Tani's Destiny (Hearts of ICARUS Book 2)

by Laura Jo Phillips

  A sound of fluttering wings had Tani looking up toward the doorway in time to see Wily fly in. Now that he could fly, albeit somewhat clumsily, he’d been spending a lot of time with Dirk and the other children, though he never stayed out of Tani’s sight for too long.

  “Hungry, are you?” she asked, holding up one hand for him to land on. Wily did a little loop in the air, then landed on her hand.

  Steel frowned when he noticed that Tani was just sitting there, staring at Wily with an odd expression on her face. “Tani?” Nothing. He reached over and placed one hand on her knee. “Tani, what’s the matter?” he asked a bit more urgently.

  Tani blinked, looked blankly at Wily, then him for just a moment, then gasped in surprise. “I remember,” she said.

  “Remember what?” Steel asked as Wily started mewling at her. She set Wily down on the floor next to a dish of food she’d prepared for him, her mind racing with all of the memories that had suddenly just blossomed into her mind.

  “When Wily’s egg hatched, was there a light…a sparkling light?”

  “Yes,” Steel replied, frowning. “Now that you mention it, there was. It startled me, but then I forgot about it. How did that happen?”

  “While I was unconscious, after Wily bit me, I had a dream that wasn’t really a dream at all. I spoke with a dragon named Magda.”

  “You spoke with a dragon?” he asked doubtfully.

  “Please don’t tell me that you believe only humans and humanoids are intelligent,” she said.

  “No, of course not,” Steel replied. “We were enslaved by the Xanti, remember? It just sounded strange I guess. What did the dragon say to you?”

  “A lot of things, though now that I think about it, there were a few things she left out, too.” She frowned at that.

  “Maybe you could just tell me the stuff she didn’t leave out,” Steel said, his mouth twitching.

  She arched a brow at him. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re funny?”

  “No, they haven’t,” he said, smirking. “Must be a new talent that you alone inspire.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure that’s it,” she said dryly.

  “I apologize, Khalute,” he said with a deep nod. “I will be quiet and listen politely while you tell me about this dragon.”

  “Thank you,” she said, then smiled to let him know she was just playing. The sparkle in his eyes told her that he was, too. “To begin with, this planet was once home to dragons. All different sorts of dragons, all intelligent and all magical. They lived together, different types of dragons in the same community, all over the planet. In fact, these caves were home to Magda, her family, and their community. Then the Xanti came, found the metal they’d been searching for, and killed everyone and everything on the planet. Except for three dragons, and one egg.”

  As Tani told Steel the story of the dragons of Garza, and what the Xanti did to them, Wily listened, nodding occasionally, indicating to Tani that he had some sort of memory or knowledge of the events. When she was finished, they sat in silence for a while as Steel absorbed all that she’d told him.

  “Tani, does all of that mean that we’re supposed to be dragons?” Steel asked.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe, maybe not. All I know for sure is that whatever it is I’m supposed to do will finish the transformation of the Khun that was begun four and a half centuries ago. I suspect that the women will be more complete, so that their alter forms don’t make them weaker instead of stronger as they should. And I also suspect that you’ll be able to restore Garza to what it once was.”

  “Which was what?”

  “Before the Xanti came, this was a beautiful world,” Tani said. “There were oceans and rivers, forests and plains. The earth was red, as it is now, but it wasn’t dead. It was filled with life, just as the planet itself was filled with life. The last thing the dragons did before they were all destroyed was to hide everything. They sent the water underground to keep it from being contaminated, and they gathered all the seeds of life, protected them with magic, and buried them deep, using more magic to lock them away and preserve them. It’s all there, just waiting to be…reborn.”

  “How do we bring it back, Tani?”

  “I don’t know,” Tani said. “Yet.”

  “Yet?”

  “Magda said that when the time was right, I’d know what needed to be done. I learned why it is I can heal now, too.”

  “Which is why?”

