Selena closed her eyes, inhaling Titus’ masculine, woodsy scent. It filled her with security, reminded her that someone was with her on this wild adventure, someone who truly cared about her.
Titus?
Yes.
I’m afraid.
Don’t be. I’m here.
Titus shifted against her and Selena braced herself for another one of his mind-bending kisses. Her lips were parted, her breath caught between them and her lungs bursting to contract as she waited. The second his lips brushed hers, Rothatin’s booming voice intruded their haze of telepathic conversation and touching lips.
“We have a long day’s travel ahead of us,” he said with a dark glare in Titus’ direction. It was obvious that the Fae male still did not trust him. “We should get a move on.”
Titus returned Rothatin’s glare. “By all means, let us go.”
With another dangerous glance at Titus, Rothatin moved to the front of their procession, a doubled-edged, curved spear clutched in his slender fingers. The others followed without question as Rothatin crossed over into Damu. Selena and Titus fell in behind them, their hands still clasped tightly between them. Disappointment stabbed Selena in the gut and she grimaced at the back of Rothatin’s blond head. Titus’s laughter rang out inside of her head.
There will be time for that later, my princess, I promise.
Selena blushed and stared down at her feet as they trekked over the sand. I have no idea what you’re talking about.
Another laugh from Titus.
Sure you don’t.
~*~
The news couldn’t be good. Eranna could tell, just by the slump of Ushma’s shoulders and the dragging of the horribly ugly witch’s feet. She supposed an hour in the bathing pool was long enough. Eranna waded through the pool and accepted the towel that Ushma clutched between her gnarled fingers. After drying off, Eranna draped a sheer, white silk gown over her shoulders and belted it at the waist. She stabbed her most loyal witch with a narrowed glare and frowned.
“You’ve brought news.”
“Yes, my Queen.”
“The expression on your loathsome face says it all. I am not going to like this, am I?”
Ushma shook her head, keeping her gaze averted from Eranna’s. She knew that her eyes were beginning to glow red, a side-effect of anger that had started happening only recently. Eranna reveled in the feeling of rage as it raced through her veins with cold fury. Her hand curled into a fist at her side.
“Let’s have it.”
“Ruen has returned with only a handful of Minotaurs. They have failed you, my Queen.”
Eranna’s fingernails bit into her palms, drawing blood, but she was heedless to the crimson stain running down her bathrobe.
“I will deal with him later,” she said, her voice laced with deadly promise before stalking over to her cherished mirror. She paused and took a deep breath, unclenching her fists and allowing her body to rapidly heal the tiny half-moon gashes she’d created with her fingernails. She took inhaled deeply and focused on her breathtaking reflection in the gilded mirror.
“Mirror, mirror, show me Princess Eladria of Damu,” she commanded.
Eranna’s reflection faded in a swirl and flash of light, and in the center of a swirling haze appeared the image she’d been waiting for. She was escorted by the warrior Fae and accompanied by that traitor Werewolf. Eranna shook with barely controlled rage.
They had already set foot on the sands of Damu, which meant King Eldalwen was more than likely aware of her presence. His Centaurs would protect her with their lives and add strength to her escort of warrior Fae. Eranna could not risk losing valuable soldiers when she had been gathering them for her army. The Battle of the Red Dawn was coming; now that Eladria had crossed over into her home realm, Eranna could no longer prevent this part of the prophecy. Ushma shuffled up beside her, giving voice to what Eranna already understood.
“It is useless trying to stop the battle, my Queen,” Ushma said.
“Then we will focus all of our energies on winning, my faithful witch. You will begin work on your protection spells and talismans. Adrah’s warrior Fae will be the greatest asset to our enemy’s forces. Instruct Ruen to see to the construction of iron weapons and gather the wolves. It is time to prepare for battle.”
Eranna turned away from the image of Eladria and Titus trekking across Damu’s sand dunes. Her hands gripped the hunched shoulders of the witch.
