Immortal Dreams

by Sage, Jennifer

  She softened and oozing tears slid from her eyes before her features went dark. “For centuries we have suffered here! No one has come for us! The girls and I have suffered as you cannot imagine and for what? So he could have a damned crown! Why would I ever trust you to try and escape us?”

  “Because I didn’t know until now that this was not your choice. All of Loveryn thought that it was the both of you. I can see now that it wasn’t Delia. Please, Amele can sift back and change the terms with the Elemental to exclude you and the children I am almost certain. Will you trust me?”

  She wrung her gangly grey hands together and turned her back to Bodhe, looking out at the fiery skies. “What about the laws? We cannot change what has happened in the past.”

  “Let me deal with that. Amele will do this if I ask it of her. Please Delia, tell me where she is,” his voice as soft as a whisper now even though the determination beamed from his eyes.

  She looked at him and her shoulders slumped resigned. “Go then, and do not forget your promise. She is kept three rooms down on the left. But hurry. I think Fieren will soon be on his way to her and I will be expected to join. He will see my thoughts and either kill me or kill us all.”

  “Thank you Delia, I shall not forget my promise. You and the girls shall live once more as you did.”

  He flew to the room and entered quickly, seeing her standing motionless by the bed, her eyes lost in the scene outside. It took his breath away to see her alive, part of him never thought he would make it in time.

  “Gods Isabel, I thought you were lost forever!”

  She froze at the sound of his voice, damn this wine was really good. “What is in that spring wine anyway?” She muttered to her hallucination.

  He grabbed her and swept her into his arms kissing her everywhere he could reach.

  “Well, you do not feel like a hallucination. Bodhe? I-is that you? Or are you an Uglie pretending to be Bodhe?”

  Ah! the necklace. Poor thing was probably hallucinating. He pulled it from his pocket and put it around her neck.

  “Shhhh, Isabel, of course it’s me. See, here is your necklace, I have gotten it back for you. I could only hold them off for so long if they were to come through that door though so I need you to be quiet. We don’t have much time and I must apologize in advance for this is not at all how I wanted this to be.”

  “What are you talking ab…”

  His lips crushed her own hard and his tongue drove deeply into her mouth. She squealed and pushed him away from her, thrusting her hand drunkenly towards his face. Damn, she missed. “It is you! Get away from me you liar!”

  Shock and hurt covered his face. “What are you talking about Isabel, I never lied to you? Look, we don’t have time for this, they will be coming for you now that you are drunk with wine.”

  “I am not drunk! And if you mean the Uglies, they won’t come for me for weeks yet! They told me so,” she said even as she stumbled. “Besides, how the hell did you even get here?”

  “Look around my neck Isabel. See anything familiar?”

  She gazed at the same necklace that was around hers with disbelief. “How did you get that? My mother left this for me over 22 years ago?”

  “Yes, and she left me one as well. Apparently she thought I may need it to get to you. Big shock there since she saw everything else too.”

  Her stupor subsided and she directed her heated gaze directly at him, gold flaming from her eyes and her hand on her pendant. “They could make these by the dozens in Loveryn, I don’t believe you! And how could you pretend to love me like that? All for what Bodhe?” Tears pricked at her eyes. “How will I ever get my mother back now? They’re going to dry suck me and I’m going to die in this hell. How could you do this to me?”

  It took every ounce of strength not to laugh at her choice of words. “Princess, I didn’t pretend. I love you more than anything else. Why would I be here if not? And the Unseelie will come, and soon. It is their way to get your emotions accessible first.”

  His eyes shone with honesty but how could that be? Well, he has had centuries to practice after all. Bastard.

  She stood there eyeing him with her hands over her chest. “I don’t know why you’ve come but since you’re here why don’t you tell me about Rhonan,” she said coldly.

