Why then did worry gnaw at his belly?
As he spotted Sky Castle’s turrets, Aric’s excitement to see Liana increased, but his concern heightened as well. Could she have been injured in an accident? What of the babes she carried in her womb—were they doing well?
A furlong from the castle, Aric shrieked the traditional greeting as he passed a Nordain sentry perched on a pine. The sentry ruffled her feathers and gave Aric the all clear cry, bowing her head in respect as he flew past.
Like an arrow released from a bow, Aric shot through the air, eating up the remaining distance to the massive entrance of Sky Castle. When he was a few feet off the ground, he transformed into his nordai form, landing in a stride that carried him through the front doorway.
Behind him rang the laughter and excited cries of women greeting their men, and Aric knew the celebration was just beginning. Much mating and feasting would be occurring with the males’ return, continuing well into the night, after the ceremony where Aric would publicly claim his woman.
Aric signaled to Angelei as he strode into the castle. The Elvin woman wore a clinging gown of a sheer material that displayed all of her charms to their best advantage from her dark nipples to the enrli symbol in the patch between her thighs. Aric decided that Liana must have a gown like it—but to wear for him only. He would not have every man ogling his wife’s body.
“Where is my Queen?” Aric asked when he reached Angelei.
“My Lord.” The Elvin woman bowed her head as she gestured down the hallway. “Her Majesty is with guests in the drawing room.”
“Thank you, Angelei.” Aric nodded as he immediately headed to Liana, his boots ringing against the stone floor. What guests could be so important that she was receiving them in the drawing room?
When he reached the room, he opened the double doors and strode through to see Liana. She was staring at a pair of Tanzinites with an incredulous look upon her beautiful face.
“What?” Liana said, disbelief in her voice. “Who—who did you say you are?”
Aric’s hackles rose at Liana’s obvious distress. “Am I interrupting something?” he growled as he reached her side.
Liana faced him, her eyes wide with relief when she realized he was there. “Aric!” she cried as she reached up and flung her arms around his neck, clinging to him as though she needed his support. “I missed you so.”
“Zjenni,” he murmured and kissed her long and deep.
Gods but she felt soft and wonderful in his embrace, her scent of moonlight and jensai blooms enveloping him. Her taste was even sweeter than he remembered. His cock grew so rigid he feared it might burst out of his breeches. He would take her on the drawing room floor if not for the Tanzinites—
Damnation.
With reluctance Aric drew away from the kiss, and his eyes locked for a moment with Liana’s. Her lips were moist and parted, her breasts rising and falling with every breath and her nipples jutting beneath the thin material of her dress. At least for the moment he had managed to take her mind off of whatever had upset her and she did not look nearly as unsettled as she had when he first walked in.
Slowly he turned away from her to the Tanzinites. “Beg pardon,” Aric said as he inclined his head to the couple. “I have not seen my beautiful Queen for nigh on a week.”
“Forgive our intrusion, King Aric.” The Tanzinite gave a slight bow. “We well understand as we have not seen our daughter for twenty seasons.”
Aric frowned. “Daughter?”
My Lord, I am Salana and this is Palme. Aric startled as the woman’s gentle voice spoke in his thoughts. We are Liana’s mother and father.
Clenching his jaw, Aric narrowed his gaze, anchored his arm around Liana’s shoulders and drew her close. “You abandon your daughter as a babe, and then have the audacity to appear uninvited in my kingdom?”
Aric’s protectiveness sent a swell of warmth through Liana. Never before had she felt so loved and accepted. With him at her side, she knew she could bear anything that came her way.
At Aric’s harsh words, Palme raised his chin. Salana bowed her head and her wings drooped. Despite the fact that these beings had abandoned her at birth, Liana could not help but feel compassion for them.
Liana looked up at Aric and offered him a smile, telling him without words how much it meant to her that he was beside her. “Let us hear what they have to say.”
His gaze met hers and he slowly nodded. “Anything for you, zjenni.”
