by Joy Nash
He ignored the agony. With his last scrap of reason, he anchored his will in the heart of the webstone and called forth the golden strands.
He pulled them taut, trading sanity for power. The skewed lines twisted and turned, resisting, sending sharp vibrations through his brain. He wrenched the web forward. He could see the path inside, a pulsing tunnel of light. With a final, desperate thrust, he dropped it over Gina. Go!
She spun around and reached for him through the glittering strands. “No! I won’t leave you!”
Balek’s mind slammed into Derrin like a fist. The tunnel wavered. Gina, go! Madness swirled into his vision. He wouldn’t be able to hold the passage open much longer. Go now!
Gina’s hand dropped. She nodded, tears streaming down her face. Her image wavered in the golden light.
The next instant, she was gone.
* * * * *
Pain, coupled with an unnatural silence, lifted Gina into consciousness. She lay face down on a surface she couldn’t identify. Flat. Hard, but covered with a thick layer of a softer material. A dusty, stale scent hung in the still air.
She pushed to a sitting position and opened her eyes. A perfectly flat, perfectly blank wall came into focus.
Oh, God. She was home.
She lurched to her feet, then bent double over the arm of her sofa and willed the room to stop spinning. When it did, she staggered into the kitchen. The porch light glared through the window above the sink. The clock on the microwave blinked red. 3:23 a.m.
How could I have left him?
A wave of nausea broke hard. She stumbled to the sink and retched, reaching for the faucet with a shaking hand. The shock of cold water on her face cleared her head. After a moment she felt strong enough to climb the stairs to her bedroom.
Everything was just as she’d left it—how long ago? She forced herself to calculate. One month. It seemed like a lifetime. If not for her clothing and the tangled braids falling over one shoulder, she might have thought it a dream. The scent of woodsmoke clung to her, recalling clan fires rising to the stars.
She stripped off her clothes and unraveled her braids, as if removing all traces of her crossing would erase the pain in her heart. She dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, then sank onto the bed.
She tried not to think about Derrin. She couldn’t bear to remember his gray eyes sparking with laughter or his mouth hot on her bare skin. She didn’t have the strength to examine Balek’s final attack and the desperate voice in her mind that had ordered her across the web. Most of all, she didn’t want to wonder what had happened to him after she’d gone.
But unwanted images battered her mind with savage clarity and would not fade. Giving up the fight, she curled up in a ball and sobbed herself into an exhausted sleep.
Some time later, a car alarm shattered her fitful slumber. Sunlight streamed through the window and ran across her legs, illuminating swirls of dust motes. Hunger throbbed in her gut, reminding her that, despite not caring, she was still alive.
She located some crackers and peanut butter, but couldn’t manage to force much down her throat. She fingered Derrin’s wildflower carving and his silver-gray crystal. She squeezed her eyes shut, but a tear escaped anyway.
She missed him with a ferocity that gnawed a hole through her chest and choked her every breath. Had he defeated Balek and destroyed the webstone? She refused to consider the alternative.
She dumped her uneaten meal in the trash and retreated to the shower, blasting the water as hot as she could stand. A bitter laugh escaped her. How many times in the last month had she wished for a hot shower? She let the last traces of dirt melt from her body, then dried herself with a towel.
The white cloth came away from her body carrying an angry red streak. With a shaking hand, Gina touched the thin stream of blood trickling down the inside of her thigh.
Overwhelming loss shook her to the core. She hadn’t until that moment realized how much she’d hoped a part of Derrin was living inside her. She dropped the towel and sank to her knees, sobs racking her body.
Now, irrevocably, every trace of him was gone.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Danat retched into the chamberpot, but her stomach had given up its contents long ago and the act brought little relief. She reached for a cloth and wiped her face. The ache in her heart rose into her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut. She would not cry.
The scent of woodsmoke lingered in the cold hearth, and dim light filtered through the wooden slats of the single window. Dawn. She’d waited all night for Ariek, but he hadn’t come. Had he spent the hours with Beltha?
