Darkness Divine

by P. C. Cast

  “Alia,” he said softly, cutting a swift look at her tear-drenched face. “I just wanted you to know that I love you.”

  And then, after taking a deep breath, Rhys shoved her into the river.

  The instant she hit the water, he looked back toward the others and opened his right hand, revealing the burning ball of fire that flickered and danced there, hovering upon his palm. The crone cried out, obviously seeing what he meant to do, but it was already too late. Barrett and the hired soldiers rushed toward him, their swords raised, but Rhys was too quick. Allowing the change to ripple over the entire surface of his body, he threw his arm up into the air, and the fireball exploded in a stunning eruption that swept through the alcove. The night filled with the horrific sound of tortured screaming, the men burning beneath the roaring fury of the flames.

  Only the crone remained standing, her hunched body blistering as the vicious blaze consumed her. She cackled a shrill burst of laughter, and managed to raise her burning arms, the skin melting away, revealing bits of bone beneath. Rhys cursed under his breath as he realized she intended to take her revenge before a fiery death consumed her. He closed his eyes, emptying his mind of everything but Alia, and prayed that she’d had the sense to swim to safety. Then a violent blast of power flew from the crone’s dying body and slammed into him. He hit the ground, hard, his body engulfed in a massive cloud of sizzling flames.

  8

  Alia was preparing to push up from the bottom of the river, when she saw the fiery explosion lash out over the rippling surface of the water, her mind screaming with terror for Rhys’s safety. The second the blazing orange glow of the flames began to fade, she broke through the water’s surface with a hard gasp. The thick, nauseating smell of burnt flesh in the air made her gag, but she fought the reflex, her panicked gaze finding Rhys’s glowing body just as the crone slammed him with a wall of molten flame and he crashed to the ground. In that instant, Alia found herself filled with the most savage need to protect that she could have ever imagined. It was a roaring firestorm in her veins—unstoppable and pure—fueled entirely by love.

  Chanting the ancient words of a dangerous incantation that only the most learned Reavess witches should have been capable of completing, Alia called on the powerful blood of her ancestors and forced everything she had into the spell. Power surged through her, punching against her insides, building and building, until it suddenly burst free in a raging wave of energy, forcing the waters of the river to rise up high into the air. The towering wall of water hovered there for a single instant, shimmering and dark, and then it crashed over Rhys’s body, extinguishing the flames, while at the same time it slammed the crone viciously into the wall of the cave. Her charred body exploded on impact, disintegrating into blackened pieces of ash that scattered through the air before floating slowly down to the wet ground.

  Climbing clumsily from the banks of the river, Alia slipped three times in her haste to reach Rhys, and then she was finally kneeling beside his stunningly naked body—his clothes destroyed by the flames—with her hands pressed urgently against the lingering heat in his face, the stubble that darkened his jaw rough against her palms.

  “Rhys, wake up!” she cried, gently shaking him. Three of the lanterns had miraculously managed to remain lit, illuminating the dark beauty of his face, his skin somehow unharmed, as if the flames of the fire had never touched him. He no longer glowed with that blinding, golden light that she’d seen, and so she shook him harder, nearly crying out with relief when his eyelids flickered open, his gray gaze locking instantly with hers.

  “What happened?” he growled, quickly sitting up, his expression one of deadly intent as he looked around the alcove, ready to protect her.

  When he realized the others were all dead and looked back at her, Alia gave him a wobbly smile, her eyes glassy with tears. “It looked as if you might get yourself killed trying to save me, and I wasn’t willing to let that happen.”

  His own eyes went wide. “You saved me from the crone?”

  “I guess we saved each other,” she whispered, then slowly shook her head. “Although, I didn’t really save you, I guess, so much as woke you up, since the fire doesn’t seem to have hurt you at all. Her blast of power must have just knocked you out. But when I saw what she was doing to you, I ordered the river to slam her into the wall and she disintegrated.” The corner of her mouth twitched as she added, “I seem to be pretty protective where you’re concerned.”

