Her own mother had taken her to the Outer City and sold her to any creature who wanted an Amazon but didn't want to be enslaved in the Amazon camp. She'd fought them—at first. But they'd held her down, allowing more and more people to witness her humiliation.
Nola's teeth pulled back from her lips as she strode past a thick grouping of trees, daggers clutched in both of her hands. Vampires. How she was beginning to despise them. Zane had no business making her feel this way, confused and achy, unsure and hopeful. So many times throughout her life she'd hoped for something better, only, always, to be let down.
I should kill Zane and his king. Delilah had never acted so…soft before. Clearly all Delilah could think about lately was that bastard king. Every time Nola looked at her, she was looking at him. Why? Delilah was hard, reliable, caring to all of her sisters. Nola had always been a little jealous of her. Everyone loved the warrioress, thought she could do no wrong. She'd never known any hardships that Nola could tell.
As for Nola, she'd always existed on the outskirts, afraid to be a part of the tribe. Afraid they, too, would use and hurt her. That hadn't stopped Delilah from trying to protect her, both in battle with the dragons and on this island. Despite the distance Nola kept between herself and the world, Delilah had truly thought to help her.
For that, I owe her. And there was only one thing Nola could think to give the warrioress. Freedom. As long as the vampire king lived, Delilah would be ensnared by him, a victim who accepted everything her man did to her in the name of love. 'Love,' she scoffed.
'A weak and treacherous emotion,' a soft voice whispered.
Nola stiffened, spun around, searching for an intruder. There wasn't one. 'Who are you? Where are you? Show yourself, coward.'
'Kill the vampires, my beloved,' the soft yet somehow powerful voice continued. 'They deserve it, as you know, and you will be handsomely rewarded. I'll even help you in your quest. Bespell you to heal as the other creatures heal, fast and without any lingering discomfort. Surely your leg is paining you even now?'
'What kind of reward?' she asked, realizing she could only be speaking to one of the gods.
'Should you succeed, I shall grant you a boon. Anything of your choosing…'
Anything? Nola licked her lips in growing excitement. More than anything, she wanted her mother brought back to life—so that she could kill the bitch again. I'll kill the vampire king for Delilah, as well as for the reward.
Zane she would simply destroy for fun.
CHAPTER 20
DELILAH SPENT MOST OF the morning contemplating what to do about Layel. Once she'd thought—hoped, tricked herself into thinking—a single night with him would be enough.
It hadn't been.
Now she wanted more. More of him. More of everything. He'd touched her body, but he had branded her soul. She thought she might even…love him. Love who and what he was, who and what he'd been. Who and what he would be. The darkness of him, even. And she wanted him to love her in return, to desire her as a mate. To make love to her and hold her afterward, not run away as if she were poison.
She wanted him to cherish her as he still cherished the other. I am a prize, damn it!
Delilah was jealous, she admitted that. And even though she craved Layel all to herself, she would not ask him to forget his first love. Provide Delilah with a place in his heart, yes. She suspected a small part of his heart would be better than the complete devotion of a thousand others.
Had Delilah been less of a warrior, she might have said the task of winning him was impossible. Already her teammates were turning on her, thinking of her as the helper of their enemy. And Tagart had warned her. To engage the vampire king was to nullify their alliance. More than that, Layel himself seemed determined to push her from his life.
He had cried, for gods' sake. Cried. Thinking of those hot tears knotted her stomach painfully. How broken and raw he must have felt to do such a thing in front of her.
How broken and raw she felt, remembering. He hadn't shed a tear when he'd been hurt. He had not even grimaced. Why, then, had he done so after making love to her?
If only she knew more about men and their ways. But she didn't, had only her limited experience with Vorik to lean on, so she was just going to have to fight for him blind. 'The most important battle of my life, and I'm practically weaponless,' she muttered to the trees.
After she bathed, hating to lose Layel's scent on her skin but knowing it was necessary, she dressed, wrapping thin strips of leather around herself. The less material she wore, the less her opponents had to grab.
With a sigh, she made her way to the beach. Above, the orange globe shone brightly, its heat dotting sweat beads on her skin. Yet both teams sat around a crackling fire, she saw when she reached camp, eating from the body of a roasted pig. She spotted Nola, who was soaking wet and bleeding, but the wound was weaving itself together even as Delilah watched. How was that possible?
Nola spotted her, too, studied her, frowned and motioned her over with a wave of her fingers. She crossed her legs, hiding her swiftly healing wound.
Delilah blushed as she walked. Do I look different to everyone? Satisfied? She sat on the log beside the other Amazon, a spicy aroma wafting to her nose. Her mouth watered. 'Your injury is—'
'Not important. We lost another member of our team this morning,' Nola said, handing her a thick green leaf topped with blackened meat.
'What?' Eyes wide, she balanced the leaf on her knees. 'How? My team lost the challenge.'
'Silly fool tried to escape. Swam toward the dome.' Nola shrugged, uncaring. 'He was eaten by the sharks. Probably a merciful death compared to what the gods would have meted out. But I won't ask where you were or why you weren't here to help me as you swore you would be.'
Delilah's blush intensified to a sizzling burn. 'Hopefully the number of teammates will not matter during the next challenge.'
Nola popped a bite of yellow fruit into her mouth, chewed thoughtfully. 'Do you truly care if my team fails?'
'Of course.'
'For me, or your vampire?'
Her vampire. She liked the sound of that. 'Why can I not be concerned for you both?'
'The vampire king despises you, you know. He's using you to win.'
Delilah stared down at her plate, tendrils of fear whispering through her. 'Why are you doing this?' She'd come here hopeful of a future with her man. Her sister had, with only a few words, sliced her up inside and exposed all the fears she'd tried not to dwell on. 'I'm not allowed to find happiness? Is that what you're trying to tell me? Just because I'm an Amazon?' She pinched a bite of meat into her mouth, her fingers shaking.
'Happiness?' Nola laughed down at her, but the sound had a sharp bite to it. 'With a man? An enemy? A warrior who will ultimately betray you? We have never been the best of friends, Delilah, but even I would not wish such a fate upon you.'
Delilah knew that, and the food she'd just ingested turned to a lead ball in her stomach.
'You're willing to leave our tribe for him, aren't you?'
If he would have her, she thought she just might. Men were not allowed to live among the tribe outside of mating season. To even ask for such a thing was to invite punishment.
Layel would be worth it, though she doubted he would want to live with her sisters. Still, she suspected he would do it if she asked—and if he loved her, of course. He would do anything to protect and soothe the woman he loved. She sensed it with everything inside her. He would not be happy until his mate was happy. He would love her so fiercely, the rest of the world would vanish.
She could do no less.
Could he love her, though? Those tears…and he'd asked only for one night. But so did you. True. Perhaps, like her, he now regretted that decision. Perhaps he was thinking of fighting for her. Slowly she grinned.
'You're smiling at the thought of betraying your race? You truly are demented,' Nola grumbled.
