by Tina Gerow
Lerik’s eyes darkened with desire, causing a surge of moisture between her thighs even as her nipples budded to tight peaks inside her leather armor. “I look forward to it, Astiria.”
Without looking back, she squared her shoulders and stepped through the portal.
A wrenching sensation surged through her along with a wave of dizziness and nausea. Astiria sucked in deep breaths against the onslaught. She opened her eyes and saw Stone Maiden lying on the bed where she’d left it in her room at the Fantasy Quest Resort, and her world came crashing down around her.
~~~
Astiria heard the knocking as if from a great distance. There had been several knocks in the blur of days she’d sat inside her room trying to find a way back to Lerik and Max. She’d ignored them all. Earrath…or Earth was no longer her world. The magical world of Verrath called to her, and she knew each day she spent away withered her soul a little more.
She’d neither eaten nor slept since her return. Her time had been spent leveling up in the game, in case that would trigger the portal once more, bargaining with God and trying to recreate the night she’d been sent to Verrath. It had been lonely here without Max, and unbearable without Lerik, but she refused to stop until she’d found a way to return.
The sound of the plastic hotel key sliding into the lock and the door opening registered somewhere in the back of her mind, but she refused to spare a glance. Her gaze was firmly fixed on the computer screen and Lerik’s strong form, where he was currently battling a dragon. She hoped that meant he was still alive and hadn’t been executed yet for failing to protect her. Bitter guilt rose up like bile coating her throat.
“You look like total and complete crap, Sis.”
The voice of her sister, Amy, wrenched Astiria away from the computer screen and she looked up. She blinked a few times to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating, but the amused blue gaze of her sister still stared back at her. Amy’s long blond hair fell in a waterfall to her shoulders, and as always, she reminded Astiria of a happy porcelain doll.
“Amy? What are you doing here?”
Amy took the keyboard from Astiria’s lap and set it on the couch beside her before sitting on the bed facing Astiria. “I figured you might need some help. When I went through this, I was alone, and I always wished for someone to be there for me. Come on, we need to get you cleaned up and you have to eat.”
Jumbled thoughts tried to gel inside Astiria’s tired mind, but failed. “Someone to be there?”
“Yes, I met Doug here, remember?”
Understanding slowly dawned, shocking Astiria to the core. “Doug is from Verrath?”
Amy nodded, a smile that spoke of warm memories curving her full lips. “I won a free vacation, and I have a feeling I spent mine much like you spent yours. Anyway, Doug was a Master Wizard Lord inside Verrath, and he gave all of that up to come back with me.”
Amy’s words hit her like a splash of cold water, and for the first time in days she realized her mouth was dry and tasted like she’d slept in a sewer, not to mention her eyes were gritty and tired. She rubbed at her eyes with both fists and when she opened them, Amy was there with a glass of water and two aspirin.
“Drink and take these and we’ll find you some food. You have to eat.”
Astiria took the pills and then the tears began. They poured down her face in a steady warm stream. “I’ve lost him, Amy. I failed. Even now, he and Max are probably on trial to be executed for failing to protect me.”
Amy sat next to her on the love seat and pulled her into a comforting embrace. Sobs wracked Astiria’s body as her sister gently rocked back and forth helping her ride out the storm. When the sobs slowed and the tears were gone, Astiria pulled back, suddenly empty and spent.
“Are you done feeling sorry for yourself? I’m supposed to be the younger sister you comfort, remember?”
Astiria couldn’t help a watery laugh. “I guess this is role reversal for us.” She looked up at her sister, studying her as if for the first time. “Thanks, girl. I’m glad you’re here.”
Astiria’s head throbbed from lack of food and lack of sleep, and her heart hurt from lack of Lerik, Max and Verrath. She shook her head. “I would do anything to get them back. I feel like part of me has been ripped away.” A memory of her sister’s words trickled through her sleep-deprived brain and she sat up straighter. “Wait! You said when you went through this, you were alone. You mean you went to Verrath, right? When you stepped through the portal, did it bring you back here?”
Amy’s smile widened and she nodded.
Adrenaline surged through Astiria’s veins and she grabbed her sister, resisting the urge to shake her. “How did you find Doug again?”
“You are declared, I assume?”
“Yes, but…”
Amy cut her off. “You are declared and you completed your quest. You are now an adult citizen of Verrath. As such, you can claim the rights of citizenship, to visit…or to stay. I went to stay, and ended up only visiting, but I have a feeling your decision might be different. As my declared, Doug decided to come back to Earrath…Earth, with me.”
Astiria sucked in a breath. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
A blush flowed up Amy’s neck and into her cheeks. “You were married to the asshole-ex at the time. Even though you weren’t happy, you wouldn’t be able to declare to anyone in Verrath if you were married here. Besides, would you have believed me?”
A smile curved Astiria’s lips for the first time in several days. “No, you’re right.” She took her sister’s hand in hers. “I love him so much, and I miss Max. I have to go back. I’ve fallen in love with them and with Verrath, I’ll whither and die here without them.”
