Warrior's Heart: Gifts of the Ancients, Book 1 Read online

  When the last of his seed had been delivered, he collapsed on her. He knew he was too heavy for her. Rolling quickly, Hal kept them joined. He hadn’t been kidding when he’d said he wanted to stay inside her as long as possible. She was warm, wet and welcoming, and by the look and feel of her, in no hurry to expel him from her body, so he stayed, tucking her close and encouraging her to snooze in the aftermath.

  He held her while she rested from the most explosive orgasm of her life, and she realized she couldn’t love him any more if she tried. She woke to the feel of him moving inside her, hard and ready once more as he took her on her side. He had one of her legs hooked over his hips, spread wide and at an odd angle that made the tip of his penis strike her G-spot with every thrust. She bet it wouldn’t take long to send her into orbit, and she was right. Within minutes, she was screaming his name and an even more intense orgasm wracked her body.

  She felt him come warm and hot within her, and she reveled in the feel of his slippery tribute trailing down over her body, leaking from inside her.

  They showered together after they’d cooled down a bit, only to heat the water to steam around them as they made love again in the bathroom. He had her up against the tile wall, bent over the sink, and sitting on the vanity before he was through, giving her many more orgasms before he came again himself.

  She’d never been with a man who recovered faster or could go longer than Hal. If he wasn’t a superhero, he was the next best thing, seeing to her safety, comfort and pleasure before taking his own. He seemed to enjoy bringing her to orgasm and turning her on with his sometimes dirty commentary. She loved that about him. In fact, she loved everything about him. Knowing that they were more than compatible sexually was the latest item on her list of the reasons why she loved him.

  Casey poured out all the love she’d held inside for so long, holding him close when he shuddered and came deep in her body. She kissed him deeply, reveling in his possession and feeling possessive right back.

  Chapter Seven

  After they returned to bed, he held her close, basking in the glow of love given and received. The reality of loving Casey blew away his fantasies of her. She was pure energy and when she made love, she focused all her being on the man she was with. He hoped and prayed that man would be him again and again.

  The thought of her with another drove him mad. He wanted her, and he would keep her for as long as she let him.

  But eventually, he feared, his secrets would drive them apart. It was time to share some of those secrets. To see if clearing the air would draw them closer… or drive them apart.

  “We saw the Tower of Babel and the Hanging Gardens. Not in ruins. In full bloom.” He stroked her hair as she lay quietly beside him, firmly ensconced in his arms. Somehow it made it easier to talk about, though he’d had difficulties before describing the odd apparition that had forever changed him and his men. “The tower reached toward Heaven itself and shone brightly in the desert sun. We didn’t really notice anything odd at first. Saddam had his people rebuild a lot of the ruins of Babylon, so we figured it was part of that. I sent Zeke and Wil to check it out. They’re archaeologists, so they wanted to see what the builders had done to the ruins. They called us in after we secured the perimeter and showed us that this was no ordinary building. It hadn’t been rebuilt. It was in perfect, original condition. That’s when Jeff started cracking jokes about Rod Serling and The Twilight Zone. Knowing what I know now, I don’t think he was too far off the mark.”

  He continued to stroke her soft hair, relishing the feel of her, solid and warm in his arms as he recalled the oddest occurrence of his life.

  “We went to the top of the tower cautiously. No one appeared to be there. We stuck to procedure, leapfrogging each other, securing each position. I was the first to reach the pinnacle and for just a moment, the view took my breath away. I don’t know if the old man was there before I got distracted, but when I turned back just a second later, there was this old guy sitting in the center of the room. He was dressed in really fine robes and sitting cross-legged on a very fancy rug. He was looking right at me like he’d been waiting for me.” He shivered, thinking of that life-changing moment and was reassured by her softly stroking hand on his shoulder.

