Realms of the Otherworld Box Set

by Jana LaPelle

  ​I swallow the lump in my throat, feeling sick, as I say with a small smile, "I trust you above all others. I have faith that you will be there to catch me when I fall, and if I’m shattered, I trust you to be there when I put myself back together again." I know that I have not convinced him, and say, "Do you trust me to do what I need to do to save The Realms? It may not be what we want, but my path is clear. All you have to do is come for me when the time is right." I say as I pull him to me in a fierce hug, clinging to my mate, my kindred.

  ​“Come, mo grá. This conversation is far from over, but I will concede for tonight. It's late. Did you see that Maith has chocolate cake in the kitchen? I know it’s your favorite. I almost took a detour when I saw that.” He says playfully.

  ​“Do you want some? I’ve already had mine. It was really good.” I say smiling up at him before my smile drops. “Don’t ever forget that I love you. Okay?” I ask of my mate.

  ​“Ashlinn, whatever it is, please just tell me. What is going on in that head of yours?” He asks before we make it to the stairs. His concern is so raw and evident through our bond that it has me bristling at my deceit. I'm tempted to confide in him before rational thought overrides my bad judgment.

  ​I smile up at him changing the subject as I say, “Come on Elf-Man, I believe that I was already asleep when you came to bed. I missed my daily dose of you. We can’t have that now, can we? What do you say we make up for lost time? I'm feeling a little needy tonight, and the only thing that will help is you.” I reach up and pull his mouth down to mine for a kiss. It starts slow and gentle but as always the fire builds in both of us, and soon our lips are dancing a tango, and we are consumed in one another. Alaric reaches down and hoists me up, and I wrap my legs around him. Slowly, he climbs the stairs to our rooms as we take pleasure in one another. Once we make it into our room, he closes the door behind us, and I revel in the fact that we have all night in one another's arms. That’s exactly what I need and what I want. I need for my kindred to know how much I love him.

  ​The next two days fly by with an incredible speed and before I know it I'm mere hours from my premonition becoming a reality. My nerves are on edge; I'm testy, and I'm having a difficult time concentrating. I know that the Druids are working with the witch that was responsible for casting the dark majic that binds the blood contract but that gives me little comfort. I attempt to continue my now daily routine but I miss sparring with Tolin, so I ask if we can pick up where we left off. Really, I just want some alone time with my favorite half of TNT, Tolin, and Torin, the handsome mischievous Fomorian brothers.

  ​He confronts me right away, and he looks at me questioningly. “What’s up, Ash?”

  ​“Why does there have to be anything up?” I ask immediately taking the offensive.

  ​"Because you and Lorcan have been sparring for well over a week now? You two seem to be making some progress, so I’ll ask again, what’s up?” He prods, the mischievous twinkle gone from his eyes, replaced by grim seriousness.

  ​“Okay. Then maybe I’ll switch back.” I shrug, hoping to sound nonchalant but my feelings are hurt.

  ​"No, you don't get to get off that easily. I think we need to talk." He mutters, suspicion in his voice.

  ​“You’re being difficult. Whatever.” I say pushing away from him, and I walk away. Everyone on the training ground is watching us, and I have to tread carefully now. I can’t afford to appear weak, especially with everything that is about to go down.

  ​Hearing Tolin approach, I calculate my move as he comes up behind me. Just as he's about to reach me, I drop down and swing my leg around, taking him off guard, sweeping his legs out from under him. Tolin lands with a dull thud.

  ​"What the hell, Ash! I just wanted to talk to you for a few minutes." He says, glaring up at me.

  ​“That was for giving me a hard time. Since you obviously have a problem training with me, I’ll go work with my knives.” I say as I stomp away.

  ​"Ashlinn, that's not what I meant, and you know it!" Tolin says as he quickly gains his feet and grabs my elbow forcing me to turn toward him. “What’s going on? You’re more on edge than I have ever seen you. Don’t think I haven’t noticed. Everyone has. You’re quiet and introspective. ”

  ​“You’re imagining things.” I snap back, knowing that I’m taking my bad mood out on him, not being able to help myself. I stalk over to the throwing range that has been set up and start attacking the targets with my blades. I think that I like my throwing knives even better than the bow. It’s more aggressive, and I'm able to take my frustrations out better with the action involved in actually throwing the knives. I find the whole process cathartic in nature.

