by Lynn Vroman
Smiling even as he groaned, he followed them. Guess he had nothing to worry about, after all.
∞ ∞ ∞
They sat in a breezy dining hall, gathered around a small marble-topped table with Teenesee and her two daughters. Both were older than he was and as alluring as their mother, and they were Teenesee’s heirs. One would replace her when she decided to relinquish her position–decided to die. Wardens didn’t come back. Ever. But Teenesee had been the Warden of Empyrean since before his first cycle, when her daughters were born, and there was no evidence she planned to abdicate any time soon.
Tarek looked to his right where Lena sat mesmerized by the three women, not bothering to mask her fascination. She wore an outfit like Teenesee’s, which showed off every subtle curve, as well as her taut stomach. She kept pulling at the red fabric, trying to hide her midriff. Her tugging was sweet, even though she looked anything but at the moment. But fading bruises up her left side had his anger boiling under the surface. He kept his face placid, not wanting to give her another complex to worry about.
Lena’s tinkling laugh echoed through the hall as she listened to the comfortable bickering amongst the sisters and Teenesee’s witty interjections, all of them speaking Desis.
He missed that sound, her laugh, the ghost of it haunting him for seventeen years. She fit here–fit here with him. Tarek found Lena’s hand under the table and massaged her palm. Her shy smile and blushing cheeks made his heart pound. The feeling of the first time–he hadn’t thought it’d be this powerful again.
When servants cleared away the dinner of steamed fish and poached pears, the Warden dismissed her daughters with a nod and put her elbows on the table. “Tell me, Protector. How has our Lena gotten herself in trouble this time?” Her voice was as decadent as honey.
He cleared his throat, trying not to smile. Lena always did have a knack for pissing off the Synod. “I can say this time, it’s not her fault.” He drummed fingers on the cool surface of the table. “But it looks like someone wants to get rid of her.”
The Warden folded her hands, her eyes hardening, voice still sweet. “And how are they trying to do that?”
He gave Lena a reassuring grin. “An unwanted trip to Arcus for starters. Not to mention a small bleed in the lines between Arcus and Earth.”
Lena squeezed his hand, but kept her face calm. Still brave, it didn’t matter where she was.
Teenesee observed them with a small smile lifting the right side of her mouth. “Interesting.” She unfolded her hands, splaying her fingers. “Anything else?”
He tore his eyes from Lena. Definitely hard not looking at her. “Ah, yes. Wilma found a symbol of sorts in Lena’s research.” How to ask without sounding desperate? He didn’t have an answer for that, so he just came out with it. “That’s why I came.”
The Warden’s eyes clouded. “You want me to search her energy.”
“Yes.” He rubbed Lena’s palm as it began to shake.
She snapped her fingers and a servant came to her side as if materializing from nothing. “Our guest requires a quill and paper.” When the materials appeared, she said, “Show me.”
Clear in his memory, he drew the symbol. “She found this in an Arcus text and on some old notes.” He moved it in front of Teenesee.
Lena leaned in, brushing his shoulder. Damn, even that small contact had his heart doing laps.
“It looks like a K, maybe with a C in it? Weird,” Lena said.
Tarek’s stomach flopped. “You’re sure?”
“Yeah.” Her face scrunched as she studied the symbol. “You see how the letters kind of form a flower?”
“Yeah, I see the flower, but letters?” He looked closer. “You’re positive?”
“Well, yeah, I see it clear enough. The letters are loopy, but… look closer.”
He squinted at the drawing. “Ah, yeah, I see them.” His mind went into overdrive.
Teenesee moved closer. “What does it mean?”
He gave Lena’s hand one last squeeze before folding his hands on the table and looking Teenesee in the eye. “We need you to find out.”
“You realize how dangerous that can be? Digging through a past life might confuse her reality.”
