Arthur broke off from circling above him, flapping ahead to open ground.
I could almost see the frustration on Wilfred’s face. He wanted to push through the Ubanty but as they saw him, they bowed their heads and reached out their hands.
I let out a giggle.
‘What?’ Sabby said.
‘Nothing. Just the Ubanty are making Wilfred’s progress hard.’
‘They’re trying to stop him getting to her?’ The soldier’s hand strayed to his empty scabbard, as if he would take up arms to rush to Wilfred’s aid.
I laughed again. ‘It’s not deliberate.’ I was silent for a moment while I watched. ‘She’s landed. Isla is off her dragon.’
A cheer echoed around the tent.
‘And Wilfred’s nearly there. Just a few more Ubanty to get past. Oh…he’s there.’ I could feel tears forming in my eyes.
‘What’s happening,’ Sabby squealed.
‘He’s running. She’s running. They’re running,’ I said.
‘So they’re running?’
‘Shush.’ I batted at my latest patient. ‘They’re running towards each other. And…oh…they’ve met. They’re hugging.’ The tears broke over their barrier and started running down my cheeks. ‘They’re kissing. He’s lifted her up and he’s swinging her around.’
Cheering broke out again and I heard Sabby let out a choked sob.
‘Wait.’ I could see a glow at the edge of the Ubanty line. ‘Ulandes is coming.’
‘Will she stop them?’
A debate broke out around me.
‘She’s a Goddess, she can do what she wants.’
‘It’s not right to stop true love.’
‘She’s walking towards them,’ I said.
Walking was a trite word for what Ulandes was doing. Gliding maybe? Flowing?
Wilfred broke off from his latest kiss and faced Ulandes, his gigantic hand dwarfing Isla’s as he linked fingers with her.
‘What’s happening?’ Somebody shook my shoulder.
‘They’re facing Her. Isla is kneeling, and so is her dragon, Arthur, and…and…’ my voice trailed off. It didn’t feel right to broadcast what I was seeing now.
Ulandes knelt before Isla. She reached out a hand and cupped Isla’s chin, bringing Isla’s face up till it was level with her own.
The two women stared into each other’s eyes. Ulandes’ lips were moving and Isla tilted her head to the side as she listened.
What’s she saying?
I can’t tell. Arthur’s blocked me. I could feel Emerald swishing her tail in frustration.
Wilfred backed away, standing off to Isla’s side with his hands folded in front of him. Isla shook her head and looked as if she would stand, but Ulandes’ lips kept moving and Isla stilled.
I could see how wide Isla’s eyes were, how white her face. She appeared to be protesting. She bowed her head, clasping Ulandes’ hands.
‘What’s happening?’ Sabby asked.
I could feel her hand on my back. ‘I don’t know. Ulandes and Isla are talking. She doesn’t look happy.’
‘Ulandes?’
‘No. Isla.’
Not happy was an understatement. She looked miserable as she cast a look over her shoulder at Wilfred. His lips were pressed into a tight line, his body coiled tight.
And then Isla’s argument seemed to fade. Her shoulders sagged in defeat. I couldn’t believe that Ulandes would prevent Isla and Wilfred from being together. Why would she give Isla the jewellery, her tattoos, if she was going to reject her?
And then Isla reached out toward Ulandes. She placed her hands on either side of the Goddess’s face. I could see her mouth moving. Could see the frantic look in her eyes.
In comparison, Ulandes looked peaceful, accepting. She mimicked Isla, raising her hands to place one on each side of Isla’s face.
The two of them knelt like that, staring into each other’s eyes, cradling each other’s faces, and then Ulandes leant forwards. She pulled Isla towards her and kissed her.
Ulandes’ glow grew, expanding out to encompass both of them. It brightened as it spread till it blazed like a newborn star.
Wilfred held his arm in front of his face, watching, but it seemed also that he waited. That he knew there was more to come.
A random arrow soared through the sky. I let out a garbled yell as it thunked into Ulandes’ back, quivering with its excess force. She sagged forwards into Isla’s arms, breaking the kiss.
