He pulled back and looked down onto her precious face, saw the satiated expression there. He kissed her lips hungrily then, as if he hadn’t just had her, and she returned the force of his passion right back to him.
He wanted to tell her he loved her. Wanted to declare himself to the rooftops. But he knew she wasn’t comfortable with hearing such declarations. Not yet. He didn’t know how much longer he would be able to keep himself from letting her know how deeply he felt for her. Saying the words was one thing, making a commitment to them and to him was something very different. He would get neither from her if he pushed too hard or too often.
Ariana, I love you, he said with his eyes as he looked down upon her. She smiled up at him as if she had read them and their message perfectly.
“Now that is how I prefer to wake up in the morning,” she told him.
“I prefer it as well,” he said, his voice hoarse with unspent emotion. “I…” I would not wish to wake up any other way for the rest of my life. I love to be in your arms. I love you. “I think we should get up now.” He separated himself from her, extricating himself from her clinging arms. He saw the puzzlement in her expression. She knew something was bothering him. He also knew that she would not ask him what it was. She didn’t want him to say anything that might make her uncomfortable, so she wouldn’t pursue it.
“I’ll order us a bath,” he said, getting to his feet and pulling on the robe he’d had brought to him a few days earlier.
He banged on the door and the lock turned. He asked for a bath and for breakfast to be brought to them.
They were sitting in the bath a short while later, the tub barely big enough to hold them both. He had a large plumbed and tiled bath right off of his private quarters and he longed to bring her there. In fact, he longed to have her in his bed, rather than he be in hers. But it was an unspoken line of intimacy she wasn't ready to cross yet.
He washed her body thoroughly, his sponge missing nothing. He washed all signs of himself from her body and it pained him to do so. So much so that, no sooner had they risen from the bath then he had tossed her down onto the carpet and made love to her again, marking her as his once more.
When they were dressed they ate a hearty breakfast, their appetites reflective of their activity and other hungers. But they had been cooped up for three days and he was determined they make it out of the room and into the world…as lovers. They had not been out together since making love. He had made sure they were left undisturbed after the first time and had taken all their meals in her room. He wanted to have her on his arm with his people, to feel her beside him knowing she was his. Then he wanted them to take dinner at a table full of others, to have her truly claim that place by his side.
The first thing they did was go for a ride out of doors. Sin put her in the saddle and mounted behind her. The temperature had dropped to bitter degrees and it was beginning to snow, but they easily kept each other warm. Their travel was slow and meandering. Aimless. The entire time his attention was more focused on kissing her ear, her cheek her neck and, of course, her lips. Luckily his horse didn’t mind choosing the direction in which to go.
Arianna was quiet, drinking in the scenery and his attentions. They rode out farther than he had intended when they encountered three men riding abreast on their horses.
“Hello friend,” the first man drawled to Sin. They were dressed as Kiltians, but Sin had never met them before. And clearly they had never met him or they would have referred to him as Raja or “my prince”.
“Hello to you,” Sin said. But almost immediately he began to sense something was off about them. Perhaps it was the way they separated until they were completely surrounding Sin’s horse. Or perhaps it was the fact that they looked bedraggled and road weary. These men were drifters. They lived off the land. A hard thing to do in the dead cold of winter.
“Is there a town ahead?” the leader who had already addressed them asked amicably enough.
“Yes. It is the new town where the temple is built. I am—“
“Then you must be from there. That explains the wealth of your clothing and saddle…the fineness of your horse.” There was definitely something covetous in his eyes. That covetousness only intensified as the leader looked over Ariana and her glorious red hair. “Ain’t never seen a Saren woman with hair like that before,” he said. Then he reached for his waistband and quickly withdrew a single shot pistol, aiming it dead at Sin’s chest. “How about you hand over whatever gold you’ve got and we’ll take that horse of yours too.”
Sin didn’t budge. Ariana was sitting directly in front of him, so by aiming at his chest the man was aiming at Ariana’s chest. Sin was a powerhouse, just as Ariana was, but there was little he could do to countermand the speed of a bullet. Not while on the back of a living animal.
The man on his right dismounted and held out a hand to Ariana. “I’ll help your woman down,” he said with an obvious leer.
“You’ll not touch her,” Sin said, his voice low and dangerous.
“I don’t think you’re in a position to argue,” the man said. Then suddenly there was a crack of thunder and a bolt of lightning hit the ground right in front of Sin’s horse. The horse balked. Reared. Sin struggled to keep his seat as the other horses danced around nervously. Clearly they were more used to the display than Sin’s horse was.
So. One of them was a Weath shaman, controlling the weather. If he was a shaman, then it might be just as likely that the others were shaman too. Well, he could fight shaman. All but the insidiousness of a Jadoc shaman. He had powerful guards protecting his mind, but he would be nothing against a Jadoc of any advanced skill.
“I see you’re beginning to realize the danger you’re in if you don’t obey our commands,” the leader said confidently.
“We will obey and give you the horse, but you will not touch my woman.”
