Passions of New Pompeii (4 page)

“The barrier is there to keep you trapped in
the past, to insulate you from the wonders of Fedoros.”

He glanced into the distance then searched
her gaze. “If Venus has kept us from these wonders, we must not be
ready to experience them.”

“There are no slaves beyond the barrier.”
She’d done it now. There was no turning back. She’d abandoned the
noninterference clause. “Its true purpose is to keep you from
dreaming of freedom.”

Freedom? Theos stared at the strange,
beautiful woman his master had instructed him to seduce. Her taste
had been sweet, her response hesitant, like a smoldering fire
waiting to consume him. Why would she say these things if they
weren’t true? What did she gain by lying?

“Every slave dreams of freedom,” he told her.
“No barrier could smother my dreams.”

“But you’ve never seriously considered doing
more than dreaming because this life is Venus’ will.”

“Do not mock the gods,” he cautioned. “You
might not believe in their power, but I have seen them at
work.”

Her golden brows arched and challenge lit her
emerald gaze. “Really? You’ve seen one of the gods?”

“I’ve seen happenings that could be explained
no other way.” He spread his arms in a sweeping motion. “How do you
explain my existence if Venus did not send your brother to rescue
me?”

She nibbled on her lower lip, clearly
considering something outrageous. “How were you brought to
Fedoros?”

“Why are you asking me? Surely you know the
answer already.”

Pausing, she soothed her lower lip with the
tip of her tongue. Gods, he wanted to feel that tongue sliding
across his chest and licking a warm trail down along his belly. “I
want to hear what you know, or what you believe you know.”

He dragged his gaze away from her mouth and
took a deep breath, determined to rein in his rampaging lust. “I
know how I was brought here. Venus sent her fleet of skyships.”

“You saw the skyships?” She sounded
surprised. “How much do you remember of the actual evacuation?”

“Not much. I was training, as I do each day.
I remember the sounds. Roaring and…such sounds. Only the gods are
capable of creating those noises.” He took a deep breath. Even now
his gut clenched as he remembered the terror, the utter
helplessness. “The ground shook and great clouds of blackness
blocked out the sun. We all thought the world was ending.
Everything faded, and then I woke up on the skyship and an agent of
Venus explained what had taken place.”

“A volcano erupted and your city was
destroyed.”

“I know.” Did she think him an imbecile?

“It had nothing to do with Vulcan and
Venus.”

He laughed. “Vulcan commanded fire to spew up
out of the earth. Are you saying the mountain created fire all by
itself?”

“Yes.”

“That is foolish. Mountains are constructed
of rock. They are not capable of changing the nature of their
existence.” She was the most interesting woman he’d ever
encountered. It was unfortunate that she was mad.

“Would you like to see what’s beyond the
barrier?”

He clasped his hands behind his back and took
a deep breath. Why was she tormenting him? “Shortly after we
arrived, I disregarded the warnings and touched the barrier. My
fingers were blistered for weeks.”

“I live beyond the barrier. I obviously know
a way through.”

“Even if that is true, if I step beyond the
barrier, I die.”

“Do you honestly believe Vulcan will strike
you dead if you step beyond the barrier?” She moved closer, placing
her hand on his arm. “Isn’t it possible that my brother made up
that story to keep you passive and make you easier to control?”

“This is a test.” He shifted his gaze away
from her lovely face. “Venus sent you to tempt me, but I will not
be swayed.” She sighed and started to withdraw her hand. He caught
her wrist and drew her closer.

“I can take you beyond the barrier, but I
need to make preparations. You will need clothes and
identification. I’ll have to…”

He wrapped his arms around her and inhaled
her tantalizing scent. “You do not need to pretend any longer. I
understand why you are here.”

Tilting her head back, she met his gaze. “Do
you? Well, explain it to me.”

“You want to feel alive again. You want to
know passion, but you are unwilling to risk betrayal.”

Her hands came up between them and she shoved
against his chest. The sudden pressure caused his stitches to burn.
“He told you about… I’m going to kill him!” She struggled
frantically, twisting and heaving like a captured bird.

