She lifted her chin and stared defiantly at Justice. "Why are you glaring at me like that? If it's about that punch last night-"

"Did it occur to you, for one second, that it could be dangerous to be out here alone and half naked?" He bit off the words from between clenched jaws, and his gaze swept her body from head to toes and back up again, leaving her feeling as if he'd just stripped her bare.

From the look in his eyes, he wanted to do just that. Or yell at her for an hour or two. She wasn't in the mood for the latter and it was not exactly a good time for the former, no matter how much her hormones were jumping up and down at the thought.

She glanced at Alejandro, suddenly realizing that Justice wasn't the only one seeing her in wet and nearly transparent underwear, but she could have been part of the scenery as far as he was concerned. He was staring at Maria as if he'd never seen her before, and Keely bet that he'd certainly never seen her like that. Maria's lush body strained at the lacy scraps of her bra and panties, but she made no move to cover herself, although a flush rode high on her cheekbones.

"Do you like what you see?" Maria asked him, her voice quivering a little but strong.

"Dios mio, you should be-you should be-" Alejandro broke off as if unable to form a coherent sentence, and heat flashed in his eyes.

Keely smiled. At least some good might come from this day, if these two found each other. Before she could say a word, however, a blurred flash of speed that might have been a man with blue hair lifted her off her feet and raced through the jungle with her.

By the time Justice finally slowed to a stop and put her down, she'd worked up a full head of steam and was ready to lay into him. "Okay, I've really had it with this caveman act. You are not my boss, you are not my father-"

"Thank Poseidon," Justice said fervently as he stared intently down at her breasts.

She lost her train of thought for a moment as he bent toward her breasts, lifting them in his hands, but she gave it a valiant effort. "You are not . . ."

He licked her nipple and sucked it into his mouth.

She threw back her head and moaned, but tried again. "You are not . . ."

He pulled her panties down and slid his fingers through her wetness, then rubbed his slick fingers back and forth across her clitoris and her knees gave out.

He caught her with one strong arm, still rubbing her rhythmically as he sucked on her nipple, and she was reduced to wordless moaning, forgetting what she possibly could have been trying to say. All of her focus was centered on what he was doing to her body, and she knew if she didn't have him inside her very soon, she was going to go mad.

"Justice, please," she said, almost begging, not caring, only caring that he didn't stop, never stopped, oh, God, he was sucking on her other nipple now and driving first one, then a second finger into her, then across her clit, over and over and over until she bucked against him, clenching his fingers inside her heat. She cried out as she exploded against him, but he didn't let her go or remove his fingers.

Instead, he lifted her up in his arms and kissed her, slanting his head at the best angle to thrust his tongue inside her mouth in the same rhythm as he was thrusting his fingers inside her body. Tension began to rise in her body, coiling in her nerve endings again, centering on her breasts and between her thighs, and she couldn't speak, couldn't think, could only moan.

"Please, please, I need you," she pleaded against his mouth and he stopped kissing her, his breathing harsh and his muscles clenched as hard as rock under her hands.

"I need you, too, mi amara. The sight of you all but naked in the sunlight and the thought that anyone could have come upon you like that . . ." He shuddered against her. "I need you so much I may have to fuck you all day long, just to get over that scare you gave me."

She laughed, then whimpered as he drove his fingers inside her again, thrusting in and out until she was boneless with need and wanting.

"I need to taste you, my Keely, my woman. I need to drink you in as you come in my mouth," he said roughly. He fell to his knees on the soft carpet of grasses and, before she could think or protest or yell "Hallelujah!" he put his mouth on her and she cried out.

He kissed her and licked her and sucked her clit into his mouth with the same intense pressure he'd used on her nipple, still thrusting into her with his fingers, and she shuddered and shook and grabbed his lovely hair with both hands, holding him to her as he took her thoroughly with his mouth and his hands. She felt the tension and the need and the glory of it take her, and she exploded again, screaming, not caring if the entire village heard her, unable to bear the intensity of the pleasure.

She came and came and he kept licking and sucking her, not stopping, and she came again and again, in a never-ending orgasm that wrenched through her and lifted her into the sunlight and rocketed her, spasming, through the clouds. Finally she collapsed, falling forward so that he had to catch her, boneless and weak with satiated pleasure.

"You . . . I . . . Oh, God," she whispered.

He smiled down at her, a smile filled with hunger and smug male satisfaction and a darker edge of need. "You taste like ambrosia," he said, and just from his words an aftershock shivered through her and she gasped.

"Now I need to be inside you," he said and he unzipped his pants and shoved them down, kneeling there on the ground, and pulled her down so that she straddled him. "Take me, Keely. I need for you to ride me and show me that you need me even a fraction as much as I need you."

Slowly, so slowly, she slid down on his enormous erection and gasped at the feeling of his thickness sliding into her. She was so wet, so drenched, that he fit in her more easily than before, although he still stretched her to a marvelous feeling of fullness. She took all of him inside her until her thighs rested on his and she lay her head on his shoulder for a moment and took a deep breath. Then she lifted her head and looked into his drowningly beautiful eyes, midnight blue with green flames in the centers.

