The Heart of Arima.

by Emma V. Leech

  “I can see why Cain is concerned about your training, Jéhenne.”

  I threw another spell but he batted it calmly away as though it was of little consequence. “When your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail ... Isn’t that how the saying goes?”

  I turned and fled with the wolves yipping at my heels. We raced through the trees once more with Corin close behind us as I tried frantically to find a way to escape him but a gaping hole appeared as the ground opened in front of us. I tried to stop but we were going too fast. I slid and slipped down the sheer sides of the hole and the wolves leapt down beside me. They clambered up the other side as I clung to the wiry fur on their backs, allowing them to help pull me out. I got to the top, breathless, to see Corin standing on the other side of the ditch he had created, breathing hard, his eyes glittering with excitement.

  I scrambled to my feet but a branch shot out of the ground and I was tugged to the floor as it grasped first one ankle and then the other. I fell heavily but sat up, kicking at the roots to no avail as Corin walked slowly around the edge of the hole. I sent out another fire spell and the roots burned and withered but before I could get free, dozens more thrust out of the ground and tethered my ankles and wrists, binding me so that I couldn’t move. The wolves howled and circled me but Corin spoke to them in his strange language and they ducked their heads as he approached and they lay down, docile as puppies.

  I struggled against the roots, cursing and swearing and burning them with everything I had but as soon as one had burnt through two more would replace it, tying me tighter in place. I lay on the ground, bound against the leaves of the forest floor like a sacrifice to an ancient woodland god. My chest heaved from my frantic run but not less from the look in Corin’s eyes as he regarded me, helpless at his feet.

  “Time to claim my prize,” he said softly.

  Shit.

  My heart sped up, which surprised me as I didn’t think it could actually go any faster. He lay down beside me with his usual grace and though he was breathing fast too, I wasn't convinced it was as a result of our race through the forest which he'd seemed to manage with ease. He reached out a hand and touched my mouth with his fingertips.

  “Careful.” I glared at him with a mixture of fury and trepidation. “You may have tamed the wolves but I still bite.”

  He laughed, trailing his fingers down my neck and letting his hand rest at the base of my throat. “Oh, I fantasize of such things, Jéhenne, so please don't hold back.”

  My skin heated with his words and he leaned over me, his head supported on one arm as the other remained at my throat, his thumb caressing my skin under the collar of my shirt. I could barely breath but he didn't move except for his thumb and my whole body seemed to focus on that one point where his skin met mine until I thought I'd go mad if he didn't stop.

  "Get on with it then!"

  "So impatient, I'm flattered." He chuckled, and I snorted and looked away from him in disgust.

  "Don't be, I just want to get it over with."

  His thumb continued to stroke me languidly and I tried to ignore the thrum of my blood in my veins. "You really are a very poor liar, Jéhenne, did you know that? You can hide nothing. Everything you think or feel shows on your face. It's really very endearing."

  "Fuck you!"

  He shifted his body, pressing against mine as he leaned over me, the hand at my neck sliding back up to cup my face, turning it towards him. "Let us just start with the kiss shall we?"

  I rolled my eyes, exasperated.

  "What did you promise me?" he asked.

  "One kiss, nothing more."

  "What exactly did you promise me, Jéhenne." I tried to look away from him but he turned my head back. "Tell me."

  "No holding back," I whispered.

  He smiled and lowered his mouth to mine, his lips brushing mine so softly it was barely more than the warmth of his breath on my skin. Little by little they firmed and pressed harder, his tongue seeking entrance- I had promised him one real kiss, so I let him in. I gave him what he asked and suddenly he wanted much, much more. His arms pulled me hard against him as his mouth and tongue sought more, demanded more, deeper and with blatant desire. Suddenly I realised my restraints were gone but there seemed to be magic and power binding me now, binding me to him, the growing desire that had been tormenting me flamed, and instead of fighting to get away as I knew I should, my hands slid over his back and I arched against him, pulling him closer.

