A Dark Collection

by Emma V. Leech

  His own mother, the Queen, had done much already but there were too many men in power, far too many vested interests who did not want the change. It would take time and effort and until then Aleish was right. She was trapped; she had to marry and hope that her husband would give her some measure of freedom or remain a spinster and do as her brother bid. He felt consumed with guilt for never really considering her position before, what it was to live her life, and wished that there was something he could do to help her.

  Marriage was all he could offer though and he knew she was right. He was extremely fond of her, but he didn’t love her, at least not in the way she wanted. In truth he didn’t want to love her, loving people gave them power over you and he wouldn’t risk it, knowing it could only bring her pain.

  He looked around cautiously as he drew level with her window and then cursed as thunder rumbled on the horizon and a cold rain began to hammer down. “Thank you so much, Laen,” he grumbled to himself. “It’s not like it was my damned idea.” With a wave of his hand he sent his magic out to a vast oak that stood in the garden and a branch coiled down to the ground. With one last look around he stepped onto it and moved it up towards the balcony outside Aleish’s bedroom. He climbed over the railing, shivering as rain soaked him to the bone, icy drips making their way down his neck and under his collar like cold fingers. He tapped at the window lightly as the branch returned to its usual position. “Aleish!” he hissed. “For the love of the gods let me in before I drown!”

  There was a rustling sound inside as the curtains were pulled open and Aleish opened the doors. “What in the world ...?”

  He ducked inside quickly, shutting the door and pulling the curtains before using his magic to light a roaring fire in the hearth. He stood in front of it dripping wet and turned to Aleish with a wry smile. “I rather think Romeo must have had better weather, it really does nothing for romantic intentions when you have to turn up looking like a drowned rat.”

  She rolled her eyes at him and went to the bathroom to fetch a towel which she chucked at his head. “What are you doing here?” she demanded. Corin looked her over while he tried to dry himself off a little. She had clearly been crying and the scandalous dress had been thrown carelessly to the floor. She was now clutching a white silk dressing gown around her and was looking at him with those large black eyes, so like her brother’s. He sighed and threw the towel down before stepping towards her, but she turned away from him, crossing the room. “What do you want, Corin?”

  “Your brother has ... released me from my oath. Just for tonight at least.” He smiled at her and gestured towards the balcony doors where the sound of rain and howling wind could be heard lashing against the glass with a fury. “You can tell he’s thrilled by the idea.”

  “Oh,” she said with a bitter laugh. “So now Laen has given permission you’ll make the effort. Of all the shallow, self-centred ...” She apparently managed to stop her tongue before it could run away any further and instead gave him a brittle smile. “Please, darling, don’t put yourself out on my behalf. I’m sure there are plenty of far more alluring prospects just desperate for your attentions downstairs.”

  He crossed the room swiftly and put his arms around her despite her protests. “Don’t talk such utter rot, Aleish. You know how I feel about you, I know you do. I don’t want to make you unhappy, I swear it, and I think I showed you earlier that desire was not a issue.”

  “You’re all cold and wet!” she squealed, pushing at his chest and trying to wriggle away.

  “Then you had best warm me up,” he chuckled, kissing her cheek before letting her go and peeling off his dripping jacket.

  She clutched her now damp dressing gown around her closer and glared at him in indignation. “Gods, you are such a slut! You do know you smell of your last conquest’s perfume? You can just forget it!” She huffed at him and folded her arms, giving him her coldest look, which he recognised as the one that sent most men’s confidence crumbling and had given them to calling her the Ice Princess. It had no effect whatsoever on him however as he had seen it far too many times before.

  He shrugged, unperturbed. “Well, darling, I was summoned if you remember and the young lady was not entirely pleased about it. I didn’t have a lot of time for the niceties. However, if you will excuse me for a moment I will rectify the situation.”

