by S. E. Akers
“I would draw that sword if I were you,” was the last thing Tanner got out before I charged straight at him and drove my fist into his face. And I didn’t stop there. You would have thought I was training on an iron punching bag as many hard blows and kicks as I gave him. I was just THAT MAD. I didn’t care if I passed this last test or not. All I wanted was for the Talisman who could sense a person’s emotions to know just a touch of my pain in a physical form to go along with all of those personal feelings he’d been privy to — even in spite of knowing that every one of my blows was hurting my own heart the most.
As hard as what my strikes were, he never struck back, not even an attempt. The Amethyst Talisman’s only response was to get hit—either directly or from blocking my kicks and punches—besides his repeated requests for me to stop. But I couldn’t even if I’d wanted to, simply because it was him giving me yet another order. My fist was about to sock him in the gut when he grabbed hold my wrist and whirled me towards him with a fevered spin. His arms pressed against mine fiercely and I was unable to break free no matter how hard I pushed or how red my face turned.
“When I release you, you’re going to draw your sword,” Tanner asserted. “Because I promise, the tip of my blade will be seeking its own resolve.” He started to let go, but then his grip tightened abruptly, his squeeze more passionate than forceful. Then he nuzzled his face next to mine. “This is the only thing I won’t let you steal from me so easily,” he rustled.
The grind of his words were haunting, and I found myself trapped in a breathless wake of stillness while a frenzied ache ravaged my core.
Tanner edged his mouth closer to my ear. “But you have to take it from me,” he vowed with an unyielding air. “This isn’t about you. I need this, just like I needed to feel your emotions this summer . . . every shred of your pain and every want from your heart.”
The fierce flutters in my chest kept me dazedly immobile. The only movement I sensed was the powerful rise and fall of his muscles swaying my frame magnetically.
“Silas told me about the marks in the succubus’ cell,” he whispered. “I think your head must’ve been too high in the clouds the day I went over them. Succubi and incubi can feel all of a person’s emotions but one. Desire. They can only sense that one from the opposite sex. So if that creature was picking up on a passionate desire strong enough to notch a thousand marks on a wall and crippling enough to want her misery to come to an end, then it wasn’t coming from you — it was coming from me.” Then he purposely bolstered his hold under my breasts and brushed his lips to my lobe, their graze wet and heated. “Shiloh Wallace, do you understand what I’m saying?”
A powerful jolt rocked my heart and then a swirl of airy tingles spiraled through my body all the way up to my lips. May lightning strike me dead if it could, I never wanted to land from their heavenly lift. I pressed my head against his chest and yielded a light nod, unable to look in his eyes because his velvety words were still spinning my head.
“Then pick up your sword and please put me out of mine,” he breathed.
He released me gradually, allowing the tips of his fingers to lightly trail the flesh down my arms. Now all I had to do was turn around and look in his eyes. My pulse began to quicken. I’d never looked at them with a clearer air between us, and I was nervous about what his soul would be shining.
“Shiloh — look at me,” Tanner breathed.
Slowly, I turned to meet his gaze. Not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined eyes so drenched in passion or a more intoxicated expression illuminating his face. It was the look I’d longed to see staring back at me all summer and my heart was inescapably raptured.
“This isn’t about your skills, Shiloh. This is about me,” Tanner declared. “This is something I need. I need you to beat me . . . for you to truly take me down.” He took a deep breath, his face bearing the most heartfelt air. “I’m afraid if you don’t, I’ll never quell my fears of losing you.” His eyes washed over me with the cleansing release of a cool summer rain. “And now you know my weakness.”
Tanner and I stood there, hearts pounding, while sparks swirled the heavy air between us. Though you couldn’t spy any visible traces of their magic, the heat from their fire was evident — sultry and electric. I didn’t want to fight him anymore, and I could tell neither did he from the eagerness his eyes mirrored. But I also knew he would make me go through with our bout…and his reasons why.
I started to reach for my blade when a thought ripped through my mind. I knew precisely how I was going to finish this. And end it quick, I affirmed, my eyes flickering.