“More demands? You truly do not appreciate the situation,” the Weath said just before he reached up and grabbed Ariana by her thigh and her arm, yanking her out of the saddle and onto the ground. All of Sin’s control vanished in that instant. Instinctively knowing Ariana could take care of herself, he focused on the man with the gun and called fire to his hand. He sent a searing stream of flames over the distance between them and over the man’s horse’s head. The stream hit him dead in the chest just as the gun went off, it’s report cracking loud in the still winter air.
Sin felt the bullet strike his chest hard. The impact was shocking but surprisingly not painful, at first. Which was a good thing because he didn’t want to lose his focus or concentration. His first stream of fire had hit the leader dead on and he was on fire, screaming as his horse reared, screamed and bolted out from under him. The man fell in a smoldering heap to the ground. Sin’s horse fared no better as another bolt of lightning shot out of the heavens and struck the ground right at Sin’s horse’s left flank. The horse bolted and Sin, injured as he was, could not keep his seat. He fell out of the saddle and hit the ground with a bone-jarring thud. Now his chest began to hurt and he couldn’t draw in a breath. He knew he had to do something—anything!—to protect himself and Ariana, but he couldn’t move. He could only watch as she turned on the man who held her and let flame explode down her body, immolating herself, letting the flame cover every exposed inch of her. The man who held her jumped back in shock and let out a terrified shout of surprise. Then, while she advanced on the one on the ground, the third pulled his weapon and aimed directly at her head. He fired.
“No!” Sin cried out.
He blew a fireball into the man’s head, hearing him scream as his hair caught fire and his skin began to melt and crisp from his face. Sin struggled to get to his feet, but then there were soft, warm hands pushing him back down to the ground.
Her hands.
She was alive! And uninjured. The gun’s sights must have been off, he realized with relief. He wished he could say the same for the gun that had fired at him.
“Protect yourself!�
� He gasped as pain burned through his chest with every word, every indrawn breath.
“There is no one left to be protected from,” she assured him, coming to take his head in her lap and soothing him with hushing whispers. “Let me see your wound.”
She burrowed past the layer of his clothes until she had exposed his chest to the frigid air. That was when he realized that, as she leaned over him, her skin too was completely bare. She was naked in the freezing cold, her clothes having been burned away by her self-immolation. He reached for the tie of his cloak, unfastened it, then struggled to try and sit up and give her the protective fabric. Her majic ability would keep her from freezing to death, but it wouldn’t protect her from the eyes of others. And there was only so long she could keep up the act of warming herself before she grew weary. How long that was only she knew, and he wasn’t of a mind to find out for himself.
“Take my cloak,” he commanded between staccato breaths. He groaned as every little movement burned through his chest.
“Stay still!” she cried. “Oh my God I can…I can feel the bullet!”
She was right, he realized as he looked down at his chest. The ball of the bullet was beneath his skin and resting against his breastbone. It had not penetrated his chest wall or entered his lungs. But the pain was still excruciating, so it was clear something had been injured inside of him.
“We need a horse,” he croaked.
“Well, they’ve all gone. Fire and horses don’t mix well,” she pointed out needlessly.
“Then we have to walk.” He struggled as if to get to his feet, but she easily pushed him back down onto his back.
“No. You stay here. I will find one of the horses.”
“Take my cloak,” he demanded of her.
She did so, but he was almost certain she did it to comfort him, rather than to protect herself. That was when he realized she was furious. Her normally serene amber eyes snapping with fire and temper. Was she angry with him? He had left the house unarmed, thinking he was more than enough firepower if anything should happen. But he had to admit he hadn’t been thinking about coming across human created trouble. He had been more concerned with wild animals. He should have known better. There were many scavenging Kiltians since the war had been won. The thing was, none of them would normally dare to approach him or the blossoming Temple City. It tended to be too civilized for men living off the land and off of others. Such men preferred to bully in small groups, to intimidate lone travelers, rather than go somewhere where they might possibly be outnumbered and brought to justice.
They had come out far from the civilization of the town and he had exposed them to danger. He had been so preoccupied with her that he had ignored their safety. Was that why she was angry?
“I’m sorry,” he said bitterly. “I should have protected you better.”
“I am more than capable of protecting myself!” she snapped sharply. “You should never have provoked him into shooting you!”
“They were going to hurt you!”
“Only in their dreams,” she huffed. “No one touches me without my consent. I should think you of all people would know that.”
He looked at her with surprise as he realized her temper had turned to teasing him. Then she sighed and bent to kiss his chilled lips.
“Let me find a horse. You’re getting cold and I don’t know how able you are at warming yourself when you are in this much pain.”
She was right. It was hard to concentrate on warming himself, and doing so while injured was going to take a great deal of energy out of him. Energy an injured body could not afford to lose.
She got to her feet and he lay back on the cold ground. He heard her footsteps leaving him and closed his eyes against the rapidly falling snow.
