by Darci Darson
Yasmeen felt a needle of jealousy pricking her chest as she remembered that Rav had kissed Mora. He had thought it had been her, though, but this was painful and difficult for her to cope with.
She wiped her face with the back of her hand and realised that it was covered in blood. It was either Lothissi’s or Rav’s blood she could not tell. She scanned her body with a shaky glance and her throat tightened in disgust. Her chest had been contaminated as well; Rav must have splashed her with his blood while they had escaped.
“Did he know about her?” she asked quietly.
“Ettrian? I’m certain that he was aware of this but he knew we would survive. Otherwise he would have come back to save us. Elves can look into the future in serious circumstances and they would never let you be killed. They would always come to the rescue even if they had to sacrifice their own life,” Rav explained.
“That’s weird....This code is ridiculous,” she said and paused for a minute. “I was thinking...I will have a bath in that pond. You stay here and close your eyes, Ok? I need to wash off the blood of that monster... and yours, by the way. No offence but I just want to have a bath and cleanse myself of that creepy experience. A proper bath is always a good idea. Felicia might be right about it...”
“Ok,” he murmured. “I will wait. I’ll go after you. Stay close.”
Yasmeen rose to her feet and approached the pond slowly, taking off her white shoes. She did not look back to check if Rav had averted his eyes. She wanted to get rid of the blood as soon as possible. However, she soon discovered that there was an unexpected and... funny complication as her bodice was back laced.
She tried to reach the strings, but it was futile, as her fingers were helpless in trying to untie the knot. Her repeated attempts did not bring her any closer to her cleansing bath so she chuckled and lowered her arms in desperation, planning to immerse herself in her clothes.
Unexpectedly, she sensed Rav standing behind her. His fingers struggled with the knot for a few seconds, pulling at the strings then unlaced the bodice with a gentle grace. When it was loose enough, he put his hands on her shoulders and pulled the sleeves down. The gown slid down slowly with a quiet rustle, exposing Yasmeen’s arms. The white corset accentuated her slender waist and the white, satin shorts covered her hips and thighs. His closeness sent a hot, electric current to her skin as his warm breath brushed against her shoulder.
Yasmeen shivered when she felt the wave of tingly sensation spread across her body. Her heart fluttered a wild and excited rhythm. She was dying to be touched by him, but a strange shyness also filled her chest.
“Thank you, Rav,” she whispered, ashamed.
He emitted a low chuckle from his mouth.
Yasmeen moved towards the water, her bare feet sinking into the soft and hot sand. The water was cold but she continued until she was immersed up to her waist. The floor comprised smooth small stones, visible in the crystal clear water. Pink fish tickled her legs, schooling close to the bottom as a warm continuous exhalation of air brushed her arms gently with its invisible vapours.
Yasmeen lifted her head to assess that the waterfall was about three metres high. She enjoyed the sound of the water tumbling down with a quiet whisper. High walls of foliage and flowers sheltered the pool from the rest of the wood, inviting wide streaks of bright light to almost blind her eyes as they reflected on the smooth perfection of the water surface. The smells drifted in the air scenting of fresh mandarin, sweet and rich vanilla, cool peppermint intermingling with the humid breath of soil. Strange animal sounds quarrelled in the distance, unaware of Yasmeen’s and Rav’s intrusion.
She washed her face, closing her eyes. She lowered her body for a second allowing the water to rise up her throat and quickly straightened back up. The cold grip of the water took her breath away and she gasped a moment later. Her ears caught a sharp and loud splash nearby. She felt water droplets on her back as Rav emerged behind her, shaking his head and sprinkling her hair with water. She cringed despite her longing for him and folded her arms across her chest. Rav came closer and their bodies met, her back against his warm and muscular, naked chest. His fingers touched her hair, stroking in gentle movements as though he were testing the feel of her wet wisps. Then his hand moved down, exploring her neck and her right shoulder. His other hand swept away her hair to the left and she felt his lips against her right shoulder blade. She sighed as his warm breath sent her another wave of shivers. A dangerous hot and sensual tension grew inside her but her insecurity pushed her to escape him. She balled up her fists and stepped forward as though to liberate herself from his additive closeness. Without realising it, her hand touched the scar across her face. And Rav must have sensed her hesitation as his arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her even closer to him. His other hand crossed over her chest and cupped her cheek.