Isla’s face already held tears. She cradled the Goddess to her chest, rocking her backwards and forwards. Wilfred knelt beside them. Bowing his head he placed his arms around both of them. Arthur threw his head back, roaring a blaze of fire into the sky.
The glow burst out to encompass all of them, pulsing in time with a dying heartbeat. Once, twice…three times…
Like a dying sun, the blaze exploded before shrinking back in on itself. But when it coalesced, it didn’t formate onto Ulandes, it slammed into Isla, whirling around her, forcing her head to go back as she gasped.
Wilfred supported them both, his head bowed in grief as he helped Isla lower Ulandes’ body to the ground.
Samuel burst from the line of Ubanty. He paused as he watched, confusion written over his face. He walked towards them, tears tracking his cheeks. He knelt by Ulandes’ side.
Her body limp, her eyes closed, her chest still, he held her hand as he cried.
And then he backed away, wiping the back of his arm across his face as he turned to Isla.
Isla sat up, the glow pulsing around her in time with her heart. Wilfred supported her as she climbed to her feet. Her gold tattoos now ran past her forearms, snaking their way up her biceps and across her shoulders.
Samuel stood, moving to stand in front of her, and then he sank to his knees and bowed. It wasn’t till Isla reached out her hand and placed it onto Samuel’s head that I realised what had happened.
Ulandes wasn’t dead. Just her body was. Her spirit now resided in Isla.
***
I was silent while I worked, trying to come to grips with what I had witnessed. Was Isla now Ulandes or Ulandes now Isla? Was my best friend gone? And if she was, did I have a right to be upset about it if it meant a Goddess lived?
The afternoon shadows grew longer, merging into darkness, and still the wounded lay. I worked without pause, feeling that if I could heal the wounded, then the fact that they were hurt because of me, ceased to matter. My guilt doubled, tripled, halved, depending on how I was feeling.
I took my hands from my latest patient, returning his smile as he sat up and stretched.
‘That’s it.’
I turned to look at the familiar voice. Sabby. Her eyes looked as hollow as mine felt.
‘We’re finished.’
I looked around. I had reached the end of the queue of wounded.
‘The enemy has gone. Let’s get some food.’
I let Sabby pull me up, leaning against her for a moment while my equilibrium stabilised. I was tired. So very tired.
‘Here.’ Aethan’s voice flowed over me even as his arms wrapped around me.
I saw Thomas hovering behind Sabby.
They led us through the newly erected tents to a fire. Grams and Lionel sat beside it.
‘Izzy.’ Grams rose when she saw me, coming forward to help lead me to a seat.
I collapsed into it and leant forwards so my elbows were resting on my knees. Sabby took the seat to my right.
‘I tried to make her stop,’ she said.
‘She never knows when to stop.’
I started at Turos’s voice, searching until I met his eyes over the glow of the fire. ‘You’re here.’ A tiny sliver of guilt slid away. If he was here, surely he couldn’t hate me too much.
‘I wanted to make sure you were all right. Now that I know you are, I’ll go back to my own people.’
‘We are your people,’ I said. Did I have the right to make that claim, after the choice I’d made?
H
is tense smile relaxed into something more normal.
‘That’s what I’ve been trying to tell him,’ Grams said. Her eyes widened as she saw Aethan’s hand snake into mine. She stared for a second and then nodded. ‘It doesn’t matter Turos,’ she said. ‘You don’t need to marry into our family to be a part of it. As far as I’m concerned, you already are.’
‘Grams,’ I hissed. Who was talking marriage?
Turos smirked at my discomfort. ‘Thank you Bella,’ he stood, ‘but my mother is waiting for me.’ He looked at Aethan and me. ‘Is Isla safe?’
I nodded. ‘She’s better than ever.’ I didn’t clarify that statement.
‘Ahhhh, she’s with Wilfred.’ Turos stood. ‘Hopefully tomorrow I’ll get to meet the infamous Wilfred.’ He waved a hand. ‘Sleep well all of you.’
‘Say hello to your Mum for me,’ I said.
He barked out a laugh. ‘Not Father?’
‘He hates me.’
Aethan pulled me onto his lap as Turos walked chuckling away from the fire. It was weird how I could feel so empty and yet so complete at the same time. I pushed the thought away, concentrating instead, on the feel of Aethan’s warmth wrapping me up.
