Page 25 of Taken By Fury
She knew what the special bullets the Concosa used did to demons. They broke open once they entered the body and let off a poison that could be lethal to Zander. A hit to his heart would kill him instantly. One anywhere else and he would become very ill and possibly die if he didn’t get help right away. As far as what happened if one struck her? If she were truly a demon, then she would suffer the same fate as Zander. If she were human, well, she had also bore witness to the hours of agony humans suffered from this poison. It had been another one of Zolar’s games he liked to play to keep her in line. On more than one occasion, the god had forced her to stand by helplessly and watch as he tested his concoction on mortals. After a time, she had simply forced herself to retreat inward and watch as if it were a dream. She had indeed become the cold-hearted bitch they had accused her of being.
“They cannot see us,” he whispered. “Trust me to protect you.”
She did trust him, but it didn’t stop her fear when the other demon came so close he could have reached out and touched them. Tears formed and ran down her cheeks. She didn’t want to go back to Zolar. No matter what she might have thought earlier, she was scared shitless.
Zander lifted her chin and forced her to look at him. Something stirred in his gaze, but before she could analyze it, he was kissing her. Her lips parted against her will and her tongue sought his. She melted into him, which seemed so crazy considering the enemy was standing right beside them. Her body didn’t care one damn bit. He continued to plunder and claim her mouth until the demon moved away. Once he was out of sight, Zander ended the kiss with a slow sucking on her bottom lip that made her toes and hair curl. She was breathless as she stared at him, unable to locate her voice. Finally, she squeaked out a whisper.
“What was that for?”
“You were distressed, and I needed to distract you.”
Her heart felt like someone had squeezed it in a vise. Had she wanted him to say he wanted to kiss her? Deep down she had. She wanted him to want her as much as she did him in this moment. It was crazy, and she had no idea why she was so attracted to a demon prince.
“They have left, but it’s not safe to go back to our camp. I will take us back home from here.”
Awesome. She couldn’t wait to get free of him.
CHAPTER11
Zander opened a portal and with the doctor still clutching him for dear life, he pressed her closer and took them far away from the ruins of his people. He was shaken to the core and wanted first to know how the Concosa had stumbled upon them. Had they somehow been detected, or had it simply been they were on a scouting mission? Second? He needed to go back to that home and read those symbols again because he was certain he had read them wrong. There was no way he could have interpreted them correctly. Yet, her kiss was so familiar, and it explained so much.
“Where are we, and why are you looking at me like that?”
“I want to make sure they’re not following us. Stay close.” He kept them under his cloak as he searched the sky and the surrounding area. He’d portaled them to another area of the rainforest, but it was several hundred miles away, so they shouldn’t be detected. The doctor still trembled, and her fear was palpable, so he kept her plastered to his side. He told himself it was to protect her, but deep down he knew it was more than that.
“How did they find us?”
“I don’t know that they did. Since they have not followed us, I think they may have been on a scouting mission. It’s very possible Zolar also discovered the city and wanted it checked.”
She seemed to understand as she nodded her head.
“So, what do we do now?” There was a hint of desperation in her voice.
Zander thought for a few moments before answering her question. He knew he needed to go back and read the symbols again, but he was afraid that the Concosa would wait there for them if they returned. That meant his plan would have to wait. Maybe his brother could send scouts to monitor the place. He doubted the Concosa would find anything of use there, and the symbols on the wall would mean nothing to anyone else. They only mattered to him. It was a message only he understood the meaning of.
“I think it’s safe to go back to Atlantis, as they don’t seem to be looking for us.”
“Okay. I will freely admit to feeling much better about going back there.” Fear filled her eyes. “As long as he cannot get to any of you.”
“All the wards have been checked and triple checked. You will be much safer there.”
“Am I still your prisoner?”
“We’ll talk about that later. I need to shift. I will be stronger in my demon form.”
She nodded, and he wasted no time shifting into his demon form, then summoning a portal. To his surprise, she didn’t bat a lash at his new state, instead, she surprised him by reaching out a finger to touch his leathery wing. The shiver that racked his muscles was uncontrollable. If he didn’t do something quick, he was going to seduce her right there. Keeping her pressed close to him was painful and hiding his erection, impossible, but it was the only way to get her out of here and back home. He jumped into the portal and shot out the other side, landing in the same spot where they had left from.
Talon and the female he’d been speaking with both looked over at them.
“Zander, I have news.” Talon started for them. “We have Orien!”
“What?” He let go of Sheila, shifted and stepped closer to Talon. “Here?”
His friend nodded. “Yes. We have rescued him and a few others. The royal family is now back where they belong.”
“This is good news,” Sheila said beside him. “Zolar seems to be losing the war.”
“This isn’t over until he is dead. Can you make your way back on your own?”