Defeated, his shoulders slumped and his leg began to bounce. “Didn’t think it’d be that easy.” He raked fingers through his hair. “How the hell are we going to find out what the letters mean? The C’s probably for Casimir, but–”
“Hey, wait a minute. Do I get a say or what?” Lena shoved out of her seat and went to stand by the balcony. As the breeze moved the short strands of her hair and fluttered through her skirt, she continued, “We don’t have much to go on now, right?” Her face paled when she shot him a glance. “You said something about Zander. Is that a clear lead?”
“Well…no, but we can always–”
“Yeah, we can always sit on our asses and hope the answer comes to us. In the meantime, why don’t we throw out the red carpet when giant squid come to climb the trees in my backyard?” Her shoulders straightened, and she stuck out her chin. “We’re doing it. I trust you, Teenesee, just don’t make me a vegetable.”
Teenesee smiled, showing the same pride he no doubt had plastered on his face, and went to her. Clasping Lena’s hands, she said, “Come over here, Protector. I need you to keep her still.”
When he stood behind Lena, she leaned into his chest–and succeeded in taking his breath away. He wrapped his arms around her waist and planted his face in her neck for one selfish second before finding the Warden’s gaze. “What do you want me to do?”
If he didn’t know any better, the smile shining on the woman’s face might be mistaken for actually liking him. Wow, what seventeen years could do. “Just hold your woman, Protector.”
No problem there. He pulled Lena closer, kneading the tight flesh on her stomach.
A green aura lighted around the Warden, and her eyes shined red. “I need you to picture the symbol, Lena. Make sure it is the foremost thought in your mind. And please, hold still.”
Lena began to shake, and so he bent to touch his lips to her ear. “Keep calm, love. I’m here.”
Her thin body trembled like a leaf in autumn, but she held still–like a warrior.
When Teenesee’s shining hand touched Lena’s heart, Tarek had to grab her hands, holding them at her sides as they twitched. The Warden’s face was impassable, her lips moving and her eyes wide, glowing. When she pulled her hand away, a spot of orange light stained her palm.
As Lena sagged against him, he asked, “What did you see?”
Teenesee gestured toward the seat on the balcony. “Let her sit, Protector.”
“Oh, damn. Right, of course.” He scooped Lena up and gently set her in the cushioned chair, searching her face. They swayed, the floating manse rocking with the wind. “Are you still there?”
She looked tired but smiled as she traced his cheek with a shaky fingertip. “As much as I ever was, I guess.” Her attention aimed at Teenesee. “Tell me you found something.”
That orange light was the only glow left as Teenesee’s beauty reached normal levels to where it was just mildly paralyzing. “I found something, but cannot decipher it.” Her eyes shined. “Prepare yourself, Protector.”
She didn’t give him much time to get ready before she touched the orange glow to his head. Waves of heat slammed through his skull and created the mother of headaches before a picture cleared some of the pain away. “Oh, no.”
“What? What is it?” Lena cradled his head in her lap. With a groan, he looked up to realize he lay flat on his back. Fighting through the pain thumping at his temples, he sat up and swore.
Lena scrambled to his side and tugged on his arm. “What, Tarek?”
The image scorched him, twisting his stomach. “I know what the K means.”
Lena
We came home as soon as Tarek could stand for longer than five minutes without squeezing his temples. Teenesee wanted us to stay, but my giant had
other plans. Needed to end it, he said, so I could get on with my life. Don’t know if he included himself in that life, but I did. When he was a dream, I hated to wake up. Now that he was a reality–and oh, so much better than the dream–he wasn’t gonna leave without a fight. Especially after the way he kissed me. There was no doubt in my mind who he kissed this time.
Old self, you lose.
Tarek opened the portal in my apartment so Mom and Jake didn’t have to witness us coming from…well…out of nowhere. All the lights were off, but the moon cast a bright enough light so we didn’t run into any furniture. When the tear closed, Tarek kept his arms around my waist in the silent living room. The thought of living here without him, when I’d just spent time in heaven, had tears threatening.