  “Just promise me that you won’t ever do anything that dangerous again,” he grunted, looking as if he was caught in her gaze, unable to look away. “Because I couldn’t live if I lost you, Alia.”

  She smoothed his hair back with her fingertips, somehow finding the strength not to ogle his naked body, though it wasn’t easy, seeing as how the man was pure, mouthwatering perfection. Hoping he could see the truth of her words in her eyes, she said, “It’s the same for me, Rhys.”

  He quietly said her name, just before he gave her a dazzling smile that made her breath catch.

  “I still can’t believe everything that’s happened. What you did was so amazing,” she said with a watery laugh, smiling back at him. “What you did…I’ve never seen anything like that in my entire life.”

  “Seems a Charteris’s skin is more useful than I would have ever imagined,” he offered in a wry drawl.

  “Can you show me?” she asked. “I wasn’t able to see that clearly from the river.”

  He lifted his arm in answer to her question, and as she watched, the dark skin of his forearm began to glimmer and shine again with a deep golden glow. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered, carefully stroking the luminous skin with her fingertips.

  An endearingly lopsided grin tipped the corner of his mouth. “And, thankfully, completely fireproof.”

  She laughed again, staring into his eyes. “You look so happy,” she said softly, unable to look away from the breathtaking beauty of his expression.

  “That’s because I am happy,” he told her, cupping his palm against the side of her face. “God, Alia, I thought I was going to lose you.”

  “Oh, Rhys. How could I die when the man I love just told me that he loves me, too?”

  “You really didn’t know?” he asked, the words rough with emotion.

  Another shivery burst of laughter fell from her lips. “I had no idea!”

  There was a certain fire in his eyes as he watched her, the pale gray changing, becoming something that looked liquid and hot. Pure silver that’d been melted down, shimmering and bright, and achingly beautiful. “How is that even possible?” he wondered, his voice a deep, decadent assault on her senses. “I would have thought I was so obvious, seeing as how I spend my every waking moment thinking about you. Wondering what you’re doing, what you’re thinking, what you’re feeling. And then, instead of finding oblivion in sleep, you’re there as well, tormenting me, tempting me to take things I thought I could never have. You’ve driven me out of my mind with need, Alia. How could you not know? Are you blind?” he demanded, his tone suddenly cut with an endearing note of exasperation. “I thought the Reavess were supposed to be perceptive!”

  “We are,” she whispered. “But we’re often blind to the things we want most to see, allowing our desires and emotions to cloud our vision.”

  His expression pulled tight with pain as he said, “I want you so badly it’s killing me, but it would be so easy for me to hurt you. Even if you are stronger than a human, I could…I could still burn you, Alia.”

  “But you won’t,” she assured him, wondering if her grin looked as smug as it felt. “And I’ll tell you why. Because Reavess witches can assume the traits of their mates during joining. Which means that you can’t hurt me, Rhys, no matter how hot you become.”

  “Are you serious?” he rasped, so still he looked as though he wasn’t even breathing.

  She nodded, then bit the corner of her lip, knowing there was more that she had to tell him. “But I’m afraid I have another c
onfession,” she said huskily. “There’s something else about the Reavess witches that no one outside of the bloodline and their husbands know.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “When a Reavess mates with the man who holds her heart,” she told him, “it links him to her, body and soul, in an unbreakable bond that can never be undone. I know it sounds incredible, but it’s true. If we make love, it will bind you to me forever.”

  For a moment, his shock made his face go blank, wiping it clean of expression. And then he started to laugh, the rumbling sound sexy and low, the expression on his face so beautiful, it hurt just to look at him. “That’s why you pushed me away this morning?”

  She nodded, heat blooming beneath her skin, burning in her cheeks. “I didn’t know if you loved me, and I didn’t want to trap you, binding you forever to a woman you didn’t care about. Even if she was me.”

  “You silly, beautiful girl,” he groaned, pressing his lips to her forehead. “You can’t trap something that’s already yours.”

  Her pulse raced at his words, roaring in her ears, but she had to be certain that there were no misunderstandings. “Are you sure?” she asked. “Because once done, it’s not something that can be undone. You’ll be stuck with me for the rest of your life, Rhys.”

