by Multiple
Jocyllen snapped to attention and moved to stand behind Zyllven without another word. The look he shot me spoke volumes though. Remembering the Eros goblin, I met his gaze, matching his intensity with my own until he looked away.
Zyllven gave a nervous laugh. “You’ll have to excuse Jocyllen, he takes his duties very seriously.”
“So do I,” I said, not amused.
“Yes, I see. So when will you tell my father?”
“Wait a minute,” Jacob said. “There’s something I don’t understand, why the urgency? You dragons live for a very long time. What is so important about breaking the Safe Harbor Treaty now? I don’t get it.”
Zyllven steepled his long fingers. “Dragons may live for a very long time Mr. Sanders, but there is a time limit on our fertility. One that many of us are reaching.” He held his hands out to us, pleading. “All we want to do is have families and preserve the dragon species.”
“Stealing Sidhe gold is not the way,” I said with a stern look at the prince.
“Human governments forbid us to enter your world so long as the Sidhe let us stay in Fairy. Stealing the gold forces the situation into a full blown diplomatic crisis that politicians can’t ignore. Unlike our appeals. Can you think of a better solution?”
I opened my mouth to respond, but Jacob beat me to it with an affirmative, “Yes. I’m a lawyer and this is a legal issue. I have some contacts that might be of some help.”
“Interesting.” Zyllven leaned forward in his seat, his eyes gleaming. “And these contacts, are they people of power?”
“Yes. If you give back the Sidhe gold, I will use my contacts to put your motion in front of the Interspecies Commission. I can promise you the ear of the commissioner.”
“You can guarantee this?”
Jacob thought for a moment and then said, “Yes, I can.”
I raised my eyebrows, surprised at Jacob’s connections. “You can?”
Jacob nodded. “Yeah, I really can.”
I blinked. “Well, that’s a coincidence.” Who would’ve thought his brother’s death would have let to such serendipity? Some might call it fate, but I wasn’t superstitious enough to believe life was predestined. It was luck. Strange, but good luck.
Jacob just shrugged. To Zyllven, he said, “Well? What do you think?”
Zyllven rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I will consider it.”
“Don’t consider too long, I have an obligation to your father and I mean to honor it,” I said. “Jacob is giving you a way out. I would take it if I were you.”
“Yes, of course, but I have… partners. People who must be consulted.” Zyllven sat back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. “I may be a Prince, but I am not alone in this. I need some time to convince the others this is a good idea.”
“I can’t wait long. Talk to whoever you need to talk to and do it fast.” I held his gaze, my eyes steady.
Zyllven looked over his shoulder at Jocyllen who gave a slight nod. “Can you give me until tomorrow?”
I narrowed my eyes at the exchange between the two dragons. Since when did underlings call the shots? I wished my abilities extended to reading people without touching them, because I would’ve loved to have known what thoughts hid in the tall, angular dragon’s mind. I bet there was more to him than just robbing gold. His pinched face had a malice to it that made me uncomfortable, like I wanted to keep my back against the wall. Still, I nodded accepting Zyllven’s timeline. If I could get the gold back to the Sidhe and let Wyllven sort things out behind-the-scenes with his son while Jacob worked his contacts, the situation would be a win-win all around. “Fine.”
Zyllven offered me his hand and we shook. Once again, just that momentary touch told me everything I needed to know. He had no plans to honor our agreement. I could feel the betrayal emanating from him in waves. He also still believed the blank wall he had fixed in his mind was enough to keep me out, not realizing his own thoughts had broadcasted his theft. Zyllven had no idea he was the weak link and thought Jocyllen had given the theft away. I managed to hide my frown as we exchanged pleasant wishes for a good evening with him, but once the door closed, I let my guard down. “Damn.” I smacked the rough stone wall with an open hand welcoming the sting. It matched my temper.
“What is it?” Jacob asked putting another log on the fire.
“Zyllven’s lying. He’s not going to honor any agreement with us.” I rested my forehead on the wall, tired and annoyed.
“You’re kidding. He seemed so…” Jacob cast about looking for the right word, “agreeable.”