With a deep breath, I pretended like I was going to draw my sword, but instead I rushed out of the chamber and raced for the steps. Tanner was right on my heels, his own sword now holstered, and chasing me up the stairs. The look I’d spied on his face in that split-second before I bolted let me know he was fully aware of my plan. My heart was thundering in my chest, pounding harder with every winding flight I ascended, and we were so close I swore I could feel the hammer of his as well. And though I fully intended to get to his phantom crystal first, it secretly thrilled me that he was so determined to keep me from using it.
Tanner grabbed on to my ankle three flights from my finish line. He tried tugging me back, only to get conked with the tread of my shoe. I broke away and zoomed up the stairs, my steps more tenacious than ever. Just as I was about to charge into my bedroom, the hell-bent Amethyst Talisman grabbed my shoulders abruptly and shoved me clear out of the doorway. I was scrambling to get to my feet when I saw him dashing into the room. He was within arm’s reach of the crystal when I crossed the threshold…and that so wasn’t happening.
Instinctively, I summoned a gust to hurl everything on the bed towards him — all fifteen pillows and the fluffy duvet, right along with my hardside Samsonite suitcase that I’d abandoned, still opened and half-packed. My quick-thinking blow knocked Tanner onto the floor and well out of the way, leaving him to wrestle himself out of the hodgepodge of crap and covers. I hurried to the bedside table, only to realize his phantom crystal was missing. Knowing it must have gotten blown off, I panned the room in a frantic search. I soon found it lying on the far edge of the bed. Tanner wrapped his hands around my waist before I could get to it and then hurled me off the bed. I’d no sooner landed on my butt with a “thud” when I saw him stretched across the mattress about to snatch hold of his phantom crystal.
Without a second to lose, I commanded a steady gust towards the canopy drape at the far side of the headboard. Then with the most exacting focus and fine-tuning, I had his wrist tied off nice and tight, courtesy of a few quick and manipulative twists of my hands. So it seemed that a little pinpointed gust was in fact just as mighty as a sword. Then without further delay, I summoned the opposite panel to wrangle and secure his left wrist in the same tactical fashion. Once both limbs had been completely secured in the fabric restraints, I tautened their chunky knots with a forceful gust and then tugged his arms back towards the headboard.
And I’d made sure to double-knot those babies too.
I approached him without the slightest hint of gloat on my face, despite how slack-jawed the Amethyst Talisman looked lying there, arms helplessly bound and stretching the width of the frilly headboard. He stopped trying to get loose as soon as I crawled onto the bed and straddled his frame. The phantom crystal was dangling from his right hand like the ripest apple ready to be plucked from a tree. I took it out of his hand and then met his gaze. The vehement mix of eager and inflamed staring back at me forced my heart to skip a beat. I’d never seen a pair of eyes looking so painfully hungry for something.
My stare drifted down to my holster. The last time my diamond wand had been this close to someone dear flashed through my mind. I knew what it felt like to get sliced deep by my own diamond blade, and I refused to let its full wrath fall on him for a second.
With a ginger graze, I guided the tips of my fingers down to his left thigh until they brushed with
his holster. I reconnected with his eyes again when I gently wrapped my hand around his hilt and then slowly began inching it out. With his phantom crystal clutched firmly in my left hand, I lined his hilt up to his strapping shoulder. His eyes seemed glazed with a myriad of emotions, but not one of them was fear.
“What are you waiting for?” Tanner demanded, daring me with his heated stare. “Finish me . . . Now.”
With our fervent gazes inescapably linked, I commanded the blade to release. It thrust straight through his shoulder and rocked the bed with a jolt when it staked him to the headboard. I squeezed his arm when he exploded into a roar. Regardless that it was his own birth-stone lodged inside him, the Amethyst Talisman’s agony was evident by the depth of his groan. He may have been the one physically suffering, but knowing I’d driven it in there intentionally was sheer mental hell, even in spite of his insistence.
