Dark Lord of Kismera: Knights of Kismera

by Tamara H Hartl

  Her hands went to him, trying to pull him into her, stroking him until he felt control slipping. He grabbed her hands and held them over her head. She arched under him, her breasts teasing against his chest.

  “Protection,” he whispered into her ear, his breath hot against her neck.

  “Hmmm?” she asked, still dazed from the power of her orgasm.

  “Protection, do you have some?”

  “Top drawer of my night stand.”

  Drace lay over her to reach the drawer and found a few loose condoms. He pulled a foil-covered packet out of the drawer and then he froze. What am I doing? What have I already done?

  He reared back and looked at Maggie, her hair a bright sheet of flame against the white pillowcase, her cheeks flushed with their lovemaking. He hung his head as shame washed over him and quietly he put the packet back in the drawer.

  Maggie reached up and touched his chest. “Drace, what’s wrong?”

  “Maggie, I’m sorry. I can’t,” he said, looking defeated.

  She looked between her knees to that part of him that was still saying ‘oh yes I can’. She reached down to touch him but he caught her hands.

  “Maggie, please. Don’t.”

  The anguish in his voice tore at her heart. “What is it?” she asked, rolling up to look closer at him. “Please tell me. Don’t you want me?”

  Drace gave a sharp laugh. “Sweet Maggie,” he said. “I want you so bad right now, my balls ache.”

  “So what’s to stop you?”

  Drace reached over to touch a long curl. “You, Maggie. I can’t use you like that. I have these…demons…in my head. I can’t let that make me make a mistake in my life and risk hurting you.”

  “I don’t think I like you referring to me as a mistake,” Maggie said with some heat.

  “It’s not you, Maggie. I swear on all I hold holy. If things were different you wouldn’t be able to walk when I was done with you.” Drace made a helpless gesture with his hands. “But I can’t let my dick do my thinking for me.”

  The dick in question was still ready to go as Drace looked at Maggie.

  Drace reached for his dress shirt and handed it to her. “Could you put that on? You have amazing breasts and I can’t think clearly with them staring at me.”

  Maggie bit back a sad laugh and accepted his offered shirt. She sat up to button it. It came almost to her knees.

  “Can I use your shower? I really need to cool off,” he asked her.

  Maggie showed him where it was, made sure he had a towel, and then left him to shower.

  Drace stood under the freezing spray for as long as he could stand it. Thankfully all his parts retreated for warmer places but he still had to deal with his actions. He reached a decision, turned off the shower, stepped out, and dried off.

  He entered the bedroom with the towel wrapped around his waist and saw that Maggie had changed into a pair of sweat pants and a museum logo t-shirt.

  “I would loan you something more casual, but I don’t think anything I have would fit,” she said, staring at him. “What happened to you—the scars.”

  Drace touched the one on his belly. “Knife. Same here,” he said, indicating the one on his bicep. “The two here.” He touched his ribs then his knee. “Surgery,” he informed of the two scars running on either side of his kneecap.

  He reached for his underwear at the foot of the bed. He turned his back to her as he put them on, the towel falling around his ankles.

  “Don’t be shy now. I’ve already seen it,” she said, a touch of amusement in her husky voice.

  He turned and gave her a ‘wait right here’ look and went down the hall to retrieve his pants. He came back with them on, and zipped, but not buttoned.

  Drace sat on the end of the bed, put his elbows on his knees and steepled his finger in front of him. His dark hair fell forward over his face and he pushed it back with one hand. “I owe you some sort of explanation, Maggie. I could lie and give you some sort of believable story. However, I respect you too much for that. Besides, you’re too intelligent for a bunch of shit. You’d find holes all over the place.”

  She gave him a noncommittal nod.

  “So, I can tell you the true story and hope you don’t think I’m totally crazy or I can just leave and hope there’s no hard feelings.” Drace sat up straight and looked her square in the eye. “It’s your call.”

  Maggie stared at him. She felt the faint sign of tears. I could fall for him so easily; maybe I already have, but there something’s deeply troubled in him. At least he seems like he’s being up front with me. “I’m listening.”

