The Forest Whispers Read online

  There was no tussle for dominance. He gave up the fight without a struggle. As the adrenaline rush subsided, Lana saw in the dim light that it was Captain Corin Thantos she had pinned between her thighs. A mixture of amusement and irritation surfaced as she watched the surprise in his eyes slowly supplanted with chagrin. She lifted one arched brow, a feline smile curling her lips. Very deliberately, she allowed her gaze to move down his face to his chest. Removing her blade from his throat, she sheathed it then placed her palms over his bulging pecs, testing the taut muscles. "Nice."

  Catching his gaze, she moved her hands to the bulging biceps of his upper arms. "Very nice." Still gripping his arms, she leaned forward until they were almost nose to nose. "I like to break my bulls before I ride them," she murmured, feeling a rush of desire replace the murderous impulse of before as she plucked almost playfully at his lips.

  A rush of breath escaped him, as if he’d been holding it. His taste and scent filled her, igniting the glowing embers of desire and bringing a flush of sensitivity to her skin.

  Sitting up, she reached behind her, skating a hand over his hard, flat belly and burrowing her fingers beneath his cod piece. "What sort of pretty are you hiding here, I wonder? Something I would like to play with?"

  He sat bolt upright as her fingers curled around his cock. She’d anticipated as much, however, and snatched her hand free, gripping his arms once more. "What? You don’t want to play?"

  Confusion filled his eyes—as well as desire. "Why have you followed me, little one? There is danger in this forest for those who do not know the lands."

  Lana’s lips curled. She’d meant only to tease him, but the truth was, she was horny as hell. She hadn’t had a man between her legs in a while, and certainly not a specimen as magnificent as this one. He was a barbarian, of course, and probably had no idea of how to please her even if he was so inclined, but she didn’t allow that to dissuade her. She was perfectly capable of wringing her own pleasure from him. Slipping her palms up his arms, she looped her arms around his neck, tightening her hold until her breasts brushed against him with each heavy breath she drew. "You followed me, big one, but who’s keeping score?"

  Something flickered in his eyes—a touch of amusement, doubt, desire.

  Lana settled more fully against him, allowing the heat of her cleft to engulf the rigid cock striving to escape his cod piece. To her satisfaction, the material the cod piece was formed from was pliable—not nearly as stiff as the dick pushing up against it.

  "You mean to--ravish me?" he asked in a deep growl.

  Lana gnawed a path of love bites along his jaw to his ear. "You’re not going to resist, are you?" she asked huskily, nipping at his earlobe.

  His answer was to roll over and toss her onto her back. He stared down at her a moment, holding himself off of her with his arms and finally dipped his head, opening his mouth over hers. He tasted of man and forest, wildness and passion. A heady rush of molten desire spilled through the throat of Lana’s sex, the muscles fisting in anticipation. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she arched upward as she dueled with his tongue, stroking her tongue along his as she lifted toward him, undulating her hips and pressing her cleft against his engorged flesh, easing slightly away and pressing again, in a massaging motion that teased her clit, evoking tremors of pleasure in her.

  Sucking his tongue, she slipped her hands downward and cupped his buttocks, pressing him more tightly to her.

  Groaning, he tore his mouth from hers and charted a course down her throat, burying his face in the cleft between her breasts for a moment before he scooped her breasts from the neck of her vest and covered first one tip and then the other with his mouth, suckling, teasing the sensitive tips with his tongue.

  Lana released her grip on his buttocks and grabbed a handful of his hair, holding him close, moaning at the exquisite sensations that rocketed through her at the feel of his mouth and tongue. Abruptly, she reached between them, digging beneath his cod piece and gripping his cock in her hand as an urgency filled her to feel his cock plunging inside of her.

  He pulled away from her long enough to release the knot that held the piece in place, tossed it aside and executed a short search for the fastening of her thigh length breeches before he gave up and wedged his hand beneath the waistband, digging his fingers into the wetness of her cleft.

