The wizard’s light extinguished, Sian’s lips met hers, and Ariana gladly put war, demons, and her cousins from her mind.
Chapter Seven
The bite on Joryn’s leg healed quickly, as was usual, but he could almost feel the poison in his blood. It did not weaken or sicken him, but still... he sensed the wrongness of the venom.
As they traveled Keelia chattered often, in a way she had not in the time he’d known her. She spoke about her family—parents, brothers, and a spoiled sister; aunts, uncles, endless cousins—telling tales from long ago as if he knew them, or ever would. The concept of family was not entirely wasted on him, but he did wonder at the wisdom of maintaining such strong bonds over the years. He did not tell her that he found her tales odd. His wound—and the fact that she could not see with any certainty the result of it—had made her anxious, and the chatter apparently calmed her nerves. He would wager that the Anwyn Queen was not often uncertain.
In the two days since the attack, Joryn had often wished that he’d swallowed his pride and obeyed her early morning command for sexual gratification. Their coming together would’ve felt just as good as if he had commanded her to please him, he imagined. It would have been as pleasurable as if she had begged, as he’d angrily suggested. Being constantly close to her did nothing to ease his natural desire for her, though he tried to convince himself that he would’ve felt the same for any woman in this situation, even if she were not so beautiful or so brave.
There was no trail to speak of in this wooded terrain, but he could tell that others had walked this forest not so long ago. Unnatural disturbances marked the paths they had taken. A broken twig, a bush’s branches moved aside, a scuffed place in the dirt or in fallen leaves. Keelia seemed not to see these disturbances, and yet she continued to move in a direction that possessed the markings of other travelers.
She marched before him, her path taking them down for a long ways, and then up and across the mountain in a manner that was not at all arduous. Still, the journey was beginning to tell on her. Her hair was tangled, and her gold gown had been snagged on brambles and branches in several places and was also ripped along the hem. She scratched her own skin often, but she seemed not to feel the pain, and like him, she healed quickly. There was determination in her stride and even in her chatter.
Without warning, she stopped. Caught by surprise, Joryn took one step too many and ran into her. When she stumbled at the collision, he steadied her with his hands on her bare arms. She did not shake him off as she once would’ve, but instead turned her head up to the bit of sky they could see through the treetops.
“A storm’s coming. A big one.” She sighed. “We don’t have time for this delay, but I’m afraid we won’t make much more progress today.”
Joryn studied the blue skies with skepticism. “It doesn’t look like rain, much less a storm.”
“Well, it’s coming nevertheless.” She resumed her journey, but this time her path veered in another direction. “It won’t do us any good to get stuck in mud behind a curtain of rain that obscures our vision.”
“I didn’t think you needed your eyes to lead you,” Joryn said, half-joking.
“Well, I do. This way.” She pointed upward, and turned to a more sharply inclined path.
A short while later, Joryn smelled rain on the chilled breeze that slapped their faces and made the leaves flutter vigorously. Not long after that, the clouds completely obscured the sun. And then, the raindrops began to fall.
At first, the thick growth overhead protected them, but soon the rain was falling faster and harder, and the ground beneath their feet grew slick. Their clothes were soaked and the hard rain made it difficult to see where their steps were falling on this dangerous terrain. Still, Keelia seemed to have a plan, she seemed to be heading in a particular direction.
On a slick slope, she stopped and lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the rain. She pointed again with that slender, pale arm that he knew to be dangerous. “There,” she said, shouting to be heard above the wicked weather.
“I don’t see...” Joryn began, but Keelia moved forward with a quickened step. She veered to the right, stepping onto more level ground. Again her pace increased, until she was almost running.
Then she turned sharply to the left, and disappeared.
Joryn stopped and spun around. The heavy rain, the thick growth, the wind in his eyes, they all dimmed his vision. Still, how could Keelia be gone? In a heartbeat, without warning... gone.
