by Marie Harte
He opened his mouth to object, then thought of the Church of Illumination, or what he and his brothers called, the Congregation of Idiots. She had a point.
“Most of the Aellei are content to play amongst themselves, from time to time toying with the humans on this plane and the occasional Light Bringer.” At the tightening of his mouth she hurriedly continued. “But Queen Lidra is the only Aellei I know of to openly encourage a blood drinker.” She shivered and looked at him for understanding. “Something’s not right there. Aunt Lidra’s selfish, vain,” she paused and blushed at his look. “Okay, we’re all a little vain, but she takes it to the extreme. My aunt’s a bitch, to put it bluntly, but she’s always put Aelle before her needs.”
“Then something’s changed if she’s consorting with a Dark Lord. His like will only bring Aelle to war, if not with Tanselm, then with Kreer or Gralt. Dark Lords are a destructive, chaotic race. And their rule over Tanselm over a thousand years ago almost tore the land apart.”
She rolled her eyes. “I know. Believe it or not, Aerolus, I was a scholar before I left Aelle.”
He stared in surprise. Alandra, a scholar? She stood with her arms akimbo, the robe gaping at the collar to reveal the upper slope of her full breasts. Her full lips parted in wait. Between one breath and the next, he hardened like iron.
“I can see you as a revolutionary, easily as a seductress.” He lifted his gaze from her mouth to note the darkness of her eyes, the uneven rise and fall of her breasts. Damn, they were going to have to speed this discussion so he could have another round with his affai. “But a scholar? You have the brains, but the discipline I’ve yet to see.”
He wanted to laugh when he saw the pique on her face. She clenched her fists and leant forward, the robe parting more to reveal a tantalising view of her nipples. He felt his towel slide as his erection grew, but Alandra glared into his eyes, unaware of his reaction.
“I’ve been studying Aellein history since before you were conceived.” She smiled slyly at his surprise. “That’s right, Aerolus. You’re a babe in the woods to a veteran of magic like myself.”
He eyed her up and down, his focus lingering on her breasts. By the Light, she made him so hard. He needed to know more about her. But damn if he could think of anything but licking her until she cried his name.
“You’re saying you’re an older woman, then?”
She grimaced and opened her mouth to speak when her gaze slid down his torso, noting his arousal. “I think you’re the one with the discipline issues,” she murmured, her voice husky.
He knew he wouldn’t get a better chance to find the truth and unashamedly used her sexuality to his advantage. He grasped the root of his cock and began sliding his hand up and down, creaming his palm with the need that continued to build after bringing her to orgasm in the shower.
“Tell me why you’re really here, love,” he murmured and groaned when she licked her lips.
“You can’t think such a blatant attempt at seduction will break me?” She sounded incredulous, indignant, and definitely turned on.
“I want to fuck you so badly I ache. But I need answers, answers you’ve been avoiding.” He stared through shuttered lids and saw her take deep breaths for calm. “You need me, love. I can see the hunger in your aura.” He grinned at the muttered cursing under her breath. “There’s no point in hiding how you feel. Just tell me what I need to know, and we’ll be together again.”
She bit her lip and frowned. The robe parted completely as she took a step closer, and it was all he could do to slow down his fist. Her breasts swayed as she moved, her hips begging to be held down as he took what was his by right, by law.
“I’ll tell you, Aerolus.” She held up a hand. “But not because of this.” She swallowed loudly, a testament that his seduction had not been in vain. “But because it’s time you knew what you were up against.”
“I’d much rather be up against you,” he murmured and grinned at the exasperated sigh she sent him.
“You’re making this hard, no, don’t say it! Just let me explain as quickly as possible. Much as I hate to admit it, I’m so hot for you right now I feel like I’m going to combust.” She sounded disgruntled, but her gaze caressed him like winds of Light.
“Talk fast, purie.” He groaned and deliberately held his hand away from his cock. “I’m so hard and so close to coming it won’t take long before I’m filling you with my seed.”