“Yasmeen, please don’t go. You are beautiful,” he said into her ear.”You are more beautiful than anything I have ever seen in my life. This scar makes you so unique,” he continued, caressing her face. He was gentle yet strong and demanding.
In that moment he made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the Universe and the scar did not matter anymore. Rav was all that mattered.
“This was not her magic, nor her blood,” Rav added. ”Just us and our insanity.”
Yasmeen knew this because she wanted Rav even more now than she ever did in Mora’s kingdom.
Rav’s lips touched her neck with an intense passion. She felt an electric charge, tickling the area where the kiss had landed. Rav’s lips moved up, brushed her ear and the angle of her jaw and reached the corner of her mouth. Their bodies were clenched tight. His kisses became hot and impatient. His lips moved a little further and pressed against hers. Yasmeen felt a wave of euphoric desire surging through her body and kissed him back. She turned to face him as his kisses became harder and deeper. Their breaths united, their hearts beating together in the same rhythm as Rav almost crushed her in his embrace.
Yasmeen took a sharp breath and freed from Rav’s arms, let out a deep groan.
“I’m cold,” she said, stepping away from him. “I’m so cold.” She covered the distance to the land quickly and rested on the sand. She observed Rav with sheer joy, his knee-long wet shorts clinging to his muscular tights. She pulled her knees to her chest in the hopes of keeping some warmth. Rav sat in front of her and held her face in his hands. He leaned over her and kissed her again. His lips moved down to touch the side of her neck whilst his hands captured her head and back. He was very eager to explore every part of her body and she could absorb the tiny vibes of his dense and naughty emotions entangled with the essence of summer night. His touch filled her with the heat of her desire once more, but when his fingers attempted to force her corset, she moaned impatiently, far louder than she had intended, in frustration.
“I have to tell you something, Rav,” she started. “Rav, we need to talk,” she growled as he intended to kiss her lips again.
“Why are you angry with me? Why are you angry with me all the time?” he asked, confused as he sat in front of her. “I wanted to stay with you, but you were too drunk. It wouldn’t have been right.”
She shook her head not sure what to answer. She knew that but it was not what she was referring to .
“I thought she was you,” Rav said, looking puzzled by her muteness.
Yasmeen shook her head once again, a timid smile curling her lips. Rav’s desperation was sweet.
“I did not know whether you would be happy to take me to your home with you,” Rav said at last. “I would go anywhere with you because I love you, Yasmeen. I’ve been in love with you since the first moment I saw you,” he added softly. “I know you are for me. I don’t want to read your mind with my magic; people don’t like it. You wouldn’t like it, but I don’t understand you at all. I don’t know if you want me. Why is it so difficult with humans? The beings of my kind just choose and know everything. The pure Varuh did not even have to choose...”
“When I saw you for the first time, I knew that you were my destined partner, at once,” he explained. “I’ve always had this feeling, this love for somebody inside me and when we met I knew this love would be for you. I chose you at once because I can’t imagine my life without you anymore.”
“What about the pure Varuh?” Yasmeen questioned, clearly aware of Rav’s discomfort and desire but she was so intrigued that she had to continue.
“The pure Varuh were so drawn to each other that they had no choice. Sometimes if one died, the other would follow the partner. This is why they could become such bloodthirsty Opyri.”
“That’s really weird.”
“Yasmeen,” Rav started, his voice a little lower. “I know that you are mostly human and this doesn’t work in the same way for you, but for a moment I thought that you felt the same for me. Say something. Yasmeen... “ he paused and gazed at her in anticipation. “If you choose Ettrian I will understand.”