She moved gingerly to the bed, thankful the ground didn’t lurch under her feet. A tear trickled down her cheek. She couldn’t deny the intimacy between Ariek and the stunning woman. She was sure they were lovers.
He’d brought her to a whorehouse. Why?
Because that’s what you are. A whore.
She buried her face in her hands. What did she know of Ariek, really? He’d told her of the Hierarchy and his duties in the Stronghold, but little of his personal life. Danat had always avoided dwelling on Ariek’s past, preferring instead to live each moment with him as it came. Perhaps she was a fool to believe he loved her.
A brisk knock sounded at the door. Before Danat could react, Beltha entered, dressed in a morning gown of pale green silk. She carried a tray of food. Danat eyed the thick slices of bread and cheese, and the accompanying pitcher of ale.
Her stomach lurched. She gripped the bedpost and lowered herself onto the lace coverlet.
Beltha set the tray on a small table near the door and turned an assessing eye on her. “Are you ill?”
“No.” She pulled the edges of the pink robe tight around her.
Beltha’s gaze narrowed. She moved to the bed and put her palm to Danat’s forehead. “Like ice,” she muttered.
Danat pulled away.
“Ariek left before dawn. He didn’t wish to wake you.”
Bile rose in Danat’s throat. “He left?”
“He’ll return soon enough.”
“Oh.”
“He went to his father’s estate to borrow—or steal—a new mount.”
“I see.”
Beltha frowned. “Why don’t you eat while you wait for him? You must be half-starved.”
The mention of food brought a surge of nausea. Danat threw a surreptitious glance at the chamberpot. “I’m not hungry.”
Beltha gave her an assessing look. “How far along are you?”
“What?”
“Don’t pretend with me. I’ve seen the signs often enough. When was your last flux?”
“I can’t remember.”
“Does Ariek know?”
“No!” Danat leaned forward and gripped Beltha’s wrist. “You must not tell him!”
“Lotark’s cock, girl! Why not? Ariek has a right to know you’re carrying his child.”
The tears Danat had struggled so hard to deny flowed hot on her cheeks. “I don’t know that it’s his.” She dragged the back of her hand across her eyes. “You must give me a draught.”
“A draught?”
“Yes. A place such as this… I mean I am sure you must have need of such a thing from time to time…” Danat faltered under Beltha’s hard gaze. “Please,” she finished weakly. “Ariek need not know.”
“Needn’t he?”
“Do not pretend to misunderstand!”
Beltha snorted. “I understand. You want to do away with the babe before Ariek finds out you’re carrying.” She paused. “Is it the high priest’s child?”
“It could well be.” Danat’s voice hardened. “I will not bear the Line of Lotark.”
“Yet you’re not sure. It may be Ariek’s.”
Danat couldn’t bear to contemplate that possibility. “Please, Beltha, you must help me. I will leave when it’s done. You will have Ariek. I know you have been intimate with him.”
The older woman’s frown deepened. “What is it? Has Ariek out
lived his usefulness now that you’re free? Did you plan all along to put him in danger of his life and then abandon him?”
Danat sprang to her feet. “No! But how could he have a life with me? I am marked.”
Beltha eyed her. “Where would you go?”
“Home. To Loetahl.”
“Ariek would be furious.”
“He will forget soon enough.”
“He loves you.”
“He pities me. He enjoyed the challenge of meeting with me in the Temple, passing unseen within arm’s length of the Servants. But now—he will tire of hiding me soon enough and then what will he do?”
She squared her shoulders and met Beltha’s gaze. “I was brought to Galena as a slave. I will never be free here, and I will not ask Ariek to leave his home. Please. Help me, for his sake.”
Beltha moved to the window and peered through the slats as if there were something to see outside in the alley. “Girl, Lotark knows I’d do almost anything for Ariek, but doing away with his child is not on the list.”