  “The true story may answer a lot in you research, but I’ll have to tell you some things that might have you pretty pissed at me. I truly wish it were different, Maggie.”

  “This true story; is it a long one?” she asked, pondering her decision, and wondering how Drace could be connected to her work.

  “Yeah, ’fraid so,” he said. He stood, put a big hand in her hair and bent down to gently kiss her swollen mouth.

  She sighed against his lips. “Give me your true weird story and I promise I’ll wait to hold judgment on you until the end.”

  He helped her to her feet and they went into the living room. She took the comfortable chair across form him, not trusting herself to keep her hands off him.

  Drace had picked up his shirt on the way out and put it on, but didn’t bother to button it all the way.

  “One condition before I tell you this,” he said as she curled her legs under her and settled more comfortable in the chair. “Only one other person knows this story on this side. I need for you to promise this is between us.”

  “What do you mean by ‘this side’?” she asked, puzzled.

  Drace held up a hand for a second. “You’ll understand in a while.” He took a deep breath, suddenly nervous of how she would react. He cursed to himself when he realized his hands shook. He gathered his nerve and began, starting with when he got clobbered with the lance and not ending until he got her note the other day. He even told her about the nightmares and the vision he had seen at Culloden. He left out the erotic dream of Ki, but did let Maggie know his suspicions on Ki’s pregnancy.

  “And now I’m sitting here, hoping you don’t want my balls on a platter.”

  Maggie sat for a long time looking at him, her lips parted. Drace waited for the explosion to come, but Maggie shocked him to his core by bursting into tears.

  Drace leapt to his feet and went to kneel beside her chair.

  Maggie flung her arms around him and sobbed against his shoulder. Of all the reactions she could have had, he hadn’t thought of tears. He rubbed her back and let her cry, making soothing sounds, “Shh, Maggie, shh. I’m sorry, hon.”

  “No, no. It’s not what you think,” Maggie said, sniffing. “Oh geez. I’ve gotten mascara all over your good shirt. God, I must look a mess.” She pulled free of Drace’s arms and got to her feet. She hurried to her bathroom to repair her face.

  While she was gone, Drace went into the kitchen, found a tall glass and ran some water from the facet in it. His head was starting to hurt and his skin prickle with foreboding.

  Maggie came in awhile later, her face washed clean of makeup, but her eyes still red. She went up behind Drace and slipped her arms around his waist, laying her cheek against his back.

  Drace covered her hands with one of his. “I thought you would be angry,” he commented dully, feeling as if he had cheated on Ki, and confused at the strong attraction to Maggie. It felt like he had known her for a long time.

  “Oh, I wanted to be angry,” her voice came from behind him. “Perhaps I am a little. It’s all very confusing.”

  Drace rubbed his thumb over her knuckles in an idle gesture, lost in thought.

  “You don’t belong here,” Maggie said quietly, letting go of her hold of his waist.

  “I know,” Drace replied, taking one last swallow then setting down the glass. “I need to get going.”
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br />   “That’s not what I meant,” Maggie corrected. “I meant, you don’t belong here, in this world. I think that may be why you’re dreaming so much now. Ki’s world is calling to you; to your true self.”

  “I’m not sure I like that true self, if that’s the case. It’s like the violent side can just turn on at any time,” he confessed. “It kinda scares me.” He turned to look at her. “I wish I could take you there, to Kismera—so that I could prove its existence to you.”

  “It’s a far fetched story, I must say, but I find that I do believe you.” Maggie sighed with longing. “To love someone like that…” Maggie shook her head, “That’s why I cried. It’s so tragic. Ki’s lucky to have had you in her life.”

  “I probably should be going,” Drace said. He suddenly felt unwilling to discuss it further, and he saw how tired Maggie was.

  He began to button his shirt the rest of the way, but she put a hand on his. “Stay, spend the night.” At his protesting look, she added, “You can have the bed and I’ll take the couch.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I know I’ll be dreaming tonight. Little pieces are already popping into my head. I don’t want to scare you.