Chapter 10
Yasmeen froze with her mouth wide open and then she cupped his face and kissed him. She looked straight into his eyes as something strong and full of pure happiness shaped inside her.
“No, Rav, no, it’s not Ettrian,” she said impatiently. “I love you, Rav. You, and only you. It’s crazy, you know, that it happened so quickly, but I think that I love you, too. I don’t know, maybe I am more a Varuh than we suspected. I just wanted to tell you that I would stay with you... and with Felicia. I’m only worried about my dad,” she said quickly as if she wanted to spit her message in a second. She wanted to explain everything to him in one sentence, but that was not possible so she send him her warm smile instead. She felt as if she had come back to a loving and accepting home, a shiny excitement and unbreakable strength gathered in her chest. Facing life problems with Rav was like catching her luck with her bare hands and holding it in a tight grip; like she was complete at last.
“We will find the way,” Rav said and pinned her down to the ground, kissing her again but she escaped his embrace once again.
“If you ever try to read my mind I will kill you,” she added and chuckled when she saw Rav’s confused expression. They kissed again.“It’s getting dark,” she said at last. “We should move.”
“It’s not safe in the woods at night,” Rav said. “We have to find shelter.” He stood up and extended his arms towards hers, helping her rise from the ground.
“We should find some clothes, too,” Yasmeen said and chuckled as she could not imagine how she would look for a shelter in her wet corset and shorts, feeling reluctant to put the dress stained with massive amount of blood back on.
Rav lowered to pick up his shirt and trousers but he froze half way and straightened at once.
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind swept over their bodies. It carried a load of decaying fear and death. A dark shadow expanded over their heads, immobilising them for a fraction of a second with its unexpected threat. That one precious second of their hesitation changed everything.
Yasmeen felt a violent force pulling her away from Rav. A stabbing pain spread from her neck, alarming her senses and sending her a wave of cold terror. The angry and murderous darkness of an ancient being went through her veins. It throbbed as if millions of icy crystals had pierced her every blood cell and vessel in her flesh. Her vision narrowed and she started falling down into the abyss of fearful screams of his victims, his lust for killing and the freezing blackness of his decaying soul. She tumbled down into somebody’s evil desire to have her, taste her and feed on her. Before she swam away into the black void she saw Rav being thrown towards a tree and his limp body breaking the tree trunk.
And then there was no pain.
She felt her mum’s gentle touch and heard her concerned low voice.
“Yasmeen, Honey tell me where you are. Show me the map to your dimension so that I could find you.”
Yasmeen sensed her mum’s calming glow and her love but she was not able to help her. Her mind drifted away, called upon and pulled by another magical force. She opened her eyes and glanced at Ettrian, her eyes blinking in a nervous attempt of returning back to the reality. The Elf had been singing a quiet incantation as Yasmeen’s body saturated with the power of neutral energy. This was the energy of life and balance, the green and cool touch of plants, the red and warm touch of animals and the even-handed touch of the Elves, who were neither good nor evil. Her mind still danced to the rhythm of the Irish flute played in tune to the grey melody of the earth, invading her mind from some mystical and hidden sources.
“Rav,” she whispered, but her lips moved not making any noise. “Where is Rav?” she asked, letting out a wheezing sound from her lungs.
Ettrian helped her to sit up, supporting her back with his one arm. She noticed that she was wrapped in a brown blanket. She looked ahead and her eyes locked onto Rav’s body lying a few metres further up. The other Elf was leaning over him and singing. His name was probably Saleh but Yasmeen could not recall it for sure.
Yasmeen started crawling towards Rav but Ettrian put his hands under her arms and assisted her to rise to her feet. He supported her as she walked with an effort towards Rav. She then knelt beside Rav’s right arm and stared into his pale and wounded face. His eyes were closed and his breathing was nearly nonexistent.