  “And in the next life, too. Right?”

  She nodded, staring deeply into his eyes, as if she could find the proof of his honesty there. He rubbed his thumb across the curve of her cheekbone, the smoldering, joyful look burning there in his gaze, making her heart pound…her body melt. “And what will happen when you bond us together?” he asked with another easy, lopsided grin while moving to his feet in a devastating display of muscle and long, masculine lines that damn near made her hyperventilate.

  She swallowed, blinking, struggling to get her voice past the shivering knot of emotion in her throat. “Well, for one thing,” she finally managed to rasp, “we’ll be able to communicate with our minds. And our children will be able to communicate with us, too.”

  “Children,” Rhys murmured as he reached down and pulled her to her feet, pressing her against the heavy beat of his heart. The idea of having a family with Alia was so beautiful and exciting, he could barely contain himself. “I like the sound of that.”

  Slipping the Marker her father had found into the chain-mail bag with the others, Rhys held the bag tight as he lifted Alia into his arms. Staring into her luminous eyes, he said, “Now, let’s get out of here, so that you can show me exactly what this joining will be like.”

  Cradling her against his chest, he carried her out of the smoky cave, into the milky moonlight. The night was quiet, the storms moving away into the distance, and he took a deep breath, filled with a strange sense of grace and light and beauty, as if his life had somehow been touched by a miracle. One that he was holding possessively in his arms.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, after he’d borrowed some clothes from one of the packs the hired soldiers had tied to their horses and was settling her atop his stallion.

  Rhys wondered if his smile looked as wolfish as it felt. “We’ll put a little distance between us and this place, just in case anyone comes looking for Barrett tonight. And then we’re going to find the nearest inn that we can.”

  “You must be exhausted,” she murmured as he settled his big body behind hers.

  “Not in the slightest,” he rasped in her ear, wondering if she had any idea how badly he needed her.

  They rode hard for a few hours, until Rhys knew he was running the risk of stopping, laying her down on the ground and taking her right there. When they came to the next village, he headed straight for the first inn he could find. By the time they’d made it up to their room, they were both panting with anticipation. He all but dragged her into the warm, firelit room, before quickly slamming the door and bolting it shut.

  Then he turned toward her, and tried to remind myself that he needed to take it slow, before he scared her away, when all he wanted was to be inside of her—a part of her—as quickly as possible.

  Alia watched as Rhys’s face tightened with a hard, predatory look of desire, before he took a deep breath and set the Markers down on the low chest beside the door. She stared at the chain-mail bag. “Are you sure this is what you want, Rhys?” she asked as she stared at the chain-mail bag.” My life won’t be easy. I’ll have to protect the Markers. Keep them from falling into the wrong hands.” She forced herself to look back at him, her mouth trembling as she said, “If you come with me, you’ll be turning your back on everything. On everyone.”

  He walked to her, towering over her as he gently took her face in his large hands, his heavy-lidded gaze locked with hers. “There is no one but you, Alia.”

  “Rhys,” she said breathlessly, fully aware of his intent. “We haven’t even bathed yet. I must look awful.”

  “You’re the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, and I’ve wanted you for five long months that have felt like excruciating years,” he growled, ripping at the buttons of her gown. “I’m sorry, but I can’t wait any longer.”

  She could feel his desperation, his need, in the shuddering of his body, the tremor of his muscles. His hands were everywhere, stroking…touching, stripping her of her clothes. She didn’t know how he’d manage to remove his own as well, her head dizzy from his dark, devastating kisses, but suddenly they were falling back on the bed together, his powerful body pressing her into the soft mattress, his skin deliciously hot against hers.

  “Spread your legs for me,” he groaned. “Let me feel you.”

