Oz laughed and patted her hand. “There is nothing to apologize for, sweet one. Jealousy will cause a man to do many things he wouldn’t ordinarily do.”
Amy’s eyebrows lifted. “Jealousy? I don’t think so. I believe Zaureth sees me as a child. An invalid. Nothing more.”
“You did not see his face,” Oz pointed out. “But I did. He was jealous, all right.”
Amy’s heart began to pound for a different reason. She would have given anything to have seen Zaureth’s face.
She smoothed out her expression and relaxed her shoulders. “Describe him to me.”
“Describe Zaureth?” Oz asked, humor lining his voice.
Amy nodded. “Yes. Please?”
“Um. Let’s see,” Oz began before blowing out a breath. “He’s a mountain of Bracadyte. Extremely tall. He’s—”
“How tall?” Amy interrupted, loving that Oz was painting a picture of Zaureth.
“Hmmm, if I had to guess, I’d say seven foot. Give or take an inch.”
“My God,” Amy muttered. She’d known he was extremely tall, but she’d had no idea he was that tall. “Go on.”
“His hair is long. He wears it clubbed behind his head most of the time. The color is black with white streaks on the sides at his temples.”
“I do not know colors, Oz,” Amy chuckled, “but I can try to imagine them.”
Oz grew quiet for a moment. “The darkness that you see? That is black.”
Amy had never heard it put quite that way before. Though she had nothing to compare the darkness to, she grasped the concept.
“He has fangs, and barbs on his wrists and ankles.”
Amy held up a hand. “Fangs?”
“Run your tongue along your top teeth. Feel the pointed tips of your eyeteeth?” At her nod, he continued. “The Bracadytes’ eyeteeth are longer. Inside those teeth are fangs that extend down to draw blood into their bodies.”
Amy blinked. “Like vampires?”
“No.” Oz laughed. “They draw the blood directly into their veins. They do not drink it. The blood provides enzymes and nutrients that aid in their strength and longevity. Which is why they live to an old age.”
“Do you have fangs?” Amy questioned, knowing that Oz was related to the Bracadytes.
Oz shifted in his seat. “We are not talking about me. We are discussing Zaureth.”
Amy immediately felt contrite. “I’m sorry. I get carried away sometimes.”
“It’s quite all right.” Oz went on to explain about the barbs, the venom and the origin of the Incola virus, ending with, “It’s not an easy thing to love a Bracadyte, doll face. You better be damn sure you know what you’re getting yourself into. Their way of life is harsh, but you’ll not find a more loyal creature on this planet.”
Amy continued to listen as Oz went on to tell her about the old king and his native bride, Aiyana. How the virus outbreak caused hundreds to become ill and many to die.
“So our government took that strand of virus and spliced it with one of its own to create the Incola?”
“Yes,” Oz confirmed. “And laid the blame at the Bracadytes’ door. If that virus becomes airborne, I fear we will all be at risk.”
The door opened behind her, and footsteps could be heard heading her way. “May I have a word with you, Nicho?”
“Of course. And please call me Oz.”
Amy recognized King Klause’s voice. She remained still and quiet, hoping to go unnoticed.
Klause leaned down and touched her on the shoulder. “I wish to borrow our host for a moment. I will return him to you shortly.”
Amy smiled and stood. “Take your time. I’m not used to alcohol. I think I’m going to go up to my room and take a nap. Have a good evening, gentlemen.”
“Would you like for me to walk you to your room?” a soft voice asked from the front desk.
Amy didn’t recognize her as Yolanda, the usual woman who worked that station. “You don’t have to do that. I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you.”
“It’s no inconvenience,” the woman replied, her footsteps growing closer.
She offered Amy her arm. “My name is Carmen.”
“Hi, Carmen. I’m Amy. I appreciate your generosity.”
The two women made their way to the elevator in silence. Once inside, Carmen spoke. “You are the sister to the reporter, Mallory Cahill.”
