Tierra's headache had all but vanished, yet she continued to feel dazed with wanting and need. The warrior had obviously learned nothing yesterday, but too many wanton feelings overpowered her to care.

When he eased his hand into her breeches, he teased the curls and ran his fingers along the lips of her soaked quim. "You are wet," he murmured. "As I believed you would be. Ready for me."

"My c.l.i.t." She rocked against his hand. "Touch me. Please."

"I think not." Renn flipped her underneath him so fast she scarce had time to think. He pinned her beneath his muscled body.

His extremely naked muscled body.

Her gaze traveled to his huge c.o.c.k and back to his eyes to see his self-satisfied smile. She reached toward him. "I want you."

"No." He captured both her wrists in one hand and held them above her head, just as he had the first time he had caught her. "I have other plans for you."

She stared up at his eyes and licked her lips. "What plans?"

Renn smiled, his look raw and untamed. "First I would have you naked. I wish to see all of you, my denai, my innocent."

Tierra raised her chin and struggled against his hold. "Stop calling me innocent."

His response was to swoop down and capture her mouth with his, like an angry warrior bird.

Nordain!

Even as he ravished her mouth, the memory returned to hera"of Renn shifting from nordai form to human before her very eyes.

Was he one of Zanden's Nordain minions? Even as the thought formed she could hardly hold onto it. Renn was nipping at her lips, f.u.c.king her mouth with his tongue, driving her crazy with need.

A part of her knew she should struggle. Should refuse his kiss. But oh, G.o.ds, could the man kiss. Hard, pa.s.sionate.

Thrilling.

Devastating.

She gave herself completely up to the kiss, returning it with everything she had. His stubble sc.r.a.ped her mouth and cheeks raw, his groans were deep and hungry.

Renn tore his mouth away from Tierra's, his gaze fixed on hers, his silver eyes so dark with l.u.s.t they were almost pewter. "You are a witch." He thrust his c.o.c.k against her breeches, the maddening ridge felt hard through the soft material. "There is no other way to explain it."

"Explain what?" Her whisper died into a moan as he rubbed his c.o.c.k harder against her center and she wanted all of her clothing off. At once.

"This madness." Renn looked almost angry, a scowl upon his handsome face. "This desire I have fora""

The stench of burnt sugar filled the clearing a second before Feymir whinnieda"a high, piercing sound of warning.

Tierra started to look up at the same moment a blast of light slammed into Renn.

Chapter Four.

Tierra screamed as the force of the blast tore Renn from atop her and rammed him against one of the blue treesa"as though the powerful warrior was naught more than a leaf on the wind. Her heart clenched as his head struck the oak with enough force to crack the tree's trunk.

Yet Renn was to his feet in an instant, as though uninjured.

Tierra barely had time to process his finely muscled naked body, his proud stance and his furious expression. Her gaze snapped in the direction the blast had come from, and her skin chilled.

Mere feet away from her stood a large man dressed in black leather from a sleeveless tunic to breeches. Black hair, black eyes, and the look of evil upon his almost handsome face.

A mana"who looked like Renn.. .but not.

Rage stormed in the man's black eyes as he scowled at Renn and said, "Did you touch her?" The man raised his handa"and Tierra felt as though rough fingers wrapped around her throat. "Did you take her virginity?"

Tierra gasped. She rose to her knees and clawed at the invisible hand at her neck. The mana"what was he doing to her?

"b.a.s.t.a.r.d." Renn took a step forward but stopped when Tierra's breath gurgled in her throat. The scar whitened on Renn's face, his expression strained and furious. "Harm this woman and I will kill you, Zanden. Brother or no."

Zanden? The Sorcerer! Stars flashed behind Tierra's eyes as she struggled to breathe, to form a coherent thought. Brother?

"Did you take what is rightfully mine?" The Sorcerer's magical grip tightened. "I shall slay you both before you take your next breath."

Through her fading vision, Tierra saw Renn's pained expression. And somehow, deep within, she felt his fear for her although it did not show upon his strong features.

"I have been days tracking her on orders from the Seraphine Council." Renn clenched his fists at his side. "But she's a slippery wench. I only just caught hera"no time to take her virtue."

No time?

Zanden lowered his hand and released the invisible grip around Tierra's throat.

She collapsed to the blanket she had been lying on with Renn, her body refusing to support her. She struggled to catch her breath and gather her senses as she noticed Feymir moving closer to the Sorcerer.