‘Anyone hungry?’ Grams asked. ‘The supply tent was cooking up a mean stew this afternoon. It should be ready by now.’
She and Lionel headed off, returning a short time later with a pot of the thick stew. The smell of the meat hit my nostrils and suddenly I was wide awake and ravenous.
I listened while the others chatted, too busy shovelling food into my mouth to join in on the conversation totally. They were piecing together the events of the day. I stopped chewing long enough to add a few bits and pieces, but Aethan pretty much knew everything I did. Except about Isla. I hadn’t told anybody about that.
I was pleased to hear that Tiny was safe and with the dragons. We were going to have to find him a home in Isilvitania. Somewhere with plenty of wildlife and lots of wood for sculpting. He couldn’t return home. He’d be killed.
When we had finished eating, Aethan stood, letting out a sigh as he bent to kiss me on the top of the head. ‘I want to talk to Wolfgang. I couldn’t find him this afternoon.’ He stretched his arms above his head. ‘And I’d better go see the men.’
‘What’s happening tomorrow?’
‘We need to decide whether or not to pursue them.’
‘We should get them while we’ve got them on the run.’ Grams punched her hand into the air.
‘Those goblins are totally demoralised. It would be a good opportunity to end this threat for all time,’ Lionel said.
I wiggled, not comfortable with the idea of genocide. Sabby reached over and patted my hand. I could tell by the look on her face that she felt the same way. Maybe it was because we were too young to have seen the circle of time repeat?
The fire burned lower and still Aethan hadn’t returned. Grams stood and stretched. ‘Take me to bed lover.’ Her face held a naughty grin as she looked down at Lionel.
‘I thought you’d never ask.’ He stood and wrapped an arm over her shoulders as they drifted off through the tents.
‘Uhhh,’ I called after them. ‘Do you know where I’m sleeping?’
Grams looked back over her shoulder and pointed to the tent directly behind me. ‘At a guess, I’d say you’re in there.’
At a guess? What did that mean?
Thomas stood and extended his hand to Sabby. ‘Would you like me to walk you to your tent?’
She bit her lip and looked at the fire for long enough to let me know she was considering implications far beyond that of the simple question. She squared her shoulders and took his hand. ‘Please,’ she said.
And just like that I was alone by the fire. Evening sounds echoed across the camp. Zips being undone and redone. The occasional shout of laughter from a rowdier campfire. A dragon stamping at the ground as it settled down to sleep.
It would be a while before the entire camp slept. A while before I could put my plan into play.
I let it loose to run around my head while I examined its weaknesses. I had to have a plausible excuse for what I was doing, especially after we had won the day. That would be my main weakness. If I couldn’t convince him of my sincerity it wasn’t going to work.
Butterflies started to flit around in my stomach and I pushed the plan away. Nerves weren’t going to help.
Aethan reappeared on the other side of the fire, a silent figure in the semi-darkness. Light flickered over him, the shadows it cast emphasising the perfection of his body. Dark eyes met mine, silent and intense, and chills crawled down my spine.
Fatigue fled, and suddenly, every cell in my body was alive with a fire of its own. He was beautiful. So very beautiful. And he was mine.
I stood as he crossed the space between us, looking at his outstretched hand. My heart beats slowed, shuddering through my body. I reached out, pressing my fingers into his.
He stared down at me, his face stunning in its angular perfection. The depth of his need evident in his eyes. Anticipation unfurled, reaching out though me, stretching like a cat.
This wasn’t the first night we’d spent together. But it was the first night when we had no reason to stop.
We didn’t speak as he led me to the tent Grams had pointed out. We didn’t speak as we entered the dark space. We didn’t speak as he re-zipped the doorway, or as I examined the large bed.
His hand trailed down my arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake. I felt his fingers undoing the straps that held my daggers in place. I shivered and turned back to him as he pulled them from my body and let them fall to the floor.
There was just enough light to see his outline. Just enough to see his hands rise to my face. And then I closed my eyes, surrendering myself to the feel of his calloused palms sliding over my skin.
