Mark of the Bear

Chapter Seven

He’d prayed for this day for more years than he could actually remember. Marko was still trying to process the fact that he was free after more than five thousand years of captivity. It was a heady feeling to breathe in the night air, to stretch his arms and legs, to feel a woman’s soft flesh against his body.

The last was the most disconcerting of all. For the first time in over fifty centuries, he was holding a woman. His cock was full and hard, begging for attention. At least he knew that part of himself still worked.

What he didn’t know was how much of his power had returned. Not all, for certain. But he could clothe himself as he could before. He hadn’t tried to manifest weapons yet. That should have been the first thing he’d tried, but with Kellsie lying next to him he’d forgotten everything else.

His brain was still trying to process everything he’d been through. The memories blurred together after a certain point. They had to for sanity’s sake.

He knew about the modern world. He and the others picked up information from the world around them. Assimilating and understanding all of that knowledge was something else altogether. The world had changed so much in the time he’d been imprisoned. People no longer believed in the old ways. Science and technology were their new gods.

Marko was grateful to have landed in the woods. This was his domain. Here he was on familiar ground. Of course, Hades would want a secluded place. Having demons running around a major city would certainly attract attention—from humans and gods alike.

Kellsie was light in his arms. She was slender and warm and…frightened. He could smell her fear seeping from her skin. He was sorry for that, but he had to protect her, make her believe him.

He released her legs, letting her flow over his body until her feet touched the ground. He barely stifled a groan of pleasure as her lithe form rubbed against his much harder one.

She shoved at his chest and he released her. Watching. Waiting for her to run.

She crossed her arms over her chest, the pose defensive. “You’re crazy, you know that.” Her voice was sharp, but beneath it he heard the quaver of fear.

“No, I’m not. I almost wish I was.” At many points during his incarceration he had feared his sanity was slowly slipping away, but he’d hung on. They all had.

Kellsie darted a quick glance at the entrance. She was going to make a run for it. He could not allow that to happen. Almost casually, he edged toward the opening.

“You can’t keep me here,” she protested. “You’ll never work again after this stunt.” She began to pace. Back and forth. Back and forth. It was almost hypnotizing to watch her fluid movements.

Her body was strong yet curved in all the right places. His eyes were drawn to her breasts. They were soft and full and bounced slightly as she walked.

She tripped on some loose rocks and fell. He winced as her hands and knees hit the ground. Before he could assist her, she was back on her feet, pacing again.

“Are you hurt?” She’d freed him. He owed her more than he could ever repay. The last thing he wanted was for her to be harmed in any way. Which was a stupid sentiment considering Hades would have his minions out looking for them. Demons didn’t play fair.

“What do you think?” she countered.

He almost smiled. She was prickly, his Kellsie. He stilled and frowned. She wasn’t his Kellsie. She wasn’t his anything. His only duty to her was to protect her. Beyond that, he had to stay alive and hopefully figure out a way to rescue his friends.

Mordecai, Phoenix and Stavros had all been released years ago. There had been quite a few years between their releases. Phoenix hadn’t even tried to fight, but had disappeared with the young woman who’d freed him in a flash of smoke and fire. Stavros had disappeared with the woman who’d freed him, never to be heard from again.

Mordecai had been the first. Freed more than forty years earlier. Marko had thought him dead. They all had. Then he’d turned up when Roric had been freed weeks earlier. Mordecai was on Hades side. Turned.

Marko growled low in his chest. The traitor. He would rip him limb from limb for betraying their Lady and fellow warriors. Their honor was everything. Without it, they were no better than Hades and his demons.

He didn’t know what had become of Roric. He, and the female who’d released him, had briefly returned to the carnival before Hades had swept it away in a whirlwind. He prayed his friend had gotten free of Hades’ clutches.

A faint noise caught his attention. While he’d been lost in thought, Kellsie had been maneuvering herself closer to the cave opening. He turned to stop her and she flung out her hand. A shower of dirt and pebbles hit him in the face, momentarily blinding him. He let out a roar of frustration as she took off, quick as a jackrabbit.

He swiped at his face, swearing at himself for getting distracted. He wouldn’t be able to let down his guard around her. Not for one second. He needed to get her to believe him so he could focus all his attention on the task at hand. The past didn’t matter and the future wasn’t assured. Not until the next twenty-four hours had passed. If they survived that, they were home free. Hades and his minions couldn’t touch them.

Hades hadn’t fully realized what he was agreeing to when he’d freed the Lady of the Beasts from her confinement in Hell. But agree, he had. That meant if the warriors survived the turn of a day they, and the women who released them from captivity, were free forever from Hades. Even gods were bound to rules, and once they gave their word it was law. If Hades reneged on his promise, it would backlash on him and almost certainly destroy him.

Marko took off through the woods after Kellsie, setting a fast pace. He could easily hear her crashing through the bushes. She was going for speed, not stealth. He increased his pace, worried that she might fall and injure herself in the darkness. Her night vision would not be nearly as good as his.

