Errant Spark (Elemental Trials Book 1)

by Ronelle Antoinette

  “Jex, that’s filthy!” she admonished him, clearly taken aback by his action.

  “If you think that’s filthy, just you wait,” he promised. A small, wicked smile turned his lips up at the corners.

  She felt a twitch against her belly. His eyes asked, and she nodded.

  With a sound of relief, he bent his knees slightly, hooked his hands under her thighs and hoisted her up. Lifting her weight seemed to cost him nothing and she abruptly felt vulnerable and small. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, clinging as he took her back to the bed.

  Jex looked down the length of her body as he laid her gently atop the sheets. He settled between her thighs and then shifted to sit back on his ankles. With a pull at her hips and a prayer to the Consorts, he rocked forward and began to fill her.

  She was tight and hot and dripping wet, and how he was going to last for more than a moment or two was a mystery. He slid into her one slow fraction of an inch at a time, and she began to pant softly. The sound made him tremble and the needy expression on her face was one of the most stunningly erotic things he’d ever seen.

  But then her face scrunched up in discomfort and he froze for an instant before slowly pulling back. Withdrawing from that intoxicating heat before he was completely inside her was an act akin to torture.

  “I’m sorry!”

  “Don’t be. There’s no hurry.” He was in a hurry, but he could control himself for the sake of making this experience as perfect for her as possible.

  His reassurance seemed to soothe her, and she pulled him closer, so close that not even air remained between them. He planted kisses along her jaw and up to her ear, waiting for her to relax before beginning to sink into her again.

  When her whole body tightened up and she bit her tongue nearly hard enough to draw blood, he pulled out of her completely. She turned her face away, tears of embarrassment prickling to life behind her eyelids.

  “It’s alright,” he insisted, brushing his lips across her cheek. “The first time can be uncomfortable. Let’s try something else.”

  She nodded and he rolled them over so that he was lying on his back with her sitting astride him. He ran his palms soothingly up and down her sides, then dug his fingers into her ribs until she made a face and captured his hands.

  “We can stop if you want,” he offered.

  She rocked her hips in answer. His thumb rubbed over her nipple and she leaned into the touch.

  “Go as slowly as you need to, then. Tell me how I can help, how to touch you, where you want me. You’re in control, Nani.”

  “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Whatever you like.”

  Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she slowly and gingerly moved over him. His fingers tightened on her hips, but he allowed her to set the pace as he’d promised.

  The muscles inside her clenched as she began to take him in and then her legs flexed as she rose once more. When she slid down on him again, a little more this time, she circled her hips and shuddered at all the subtle changes in pressure.

  They both felt it when he reached her maidenhead, but she didn’t hesitate. With determination burning in her eyes, she thrust down, impaling herself in a single motion. She paused there, hands braced on his chest and breathing harshly as she fought to adjust to the sudden sensation of fullness.

  Jex rose to his elbows immediately, searching her face for the pain he knew she must feel. She shook her head, trying to tell him she was fine. And it was true; the stinging burn was already fading and in its place was a swelling, all-consuming need to move.

  He was relieved and told her as much, prompting her to smile down at him in adoration. Something deep within her seemed to know what to do and so she let that part of her take over. She pushed him back until he lay prone once more.

  As she rose and fell above him, she let her hands travel a familiar path, recalling nights she’d dreamt of him and how this might be. Sliding her palms up her hips and belly to the fullness of her breasts, she squeezed them a little harder than he had dared and half-closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation.

  Jex almost forgot to breathe as he watched Enari touch herself confidently and without shame. It was a sight that would stay with him until he died…assuming the lust didn’t kill him here and now. Of their own accord, his hips moved under hers.

  "Harder!" she demanded.

  "I can't. I don’t want to hurt you." he bit out, gritting his teeth, but she began to roll her hips in a way that had his reflexively snapping upwards for a second time.

