"Sleeping." It was sort of true.
"Phemar walks the ship like nothing happened."
"Goody for him."
Fredrico slouched back comfortably in his chair. "Recovering all right, are you?"
"We’re doing okay." Sinya ran one finger across his thin mustache. "How far away from this man are we?"
"We’re getting nearer."
"I want this finished, Fredrico. I’m tired of all this secrecy."
Picking up a mug of ale, Fredrico took a tentative sip. His gaze was intent, searching. "I hope you can handle what you may come up against."
"And what would you know of that?"
"Fear can cause loyalties to change camp."
"I’m loyal to Wes, Fredrico. Unlike you, my family is everything to me."
A small, ironic smile crossed Fredrico’s face.
"I’ll not betray my brother or my friends for anything, Fredrico."
"Your loyalty has cost you friends before."
"If you’re talking about the Reeka Warrior Women, yes, it has. But I still don’t regret it. My family first."
"You should never have crew for family, Sinya. It weakens you, makes you susceptible to those who prey upon the weak."
"I’m not weak, Fredrico. Nor is my crew. Try anything funny, and I’ll have no hesitation in blowing you out of the sky."
The pirate laughed. "That I don’t doubt." Someone caught his attention, and he looked away. Nodding several times, he turned back to the screen. "Well, Sinya, it’s been lovely having this little chat, but duty calls. I’ll check in on you later."
The screen went black, and Sinya frowned. Rubbing his eyes tiredly, he decided to check Beulah one last time, then turn in for the night--weariness rode him hard.
Beulah hovered above the bed, exactly where he’d left her hours before.
Standing beside her, he gazed down at her still face and sighed.
"God, Beulah, I have no idea what to do. Do you need help? Are you lost?" Reaching out, he laid his hand just above the yellow glow, feeling the barrier. "Are you even in there?"
There was no answer, and he sighed again, thrusting his hands in his pockets. A lump came into his throat as he stood there. What if she was lost? What if she never came back? It wasn’t just Wes he would have lost, but Beulah, too. She was coming to mean more to him than just as his brother’s savior.
Standing there in the silence of the cabin, Sinya still shied away from a truth he didn’t want to face. It was ludicrous to feel anything. He’d only met her days earlier. He’d seen things while with her that should have scared him away from her well and truly.
So why did he fear more for her, than have fear of her?
Because she was good, and kind, and humorous. And she gave selflessly, without fear of her own life.
"Bloody hell," he said softly.
He couldn’t think about this now. There were other things at stake. Wes’s life. Wes was his family, the only family he had. His crew were like family, but Wes was his blood family. His little brother. He’d cared for him, reared him, watched him suffer. Now he had to save him, and bring him peace. Beulah was the key to it.
He didn’t want to know what else she had the key to--now was neither the time nor place. He couldn’t afford to have ideas about anything else except saving Wes. Later, maybe... If any of them made it.
Shaking his head, he turned and left the cabin.
~ * ~
Floating in a spiritual sea of foam, Beulah allowed herself to be towed under it. Entities, warm and pulsing with life, surged around her, brushing up against her with comforting familiarity.
::Little witch, you must be careful.::
::Sire, I didn’t know I’d be facing such things.::
::You’re in dangerous territory, little witch. You’re walking a dangerous path, but it is one that must be taken, for the sake of the boy.::
::I know, Sire. I go gladly. But I fear sometimes...::
::Fear what?::
::That I will fail.::
::Have you failed yet?::
::No.::
::Then do not think about failure. You have beaten the odds so far.::
::The demons came, Sire. I felt them. It is not right to fight with demons.::
Cool hands smoothed over her brow. ::The demons came to assist the evil one, Phemar. They had nothing to do with you, Beulah.::
Hands touched her, many hands, and tendrils swirled around her, wrapping her in comfort and healing.