  “When I agreed to finish her work, Magda said she was giving me a gift of understanding.” She reached up to touch the dragon pendant. “It’s because of Riata.”

  “Who is Riata?”

  “Riata was an Alverian Empath Healer,” Tani said. “She did much good for the Jasani, and will be forever remembered, but she was also a good friend to my parents. She died on the day my sisters and I were born, so my mother wanted to name me after her, but my Dads objected. They believe that it’s bad luck to name a child after someone who’s recently passed to the next plane.”

  “We hold with that belief ourselves,” Steel said. “So, your mother named you Tanjelia instead. Does that have a meaning?”

  “Yes, it means angel,” Tani said. “It was as close to naming me for Riata as Mom could get.”

  “I don’t understand that.”

  “It’s a long story, but the short of it is that, without Riata’s aid, my Mom would have either died or been enslaved by the Xanti. There’s no telling what would have happened to me and my sisters. Riata did a lot of really good things for a lot of people besides being a healer who saved uncounted lives.”

  “What does all of that have to do with you being able to heal?” Steel asked.

  “This pendant I wear was a gift from Riata, given to my mother to hold until my twenty-first birthday, which was just a few weeks ago. It has a tiny well inside of it that holds the ashes of one of Riata’s feathers. Magda told me that it strengthened what was already a part of me, so I must have already had some healing talent. Maybe that’s why I enjoyed working and learning from Doc and Aunt Darlene so much when I was younger. I suppose the dracon inside of me was strengthened by the pendant too, which would explain why I suddenly started to sense her.”

  “Do you have to wear the necklace in order to be able to heal?”

  “No, I don’t,” Tani said. “When I healed Astra, I remember that it felt a little warm, but I thought it was my imagination. When I healed Naran, it got so hot I thought it might burn me. But when I was working on Dirk, it didn’t get warm at all. I remember now that Magda told me that its work was finished, and since I healed Dirk without it getting warm, I believe it.”

  “Have you any idea when you’ll be able to finish what the dragon’s magic began with the Khun?”

  “No, I don’t,” Tani said. “I’m sorry, Steel.”

  “That’s all right,” Steel said, setting his plate aside and reaching for her. “It’s enough to know that something good will happen, though I think we should keep this to ourselves for now. I don’t want to get people’s hopes up when we have no idea what will happen, or when.”

  Tani settled herself on Steel’s lap and ran her fingers along his thick braid. “Agreed,” she said. “Now tell me, Ganzorig Khaan, why do you wear a top knot, and none of the other Khun do?”

  “Because I am King, and the others are not,” he said. “Do you object to it?”

  “Oh no, not at all,” Tani said. “It makes you look exotic.”

  “And exotic is good?” he asked, his voice deepening as his hands traveled up and down her back, stroking her lightly.

  “It is,” Tani said. “Of course, erotic is better, but a girl takes what she can get.” Steel chuckled softly as he tightened his arms around her and stood up, an amazing demonstration of his sheer strength.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “You’ll see,” he said as he crossed the living area of his cave and entered another cave through an entrance at the back that was just as large. Tani
had seen his sleeping chamber before, just once, when he’d showed her around on an earlier visit. But this chamber looked nothing at all like the one she’d seen before.

  The walls were covered with heavy draperies in a deep dark blue that matched the night sky. The floor was covered with thick blue carpeting that looked so soft she itched to sink her feet into it. The bed itself was round, enormous, and covered in rich navy velvet with lighter blue pillows and sheets. Round globes that hung from the ceiling provided soft, gently flickering light that did a good job of imitating candles. One corner was sectioned off for the bathroom and Tani wondered if he’d made changes there, as well.

  “Where did all of this come from?” she asked.

  “My parents purchased all of this, and other items, over a period of a few years in preparation for my brother’s marriage,” he said.

  “He was married?”

  “No,” Steel said. “He hadn’t even found a woman he wanted to marry, yet. They were just being…prepared. It’s all been in storage, unopened, unused, going to waste. I decided that you were the perfect reason to drag it out and put it to use.”