She swallowed, her eyes fixed to his erection. “Right. Well, it goes back a year, when I overheard Lidra and her Der captain in a private conversation…”
Chapter Eight
Arim stared at the outside of the club like an enemy he had no choice but to vanquish. Despite Aerolus’ words, he had a feeling Cadmus was out of his depth. The Dark magic seething within his nephew worried him, too much to sit back and wait for the little schemer to reappear at his whim.
A sudden elbow to his side caught his attention, and he glared at the hulking bruiser intent on shoving his way through the crowded line.
“I’m on the list,” the man slurred, his breath like a vat of soured ale.
With a disdainful frown, Arim relegated the xiantope to a non-threat and turned his attention back to the throng of overeager men and women dying to get into Outpour.
For once the club’s namesake didn’t forecast the weather. The chill in the spring air felt refreshing, despite Arim’s longing for the warmth of Tanselm. For all its quirks, this particular plane amused him more than any other world he’d found in years.
Passing his gaze over the crowd, he wasn’t surprised not to see Cadmus—or Lexa. Thoughts of the woman made his heart race and his palms sweat. Bitter amusement washed through him. How sad that just the thought of the traitorous female could still reduce him to a nervous lad of a few decades.
Steeling his reaction, he took a deep breath and headed to the alley behind the nightclub. Once assured of his seclusion, he used an omniscience spell to quickly scan inside the club. Spying an unoccupied corner draped in shadows, he teleported inside.
Exhaling heavily, he gathered his bearings and looked around. The omniscience spell certainly came in handy at times, but it took too much energy, and he couldn’t hold it for long.
He stepped out of the shadows and began weaving in and out of the crowd, his height giving him a clear advantage to scope the gathering. Had Cadmus not mentioned Lexa’s possible presence, Arim would have used a locator spell. But he wanted to keep his presence here fairly discreet. Of course, his physical presence would be noticed, but by toning down his aura, he would seem more a human look-alike than the great Arim, Sorcerer of Tanselm.
He planned on taking Lexa by surprise, and not the other way around.
Glancing about, he noted a familiar woman serving drinks at one of the bars. She was surrounded by men clamouring for her attention.
“Ellie,” he murmured, studying the woman who’d so captured Cadmus’ thoughts. If she was Djinn, she didn’t show it. She was certainly the loveliest woman in the club, but she didn’t possess the Djinn’s spark, that outer flame of darkness that crackled when it met the Light.
Ellie was, however, a sensual woman a man would be hard-pressed not to immediately desire. She was tall and slender, with an athletic frame that pleasingly carried full, rounded breasts. Her skin was not as pale as Alandra’s, but rather that of a woman who liked the sun. He mulled the thought, another detail that made her less a Djinn and more a xiantope female.
Long, blond hair was pulled back from her face, framing sculpted cheeks and a strong chin that hinted at stubbornness. Her full lips parted in a smile as she looked to her co-worker, and as the lights flashed over her face, he saw her eyes were a bright, burning blue.
She rose on her toes to reach for a glass above her and something twinkled from her abdomen. She’d had her navel pierced, and a sudden recollection of Cadmus’ feelings about the ring made Arim’s pulse race.
His nephew was obsessed about the woman, no do
ubt. But was she the Djinn Cadmus had encountered? Was the Djinn his nephew had met truly evil?
For all that Aerolus seemed sure the Djinn influence over Cadmus wouldn’t harm him, Arim had his doubts. Ellie might be innocent and she might not. But until he dealt with her one on one, he wouldn’t know for sure.
He started forward with the express intent of taking the woman for questioning when a sudden stillness settled over the club.
“Dammit.” He seethed as he watched the people around him slowing, the beer at the taps moving like heavy syrup until it stopped flowing altogether. Another time distortion, courtesy, no doubt, of the Aellei.
“Don’t you Shadren ever learn?” he snarled, not about to let his only lead to Cadmus slip away. As he combated the affects of the time warp, he noted slithering creatures clinging to the dark mingling amongst the frozen club patrons.
Great. He not only had Aellei to deal with, but wraiths as well. And he had to do his best to kill them without harming the innocent xiantopes around him. What else could go wrong?
