Even more, something in Simon's kiss was different. Desperate. More demanding.
He wasn't treating her like a fragile doll, but giving her the full force of a man's desire.
She'd felt hints of that before. But now, it overwhelmed her. His touch was like a brand preparing to claim every part of her.
With a shaking hand, he caressed his way down her nape, traced the line of her spine, caressed her hip, gripped her buttocks. She tingled everywhere he touched. She shivered when he urged her to her back and the soft welcome of their blankets.
He spread hungry kisses along her jaw, nipped at her neck. A hazy roar of pleasure charged through her as he moved down her body, his tongue taking unrelenting swipes at her nipples, sucking on her until she gripped his hair and cried out his name.
Nothing in her life had ever felt this right.
Bliss built in her body. She turned achy and wet. As Simon inched up to consume 184
her with another fiery kiss, Felicia lifted her hips to him in frank invitation.
"I want you," she whispered. "Only you."
"You tempt me so damn much ..." Simon groaned as he unzipped his jeans, shoved them down about his hips, and tunneled inside her.
Felicia welcomed him with a gasp as he filled her, thick, pulsing, so full of need.
She could see nothing, but felt every emotion naked between them, stark, pulsing, bright.
Hot need coiled deep, rolling like waves on a stormy sea. The urgency in his touch reached deep into her heart.
He withdrew, and Felicia stifled a whimper--until he grasped her wrists and held them above her head, fusing their mouths together as he began to ride her with urgent strokes.
Felicia nearly exploded in a pleasure so sublime, it did more than awaken her body; it dug deep inside her, cementing him in her heart forever. She latched on, feeling the muscles of his powerful shoulders bunch up and roll as he thrust deep. She knew what the faster pace and harsh male groans meant.
"More," she gasped. "I need you. Oh God ... yes!"
Her chant seemed to unleash something inside him. His fingers tightened on her wrists, matching the urgency of his hard, driving strokes. With every thrust, he possessed her more. The scent of him filled her, mixing with the heady sound of his heavy breaths and moans. Pleasure spiraled out of control. Felicia threw her head back and whimpered his name.
"Simon ... Simon!"
"Yes. That's me, inside you. No one else."
"Never anyone else," she vowed.
The pressure built, and her flesh quivered as she tightened around him. Her breathing escalated, out of control. Her heart revved like never before. More enthralling was the way she knew he was focused, as if every sense and pore were attuned to her.
Love swelled in her chest, threatening to choke her. Desperation seized her. If she opened up to him, would he really stay with her, even after the danger had ended, even if his own brother would hate him for it? Would he really still want her?
He kept swearing yes. Felicia clung to Simon, holding tight, wanting so badly to believe.
Her body raced out of control. Arousal flared even hotter now, streaming up her belly, down her legs. Every breath was hard to steal.
"Yes!" she cried into his chest. Don't ever stop.
Every muscle in Simon's body tightened, back, biceps, shoulders. God, how she wanted to see his face. Then thoughts fled as her world exploded. She screamed as ecstasy careened inside her, filling her to the brim with love. He followed her over the edge with a harsh cry of satisfaction, then held her close all through the night.
The group woke, but without light of any kind, it was impossible to know if morning had truly come. No one sounded refreshed. After that gritty, moving lovemaking with Felicia, Duke slept hard and woke hopeful. Something had shifted between them last night. He'd felt her in a way he never had. Would he be able to get under her barriers and use his magic now? She hadn't told him that she loved him, but damn it, he'd sworn he could feel it in her touch.
Surreptitiously, he tried to use his magic to beam a simple spark of light from his 185
wand. At first, he felt the magic gathering, building, then actually traveling. Another second and he'd succeed ... but then he slammed into the thick walls of her barricades.
She gasped. Duke knew that she must have felt his attempt. His enthusiasm for the day turned to dust.
"Simon--"
"Not now." He was so damn disappointed, he couldn't be responsible for what he'd say.
Was he deluding himself? Would she ever really allow herself to love him?
The others joined them. Together, they walked a few short minutes before they spotted a literal light at the end of the tunnel. It wasn't sunlight or artificial light, but a low fire. The sounds of water and the scent of mold hung heavy in the suddenly humid air. A downpour of rain deluged the cavern ahead, emanating from the grayish stone above and into a swelling river.
"More magic?" Felicia asked.
"Yes. As you approach, the rain should stop, but something about this looks too easy. Be mindful of tricks," Bram advised.
They emerged into the firelight, illuminated by wall torches in each corner of the room. The rain tapered off as she approached.
"This task calls for bravery." She frowned. "To brave a downpour and a river?"
"See the bridge?" Ice pointed. "It exists for a reason."
"Too right." Bram edged closer to the moat. "I have a hunch. Anyone have something plastic they don't need back?"
Felicia paused, then pulled a hair clip from her pocket. Bram took it, then knelt to the water and dipped the tip in. To Duke's dismay, the entire end of the little hair ornament was suddenly gone, the jagged edges smoking with a burning chemical destruction.
"Acid?"
Bram nodded. "The rain, all the liquid in the river. All deadly."
"What now?" Felicia asked, wide-eyed. "Since I'm here, can we simply walk over the bridge?"
"I suspect it's largely decorative."
"So that's why Merlin said anyone completing this task must be brave."
Bram rolled his eyes. "Probably my grandfather's tongue-in-cheek synonym for
'stupid.' This task will come with a catch. I'll go first. I have a better chance of anticipating Merlin's schemes."
Felicia frowned. "Shouldn't I be near? If I make magic ... dissipate or whatever, won't I be helpful?"
"You're close enough there."