::You may discover things, little witch, that will be disturbing. Do not ever falter and change the course of your path through fear. Do you understand?::
::Yes, Sire.::
::You will come to understand things that will scare you, but remember your duty.::
::Yes, Sire.::
::Do not be afraid of what you may discover.::
::I won’t, Sire.::
::Have faith in all you do, little witch.::
::Yes, Sire.::
The Acceli’s hand brushed over her hair, and she sank once more beneath the spiritual pools of healing.
The burns that scorched her spiritual body healed, the gaping wounds closing over. Pain fled, and soothing coolness filled her.
She drifted in a pool of contentment.
Petras pressed against her. ::Beulah, I have missed you so.::
::As I have you, my pet.::
::I don’t want you to go yet.::
::I must. There are things still to do.::
::I wish I could go with you.::
::I’m glad you’re safe here, Petras. It’s my comfort to know you are safe.::
She held Petras to her for a long time, until her healing was complete, and she felt the summonsing of her body. A summonsing, and a yearning that had never before been there. Releasing Petras, she slid from the spiritual pool, and floated free.
Ten
Yawning, Sinya pulled on his pants, stamped on his boots, and yanked his shirt on. He only fastened the bottom three buttons, leaving it to hang open over his abdomen and chest. Splashing water on his face, he peered into the mirror above the sink and grimaced. Worry lines bracketed his eyes and the corners of his mouth.
"Sinya, at twenty-seven years of age, you are too young to be looking so old," he muttered.
Fastening his hair at the nape of his neck, he left the cabin without bothering to make his bed. The cover dragged on the floor on one side, a pillow was tossed in a corner of the cabin. Testament to another night’s restless sleep.
For three days he’d visited Beulah’s cabin, and each time he’d found her floating motionless above her bunk. Not once did her eyes open, not once did those still lips smile. It hurt.
He didn’t expect any different this time. Opening the door, he glanced in--and froze.
Beulah was gone.
Frantically he dashed into the cabin, looking around him. No one stood anywhere inside. The bathroom was damp, the smell of night blossoms strong. With a suddenly shaking hand, he reached out to touch the soap on the soap holder. It was wet. The towel hanging beside the glass wall was damp.
She’s awake!
The thought sent him running from the cabin. The other sleeping cabins were empty, and he remembered that most of the crew would be breaking the fast.
He ran down the stairs, jumping the last four and hitting the floor running. Careening around the wall of the dining cabin, he skidded to a halt and stared.
Seated at the table, in her usual place at the end, was Beulah. Dressed in a clean gown, long hair pulled back from her face to fall in a white, thick curtain to her waist, she was calmly eating an apricot and nodding at something that Drake said to her.
All conversation around the table died as the men became aware of his presence, but Sinya’s eyes were only for Beulah.
Turning partly around on the stool, she looked up at him and smiled widely. Her dark eyes sparkled with pleasure. "Good morn, Sinya."
In three long strides he was at the table. Sweeping her up of
f the stool and into his arms, he hugged her fiercely to him. Breathing in the scent of night blossoms that surrounded her, he closed his eyes and reveled in the feel of her, alive and warm, in his arms. The emotions that rioted through him were indescribable--happiness, relief, joy, other things he couldn’t begin to even imagine. All he knew was that he felt as though he’d just been given back one of the dearest things he’d thought he’d lost. The lump was back in his throat.
"Thank God," he whispered shakily. "You’re okay."
Her arms crept around him, and she hugged him back. "Of course. Did you really think I’d leave you?"
He just hugged her tighter.
She laughed softly, and it vibrated through him, spreading her happiness inside him, and washing away the fear and worry he’d had about her.
He breathed in deeply, sucking her scent deep inside his lungs. He kissed the soft hair brushing his cheek, hugged her again, one last kiss on her cheek as he slid her down his body to stand on her own feet again. He kept his hands at her waist, unwilling to release her.
Her cheeks were pink, but her eyes sparkled with laughter.
Over her head, Sinya saw that his crew were staring at him as though he’d suddenly sprouted two heads.
"Uh..." Ephim coughed.