“You have our deepest appreciation.” The Tanzinite man drew in a deep breath and he turned his red eyes from Aric to Liana. “No words exist in any language that can convey how much we grieved over losing you. Nor can they express how sorry we are that we were forced to give you up when you were born.”
“Forced?” Aric’s word rang out like an anvil against stone. “How could any beings be forced to give up their child, yet know that she lived in Zanden’s realm and was treated as an outcast her entire life?”
“I grew up knowing only the love of my friends Ranelle and Tierra,” Liana said softly. “Like me they were orphaned or discarded at birth.”
The prophecy. Salana sighed, her eyes glittering as though she held back tears. You were not discarded. The moment you were born and the Tribe saw you were without wings, you were whisked away from us.
“Zanden was still a young Sorcerer then, as you well know.” Palme’s wings flexed as he spoke, as though stirring with anger. “He swore he would have Liana killed if we did not leave her to live in Fiorn until her twentieth season.”
Aric stiffened beside Liana at the mention of the Sorcerer. His arm tightened around her shoulders, and she felt tension radiating from him.
We could not bear for anything to happen to you. Salana’s sea green eyes pleaded for forgiveness, her voice soft and sweet in Liana’s thoughts. The Tanzinite people have not the means to protect themselves from the Sorcerer.
“Thus we waited and hoped that the dual prophecy would turn for the good of us all.” Palme folded his arms across his chest. And then his voice lowered and Liana felt the caring in his words. “Especially for you, Liana. Although you never saw us, we ensured your safety and wellbeing throughout your years in Fiorn.”
“What do you want from her now?” Aric demanded before Liana could respond.
“We want nothing for ourselves.” Palme’s gaze met Liana’s and his stern features relaxed into a semblance of a smile. “It pleases us greatly that you are now safe from Zanden and happy with your new husband. Truly our only desire is that you know you have always been loved. We would have given anything to change the past.”
You are our only child. Tears flowed freely down Salana’s pale face. We hope you can find it in your heart to forgive us.
Throughout the exchange, Liana had been overcome by a sense of the surreal, and felt almost numb. But as she listened to Salana’s and Palme’s story, and sensed kindness and love radiating from them, tremendous warmth filled her.
With a smile to Aric, Liana tore herself from his grasp and went to her birth parents. “When I was a little girl, I often dreamed that you would come to me and say these very words.”
She fell into Salana’s embrace, and tears coursed Liana’s cheeks, mingling with her birth mother’s. Their essences mingled, and Salana’s hair caressed Liana’s shoulder. Liana felt a kinship with her mother that she had never felt with anyone else.
I would be pleased to have the opportunity to know you and become friends, Liana told Salana as she pulled away, projecting her thoughts to Aric and Palme as well.
“Yes.” Aric’s expression relaxed as he stepped forward to shake hands with Palme and then kissed the back of Salana’s hand. “We would be honored to have you as our guests at our joining celebration.”
Chapter Thirteen
An hour later, Liana was clothed in a ceremonial gown that glittered with thousands of diamonds scattered across the silvery dark material. Angelei was brushing Liana’s tresses, making her hai
r shimmer down the back of her gown like moonlight against a star spattered sky.
In moments Liana would be going to the Grand Hall to be officially joined with Aric in the eyes of his people. Elvin, Nordain, and Human royalty would be in attendance, along with Liana’s birth parents.
If only Ranelle and Tierra could be with Liana now, the day would be perfect.
She pressed her hand against the flutter in her belly as she stood before the mirror in her bedchamber, waiting for Angelei to finish fussing with her tresses. The diaphanous gown Liana wore had been a gift from the Elvin women—Liana thought it beautiful, although she was nervous at how revealing it was.
The front of the bodice was a mere two strips of gathered material from shoulders to waist, not quite enough to completely cover each of her breasts. The train of her gown was as long as the length of Liana’s bedchamber; however, the material at the front of the skirt was gathered nearly to the apex of her thighs, completely exposing her legs.
Angelei slid the gold and ruby circlet upon Liana’s brow, stepped back and smiled. “Come, ’tis time.”
