Scarred Warrior (Dark Warrior Alliance #7) - Brenda Trim Page 0,39

but I can’t figure him out. He feels closest to shifters, but he’s not a species I recognize.” She shook her head and met his gaze again. “One thing is certain, Zeum is nothing like I imagined,” Shae sighed, with a bemused expression that softened her face.

“It’s never a dull moment, that’s for sure. And Nate is one of the dragon shifters from Khoth. Now, can I get you anything?”

“I’d really love to get out of here. I’m trying to hold on, but it’s difficult to be in these dungeons. I’m still locked up and it’s not helping calm me down. It’s completely counterproductive. Hell, I don’t even know if its day or night.” She wrapped her hands around the bars in front of her.

“It’s night,” he murmured. He stood there and glared at her, not caring for the way she so easily manipulated his emotions. He wondered if he could take a chance on her. Confusion crossed her features and he let out a sigh of defeat. “If you promise to remain by my side, I can take you out of here, but only for a few minutes.” He was going out on a limb, but he couldn’t stand to see the agony in her eyes. He never wanted to see that look in her eyes again.

Her eyes went impossibly wide and giddiness washed over her face. “Seriously? You’ll take me out? Zander said no earlier...” Hope was a fragile thing and he refused to crush what he’d extended to her, but hearing Zander didn’t want her out told him they’d need to be covert in their departure. The last thing he wanted was to piss off his liege. He shouldn’t be doing it at all, but found there was no way he could leave her in that cell a minute longer.

“I will. As long as you understand that you aren’t going home and I have to put you back in here.”

“I know. I won’t fight you…much,” she winked at him. He found himself returning her smile as he placed his palm over the mystical lock and it immediately unlocked. Luckily, all of the cells in the dungeon were programmed to the warriors’ handprints.

“Oh, I don’t know. I think I’ll enjoy holding you down, Red,” he husked as the door swung open.

“I’m too much female for you. Just sayin’,” she returned. He didn’t miss the blush that stained her cheeks or the light that entered her gaze. Challenge accepted, he thought.

*****

Shae followed Gerrick down the corridor, reeling from the flirtation between them. Her initial reaction had been revulsion when he mentioned holding her down, but that quickly burned away and was replaced by the heat of arousal. She hadn’t reacted to him like she did every other male she’d come into contact with since her rescue. She couldn’t get far enough away from males, except Gerrick. She had been attracted to him from the beginning and that had only increased over time. She shook her head and focused on the fact that she was going to have a few minutes of freedom.

They traveled past Cami who watched them with wary eyes, but she kept her mouth shut. Shae expected her to beg to be let out, as well, and was glad when she didn’t say a word. It was selfish of Shae not to ask for Cami to be included in their little outing, but she wanted to be alone with Gerrick. He made her angry, aroused her to a fever pitch and made her feel things she hadn’t known she was capable of and she couldn’t help but want more.

“This goes on further than I would’ve guessed,” she commented as they continued walking down the corridor.

“We added these tunnels as an easy escape in the event of emergencies. They lead to the trees lining our property. We couldn’t risk full-sun exposure with Zander and his siblings.”

“You guys dug these tunnels?” she asked, surprised once again that the Vampire King and his Dark Warriors had done such a menial, time-consuming task.

“Don’t sound so surprised, Red,” he said as he opened a large, heavy door. “Stick close to me. You won’t like it if you make me chase you down. I bite.” He grinned at her and she noticed he had perfectly straight white teeth that accented his crooked and oh-so-sexy smile.

The scent of pine trees was heavy as they stepped outside and the forest floor was covered in greenery that was soft under her bare feet. He grabbed her