by R. R. Banks
She shook her head and pressed her finger against his lips quieting him. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep. I’ve had enough broken promises in my life. I couldn’t stand to have another one, not from you.”
Eliana stood from his lap and paced. “I’d like to be alone now. I need to sleep.”
He thought about arguing, but the look on her face held him back. She pleaded to be left alone, and he knew it had been too soon. She had just arrived and he’d already upset her. He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’ll be outside.”
“You don’t need to right? Only if I needed to leave the cabin.”
“I don’t want to leave you alone.”
She sighed. “Fine, but I’m going to bed.”
Watching her walk away was hard, but letting her walk away upset was devastating. He needed to talk to Eden. She’d be able to help. He closed his eyes and thought of her. They’d formed their telepathic link. It was something Pyra was still pissed about, but it actually had come in handy so he shut up about it even if he hated it.
‘What’s wrong Ciyrs?’
‘She’s mad already. Can you talk?’
‘Pyra says we’re on our way.’
‘Thank you, baby doll.’
In a few minutes Pyra and Eden were standing in front of him. The lights were out inside and he looked at his feet. “I think I messed up already.”
Eden sat next to him and wrapped her arm around him. “Tell me what happened.”
“When we got inside she started to cry. I’m not used to it. You’re the first female I’ve ever seen cry and that sucked, but seeing her tears was devastating.”
Pyra sat on his other side sporting a bruised jaw. “Did she tell you why?”
“Not really. I told her we were mates, she told me she was a virgin, and then I told her how happy that made me—”
Eden laughed. “Are you stupid? She was probably embarrassed as hell. She’s older than me?”
“28.”
“Then there’s a reason she’s held so tightly to her v-card. What else?”
“She stopped me from telling her she was no longer alone. Apparently she doesn’t have family or anything. She cut me off telling me not to make promises I couldn’t keep. That she couldn’t handle it.”
Eden nodded and teared up. Her hormones kicked in. “Oh my. She’s had a bad life. She doesn’t trust, and she’s been disappointed too much. I totally get it. You’ll have to be gentle with her heart Ciyrs. She isn’t going to know how to take you or accept your loyalty to her. If it’s as bad as I’m thinking, she’ll be scared shitless of you now.”
“Why?” He panicked inside. She’d already been able to shut down and kicked him out. “I didn’t mean to upset her. I didn’t want to tell her about her being my mate just yet, but she freaked out when I talked about you and didn’t understand why, so I explained it to her. I don’t want there to be lies between us, and after what happened with you and Pyra at the beginning there can’t be miscommunication; not with the Klimnu getting through to our lands. I need her aware and with me, not pissed at me.”
Pyra stood and laid his hands on Ciyrs’s shoulders. “Calm down, just go in there and take charge. She’ll be nervous, but if you let her shut you out, she’ll think you don’t care. You saw what happened with me and Eden, don’t make the same mistakes I did.”
He nodded. Pyra had been miserable especially when she was in her coma and hadn’t been able to be there for her. He thought she was going to die mad at him. They’d been lucky though. “You’re right. Thanks, and sorry for dragging you out this late.”
Eden nodded pulling him into a hug. “Get your mate. Convince her you mean business.”
Then they sped away in the dark. It was pitch black out now, and in a few hours the sun would rise. He climbed the stairs and quietly walked inside shutting and locking the door. He walked down the hall and pushed her door open. She was lying on her bed looking at the ceiling and her eyes were open.
“Can I come in?”
She jumped, but nodded.
He slipped his boots off and went to the other side of her bed. Above the covers he lay next to her with his heart beating wildly in his chest. When she reached for his hand he sighed in relief just by her touch. She didn’t say anything and neither did he. Instead he listened as her breathing evened out letting him know she had fallen asleep.
Chapter 6
It wasn’t possible to feel like this so quickly, but I did. I turned to face the man who called me his and smiled. After my outburst, I felt like an idiot and wished I could take it back. He didn’t seem to mind, and when his eyes zeroed in on my lips I licked them inviting him to kiss me. I wasn’t only a virgin. I’d never been kissed either. A few times someone had tried and gotten my cheek, but I’d never been kissed. Not in the way that I read about in stories. Oh how I wished he would.
His eyes changed and I gasped. It was amazing. They went from a deep ocean blue to a glowing orange. This time they didn’t change back.
“Are you scared?”
I nodded. “Not for the reason you are thinking though.”
“Do you know what I’m thinking?”
“Your eyes.”
“They don’t scare you?”
“Not even a little bit.”
He leaned in, and then his lips were on mine softly, then demanding, and it was the most amazing feeling I had ever had. His tongue licked my bottom lip and instinctively I knew what he was asking, and I parted my lips slowly letting him in. His tongue found mine and heat rushed throughout my body.
He moaned and pulled my body against him. I felt the hardness beneath the fabric of his pants. My body quaked with pleasure, and I whimpered when he pulled back.
His eyes were wide and his face was flushed. Strands of white hair hung in his face and he blew them out of his way. His eyes glowed brighter and his body shook.
