by D L Goddard
She smiled at Adam as he rose up on his knees in the bed, closing the space between their nakedness. Adam began to stir her interest and she kissed him, teasing him, lingering on his mouth. As her hands descended lower, he moaned feeling his arousal begin to build. Deciding on starting later than previously planned … she let him pull her down to the mattress with him doing things that made her feel wild. Caught up in each other and what they were feeling, they didn’t notice the bruised and bloodied Calum until he nearly fell on top of them.
Lirima shrieked in alarm, lashing out. Calum staggered and fell, clawing for the quilt to save him from hitting the stone floor … hard. He yelled, then, grunted in pain as he landed awkwardly on already injured limbs.
“What the … Calum you stupid bastard … what in hell are you doing in here?”
“S-sorry Lord Savage … b-b-but the Troll got the b-b-beast. G-Geran is d-dead. They’re g-gone.”
“W-w-w-whaaat!’ Lirima towered over the poor frightened man. Even the sight of her magnificence totally naked wasn’t enough to stop him from pissing himself in terror. “You stupid, worthless shit! How could you possibly lose not only an eight foot Troll but the beast as well?” Her normally honeyed tones were strident and painful to his tender bruised head. She raised one hand above her head; the beautifully manicured nails were long and sharp looking wickedly deadly as the light reflected off the bright red nail polish. She made a quick sharp motion with her fingers, almost too fast for his eyes to see. A hot powerful blast of black fire poured from her outstretched hand and enveloped poor unfortunate Calum in agonizing flame. He barely had time to scream before he was incinerated, immediately.
It was so sudden; Adam hadn’t even registered what had happened. He flung his arms wide in frustration.
“Oh … just effing brilliant! Now, how do we find out where they’ve gone?”
Lirima’s eyes glittered and regarded Adam with contempt.
“Where do you think they’ve gone? The Beast is dying … He will head for one place only … Castle Barshael and the Living Light. The fools you had guarding him obviously didn’t have a clue what they were doing. And somehow … Arahir has convinced the Troll to help him.”
The Enchantress rolled off the bed and began dressing. Adam looked deeply disappointed, but in the mood she was in he wasn’t game to protest too much.
“Get up Adam, you can have sex later, first we need to get to the castle before they do and they seem to have a full night’s lead on us. Come on!”
They hurriedly began throwing clothes on and tossing supplies for the journey into backpacks. When everything was ready and the Enchantress was satisfied they had all they needed; they loaded up their fastest horses and took a hidden trail that led straight to the castle. The Enchantress ground her teeth, furious she let herself be so completely distracted. They could end up being too late and her plans were at risk of failing. If Arahir somehow reached the Living Light before her, he might be able to regain what was lost. Everything could blow up in her face … everything she had worked and planned and sacrificed for millennia could just slip through her fingers. She viciously kicked her horse in the sides, startling the dumb beast, but getting the required speed from it.
She had to get there on time … she just had to … somebody was going to pay for this she vowed, she couldn’t fail, even if she had to paint the entire castle in blood. If that’s what it took to get Arahir as her mate then, she would coat the white marble floors in dark red blood; the Enchantress would do anything she needed to succeed. She wouldn’t even give the task a second thought. They picked up the pace, and with Adam shadowing her as closely as if he was her own shadow, they galloped full tilt through the dense forest determined to arrive at the castle before the fugitives.
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Chapter Twenty
Alexandros stealthily entered the castle grounds. The estate Castle Barshael commanded was immense. The grounds were covered with lakes and forests, gardens and cultivated parklands. There were tennis courts, croquet fields, swimming pools, fountains and mazes. Spread liberally throughout were pergolas, gazebos, marques and bowers with tree-lined walks. The orchards were filled with every fruit tree imaginable, while fresh vegetables grew in abundance. Flowers of every color and description grew in decorative tiers, crafted gardens, rock pools and majestically designed hothouses.
One garden that covered at least half an acre of land was Arahir’s private rose garden. He had planted every rose, every bush and climber. The colors were rich and the fragrant buds were so heady you could smell them long before you reached the terrace that led out into the gardens. They were the Beast’s pride and joy and he spent much of his rest time whiling away the hours walking through the gardens enjoying the delights his hard work had given him.
They were passing a particularly dark red bush when the Troll felt the Beast struggling to communicate mind to mind. His words were broken and he could barely make out what Arahir was getting at, but it seemed to have something to do with the blood red rose bush, almost the size of a tree that Alexandros had stopped by, but what the Beast wanted was harder to work out.
“Get … bloom … crush … smell. Rose … crush … smell.”
Not having a clue what he was doing … the Troll King plucked a particularly fragrant flower from the plant and pricked his hand causing a drop of his blood to fill the center of the beautiful rose. Immediately, the flower opened wide and released a scent so rich that the Troll felt his head clear and everything around him sharpen and come into sharp focus. A thought occurred to him and he crushed the head and the petals in his hand. Loosening the straps of his harness, he slid the struggling Beast to the ground and almost shoved the crushed flower under his nose.