  To my surprise he didn’t press his advantage, instead he pulled back leaving me in a confusion of emotions. I was relieved ...wasn’t I? More surprising was the lack of the triumphant expression I had expected to see. He just watched me, golden eyes curious. I wondered if he simply took the fact I would desire him as his due and felt satisfied as my annoyance towards him returned. I took my hands from his back and wished he would stop watching me. I went to push him away but he caught my hand in his.

  “You know, our powers are not so very different.”

  I shook my head. “You can make things live again, grow, you create things. I can’t do that. I can move things, burn them and blow them up, kill them ... It’s more about destruction than creation.” I was surprised to hear the bitterness in my voice but I realised as I spoke I was more than a little jealous of his power. It seemed to me something wonderful to be able to create a living thing.

  He put my hand to his cheek and smiled. “Perhaps, but that is in no small part because your teacher has been a warrior. He seeks to protect you and so you always think of your power in terms of aggression. You use brute force instead of finesse. You simply need to learn a different way.”

  He kissed my hand and took it from his face but kept hold of it, his thumb circling my palm in a constant motion that was making my blood sing in my veins.

  “Will you teach me?” I was alarmed to hear my voice so low and breathless still but my senses seemed to be tuned to the one spot on my palm where his touch was slow and insistent, somehow it seemed connected to something far more intimate.

  “It would be my pleasure.” There was a teasing edge to his voice but I ignored it, too curious to know what he would do next. He let go of my hand, holding his outstretched. “Touch my fingertips."

  I reached up and did as he asked, and gasped at the slight crackle of energy that sparked as we touched, sending my nerve endings into over drive as the energy raced over me. Corin took a deep breath, his eyes darkening. “Delightful,” he murmured. “Now, bring fire.

  I did and suddenly our hands were ablaze. “Too much, too much!” he scolded. “Gently ... Just a tiny flame, Jéhenne.”

  I concentrated and the fire subsided until a tiny flame danced at our fingertips.

  "Perfect. Now, tell me, when you bring fire you have heat in your mind ... Yes? You feel the burn tingle in your blood?"

  I frowned as I considered his question. I had never really thought about it before. It was pure instinct. Fire was connected with anger in my mind but as he asked the question I realised that was wrong. That was why my magic had sometimes failed me if anger wasn't upper most in my thoughts ... I was doing it wrong! I nodded in answer to his question, amazed that I had never realised myself what he had just described.

  "Very well then. Now you feel the cold ground beneath you, the bite of the winter air on your skin?"

  His voice was low and hypnotic and I couldn't tear my eyes away from his mouth, wondering what he would do if I kissed him again. "Well?"

  I jumped slightly, aware I hadn't been concentrating and saw the amused look in his eyes. "Yes," I said, trying quickly to rearrange my thoughts and face into something more studious.

  "So, now bring frost to your fingertips."

  I frowned and shook my head. "I can't do that."

  He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine, making my heart stutter. "Try ...for me."

  I did as he asked, concentrating on the chill of the ground, the air around me, and trying hard to ignore the he
at of his body that seemed to blaze through my clothes. At first there was nothing and then I felt him shiver and where his fingers touched mine there was a brief sparkle of ice before it melted against his skin. I gasped and he laughed, delighted.

  "There, you see, now throw it, like you do when you try to blow me up." He had a reproachful look on his face though his voice was teasing. I did as he asked though, and flung the magic high into the air above us and we looked up as a flurry of snow bloomed silently in the sky and the flakes drifted down over us. I looked at him to see snow flakes sparkling in his hair and caught on his eyelashes and I felt my breath catch in my throat.

  "Teach me more," I demanded before my brain had the chance to react to the demands my body was making.

  He smiled at me, and brushed the snow from my hair. "I will teach you everything you desire, dear one."

  "Don't call me that."

  "Why not? You are dear to me, whatever you may think."

  I felt my throat tighten and I shook my head. "It isn't right, this isn't right. I shouldn't be here, I should be with Corvus."