  ***

  Aleish watched with a mixture of incredulity and amusement as he disappeared into the bathroom and she heard the sound of a shower running. He was unbelievable, he really was. The damned cheek of the man! She resolved to give him a very severe piece of her mind when he reappeared. A few moments later he returned with her opportunity to tear him off a strip, barefoot and wearing just his trousers. She watched him covertly, out of the corner of her eye as he hung his shirt in front of the fire to dry, and cursed inwardly as she tried to hold on to her anger. Damn the gods, why did he have to be so bloody gorgeous? She should be furious with him, but all she could think of was ...

  “Aleish?”

  Her cheeks burned as she realised he had spoken to her and she hadn’t heard a word he’d said. She looked at him defiantly, trying hard to ignore the amusement in his eyes. “I beg your pardon?”

  “I asked if I met with your approval now,” he said, the golden eyes twinkling with mirth. He held his arms out and did a slow turn in front of her. The fire cast a warm light over his body, highlighting the harsh cut of sculpted muscle and the soft heat of his skin. She swallowed as the idea of running her tongue over his chest while her hands explored lower danced through her mind’s eye. Desire tingled across her skin and she gritted her teeth.

  “Very nice, I’m sure.” She gave a dismissive sniff and turned her back on him. “But I’m afraid I don’t feel like it now so you need not have bothered.”

  He nodded, looking disappointed. “You don’t? Oh, that is a pity.” There was a glimmer of humour in his voice and she realised with exasperation that he still thought she was going to tumble into his arms. Well she’d see about that. He sat down in a large armchair beside the fire. “Well come and talk to me at least.” He held out his hand to her, which she ignored, and so he reached out and grabbed hold of her, pulling her roughly into his lap. She shouted in annoyance and tried to move away without putting her hands on his skin, which was altogether too tempting.

  “Corin!” She hit him and pushed him away, perching awkwardly on his knees when he refused to let go of her. “You’ve got a nerve, you really have!” she snapped, folding her arms tightly across her chest, almost rigid with anger

  He sat up to move closer to her and sighed heavily, his warm breath sending goosebumps dancing over her skin. “Darling, this really cannot come as a surprise to you after all these years. Now you may not be in need of a hug, but I am. It has been a very trying night so do please stop being cross with me. You know you can’t keep it up for long anyway.”

  She gave him a withering look and shook her head. “Yes, poor baby,” she crooned with mock concern. “You must have had a dreadful time with women throwing themselves at you from all directions.”

  He nodded gravely. “It really is a quite a strain and rather tiring. I have been very ill-used this evening.”

  He appeared to be utterly serious and she really tried very hard to keep a straight face, but Corin saw her lips twitch and he grinned at her unrepentantly.

  “Oh! You are impossible!” she huffed before sighing and giving up. She was too tired and miserable to fight with him any more and instead allowed him to gather her up and hold her against him. She leaned her head against his, relaxing as his arms went around her.

  “There see, you feel better now don’t you?”

  “Don’t push it,” she grumbled, snuggling closer into his warmth.

  She felt a deep rumble of laughter through his chest and slapped him half-heartedly. “I wish you weren’t so nice. It would be much easier to be cross with you if you were unkind.”

  He kissed the top of her head a
nd tightened his arms around her. “I will endeavour to be unkind in the future if you would prefer?”

  She nodded, not quite sure if she was joking with him or not. “It would make life much simpler.” She sighed, sounding wistful, and smiled as she saw the concern in his eyes.

  “Are you very unhappy, darling?” he asked.

  She gave a very unladylike snort of laughter at his worried expression. “Oh don’t fret. I’m not going to die of a broken heart for you!” She giggled at the idea and then went off into peals of laughter as he was clearly miffed.

  “That wasn’t what I meant,” he said, sounding a trifle peeved. “But there is no need to sound so entertained by the idea.” He sighed as she erupted once more into giggles.

  “Oh, Corin, you are funny.”

  “So it would seem.”