He tightened his hold, pulling her in slowly
until she was immobilized against his chest. “Calm. Be still. I
will not hurt you.” Her arms separated their torsos, but their legs
were entwined. The heat of her
cunnus
pressed against his
thigh, assuring him she was every bit as attracted to him as he was
to her.

“Let me go.”

“I do not want to. I want to carry you to
that bed and bury myself inside you.”

A harsh tremor racked her body and she shook
her head. “I didn’t have you summoned so I could fuck you. I
wouldn’t do that to you.”

“But I want to fuck you.” The guards were
fond of that word. Theos had never realized it could sound so
appealing. “I want to fuck you every way I know how to fuck.”

She stilled, her long-lashed gaze searching
his. “If I give you what you want, will you give me what I
want?”

“We want the same thing. Do you still deny
it?”

“I don’t deny wanting this night with you,
but I want you to experience freedom.”

He stilled, heart thundering in his chest.
“What are you suggesting?”

“If we indulge our passions tonight, will you
come through the barrier with me?”

Elaina held her breath as she waited for
Theos to reply. She’d never wanted anything as much as she wanted
him. She wanted to explore the possibilities arcing between them,
but even more importantly, she wanted to introduce him to reality.
He was smart and ambitious. It was tragic he’d been condemned to a
life of brutality and pain.

“You do not know what you ask.” His arm
loosened and his hands came to rest on her hips. “I am to risk
death for one night in your bed?”

She pressed her lips together, determined not
to smile. His fears were real to him. He honestly believed in the
gods. “Do I seem like the type of person who would sacrifice
another in the name of pleasure? I would not do that to anyone,
much less someone who…”

“Who what?” He caught her chin and tilted her
face up. “Are you going to claim some grand affection for me
now?”

His challenge forced her to look inward. What
did she feel for this fantasy come to life? “You intrigue me.
You’re so different from anyone I’ve ever known.”

“As are you.” They stayed like that for a
moment, searching each other’s eyes, his hand lightly holding her
chin. “Before your husband died, did he—”

“No.” She placed her fingertips against his
lips. “If we’re going to do this, it will be just you and me. No
past and no future. I’m Elaina, a visitor to your city, and you are
Theos, Champion of New Pompeii. We will celebrate your victory with
our bodies and have no thoughts beyond this room.”

“I would be happy to participate in such a
celebration, but you proposed something quite different. Once this
night is over and our celebration is through, you expect me to
follow you to my death.”

She framed his face with her hands and
pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “No harm will come to you. I
promise.”

He turned his head and nipped the heel of her
hand. “If I am to trust you with my life, I want you to trust me
with your body.”

Dread cascaded through her, cold and
unrelenting. Trust was the one thing she couldn’t offer him. The
last time she’d trusted a man, he’d ground her into the pavement
like a bug. “What do you mean?” she evaded.

“You do exactly what I tell you without
question or hesitation.”

“But—”

“No.” He placed his fingers against her lips
as she had done to him moments before. “If I am to offer you my
life, you must offer me your body.”

“You are in no danger.”

“Neither are you.”

And they each had only each other’s word to
go on. She insisted his fundamental belief was wrong and he was
challenging her deepest fear. It was an equal conflict, a fair
exchange. “I’m not sure I can.”

“You will know only pleasure in my arms, but
I will accept nothing less than surrender.”

“I’m frightened.”

Leaning in close, he whispered, “So am I.”
Her gaze flew back to his, but his features revealed only longing
and determination. “Are we agreed?”

She swallowed past the lump in her throat and
turned loose of her inhibitions. “Yes.”

He swept her into his arms and carried her
toward the bed. “Do you welcome my seed or must I pull out when
release is upon me?”

The dread in his tone made her smile and
snuggle close against his chest. Her last contraceptive injection
had yet to expire and Mikko routinely screened his gladiators for
communicable diseases or infections. “You can’t get me pregnant. I
welcome your seed.”

