Suddenly the creature stood directly before me, had somehow separated me from Tam and Hamsum, who had abandoned the unconscious body on the floor and was now shouting loudly and pounding his sword against an invisible barrier. The creature and I were trapped together in a sphere of its making, a circular fence of impenetrable smoke surrounding us, pressing us closer together.
"Anu sepiya, a talamu sharaku; anu ersu, a negeltu; anu irtu, a assata. Za din ilu gir Utu kanpir! Za din ila gir Nanna kanpir! Irnini, a daris anu. A daris ana sa," a voice, melodic and mesmerizing seemed to whisper in my ear and echo in the chamber at once. I stared in bewildered terror as the black cloud swirled around me, pressing against me with urgent hands, tracing my form and pulling me closer to something I couldn't see. And still the eyes of emerald and lapis fire blazed at me, waiting for something, some response from me.
Barely able to breathe, feeling as though the smoke had actually entered my lungs and was learning me from the inside out, I gasped, "Please..." before feeling a wave of heat flash through me like an out of control fever.
The creature smiled. I don't know how I knew, since it still didn't have a discernable mouth, but I did. I could perceive intense satisfaction and triumph radiating from it, as though my desperate plea for air had somehow given it permission for whatever it wanted to do next.
"Ti arrami. Ti summu. Sa. Sa," it murmured, and I felt soft, warm lips brush against mine.
That's when my body caught fire and I started screaming.
Chapter XII
Is this burning an eternal flame
Pain.
God, so much pain. Again.
I could actually see the flames devouring my skin, watch the way the hairs on my arms crackled and blackened, dissolving into nothing. My skin looked like it was glowing from the inside out, as though my very blood was on fire, and flames coated my limbs, holding me still even though I screamed and tried to flail against the attack.
Once again, just as I had in the void, I had the awareness of being unmade, of being broken down into something malleable and squished and smashed into something new; nothing more than a clump of Play-Doh a toddler bashes against the ground over and over just to see what will happen.
Just as the bone-rending agony reached a maddening pitch, it altered. The pain disintegrated and turned to soul-deep bliss: the first step into a steaming hot bubble bath, the taste of melting chocolate, the gentle buzz after a glass of good scotch. I sighed and my muscles released their tension, my head falling back as the once intolerable heat in my veins reduced to tender warmth caressing and soothing my aching body. Two large hands cradled my face, and a mellifluous, familiar voice chanted softly against my ear, unintelligible but comforting, and somehow I knew that for the first time in my life, I was safe.
I was home.
At last, my body settled as though the endless battle with the pain had never been, and I opened my eyes to meet a brilliant green-blue gaze. The eyes in front of me were like none I'd ever seen, or even known could exist. The area where the whites should have been was a deep midnight black; the background of the night sky against the glitter of stars. Instead of a solid color for the iris with a few flecks of highlights, the eyes were a swirling chain of emerald green, lapis blue, and flickers of velvet red, constantly moving, constantly shifting.
They were unbelievably beautiful, and unmistakably inhuman.
"HONEY! Honey, can you hear me?" I could hear Hamsum's voice clearly now and turned to see him still pounding against the invisible barrier, his face white with panic. Strangely, the black smoke that had seemed so pervasive only moments ago had completely dissipated, leaving me a clear view of the stunned court. All eyes were on me, some in concern, some in awe, and a few in outright hatred.
Back to normal.
At last, my brain seemed to come online, and I realized that there actually were hands holding my face, that I was pressed against a hard, decidedly male body.
"Honey. Honeydew Morning-Sun Sullivan. I am very glad to meet you at last," the voice that had started this whole crazy body-on-fire episode murmured.
Swallowing hard, I blinked and really looked at the creature holding me so reverently. He was outrageously tall, maybe even seven feet, with broad shoulders and leanly muscled arms. His chest was beautifully proportionate and well-defined. I could tell, since my face was practically level with his abs.