Liana’s lips trembled as she attempted her own smile. “Thank you,” she murmured as she reached up to touch the circlet with her fingertips.
Heat rose in Liana’s cheeks as they walked past the mirror and she saw how much of her pale breasts showed beneath the silvery strips of fabric. The gown shifted over her breasts, her nipples jutting out prominently.
Ye gods. One wrong move and she would spill out of the gown, allowing the guests to see more of their Queen than she would like them to.
Angelei and Liana left the bedchamber and were met by Kerriel and Damianne on the landing. “You are truly a beautiful Queen, Milady,” Angelei said.
“I’m going to be an exposed Queen if I’m not careful,” Liana muttered and the Elvin women laughed.
Earlier, Liana and Aric had been forcefully separated the moment they left their Tanzinite guests in the drawing room. Giggling with fiendish delight, the Elvin women had swarmed around Liana and had taken her from Aric in order to prepare for the joining celebration.
But by the gods, she had wanted to have her own private joining with Aric before the celebration.
Nordain men, including Renn, had been on hand to thwart Aric’s attempts to remain with Liana, and to ensure he would be readied for the celebration as well. From the men’s remarks, Liana had a feeling that Aric’s preparation involved a great deal of ale and male bonding.
Surely he would rather have been bonding with her.
While damselflies invaded Liana’s belly, the Elvin women escorted her from the bedchamber to the Grand Hall. When Liana and her attendants reached the closed doors of the Hall, Liana stopped to take a deep breath and shore up her courage.
Kerriel stood before the doors, prepared to open them at Liana’s command. Like the other Elvin women, Kerriel was clothed in a transparent thigh-length gown that clearly showed her lovely form, from her dark nipples to the enrli symbol between her thighs. No doubt after this celebration countless more ballads would be written about the sultry and sensual Elves.
“So fair you are, Queen Liana.” Kerriel tucked a strand of her golden hair behind her pointed ear and smiled. “You and the King shall make a most beautiful joining.”
“Aye, Milady,” Damianne agreed with a sly grin. “If you wish to broaden your pleasures in your marriage bed, Angelei, Kerriel and I would be delighted to join you and the King this eve.”
“I think not.” Liana groaned and rolled her eyes to the ornate ceiling. “You are all too much.”
“Or perhaps just right?” Angelei teased and pressed her soft lips to Liana’s ear, causing Liana to shiver. “May the blessings of the goddess be with you and King Aric during this joining celebration, and for all eternity.”
* * * * *
Aric clenched his hands as he stood alone before the dais and ceremonial table at the head of the Grand Hall, waiting for Liana’s entrance. Behind the table was an enormous carved throne cushioned in deep red velvet. Nordain delicacies were arranged upon the surface of the ceremonial table, all surrounding a single gold chalice with a blood red ruby in the middle of the stem.
At each corner of the head of the room were large pots of living jensai, lending the Hall with their sweet perfume. The sacred vines were in full bloom—the same shade of rose as Liana’s delightful nipples, Aric thought with a lust-filled sigh.
Thanks to his brother, Renn, and Nordain warriors plying him with ale, Aric was more relaxed than he otherwise would have been as he waited for Liana—yet he still managed to feel restless and edgy.
What was taking his Queen so long?
Countless guests filled the massive Hall, seated at dozens of tables lining both sides of an aisle that ran the length of the long room. The Hall buzzed with laughter and conversation, along with the clink of glasses and sounds of chairs scraping against the stone floor.
Every table was set with fine linens, sparkling crystal goblets, glittering silver plates, and bottles of the finest Elvin wines. Delicious aromas filled the room: roasted, steamed, and fresh vegetables, fruits of every variety, baked breads and rolls, pastries and sugar seed cakes, and myriads of other gourmet dishes.
Roses of every color from the royal gardens lined the aisle Liana would walk upon as she came to him. Huge bouquets of pink roses occupied the center of every table.
Someone clapped Aric’s shoulder, startling him from his thoughts. Aric turned and saw that it was his brother.
