Keeper of the Stars: Part Five

by Aliyah Burke

  Uma tossed a bolt at Lana and he watched Lana stare at the open wound with mild interest. “You heard your keeper. Return.”

  They tried to resist, but Lian was again stronger than even all of them combined. His union with Lana had been completed. Although there was a struggle, They ultimately couldn’t win. They vanished, spouting words of revenge and he ignored them, focusing on the woman whose blood ran down her body to the ground she hovered over.

  “Lana,” he said, rushing to her side.

  She came to stand upon the ground and stared at him, her eyes a blend of brown and green now instead of just brown. “Are you all right, Lian?”

  “How… Where… I…”

  “Are they gone?” She held his gaze as she posed her question.

  “Yes,” he said confidently. He felt stronger than he had in many centuries. “They are.”

  “Take me home.”

  She collapsed and he caught her right before she hit the ground. As he had previously, Lian gathered her close and shot off through the air, leaving behind the destruction and taking her where she wanted to go. Her heart beat so slowly and was decreasing in speed with every pump it took.

  Back at the mansion, he laid her on the bed and tried to rouse her. Nothing worked. He had no recourse to heal her. All he could do was watch over her and that was what he planned on doing. She couldn’t die. He wouldn’t let her. He refused to let her go.

  * * * *

  “You did well, Lana.”

  “Is he safe then?”

  “Yes. For now. He waits for you, you should return to him.”

  “I’m so tired.”

  “That is the sacrifice you made when you accepted him fully.”

  “Will he know? What I did?”

  “Not unless you tell him.”

  “Would you? Did you?”

  “No. I wouldn’t. There’s nothing he can do about it anyway and he would just worry.”

  “Thank you, for giving me the strength to do this.”

  “You, Lana, had the strength all along. Go now. I will see you again.”

  “Can you tell me when?”

  “No.”

  “Until then, Ala.”

  “Be happy, Lana. Embrace each day offered, immerse yourself in the beauty surrounding you, never squander any moment you have with those you love. Go now. Make him wait no longer.”

  Lana opened her eyes slowly and took in the man who sat beside her in a chair as opposed to lying with her on the bed. “Lian?” she asked.

  His gaze flew open and he lunged for her. “Lana?” He touched her face with reverence. “I thought I’d lost you.”

  “No. Are you okay? Your injuries?”

  “Don’t worry about me, baby. Do you need anything?”

  “You.”

  “You have me.”

  “I mean I want you beside me. Why are you sleeping in the chair?”

  “I didn’t want to disturb you.”

  “Lay with me. Hold me.”

  He climbed in beside her and she closed her eyes as his familiar scent washed over her. His strong arms banded about her and she smiled as she burrowed closer. She didn’t hurt anymore but she wasn’t about to waste this opportunity to have him hold her like this. He whispered in her ear, words she didn’t understand but the tone familiar and she felt cherished.

  After he left to check on the children and let them know she’d woken, he returned with a tray. Soup. She sat up and took it from him.

  “Just like when we first met,” she said and began to eat.

  “I almost lost you then.”

  “But you didn’t. This time either.” She ate the rest of the soup, grateful for the warmth.

  “Care to tell me what happened?” he asked.

  “After I was taken? Erlik happened. More poking, prodding and such. That night, though, I felt your pain and knew I had to get to you. I strained against the restraints and roots shot up through the floor, spearing the bands I had on my arms and legs, killing those there. I escaped out the door and ran until I found you.”

  She looked at her hands. There were celestial designs on the back of each as well as on the top of each foot. Her smile was sad briefly.

  “When I saw you fall”—she moved the tray to the side—“I don’t know, all I knew was I had to save you.”

  “You did.” He cupped her cheek. “You gave me back the strength I needed to exert power over them.”

  He threaded his fingers through her hair—now silver—and kissed her. Lana moaned and leaned in closer, craving more of what he offered her. Bliss. Comfort. Perfection.

  Because with him, she was perfect. Right now, that was what she needed. Her tongue danced with his as she drew him back to rest upon her. He hesitated and she tugged harder.

  “Lian,” she begged against his lips.

  “You were injured.”

  “So were you. I need you.”

  His answer was to take control of the kiss as he moved one hand slowly down her body to cup her breast through the cotton she wore. She arched into his touch and moaned in pleasure as he kissed his way down her neck. Lian drew back and carefully took the shirt off her and tossed it to the side. Then he was back. His lips this time curved around her nipple. She whimpered and shifted, slightly.

  He lifted off her momentarily and she never took her gaze from him, needing, wanting to see all of him.

  His powerfully lean body was exposed as he removed his clothing. She stared at his cock as he walked back to her, spread her legs and lowered himself over her. Again, he muttered in Chinese and she just closed her eyes, waiting for the moment they were connected as one again.

  The broad head of his shaft pushed at her entrance. “Look at me, Lana,” he whispered.

  She opened her eyes and, as their gazes melted into one another, he slid home. “Lian,” she moaned.

