by Nesa Miller
Etain cleared her throat, pushing the hair from her face. “I am fine. You need not have worried for me, but I do thank you for asking.” Her ice gaze traveled from Faux to Dar. “I need a bath.” She left the couple in the courtyard.
Dar placed a kiss on the dark beauty’s head, but his eyes followed the blonde warrior. “It has been an eventful day. Let’s go inside.” They casually strolled into the house. “Shall we have a bite to eat?”
Foraging through the leftovers from breakfast, he soon had a small feast set out in the kitchen. Faux blew out a breath, eying it all. “You must’ve worked up some appetite while you were gone. What were you doing?”
“Resting, and talking.” Dar took a swig of ale.
“Talking? About what?”
“This place,” he said, waving a hand. “And her inability to do as she is told.”
Faux snorted. “A little advice, slick. Ask, don’t tell. You’d be amazed at the results.”
“I shall try to remember your words of wisdom the next time I lead my clan into battle.”
She rolled her eyes. “She isn’t afraid of you…or me.” She ran a hand over his muscular arm. “I suggest you be careful.”
Having left Faux at rest in her room, Dar returned to his to wash away the residue of his time in the practice ring, inspecting his injuries. Impressed with the results of Etain’s ministrations, he dressed and went to meet with the young woman who had become the proverbial fly in his ointment. He puzzled over how he could take her blood. What had changed since the early hours of that morning? After an uncharacteristic knock, he waited for her invitation to enter.
She opened the door. “Thank you for knocking.” Tying the sash on her robe, a blush colored her cheeks. “Shall we sit by the fire?”
Dar smiled and followed her into the room. Fresh from the bath, her clean scent was as enticing as the silk robe flowing over her curves. He reminded himself he was here to talk, nothing more. “There are many things that need to be said.”
Taking a seat, she said, “Let’s start with your sudden interest in Faux.”
Not what he expected. “We can start there.” The connection was strong, and even though Etain broke the initial link, he watched the beautiful face, willing her eyes back to him. “I admit, I paid little attention to her escapades…until her attempt to murder you, but your determination to protect her intrigued me. I felt I should learn more of your unusual bond.”
She rewarded his efforts with a raised brow. “Interesting technique. Despite being at odds most of the time, she is my responsibility. Were it not for me, she wouldn’t exist.”
“I believe I played a part, as well.” She accepted his response with a weak smile. “Upon our introduction last night, I was strongly attracted to her. Her smell and taste are so like yours.” He took her hand in his, raising it to his lips. “However, they do not satisfy.”
She cleared her throat, snatching her hand away. “Don’t patronize me, Lord Darknight. You knew what you were doing.”
“Aye. I knew what I was doing.” By the gods, he enjoyed seeing the spark in her eyes.
“Faux likes variety. She thrives on it. She’s always been for Faux and Faux alone. Whatever you’ve done to invoke her new devotion to you won’t last long.”
“A point you seem to have forgotten in your own relationship with her.”
She leaned back, her gaze holding his. “It won’t happen again.”
“I do not doubt it.” He looked away, needing to break the connection, if only for a moment. Considering recent revelations, what he had to say did not come easy. “I thought Faux could better…accommodate what I had to give. You made it clear you were not interested in my attentions.”
“I was not interested in being forced.”
His eyes came back to hers. “I was not referring to what happened here.” He felt somewhat heartened when he saw the color drain from her face. “I am close to two hundred in human years and, for the most part, have spent them alone. It is not a long time by Krymerian standards, but I do not live with Krymerians. Believe me when I say living with the Alamir has been a lonely existence.”
“That makes no sense. You’ve always been surrounded by people, plenty of them women.”
Dare he trust this woman with his soul? For him, there was no other choice. “As I have told you, Midir and I are one and the same. We have been at each other’s mercy all our lives.” The need to move forced him to his feet. He could not watch her face at what he next had to say. “What you don’t know is I once had a wife and children.” He dared to look. She seemed interested. Encouraged, he continued. “Alexia was a loving wife and wonderful mother. Victoria and Henrí, our children, adored her, and I adored them all.”