I'm a pretty tall girl; by the time I hit high school, I was 5 foot 10, and I'd gained nearly another inch when I went to college. I used to have a hard time finding a guy tall enough to date; either they were shorter than me and commented endlessly on my Amazon-woman status, or they were big guys who wanted a dainty little lady who wouldn't challenge their masculine prerogative to get the cereal box down from the top shelf.
No problems with that here. I was definitely falling into the dainty lady category compared to this fella. His skin, which I was seeing a lot of since he was only clad in loose black trousers, was different than what I'd gotten used to in Solis; it was the hue of smoldering lava, the vivid, fiery glow of a burning ember, an iridescent red that should have been frightening, but was unexpectedly beautiful. When he moved, an ombre effect rolled over his skin, making the ruby tint fade into burnt orange or intensify like a flash of fire. It was unreal, and completely impossible for a human being.
So I was back to that. There was no way this guy was human.
Even though Temuk and Khenti, my Easter Island friends, had appeared somewhat alien to me, they were still recognizably human, unlike the male creature standing in front of me. And that was saying something.
Abruptly, it registered that the creature had spoken to me, and said my full name, which I hadn't told anyone here.
"How did you...who are you...what did you..." I garbled out, unable to complete a thought as I looked up at his face.
His fierce, gorgeous face.
He was like a god, like Apollo come down from the sun, or dark Hades rising from the flames; a luminous, pagan beauty that boasted the kind of physical perfection never seen in real life. Even paintings and sculptures meant to depict the glory of the human body had never captured this kind of exquisite construction.
It occurred to me that this guy, this creature who I'm pretty sure set me on fire and was keeping everyone at bay with some kind of invisible bubble, might be one of the Ilati everyone was always talking about.
"Peace, Honey-sa. Do not fear me," he admonished, the luxury of his low-pitched voice brushing over me like the lightest of touches. "Thank you, arrami, thank you for coming at last. I have waited for you far too long."
Those perfectly bowed lips carved a smile from his features. Without thinking, I reached up and brushed my thumb against the curve of his beautiful mouth, gasping out loud when I felt the texture of his skin.
It was hard, almost diamond smooth, yet appeared supple enough to flex with his broadening smile. White, even teeth flashed in a grin and he sighed deeply, turning his cheek into my hand.
It was then I noticed that my own skin felt tight, that in fact, everything about me was tighter, stronger, more vigorous. The muscles in my legs felt primed, as though I had been stretching and prepping to run a marathon and was only waiting for the starting gun. Though I didn't understand how, I sensed the strength in my limbs and that all my organs were working more efficiently, that I was infinitely less destructible now.
Which was saying something.
"To feel your touch at last...Honey-sa, I am overjoyed," he crooned at me, his own oversized hand clasping mine against his face, a look of supreme contentment settling on his flawless features.
All at once, the bubble around us seemed to evaporate and Hamsum nearly fell flat on his face in surprise before he gathered himself and rushed to my side. He was panting and dark with fury, his lovely turquoise eyes blazing with concern.
"Honey, please answer me! Are you alright? Has he harmed you?" he demanded, ignoring the warning grumble from the male rubbing his cheek against m
y hand like a big cat.
I really couldn't think of any way to answer that question that wouldn't sound like a confused whimper, so I just shook my head. Hamsum reached out to try and pull me away, but halted when the soft rumbling coming from my new admirer morphed into a savage growl.
"Sa! Sa! Do not touch what is mine," he snarled, and Hamsum glanced at me with wide eyes, comprehension dawning. I just wished he would share.
I tried to pull my hand away, but the big red fella just held on and tugged me even closer, making a pleased humming sound as, off-balance, I stumbled into his arms.
"Peace, Honey-sa. Just let me hold you," he soothed, his free hand reaching around to rest at the small of my back, the heat from his skin soaking into mine like the warmth of a roaring bonfire.
"Um...who are you?" I finally managed to ask, pleased to note that my vocal skills were improving. I got no answer from the god-like creature nuzzling me, but Hamsum spoke up, his voice no longer strained with worry, but soft with wonder.