With an uncomfortable wince, I summoned the blade to retract and dropped his hilt onto the bed. I untied both of his arms gently, paying extra heed to the wound on his left, and guided each of them down to his sides. My stare fell to the floor, unable to look at him in so much pain. His heavy breaths took tiny stabs at my heart every time one rolled across his lips. I lifted my gaze to see him lying there with his eyes clenched to a close, trying to shut out the agony, and the sight of blood pouring from his wound. I’d just turned to fetch him some salt-water when I noticed something sitting on my bedside table.
Silas’ offering prompted a smile. And I didn’t even mind the intrusion — no matter how long the nosey house steward had been spying.
Once I’d poured some of the healing mixture into the bowl, I collected some on the towel and began dabbing his wound with gentle pats until every speck of the glistening diamond residue was all gone. I sensed Tanner’s eyes were now open. I could tell that from the airy quiver of my heart. With a guided pitch toward the bedside table, I discarded the blood-drenched towel and looked down at my moonstone ring. I recanted the stone’s golden veil immediately, wanting him healed as quickly as possible. I started gliding the ring off my finger but stopped just shy of passing my last knuckle when a thought whirled through my mind. Then a flutter that felt just as sweet as it was brazen coxed me into sliding my ring back down to where it normally rested and eased my lips into a coy smile.
I began focusing on the moonstone’s powers, along with a hefty dose of my own. My eyes fell to a stirring close as I lowered myself towards him and then I laid my lips on his chest. Though the stone’s power would mend all of his wounds, my mouth canvased his flesh with increasing fervor, working my way up the ripples of his chest until I arrived at his shoulder. I hovered there for a moment, noting that Tanner hadn’t made the slightest move. Even the sound of his breaths had ceased. I closed my eyes one final time and placed my lips just below his wound. This time, my arms squeezed him just as passionately as my lips feasted on his skin. I pulled away to the sight of his gash magically seaming itself back together as if nothing had happened. I kept my eyes glued to the spot for a moment, waiting for his response. What I knew were only seconds felt like hours as I sat there waiting breathlessly and feeling so exposed. Just as I started to pull away, Tanner drew me into his arms and rolled me onto my back.
The corners of his mouth lifted into a grin. “Where do you think you’re going?” Tanner rustled, his eyes locked on mine.
I hinted a smile. “You said I could leave if I beat you.”
“I lied,” he whispered, while a pool of lavender enveloped his eyes.
The sight of the mesmerizing color and its meaning couldn’t have stolen my heart more triumphantly with any greater stealth or speed.
Tanner slid one of his hands under my back, drawing me closer to him. “Do you know what it’s been like waiting for this precise moment?”
I shook my head, silently panting for his answer.
“Like lying on a bed of iron nails,” he rustled, his eyes soulful and dense. “Powerless to stop their torture.”
“For how long?” I breathed, hoping each second mirrored mine.
Tanner brushed his fingers over the swell of my lips, his own parting with the same ache of mine. “More than all the lifetimes I’ve lived.”
Then his lush lips came for me, soft and full of passion, and I was drowning in their pillowy touch, never wanting their bliss to end. The longer and deeper our kisses grew the more my inhibitions unraveled. Tanner knew it too from every twist of my movements. The sultry Talisman’s eyes looked to be the most intense shade of red-violet I’d ever witnessed when our lips finally parted. Though as spellbinding as they were, even they paled to the desire I sensed burning in them. It alone sent me straight into a feverish flush. Then he lifted my hand to his mouth and began kissing the wound on my hand, slow and savoring.
“You don’t have a moonstone,” I moaned, barely able to form my words amid the ache that had besieged my body, triggered by his tongue trailing over my fingers.
His mouth slipped into a sly grin. “Then I suggest you heal, and I’ll just pretend.”
CHAPTER 25
A series of incessant knocks on the door several hours later commanded our attention…unfortunately.
“Yes, Silas?” Tanner called, his eyes never leaving mine for a second.