Concentrating, he willed a weapon to appear. His fingers tingled and then his broadsword appeared. He almost gave a yell of pleasure at the feel of the hilt in his hand. He gripped it tighter as he raced after Kellsie.

The wind whistled past him, drying the sweat on his body as fast as it appeared. He didn’t feel the chill, but he knew she would. Damn it, she would make herself ill doing this.

Not that he blamed her. She was a fitting mate for any warrior—strong and smart and brave. He realized now that she’d fallen on purpose while she was pacing. It was then she’d scooped up the stones and dirt from the floor.

A reluctant grin crossed his face as he picked up speed. His muscles were flexing and stretching. It felt so good to be in motion after years of being stationary. People thought of bears as slow, lumbering creatures, but they were capable of great speed when necessary. He leapt over a downed log and put on a push to get around to her front.

She was panting so hard she probably couldn’t even hear him passing her off to her left. His heart pounded from a combination of exertion and excitement. The animal part of his nature thrilled in the chase.

A low growl escaped him as he stepped into her path. Legs spread, he planted himself in her way.

She didn’t see him. At least not right away. She was coming fast and hard. Like a runaway locomotive, she was out of control, unable to stop. He knew the moment she finally saw him. Her breathing hitched and she emitted a small whimper of fear. But she didn’t give up. She veered off to the right and kept going.

It was time to end this before she got seriously hurt. Marko sent his sword back into the other realm and pounced, stretching his large body to the max as he leapt at her. He grabbed her around the waist and yanked her into his arms. He turned his body, taking the brunt of the impact as they hit the ground. He cradled her head against his chest for protection.

Marko grunted and bounced once before coming to a complete stop. They’d dug up quite a furrow of dirt with their landing. The smell of thick, rich loam teased his nostrils. His blood pounded in his ears but he could still hear Kellsie gasping for air. He loosened his arms but didn’t release her.

Her heart was racing. It beat in time with his. The night sky was alight with stars and he lay there on the ground totally at peace with Kellsie in his arms. He knew it wouldn’t last.

She began squirming and swearing at him. He raised one eyebrow as she got particularly inventive with her curse words. He reached down and pressed one finger over her lips. “Enough.”

She continued to struggle, her legs kicking his. He was holding her arms by her sides and knew that was the only reason she wasn’t punching him. She reared back suddenly and her head came forward. He jerked back just in time to keep from being head butted.

“Enough,” he said again. He rolled with her in his arms until she was on the bottom with him looming over her. Her legs widened as she tried to push away. He slid easily into the gap, letting her pelvis cradle his. She stilled the second she felt his erection rub against her mound.

Marko was sweating again, but it had nothing to do with exertion. Other needs were pressing down on him now. It had been so very long since he’d had a woman. Not that he would have been attracted to just any woman. He’d always been selective. It was his nature, both as a man and in his animal form.

But Kellsie was special and appealed to him on many levels. Physically, there was no denying her allure. Her hair was like spun sunshine, her eyes as blue as a summer’s sky. Her body was soft in all the right places, made to cradle a man during the long, cold nights of winter and every other night of the year.

She was mentally tough. She hadn’t cried or slunk away from him. No, she’d tried to reason with him. When that hadn’t worked she’d yelled. Then she’d tried to escape. She was stubborn and smart and that was exactly what she’d need to be if they were going to survive the next twenty-four hours.

They were getting a slight reprieve at the moment, and Marko didn’t know why. It could end at any moment, which is why he had to convince Kellsie he was telling her the truth.

She softened beneath him and he sank farther into the curve of her body. He propped himself on his elbows, taking most of his weight off her. “You must listen to me,” he pleaded urgently. “Time is short.”

“Mmm,” she hummed as she dragged a hand over his chest.

Marko lost his train of thought as her fingers tangled in his chest hair. He groaned when her thumb traced his nipple, making it hard.

“You’re so strong,” she crooned.

His mind whirled. He knew something was wrong, but couldn’t quite figure out what. She slid her hand lower, snaking down his abdomen and skimming his cock, which was rock hard and ready.

It was instinct that saved him. Her fingers grazed his balls and suddenly he knew what she was about to do. No way did she go from running from him to seducing him. Not unless it was a decoy.

He grabbed her wrist and squeezed just as her fingers tightened around his sac. He tightened his grip, desperately trying not to hurt her, but exerting enough pressure to make her release him.

Their gazes locked. Hers, frustrated and fearful. His, determined. She would give first.

Sweat beaded on her forehead and her lips compressed into a hard line. Pain and fear filled her gaze, causing regret to flash through him, but he didn’t release her. He couldn’t.

Finally, she gave a ragged cry and let go of his balls. He yanked her hand up and loosened his grip, hoping he hadn’t left a mark on her soft skin.

“I only wish you truly wanted to touch me.” Her eyes widened as he spoke and then half closed when he kissed her wrist. He was afraid she was going to have bruises. “Did I hurt you?”

“What does it matter?” She turned her head away from him. He felt it like a blow to his heart.

He levered himself off her but kept a grip on her, not willing to release her. He pulled her into his arms, needing her close. “Why won’t you believe me?”