"Honey, this is Sarrim Adar...a Lord of the Darisam," Hamsum stated reverently, keeping his eyes lowered in respect. With a sinking feeling, my gaze shot back to the glowing creature who held me so tenderly. His chiseled lips simply curved into a gratified smile, jeweled eyes watching me with fascination.
"Ok, so...Sah-reem Ah-deir," I enunciated carefully, trying desperately to get my bearings. "It's nice to meet you. Can you, uh, let me go for just a second?"
The smile vanished and he pressed me closer, that low rumble starting up in his chest again. Helplessly, I glanced over at Hamsum, who had moved away a few more steps, apparently no longer concerned for my safety. Reassuring as that might be, I still wasn't all that chuffed about the immortal fire giant clutching me to him like a toddler with his first teddy bear.
"He will not harm you, Honey. If I am not mistaken, Adar has claimed you as his Arrami. I have never seen it occur with my own eyes, but stories have been passed down about the ritual, and I see it is no less magnificent than imagined."
That old, unwelcome dread I had felt the first few days of being in Solis began creeping its way up my spine at his words. It seemed like every time I started to get a handle on things here on Edin, something new and completely incomprehensible knocked me off my feet again.
"Okay, and what is an Arrami?" I asked, proud at how calm I sounded, while inside I was running around in circles screaming and pulling out my hair.
Since Adar didn't seem inclined to do anything but nuzzle me and mumble incoherently, I looked to Hamsum for answers. He shrugged and shook his head, clearly just as baffled as I was regarding the big guy's behavior.
"Arrami means life-mate. Wife, if you will, although that is a very tame word for what arrami means to a Darisam. They are eternal, completely immortal, and they can wait many thousands of years before finding a mate. Once they do..." he trailed off, gesturing at Adar's apparent adoration of all things me. "It is irreversible. They mate for life, which for a Darisam, is a serious commitment."
I shuddered a bit at the thought, and I could almost scent the fear that emanated from me like a somber cloud; a bitter, charcoal smell. That gorgeous voice rained over me again as Adar finally eased his grip on me and spoke, luminescent eyes glittering down at me with an inner firestorm. "Forgive me, I was overwhelmed. I will answer all your questions. I will provide anything for you that you desire."
As distracting a thought as that was, I just wanted the weirdness to stop. Practicality was keeping me from freaking out about the way my body was feeling, but I knew something really drastic had occurred when Adar set me on fire.
And just like that, I wanted him far, far away from me.
He set me on fire.
On fire!
He seemed to sense my abrupt change in mood, and pulled me in closer, embracing me completely as he apologized, "Forgive me, ti summu." In the blink of an eye, his glorious, seven-foot frame dissolved into black smoke and swirled around me before vanishing completely.
And then, I disappeared too.
***
Traveling with the cloud of black smoke I knew as Adar was a startling experience. First of all, I was travelling with a cloud of black smoke, which was pretty mind-boggling in itself. Adding in the sensation of becoming weightless, formless, and moving at a speed so incredible it was like standing still while the Earth spun around on a dial, the whole event entered the realm of the inconceivable.
When we came to a halt, mere seconds after I watched the great hall simply dematerialize, I was still clasped in Adar's arms, uncomfortably aware that he was extremely excited to have me there.
He bent slightly, nuzzling my neck and drawing in my scent, his hands moving restlessly along my back. Despite my natural prudishness at being manhandled by an exotic, immortal creature, I felt a shiver of desire trace through me, letting me know that bizarre as my mind knew all of this was, my body was not immune to Adar's considerable charms.
Marvelous.
Gathering the tattered shreds of my dignity, I shoved against his chest and tried to wriggle free. "Okay there, big guy! Back off for just a sec, please? This is a little overwhelming," I pleaded, finally catching his attention. Those many-faceted emerald, ruby, and lapis eyes focused on me, and with a sigh, he let me stumble away from him.