“Something happened to them.” It was not a question.
“They were slaughtered.” An intense sadness came over him. “To say I was devastated would be an understatement. One morning, as I was on patrol, the Bok attacked. No one was spared.” She remained silent as he walked to the bank of windows. “We hunted the murderers for months, but their deaths did nothing to satisfy my hunger for revenge. I wanted the one who ordered the massacre.” He gazed out at a sea turned gold by the setting sun. “But the name has constantly eluded me. His men opted to die by my hand rather than reveal his name.” He clenched his jaw, his stomach churning. “It was Midir. My own brother.” He turned to her. “Because of his hatred for me, I lost my family and the people of my house. He could not kill me and live, so he destroyed my life instead.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” she murmured. “Betrayal and losing your family in such a violent way...” A tear slid down her cheek. “The desire for revenge. It all changes a person.” She crossed her arms over her chest, as though she were shielding herself from an unseen evil.
“Have I changed?” He walked back to her, stopping before her.
She looked up at him. “Aye. The Dar I knew was not a demon.”
“Etain, it will take the strength of a demon to defeat his evil.”
“This demon drinks blood for pleasure and takes any woman he pleases.”
He crouched, coming face-to-face with the beauty who haunted his dreams.
“Since the death of my family, I have not allowed myself to feel anything. I cannot explain what I feel at this moment. So much has happened.” He hesitated, searching for the right words. “The day you stepped into my life challenged me to believe in a different future. To dream again.” Watching her face, he hoped for a glimmer of acceptance. “Because of that belief, I am determined to make Midir pay for his sins.”
“None of this explains why we were summoned.”
“I abused my authority to bring you here. I knew you would not ignore a summons.” She lowered her head, obviously uncomfortable with the admission. “Etain, I have worn my past as a shield to avoid living, to punish myself for not being there to protect my family, for trusting a man I thought…” He closed his eyes, dismissing the thought with a shake of his head. “The destruction you saw was the demolition of a past that has held me back. I do not know what the future holds, but I am ready to face it.” Dar sat back on his heels. “I see now I have made a mess of it. At the end of the day, it comes down to what you want.”
A passion only he could stir enflamed her heart, his heat an enticement to surrender to the fire. However, that small voice within reminded her of his betrayal. With the cock of a brow, she leaned back and brought a bare foot up, pushing him away.
“What do you mean by accommodate?”
Dar breathed deep. “I gave her a child. My child.” He stoically absorbed the electrical current.
The foot pushed him onto the floor and she loomed over him. “I never thought you a fool. Her body may well accommodate your seed, but I guarantee her character will be the death of it, and possibly you.”
Eyeing the curve of her bare leg, he pushed up on his elbows, a smirk on his lips. “You don’t approve?”
She stared at him in silence, her
emotions at war. The audacity of the man. Tells me about the loss of his family, revealing what I thought was a secret part of himself. Surely, it’s all lies to lower my guard. How many bastard children live today because of him?
Amidst all the doubts, she could not deny the burn in her blood or how all else faded when he was near.
No! He is a scoundrel. He brought us here to satisfy his own desire. Ha! I’ll use him to my advantage.
“Would it make any difference?” She turned, walking away.
Dar was quick to his feet, catching the hem of her robe. “Not at this point.” His hands rested lightly on her hips. “Will you forgive my error in judgment with Faux? Can we start over?”
“I...” Her eyes closed as Dar brushed her hair aside, kissing her neck. His breath was warm, raising gooseflesh over her skin. “There may be something you can help me with.” Breathless, she faced him. “A token gesture to jump-start the rebuilding of my faith in you. But first, you need to hear of my past.”
“I know your story, Etain.”
“No. You’ve only known me as an Alamir. I’m talking about the time when I was human...er…a regular human.”