“Never fear, Ushma, we will not fail.”
~*~
The journey was exhausting, so Selena was grateful when they finally made camp for the night. She was also grateful for the tents provided by Queen Adrah, which did a more than adequate job of protecting them from the swirling sand whipped about by the wind.
“The winds blow strongest at night,” Rothatin had told her when she commented on the increase in the air’s current. “You will learn more of this once we bring you to King Eldalwen, but the people of Damu draw their power from the wind.”
She thought over this now as she sat, alone in her tent. If what Rothatin said was true, then maybe her power was not that of speed, but control of the wind. That was hard enough to wrap her brain around without the added pressure of knowing she was about to meet her parents for the first time. Even though she missed Rose with a deep and resounding ache, she couldn’t help excitement and a sense of rightness about going to Damu to meet her parents. While she still hadn’t quite come to terms with a lot of things—Titus claiming that they were true mates, the fact that everyone wanted her to be the catalyst for an impending war—she knew that meeting her parents was the right thing to do. She only hoped that she wouldn’t be a disappointment to them.
She’d been told that her mother was a great beauty. Would the queen of Damu be disappointed in Selena’s average looks? Sure, her hair was a unique and vibrant shade of red, and she supposed her eyes were warm and kind, but there weren’t many girls on the pages of Elle or Vogue that looked like her.
And what about her father? Would King Eldalwen feel let down because she wasn’t tougher? Surely a great warrior like himself would expect his daughter to be able to kick some ass. The idea that he could expect something from her that she did not possess terrified her.
“You look as if you are a thousand miles away.”
Selena glanced up to find Titus standing in the doorway of her tent. He was smiling, but he was also concerned, Selena could see. She tried to return his smile and motioned for him to join her on the thick, cushioned floor of the tent. He let the tent flap fall closed behind him and did as she had silently asked.
“I’m right here,” she answered as he lowered himself beside her. She instinctively reached for his hand, trying as hard as she could not to even think about the fact that it came so easily to her. Almost as if what he said about their mated destiny was true.
“Yes, but I can see that your thoughts have taken you somewhere else.”
His eyes searched her probingly and Selena felt invaded to every corner of her soul. She shivered.
“Stop that,” she said, lowering her eyes. “I feel naked when you do that.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I can’t help it. It is just that your emotions are so bare to me. The connection is getting stronger, Selena. If you try, you can read my feelings, too.”
Her gaze jumped back up to his. “Really?”
Titus nodded. “Sure. If you want I’ll go first.”
He pierced her with his intense gaze again for several seconds before speaking again.
“You are thinking about your parents,” he said. “You’re worried that you will fall short of their expectations. You’re wondering if you’ll fit in at the palace and with the people of Damu. You are worried that if you take your place as princess and lead the charge against Eranna that you will fail. You fear failure most of all because you know that you are powerful. You feel your power, even if you do not know the full extent of what it is and you fear falling short when the time
comes to use that power.”
Selena’s jaw went slack and she was afraid she’d have to pick her chin up off the floor. “Okay, that’s freaky. That’s exactly what I was feeling and thinking!”
Titus smiled. “Of course it is. Now you try.”
“I don’t think I can.”
Titus sighed and shook his head, sending a lock of dark hair falling into his eyes. “You haven’t even tried yet, Selena. One thing you will have to learn is that you can’t give up before you even try. You’re setting yourself up for failure. If you tell yourself you can do it, then you can. The bond is already created between us. You must trust it and yourself. Look at me and tell me what you see. Don’t be afraid to give voice to exactly what you feel coming from me.”
Selena took a deep breath and shifted until she was fully facing him. She folded her legs under her and rested her hands on her knees. She leaned forward and found Titus’ gaze, locking her eyes with his. Selena blocked out the sounds of the Fae moving around, cooking and making camp outside of her tent, the sounds of wind and swirling sand, and even the sound of her own beating heart. She lost herself in the blue depths of Titus’ eyes, zeroing in on the dark pupils and the rim of lighter blue that edged them. Suddenly, her heart squeezed tightly as everything he felt poured into her. She was seized by it, as if gripped by an unbreakable force, a tight band that squeezed the very air from her lungs. Tears came to her eyes uncontrolled.