  He sounded quite put out now and Aleish put her hand to his face so he would look at her. “Idiot. You know I would fall for you at the drop of a hat if I let my heart rule my head.”

  He smiled at her sadly. “But you are far too sensible for that.”

  “I am.” She nodded, stroking his cheek with her thumb.

  “Pity,” he said softly.

  The golden eyes were on hers, steady and intent and her heart began to thud in her chest. Every nerve ending was suddenly aware of him, of the place where his hands held her close, of the warmth of his skin under her fingertips, of his breath on her face and when he moved closer she didn’t protest. She had kissed him before, many times. When they were children and she had looked at him adoringly he had been sweet to her, an innocent brush of lips against her cheek that had made her blush and giggle, and then in later years when things could easily have become so much more than they had, if Laen had not interfered. He was familiar and reassuring and yet desperately exciting. No one had ever come close to the way he made her feel.

  He kissed her like she was precious, touched her like she was the embodiment of perfection and she melted as she always did for him. He let her go, and her eyes fluttered open to see him looking at her fondly.

  “Yes,” she said. “Yes, please.”

  He got up, lifting her with him and setting her carefully down. He touched her hair, coiling one long blonde strand around his finger. “You’re sure?”

  She didn’t answer, just reached up and kissed him again and he pulled her close. One hand tugged at her dressing gown cord and she shivered as the cool silk slithered to the ground and her breasts brushed against the heat of his chest. His hands slid down her back, following the path of her spine, over the gentle curve of her behind. He kissed her while his hands explored, mapping the contours of her body with a care that told her he would remember every detail, that she would not be forgotten like so many others. She would be special to him.

  He was gentle and careful and she burned beneath his touch, becoming restless and wanting more than he was giving. He broke away from her, leaving her breathless with need for him. “We have all night, darling,” he reprimanded with a sly smile. He dipped his head and began to kiss a trail down her neck. “All good things come to she who waits,” he murmured as his mouth descended, teasing her nipple with tongue and teeth while she gasped and sunk her fingers into his hair. He raised his head, looking at her with eyes dark with desire. “I won’t disappoint you, I promise.”

  She nodded, believing him, but quite unable to find a coherent word in her head. He took her hand and she followed, laying down on the bed and watching with rapt attention as he undressed. He moved to kneel beside her, his eyes travelling over her with such hunger that she could feel her skin prickle with heat under his gaze. “You quite take my breath away, Aleish.”

  She wanted to say the same, to return the compliment as she took in the long dark hair falling over broad shoulders, his skin glowing with vitality in the firelight, the perfection of him, but then his hands were on her again and she forgot how to speak. She held her breath as he kissed down the hollow between her ribs, shivering as his hair tickled while he moved lower. He painted patterns across her stomach with his tongue, blowing gently over the damp design and sending goosebumps that made her insides clench and her nipples peak. She looked down to see the patterns sparkling white with his magic. They coiled and grew, dancing over her body like the sunlight through leaves and she laughed out loud, delighted by him.

  His eyes glittered, pleased by her reaction and he lowered his mouth again, speaking strange, soft words against her. She watched in awe and wonder as the light flickered and burst to life and dozens of tiny silver butterflies glittered over her skin, their wings fluttering against her before flying up and transforming into a shower of fragile snowflakes. They fell as if in slow motion and melted against her as they landed, sending her shivering all over again.

  “Oh, Corin ...” her eyes filled with tears, overcome with the beauty of it.

  “Shhhh ...” he murmured and his mouth descended once more, his warm tongue touching the icy drops and making her squirm with pleasure beneath him. He moved further down the bed, one hand smoothing down the back of her leg as his tongue traced the apex of her thigh and back up again, with each pass moving nearer to the part of her that ached for his touch.