"Well, hell," Ralfis said.
Drake didn’t say anything, but his expression was stunned.
"Right," said Franc. "Yes, well..."
Sinya didn’t care what they thought right then. He turned his attention back to Beulah. "I thought I’d lost you, too."
"I’m not that easy to lose, Sinya." She patted his chest teasingly, her palm warm on his skin.
He couldn’t help it. He pulled her against him again, laying his cheek against the top of her head. "Don’t you ever do that to me again."
"Time to go," Franc announced. "Come on, you lot of gawking bastards. Out of here!"
"I want to watch," someone said, laughter in their voice.
"Just move it, before I have Ralfis beat out what little brains you have left."
Sinya didn’t bother to even watch his friends leave.
After several more seconds, he reluctantly lifted his head. Moving back a step, he cupped her cheeks in gentle hands and looked down into her face. "I was so afraid you’d gone for good."
"I was safe, Sinya." Reaching up, she placed her palm atop his hand. "The Accelis took me home to heal."
"Your spirit was hurt?" His gut clenched tight at the thought.
"Nothing to worry about--"
"Enough for the Acceli healers to take you."
"I’m fine now."
Turning his hand, he caught her smaller one in his, and raised it to his lips. Brushing a kiss across her knuckles, he whispered, "You could have died out there."
"But I didn’t."
Remembering the huge fireball, and the blast, Sinya shook his head. "How could you have possibly lived through that?"
"Sometimes you just have to have faith."
"Faith in what?"
"Yourself. What you’re doing."
Now that he knew she was safe, Sinya wanted answers. Steering her back to the table, he sat her down and then took the stool directly opposite her. "Tell me what happened."
"There’s not a lot to say--"
He gave her an incredulous look, and she laughed.
"Beulah, I saw that fireball. I saw you out in space, with Phemar, and I saw you defeat the monster. There’s more to it than ‘not a lot to say’!"
"Well, you saw most of it."
Leaning his elbows on the table, Sinya looked at her steadily. "What happened?"
Picking up the discarded apricot, Beulah took a bite and chewed thoughtfully.
Sinya’s gaze was drawn to the movement of her lips, the shininess of the juice upon them, and felt a stirring in his loins. God above, man, this is no time to be side-tracked! Forcing his gaze upward, he concentrated on Beulah’s eyes.
Swallowing the sweet morsel in her mouth, Beulah said, "I felt that something was amiss in the spiritual plane, so I decided to have a look--"
"I sent you to your cabin," Sinya interrupted. "You left it?"
"No, I astral traveled."
"But your physical body was out there." He nodded at the porthole in the far wall.
"At first I went astral traveling."
"Okay."
"I saw the fireball coming, and I knew straight away that it was Hortra--"
"Hortra?" Anger blazed through Sinya. "I should have guessed it was that bastard!"
"I knew I had to stop him somehow. His power is awesome. He was coming for the kill, you know."
"Kind of hard not to mistake that."
"I was trying to strengthen the barrier around the ship, and that’s when Phemar appeared."
"He spirit travels, too? I should have guessed."
"He appeared beside me, and said we needed to fight Hortra together if we were to defeat him this time. I knew he spoke the truth. I was all prepared to start, when I suddenly realized that I was actually out there in my body."
Sinya noted the slight frown between her arched brows. "In space?"
"Yes."
"You’ve never been able to levitate or anything before?"
"No."
"So going out in your body is not something you normally do?"
She gave him a strange look. "I’ve never shifted my body from one place to another. Ever. My spirit can travel, but my body is physical."
Not sure what to say to that, Sinya remained quiet.
"Anyway, as I said, I suddenly realized I was out in space in my physical body. Phemar was beside me, and he, too, was in his physical body, but he wasn’t shocked or anything. He’s obviously done this before. Then I didn’t have time to wonder anymore, for Hortra was there. The only thing between him and the ships, was Phemar and I."