“Keelia!” he shouted, but it seemed the wind caught the name and carried it away too easily. He thought of the misshapen creatures and how quickly they’d attacked by the stream. He should’ve sensed them, smelled them, but he hadn’t. Not soon enough. What if they had the Anwyn Red Queen? What if they didn’t stop at a bite, but tore out her throat, or her heart, or both? Perhaps it would be a better end than his own, but still, the pictures in his mind made him shudder.
What if they simply bit her as they had bitten him, and when the full moon next rose she turned into a strong, brave, gifted monster?
A flash of white, the color of Keelia’s skin, caught his eye and he spun toward it. From the low entrance to a cave, she waved at him.
She waved, as if he had not just imagined her ravaged by the mutant beasts.
He followed her direction to the cave, dipped down, and walked inside. There was little light here, so perhaps she would not see his scowl, or note his worry. Not for the first time, he was very glad that she could not peek into his mind, as she did others.
The cave was larger than he had imagined it would be, judging by the entrance. Keelia was able to stand in an area nearly the size of the Grandmother’s meeting room, which was small but adequate for the witch and her students. The cave was certainly more than adequate for two weary travelers. Given the storm beyond the stone walls, it was quite comfortable. He never would’ve found it on his own.
The queen peeled off her wet gown. “If you will build us a fire, our clothes and hair will dry faster.”
Joryn directed his special energy to a spot near the entrance, and a small fire leapt to life. It provided not only heat to dry their clothes, but light. Light by which Keelia’s skin glowed.
She was so incredibly beautiful. Not for the first time, he wondered why the Anwyn Queen couldn’t be ancient and ugly, instead of a gorgeous woman who had picked up the annoying habit of suggesting that they were meant to be mates. For life.
“Your clothing will dry faster if you take it off,” she said, gesturing with wagging, slender fingers to the trousers he wore.
“I’m fine.”
“I can already tell that you’re aroused, if that is why you hesitate.” She cocked her head to one side. “You insist that you don’t care for me in any way, you say it is ridiculous that we are meant to be mated, and yet your body responds to mine.”
“My body responds to any naked woman,” Joryn said, remembering the moment when he’d believed she’d been taken by the mutant Caradon. That feeling of panic had been unlike any other he had ever experienced, but he could not tell her that. Nor could he dwell on it.
Keelia placed her soaked gown a short distance away, draping it on an overhang that jutted out from the cave wall. The thin material would surely dry quickly. She moved closer to the fire, her limbs loose and relaxed, her skin pale and flawless. She shook her hair above the flames, allowing the radiating heat to dry the long, red strands.
Outside the cave, rain fell hard. The wind howled. A crack of thunder shook the mountain. They’d found shelter from the storm just in time, thanks to Keelia’s senses.
It occurred to Joryn too late that he might be better off battling a wicked storm than battling a determined Anwyn Queen.
***
The rain continued long after darkness fell. They made themselves comfortable, as much as was possible given the circumstances, and Joryn delved into his pack and took out some of the last of the dried meat. He passed a piece to Keelia and partook o
f a bit himself.
She tried not to let Joryn see that she was terrified. Terrified that he might be her mate; terrified that he was not. Terrified that they wouldn’t reach the Caradon wizard in time; terrified that he would be saved and he still wouldn’t want anything to do with her.
It wasn’t like her to fear what tomorrow would bring, but at the moment it seemed she feared everything.
When they’d finished their meal, Joryn sat near the fire. He’d removed his boots, but almost dry trousers still hung on his stubborn body. His wounded leg, revealed beneath a rolled-up hem, looked almost normal. After a few moments of silence, Keelia scooted closer to him and reached out to lay her hand over the scar, hoping the closeness would bring her some knowledge. He twitched when she touched him, and then settled down without pushing her away or uttering a protest.
She still saw nothing.