“What would you like as your joining gift, brother?” Renn asked.
“Joining gift, eh?” Aric frowned as he considered Renn’s question. “It would please my Queen if you would seek out her friend, Tierra. The maid lived in Fiorn with Liana, but my zjenni believes Tierra has vanished from the village.”
Renn cocked an eyebrow. “A vision?”
With a nod, Aric replied, “Yes. And I fear my sweet Queen will not rest until Tierra is found.”
“Consider it done. For our Queen and my future nephews.” Renn bowed and moved to a nearby table to sample a seedcake from a tray.
Aric turned his gaze to the rich tapestries that hung along the walls. Each panel depicted a scene from Nordain life and customs. Among Aric’s personal favorites was a tapestry showing a couple making love in their human forms; as well as the one next to it that depicted the same couple enjoying sex as nordai, their wings spread wide and the male riding the female from behind.
Aric groaned as his cock throbbed to mate with Liana. It had been a week—far too long. He would not be able to experience a true nordai mating with his zjenni, but truly only Liana mattered to him. When they were joined, he planned to keep her in their bedchamber for twice the length of time he had been kept from her.
At least.
To Hades with the ceremony—he had waited long enough. He would track Liana down and claim her in his own fashion.
As Aric started to step forward, the double doors at the opposite end of the hall opened, and he stopped in his tracks.
Damianne and Kerriel glided in, and then stood to each side of the doors. Aric almost smiled at the sound of nearly every male in the room sucking in his breath at the sight of the nearly naked Elvin women.
But then Liana walked through the entrance and Aric’s heart nearly ceased to beat.
Gods, but she was lovely. From across the Hall her sea green gaze met his, and it was all he could do to rein himself in. He couldn’t take his eyes from her and the sparkling gown she wore—if one could call it that—that barely hid her nipples. And if it had been cut any higher in the front, she would be showing even more to every man in the room.
As Liana slowly walked toward him, Aric swallowed. Hard. His throat grew dry as he vacillated between wanting to take her right here in the Hall, guests be damned—or cover her, hiding her near nakedness so that no other man could look upon her beautiful body but him.
He was leaning rather heavily toward taking her right here and no
w.
Angelei trailed Liana, holding up the end of the long train. Aric was profoundly pleased that following Liana there was an almost naked Elvin woman for the men to stare at, rather than his Queen.
Liana’s radiant smile grew brighter yet when she reached him. As she finally stood at his side, Angelei arranged the train at Liana’s feet and then stepped to the guest table to the right of the ceremonial dais.
“Zjenni, my Queen,” Aric murmured as he took both her hands in his and kissed the back of each one. “Gods, but I am the most fortunate of men.”
“As I am the most blessed of all women, my king.” Liana reached up to kiss him and he almost stopped breathing when her gown pulled against her breasts and he saw the edge of her rosy areola.
Her lips met his and applause broke out in the Hall.
Lord Ir, but he had forgotten anyone existed but the sensuous woman before him.
Aric lifted his head and smiled when he saw Liana blushing a pretty pink from the tips of her pointed ears down every part of her exposed flesh.
Clasping one of Liana’s hands and raising it between them, Aric turned to the guests and bowed, as did Liana, whose breasts moved dangerously closer to freeing themselves from their scanty bonds. The room burst into another round of applause, and did not quiet until Aric held up his free hand.
“I present to you my wife, Queen Liana,” Aric’s voice boomed through the now silent room. He looked down at his woman and smiled. “My zjenni, my heartmate.”
When Aric’s gaze met Liana’s, her heart filled near to bursting with love for him. The way he looked at her, the intensity in his black eyes, made her feel as though she was the most beautiful and most loved woman on all of Dair.
More applause thundered through the Hall until Queen Yanea of the Elvin Kingdom of Seraphine rose from the guest table to the right of the dais. Liana caught her breath at the sight of the ethereal woman, and sensed that everyone else in the room had done the same.
Obsessed Page 13