  He looked at me and I was struck by the concern in his eyes. “If you still belong to him, why are you here, why are you so terribly alone?”

  I felt tears prickle and brushed them away with irritation. “Because I have hurt him very badly and I don’t deserve to have him with me.”

  He was silent but his hand went to my cheek, his fingers stroking gently. “Will he ever forgive you?”

  “I ...”

  It was a question I'd considered over and again, and always returned to the same bitter conclusion. "No. No, I don’t think he will.”

  "I'm sorry, Jéhenne."

  "Are you really?" I didn't sneer or accuse, I was genuinely curious. I simply couldn't decide who this man was. He had once tried to trick me into being in his power, tried to abduct me, and yet he had been so gentle and loving with the little fae girl and I wanted to believe the concern in his voice, wanted to believe that the goodness he had shown me these past days were real. If I was really to have his child I needed to know if I could really trust him.

  He gave me a wry smile and sighed, his fingers tracing the curve of my jaw as he spoke. "I want you, Jéhenne. You know this and you know why but I would not have you unhappy. I have seen first hand the suffering of a broken heart, which is why I do what I do. I have no intention of following that path. I have no desire for you to be unhappy though. I would do much to ensure your happiness if you would let me. Even if that meant finding a way for you to be happy between the three of us, I would have you find it."

  I bit my lip and nodded, knowing he was sincere this time but that what he suggested was so very, very far from possible. A breeze stirred the leaves on the ground around us and I shivered. Corin sat up and took his coat off, laying it over me and I felt his warmth seep into my bones. He always seemed to be so warm and yet that fact made me long harder for Corvus, for the touch of his cool skin. I closed my eyes and wondered what the hell I should do. I was running out of time. As if reading my mind Corin reminded me just how little time I had left.

  "It's Friday, Jéhenne."

  I swallowed and looked up at him. "Friday night. I said Friday night."

  He sighed. "Do those few hours really matter so much?"

  "Yes."

  He shook his head, frustrated. "As you wish, I did promise after all. So when shall I come?"

  I felt my stomach lurch at the thought of what might happen tonight but if Cain was right I had little choice in the matter. "I ... I'm going to a party tonight, you can pick me up at midnight."

  "Oh, am I not invited to the party?" He gave me a sad face and I snorted.

  "No." The idea of him at a party, at Claudette's party, bloody hell I could just imagine.

  "Charming."

  He really did sound a bit put out now so I figured I should explain. "It's at Claudette's house and I don't want her to see you again; you made quite enough of an impression on her the last time you met."

  I was given wide, innocent eyes. "I did?"

  "Oh, stop it, you know full well you did. She talked of nothing but you for bloody weeks. It got right on my nerves, I can tell you."

  He was clearly pleased by this information and I tried to push him off so I could get up but he pushed me back down, grinning at me. "Jealous?"

  "Grow up." I huffed, irritated. "She's not to see you, OK?" He rolled his eyes at me and I scowled. "I mean it, Corin, or the deal's off."

  "Fine, fine." He waved his hand in the air as though making a bow. "As you command, so it shall be."

  "Do you have a car, can you even drive?" I asked, curious suddenly and not wanting to have to drive myself as I was planning on getting wasted.

  He frowned. "Yes, I can drive and no I don't have a car at present but I can acquire one if needs be."

  "OK then, pick me up at midnight at Claudette's and ... And ..." I took a deep breath and said the words in a rush before I could change my mind. "And I'll go home with you." His eyebrows rose in surprise. "You do have a house here I suppose?"

  His mouth quirked, amused. "Of course, did you think I just disappeared in a puff of smoke?"

  "I really haven't thought much about it," I muttered.

  He gave a low chuckle and bent down to kiss the hollow of my throat and I hated myself for tipping my head back to let him. "Liar," he whispered against my skin.