"My apologies, Honey-sa. You must have many questions for me, and I run my hands over you like a damu. Please, sit and be comfortable and I will answer anything you ask." Adar shifted away from me and pulled out a cushioned chair from a table, gesturing for me to take a seat.
Buying time to gather my thoughts, I examined my surroundings. I could tell by the walls and furnishings that we were still in the palace, but it was definitely not my room. Everything here was wholly masculine, simplistic in style but comfortable-looking, less ornate and more functional. As in my room, there was a large fireplace and a sitting area, and a cordoned-off sleeping chamber with a bed so enormous that Snow White and all seven dwarves, plus a few guests, could have taken a nap there. Still befuddled by the unexpected method of travel and the fact that I was being graciously attended by a giant, fiery hunk of man, I sat, nervously clutching my hands together in my lap.
Adar pulled another chair out directly in front of me and eased his intimidating body into it, close enough that his knees brushed mine, as though he couldn't bear to not be touching me in some way. "I am Sarrim Adar, son of Shamash of the Darisam. I realize you are confused and wary, but I will never harm you, and I will destroy anyone who tries to do so," he stated plainly, his eyes earnest. At least I thought they were earnest; it was kind of hard to gauge when they were so different from any I'd ever been exposed to. For all I knew, the constantly churning colors against a black backdrop indicated that he was ready to take my head off. Though, given the way he had halted my latest assassination attempt, I tended to think he liked my head where it was.
It was strange, but I was gradually getting used to his appearance. I knew the fact that he came in a completely different shade than I ever imagined possible probably should have given me pause; after all, when I'd first seen my buddies from the Horde and thought they were naturally blue, it threw me for a loop. Initially the red-hued skin was unnerving, reminding me uncomfortably of traditionally accepted pictures of the devil; but the closer I looked, the less similar he appeared. In point of fact, Adar was beginning to make me think of a living flame with the radiant glow of his skin, the way light seemed to reflect off of the jeweled ruby tone to shift and blaze. Adar was beautiful in the way that dangerous things in nature can be, like a tiger stretched out on a tree branch, a patient predator whose motives are so simple, and yet far beyond human comprehension.
The comparison helped me some, providing a reference point from which to start. "Thank you, I appreciate you saying that," I eventually said, my voice sounding small and unsure even to my own ears. Adar merely smiled, taking my breath away with his potent beauty.
"Um. So what is it that you want with me?" I asked cautiously,
hoping he couldn't hear the crazed hammering of my heart.
His smile gentled and an affectionate expression melted his features. At least I thought it was affectionate.
"Honey-sa. You are my arrami. My life-mate. The one I have waited for all my existence." He looked a bit embarrassed and reached out for my hand. "I rushed the Namluh upon you, and for that I am sorry. I should have explained all of this before, but the moment I saw you in danger, I lost all sense."
I stiffened and he squeezed my hand reassuringly. Life-mate. Hamsum was right. I was his life-mate.
"Ah, what does that...entail, exactly?" I whispered, that familiar sense of dread clutching at my gut again.
He sighed and leaned back in his chair, towering over me even seated. "It is difficult to explain. Even the people of Edin do not fully understand how the Darisam live and mate, and I know that you are not from this world. I will start at the beginning.
"The Darisam were the first on Edin, placed here by the Ilati to master the elements and make the world safe for the people to come. We are few, numbering less than one-thousand in all of Edin, but we are eternal, and alone. Before the people arrived, we didn't mind that we had no mates; but once we saw how the people took wives and husbands, how they had children and joy together, we became envious and tried to take some of the women for our own."
He paused, looking sheepish, before continuing. "It was then we discovered that we could not mate with the people; they were too different, not made of the elements as we are, and many died."
I nodded, following along with his lecture with a strange sense of detachment. "Did they die because you set them on fire? Like you did with me?"
His eyes blazed for a moment, the colors glowing with a dark fire. "Yes, Honey. It was then we discovered that only a female destined for the Darisam could survive the Namluh, could take the elements into her and taste of her mate's immortality."
Woman of Silk and Stone Page 11