"I know the location of the Tanzinite wench." Zanden's gaze moved from Tierra to Renn. "But the Nordain. Where is she?"

"Liana and Ranelle?" Tierra's voice was hoa.r.s.e as she pushed herself back to her knees. "You do not have them?"

"He does not." Renn stalked toward Zanden as if naked skin were the toughest of armors. "And the b.a.s.t.a.r.d never will."

Zanden's scowl deepened. "Death shall become you," he muttered as he raised his hand.

At the same moment, Renn whistled. Feymir rose up on his hind legs and pawed the air, one hoof slashing the Sorcerer's forehead.

Zanden's head snapped back from the force of the blow. Blood spurted from the wound.

Renn charged forward, slamming into the Sorcerer, his physical might against Zanden's.

Tierra's powers were still weak from the prior day's bout with the dragon, but she managed to unleash one spellbinding. With a labored twist of her fingers, she wrapped the magic rope around the Sorcerer's wrist and yanked it so hard she heard the crack of bone.

Zanden shrieked, a horrible anger-filled sound that sickened Tierra to her soul.

In a blink, the Sorcerer vanished and a nordai shot toward the skies, its eerie cry ripping a chasm through Tierra's heart. She released the spellbinding at once, drawing the power back into her fingers.

Renn stumbled forward, his howl of outrage echoing throughout the meadow.

All that remained of the Sorcerer was blood-spattered gra.s.s and a few black feathers. As Zanden's bird form retreated, his words and Renn's responses played over and over in Tierra's mind.

Somehow Renn was responsible for the disappearances of her heart-sisters. He knew where they were.

And what he had said...there was no time. Had Renn planned to take Tierra's virginity before she even met him?

She had to get away. Had to clear her mind and determine what to do next.

Her thoughts whirling like a cyclone upon the Mairi Sea, Tierra turned and stumbled into the forest.

"d.a.m.nation!" Renn clenched his fists as he watched the Sorcerer's retreat through the forest canopy and into the skies. Even though he and Tierra had managed to fend off Zanden on this round, Renn knew in his gut that the Sorcerer had only been playing with them.

Testing them.

Soon, Zanden's voice suddenly hissed in Renn's mind. I will possess all three wenches and rule Dair. You and that worthless twin of mine will die.

"To the G.o.ds' h.e.l.ls with you!" Renn shouted in return.

He desired naught more than to pummel his betraying b.a.s.t.a.r.d of a brother. To send him straight to the netherworld.

With all his strength, Renn smashed his fist against the closest thing to hima"the ancient bluewood tree he had been flung against earlier. His knuckles sank into the bark, exposing the royal blue of the tree's wood.

Qinoks.h.i.t. Even though the tree would heal, the Faeries would not be pleased, and he was already on the receiving end of Anistana's intense displeasure. d.a.m.n the Faeries, anyhow. The lying lot of them.

He yanked his hand out of the wood and raked his numb fingers through his hair. Now that he had Tierra, he had best return to Phoenicia in as much haste as possible to prepare for the war that was sure to come. As Captain over all Nordain warriors, it was his responsibility to ensure the safety of the Sky People. He had already been gone far too long.

Feymir pushed his long face against Renn's bicep, drawing him from his thoughts. The stallion whickered and tossed his head, telling Renn something was wrong. He turned his gaze to where Tierra had beena"only to see that she was gone.

"d.a.m.nation!" he roared.

This time Tierra found a mighty tree, one of the blue ones, almost at once, just out of sight of Renn's camp. Its canopy and trunk were large and would easily shield her from below. She needed to stay near the warrior. If he had Ranelle and Liana locked away somewhere, then Tierra would find a way to rescue her halias.

Bark sc.r.a.ped her fair skin as she scaled the strange blue tree that gave off an almost comforting cinnamon and nutmeg scent. When she reached the canopy, she discovered the trunk and branches created a sort of platform. It was wide and flata"large enough for three full grown men to sleep upon if needed. An interesting blue moss grew upon its surface, filling the contours of the tree's arms.

Her heart continued to pound and her throat still ached from the Sorcerer's magical hold on her neck. What if Zanden returned and came after her now? Could he find her again?