“You’re beautiful,” I said and he was. I’d never seen anyone like him before.
“That’s my line, Eliana. And you are beautiful,” he replied and groaned when I felt a bit braver and slid my leg over his hip bringing us closer together.
I kissed him again liking the closeness. He was so big, and I felt tiny and safe with his arms wrapped around me. He slid his hand up the back of my shirt and ran his fingers down my spine. I arched pressing my breasts into him. My core ached with need and I fidgeted against him. I might have been a virgin, but I knew exactly what was going on with my body. I was educated.
“I don’t want to rush you, love,” he said and I smiled.
“I have this ache.” My voice was low, and I almost didn’t recognize it.
Then I felt his finger slip between my legs. I was only wearing thin shorts and the heat from his finger burned. I gasped when he slid his finger beneath the fabric meeting my bare flesh. He froze when he felt the wetness and his body tensed.
“Good god, you’re burning up,” he said and massaged me.
I threw my head back, and then his lips were on my throat. My body jerked against his hand when he sped up his motions. It was fantastic. I withered and cried out. He kept going and I squirmed. “It’s too much,” I cried out and when he kissed me, and then I felt him slide his finger inside of me. I moaned into his mouth and rode against him. Nothing felt so strange and amazing at the same time. It was unreal. I wanted—no I needed more, and then the feeling inside of me boiled over as my body tensed and I released for the first time. My eyes were like saucers, and I pulled back from his kiss and let out a guttural groan. I rocked against his hand and then my body slowed down as my climax eased into the tiny waves of aftershocks.
My heart raced, and I shook with a feeling I wasn’t sure what to make of. He smiled and kissed the corner of my mouth almost as if he couldn’t resist.
“Wow,” I said and let my head fall back. He removed his hands from my shorts and from the corner of my eye I watched him lick his finger. I thought I would be repulsed but it only made me clench inside.
&
nbsp; “That was amazing.”
He nodded watching me. “You know, now you’re mine.”
His voice had turned deep and taken on a possessive edge. I nodded and laid my hand over his heart. “Yours,” I whispered. Never before had one word meant so much to me, and even though I wasn’t sure exactly what it meant for him, I knew he was mine too.
* * * *
I heard a noise and tiptoed through my new home carrying the first thing I could use as a weapon, a small wood log. Who knew I’d feel secure with the hard wood between my fingers, but I did. The sun peaked through the curtains as I made my way to the front door. Since I was short, I had the advantage. On the other side of the door I saw the top of a head with a white Mohawk and sighed in relief. It had to be Pyra.
I stepped close and opened the door holding the wood close. When I opened the door, I quickly realized my mistake. I found it wasn’t him. In the giant warrior’s place stood a grotesques thing; I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew it was time to be terrified. It smiled at me with needle sharp teeth and bright red eyes. It tilted its head to the side and cackled. Every hair on my body stood, and I went to slam the door, but it reached out with razor sharp claws and pulled me outside. The sting of its claw digging into my skin brought tears to my eyes, and I whimpered in pain. I didn’t even have a chance to fight.
“Shut up!” And everything inside of me went silent. I tried to scream, but I couldn’t. My voice was gone and my eyes were wide as tears streamed down them. I had a feeling this thing was what they talked about. This thing was their breech in security.
He lifted me over his shoulder gripping my tiny frame tightly, and then we disappeared. There was nothing but inky darkness, and then I was thrown on something smelly and damp. I cringed and screamed. This time my voice worked, and I heard the evil cackle again before I heard the sound of a lock sliding into place. I couldn’t see anything, and I wrapped my arms around my knees and rocked. Something had taken me that easily. It was smart and somehow tricked me. I was alone and my body shook from more than the freezing bitter cold. I’d never felt fear like this before.
Chapter 7
Ciyrs woke up and felt the bed beside him. The sheet was cold, and he jumped up in a panic. She was gone. He stormed through the cabin and roared. The windows shook and pictures crashed to the floor shattering the glass. The front door was open and he glared out into the sun. There was a strange silence as if the land was scared.
He raced to the Great House and pounded on the door without stopping. The king opened the door and the smile he had on his face fell immediately.
“No!”
“She’s gone. I don’t know how. I stayed with her all night. But she’s fucking gone, and I’m terrified.”
The King closed his eyes and sent a message. He was able to call to the warriors. In a matter of a few minutes, every warrior was climbing the stairs. Pyra and Eden attached by each other’s side came to him. Eden threw her arms around him. She felt his pain and he sobbed into her hair. “She’s gone baby doll. I failed.”
He pulled back and looked at his feet. “You were right. She needed a warrior, not some useless healer like me.” He couldn’t take it, and when the king went to speak he shook his head and he was gone. It was his fault. His stupid possessiveness put her in danger, and now he didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t a warrior. He was just a healer. He had magic, but it wasn’t enough to bring her back.
He went into the infirmary where he belonged and fell to the floor sobbing like he never had before. It was bad enough he always felt this way, but now his own uselessness had been reaffirmed. He would never be strong. Not like his brothers.