She snorted. “Why would I? You really expect me to believe you’re some kind of ancient warrior. An immortal. Who was trapped on the carousel for thousands of years.”

“Yes.”

“Get real. We make movies. It’s all make-believe. Fiction, not fact.” She heaved a sigh of frustration. “Look, dude, carousels haven’t been around for five thousand years so how could you have been imprisoned on one?”

“We weren’t. Not at first. We were kept in caves, moved by Hades’ demons from time to time when humanity encroached on our location.”

She snorted. “Yeah, right. Then why the carousel?”

Marko tightened his grip on her, willing her to understand. “The Lady struck a deal with Hades, telling him how we could be released from our captivity in our animal form. One special woman would be able to free each of us, but Hades had to find her first. That was when he created the traveling carnival.”

She tapped her finger against his chest. “That’s good. You’re good. But I’m still not buying the fact that you’re an ancient warrior.”

Frustration swam through him as he absently ran his hand up and down Kellsie’s spine, trying to soothe her. He still held her wrist in his other hand and brought it to his lips again for a kiss. “I’m sorry if I hurt you.” He hated that he’d had to. But her life was more important than a bruise or two.

“I really think you are.” She sighed. “I don’t get you. On one hand, you’re crazy. On the other, you’re not really violent.”

“I would never hurt you.”

She nodded and slowly tugged on her wrist. He let it go, though he wanted to keep holding on to it, to her.

“You could have hurt me many times since I woke in the cave, but you haven’t. Why don’t you take me back to my trailer and we’ll call it even. I won’t tell anyone about what happened.”

Disappointment gnawed at his soul. What had he expected? That she’d immediately believe what he was telling her. He was a stranger. He was an ancient warrior and she was a modern woman. Of course she would think him mad.

The world no longer believed in his kind, if they did the Lady would have had the power to free herself years ago. On the other hand, Hades might have gained all the power he needed to take over the world if people still worshiped the old gods. He’d seen it, sensed it happening over the years as belief in the unseen, the magical, gave way to the rise of science and technology.

His instincts were screaming at him to get her as far away from the carnival as possible. That was Hades’ battlefield, his ground. Yet there really was no choice. If he couldn’t find some way to make her believe him, she would fight him for the next twenty-four hours. He glanced up at the night sky. Probably less than that now. More like twenty-one hours.

“What would it take to prove to you I’m telling the truth?”

“I don’t know.” Her honestly flayed him.

He thought for a moment. “How about if I sneak you back into the carnival and we find the carousel and the bear is gone? Would that do it?”

She tilted her head to one side, emphasizing her stubborn jaw. “Sure. Yeah, that would do it.”

He knew she was lying and it cut him to his core. Never had he imagined not being trusted. His word was his bond. His honor was unassailable. That she questioned it hurt worse than he thought it would.

He leaned down until their noses almost touched. She sucked in a breath and he tried not to notice how she smelled like lavender underneath the dirt and fear. “You’re lying.” He skimmed his lips over hers. She stilled as if afraid to move. He dragged his tongue over her bottom lip and she moaned. Her lips parted and he dipped inside quickly. He didn’t stay, for fear it was another ploy and he’d find his tongue bitten off.

She squirmed beneath him, and when he eased his mouth away she followed. The kiss was gentle, yet potent. Marko felt it all the way to his toes. Lust was there. But so was something else. Something more. Something he didn’t have time to examine.

Kellsie’s lips molded to his, welcoming his touch. His chest tightened and, deep inside him, something released. He tilted his head to get a better angle. She made a murmur of assent as he deepened the kiss. This time it was her tongue delving past his lips, tasting him.

The surrounding forest, the curse, his fellow warriors, everything else vanished as Kellsie touched him. She tasted like the finest wine, rich and full-bodied. Sweet. Spicy. Complex. When she withdrew her tongue, he followed it back to her mouth.

His body tightened. His cock throbbed incessantly. His fingers itched to touch her, to mold her perfect breasts and tease their hard tips. He wanted to know what color her nipples were, if her pussy was hot and wet, what she found pleasure in, what she wanted from a lover.

Reluctantly, he tore his lips from hers. Resting his forehead against hers, he sucked in much needed air. There was no time for physical pleasures. Not with so much at stake. Maybe after. If they survived.

That thought was as good as a dip in a cold mountain lake. Marko eased back and found Kellsie watching him. A thought struck him then. It was so obvious he didn’t know why he hadn’t immediately thought of it. He blamed it on the overwhelming sensations lashing his body after all the years of imprisonment. Coupled with the sensual impact of Kellsie, it was no wonder he couldn’t think straight.

“I know how to convince you.” He pushed himself up, ignoring how his erection rubbed against her mound, ignoring her gasp and his silent moan.

“How?” Kellsie scrambled to her feet.

He could still feel the tingle of her lips and tongue. Her exquisite taste and tantalizing scent would haunt him forever. “You don’t believe I’m a shapeshifter, a bear.” He didn’t wait for her answer, already knowing what it would be. “Watch.”