  “I called Mike in. He’s our best interpreter, though we spoke a bit of the local dialect, but there was no need. The old guy started speaking in perfect English, which was unexpected, to say the least. He welcomed us in this booming voice, and we lost discipline. The rest of the unit tumbled into the room without orders. The command in that old man’s voice was hard to deny.”

  “What happened then?”

  “We exchanged words. He asked who we were, and I told him. He didn’t seem to know what the United States was or that the country was at war. I tried to ask him a few questions, but he was cagey. He was pretty clear on his dislike of what Saddam had done to the ruins. He spat a few times when he looked out at the rebuilt portions of the city from his tower. Then he started asking us questions—personal questions—about our beliefs and our values. It was weird. We couldn’t keep from answering. It was like we were compelled somehow. He got us to tell him about the causes for the war and the state of the world. It was like the guy hadn’t seen the news in twenty years.”

  “They didn’t have a lot of TVs or a free press in that country before, did they?”

  He nodded. “But it was more than that. He really had no clue what had been happening for hundreds of years. We answered questions on everything from the Cold War to the American Revolution. He kept asking and asking, and we were powerless to stop answering. It seemed perfectly normal at the time.”

  “So what happened after he finished questioning you? How long did it take?”

  “Well, that’s the weirdest part. It seemed like we talked to the guy for hours, but when he finally finished with his questions, I could tell by the position of the sun that only a few minutes had passed. Then he looked at each of us in turn. He came right up to us and put his hand on our foreheads, one at a time. Normally, none of us would tolerate uninvited contact of any kind with an unknown civilian, yet we stood there, letting him touch us. He spent a few moments with each one of my men then came to me. When he touched me, I felt a super head rush, like I’d just completed ten high-altitude, low-opening jumps in a row. I blinked and my vision cleared, and the old man was smiling. He called us warriors of the djinn. He said a few other things. That’s what stuck in my mind the most.”

  “Holy moly. You think the old man was a djinni or something?”

  “Or something. At least, that’s my theory. The other guys each heard something a little different, some in different languages.”

  “What?” She seemed to be more accepting of his wild tale than even he’d hoped.

  He shrugged. “I think we really were in the ancient Tower of Babel.”

  “Wow.”

  God bless her, she was with him every step of the way. He couldn’t measure how great that made him feel. To have her trust, her acceptance and her love meant more to him than anything else in the world.

  “I know. The old dude told us to go forth and use our gifts for the good of mankind, and he’d decided against killing us for trespassing in his tower. Then he disappeared. Poof! He was gone. Freaked us out.” He rubbed his hand over his scratchy jaw, thinking back to that disconcerting moment. “That’s when I noticed that the constant dust and sand that always blew around was completely still. Everything felt eerily quiet, and I knew we had to get out of that tower. I gave the command to retreat, and we boogied out of there. Dan was the last man out. I turned to see him step over the threshold and a moment later, the entire building was gone. My men and I were safe, but the ziggurat was completely gone. Just rubble in its place.”

  He shivered, and she placed one palm over his heart. It comforted him in a way he’d never felt comforted by any other woman before in his life, though she spoke not a word, letting him say what he would. Oddly that made him want to
talk more, to make her understand what he’d felt and seen in that ruined city half a world away.

  “That’s when we knew something bizarre was happening to us. We moved on and came upon the gardens a bit later in the day. They were incredible, Cas. Trees in full bloom. Fruits of all kinds, some of which I’d never seen before. I didn’t think too much about it at first. There were lots of foods I’d never encountered before I got sent overseas. We were kind of hungry and there was no enemy movement in our sector, so we took a break under some of the trees, getting out of the sun for a few moments. Rick found some fruits he said were edible, so we tried them. They were sweeter than anything I’ve ever eaten. We’d been in the desert for weeks and hadn’t seen any fresh food for longer than that. Just MREs and what native stuff we could scrounge.”

  He was silent for a long moment, and she twisted in his arms, wrapping one leg over his and settling in to stroke his chest. Her gaze held concern when he looked down to watch her beautiful face.