Bram headed to the bridge. Despite his assurance, Felicia followed, and Duke hovered nearby, determined to do everything in his power to keep her safe.
The bridge shook, rattled, shuddered. Still, Bram placed one foot on the warped wood. It swayed but held. Then he placed the other. It clattered violently for something so fragile looking. Bram raced across and landed with a jump on the other shore.
"Now you," he called to Felicia.
She turned to look at Duke, and he read need in her eyes, the same sort he'd felt in her touch last night. She couldn't say the words to him, but damn if those blue eyes didn't 186
make him feel like the only man in her life. He prayed it wasn't his own wishful heart convincing him that he had a future with this woman.
If they could escape this damn cavern alive.
"Come with me." She held out her hand. "We should conquer this together."
"Be careful," Ice called. "That's a damn rickety bridge."
Yes, but if he was going to go down, he'd rather go with Felicia. With that thought, he put his hand in hers.
She stepped on first. Shockingly, the bridge didn't move an inch. It was literally a placid walk in the park for them, and they stepped across to the other side without incident.
The trio looked back at Ice.
Just then, more of the mysterious moans echoed through the cavern. A female shriek. Then a man's voice, "No. God, man. No!"
Duke froze. He knew that voice.
"Mason!" Felicia gasped and ran away from the bridge, to the other side of the cavern.
Duke charged after her at a dead run. He wished the voice was a trick of the mind, but if so, how had he and Felicia heard it at the same time? Could Mathias have snuck in behind them? Passed them and headed closer to the tomb as they slept? The range at which Felicia suppressed magic was certainly wide enough for any of those possibilities.
Whatever the explanation, he must stop her before she ran into danger. For all he knew, Mathias was using Mason to lure them somewhere to spring a trap.
"Felicia, stop!" He caught up to her, grabbed her arm just before she raced down a flight of steep spiral stairs that led to a hellish black pit of nothing. "Stop."
"I heard Mason."
"I did, too. But we must think smart. Ice, Bram, and I are with you for protection.
You can't dart off without us."
"But what if Mathias is hurting Mason, killing him?"
Duke fought to hide his grimace. It was quite possible. "Running into a trap won't save him. Please, stay with us. If he's actually here with Mathias, we'll find him and save him. For now, let's turn back and collect Ice."
She sent him a shaky nod. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking. I heard his voice and I panicked."
In truth, he was panicked as well. For all that he and Mason had fought over the past decade, the thought of his brother dying because Duke had chosen to enlist in this magical war and had never found the courage to tell his family what he was made his stomach nearly upturn.
Together, they walked toward the others.
"Bloody hell!" Ice yelled. "What was that, man?"
Duke and Felicia both broke into a run. The sight that greeted them was the bridge slowly sinking into the pool of acid.
Bram cursed. "The bridge was actually suspended. Once it had been breached, and Felicia walked away, magic cut the ties."
"And the bridge bloody fell," Ice groused.
"So now what?" Duke asked.
"He was your fucking grandfather," Ice said to Bram. "Figure something out."
"Duke, take Felicia to the far end of the cave again. See if the bridge will rise again, by chance, once she's gone. If the acid rain begins again, come back quickly."
Personally, Duke didn't think the odds were good, but ... he nodded and clasped Felicia's hand in his, jogging again to the threshold of the stairs that led to the next level of this hellish cavern.
He turned back and peered across the empty space. The bridge wasn't visible from this distance, and Ice wasn't budging from his place on the far side of the river.
"Oh my ... It's my fault Ice can't get across." Regret lined Felicia's face. "I'm sorry."
Minutes later, a slump-shouldered Bram approached. "He'll have to stay back.
The bridge isn't coming back up."
"Can he freeze the river? Conjure something to cross it?"
"We tried both. The river only began boiling, then swelled and swallowed up the sheet metal we summoned."
"So there's no way across."
Clearly discouraged, Bram shook his head. "I told him to make his way as close to the entrance as possible. Without fail, at least one of us must reach the tomb, save Mason, defeat Mathias, then rescue Ice and Marrok as they leave."
"We're in this together," Felicia insisted.
Bram looked up at him, and Duke felt the gravity of that worried stare. "The reality is, some of us may not make it out alive."
Felicia excused herself for a moment. She knew she couldn't step too far away from the men. God, for all she knew the whole cavern would crumble and collapse on top of them if they moved too far from the Untouchable.
But she needed a minute to collect her whirling thoughts. Mason might be here, subjected to Mathias's cruelty. Marrok and Ice had now been cut from their party. Bram didn't think they would all leave this hell alive. The reality was beginning to overwhelm her.
A week ago, she'd had nothing more to worry about than making sure the flowers for her wedding were perfect and hoping it didn't rain. She'd never considered herself either brave or adventurous. And these past few days had been fraught with danger--and emotional upheaval. She'd given her body, lost her heart. And as ridiculously frightening as all this was, Felicia felt incredibly alive and grateful to share it with Duke.
"You all right?"
Felicia whirled at Bram's approach. "So much is happening."
He nodded grimly. "Have you and Duke tried using his magic again?"
She couldn't meet his gaze. "He tried this morning."
Bram closed his eyes. "Damn it. I don't presume that I can ... solve you in one conversation, but you failing to allow him behind your barriers demonstrates your lack of faith in him."
"But ..." It wasn't about Duke. It was about her. He was perfect, and she had to figure out how to break out of her shell to let him know that.
"Do you know the hell that wizard has resigned himself to enduring for you?"
Bram hissed.
She didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean?"
"When you mated, I told you that you could break the bond. It would be painful, 188
but eventually you wouldn't remember a thing."
"Yes." Felicia had a terrible feeling there was more.