Joryn reached again for his pack. Since they’d already eaten, and they’d drunk plenty of water, Keelia couldn’t imagine what he wanted from his meager supplies. He reached into the pack and came out with the bracelet which had been enchanted by the Grandmother. Her heart sank a little. He was going to put it on again, to make sure she never saw his thoughts or touched his mind. She couldn’t hope that the enchantment would pass. She couldn’t have even that much.
“Here.” Surprisingly, he offered the wide silver bracelet to her.
After a moment of hesitation, she took it. She’d never studied the simply crafted jewelry closely before this moment, and she noted the faint scrollwork in the silver. Her fingers traced a particularly ornate section.
“What am I supposed to do with this?”
“Wear it, as a sign of our accord,” he said. “Allow the bracelet to remind you of the reasons we’re here.”
“It won’t fit me.” She turned the large piece over in her hands. The wide bracelet had been made for him, not her, and would fall off her arm if she dared to wear it.
“It will fit.” Joryn took the bracelet from her, grasped her hand in his, and slid the bracelet onto her wrist. Immediately, the silver shifted. It shrank and curled and conformed to her smaller wrist, just as it had done when he’d shifted into his feline form.
The bracelet felt very much at home on her wrist. Did Joryn think it would continue to keep their minds separate? Or did he simply want to remind her of the seriousness of their mission?
She did not wish to think of the mission. Tonight she didn’t want to think of evil wizards or soulless monsters or anything else unpleasant.
“Thank you. It’s a lovely gift.” And perhaps the only tangible thing she would ever have from Joryn. Keelia admired the bracelet for a moment longer, and then she stared into the flames. The magical fire danced, spellbinding and oddly beautiful.
“Do the Caradon kiss?” she asked.
Joryn turned his head and looked down at her. His brow wrinkled slightly. “What?”
“Kiss? Do you kiss? It’s a very simple question.”
He looked puzzled. “There are kisses of greeting and farewell.”
“Show me,” she insisted, and then she caught herself. “Will you please show me what you mean?”
He sighed, but leaned down and kissed her cheeks, one and then the other, before backing away from her. “Like that.”
“Oh.”
“You sound disappointed.”
“I am. The Anwyn males marry and live with human females, and they kiss often. They seem to enjoy kissing their mates on the mouth.”
“Is it a part of your sexual rituals?”
“Not necessarily. Sometimes they kiss in front of other people, when they’re fully clothed and hours away from any opportunity to be alone.” She squirmed. “Besides, my mother told me...” She stared into the fire, almost swept into a trance by the way the flames swirled.
“Your mother told you what?” Joryn snapped.
What did she have to lose at this point? Why not be totally and openly honest? “My mother lived as a human, before coming to the Anwyn. She was my age before she knew that she was queen, that she had Anwyn blood. She gives great weight to a kiss between a man and a woman, and she told me often that while I have no say in who my mate is destined to be, the love to come is real, and I will know that love by his kiss.”
Joryn scoffed. “Love is for humans, and from what little I have seen and heard on the subject, it is fragile and elusive.”
“You and I both claim lowland humans among our ancestors,” Keelia said. “Are we really so different from them?”
“Yes,” Joryn answered decisively. “Caradon and Anwyn blood are both dominant, as you well know, and that blood overcomes our lowland heritage and its inborn weaknesses.”
“Surely there are some among the Caradon who know love,” Keelia argued. It seemed to her that every species could, and should, enjoy love among those who were mated. Of course, most Caradon never did settle down with one partner.
“Some claim to,” Joryn said.
“You sound skeptical.”
“I am.”
“You don’t believe in love at all?”
“I imagine some might think it to be real when they are in the grip of an especially strong passion.”
“But not you.”
“Not me.”
She had been a skeptic herself at times, but she had her parents to remind her that love was real. She had seen again and again how wonderful real love could be.
“In that case, you don’t have anything to lose by kissing me,” she said, trying to keep all emotion out of her voice.