He didn’t know how much time had passed when she was suddenly by his side again, lightly slapping his face to wake him. He was frozen through, his loss of consciousness keeping him from warming himself. He tried to focus to warm himself, but she was there, laying her hands on him, thawing him with the touch of her hands. Her palms and fingers stroked over his entire body as she warmed him. The only good thing about nearly freezing was the numbness that had accompanied it. Now that he was thawing his teeth were chattering and his whole body hurt with every shiver.
“I’ve gotten our horse,” she said, lifting his head so he could see his horse over her shoulder. “He didn’t go far.”
“I was afraid in his fear he would have headed back for the safety of the stables. I didn’t think you would find him.”
“Well I did, and he’s here. Let’s get you in the saddle.”
It was easier said than done. He could barely move from the excruciating pain in the center of his chest. Mounting his horse took their combined effort and even so he almost overshot the mark and tumbled off on the opposite side. But by some miracle he kept his seat and Ariana mounted in front of him.
“Rest against me. Try and relax. I will bring us home.”
“I can do it,” he insisted, reaching to take the reins from her hand.
“Do not argue with me,” she said. “Sit up against my body and keep warm. We will be home as quickly as we can manage without jarring you too much.”
She reined the horse around and started them back toward the temple. The ride was slow and agonizing. He saw the temple appear in the distance and was so relieved tears almost came to his eyes. She would be behind its walls soon. She would be safe.
She called for help as they rode into the courtyard and assistance came out of the woodwork. He was aware of being taken from horseback and hauled bodily into the temple.
The next thing he knew he was in his bed in his room.
Chapter Twenty
Ariana began to punch out commands with a brisk, no nonsense tone of voice. She acted strongly. Confidently. As though she were in complete control of the situation.
She never once let anyone know how terrified she really was.
She couldn’t explain the fear to herself. She had not been afraid of the men. In fact, there were very few people who inspired fear in her. She was much too powerful to be easily frightened. Even when Sin had captured her and dragged her leagues away from her home she had not been afraid for even a second.
But now she was scared. Even though she and Sin had dealt with the men so decidedly and they were all three dead…burned to death by either him or her…she couldn’t shake the panicky feeling settled onto her bones.
“Get me my lady maid, Mariah. Have her bring me some clothes,” she said to Mordol whose lascivious eyeing of her naked form beneath the cloak went by unremarked. She could care less. She had more important things to contend with. “Fetch a physician and bring him here as quickly as possible.”
“We can take it from here, my lady,” Mordol said almost snidely. “We don’t need you. Best I take you back to your cell—I mean room.”
“I’ll not be going anywhere,” she said firmly. “I am going to tend to your master. And if you don’t want your master taking it out on your hide once he is well, I suggest you adjust your way of speaking to me.”
Mordol hesitated and she knew she had struck a nerve of fear.
“This don’t change nothing,” he sneered. “You’re still just his caught piece on the side. He’ll get tired of you soon enough…just like the rest. Then you’ll wish you’d been nicer to me.”
And so he struck a nerve in return. What did he mean “just like the rest”? Had there been others before her?
Of course there had been others, she scoffed at herself. He was a skilled lover and he had gotten those skills somewhere. Just as she had gotten hers elsewhere. Although, none of her past lovers could hold a candle to Sin. His endurance alone was something to be marveled at. While there were times when things were quick and heated, there had also been times when they had spent an hour or better indulging in each other’s bodies.
Mordol’s claims that he would weary of her preyed on her deepest concerns. She tried to tell hers
elf she was prepared for just such an occurrence, but the truth was she wasn’t. That left her at a disadvantage. It left her vulnerable. This whole situation was making her vulnerable.
However that was then, she told herself. This was now. And right now she had to be concerned with only one thing.
Sin’s well-being.
“Get the physician. Then I suggest you steer clear of me from now on,” she said dangerously.
“I don’t take my orders from you,” Mordol said insolently. “We’ll see what the raj has to say about this.”
Mordol turned on his heel and left the room. Ariana did not waste time pulling another servant to her. She repeated her instructions and this time was obeyed. Then she set about making Sin as comfortable as she possibly could. She had a servant help her undress him and they put him to bed naked. He was nearly insensate with pain and she couldn’t understand where the damage was. She could see the bullet beneath his skin. It had not penetrated deep into his thorax. Where was the pain coming from?
Mariah arrived with her clothing and she skimmed into the skirt and blouse without bothering to clear the room. There was a small privacy screen in the room and she stood behind it and dressed while others were standing about trying to figure out what to do next. Ariana realized this was fear within them. Their raja was injured severely. They were afraid to see him brought low. He was a figure of strength for their people. She understood their fear because she was feeling it too. Only hours ago he had been strong and vital inside of her body. Now he was in bed and groaning from pain.
The physician arrived just as she was stepping out from behind the screen. She hurried over to him and rapidly explained what happened. The doctor examined the bullet with a stern frown on his aged features.
“He is very lucky. An inch in either direction and there would have been nothing I could do for him. As it is the breastbone stopped the bullet. However, the sternum has been broken by the impact. Cracked. Likely in more than one place. It was dangerous for him to ride back. It would have been better had he been carried in a litter.”
A Kiss of Fire Page 22