  “She was never mine Isabel,” his eyes flashed black and he spoke through gritted teeth. The passion was rising in him from just being near her. “Listen to me. I can explain everything but we have to get out of here first. Please trust me, I have never done anything to intentionally cause you pain, but we don’t have time for this.”

  “How do you expect me to ever trust you again? Or to get out of here? Do you have a magic portal maker? Because last I checked I am without a dagger and a sword, and worst of all I am without hope for the first time since all this insanity began.” The tears that had just threatened before now fell freely. Son of a bitch he had made her cry three times now, and only once was happy tears. Not a good track record.

  With a swift move the jerk had wrapped himself around her again, wiping away her tears with his fingertips. “Please Isabel, there is only one way out of here and you are the portal maker. Hate me for the rest of your life if you must but please let it be longer than 24 hours, for that’s all it will be if you stay here.”

  She looked at him, her lids heavy from the wine. Was he always this gorgeous? His thick mane was braided and though he seemed a bit worse for the wear than he usually was, she wanted to eat him up. Just his scent was intoxicating. Woods and spice pricked at her nose. No, she didn’t want to die here with the Uglies, but how was she the portal maker? Reality cut through the fog of the wine then. Oh! Her eyes widened with disbelief.

  “Oh no, you don’t! If you expect to waltz in here after your little girlfriend tried to kill me and just…”

  It would’ve been a great sentence if he hadn’t cut it short with his mouth. He handled her roughly, forcing her hand on the bulge in his pants as he growled and the other on his chest. Against every instinct she squeezed and moaned from deep within her throat. She tried futilely to struggle but it was a half ass attempt, even in her current state of mind. He picked her up in his arms as she straddled him and hissed.

  “I have never touched another female, but tonight, I will touch you over and over again. You were always mine, and I will eternally be yours. Whether you wish it or not!”

  He bit down on her neck and marked her hard, wanting whatever world they would arrive in to see that she was his. She bit down on the hand covering her mouth as he did it which only made him more persistent. Ripping off her dress in one deft move he sucked in a breath at the sight of her legs. There was no time to hesitate; he could feel the Unseelie King nearing. He ripped his own pants off and rose above her.

  Damn this man! He thought to come take her like this? They would both die now at least so she wouldn’t have to kill him herself. Contemptible, yes. Still raging hot and able to make her thighs wet from his nearness? Double yes. The delicate balance was beyond her control at this point so why not go out in a blaze of passion? Did she hate him? Absolutely. But screw it. Or more accurately him. After all this, she at least deserved that. And could she ever really say no to him anyway. Probably not even in her strongest form and presently, she was in a very weakened state from the wine.

  Her passion rose with every flick of his tongue and bite of his teeth and she stroked him tenderly. His cock grew in her hand and he moaned softly into her hair.

  “Isabel, we must.”

  Her hips arched up and she placed the tip against her wetness, letting it slip back and forth and get soaked with her. She watched as he shook with pleasure and she felt it too. Every delicious second. She felt the tip of his shaft push inside her slowly and she bit his chest to not scream aloud.

  She watched as a bead of sweat trickled down his face and how hard he was trying to go slow so that he didn’t hurt her. Why did he even care? Why be so gentle when he was really so cruel?
She pushed the thought from her mind, dammit she would enjoy this. Her insides were being stretched with his thickness and she wanted more. Pleasure spiked through her core, his pleasure and hers even through the pain, and she was becoming dizzy with it.

  “Deeper,” she muttered as she licked the salt and spice from his skin. “Give me more, my lying male.”

  Fire burned in his eyes as she spoke the words and he thrust to the wall of her virginity and stopped. She shook uncontrollably and dug her nails into his back. Bodhe’s tongue licked at her lips and whispered in her ear the same words that he had that one night that she couldn’t believe.

  He thrust then to her core in one movement, stifling her cries with his mouth. Fire raced through her body and her muscles clenched around his thickness. Oh God, so this is what it felt like? Once the searing pain receded a little she moved her hips against him and reached for the warmth of his mouth. Tears streamed down her face, partially from pain, partially from anger, and partially from the love that she felt robbed of. But despite that she would enjoy this moment.