I couldn’t believe this apartment–the apartment–was my first priority a week or so ago. Such a cute place and much better than anywhere Mom and I had ever lived. Jake even let me pick out the flowery furniture from secondhand stores. Clean and pretty, it was a huge step up from the two wicker chairs I was used to. He didn’t stop at the furniture. The updated kitchen and bathroom resembled a cheaper version of those setups at Home Depot. But without Tarek, it would be just a place.
“What’s wrong?” Tarek brushed a finger across my chin, tilting my face to meet his.
“I guess it’s…can we stay here tonight? Forget about everything for one night?”
He cocked his head to the side. “We’re so close.”
“I’m asking for one night, without the world butting in.”
“You said you wanted your life back.” He shoved a hand through his hair, his lips pursing. “We can end this. Tonight.”
“And what about you? Where do you fit in when this is all over?”
“I…I go back to Exemplar.” He bowed his head. “And wait until your cycle here is over.”
“Wait, no.” The panic forming in my gut caused my voice to squeak.
“They’d never let–”
“I have to tell you something. Something I probably should’ve told you a while ago.”
“Nothing you say will change anything. I can’t stay here. You’ll never be allowed to come back if I do.” He laced his fingers with mine as if that would make the revelation sting less.
You know what? I call bullshit.
I let go of his hand to tug on the delicate fabric barely covering my boobs and gave a half-hearted attempt to shield some of my exposed stomach. “That’s where you’re wrong. What I have to say will change everything.” With one more tug, I went to stand by the window.
He followed, his hands finding my shoulders. “It won’t. Sorry.”
I kept my eyes on the window. “Tonight, when you kissed me…you meant it this time. I know it. I felt it.” I held my breath, afraid of his reply.
He massaged my shoulders and bent to whisper in my ear, his lips just touching my lobe. “I meant it.”
His voice, so rich, made me warm and shy at the same time. That was exactly the answer I needed. “I dreamed about you. From the time I was little, I thought you were my hero. And when you jumped in my window that night? I knew it. I’ve known you my entire life because you’ve been a part of me.” I tapped my heart. “Right here.”
His fingers stopped kneading the spot between my shoulder blades. “Impossible. Teenesee said your past lives might–”
Shaking my head, I turned around, his face a sheet of white. “No, Tarek. My mind…it’s fine.”
He opened his mouth, but my palm covered his lips. “I don’t wanna hear there’s no such thing as fate or a higher power or any other scientific bullshit logic. I knew your eyes would be gray when I saw you in the woods. I knew your dimples would show when you smiled.”
He moved to uncover his mouth, keeping my hand in his. “Do you realize what you’re saying? No one has…you shouldn’t have remembered anything.”
The excitement from being in Empyrean mixed with all the tingling his touch caused had my doubts shutting down. At that moment, when he looked at me…he saw me. “Yeah, well I did. And you’ll tell me what you saw, and explain what Zander has to do with all this, but not tonight. Tonight, just be with me. Me.”
The gray in his eyes shined like silver as he traced a line down my cheek. “Lena…”
Standing on my toes, I touched my lips to his.
That was all the permission he needed. His arms wrapped around my waist the same time his lips pressed harder, making it difficult to stand. I didn’t have to worry for long because he scooped me up and carried me to the flowered couch, never taking his mouth from mine.
His weight felt amazing, but I needed more. With fingers that only shook with anticipation, I found the bottom edge of his shirt and gave it a yank. He took care of the rest, pulling it over his head. Heat from his bare chest touching my skin caused my body to push up on its own. He groaned, and his lips found my neck as his hands moved up and under the flimsy top.
My hands were just as greedy, tracing the muscles on his back, sliding under the lip of his pants.
The sweet ache in my pounding heart had me gasping for air. His lips moved to mine, back to my neck…lower. All I could do was lace my fingers through his silky hair and hold on. Empyrean wasn’t heaven. This was, right here, on this couch.
“We have to stop.” His voice was a shaky whisper as his tongue licked a trail from my neck to my collarbone.
Ignoring his words, I soaked in his touch.
