Laeroth Gaerrath.”
The ringing grew louder in my ears until I fell deaf to everything except Gaby’s words. They resounded in my mind, overwhelming, while I struggled to stand. She followed me in silence as my mind rushed over everything she had told me. Princess Serene…That was my mother, which meant the rulers of this apparently make believe kingdom, were my grandparents, and Laeroth had killed them. The man I grew up believing was my father had killed my grandparents and his own parents in his quest for power. Mother had spent all these years magically forced to be with the man who killed her only family. Did she even know he had murdered them?
I was going to be sick.
I rushed to the bathroom, as the nausea took over. I faced the toilet while my body heaved, but nothing came out. I convulsed over it, again and again as my world finished crumbling around me. This couldn’t be possible.
“I have to go get my mother.” I said, stumbling to the faucet and splashing cold water on my face. “That bastard might try to kill her once he finds out the truth. I have to get her out there.”
I barely made it to the closet when Gaby’s face filtered through my otherwise clouded vision. My hands pulled her close and I clung to her, kissing her. “Listen to me, Star. Your Uncle Rob loved you. He loved you so much that he lied to you so that he could protect you, keep you safe, but still managed to find a way to leave you the truth, because I know he never wanted to lie to you. I’m sorry he got mixed up in all of this, and that you lost him because of us. But he loved you; do you understand? And this doesn’t change that.”
I stared straight into her eyes, seeing her nod as tears slid down her cheeks.
“I love you, Star, my Star, like I’ve never loved anyone before, and like I know I will never love again. I don’t want to love anyone else. You are mine and I’m yours, you understand?” She nodded again, and I stole another kiss, greedy for her, wanting so much more than I deserved. “I’m truly sorry, but I have to leave you. Please stay here until I come back. You will be safe as long as I’m not here. I’m so sorry but I have to go.”
Gaby’s eyes brimmed with emotion, understanding and love. “Go make sure your mom is okay.”
I pulled out the clothes I had arrived here with, and began to get dressed. Slipping my feet into my boots I marched to the living room and halted, cursing. I hadn’t come here of my own will. I didn’t have my silver portal key. “Bloodcroix Witch!” I called looking all around me. “If you are listening, please let me go back. Mother needs me, I have to go back!”
I pushed my hands through my hair while the anxiety clawed at me. My chest rose and fell sharply with my breathing as I waited, but nothing happened.
“Bloodcroix Witch!” I roared a few minutes later. Nothing. Damn it! I turned around, facing Gaby. “I don’t understand.”
I walked towards her, needing to hold her and saw her step closer, reaching for me too. Before my hands could touch her skin, the air shifted behind me and I was violently pulled from the room. The last image I saw was of Gaby’s beautiful chartreuse eyes, filled with love as she reached for me. My lungs burned as the air was knocked out of me when my back slammed against the ash-covered ground, and I skidded a few feet back from the force. I was at the entrance of the Dragonash Graveyard once again. The broken statue of the Priest stood just to my right, mocking me.
“No!” I shouted as the portal closed, leaving Gaby behind.
There was no place for her here. I knew that. I had explained it to her, and resigned myself to it. She was human, and there was no way in this world that we could be together, but I wanted her nonetheless. Even knowing all of that, the image of her reaching for me as I disappeared was ripping me apart. The pain was unlike anything I had ever felt before, and it had everything to do with her.
The Bloodcroix Witch stood to my left, looking bored with my display of emotion. She held her crimson staff and slowly twirled it, as it stood in the ashes, while she stared at it as though she was examining it. “No.” She said stoically, without even looking at me.
“No, what?” I asked, standing up and wiping the filth from my body. I walked towards her.
“No. I shan’t open the portal once more, so you can bring that human into this realm, lover boy.”
