by Rae Monet
"Roan,” Richard spoke softly, seriously. “I don't know how he did this. I sensed much anger from him toward Serena. He had pursued her as a mate when he lived in the village and she refused him. Perhaps he is using the strength of that anger and the power of the crystal to do this. None of us are really certain of the extent of the crystal's power. It is usually only in the possession of kind-hearted Solarians. A Solarian with this much evil must have more power."
Richard continued to work, hurriedly re-packing the wound. “I don't know. This is beyond me. In her weakened state ... I don't know.” There were tears in Richard's eyes, a strained expression on his face. Roan panicked. He started to plead.
"You must help her."
"I am trying. Get my healer's satchel from my saddle.” He jumped up and gathered what Richard needed, sliding back down next to Richard, reclaiming his position at her side.
Roan continued desperately to stop the blood flow from her nose. The sight of her blood made his heart pound in panic as he watched Richard plunge his needle in and out of her abused shoulder wound, attempting to reseal it, and his stomach clenched in alarm.
He had seen much death, many savage mortal wounds, and enough blood to fill a river, but he had never felt this type of terrifying dread for the life of another. He watched her eyes flutter. She opened them. Her marine green eyes sought his and bit by bit, she raised her hand. He immediately clasped it in his. She spoke to him then, in his head, because he was sure she was too weak to use her voice.
Promise me you will find Ziem and the scrolls.
His eyes met her pain-filled gaze and he nodded. “You know I will.” Richard glanced at him. “She's speaking to me.” Roan smiled sadly at Richard.
Roan,Serena's voice weakened in his mind, which caused his smile to disappear. He felt her limp hand tighten very slightly on his.
Take care of Richard for me. He is not strong like you. Look after him for me. Promise me you will?
Roan's heart suddenly lurched while his hand tightened on hers. He surveyed her face, realizing what she was saying, what she was asking. Without knowledge of it, his vision became blurry. He suddenly recognized what she was doing.
These are death promises she is having me make.
"Serena, no,” he demanded as if that would stop her. “No, no, you're not going to leave me.” Roan tried to command, choking on his own words. He wailed out her name as her eyes closed and her hand went slack in his. Her head fell to the side and she exhaled a long breath, then stopped, and didn't inhale again.
"Mother of God! No, no.” He yelled Richard's name. Richard moved, issuing orders like he had never seen before, much calmer than he could even think to be.
"Move to the other side of her, place your hand under her chin, put your mouth to hers as if you were going to kiss her, blow in, gently, only once, then stop. We are going to try an age-old technique, a desperate one.” He followed Richard's instructions, moving around her body.
Richard positioned himself over her heart, forming a fist with his hand. He leaned down and placed his mouth to her still lips. He gently positioned his hand under her chin and began to share his life's breath with her. The blood running down her nose to touch his lips was warm. He stopped breathing at Richard's command, and with his mouth still positioned over hers, his eyes swung to Richard. Raising his hand over her heart, Richard brought his fist down sharply, thumping her heart, then he nodded his head.
"Again,” he instructed.
He leaned down and lightly blew once more. In rhythm to Roan's breathing, Richard's hands massaged her heart with calculated movement.
Roan chanted to Serena to come back to him. On the fifth try he leaned down and projected all his powers. He attempted to link with Serena, sending her one focused message,Come back to me, Serena. God, DO NOT do this to me. Come back!
All of a sudden her lips moved under his, she sucked in the saving breath he offered, gasping in her own air, arching up as if to grab it. His lips remained hovering above hers. Wetness of his unnoticed tears dropped onto her mouth.
* * * *
Serena heard Roan's command and knew that she couldn't surrender to the bright warm light beckoning her. His words and his threats pulled her back to the living. She inhaled a breath and opened her eyes.
She felt immense relief when she opened her eyes to see him. Her hand came up to tangle in his dark hair and she pulled his mouth down to hers for a kiss of gratitude. She wasn't sure whose tears touched her cheek, but he had just saved her life. She heard his muffled cry against her lips, and his own hand moved into her hair. His lips began gently tasting, tugging against hers, deepening the kiss, their tongues lightly mingling as if the world would stop if their lips did not touch.
