“You don’t understand. This is serious for our kind. Once we unite, it is essentially the same thing as a human marriage. We would be united as one forever.” He placed another kiss on my lips. His English accent was so darn sexy, I wanted to just lie there listening to him speak forever.
“Umm...what’s the problem?” I didn’t get it. Sounded great to me.
“No, love. I don’t want it to be like this, in a cave, with my brother and Guardian just around the corner. It isn’t right. I want it to be perfect for you,” he whispered gruffly.
“Oh my word. Mycah...you’re killing me here.” I closed my eyes and exhaled. The level of lust and desire I felt for him in that moment was so beyond anything I ever thought it would be like. There was no way.
“Forgive me, darling.” He sat up with a smirk, pulling my hand with him and kissing the top of each one of my fingers. It only made my lust grow by leaps and bounds.
But I thought over what he said—and he was right. If this meant marriage, then I wouldn’t want it like this either. I didn’t want to be restrained and suppressed—from what I could tell already, it would be freaking epic. There was no way I could handle our first time to be around my father and Rydan.
I gazed longingly at his tight abs and sighed wistfully.
“Fiiiine,” I huffed.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
~Naminé~
Rydan caressed my cheek at the break of dawn. The enchanting light that increasingly rose brighter and brighter danced in his silver irises. His midnight hair fell just over his brow as he gazed longingly at me from his lying position.
I was cradled in his arms, my head just falling in the crook of his shoulder. I was absolutely certain there existed no better place than right here.
“Rydan, I am frightened of journeying to the Earthly realm,” I admitted to him.
“Aw, you don’t have to be afraid. I’ll be with you every step of the way. Trust me, it isn’t nearly as frightening as this place. There’s no evil kings, goblins, or dragons,” he comforted reassuringly. “Well, I take that back. We do have one thing some humans might consider worse, and way more terrifying.”
“Really? What’s that?” I asked, fear gripping my heart.
“We have Honey Boo-Boo,” he said dryly.
“A honey-what?” I inquired, confused.
He only laughed. I did not understand.
“Just forget it. She can’t hurt you.” He winked. I wasn’t entirely sure that made me feel any better about it.
“Will you introduce me to the parents who had raised you?” I asked timidly.
“Yeah, of course. I have so many questions to ask them so I definitely plan on seeing them right away,” he responded.
“All right then,” I agreed, feeling a little more excited about the journey. I truly had no idea what to expect when we arrived, but I was determined to enjoy it.
Rydan sweetly slid his fingers through the strands of my pale hair. I coyly glanced up at him through my eyelashes. The stunning angles of his face made me bite my lip with longing.
Oh, how I wished to have my mouth tangled with his once more.
He seemed to have read my thoughts, for he drew his lips closer to mine and lovingly kissed me. My heart constricted wildly at his wondrous touch.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
~Nari~
I nuzzled my face into Mycah’s warm neck, smiling. I missed these moments when I would wake up in his arms. I took them for granted in the past, letting my fear of the unknown hold me back. But never again.
I licked him just a tiny bit under his jawbone. Keeping his eyes closed, he smirked. He squeezed me closer against his bare chest.
“Don’t make me lick you back. It won’t be so gentle coming from me,” he teased, his sexy accent painting his words.
I maneuvered myself so that I straddled him and leaned down to kiss his sexy mouth. With his hands, he felt the length of my legs, moving over my backside, and then caressed my body up to my neck. Mycah tangled his fingers in my hair. I touched his collarbone, grazing his smooth skin with my hands.
“I hate to disrupt, but we really ought to keep moving.” Ender’s irritated voice echoed through the cave. I let out a high-pitched squeak, frightened by the intrusion.
I scrambled off Mycah in a tizzy, full-on blush scorching every inch of my skin. I stared at Mycah, who of course remained completely at ease. He raised an arm under his head, which perfectly displayed his flexed muscles. He smirked at Ender, and then glanced back to me.
