by Bonnie Lamer
I smile against his lips. “Me, too.”
Pulling back from his arms, I take his hand and lead him towards the bed, yawning all the way. “Tired?” he asks. I can’t miss the disappointment in his eyes.
Laying down, I pull him down with me. “No.”
“Up for a game of cards?” he asks, stretching himself out next to me. His fingers are drawing circles on my arm now, causing goose bumps wherever he touches. There’s a glint in his eyes that tells me he isn’t serious about cards.
“No,” I say with a grin as I turn on my side towards him. I let my fingers run through his silky hair.
“A long walk in the moonlight?” he asks.
I push him on his back and I follow so I am lying on top of him. “No,” I say, as I kiss a line along his jaw from his ear to just below his mouth.
“I am afraid I am out of suggestions,” he says, right before I cover his mouth with mine.
Wrapping his arms around me, he deepens the kiss, pressing me tightly against his body. There is no doubt in my mind that he’s enjoying this as much as I am. Pulling my lips from his, despite his moan of frustration, I tug his t-shirt up. I kiss a trail from his jaw, down his neck and to his chest. I use my teeth to gently nip at his skin. His moans are not in frustration now. I continue my downward progress until I reach his belly button, teasing him the entire time with my tongue and lips.
“Xandra,” he says breathlessly. “You are driving me crazy.” I think he means that as a compliment. I use my fingers to massage his smooth skin, letting them wander lower than my kisses.
With a feral growl, Kallen moves lightning fast, flipping me onto my back and pressing his aroused body against mine. “You are playing a dangerous game this evening.”
I snake my arms around his neck. “Who says it’s a game?” I pull his lips to mine as I wrap my legs around him, pulling him closer.
“Are you trying to kill me?” he asks, his voice strained, when I let him up for air several minutes later.
“Shut up and kiss me,” I whisper in his ear.
“Then your t-shirt has to go,” he growls, removing it as soon as I nod my head in agreement. Now, his hands have more places to wander. I love the feel of them on my body.
Every part of me feels alive and on edge, wanting to push the limits of our restrictions. “My shorts, too,” I whisper. Suddenly, I am only in my bra and panties as he grins above me, then claims my lips again. The bra goes soon after, as his mouth makes the same journey on my body, as mine did on his. I buck underneath him when he reaches some very sensitive parts of me.
Using my magic to do something I never have before, I remove his t-shirt and shorts, leaving him in just his boxers. He moans loudly and works his way back up my body to cover my lips with his again. His body fits perfectly with mine, as I once again wrap my legs around him in a way that makes both of heart rates skyrocket. The rest of our clothes will be following the others to the floor, because there is no way we’re stopping this time.
I am going to kill whoever it is at the door. I am. So far, I’ve been reluctant to mortally wound anyone, even my worst enemies, but I’m over that. I’m going to kill this person.
Kallen apparently feels the same way. “If this is not life or death, Kegan, you have exactly thirty seconds to run for your life.” His body is still pressed tightly against mine, his lips raised above my own just enough to speak to Kegan and be heard. His eyes are dark with passion, and the heat in his stare is scorching. I shift underneath him, positioning my body more perfectly against his, and the desire that washes over his face makes me not care if we will have to be hand-fasted tomorrow. I want him to get rid of Kegan so we can finish what we started.
Kegan’s voice is urgent, as he says, “Finally, you respond. The carriage is moving. We believe Xandra has something to do with that.”
Both Kallen and I go dead still. Then I feel it. The gentle sway of the carriage as it finds a path through the woods. Killing trees to get them out of the way when necessary, if the loud thumps mean anything. How did we not hear that before now?
Kallen looks down at me in surprise. “I did not even feel you pull your magic.”
I giggle nervously. “Neither did I.”
He shifts so that we can both sit up, his eyes mirroring the disappointment that must be in mine. He also replaces our clothes. I appreciate that, because knowing I’m making the carriage move is like a vat of ice water being rubbed all over me. I have goose bumps again, but not from passion this time.
I look over at him, and my cheeks turn red. “We were going to…”
He nods. “Yes.” He looks as dumbfounded as I feel.
I don’t know what else to say. We were minutes away from being in a position that would require us to be right hand-fasted, and neither of us cared. And neither of us could feel my magic. What’s going on? We love each other, but we agreed to wait. We’ve come close to the breaking point before, but not like this.
“Um, we are still moving,” Kegan says through the door.
Crap, I was so caught up in my inner dialogue, I haven’t drawn my magic back in. I close my eyes and concentrate. I can’t believe the amount of magic that is flowing through me at the moment to power this thing. Slowly, I am able to gain control of it and bring us to a halt. I shove my magic back to the earth, feeling grateful to be rid of it.
Chapter 8
Kallen opens the door to Kegan’s grinning face. I try not to look guilty when I say, “I didn’t know I was using magic.”