  He didn’t speak as he moved within her slowly, tenderly. Back and forth, keeping the slow burn alive as their world shrank to just the two of them. Nothing more. No children. No Edmund. No Maxwell. There was no mention of what she’d gone through, or him. It was their time.

  Lian made love to her that evening, and as she crested for the final time, she knew there would never be another for her. This man owned her body, heart and soul.

  “I love you, Lian,” she murmured to him, after they lay cuddled together.

  “And I you, Lana. I don’t ever want to face losing you like that again.”

  She held him tighter and ignored the pain in her chest. “I have no wish for you to, either.” A moment’s silence. “Of course, you know I wasn’t too fond of seeing you go down like that.”

  “Point taken.” He nipped the shell of her ear. “Although, I know a going down you may like.”

  She hid her smile. “Really? I don’t know, maybe you should show me.”

  So he did. And she had to give him credit, she did like it, very much so.

  * * * *

  One year later

  “Be careful with the tree, guys. We don’t want it disfigured before we can get it in and all decked out.” Lana held the door as Lian and four of their foster children walked by carrying a large conifer.

  “You could help, you know,” he muttered under his breath as he passed her.

  “And deprive you of all this?” She shook her head. “How would that make me look? Greedy, that’s how.”

  Some of the younger girls laughed and so did some of the boys. There were seven children with them now and she loved each of them so much she wondered if she’d burst.

  Edmond stood beside her and laughed as they struggled to set it up. She patted him on the arm. “Is the hot chocolate ready?”

  “Absolutely,” he said loud enough for the children to hear. “It’s all set in the kitchen. Younger ones, make sure you have someone help you pour.”

  They all scampered off, leaving Lian alone to hold the tree. She tried to hide her amusement, but failed. It didn’t take long for her, with Edmond’s assistance, to
help set it right. Then Edmond went back to the kitchen to watch over the kids.

  She slipped her arms around Lian’s waist. “Thank you for this.”

  He kissed the top of her forehead. “This tree is bigger than last year’s.”

  “More kids, need more room to put presents beneath it.”

  He tugged on the ends of her silver hair until she met his lips with her own. “I think it’s a viable reason,” she said.

  “You would.”

  She stared out of the window. They actually had snow this year and she was enjoying every moment of it. With his arm around her, they walked to the kitchen and stood in the doorway. The room was full of loud chatter and joy.

  “This is our family,” she said, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a squeeze. “Every one. And I don’t know how to thank you for it.”

  “Never stop loving me.”

  She perched on her toes and kissed his cheek. “That’s the easiest thing in the world for me to grant for I’ll never stop, no matter where life takes us.”

  He captured her chin in his hand before she could escape and searched her face. She waited and when he let her go, she went to join the raucous noise in the kitchen. Seated between Grant and a new girl, Bailey, she peered over her shoulder and found Lian’s gaze on her.

  “I love you,” she mouthed to him before turning back.

  To her, this was perfect. Lian was everything to her as were these children. Her hair might still be silver and she might still carry the marks on her hands, feet and back, but she wouldn’t change what she had for anything else in the world.

  Also available from Totally Bound Publishing:

  Astral Guardians: Chasing the Storm

  Aliyah Burke

  Excerpt

  Chapter One

  The cold winds bit into Cale’s skin as he careened down the mountain, barely missing the trees as they whipped by him. He loved it, the freedom of skiing. Above him, he spied the silhouette of the chopper that had dropped him off higher than the tree line. Just how he liked it. Cale loved utilising a chopper to carry him high up into the mountains—it assisted his adrenaline rush when he raced back down to the base. Seeing it as it flew away made him realise even more just how alone he was up here. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Some may prefer to vacation along the beaches and soak up the rays beside women wearing next to nothing. Personally, he liked the snow, and women who wanted to do something other than tan and have people deliver them drinks.

  Which could very well explain why he didn’t have a girlfriend. He zigged and zagged around the trees, waiting until the last moment to change direction, cutting it as close as possible.

  He was tired by the time he made it back down the mountain. In a good way, but tired. Skis in hand, he slowly strolled to the lodge, smoke rolling from its stacks reminding him how warm it would be inside. He put his things away then headed back down to the main floor where he went to the bar. Drink order in, he waited and looked about the room.

  There were two men in one corner who had him immediately suspicious. He was typically very easy going, but there was something about them that had him watching them with much more caution. They wore the correct things yet they still didn’t fit. He knew they were full humans and not demons, or the like which carried the rank scent of sulphur. His drink arrived and he promptly put them out of his mind.

  In a chair by the window, he stared out over the slopes and smiled. This was his last day of vacation and he had every intention of enjoying himself. And he held true to that. By the time he boarded his plane a day later, he was exhausted and looking forward to the long flight so he could get some rest.

  Those same two men boarded and walked past him. He didn’t like the warning ripples that exploded out from him. His instincts weren’t wrong about people, and not ignoring them had been his reason for survival more often than not as a teen. He wasn’t about to ignore his instincts now, either. Acting as if he needed something from his bag, he located where they were and memorised their looks. He again took his seat and closed his eyes, but he was as alert as he’d ever been.

  “You’re nervous, Cale. Everything okay?”

