by Kumar, Lisa
He grimaced. “I would much rather that your hands were on me than off, but it’s much easier to concentrate this way. That is, if you hold still. Your squirming is having the same effect.”
She froze. It did appear her fidgeting was causing a big problem she wished he’d sate with her. But they said they’d wait, so she wouldn’t push him.
“Thank you. Now to return to the problem of the darkindred. A frightening correlation has become clear to us—the loss of magic only exacerbates the problem of the darkindred and they the loss of magic. The fragile hold we have on the whole situation is slipping. And when it does, the whole landscape will rend right along with any remaining peace.”
The light seeping into the room appeared more muted than it had half an hour ago. She shivered as her thoughts cast a shadow across her heart. Relian was looking at her and probably expected a response of some kind. “That’s not very good news.”
“I don’t say these things to scare you. The fight is far from over, and the people of Eria are strong and will not admit defeat. We won’t. It’s not an option.” His eyes gleamed with a steely light that made the room brighter.
“When you say it that way, I somehow believe it.”
“Good. So you believe everything will be fine when I leave tomorrow?” His eyes grew mischievous as he reached out to tug on a wavy tendril that hung in front of her ear before letting his hand trail down her back. She shivered under his touch, and a satisfied smile spread over his face. “After all, I have seen battle for untold centuries. This skirmish should be no different. We’ll go and come back as quickly as possible, for while I have never sought out war, I seek it even less now.”
The burning sincerity in his eyes, coupled with the way he gazed at her, shot through her body. Her veins suddenly seemed too small to handle the blood coursing through them and overwhelmed her already beleaguered senses. “Why?”
“You.”
As the word flooded through her, she pushed him back on the settee. She didn’t want to think anymore. If he was leaving tomorrow, she was determined to spend what hours she could snatch with him in more pleasurable pursuits. A make out session was just what she needed.
***
Relian watched his sword as it flashed in the sunlight. It was tainted with the red of blood, as it had been so many times before, and no doubt would be so again. The thought was ironic. He received no pleasure from it but would have to stain it with the blood of many others before he could return home. To Cal.
As he dispatched the darkindred in front of him, a tingling awareness came over him. He swung around and slashed another enemy figure cleanly across the neck. He grimaced. The one he just ran through had looked so Elvish, except for the yellow eyes. It should’ve gotten easier over the years to kill such creatures, but it hadn’t. He was still disturbed to see enemies he might’ve once called brother or sister. He had to remind himself there wasn’t much left of who or what they used to be. At least, that was what he told himself.
Surveying the area during a brief respite, he took in the causalities suffered. Other than a few minor injuries, the elves were in good shape. The darkindred didn’t fare so well. Those still standing would be quickly subdued, a few kept alive for the information they may carry.
Once every enemy was in hand, Relian wiped the blade of his sword on the grass to get off the worst of the gore. A few scouts would check the rest of the area for any lingering bands of darkindred while those staying behind would dispose of the bodies properly. Even amidst the carnage, his heart lightened with the knowledge that in a few days he would be home with Cal again.
He froze as the air stirred. As he whirled to the side, an arrow thudded into the ground no more than a foot away. His gaze traveled from the yellow fletched arrow to the area from which it’d been shot. The figure standing near a tree was a sight that chilled him.
Andrian, his yellow eyes shining malevolently, gave a cocky wave before turning and leaping into the nearest tree. Relian cursed. A horse would most likely be waiting under the coverage provided by the trees to spirit Andrian away. To give chase would be futile and probably deadly. No doubt darkindred waited in ambush should he or any other elf give chase.
Chapter 31
Cal glanced up from the very old book she was supposed to be reading. The small, private library she and Maggie sat in was actually more like a den than a true library. She figured it had once been a previous resident’s study, one who apparently had loved to read. Shelf upon shelf of books strongly hinted at that.