  She was pulling at him, fluttering little contractions that circumvented his good intentions and went straight to his baser desires. He’d let himself coil too tight and her demands robbed him of the strength of will to hold back.

  Pulling on her hips and driving deeply into her body, he set a rhythm that sent currents of fire chasing along his spine.

  He was close, so very close, but she needed just a little more, so he snaked a hand down to where their bodies joined. Her head flew back and he rubbed at her in time with his thrusts. It wasn’t long after that he felt the first ripple of her muscles around him.

  And that was all it took.

  She faltered and her nails dug into his forearms. He continued the stimulation she needed and she hit the peak of her climax hard a second later. For a trio of heartbeats, he watched in fascination before dragging her down and kissing her fiercely.

  It was a primal, savage thing. She bit his lip and he tasted blood, but it didn’t even give him pause. He bit her back, ravaging her mouth in a way he’d restrained himself from doing to her body.

  At the last instant, and almost too late, he withdrew from her and spent himself in a release that left him breathless and shaking. They lay in a tangle for a time before she sucked in a shaky breath.

  “That was…oh.”

  Jex snorted out a quiet laugh. “I’m glad to have pleased.” He studied her face, an uncharacteristic look of doubt coloring his expression.

  “I did please you?”

  Instead of answering, Enari nestled into his side. He gathered her up and she put her head on his shoulder, raising one leg to cover his thighs and slinging an arm across his stomach. She smiled contentedly and it turned into a yawn that cracked her jaw, but she was too tired to cover it or to even be embarrassed by her lapse in manners.

  Their kisses resumed, languid and tender—some nothing more than the moth-wing brush of lips over skin—as the afterglow of lovemaking faded. Her body spooned against his perfectly and she was a pleasant warmth in the cool dark. The last thing Jex remembered was the press of her lips on the underside of his chin before sleep claimed him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Luckily for them both, it was Eryk and not Vasi or a servant who found them some hours later.

  He halted in the doorway, taken aback at the sight that greeted him, though why he should be surprised, he didn’t know. Jex was notorious for taking a new bedfellow on a whim and this wasn’t the first time Eryk had stumbled upon the aftermath. At least there was only one this time, they were mostly covered by a blanket, and the room wasn’t in shambles.

  The sight of Vasi’s apprentice sprawled across Jex’s chest, however, stirred a protective, fatherly disquiet deep in his gut that none of the others ever had. His former apprentice was indiscreet to a fault betimes, and just as careless. If he hurt her…he’d have to talk with Jex about this before it got even more out of hand.

  Then something else drew his notice, and his misgivings were temporarily forgotten.

  Perhaps it was the relaxed set of his features as he slept, the easy way he was breathing, mouth open and snoring, or the rosy tinge of his skin in the morning light. Somehow Eryk knew that whatever had plagued the young man for so long had passed.

  He backed out of the room as quietly as he’d entered, shutting the door and sending up a prayer that one of them would be up and dressed before anyone else came upon them like this.

  He’d definit
ely be having a chat with Jex later.

  * * *

  “Eryk?”

  He looked away from his contemplation of the sunrise and smiled wanly at Vasi, his face half lit by the pink-and-purple glow. She gently closed her bedroom door behind her and crossed to his side. Her fingers settled gently on his arm,

  “It’s a pleasant surprise to see you so early, but you look as if something troubles you?”

  “Oh, if only that were so easily answered.” Aloud, he feigned nonchalance. “Troubles me? Why, nothing—”

  Vasi raised a hand to silence him and shook her head, “You may be able to fool others, Eryk, but not me. Never me.”

  “Never you,” he echoed. There was an odd quality to his voice, something akin to defeat at the acknowledgement. The High Mage sighed and covered Vasi’s hand with his own larger one, squeezing once before letting the hand fall back to his side.

  “Many things trouble me, Vasi, but your apprentice most of all this day.”