  “Don’t you know that in the stories of the fey, you’re not supposed to eat anything? They say if you do, you’ll be stuck in their realm for eternity.”

  “Maybe that’s what happened,” he agreed after a moment, smiling to ease her tension though he could find no ease himself. He stroked her back, cuddling her close—but whether it was for her comfort or his own, he didn’t quite know. “But I have to tell you, that fruit was more satisfying than ten MREs. It fed something inside me I didn’t know was empty until that moment when the nectar hit my teeth.”

  “More djinni magic, you think?”

  He looked down at her, suspicion in his eyes, but she was serious. He kissed her for her faith in him and her willingness to believe.

  “I don’t know. Something about that fruit was different. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t be surprised if that old dude had something to do with it, though we never saw him again. We ate and then moved on. When we turned back, the beautiful terraced gardens were gone and the dust was back with a fury. An unexpected sandstorm hit, and we took shelter in the ruins. We hunkered down and waited it out. It was hours before we could move and when we did, we didn’t mention the weirdness that had happened in ancient Babylon.” He pulled her over him to lie on his chest so he could see her eyes. “We got into a serious firefight and called in air support. They pulled us out and sent us to the airfield at Baghdad for debriefing. This was only a day or two after they’d secured the airfield, so things were still pretty tense there. That’s when I got shot and Rick did his magic act.”

  She stroked the smooth skin over his heart. “Thank God,” she whispered, kissing his chest lightly. “If you had died, I’d have mourned you for the rest of my life.”

  She spread her legs, resting her wet pussy right over his stirring cock. Unbelievably, he was hard again, even though he’d already come three times in as many hours. Sliding down his body, she took him in her mouth, stilling any words he might have spoken. She sucked him down deep and hard, just the way he liked it. She played with his balls, experimenting, using her fingers to gently probe and caress in ways that nearly drove him crazy.

  Before she could finish him off, Hal dragged her up by her shoulders, placing her on her hands and knees in front of him. They hadn’t done it doggy style yet, and he was eager to feel her tight around him—especially from behind. It was one of his favorite positions, and she had a gorgeous ass that made his mouth water. She shook her booty at him, and he chuckled.

  “Not eager at all, are you?”

  “I’m waiting, Hal.” She pouted over her shoulder at him. “Don’t make me wait.”

  He took a moment to touch her from behind, stroking deep inside her sheath with two fingers, watching her take him.

  “You’re so beautiful, Cas. I want you in every way.”

  “Then take me. What are you waiting for?”

  He knelt on the bed behind her, joining their bodies as one.

  “You’re mine, Casey. I’m never letting you go ever again. Get used to it.”

  Chapter Eight

  “So what happened the other night? You used your super powers—”

  Hal groaned. “Please don’t call it that.” He cut her off with a slightly disgusted, uncomfortable smile. “I’m not a comic book super hero.”

  She patted his chest, resting one hand over his heart.

  “You’re super, at any rate, but you’re distracting me. Why did you get so sick all of a sudden?”

  He sighed and lay back, staring up at the ceiling. “I don’t know. It’s happened a few times. It seems to be getting less severe.”

  “That was less severe? What happened before—cardiac arrest?” She was being facetious. When he didn’t laugh with her, she stilled.

  “Not quite, but close. Rick seems to think that my body is playing catch up with the new strength. The first time I used it for real, in a sustained way, like what happened the other night, I passed out and Rick had to revive me. Each time since then, it’s been a little better.”

  “Oh, Hal.”

  “Ssh, honey.” He soothed her, stroking her hair and kissing her face softly. “Don’t worry. I told you. Rick thinks I’m just getting used to the changes. That’s all. We’re all experiencing some problems. That’s why they put us out on that island with a team of medical specialists. The Army’s just as baffled by what’s happening to us as we are, but they’re not cutting us loose. They’re taking care of us.”