“Then I will leave this place and deal with the babe on my own. Please, I beg you. Will you help me gain my freedom?”
Beltha turned and regarded Danat for a long moment, her expression inscrutable.
“Yes,” she replied.
* * * * *
“I’m sorry my errand took so long.” Ariek drew Danat into his arms and buried his face in her soft curls, inhaling deeply. She’d bathed in his absence and smelled of sea roses.
“Beltha told me where you had gone.” Danat drew back and looked up at him, her fingers playing with the short hair at his nape. Her green eyes clouded. “You will leave, then?”
“At nightfall. I prefer the cover of darkness in addition to the shadow of the crystal.”
“Be careful, Ariek. Promise me.”
“I do. I’ll be back soon, I swear to you. And then—”
“Shh…” Danat pulled his head down and captured his lips in a kiss. “Do not speak of it. Do not speak at all.” Her hand slid down the front of his tunic and slipped below his belt, her hand boldly stroking his cock. He tensed in surprise, then groaned.
“Love me, Ariek,” she whispered.
He needed no coaxing. He caught her up in his arms and tumbled her onto the bed. The wooden frame creaked as his body came over her. Her robe fell open, freeing her breasts. Her fingers reached again for his belt.
Long red curls fanned out over the pillows, mingled with the crimson lace of the coverlet. He kissed her deeply, then, rising up on his knees, dropped his belt and pulled off his tunic.
Danat tore at the laces of his breeches with an urgency she’d never before displayed in their lovemaking. She bit her bottom lip when the knot wouldn’t come undone.
Ariek covered her hand with his. “What’s wrong?”
She stilled. “Nothing.”
He pressed the length of his body against hers. She kissed his chest, but when she looked up, her eyes held a note of fear.
“Are you afraid because I’m leaving?” he asked. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back before you have a chance to miss me.”
Tears crowded her eyes. “That would be impossible. I will miss you every second we are apart.”
He caught one salty tear with a kiss. “Once Balek’s crystal is destroyed, we’ll never part again. Think on that.” He rocked his hips against her thighs, letting her feel his desire. Her arms entwined his neck. “I’ll make love to you every day, Danat, and surround you with our children.” He dipped his head and nuzzled the curve of her neck. “Let me show you how it will be.”
“Oh, Ariek…” Her lips touched his temple, skimmed across his brow. He claimed them, framing her head with his hands and pulsing gently inside her with his tongue.
She arched against him, riding his thigh, pulling again at his laces. He shed his breeches and boots, then lowered his head to her breast and circled one nipple with his tongue.
Danat moaned. She clutched at him, pressing him closer as he suckled. Her thigh rubbed against his throbbing erection. “Do not be gentle,” she whispered and slipped the robe from her shoulders.
Ariek hesitated. He’d always made love to Danat with the utmost tenderness. He treated her like a precious flower, one he took care not to bruise. Now, suddenly, she spilled over the garden fence and ran wild on the shore. Her fingers closed on his cock, demanding his attention.
“Danat, I—”
“Now, Ariek. I want you inside me.” She guided him to the thatch of red curls between her thighs. A moment later he was lost.
Danat wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him close, claiming his mouth in a searing kiss. She tasted of the sea, of white froth on the breakers, of the sand washed clean by the tides. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to a slow, gentle pace.
“Do not hold back, Ariek, not now.”
His resolved wavered. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You could never do that.” She kissed his jaw, bit his shoulder. “Take me, Ariek. Take me hard. Give me all your strength.”
Her sweet urging broke him. With a shudder, he abandoned all pretense of control. He drove his flesh into her, flexing his buttocks, anchoring her hips in his hands. Danat moaned his name and sank her teeth into his neck. He answered by hauling her legs up over his shoulders.
He trapped her in the prison of his arms and doubled his efforts. “You’re mine now,” he gasped as his body branded its claim on her. “Do you hear me? Mine. I will kill any man who dares to touch you.”