It wasn’t long before the doors opened and every warrior and the king filed into his space. The infirmary was his.
It was the king who approached him. He wrapped Ciyrs in his arms and held him.
“You are not useless, and if we have in any way made you feel inferior then we apologize.”
The rest of the warriors all agreed with loud voices. When Criea pulled back he saw the others waiting expectantly.
Eden was the only woman, but she was who he needed. She stepped around Pyra and took his hand. “You can find her. You’re connected, I can feel it. The bond has started and your eyes are still orange.”
He nodded. They’d begun the bond all right.
“Then focus, just like you taught me when healing. Focus on her. Her scent, the feel of her skin, the sound of her heart. Listen to your heart; it will lead you to her.”
He nodded again and closed his eyes.
It was so dark, so cold. I shivered and tears soaked my skin and shirt. It wasn’t him. “I feel her.”
“Go back Ciyrs, find your mate.”
The sound of the lock made me shake in fear. They were back and he was going to touch me again. Get inside my head. He’d tricked me before, and now I didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t. This time when he came he looked like—ME
Ciyrs’s eyes shot open and he gasped. “Illusions. Those fuckers have her!”
The room erupted in loud shouts and promises of retribution. “The Klimnu are stronger than we knew. Those things can take on our appearances. It’s why they can walk through the compound without much notice. How the hell do they do that?”
Eden sobbed. “She’s so scared.”
“You feel her?”
“Yes, she—she doesn’t understand. She thought it was Pyra at the door, she let him in.”
Pyra froze. “I didn’t fucking go to her cabin.”
“No, but one of them knew she would trust you. How are they getting so much information on us?”
“They’re here somewhere we haven’t searched. They have to be,” Pyra replied and he growled anger taking over.
It wasn’t going to be good if all the warriors lost it right now. They needed to be calm and work together to find Eliana.
Eden stomped her foot and yelled. “STOP!” the whole building shook with her rage and her eyes glowed with anger. She fisted her hands and tears streamed down her cheeks. “Focus, Ciyrs’s mate is in the hands of one of those slimy bastards. We can’t let them do to her what they did to me. I feel her. She’s terrified. I don’t know why I feel her, maybe it’s because of our bond, but I literally feel like my heart is being ripped from my chest. So buck up Warriors you’re going on a mission. Get our fucking mate back!”
The men were all stunned to silence. She was commanding, and no one wanted to cross her. They all shut up and the king smirked, “Well, if I need to get them in line again I know who to call. But now Eden you need to focus too, between you and Ciyrs you should be able to find her.”
She nodded and grabbed his hands and closed her eyes. He let his eyes close too. The feel of her hands in his reassured him, but there was only darkness, and in the distance he thought he heard whimpering.
‘Tell me girl!’
‘I don’t know. I’ve only been there one day.’
He cackled and she cringed. ‘How are you so close to the healer then?’
She shook her head refusing to speak.
Pain tore through her shoulders as his claws dug into her skin, sinking into her flesh, ripping, tearing. She screamed a blood curdling scream, but it did no good.
Eden gasped and yanked her hands away from him. His body shook. “They’re hurting her. Trying to get information. She refused.”
Eden paled, and then she vomited all over the floor. He caught her before she fell to the floor. He carried her to the table.
“I felt it.”
“No more, you can’t take the stress. We have to think of the baby.”
“I need to help find her.”
“No we can’t risk you baby doll. I’ll have to focus harder on my own.”
Despair filled him. He’d felt her pain too. They were going to torture his mate, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. It seemed like the damned Klimnu were always one step ahead of them.
Chapter 8
“Are you ready to tell me what I want to know?”
I glared at him. I didn’t care how badly they hurt me, I was a fighter. I had never once given up in my terrible life, and I wouldn’t start now. Not when I had something to live for now. I knew Ciyrs was looking for me. I felt his pain. The only problem was I couldn’t figure out how to tell him where I was. I didn’t fucking know where I was.
My shoulders and arms throbbed in pain. The blood had finally dried, but anytime I moved the scabs would break open, and it would start all over again. So I sat as still as possible and tried to figure out what to do.
The thing crowded me and then his vile tongue licked my face. I gagged and I would have thrown up if there was anything left in my stomach. His breath was like death and decay. “You taste good.”
I shuddered. It wasn’t the first time he’d said that, and this thing liked to lick. He wrapped his bony fingers around my throat and I gasped. He squeezed tighter and licked the tears the leaked form my eyes. I tried to breathe slow and not panic, but my eyes widened and my pulse fluttered. The fear was back full force. The tips of his claws dug into my neck and I felt the warm red liquid slide down my neck. He panted and lifted me to my feet. He pressed his bony body against mine and I felt his arousal. My body shook with the mixture of fear and revulsion.
“I need to know. How did you get so close so fast? We’ve been studying them for a long time, and even our illusions haven’t gotten us far. We need their king. He is the key to our freedom.”