  She did as he said, gasping as he pressed between her thighs, the intimate contact sizzling and sharp. And then she was screaming as he lowered himself down her body and covered the sensitive folds of her sex with his mouth. His tongue was warm and soft as he licked her, a deep, predatory growl of pleasure vibrating against her drenched, tender flesh. He stayed there for what felt like a timeless forever, rubbing…thrusting, doing things to her that were more wonderful and shocking than Alia could have ever imagined. He licked her hungrily, as if she were the most delicious thing he’d ever tasted. As if he could be content for hours to lie there between her thighs for hours. She trembled and twisted and screamed as the first orgasm tore through her, and he growled louder as he pressed his face tighter against her, his tongue alternately thrusting inside her and lapping eagerly against the softly pulsing heat of her clit.

  As she gasped again for breath, Rhys moved back over her, suckling gently on both her nipples, then moved higher, pushing the damp strands of her hair back from her face. His eyes were bright with emotion as he said, “I never believed in love until I met you. And I know there’s still so much for you to show me…for me to learn, but I know that I would give my life to keep you from ever suffering one moment of pain. I know that I can’t breathe when you’re not with me. And I know that you’re the only woman I’ll ever want.”

  “Rhys,” she breathed out, unable to believe he would make such a heartfelt declaration.

  “I know all those things, but most of all, I know that in all the world, you’re…you’re the most precious, beautiful thing I could have ever imagined.” He touched his mouth to hers, shuddering against her, then lifted his head. Staring into her eyes, he said, “I live for you, Alia.”

  Her breath caught with a quiet sob, and it was at that moment that he thrust into her, pushing the heavy, swollen head of his cock inside her. He was too big for the move to be easy, but despite the difficulty, it felt… incredible. The vein-ridged thickness stretching her. The breathtaking hardness and heat. The erotic throbbing of his heartbeat penetrating that most private, delicate part of her.

  “Oh, Christ, you’re so tight,” he growled, carefully pulling back his hips.

  “What are you doing?” she panted, panicked, trying desperately to get a hold on his sweat-slick skin so that she could pull him deeper. “Don’t leave me!”

  “I’m not leaving you,” he grunted, his jaw hard as he thrust b
ack in, giving her only slightly more than before. “I’m just trying to be careful.”

  “Didn’t you hear a word I said earlier?” she whispered, cupping the side of his face as she smiled up at him.

  “Yes,” he forced through his teeth. “But I’m not taking any chances with you.”

  Alia tilted her head to the side, her long hair tangled across the pillow. “Either touch me as you long to, or don’t touch me at all. I won’t accept you in half measures, Rhys. I want the whole man, not a small part of him.”

  “That’s one of the problems, Alia.” He gave a rough, shaky rumble of laughter. “There’s nothing small about me.”

  She was sure there was a mischievous light glittering in her eyes as she said, “I know.” Her voice was huskier than it’d ever been before, and she saw him stiffen in reaction to the erotic sound. “And I’m not complaining, Rhys. I love everything about you. I love that you’re larger than life. I love that there’s so…much of you. I want all of it. I need all of it. All of you.”

  “I swear there are times you can’t be virgin,” he said raggedly, shaking his head.

  “Why?”

  “Because no one so inexperienced should be allowed to be this seductive,” he groaned. “It’s killing me.”

  Before she could respond, he suddenly pulled back his hips and thrust into her savagely hard, shoving so deep that she could almost feel him against the pounding beat of her heart. His mouth found hers, possessing her like an erotic fever, his taste primal and wild and completely addictive. She ran her hands down the hot, slick, muscled length of his back, loving the breathtaking power and strength of him as he moved within her, working deeper each time.

  “Your eyes,” she whispered, sounding awed as she watched the mesmerizing change in color.

  The corner of his mouth tipped with a smile. “What about them?”

  “The color. They’re…gold. Like amber fire.”

  “I always knew that you worked magic on me,” he rumbled in a deep, dark velvety voice, his body slamming into her now in a hard, provocative rhythm that made the headboard slap against the wall with each heavy, aggressive thrust. Lowering his head, his breath was hot in her ear as he said, “You set me on fire, Alia. Every part of you. You’re so beautiful…so sweet.” He pulled back, the look in his beautiful eyes as he stared down at her melting her down to nothing but pure, raw, mind-shattering need. “And you’re mine,” he growled. “Always mine.”