They collapsed together in a pile of panting breaths and tangled arms and legs. Adrian scooped her up against him and rolled with her, taking her off the floor and using his body to cushion her from it. He grinned as he caught sight of her flushed and sated expression.
“Better?” he asked.
She laughed.
“Much.”
Chapter 15
In all of the drama about the Ampliphi wanting Adrian to move back to their home village, they had never taken the time to consider how damn lonely it would be for Aerlyn when her brother left her. Granted, he hadn’t been much in the way of company in the past few years, but that hadn’t really mattered to a sister who had loved him no matter what. But it only took a day of wandering around the fortress by herself for her to feel it.
She wondered if they were going to replace Adrian. Not in her heart, obviously, but in his mirror. There were better ways of gathering energy, but Adrian had been very effective at what he did. The problem was that anyone who had seen Adrian had seen what the nightmare plane had done to him. On top of that, it took a very specific talent to be able to manipulate dreams. But she supposed they would stick with what they knew, and eventually someone would take the mirror. They didn’t have to be there with her in order for it to work, but the Barrens had been the best place to be in order to protect themselves from others and others from them. At least with their setup, she had been able to regulate Adrian, to keep him from running wild. And that had proved to be very necessary. Even in a world without people, Adrian had more than proven he was still a danger to others. Stealing Kathryn was his final act of proof, although it was a poor example because she had turned out to be his kindra. She was amazed Adrian had had the presence of mind to even distinguish the difference, but instinct very often won out over everything, so she shouldn’t really be surprised.
She was at her dressing table, preparing to go to work, when she heard the distinctive sound of a vortex opening. She and Adrian used the mirrors to travel between planes, but other Guardians used all kinds of different methods according to their talents. Wondering who would be visiting her, she went in search of her guests. She found them on the main floor. In the marbled foyer, sitting wrapped up around one another, were a man and a woman. The female sat in the male’s lap at a provocative closeness, her dress riding up her thighs as her legs remained locked around his waist. She was heavily flushed and they were both breathing hard, as if they’d just had sex. And considering who the male was, she was inclined to believe it had been a close approximation.
Julian. Julian had been Guardian before he had been Ampliphi. His specialty had been reaping the dynamic energy released during sexual peak. It was also the power he had used to travel from plane to plane. Aerlyn had never met the woman before, but she was willing to assume that the female was his kindra, Asia. About three years earlier, Julian had stumbled upon her in the human world and had taken her home. Now it was clear the couple had used one another to travel from Beneath to the Barrens.
But that seemed peculiar to Aerlyn. Now that he was Ampliphi, Julian no longer needed to use climactic energy to travel between the worlds. He should be powerful enough to do it purely by way of thought. Why would he revert to his Guardian ways and methods?
The couple seemed to regroup. They separated and got to their feet, both looking like children who had done something very naughty—yet were entirely unrepentant because of how much fun it had been. Aerlyn covered up a smile and greeted them.
“Julian, Asia, welcome to my home. I am honored.”
Julian turned serious eyes on her, the expression incongruent with the healthy erection she could see he still sported from whatever play he had used to bring them there. The frown etching his lips was enough to give her a sinking feeling in her stomach. Something was wrong. Very wrong. And she wasn’t going to like what she was about to hear.
“Hello, Aerlyn. I hope you are well.”
“Well enough. I haven’t seen much of you since you became Ampliphi,” she noted, bringing her hands together to turn nervously in one another as she often did when she was agitated. She knew it was a terrible tell, but she simply couldn’t help herself. “What brings you here, Julian? And in this method?”
He nodded, acknowledging that she had taken note of the way they had traveled from one plane to the next.
“Forgive us,” he said carefully, “but this was the only way we could come here without being detected by the other Ampliphi. They have been watching me very closely, monitoring my movements through planes.”
“Why would they do that?” she asked him through a tight throat.
“Because I have been a steady and vocal voice of dissent these past days.”