“She’s so beautiful, isn’t she?” Mycah asked Ender without taking his eyes from mine.
I swore I blushed a hundred shades darker. I tore my eyes from his, letting my hair cover my face. My heart thumped at how sweet he was.
“The loveliest,” Ender agreed.
Gah! I covered my face with my hands this time.
Mycah chuckled, pulling at my wrist. “Don’t be embarrassed, love. You cannot help it.”
“Yeah, umm, thanks. But anyway—” I got up, 100% embarrassed despite Mycah telling me not to be, “Ender is right. We need to leave.”
I stalked past my father, who I could not believe just saw me kissing Mycah, after only knowing him for little over a week.
Mycah caught up to me suddenly, grabbing me gently by the arm. He was still shirtless.
Dang.
“Why must you need his approval? You’re afraid of disappointing him,” he questioned, feeling my emotions.
“Mycah, that’s not fair. You can’t just expect me to tell you every single thing I’m thinking just because you can feel my emotions,” I said, crossing my arms. I wasn’t really upset; I just needed a means of distraction from his blatant sexiness.
“You know I can’t help it. Tell me, what are you so bothered for?” His accent—god, his freakin’ accent.
“Ender...is my dad,” I explained. I didn’t know how Mycah would take it. He thought of Ender like a father-figure. Would that make him feel differently about me? Like a sister? I didn’t know.
“You can’t be serious,” he said. Ugh. Crap, he was upset.
“It’s true, Remycah.” Ender answered, walking up behind us.
“That’s why she’s so special. She has both Isil and Tavas blood. Do you know what this means?” Mycah said animatedly to Ender.
“No, Remycah. I know what it is you think of. It will not be accepted. It cannot. Her royal blood burns brighter in her. She is called to her Tavas’Elda side,” Ender explained.
“Just a second. Her what?” Mycah gaped at Ender. “She’s the Princess of Lassaira?”
“Neither Kingdom will allow your union. You would do well to not even entertain the thought,” Ender replied.
“And you are her father?” Mycah pointed a finger at Ender, just before running a hand over his head. “You broke our sacred law. You cannot unite with one already united with another. I don’t understand.”
“You have every right to be confused, Your Majesty. But know I would not have risked it had she not meant more to me than my own life,” Ender explained sullenly.
“Ender, stop calling me that. I’m not king yet,” Mycah corrected in a raspy voice.
“You are our King. Do not say, ‘yet.’ The instant your father fell at the hands of Ohtar, you were appointed our King. Have you already forgotten?” Ender chastised openly.
“I have not forgotten. But our Kingdom has yet to be made aware. It does not feel legit until I rip that throne back from Ohtar’s cold, dead fingers,” Mycah practically growled.
Ender all of a sudden jerked toward the entrance of the cave with his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
“They’re close! Run!” Ender ordered, leading us toward the exit.
Rydan and Naminé were discussing something quietly, but once they saw Ender running, they stood up.
“What’s going on?” Rydan asked, worry filling his voice.
“Ohtar’s army. They’re not far from here. We must continue if we are to make it out of this al
ive,” Ender announced briskly.
Mycah intertwined his fingers with mine, pulling me up against his body. He led the way behind Ender. Rydan and Naminé followed closely as we exited the cave, Lómë and Calen joining us.
We ran as fast as we could to gain some distance.
“Mycah, can’t we just use your dragon?” I asked through gasps of breath. Our feet pounded against the soil below.
“We are not strong enough together. Dúlin must stay hidden until we gain more training. That is our only hope to end this war. I can’t risk losing him just yet,” he quietly explained. “And Ohtar has a way to take down drakes.”
I had no time to question his statement. A loud, deep horn bellowed through the atmosphere.
“They’re on to us!” Ender shouted. We all picked up our pace. I looked back at Rydan to make sure he was okay. He held on to Naminé’s hand as they ran from behind. Lómë was right at his side.
