Wind and Fire

by T. J. Michaels

  Rhia clamped her lips shut to keep the words from spilling out.

  They left the villa and headed for the stables. Brita, Sharyn and a man she immediately recognized, stood waiting—the king of Gaia. He didn’t look any older than he had the last time he’d brought RuArk to the High City on a visit to see her father. Queen Mila was beautiful, but the king was, and had always been, breathtakingly handsome.

  His hair was thick and black as night, with strands of silvery gray peppered throughout. His skin looked firm and deeply bronzed with not a wrinkle to be seen except at the corner of his eyes with a gaze of light amber, just like Rhia’s. She wondered if that was how RuArk would look in thirty cycles.

  He wrapped her in a warm, easy hug. “It has been a long time, Rhia. It is so very good to see you. And even better to have you as part of our family.”

  Damn. The tears that had threatened before, returned, knocking at the back of her eyeballs to be let out. With a deep breath and even deeper resolve, she held him tight, then squared her shoulders as she stepped back a bit. “It’s good to see you, too, sir.”

  “Sir?”

  Well, yeah. As a kid, she’d always called him sir or your majesty. It was polite to treat elders with respect.

  “Sir is not required. Call me Àn, and if you wish it, you may call me Father.” He smiled warmly, showing straight white teeth and deep dimples. Blazes, if she and RuArk had a son who looked like this, she’d have to beat the women off with a stick.

  Àn planted a gentle kiss on her cheek and mounted a magnificent gelding. His wife approached and when he leaned down to kiss her, it was so intimate and stirring, Rhia had to look away. With that, the king departed, and Mila took Rhia by the arm with a smile. As they walked past the private stables of the estate, down the hill and through a budding forest, Rhia was suddenly drowned in a sea of colorfully clad women.

  So many new aunts, cousins, and clansmen, there was no way she’d remember them all. She was overwhelmed, not just by their numbers, but by the sincerity in their faces as they affectionately patted her on a shoulder, gave her flowers or gently tapped her hand as she passed. By the time Mila quieted the crowd, Rhia was juggling armfuls of fragrant wildflower bouquets.

  “We have waited anxiously for this day, but let us make it more comfortable for my new daughter by speaking the Draeman tongue while she is learning our language.”

  Immediately the chatter started again, and Rhia now understood every word as they confirmed their well wishes and welcomed her to their family.

  Family. What a concept. Her father and brother were her blood kin, but for so long, she’d felt that Joan and Brita were all she really had in the world until this very moment.

  Not because her kin didn’t love her, but...

  All thought fled as she took in the line of warriors waiting on the other side of the clearing, practically hidden from view as the women gathered around Rhia and chanted a song that resonated in her bones. It felt ancient, meaningful. And just for her.

  When the singing was finished, Rhia stared as RuArk stepped into view. He stood next to his father, and waited. The ladies gently nudged her forward until she was moving through the now parted crowd. She kept walking until he was a mere breath away.

  My goodness, he’s beautiful.

  Dressed from head to toe in sparkling white buckskin leathers with matching tunic, RuArk seemed to gleam. Much like her outfit, he wore intricately beaded, soft-soled moccs. His long, black hair hung loose, the sides adorned with little braids threaded with tiny sparkling white shells that tinkled when the ends caught in the easy breeze.

  He reached for her hand as she stood with eyes wide, and her heart in her throat.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Are you pleased?” he whispered for her ears only.

  Rhia took in the scene around them and gave him a wooden nod. Pleased? She was flat-out floored. No one had ever done anything like this for her in... well, ever. How the hell was she supposed to respond?

  RuArk spoke in hushed tones as his father began speaking to the crowd and began the ceremony. “We are to be joined in the Gaian way. Our family, friends and relatives are here to witness.”

  “Your mother explained, but I just didn’t expect... RuArk? How did you manage all this?” she whispered back.

  “Everything is possible with a sound strategy, Rhia. And I must admit, it pleases me to make you happy.”

  He laid a heart-stopping smile on her, and she saw his satisfaction with her pleasure shining in his silvery grays.

