would your father give you a girl who was utterly terrified?”

  “Because I was patient and willing to—”

  “Break her in very slowly?”

  She was echoing the taunt he’d used when he first met her, hoping to make him feel guilty. Rather than backing down from her displeasure, he pressed onward. “The elders had very different means of motivating people to do their will. Starvation, isolation, cold, and pain were my father’s favorite strategies. I saw 300 and it made me curious about the Spartans. Their training methods were similar to ours. Like Sparta, there was no place for weakness or cowardice in the world below. If you didn’t grow hard and ruthless, you died.”

  “So you made Rinatta hard and ruthless?”

  He sighed. If she insisted on twisting each word he uttered, he would do better to remain silent. Reaching back, he pulled the backpack to him and retrieved the two-litter bottle. He took a swig, wishing it were something a whole lot stronger than cola.

  She lightly touched his arm, drawing his attention. “I’m sorry. My world is very different from yours. I
t’s hard to accept that things like you describe happened in this day and age. You mentioned the Spartans, and I understand the similarities. But the Spartans existed hundreds of years ago.”

  He handed her the bottle and watched as her lips pressed against the place where his had been moments before. “This land enjoys a freedom that I have yet to experience. I understand that. But such is not the case all over your world. There are still many nations who are barbarous and warlike. Some even kidnap women—and children—to sell for the pleasure of others.”

  “You’re right.” She looked into his eyes as she added, “And those humans are just as wrong as the Shadow Assassins.”

  They lapsed into silence as they passed the bottle back and forth. The sunset faded and the temperature dropped with staggering speed. He eased closer to her and she didn’t object, so he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

  “Tell me about Rinatta. I promise I won’t interrupt.”

  Her request surprised and pleased him. He’d thought the opportunity lost. Choosing his words carefully, he spun his tale. “First of all, I want you to know that I wanted to free her.”

  She tucked her shoulder into his armpit and pressed against his side. “Why didn’t you?”

  All he could see was the top of her head, but her willingness to touch him was more important anyway. “If she’d belonged to my father alone, I would have. But she belonged to all four of the elders. They’d shared equally in her cost.”

  “Why did that make a difference?”

  “They would have demanded my life if I released her without their permission and they made sure Rinatta knew it.”

  She tensed, her head shaking back and forth. “That’s wrong on so many levels. I don’t know where to start my objections.”

  “The elders were master manipulators. On that Varrik and I agree.”

  “I don’t think the elders were the only ones,” she muttered under her breath as she set the empty bottle aside. “I know I’m going to regret this, but continue the story. I’d like to know what happened to the poor girl.”

  “I’ll spare you the details of her training, but—”

  She pushed back and her gaze locked with his. “She wasn’t the first one you’d ‘trained’ was she? That’s why your father gave her to you. You didn’t just teach the men how to deal with reluctant females. You also taught females how to submit to… No wonder I was putty in your hands. You’ve been doing this for years, maybe decades.”

  He couldn’t deny her charge. He’d been the primary trainer for all things sexual and Rinatta had played an active role in that development. Still, the story was more provocative to her than he’d realized. “I think we should change the subject.”

  “Not a chance. I’m curious now. Why did you think your seduction of a virgin would appeal to me?”

  Her sharp tone rekindled his determination. She had drawn so many false assumptions about the world below. He felt obligated to enlighten her. “Once Rinatta realized there was no possibility of her returning to the world above, she not only accepted her new life, she reveled in it.”

  “She was to be the sexual play thing for four old men. How could she possibly have any other reaction?” She pulled her side of the blanket closer about her and averted her gaze.

  “You obviously never met Rinatta. She was shrewd and intensely determined to control her own destiny.” Morgan reminded him of the feisty little pleasure giver, but Nazerel wisely kept the observation to himself. “She told me that she wanted to be so captivating, so passionate and so skilled that the first man who actually took her would kill to keep her from the others.”

  “You never actually…” She glanced at him then away. “Then how did you teach her… Never mind. I really don’t want to hear the specifics.”

  Hadn’t their interaction in the tent taught her how many pleasures could be found without actual penetration? Perhaps she needed another demonstration. Desire wrapped around him, speeding his heart and hardening his cock. They still had all night to kill and nothing much to do.

  “So did it work? Was she so desirable that the first elder who took her fought off the others?”

  Fine. So they’d talk for a little while longer. “Tribe North was prime, so Elder North was Rinatta’s first lover.”

  “Why was Tribe North prime and what exactly did that mean?”

  “Vade, the founder was the original Elder North so his vote basically counted as two. That practice kept many votes from ending in a tie, so every Elder North that followed was considered slightly above the other elders.”