“Rav,” she said with a weak and hoarse voice. Her heart felt squeezed by a cold hand of terror as she watched the deep cuts and bruises on his neck and chest. She placed her palm above his heart. The beat was rapid and his skin sweaty and cold, clear signs of massive blood loss.
“I love you, Rav, I love you and you are dying,” she cried. Her soul was falling apart. Everything inside her died, was reborn and died again. The agony drilled into her like long and thin nails being slowly inserted throughout her flesh. Yasmeen wanted to be with Rav desperately, determined to follow him wherever he was heading towards at that moment but this was beyond her abilities.
She noticed a streak of laser-blue mist diffusing from underneath her palm but she did not pay it any attention. She did not care. Her eyes were blinded by her tears, her hope and happiness flying away, startled by the gloom spreading in her mind. The light of her joyful and loving soul had been replaced by the blackness of her anger. She stopped crying as rage narrowed her eyes. She wanted to scream for eternity and after that she would kill the bloodthirsty attackers.
And promptly, she felt a grip on her wrist. She wiped her nose and glanced at Rav’s face. He smiled and his left eye blinked to her.
“I’m immortal and it’s not easy to kill me,” he said and chuckled.
“But I thought...I thought you were dying,” Yasmeen said and cupped his face in her hands. There was more of the laser blue mist, embracing them and diffusing in every direction.
“What is it, Rav?” Yasmeen asked and her voice faltered. Her skin glowed like an eternal pearl. She remained motionless and her eyes blinked nervously.
Rav sat up with an effort and threw his arms around her waist drawing her closer to him.
“This is our bond; it’s forming now but it should not have happened. You are half human and I’m a very distant progeny of the pure Varuh,” Rav explained but his voice was full of surprise and astonishment too.
“They came. The Elves came, just as you said, Rav. They saved us,” Yasmeen said in a low voice.
He remained silent, but fixed his burning eyes on her glowing face and loved her with his whole heart... and so did she. The bond sealed and illuminated, touching the people around with its warm peace and unconditional love. Yasmeen and Rav disappeared in the pure energetic shawl, wrapping them in its infinite strength. Their eternal connection emitted wide streaks of pearly light giving its shimmer to the surroundings. The Elves smiled and sang and Kate emerged from behind a tree and rested in the stream of their love. It was as if she was hoping to heal her wounded back and broken leg in the beaming h
appiness of Rav and Yasmeen’s bond. And it healed the brave cat.
Yasmeen’s hands stroked over two large scars above Rav’s shoulder blades. She looked at him with a question in her eyes.
“I gave my wings to your father,” Rav said. “I told you earlier.”
“It was so that he could have me, for you,” Yasmeen said, sending him her bright smile and realising that their bright, blinding love separated them from the rest of the world.
“More or less,” Rav nodded.
“What were those evil forces?” Yasmeen questioned, wrapping her arms around his chest.
“It was an Opyri and two of his progenies. The Elves magic is strong enough to kill the Opyri,” Rav said and paused for a while. “In my homeland we put them into a time bubble. And they waited, frozen in time for the Ancient to come back. We weren’t allowed to kill them. We weren’t allowed to kill anybody or anything.”
Yasmeen shuddered when she acknowledged the real meaning of his revelation. Rav would have done anything for her. He would have broken every rule for her and he would have killed everybody to keep her safe. She would have done the same for him.
Chapter 11
Yasmeen, Rav and Kate scrambled up onto the wagon as Ettrian and Saleh dropped into the narrow bench at the front. Yasmeen did not contemplate how the two Elves had found them. They must have had their magical ways to have done that. She was happy that they had all survived and looked forward to hug Felicia again but the lack of information about Imre tormented her soul like repeated jabs of tiny needles. Maybe she would never learn the truth and she would have had to live with that. This worry pressed against her chest like a heavy load, getting heavier and more suffocating with every second, and then existing somewhere on the edge of her consciousness.