He reluctantly pulled away from her when he heard Richard cough.
"I guess she needed a deeper breath that time.” Roan smiled.
She reached her arm to Richard and they clasped them together.
"I know you play no small part in this, my brother, and I do not have words enough to thank you.” She saw the tears in both men's eyes and was so proud to have them care so deeply for her, to fight so hard to bring her back to the living.
"Ahh, thank the Gods.” Richard leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers, their arms remaining clasped.
"You had us frightened, little sister.” Richard smiled and pulled back to work on her shoulder.
"Now, just because you slipped out of our mother's womb three seconds before me does not make you older.” She teased, then grimaced as the pain assaulted her body.
"She will be fine.” Richard confirmed as he worked, gently cleaning the blood away from her face and shoulder.
"I will seek lodging for tonight,” he murmured, leaving Richard and Serena alone.
Richard watched him depart and wondered what was wrong as he finished wrapping Serena's shoulder.
"He feels guilt. Please go to him, see if you can help him. I'll be fine. You've done all you can for now. He needs your help."
Richard nodded, and placing his hand on Serena's forehead, he placed her in a healer's sleep.
"Rest, Serena,” he instructed. She closed her eyes and instantly fell asleep. Sitting back, Richard was satisfied with his quick work. She was correct, he had done all he could for her at this point. He just wasn't sure if he could do any more if Ziem didn't stop.
Chapter Six
Roan leaned his arms against the wood structure and dropped his head. He closed his eyes and allowed his emotions to flow through him—regret and sorrow. His heart was pounding from the adrenaline surge caused by Serena's near death. He could not slow the rapid beating. He raised his hand to his chest, massaging the heart muscle, trying to make sense of what had happened. If he had not distracted her in the first place then she wouldn't have received that fateful wound. If he had killed Ziem the second he saw him, instead of giving him a choice, then Ziem wouldn't have been able to hurt Serena.
Roan continued to massage his heart, willing it to stop hurting.
A hand came to rest upon his shoulder and the feelings it created were soothing. Roan relaxed when he saw Richard.
Richard shifted his hand to cover Roan's heart. “Release the guilt,” he said, and with the quiet command, Roan's strained breathing calmed and his heart unclenched.
Richard removed his hand. “Serena was worried, she asked me to help you. Your actions have been right and just, you cannot question them. Serena will be fine and she needs you.” He inclined his head toward the stable.
Roan rested his forehead against the wall, absorbing Richard's words, attempting to face returning to Serena's side.
"In the small amount of time I have known her she has affected me as no other woman has, and this, the thought of...” he waved his hand toward the stable unable to continue, running his other arm over his face.
Richard noticed the trembling in Roan's hand. Roan laughed, not a pleasant laugh, but a pained one.
Roan shook his head. �
��I am one of the most feared warriors in England yet this ... I cannot...” struggling with his words he bent his knee and leaned into the structure, using it for support.
Wetness coursed down Roan's face. “I cannot lose her, but I fear I cannot protect her."
When he turned, his tortured expression played on Richard's sympathies. He related to Roan's feelings. Perhaps too much.
He shifted his gaze from Roan's, glancing toward the cloud-ridden sky, his gut clenching. Roan's agony, Serena's pain, he experienced it all. At times Richard cursed his sensing gift, the ability to feel others pain. Now was one of those times. With their haze of emotions surrounding him, he leaned his back against the wall and suffered in silence. After a long moment, he began to speak quietly, not looking at Roan, just talking.
"It is said in our scrolls that a man and a woman of the wolf will save our people. Those two, this man and woman, are said to be soul-mates and once united the link becomes so strong that when paired they are invincible.” He continued softly, “I believe you and Serena have finally been placed together for that purpose.” He sighed and reached up to wipe the wetness from his own face, straightening. “But you have not completed your link, and I fear until you do, you are both weak in your desire for each other."