  Lana gasped, squeezed her eyes closed as his questing finger nudged her clit, assaulted the sensitive bud, sending jolts of keen sensation through her and making her belly clench in hard spasms. She felt as if she would come any moment and a sense of desperation seized her. She wanted to feel his hard cock inside of her when she climaxed, wanted to feel him pounding into her.

  Dragging his hand from her pants, she pulled the release strip along each side of the front and lifted her hips to shove the breeches down her legs. He rose up, pulled the breeches from her legs and dropped them. Grasping her legs, he pushed them apart and settled between them, pressing his cock head against her.

  Dizzy, breathless, Lana lifted her hips to meet him, feeling the blunt head slip along her cleft and wedge itself into her opening. Heaving upward, she impaled herself on the rigid shaft, felt the head of his cock inch its way into her wet passage. He withdrew slightly and plunged against her again, gaining ground. As he withdrew once more, Lana planted her feet flat against the ground and heaved upward to meet him.

  His cock was so big, so hard, so hot. She couldn’t get enough fast enough, bucking against him with each fresh assault until she felt him imbedded to the hilt inside of her, felt him grinding his pubic bone against her own and a heady rush of passion scoured her.

  Gasping for breath, groaning with the delightful friction of his hard cock thrusting in and out of her, Lana gripped the cheeks of his ass, forcing him into a hard, furious pace as she felt the tension inside her body tightening toward an explosive release. He resisted, tried to hold himself in check, but the pace she set sent him careening out of control.

  As she felt his body jerk with imminent release, she slipped her hand between them and massaged her clit. Within moments, she felt her body convulse. A jolt hit her, and then another and then ecstasy exploded in fiery waves throughout her body. She gripped his buttocks, burying her face against his neck to muffle the cry of completion that scraped from her throat.

  He shuddered, groaned as his own release thundered through him, slamming into her over and over until the spasms of his climax began to dissipate. Finally, still wracked by random shudders, he caught her thigh and pulled her with him as he rolled onto his side, gasping for breath.

  Lana lay limply beside him, basking in the warm glow that suffused her entire body in the wake her of release, struggling to catch her breath. Slowly, her heart returned to normal, and her breathing, and the warmth began to disperse. A shiver went through her with the loss of internal heat.

  Dragging in a deep, shuddering breath, she reached up and patted his cheek. "It was as good as I’d hoped," she said smiling faintly. "Thanks." Untangling herself, she got up and moved down to the small creek to clean herself.

  Corin was sprawled beside the fire, regarding her curiously when she returned. Ignoring him, she went to her pack and withdrew a towel to dry herself off before she retrieved her breeches and stepped into them once more. She discovered once she’d dressed that Thantos had parked his oversized carcass on her bedroll. Planting her hands on her hips, she gave him a look. "Uh—that’s only big enough for one."

  His brows rose, but after a minute he moved off of it.

  "You didn’t bring one?" she asked disapprovingly.

  He eyed her frowningly for several moments and finally got up and disappeared into the brush. When he returned several minutes later, he was carrying a bundle slung over one shoulder. Yawning, Lana settled on her bedroll, pulled her cover over her shoulders and composed herself for sleep once more. Within a few moments, she drifted into oblivion.

  Light was just beginning to filter to the forest floor when Lana wo
ke. Generally, the moment she woke, she got up, but a vague sense of well being made her reluctant to give up the dregs of sleep entirely. She lay for several moments with her eyes closed, allowing herself to come slowly to full awareness of her surroundings.

  She felt more relaxed that she’d felt in a very long time—warm, surprisingly comfortable—someone was breathing on her neck.

  Fully awake now, Lana looked down at the weight lying across her waist and saw that it was a massive arm. She stared at it while memory of the night before flooded back, wondering if she should’ve fucked Corin Thantos after all.

  She hadn’t stopped to consider the attitude these barbarians had toward women.

  Shoving his arm off of her, she got to her feet and went to her pack. Digging through it for the things she needed, she headed down to the stream to perform her morning ritual. On her way back to the campsite, she passed Corin heading down to take care of his own needs.

