Her lungs wouldn't work. They refused to draw air no matter how much her brain commanded them to breathe, as he gently urged her closer. Inch by inch, he drew her in, and it was like being caught in a dream, everything moving so slowly, even as her heart pounded loudly in her ears.
Staring into his face, she saw all the answers she sought there, in the mingled heat and awe in those grey-green depths. There was nothing this man wouldn't do for her, and his devotion forced her to complete honesty -- there was nothing she wouldn't do for him.
It seemed like an eternity, but she found herself right where she belonged, cradled in the solid circle of his good arm. Finally, she was able to draw breath. Dizzying desire rushed through her like a wildfire at the familiar scent of him. She stifled her tiny moan of need against the material of her cloak as her body caught fire from within, scorching her with desire.
"Telyn. Balnyt," Nacaris' voice rasped against her ear, as unsteady as she felt, before his good hand cupped her face, and his lips settled over hers in a plundering kiss rife with barely-leashed passion. She wanted to lose herself in his kiss and in his touch. Though it took all of her will to do so, she forced herself to pull free.
"Don't!" The plea left her in a choked whisper.
His face held a hungry, worried expression, when she dared look at him again. "What..."
"Nacaris, you heard what Paduari said before we came through this portal -- it's true. I won't be able to go back. Not that way. I don't know if I'll ever make it back to Lurudan. How can we--" She swallowed hard against strangling emotions. She knew what she was doing was the right thing for both of them. But, oh, it felt so wrong! "How can we just go on, like nothing's happened all this time? I don't think I can bear it if this is all over after tomorrow."
He watched her silently, his expression torn between disbelief and irritation as he looped the pouch of selak onto his belt. Then, with a shake of his head, he reached to touch the strand of tawny hair falling across her face, tucking it gently behind her ear.
"Do you really think I can walk away from you, or you'd ever be rid of me so easily? Telyn, there's always been a bond between us. I believe it was there long before we ever met. Neither you nor I have any control over when and how it's meant to end. You have to quit trying to control the inevitable and seize every moment while you can. The only way you have any control over where this goes is if you can look me in the eye and tell me you no longer love me."
They both knew it would be a lie. She could tell it as much from the warning gleam in his eyes as from the clutching dread in her chest at the mere idea. "No. My heart isn’t made that way, Nacaris. But--"
"No buts." He rested his fingers gently against her lips. "Telyn, I promise you this -- we parted ways for the last time back at Falraec. From this point on, where you go, I go."
"But Lurudan... Your family..."
He shook his head. "There's nothing left for me in Lurudan. There never really was. My future is with you."
Tears Telyn promised never to shed again after her mourning at Raiador filmed her vision, and the tracks of dampness on her cheeks told her there was no hiding them this time. Not that she wanted to. These were tears of joy, not sorrow, and she wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.
Nacaris was right. This was their time, their shared destiny. She spent too many cycles hiding behind her warrior's creed and the destruction was Fire's darker side, as a girl. It took Nacaris' entry into her life for her to face the wall she built, or even glimpse the passionate side of her nature. But she let her fear control her for too long, sending her running from his arms that night on the dunes, and then again, cycles later, in Ulambara. All he'd ever done was love her. He taught her to realize her heart wasn't dead. No amount of torture or death could ever kill it. Their fates were intertwined, and if she ran away from the powerful emotions Nacaris evoked within her, this time, she might never find the courage to trust anyone, or anything, again.
Unable to force sound past the trembling stricture of her throat, Telyn nodded. Nacaris would understand. She trusted him.
With a soft smile, Nacaris traced his fingers over her face, setting little trails of sparks shooting through Telyn as her heart raced like wild horses across the plains. Vaguely, she was aware of their surroundings -- they were in a cavern well within Reaphia's reach, even if they were protected from her Majik here. She should be on high alert, completely focused on their surroundings. Instead, she was only aware of Nacaris' touch, his hungry gaze, and the fire blazing within her.