  Aleish held her breath as he teased her, moving closer to the heat of her desire with torturous care. She arched her back, clutching helplessly at the bed sheets as he finally relented and gave her what she wanted. Breathless and taut, her every nerve ending shimmering, every sense focused on the warmth of his mouth between her legs, of the touch of tongue and fingers as they slid against her, inside her and caressed.

  She felt that he followed her breathless sounds like a beacon in the dark guiding him to the point where she shattered under his touch, crying incoherently as pleasure erupted, its violence a contrast to his delicate attention.

  Corin sat back, watching with desire-darkened eyes as she returned reluctantly to the world and smiled at her as he moved forward again, supporting himself on his arms as he covered her.

  “Do you want me?” he demanded, his voice harsh now. She looked up at him, incredulous that he could ask such a question, but he just smiled at her. “I want to hear you say it.”

  “I want you,” she whispered. “So much ... So much.”

  He sighed with bliss as her body welcomed him inside and she clung to him, wanting to remember every touch, every kiss as he made sure to keep his promise to her just as he had said he would. He taught her how she could both give and take and Aleish gave herself to him with enthusiasm and a little sorrow and wondered at the power of his magic that could shrink the universe until she was focused only on the places where their bodies joined. She followed where he led and without reserve. She held nothing back and whilst she could not make magic like his, that you could see or touch, she knew that night they cast a different kind of spell, the kind that touched your mind and your heart and forever left a mark.

  ***

  Dawn crept over the sky, a low mist coiling around the landscape like a lover’s arms as the sun rose.

  “You should go,” Aleish said, though she buried closer into the warmth of him, her head resting on his chest.

  He tightened his hold on her, sighing heavily. “I don’t want to go.”

  “I’m glad to hear it,” she said with a smile, though she knew she would cry when he left.

  He pushed her gently onto her back, lying on his side so he could see her face. “Are you sure you won’t marry me, darling?”

  “Oh!” she exclaimed and hit him, moving away and sitting up in bed with her arms folded.

  “What?” He watched, bemused as her black eyes flashed with annoyance. “Why are you so cross?”

  She huffed at him as she pulled the bed covers up around her. “Because you’re an idiot!”

  He sighed and lay back again. “Well, if that’s all ...”

  Rolling her eyes at him she gave a tut. “I’ve told you why I won’t, Corin. You won’t change ... at least, you wouldn’t for me and I can’t live with t
hat.”

  He nodded and lay quiet and her face softened as she looked down at him. He was staring into space and she suddenly had the feeling he was terribly lost. She watched as the beautiful golden eyes turned to her, so bright even in the dim light of the room. “Do you really think I’m shallow?” he asked.

  She was surprised by the question, more so by the vulnerability of his expression. Corin was only ever supremely confident, a born leader. He never showed any expression of self-doubt and she wondered at the possibility that she had truly hurt his feelings with her words.

  She slipped back down beside him and kissed his mouth. “No, my golden boy, of course I don’t think you are shallow, but I think you live a very shallow existence and you don’t need me to tell you that.” She sighed and stroked his hair. “You are not your father, darling, things need not be like that for you. Just because things have gone badly between him and your mother, it doesn’t mean you’re destined for the same fate. You’re strong.” He shook his head silently. “Yes, you are,” she repeated, her voice firm. “You always have been. Laen would not follow you like he does were you not.” He didn’t answer and wouldn’t meet her eyes. “What are you so afraid of?”

  He was silent and she began to think he wouldn’t answer at all, not that she expected a revelation. She had always felt that Corin was full of secrets, maybe even from himself. “I am afraid of so many things, Aleish, I’m not sure I would know where to begin.”

  She felt the cold touch of foreboding in her heart at the tone of his voice and wondered again what those secrets were, what really went on behind the handsome face and the apparently carefree life he led.

  “You can’t run forever, Corin and you ...” She put her hand to his face, forcing him to look at her. “You can’t live without love ... You will fall, sooner or later.” She could see the fear in his eyes now and frowned with concern. “Don’t you want to love someone, Corin?”