I nodded. “Yes, I know. That’s what makes the betrayal such a bitch. You think you can trust him but you can’t.” Where Jocyllen looked shifty, Zyllven with his wide, pleasant face, and roly-poly figure looked honest, right up until I touched him. He would make a great used car salesman.
“So what do you want to do?”
“Might as well find Wyllven and tell him now. I don’t want to give Zyllven any more time than necessary to plot against us.”
Jacob sighed, rubbing his neck. “If he could just wait, I’m sure I could help him.”
“Yeah, about that…I know you’re a lawyer and I’m sure you have connections, but how is it you can promise the dragons a review of their appeal?”
Jacob gave a one shouldered shrug. “I did my undergrad and JD at Harvard. I met a lot of people including the commissioner that would hear the dragons’ case. My family is pretty well connected. Or at least we were.” He frowned and I could tell he was thinking of his brother.
I went and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”
He shook himself. “Yes. Sorry. Sometimes it’s so…”
“Raw?”
Jacob nodded, suddenly mute. I folded him into a hug, rocking him gently. This wasn’t the time or place, but if I had learned anything since Mark died, it was that grief kept its own schedule. For a timeless moment, Jacob heaved grief on my shoulders and I just held him in silence, knowing there were no words for the awful, searing pain.
After several minutes, Jacob pulled away his head down, avoiding my eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall apart like that.”
“That’s okay. I’m not a stranger to what you’re going through.”
“Still, there are more important… more immediate things to worry about. We should be talking to Wyllven.”
I laughed. “Do you know I cried my way through an entire grocery shopping trip the week after Mark died?”
“No.”
“Yes. And when I got my hair cut, there was a guy getting a trim next to me that talked just like Mark. I lost it right there in the chair.” I winced at the memory. I had run out before they could even finish styling my hair, throwing my money down on the counter.
“I guess I’m normal then.”
“Very.” I closed the distance between us and kissed him on the cheek. “I like that about you.”
He turned to meet my lips, giving me a deep kiss before saying, “If there’s one good thing to come out of all this, it’s meeting you.”
I kissed him back, pressing against him. I felt the same way. “Now, shall we go tell Wyllven his son is a thief and a liar?”
Jacob laughed. “Oh man, do you know how to kill a mood.”
“What? Did I say something wrong?” I batted my eyes, a grin twitching on my lips.
“No, not at all. It’s just my thoughts were going in an entirely different direction than yours.” He looked at the bed.
I blushed. “Oh.”
“Don’t worry. Wyllven comes first.” Jacob went to the door and opened it with a flourish. “After you.”
Chapter Twelve
We found a guard standing at attention a few hallways over from our room who willingly abandoned his post to escort us to Wyllven’s chamber. The castle was a warren of gray stone hallways and, a half dozen turns later, I doubted I could’ve found my way back to our room without help. Each hallway looked like the last, with roug
h stone walls, smooth stone floors, and torches at regular intervals to light the way. Interior decoration was not a dragon strength. The guard however, never hesitated and led us, his boots clattering with confident authority down hall after hall.
Whether from years of habit or some inner compass unique to dragons, he knew exactly when to turn. After what felt like a mile long hike, he stopped short in front of a large double door blocked by more than a dozen members of the castle guard.
“Who goes there?” asked a loud, booming voice belonging to a hulking guard who glared at us with suspicious yellow eyes.
My guide gestured for me to step forward and indicated I should speak with an encouraging nod. “I need to see the king. We have some news for him.”
“Not possible.” The guard’s voice was flat.
“Not possible?” I echoed. “Are you sure?”
The guard shook his head and widened his stance in front of the door. Considering he probably outweighed me by at least two hundred pounds and towered over my head like a tree, bracing himself for an attack from me seemed a bit much. Nor was I crazy enough to think charging him was a solution.
“It’s urgent,” I said infusing my voice with as much authority as I could. “The king gave me express instructions to come to him any time, day or night.”
“Well he didn’t give those instructions to us.”
