“Tonight, we will woo her and she will choose between us. Your queen will be wed come morning! We invite you to keep vigil and toast to our happiness. Until tomorrow!”
The crowd joined the gods in a toast, and the two men disappeared overhead while I quietly followed the guardsmen who carried Ana as they headed back into the temple.
Ana slumped back down on her bed as the people tossed beads, flowers, and feathers on her bower for luck. Once we were back inside, the men shuffled her down various passageways and into a large room I recognized. “Set her down there,” Wyea commanded, and after the men did, he dismissed them.
Shala rolled her over, repositioning her with her hands at her sides while his brother straightened her legs, his hands caressing them as he did.
My own limbs shook with the need to kill. How dare they touch her!
She slept on during that process though she moaned.
“Lawala,” one of the men said. “It is time to wake and choose. We beg you not to make us suffer any longer.”
Scrunching her face as if in pain, Ana shook her head. “No,” she whispered. “Please.”
“We must allow her to fully wake, brother. How can she pick one of us if she is not in her right mind?”
“I’ve told you before,” the other one said, his square face growing dark, “if we let her gain her full senses, she will escape. She almost left us once before when she tricked you. You’re far too soft.”
“She didn’t mean it,” his brother insisted. “Besides, you know how her words warm me. Her breath in my ear enflames my soul. She blows a kiss and it generates enough energy to summon our people here and bring new life. Ever since we heeded her call and came to this realm, I have needed to use all my power to generate heat enough for us to survive. With her bonded to us, our abilities will be limitless.”
“I’ll admit, I’ve grown weary here as well,” the other said and sighed. “I, too, long for the day when we can trust her, but we cannot. Do you not remember how she deceived us in the beginning? She promised that if we left first, forging a path, then she would follow. We’ve been waiting eons, brother, centuries, for her to join us. I will not allow her to make fools of us once again.”
“She is different this time. Can you not sense it? She loves us still. I know. Why else would she have beckoned us to this place?”
“Perhaps. Perhaps we can learn to trust her. Over time.” The brother touched Ana’s face and mine grew hot. “Very well,” he said. “We will not administer the sleeping draught tonight. She will awaken naturally within a few hours. Perhaps then she will confess her purpose in drawing us here and rouse herself enough to choose.” He looked up at his brother. “One thing is certain, Wyea, within the span of a few hours, she will be a bride.”
Bending over her, he lifted Ana’s hand to his mouth and touched his lips to it briefly. He massaged her fingers and said, “Sleep now, my dear one, and tomorrow we will sanctify the dawn by adorning our bridal chamber in the vivid hues of desire.”
I leaned back against the wall and folded my arms across my chest, livid at their audacity. Ren would have appreciated that poetic statement a lot more than I did. Then again, he might not have liked it so much if the Flaming Lord had put moves like that on Kelsey and drugged her while he was at it.
The one brother stood while the second approached Ana and smoothed back her hair, kissing her forehead. “The memories we will make, sweeting, will light a fire in Bodha such as has never seen before. If you choose me, our joining will be so powerful it will melt the blue ice that caps this lovely planet. Sleep now, while I go prepare our bower.”
After they left, I blew out a breath and shook my head. Are they kidding me? They must be pretty confident in their skills to make promises like that to a woman. Melting ice caps? Sanctifying the dawn? Unbelievable. After making sure we were alone, I knelt down next to Ana and touched the kamandal to her lips, trickling some of the mermaid’s elixir into her mouth.
Catching a bead that slowly slid down the side of her mouth, I lifted my finger and touched it to her bottom lip, making sure she got the advantage of every drop. Then, not being able to help myself, I ran my thumb across the soft flesh. What could I offer a girl like Ana? Not poetry like Ren or fantastic promises like the two clowns who just left. I opened my hands and considered them. They were big hands. Strong, but calloused and scarred by weapons and fighting.
I wasn’t gifted in matters of business or finance. Wealth and the accumulation of it didn’t matter to me. I was a soldier. A fighter. A hunter. I wasn’t the type to fawn over a girl with flowery words or romantic gestures. Of course, I’d make an effort to please, but I was what I was at heart. Even if I tried to change, I wasn’t certain it would stick. Could she love me for just me?
Ten minutes passed, and just as I was wondering if the elixir was going to work, Ana moved, stretching in a way I tried to ignore, especially when I noticed again her barely there clothing. She tucked her fist under her cheek and rolled on her side, her long lashes sweeping over her cheeks in dark half-moons. Then she began snoring softly. It made me smile.
“Ana?” I said, shaking her slightly. “Ana, it’s time to wake up.” She was obviously still groggy, but she stirred enough to recognize where she was if not who she was with.
“No!” She slapped at my hands and kicked as she struggled to get away from me.
“Ana,” I said, trying to wake her. “It’s me.”
“Stop. I won’t. You can’t force me. Never again.” Alarmed, she jerked away from me, scrambling backward, and then turning to run. Her limbs were still weak, and she stumbled back against the wall and sunk down into a heap, covering her head with her arms and crying. “Please,” she begged. “Please leave me alone.”
