by Elissa Daye
“We shall see about that.” Lady Anna captured her food viciously in the prongs of her fork and chewed it slowly.
Lysandra tried not to giggle as she heard the woman choking on her venison. She looked away and rolled her eyes to the heavens. She prayed that this James Mannon would learn how to control Lady Anna before she took matters into her own hands. When Lady Anna left the table Lysandra almost breathed a sigh of relief. She did not really want to spend her day mashing words with the angry woman. She had much more pressing matters on her mind.
When Aiden left he had not given any details about what to do with her to his guards so she informed them of her intentions to travel to the west to spend some time in the place Aiden had chosen for her. Garrett knew the place well so he arranged for her to travel with some of the men. They did not cast an eye at the other women Lysandra brought with them. They simply followed her orders and her spirits lifted just a little. The people of Blackwolf treated her just as they should treat the master’s wife. They traveled for a quarter of an hour before reaching an area of trees that were marked with white ribbons. The men sat respectfully outside the clearing as the women dismounted and walked cautiously into it. None of them were prepared for the sight before them.
A small, circular clearing had been created among a grove of cherry trees that were hidden deep within the forest. If one did not come closer to where the grove started, one would never have seen it, as it was well off the beaten path. Her breath caught in her throat for the simple beauty of pink blossoms seemed out of place in such a wildly overgrown forest. This pink nestled among dark browns and vivid greens was almost like a beacon of light for a weary soul. She wondered how Aiden had found such a beautiful place. Small flowers were growing in rings around the clearing. Was that jasmine? Lysandra almost squealed in delight. How? When had Aiden been able to do so much work? Was this all for her? Suddenly her future did not feel as bleak as it had this morning.
There were large stones laid around the clearing, offering a place for them to sit. Smaller stones of different shapes and sizes created a fire pit in the middle. There was already a small pile of wood sitting within it. All that was needed was the spark to create a fire. Lysandra gathered strength from within her and the others watched as she sent a spark to ignite the tiny branches. They gathered around the fire to worship the nature around them. Soon they were lost in the beauty and power of the magic that swirled around them. When they finally left the clearing the men were suddenly there helping them onto their horses, as if no time had passed at all.
Chapter 32
The women traveled back to the clearing as often as possible in the next following weeks. Lysandra had started to call it Eden, as it was truly a paradise among the wilderness. She agonized over the pain gathering around her heart, for Aiden had still not returned home. Soon Blackwolf would suffer the moon’s pull and she worried that Aiden would not return in time to join his people. They looked to him for guidance during these times, for he was much more than a leader to them. The morale had been a little low with his absence and Lysandra felt guilt lace through her. It was her fault. If she were not carrying his child he would be home with them.
She put a hand to her belly as a tear fell down her face. She was filled with melancholy. She longed to be happy, to feel the joy that carrying a child under heart should give her, but instead she felt sorrow and fear. Every day she worried that this child would not know the love of a father. She had been so close to her own father that it never occurred to her that other children might not have the same relationship.
She did her best to put her feelings aside when she saw Eden opening up before her. There was too much work to be done and sadness did not belong within its depths. Layla lit the fire before them and they stood with their arms outstretched. Each woman’s light beamed brightly from their hands and converged together to create one large blast that was sent up to the heavens. A circle was cast carefully around them as they paid homage to the earth. While the other three worked on their skills, Layla and Lysandra worked with the elements, as they hoped to provide backup defenses to Blackwolf Keep while the world was under the spell of the moon. Since so many of their people would be away from Blackwolf at that time they could be of some assistance.
Lysandra manipulated the flame before her and a sliver of fire floated into the air. It slithered like a snake for a moment before she finally forced it into a line of fire that could be bent to her will. She sent it swirling around her, creating a ring of fire that hissed in the night air. She raised her hand and pointed above her head. The ring of fire went racing into the sky where it converged to create a glowing ball. She closed her eyes and kept the orb of fire floating in the air. When she tired of the exercise she sent it careening to the ground, not really calculating where it might land. She heard a loud intake of breath as it gathered speed and turned to look where the women pointed. Aiden was standing among the ring, right in the trajectory of her fiery ball. He saw the fire heading his way, but did not even bother to brace himself for impact. Lysandra looked at him, finding the shadows under his eyes and the hollowness inside him easy to read. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The fire snuffed out just inches from Aiden’s head. She turned her back away from him and started to walk away.
The women excused themselves from the clearing, stating something about chores that needed to be completed at the keep and how they were sure that Lord Aiden could see her home. Lysandra did not turn. She could not bear to look at him, for his face was a constant reminder of the turmoil that followed her around at every step.
“Lysandra.”
The anger inside her burned and, with every step closer to her, the higher the flames from the pit leapt. Over the past few weeks she had tried to not let the pain of his leaving her fester around her heart, but there was a wound much deeper than she’d ever had before. She was absolutely livid and her pulse was throbbing dangerously in her chest. What right did he have to just disappear when times were complicated? What if she had needed him? There were so many scenarios that ran through her mind that she did not hear him walk closer to her and almost missed what he said next.