“I’m sorry to interrupt your training, but I was wondering what to do about lunch?” he inquired, sounding downright miffed. “Shall I attempt another go at slaving in the kitchen and trolley them down here, or have the two warriors the slightest appetite for food at all?”
Tanner’s eyes bore a naughty gleam. “Leave them outside the door,” he replied.
“Will we be requiring anything in particular?” Silas added.
Tanner raised his brow. “Is there something special you would like?”
I grinned and shook my head. “I’m fine with anything.” Truth be told, Silas could whip up the savoriest five-star meal of his entire life and anything less than Tanner’s lips would fall short in my book right now.
Tanner tilted his head towards the door. “Fix whatever you want, Silas.” He turned to me and brushed my hair from my cheek. “Our palates have been met.”
“Very well, Professor,” Silas replied. “Then I shall strictly adhere to a more primitive menu . . . Possibly one that only requires one’s fingers and a bib.” The house steward carried himself up the stairs in a grumble, which we plainly heard through the walls for two solid floors.
Tanner’s eyes circled his sockets. “That’s the pouty former-faery in him. He doesn’t handle being excluded very well.”
I smiled. That sure explained all of his eavesdropping and frequent dips into my mental pool.
“I told you Genies were more trouble than what you’d think,” Tanner added.
“Maybe,” I laughed. “But having one does have its perks.”
“At times,” he agreed. “But I’m not so keen on the whole bonded situation.”
There were about a million things whirling through my head that I wanted to know about the handsome Amethyst Talisman, all of them extremely personal. Getting an answer to this one would be an excellent sign that his walls were finally down. I didn’t see a reason why they wouldn’t be, not after our tongues having just dreamily danced the morning away.
“So how did you come by being bonded to Silas?” I asked.
“The manipulative bastard tricked me,” Tanner groused wryly. “He was fettered to a master he wanted rid of, so he orchestrated a plan where I saved his life. Aside from destroying his own vessel, that’s the only thing that will break a bond between a Djinn and a master. I’ve been stuck with him ever since,” he sighed. “One hundred years this November.”
“Were you mad?” I asked. It wasn’t a secret that Tanner had no use for faeries. I couldn’t imagine being duped by a former-faery had set well with him at all.
“I’ve never been more livid in all my life,” he groaned, though a little of his laughter slipped through his bellyaching. “And as soon as I realized wh
at he was and the lengths he’d gone, I assured him I would be sending him back.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Believe me, I struggled with it,” he admitted. “But the pompous old ass kind of grows on you after a while.”
“Thorns and all,” I agreed, grinning.
Tanner nodded. “But in the end, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it . . . particularly after I learned that he’d only revealed his faery-self to his linked human to save their life. Faeries may share an unbreakable connection with their humans, but there aren’t many that claim the selflessness Silas does. He cared for his human like the man was family, no different than a father or son.” Tanner’s thoughts guided his mouth into a smile. “And his human was actually one of the greatest military strategists the world has ever known. So the lengths Silas went to and the calculated efforts behind his scheme shouldn’t have come as a surprise, seeing how he learned from watching the best,” Tanner bragged. “His name was Sun Tzu.”
I propped myself onto my elbows directly. “The Chinese general who wrote The Art of War,” I interrupted.
His eyes flashed with a tinge of surprise. “So you’ve heard of him?”
I pointed to the small table beside the chaise where the book was lying. “You could say that.” Tanner craned his head to the area in question and then issued me a knowing glare.
“So your heart couldn’t fathom sending Silas back, but I had to get rid of the balegore?”
Tanner lowered his less-than-remorseful gaze. “The balegore isn’t a punished Veil being . . . And I doubt it could ever match Silas’ cooking.”
I crossed my arms and looked at him flatly.
Tanner scrutinized my expression with a curious touch of shiftiness rounding out his gaze. “You know, you’re absolutely right,” he nodded. “As soon as Silas gets down here, I’m cutting out his heart and sending him straight back.” Tanner reached towards the bedside table. “I just need to get my blade.”