“Shh, shh, shh, Ana,” I said, moving slowly to her side. I didn’t touch her but held my hands out where she could see them. “They’re not here right now. It’s just you and me.” I sat down next to her, stretching out my legs. “Sohan?” she asked, her eyes still cloudy with whatever they’d given her.
“Yes, I’m here.”
She reached out and grabbed my arm, shaking it. “But you…you left me.”
“I shouldn’t have.”
“You wanted a…a break.” Weakly, she clawed her way closer.
“Do you want me to hold you?” I asked, wishing I knew her mind. When she nodded, I pulled her onto my lap and tucked her head against my neck. “I made a mistake, Ana. Can you forgive me?”
“Maybe.”
I ran my hand over her back to soothe her but quickly remembered it was bare when my fingers slid across the silken skin that teased me between locks of hair. I stopped moving then and just held her close, giving her time to wake up.
“Sohan?” she said, her voice still thick with whatever they’d given her.
“Mm hmm?” I replied, trying to ignore the feathery feeling of her lips and eyelashes tickling my neck.
“Have I told you I like how you smell?”
“What?” I laughed, my eyebrows drawing together.
“Yes. You smell like grass and trees and something…something warm like amber.”
“That’s, um…nice,” I replied.
She sighed deeply, her warm breath fanning out over my neck. “I find it very pleasing,” Ana said languidly. “Also, I like your eyes. I never know what color they’re going to be. I’ve decided it depends on your mood. When you’re angry, they’re brown as a mink’s coat. Sometimes they’re cinnamon or mahogany.” She touched the tip of my nose and giggled drunkenly. “But my favorite is when they’re a tawny sort of topaz. They sparkle then and I know it’s because you’re happy. I’ve only seen it a few times but I remember each one.”
I opened my mouth to reply, though I didn’t exactly know what to say, when the door burst open. The two brothers stormed into the room. Lifting Ana in my arms, I stood, preparing to shift us far away from the diamond temple.
“She’s gone!” one accused. “I told you we shou
ld take turns watching her.”
At first I was confused. I knew they couldn’t see me but they should be able to still see Ana. She’d look like a floating body to them. I looked down where she lay in my arms, and I found her staring at my face, her eyes a bit clearer. Gently, she cupped my cheek and I realized her body was blurred in time with mine. Whether she’d done that on her own or if it had just occurred by our proximity to one another, I didn’t know. I raised my brows, and she shook her head slightly, pushing against my chest so I’d set her down.
She twisted her fingers and I felt the fibers of the scarf envelop me. It changed me into a being that looked a lot like them but taller and much bigger. Long blond hair hung down my back and my arms and legs were bare and the skin gold. When she was satisfied with my appearance, she phased us back in their time.
“I am here, my lords,” she announced. “You have asked me to choose a mate and I have. My choice is my counterpart, my equal. He has come to fetch me and has roused me from the sleep you inflicted upon me in my mortal form.” She laid her hand against my bare chest and I placed mine on top.
Ana whispered using the power of the scarf. Threads wrapped around her, and it fashioned her a dress that sparkled with the light of a hundred stars. Stepping closer, she wrapped her arms around my waist, and I draped one across her shoulders, a sign of protection and possession.
The two men, who marveled at her power, sputtered in protest. “But…but you are Lawala born again.”
“No. I am not.” Ana shook her head sadly. “We are two of the ancients. I found you drifting among the stars and thought to offer you a new home. Sadly, you have taken advantage of my kindness and trapped me in this mortal realm. A realm where I flounder and do not belong. The one you seek did not heed my summons,” Ana said, stepping forward and offering her hand to Wyea.
He sank down at her feet. “Perhaps, she will come. You can seek out others,” he begged. “Try to find her. We implore you.”
“I am sorry,” she said. “I have brought as many as were willing and now it is time for me to leave.”
The man wrapped his arms around her legs and cried. “How can we survive without you?”
“I will gift you with the power to draw from the core of this world. There is a vast amount of heat there. More than enough to allow your people to flourish. But understand, you can never leave this realm. You will be happy here if you do not seek to expand your horizons, but if you do, I fear you will invite chaos. Because I have learned that I cannot fully trust you, I will place a guardian in your midst. He will report to me, and if I need to return, you will be removed from your position and stripped of your power. Do you understand?”
“We will find her,” Shala said. “Nothing can keep us apart. Not even an ancient.”
I stepped forward. “That is enough,” I said. “The two of you should be punished for what you have done.”
“We won’t stop looking for her,” Shala warned, a crazed light flickering in his eyes. “Even if you can’t or won’t bring more of our people, she will come of her own will. She loves us.”
“For your sake,” Ana said, “I hope you are right. But your power will wane if you misuse it. You would have to stretch your fingers into the stars to seek her, and in doing so, you will leech the warmth from your city. The trees will die and there won’t be enough food. You will destroy this haven I’ve created. Think on it seriously before you act.”
Wyea nodded but Shala stood stiffly, his hands in fists.
“Come, my lady fair,” I said. “Let them take counsel one with another. They have already taken more than you offered and deserve no further blessing at this time.”