  ​"Common on, Little Bit, don't be like that. Let's go take a walk." Tolin says. I soften at his term of endearment toward me, and I allow him to escort me through the courtyard, into the Keep, back to the library, and out the terrace doors down to the water's edge. I guess that he wants some privacy from everyone else. I promptly stomp over to the water's edge and sit cross-legged on the ground and stare out over the water. I smile as my gaze lands on the waterfall in the distance, remembering my night there with Alaric.

  ​Sighing heavily, I offer up the olive branch. “Tolin, I’m sorry for taking my bad mood out on you. That was not my intent." I say quietly, as he takes his seat next to me. I can feel Alaric probing our link to make sure that I’m okay. I respond to his probing by saying, “I'm okay. I promise Elf-Man."

  ​Tolin takes a sideline glance at me, his massive forearms propped up on his bent knees, before turning his gaze back out to the lake. The lake is large and teaming with life. I’ve learned that here it’s called a loch and is actually quite deep.

  ​He sighs before saying, “You want to talk about it?” His gaze is not on me but on the lake.

  ​“What’s to talk about?” I ask in agitation. “This is a subject that we have literally talked to death over the last month, and honestly I'm tired of all the talk, the waiting, and the not knowing how all of this is going to pan out. I have powers of premonition that only kick in when they want to, and it's pissing me off! I know that I need more time but time is now my enemy. I can't seem to catch a break, and I'm tired of keeping my game face on, all… the… time! I'm worried about how Alaric is going to react once he realizes that I'm gone, and I won't be able to do a damn thing about it! I really hate being excluded from your discussions on the rescue plan, but I understand that the less I know, the better the odds are that things will work out in the end. I feel helpless, and that’s pissing me off! So I guess to sum it up, I’m just generally pissed, the hell, off!” I finish my rant as I get up to pace and notice that flames are now licking up my finger tips to my forearms.

  ​Tolin stands and pins his gaze on me before saying, "Well, it's about time. You've been holding on to that for a while. Now that you got that off your chest I think we can go train, but I'm not going to be your punching bag, Ash. We have a dummy for that, and you’re going to use it to release all these pent up emotions. Unless you want to lob fireballs at my head, I’m pretty sure that I could evade your wicked aim.” He says with a cocky smile and a twinkle in his eyes.

  ​I'm still frustrated, but my mood has softened. I guess I really did need to unload on someone. Just for fun and in the spirit of lightening the mood, I say, “You’re on, T.” I pull the flames to me and form a flaming ball.

  ​“Whoa. Ashlinn, I was just kidding about the fireballs.” He hedges and begins to back up with his hands in the air. “I thought we would go back to train with the others.”

  ​“I’m just following your direction. You did suggest this exercise to help with my frustrations. You better run, T.” I say with a little smile as I aim wide and direct the fireball over his head and into the lake to dissipate harmlessly.

  ​Grinning, Tolin saunters in my direction and says in a laughing tone, “You missed on purpose. Do you feel better? Getting some of that off your chest and letting your inner py
ro out? You know you don't have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. It's okay to look for some help when you need it. I know you're worried about Alaric, and I won't lie, he’s going to lose his shit when all this goes down. Just know that we have his back, and we'll pick him up. We'll put him back together again the best we can until we can get you back. Tarron will not know what hit him after I'm done with him. No one messes with you, Ash. I mean no one. I will not rest until you are back where you belong, back with your family." Tolin pulls me into a crushing hug, and I return his embrace, clinging to the one male that has become more like a brother to me than a Guardian.

  ​“I love you too, big guy. I expect you to go all berserker on their asses.” I say smiling into his solid wall of a chest. My eyes damp with unshed tears.