“Dissent?” she echoed weakly.
“Aerlyn, listen to me. Your brother’s life is in great jeopardy.”
“What do you mean?” Her nervousness vanished as fiery indignation rushed up protectively instead.
He sighed heavily. “For some time now the Ampliphi have been watching him closely, waiting for him to go over the edge, waiting for an opportunity to put him out of his misery, as it were. They have felt that he is a danger to himself and others, an out-of-control monster that needed to be put down. To be frank, as long as you were able to control him they were satisfied, but once he started attacking you we knew something would have to be done.”
“You knew he was attacking me?” she asked. “How would you know that?”
“Through occasional monitoring. The Ampliphi feel it is their right to monitor the duties of their Guardians, as you know. We were witness to him losing his temper with you not too long ago.”
“If it is the incident I think it is, you have to understand that he felt threatened. He was afraid I was going to take his kindra from him. He didn’t know or understand even for himself why it upset him so, but surely you can see how that would be upsetting, being that you and Asia are kind.”
“I do understand. In fact, I am the only one who understands all of this. I have tried very hard to be Adrian’s advocate in all of this. He has had a pretty raw deal from the outset. He volunteered for a terrible duty for the sake of his people, and now his leaders are trying to find a way to get rid of him? I find that unconscionable. Unfortunately, I agreed that he was becoming too dangerous to you and others when I saw him attack you and, frankly, your brother has only made matters worse since then.”
“What do you mean?”
“When he came to claim kindra, the Ampliphi were positive he was demented and wouldn’t know his own kindra if she bit him on the ass. They were certain that this was the opportunity they had been waiting for. Your brother would have made a false claim, allowing them to punish him to the max of the law and giving them a way out of the whole mess.”
“But the claim was true,” Aerlyn argued.
“Exactly. Much to the dismay of your leaders. Unfortunately, Adrian did something else that will allow them to pass capital punishment on him.” He paused to run a hand through his hair in agitation. “He murdered his Companion in front of the Ampliphi.”
“He what?” All of the color drained from her face and she stumbled backward to sit hard on the steps. Murder carried an immediate and unwavering death sentence. There was no way around it. There was no helping him. “But…he couldn’t…if he did it was because Cronos was threatening his kindra! Cronos almost killed her!”
“They know that. But they aren’t thinking of justifications and exceptions. All they are thinking of is how to destroy your brother and free themselves of an albatross. That’s why I am here talking to you, Aerlyn. They feel that Adrian’s entire village, including his kindra, is in danger from him. They are going to send guards to confront him and imprison him. You have to warn him not to fight them or hurt anyone in the process. If he does, I won’t be able to help him.”
“He’s changed. He’s different,” she argued. “If they could just see how he’s changed, they wouldn’t be so afraid of him!”
“Kathryn,” Aerlyn supplied for him. “Her name is Kathryn.”
Julian nodded in acknowledgment.
“Warn your brother. He mustn’t hurt anyone else. If he does, I can’t help him. And then trust me to do the rest. To sentence a Guardian to death, the Ampliphi must be in total agreement. As you see, there will be at least one dissenter. But it will only work if he can keep his head.”
“I’ll warn him right away. Do you know when they are coming for him?”
“Possibly even now. You have to hurry.”
“Thank you. I will.”
Aerlyn abandoned her guests and ran for her mirror.
Adrian woke slowly, not wanting to disturb the heavy sensation of contentment that pervaded his every limb and cell. He was lying in bed with the body of his mate sprawled over him in exactly the last position they had made love in. Her knees still straddled his hips, and her breasts were bare and soft against his chest. Her head was nestled on his shoulder; her beautiful dark hair spilled this way and that over his shoulders and chest. He recalled how beautiful she had been as she had thrown her head back in her pleasure, exposing her throat and the curve of her breastbone to his hungry hand. He still couldn’t believe that something this beautiful was his. He had no idea what he had done to deserve her. God knew he had done some terrible things over these past few years. Most especially to his sister, who had shown him nothing but patience in return. He owed her much for staying with him so long and putting up with so much. He would have to find a way to repay her.