Since I wasn’t looking in front of me at where I was going, a sharp thorn from a branch ripped across my shoulder. I yelped in pain and covered the bleeding wound with my hand, letting go of Mycah.
We didn’t have time to stop, making it awkward to run while holding my wounded arm.
“Come here,” Mycah instructed as he pulled me in front of him so that he could get a better look. While still running for our lives, he placed his palm around the wound and healed it instantly.
He was so much better at that than I was.
Mycah laced our fingers together once more and pulled me faster. I knew we slowed him down. He had the ability to run much quicker than we were currently going, but he didn’t want to leave us behind.
He truly was a force to reckon with. And in that moment, it frightened the hell out of me at the thought of Ohtar being even stronger than him.
How is that possible?
I still had so many badges to earn. I was a total newbie at this entire superhuman-powers thing. Mycah and Ohtar were on a whole other level—even Rydan was getting the hang of being an elf better than I was.
But come what may, I would stand and fight. Sure, I was completely bad at being a heroine. I downright sucked at it. It was never anything I envisioned myself to be. All I had wanted was to get through life unscathed by Ray’s wrath and vengeance.
Who would have thought I’d be some mixed-breed elf with special abilities I didn’t fully understand how to harness yet? Not to mention the whole running for my life from evil kings thing.
Mycah brought our linked arms up to his lips and kissed the back of my hand. He pulled me out of my thoughts, making me focus on the here and now. He was the anchor to my soul.
A shrill, birdlike cry rang out above our heads. I practically jumped out of my skin from the sheer volume.
“What is that?” Even I recognized the panic in my voice.
“Ohtar’s griffins!” Naminé spoke up from behind. She didn’t sound too thrilled either.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Rydan murmured dejectedly.
“How far are we from the Weeping Willow?” I couldn’t remember the Elvish name. To me, it would always simply be the Weeping Willow.
“A few miles, at best,” Ender provided.
“Mycah, we’re never going to make it!” I doubted our survival, even though I hated doing it. I had no idea what griffins were capable of, but I really didn’t want to find out.
“You’re safe with me, Nariella. I won’t let them hurt you,” Mycah replied in a deep voice.
But that wasn’t what I was afraid of. I wasn’t scared about my well-being. I was terrified for my loved ones surrounding me. I wasn’t exactly the one Ohtar was after. He pursued Rydan, Mycah, and my father right then. Not me. His greatest concern was eliminating them off the face of the Earth. Or, Luïnil. All of the above!
And that was what had me petrified out of my mind.
The griffin I couldn’t even see flying above us let out another shrieking sound. It was so loud it hurt my ears from all the way down here. The colossal trees that enveloped us blocked out any view I might've had of the mythical creature.
Then, heh, be careful what you wish for, because sure enough the darn thing swooped down below the treetops.
It was massive. With half the body of a lion, half of an eagle, it glided through the air with grace and elegance. It was somewhat creepy, but also...totally beautiful. It had a mix of golden and white feathers. Its eyes were an icy blue, as cold and hard as an iceberg.
But the thing that totally made the situation worse was the Isil’Elda soldier riding on its back, blowing his horn in alarm. Oh, and he aimed an iron-tipped arrow at Mycah’s head.
Just wonderful.
Mycah pulled me against his body and then up beside the trunk of a tree.
“Take cover!” he shouted to our group. He shielded me from any outside penetration, but he must have forgotten that I wasn’t the one being hunted. It was he who had an arrow pointed at his brain just a second ago, not me.
“Stay here,” he whispered before turning away to go out in the open.
“What?! No, are you crazy?” I whispered back, clinging to his arm and not letting him go.
“Nariella,” he moaned, looking me in the eyes. “Trust me.” He planted a swift kiss on my forehead before jogging away.
When was he going to learn that I could fight, too? I didn’t need him constantly risking his life to keep me out of harm’s way. Especially since I was never the one actually in danger. It was always him that had something or someone chasing after him. I was just caught in the middle of it.