He taps his finger on his chin and pretends to be deep in thought. “Now, what on earth could have had you two so caught up, that you did not notice the two story carriage you are in was moving through the forest, pushing down trees.”
I give him a sour look. “Not what you’re thinking.” Well, pretty darn close to what I’m sure he’s thinking, but not quite. He raises his eyebrows in doubt, but he doesn’t say anything more about it.
“Sindri and Radella found what is needed for the spell, and when they finally caught back up with the carriage,” he’s trying hard not to laugh, “they got everything set up in the sitting room.”
“Already? It’s only been like ten minutes.”
If I keep getting looks that imply I’m crazy, I’m going to start believing it myself. “Ten minutes?”
“That is what she said, cousin. Have you suddenly gone deaf?” I don’t think Kallen’s over the whole interrupting us thing yet.
Kegan face lights up with surprise. “You also believe it has been ten minutes?”
“Yes, because it has been ten minutes.”
“Whoa, I think we had better have this conversation with Dagda present.”
I’m getting annoyed now. “What is wrong with you?” I ask him.
He puts his hands up, palms forward. “I am only the messenger. You cannot take it out on me, so just put that magic away. I am going to let the King explain this to you.”
He’s right, I did draw magic again. I guess the correct question is, what’s wrong with me? I look up at Kallen and for the first time, there’s uncertainty on his face. That’s not a good sign. “I believe Kegan is right. If there is something amiss, we should discuss it with Dagda,” he says.
I nod, still really confused. Taking my hand in his, Kallen leads me down the hall behind Kegan, and then down the stairs. We go the opposite way of Dagda’s quarters and head back to the sitting room we passed through when we first boarded the carriage. Dagda is already there, drink in hand, pacing the room. There are two Fairies standing behind him, against the far wall. If they had dark suits on, they would look exactly like Secret Service guys. They must be part of Radella’s security team.
Dagda looks up when we enter. “This is my fifth drink today. I do believe I can literally say that you are driving me to drink.”
I try to muster a laugh, because I think that was kind of a joke, but then again, it is his fifth today. Instead, I apologize for the tenth time in the last twelve hours. “Sorry.
Again.”
He shakes his head. “I assume you were napping?” Kallen’s face flushes, and my entire body instantly shines red. You could use me as a flare if you could find a gun big enough to shoot me out of.
Dagda’s eyes cloud over. “Obviously, I assumed incorrectly. Is there a hand-fasting to be arranged?”
“It didn’t get that far,” I blurt out, wishing I was a flea so I could jump on the nearest wild dog and get far, far away from here. I could teleport. This has to fall under the only in dire need category. I mean, come on, I’m talking to my biological dad about whether my boyfriend and I just had sex. What could be worse than that?
Kallen adds, “There was no penetration.” Okay, there’s that. That’s definitely worse. I close my eyes and wish that I was anywhere but here. Each second of this conversation is killing me cell by cell. But, I have to be mature enough to own up to what I’ve done. If I want to be treated like an adult, I have to act like one. I am going to open my eyes and face the embarrassment. Here goes.
Oh, crap. This cannot be happening to me. Not now. It would be a lot easier to face my embarrassment if I was still in the carriage. Unfortunately, I have no idea where I am. I’m in the forest. But, am I even in the right forest?
I close my eyes to wish myself back, but a noise behind me startles my eyes open again. I whirl around, magic brimming my consciousness, ready to fight. But, I don’t find a scary monster. I find what I believe are Nymphs. Three women are dancing in front of me, each in a brightly colored toga and honest to god wreaths in their hair. Each of them bears a different color hair, braided in delicate patterns. One blonde, one brunette and one a deep red. All three are absolutely gorgeous.
“Xandra, how lovely of you to join us,” the one with blonde hair says. She dances over to me and takes my hands in hers, twirling me around.
“Who are you?” I ask, too confused to think clearly.
She laughs and it is like the tinkling of a small bell. “I am Tilattoma, and I am very pleased to finally make your acquaintance.”
Okay. This is really strange. “How do you know who I am?”
She laughs again. “Everyone in the realm knows who you are. You are prophesied. You are the joiner of all.”
“Come, play with us,” the red head says, sashaying around a tree.
“Um, I have to get back to where I was.” I pry my hands from Tilattoma’s and stop twirling. I’m pretty dizzy, now.
“No, there is time. Time to be among us, time to enjoy the beauty in our hearts, the beauty in your heart. Especially the beauty in your heart.”
My heart’s not feeling very beautiful right now. “Really, I have to get back.”
“Why would you leave this beautiful land to return to the servitude of a mortal king? You, who has the power of both heaven and earth?”
Apparently, she doesn’t know me as well as she thinks she does. “I don’t answer to Dagda.”
There’s that tinkling laugh again. “You ride in his carriage, you bow to his laws.” She’s dancing around me now, so I have to swivel around to keep my eyes on her. “You are of his blood, his daughter.”
“But, he’s not my father. Blood or not.”
