Chapter 1: Introduction
Lae’zel moved soundlessly through the dense foliage of the forest. She knew this path by heart, her senses tingling on high alert from years of survival instincts – the forest was a living, breathing thing, with secrets lurking around every corner. But not one of them posed any real challenge to the unstoppable Warrior.
The iron tang of blood and sweat hung heavy in the air from her previous battle, as if the very trees knew the powerful warrior lurked within.
She paused to run her hand over the rough bark of a mighty oak, letting its solid strength bring her back to center.
Lae’zel's senses were on high alert, senses honed to razor-sharp precision from years of living as a fierce warrior. With those skills, Lae'zel would always be one step ahead of her enemies. No one could best her.
To her surprise, the faint rustle of leaves behind her caught her attention. She whirled, gripping her sword, and saw a man she hadn't noticed earlier.
His dark hair was messy and his eyes, a piercing blue, gleamed with an intelligence that seemed out of place amidst the raw brutality of the forest.
He was wounded, leaving a trail of blood, but when he met her gaze, it was with a cool challenge she couldn't help but react to. She let out a snort, tossing her long black hair over her shoulder. "Well, well. What a pleasant surprise."
He staggered forward, gripping his side with one hand, and raised the other in a peaceful gesture.
"I don't want a fight, warrior." His voice was surprisingly soft, but she could hear the strain in his words, muscles protesting his movements.
Something urged her to put her sword away. She wasn't quite sure what it was, but Lae'zel found herself lowering her sword and stepping closer.
"Fine. But I won't carry your ass back to camp."
Despite her warning, he managed to keep up with her at a steady pace, despite the trail of blood and sluggish shuffles of his feet dragging behind them.
As they trudged along the winding forest path, his sharp eyes never left her strong, angular form. Even in the bloody mess of battle, there was something magnetic about the warrior woman. He could tell she had grown weary of fighting, yet something deep within told him she had never backed down from a good, hard-won fight. He was different, though. She'd see, once they got back to her camp. For now, all he could do was keep his hands off her—and say nothing of the dirty thoughts he nourished deep inside.
Zander felt his cool facade slowly slip, leaving him raw and eager to conquer the Amazon before him.
A fire roared and crackled, spitting hot embers to the night sky. Lae'zel dropped her heavy sack of supplies on the ground next to a massive tree stump and pulled off her plate armor. Beneath it, her body glistened with sweat and grit from the long journey.
His gaze trailed the hypnotizing movements she made, feeling his pulse quicken as one hand caressed her own bare skin in a sensuous moment of self-pleasure.
The warrior's unwavering eyes locked with his, and a slow, knowing smirk crossed her beautiful lips.
Lae'zel sunk into the makeshift bed, her hard, taut muscles rippling beneath mocha-toned flesh. Zander's lips met hers, bruising and hungry as if they had never felt the sweet want of another. Their bodies danced together, bucket-loads of sweat and hormones steaming from the simmering fire as it blazed away.
His hands roamed down to her bare waist, gripping it tightly as he pushed her against the tree. He roughly tore at her damp tunic, leaving her bare breasts bared in the open air. A low growl rumbled in his throat, something primal, as if he had been set free at last and could finally taste his freedom.
"Gods, you feel amazing," Zander murmured into her ear as his tongue lapped at the curve of her neck.
Lae’zel arched her back, biting her lip to keep from moaning too loudly.
Zander’s mouth moved to her nipples, teasing and pinching them between his teeth with a hunger that made her core tighten in delicious anticipation.
His free hand dipped between her thighs, feeling the dampness seeping through her pants. She spread her legs wider, allowing him greater access. Her breath caught in her throat as his fingers brushed her clit, rubbing slow circles that made her hips buck wildly against his hand.
With rough, animalistic movements, he pushed her pants down and yanked them off.
His tunic followed, exposing his pulsing erection. Lae’zel’s eyes glazed over as she felt him position himself between her legs.
His fingers slipped back inside, testing her readiness. She was soaking, her wetness sliding against his skin as he teased and dipped, preparing her for the invasion to come.
Her hands gripped the makeshift bed below her, fists balling the fabric in her hands with each slow, torturous stroke of his skilled fingers.
"Zander," she moaned, her eyes tightly shut.
He knew she was close. On the edge of that sweet chasm, needing release. And as he rubbed her swollen clit with deliberate purpose, that moan lengthened, deepened, becoming throatier, wilder.
Then, suddenly, it happened. Her release careening through her like a comet. She cried out, Zander's fingers slipping and sliding in her slick wetness as she arched against him.
He wasted no time. His slick cock replaced his fingers.
With a slow, measured thrust, he buried himself deep inside her. Lae'zel's nails dug into the fabric beneath her. She cried out again, her body wracked with aftershocks from the first orgasm.
Zander set a relentless pace, pistoning in and out of her. His grunts were low and guttural, need boiling over, spilling into her bedroom voice - the wild, raw, carnal animalistic cries that made her throb with need.