Nowhere to escape.
And then it was like the air chilled. Audrey turned slowly, facing the corridor where Styx had disappeared, and held her breath. It seemed like ages when all she saw was darkness and all she heard was silence. But then Styx emerged, blood covering his arms and chest, and chunks of what looked like scaly flesh hanging from the longer strands of his hair. He stopped when he saw her, his sword hanging by his side, meat and blood dripping from it. All Audrey could do was stand there, frozen in place, her pulse beating hard, her mind racing.
Styx looked like a warrior, a crazy, powerful killer that didn’t care if his opponent was a six hundred-pound winged beast.
He moved closer, set his sword against the rocky wall, and held his hand out to her. “Come here, my female.”
This is insane.
But despite the craziness of all of this, Audrey found herself moving toward him, not sure why she obeyed him, but not able to stop either. Despite the blood covering him, Audrey saw the gaping claw marks underneath all the gore.
“Have you been injured?” he asked.
She found herself shaking her head.
“But you’re hurt,” she said, not thinking about it, but the words rolling off her tongue. Lifting her gaze to his face, she knew this man should frighten her, that she should fight just as hard to stay alive as he’d fought that creature. But she couldn’t find that emotion, couldn’t find that desire. Not right now.
He’s saved me twice, and all because he sees me as his.
“It’s but a scratch.”
No, it wasn’t, but she didn’t respond.
The only people that had ever cared for her with such intensity were her mother and brother. But they were gone, and she was alone in this crazy, dangerous world. In just a short time, her family had been murdered, she’d been kidnapped, sold into sexual slavery, nearly died twice, and now she found herself a barbarian’s mate.
It was all so crazy it was almost fantastical.
With one more lingering look at her, Styx moved past her and into the cooking chamber. She turned and watched him grab a strip of cloth, a basin, and then he moved over to the bathing chamber. She’d been so afraid of the situation and the creature that she hadn’t even realized there was a small pool of water in the bathing chamber … a natural cavernous spring.
He filled the basin with water and turned around to walk toward a raised stone platform, which she assumed was the table, and set the items down on it. She continued to watch as he grabbed several vials that held herbs and powders and poured the items into the water. Audrey was fascinated as she stared at him, her heart still beating fast, but not from fear or worry. This man intrigued her. She’d only been in his presence for a short time, and despite his very primal and barbaric ways, especially concerning her, she was curious.
He defeated that monster to protect you, because you’d been a fool in trying to leave, even if it had sounded like the only option.
He saved me.
Audrey found herself moving toward him and reaching out for what he held. She took the rag from him, powder and herb water dripping from the cloth and onto her hand and down her arm.
Styx didn’t move as he looked at her, maybe wondering what she was doing. For a man so big, so monstrous in size and power, she felt safe, and there was no fear moving though her. It was strange, insane even, because she knew she should have feared him just as much as she did that creature that he’d slain. Yes, a part of her wanted to leave, because being a captive for anyone wasn’t the life she wanted. But right now, in this moment, she didn’t feel like a captive, not with the way Styx looked at her.
Possession.
Desire.
The need to protect her at all costs.
Yes, he had no right to keep her here against her will, but he’d saved her life on more than one occasion now, tended her when she’d been injured, and all he asked in return was she be his partner in this world.
But that is asking too much, isn’t it?
Pushing everything else aside, Audrey moved closer to him again, her heart in her throat and her hands shaking. Water continued to drip down her arm as she looked into Styx’s face. She lifted her hand and brought the cloth to his chest, running it along the first gash. There were three in total, all deep, and she knew they’d need to be closed manually or they wouldn’t heal.
But he’s not fully human. Does he heal like I do? She cleaned off the blood and dirt, keeping her focus on his chest, not trusting herself to stray away from this task. She didn’t know how she felt right now … relief, thankfulness, but also arousal.
A part of her knew running might not have been the smartest move, at least not so soon after coming here, but a much louder, stronger part said she’d done the right thing, even if it could have ended far worse than it had.
Patting the wounds with the cloth, Audrey breathed in and out slowly. “My name is Audrey.” She lifted her gaze from the wounds to his face, saw he was already focused on her intently, and swallowed. Her throat was so damn tight and dry, and all because of his gaze.
“Audrey.” He said her name in his darkly and deeply accented voice. A chill raced up her spine, and she lowered her head to finish cleaning the wounds. But the feel of his fingers under her chin, forcing her head up and back so she could look at him, had her stilling her movements.
He looked down at her lips, and she found herself licking them involuntarily, as if his focus on them was like a tangible touch from his finger. He whispered something low, almost needy in nature, but it was in a different language, one that was as beautiful as it was harsh and raw.
“You clean and tend to your mate like a proper wife,” Styx said, his eyes half-lidded, as if his emotions controlled him.
How can I want anything but escape from this barbarian?
“You were hurt saving me. It’s the least I can do.” Audrey was surprised she’d even been able to form a word, let alone say all of that.
“I would have died fighting off that beast to make sure you were safe.”
Her heart stopped, her hand still on his wide, massive chest, and she felt like everything around her disappeared. She could have told herself it was just words, that anyone could say them to get what they wanted. But hearing Styx say them, actually feeling the sincerity behind them, she knew this man would have lain down his life for her.
Had she been living in a world so twisted and corrupted that even the thought of someone being so devoted to another person, even after just a day, seemed abnormal? Did this happen with his people, with his kind? Did they have the instant attraction and mating need when they saw whom they wanted?
“But you don’t even know me,” she whispered, not finding her voice. “You’d die for someone you just met?”
He cupped her cheek and smoothed his finger over her cheek. “For my mate, for you, I’d die a thousand deaths just to make sure you were not hurt.”
God, what in the hell am I getting myself into? Why am I feeling this intense attraction for the man that told me I was basically his captive?
Before she knew what was happening, or even process her thoughts and how she felt, Styx added a bit of pressure to her face before leaning down and pressing his mouth to hers.
Audrey was frozen in place at that first feel of his lips on hers. And when he stroked her mouth with his tongue, having her clit tingle and her arousal heighten, she let the cloth drop from her grasp.