“You are afraid that Eranna has learned of your switching sides and that she has killed your family in retaliation. You worry that you will never see them again and that you have failed them. You want me to meet my parents and take my place in Damu, but you do not believe that a war with Eranna’s forces will bring about change. You do not think that I should be the catalyst for this war and you worry that I will be hurt or killed. You do not think that Adrah and the Grimm Brothers will be able to find all seven of the lost girls. You worry that this world will forever be lost to darkness and evil.”
She paused and took a deep breath as the tight band of emotion squeezing the life from her loosened, but she could not break her gaze from Titus’.
“Do you really think that there is no hope?”
Titus’s jaw tightened and his lips were a disappearing, white line. “It is a small hope, like a single star in a black sky. I am skeptical, Selena, I can’t lie to you about that. I hope you don’t think that it’s any indication of what I think of you and your abilities. I think that if there is a war, and if it does begin with the Red Dawn of the prophecy, that maybe you are the best chance we have of at least getting my family back and liberating the other wolves in captivity. Beyond that … ” Titus trailed off and shook his head. “I just don’t know what will happen and it scares me, especially if you are choosing to stay. The selfish part of me is ecstatic at the thought of having you as my mate for life. Another part of me wonders just how long those lives will be. With Eranna’s reign of terror growing by the day, we would find ourselves hunted like animals. I could never ask you to live such a life when I know that you would be safe in the human world.”
Selena leaned forward and placed her hands on either side of Titus’ face. “I won’t leave you, Titus, not like this, not without knowing that you’ve gotten your family back.”
Titus’s hands covered hers. “And I won’t leave you, no matter where you go. I may not believe in the start of a war, Selena, but I believe in you and I’ll protect you from anything.”
With all her heart, she believed him. She stroked his smooth cheek with the pad of her thumb.
“What am I thinking now?” she asked with a mischievous smile.
Titus’ eyes widened. “Really?”
She nodded and lowered her hands to his rock hard chest. “Rothatin has rotten timing and I got cheated out of a kiss earlier,” she said. “I don’t see any overbearing warrior Faeries around, do you?”
Titus’s grin matched hers as he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her practically into his lap. “No, I don’t.”
His lips were insistent but gentle as he gave her more of what she’d been wanting since their time under the Pixie dust. He held her, one hand at the back of her head, the other at her back, his fingers biting into her skin. Selena clung to him, her comfort in an otherwise troubling time, and drank from his mouth, hoping to forget everything else, even if only for a little while. When he pulled away, she was dizzy and knew that if he let her go, she’d fall into a heap on the tent floor. He stroked her hair affectionately and kissed her forehead.
“Enough,” he said with a chuckle. “Any more and I won’t be able to stop.”
Selena’s face went hot and she shivered, a contradiction of hot and cold that raced through her body with both craving and apprehension. She swallowed and cleared her throat.
“Not that it wouldn’t be awesome but—”
You’re not ready, his voice said in her mind. His smile was genuine and full of understanding. Not to worry, my princess, the time is not yet right for us. Such a physical bond would seal our connection as mates forever. I don’t think you’re prepared for that.
Selena felt guilt gnawing at her. I wish I was, she replied honestly. I want to be.
He kissed her again, slowly and achingly sweet. You will be.
I’m just glad you’re not one of those jerky guys that tries to put the pressure on. It’s definitely making me feel better about this whole ‘mate’ business.
I take the fact that you haven’t told me to go to hell yet as a good sign.
Selena laughed out loud. “Never.”
“It’s getting late,” Titus replied. “Tomorrow will be a long day and I want you to get plenty of rest.”