Much later, he had disposed of the wraiths and all but two of the Aellei. He scowled when he noted Zartic was one of the surviving warriors.
“Didn’t learn a thing from our earlier encounter, hmm?” he asked, making his tone as menacing as possible. His ribs hurt, and he had to wipe at the blood from a cut above his eye. The slight burning in his side reminded him he wasn’t yet immune to the wraiths’ blue flame, despite the measures he’d been taking to withstand it. He felt tired but otherwise fine, and his anger grew as he realised Ellie had disappeared while he’d been battling to protect the crowd and himself.
“My lord, please,” Zartic begged, his face smeared with blood. He lay propped against a wall, his legs at an odd angle from his torso. His gaze darted beyond Arim, and he blanched. “So many dead, and for what?” he asked bitterly.
“Yes, for what?” Arim asked quietly, wanting an answer. Why the show of force? Why come after him in such a public forum, or had they been after someone else, Ellie, perhaps?
“For me,” a hard female growl answered before Arim felt himself shoved from this world to the space between.
* * * *
Alandra rubbed at her forehead, a sudden shifting of Shadow making her wince.
“Alandra?”
She waved away his concern as the throbbing in her head faded. “I’m fine. Probably tension from thinking about this mess.” Her eyes fell to his impressive erection, and her loins quickened. “Of course, I’m certain you’ve a cure-all just waiting for me.”
He grinned and her heart turned over in her chest. She cleared her throat, squirming against the moisture pooling between her legs. “As I was saying, Lidra and Zartic, her Der captain, were lovers on and off again for several years. I’d learned growing up that knowledge was power, and if I truly wanted out of the royal courts, I’d need something really good to escape.”
Aerolus shook his head. “You’re talking about blackmail.”
“Of course.” She frowned. “Don’t even try acting holier-than-thou with me. You don’t grow up in a castle without being familiar with politics and intrigue, Prince Aerolus.”
He sighed. “Point taken.”
“I knew Zartic was Lidra’s current lover, so when they’d meet, I’d give them a few moments to do their thing.” She ignored his slow grin. “Then I’d listen in. And it usually paid off. On one particular night, I overheard Lidra talking to Zartic about Tanselm.”
Aerolus stilled.
“I hadn’t thought about Tanselm in ages, not since I studied your world in our battlements class. But I still grow tingly when I think about the power resonant there. Tanselm teems with magic, from the soil to the animals to its people.” She stared at him, suddenly aware of his close ties with the land. “Tanselm is part of who you are, isn’t it?”
He nodded. “Our elemental magic is tied directly to our world. My winds are Tanselm’s, Darius’ fire her fire, Marcus’ water her waters. And Cadmus, he is perhaps the closest to her bounty.”
“The Earth Lord,” she murmured. “It’s funny how alike you all are, but I don’t see any of them as powerful as you.”
“You’d be surprised.”
“Maybe.” She stared at him, seeing the sensual magic that flared as he watched her, a tangible energy reaching out to her, and she hurried her explanation. Shadow’s Bend, but if she didn’t take him inside her soon, she was going to die of frustration.
“When Lidra mentioned Tanselm, I listened. I couldn’t believe what she meant to do. She ordered Zartic to take several dozen of the Der to meet and escort a Dark Lord, one of Lidra’s newest friends, into Aelle. The Dark Lords are greedy. Aelle is a land of Shadow, yes, but we’ve kept them out of our world for centuries because we know they aren’t to be trusted.”
“They’d take Aelle as surely as they’d try for Tanselm.”
“Yes. So I was shocked when Zartic nodded and left to do Lidra’s bidding. I was further stunned when, after he left, ‘Sin Garu appeared at her side.”
“He was there, in Aelle?”
“Yes. And none of us had known.” Her thoughts turned to Sava, who, contrary to his assertive nature, had begged Alandra to keep quiet about what she’d seen. Perhaps he’d been more aware of Lidra’s schemes than she knew. Glancing at Aerolus, she noted his eyes blazing with curiosity and continued.
