The Heart of Arima.

by Emma V. Leech

  “I am beginning to see that,” he murmured. His other arm reached under my leg and back over, his fingers slipping under the lace of my knickers to cover my hip so his hands sandwiched the broken bone. I was in too much pain to be embarrassed by the scanty, lace underwear I was wearing.

  I felt the heat of his magic burying deep into my bones and braced myself but the bone snapping back together was excruciating and made me scream just the same. I heard him speaking to me, soft words in his strange language and they soothed away the fierce heat of pain, as did the delicious warmth of his hands. I felt him move around so he was sitting between my legs, and relaxed further as they swept down my thighs, mending torn ligaments and healing bruises, his caresses sending heat sinking under my skin, chasing away the cold and discomfort.

  Suddenly the pain was all gone, and I sighed blissfully, but the absence of pain was the least of it. My body felt alive, buzzing with energy, with magic and desire, every nerve ending awake and trembling ...and then I realised I was alone, spread out on a bed, with Corin kneeling on the floor between my legs.

  Chapter 27

  My body stilled as my heart began to race frantically. We were both in just our underwear and his hands were still on me. I could feel his magic, seductive warmth burning deep in my bones, fizzing like it was simmering inside of me; it felt so good I could barely breathe. I felt light-headed, reckless, as though I was high or really, really drunk and right at this moment I wanted to forget about everything else and simply savour the sensation. The small part of my mind that wasn’t tripping out knew this was a bad, bad idea but oh God, it felt good.

  “What did you do?” I demanded.

  “Nothing, I swear,” he said, his voice husky. “It's what I was trying to tell you about our magic, the more we touch the stronger it gets. Gods, it feels good doesn’t it?”

  He tugged me so my hips were at the edge of the bed and I gasped but couldn’t seem to move as his hands returned to slide down the inside of my thighs, gently pushing them further apart. I tried to find the will to disagree with him but could only draw in a ragged breath.

  “So much sensation from so little contact, can you imagine how good it would feel between us, if I really touched you, touched you how you want me to? You do want me to ...don’t you, Jéhenne?”

  I wanted to scream no! Deny it was true, and in my heart it wasn’t, but my heart wasn’t in control right now, my body was and it wanted it very much indeed and yes, I could imagine, only too clearly.

  “Answer me.”

  I shook my head not daring to speak but didn’t move, couldn’t. I heard him chuckle and looked up to find his gaze on me, golden eyes dark with desire.

  "I long to see you swell with my child, Jéhenne." His hand reached up and caressed my stomach and I felt his magic connect deep inside of me. "You want it too, don't you?"

  I fought for breath, trying to find the will to speak. “I just want the baby. I want my son."

  He shook his head, smiling that knowing smile. "You are lying, you want me too, admit it. There is really no point in denying me any longer; we are going to be together, just as your vision told you."

  I watched, frozen as his head dipped, long dark hair spilling over me, the silken strands tickling as he kissed my stomach. His lips trailed down, barely touching my skin but sending my nerve endings skittering frantically as his mouth moved over me, so close to where my body wanted him to be.

  My breath caught, my heart thundering as heat pooled between my legs, an ache so intense it was almost pain. I had been longing for Corvus for so long, and between the lack of his love and Corin's constant teasing my body was taut, wound up so tight that the slightest touch was exquisite agony.

  His mouth moved back up and he kissed me again, the flicker of his tongue at the apex of my thigh, against the very edge of my underwear. I held my breath, wanting and not wanting and he moved again, his lips pressing firmly against the sheer material as he planted a kiss that made my body convulse, arching towards him and throbbing under his mouth. “I want to taste you.” I felt his breath flutter against me and I moaned, a mixture of desire and terror.

  His fingers slipped under the delicate lace and we both drew in a sharp breath. “Gods, Jéhenne, I want you.”

  For a moment I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think ... If I wanted the child I had to give in to this feeling, and I wanted to, wanted to give in to it so much. My mind was hazy, fogged with desire and that scent, that overpowering scent of wine and spice, rich and decadent and so terrifyingly familiar.