For the time being, he wanted to focus a little more immediately on home. He reached out to pet her hair, but stopped in midair when he saw his hands. Or, more specifically, his fingertips. Gone were the claws he had grown so used to. Now there was nothing but strong and long nails, as if he hadn’t had a manicure in a long while. But there was no mistaking the difference between nail and claw. The flexibility of them more than proved what they were. He took tremendous pleasure in the change. It brought him one step closer to normalcy, one step closer to being worthy of the woman who slept with him.
Curious now to see what other changes the night had wrought, he stuck out his tongue and searched for the tips of his fangs. His teeth were all nice and neatly rowed, none sticking out more prominently than the others, although he could still feel sharp tips to his canines. He smiled, unable to hold back his pleasure any longer. He grabbed Kathryn by her shoulders, preparing to shake her awake.
“Don’t you dare,” she mumbled into his chest.
“What?” he asked, trying not to grin like such a damn fool.
“Don’t wake me up,” she warned. “I’ve felt you tensing and twitching for a good five minutes now. I’m asleep and staying that way. Wake up someone else.”
“Having good dreams?” he asked. But then he was struck with a sudden sense of jealousy. Was there someone in her dreams she didn’t want to leave?
“I’m not having any dreams,” she said with a contented sigh.
“That’s because you’re awake,” he had to tell her.
“Shut up. Am not.”
He grinned at her. He reached over and plucked up one of her eyelids, exposing the gray iris to the light, making her pupil contract sharply.
“Oh!” she growled, smacking him hard on his chest. “Quit it!”
He let go of her lid and she squeezed her eyes shut tight. Adrian could see he was going to have to try a completely different tactic. He reached down to run a slow, suggestive hand up over the curve of her exposed backside, his fingertips toying very close to the lips of her pussy. Her head suddenly shot up, hair flying all across her face, and she shoved it all back with a frustrated sound.
“That’s just dirty pool!” she accused him. But his grin was relentless and unrepentant. He was in too good a mood to let anything sway him, not even her crankiness.
“You were already awake. You were just in denial,” he pointed out.
“Well, I want to be asleep! I’m exhausted.” She dramatically flopped back down on his chest. “You make me tired.”
“You mean our lovemaking makes you tired?”
“Yes. That. We did it like twenty billion times last night. I am too worn out to move. I have achy places everywhere.”
“Oh? I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he crooned softly to her. “Tell me where it hurts.” He took her shoulders under his hands and slowly began to massage away the tiny knots of tension he found there. It wasn’t very impressive as far as tension went, but she had just woken up. Besides, there was a method to his actions.
“Mmm. Feels good,” she murmured, relaxing under his touch. He didn’t take long before he was running his kneading hands all up and down her back. She was moaning with pleasure and he felt his cock twitch with interest. It was going to give him away soon, so he had to make a bolder move.
He moved down to her buttocks, massaging the cheeks with strong and eager pulls. She was utterly limp across his body, but the strength of what he was doing to her was moving her against him. Then, without any shame at all, he worked his way between her legs and dipped his fingers in.
She squealed, leaping up so awkwardly she almost kneed him in the balls.
“Whoa! Careful!” he warned her.
“You snake! You…you are a wolf in wolf’s clothing!” she sputtered. She picked up a pillow and smacked him in the face with it.
“I’m sorry?” he chuckled, trying to dodge a repeat swat. “A wolf in what?”
“Oh, never mind! It’s just mean to play all sweet and caring boyfriend and then grope me in the middle of it. I thought you meant the sweet part.”
“I did mean it. I mean everything you think I mean when I touch you. Can I help it if you’re too irresistible for words?”
That made her hesitate long enough for him to ease the pillow out of her raised hands. Once she was disarmed she made a noise of consternation and put her hands on her hips. She tilted her head and looked at him carefully. Adrian held his breath as he waited for her input.
