Seducing Eve (Guardians of Atlantis) (9 page)

Being with Lucian was the best feeling in the world. It made her forget every bad thing that’d ever happened to her.
From the death of her parents to the day her miserable ex-boyfriend dumped her on Valentine’s Day to being kidnapped. She could forget it all while in his arms. While he kissed every inch of her skin. While his hands swept over her body. While she petted his thickly muscled chest and every sexy inch of him.

She cried
Lucian’s name with her climax. He growled hers when he climaxed. Only after that did she wonder why they hadn’t used protection. It never occurred to her. She’d worry about the consequences later. When she was out of this place and home. Free.

When he cut the water,
he led her to the blower, his hands never breaking contact. As though he couldn’t
not
touch her. As though he couldn’t be parted from her. They stood under the blower together, the hot air trickling over their skin while he held her against him and kissed and kissed and kissed her. She couldn’t get enough of his kisses. She liked the way his lips felt against hers. The way they seemed to fit as though they were made to kiss each other. Her body had never felt so happily sated. Every inch of her throbbed with delight and contentment.

She traced the vein in his upper arm with her fingertip. Then she had to taste him. She bent and touched the tip of her tongue to the vein, tracing it all the way up to his shoulder. He growled approval.

“Lady, you’re killing me.”

That resulted in him turning her around, bending her over and taking her from behind. She braced
her hands on the wall, smiling the entire time.

When the blower stopped they stood naked in each other’s arms. He looked down at her with a faint smile.

“I like you,” he said. “A lot.”

She couldn’t stop the flush that crept
over her and she turned away, suddenly shy. She liked him, too, but this wasn’t permanent. This was for fun. His arms wrapped around her from behind as he held her against his chest. She needed a distraction. She needed her clothes on.

“
I’m starving.”

He chuckled. “Let’s get dressed and I’ll get
those rations.”

Once they were both properly clothed, he led her back to the site of their first seduction.
He handed her one of the packets.

She perched on the edge of the bed and tore open the foil packaging. Inside were unidentifiable pieces of…something.
The small cubes were white and odorless.

“What is this
stuff?”

“Freeze-dried fish.”

Yuck. She scrunched her nose. But she tried a piece anyway since her stomach rumbled. It tasted like cardboard. “It’s disgusting.”

“It’
s pretty icky.” He winked.

Delicious
warmth spread all over her as she realized he teased her. She didn’t want to like him but it was damn near impossible not to like him. He was so…likeable. She should hate being with him, especially since he was one of
them
. One of the ones who wanted to keep her down here indefinitely. But she didn’t hate being with him. He wasn’t the one who kidnapped her. He was the one who saved her. The one who kept the bad guys away from her.

“How can you people eat this stuff?” She sniffed the bag
again and scrunched up her nose. No matter how hungry she was, she wasn’t eating that.

“We don’t
anymore. Our food is better today.”

She cocked her head to the side.
She hadn’t thought about what they ate. “How do you get food? Do you grow it?”

“It’s genetically engineered. Food, plants, pretty much everything.”

“Even children?” She couldn’t resist the dig.

He turned serious.
“Not everyone agrees with that.”

“Do you?”

“No.” He didn’t hesitate with his response so she knew he told the truth.

Silence stretched between them as they stared at each other. If he didn’t believe in the experiments, then what did that mean for her?
Where was he taking her?

“What are you planning to do with me?”

“I’m not giving you to Franco.”

“You said he would never stop looking for me.”

“That’s right.”

“So then what happens to me?”

“I’m taking you to northside,” he said.

“
I don’t know what northside is but I’m pretty sure I don’t want to go there.”

“
It’s an abandoned part of the city and you’ll be safe there. I’ve already notified my commander we are coming.”

She blinked. “How did you do that?”

He grinned, tapped a finger against his temple. Oh, right. He’s said they could mind speak. They could speak to each other’s minds? That was weird. How was that possible?

“You told him with your mind
.”

“
Aren’t you a smart girl,” he teased.

She frowned.
“So I can’t return to the surface?”

“If I try to get you out of here, Franco will find you and take you back to the lab.”

“But I don’t want to stay here,” she insisted. “I have a life. People will be searching for me and Abby.”

“You don’t understa
nd. I can’t let you leave, Eve.” He closed the space between them and stood in front of her, looming over her. “You have my word you’ll be safe there. My commander is there. His woman is there and she’s human.”

“So what? That’s supposed to comfort me? That she’s a human? Is she an incubator too?”

He pressed his lips together and his mouth took on an unpleasant twist. When only moments ago that mouth had ravaged her entire body. “She’s with child, yes, but willingly.”

“Oh, so she
allowed
them to knock her up without a fight?” She tossed the foil package to the side and stood, her hands clenched. She had to crane her neck to look up at him losing most of her threat. But she was determined not to allow his size intimidate her. “I’m not going to let them do that to me, Lucian. I’m a free woman. I’m an American. And I’m going home.”

“Relax.” He grasped her upper arms. “You don’t understand.
Eden and Sabre are together. A couple. She loves him. He loves her.”

“That’s supposed to make it all okay? Did he kidnap her too?”

His expression was one of tight strain. “No. He met her on the beach topside.”

“And that’s where they ‘fell in love’?” She did air quotes, knowingly mocking him. Mocking his commander.

“It is, actually,” Lucian said, his face serious and his eyes hard.