Arahir inhaled deeply then, sneezed. Shaking his mane he looked up at his companion. Alexandros saw his eyes begin to clear and was relieved to see the Beast’s brilliant blue eyes once more. The Troll King tore off the gag and bonds he tied the Beast with enabling Arahir to loosen his limbs. Sighing in relief … Arahir smiled.
The Beast explained the roses were a very rare mutation created with the help of the Light to clear the mind and add clarity and power to the Keeper. It assisted when he was helping persuade reluctant leaders not to contest the Keeper’s Peace. The Keeper’s Rose for so it was named, carried a drop of his blood and a flame of his fire as well as a tiny bit of the Living Light’s magic and a portion of its call for every time he crafted a new plant. They were literally part of who he was heart and mind. The fragrance was of his spirit, his soul and called to him settling his heart when he walked the garden, relaxing him and taking the stresses of his day.
“And …” Arahir grinned at his huge friend … “when I am distressed they return me to my right mind when I feel lost; which sometimes happens when I am working between worlds. It is how I have kept the peace for so long. Thank you so much Alexandros. I felt lost. My link to the Light was gone and all I could feel was rage. You have helped me regain my sanity for a short time, but I have to get to the Light.
This particular garden is a sanctuary for my spirit. During the three millennia I have been tied to the Light, on several occasions ruthless leaders have tried to rip my sanity from me. They thought by destroying me, they could break the peace, but the link with the Light is what has kept me lucid until I returned home. But … I realized on one such meeting with the tyrant of a very hostile planet, their Wizard or whatever they called him found a way to block my connection completely to the Living Light. I had to return immediately because the castle was so distressed and I was losing my mind. Once I entered the garden and crushed one of the roses, our link was back in place. Because of you taking the time to listen to me, I can feel the Light again.
Only one thing is different; the Light seems to be sharing its mind. Somehow the castle is incredibly happy but intensely preoccupied with something or someone. I need to find out what is taking its attention so fully. I’ve never felt it like this and I am worried. T
hings are going crazy and the Living Light is not really listening or responding. I have to get to the sanctum as fast as I can. Could you please help me? I can sense many strangers in my home and I am not strong enough to take them on until I reach the Light. Only then, can I defend her.”
Arahir looked over the glorious garden filled with rose bushes as tall as small trees due to the magic in their very pores and the enchanted ground they were planted in. The blood red roses were twice as large as any other flower in the gardens, and actually felt alive when you stroked their petals. But even this was different. When he had touched the roses before, he felt a type of communion with them because they came from him as well. The roses would ripple under his fingers acknowledging him as their maker. He felt they were alive somehow.
Arahir was stunned when he touched a giant bloom fully open and it seemed … calling him. When he stroked the petal with a long finger sliding along its lush velvet softness … suddenly the petal curled around his finger seeming as if it was purring. But the image that filled him was that of Anya up against him and calling his name. It was such a sensual erotic image both touch and sight that as the fragrance filled his nostrils … all he could think of in that moment was holding his Anya in his arms and making wild passionate love to her. He was overwhelmed for a moment feeling excitement and lust blot out everything else momentarily and he had to shake himself free of the spell the rose wound around him. Realization dawned and he smiled happily.
“I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before.”
Alexandros looked at the Beast quizzically
“The only other person that would be of interest to the Living Light would be someone who reminded the Light of myself. There is only one other who carries my scent.”
The Troll King smiled as well.
“Your mate? She has made it here?”
“It seems she has my friend. The son she carries will have attracted the Light and she will have wanted to keep her within its protection. That’s why I can scent her and feel her even on the roses. The very ground carries her scent to the garden all through the soil. The castle is telling me she has my mate safe with her. That means that the twins will be here as well. It makes me feel much happier knowing they all made it here.”
Arahir selected three roses which were making soft humming noises.
“The Keeper’s Rose will not last very long but I will bring a few with me just in case the first fades before we get to the Light.”
Alexandros watched as the Beast picked a few large blooms and carefully stowed them in the Troll King’s pack. He hoped they would keep the Beast lucid until they reached the Light, he didn’t want to try and capture a maddened beast on his own.
Following Arahir’s instructions they entered the terrace. The Beast abruptly stopped and stared; looking around at the drastic changes to his home. What had once been comfortably masculine as well as elegantly decorated and spoke of the man himself … was now drastically feminine, light and airy. He was speechless. What had the Light done to his home? The Light in its eagerness to make Anya happy and want to stay had completely changed the castle to what the Light hoped would be more to her tastes. He couldn’t quite believe his eyes. It was going to be a race against time to find the Living Light’s Inner Sanctum, before the castle changed everything so much that Arahir no longer knew his way there.
The two men decided they had better run before they ran out of time. Nodding in agreement, they became a blur passing through the swiftly changing marble rooms desperately hoping to join Anya before complete chaos broke out between the Enchantress’ forces and the untrained magic of the Living Light
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Chapter Twenty-One
Mir and Val tried violence on the sanctuary door to no avail. Even though the door shook and cracked under their combined power; it would not budge. Anya listened intently to the sounds, feeling for the living beings behind the door. When she recognized the twins … she felt real joy. She asked the Light to send them the vision she had sent Anya and told her the men were Arahir’s close kin. The Living Light would be able to use their magic to help her fight for the castle against the evil that would come.
