He frowned. She considered him emotionless? “I promise you, I’m all man. My threshold for pain is unsurpassed, my ability to heal unmatched.” Blood poured from the wound, but the newest flare of pain barely registered. “Are you done with this ambush, or do you have more planned? I have duties.”
His feigned boredom provoked the desired response. Fury exploded inside those ocean-water eyes, some of the ice melting. The loveliest color bloomed in her cheeks.
“You’re going to pay for that,” she grated.
She. Was. Magnificent. He hardened. He throbbed.
Intense waves of heat emanated from him, the urge to yank her closer nearly irresistible. To hold her, if only for a moment. To kiss her again. The last time. To touch. To...protect?
He rejected the notion without taking time to analyze it.
Her gaze slid over his body, a virtual caress, and she licked her lips.
His shaft throbbed harder.
“Do you know what I’m going to do to you, Roc?” She met his gaze.
He couldn’t stop his next words. “Tell me.”
“Absolutely nothing.” Hips swishing gracefully, she stepped out of range. The sultry way she moved... “My work here is done.”
She must have rendered him stupid, because he struggled to understand. “What do you mean?” What work?
A grin of delight bloomed. “You crave me. Even now, you ache for me. Do you know how much I crave you? Zero point zero.”
A lie. “I make you wet, and we both know it.”
She tsked. “Are you sure it was you? Or my thoughts of Hades?”
Jealousy shattered what little remained of his calm. Disgusted with her, with himself, Roc snapped, “You are not my gravita,” and flashed away.
12
Gravita? What did that even mean?
Taliyah made her way to the dungeon, tumbling the question through her mind. You are not my...downfall? You are not my...friend? You are not my...good girl?
The answer remained at bay.
When Roc first appeared in her bedroom, she’d sensed his irritation and assumed he’d stumbled upon some of her traps. But as they’d peered at each other across the sword’s blade, something had changed. For a moment, he’d observed her as if she were the answer to his prayers. Then, of course, he’d turned into a snarling beast.
Whatever. His opinion hardly mattered. Like him, she had duties. Namely, coming up with a new game plan. It was nonoptional now.
Plan A, feeding, had failed. Plan B, shooting and beheading Roc, had also failed. So far, plan C eluded her. That was why she wanted to talk with the harpies below. She’d scope out the other prisoners, too. Maybe she’d come upon the perfect snack. Hunger gnawed at her more forcefully than she’d expected.
Taliyah descended dark, dank steps and entered a wide corridor with crumbling stone walls and flickering torches. Water dripped in several places. A horrid odor of mold and death coated the air, creating a fetid perfume. In the dungeon, the ground remained cold all year around, just like in the garden, freezing her feet inside her boots.
Navigating the corridors, she eyed every cell. Most contained a prisoner who’d committed a terrible act against harpykind.
Hmm. Not a great selection, to be honest. Despite their varying species, no prisoner displayed hints of strength. Even if she tapped out the entire lot, she doubted she’d fill her tank halfway.
The General contenders occupied the cell at the end of the farthest corridor. The only way in or out of it was flashing, a skill these harpies did not possess. They had no strength, either. Metal bands pinned their wings, crisscrossing above and below their breasts outside their shirts.
The sight gutted Taliyah, and she curled her hands into fists. Along with everything else, Roc would pay for this.
The women huddled together, whispering. An Astra stood sentry nearby. The guy with long white hair. Striations of pink, gray and brown ringed his yellow irises. He wore a T-shirt and leather pants, like Roc, and he didn’t move in the slightest bit. But his gaze darted constantly, as if he saw things that weren’t there. He mumbled his words. “There and not there. When? When did they vanish?”
She tuned out the warrior and focused on the harpies. Hey! They were talking about her.
“Is Tal already dead, do you think?” someone asked.
“You heard yesterday’s fight, right? Girl struck and missed, and boy retaliated. We’re on our own now. As the warrior with the most stars, I’m in charge.”
That voice Taliyah recognized. Mara had best watch herself, or she’d get hers, too.
The Astra didn’t rebuke Taliyah as she closed the distance, but he did shut up and stare when she stopped in front of him. Embers of red flared and died in those amazing irises.
“I’m here to check out the one-room abode with natural flooring and guaranteed security. Gotta say, the curb appeal isn’t what I was hoping.”
“Why am I happy to see you?” he demanded.
“Because I’m awesome?”
“Why, why, why?” His gaze slid away from her. “Why don’t I remember? She was there. They were there, then nothing. What don’t I remember?” He resumed his mumbling, then his pacing, seeming to forget her presence altogether.
A possible weak link in the Astra chain? Could he be used against Roc?
Gasps sounded from the harpies. “Taliyah!”
“Our MVP! Never doubted you’d survive.”
She darted past the jailer, hurrying to the bars to greet the girls. Grins and cheers abounded. No one bore any wounds or bruises to signal physical abuse. They wore plenty of dirt, though.
“Is their leader dead yet?” Mara asked, her superior tone suggesting she’d have this thing won and celebrated by now.
Of course she went there. “Trust me, I’m working on it. I plugged the Commander full of bullets and arrows, and he barely felt it. He caught my sword blade and all but yawned.”
“Bed him, his men, or a vibrator for all we care,” Mara belted out. “We all heard him. He needs a virgin. No hymen, no sacrifice.”
The exact plan Roc claimed every bride had endeavored to enact at some point. “Aw. Is Mara afraid of a wittle competition?”
“Aw. Is Taliyah afraid she’ll fail to get it and quit it? The Commander didn’t seem impressed with your goods and services.”
“Only because you weren’t looking low enough,” she snapped. The woman had landed a direct hit. What if she...couldn’t?
If these girls ever found out about the chastity belt, they’d tease her for life.