The memory was one Sinya would never forget. He still felt sick when he thought about it.
"Hortra’s strength is tremendous. We tried to hold him back, but knew it would take time we didn’t have. The only thing we could do, before he destroyed the ships, was to join our powers and overcome him as fast as we could. So we joined hands..." She flinched slightly, as though at the memory of the rotten flesh in her hand. "We concentrated on encompassing Hortra’s spirit in a spiritual net. It was Phemar’s idea to make it small enough to squash the dark force Hortra carries inside him. We were winning until Phemar suddenly faltered."
"What made him falter?" Sinya remembered the incident.
"I don’t know. All I know is that the net was weakening, and I was trying to hold Hortra inside. Then suddenly there was a presence beside us. The Beast."
"It looked demonic." Sinya watched her closely, wondering if she recognized what it was.
"Yes." She looked at him steadily. "It was a demon. The Beast."
"Phemar is playing with dark forces."
"Very dark." She sighed. "It assisted Phemar in getting his strength back. Between the three of us, we defeated Hortra, sent him back to his body."
"There’s been no sign of him since then. That was three days ago, you know."
"It’ll take him awhile to rejuvenate his spirit. We literally tore him apart." She made a small moue of distaste.
The expression was so unusual for her, so cute, in fact, that Sinya laughed out loud.
She raised one brow at him.
"Never mind." Grinning, he waved his hand. "I take it that the Accelis took your spirit after the explosion?"
"I awoke to find myself in their care. It’s always like that."
"Your spirit finds them somehow?"
"Yes."
"How?"
She shook her head. "I don’t really know. I just wake up in their care." She glanced at him. "There are many entities in the spirit planes. I have friends there."
"If you have friends--"
"I know what you’re going to say, Sinya, and the answer is no. They won’t interfere in the matter of Wes and Hortra. It is not
in their nature, not their way. Not their business. You know this."
"I know, I know." Sighing, Sinya leaned forward on his elbows.
Popping the last of the apricot into her mouth, Beulah gazed thoughtfully at him.
His gaze drifted once more to her lips, watching them close over her fingers as, one by one, she sucked the juice off them. An answering tug in his genitals made him shift on the stool.
"Are you all right?" She raised one brow at him.
"Yes." No.
"You don’t look comfortable."
You have no idea. "I’m fine."
"If there’s something on your mind..."
If you only knew.
Stretching out her arm, she placed one hand atop his. "Sinya, you can ask me anything. You know that."
Can I make love to you? Right here? Right now? On the table? He sucked in a deep breath and would have stood up, but his pants were uncomfortably tight in the crotch. And higher. His staff was doing a lot more than stirring. It was stretching eagerly for his waistband. How can I possibly be thinking of sex at a time like this? Get a grip, man!
"Sinya?" Disturbed, she stood up and leaned over the table, her gaze searching his.
Her actions drew his gaze to her breasts pushing against the bodice of her gown, and his mouth literally watered. Now is not the time! Damn it, not now! He closed his eyes.
Reaching out with one hand, she touched his jaw. "Are you in pain? Are you..." She faltered to a stop when he opened his eyes.
Obviously he was doing a lousy job of hiding his attraction to her. Attraction? Hells bells, I’m starting to burn in my pants.
Her eyes widened at the heat he knew was reflected in his eyes. Those soft lips parted in surprise, and her tongue darted out to nervously moisten her lips.
That was his undoing. He needed to taste her. Now. Needed to touch her, hold her, assure himself she was all right.
In one swift movement, he pushed to his feet, leaned forward, slid one hand behind her neck to prevent her from pulling back, and covered her mouth with his.
Her open lips made entrance easy, and Sinya swept his tongue inside her. Immediately the taste of her flooded him, the sweet honeyed depth bewitching him, making him drink her in. He licked at her, drank from her, molded his lips to hers. Heat speared through him, his veins sizzling as liquid fire surged through him. His staff throbbed almost urgently against the confines of his pants, blood pumping him hard.
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