  “You did, did you?” she asked archly as he set her on her feet. She kicked off her shoes, pulled off her socks, and sighed at the feel of the thick carpet sinking beneath her feet.

  “You like that,” he said.

  “Absolutely,” she replied. “It feels delicious against my bare feet. I haven’t felt anything this soft in I don’t know how long. Maybe ever.”

  Steel smiled as he went down on his knees in front of her. “I’m not sure I can believe that,” he said, placing his hands at her waist, then running them down over her hips.

  “Why not?” she asked a little breathlessly when he reached for the zipper on her pants and began to lower it very slowly.

  “Because I’ve felt your skin,” he said, leaning forward to kiss the narrow expanse of her stomach that he’d just bared. “There’s nothing softer in all the Thousand Worlds, I’m certain of it.”

  “Now, that’s just not true,” Tani whispered as he began tugging her pants down her legs. When they reached the floor he held up one hand, and she took it, bracing herself as she raised one foot out of the fabric, then the other. He tossed the pants aside, then reached for the band of her panties and ran his fingers lightly along the seam where the elastic met her skin.

  “Are you calling me a liar, Princess Tanjelia?” he asked, slipping his fingertips beneath the elastic.

  “I am, indeed, Ganzorig Khaan,” she replied, her voice trembling. “Your lips are far, far softer than my skin.”

  He lowered her panties slowly, kissing the soft mound of red gold curls before helping her step out of them. “I don’t think I can agree with that,” he said in a deep, husky voice that caused her skin to pebble.

  “If they weren’t, they wouldn’t feel so soft against my skin,” she said, then gasped when he slid one hand between her thighs and stroked her lightly.

  “You’re so wet for me, Khalute,” he said, withdrawing his fingers. Then he placed them in his mouth and sucked them clean. “And so sweet.”

  Tani’s knees buckled, but Steel caught her before she could fall. He rose to his feet and set her on the edge of the bed, then began taking off his clothes. Tani removed her own top and bra while watching as he bared his golden, muscular body. He was so beautiful that she couldn’t stop staring at him.

  “I can’t quite decide what I like best,” she said. “The way you look, the way you sound, or the way you smell.”

  “The way I smell?” he asked, arching a brow at her as he tossed his shirt aside and moved to stand in front of her, his hard cock so heavy that it pointed down at her, swaying as he moved.

  “Oh, yes,” she said, reaching out to caress the hard muscles of his thighs, her eyes glued to the throbbing temptation of his erection. “From that first morning when I woke up on the Stray I’ve had to fight the urge to wrap myself around you so I could just breathe you in.”

  “That’s interesting,” Steel said, his voice rough as he reached down to stroke his aching shaft. The way her eyes followed his hand as it moved from the base of his cock to the tip, then back again, made him groan.

  “Interesting?” she asked in a whisper that blew warm air over the head of his cock and sent a shiver up his spine. A hot, erotic fantasy flashed through his mind, forcing him to lock his knees and squeeze his eyes shut to hold back his orgasm.

  “What was that?” she asked. He shook his head. If he tried to tell her, he’d come. She studied him for a long moment. “Do it,” she whispered.

  His eyes widened as he looked down at her in surprise. Her cheeks were flushed with desire, her eyes heavy lidded, her mouth open just enough for him to see the tip of her little pink tongue. She leaned forward and pursed her lips, then blew hot air over the head of his cock, reminding him of his fantasy. Steel groaned again, but didn’t take his eyes off of her. She couldn’t really know what he was thinking, could she?

  “Please, Steel,” she said, her voice hoarse with a need that matched his own. “Do it.”