“Holy smokes,” she whispered. “You are a full-on hottie!”
“I’m a what?” he choked out, trying not to laugh.
“You look like you again! Like the you in the dream. Only—damn, you didn’t do yourself any justice. Your eyes are so beautiful.” She bent forward and touched his face. “You have great cheekbones. Lashes I could only hope to get out of a bottle. And really delicious-looking lips.” Her complete focus fell to his mouth and she wet her lips absently as she did so.
“They really taste delicious too,” he told her, cocking half a smile at her.
“Oh really?” she asked. “And how would you know that?”
“I am just guessing. See, this little brunette I know can never seem to get enough of kissing me, so I assume it’s something worthwhile to experience. I can tell you, however, that her mouth is the sweetest thing invented since candy.”
“Really?” Her entire gaze softened, her whole face gone dreamy. “Do you really think that?”
“And much more,” he assured her softly as he put a hand to the side of her face. “Kat, sweetheart, don’t you know how mad I am for you?”
“Well, I’m starting to get the picture,” she replied with a smile. “Although the whole kidnapping thing was a dead giveaway. Not to mention the treasure trove of clothes and jewels. It’s just…sometimes I think you’ve made this huge mistake.” She bit her lip, her eyes a little sad. “I think now that you’re all gorgeous and normal again, you aren’t going to want a chubby, inexperienced girl from the back-ass end of Australia.”
“Kat,” he s
colded her sharply. “The only reason I am normal is because of you. I owe you everything that I am. I was on the brink of falling down an evil hole I could never have come back from, and you saved me from that.”
“So you’re grateful?” she fished carefully.
“Hell yes, I’m grateful. But that isn’t what has me lying here in bed with you, if that’s what you want to know. Kat,” he said, closing both his hands around her face, his thumbs trailing over her lips, “I’m crazy about you.”
She gave him a little smile. “You’re just plain crazy,” she quantified. “And you can’t possibly be crazy about me in just a few days’ time.”
“Hey.” He gave her a little shake. “I don’t need you to tell me what I do and do not feel for you. And for me it’s been months, not days. Or have you forgotten that? Even as a beast with an obsession, I knew you were the one. Now that I’m myself again and have experienced everything about you firsthand, I am a man in love. Yes, love,” he reiterated when she gave a little gasp. “And I think I knew that the very first time I touched you. No matter what I was at the time. You have to trust me, here. You mean everything to me now and will do so in the future. I’m not going to change my mind or suddenly wake up from it all and think, ‘Oh shit! I made a huge mistake!’ I do not work like that, Kat. I won’t feel like that. And you have to stop thinking that you aren’t worth my attentions. Because you are.”
“But it’s okay for you to think you aren’t worthy of my attentions?” she lobbed back to him. “You say that to me all of the time. That you don’t deserve me.”
Adrian frowned and looked away from her. “Don’t you think that’s true?” he asked her. “After all I’ve put you through?”
“First of all, don’t tell me what to think. I think I’ve had more than my fill of that for this lifetime. Second of all, I think I’ve quite forgiven you for taking me from my home. In fact, I think I kinda owe you one for that. Yes,” she said, holding up her hand to stop him, “I will miss my sister terribly. But Aerlyn said I could visit her in her dreams any time I wanted. And on the good dream plane she won’t be sad that I’m gone. I think, actually, it will make her happy to think I am well and happy somewhere. Whether she thinks it’s only a dream or not. But all my life I’ve longed for adventures of my own, for a real life and existence of my own. You’ve provided that for me. And I wasn’t going to ever break out and do it on my own. I can see that now. I was just going to let myself be swamped in responsibility and let my fear of the unknown get the best of me. But now look at me.” She spread out her arms to indicate him and all their surroundings. “How cool is this? And I have a lover and everything. Pretty daring, I’d say.”
Stealing Kathryn Page 26
