Chapter Six
Kaspyn ground her teeth in anger. It wasn’t so much that Zyen wouldn’t be accompanying her on the boat that angered her. No, she could care less if he swam all the way back to Arkadia. Her resentment was a result of the infuriating human standing in front of her barking out orders as if he were the king himself.
She almost opened her mouth to tell him where he could shove his meaningless orders, but then he lifted the mirrored lenses from his eyes and all thought fled.
“Do you know how to drive an ATV?”
It took her a second to realize that Thrasher had asked her a question. She swallowed her irritation at herself for ogling him and shook her head. “I do not.”
“Then you will ride to the entrance with me.”
She watched as Thrasher and Vaughn spoke softly to one another before Thrasher addressed the rest of the group. “Pyre? If you’re not familiar with the ATVs either, you can ride in the mule with Tony. Brant will follow.”
“And me?” Zyen growled, his massive arms crossed over his chest.
Thrasher barely spared him a glance. “You will swim with Gryke and Rykaur.”
“I will not leave Kaspyn’s side. It is my duty to protect her!” The giant Arkadian’s face turned red with rage.
Kaspyn quickly stepped forward, lifting her hand toward Zyen. “Do as he says. You will swim with the others.”
“But—“
“That is an order,” Kaspyn snapped, her voice brooking no argument.
Zyen growled low in his throat, his gaze shifting to Thrasher. “If you touch her, I will remove your heart and drain it of blood with my fangs.”
“Alrighty then,” Thrasher sarcastically remarked, signaling for the others to mount their ATVs.
Kaspyn followed Thrasher to the human machine, waited for him to secure his bag to the rack and climb on before throwing her leg over to seat herself behind him.
His scent immediately assailed her, reminding her of the kiss they’d shared the night before. She’d barely slept for replaying it over and over in her mind.
No matter how much Kaspyn wanted to deny it, the land walker had gotten under her skin; was under it still.
“Where’s your bag?” Thrasher’s voice penetrated her musing.
“Tied to a loop in my vest.”
He turned his head to peer at her over his shoulder. “What?”
Exasperated, Kaspyn reached into her vest, slipped the small sharkskin bag free, and held it up for his inspection.
Thrasher shook his head. “Just what the hell is in there?”
“Soap and my teeth cleaner.”
“Of course, soap and your teeth cleaner,” came his dry response.
The ATV hummed to life. Kaspyn returned her essentials to her vest as he backed the machine away from the wall and took a left toward the entrance of Aukrabah.
She slid closer, placed her arms around his waist, and inhaled his masculine scent.
A pulsing began in her lower abdomen that quickly spread to the juncture of her thighs. Though, she’d never been intimate with a man before, Kaspyn recognized the sensation for what it was…desire.
* * * *
Light from the entrance shone from up ahead. Kaspyn had never been so glad to see anything in all her life. She’d ridden on the back of that ATV, wrapped tightly around Thrasher’s back, attempting to ignore his presence. An impossible task to say the least. Especially with his warmth seeping into her front.
She could feel a slight dampness in her most secret of places; an obvious result of the close contact with Thrasher.
More than a little disgusted at herself for allowing him to affect her in such a way, Kaspyn eased back as far as she could without slipping off the ATV. It didn’t help. She could still feel his heat, smell his scent. Her vaginal walls clenched in response.
The ATV sailed up the incline and slid to a stop next to a group of land walkers dressed similar to Thrasher.
Kaspyn couldn’t seem to get off the machine fast enough. She needed to put some distance between her and Thrasher before she did something insane like sink her fangs into him.
Thrasher threw his leg over and climbed off as well. His head turned in her direction, but she couldn’t see his eyes for those mirrored lenses.
He gestured toward a huge black machine. “Pyre, Tony, and Brant will ride in there. You will come with me.” Thrasher gripped Kaspyn’s hand and indicated another machine similar to the first.
Kaspyn dug in her heels.
“It’s called a Humvee.” He gave her a slight tug. “It’s like the ATV we just drove up here, only it’s enclosed.”
Understanding his meaning, Kaspyn gave a slight nod and allowed him to guide her to the other Humvee. He opened the back door and waved her inside.
Kaspyn boarded the large Humvee, sliding over to make room for Thrasher. He disappeared for a moment before returning with his bag, tossing it over the seat into the back and climbing in next to her. The door slammed shut behind him.
“It’s a vehicle,” Thrasher pointed out. “They’re really very convenient.”
She glanced at his profile. “But you said it was a Humvee.”
He gave a curt nod. “A vehicle is basically a mode of transportation. And in that general mode, there are different shapes and types. This particular one is a Humvee. There are trucks, cars, semis, tractors, ATVs…etcetera. The list goes on.”
“I believe I understand. You are a land walker. Instead of using your legs, you roll around where you need to go in vehicles because you are too lazy to walk there.”
Thrasher shot her a small smile. “Something like that.”
“We do not have your vehicles in the water. We simply swim to our destinations.”
“For a race as different as ours,” Thrasher rumbled, “we could learn a lot from each other.”
Kaspyn bit back a nasty retort. She wanted to point out that Bracadytes were far more superior than land walkers, and if anyone needed to learn anything, it would be the humans. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She’d seen how competent Thrasher was, how powerful and quick. But he was still human, and she’d do well to remember that.
“Why do you hate the land walkers so much?”
Thrasher’s question caught her off guard. She waited until the vehicle began moving before answering. “Many centuries ago, my ancestors lived on the shores of Maine. They were a peaceful race, keeping to themselves, killing only what they ate. And then, one day, the land walkers came with their weapons and sadism. They forced themselves on the females after slaying several of our warriors.”
She grew quiet for a moment, reflecting on the stories she’d been told by her father.
“What happened after that?” Thrasher’s softly spoken words, pulled her out of her hypnotic state.
“The men responsible for the attack grew sick and some of them died. They blamed my ancestors for their sickness, of course, and sent a raiding party to burn them out. The Bracadytes that escaped disappeared beneath the sea, swimming for days before discovering Arkadia. That is where my family has been ever since. Though we have happened upon humans occasionally, we have never interacted with them.”
“Happened upon?”
Kaspyn nodded. “In underwater machines or swimming in strange black material.”
“I’m assuming submarines and dive gear. Did they see you?”
Her hand unconsciously went to her right thigh where she’d been shot with a sharp metal object from one of the humans in the strange black material. “I was wounded by one that I got too close to. Several others have been spotted by the sub…?“
“Submarines,” Thrasher finished for her.
“Yes, that. Father says that humans are sadistic and not to be trusted. We are to avoid them at all costs. He would not be happy with me at the moment.”
“I’m sorry,” Thrasher confessed, removing the mirrored lenses from his eyes. “Not all land walkers are sadistic…even though a lot of them are. And I’m sorry they hurt you.”
Kaspyn suddenly regretted opening up to him. No matter how much Bracadyte blood he’d consumed or what ritual he’d participated in, he was still a human, and humans were not to be trusted. “Do not presume to think you know anything about me. I do not want or need your pity, land walker.”
Thrasher replaced his mirrored lenses and turned his face to stare out his window. “Have it your way, Princess.”