  She reached out to him, but stopped mid-hug. Not wanting to embarrass herself by kissing her husband before she was supposed to, she bent her ear instead and listened intently. She smiled with genuine joy until she thought her lips would freeze in their upturned position. The king spoke, breaking into her thoughts as he said her name.

  “Rhia Greysomne, I stand in your father’s stead. From this day forward you are my daughter.” He looked to RuArk, and said, “Son?”

  RuArk nodded, then addressed his father, repeating the words he’d said that fateful day in the High Counsel’s study.

  “From this day forward, I pledge myself to you as a son and a protector of your line. I accept Rhia as my woman and will protect her until I am called to join my ancestors at the sacred council fires in the spirit world. I acknowledge her as your most precious gift and vow to keep and protect her always.”

  She listened closely this time and would remember these words, this moment, always.

  After the vows, they shared a kiss, waved to the crowd and the festivities began. The afternoon was filled with games and feasting on dishes so richly delicious, Rhia almost wished for some bland Draeman food. Almost.

  The evening was spent in one of the tree-surrounded clearings near the water. Drummers and singers had come over from RuArk’s home across the river to play for them. Each beat of the drum, each high-pitched note sank into Rhia’s soul, made her feel as if she’d recovered something lost so long ago.

  Rhia sat around the edge of the dancing circle with Sharyn and Brita. She rolled her eyes at the two women determined to get her up to speed on Gaian custom, language, and running her household rather than the Society of War. Maybe they’d plan a trip across the river to Windsong to spend time with her parents-in-law?

  RuArk and Linc returned from a sweaty fast paced game of Knock Ball and joined in the conversation.

  Rhia started when a woman danced so close to their seats she almost stepped on Rhia’s feet.

  There was no missing the devilish gleam in the woman’s eye when she planted herself firmly in front of RuArk and rolled her hips in time to the music.

  Whoa. What the hell?

  Oh yeah, this was a clear invitation, all right. The woman’s pale, pink sarand floated dangerously high as she twirled and spun. Hell, why didn’t she just climb into RuArk’s lap and rub her breasts all over him and get it over with? Just when Rhia thought she might, the other woman slipped away, only to make her way around the circle and back in front of RuArk. The cow’s movements became bolder, if that was possible.

  “Who in blazes is that?” Rhia hissed at her husband.

  For the second time that day, RuArk’s face hardened to a golden block of granite. “That,” he ground out, “is the thorn in my side.”

  Sharyn whispered, “That is Ansla.”

  That was RuArk’s ex-fiancé? Wow, she hadn’t seen that coming. A flash of jealousy hit her in the center of her chest along with a bit of relief. Right now, she didn’t even care about the circumstances of her marriage. Only that this woman hadn’t managed to get her claws into RuArk.

  RuArk held out his hand for her. “The Elders wish to see us.”

  With a nod, she slipped her fingers into his and let him guide her into the night.

  ◊ ◊ ◊

  The evening was warm and humid as they walked. Moisture in the air kissed and cooled her heated skin, dewy from all the dancing, laughing. Living.

  They s
topped at a large tent erected over the area where they’d received the blessing over their mating earlier. RuArk stepped to the small round door and motioned her inside without a word. Rhia stood silently while her eyes adjusted to the dim light of a small fire in the center of the lodge.

  She looked from one Elder to the next. She’d met them all earlier. All except one. Her eyes widened in surprise as she faced the man who’d visited her dreams and driven away the nightmares until RuArk arrived in Draema Proper to claim her—the Grandfather.

  Buried memories surfaced the moment her gaze locked with the old man’s. Dreams she hadn’t been able to remember. Conversations they’d had in her sleep that she hadn’t believed real. And now he sat right in front of her, his warm smile as familiar to her as her own.

  “You remind me so much of your mother, only she was not so stubborn.” The Grandfather chuckled and the other Elders added bits of humor to their companion’s jest. After all, she’d heard that her mother had been well known for her, uh, steadfastness.