  “You won’t. I understand what’s going on now,” she argued. “And truthfully, maybe I just want the rest of tonight to be mine.”

  Drace traced a thumb over her cheek and gazed into her intense green eyes. “Maggie, I don’t…”

  Maggie stopped his words with her fingers on his lips. “Please?” She gave a pleading look.

  Drace stood there for a second, looking down at her. “Okay,” he finally said. “But I’ll take the couch.”

  Maggie gave a snort of laughter as she eyed his height. “Look at my couch. I can’t ask you to fold up on that short thing. God, that’s funny.”

  “You win,” he conceded. “Please, be careful. Don’t touch me if I start yelling.”

  “Sure. Let me get some extra covers from the closet and then you can get some sleep. You look drained,” she told him. “Want to borrow a night gown?” she asked as she led him back down the hall.

  “Now who’s being funny?”

  Drace stopped Maggie in the bedroom’s doorway when she headed back out with an arm full of blankets. He kissed her softly on the mouth. “You really are a sweet thing, Maggie. If my life had turned out differently I would have wished for you.”

  Tears welled up in Maggie’s eyes. “Damn it, MacKinnon. Now you’ve gone and made me cry again,” she groused, but her watery smile took the sting out of her words. “Good night, Drace.”

  “Good night, Maggie,” he returned, giving her a sad smile.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  MAGGIE CAME AWAKE with a start, not knowing at first what it was that woke her. She lay still, listening through the silence of the apartment. She heard the quiet hum of the refrigerator and the ticking of an old clock on her desk, and then she heard the moan, one of pain and distress. She got up and padded down the hall.

  Drace lay in her bed flat on his back, and from the light of the small lamp, she could see the sweat wetting his hair. He was in the grip of the nightmare he had known was to be his destiny that night.

  A sudden idea came to her as she watched him move restlessly. She had shared an apartment with three other girls during college. One had talked in her sleep and had a recurring dream of something that had happened in her youth. Maggie and the other two had tried an experiment and found with the right questions or suggestions they could lead her into revealing her nightmare. Once brought to her roommates’ attention, the girl was able to work through a painful past.

  Carefully, Maggie sat on the side of the bed. “Who are you fighting, Drace?” she asked, keeping her voice calm and low.

  His muscles twitched as if he were moving. “Zakaras. They just keep coming.” His voice was so quiet she could barely hear him.

  Battle tactics, Maggie thought, What to do? “Where is their leader? Do you see him?”

  There was silence as if he were searching. “Yes,” he finally said.

  “Are you armed? You need your sword, and a shield. Do you have them?”

  “Yes, I have them.”

  “Do you have the black horse?” Maggie felt a second of panic. What is the horse’s name? “You need the black horse to take you.”

  Drace groaned as the dream sucked at him. “I found him. I found Pride.”

  “Go after the leader. Kill the leader and the others will go. You can do it. I will help you.”

  There was silence for a moment as whatever he was dreaming unfolded behind his eyes. He made a grunting sound as if he was giving great effort.

  “You can beat him, Drace. You are a great warrior. You can defeat him,” Maggie encouraged softly. I better be sure who he’s fighting, Maggie realized, it could be a friend instead of a foe. “Who is the enemy, Drace? Who do you battle?”

  “Zakar,” he whispered, his tone strained.

  Ohhh crap. He’s fighting a lesser god. Can I accidentally kill Drace by a dream? Anger hit her: Not on my watch. “You can defeat him Drace. He is nothing. Your sword is great, slay him Drace.”

  Maggie watched as the muscles in his arms and chest twitched and every once in a while his legs jerked. It must be one hell of a fight. What to say next? She wondered. Then it came to her. “Fight on Drace. You have a strong arm and a strong horse. I’m trying to help you and you have Arahtok on your side. He stands behind you. That will make Zakar afraid. He will make a mistake and you can defeat him.”

  Now give him time to fight. Don’t rush him or he’ll screw up, Maggie thought.

  Drace came awake with a yell, like a battle cry, and stared into startled green eyes, his own out of focus. He panted for breath.