  “No!” I scrambled away from him and twisted onto my stomach but he was too fast, too strong. He grabbed me and flipped me over again and before I knew it I was flat on the bed, my hands pinned down on either side of my head, his hard body pressed against mine.

  Rodney’s words came back to haunt me, I was flat on my back alright. I still had my knickers in place but if the look in Corin’s eyes was anything to go on, they wouldn’t be staying that way for long.

  “Please ... Please don’t.” I begged.

  “Why not? I know you want my child. If you want it we have to make it.”

  “Oh God, no, I can't!"

  He moved against me, and I could feel the heat of his skin burning against mine. He was so very warm, so very alive. His hips ground against me, the hard length of him rubbing in just the right spot, with just the right intensity. Desire flooded me as my body bowed against him and I gasped.

  “Oh, really?” He kissed my neck, working his way down and running his tongue across my collar bone as I struggled against him.

  “I don’t love you,” I cried, and he chuckled.

  “What has that to do with anything? You desire me ... I can give you what you want, Jéhenne.”

  “You can’t ... You can’t.” I brought fire blazing to my fingers and wrists but his magic chased it away with frost that prickled my skin and set me to shivering. His body was so warm in comparison and it only made things worse as my skin ached for his touch.

  “You want your freedom. I can give you that. I can give you status and wealth as well as children. I know how much you want that child, I saw it in your eyes with the little fae girl. He can never satisfy that ache in you, and one day the longing for it will tear you apart.”

  I felt tears welling in my eyes. I knew he was right, but did it change anything? I struggled against him but he was too strong. “Please, let me up. I ... I can’t think clearly like this.”

  He smiled at me and shook his head. “I don’t think that would serve my best interests, Jéhenne. You search only for a way to resist me, even though you know this is inevitable. I’m not about to help you with that. Feel the magic surging under your skin, it draws me like a magnet. Don’t you want what it’s offering us? Tell me the truth.”

  “Yes.” I whispered. “Yes, at this moment, right now, I do want it, more than anything. But this moment isn’t my life. This moment will be gone and won’t come back again but I will live for eternity ...and I don’t want to do that without Corvus. I love him, only him.”

  He sighed, and kissed my cheek gently. “I know, my dear, I know you do but you want the child too, and besides, you’ve been searching for a way to break the bond with him ...haven’t you?”

  My eyes widened as the truth dawned. “Inés told you.”

  “Yes, she did, and if you give yourself to me,that bond will be broken.”

  I looked at him, seeing the truth of what he was saying and realising, with a clarity that left me breathless with wonder at my own stupidity, that I didn't want to break it at all, not ever.

  Be careful what you wish for, Jéhenne.

  He let go of one of my hands and traced the line of my jaw with a finger.

  “He didn’t tell you that did he?”

  “No, he didn’t but then ...he wouldn’t would he?”

  He shrugged. “Why not? If he loves you so much, is one night with another so much to give you what you want?”

  “Yes!” I
yelled. “How can you even think that, have you never loved anyone?”

  He glanced at me and looked away, and I thought I saw regret in his eyes. “No, I cannot say that I have.”

  “You don’t give a damn about anything but your own pleasure!”

  He laughed and the vibration through his body against mine was terribly distracting but he shook his head. “Oh, I care very much about your pleasure too, I can promise you that. In fact I will give it my undivided attention.”

  His mouth sought mine and the haze of magic, of desire, and that overpowering scent clouded my mind. I fought against it, sure that it was not to be trusted but it was so consuming it was simply impossible.

  My resistance broke down and I wrapped myself around him, my legs pulling his hips closer, my hands in his hair, my mouth seeking his with a hunger that didn't seem my own. I heard him whisper, thank the gods, against my neck before he kissed me again and the thought seemed to jar in my mind, thank the gods.

  With a blaze of heat that made us both scream with pain the pendant flared between us, and Corin leapt away from me. His eyes went to the stone that was blazing with light, and they widened with horror.