“If we can’t see the king, who can?” Jacob asked.
“No one. He’s sick.”
“Sick? But we saw him tonight at the joining. He was fine then.” As I spoke, I glanced at Jacob who arched an eyebrow. I wasn’t the only one who thought this seemed too convenient. Had the king caught an illness or had one been given to him?
“The king took ill after the joining. Been in bed burning with fever ever since. Even if he had told me to let you in, it wouldn’t do any good. He’s unconscious.”
And Wyllven was the only one who knew why we were here, and, with him incapacitated, there wasn’t much we could do. I gave the guard a pleading look. “Can you send someone to tell us when he’s awake? I need to speak with the king urgently.”
Giving a curt nod, the guard said, “I will send one of the pages to fetch you.”
I winced at his word choice, feeling like a stick about to be chased by a dog. Some of the archaic terms popular in Fairy didn’t hold up well in light of more modern interpretations. “Okay, thanks. I guess we’ll go back to our room and wait.”
Behind us, the guard who had brought us to Wyllven’s door, turned on his heel and began clomping his way down the hall. Since he was the only one who knew the way to our suite, Jacob and I hastened to follow him.
Back in our room, I perched on the edge of the bed. “Well, so much for plan A.”
“Yeah, I know. Zyllven is smarter than he appears.” Jacob threw another log on the fire. Fairy had a temperate climate. For the most part, the days were warm, but it could be cold at night and a chill had crept into the room.
“Now what?” I hadn’t gotten past plan A to even think of B or C. Some psychic I was.
“We sleep,” he said.
“Sleep? When Zyllven is going to betray us, not to mention his own people?”
Jacob nodded. “Yes. We’ve done what we can today. It’s been a really long day, we need rest.”
Well, I was tired, but this didn’t seem to be the right moment for tucking myself into bed. No matter how good sleep sounded. “But…”
Jacob held up a hand. “No buts. I’m tired. You can barely keep your eyes open. We need rest. We’ll regroup in the morning. Let’s see if Wyllven is better and take it from there, okay?”
“I guess. I don’t think he’s going to wake up though. I think he’s more than just sick, I think Zyllven has done something.”
“I know. But let’s not jump to conclusions. You haven’t read Wyllven since this morning. He might just be sick and forgot to tell his guards to let us in.” Jacob threw some more wood on the fire.
“Maybe. Maybe not,” I said, unconvinced.
“However it turns out, can we just let it go until to tomorrow?” Jacob asked, weariness stamped on his face.
“No, you’re right. We’ve done enough today,” I said, adjusting my pillow so it better supported my neck. I’d agreed to help the dragons, not save them. If they couldn’t take care of themselves, I wasn’t going to be much help. I sighed, letting my anxiety go. I was getting too wrapped in other people’s problems at my own expense.
He climbed into bed. “It looks like we’re going to be roommates again.”
I smiled and shifted to make more room for him. “I don’t mind.”
“I should hope not.” He reached over and pulled me to him so we could kiss, his hand stroking my back and lower. I followed his lead and we kissed for several minutes, our hands wandering over each other’s body, but when he moved to slide his hands under my waistband, I stiffened.
“What’s wrong?”
I didn’t answer right away, fighting with myself. I wanted to keep going with Jacob until we were both naked. I wanted to lose myself in the heat he generated with touch alone, but I couldn’t shake the feeling I was being unfaithful to Mark. Or the doubt that this was an attraction of convenience, a relationship born out of circumstance as opposed to any real emotional connection. I didn’t want to start something I would later regret, yet with Jacob next to me, his brown hair tousled, and the curves of his muscular body under my palms, I almost didn’t care about future regrets. Almost being the key word. In the end I sighed, and sat up. “Sorry. I don’t think I’m ready for this.”
“Oh.” He reached out to run a hand lightly across my shoulders. “That’s okay, we can take things slow.” He attempted to pull me back, but I resisted. “What is it?”
“I do like you, Jacob, but I’m not sure we’re a good idea. Right now, you’re a client first, a lover second.”