His breath shuddered as I ran my fingertips down his chest, undoing the leather ties of his vest. I let out a sigh as I undid the last one, dizzy with desire as I trailed my hands over his sculpted muscles.
And then his lips were on my neck, nuzzling and nipping as he worked his way up to my jaw. His body tensed as he fought to control his urgency. To go slow. To take his time. To make every moment the most delicious of our existence.
Every sensation was tenfold what I had felt before. Every stroke, every touch, a glorious assault on my mind.
His arms wrapped around me, pulling me up tight against him and then his mouth was on mine. The darkness wrapped us in its magic as my hands roved over his bare back.
I couldn’t think. I couldn’t breathe. His kisses stole my sanity.
Finally his hand found the edge of my vest, his fingers sliding beneath it as they started to lift it up. He paused and broke our kiss, his mouth just inches from mine as he whispered, ‘Are you sure?’
‘Don’t stop.’ My voice was rough. ‘I’ve never been this sure of anything.’
He paused for one more second, his eyes, almost invisible in the dark, searching my face for any indecision. I grasped his head and pulled it back down, fastening my lips to his. I wrapped my arms around him so he couldn’t escape.
He groaned as I rubbed against him, my movements sinuous and hypnotic. He felt so good. So damned good. I couldn’t have made myself stop even if I’d wanted to.
Fire trailed over my skin as he pulled my vest above my head. His lips found mine again, frantic with need as his hands fumbled with the strap of my bra. He grunted with frustration and I laughed against his mouth as I slipped my hands under his and undid the clasp.
My nipples hardened at the cool air, and he let out a groan as his hands brushed over them. I gasped, throwing my head back as a shudder rippled through me.
Dark Sky. I felt like my nerves were hot-wired to my groin. Already I was aching to feel him inside me.
He swept me up in his arms and deposited me on the bed. I wriggled backwards, undoing my leather pants and arching up to let him pull them off. Within seconds, his trousers were on the floor and he was c
rawling onto the bed to lie beside me.
‘Ahhh Izzy,’ he breathed, lowering his head to nuzzle my breasts.
I grabbed him and twisted so that his body was on top, his weight pushing me down, his skin rubbing against mine.
‘Aethan. Dark Sky, Aethan,’ I whimpered as his knee nudged my legs apart.
His tongue ran rough and wet across my nipples, as I ran my hands through his hair. I arched up and wrapped my legs around him, feeling the hardness of his manhood pressing into me.
I wanted to make this last; our first real time together, but he was driving me wild with his mouth and his hands. Always before we’d maintained a reserve, a safety net to stop us pushing over the edge. Tonight that safety net was gone.
I pulled his head up to mine, deepening our kiss even further. I breathed him in as my hands ran down his back. Hooking my hands in his underwear, I pushed them down past his buttocks.
He stopped and I thought he was going to ask me again. Ask me if this was what I wanted. Like there was any possible way that I didn’t. But instead, he wiggled backwards, pulling my underwear down past my ankles and snagging them off my feet. His followed mine on a pile on the floor and he stood before me, glorious in his nakedness as he ran worshipping eyes over my body.
‘Come here,’ I whispered, holding my arms open.
‘You’re so beautiful.’ He trailed a finger over my ankle. ‘So very beautiful.’ His fingers ran up the side of my calf as he crawled on top of me. They ran round till they were teasing the inside of my thigh.
‘Oh…Dark…Sky….’ I threw my head back against the pillow. ‘Please,’ I whimpered. ‘Please Aethan. I love you. Oh, I need you. Now.’ My whimpers became more frantic as his fingers whispered circles on my skin. I reached down till my hand found him, hard and soft velvet.
He let out a groan as I stroked him, and then he reared up over me, leaning down to press a kiss to my lips. ‘Tell me if I hurt you,’ he whispered.
I opened myself to him, gasping at the glory of him sliding deep inside. I convulsed up against him, wrapping my legs around him.
‘Izzy. Oh, Izzy,’ he moaned into my neck.
‘Aethan,’ I cried out as he moved inside me. ‘I love you. Don’t stop. I love you.’
Faery Revenge Page 40