Joryn stared down at her. The firelight flickered on his face, and something in her chest leapt. “I just kissed you.”
“You kissed me on the cheek,” she protested, “as you would an old woman or a kindly uncle. I would like a kiss on the mouth.”
“Are you going to order me to kiss you?” A quick smile bloomed, and that dimple she rather liked appeared in his cheek.
“Of course not.” He wouldn’t obey her if she did, so what was the point? “It’s just that I have often wondered what it’s like, and with the creatures roaming these mountains and the coming confrontation with the wizard, and the uncertainty of what tomorrow might bring for either of us, I might never have another chance to find out.” She caught his eye. “Have you never kissed a lover?”
“Not on the mouth.”
“Why not?”
“It isn’t necessary.”
“Must all things be necessary?”
“Yes.”
“So, you give a kiss no importance.”
“None.”
She was glad to know that he had never kissed another woman. It made her want his mouth against hers even more.
“Then what would it hurt to kiss me, so I might know the sensation in case this is my last chance?”
He was quiet, for a moment, and then he said, “You’re very persistent.”
Keelia smiled. “Yes, I know.”
Joryn sighed and mumbled something about the endeavor being pointless, but he did lower his mouth toward hers. His lips were upon hers quickly, where they brushed across her lips and then began to move away.
Keelia sighed. “Not like that.” She grabbed his face in her hands and pulled him back, planting her mouth on his fully.
For a moment, that was the extent of their experiment. They pressed their mouths together. His lips were firm but also warm and gentle. Not dry, but neither overly wet. She moved her lips very slightly, rubbing them against his. In answer, his lips parted.
Something odd happened to her, inside and out. Suddenly she was hot, aroused, itchy, trembling, and oh, it felt wonderful. She couldn’t kiss Joryn hard enough, deep enough, or long enough. Her chest contracted, her stomach danced. Her entire body reacted to the kiss.
She flicked her tongue out and traced the line of Joryn’s lower lip. His intake of breath was telling. He might not admit it, but he liked the kissing, too. His breath and his heartbeat and even his scent shifted subtly. He was
affected in a deeply physical way by the joining of their mouths.
Keelia could not believe the depth of her reaction. Her breasts ached, and deep in her belly there was a telling heaviness. They’d been kissing for mere moments, and already she was spiraling out of control. It was like going into her fertile days, when a queen’s heat descended upon her, only it was not the proper time.
She didn’t want to find release in a trance tonight. She wanted reality. She wanted Joryn.
“So close,” she whispered against his mouth. “Still I see nothing of you. Not the past, the future, your thoughts. Nothing.” She wanted to know whether or not they would be able to save Joryn from becoming like the monsters who had attacked them, and she did still wonder if he might be her mate. Other than that, it was surprisingly pleasant not to be forced to deal with his thoughts as well as her own. There was usually a certain amount of control necessary when she was in the company of another person, but with Joryn she could be relaxed. She could allow her mind to wander where it would.
It did wander, to wonderful places and warm possibilities.
Joryn cupped her head and pulled her forward, so they were kissing again. He gently forced her mouth to open wider, and his tongue flickered against hers. Feeling decidedly unsteady, Keelia stabilized herself by placing one hand against Joryn’s side. She could feel his heart beneath the skin. It beat fast and hard, just as hers did. Her hand dropped to the waistband of his trousers, and her fingers deftly unfastened and opened the band so she could touch his skin.
“You should remove these trousers so they have a chance to dry well before morning,” she said, surprised at the breathless quality of her voice.
“You’re trying to seduce me again,” Joryn said hoarsely.
Keelia’s hand snaked well into the opened trousers and encircled his erection. “As you can see, the removal of your clothing isn’t necessary for seduction. I’m only thinking of your comfort.” She stroked once, and then removed her hand. “Besides, we are only kissing. You’ve made it clear that you don’t wish to lie with me.” Though his body very clearly said otherwise.
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