  "Are you trying to kill us both!" he demanded and I was taken aback by the sheer terror in his eyes. "Where did you get that?"

  I sat up trembling and fought to clear my head. I grasped the pendant in my hand and suddenly everything was sharper, the haze receding. "Long story," I said, still sounding breathless and shaky.

  He was looking at me suspiciously. "Jéhenne, what is this about? Is there truly a child or did you mean to kill me?"

  I felt my eyebrows hit my hairline. "Kill you?" I snatched at the duvet and tried to pull it over me but as we were both sitting on it I didn't manage to cover much. I suddenly felt terribly cold. "As tempting as the idea may be, no, I wasn't trying to kill you."

  He narrowed his eyes, still suspicious. "Do you even know what that is?"

  I shook my head, wondering why he looked so freaked out. He started cursing in the old language, funny how you can recognise swear words without knowing what someone's saying, and then he stopped suddenly and frowned at me.

  "Who are you?"

  "Oh, fuck! Here we go." I went to get off the bed but he moved forwards and grasped my arms, looking at me intently. "That is a god stone, Jéhenne, and ... And unless you yourself were a god, or touched by the gods, one of the chosen ones, the barest touch would kill you." He paused as he let that information sink in. "You are still very much alive, Jéhenne." There was something of an accusatory tone to his voice and I frowned at him.

  "Well so are you!" I yelled, indignant that I should be getting singled out.

  "Well that was more luck than judgment wasn't it?" he yelled back, sounding equally indignant and then sighed, running a hand through his hair. He sat back, looking a bit stunned. "Yes," he said. "I am indeed still alive and it would appear the stories were true after all."

  "The golden eyes," I whispered, realising what he meant. "You really are touched by the gods."

  "So it would appear." He didn't look pleased about it and those same golden eyes flickered up to mine. "I'm not the only one though, am I?"

  I lifted the pendant and held it in the palm of my hand. It was glowing now, a deep gold, the colour of his eyes. I was seriously never accepting another piece of jewellery as long as I lived. Then I swallowed nervously as the thought occurred to me about what may have happened if I hadn't been wearing it.

  I looked back at Corin to find he was looking deeply unhappy. "What is it?" I asked.

  He frowned and shook his head. "I'm afraid you may have been right, Jéhenne. We are being manipulated, dancing to another's tune. It won't be the first time the gods have interfered in my life. It has a familiar feel to it and I’m damned if I’ll let them move me around like a chess piece again!” He sounded really angry now and his eyes flashed as he pointed at the pendant once more. “Where did you get it?"

  I took a deep breath and explained about the strange silver pond and touching my own hand between the worlds and watched as the freaked out expression returned to his face.

  "What you were saying before, that you knew who was doing this, what did you mean?"

  I clutched the pendant harder as my thoughts returned to where they had been. Every time I had gotten close to figuring out what was happening, when I could feel the answer burn on the tip of my tongue, that scent would overwhelm me and the idea would fade. As I held onto it the pendant began to heat, it burned it away, it burned through the deception and that overpowering haze, and the answer became clear.

  "It's him," I said aloud, wondering how I could have been so blind. "It's been him from the start."

  "Who?" Corin asked, clearly frustrated with this answer. I looked up at him, wondering how I could begin to explain but the room was suddenly charged with a different kind of energy and we both gasped and ducked our heads as the power shimmered into life and the angel Sariel appeared before us.

  Chapter 28

  Sariel appeared with a burst of power that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. As one we scrambled off of the bed and into the far corner of the room. Sariel might be an angel, but he was also bloody scary and from my point of view, bearing in mind I owed him a debt, I wasn’t pleased to see him. We both knelt, side by side, heads bowed until the power subsided a little and Corin raised his head.

  “Sariel.”

  I kept quiet as deep violet eyes regarded me and once again I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I had been laid bare. Whatever I was, whatever I thought, he knew. It was not a pleasant experience and one I wanted over as soon as possible, especially considering my current state of dress and the fact I was in Corin's bedroom.