  She saw when she reached the campsite that he’d stirred the smoldering remains of the fire from the night before and set a small pot in the coals. Shrugging, she bundled her bedding and stowed it. Digging a bar of food from her pack, she looked around for her bearings and set out for the farm, munching her protein bar as she walked.

  When she’d finished, she shoved the wrapper into her pack and dug out her locator. It wasn’t picking up Sadin’s signature, and she wondered if she’d gotten completely off track or if the forest was interfering. She stopped, turning in a circle as she did a 360 degree sweep.

  Maybe she should’ve just stayed with the trail instead of cutting through the woods?

  The trees were massive, their trunks anywhere from three feet in diameter to six. The density of their fiber must be interfering with her equipment.

  While she was considering the situation, an Ata Prime warrior in full war paint and carrying their weapon of choice, a trident, stepped from the trees only a few yards from her. A jolt went through her as she caught sight of him. She hadn’t realized until that moment how well his garb and skin coloring allowed him to blend with the forest.

  It was stunning to think a man nearly seven feet tall and a good three feet across the shoulders could become the next thing to invisible so easily.

  It took her several moments to realize the giant holding the wicked looking trident was Corin Thantos.

  He looked pissed.

  Maybe he wasn’t a morning person?

  Uneasy, but unwilling to show it, Lana focused on stowing her locator as he advanced on her.

  "Why did you leave?"

  Lana looked up at him in surprise. "I’ve got business here. The only reason I cut through the forest was so I could reach the next farm early this morning."

  He studied her angrily for several moments and finally lifted his head, as if he was listening to something. Frowning, Lana lifted her head and listened, too. She couldn’t hear anything, however.

  "He did not pass this way," Corin said finally.

  "I know. He probably took the trail, but I’m trying to catch up to him," Lana responded tartly and turned, striding away. Without a word, Corin fell into step beside her. After glancing at him with a mixture of curiosity and irritation several times, Lana ignored him.

  She knew the moment the farm came into view that something was wrong. She didn’t have to be familiar with Ata Prime to know it. Farmers were the same, whatever world they hailed from. It was full light. The farm should have been buzzing with activity. Instead, a deathly quiet lay over it.

  Drawing her pistol, Lana stepped back into the line of the trees and made her way as closely as she could to the farm before she stopped once more and scanned the area carefully.

  There was nothing to indicate that the farm had been abandoned, no sign of deterioration from lack of care. It was possible, of course, that the owners had gone to market.

  "Do you know the people who live here?" she asked Corin quietly when he crouched beside her.

  "No."

  She turned to study him a moment. "Check the outbuildings. I’ll take the main house."

  Corin’s lips tightened. "We will go together and check."

  Letting out an irritated breath, Lana conceded that there wasn’t much possibility that she could shake Corin at this point, or induce him to follow orders either. Shaking her head in irritation, she began to make her way carefully toward the main structure, moving from cover to cover, stopping to survey the area for any signs of movement before she moved on.

  When she reached the building, she flattened herself against the wall and inched forward until she could glance through a window. The room appeared deserted and she could see no signs of a fight. Corin, she discovered when she glanced around, was right beside her.

  A start of surprise went through her. Irritation quickly followed it.

  The man was a mountain of flesh. By rights, he should move like a thundering herd of buffalo, not like her shadow.

  Dismissing it, she jerked her head in the direction of the door. "I’ll take this door. You go around to the other one," she said on a breath of sound.

  His eyes narrowed. He lifted his head, as if listening, or perhaps considering whether he wanted to follow the order or not and finally moved away. Ducking beneath the window, Lana moved forward slowly until she was standing beside the door. Catching hold of the handle, she tested it and found that it was unlocked. After taking several deep breaths to calm the adrenaline surging through her system, she grabbed the handle and burst inside, immediately executing a dive and roll that brought her behind a section of wall.