  I shoved him away as my pulse went into over drive again. "Get off! This lesson is over. I'll see you later, OK?" I threw his coat back at him, immediately regretting the lack of it as the chilly wind cut through my clothes.

  He let me get up but remained lying on the ground, head propped up on his hand, looking up at me. "You intend to stay with me tonight." It wasn't a question and the gleam in his eyes annoyed the hell out of me.

  I flushed and glared at him. "I intend to keep my promise and explain what's going on." I snapped and began to walk away from him but stopped as his voice called out to me.

  "Oh, Jéhenne ..." I turned around and caught my breath once again, the ground around him was green and lush and thick with bluebells, the colour vibrant and extraordinary against the grey winter's day. Obviously pleased by my stunned expression, he lay back with his hands behind his head looking like the god of spring and surrounded by my wolves who were looking at him adoringly. He winked at me and chuckled, a wicked sound that made my stomach flutter. "Don't forget your toothbrush."

  Chapter 24

  I made it back to the cottage after a long and miserable walk. The wolves had stayed beside Corin and I suppressed the urge to think them traitorous. He obviously had some kind of way with animals with that strange language of his. They were as bound to his magic as I appeared to be.

  I sank into one of the chairs by the fire, still in my coat and chilled to the bone. Tonight was looming, the minutes ticking past, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I lay back in the chair and closed my eyes, holding the image of Corvus in my mind. What would I do if I never saw him again? My body began to tremble and the ache in my heart was so severe I wondered if it would simply stop beating. I almost wished it would.

  I looked over at the fire and slid off of the chair. Reaching over to take some wood from the stack, I poked at the embers and added more until the flames were leaping high and bright.

  "Show me,' I whispered.

  Immediately the image of the child blazed in the flames. He was being thrown in the air by a pair of strong arms. His golden eyes blazed with happiness and he squealed with delight as he was caught once more. I laughed with him, the sound of his joy easing the sorrow I was feeling and then the image expanded and I saw the man holding him. Corin looked down at him with adoration, tickling him while he wriggled and squealed louder and I was overwhelmed with affection for him, knowing he would love our son as fiercely as I would.

  The picture changed abruptly and I couldn't see either of them, though I knew my son was there. A thick fog swirled, obscuring his image but
he was full grown, a man now, a very powerful man and yet ...he was lost. I fought to keep the image with me as he receded further into the fog.

  "Show me!" I demanded, concentrating harder on the flames. The fog swirled and for a moment I got a glimpse of those tawny eyes and the rich scent of spices and then the image flickered and disappeared.

  "No! Come back!" I yelled. I stoked the fire ,demanding over and again that the image be restored to me but no images came and I knelt there as the fire roared, and though I could feel the heat on my skin it didn't seem to warm me. I remembered the image, held the picture of father and son in my mind and told myself to be strong. I would lose something dreadfully precious if I followed the path the visions were pulling me down but I would gain something wonderfully precious too. I tried to believe that but something nagged at me, something that didn't ring true, but hard as I tried I couldn't figure out what.

  I jumped as the door screeched open and Cain came in, followed by a tirade of incomprehensible French as Inés followed on his heels. His expression was neutral and he hung his coat up and headed over to make coffee as Inés continued to rant, though it appeared to be water off a duck's back for all the effect it had. He lifted the coffee pot in my direction and I shook my head. His gaze rested on me on my knees in front of the fire, and his expression remained the same but I knew he had figured what I'd been doing.

  Inés appeared to have finished her little hissy fit and disappeared into her herb room, slamming the door on her way.

  "It went well then?"

  Cain nodded, oblivious to my sarcasm. "I think so. I have agreed a meeting time and place and recompense for her actions as well as the return of the book."

  I got up and took my coat off, hanging it beside Cain's as the aroma of coffee began to fill the kitchen. "I take it Inés didn't appreciate the effort."

  He shrugged. "Actions have consequences, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose but there is always an outcome to deal with, one way or another." There was something in his expression that made me shiver; he wasn't just talking about Inés.