“The Dark Lord began applauding, causing Lidra to burst into eerie, high-pitched laughter. I was creeped out, from ‘Sin Garu’s presence as much as Lidra’s apparent insanity.
“I stuck around for a while, until they continued where she and Zartic left off.” She could still see ‘Sin Garu’s bone white skin, the blue fire tattoo covering his lower back swirling and glowing as he mounted and thrust the Aellein queen into Darkness.
“Must have been a sight, ‘Sin Garu and Lidra.”
She shivered and grimaced. “You have no idea. I left as fast as I could, racing to Sava to tell him what I’d seen—”
“Sava?” He frowned. “Who is Sava?”
Alandra stared. Aerolus sounded jealous. “He’s a friend,” she said slowly, wanting to smile when an obvious frown darkened his face. She could feel his anger slowly licking at her magic and was thrilled at the notion he cared enough to feel that possessive. “He was a good friend to my parents. And he took me in when they died.”
The anger immediately left him and waves of compassion reached for her. “I’m sorry.”
She shrugged, not wanting to think about how much she still missed them. “Life ends in death, and that’s a fact no amount of wanting can change. My point is that I confessed what I’d seen to Sava, and he warned me to stay quiet. And that’s very unlike him. I was furious. I, ah…,” she paused.
“Didn’t listen,” he said dryly.
“No, I listened. I just didn’t have the patience to wait for Sava to take action. That man is so completely slow, so methodical about every little thing…,” she drifted off as she understood that those very traits existed in her Wind Mage.
Stunned, she wondered if that was part of what drew her to him. Could it be the comforting qualities of Sava, her foster father, had attracted her to Aerolus Storm, a Light Bringer?
She stared at Aerolus’ sultry face, at his perfect, muscular body that even now burned for her. He afforded comfort, no doubt, but Aerolus made her burn with lust and lo—like, extreme like, something only a lover could do.
“So, ah,” she floundered, feeling a blush creep over her face.
“He’s methodical,” Aerolus reminded her.
“Right, methodical. So I couldn’t wait a few years to see what he might do. I had to act now, to take Lidra in hand before she did something so stupid as to aid a Dark Lord.” She scrunched her face in distaste. “Did you know the Dark Lords make sport of the Shadren? They’ve taken Nocumat and loosed wraiths and demons in them merely to watch as the Nocumat die from engulfing so much tainted prey.
“I’ve seen them enslave Aellein
females to use as toys, inflicting pain the likes of which threw the poor women into madness.”
“How were you exposed to such sights?” Aerolus sat up straighter, his tone grim.
“From studies. Our ‘Great Hall’, which we call Gray Keep, houses thousands of altee scrolls. They’re each spelled with illustrative text.”
His eyes widened. “You possess that many scrolls of enactment?”
She nodded, proud of her home. “It’s as if you’re actually there, watching the events unfolding before your eyes.” She waved her hands excitedly. “Can you imagine witnessing ancient battles fought by your forefathers? Seeing the Dark Tribes as they once were, before the Light split them?”
“Incredible.” He sighed, closing his eyes in pleasure. “What I wouldn’t give to hold an altee scroll in my hands. We have five at the Great Hall, but you have to be an elder sorcerer to touch one. That you have seen history unfolding, spellcasting from its very source, it’s remarkable. What else have you seen?”
Their conversation digressed from there, as each expounded upon the delights of history, from both Light and Shadowed perspective. Alandra had so much fun talking with Aerolus it came as some surprise to realise she and he were still practically naked, though both aroused now by academia instead of each other.
Aerolus must have noted the same thing for he shrugged with apology. “I’m sorry. I tend to get carried away when talk of scholarly pursuit arises.”
“No, I brought it up. Though I have to say I’ve never seen you so excited as you are right now.”
“Never?” he murmured and let his gaze roam her body. Immediately his flagging erection returned to full attention. “The only thing more exciting than learning about other cultures is learning about your body and what it does to mine.”
She grinned as he tugged her closer to him on the bed, forcing her to straddle his lap.