  He searched her eyes for a moment, uncertain. Then she leaned forward and licked the head of his cock with a long, hot swipe of her tongue, and his body gave in before his mind could stop it. He began stroking himself with purpose, squeezing on the upstroke, his eyes fixed on Tani as he masturbated inches from her face. When his strokes grew faster and harder she opened her mouth and offered him her tongue, erasing any lingering doubts he had about her knowing what he wanted. His hips arched, the head of his cock touched the hot tongue on display for him, just as he’d fantasized, and his pleasure intensified. Tani’s hands went to his hips and she hung on tightly as his cock slapped against her tongue and lips with every stroke, faster and faster. The sight of her sweet face tilted up, mouth open wide and waiting for his come, was the most purely erotic sight he’d ever seen. He shouted as his orgasm exploded within him, refusing to let his eyes close as he aimed his cock into her hot little mouth and filled it with come. The sight of her lips and tongue covered in his seed was so hot, and so exciting, that his entire body shuddered hard, causing him to shove the head of his cock into her mouth. She immediately closed her lips around it and sucked while he continued to stroke himself until he’d given her all he had. She released him, then lapped at his cock with long, gentle strokes of her tongue, easing him down from his orgasm.

  When she looked up at him and licked lips that were red and swollen from his cock, he immediately began to harden again. He picked her up so suddenly that her eyes widened in surprise, then closed as his mouth came down on hers. He thrust his tongue deep into her mouth, tasting himself, which hardened him even more. He lifted his mouth from hers and stared into her eyes. “I love the way your mouth looks and tastes right now,” he said.

  “What do you mean?” Tani asked breathlessly as he settled into place between her legs.

  “Red and swollen from my cock, and tasting of my come,” he said, then smiled when her eyes closed and her back arched in response, pressing her wet heat against him in a silent plea. “Every time I look at you, I’ll remember you kneeling before me, your mouth open wide and waiting for my come.” he whispered, a thrill of excitement racing through him at the thought.

  Tani shuddered uncontrollably and he smiled again, pleased that her reaction matched his own. Her eyes opened when he reached down between them and guided himself into her. She was so hot and so ready that it was easier for both of them when he pushed into her tight channel, stretching her in one long, slow thrust until he could feel the tip of his cock pressed against her womb, filling her completely. He paused to give her a moment, but she wasn’t having that. She lifted her legs, hooked them around his hips, and arched her back, needing more.

  He immediately withdrew, then plunged in again, sensing that she needed it hard and fast this time and determined to give her anything and everything she wanted or needed. He pounded into her, surprised to realize that he had to hold back
his own orgasm after the one he’d already had. But the feel of her delicate muscles squeezing his shaft, the smell of her desire as it flowed around him, the sound of her soft whimpers as she strained toward her own climax, had him at the edge and fighting not to fall over. If he came before her, he didn’t think he’d be able to forgive himself.

  Tani’s head twisted side to side on the bed, her whimpers growing more desperate by the moment. He reached down between them, found the hard nub of her clit, and rubbed it gently between his fingers. Her body tensed and strained, but it wasn’t enough. He grasped it more tightly and she shuddered. He smiled, pinched it harder and gave it a tug. Tani threw her head back, her pussy tightening around his cock so hard when she climaxed that for a moment, he couldn’t move. He increased the pressure on her clit, intensifying her orgasm. She screamed and his voice joined hers as he came, instinctively pushing his cock as deeply as he could before giving her his seed.

  Their orgasms eased, but neither of them moved as they continued to pant for another minute or so. As much as he wanted to remain connected to Tani, he forced himself to withdraw and roll to his side so that he didn’t crush her with his weight. She rolled with him, settling her head on his chest and snuggling against his side. He brushed his fingers along her shoulders, then rubbed the thick, silky strands of her red gold hair between his fingers. He’d come to love her short, wayward hair. It suited her somehow.

  “That was intense,” she said after a few minutes, raising her head to look at him as she spoke, a tiny smile on her lips.

  “Deliciously so,” he agreed after making certain that there was no indication of regret in her eyes or body.

  “I had no idea,” she said.

  “No idea of what?”

  “No idea that I had a submissive streak,” she said. He smiled. She was a very private person with most people, but with him, and herself, she was straightforward and surprisingly honest.