“Then tell me.”
He took her by the hand and led her back to the chairs. She pulled away, choosing to sit on the floor instead, safe from his touch. Her mind traveled back to the days before the Alamir and their strange world.
“I had a family. Not a husband and children.” She shook her head. “I had a loving father, a doting mother, and a big brother. I had just turned fourteen.” Dar’s brows lifted. “My father was a businessman. Mom did volunteer work, mostly with local museums, fundraisers, stuff like that.” She shrugged, her thoughts in another time. “My brother was a typical big brother, picked on me as brothers do, but protected me from anyone, including my parents.” Her legs shifted to the side. “My dad worked with different people, important people. Many of his contacts weren’t of an honorable sort and I’m pretty sure some weren’t even human.”
“Being so young, how would you know?”
“I didn’t know, but I sensed something wasn’t right. It wasn’t until I became an Alamir that it began to make sense.”
She cocked her head, gathering her hair over one shoulder, combing it with her fingers. “We’d gone out for pizza and a movie. It was a rare treat for dad to be free. I remember my brother and me in the back seat, competing for his attention.”
It had been years, but it felt like yesterday. “We were driving past the park on our way home. Suddenly, Dad slammed on the brakes. I couldn’t see anything, but I felt the energy pulsing around us.” Her monologue grew in animation, using her hands to emphasize the enormity of what they had encountered. “A wall of darkness blocked the road. Dad wanted to check it out. Mom wanted to leave, which sounded pretty good to me, especially when he opened his door.”
Dar listened, intent on her story.
Etain pressed her hands to her head. “My head hurt so bad.” She looked at Dar. “Dad walked up to the wall and stuck his hand right into it.” She waved her hand through the air. “Mom looked back at me. She knew.” I remember her blonde hair, sweeping out when she turned and opened the door. The sadness in Etain’s voice matched the expression on her face. “She jumped out of the car, but stopped when a dark figure came out of the wall. My dad looked at my mom, then at me.”
She trembled, tears shining in her eyes. “The top part of his body went in one direction.” She waved to the left, “His legs the other,” and to the right, tears sliding down her cheeks. “My mind couldn’t process what was happening. I watched the dark figure turn toward Mom, making a Z formation in front of her.” A sad smile touched her lips. “It’s weird how the mind works sometimes. The motion reminded me of an old TV show where two funny men would give snaps in a Z formation.” The smile faded. “He was big. Bigger than you, his eyes red, like a demon’s.” Her hands dragged through her hair. “My mom…” She choked on her words, struggling for composure. “My mom fell into pieces.”
In need of a reassuring touch, an anchor to the present, she let Dar pull her onto his lap. Curling up to him, she rested her head on his broad shoulder. “Blood was everywhere. My brother made me look at him as he dragged me across the seat. I couldn't think. I couldn't cry. I couldn’t move. I just stared at his mouth forming words I didn’t understand.”
Dar’s jaw was warm against her forehead. “He slapped me, yelling at me to run.” Etain rubbed her cheek in remembrance. “I ran. We ran. We got as far as the park, but once I went into the woods, I lost him.
“That night, I went from being a kid to this…” She gestured to herself, “warrior woman. Only I didn’t feel like one.” She took a breath. “The only thing that’s kept me going was the promise I made to avenge my family.” She sat up and looked him in the eye. “I've learned a lot since becoming an Alamir. How to survive, how to fight. But there are other things I’ve yet to learn. What I look like on the outside doesn’t reflect what I am on the inside.” Her gaze bore into his, willing him to comprehend what she meant without having to say the words. “Do you understand what I'm telling you?”
Dar pressed his lips together, pursing his brows. “Etain, your strength of character and integrity make you all the more beautiful.”
“No, not that.” She bit her bottom lip. “Just because I look like a woman doesn’t make me a woman.”
His eyes widened. “You’re not a woman?”
She growled, baring her teeth. “I was fourteen, Dar. Fourteen. An innocent fourteen.”