"Now," she whispered. "I need you now." She rose up and then slid back down, soon getting into a rhythm older than time, older than Mayan ruins, older than dreams of creation. She took him because he was hers, and she had to feel him inside her or she would die from the loss. She took him, and her body began to respond again, against all odds, rising with such urgency that she knew she was near to shattering around him.

Justice felt Keely's hot, wet sheath clutching him and knew she was near to coming again. He also knew that the feel of her orgasm would cause his own to pour out of him and he wanted to wait, to last longer for her, but he was as helpless as a youngling to fight the tide of pleasure that ripped through him like a tsunami. He grasped her hips in his hands and drove her into a faster rhythm, lifting his own hips to drive his cock deeper and harder into her with every stroke, until he couldn't tell where he left off and she began. They were joined as one and they always would be, and he hadn't been exaggerating when he said he might have to fuck her all day to get over the fear of losing her. Only when she welcomed him into her body did he feel truly safe from the fear that she would leave him.

She will never leave us, the Nereid said. If she ever tries, we will track her to the ends of the earth.

"Never," Justice growled, thrusting harder. "You will never leave. Promise me."

Keely moaned and released her grip on his shoulders, and then, she caught his face in her hands and stared into his eyes. "I will never leave you," she said breathlessly, since he continued to thrust into her and she was so close to the edge. "Now stop issuing all these ultimatums and just keep . . . just keep . . ."

Her body arched backward, rigid, and her thighs clenched as her sheath convulsively gripped his cock in a series of spasms and she cried out. "Justice! It's . . . Oh, God. It's happening again."

One final thrust, and his balls drew up even tighter and exploded, shooting his release into her so deeply that he had a second to wish that he'd gotten Poseidon's blessing so that he was giving her his child. Then the wave took him and knocked him down and the current swept him into the colors of her soul, roaring out his fulfillment.

The soul-meld took them and tossed them through stormy, sunlit seas until, holding tightly to each other, they came back to reality, still joined. Keely's tender skin bore evidence of his kisses and his bites, and a primal flush of fierce joy raced through him at the idea that he'd marked her as his own. Then he felt remorse that he might have hurt her and kissed each of the marks on her neck and chest, one by one.

The emotion that had grown and built inside him while they were making love forced their way up through his chest to his throat, demanding to be released. He had to say the words that were near to exploding directly out of his heart. "Keely, mi amara, I love you."

She looked up at him and started laughing, startling him. Then she grabbed his face and planted a loud, lip-smacking kiss on his lips.

"Justice, my big, strong warrior. I know."

Chapter 37.

Keely and Justice took their time making their way back to the village, enjoying the stolen moments of calm. He'd told her that Eleni had complained of a slight upset stomach, but that it wasn't serious and the child had wanted a nap, so Keely didn't feel the need to rush back.

The vampires were no danger during the sunny heat of the day, when they had to go to ground. She and Justice and the villagers would be ready for them again by evening, but just for an hour or so, the two of them had needed to capture a tiny bit of peace. The P Ops unit should finally arrive in the morning and transport the villagers to safety.

Justice's shirt hung down to her knees, so they walked toward the stream hoping to find her clothes. Or, more accurately, Justice walked toward the stream, carrying her, since he didn't want her to hurt her bare feet on the ground. Keely was torn between appreciation and exasperation by his protectiveness, but she imagined there was only so much chivalry that a centuries-old Atlantean warrior was going to give up. She was a big fan of picking her battles, and this wasn't going to be one of them, especially since she loved the feel of his bare chest against her cheek.

She was turning into a hedonist, and it didn't bother her one bit. Wonder what Dr. Koontz would have said about that?

She laughed out loud, and Justice paused. "What is funny?"

"Oh, it would take too long to explain and it's about a totally unimportant person, anyway. But I sure hope Maria actually left the clothes at the stream."

"I like you in my shirt. I think you should always wear nothing but my shirts," he said, his deep voice amused as he began walking again.

"I'm sure you do, but I don't want to have to walk back into the village wearing nothing but your T-shirt. Not that everyone there doesn't already think of me as your woman anyway, but let's just say that I'm not an exhibitionist."

"This is good, since I would have to kill any man who saw you naked, and Conlan hates it when we kill potential allies," he said calmly, and she couldn't tell if he was kidding or not.

"Are you-"

But he cut her off by raising his hand and making a shushing noise. "The stream is just beyond those trees. I hear Alejandro and Maria talking. I'd hoped they'd be gone by now. Let me go in quietly and fetch your clothes and shoes."

He gently lowered her to her feet, then kissed her, stepped away, and transformed into sparkling mist. Her eyes widened in wonder. She'd never get over the awe of seeing him do that, if she saw it a million times. It was so magical and beautiful that it literally took her breath away.

In less than a minute, he was back, a miniature, iridescent rain cloud balancing a pile of clothes and her shoes somehow on the surface of his misty shape. He dropped the clothes into her arms, then shimmered back into his corporeal form. For a split second, he was surrounded by radiant light like a full-body halo, and she caught her breath at the almost spiritual glory of it.