  The sound of his foster sister in his head calmed him instantly. “How do you manage to feel everything we do, Dracen?”

  A light chuckle echoed in his mind. “Thankfully it’s not everything, but you’re seriously on edge. Where are you?”

  “Flying home. Where are you? Hot date?”

  “Mind yourself, Cale. It’s late here. Everyone’s sleeping.”

  “Except you.” A fact that worried him. Dracen, of all his siblings, seemed to sleep the least. Especially recently. There’d been dark circles beneath her eyes last he’d seen her and he would bet anything that hadn’t changed in the time he’d been gone.

  “Obviously not me if I’m talking to you. Now tell me why you’re nervous.”

  “There were two men at the lodge who didn’t fit and now they’re on the plane with me. I can’t explain why I feel it, I just do.”

  “You never have to explain it, Cale. We all understand.”

  “I will be just fine, Dracen. Don’t worry. You need to get some sleep. Or do I have to tell on you?”

  “We’re no longer teens, Cale. Tattling won’t have any effect.”

  He smirked and crossed his arms. “It will if I tell Tiarnán.”

  “Low blow.”

  “Yet apparently necessary.”

  Tiarnán was the eldest of the foster children who’d been taken in by Lian Yang who had stayed. Throughout the decades, Lian had sheltered many. Most of those had left when they reached eighteen or twenty. Of those currently there now, even ones who’d stayed past eighteen, he and Dracen had been there the longest, while Cale had been there seven years, arriving at age fourteen. Full of anger, mistrust and suspicion. It had been bumpy for a while but soon, something had clicked in his head and he’d realised this man, Lian, was different from everyone else he’d been sent to.

  They were his family now.

  “Be careful, Cale.”

  “Always am, sister.”

  The connection broke. It was odd to him, being able to talk with his siblings this way. He couldn’t do it other than with the other five who were different, like him. They were a unique bunch, whom Lian said had bigger challenges ahead. For the moment, there were only six of them who’d stayed after becoming of legal age. There were plenty of younger children, who they all chipped in helping with, but none older than eighteen except him and his five that he could communicate telepathically with whenever he wished.

  He smiled at the airline attendant when she served him his food. Thankfully there was no one seated in his row, so he took the seat by the window and angled himself to where he could see behind him more. He wasn’t about to be caught off guard.

  Cale ate slowly, watching the attendants move back and forth making sure everyone was looked after. One woman stopped before him and he didn’t realise he was staring until she cleared her throat.

  “I’m sorry,” he said with a blush.

  “Can I get you something else to drink?”

  Lord, she was pretty thing. “Coke please. With ice.”

  She flashed a grin. “Right away.”

  He could see himself spending some nights with her. With another flirtatious smile, he took his drink then watched her walk away. Nice legs. Another woman, a passenger this time, walked by and he couldn’t even begin to explain the punch to his gut that happened. As if all air had been sucked from his lungs, he bent over with a wheeze.

  She barely paused, just flicked a glance at him. Then she frowned and stepped closer. “Are you okay?” Her voice was low and melodic.

  “Choked on my drink,” he managed to say once he’d got some air back in his lungs. “Went down wrong.”

  Her smile lit up her face and he found himself returning it. “I’m sorry. Glad you’re feeling better.” She leant forward a bit and her necklace fell free
from her shirt.

  He was riveted on the pendant. Gold, elegant in a way he’d never seen before. The symbol on it was one he’d seen before but couldn’t quite place. Everything within him wanted to yank it off her and keep it for himself. Keep it next to him, against his own flesh. His back burned and he shifted in his seat.

  “Have a great flight.” She moved by him and he craned his neck behind to see where she went.

  The woman had to pass the two men who made him uncomfortable. And the way they watched her and shared a look only increased his feeling. Possessiveness flowed through him—problem was, he didn’t know if it was towards the woman or the pendant.

  He leant back and barely moved when the attendant came by to take his trash. His heart rate wouldn’t slow and all he could see was that small gold disc, which hung on a filigree chain around her neck.

  Edgy the entire flight back, he got more antsy when they landed. Taking his bag, he was in the front of the pack to disembark. However, he waited against the walkway wall for the woman to appear. She did so, pulling a purple, leopard-print suitcase behind her. It was more like a backpack with a handle and wheels. Her clothing conservative, hair as well. There was nothing about her that screamed ‘look at me’, yet he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

  Behind her, the two men appeared and his gaze narrowed. Stepping before her, he watched her sidestep to avoid hitting him and carry on without looking up. It was then he realised she had earbuds in and was listening to something. So he fell into step beside her, cautious of where the two men were behind them.

  Her strides were purposeful and he liked that she didn’t take small dainty steps, as if her legs were in cuffs. That sent an image through his head, which he wasn’t so quick to vanquish.

  The moment they stepped out into the hall of the airport, she looked sideways at him. Her eyes grew wide and she slowed as she took one bud out of her ear.

  “Weren’t you ahead of me?”

  He flashed his flirty grin. “Guess you caught up to me.” He stared at her neck, wanting to see the pendant again.