“It is lovely how you believe that so steadfastly. He is a nasty beast.”
I frown. “Aren’t you one of his subjects?”
They all laugh now. “We answer to no king or queen. We answer only to ourselves.”
I can relate to that. “So do I. And that’s why I’m going to leave you now.”
The three of them have joined hands as they dance around me. “You will come and go as you please, but we will meet again.”
“Yeah, okay. I’m going to go now.” This time, I close my eyes against their pealing laughter and wish that I was back in the carriage. For some reason, talking to my biological dad about penetration doesn’t seem so bad. Okay, that’s a lie. But still, I’m eager to be out of the company of these three women. There’s something strange about them. Something that makes my spine tingle.
“Xandra, where the hell have you been?” Dagda shouts. I guess I’m back.
I feel Kallen’s hands on my cheeks before I even have a chance to open my eyes. When I do, he looks so worried. “Are you okay?” he asks. I nod the best I can with him holding my face. His lips are on mine now, and he is pulling me to him in a demanding kiss, a kiss that tells me he didn’t like being separated from me for the few minutes I was gone. “You had me going crazy,” he murmurs against my lips. “Please don’t do that to me again.”
My brows come together. I admit, I’m new to this whole relationship thing, but why is he being so weird about me being gone for just a few minutes. Unless, I wasn’t gone for just a few minutes. “How long?” I ask.
He knows what I mean. “An hour and a half. We had no idea where you were. Radella and her team have been searching for you.”
“Oh.” I’m at a loss for words.
Kallen’s hands drop from my cheeks and he runs one through his hair. “I cannot believe you were gone so long simply because you wanted to avoid a difficult conversation. That was not fair to me.” Well, I guess his relief to have me back has passed. And as to what he just said? No way am I going to let that go unanswered. “You think I left because I was embarrassed? You think I left you to deal with that because I was too much of a coward?” I’m getting kind of mad, now. Especially when he doesn’t say anything. “And you didn’t think for a moment that maybe, just maybe, I would be having a hard time controlling the teleporting just like all my other stupid magic?”
He looks a lot less hurt and a lot guiltier now. “I apologize for thinking the worst,” he says quietly.
Yeah, that’s easy for him to say now, after he spent the last hour and a half thinking the worst. I step back away from him and turn towards Dagda. “Kallen and I didn’t have sex earlier, but we did come close.”
Now, it’s Dagda’s turn to look uncomfortable. “Yes, we covered that while you were gone,” he says dryly.
Awkwardness oozing from his pores, Kallen says, “When we were…otherwise occupied earlier, two had passed.”
I know I keep saying this, but no way. “That can’t be.”
He shrugs. “The clocks and stars don’t lie.” He still sounds like he’s having a hard time believing it, as well.
“Kallen, please call Radella and her team back. We need to get to the bottom of whatever is going on between you two.” Turning to me, Dagda says, “We are all anxious to know where you have been for the last hour and a half.”
I feel like an absolute idiot saying this. “Um, dancing in the wood with Nymphs.”
Everyone’s staring at me like they’re waiting for a punch line or something. I look around at each of them. “What? Why are you just staring at me?”
Dagda narrows his eyes. “We are waiting for you to tell us where you really were.”
“Um, are you guys deaf? I said I was in the forest with Nymphs.”
“Xandra,” Kallen says like he’s talking to a small child. I don’t know why he does that. He knows it makes me mad. “There is no such thing as Nymphs.”
No Nymphs? “You’re telling me that there are Fairies, Giants, Witches, Angels and Shadows, but there aren’t any Nymphs? Why would I believe that?”
“Well, cousin-to-be-very-soon,” Kegan says, causing me to give him a dirty look, “you should believe it because it is true.”
“Then who were the three women dancing in the woods?”
“A figment of your imagination?” Kegan suggests. “We are currently in an unpopulated area.”
I put my hands on my waist. “Who says I was in this area?”
“Xandra,” Kallen says, putting his hand on my shoulder. “Tell us more about these women. Did they tell you they were Nymphs?”
Good question. Did they say that, or did I just assume that was what they were? My cheeks pink a little bit as I say, “No, I guess that’s what I called them.”
Relief is visible on their faces. I
guess they really did think I was going crazy. Lovely. It has been less than a day and already this trip seems way too long. “What were they, then?”
“Come,” Dagda says. “Sit and we will try to figure it out.”
I sigh, preparing myself for yet another long, long conversation. One where all the people who have known about magic all their lives laugh at me, because I don’t know what they know. Wow, I’m getting awfully bitter and cynical for only being seventeen. I sit down on one of the dark blue couches and try to think happy, I’m not a moron or a lunatic thoughts.
Kegan, Kallen and Dagda sit as well. I think Dagda has aged about ten years since this morning. This trip is doing nothing for his good looks. Hmm, I wonder if I’m going to look ten years older by the end of the trip. I feel ten years older already.