“Lena…”
I brought his mouth up to mine and devoured him, tasting him, pushing my chest against his, loving the groans he let escape.
After a growl, he pulled back, leaving barely any space between our lips. “We have to stop now, or I won’t be able to.”
My fingertips slid across his shoulders, feeling all that energy ready to snap. “I don’t want you to stop.” I lifted my head, kissing him again, moving my hands down until I found the string holding up his pants. “Please.”
His eyes squeezed shut and his jaw clenched as he stopped my hand, pulling us up to a sitting position. “Believe me, this is all I want to do, but…”
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I straddled him, not letting him put on his shirt. I kissed him again, moving my lips down to his jaw, his neck, enjoying how his body vibrated off mine. His hands kneaded my thighs, moving toward my butt as he brought me closer to him.
“Yes. We can.” I thought I’d be afraid, at least nervous. I just wanted his skin touching mine.
He kissed the tip of my nose, his hands still roaming. “Your energy…I’m too involved…again.”
“Didn’t you hear me? I dreamed about you. I felt the connection as soon as I saw you. We belong together. In this life or the next, it doesn’t matter.” My lips touched his. “We were made for each other, right? I believe it.” I kissed him again, hard, and said, “You need to believe it, too.”
He smiled, his dimples flaring. “Wilma’s going to kill me.”
“I’ll protect you.” I kissed each indent on his cheeks before finding his mouth again.
Another growl—my new favorite sound—traveled from his mouth to mine. “We…can’t…ah…”
Oh, I knew what he was saying, and I didn’t like it. At all. “Why not?”
“Because I love you.”
My insides turned to liquid. He loved me. “Then I don’t see the problem.”
“I’ve known you for centuries…you’ve known me for less than two weeks.” He leaned in until our lips almost touched. “You wanted me to see you. But, you need to see me, too.”
“Oh.” God, why did he have to be frustratingly perfect?
“I never said there wouldn’t be kissing.” His finger followed the line of my jaw. “Maybe touching.”
“You know, we cou—”
His kiss shut me up.
Tarek grabbed his shirt and stood, taking me with him. Wrapping my legs around his waist, he stalked down the short hallway.
I wanted to argue, but his lips would’ve had t
o leave mine, and I wanted that more.
We stopped at a bedroom, the only furniture a bare mattress. Before entering, his lips broke away. “Okay?”
I loved how his body trembled as much as mine…how his hands felt…his lips. “Is that my only option?”
He smiled, swelling my heart to bursting. “It is.”
When his soft mouth made a path down my throat, I melted.
Yeah, I could live with kissing.
∞ ∞ ∞
We didn’t spend the night bringing up anything serious. Nope, we laughed the whole time—when his lips weren’t exploring mine. Each moment was a new memory I’d lock away and treasure.
When the sun reached the window, we lay tangled in a heap of legs and arms, the lack of blankets not a problem. With my back to him, Tarek bent to kiss a trail from my neck to my shoulder.
Definitely heaven.
“We need to get up.” My skin muffled his voice as he kissed my shoulder.
“Ugh. No. Let’s stay here forever. We can have pizza delivered every day, only get up to shower.” I snuggle closer. “I kinda like this spot.”
My back absorbed his chuckle as he continued to drive me crazy with those lips. “Well, I love this spot. You fit.”
I smiled. “Then shut up and keep doing what you’re doing.”
“Once we finish this, we’ll have all the time in the world…well, in this world. Maybe even have a few blankets next time.” My back suddenly grew cold when he jumped out of bed.
But my heart leapt as I watched him pull on his shirt, every muscle in his back rippling. “Does that mean you’ll stay with me? Here?”
The corner of his mouth rose as he bent to give me another kiss. “I dare you to try to make me leave.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him back on the bed. So this was bliss, pure happiness? Hmm, I think I could get used to it. “You’re not worried about our next cycle?”
He brushed the bangs out of my eyes, smiling. “I have a plan if you’re willing to go with it.”