He looked her up and down. “Fourteen?”
“I was, but after the silver orb-”
“Etain, what are you talking about?”
She narrowed her eyes. “A silver orb brought me to the Alamir.” He nodded, a doubtful look on his face. “It did.”
“I’m sorry, Etain, but you do not look fourteen to me.”
“I’m not, that’s what I’m trying to tell you. The orb aged me by five years.”
Dar rested his chin in his hand. “So, you’re nineteen?”
“No.” Her story had sounded much more credible in her head. She turned away. “I’ve been Alamir for about five years now.” Hearing his sigh, her gaze came back to him. “Whether I’m nineteen or twenty-four doesn’t matter, the innocent part has not changed.”
It was clear the wheels turned behind his blue gaze. “Are you telling me you're a virgin?” he asked, hiding his amusement behind a hand.
She pushed away from him, wanting to escape. “How could I expect such a cretin to understand?”
“I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I am surprised, that's all,” he said, refusing to let her go. “I never thought-”
“Of course not, considering who you keep company with. Let me go.” She pushed against his chest. Not expecting his sudden release, she ended up sprawled on the floor, face down. She flipped over, a scowl on her face.
“Oops.” His eyes sparkled at the disheveled robe revealing a pair of long, bare legs.
She picked herself up, slapping away non-existent dust. “My mistake.”
“Etain, you ran with one of the roughest clans in the Alamir. They weren’t known for their civilized ways.”
“We survived any way we could.” Her body vibrated with indignation. “Nobody wanted us. We weren’t good enough for their precious clans, so we created our own. Just because we looked filthy did not make us filthy. We watched out for one another, protected our brothers and sisters. We didn’t use them or throw them away. Master G was adamant about loyalty.”
“On that we can agree. He was loyal to his own, if no one else.” He leaned back in the chair. “It explains much that happened, or did not happen, those first days we were together, but you’ve had plenty of opportunities since then. Why didn’t you tell me when you joined LOKI?”
She lifted her chin, her blood cold. “My virginity is my business, not yours. It doesn’t matter anyway. You have my demon sister to keep you company. This isn't a packag
e deal.”
A scowl darkened his features. “This has nothing to do with her.”
“I said I was innocent, not stupid.”
“You overestimate the relationship,” he snapped.
Etain backed away, glaring at the insufferable man. “She carries your bastard.”
Dar came to his feet. She sidestepped his advance, her eyes lighting upon the fireplace poker within easy reach. Making a grab for it, she waved it in his face. “Get out.”
He leaned back, avoiding the makeshift weapon, then crossed his arms over his chest. “No.”
“I will hurt you.”
A deft hand took hold of the poker, pulling it, and an angry Etain, to him. He easily removed the tool from her death grip and pinned her against him. “You do entertain, but my patience wears thin. I would prefer another form of entertainment that requires no more than my flesh to yours.”
“No,” she said, a desperate panic rising. She hated the feeling and hated him more for causing it. “You said it was up to me.”
Shot down by his own words.
Etain saw it in his eyes. He loosened his hold, setting off a different panic within her heart. His body was hard, strong, hot. She wanted to melt into him, have his hands moving over her skin.
Damn. What’s happening to me?
She gripped his arms. Set afire by his questioning gaze, her lips met his in a fiery clash. Everything else disappeared. He held her tight, her body molding to his chiseled curves. Whatever betrayal she had felt was forgotten. He was her angel, her savior, her tormentor.
Dar abruptly let go, staggering back, uncertainty on his face. He opened his mouth, then closed it without a sound.
Shaken, Etain watched him leave, her emotions a jumble of rampant insanities. Dragging her hands through her hair, she stumbled to the bed and collapsed.
7
An Understanding
Sleep eluded the silent warrior. Sitting on the edge of the bed, head in his hands, Dar went over what had happened. Thinly veiled breasts against his chest, the taste of red lips, mixed with a red-hot passion on the verge of explosion.