  Rhia blushed, but couldn’t help smiling. In the next moment, the Grandfather straightened his back, expression solemn once again. He motioned to a spot directly across the fire pit.

  “Sit, child.”

  She settled gracefully on a soft covering spread on the floor. A brief shiver of concern slithered beneath her skin when RuArk left her side and went to sit with the Elders.

  “You understand why you are here?”

  Rhia nodded. On their way over, RuArk had explained that she was to be brought before the Elders to receive her Gaian name. This was warrior business and she was more than a bit anxious. Few were granted the honor of standing before the Elders.

  The Grandfather continued, “Your manner and character will compliment your lifemate well. Therefore, you shall be known by a name similar to his. But your name also says much about you and who you are. You have the ways of a warrior woman, full of fire and courage. From now on, among our People, you shall be known as Fire Storm, first lifemate of the Wind Storm.”

  “Excuse me?” She didn’t bother hiding her scowl.

  He cleared his throat and added, “Only lifemate of the Wind Storm.”

  They shared a moment of humor when she rose, crossed to where RuArk sat and showered his wide chest with playful blows as he teased her saying, “Well, I am unsure about the ‘only wife’ part, Grandfather.”

  By the time their visit with the Elders was done it was well past midnight.

  “Rhia, I must see to a few things. Moonlight is tethered near the edge of the clearing. I’ll walk you to him. Head back to the villa and I’ll join you shortly.”

  RuArk knit his brow, puzzled when she pulled away and squared her feet as if she were ready to fight.

  “I just remembered something you said before and finally put two and two together. Why is that Ansla woman here? She’s the one who slept with your best friend that you called a thorn in your side. Why is your so-called thorn at our wedding?”

  “Joining.”

  “Whatever.”

  RuArk slipped on his stoic façade, then changed his mind. This was his lifemate. The Ansla business was a matter of honor for her. Instead of keeping his feelings from her, he reached for her hand to soothe her.

  “Rhia, I am sorry Ansla is here. I have no wish to see her any more than you do, but that woman and her family have lived in Gaia since before the Breaking. Many of her male relatives are in the Protector’s service, my service, and have given their blood for our people. I would not dishonor them by forbidding them to bring her to a royal joining. Her actions don’t change the fact that her family is honorable.”

  Something in the back of his mind said she shouldn’t be this upset. Rhia was a rational woman, a seasoned diplomat with the patience of an ass... hmm, then again, maybe that wasn’t a good thing given her stubbornness. But this thing about Ansla didn’t make any sense.

  Wait, was she jealous? Pleasure pooled in his gut at the prospect until the woman’s anger flared and her mouth was suddenly moving faster than her brain.

  “You would rather dishonor your mate than some cheating ex-girlfriend? Didn’t you see the way people looked at me when she challenged me by dancing practically on top of you?”

  He simply stood there unable to answer because he hadn’t seen the way people looked when Ansla danced close to him. He’d shut Ansla out of his life and out of his mind cycles ago. No matter how seductively she danced, it hadn’t aroused him at all. His eyes had been full of Rhia.

  “Rhia, she means nothing to me.”

  “Do you still love her?”

  His gray eyes narrowed dangerously. He couldn’t believe what she’d just asked him. His lifemate, his woman, didn’t believe him. He turned on a silent growl and left her standing alone under the moonlit sky. For the second time in a day she called after him. And again, RuArk ignored her.

  ◊ ◊ ◊

  Damn again.

  On the road to Province Springs, RuArk had told her that Ansla was a woman of his past—a past that he’d buried long ago. Rhia believed him, but she hadn’t told him that she believed him. No, she’d ranted the moment the puzzle pieces about the other woman had snapped together in her brain.

  She’d have to show him that she’d taken him at his word. Show him that she appreciated how he’d made sure that her arrival here had been special, from the house, to the joining, to the naming.

  She was so lost in thought that she didn’t even mind the two warriors that tailed her all the way back to the villa.