He was the one who needed protection, yet for some reason, I was the one he always tried to protect. I didn’t get it!
I slammed my fist back against the tree trunk and let out a loud grunt of frustration. I was so tired of being left to do nothing like a helpless child.
I peeked around the tree and discovered down a ways from where I stood that Ender, Rydan, and Mycah all worked to take out the soldier riding the griffin.
It would swoop down over their heads and then back up out of reach from any assault they could make. The soldier released a few arrows, but Mycah easily deflected them. There was absolutely no way the soldier would be able to take out Mycah like that.
“He’s doing this as a distraction. It’s a trap,” Mycah realized suddenly. “Hurry, we have to end this before the rest of the army make it to our location!”
I took that as my cue.
Using the living atoms that marched within the roots of the trees, hardened in the bark like armor, danced in the leaves above—I commanded with clarity of mind that they listen to me.
The frenetic buzz of energy throughout my veins demanded obedience from every breathing molecule in my vicinity.
I closed my eyes and drew in the welcomed oxygen that served my purpose. I was Nariella Ashwyn Woodlinn. Daughter of the Queen of Lassaira and the highest appointed Guardian of Aselaira.
One soldier could be no match for me.
With one swift motion, I extended my palms in the direction of the flying soldier. The luscious trees that connected with my mind made no hesitation to do as I asked.
They flung their branches out into the air and wrapped themselves around the Isil’Elda soldier’s neck.
It tore him from his post atop the soaring griffin and slammed his body to the hard ground fifty-feet below.
Once the griffin no longer had its rider, it didn’t seem to care to be there anymore. It flew back out of the trees right away and took off in the opposite direction.
That was when I noticed I had four pairs of eyes all staring at me in astonishment. Oh, five if you wanted to count the tiger’s.
“I told you I could fight,” the words resonated out of my mouth with confidence. I wasn’t a scared little girl anymore. I would defend those I loved.
Mycah dragged the unconscious soldier to a tree and bound his hands and body with vines.
“Let’s go,” he ordered, reaching for my hand. He led the way, and the ot
hers followed quickly on our heels.
“They’re terribly close. I can feel them just behind us,” Ender warned gravely.
“We’re almost there,” Mycah announced. We all kicked it up a notch after that.
“What’s going to happen to you after we pass through? If you’re staying behind, won’t they catch you? I can’t leave you when they’re right there!” I choked out to Mycah.
“I’ll find a way. I can bolt away faster when I am alone. They won’t be able to catch me,” he assured.
“I don’t want to leave you,” I cried. I was so worried, it hurt.
“I know, love.” He kissed the back of my hand again, but this time it didn’t comfort me.
We stopped once we reached the edge of the clearing. We didn’t want to lose our cover that the trees provided. Once we stepped foot out into the open, there was no telling what waited for us.
I turned into Mycah’s chest, knowing this had to be our goodbye. He held me close to him and kissed the top of my head.
“My dear Remycah. Stay safe. We will return in a fortnight, if we are able.” Ender squeezed Mycah’s shoulder firmly, conveying every ounce of encouragement he could in that one touch.
Mycah slightly nodded his head and returned the gesture of laying his own hand on Ender’s shoulder.
Naminé kissed Mycah’s cheek and said something in Elvish. Grrr—I was in serious need of some Elvish lessons.
Mycah turned to Rydan and offered a handshake, but to my utter surprise, Rydan pulled Mycah into a hug.
“Don’t let these bastards kill you,” he said firmly, but with a hint of sarcasm.
“Take care of them, little brother. I’m trusting her to you,” Mycah ordered. He stared into Rydan’s eyes with hard determination. Rydan did not look away. He understood what Mycah was saying, and he let him know with his eyes. Rydan did one final nod before finishing their goodbye.
Mycah pulled me away from them to give us some privacy. I couldn’t look at him. I didn’t want to break down into the tears I could feel coming.
Why did it always come to this? Why must we constantly say goodbye?
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