the considerable strength the older woman possessed when he’d cornered her inside her house, hence the reason they’d secured her with the extra length of rope. He was taking no chances with this one.
Calling upon every ounce of his glamouring power, he stroked the Telluride woman’s cheek.
“Keep touching me and I’ll feed you your own finger.”
“So says the woman currently tied to a chair.” He leaned closer. Staring into her eyes, he transmitted the magnetic waves that would lull her into submission. “This will go much better if you cooperate.”
Her pupils dilated. “I am.”
“Then tell us what you did with the trident.”
“I told you everything I know.”
“Liar,” Reva screamed.
Tweaking his nose, he glared up at the duchess. “Cool it, Shriekerella. I’m working here.”
Huffing beneath her breath, Reva flounced into the bathroom. Maybe if he was lucky, the damn pain in the ass would slip on the tile and break her neck.
He could hope.
Returning his attention to Aurele, he caressed her cheek again. She flinched but made no mocking boasts about relieving him of appendages. Despite her resistance, the glamour was wheedling past her defenses. He tapped her chin. “It’s no use, you know. Sooner or later, you will give me what I want.”
“Not likely.” Her smile turned crafty.
There was something she wasn’t telling him. That wouldn’t last long. He gripped both sides of her face, intensifying his magnetic output. “What are you keeping from me?”
He could feel her struggle for control, the helpless frustration clawing within her like a desperate beast frantic to escape. She let loose an angry moan. “The location has been wiped from my memory.”
The news filled him with cold rage, and he briefly debated what method of killing Aurele would best soothe the sting of having his time wasted this evening. But then it hit him. Rather than displaying the same gloating bravado as before, a raw-edged panic had laced her words. He decided to press her further. “But?”
Again she waged her silent battle before blurting out what he’d been waiting for. “It can be returned.”
“How?”
“The…mind sweeper.”
He smiled in victory. Now they were getting somewhere. “And the name of this mind sweeper?”
She jerked away from him. Grasping a hank of her hair, he yanked her head back. “The name.”
“Kr-Kragos.”
Harrison’s smile instantly dissolved.
Bloody. Fuck.
Max awoke to the sound of Willa whimpering. Worried, he leaned over her. She twitched, a soft cry tumbling free. “No. If I go in there, bad things will happen.”
She was reliving one of the damn implants. He jostled her arm, hoping to gently wake her, but she gave a short scream, her eyes snapping open. The terror within them made his heart seize. He framed her face with his hands. “Willa, baby, you’re having a nightmare.”
Her eyes dark and unfathomable, she stared at him. Suddenly she slid her foot along the back of his calf in a slow, seductive glide. “You have what I need.”
He blinked at the swift, unexpected change in her demeanor.
“Help me, Max.” She wrapped her arms around him, her fingertips dancing down his spine. “Help me find the way back.”
He didn’t know what to make of her plea. Help her back where? Atlantis? Before he could voice the question, Willa drew his head down, her mouth seeking his. He parted his lips and her tongue slicked inside, bold and playful. The kiss was lush. Erotic.
Lusty.
It hit him then. Willa’s nymph had decided to come out of hiding.
She ducked her head, her tongue coasting along his jaw line as she tickled the base of his tailbone. He groaned, his cock growing hard. She must have noticed, because she slid a hand between them and stroked the length of his shaft. Her teeth caught his earlobe and gave it a nip. “It’s really unfair being the only one not naked here.”
He eased off her and made quick work removing the clothes she’d fallen asleep in. The slopes of her breasts beckoned, and he kissed them before concentrating on her nipples, laving them into tight little buds with his tongue. She murmured softly, her fingers sifting through his hair. He coasted lower and settled between her legs. Spreading her pink folds, he licked her leisurely, taking his time to enjoy her pleasure. Revel in her taste. Slipping a finger inside her, he crooked it, seeking that sweet spot on the interior wall of her pussy. She arched into him, gasping his name. Rubbing the pad of his finger insistently, he flattened his tongue, lapping his way toward her clit. He teased the