to.
And then he’d challenge Xavier as leader, drag him from his throne, and rule his people as they should be ruled.
Yes, he knew exactly what had to be done.
Chapter Two
Addison tried to remember the route through the jungle, the way back to Griffin, but the man holding her arm pulled her along at a breakneck pace, and it was all she could do to keep from falling to the ground and being dragged.
Being separated from Griffin was painful, more than she could have imagined. And knowing she was to be the center of some mating ritual pulled at the last of her shredded nerves. She knew Griffin would fight for her; she’d seen the desperate look in his eyes as she’d been taken away. It was a look that spoke volumes, and in that she’d seen the depth of his feelings for her.
The jungle around the small party sudden opened up, the sky showing through the foliage. They were in a small clearing and Addison saw huts on stilts ringing the opening. Among the faces that looked out of the shaded doorways, she saw only men.
She was dragged toward one hut set apart from the rest. Her guard pulled her up the steps, guiding her inside. In the dim light Addison saw a figure rise in the shadows.
“Rest. You will be fed.” With an abrupt gesture toward the figure, and those few, gruff words, her guardian turned and left. Addison stood for a moment, tears threatening. Her body was exhausted, her mind reeling. She wanted to run into the jungle, back to Griffin.
“Dr. James?”
Addison whirled. A slender woman stepped forward, eyes wide, wearing tattered, but clean camo pants and a tank top. “It is you. Oh, my god.”
“Who are you?” There was something familiar about the woman, the British accent, the sweeping fall of blonde hair. Then it hit her.
“You were on the expedition, weren’t you? The last minute addition from the British Museum?”
“Yes! Daphne de Thame.” The woman reached for Addison, and pulled her into a tight embrace.
After a moment the woman tensed, then stepped away. “You’re not here with a rescue team, are you?” Her expression had changed, the warm welcome suddenly gone.
Addison shook her head. “No. It’s…I’m not here…it’s complicated. I came here alone, looking for an orchid…a cure for my sister. The clan leader, Griffin, offered to help me find it. I have—had—an agreement with him.” Addison hesitated. She wasn’t certain she wanted to tell this woman the details. She still had a hard time believing what she’d agreed to do.
“You agreed to mate with him.” Daphne looked at her levelly. “You agreed to help his kind from becoming extinct.”
Addison stared at Daphne. “How did you know?”
“Because I made the same agreement, more or less, to save my own life. But I went through the ritual. They fought for me.” For a moment her gaze grew distant. “It’s an amazing thing. You’ll see.” She blinked, coming back from wherever her memories had taken her.
“We’re really quite lucky, you know. No one had ever seen this ritual before me, and now you’ll see it as well.”
As if suddenly remembering her role, Daphne pulled Addison toward a low cot layered with hides.
“Here. You need to rest, if you’ve been trailing through the jungle for days. They told me someone was coming, someone for me to look after. I never thought it would be someone I knew, someone from home.” Her voice dropped to almost a whisper.
Addison sat down, the bed surprisingly soft. Her body really did crave sleep, but the chance to talk to Daphne pushed back her exhaustion. Daphne moved around in the shadows on the other side of the hut, and Addison recognized the lush smell of melon.
“Why are you afraid that I was part of a rescue party?”
Daphne stopped slicing fruit but she remained with her back to Addison. She could read the tension in the younger woman’s body. Finally she turned to Addison with a bowl of cut fruit.
“It’s sort of hard to explain, unless
And then he’d challenge Xavier as leader, drag him from his throne, and rule his people as they should be ruled.
Yes, he knew exactly what had to be done.
Chapter Two
Addison tried to remember the route through the jungle, the way back to Griffin, but the man holding her arm pulled her along at a breakneck pace, and it was all she could do to keep from falling to the ground and being dragged.
Being separated from Griffin was painful, more than she could have imagined. And knowing she was to be the center of some mating ritual pulled at the last of her shredded nerves. She knew Griffin would fight for her; she’d seen the desperate look in his eyes as she’d been taken away. It was a look that spoke volumes, and in that she’d seen the depth of his feelings for her.
The jungle around the small party sudden opened up, the sky showing through the foliage. They were in a small clearing and Addison saw huts on stilts ringing the opening. Among the faces that looked out of the shaded doorways, she saw only men.
She was dragged toward one hut set apart from the rest. Her guard pulled her up the steps, guiding her inside. In the dim light Addison saw a figure rise in the shadows.
“Rest. You will be fed.” With an abrupt gesture toward the figure, and those few, gruff words, her guardian turned and left. Addison stood for a moment, tears threatening. Her body was exhausted, her mind reeling. She wanted to run into the jungle, back to Griffin.
“Dr. James?”
Addison whirled. A slender woman stepped forward, eyes wide, wearing tattered, but clean camo pants and a tank top. “It is you. Oh, my god.”
“Who are you?” There was something familiar about the woman, the British accent, the sweeping fall of blonde hair. Then it hit her.
“You were on the expedition, weren’t you? The last minute addition from the British Museum?”
“Yes! Daphne de Thame.” The woman reached for Addison, and pulled her into a tight embrace.
After a moment the woman tensed, then stepped away. “You’re not here with a rescue team, are you?” Her expression had changed, the warm welcome suddenly gone.
Addison shook her head. “No. It’s…I’m not here…it’s complicated. I came here alone, looking for an orchid…a cure for my sister. The clan leader, Griffin, offered to help me find it. I have—had—an agreement with him.” Addison hesitated. She wasn’t certain she wanted to tell this woman the details. She still had a hard time believing what she’d agreed to do.
“You agreed to mate with him.” Daphne looked at her levelly. “You agreed to help his kind from becoming extinct.”
Addison stared at Daphne. “How did you know?”
“Because I made the same agreement, more or less, to save my own life. But I went through the ritual. They fought for me.” For a moment her gaze grew distant. “It’s an amazing thing. You’ll see.” She blinked, coming back from wherever her memories had taken her.
“We’re really quite lucky, you know. No one had ever seen this ritual before me, and now you’ll see it as well.”
As if suddenly remembering her role, Daphne pulled Addison toward a low cot layered with hides.
“Here. You need to rest, if you’ve been trailing through the jungle for days. They told me someone was coming, someone for me to look after. I never thought it would be someone I knew, someone from home.” Her voice dropped to almost a whisper.
Addison sat down, the bed surprisingly soft. Her body really did crave sleep, but the chance to talk to Daphne pushed back her exhaustion. Daphne moved around in the shadows on the other side of the hut, and Addison recognized the lush smell of melon.
“Why are you afraid that I was part of a rescue party?”
Daphne stopped slicing fruit but she remained with her back to Addison. She could read the tension in the younger woman’s body. Finally she turned to Addison with a bowl of cut fruit.
“It’s sort of hard to explain, unless
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