  ​From behind me, I can sense Alaric approach, and he says, "So, the two of you are good? I was beginning to worry. Ashlinn, you've become extremely proficient in blocking me. I had to come find you to see for myself." He's pissed, and I feel like crap. I hate that what I'm doing is starting to put a wedge between us.

  ​Needing to put a positive spin on things I turn to my kindred and ask, “So even though I’m blocking you, you can still follow our link?” I look up at him questioningly, knowing the answer.

  ​“Of course, Ashlinn, where are you going with this? He asks narrowing his eyes at me.

  ​“I’m afraid that our link will be affected, I'm not sure that our binding can be dissolved, but what if through the blood contract our link is muted or even blocked. We need to be able to sense our link to one another even if dark majic attempts to tamper with it. Who knows where Tarron will take me once he has me." I say.

  ​“Where would he go?” Tolin asks as he releases his hold on my and Alaric considers my words.

  ​“That’s what you need to ask yourself. Do you really think that he will stay in his Keep once he has me? You two are just an hour’s ride apart. You’ve practically declared war on one another. There is a plan in place. Make no mistake about it. It doesn’t make sense for him to keep me within arm’s reach. Does it?” Again I’m going on my gut instinct since my powers of premonition have abandoned me for the time being, which just irritates the hell out of me.

  ​“So that’s why you have been locking me out?” Alaric asks as he narrows his eyes at me.

  ​No, but he can’t know that so I deflect, “Think of it as an exercise in patience.” I say, smiling sweetly at my kindred pushing all the love I feel for him through our bond. Switching gears, I ask, “Has anyone heard from Garrik? How’s he doing?”

  ​"There have been two very brief communications, but everything seems to be going according to plan," Tolin says briefly.

  ​Alaric looks at me and then swings his gaze to Tolin and says, “T, I need a moment with my kindred. I need you to meet up with the rest of the Guard and make ready to head out.” He returns his gaze to me and says, “Ashlinn, we ride out within the next hour or so. The Dagda left this morning. An army is amassing, and they are marching in our direction. My uncle wants us to ride out and meet them half way. They are eager to meet the Champion of the Tree of Life." He says with a slight smile.

  ​“How many warriors?” I ask as I ponder how this evening will go down. Now I know why Alaric is not going to be here. “When will you be back?”

  ​“More than five hundred, no surprise Tarron's father refuses to send troops our way. He is effectively aligning with The Morrígan as are the Western Territories. We hear that there is discord within the ranks. The Eastern Territories are amassing their warriors as we speak and should be here within the next several days. I ride to greet the troops that have been gathered from my father’s territory. Unfortunately, I believe that we will be evenly matched. Arrangements are being made to set up a camp in the valley to accommodate the numbers. Your father’s warriors are making their way here and total over two hundred shifters, not just Panther, but shifters of all kinds. They will come in handy as will my newly acquired shifting ability. I’m working with Nemus. He’s working on an enchantment that will allow me to shift back and forth without shredding my clothes and losing my weapons.” He says as he wraps an arm around me pulling me close before saying, “I don’t want to leave you. Time is getting away from us. I feel like we’re living on borrowed time. I won’t be long. I should be back by morning we’ll ride through the night if need be.” He holds me close and places a kiss on the top of my head.

  ​I close my eyes and savor his scent and the feeling of being wrapped up in his arms. Then I reach for his hand and pull him toward the stairs to our tower. My intent is clear. We have a limited amount of time before he leaves, and I won’t see him again until the dust settles once the blood contract is voided. I need to reaffirm the connection between us one last time.

  ​As we enter our rooms, I say, “Before you leave, I need you.” Without reservation, I shrug out of my leather training vest. The lace up leather leggings, take a few moments to dislodge but soon they are sliding down my hips. All the while Alaric is watching me. His gaze is fixated on my flat abdomen.

  ​For a moment I feel myself panic before he says, “When this is all over, I want a family. I want as many kids as you are willing to give me, Ashlinn. I didn’t realize until this very moment how much I want that with you. ” His expression is so very serious as his confession is voiced.

