Chapter Twenty-One
Rykaur had never seen a male fight the way Melvin had. His moves were sure and swift, taking down his opponent without acquiring even a scratch.
Rykaur grabbed hold of Mary’s hand, making a mental note to speak with Melvin about working with the warriors. The Bracadytes could benefit greatly from the man’s skills.
“Are you hurt?” Mary breathed as soon as they breached the hallway.
Rykaur shook his head. Mary’s concern for his welfare warmed his insides. “Most of the blood belongs to Pyre.”
She looked relieved. “Why do your people participate in such brutal games? For a second there, I thought I’d fallen asleep and awoken in a game of Mortal Kombat.”
“I am not familiar with that game.”
Mary sighed. “I saw it in a movie.” She paused as they passed his apartment. “Where are we going?”
“To bathe. I cannot expect you to eat while I sit across from you covered in blood.”
She laughed nervously. “You’re going to bathe with me in the room?”
“There is a private place where you can sit while I take my bath. I cannot leave you in my apartment. Not after the look Zyen gave you back at the arena.”
Mary’s brow furrowed. “I didn’t notice him looking at me.”
“I did,” Rykaur growled, remembering the lustful way Zyen had looked upon his Mary. And she was his Mary, whether he trusted her or not. She had been his since the moment he’d taken her blood.
Entering the bath house, Rykaur nodded to an alcove off to the right. “You can wait in there. The bench is not the most comfortable to sit on, but I will not be long.”
He waited for Mary to disappear into the alcove, grabbed a towel from the shelf, and then stripped out of his bloodied clothes.
Stepping into the water, Rykaur dove beneath its steamy depths, surfacing somewhere in the middle. He swam over to the side and took a seat on the bench protruding there.
The thought of Mary sitting not twenty feet away while he bathed stirred his sex to life.
With a growl of frustration, Rykaur grabbed the cake of soap and lathered up his hair before rinsing and starting on his body.
His hand brushed against his erection, forcing a soft hiss from his lips.
He closed his eyes, laid his head back against the pool’s ledge, and relaxed his mind. The last thing he needed was for Mary to pick up on his lustful thoughts.
His time would be better spent thinking of how he would take down Jefferies without killing him. Klause wanted the human garbage alive. And though Rykaur knew it to be the best course of action, it didn’t mean he had to like it.
Jefferies had hurt Mary. The thought tormented Rykaur’s mind. Even now, the monster held Mary’s orphaned siblings against their will.
Rykaur had promised Mary that he would rescue the children. And that was a promise he intended to keep. He only hoped they yet lived.
His thoughts drifted back to Mary and what she’d confessed to at the pool of life.
She’d never been with a man. That piece of information created a possessive feeling inside him that brought his barbs to life.
What would he do if she rejected him? He’d survived rejection at the hands of Kaura, but something about Mary felt different than what he’d felt for the Bracadyte female.
He slowly lifted his head as realization dawned. Rykaur, a Bracadyte warrior was falling in love with the fiery-haired, gray-eyed human.
“Rykaur?”
The sound of Zaureth’s voice penetrated Rykaur’s anxious thoughts. “In here.”
The calm mannered healer strode into the room without preamble. “We have a problem.”
Rykaur’s erection quickly dissipated. “Is it the Arkadians?”
“No. It is Jefferies.”
Swimming to the edge, Rykaur climbed from the pool and grabbed a towel. “What has happened?”
“One of the Marines at the entrance captured a spy working for Jefferies. After a two-hour interrogation, the man confessed to having knowledge of Mary and the children.”
Rykaur glanced toward the alcove where Mary remained hidden.
Knowing full well that she could hear Zaureth’s words, Rykaur wrapped the towel around his waist and sent her a thought. “You may come out now.”
Mary rounded the stone wall and rushed toward them. “Did he say if the children were okay?”
Zaureth hesitated. “Jefferies plans to dispose of them if you are not back tonight.”
“But he gave me three days,” Mary cried, her eyes clouded with fear. “Did the man say where he was holding the kids?”
Rykaur touched her on the arm. “It is a trap, Mary.”
“How can you be so sure?”
It pained Rykaur to see her so distressed. “You do not find it convenient that one of his men has been caught while you are in Aukrabah? The first one to be captured in all this time?”
Doubt flickered in her beautiful eyes. “But what if you’re wrong, Rykaur?”
“I am not wrong.”
Zaureth held up a hand. “We leave by way of the gulf, first thing in the morning. Fiona will emerge at the land entrance shortly thereafter.”
“But she’s injured,” Mary argued. “I saw her face when Gryke carried her out of the arena.”
Zaureth simply shook his head. “Her injuries have been removed.”
Rykaur returned his gaze to Mary. “You will stay with Zaureth’s mate in the catacombs while I am gone. I will bring the children back with me.”
Mary stared back at him without speaking, her thoughts too scrambled to get a bead on them.
She finally nodded. “Would you mind if I get a bath first?”
Rykaur softened his gaze. “Of course, I do not mind.”
Zaureth turned to go. “I will inform Amy of Mary’s arrival in the morning. She will be safe there.”
Once Zaureth cleared the doorway, Rykaur retrieved a couple of towels for Mary and moved to wait in the alcove.
The thought of Mary removing her clothes brought Rykaur’s erection back in full force. He ached to step around the wall and slip into that pool with her, to hold her close, to possess her…to love her.
He dropped his weight onto the uncomfortable bench. It was going to be a long night.