My hands fisted, while rage travelled through me at her condescension. “She has a name. Gab—”
“Gabriella,” the Witch finished for me with a sigh. “I know.” Her gaze finally settled on my eyes and she walked towards me, her cloak lifted behind her with the wind. “I am well aware of everything you have been doing while you were supposed to be searching for Lorcan, and learning the truth about what happened here. Did you really think I wasn’t watchful of you, that I could not see the little distraction you were laying with?”
“She is not a distraction!” I said, stepping into her personal space. “You will speak of her with respect or I swear—”
“What? You are going to do what? Kill me?” She laughed, and the deep sound reverberated around us. “You mustn’t overestimate yourself, others much more powerful have tried, and…” She gracefully opened her arms, indicating she was still standing.
My fists trembled as I attempted to contain myself from turning into a monster and having her for dinner. “Gaby is not a distraction.” I seethed.
“Then what is she?” The Witch stepped even closer, unfazed by my rage.
“The woman I love.”
“Is she, now?” she asked with wide eyes, but her words dripped with sarcasm. “She is a human, and you are a Fae.”
“I don’t care.” I griped.
“Her kind is prohibited here.”
“I do not care,” my voice raised while I felt my body begin to change.
She arched an eyebrow at me, daringly. “She’s not your fated.”
“I don’t give a Troll’s ass who the Goddess thinks I should be with!!” I roared, forcing her to stumble back a few steps from the power that pushed out of me. It exploded like an invisible force, lifting the ashes from the ground and forcing the hood off her head, her cloak once again hovered behind her.
My skin rippled, changing colors and textures like it had back on Earth, a wave of green briefly stirred over my arms reaching my eyes, at the same time that claws protruded from my fingers. Her gaze roamed my figure, not missing a single second of what was happening to me. An excited gleam illuminated her crimson eyes.
“I love Gaby, she made me whole again. She owns my heart, and I am going to be with her even if I have to go against the Goddess herself to do so!”
The Bloodcroix Witch remained quiet while she assessed me, seemingly fascinated. Her gaze shifted, following the blood droplets that dripped from my punctured palms and fell to the ground. My fisted hands, just like my body, shook fiercely, my ability taking over me once again.
“Is this what happened with her? How she found out about you? What kind of life can you offer her when you cannot even control your power around her?”
I shut my eyes and forced myself to breathe.
I control my power. It does not control me.
I chanted that to myself over and over again, while taking deep breaths and visualized my body the way it had always been. My Fae form. I saw my eyes, my ears, legs and arms, and flawless skin covering every inch of me until my breaths flowed easily through my lungs. When I opened my eyes, I was a Fae once more. I had regained control. The panic was gone, the anxiety over, the rage had left me, but Gaby remained.
“You have no idea what true love is, young prince,” the Witch whispered, and I shook my head incredulous.
“True love shatters every belief we have ever held, alters every notion about life that we have ever considered, and transforms us in such a way that when it’s finally done with us, we can't recognize ourselves. Yet, we know we are exactly who we were meant to be, because we are once and for all complete…” Tears gathered in the Witch’s eyes after I repeated Mother’s words. “I love Gaby, with every cell inside my body. I lov
e her.”
A small, genuine smile curved the Witch’s crimson lips and she stepped back. Her staff suddenly called my attention, the red crystal in it glowed, throbbing, and she disappeared into thin air. When I dragged my eyes away from the spot where she had just stood, my heart flipped inside my chest. The portal was open.
I ran back into the apartment and found Gaby fully dressed and laying on the bed while she cried. She held my pillow in her arms, covering her face. I walked towards her while my heart thundered in my chest, but for a completely different reason. “Star…”
She inhaled sharply, sitting up, and as her eyes fell on me, she smiled in between her tears. In two strides, I closed the space between us and pulled her into my arms. My lips crashed against hers as I claimed them, and kissed her with everything I felt for her. Every emotion she had ever awoken rushed through me and seemed to seep into her. She clung to me while my hands brought her closer and our hearts thundered, beating in unison. We kissed as our lips spoke the words we couldn’t bear.
I pulled away, just enough to press my forehead to hers. “I love you, Star.”