Nor were they alone here, with Paduari's even, sleep-laden breathing echoing from a short distance away, and Nevorai's stone-silent presence looming in the far shadows of the cavern. Either, or both, should have cooled the fire between them and blown away any power in the sparks Nacaris' touch stirred within her. But none of it mattered as much as his next touch. Only the feathery skim of Nacaris' callused fingers against her face and the heated promise of so much more mattered. The moment spun itself around her, taking away any thoughts of danger or impropriety.
Nacaris moved his fingers over her face and neck in gentle circles until she ached for a more intimate touch. Her body was alive with need and heated memory, and screaming for release. A small, frustrated groan tore from her when even his light touch retreated.
Nacaris' low, soft chuckle drew her from desire's haze enough to narrow her eyes at him in irritation only partially feigned. "You find this amusing?"
He shook his head. "Just the situation, balnyt. Do you realize the last time we shared an actual bed was in Ulambara?"
Her heart melted at those words, and a shaky smile tugged her lips. "It doesn't matter, does it?"
He dipped his head, and tasted her lips in the most fleeting of kisses. "As long as we're together, none of it matters."
He pulled away to regard her, his eyes searching her face and his expression somber and intent as his good hand skimmed over her body before slipping beneath her shirt to tug lightly at the material of her under tunic.
She leaned into him, and their mouths sought each other in a near-frantic mating driven by hunger too long denied. She absorbed his groan just before he ripped his mouth from hers to seek the warm column of her neck. Telyn gasped and arched into his tender assault as his beard abraded her hypersensitive skin. Her body burst into flames deep inside, leaving her hot and hungry for him in a way she hadn't felt since Falraec tore them apart.
Nacaris' good hand worked her tunic free of the waistband of her pants and roamed beneath. The first touch of his flesh to hers tore a small cry from Telyn she only barely muffled against his bare shoulder.
"I wouldn't trade this moment," Nacaris' rough whisper rasped against her ear as his hand slid higher up her body, "for all the beds in all the palaces in the entire world."
His fingers skimmed over the aching nipple of her right breast, and lightning tore through Telyn, yanking her up straight with surprise at the intensity of the simple contact.
"Take it off." The familiar, rough demand from Nacaris shot a thrill of memory and desire through her, making her skin tremble. Gazes locked, she tried to draw it out as she had the night outside Falraec, but she was too needy, too ready. Unhooking her cloak, she let it fall away, reached down, and in one swift move, divested herself of shirt and tunic.
Nacaris' gaze dropped and darkened. The heated reverence in his grey-green eyes made Telyn wriggle with impatience.
"Touch me," she breathed her own demand, leaning toward him.
"All of it," he countered with a pointed glance toward her pants, even as he struggled single-handedly with the heavy woolen cloak, bringing it up around her body and his own -- a drape again the chill night air.
It took her less than an instant to agree, and even less time to slip out of the tight leather pants. The feral hiss of satisfaction from Nacaris, and the stark hunger in his expression, was enough to make her almost sizzle with heat.
She straddled his thighs with a sultry look, remembering the last t
ime she knelt before him like this. She leaned forward, letting her naked breasts slide against his chest, further heightening their arousal. Her hands dropped to the ties of his pants, but his good hand settled over hers, stopping her short of her goal.
"Not yet," he murmured, lifting her hands away to kiss them, before moving each above his shoulders to rest, palm against the rough cavern wall. He fastened the cloak loosely at her neck, leaving the material to drape around their bodies. The intimate position brought Telyn up from his lap, and cool air slipped between her splayed thighs, sending a wash of heat even deeper within her. She dropped her gaze, to find her breasts nearer to his face.
She watched, breath bated, as he dipped his head. The sensation of his tongue dragging lightly over one engorged nipple shot sparks through Telyn's vision, and she gasped raggedly. Her eyes closed and her fingers dug against the wall as she begged with her body for more intimate contact.
He transferred his attention to her other breast, this time drawing the tip into his mouth to play, sucking and flicking it with his tongue even as his fingers tormented her other breast. Telyn writhed and dug her teeth into her lower lip as she fought the urge to cry out at the pleasure-pain twisting her from breasts to womb. It was the sweetest torture, and one she'd never felt in any other man's arms. She hadn't even realized how much she missed the things Nacaris could do to her body, until now.