She glanced down at the tome again, knowing she was procrastinating. Since Relian left, she didn’t feel like doing anything. Seeing how lost she was, Henril guided her and Maggie to this little room, instructing them to read and summarize in Elvish whatever they read. She wasn’t having much success in that endeavor.
Did Relian feel the same listlessness, the same sense of loss? She glared at the words before her, though she didn’t truly attempt to read them. For his safety, she hoped he wasn’t experiencing the same emotions. If he were fighting, she didn’t want him distracted. He was an excellent warrior, or so she’d heard, but that didn’t negate the importance of caution.
The sound of Maggie’s voice floated into her awareness. “Hey, what are you doing now?”
Cal schooled her scowling face into a neutral look before glancing up. “Reading. Just like you. Why?”
“I can’t make sense of this.” Maggie sighed, pointing down to an old scroll lying open before her.
“Are you sure you have the translation right?”
“Relatively.”
Her weary body protested the thought of movement, but as the scroll was delicate and shouldn’t be pushed around, she forced herself to go to Maggie’s side.
Maggie pointed to the troublesome passage. “Here it is.”
Cal quickly scanned it, unease welling up in her stomach, and then read it out loud. “What once was lost can be found, for it plays under the guise of the moon. The crimson dawn need not be all that remains. Broken must be the bonds chaining original thought and emotion from instinct. Life’s blood must be spelt, freely given. The maddening ties can then be sundered once mortality cuts the link. And then magic will abound.”
She finished and gripped Maggie’s shoulder for support, leaning heavily against the table. Her breath, short and choppy, accompanied her racing heart.
Maggie’s face turned ashen. “I thought that was what it said.”
“What you found is next to unbelievable. Do you know that?”
Maggie glanced up at her uncertainly. “Sounds like those creatures. The darkindred.”
Cal fumbled for her seat, sitting down with a thud. “It does.”
Her friend bent low over the parchment, scrutinizing it. “So what does this all mean? It sounds ominous to me.”
Could it be? She closed her eyes as she retreated into thought and absent-mindedly rubbed the band on her finger. “Mortality.” Just one word. Yet it stood out in her mind. Her eyes snapped open.
“Mortality? The darkindred will be dead once they’re killed. That’s true.” Maggie’s solemn face lightened, a smile spreading over her face. “Kind of the purpose of death. Staying dead and all that.” As quick as it had come, the smile slid from Maggie’s lips. “What?” she mumbled to herself and scanned the scroll again. “There’s no way they would willingly spill their own blood. Unless they have to spill elvin blood, willingly given? But how would spilling elvin blood cut this so-called link?” She bit her lip, hesitating. “It does mention mortality, so maybe an elf has to be willing to die?”
Cal shook her head slowly. “No, I don’t think that is what it means.”
Maggie glowered at her. “Oh, then what, Miss Smarty Pants? Do please enlighten me.”
Her thoughts coalesced, ordering themselves in a somewhat coherent fashion. “I don’t know for certain, but it does mention restoration is possible.”
“How so?”
Cal got up and pointed to
a sentence in the passage. “The part about ‘maddening ties can then be sundered once mortality cuts the link’ refers to a kind of reversal of the conversion process, if I’m not mistaken. Mortality and blood—I think they go hand-in-hand.”
“Okay, I’ll give you that. But whose mortality and blood fit together like pieces in a puzzle?”
“Ours. We’re of mortal blood. Thus we fit the ‘mortality cuts the link’ part.”
“You won’t be technically mortal anymore once you bond. And don’t even say we have to kill those darkindred to restore them because we’re human. I’m so not going there.”
“I’ll still be human. Relian assured me of that. So I’m not sure how much my genetic makeup will change, if at all. Also, the blood has to be willingly given, remember?”
“Yeah, right! Like they would willingly let us spill their blood so they can return to normal. Not believable in any fantasy world, even this one.”
Cal shook her head. “I think it is referring to our own blood, willingly given.”