  “Damn right they should.” He loved that indignant tone in her voice on his behalf. “But, Hal, it sounds dangerous. Are they sure you’re okay?”

  “They’re watching us. All those experts agree. It’s getting better, not worse, so that’s something. And I’m still alive, right?” He chuckled, and she thumped him on the chest.

  “Don’t joke, Hal.”

  “Hey.” He rolled her under him, crowding her, caging her beloved face in his arms with gentle insistence. “I love it that you’re concerned for my well-being. I’m okay, Cas. Really. I wouldn’t take a chance getting involved with you if I thought I didn’t have long to live. I wouldn’t hurt you like that.”

  To his great surprise, there were tears in her eyes and her hands moved upward to caress his cheeks.

  “Even a day with you would be worth a lifetime of heartache.” She craned her neck up to place a desperate kiss on his lips.

  “I won’t break your heart,” he said with great seriousness when she finally let him go. “But you might just break mine with talk like that.” He rolled again until she was on top of him, cradled in his arms like a beloved child. “You are so special to me, Cas. You always have been.”

  “Ditto.” Her voice was drowsy, and her lips placed little kisses on the skin over his heart.

  They lay quietly, basking in the glow of their new level of intimacy, each lost in their own thoughts. After a while she started feeling the stirrings of him against her thigh and her insides squirmed in answer. She wanted him again.

  She’d never been this wanton in her life, and she loved every minute of it. Loved every inch of him.

  He surprised her by flipping her over so that he straddled her legs from behind, sitting on his haunches over her. His big hands swept over her back with a gentle thoroughness that made her breath catch.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Ever had a full body massage, Cas?”

  She tried to shake her head, but she was trapped by pillows, her neck twisted to the side. He moved his magic fingers over her skin, and she wouldn’t change positions for the world if he just kept doing that.

  “No, but by all means, feel free.”

  He chuckled, continuing the sensual torture, stroking hard then soft over her muscles.

  “I’m going to bring you a whole lot of new experiences, Cas.” He caressed the cheeks of her butt, lingering extra long on the crease between her thighs and ass. She caught her breath when he traced one finger around the puckered rosette between her cheeks. “For example, I can bet you’ve never ta
ken a man back here.” She sucked in a deep breath, and her abdomen clenched. She could feel her face heat with a mix of shock and embarrassment as he chuckled once more. “I can tell I’m right. Aren’t I?”

  “Yes, but —” Her voice was breathless.

  “Yeah,” he purred, “but… I love your butt, Cas, and it’s going to be mine. Totally. Completely. Just like the rest of you. Don’t worry. You’ll love it. I promise.”

  His finger swept into her channel, picking up the moisture pooling there at his hot massage, then moved back up to tease her back entrance. She squirmed, unsure when he pressed firmly, moving inside.

  It felt odd. Not bad. In fact, it felt strangely good. She never would have thought such a thing could feel like that.

  “Hal…”

  He made a growling sound, blanketing her with his big body.

  “Mmm, you like that, do you?”

  She caught her breath when two fingers from his other hand slid into her pussy, heightening the fit and the outrageous feeling. When his fingers sank all the way in, she came hard, nearly bucking him off her.

  He chuckled behind her, taking a moment while she recovered to go into the adjoining bathroom. When he came out, she was resting comfortably, her face pressed against the pillow. She may have even dozed a little. He scooped her into his strong arms and settled her over his hard body.

  “No sleeping yet, sweetheart. I have plans.”

  “Hal?”

  “Yes, love?” He nipped her shoulder, working his lips down over her breast to suck hard, making her squirm.

  “Were you always this, um, potent? Or is this something new since your visit to Babylon?”

  He sat up, apparently not expecting the question. She watched his troubled expression. He ran one hand through his hair and frowned.

  “I don’t know if it’s that or if it’s just you, Cas. I’ve never wanted another woman like I want you. I could love you all night and still want more.”