Then his hand skimmed down over her belly, as if tracing the invisible string holding her teetering on the brink of insanity. His fingers touched, delved, and stroked her in the most intimate fashion, and Telyn's entire body quaked with raw need.
"Nacaris!" It was the tiniest of cries, barely more than a gasp of air, but even she heard the plea in her voice.
Still he didn't let up. His mouth moved from her breasts to her neck, and back, even as his hand teased and tormented between her spread thighs. His fingers slid in, out, touched nerves already quivering from his ministrations, and back again. Telyn's fingers dug into the wall, barely registering the pin-pricks of iron-rich stone biting into her palms. Her entire world was wound up in the pleasure Nacaris created. Then, like a fireball exploding within her, Telyn's world came apart at the seams, and she was only vaguely aware of Nacaris' mouth covering hers, muffling her cry.
She should have been sated, spent. But the explosion of desire only left her more aroused, feeling incomplete. Her hands dropped again to Nacaris' ties, and this time he didn't resist her. His eyes, when she met them, held a hard edge and a flush stained his cheeks and jaw, telling her he held onto control by only a thread. There would be no more teasing.
Finishing with the ties, she freed him, and a fresh shiver of heat shot through her at how hard he was -- proof positive of just how much he wanted her. Scooting forward, she angled her hips and lowered herself over him in one smooth motion.
They gasped in unison at the joining, and Telyn's toes curled beneath the cloak as she reveled in the feel of him, finally deep inside her again. When she would have moved, his good hand held her still, and she watched the tic in his jaw with hungry fascination, knowing he wanted her so much he didn't trust himself to hold on.
As restless heat curled through her, Telyn broke his hold and shifted her pelvis, rolling her hips slightly as she lifted and returned, setting a rhythm that nearly rolled her eyes back in ecstasy. Nacaris swore beneath his breath and groaned, his good hand falling to her bare hip, beneath the cloak, as he tried to direct her movements.
With only one hand, his attempts were easy to resist, and Telyn continued to torment them both with her slow, rolling pace as the ache inside her built into a raging inferno of need. Then, leaning forward, she whispered against his ear, "Let me show you Paradise."
Body, heart, and soul twisted together as her pace increased, pulling him along with her into a dance as old as the flames. And when release spiraled over them, Telyn felt the explosion clear to the root of her very being and knew. At Falraec, the Firedance had nearly taken a life. Here, beneath the ominous clouds of Atarsia, she sensed that same inadvertent rite created one. And she didn't have the first clue how to go about telling Nacaris the truth.
Chapter Eleven
Telyn smiled to herself as she finished tying up her pack. Running one hand through her tawny hair, she cast a surreptitious look at Nacaris where he stood near the cavern entrance, silently surveying the rugged landscape around them. He'd been deep in thought since he awakened this morning. She wasn't worried. Nacaris was a deep thinker by nature, and sooner or later, he'd tell her what was on his mind. Whatever it was, she was certain of one thing -- it had nothing to do with last night. Telyn knew he had no regrets about what happened between them. He may have chosen to keep his thoughts to himself for the moment, but his feelings were clear. His smile, whenever he looked at her, was full of warmth, and his eyes were soft with tenderness. When she woke him shortly before dawn, his kiss was full of promises Telyn wasn't ready to accept just yet. However, his kiss alone was proof all was well between them.
She looked to the cavern's other occupants. Nevorai was calmly packing away the remnants of breakfast -- silent as always. He never spoke much to anyone besides Paduari, and right now, Paduari was deep in a searching trance. As she watched Nevorai, his head lifted and their eyes met. Uncomfortable embarrassment sent his gaze skittering away from hers even as a slight flush crawled over his face.
Telyn swallowed back a curse. He knew.
