“Then I will kill him and then there will be no need to worry.” Spinning around, he headed for the door to do exactly that, but was halted by the words of his Gu’an.
“That would not be a wise course of action. I suggest you trust the Goddess and the bond that already ties you two together. Elena is yours already; you simply have to prove it to her. It’s a simple enough task, isn’t it?”
Simple? Far from it…
"My Lord!" The sound rushing steps echoed behind the chamber door in the wake of the bellowing voice.
Both Kieran and Cian turned towards the door just a moment before it burst open. Lowen rushed inside with a frantic look. Going down on his knee, he bowed his head, pressing his closed fist to his chest.
"Forgive me for the intrusion, Gu’an."
"Rise," Cian replied stepping toward the kneeling warrior. Lifting his head, Lowen rose up. "What is it?"
"It’s the human female."
Kieran jerked towards him at the mention of Elena. "What of her?" he demanded, moving forward.
"She’s been attacked."
Kieran’s heart stopped at the three words. Shoving forward, he gripped Lowen by his throat, he savagely demanded, “Where is she?!”
Not threatened by Kieran’s hold on his throat, Lowen answered, “In the courtyard, A Kelithian Dihma was spawned and it attacked her.”
“Within my walls?!” Cian’s voice boomed with anger.
Not wasting a second, Kieran shoved Lowen out of his way as he rushed away. He had to get to her. He didn’t care how a Dihma had gotten within their borders, let alone their walls. He needed to get to his mate.
Rushing toward an open window, Kieran leap out, calling upon his wings as he descended to the ground. Rising high, he flew toward the other side of the stronghold to the wide courtyard. As he drew near he took in the fallen form of the earth spawned Dihma. Nose diving toward the ground, he landed so hard that his bones jerked with sudden pain.
His eyes frantically searched for his mate. Shoving past the warriors that stood around the dead Dihma, he saw her. Lying on the ground with her back braced against the stone wall, her eyes were closed as her face tightened with pain. Rushing forward, he fell to his knees beside her.
“Elena,” he gasped out fearful as he pulled her into his arms. Her eyes flew open at the sound of his voice.
“I’m in trouble now, huh?” she grumbled with a wince. Looking down, Kieran saw her hand against her shoulder was painted with her own blood. Scowling down at her, he gripped her beneath her knees as his other arm snaked around her back. Ignoring her cry of pain as he lifted her off the ground, quickly he took to the sky. Holding Elena securely in his arms, he flew straight to his chamber. The moment his feet touched the balcony, he moved with quick strides toward his bed.
“Why did you not stay within this room?” he bit out as he lowered her down to the fur covering his bed. He instantly regretted how his question came out harder than he’d intended. The truth was on the inside he was shaking with trepidation. To find your sou’tali was a gift beyond measure, to lose her was a nightmare and a death sentence.
“I needed to think,” she whispered out as he took a seat next to her. Not replying, Kieran’s hands moved to the bottom of her shirt before he began pulling it over her breasts. “What do you think you’re doing?” she gasped out, as she attempted to slap his hands away with weak movements.
“I must heal you. The Dihma’s poison could be in your blood. I won’t allow you to die as a result.”
“So I need your permission to die too?” she grumbled as she allowed him to tug her shirt over her pink lace bra. She saw his eyes widen with interest at the sight of her bra that lovingly cupped her breasts. “This isn’t a peep show buddy,” she hissed covering her breasts with her good arm.
Ignoring his mate’s hissing words, he moved his eyes from the tempting sight of her alluring, yet strange covering to her wound. Already the area around the wound and inside had began to blister in result of the Dihma’s poison. Placing his hand over the wound, he allowed his spirit to reach out to hers. His palm begun to glow against her skin as his healing energy reached out. As skin begun to heal and pull together, he felt himself able to breathe easier.
“It doesn’t hurt,” she commented with astonishment. “The first time, I felt like I was burning alive.”
“You have my blood in you now. After that, your body will always accept my healing energy without pain,” he replied gently.
As he pulled his hand away once it stopped glowing, Elena saw that the punctured wound was no longer there, only a patch of new pink skin. Experimentally she moved her shoulder, only to cry out as pain stabbed through the muscle. The pain was still there.
“It still hurts,” she acknowledged, meeting his gaze.
“It will. You have Dihma poison in your blood. My healing energy has removed most of it, however not all. There is not enough of it to kill you, you were lucky. The pain should go away in a few hours. I can call Sera; she may have a tonic to help.”
Easing up, Elena pulled her shirt back on. “I’ll be fine. I can bear it.” she grunted, pulling her hair out from beneath the collar of her shirt.