Amy nodded. “Mallory is my older sister.”
“She is expecting a child, I hear. You must be so excited.”
Amy was excited. She’d been so wrapped up in Zaureth she’d neglected her sister when Mallory obviously needed her most. “I am.”
The elevator came to a stop, and Amy allowed Carmen to assist her into the hall. “I can take it from here. Thank you for seeing me to my floor, Carmen.”
“You are most welcome,” the woman replied. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call.”
With a smile and a wave, Amy hugged the wall, bypassing her door to stop in front of Mallory’s room. After several moments of knocking without answer, she ventured back the way she’d come.
Amy took out her keycard from the pocket of her dress and slid it into the groove in the door. Nothing happened.
“Your card is facing the wrong direction.”
The sound of Zaureth’s voice caught her off guard, and she dropped the keycard. “You startled me.”
A click sounded, telling her that Zaureth had unlocked the door for her.
He pushed it wide. “After you.”
Amy could feel the heat from his body as he followed her inside.
“I came to apologize,” he rumbled, taking her elbow and guiding her to the couch.
Amy sat before her legs gave out and she fell to the floor. “You don’t owe me an apology.”
He knelt at her feet, taking both of her hands in his. “I have no excuse for my actions on the beach, or any other time since my return to Cuba. I can only tell you that I am deeply troubled by my lack of control. I do not understand what has happened to me since I have come to know you.”
Amy’s stomach clenched. “What do you mean? What has happened to you?”
“You have bewitched me, somehow. I have broken every vow that I have taken. You make me weak, and you cause me to long for something that I cannot have.”
Amy was speechless. She carefully reached up and cupped the sides of his face. “I feel things for you too. Is that such a bad thing?”
Zaureth leaned into her touch. “I made a vow of celibacy, many moons ago. As a healer, I must remain pure of mind and body. The thoughts I have when I am near you do not resemble purity.”
Amy’s heart began to pound, and heat traveled from her face to the juncture of her thighs. “You want me?”
“More than I have ever wanted anything in my life,” Zaureth whispered, turning his face to kiss her open palm. “More than even my gifts. And that is what scares me the most.”
“I feel the same about you,” Amy softly confessed. “I can’t stand being apart from you. Yet when you’re near, it scares me to death.”
Zaureth suddenly stilled. “I must go.”
“Now?” Amy cried, tightening her hold on his face. “Did I say something wrong?”
He eased from her grip. “The king has summoned me.” He softly kissed her fingers once more and rose to his feet. “I will return as soon as I can.”
Amy remained seated long after Zaureth left the room, recalling every word he’d said. Out of everything he’d confessed to her, one thing stood out above the rest… He wanted her.
Chapter Nine
Zaureth emerged in the lobby to find dozens of Bracadytes pacing the room. Klause stood in the center with Vaulcron on one side and Hauke on the other.
The king raised his hand for silence. “The human president, William Pratt, has requested a meeting on neutral grounds.”
Murmurs erupted throughout the room.
“Silence!” Klause barked, slicing a hand through the air. “Th
e decision has been made. I have spoken in great length with Vaulcron and Hauke. We have decided to hold the meeting in a place that will not endanger the Bracadytes or the humans.”
Oz leaned a hip against a high-backed couch and crossed his feet at the ankles. “In the gulf, I’m guessing?”
Klause nodded. “Would you be able to procure us a large boat?”
“Does Pinocchio have a wooden dick?”
When met with a room full of blank stares, Oz continued. “I will ready the yacht.”
“Very good,” Klause muttered, scanning the crowd. “Oz, Braum, Gryke, Faultor, and Uradius will go with me.”
“I’d like to accompany you as well,” Tony insisted.
Naura followed suit. “As would I.”
The king shook his head. “The human military would take great pleasure in your head, Anthony Vaughn. And they would use my daughter to obtain it. No. You both will stay here and see to the safety of the island in Nicho’s absence.”
“What about me, sire?” Zaureth murmured, shifting his gaze to the king.