  She glanced around. Here, there were signs of a struggle—a basket on the floor, strewn vegetables, several smears of blood. Sickness welled inside of her. Sadin had been here and left.

  After a moment, she moved away from the wall and began a careful room by room search. She met up with Corin in the kitchen area.

  The woman was completely naked and pinned to the floor, spread eagle, with a knife driven through the palm of each hand into the floor.

  Her entrails were wrapped around her neck. It looked like he’d used her intestines to strangle her.

  Lana coughed but managed to keep from throwing up.

  "He has gone from this place."

  Lana nodded a little jerkily. "You checked the other buildings?"

  "No."

  She was on the point of demanding to know how the hell he knew Sadin was gone if he hadn’t checked, but decided against it. She knew Sadin was gone because she knew Sadin.

  Shoving her pistol into her holster, she moved toward the victim and squatted down, prying one of the knives from the woman’s palm. The arm was cold and limp. Blood had pooled along the bottom side of her arm.

  "Shit!" Lana ground out furiously.

  The woman had been here, dying by inches while she fucked around at the other farm the day before. Tears of rage filled her eyes. If she’d come straight here instead of deciding to check on the other farm first … "The son-of-a-bitch is a day ahead of us … at least. He’ll be moving fast now that he’s made a kill."

  After a moment, she rose and strode outside. There was a well between the house and the barn. She went to it, dropped her pack to the ground beside it and pulled up a bucket of water, scooping up handfuls and splashing it on her face before she cupped several handfuls and drank. Drying her hands on her breeches, she looked around.

  Like her shadow, Corin had followed her. He was studying her, his own expression impassive. She offered him the bucket, glancing around while he drank. "Her man will be in the fields."

  Corin set the bucket down. "He would be tracking the killer."

  Lana shook her head. "Sadin doesn’t leave witnesses."

  As she’d expected, they found the man in the back section of one of his fields. He was lying on his back and looked to have been dead for some time. Lana squatted beside the body, examining it.

  "He followed the man to the field and killed him first."

  Corin squatted down beside her. He was fr
owning as he studied the man. "He has been here much longer."

  "Exactly. As I said, he followed the man and killed him so that he could take his time with the woman. From the deterioration, the man has to have been dead three or four days … of course, without an autopsy, it would be impossible to pin it down precisely, but it looks like Sadin’s MO."

  "This man was killed by a wild beast."

  Lana shook her head. "He’s an animal, but he’s no wild beast."

  Corin’s lips tightened. "The claw marks … here and here. What weapon would he use?"

  Lana rose. "What beast did those claws come from?" she asked, pointing to Corin’s garments.

  "The manazir."

  She nodded. "My guess is, probably one of those."

  He glanced from her to the body in confusion. "He slew a manazir and used its claws for his weapon?"

  She shook her head. "Sadin Quyz is not human. He’s a chameleon of the Diem star system. He assumes whatever form he pleases. That’s one of the reasons it’s been so hard to catch the son-of-a-bitch. Or did you think I was just that damned incompetent?"

  Chapter Three

  His lips tightened. "You do not know what I think. Do not make assumptions based on your own prejudice. I did not become captain of the royal guard only for my abilities as warrior."

  Lana was taken aback. Finally, she shrugged. "Maybe you’re right. Maybe I’m too touchy about it, but Rex Pimetrius certainly gave me the impression that women here are nothing but chattel and considered of no worth."

  "That is not true. Our women are of great worth to us. That is why we protect and care for them. But you are nothing like the women of Ata Prime. Beyond the fact that you neither dress nor behave as the women here, I had not known what to expect of a woman of Earth—but I learn quickly."

  Lana felt a faint flush rise in her cheeks. Obviously, he wasn’t unaware of the fact that she’d dismissed the Ata Prime male as big, brawny, and stupid, besides being control freaks. "Touché." Uncomfortable under his gaze, she surveyed the field, wondering which direction Sadin would have taken from here. "Someone needs to inform the authorities about what’s occurred here. And since I can’t picture them paying me a lot of attention, I’m thinking it should be you."