“Our blood cuts the link if willingly given.” As the full repercussions of what she uttered dawned on her, Maggie’s face blanched. “They can’t ask that of us! I’m not opening a vein for anybody.”
“They can’t?” Cal leaned against the desk, arms crossed. “We’re the lone humans in a land of elves. They can ask about anything of us. And I don’t think anything we read in the passage actually alludes or calls for our death.”
“That’s reassuring.” Sarcasm dripped from Maggie’s voice. “It only calls for our blood.”
Cal couldn’t keep the snark out of her own tone. “Trust me, I’m not wild about the idea, either. Plus, I’m not sure my hypothesis is correct. Even if I’m right, I don’t understand the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of it.”
***
Relief washed over Relian as he exited the antechamber of his father’s meeting room. As his father was handling matters of court, he’d been able to deliver a blessedly short debriefing with the understanding they’d discuss the particulars later in private. Particulars like Andrian.
He was weary and dirty. But he didn’t want to take time to bathe before seeking out Cal. Maybe he could persuade her into helping him get clean. That would turn a previously relaxing routine into a highly sensual one. At the thought of her hands gliding over his skin, desire slammed through him. His smile faltered. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could wait before the urge to take her crumbled his reserve. But if she stayed dressed and outside the tub….
Anticipation flooded him and added a spring to his step that had been missing. He stopped a servant or two in the corridor to inquire the whereabouts of his soon-to-be mate before heading for one of the studies.
Feminine voices floated down the hallway as he approached his destination. His grin widened. Almost there. He slowed his pace. Cal wasn’t alone, so he had to enter with some decorum. As he took the last few steps to the door, which stood ajar, his smile faltered at what he heard.
“We have to tell someone.” The panicked desperation in Cal’s voice made him draw up short.
“Do you think that wise?” a voice, which he identified as Maggie’s, replied calmly. There was also an undercurrent of worry threaded through it. He frowned. He didn’t know what was going on, but he wouldn’t stoop to lurking outside doors to find out. Rapping on the door, he alerted the two women within of his presence.
“Yes?” Cal called out.
His lips twitched in humor. That was his cue. He entered, and Cal’s surprised squeal greeted him.
“You’re back! When did you get back?” She flung herself toward him, but he easily caught her before she could dirty her dress against his armor.
He held her at arm’s length. She puckered her brow in dismay, and he chuckled. “I’m not clean. I don’t want to sully your gown.”
As she inspected him, she gasped at the blood, dirt, and other things smeared on his leather and metal armor. “Are you okay?” Her gaze traveled frantically up and down his form.
“I’m fine. Along with a few bruises, all I suffer from is weariness. And grime.” He looked down distastefully at his accouterments. He glanced back at her, letting her see the passion in his eyes. “I need a bath, my lady.”
Maggie let out a laugh. “That is my signal to leave, I think.” As she passed them on her way to the door, she welcomed him home. “I’m glad you made it back in one piece.” Her face turned devious. “I believe he could use some help in the tub. Enjoy!” With that, she walked out of the room, her chuckle growing fainter.
Relian pulled a blushing Cal out of the room, hurrying to follow Maggie’s advice.
***
Cal’s hands kneaded Relian’s muscular back and shoulders. She sat behind him on the ledge of the spacious stone tub that dominated his bathroom, entranced by the feel of his slick skin under her fingertips.
“That feels good, my love. But the water’s getting cold, I fear. Our food will also soon arrive. Since I can’t satisfy one kind of bodily hunger, I’ll have to nourish another kind.”
Cal gaped at him. How did he expect her to wait when he talked like that? “If you’re so randy, we don’t have to wait.”
He shrugged and turned his head to look at her. “I’ve been away from you too long.”
“It’s only been for a week and a half,” she protested, even though she agreed with him. Just being in his presence rejuvenated her.