  Maggie gave a small squeak and rocked back on her heels. She scurried to the empty side of the bed and got up on her knees. “Did you kill him?”

  Drace woke up. “What?”

  “Did you slay Zakar?”

  Drace blinked a couple of times, confused that she knew what he had just dreamed. He suddenly realized he had felt her there all along. He lay back down, willing his pulse to slow.

  Maggie reached up to smooth the hair off his face. “Did you defeat Zakar?” she asked again.

  “Yeah. I killed him. He disappeared after I killed him, like smoke.” Drace shivered. “I’m cold, Maggie, so cold.”

  Not knowing what else to do, she climbed under the covers and scooted next to him. He wrapped an arm around her to pull her closer to him. She didn’t know why he was cold, because his big body was sure putting out some heat. Then she felt him relax against her. “I’m really tired,” he said, his voice thick with fatigue.

  “Go back to sleep,” Maggie whispered. “I’ll keep watch.”

  “I know you will, Maggie, I know.”

  He was out in seconds.

  Any doubts she had had on his story tonight vanished. Maggie lay for some time listening to the steady beating of Drace’s heart under her cheek. At that moment she disliked Ki Lionblade, but at the same time she envied her the man. Ki could go straight to hell if she didn’t like it.

  Drace woke to the smell of coffee and bacon. He buried his face into the soft pillow, not feeling ready to get out of bed yet and caught the scent of some flowery perfume in the pillowcase

  It took him a moment to get oriented and as he did, the previous night’s events came back to him. “Oh boy,” he muttered into the pillow. Resigning himself to his fate, whatever that might be, he pushed out of bed. He dressed in his trousers and shirt and then went down the hall to the kitchen.

  Maggie stood by the stove, working on an omelet. There was a legal tablet covered with hastily scrawled notes next to a cup of coffee. Drace glanced at it as he went by the table. He read the last few lines and found they were notes on the dream fight with Zakar. He raised an eyebrow at one of her theories. “You think the gods are playing some kind of game with me, winner gets what, my soul?”

  Maggie turned from t
he stove, spatula in hand. “Oh, hey. Coffee pot’s over there.” She pointed the spatula in the pot’s direction on a counter. “What do you take in it?”

  “Black,” he replied, looking her over. She was down right sexy in a pair of faded jeans and a loose Old Navy sweatshirt. He would bet money she wasn’t wearing a bra.

  Maggie flushed at his perusal and turned back to the stove. Drace came to stand close behind her, looking over her shoulder at her skillet. “Mmm, that smells great,” he said, then sniffed at her hair. “You smell great.”

  Maggie tried to ignore the singing heat that rushed through her at his words. She cleared her throat as she cut off the eye of the stove. “I hope you don’t mind breakfast for lunch,” she said after sliding the skillet to a back burner. She turned and looked up at him, and froze at his expression.

  His eyes were soft and he had a half smile aimed at her. His dark hair was in wild disarray and he had a morning beard darkening his tanned face.

  Tension and heat hung heavy between them for a moment. Finally, Drace broke the spell by turning and going for coffee. “What time is it?” he asked, his back to her as he poured.

  Maggie glanced at the clock on the microwave. “A little after twelve,” she told him, and went to get plates. She gave him the lion’s share of the omelet and bacon. “I can make some toast if that’s not enough,” she said, setting his plate on the table.

  “No, I’m fine, thank you.” He took the seat in front of the plate. “I didn’t realize I’d slept so late. You should have gotten me up.”

  Maggie sat across from him at the table. “You had a rough night. I thought you probably could use the rest.”

  Drace held his fork over his plate as he thought of what he wanted to tell her. “Maggie, I…,”

  Maggie stopped him before he could finish. “Why don’t you eat first then we’ll talk. I’ve got some questions for you to help me get some clearer pictures.”

  They ate in silence then Drace helped her with the dishes. They sat back at the table with another cup of coffee.

  “You’ve been busy,” Drace commented, tapping the notepad with a finger. “How long have you been up?”