She turned her gaze away, grateful Paduari, at least, was a deep sleeper. She owed Nevorai nothing, but she would hate to be the cause of a rift between Nacaris and Paduari. Her mind painted images of the awkward situation that would have presented itself had Paduari witnessed her and Nacaris' tryst, after she'd gone to such lengths to convince him she didn't even know Nacaris. Telyn fought back a wry smile. Truth be told, she likely wouldn't have had to explain much. Paduari would probably have fainted dead away.
Pay attention to what you're doing!
Telyn startled as the harsh command echoed in her head. Looking down, she barely rescued her pack from landing squarely on a suddenly-present flicker of yellow-white light. Setting the pack safely to one side, Telyn faced the tiny Elemental with a small burst of annoyance.
"Well, if you wouldn't just blip into places without alerting me--" she began hotly, before a peal of tinkling laughter from the Salamandar cut her off.
Fair Morrow, Phoenix! Sala giggled, flaring a cheery yellow-orange. I did alert you to my arrival, but it appears you were too distracted to notice. If I were an enemy, Daughter of Ashes, you would be dead.
Telyn rolled her eyes. "Blessed Kishfa, spare me! One minute, you tell me I think too much about battle, and the next, I don't think enough. Make up your... wait a moment." Telyn frowned. "You're not supposed to be here. You're supposed to be back in Lurudan, watching the TiKani. Is it--"
Sala flicked indifferently. Jelait guards the Lurudani portal, even though you and I both know it is a wasted effort. What alters your lifeline, Phoenix, is of far more importance to us both.
Telyn sighed and shook her head. "I should have known you would know. I'd think you'd be pleased about Nacaris and I."
Sala gave a gusting sigh, flickering. You still don't understand, do you, Phoenix? After all these cycles, you still can't see Destiny's grand design even when it stares you in the face.
"What in Kishfa's name are you talking about?" Sala's propensity for cryptic statements would probably be the death of her.
Sala flared up in bold, glowing gold. I am called, and needs must return to my kindle-mate’s side. But heed my words, Phoenix: Nothing that has happened is without purpose. You were Chosen by the World Forge, and that Choosing has less to do with war, than it does with love. In a cycle's spin, when the embers sown by the winds of love have kindled anew, you will understand. It has begun, with you and Marakai Swordsinger. In time, others will accept the path you've begun to walk, as well. The Aerai Majin's legacy must be strengthened before the Culling is upon us.
<
br /> Sala disappeared, a faint smell of charred wood lingering in her wake. Telyn stared blankly at the spot the Elemental vacated for a long moment. What in the world was all that about? Sala might be given to theatrics, but her parting words had the rare ring of prophecy. With a shudder, Telyn shook her head and forced away the thought. She had no idea what it was Sala saw, thought, or even meant, but it was obviously something of great importance to the Elemental. Just what it was would have to wait until she managed to corner the little minx next.
Sighing, Telyn rose from the ground and slung her pack over her shoulder. Moving to Paduari's side, she touched his shoulder hesitantly. She didn't really want to disturb him, but she knew Reaphia would know very soon where she was. The shared blood between she and Reaphia had given both girls an unintentional bond, and if Telyn, with her meager training in Ceremonial Majik, could sense Reaphia was somewhere in the mountains above them, then she could be certain Reaphia, who had lived and breathed Ceremonial Majik from the day of her birth, would know exactly where Telyn was, if she stayed in one place long enough. It wasn't a comforting thought. Resurfacing from her thoughts, Telyn found Paduari's wizened eyes resting levelly on her, as if he could read her thoughts. That was somehow even more discomforting than knowing Reaphia could find her.
"It's time," she murmured, to cover her disquiet.
Paduari nodded, but captured her hand when she went to move away, causing her to look back at him in question. "Sehidhe is not an opponent to take lightly, Telyn. It would be foolhardy to do so. Don't let your expectations blind you."
Bittersweet regret sliced through Telyn. She wasn't fool enough to believe nothing had changed. One glance at Nacaris' injured form was enough to prove just how much the compassionate, loving child Telyn knew had changed. "I buried the girl I knew here in these mountains a lifetime ago, Paduari. I expect nothing but to stand in the presence of a stranger."
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