He enfolded her in his arms without a word, and their bodies shook as they held each other close.
She couldn’t believe everything that had happened.
Valdjan passed the tests, and the golden key was lying at his feet.
She had protected the crystals from the mermen.
She held on to Valdjan, determination filling her. Paradiso had given her his essence to make a new body, and she was going to make him proud.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Valdjan
Valdjan closed his arms around Ithyll, his heart pounding, his brain befuddled with disbelief as he glanced down at the hem of her dress. It was still there.
Was this some kind of elven magic?
When she pulled back, he blurted out, “How?”
“Paradiso,” she said, her fingers finding a sparkling gold pendant he hadn’t noticed before. It was a feather. “He gave me a new body from his own, which means he won’t be back.” Her eyes grew bright.
As elated as he was at her reappearance, he felt a pang of sorrow that he wouldn’t see the bird again. And he knew she was devastated about it.
He pulled her close with one arm, bringing a finger up to touch the pendant. “The feather he left you is beautiful.”
She looked down, and her face crumpled.
He wrapped his arms around her again as she curled in on herself, tears streaming down her face. “It’s going to be all right, Ithyll. It’s going to be all right.”
Finally, her sobs subsided and she stepped back, drying her eyes.
At that moment, the deep rumble of an engine coming from high above filled the space around them. A familiar Ardak ship began to descend, barely fitting itself into the width of the canyon. He read the letters and dots on the side as the ship began to descend: Battle 5000-543.
“Who is that?”
“I believe it’s my brother,” Valdjan said with satisfaction. He kept his arms around her as the ship landed and was grateful when the hatch opened and Simban strode out, followed by Aria and Roihan, Geeeroo and Ryoduin, and several other elves.
“Valdjan! Thank the gods!” Simban strode over and clasped him in a brotherly hug. “You’ve been gone for three days!”
The words were loud and clear, his brother’s movements back to normal. “Wh-what happened?” Valdjan stuttered in disbelief.
“Oh!” Simban took a step back, throwing his arm around his mate. “The crystal your guardian gave to me ended up healing me. With a little bit extra.” He winked, looking down at Valdjan’s hand, which was still joined with Ithyll’s. “And you two don’t look like you’re getting along too badly.”
Valdjan grinned like an idiot, watching Ithyll blush a pretty pink.
“So . . . did you pass the tests? Did you get the crystals?” Ryoduin asked.
Valdjan fished in his pocket and brought out the golden key. “We returned just this very moment.”
“Whoa.” Simban’s eyes grew big. “I guess those are yours, too.” He pointed to the golden sword and shield on the ground, a note of envy in his voice.
“Yep, and you wouldn’t believe what I had to do to get them,” Valdjan said. “I have so much to tell you. To tell all of you.”
“Later,” Aria said matter-of-factly. “Let’s get this door open first.”
Ithyll looked at him, her eyes wide in expectation.
He cleared his throat. “One important thing is that I have become the crystals’ protector, which means that I have to defend them and ensure they are used wisely.”
Roihan raised his eyebrows. “The prophecy never said anything about that.”
“You’ll be glad they have a protector when you see what they can do,” Ithyll replied. She linked her arm through Valdjan’s as they walked to the door.
Valdjan’s head was spinning—part of him was angry his brother had showed up so quickly. He wanted to stop time for a few hours, or a few days, and just be here. Right now.
He couldn’t believe she wasn’t dead. That she was back, and he might get to spend his life with her. He wanted to hold her close, to keep her from the outside world, to never let her go.
But he knew better than anyone that that wasn’t how the world worked. And that they had a planet to save.
Many planets to save.
And now he had a very personal duty to the crystals, as the Protector.
He nodded, inserted the key into the lock, and turned it. The entire wall of rock slid open.
The others had crept up behind them, and there was a collective gasp when they saw the enormity of the crystals that lay inside.
“They must have filled this cavern all the way up to the top of the cliff,” Simban said, wrapping his arm around his mate.
“We aren’t moving these,” Geeeroo said from behind them, eyeing them grimly.
“And we shouldn’t. Millions of souls have died for these,” Valdjan said, turning to face them all. “Beginning with the Ardaks.”
Even though he couldn’t do magic, he could feel the power coming from the crystals behind him. And the pain. “We’ve been wrong about so many things, and it’s going to take some time to decide what to do next.”
“Let’s go back to the village,” Roihan suggested. “Tordan and Aielle are there, we can reconvene the elven council and the new cyborg council and decide what to do next. I don’t think those crystals are going anywhere.”
Valdjan glanced over at Ithyll, then slowly shook his head. “As Protector of the crystals, I can’t leave them until I know they will be safe. Why don’t you go and bring the others back? I’m sure they’ll want to see the crystals for themselves.”
Aria and Roihan exchanged a look, then he nodded.
“Well, since there’s no cave left, let’s get you some supplies from the ship. We can’t leave you out here without a tent and some bedding. Perhaps some fruit and nut bars?”
Valdjan’s stomach growled, and Ithyll laughed.
As they boarded the ship to get the supplies, Simban turned to him. “I don’t know how the hell you jumped off that cliff.” His brother cracked a grin. “You’ve always been afraid of heights.”
“He was unconscious when he got to the bottom of the canyon,” Ithyll chimed in, and Simban and Roihan laughed uproariously at that. Even Valdjan managed to chuckle.
“I guess I had something to learn from my brother,” Valdjan admitted when he stopped laughing.
Simban opened his mouth before snapping it closed. His expression warmed, and he nodded his head slightly in acknowledgement.