“Ah, but that’s a week and a half too long.” Before she could reply, he stood up, and rivulets of water cascaded down his body. His sculpted body. She swallowed thickly as those drops created fascinating trails over his lightly tanned skin. She snapped out of it when he pulled her up and said, “I think someone else also has a hunger of a different kind than the one we go to feed. But soon, my love. Then you can have me at anytime of the day—or night.”
She stuck her tongue out at him as he stepped out of the bath and kept her gaze above his navel, which was a very difficult thing to do. He took her teasing action as an invitation to pull her up off the tub and delivered a soul-scorching kiss that left her weak in the knees. She ignored the wetness of his skin seeping through her dress and pressed closer to him. Their mouths opened fully as their tongues danced around each other.
He released her abruptly and grabbed a towel, saying “I need to dry off.” Her lust-addled brain blanked, and her throat went dry. He smirked after wrapping the fluffy cloth around his waist. “I see you’re not un-phased. Neither am I. Time to get dressed before I end up undressing you.”
She gritted her teeth and swore he was repaying her for the remark about him being gone for only a week and a half. But his tone couldn’t mask the huskiness in his voice or the flush on his cheeks.
“Was there any doubt about that?”
He shrugged and grabbed another towel to dry off. As she watched him, she groaned. He’d make a great masseur with those hands of his. She couldn’t wait to see if the experience lived up to the fantasy.
“So what have you occupied your time with since I’ve been gone?” He glanced at her from his bent position, the play of his sensuous hands relaxing her until he posed that question. Then it all came rushing back.
How could she forget about the prophetic scroll she and Maggie worried about for the past two days? Well, all clues pointed to love and, apparently, love played havoc with one’s memory. And engendered stupidity, at least in her case.
She stuttered a bit. “Oh, well about that.... I have to talk with you about something. But can we wait until after we eat lunch?” She prayed for that reprieve.
Relian wore a look of concern on his face but agreed readily to her request. She tried to keep her mind on the conversation while they ate but found it challenging. He noticed her monosyllable answers all too soon and sent her searching glances.
Blanching, she knew she needed to talk to deflect attention. “I didn’t hear any commotion coming from the main courtyard. How did you manage t
o arrive so quietly?”
He smiled, taking the bait or, at least, humoring her. “Even though my rank is higher than a mere messenger’s, I was chosen to serve in this very capacity. I brought news of our battle and how those wounded fare, so everything can be readied for them.”
She grabbed onto this. “Why were you picked for this if it was beneath you?”
“I’d never say it was beneath me or anyone else to carry out that post, but the simple reason I was chosen was because of my upcoming bonding to you. We’re to be mated soon. Nearly bonded couples fare better together than apart until the bond is fully completed.” His cheeks flushed. “Besides that, everyone seemed aware of my great need to see you, to be with you in some way.”
Her heart dissolved into a puddle of goo. She couldn’t resist him when he said things like that. But too soon, that feeling gave way to dread as they finished eating. Now came the hard part.
Chapter 32
“Let me see this scroll.” That was the first and only thing out of Relian’s mouth as Cal finished speaking. The urgency in his voice startled him. And Cal, too. Her eyes widened before she took an uncertain step back from him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he cautioned himself patience, with both himself and Cal. He’d already resisted the overwhelming urge to run down the halls in search of the mysterious scroll, even though the feeling hadn’t truly left. If the parchment contained what she thought it did….
He hurriedly pulled Cal from the room, causing her to stumble. As soon as she righted herself, he was eating up the distance to their destination in long strides. But something about her gave him pause. Ambivalence radiated off her, and something else. He could’ve sworn she— He searched through their bond. She was fuming behind him. Dismay clouded his mind for a moment. When did she become so upset? Admittedly, she’d been nervous from the start, even before their meal was over.
But of what? She was his betrothed and should be secure of her position—there his thoughts drew an uneasy parallel—she was human. Reality crashed down on his exhilaration, almost pulling him up short. How obtuse to ignore her nature in his excitement. Now that snippet of conversation he overheard earlier made much more sense to him now than it had before. To her, it might seem like she had some valid fears.