“One you can’t keep out of your bed.” He pulled me again, harder this time. “Now, come here, I won’t bite unless you want me to. I’ll play by the rules.”
I allowed him to pull me back a second time. Our lips met and I let my weight sink into Jacob, unable to hold back a moan when he gently sucked on my bottom lip, his hand cradling the back of my head. I hadn’t been kissed so thoroughly for longer than I cared to remember. A tingling sensation spread from my stomach across my skin in a slow flush. I felt alive for the first time in months. The cold dread I had lived with since Mark died, retreated and let me feel something else for once, something good.
I threw my head back, my breath coming in gasps at the way Jacob’s fingers skimmed across my skin, touching, yet not touching, scorching me with the lightest of pressure. I returned his caresses, pulling his shirt over his head between kisses and tracing the curves of his body with my hands. His chest was wide and strong muscles flexed under my touch. I bent down to kiss him over his heart, pausing to inhale the scent that emanated from his skin. He smelled sweet and hot.
I resisted the urge to allow him past my shields, to dip my energy in his. For one, I didn’t want to read his thoughts, I wanted to feel his body. Two, I was still uncomfortable with this new facet of being psychic. The last thing I needed was a migraine from playing with power I didn’t understand. Better to save it for emergencies and keep it out of my love life.
Jacob moved to slip his hands underneath my clothes and I didn’t stop him. I couldn’t. It would mean letting the guilt come back. I could sense the sadness lurking at the edges, dark shadows kept at bay through simple human touch. Jacob’s hands were healing, his lips a balm. I couldn’t think of anything but the present moment when he touched me. There was no past, no pain, just the here-and-now. I wasn’t sure if Jacob and I were doing the right thing, but I wanted to avoid the sadness more.
I shuddered as Jacob lightly dragged a finger across my chest. My bra did nothing to deaden the sensation, and when he cupped my breasts in his hands to rub my nipples with his thumbs, I arched back, body as taut as a bow string. M
y hands began to tremble then, followed by the rest of my body. Quivering with a craving that transcended sexual desire. The need to be touched, the need to live again. I had denied myself too long. Mark might like to think that our relationship would continue beyond the grave and he had almost convinced me of it, but my body knew better. My flesh and bones ached with the knowledge…with life.
My hands still shaking, I began to pull my shirt over my head. I wanted to lay, skin on skin, against Jacob’s chest. He was warm where I was cold and empty. All I could think of was soaking up that heat any way I could. But Jacob grabbed the hem of my shirt and resisted my efforts to take it off. I gave a moan of protest and tried to yank the shirt away from him, but he didn’t let go.
“Sofia, are you sure?” Serious brown eyes met mine.
We looked at each other, silence stretching between us while I considered his question. Just minutes ago I had told him no, that this would be a mistake. Now I wondered if I had been right. My heart and intuition screamed for me to follow my instincts, but my head, the part of me that balanced checkbooks and told me I should eat more vegetables, hesitated, holding me back. I was on a precipice, an edge. One step back and things would be as they had been; stagnant guilt and loss. Just an inch forward and I would free fall into an unknown future. I took a deep breath and jumped, deciding the status quo was nothing worth maintaining.
“I think I’ve changed my mind.” It was time to shake things up.
“No regrets?” Jacob kept his gaze steady, but let go of my shirt.
I pulled the shirt over my head in one quick motion and tossed it on the floor. “No regrets.” I had already lived with them for far too long. The ring of truth in that thought, resonated through me like a bell toll. I had made the right decision. No matter what my dryly practical mind might say, it was time for this to happen.
Warm hands worked their way up the bare skin of my back to unhook my bra. I shook myself free and let the bra join my shirt on the floor. I leaned over to lay on top of his chest and just rested there, feeling our hearts beat against one another. Wanting more, I moved my lips along his neck, to the line of his jaw, up to his mouth. Kissing me with an intensity that stole my breath, Jacob pushed the waistband of my pants down past my hips along with my underwear. I kicked off my pants and shifted my legs to make room for his hands. With an expert touch, he quickly drove me out of my mind.