Klause studied Zaureth for a long moment. “You will remain behind. I trust no human healer with Arcanum’s wellbeing, nor the life of Vaulcron’s unborn child.”
“What if this is a trap?” Abbie asked, pushing her way through the crowd to stand before the king.
Klause smiled. “Abbie, brave mate of my son. I have considered that possibility. Which is why I have decided to meet on the open gulf. It is a Bracadyte’s best defense.”
Abbie looked relieved. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
Clapping Vaulcron on the back, Klause glanced at Oz and jerked his head toward the door. “We sail out at midnight.”
Zaureth slipped out through the side door and strode unseen toward the shoreline. He needed a quiet place to collect his thoughts and seek divine guidance. What better place than the water?
Sailing headlong into the choppy waves of the gulf, Zaureth leisurely swam toward the second sandbar. He rolled to his back on the gulf’s floor and stared up at the sparkling light, reflecting off the waves above him. His eyes slid shut.
A feeling of calm overtook him as he closed off his mind to the outside world. “Forgive me, creator of my soul. My heart is heavy with confusion and grief. The human female has weakened me, yet I continue to be drawn to her. Show me the way, that I may follow the path you have set out before me.”
Warmth radiated from Zaureth’s chest to escape through the tips of his fingers. Energy hummed inside him, awakening a force he would never get used to. It crackled to life, growing in intensity until it exploded around him in a pulse of power that rocked the gulf, shifting the sand beneath him.
Zaureth allowed the energy to control him, consume him, until his body floated in a blissful state of euphoria, surrounded by a peace that surpassed anything he’d ever known. Besides Amy, his mind whispered, jerking him out of his trance.
The energy he’d been so caught up in ricocheted around him like a band of elastic, snapping around his chest in a tight knot of sorrow.
Zaureth laid on the sandbar for what seemed like hours, staring up at the surface in disbelief and more than a little shame. He’d put the female above his beliefs. Allowed her into his time of meditation, to penetrate his safe place.
Rising from the sandy bottom, Zaureth realized he’d been beneath the water for quite some time. The sun had set, and lights flickered on the banks of Playa Pilar. He slowly made his way to shore.
“Something troubles you, my son?”
Zaureth’s gaze sought out Laurel’s form standing in the shadows of the tree line.
The king’s mate had always referred to Zaureth as her son, since the moment she’d brought him home as a baby.
Many of the Bracadyte mothers had taken turns feeding him and caring for him until he’d begun moving objects with his mind.
Laurel had arranged for Zaureth to train with the guards until his thirteenth summer before moving him to the south end of Aukrabah, away from the others.
Zaureth didn’t blame her for separating him from his peers. He’d been a dangerous adolescent until he’d learned to hone his skills.
After nearly killing a young warrior during practice, Zaureth had taken a vow to never again raise his hand in anger to another. He’d broken that vow with Oz.
“What are you doing out here alone, my queen?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” she quipped, striding toward him. She stopped in front of him and took hold of his hand. “Something troubles you.”
Zaureth shook his head. “I simply needed to meditate.”
“It does not look to me as if you have been meditating. You have a tortured look in your eyes.”
Zaureth glanced away, but a tug on his hand brought his gaze back to Laurel. “I would appreciate the truth.”
He hesitated. “I am fighting a battle I fear I cannot win,” he confessed.
“Ah,” Laurel murmured. “Does this have to do with a female?”
Surprised by her question, Zaureth stared at her in silence.
“It is all right, Zaureth. I was young once myself.”
“I do not have the freedom to entertain feelings for a female. My vows—”
“Vows you made as a child,” Laurel interrupted. “You, of all Bracadytes, deserve love, my son. You have dedicated your entire life to helping others.”
“But the laws—”
“Are merely laws,” she insisted, cutting him off once again. “Laws are only as good as the ones who create them.”
Zaureth tilted his head to the side. “I doubt that King Klause would agree with you.”