Roan stared at Richard while attempting to absorb the information he'd just heard. It was hard to believe. “I assume by united you are speaking intimately?” He needed to ask although he was confident of the answer.
Richard looked away and nodded. “So it is written."
"Serena, has she—?” he paused, embarrassed to ask, but the expression on Richard's face gave him the answer he sought. “So, she has never been with a man. I cannot dishonor her by ... she's injured...” he stopped at Richard's pointed look.
"If legend is correct and she continues in this distracted state, with Ziem's anger and the power of the crystal, she is in grave danger. I am unsure if I can save her next time. Dishonor and injuries mean nothing if she is dead."
Roan turned and leaned his back against the same wall. “Are you giving me your permission to bed your sister?"
"The permission is not mine to give. The decision is between you and her, although if my senses are true, her feelings for you are as strong as yours for her."
He pushed away from the wall, “She asks for you, Roan. I will look for lodging. Go to her.” Richard walked away without looking back, expecting Roan to do his bidding.
Roan inhaled a deep cleansing breath, wiping the wetness from his cheeks. He counseled himself to have strength and stepped away from the wall determined. He knew what he needed to do.
* * * *
Serena sensed Roan's pain before he entered the stable. He was calmer than earlier, as though he'd come to grips with something. His step did not waver.
She sighed as her gaze traveled the length of his body, from his long dark hair, to his ice blue eyes, down over his thick chest, finally settling on his muscled thighs. He was by far the most beautiful man she had ever seen and she smiled at the heated stare he was trying so hard to veil. He fell to his knees beside her. Picking up her hand, he laid it in his and returned her smile.
"How do you feel?” He asked, bringing her hand to his cheek, closing his eyes when her fingers gently stroked his face.
"Better. You and Richard are a powerful team.” She exhaled when he opened his eyes, his other hand coming out to gently push back the hair from her face.
"Richard is seeking lodging for the night. I await Caine's return. I sent him to track Ziem as far as he could.” His hand continued to stroke her cheek, his finger trailing down her jaw. “We will rest here tonight and start again at first morning light. Caine will have returned by then."
She closed her eyes as the desire caused by his stroking finger penetrated her senses. His hand strayed to her neck, over her bared shoulder. Serena watched as Roan nodded his head and she assumed he'd received a message from Richard. A private message. Roan reached down for her, his lips connecting with hers as he lifted her body into his arms. Her uninjured arm encircled his neck. He stood, his lips tenderly consuming hers, his arms gently cradling her body close to his. In his arms, the pain began to recede, making her stronger.
"Do not leave me.” She vaguely recalled hearing that plea from him before, but hearing him voice it now, watching it roll off his tongue, made it all the more sweet.
She smiled against his lips, returning his vow. “I will not.” She breathed heavily as his lips swooped down to claim hers for a more passionate, more consuming kiss. His head tilted, deepening their union, before his tongue sketched the outline of her lips. Her hand rode up his neck, sinking into his hair, and she heard him groan.
He pulled back suddenly and walked out of the stables toward the center of the small village. She nestled into his arms.
Richard greeted them at the door to a small tavern and inn. He acknowledged Roan with a single nod. Their eyes fixed on each other, Serena sensed they were talking and wondered what they were communicating. Talking to each other with mind sense without including the other person present was like whispering a secret in front of someone. It made her feel left out. Richard nodded and turned, heading back toward the stables.
Roan stepped into the tavern with her dangling in his arms. Briefly acknowledging the innkeeper, he continued up the stairs to the room her brother had acquired.
"Where does Richard go? What is going on?"
Roan kicked the door closed and gently settled her on the bed, removing his cape. He did the same with hers.
"He sleeps with the horses so that he may guard them and will alert us when Caine returns."
Lowering himself onto the bed beside her, he stroked her shoulder, careful of her wound. Her desire returned with the heat of his body so close to hers. His eyes darkened to a smoky blue. Leaning over, he trapped her lips beneath his in a long unhurried sensuous meeting. He opened his mouth over hers, entreating her to let him in. She loved the feeling of overwhelming intimacy and hot demand the kiss created low in her belly.
