Beverly Barton - Raintree - Santuary

“I can’t get enough of you.” He growled the words, resentment in his tone.

“I know,” she whispered, unable to move away from him. “I feel the same way. What are we going to do?”

He cupped her face with both hands. “For the rest of the night, we’re going to forget who we are. You aren’t Princess Mercy Raintree, and I’m not Judah Ansara. We’re just a man and a woman, with no past and no future.”

“And come morning?”

He didn’t respond. But she knew the answer to her question. In the morning they would be enemies again, warriors in an eternal battle, tribe against tribe, Raintree against Ansara.

Judah roused at dawn, the sound of his cousin Claude’s voice a wake-up call inside his head. He rolled over and felt the soft, naked body lying beside him, her arm draped across his waist. Mercy. His sweet Mercy. They had spent the night having sex again and again until they were spent. And yet just the sight of her aroused him, strengthening his morning hard-on.

Judah, answer me, Claude called.

What do you want?

Why aren’t you answering your phone?

His phone? Damn, where was his phone?

Give me a minute.

Judah eased out of bed, careful not to wake Mercy, and spied his slacks lying on the floor where he’d tossed his clothes when he and Mercy had returned to the cabin after their tryst at the waterfall. He walked quietly across the room, bent over, picked up his pants and delved into the pocket to check for his phone. It was still there, vibrating away, signaling an incoming call. After slipping into his pants, he left the bedroom and went into the living room.

He put the phone to his ear. “Claude?”

“About damn time you answered.”

“What’s going on?” Judah asked, keeping his voice low.

“I’ve been trying to reach you for the past hour, and finally gave up and used telepathy, despite the risks.”

“Do you know what time it is? It’s not even daylight here.”

“You should know I wouldn’t bother you if it wasn’t urgent. We’ve got big trouble here in Terrebonne.”

“Hold on.”

Judah glanced back at the open bedroom door. Mercy still slept. Moving silently so he wouldn’t disturb her, he went outside and made his way a good thirty feet from the cabin.

“Okay, now tell me what’s going on.”

“Cael’s minions have been quite busy throughout Terrebonne, spreading a rumor that Dranir Judah has sired a half-Raintree child.”

“Son of a bitch,” Judah cursed. “How widespread is the rumor?”

“It’s just begun, but it’s spreading like wildfire. By daybreak, half the island will know. By lunchtime, the other half will have heard the news. You have to know that Cael is hoping this will incite a rebellion.”

“We need to do damage control right away. Call an emergency council meeting. Tell Sidra that I need her to address the people this evening and tell them about her prophecy.”

“You have to come home, Judah. You need to be at Sidra’s side when she confirms the rumor that you have a mixed-breed daughter.”

“I can’t leave Eve,” Judah said. “Cael expects me to rush home when I learn of the rumors about Eve’s existence. One of the reasons he’s done this is to lure me back to Terrebonne, to leave Eve unprotected.”

“If it comes down to a choice between Eve and your people…”

“There is no choice. Sidra has prophesied that Eve’s existence is necessary for the continuation of the Ansara tribe. She told me that if I am to save my people, I must protect Eve.”

“I don’t know how well Sidra’s prophecy will be received. She has said that Eve will be the mother of a new clan, that she will transform the Ansara.”

“The people know that in her ninety years of life, Sidra’s prophecies have provided us with unerring truths about the future. The Ansara revere her and believe in her prophecies.”

Claude remained silent for several long moments. Judah simply waited, knowing his cousin would speak his mind after giving Judah’s words more thought.

“If you feel you must stay there and protect your daughter, then I will stand at Sidra’s side tonight when she addresses the Ansara kingdom,” Claude said. “Since you can’t return in person to Terrebonne, may I make a suggestion, my lord?”

Claude did not have to explain to Judah what he must do. He knew. “You want me to make a psychic connection to you and speak through you to my people.”

“I will contact you later when our plans are finalized and the time is set for Sidra’s address.” Claude hesitated for a moment, then added, “These are dangerous times for the Ansara. It would be unwise to let your guard down, especially around anyone who is Raintree.”

Claude hung up, leaving Judah to decipher his cryptic message. Claude could be referring to Eve, since she was half Raintree. But he suspected that the Raintree Claude believed he would be most susceptible to was Princess Mercy.

When Mercy woke at dawn to find herself alone in the cabin, she considered it a blessing. How could she have faced Judah in the cold light of day and accepted the fact that they were no longer lovers but once again bitter enemies? She crawled out of bed, dragging the top sheet with her to cover her naked body and protect her from the early morning chill. As she made her way to the bathroom, she stepped on the dress that Judah had sliced in two last night.

She would have to mend it.

As she picked up the tattered garment, just the feel of it beneath her fingertips set off her empathic powers. The cotton material held fragments of her own energy and all the emotions she had experienced when Judah’s cold, penetrating glare had cut her clothes apart. Anger. Fear. Desire.

She hugged the fabric to her and buried her face in its softness as she relived the experience of Judah overpowering her and taking her savagely on the hard ground.

Carrying the dress with her, Mercy went into the bathroom, where she relieved herself, then washed her hands and splattered cold water in her face. She had the look of a woman who had spent the night making love.

Stop thinking about Judah, about the hours of pleasure you shared, about how much you love him.

Mercy lifted her dress from the hook on the back of the door, where she’d left it, closed the commode lid, readjusted the sheet around her chest and sat down. Fixing her gaze on the repair job at hand, she concentrated on using the heat she could generate with the touch of her hands to fuse the material together.

She had almost completed her task when she heard footsteps beyond the bathroom door. Her hand stilled. Her heartbeat accelerated.

Judah?

She flung the dress aside and opened the door. Wearing only his wrinkled trousers, Judah stood in the middle of the bedroom. They looked at each other for one heart-stopping moment; then he moved steadily, purposefully, toward her. She waited for him there in the bathroom doorway. When he reached her, he grasped the edge of the sheet where she’d tucked it across her chest, gave it a strong tug and peeled it from her body.

“It’s dawn,” she said.

“Then we’d better not wait. It’ll be full daylight before long.”

He lifted her into his arms and carried her back to bed, then stripped off his slacks and joined her. They mated with the same fury they had shared the first time they made love last night.

Would this be the final time? she wondered. Would she never lie in his arms again, never belong to him again, never possess and be possessed with such passion?

They had walked halfway back to the house together, then Mercy had gone on ahead and managed to sneak up the back stairs without getting caught. She had showered and dressed before she heard Sidonia stirring, then started her day as if everything were normal. Although Sidonia hadn’t questioned her about why she hadn’t returned home last night, she had given her several damning looks during the day, especially whenever Judah was nearby.