  ​For the first time, I feel the longing he has to start a family with me. I smile up at my kindred, happy in the fact that this is something that he wants, and my premonition comes back to me, and I say, “It may happen sooner than you think. I know that we have at least two or three babes, the vision was unclear. There were several children with all of us, and we were having a picnic down by the lake.”

  ​“You have seen this?” He asks, looking down at me questioningly.

  ​“Yes, it was the last premonition that I have had in a while. I hold it near and dear to my heart. Now less talking and more stripping.” I say teasingly as I run my hands over his hard pecs and down his well-muscled arms as I pull him toward the bed. I intend to savor our time together and remember every last inch of him as he steps out of his leather pants. Today he went commando, and I smile as I continue to run my hands over him. He is always so responsive to my touch. A shiver races through him as I caress his six pack abs, his body is a work of art. His every movement showcases his finely toned body as his muscles bunch and flex. He’s letting me take the lead, and I push him back toward the bed. In one quick movement picks me up, and my legs go around him as he holds me close, my bare breast pressed tightly to his hard chest. The hard length of him poised at my entrance. I am always so ready for him and now is no different. Alaric sits back on the bed, he pulls me down on top of him, and I go willingly. I lean in to taste his lips as his large hand cups the back of my head pulling me in closer so that he can devour my mouth. A moan escapes me, and I can't wait any longer. I need him to fill the void inside me. In one quick movement I press down on his hard length, and he fills me, a gasp escapes my lips, the sensations that my kindred awakens in me borders on bliss, and we begin to rock together in a slow and deliberate motion allowing our momentum to build. I savor the taste of him on my tongue before I dive down to take his mouth again. The need to be consumed by him is all encompassing. What once began as a slow patient mating dance between us has built to a fever pitch and we are rocking together in our insatiable desire to be closer to one another. I open myself up and allow the love that he feels for me, permeate my entire being, and I flood our link with my love and longing to always be with him. The intensity of our emotions just adds to the need I feel to have Alaric buried so deeply in me that we will never be parted. I’m quivering around him, knowing that I’m about to go over the edge and I can feel him pulse inside of me. Alaric's hands grab my hips, and he pulls me down one last time as he pushes so far up into me that I see stars as we both fall over the edge.

  ​In a tangle of limbs, I'm draped over his chest. Alaric go
es to move, and I know that I can never assuage my need for him, so I stop him as I beg, in a breathless whisper, "Just once more."

  ​“Just once more will never be enough, álainn." He says as he kisses each of my cheeks, my forehead, and then gently on my lips. Slowly he rolls me over to lay me on my back as he continues to worship my body, he says, “I love you, Ashlinn. I want to make love to you until the end of our days.”

  ​"I love you too, Elf-Man. I need you, just once more before you leave." I say, cupping his face in my hands as I stare up at him intently. He smiles down at me, those dimples popping out as he begins to move again slowly at first. We never take our eyes off of the others as we make love to one another. It's slow and reverent, and I will cherish this moment. I know that those brilliant blue eyes will be forever locked in my memory.

  Chapter 3

  (Ashlinn)

  ​The day has become overcast, and I fear that a storm may be on the horizon as I stand in the courtyard. I'm watching my guard saddle up. In the end, Alaric decided to leave three of the Guard behind to oversee the security of the Keep and manage the warriors that have been tasked with guard duty since the Keep went on lock down. Declan will be in charge in Alaric and Dagda's absence, and Fergus and Torin will be his backup. My father is riding out with Alaric, but they're going to part ways once they leave the forest. Each will be escorting his own separate legion of warriors back to Glenndale Loch. I wish I could be here to see them all ride into the valley. It should be a spectacular site.

  ​My father walks up to my mother and me to say his goodbyes, and he looks me over. I haven't been sleeping well, and I know that there are dark shadows under my eyes and he says, "Ashlinn, you really need to get your rest and make sure you don't skip meals. Promise me, okay?" His expression is grave, and I know he's scolding me. I think he knows that I won't be here when he gets back.