  “Enari?” Her expression turned solemn. “Has she offended you or overstepped her place in some way? I will speak to her—”

  “No, no, nothing like that,” he hastened to assure her, forcing a laugh. “It’s more her singular appearance. She…looks like a woman I knew once. Almost her mirror image, in fact.” He said this last as if to himself and turned back to his study of the dawn sky. “Who is her mother?”

  His forced indifference rang thin and brittle, even to his own ears.

  Vasi wasn’t fooled, either. “A woman named Tanith. She came to us from…uncertain circumstances.” A brief pause. “But you knew that already.”

  “Alas.”

  Vasi allowed her hand to slide down his arm, then laced her fingers through his. “How did you know her? The kvinnas knew little and even the Abdesa was able to learn very few details of her life before she came to the Temple.”

  “She was at Turris Arcana for a time,”

  His hesitation before answering brought a small knowing smile to her face. “You were involved with her.”

  “Black Goddess, Vasi, there really is no fooling you, is there?” His attempt at lightheartedness fell flat and they both heard it. In all the long years of their friendship, there had been no hiding a truth, however dark or painful, from one another. It was the blessing and the curse of true confidantes.

  She didn't answer, merely waited for him to go on. Eryk took a deep breath and continued soberly, “I loved Tanith more than life itself…the way you loved Gregor. I can see that now and it makes me ashamed of my behavior all those years ago. We’ve never spoken of it, but Vasi, I want you to know how sorry I am.”

  It hurt more than she expected to have that past ugliness brought into the light at last. The wound was old and one she thought long since healed, but to hear him speak of it now dredged up all the old pain and it bit with razor clarity.

  Gregor de’Curande had been a fellow mage, three years her senior and a brilliant Etheremancer. Many wagered he would be High Mage after old Rillaine passed, though there had been a good number of bets on Eryk as well. The two men had been fierce competitors, but they had also been close friends. From childhood, Vasi, Eryk, and Gregor were inseparable, having come to the Tower within days of one another. Where you found one, you would find the other two nearby. She had many good memories of their adventures and trials together.

  But as they neared the end of their apprenticeships, the relationship between Vasi and Gregor had blossomed into something deeper and Eryk was devastated when he learned of it. She’d been unaware of his feelings for her and the bond between them was destroyed in one night of revelation and harsh words.

  Gregor and Vasi had wed the year she turned twenty and the day had been bittersweet, as the man who had been their dearest friend refused to attend the ceremony.

  Their marriage was blissful, but brief. Gregor had been out on a field expedition and killed in a bandit ambush not long before Eryk was chosen as the next High Mage. Vasi had left the Tower shortly thereafter, unable to bear the memories. She’d found solace at the Cyrilan Temple and taken the vows of a kvinna on her twenty-fifth birthday. Time and distance had slowly healed her friendship with Eryk and while they corresponded regularly, they had not seen one another since the day she left Turris Arcana.

  And they never spoke of Gregor.

  His eyes were anguished as he watched the memories play over her face. “Vasi, can you ever forgive me? It took me too long to see anything beyond my own pain, but I know that my actions were shameful. I regret that he’s not here so that I may seek his forgiveness as well.”

  A single tear slid down her cheek and she leaned her head against his shoulder. “I forgave you long ago, Eryk, and Gregor did, too.”

  He put an arm around her, squeezing gently.

  “Will you tell me of her?” Vasi asked after a time, “I don’t even know her family name.”

  He exhaled slowly. “That would explain the confusion with Enari, I suppose. Tanith Hithaerien was a powerful mage and a beautiful woman, but it was more than that. She called to my soul from the first, in a way no one ever has. Except perhaps…but no. We were together for such a short time and she brought me a great deal of joy and solace, not to mention a measure of peace. Is she…is she still with you?”

  Vasi shook her head sadly. “I’m sorry, Eryk.”

  “What happened?” The question was hoarse, uttered barely above a whisper.

  “She died giving birth.”

  His shoulders sagged and he covered his eyes with a hand. Vasi let him brood for a moment before prodding him gently.

