Dream Quest
Page 21
He shook his head. "I will never be better off without you, Nia. I love you."
She turned away and stepped to the cliffs. Already she was slipping away. Her gaze was fixed on a distant spot out at sea. "I cannot love you, Ranulf. I cannot love anyone."
"Nia, what are you doing?"
"Taking my life. I cannot live this half-life any longer."Her voice was dreamy, as if she were hearing voices he could not.
"Don't do this."He stepped closer and she put up her hand as if to warn him off.
"It's better this way--"
"How can it be better? How can I live without you?"He took another step. "You said yourself that your true love can free you from this curse. How can you believe that I'm not your true love? What if I'm the one and you're about to make the biggest mistake of your life?"
She looked at him, her emerald eyes awash in tears. "And what if I kiss you and you turn into one of them?"She gestured at the statue. "I couldn't bear it."
Ranulf kicked the statue off the cliff and he heard her gasp. "And what if I don't?"he shot back.
"But they all have, don't you see?"she wailed. "All of them, some of them I'd loved, and all of them I've lost. I cannot bear it again."
"Kiss me, Nia. I beg of you to kiss me. If I turn into a statue, then pick me up and hurl both of us off this cliff. But don't--I beg of you--don't jump without kissing me first."
Tears left shiny streaks down her cheeks. Her chin dropped and he used the opportunity to pull her into his arms. She came to him on a sob. They fit, just as he knew they would. Her head came to rest just below his chin, her slim body leaned into his.
"I cannot bear this--"Her voice broke.
"I can."
He tipped her chin up and lowered his head. Their lips met and he laid his claim to her. A jolt of pleasure rocketed down his spine as her lips parted and their tongues tangled. Her mouth not only looked good, it tasted sweet as well. Her hands clenched and released against his chest as he plundered her mouth. Overwhelmed by the sensation of her soft body leaning into his, he wanted nothing more than to reverse their positions and lay her on this cliff and sink into her.
She moaned a protest as he broke the kiss. His heart stopped as she went rigid. Her eyes rolled back in her head and then she went limp in his arms. He caught her and lowered her to the rock, his body sheltering hers. Tucking her head into his shoulder, he held her close, waiting for either everything or nothing to happen. Other than being dizzily happy, he felt only love for the woman in his arms.
After a few moments, her lashes fluttered. He stroked flyaway hairs from her face as she awoke. Her eyes were confused when they focused on him.
"You're still you,"she whispered.
He smiled and ran his finger over the soft curve of her cheek. "And you're still you."
"Oh, my..."She burst into tears.
He hugged her tighter until the tempest passed and she cried two hundred years of loneliness onto the front of his jerkin. When she calmed, he released her so he could look into her beautiful face.
"Nia, you aren't immortal, either."
She frowned. "Of course I am."
"No."He ran his finger over the pendant. "This makes you immortal, the sign of your mother's people. You're a halfling, half human and half elf. I think your mother forsook her immortal life for you by giving you this. She knew you couldn't be immortal on your own, thanks to your mortal blood."
Her eyes again filled with tears. "Oh, Mama,"she whispered. "If I'd only known."Her hand fisted around the pendant.
"If you choose a mortal life, you have only to remove the pendant and cast it away."
She sat up so fast she came close to cracking him on the nose with her head. She fumbled with the chain until he took over and removed it from her neck before handing it to her. He rose from his crouched position and pulled her with him. The sea breeze tugged at her long golden locks as she took his hands in hers.
"I love you, Ranulf."She released his left hand and held up the pendant. "And I choose a mortal life."With that, she tossed the pendant over the cliffs.
He slid an arm around her waist as the waves seemed to part to receive her gift.
After a few moments, she spoke. "Let's go back to the cabin. I need to see what--if anything--happened to my victims."
Ranulf retrieved his sword and they walked toward the trees. "Why would something have happened to the statues?"
"I cast a spell to free them, of course."
Author's Note: If you want to see what happens to Nia's victims,
check out Paradox III, available in September 2004 from LTDBooks.
Publisher info:
Stories that stimulate your laughter, Provoke your tears, Evoke your secret fears,
Stories that make you think...The stuff that dreams are made of...LTDBooks
www.ltdbooks.com