“You are right, my love,” she said, looking up at me with hooded eyes. “But still, there is work to be done in this place.” Lifting her arm, she closed her eyes and a golden rope materialized, coiled around it in loops. “You will take this,” she said, “and hide it in the fire forest. It will be guarded closely by one of my beloved pets. You are to safeguard its location until the two of you are defeated in battle. Do you understand my instructions?”
“Yes, ancient one.” They both inclined their heads, but I saw the glint of malice still lurking behind Shala’s wide-set eyes.
“Very well. We will take leave of you now. Please,” she said after taking my hand. “Please do not squander the gift I’ve given you.”
With that, she murmured the words to the rope that would take away the time limitations for me and Ren to be men, and handed the rope to Shala. Ana then gave a flourish of her hand, and the two of us rematerialized in the fire forest a good enough distance away that we wouldn’t be immediately found. The scarf wound around us and we were soon looking more like ourselves.
“I’m sorry,” I said immediately. “I never should have left you alone.”
“It is I who should apologize,” she said.
“What happened, Ana?” I asked. “Why didn’t you tell me where you were going?”
“I left you a letter,” she stammered.
“A letter?” A realization hit me at once. Folding my arms across my chest, I said, “Ana, where did you put Kadam’s scroll?”
She snapped her fingers and a bag appeared. She dug through it and pulled out a rolled parchment, then opened it. Her face flushed and she handed it to me. “This is my letter,” she stated flatly and handed it over.
I read through it quickly. It said,
Sohan,
I understand you need time away from me. I do not blame you for this. Nor do I expect anything from you. If you choose a life separate from me, I will accept it. If, however, you return looking for me, I will stay at the stream in the forest near our home where you hunt for a week. If you do not find me during that time, I will assume you have decided to leave me. I…I will miss you, but I will not abandon my duty.
Ana
“Apparently, Kadam wanted to make sure I got it and his efforts backfired. Did you wait the full week?” I asked.
“Yes. But then I felt a change. I no longer sensed your presence.”
“I had to save Kadam,” I explained. “In doing so, I severed our bond. I didn’t mean to but he was trapped. When I asked him if we could get it back, he said it might be possible…” I trailed off. “Were you trying to finish the list without me?”
“Not exactly.” She kicked her boot in the grass. “I…I was foolish,” Ana said, then looked away from me. “I was seeking a connection and the pull brought me here.”
“A connection?” I asked. “What do you mean?”
“What I mean is…” She wrung her hands and paced away and then came back. “I was searching for a…for a companion.”
“A compa… Oh. I see. This is my fault, Ana. This is more than just about duty, isn’t it? You thought I was abandoning not only our work but you as well.”
“Yes…no. I mean, not exactly.”
“No, this is on me. I screwed up everything.”
“What are you saying?” she asked as she summoned an animal.
I slapped a hand against the back of my neck as she did and explained everything that happened with Kadam. Her eyes grew wide, and she held up a finger as she bent down to the snake and the goat-like creature. “Will you serve?” she asked them.
They must have agreed because she smiled and soon a chimera stood before me. The animal dug her head into my gut and sniffed loudly. “Uh, yeah, can you make it so she’s attracted to Ren and not me?” I asked.
Ana laughed while the beast snorted, blowing hot breath over my legs.
“No, I’m serious,” I said, trotting behind her as she started walking off. The chimera followed behind me, nipping my heels. “This one has a thing for tigers.”
“Don’t we all,” she muttered under her breath.
“What was that?” I asked.
“Nothing.” Ana patted her thigh and the beast leapt over to the goddess, her snake tail wagging. “Will you guard the Rope of Fire?” she asked the reptilian cat creature. The ani
mal gave me a sad sort of whine and then huffed and trotted off through the trees.
“You know we’re doing this out of order, right?”
“I know. I didn’t expect to come here. In fact, I wasn’t trying to create Bodha at all.”
“You weren’t?” I frowned. “Then what were you doing?”
“Like I said. I was trying to find a companion.”
“And you ended up with the Flaming Lords?”
“They are the Lords of the Flame.”
“Yeah, whatever. Considering that they drugged you, and you still haven’t explained how that happened, by the way, and almost forced you into marrying one of them, you were certainly lenient with them.”
Ana shrugged. “They did not mean to harm me. Not truly.”
“Uh, yeah, they did. I know them a little bit better than you do. They did something similar to Kelsey. They—”
“You don’t know them, Sohan. Not really. They are not human like us. The way they do things is different. They were born of stars. They aren’t used to being confined to the human bodies I’ve given them.”
“Even now they aren’t exactly human.”
“No. They once lived in crystal cities. They were beautiful; their bodies shone as bright as the stars. The place where they were born was destroyed and they were cast into the darkness of space. The one they loved stayed behind to make certain everyone escaped but I fear she is lost. Perhaps one day they will find her. I do not, however, hold out hope as they do.”
“Fine, but that’s no excuse to kidnap women.”
“No, you are right. But in their hearts, they do not wish to harm.”
I folded my arms across my chest and leaned against a fire tree. “Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“Then why were you scrambling away when you thought I was them? Why were you begging them to stop?”
Tiger's Dream (Tiger's Curse Book 5) Page 50