This Eden person was really here of her own accord. She
wanted
to be here.

“Sabre is keeping Eden in hiding from Franco so he won’t take the baby. Or her,” Lucian said.

“Oh.” She didn’t know what else to say. How did Eden get down here? The same way Eve had? She had to know. “How was I brought here? Why didn’t I drown or get decompression sickness?”

“Because you were injected with a serum to allow your lungs to breath under water. It also kept you from getting decompression sickness by allowing your body to automatically adjust.”

So she
had
been stabbed with a syringe. She hadn’t imagined that after all. Mystery solved though she wasn’t wild about the idea of being injected with this strange serum.

“
And Eden stayed here willingly?” she asked again. She was having a hard time believing it.

“
Yes. She wanted to come back with him.”

She bit off an acid retort. He wasn’t going to take her home. He wasn’t going to let her escape. What the hell was she going to do?

“So, I have no choice?”

“No. I’m sorry.”

All the air went out of her lungs, like she’d been deflated. “What about Abby?”

“She’s still in the lab.”

“You have to get her out of there,” Eve insisted. “I can’t leave her there.”

“I can’t remove another woman from the lab without Franco knowing. Going back there is suicide.”

She hated him for saying that. “But she’s my best friend. And she’s…soft. She’s not as strong as I am. She’ll do whatever they say because she’s non-confrontational.”

“Then she’ll be allowed to live.”

Eve didn’t like that response. She clenched her jaw. “If you won’t help me then I’ll…I’ll…” She didn’t know what she’d do.

“You’ll what? Go after her? No. Not going to happen, Eve. They’ll kill you on sight. You’re a fugitive.”

“Well so are you,” she snapped.

“Right.
That’s why we have to get to northside before we’re caught.”

Eve didn’t want to go to northside. She didn’t want to do anything but get home. Despite her attraction to Lucian.
She was about to tell him so when men burst into their small room. Gunfire exploded all around them. She ducked. Lucian dove toward her, pushing her out of the line of fire. There wasn’t really any place to go and they huddled against the back wall as guardians entered, guns drawn.

One of them she recognized immediately. The one with the tattoo on the side of his neck. The one who kidnapped her on the beach. Kane.

Eve looked up at Lucian, fear gnawing at her gut. He met her gaze. Her lips parted to tell him Kane was here. But he gave one quick shake of his head. He looked back at the men guarding them, his gaze landing on Kane. Then narrowed.

He knew. He knew and she didn’t even have to tell him.

Lucian stood completely still, glaring at the men in front of them. His shoulder leaked blood and she could see where the shot had burned his tunic to his skin. It still smoked.

“You’re hurt,” she said.

She reached up to put her hand on him, thinking to heal him quickly but his fingers clamped around her wrist, biting into her bones.

“I’m fine,” he said through clenched teeth.

A warning. He didn’t want these men knowing she was a healer. And she’d been stupid and not really thinking when she reached for him.

Dr. Brice sauntered into the room,
looking smug and full of himself. She hated him all over again.

“Caught and cornered,” Brice said. “You should have known you
couldn’t run forever, Lucian. And now I can deliver the lovely Eve back to Dr. Franco. After I’ve had some fun with her.”

His gaze raked her body. She stepped closer to Lucian, hoping his big form would block most of the view.

“Over my dead body,” Lucian said.

“I hoped you’d say that,” Brice said
and grinned. Then looked over Lucian. “I thought for sure I shot you before. Once in the leg. Once in the back. But you appear to be healed.” He lifted a brow as his gaze flickered from him to Eve and back again. “Isn’t that interesting?”

Lucian stiffened. Eve put he
r hand in the small of his back as she cowered behind him. Brice stepped closer, peering intently at her.

“I patched myself up,” Lucian said.
“And you got me in the shoulder just now. Score another one for you.”

“Let me see your
other wounds.” Brice folded his arms across his chest.

“That’s kind of personal, isn’t it?” Lucian asked.

The doctor’s gaze narrowed. “There’s something going on here. I intend to find out what it is. Until then, take his weapons. Arrest him.”

Two guardians complied and Eve saw her only hope withering away.
Lucian’s hands were cuffed behind his back. They pulled him away from her. Brice advanced on her. She may as well be naked the way he looked at her. She felt so exposed.

“Do you remember Kane?” He motioned toward the big thug standing behind him. “He was kind enough to bring you to me.”

She refused to look at him as he stepped next to Brice.

“
I’m happy to see you again, Eve,” he said. “Though I confess I prefer you in the other outfit. Not this shabby jumpsuit. Wherever did you find it, Lucian?”

Brice ran his hand over her cheek, smiling.

Lucian lunged forward but the men held him steady. “Take your damn hands off her.”

He’d growled the words and if he hadn’t been cuffed, she knew Lucian would tear the man apart. That gave her some smug satisfaction.

“Is he your lover now?” Brice asked. “You whore.”

His open hand smacked against her cheek. The stinging pain seared through her but she refused to cry out. She wouldn’t give this bastard the satisfaction
.

Lucian lunged again, fighting against his bonds and his two captors. One of them punched him to subdue him.

“I’d like to finish what I started with you, Eve,” Brice said. “Shall we?” He pointed a gun at her gut, waved her toward the door. “Perhaps your lover will care to watch.”

Her loathing for this man increased tenf
old. When she refused to move, he gave Kane a nod. He reached for her but she jumped back.