Reaching out, Kieran’s hand gently cupped her chin, turning her to look at him. “I cannot. I cannot bear to see you in pain or even know that you are in pain. Just as I could never bear it if something happened to you. I know you don’t believe in the bond between us; if nothing else, believe in my words.”
Seeing how shaken up he was at her getting hurt, she whispered, “I’m sorry, I should have listened.”
The way his eyes bore into hers, pierced her heart. He looked at her like she was everything to him. As though his world would end if something happened to her. No one had ever looked at her like that.
Gulping past the lump that formed in her throat, she rushed to change the subject. “What was that thing?”
Allowing his hand to drop from her chin, he sighed, “It’s called a Dihma. A creature created of earth and darkness, a demon created to kill. The Kelithians must have spawned it.”
“Why?”
“King Zyaid must have sent it to kill you once he couldn’t capture you the other evening.”
“Why would he want me? I am a nobody. I’m not even the same species.”
“You are mine, and that is reason enough. I do not know why, but I vow I will find out.” Rising from the bed, he pulled back the fur coverlet on the bed. “Come, you should rest.”
In too much pain to argue, Elena crawled under the coverlet as he said. Resting her head on the soft pillow, her eyes widened as she watched him crawl in beside her. “What are you doing?”
Rolling onto his side to face her, his strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her against the warmth of his chest. “Hush. I will rest with you, as I shall for the rest of our days.”
Pressing her hands against his chest, she tried to shove some space between them. “Don’t count your chickens, buddy,” she hissed out. As her words had barely left her lips, Kieran’s head dipped down to hers, capturing her parted lips in a firm and consuming kiss. Elena gasped against his sudden kiss, remaining still with surprise. Lifting his mouth from hers, he smiled down at her flushed face. Trailing a finger down the side of her face, he whispered huskily, “I have never lost a battle, Var’da. I do not intend to do so now.”
Scoffing at his response, she rolled onto her other side, presenting her back to him. “Whatever you say, Birdman.”
Chuckling, his arms tightened around her, molding her soft body firmer against his own. He smiled as she tensed at the feel of his desire pulsing against her buttocks. “I vow it.”
Closing her eyes, she tried to focus on anything put the feel of his cock pressing against her or how her body reacted to the touch of the hard flesh. She wouldn’t deny that his words seemed to move something inside her. If she wasn’t careful she may end up falling for this handsome gargoyle and lose her heart forever.
Chapter Nine
>
Frustrated, Elena found herself pacing the length of Kieran’s chamber like a caged animal. After polishing off a couple more of the flur’si fruit and nothing to do but stare at the walls, she felt her cabin fever grow out of control. Ever since the attack two days ago, Kieran was becoming impossible. He fussed over her like she was a child, never letting her out of his sight. Thankfully, something more important than guarding her had pulled him away. But that was hours ago.
Where the hell is he? She groaned inwardly with boredom.
Moving from the room she made her way out onto the open balcony. Above her the sea of endless stars glittered brightly, bringing a brief smile to her face. There was a time that she could remember sitting with her mother on her porch swing watching the stars appear across the sky and forever lighting up in every direction. Closing her burning eyes against the memory, she pushed it aside.
Striding forward, she braced her arms against the flat railing in front of her as she tentatively looked over the edge. Instantly she could feel her heart race as she took in the distance from the ground she was at. Her stomach crammed with fear. What if the railing gave away and sent her down to her death? The suddenly morbid thought had her jerking her hands away with fright. Her breathing increased with rapid breaths. Her fear of heights would definitely be a challenge being around people that thrived on soaring high above the clouds.
Just as she was about to turn around and head back inside, a flash of white caught her eye from below. Her eyes widened in wonder at the sight below. Floating to the ground with graceful movements was Kieran’s friend, Sera. Her white, bat-like wings spread behind her as her feet touched the ground before folding against her back. Sera wore a flowing gown of ivory that shimmered in the darkness. Immediately sensing her gaze, Sera tilted her head back and met her gaze with a slight smile.
You have questions, come to me when you are ready.
The words echoed within the walls of her mind. Instantly, Elena jerked her head around, searching for the source of the soft voice. She found no one there with her. Had she imagined it? Turning back to look down at Sera, she was surprised to see that no one was there — if she’d even been there to begin with. Reaching up, Elena cupped the side of her head. She could still feel the warmth of the voice in her head. Was she going crazy as she first thought upon arriving in Kieran’s world? No, it wasn’t possible. She knew what she’d seen. Sera had been there and she was tired of being cooped up.
Spinning around, she marched back into Kieran’s chambers. If Kieran was taking his time coming back, she’d go exploring for a bit. In the back of her mind, her promise to Kieran to remain in his quarters until his return buzzed in her ear like an insect. What was so dangerous within this stone fortress that she was forbidden from walking around? What harm was there in taking a simple walk?