As they strode into the docking bay, Valdjan couldn’t believe his good fortune. He’d gotten his brother back, and he’d found his mate. It might take a while for her to admit it, but he knew he wouldn’t give her up.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Ithyll
It didn’t take long for them to unload the supplies, and the minute the huge ship flew away, Ithyll practically flew into Valdjan’s arms.
He groaned. “Finally. I thought they’d never leave.”
Their mouths met in a hungry kiss, and she began to feel the tingling spread through her again. Her fingers crept to the hem of his shirt, sliding beneath, raising it.
Valdjan’s tongue caressed hers, and his fingers ghosted over the small of her back before sliding up to grasp her beneath her arms and lift her.
She didn’t break the kiss as she wrapped her legs around his waist, grateful for his strong arms holding her, feeling the muscles in his shoulders bunch as his arms moved.
When he’d gone down with the Ardak ship, she’d thought she would never see him again. Thought she would never kiss him again, or experience the delicious taste of his lips on hers. Thought he would never hold her again as though she was the only woman in his world.
She wrapped her arms more tightly around him, wanting to never let him go.
His hands went to her thighs, then slowly moved upward, and she realized he was raising her dress. She broke away so he could lift it over her head. �
��I know why my magic chose you.”
“Oh it did, did it?” There was a roguish gleam in his eye as he let the dress pool carefully on top of the tent so it didn’t get dirty. “I thought it was my lady’s preference to avoid that subject.”
She didn’t look away. “Everything was happening so quickly. I wasn’t ready. And I didn’t know you.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps you still don’t.”
“I may not know everything about you, but I know who you are. The man who saved me, who sacrificed himself for the Ardaks, that’s the man I love. And I’m proud to be with you.”
He was silent for a moment, then his lips covered hers in a kiss that was both hungry and sweet. “I love you, too. And we were a team. And at the end there, thinking of you was what motivated me to make the right decisions. You make me a better man, Ithyll.”
He grabbed a blanket from the supplies and seconds later he laid her back on the soft fabric, smooth sand beneath it, coming down into the cradle of her hips. “And now that I’m not injured, you’re about to see what a cyborg can really do.”
She sighed. “All this talk and no action . . .” Her words ended on an inhale as his hard length slid into her and he came down to nuzzle her neck. She adjusted as he pulled out, gasping at the pleasurable sensation. Tingling grew in every place they touched, and he began a rocking motion that stimulated several places at once.
When he took her earlobe in his mouth, her limbs went weak, and she began to moan, wordless exclamations of pleasure as she clawed at his shoulders, rocking against him.
His hips began to move faster and he braced himself above her, locking his gaze with hers. He arched his back, shifting his motion, going deeper inside her. “I can feel it,” he groaned. “Your magic.”
She’d been so overwhelmed by pleasure that she hadn’t been focused on the magic, and suddenly, she realized it had grown, and she could feel it, too. And, at that moment, she knew she couldn’t hold back the magic from binding them, and didn’t even want to.
“Can’t stop the binding—” She gasped. “Can’t hold back.” She pleaded with her eyes, hoping he wouldn’t regret being tied to her forever.
He lowered himself so their chests were pressed together once more, heart to heart. “Then don’t,” he said clearly, covering her mouth with his.
They rocked together as the magic bound them, drawing out the pleasure until they were both slick with sweat. She reached the place where she thought she could go no higher, his in-and-out motions keeping her there, his tortured groans from holding back rising to match her own.
Finally, he thrust home and sent her over, crying out as she felt him release into her. She trembled, barely any strength left in her body as he shuddered over her. He gave one last groan and fell to the blanket beside her, his breathing harsh and heavy.
She should have been exhausted, but while her body was replete, her mind was energized. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she was excited about the future.
They were bound together now, the former guardian and the Protector, united by a common purpose and a shared love.
They had a long road ahead with the crystals, the mermen, and the Ardaks, but she knew that whatever happened, they would be together.
The End
And to be continued . . .
Valdjan and Ithyll are together for the rest of their lives, but how long will that be? If you enjoyed this book and want to find out, join Mordjan in the quest to find the Resistance in Mordjan: Cyborg Warriors Book 5.
Author’s Note
I wanted to write a novel for my brother—and when you’re a science fiction / fantasy romance writer that’s a fairly difficult task! We read a lot of the classics in our teen years—and by those of course I mean Orson Scott Card, C.S. Lewis, Frank Herbert, Jules Verne, HG Wells, Douglas Adams, and all the rest. So I wanted to write something with a classic feel that would also fit in my world. So, how did I do? The hero undergoing three trials? Check. The all-powerful magical crystals guarded by elves? Check. Check. The golden sword and shield and a fight to the death? Triple check. And of course, that dash of romance sprinkled in was all mine. ;)
This story accomplished a few other things as well. My brother also has a real sense of humor so Valdjan has some great little moments with Ithyll that aren’t always present in the other stories, and I wanted to bring some humor into this world that is often so dark. I also wanted to turn the story of the Ardaks on its head and give it a new perspective. It’s easy to take things at surface value, the way we’ve always known them to be, but reality is rarely so simple. The Ardaks are a deeply emotional and complicated race, and you’re about to find out more about them—and the Resistance—in the second half of this series.
As always, I hope that you loved reading this book as much as I loved writing it.
All the best,
Immortal Angel
About the Author
Immortal Angel’s first true love was Han Solo – of course, that was before she discovered she wasn’t really a princess. But from that heartbreaking realization came a lifetime love of reading and watching science fiction, fantasy and romance. Once she began to write, those translated into epic adventures that cross time and space, with a little romance thrown in for good measure!
Immortal Angel loves to hear from her readers, and of course, she wants to hear from you! Feel free to contact her by any of the methods below:
E-mail: [email protected]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/immortalangelwrites/
Website: http://www.immortal-angel.com
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