Tears glistened in her sister’s eyes and she reached out to caress Astiria’s cheek. “I know, sis. Tell Lerik hello for us and don’t worry, we still visit.”
“You know Lerik?”
“Of course. Doug was the Lord of Lerik’s castle before he came here. Lerik is his younger brother.”
Shock sucker punched Astiria. “I’ll be damned. I can see the resemblance now that I know about it.” Doug had sandy blonde hair and blue eyes to Lerik’s dark hair and dark chocolate eyes, but the rugged good looks were the same as was their smile now that she thought about it.
She stood and impulsively hugged her sister before grabbing her book, Stone Maiden, off the bed. She smiled at Amy. “I’m determined to finish this book some day.”
Amy nodded. “The author lives in Verrath. Tina Gerow lives in the large castle out on GargoyleIsland. You’ll have to visit her there.”
Astiria shook her head. She’d think about that later. Right now, all that mattered was getting back where she belonged. She held her arms wide. “All right. As an adult citizen of Verrath, I request to go there, to be with my declared, Lord Lerik!”
When she opened her eyes, she stood in a large room surrounded by stacks of gold, chests overflowing with diamonds, rubies, emeralds and dozens of other precious stones. She turned to find Council Master Ocam watching her.
“Welcome home, my dear.”
“Ocam! Where is Lerik?”
He smiled, his kind blue eyes crinkling at the corners. “Patience, Astiria. You’ve completed your quest, now you must choose your reward. And might I suggest you clean up and put on a joining dress before seeing Lerik? I can send Oopec to attend you when we are finished here.”
“Reward? What are you talking about?” She caught sight of herself in a large gilded mirror hanging behind Ocam and her elation died. She was back in Verrath, but this time she’d brought her normal body. How would Lerik react to that?”
“The riches of Verrath are at your disposal my dear, or pretty much anything you can imagine—any one wish. What is it you would like for your quest reward?”
A slow smile curved her lips as an idea formed. She turned back toward Ocam. “How creative can I be?”
~~~
Once she was bathed and dressed, thanks to Oop
ec’s help, Ocam clapped his hands and she found herself standing on the dais in Lerik’s throne room surrounded by what looked like the entire population of Verrath.
“Now that Lady Astiria has arrived, let the joining commence!” Ocam stood in front of them, ready to officiate.
She turned and caught her breath as she saw Lerik standing next to her in a royal blue tunic with Max at his feet.
“Lerik!” She rushed forward until his strong arms closed around her. Contentment and happiness flowed through her, and she wished they could stay like this all day. He gently pulled back enough to see her face.
“Welcome home, Lady Astiria.” He smiled, his grin almost wolfish and predatory. “I love the wavy sable hair and look forward to exploring this new body at my leisure…”
Relief flowed through her and she sighed as she realized how she looked really didn’t matter to Lerik either way. “I kept the stripper boobs as my quest reward, I hope you don’t mind.”
His grin widened. “I think I finally understand what these stripper boobs are, and I’m most happy with your decision.
Finally, she was totally accepted for her real self—body, mind and soul—okay, along with some perkier boobs. She laughed out loud. She was home. “I look forward to a very leisurely exploration of each other. For the next seventy or eighty years?”
Lerik rumbled a laugh. “Here in Verrath, that is just the honeymoon period, my love. We have centuries ahead of us.”
Then his lips covered hers and she lost herself in her very own Fantasy Quest.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
http://tinagerow.com
As far back as I can remember, I've had a love affair with books. I loved to live vicariously through each character, and dreamed of the day when I'd write my own books. I loved to write and make up stories, a talent which was both loved and hated by many of my English teachers. As I got older, I had teachers encourage me to write, but they admonished me to ‘stop writing the weird stuff and tone down the sarcasm!' But what fun is that?
However, my other love was music, and playing clarinet and saxophone ended up paying my way through college by way of a scholarship. As is often the case, life happened and I didn't get back to writing until 2003, when my husband and son encouraged me to ‘stop talking about it, and go do it!' So, I joined my local Romance Writers of America chapter and poured myself into learning everything I could about writing and publishing, and both the business and creative side of being a writer.
I worked hard, and in ten months wrote Into A Dangerous Mind, and set about the business of submitting and entering contests while I moved on to writing Stone Maiden. I entered dozens of contests and rewrote and revised that book several dozen times. I also received tons of great rejections from both agents and editors. Yes - you read right - Great rejections. Most of them saying, "we really liked your story, but it has the following weaknesses..." With every one, I refined and rewrote and learned everything I could. Then in October 2004, I received the fateful ‘call.' Okay, it was an email, but thus began one of the best chapters in my life. Since then, I've hit the ground running and never looked back. I also write under the pen name Cassie Ryan.
I currently live in sunny Arizona with my two favorite men--my husband and my son--and our two cats.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
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