“Lysandra, I love you.” While he had been away he had done nothing but think about what Lysandra meant to him, every laugh, every smile, the undying passion between them, and even the anger she was clearly feeling right now. He had come to the conclusion that he did not want to live without her in his life, not ever. Everything else was unimportant. When he came to this conclusion, something foreign hit him. Love. He thought he had felt it before with Lady Selia, but that was merely the infatuation of a young fool. What he had with Lysandra was real.
She turned around and steeled her eyes to meet his. Her desire to pelt him with anything movable made several stones rise in the air. They were held in place in the air as she decided what to do with them. “You love me? Oh that’s just great. Really? You leave me alone to worry myself to death and the first thing you say to me is, wait, what was that again?” She shook her head in confusion and the rocks fell to the ground. Had he just said he loved her? She had certainly not expected him to say anything of the sort.
“I said I love you, minx.” The husky gruffness in his voice was like a beacon in a storm.
Her shoulders dropped, for this triumph felt so much more like a defeat, a mere bandage placed over a severed appendage hoping to cure the pain. “Is that enough?” Tears pooled in her eyes, tears she had been trying to stuff inside since the first day he’d left. She placed a hand on her belly and closed her eyes against the painful thoughts circulating inside her. What good was his love if he did not want her child?
Aiden could not stand to see the slump of her shoulders. She had always been so courageous, so defiantly full of life and energy, yet here she stood almost resigned to sorrow before hearing him out. “What more is there, Lysandra?”
“Our child, Aiden. The one growing deep within me. What about our child?”
Aiden swore under
his breath. He wished his fears were easy to share with her, but the truth of the matter was he was terrified of what having this child would mean. What if she had trouble with the delivery? Lady Selia had died after her child was forced out of her. It was a common occurrence among his people. They lost many women to childbirth, and while most children survived, some did not. How could he tell her this? He did not want to alarm her, for it was clear she wanted to have this child. To keep this to himself would be a disservice to her. He gestured to the large stone nearest them. “Please sit, Lysandra. It is time I told you more about our people.”
Lysandra looked at him warily before sitting down. “Go on.”
Aiden sat down and reached for her hands. He was relieved to see her not pull away. “I have watched many things happen every year at Blackwolf Keep. From the time I was a child up until now. I see patterns of life and death all around me, enough to give me hope and to cause great fear. You remember the tale about Lady Selia?”
Lysandra nodded at Aiden, slanted her head to the side, and looked at him suspiciously. “What does Lady Selia have to do with me, Aiden?”
“She died in childbirth, Lysandra, as many of our women do. It’s the curse of Aesov. There is something about carrying a child with Aesov’s curse that makes the birthing process dangerous. Our women.” He looked down sadly. “We’ve lost so many.”
Lysandra started to giggle. Aiden looked at her as if she had lost her mind. “Is that all?”
“Is that all? I’m telling you that this child could mean the end of your life and you’re laughing?”
All the pent-up energy inside Lysandra suddenly made her feel quite silly. As laugh upon laugh came pealing forth from her mouth, the reverberation echoed around the forest. “Oh, Aiden. You forget. I am not from Blackwolf and I can tell you right now, this child will not be the end of me.” She put a hand on his shoulder and looked up at him filled with relief for the first time in weeks. “And Aiden?”
“What?” He did not like where this was going. He did not think that Lysandra was taking him seriously. He had seen too much in one lifetime for him to forget.
His grumbled reply sounded like a pouting child, but Lysandra decided not to poke fun at him. “I love you too.”
“You have to take this serious, Lysandra. At least talk to some of the other women. You’ll find I’m speaking the truth.” He felt like he had just found her. He did not want to lose her. She was so much more than Lady Selia could ever have been. She was his soul mate, the one person he was meant to spend the rest of his life with. The beast within would align himself to only one person per lifetime and, once that had been decided, there was no going back. He had known that almost instantly, the first night he ran his hands along her blindfolded body, when she had melted for him alone and his beast within had roared triumphantly in the darkness.
“Did you hear me, Aiden?”
“Sorry, what?” He was in deep thought and he really had not heard what she said to him.
Lysandra sighed loudly. “Aiden, look at me. I love you too. I’ve loved you for quite some time now. Come here, my love. I have already spoken with the women. It will be different for us. You don’t have to worry. Everything will be fine.” She beckoned him closer.
When his mouth was close enough to hers she moved in for the welcoming kiss she usually gave him. When his hands played with the laces holding her chest into her dress she giggled against him. “Aiden, here?”
“No one is around, Lysandra. I sent them away.”
“But Aiden.”
When his mouth swiftly captured her nipple, any further attempts were drowned out by the moans that multiplied in her throat. Her nipples were extremely sensitive to his touch. It was not the soreness she had experienced lately; it was the heightened awareness that his nearness created after such a long absence. Every piece of her was in tune with the sexual energy flowing between them. Every inch of her begged for his touch.