  Bodhe licked the tears from her face, his own eyes glistening in the light. “Lies Isabel, but none of them from me. Am I hurting you now?”

  He stopped moving, concern in his emerald depths.

  “I am hurting Bodhe, but not from this. You may have stolen much from my heart, but do not deny me this moment right now. Please.” She grabbed his ass and pulled him further into her wetness and he growled from deep in his throat. Hard and deep he pushed himself and all she could do was moan his name as the heat of his thrusts became faster. Why couldn’t he be hers? Why couldn’t this be real?

  “Bodhe, I…”

  But her voice trailed off and the sentence was overpowered by a moan as he slid inside and held himself deep within, hips pounding up against her thighs.

  “My Isabel, my sweet princess. Mine.”

  “I am not,” she panted, her entire body on fire beneath his.

  “Your body says otherwise and we shall see soon enough what your heart feels.” He leaned down to her and covered her protesting lips with his mouth and barely let her breathe between kisses. Her nails raked his back and she moaned beneath the assault.

  She wanted to torture him as he had her but she couldn’t. She could barely keep from screaming as intense as the emotion was that flooded her. Instead she reached up for her breasts and as soon as he saw her playing with one of her nipples beneath the cloth a beast came out. He bit at her soft skin and licked the hard pink nubs until she was shivering. Hands on her shoulders he brought his shaft to her core again and again, getting lost in the hot slick folds of her body.

  “Tell me Isabel, should I stop this?” He grinned between thrusts.

  “N-no, please don’t.” Her entire body was shaking beneath his and she pleaded with her eyes.

  “Then tell me you love me.”

  She looked up at him, pain filling her eyes. “After what you did? Never! I could never love you again!”

  “Again my princess? That means that you did before. Hopefully it will be enough to get us home. And if not, then I hope mine will carry us both there.”

  Isabel gasped at his revelation and as conflicted as she was she couldn’t stop the fact that her body was trembling with him. He pumped into her faster and the heat of their frenzied love grew. Even though she was sure she was being torn apart from the inside out it was absolutely delicious.

  He stared down at her, savoring the way her hair was sprawled beneath her, wanting so badly to be able to take his time. But there would be time for that. The rest of their eternal lives.

  Isabel felt the heat of an orgasm swelling inside of her and she knew it was in him too. She could feel his shaft pulsing even as he drove it in and out. His fingers interlaced with hers and squeezed with each motion and damned if she wasn’t holding his back. She wanted to lick him, to suck him, to taste him everywhere again. Her whole body tingled with lightning and her eyes rolled back into her head for a moment. She was going to scream louder than the sirens this time and no amount of kissing would hold it back. Bodhe rose long enough to command that her golden eyes look at him before he made the swell of heat ripple through her core. They both screamed out as a dark oblivion overtook them. He filled her relentlessly with his seed and she soaked him with her own little waterfall.

  Chapter 21

  Keiren gasped and sat up in the dark chamber, lit only by a hole in the rock above her that opened to the twinkling night sky. She smiled, it is done. Stretching her long limbs she noticed that the cave had long since been sealed shut, but that was no matter. She could sift. Her body slammed into the dirt walls however when she tried and she could not get past the walls of the cave. She could sift within it, but not beyond. Held magically within? But why? The curse is ended, why would there be a need to retain her here?

  Sighing, she closed her eyes and tried to reach someone in the kingdom but her mind was unable to reach another in the Sidhe. Not even Phera, and she could always reach her. What in Hades is happening out there? She probed the realm and did eventually touch something but she recoiled quickly from its darkness and shuddered.

  It was not a Sidhe, it was a shadow creature and touching its mind had been like robing herself in hot tar as she licked worms from the earth. She spat the feeling and taste from her mouth.