“You came back for me?” She asked in a sob, her voice filled with hope at the same time. I nodded while the back of my fingers caressed her cheek. “Because you are mine and I’m yours,” she said as a fact, her lips curving into the most striking smile I had ever seen on her. Her chartreuse eyes brilliantly sparkled, taking my breath away.
“Yes,” I whispered, brushing my lips against hers while she clung to my neck.
I carried her in my arms, crossing the portal back into Kalithdor… with my Star.
Chapter 10. The Drayvok
ASH
* * *
The first light of sunrise bathed the Eternal Outlands in breathtaking oranges, yellows and pinks below us, as I flew towards the Golden Castle with Gaby in my arms.
She slept soundly in my hold, after we had spent a day and a half flying to this place. Her face rested in the curve of my neck, her breaths fanning my skin and sending delicious shudders through me. The hair stood on end along my arms, and at the base of my scalp at the feeling of her like this. Still, I was in complete control. I would not be the reason we couldn’t be together. And I couldn’t help but bask in the knowledge that no woman had ever made me feel the way Gaby did, by merely being close to me.
Unlike the last time I flew here, the strides of my wings were smooth and balanced, keeping us steady in the air. It was my turn to be Superman, embracing his precious Lois Lane as he flew. Considering that Superman was Gaby’s ultimate crush, I felt pretty smug right now. I’d never forget the look in her eyes as I transformed in front of her, wings unfolding from my back. The sparkle in her eyes almost illuminated the space around us. It was awe and wonder, love and even pride that had exuded from her with one look, and seeped right into my skin until it reached my heart.
Two months had passed for Gaby and I while I was on Earth, but that time translated to just under two days in the Fae realm. Yet our lives had forever changed. Taking a deep breath, I kissed Gaby’s cheek and began my descent to Theo’s castle. I focused on the main gate, and smirked when I saw Theo step out with his human servant, John, and a few guards behind them. John was the human child he had brought here from Earth, he never left Theo’s side, from what I could see.
The pads of my feet landed softly on the bridge while my made up wings receded into my back once again, and I walked towards them. Theo stood before them, in a tailored, royal blue suit made of raw silk. It shone slightly as the sunrays of the new day hit it. He held a glass flute in his hand, filled with an effervescent yellow liquid. Was that a…?
“Mimosa?” he offered, when I finally reached him.
My smile widened, he seemed to truly enjoy earthly things too. “No, thank you.”
He took a sip, and his eyebrow arched as his bejeweled ring lightly tapped the glass. His intrigued gaze focused on Gaby. “Human souvenir?”
“She’s not a souvenir. And she’s not just any human, she’s the woman I love.” I answered feeling defensive, and tightened my hold on her. “She’s mine.”
“Well, well, well. Things are finally getting interesting.” Theo wiggled his brows excitedly, and then chuckled. “Please forgive me, my friend. I didn’t mean to make you feel like you needed to defend her. And I, of all people, don’t need an explanation. I know what it is to fall in love with a human.” His eyes found John. “Right, my child?” He patted his cheek affectionately.
The human smiled and it was then I understood. I had been wrong about him before. John wasn’t his servant; he was his son. Turning around, Theo lead the way into the castle. John chuckled, following him.
* * *
“Do you mind if I go straight to the chambers you offered me before I left? Gaby and I have been flying for almost two days, we need to rest,” I asked, once inside the great room where Theo had entertained us the last time I was here. I shifted Gaby’s weight in my arms, she was still asleep but she needed a bed to properly rest her body.
“Why, yes. Of course.” Theo faced me, graciously waving to the guards. “Please assist the prince and take the woman from his arms, taking her to his assigned chambers.”
‘No,” I answered immediately. My hold tightened on Gaby. “That’s not necessary. She’s secure in my arms.”
Theo smiled, apparently pleased by my protectiveness towards her. “She will be needing new garments, I assume.”
I nodded. “Everything Gaby owns is in my place back in New York.”