The world spun wildly around them and one moment led to another with hot mouths touching and hands roaming over layers of clothing. Layers of material teased their bodies with a friction that ran across their tingling flesh. He ran a hand underneath her petticoats and slowly removed the undergarments keeping her bottom from him. She shivered in anticipation as his fingers began to stroke her with a skill that always amazed her.
He paused for a moment to free himself and coaxed her closer to him. She did not protest when he moved her on top of him, sliding her down slowly onto his length. She felt his heat when she clenched him tightly inside her and her juices pooled around him so swiftly that he groaned. She was wet for him. The hot, slick, and sensual waves of desire fed their starving bodies, for they had hungered for every inch of each other.
Aiden captured her breasts in his hands as she rode swiftly on top of him; her head fell back in ecstasy as a heavy release rocked through her. Aiden brought his mouth down to the valley of her breasts and nibbled deliciously. He began to rain hot kisses all around them, finally latching onto a hard nipple and suckling wickedly. Lysandra began to move on him once again, building another fiery wave that burned every inch of her, translating its heat directly to Aiden’s body.
Aiden held onto the moment to slow the path of fire that burned between them, but his desire for her was so powerful that his release came much sooner than he preferred. He stroked her hair as they both caught their breath. They sat there together, still joined tightly as one. He felt her throbbing around his cock and the beast within him raised its wicked head. He moved her off him and carried her over to the bed of jasmine flowers. He laid her down next to them and began to peel the rest of the clothing from their bodies. He stared down at her and smiled secretively. “Close your eyes.”
Lysandra smirked at him, but she followed his directions. She felt his mouth on hers, his hands trailing down her body and a memory came forward. When she was blindfolded at Ghelli House, there had been a touch much like his that had sent fire and ice through her. She was surprised that she had not made the connection until now as Aiden’s hands and mouth had always been the only thing to stir the deepest parts of her.
She gasped in surprise as something soft touched her cheek. She smelled the sweet jasmine scent and smiled softly, knowing at once that soft petals of the flower caressed her. She could not contain the shock jolting through her body as he moved the flower up and down the length of her. The power he held over her passion was maddening as it climbed to greater heights. She attempted to open her eyes while he stroked the petals lightly against her aching breasts.
“Close your eyes.” Aiden’s teeth latched on to her nipple. She yelped softly, struggled to grab herself in reflex, but his hand held her down. She wriggled beneath him then closed her eyes. He released her nipple, then started to run the flower up and down her again. This time his mouth trailed behind it with hot kisses that deteriorated any resolve she had left. When Aiden moved away from her she had to remind herself to keep her eyes shut. She felt his hands between her legs. “Open for me, minx.”
She opened her legs and her ecstasy shattered the silence as he entered her swiftly. He set a fierce path of desire that she had trouble following, for with her eyes closed, she could not concentrate on the pleasurable pace. She could only feel, and the emotions ebbing through her made it hard to breathe. She could not hold her release back, could not wait for him to follow her over the edge. She jumped almost violently over the cliffs of desire, almost missing the hands reaching for her as she plummeted over the top. They rose and fell into each other one last time before the world spun out of control.
In the aftermath they laid there, each trying desperately to gain control over the breath that still came out in small gusts. When Lysandra finally caught her breath she turned to Aiden. “Aiden?”
“Yes, minx?”
“May I open my eyes now?”
Aiden chuckled loudly and gathered her in his arms. “Yes, Lysandra. You may open your eyes.”
The stars were out l
ong before they noticed as their bodies entangled in each other. There were only noises of the night that kept time with their own voices as they reveled in each other yet again. Lysandra was exhausted by the time the night had started to turn to morning. They returned to Blackwolf soon after, avoiding the amused glances at their disheveled appearance.
Chapter 33
Lysandra sat in the garden behind the keep, humming as she knit a small pair of socks. She had been able to calculate the length of her pregnancy. Five full moons had come and gone since her last menses. That would mean after four more cycles of the moon her child would be here to hold in her arms. Her condition was easily hidden from the world as her cotton dresses had been altered to flatter, yet hide her growing figure at the same time. While she wanted to shout her joy to the top of the highest mountain, she understood why Aiden had begged her to keep it secret. He was concerned that the people would fear for her health and start to disconnect from her. They would not want to become attached to their mistress only to lose her. Lysandra had tried to tell him that was nonsense, but the stern look in his eyes warned her not to argue.
The full moon was approaching and Lysandra could sense the unease that coursed through Aiden. He did not want to leave her alone. His fear for her had grown daily over the past month. She attempted to reassure him that she would be fine while he was away, but she did not seem to be getting through to him. She walked over to the window where he stood with his shoulders bunched up with tension.
“Aiden, my love. You have to stop worrying, please. I’ll be all right. Besides, Layla and I have been working on ways to protect the keep while you’re away.” She rested her head on his shoulders and wrapped her arms around him.
“I’m not going.”
“Aiden, you can’t mean that. You must go. Sooner than later, I think.” They had started this argument two days ago when Aiden had informed her that he planned on not leaving the keep. She could feel the frantic energy running through him, even though the moon’s shifting face was still hours away.