Her release came sharp and quick, driving him over the edge. He emptied his soul inside her, offering all that he was, all that he ever would be. The maelstrom drove him down, then tossed him, beaten and sated, onto the shore.
But later, on the road to Katrinth, Ariek couldn’t shake a feeling of foreboding. As he caught sight of the Stronghold perched high on its peak, he realized why.
Danat had given herself to him as if for the last time.
* * * * *
You will lead me to her.
Laughter drove through Derrin’s skull like a spike, leaving him gasping for breath.
“No.” He jumped up and paced the confines of his cell, a deep pit of precisely five strides square. A patch of blue sky hovered far above. His fist slammed into a wall of sheer, flawless stone, sending a shock up his arm. The shaft had been formed by wizardry and it caged him more effectively than bars or chains ever could.
Show her to me.
Blinding pain, a sword between his eyes, struck with swift brutality. He slumped against the wall, shoulders braced for the next assault. Dirty fingers probed the recesses of his brain. Balek’s breath sounded in his ears.
You will not protect her. Withdraw the shadow.
“No. I will not.”
The laughter surged anew, louder, hammering his skull. A vision of the webstone filled his mind with aching perfection. The impossible was more beautiful than he dared to imagine. The five sparkling faces lured him closer.
He reached out with his will and touched it.
Euphoria shot through him like a bolt of lightning. A song soared, a melody sweeter than any he’d ever known. It wove through his mind, caressed his secrets, claimed his trust.
His limbs grew heavy. Warm waves of pleasure bore him into eternity.
Give her to me.
“No,” he whispered, though he choked on the word.
Laughter rang in his ears. I will wait.
* * * * *
Derrin stroked into Gina’s body, forcing a sharp cry of pleasure from her lips. He drank in her joy, reveled in her eager acceptance as he filled her again and again, driving toward his own release. But at the final moment she twisted away, her moans frozen in a silent scream.
Her fists pummeled his chest. Derrin felt his limbs go cold, saw blood flowing between their bodies. His skin fell away, exposing muscle and sinew. His rigid cock, still thrusting between Gina’s thighs, separated from his skeleton. His bones dropped, one by one, onto
her body…
Derrin jerked upright, heart pounding in his throat, breath coming in spurts. The nightmare shattered.
A low snigger sounded. It grew in depth and fullness until deep-throated laughter, mingled with pain, rang in his mind.
He staggered to his feet and paced like an injured wildcat, avoiding the corner where his excrement lay. He’d been two days without food. A trickle of morning dew on the sides of the pit had provided his only drink. The fetid odor of waste gagged his every breath. Balek’s wild laughter rang in his head without ceasing.
At times, he laughed with it.
Show her to me and you will live forever. A whisper, followed by blessed silence. Derrin drew a shuddering breath.
A hot slice of agony pierced his skull. He dropped to his knees and bent forward, covering his head with his arms. The pain evaporated, leaving him breathless, awaiting the next assault.
A stunning, erotic pleasure coursed though his body and pooled hot and insistent in his groin. Derrin twisted onto his back. His hips arched, his hand grasped his rigid shaft.
Give her to me and you will have her for yourself as well. I will allow you to join her in the web for all eternity.
The glittering faces of the webstone spun into Derrin’s mind. The exquisite song stroked his soul. His arousal hardened under his fingertips. He stroked himself, seeking release from the sweet torment.
He moaned, struggling to remember why resisting the melody was so important. The crystal drew closer, tantalizing him with its beauty. Why shouldn’t he have it? Why should he fight when surrender seemed the better choice?
The song rose on a soaring wave. He longed to join with it and become a part of its vast, glittering sea. His mind surged forward, searching for the dark crystal that held Gina in its shadow. He would remove his protection and they would enter the melody together.
Yes. It is the only way.
Long, silken strands of light appeared and opened. He caught a glimpse of his lover’s spirit, hidden beyond the web. He flew to her, reaching out to touch her crystal. Its shadow would vanish in the light of the webstone.