"What the hells is wrong with that man?" he grumbled, bringing her back down to earth with a thud.

"What do you mean?"

"They're still going at it," he said in disgust.

She laughed, covering her mouth so Maria and Alejandro wouldn't hear. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," he snapped. "Get dressed."

She slipped his shirt over her head and handed it to him, then pulled on the loose white skirt and scalloped red blouse Maria had provided, trying to puzzle out why he was so annoyed.

Suddenly, she blinked. "You're jealous?"

"What? Don't be ridiculous! Jealous of what?" he growled.

"That Alejandro has so much . . . stamina," she suggested, barely able to keep a straight face. "You shouldn't let it bother you, honey. After all, you are a few hundred years older than he is. They say that's the first thing to go . . ."

He narrowed his eyes. "You are not nearly as amusing as you believe yourself to be, woman."

She cracked up. "Oh, yes, I am. You should see the look on your face."

"I am not jealous of that human's stamina, or anything else!"

The horrified denial on his face just made her laugh harder. When she could finally catch her breath, she let him off the hook. "You know, it probably took them quite a while to start 'going at it' as you so elegantly put it. Maria said Alejandro had never looked at her as anything but a child before. I'm sure that changed when he got an eyeful of her in those wet underthings."

"What?" he said blankly, his eyebrows drawing together. "What about her?"

The snarky remark she'd been ready to say died on her lips when she looked into his eyes and realized that he wasn't kidding. He really hadn't noticed. Beautiful, voluptuous Maria. He hadn't even looked at Maria, because every atom of his laser-like focus had been zeroed in on her.

She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a very passionate kiss. When they finally came up for air, he tilted his head.

"Not that I'm complaining in any way, but what was that for?"

"For not noticing Maria," she said, handing him back his T-shirt but regretting when he covered up his magnificent chest with the fabric. "You know, there should be a law that you have to walk around naked all the time."

Then she turned and started toward the village, humming.

Behind her, Justice made a strangled choking noise and then followed her. "Women," he muttered. "I'll never understand them."

Keely just smiled.

Justice was content to follow Keely down the path, enjoying her strangely happy mood, though he had no idea what had caused it. Well, he knew what had caused part of it. He grinned, watching her lovely ass, wondering if she'd go along with another detour before they reached the others.

Probably not. He blew out a breath, weighing the pros and cons of simply grabbing her and speeding off to another isolated spot. Before he could talk himself into the result he wanted, he heard one of the men on patrol call out a greeting. Keely answered, and something about her lovely voice pronouncing the round vowels and liquid consonants of her fluent Spanish made him hard. He shifted in his pants. Maybe he could ask her to speak Spanish the next time they made love. He stopped dead when another thought struck him with the force of a tidal wave. By all the gods, when she learned Atlantean, he was doomed. He'd be chasing her around all day long, every day of the week.

"Justice," she called back to him. "Are you coming? I'm going to go check on Eleni."

He forced himself to put away thoughts of Keely whispering Atlantean endearments and shook his head. "Go ahead. I will take my turn on patrol."

She flashed a huge smile that nearly dazzled him with its warmth and headed toward the safe house, and another realization hit him belatedly.

She'd called him honey.

When he sauntered into the clearing, grinning like a fool, the men shot knowing grins his way but said nothing. He waved and wandered over to the table where some of the women were setting out a midday meal. As he came close enough to smell the delicious aroma of spicy vegetable stew, his stomach rumbled, reminding him of Keely.

Of course, everything reminded him of Keely. Maybe he did need to have Alaric examine his mind and find out why he was turning into a love-struck fool.

Alaric. The portal. His smile faded as he realized he hadn't tried yet that day to call the portal. Part of him knew his reluctance was due to fear that the magic would not answer him.

Part of him just wanted to avoid the consequences if it did.

Which part am I, then? the Nereid, who had been silent since the previous night, asked him. Your conscience or your goad?

Neither. Both, Justice replied. You are a part of me that I cannot deny and remain whole.

He closed his eyes and centered his consciousness, reaching for the portal's magic to respond. Something shimmered at the very edges of his mind, just out of reach, taunting him with its nearness but still unavailable. If he could just focus more strongly, he would have it. He clenched his hands into fists and leaned forward, physically pouring his will into his effort. It was just there . . . just there . . . He could almost touch it . . .

And then Keely's screams shattered the air.

Chapter 38.

Keely clutched the shredded blanket in her hands, unable to believe the evidence although she was staring at it. She screamed again.

"I'm so sorry, senora," the woman said through her tears. "She was sleeping, and we were all working very near this building, so we didn't worry at all about leaving her alone."

Keely couldn't answer her. Should have been able to think of something reassuring; tell her it wasn't her fault. But she couldn't. Because it was Keely's fault. She'd left poor orphaned Eleni alone.

The love-struck archaeologist had wild sex in the middle of a crisis, leaving an abandoned child to be captured and hurt. She would never forgive herself.

She didn't deserve to be forgiven.

She couldn't think, couldn't react, couldn't bear the slicing, rending pain that ripped through her body.

So she screamed again.