Mere moments after settling onto the natural platform, she heard Renn's furious bellow. The sound of his deep voice reverberated through her, straight to her quim. Sweet mother of the G.o.ds, how she wanted hima"even now when she was too confused to know if he meant her or her heart-sisters any harm.

It was apparent he did not serve the Sorcerer directly...yet Renn was Zanden's brother.

Renn knew of Liana's and Ranelle's whereabouts. He had also known all along who Tierra wasa"yet he had toyed with her. Forced her to tell him her name as if he hadn't known.

Only feet away in the meadow, she heard Renn's grumbles to his horse, and she bit back a smile. Apparently this warrior was not used to being bested by anyone, and the thought made her grin widen. It was certainly as much as the brute deserved.

"When I get my hands upon the wench...I shall teach her a lesson, indeed. One she shall not soon forget," Renn growled as he stowed his saddlebags upon Feymir's back and secured his sword. "No one I have been sent to retrieve has ever escaped me, and this woman will not be the first."

But it was the second time she had bested Renn, and the thought did not sit well with him.

Feymir whickered as Renn quickly rolled up the blanket and tied it behind the saddle. He s.n.a.t.c.hed Tierra's pack from the ground and paused. Her perfume of honeysuckle and woman's musk still lingered on the pack and floated in the air...as though she remained close.

The corner of his mouth turned up as he raised his face and caught her scent on the breeze. The wench was hiding nearby.

Renn fastened her pack to the saddle, then scooped his clothing from the ground. He considered putting them on, but now that he realized Tierra had not truly left, he was inclined to remain as he was.

All the better to f.u.c.k her.

He shoved his clothing into one saddlebag, then removed a long leather strap. He checked to make sure it had no weaknesses and he smiled.

This time the wench was not getting away.

Tierra's heart pounded. Everything was far too quiet. Even the birds had gone still, and she no longer heard Feymir's snorts or Renn's grumblings. Only the rivers distant roar and the sound of wind rushing through leaves met her ears.

Shifting on the tree's moss-covered and surprisingly comfortable arms, she settled so that she was lying on her back, wanting to ensure that her red hair couldn't be seen from below. She was not ready for the warrior to find her. Let the b.a.s.t.a.r.d hunt for a while. Let him think he had lost her.

A twinge of concern tightened her belly. What if he did go on without her? If he truly knew where her heart-sisters were being kept, then she needed to remain close to him. She couldn't let him leave without her.

Abruptly she sat upa"and gasped as she found herself face to face with her warrior.

Her very angry and very naked warrior who brought himself onto the tree's natural platform in a flash.

Before she had a chance to react, he s.n.a.t.c.hed her wrists and bound them with a thin leather strap. "I intend to take no chances, wench," he growled as he secured them in her lap. "You shall not be using your magic against me again."

Damselflies crowded Tierra's belly and her heart beat even faster at the furious yet l.u.s.t-filled expression on Renn's scarred face, and the silver flames in his eyes. Her gaze dropped to his c.o.c.k.. .it thrust toward her, hard and long.

She licked her lips as her eyes met his again, and she raised her chin. "Untie me."

"You require punishment." His voice was husky, aroused, as he slowly reached up and caressed her nipple through the soft fabric of her tunic. "Much.. .punishment."

A moan of pure desire escaped her lips and she leaned into his palm. The sensation of his hand through her clothing was almost more than she could bear. What would it feel like to have his naked flesh pressed to hers? Would she be able to take such exquisite pleasure?

She pulled against her bonds, her gaze meeting his. "Free me, so that I might touch you."

He shook his head and continued to toy with her nipple. "I do not intend to let you go, denai. Ever."

Ever? Tierra swallowed past the suffocating feeling the thought forced upon her. For too long she had been kept a virtual prisoner, knowing that the Sorcerer would one day claim her and her halias. Now they were free and she intended to remain so. All she had to do was find Ranelle and Liana, and they would all escape.

Tierra pushed the thoughts away, concentrating instead on this fine specimen of male flesh before her and the way he was touching her. She might never again have the opportunity to f.u.c.k a man like this one. At this moment she needed him too badly to think about anything but having his c.o.c.k deep inside her quim.

Renn brought his other hand up and caressed both nipples with his thumbs, his expression almost fevered. "I must see all of you."

Her skin flushed, his touch making her wild for him. "My tunica""

Before she had an opportunity to finish, he clenched her tunic with both his hands. She heard the sound of cloth tearing, and then he ripped it completely open.