* * * *
Roan took the kiss deeper and all of his thoughts tangled. The touch of her, the taste of her, captivated him. He couldn't recall his objective. He experienced only heat and pleasure and want. As his tongue tangled with hers, the flash of desire was fast and overwhelming. Denying his need to fuck her only made his want hotter. It flooded him with its intensity, his cock so hard it hurt. He took the kiss deeper and heard her moan as he ran his hands over her pliant body.
* * * *
Serena lost all sense of propriety, casting it aside like her cloak. She couldn't resist him anymore, didn't want to. In a slow exploration, she opened her fingers against the heated flesh of his neck, caressed his broad shoulders, tangling finally in the thick mat of hair at the opening of his tunic. His heart pounded beneath her palm. Emboldened, she trailed down his abdomen to his erection. The long, passionate kiss ended as he groaned and arched into her touch.
The size of his cock amazed and even frightened her. Yet she had to touch him, had to discover every part of him. When she stroked him through the cloth of his breeches, he growled. She sighed and wanted more. Her body took on a mind of its own, dampness pooling between her legs, her vagina pulsating, her nipples hardening. She rubbed the peaks of her breasts against his chest. His face tensed and his eyes blazed with the look of a wolf about to pounce. Her breath hitched with excitement.
His mouth traveled along her face to her jaw, and then his tongue trailed to the sensitive meeting place of her neck and shoulder. He nipped her neck, his teeth scraping against her jugular. She whimpered and jumped with a slight jerk of pain, calmed by enjoyment. It was so amazing, his mouth leaving a wet trail down her body, the contrast of his dark hair falling against her alabaster skin. He was incredibility strong, yet his lips were gentle.
How wonderful.
He smelled manly, a spicy combination of sweat and the outdoors, so him, a scent she was beginning to love. She was wrapped aro
und the unique feeling of sexual awareness, hot and wet.
He leaned closer to her ear, whispering, “I can't fight myself any longer. Jesu, I want to take you like I have wanted no other."
Her body tensed, a flood of moisture between her legs. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. Her breath quickened. Blood was racing through her veins, throbbing in her head. Nothing mattered but the need for this man to have her, to take her virginity, and please her, as she knew only he could. She trembled with anticipation.
"I want to ride you, little one. Show you what it can be like. Make you mine."
His low, seductive words drove her senses wild. A primitive yearning sent her over the edge of sanity. His hands caressed their way to the tie of her leather halter. Not moving, awaiting her permission, his fingers clenched and unclenched as if he so badly wanted to untie it and only his last ounce of will stopped him.
She plunged her hand into his hair, pulling his head down for another drugging kiss. Her lips followed the same exploration his had. Kissing his jaw line, she answered, “Yes. Make me yours, Roan."
His breath rushed out, fanning her hair. He loosened the halter-top, pushing it aside. Tugging at his tunic, she urged him to remove it. He complied, quickly pulling his shirt over his head.
* * * *
Roan's chest heated where her hand made contact with the naked grooves. Her touch was like the warmth of the sun after a brutal battle. His head fell back. He closed his eyes and exhaled, trying to gain control when her small hands tentatively traced the muscles of his chest. Desire burned with each hesitant movement of her hands, his cock filling, and twitching, needing fulfillment.
* * * *
"I'm afraid I will hurt you,” he confessed, caressing her bandaged arm with his lips.
"We will take care."
She ground out the words when both of his hands came to rest on her bare breasts, kneading them, his thumbs caressing her nipples. Her nipples peaked against his palms. He replaced his fingers with his mouth as he rose to straddle her body. She wanted to scream her pleasure as his lips and tongue worshipped her breasts. She arched against him, her hands pulling at his head, straining against his sucking mouth, moaning in response. His touch filled her senses. Her body quivered down to her toes, and her breath hummed from her throat as his chest made contact with her stomach. With each brush of his lips, she tensed with anticipation.