He paused beside the bed with her still
cradled in his arms. “You are barren?”

“No. My people are able to control such
things.”

“Only the gods have the power over life and
death.” His arm released her legs and she slid down the length of
his body. “Many have supposed that Fedorans are demigods. Did this
place give birth to Jupiter? Are you some distant relation?”

She raised her hands to his shoulders, hungry
for the feel of his strong body. “I didn’t mean direct control. My
people have medicines that allow us to prevent a man’s seed from
taking root. In this way we decide when and with whom we have
children.”

“Such potions are known to us.” Displeasure
knitted in brow, but concern warmed his gaze. “They are dangerous
and not always effective. I will allow nothing to harm you. I will
pull out.”

His determination pleased her. She hadn’t
expected nobility from someone so…primitive. “Our potions are safe
and effective. I want nothing to distract from our pleasure.”

One of his dark brows arched and he wrapped
his arm around her waist. “Remember those words. I will hold you to
them.” His lips brushed over hers, teasing, awakening her senses
for the coming onslaught. She wrapped her arms around his neck and
pressed against him. His chest was wide and warm, his torso
narrowing dramatically from shoulder to hip.

Releasing her mouth for a moment, he ripped
his tunic off over his head. Her fingers slid over his ribs and up
his broad back, mesmerized by the contrasting textures. His skin
was supple, yet the muscles beneath rippled and flexed as he
moved.

He carefully released the pins from her hair
and spread the thick mass over her shoulders. “Lovely. A hint of
fire streaming through a field of gold.” The poetic description was
so unexpected she felt heat blossom across her cheeks. He touched
the crest of her cheek with the back of his knuckles. “Do my words
not please you? Most females enjoy hearing about their beauty.”

She tensed at the word. Her connection to the
royal family was what attracted people to her. She was no one’s
idea of beauty. “You don’t need to flatter me. I’m more interested
in how we’ll make each other feel.”

Accepting her request with a stiff nod, he
unfastened the broaches holding her
stola
, and the loose
outer garment slipped to her ankles. She took advantage of his
distraction to visually devour his sculpted body. His hands bushed
across her breasts, teasing without pausing to explore.

“Raise your arms.” His tone deepened and his
gaze shone with unmistakable hunger.

She lifted her arms and he pulled her tunic
off over her head. He’d been barefoot when the guards escorted him
to her bedroom, but sandals still adorned her feet. She kicked them
aside then returned her gaze to his face.

“What manner of garment is this?” He ran his
index finger along the waistband of her lace-edged panties.

“They’re fashionable beyond the barrier.”
Every person entering New Pompeii had to dress in indigenous
clothing. She hadn’t expected to undress during her visit, so she’d
indulged in a small disobedience. “Even with all the layers
expected for women, I feel naked without underwear.”

“There are no laces, no…” He eased his index
finger beneath the waistband and pulled it away from her body. “How
is this done?” He released the waistband and it snapped back into
place.

“It’s called elastic.” She slipped the
panties off and handed them to him.

He pulled and twisted, mangling the delicate
garment beyond recognition. But his fascination quickly waned and
he tossed the panties aside, turning his attention back to her
nakedness. “Is it flattery to say that I find you pleasing?”
Rotating his finger in the air, he prompted her to turn around.
“Your skin gleams like alabaster and I ache to possess you.” His
tone deepened and his gaze shone, confirming the claim.

Something deep within Elaina stirred,
stretching and yawning as she faced him again. This was supposed to
be fun, a few hours’ diversion, an escape from reality. She had to
keep that fact firmly in mind. And keep her heart distanced from
the pleasure promised in his dark eyes.

He brought her hand to his mouth and pressed
a kiss into the center of her palm. “If you want to touch me, touch
me now. Once I begin, I will not allow it.”

Without hesitation or demure, she ran her
hands over his shoulders and down his arms then up his torso,
hesitating at the stitches that marred his chest. “Does this
hurt?”

“It is nothing, a scratch earned by my
carelessness.”