  "I hope that I am not too late." He raised an eyebrow and looked from me to Corin with an amused smile.

  "Too late?" I queried.

  I heard a bitter laugh beside me and turned to see Corin close his eyes. "It's as I said, Jéhenne, the gods have been pulling our strings."

  Sariel nodded and I looked up at him, perplexed. "Will you please tell me what the hell is going on!"

  The violet eyes flashed black for a moment and Corin grabbed my arm giving it a hard squeeze.

  "Have a care, my dear, remember who you speak to."

  Sariel's face turned slowly between us and my heart pounded with fear. My frustration was making me more reckless than usual. Don't piss the angel off, Jéhenne. I bit my lip and ducked my head by way of apology and Sariel spoke again.

  "The child is not Corin's. The child, in fact, already exists. He was born many, many years ago."

  I felt my mouth open and close, my breath coming in short gasps. "Then who ... How ... I ... I don't understand!" I didn't know what question to ask first, it was too confusing.

  The angel's face softened just a little and his voice was gentle when he spoke again. "The child is yours, Jéhenne. He is your son, which is why the visions felt so real to you, but you bore him a very long time ago, before you ever met Corvus."

  I felt something ease in my chest. He was real. I hadn't imagined it. He really existed, but where, and how? Was he like me? I opened my mouth to begin asking questions but Sariel stopped me.

  "I cannot tell you much more, I am forbidden to interfere."

  "But who is the father?" I demanded. "Who is the man who did this?" I paused, afraid to ask. "It's him, isn't it, the voice in my head ... He's the father?"

  Sariel nodded and I felt like I'd been hit by a ton of rubble. To have a child with Corin was one thing. I may not exactly approve of him but he was good man. Underneath the playboy exterior I had believed he would be a good father. He meant it when he said he would protect us both, care for us both, but this man ... I shivered as fear clutched at my heart.

  "Who is he, Sariel?" My voice was barely more than a whisper but I was so terribly afraid of the answer. "Who is he and why did he do this, why make me believe the child was going to be Corin's?"

&
nbsp; I watched as he shook his great wings out and a shower of gold dust sprinkled on the floor. He folded them back again with a snap that sent a cool breeze through the room. I thought I saw distaste in his expression when he spoke but it was hard to tell. "In his eyes you belong to him, you and the child. You are his to do with as he pleases but you have not done anything that has pleased him for a very long time, Jéhenne, and you find the courage to defy him because of your love for Corvus. He has been what has kept you strong. Your love for each other has given you the will to keep defying him no matter what, and he has tried many ways to keep you apart. This is simply the latest."

  I began to tremble violently as I realised how close he'd come to winning, how close I'd been to losing everything. I felt Corin move from beside me and get up. He pulled the duvet from the bed and wrapped it around me but I was cold to my bones as the shock of what the real father of my son had tried to do to me hit home. He would have made me have another child with Corin, just to get me away from Corvus, knowing it was the only way I would ever be unfaithful, and it was the only thing Corvus could never forgive me for.

  I blinked, dazed, as Corin put his arm around me and kissed the top of my head. "It's alright, it will be alright," he said soothingly and I wanted to believe him. I mean, I could have Corvus back now ... Couldn't I? Maybe? I would move heaven and bloody earth if I had to but I would find a way to make him forgive me but ... But I did have a child. I had conceived a child with a monster, and that monster had said he was coming to get me.

  "Who is he?" I repeated but Sariel shook his head.

  "I can tell you no more, I have already said too much. However, I believe that your brother now has many of the answers you seek."

  "You helped him?" I asked and Sariel just looked steadily back, silent. "Why, why are you doing this? Why are you here at all?"

  The violet eyes turned stormy for a moment. "We all of us have our own agendas," he said, his voice sharp this time. "As for why I am here ..." His head tilted to one side and a slight smile softened the harsh lines of his face. “You know why, Jéhenne.”