Selena frowned. “They didn’t exactly give me a pillow,” she said. “I know we’re traveling light, but you’d think a Fae tent would have a Sealy Posturepedic in it or something.”
Titus moved away from her with a shake of his head. “I believe I can remedy that.”
Within seconds, the beautiful white wolf was seated before her, his blue eyes glistening invitingly. He lowered himself onto his stomach and crossed his front legs before him, laying his head on them before nodding toward his furry back in invitation. Selena crawled across the space between them. She leaned down to nuzzle Titus’ soft pelt and scratch his ears before curling up against his strong, soft body.
Oh God, not the ears! his voice resounded in her head. If you do that again, I’ll be forced to shift back to my human form and finish what I started earlier.
Selena pinched him playfully. Sorry. Didn’t know the ears were so sensitive.
Haven’t you ever pet a dog before? Same thing here. In human terms it’s the same as your grabbing me by the—
“Good night, Titus!”
His chuckles resounded through her head.
~*~
Chapter Eleven
Selena was grateful that the royal palace was only another day’s walk away. The heat in Damu was oppressive; much like Texas, only dryer. As she walked beside Titus, surrounded by her Faerie guards, Selena reached for the hood of the red cloak Adrah had given her before she departed from Goldun. The gift had seemed ridiculous at first. Who wears a heavy cloak in the desert? But now Selena was grateful for the long material, which she wrapped around her shoulders and used as a veil over her nose and mouth. She’d swallowed enough sand to last her a lifetime. With only her eyes peeking out from behind the red material, Selena was baking inside of the cloak, but decided it was better than eating a gritty sand sandwich.
The clay walls surrounding city were fortified by gates that gleamed gold in the morning sun. Beyond walls that seemed to stretch on forever, the city of Damu almost blended in with its surroundings with its red clay buildings, the only exception the jewel tones of the gleaming, domed roofs. As they drew closer throughout the day, the exotic smell of spices met her nostrils. At the thought of their impending arrival, Selena felt butterflies swirling and dipping in her stomach. Even when they stopped for l
unch, she couldn’t eat, couldn’t think beyond what would happen when she entered the gates and finally stood on the steps of the home where she’d been born.
Titus was silent as well, seeming to respect her need to be left alone today. Selena could have kissed him for it, if she hadn’t been so focused on the meeting that would occur by the end of the day. So deep were her thoughts that she barely registered the sound of hooves pounding against the sand until the Centaurs were almost upon them.
The Fae warriors drew their weapons and moved into a protective circle around Selena and Titus, who grabbed her arm tightly and shoved her behind his back. She caught just a glimpse of the creatures from human myth before the wall of broad-shouldered Fae blocked them out and her jaw uncontrollably dropped. The Centaurs were possibly the most complex and beautiful creatures she’d ever seen.
The gleaming, bare torsos of the men rippled with muscles that bulged and swelled against skin in shades of white, olive, tan, and deep, dark brown. The women wore iron breastplates studded with rubies over shoulders and chests that were equally as muscular and impressive as their male counterparts. Hair in shades between blond and midnight black fell down to each one’s waist, and many had adorned their tresses with feathers and charms fastened to silver chains. Piercing’s dotted their ears, noses, and eyebrows; sienna brown markings lined their arms, chests, and some of their faces. The tattoos were in an intricate pattern that Selena instantly recognized as some system of lettering. Something within her latched on to the symbols, recognizing them as familiar. Just before Titus blocked the undoubted leader of the Centaurs from view, she could have sworn she recognized the letters running down the side of his arm. They spelled the word ‘Warrior’.
From the waist down, of course, the Centaurs possessed the hindquarters of horses. The four powerful legs of each one were steady and steadfast, their coats gleaming just as beautifully as the skin across their chests and arms. Long, flowing tails swished behind them and massive hooves pawed the ground. Their ears flicked and moved toward sounds and voices, and they were very horse-like as well.
Daughter of the Red Dawn (The Lost Kingdom of Fallada) Page 13