  “I don’t understand, this wasn’t in the visions?” How had the veil become so thin that shadow beings were able to cross into one of the most heavily armed magical realms? And where was Isabel?

  She wandered around the large cave and came to an underground spring. Ah, a bath would do wonderfully right now! Someone would surely come soon and she could not be presented to her daughter like this, for even if she couldn’t see herself, she knew that she was a mess. Sleeping for twenty-two years would do that to a person! Thank the Gods it was a cursed sleep or she would have starved to nothing more than skin and bones. What a wretched way that would have been to wake up! She would’ve sent Isabel running in fear! But as it were, her curves were exactly as they were when she fell after delivering Isabel. Throwing her dress in the water she gave it a little scrub before placing it on a rock to dry and then she eased herself into the warm spring. She cupped her hands bringing the tepid water to her mouth and she swallowed, then immersed herself completely. For the moment she would not worry about why she had been enclosed. For now, she would think of her daughter and the reunion they would have here in Loveryn. Perhaps she would even help her plan the Day of Light with her! She grinned thinking of the happiness that she would have with Bodhe and wished only that she had been able to meet her father just once. No matter, retribution was currently being paid for his death. She scrubbed the dust from her beautiful blond mane and felt green fire blazing from her eyes at the thought. I cannot bring you back dearest, but I can make him pay for his deed. And our daughter is now safe.

  ***********

  Morkain walked heavily away from the city, the guard watching him as he left with bows and swords drawn. At least they had let him keep his own sword as he would need it against the shadow creatures that lurked within the worlds now. Un-thwarted by the recent occurrences he moved steadily forward. It wouldn’t matter where he was. The curse was written so that Isabel would come to him. And seeing that there had been no change in the city he was sure that nothing had been lifted. She would come to him tonight and he would ransom her for his true beloved.

  He picked up his pace and ran to the cliffs that divided the realm. The very one that Norgelon had fallen from. Fallen indeed. If he had known that Keiren was with child then, would he have done things differently? Lured them all perhaps? He shook his head. No, he could not have taken the lives of a woman and child. Even he was not that evil. He sat on the cliffs and let that day replay in his mind. Orillius had proved an asset that day and forever bound to him since it had actually been his staff that kept the child Serafim from falling until Norgelon arrived. The moment his eyes saw Morkain after the child had been th
rown to safety he had known. But it was too late. For the branch that she was hanging from cracked beneath him and the Sidhe were too far behind thanks to his hunting party that had detained them to do anything about it. He fell to his death and cleared the way for Morkain to have the Queen’s favor and one day take the throne. And less than a year later this damned curse and prophesy was handed down. If it were not for that and Isabel of course, his plan would’ve been seamless.

  And it still could be. He picked up a rock and threw it out over the gorge and watched it fall hundreds of feet to the shallow pool below. When the rains came, it would fill but that would not be for some time. There was a cave down a ways, he would set up there to wait for her. What a surprise she would have when she showed up to dirt and rock rather than her grand palace.

  Perhaps he would even be able to negotiate the crown after all as well. Or at least a realm of his own though he would be very specific as to his terms so that he did not end up like those forsaken Unseelie. He had only encountered the Unseelie once but that was enough. Even the bravest of warriors shied from the rotting flesh and white eyes.

  Chapter 22

  Hours passed. Damn the vanity! “Nikolai! God of the Water Elementals! I, Queen Ameieloreya of the Sidhe summon you forth to do my bidding!” Her voice echoed around the lake before the waters shot up all around her and she stood before the most beautiful God that ever graced the earth. He eyed her with a ferocity that had never been matched in her experience, and she was damned full of experience! His lips curved into a menacing smile.

  “You do know the cost of calling upon the Gods for your trivial affairs?”

  “Yes, yes, I’ve got that Nikolai. But there was no other choice. The worlds are blending together and our only hopes of saving them may very well be dying at the hands of the Unseelie. Believe me, you were my last option.”