  “Okay, got it. Now back to Rinatta. Did her plan work?” She sounded impatient, as if she wanted the conversation over so they could move on to more important things. Like giving each other pleasure?

  Well, he might be projecting his desires just a bit, but she did sound anxious. “North paid off the other elders, but the result was the same. She was North’s consort for seven years and many whispered that she was responsible for many of his decisions. She also made sure the other pleasure givers were not abused and did her best to help the mates accept their fate.”

  “You already know how I feel about that subject, so I’ll spare you another tirade. I’m still curious about one thing though.”

  “Only one?” He nudged her with his shoulder, hoping to lighten her mood.

  “You said Rinatta was special to you. You brought her up hoping I would tell you about my serious relationship.”

  He was afraid the circumstances of Rinatta’s arrival had eclipsed that fact. “North was the first male to share her bed, but he never touched her heart. I was her true lover.”

  “Couldn’t North smell you on her? You’ve made a big deal about how easy it is to smell other males.”

  “We have a device similar to your condom. I made damn sure my scent never touched her in any way.”

  After a long pause, she asked, “What would have happened…I guess a better question is, did Elder North ever find out?”

  “We risked death each time we touched, but it didn’t seem to matter. And, no, he never found out.”

  She finally looked at him, her gaze luminous in the gathering moonlight. “Then what happened to her? I presume you’d be with her still if that were an option.”

  He thought about that for a moment. Would he be with Rinatta if they had both been liberated from the Shadow Maze? “I’m not sure. My affection for her changed over time, but it broke my heart when North set her free.”

  “Why did North let her go?”

  “According to the Sacred Customs pleasure givers had to be offered their freedom after one season cycle had passed. Some stayed much longer, but the offer had to be made each year.”

  “So why did Rinatta choose to leave you? Had her love burned out?”

  He shook his head and gazed off into the night. “Just the opposite actually. We had a close call, a really close call. It forced us both to admit that we might not be so lucky the next time. Besides, North had grown bored with her. Staying would have meant she made herself available to the other elders. Neither of us wanted that. So I encouraged her to accept her freedom and asked Varrik to cleanse her mind of every memory we’d created.”

  “Why? If she truly loved you, she would have wanted to remember.”

  “Varrik agreed with you. Rinatta begged him to leave her memory intact, except for the specifics of her captivity of course. I checked on her two or three times a year to make sure she was doing well. The last time I saw her, she was holding an infant and her heart was filled with love. I accepted her happiness and never went back.” He glanced at her and was shocked to see tears shimmering in her eyes. “Why are you crying?”

  “I’m not.” She stubbornly swiped her cheek with the back of her hand and looked away from him.

  “So back to the beginning of this rambling conversation. When I asked about your mate, I saw something familiar in your eyes. It made me wonder if your love might have been forbidden like Rinatta’s and mine.
That’s why I asked if he was your mentor.”

  “He wasn’t my mentor, but he was quite a bit older than me.” She didn’t look at him, so he remained quiet, hoping she’d say more. “We both knew better. Fraternizing with other agents was against the rules. We weren’t risking death, but it definitely made the relationship more interesting.” She glanced at him with a wistful smile. “Don’t we always want what we can’t have?”

  “How long were you together?” He risked the question after she slipped into silence for several minutes.

  “We were lovers, off and on, for three years.”

  Another long pause followed, so he prompted her again. “Why did you stop seeing him?”

  “I received a promotion he thought he deserved and things got ugly fast. He started the rumor that I’d slept with our boss to secure the promotion.”

  “And you couldn’t defend yourself against the allegation without admitting why he was being so vindictive?”

  “Exactly. Those who knew me well knew the rumor was bullshit, but it made things extremely awkward. I’m a staunch supporter of the no office romance policy now.”

  “I’m sure you are, but knowing your lover valued his occupation more than your affection had to have caused you pain.” He shouldn’t care about the specifics. Why did he keep asking about her past?

  “I think it bruised my ego more than my heart. It had been obvious from the start that he was superficial and self-absorbed. That’s why I never put more energy into the relationship. It was a flirtation, nothing more.”

  “How long ago did he leave the taskforce?”

  “He applied for a transfer three days after my promotion was announced. That was seven, no, eight years ago.”

  “And there has been no one special in the past eight years?” How was that possible? Morgan was intelligent, confidant, not to mention the most desirable woman he’d ever seen. Human males should be trampling each other in their haste to claim her.

  “It’s not like I’ve gone out of my way to avoid relationships. The taskforce keeps me extremely busy and I move around a lot. The people I interact with on a regular basis are all coworkers, most are my subordinates. I’m rather isolated.”