“Klause is responsible for half the new laws that have been written, Zaureth. Everything is not etched in stone. Sometimes exceptions can be made.”
“Healers are born to be celibate, my queen. We serve a much higher power than ourselves.”
“Just because you have the power to heal, my son, does not make you a healer,” Laurel quietly pointed out.
Zaureth’s stomach tightened. “I do not understand.”
“Take Hauke, for instance. He has a certain amount of healing energy. Not to the extent that you have, but it is there. You do not see him sulking about. He is happily mated with a son of his own.”
“Healers are not born with the knowledge to heal,” Laurel continued. “Only the power to do so. Have you not studied about the human priests?”
Zaureth slowly nodded. “They do not have the power to heal the sick.”
“Some of them do, even if indirectly,” Laurel stated. “The decision to remain celibate is not a requirement by their God. It is a choice. The Bracadyte laws remove that choice, leaving the healer with no other option but to abstain.”
“I cannot break my king’s laws,” Zaureth reiterated. “Nor my vows.”
Laurel gently squeezed his fingers before letting go. “Do not be too hasty, my son. Every creature on this planet has a path to walk. Just because you hold the power to heal does not mean it is your destiny. I will use Naura, for an example. She has a unique gift as well. She might not hold the power to heal the sick, but she can heal the mind.”
“Not without risking her own health,” Zaureth pointed out. “Naura’s gift is a double-edged sword. She cannot use it without bringing harm to herself.”
Laurel’s gaze softened. “It is still a gift that very few possess. I am only asking that you think about your options. You are different than any healer I have ever known. And I have known a few in my time. Perhaps you are not meant to be alone.”
“What if I am meant to walk alone?”
Laurel released her hold on his hand and turned to go. “Only you can decide that.”
Zaureth stood rooted to that spot, staring at Laurel’s retreating back, her words ringing in his ears. “Perhaps you are not meant to be alone…”
Chapter Ten
It had been two days since Amy had heard from Zaureth. She’d tried calling out to him with her mind but was met only wi
th silence.
Prowling her room, she’d bumped her shin into the damnable coffee table more than once before pushing it against the wall and out of her pacing path.
A knock sounded on the door.
“Zaureth?” she whispered, hurrying across the room with her arms extended.
Finding the knob, she jerked the door open.
“May I come in?” Glenn inquired, smelling of cologne and food.
Disappointment was swift, but she kept it hidden. “Sure.”
“I wasn’t sure if you’d be hungry, so I brought you something eat, just in case.”
Amy’s stomach growled on cue. “Actually, I haven’t eaten today. Thank you, Glenn.”
He brushed against her as he entered the room. “Where’s your coffee table?”
“Over against the wall. I kept bumping into it.”
Sounds of the table being dragged across the carpet reached her ears. “Sorry about that, Glenn.”
“It’s okay,” he laughed, nudging her toward the couch. “Sit. I’ll get you all fixed up.”
Amy sat, her mouth watering from the delicious smells. “Mmmm, what is it?”
“One is a turkey club and one is a Caesar salad. Oh, and let’s not forget your vanilla shake.”
“You’re the best, Glenn.”
“So, I’ve been told,” he teased, taking a seat next to her. “I had to beat the ladies off me out in the hall.”
Amy chuckled, accepting the vanilla shake Glenn put in her hand.
It felt good to laugh after the last couple of days she’d had. “How come you’re not married with a couple of kids running around?”
She felt Glenn’s shrug before he placed a sandwich in her hand. “I was married once, but it didn’t work out. No children though.”
“I’m sorry,” Amy murmured, setting her shake on the coffee table.
Glenn bumped her playfully with his shoulder. “I’m not. Although, I do miss my dog.”
“She took your dog?” Amy took a bite of the delicious sandwich while fighting another chuckle.
Glenn’s presence helped keep Amy’s mind off Zaureth. If only for a short time. She enjoyed his company and considered him a friend. He had saved her life, after all.
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