  “‘Confession eases all’, as they say.”

  He chuckled, a hint of bitterness coloring the sound. “It is a pathetically short tale, I’m afraid.”

  “I would hear it, if you would speak.” She led him to the small breakfast table she usually shared with Enari. It briefly occurred to her to wonder where her apprentice had gone, but she pushed the thought aside for the time being.

  He watched her fix two cups of tea and it was some time before his voice breached the quiet. He began slowly, haltingly. This tale would be a baring of his soul.

  “I met Tanith about twenty years ago, when she came to the Tower. She seemed but a child at the time, arriving alone and without a single possession. Goddess, but twenty-three feels like ten lifetimes ago.” He chuckled ruefully. “I think I’d been High Mage for perhaps half a year at that time and it was still my duty to test those seeking entrance to Turris Arcana and permission to study there. This was back before I had Jex to assist with such things.”

  “Black Goddess knows what you see in that popinjay, Eryk.”

  “He’s a very talented mage and an excellent judge of talent,” Eryk argued, “But as I was saying…When Tanith was ushered into my office, my breath stopped.”

  “She was certainly striking,” Vasi agreed.

  Eryk snorted and lifted his cup to his lips. “That she was. Those eyes of hers…I’ve never seen any like them until I met Enari. I thought I was seeing Tanith’s ghost when I saw your apprentice.”

  “I had wondered at your reaction to her, but haven’t had a chance to speak with you about it. We’ve all been a bit…busy.”

  “Don’t I know it. I’m sorry if I distressed either of you.”

  “I don’t think she even noticed. She had attention for nothing but your handsome emissary by that point, I fear. Such cow's eyes I've never seen, to be sure. Although I doubt she’s even aware of her own feelings in the matter.”

  Eryk highly doubted that after what he’d stumbled upon, but it wasn’t his place to tell that particular secret. Enari would tell her Sura when she was ready.

  “I do wish you’d speak with Jex about her, Eryk,” Vasi continued, “He’s, what, six and a half, seven years her senior? He’ll break her heart without even realizing.”

  Eryk’s smile returned, bringing deep creases to the corners of his eyes, and he held up a hand to stop her. Vasi thought, not for the first t
ime, how handsome his face was when he smiled. Even as they aged, he’d only grown more pleasing to look upon.

  A pang of regret touched her heart. Of all the ways things could have been…but here they were and none could change the past. They made their choices long ago and both had responsibilities now. But that logic, however sound and rehearsed, never silenced the part of her heart that still longed for him and what could have been.

  “I imagine I looked at her mother much the same way, but I’ll speak with him, if eases your mind.”

  “Sentimental fool,” she thought affectionately and squeezed his hand a little tighter.

  He returned to his tale. “Tanith surprised me enough with the strength of her magic and talent in wielding it, that I didn’t hesitate to grant her entry into the Tower. It didn’t take long for me to fall for her, either, although she didn’t reveal her own feelings for quite some time. She was so private and self-possessed…and young in a way that made me ashamed of my own thoughts. I overheard several mages, rejected suitors I imagine, complain that she was an ice maiden or that she must prefer her own sex. There were also those that whispered she was one of the Vintyri.” He snorted derisively, “Idiots.”

  “Many kvinnas thought her fairy-born as well, and they claim the same of Enari. It’s rubbish, but you must admit their features are unique. Do you know where Tanith’s people are from? ‘Hithaerien’ isn’t a surname I’ve ever heard and it certainly doesn’t sound Egali.”

  “She was reticent on the subject of her heritage and I wasn’t inclined to press her. Too preoccupied with other things.” After a brief pause, he swallowed audibly and braved the question she knew he'd been working himself up to ask.

  “Tell me of her last days?” His eyes pleaded with her for the truth.

  Vasi settled back in thought. “I'll tell you what I can, but Tanith and I weren’t terribly close, not until the very last. She came to us the fall Aelani and Brinon were crowned…when was that? 787?”