Shaking her head, she rolled her eyes at how Kieran was obviously being overprotective. She refused to sit around and wait for him to decide to come back to her. Was it possible that he was with Sera? Jealously struck her out of nowhere at the thought. Why should she feel jealous? She hardly knew Kieran. It didn’t matter. If anyone would know where Kieran was — Sera would be the first on her list.
Moving to the door, she unlatched the lock before pulling it open, the heavy door made a groan with her slow movements. Edging out into the dark hallway, she turned to look down both directions. Silence greeted her, smirking at her luck, she quietly closed the door behind her. Before she could take one step, her conscience pecked at her once more about what she was about to do. She simply shrugged it off.
What could she say? She’d never been a follow-the-rules girl before — so why start now?
* ~ * ~ *
Soaring through the night sky, Kieran forced his wings to beat harder. As he drew closer to his destination, he jerked his wings close to his body, allowing him to drop in a downward spiral through the trees and closer to the ground. Just as the ground rose up to meet him, his wings spread out widely behind him and slowed his decent. Landing in a crouch, he rose to his full height before folding his wings against his back. Taking a steady breath he moved forward, approaching his guarded destination.
Since the attack the other night, Kieran had feared being too far Elena as he worried the Kelithians would attack again. Though Sera assured him that she was fine, he still couldn’t wipe the memory of finding the grotesque monster attacking his mate. If King Zyaid wanted her, why nearly kill her? None of it made sense.
More than anything he wanted to rush to her. He longed to be in her presence, to lose himself within her unusual green eyes and allow himself to be lulled into a stilling peace at the melodic sound of her voice. In such a short amount of time, his feelings for his mate had gone beyond the bond between them. He was one step closer to claiming Elena as his own. But there was something he had to do first.
He had traveled straight to the darker part of their land without hesitation. This was a place long forgotten by most of his kind. For many, there was no real need to come to this part of their lands. This forest was long dead. It wasn’t fruitful with game to hunt or anything else in this dark and dreary place. But he had a purpose for being here. There was something he needed here and he wouldn’t leave until he retrieved it. Coming to the edge of a rocky drop off, he paused. Looking down at the dark forest floor below, he grinned.
He had found it.
Without thinking about it, he stepped off the edge. His body fell through the air until he reached the ground, landing hard in a crouch once more. He lifted his eyes to the large, dark and twisted tree a short distance away, his smile of success fell away as a deep sadness filled his heart.
He had found it.
Moving down the worn path, his fists clenched at his sides. Stopping a foot away from the mutated tree, he felt his heart squeeze in his chest. The uneven pillowing trunk bore old scars slashed deep within its black bark, scars that he had put there as a youth. Kneeling at the base of the twisted trunk, his eyes fell on the two dusty, auburn urns that were part of the tree’s roots now.
This was his tree — tree of sorrow.
During the first wars with the Kelithians, his father — the previous Li’r — was slain in battle. With the death of her sou’tali, his beautiful mother didn’t even live long enough to see his funeral. As a young boy of eight years, he’d had no one to guide him in his anger and sorrow. The two powerful emotions mixed into one until he exploded into a raging, uncontrollable inferno.
It was his people’s way to spread the ashes of their dead a fortnight after their death. It was symbol that those remaining would let their deceased go freely, without being held back by grieving kin. He had been the first to break that tradition.
The memory of his parent’s funeral burned in his mind all too well. He never let their ashes go. Instead, he’d stolen them from Kalaya’s temple. Spiriting what remained of his parents to the forgotten, dark forest of their land, he gave them a place where he could visit often, which he did. The last time he’d visited his parents was the day he’d first dreamed of Elena. He’d spoken of her often to the ghosts of his parents.
Reaching out, his hand wiped the dust from the smooth pottery of his father’s urn and then his mother’s. Tied around the neck of his mother’s urn was the same dark leather pouch that he’d placed there years ago. Pulling it free from its place, he brought the small pouch closer. Loosening the tie, he reached inside to pull out his most treasured possession.
It was his mother’s femra, the first gift that his father had given his mother upon his Malrai Hin. Made of a carved white murela jewel, the length of it was shaped into a thin dagger-like hair pin. At the top was a sparkling stone was carved into a curled blossom. He’d heard his father once tell him that the femra had been created by his father before him. Used not only as a beautiful hair ornament but it also served as a weapon, should the need ever arise.
Carefully replacing it back within its protective pouch, he rose to his feet. Casting one last look at
his parent’s urns, he turned away. Running forward, he launched himself into the air as his wings spread wide behind him. Through the darkness, in the distance he could see the first sign of the Garmorian stronghold. Glancing at the leather pouch that he still clutched in his hand, he felt hope shining in his future.
Dream of Me Page 13