The twins felt an image unfold in their minds of Arahir using the doorway then, one of Anya doing the same thing. Immediately Mir and Val followed suit. Passing through the portal they stepped into the most incredible place. It was like a glitch in space. The rainbow colors were everywhere giving the impression of solidity without actually having any surfaces or boundaries of any kind. It was very disorientating, but being a race of flesh and of fire, they adjusted fairly quickly.
Looking around … they didn’t see Anya immediately but suddenly, she just appeared. Her beauty and her gentleness as well as her excitement at becoming a mother radiated from her being. She was quite simply … perfect … and they wanted her more in that moment than anything they had ever needed before. Anya found herself enfolded in their strong arms, held so fiercely she felt their abiding love and deep commitment to her and to her son. She couldn’t believe how being in the Light enabled her to sense the way they felt about her without the normal barriers of flesh and blood to get in the way.
The twins also felt the love their Anya had for them … the real and true love Anya had always harbored for them both. They felt the joy she felt in their presence and her gratitude for their understanding and her healing. But all this paled into insignificance before her love for them. Anya had no trouble holding the fierce deep love she had for the twins … for the pair individually as well as the brothers’ together.
But Anya’s heart was divided most carefully between the twins and her bond of love so impossibly strong and her totally unbreakable fire that was her love and life connection to her mate. The twins were stunned to notice that her love for Arahir was only a step away from her love for Mir and Arahir. The twins were gratified to see the fire and passion inside the young woman all three men loved was so strong and so fierce that she loved all of them as completely as she was able … holding nothing back from them. It was one of the most wondrous and beautiful things either brother had ever felt. To have anyone love you so completely was unbelievable. The twins just didn’t want to let her out of their arms ever again.
They felt a hard tightening as Anya’s belly grew hot suddenly and Anya grew a little frightened. She looked up at them, slightly panicked as she felt a film of sweat trickle down her face.
“Sweetheart … breathe … deeply breathe. Can you feel Arahir yet? Is he in the castle at all? Can you feel him along your bond yet?”
Mir was soothing her hard stomach with his light as Val talked to Anya, who had to have Arahir with her if possible. They knew she wanted him beside her, but they were also prepared to step in if it came to that end.
Anya closed her eyes, drawing on the comforting warmth of the Light who tried to soothe and ease her distress. At the same time … Anya, boosted by the Living Light’s power helped send out a call to the Keeper. Suddenly … Anya’s head jerked up.
“Arahir is here!”
Her beautiful eyes gleamed with delight. She would see her beloved Beast again … soon. The twins linked with Anya’s call. They needed him to arrive fast … Anya’s child would not wait any longer.
Arahir skidded to a sudden stop. Alexandros veered abruptly to avoid colliding with the Beast as he instantly froze, tilting his head to the side concentrating.
“Arahir … oh my love … come, come, I need you with me … I … I am … frightened. Something is … is wrong. There is nothing happening that I understand. I … I need you.”
Arahir could sense the anxiety and the underlying fear even through their connection. He realized she had no idea how a baby of their race was born and if she wasn’t helped by the twins or him … she could be in real trouble. He had to get there. No matter what else was happening in the castle … the Beast knew the birth of his son was preeminent and the castle would have to defend itself until his son was born.
An urgent message followed on the tail of Anya’s ensuring she was unaware of it being sent. Val’s voice urged him on.
“Arahir my beloved Uncle, I beg of you … whatever you are doing … come! She will not survive without you and the Light senses the presence of dark magic nearing the estate. We don’t have much time, but the way the contractions are going … neither does Anya. She will burst into flame soon, but she doesn’t realize it. If the child forces the flame without Anya knowing what is happening, she will burn too hot and be reduced to ashes. We could lose them both. It is your son … only you can call him and tell him to slow his fire. We have been stalling the birth, hoping for your arrival, but we can’t do it any longer. You must be here; she will begin in five to ten minutes, no longer. In Seren’s name Keeper … for your mate’s sake … come.”
Alexandros had been intently watching Arahir’s face as the change of expression told him all he needed to know.
“It is your mate?”
At Arahir’s nod of affirmation, the Troll grunted.
“Then my friend, we must go … come now. Do you know the way still?”
Arahir’s face lit up as the castle called him, showing him the new way to its sanctum.
“Yes my friend … I do now. The Light has made sure I will get there as swiftly as possible. Stay as close to me as you possibly can. I am going to place a cold tendril of flame around you so as we enter the portal that appears as a door … you will enter the sanctum the same time and I won’t lose you. You truly could end up in another time and place otherwise.”
Arahir as the Beast had not been able to change into his true self since the Enchantress had cursed him. She had locked his body shape completely and he longed to be able to take his true shape once more. But he could make lines of fire from himself if he reached into his chest and pulled a hot heart thread carefully out, rolling it between his fingers like spinning wool on a spinning wheel.