“Very well.” Theo turned towards John and he stepped closer. “She seems small enough. Do you think Jade will mind lending her one of her gowns, until the beautiful damsel here awakens, and tells us what she would like the seamstress to make her?”
John grinned, and I could see true excitement in him at the sight of another human in the castle. “I’m sure she’ll be delighted. I’ll go ask her now.” He smiled at me once more and left.
* * *
I gently laid Gaby on the mattress, and proceeded to undress, washing myself before I joined her. Once done, I sat next to her and began to carefully remove her clothes, until she was bare to me. Grabbing a fresh hand towel from the stack, I dipped it in the hot water bowl the maid had brought us, and began to clean her. The wet towel caressed her body while I gently refreshed her skin, taking away the evidence of our journey. I dipped a new towel, and washed her arms, mindful not to wake her, although by the way she was passed out, I doubted dragon cries could disrupt her now. I chuckled to myself and continued my task, until she was fully clean.
My eyes roamed her naked skin, awakening my need for her. She was stunningly beautiful, in ways I had never been able to appreciate before. I reached for the Cironcura oil that the women of my land had used for thousands of centuries on their skin. It was from a sweet and watery fruit only found in our realm, it resembled the coconut fruit on Earth. I moved the dish to the night table and dipped my hand in the warm oil, caressing her skin with my wet palm, hydrating it for her. My hand effortlessly glided over her skin and I felt like a pervert—just like the first time I had undressed her.
What I had intended as an affectionate, and caring gesture on my part, promptly turned into an intimate one.
I grazed her beautiful breasts, unable to resist it. My hand continued its way down, following the curves of her hip while my breath quickened. My fingers reveled in the feel of her every inch, while my hand traveled back up over her thigh. I dipped my other hand in the warm oil and settled beside her on the bed, gently kissing her shoulder while I massaged her breasts. Gaby’s nipples hardened under my thumbs as I slowly rubbed them, and I left gentle kisses on her neck. Her chest rose and fell with her accelerated breathing; when I lifted my lips from her collarbone I saw her half lidded eyes, focused on me.
A smile curved Gaby’s lips as she looked into my eyes, ecstasy and desire illuminating them. There was no doubt she was enjoying my attention. Her hand cupped my neck, pulling me to her. Our
lips danced together while my hands continued to play with her breasts. Her moan seeped into my mouth when my right hand began its way down her stomach, slipping between her thighs. I tilted my head, deepening the kiss, and as our tongues caressed each other, my fingers glided over her sensitive skin.
Damn it. Gaby was truly perfect. She was soft, silky, and so ready for me.
“You and warm oil, what a deadly combination…” Gaby breathed against my mouth as another moan left her. I smirked, but my smile soon disappeared, claiming her lips again.
With a flick of my wrist, my finger slipped inside her and she gasped, clinging to me. Her legs parted, giving me room to fully enjoy her, and I wasn’t going to waste that opportunity. I sucked her bottom lip, while my hand moved into her, again, and again, feeling exactly how perfect she was. Gaby panted against my lips, nearing the edge of bliss. She closed around my finger dangerously tight, making me groan and jerk against the bed; I couldn’t help but imagine myself inside her.
I moved closer, my hand rocking persistently into her, and giving her all the pleasure she deserved. Gaby trembled next to me when my thumb reached her delicate skin, and began to firmly circle the most sensitive part of her. The next second, a strangled moan left her and her back arched, her head tilting backwards. My lips closed over her nipple, sucking it while her body delightfully shook, and she fell off the edge. Her warm skin spasmed around my finger.
I wanted Gaby so desperately that it hurt every inch of me, but there was no chance in which I could fit inside her like this. Kissing her lips, I began to transform my body for her, taking my human form once again so that I could truly be with her.
“Wait, no.”
I faltered with Gaby’s words. Forcing my eyes to open, I looked at her while my body tensed. Her skin was flushed, glistening with the oil, while she took small breaths, still trying to calm after the rush she had experienced. Damn, she was stunning.
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