  After a long, hot soak in her now-favorite bathing pool, Rhia walked into the bedroom and met a gift so elegant and wholly feminine, it was truly an expression of the sensuality RuArk had aroused in her.

  Rhia scooped up the garment, hurried back to the bathroom and found the nearest mirror. There, she donned yet another wedding present from her husband. She slipped into the dainty garb and relished the silky slide of it against her bare skin. The exquisite material of the winter white confection cast her shape in an alluring silhouette.

  The nearly see-through gown was made of soft, light silk that sparkled like crushed diamonds. A matching cape trimmed in thin gold braid covered the spaghetti straps at her shoulders, and fell gently to the floor.

  Wow.

  She thought about the events of the day and how her husband had gone out of his way to make her happy. She’d been completely surprised at having a ceremony at all, since she’d fled her own home to avoid one. She was offended about the house at first, but it didn’t change the fact that his men had to have ridden like maniacs to get back and forth between wherever-the-hell and Province Springs to get everything ready in time.

  And her? Well, she’d been pretty much a brat, but woman enough to admit it. So, tonight she would also admit that she wanted him—his body, his presence, even his love. In exchange, she would give him the available pieces of herself. Could she give him her all? No, because she didn’t’ feel quite whole, though she wasn’t sure why.

  Yet, knowing that her happiness and protection held the top spot on RuArk’s list of important things, had begun to fill in all the empty pits and cracks of her soul. The fear of losing herself simply wasn’t as vast or terrifying as before. Was it there? Yes, but the abject terror was no longer present.

  He really had no reason to trust her. Fleeing the High City when she knew they were already married saw to that, though he’d never thrown it in her face.

  Sigh.

  Just another example of the kind of man he was.

  Her mind reached for the close memories of the careful attention showered on her since their first night together under the stars. She could still feel the molten trail his fingers had taken as he’d touched her in places no other hand, but her own, had been allowed. Rhia remembered his sensuously, full lips on hers, the touch of his hand on her thighs, the strength of his arms about her waist, and his fingers playing in her hair. With every thought, she took a breath, but the next thought of RuArk simply t
ook it away again.

  And now, she was ready to accept these new roles—mate, lover, perhaps even friend. Well, as ready as she could be at this point anyway. Every change of heart had to begin somewhere.

  She took one last look in the mirror and drew a deep breath. “Okay, big guy, here I come”, she whispered to the image that stared back at her with equal parts eagerness and trepidation. Tamping down on nervousness, she commanded her dinner to stay where she’d put it as she made her way back to the bedroom.

  RuArk still wasn’t there. Used to Housemen coming in and out of her space at home, Rhia noticed a small tray next to the bed with a chilled carafe and two crystal glasses filled with crisp sparkling cider. She grabbed one and then sipped while reaching for calm.

  Unfortunately, calm was nowhere in the room.

  Almost spent with anticipation she practically jumped out of her skin when the drapes billowed. Something stirred in the dark out on the terrace. She peered out into the night and spied RuArk looking up at the night sky. He wore a scrap of leather about his hips and nothing else. His broad back and midnight fall of hair were set aglow by the moonlight. She could see him a million times dressed just like this and never get over the sight of his magnificent body.

  And there’s a decent man inside of that skin, Rhia. Remember that.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  RuArk watched the dancing orange glow of the distant bonfires. The shadows of the tents stretching across the large meadow made him think of home. Home made him think of his new mate. He let out a tired sigh. Rhia could be as stubborn as a freeborn mule. She was angry with him for something well beyond his control, yet he smoldered for her touch. He’d been in a state of arousal all day just from the sight of her. She was so beautiful, sensual. Yet she resisted her very nature with all the strength she could muster.

  He was unfamiliar with rejection, but accepted the emotion for what it was when Rhia had pulled away from him as if she couldn’t stand his touch. Pulled away from him over Ansla, a woman who was less than beneath her notice. He’d thought Rhia was beginning to at least care for him, though she would probably never admit it in a million cycles. Would pride always be an issue between them? And what of trust? Was she afraid he would betray her, though he’d given her no reason for such mistrust?