by J. L. Madore
Galan stood at the cliff edge looking out over the valley. His ears flushed pink, but he didn't have anything more to say.
I was still counting to ten when I inhaled. "Bless you Castian." The scent of French Caramel filled my senses and practically carried me to the java hut. Well, it wasn't so much a hut really, but a pot of French Caramel and a carton of half and half sitting on a rock beside my tent. I picked up an oversized mug and mixed up a double-double for Lexi and a double milk for me. The smell made me moan, the taste. . . .
Mmm, one sip of the caramelotta ambrosia and I was ready to face anything.
Naith sauntered from the trees and pushed his head against my chest. I staggered back holding my mug out to one side. "Good morning, puss." I nuzzled my face into his velvety scruff. He smelled like one of those rainforest air fresheners you hang in the closet. I patted him, grinning as the rumble of his purr vibrated in my chest.
"Pay my brother no mind," Tham said. "If warriors can look as you, I shall be delighted to stand beside you in battle."
Faolan pranced over and preened in front of Naith. With her dark tail bristled and held straight as a maypole, the she-wolf scratched at the dirt showcasing her feminine attributes for the appraisal of my sleek ebony jaguar.
"Faolan is aware she is a wolf, is she not?" Tham passed his hand over his mouth, hiding his smile. "And Naith is an extremely oversized cat."
Aust's gaze softened as Faolan brushed her muzzle against my mount. Nipping at his jaw and whiskers her tail cut through the air like a sword, her body vibrating as she played. "Verily she is, yet she cannot tame her affections any more than the rest of us. We love whom we love."
Galan finished brooding at the ledge and joined us, his smooth, stalking stride a predator's prowl. Keeping his eyes fixed on me, he scooped up his pack. "May we begin our day?"
"In a minute," I said, then eased Galan's bag from his hand and held it out to Tham. "We need to clear the air first. How about some early morning hand-to-hand?" I smiled, hoping it came off sweet and inviting. "If you're up for it."
Tham's jaw dropped and he looked from me to Galan and back again. In a hot-minute he and Aust snatched up the other satchels and bedrolls and moved them out of our way.
Galan scrubbed his fingers through his hair. "This is unnecessary, Jade. Apologies if I offended your delicate nature. I shall endeavor to be more aware of your sensitivities in future."
I eyed the clearing the boys had made and checked my ponytail. "Sensitivities. Hmm. Well, I accept your snide apology, but actually, I insist."
Galan was athletic and lithe, corded with muscle and carried himself with a total co-ordination. Gods he annoyed me. Curling my finger, I beckoned him forward. "What are you made of Highborne, other than haughty arrogance?"
After shrugging out of his vest, he sunk into position and slapped away my hand. "Fash not, female, I shall try not to bruise you . . . overmuch." Highbornes had once been the protectors of the realm. I wondered if they'd kept up their skills all these years. Galan started a slow, intricate circle of footwork. "I find it endearing, however misguided, you think yourself competent to challenge a male."
My fury needle jerked out of 'School Him' and buried deep into 'Kick-his-Ass' territory. With Bruin, Julian and Lexi around I had thick skin. But Galan wasn't spewing trash, he actually believed this crap. "It's chauvinistic to judge my competency as a fighter based on the fact that I have breasts." I pivoted, positioning to receive Galan's offensive.
Watching. Waiting. Galan's nostrils flared just before he lunged. We covered the clearing, blocking and batting as we measured each other's strengths. He was good, honestly better than I thought, though I'd never admit that. Fists and feet, knees and knuckles, grunts and groans.
Galan was poised, muscles rippling. He circled, searching for my weakness. Keep searching Highborne. He avoided my backhand and the cuff to his ear, but didn't get far enough from my sweeping kick. My knee connected. His breath hissed from his lungs as I nailed his ribcage. Then, capitalizing on his momentary weakness, I thrust a palm strike to his face.
Galan grunted as his head whiplashed back. Blood arched into the air, spraying the feathery leaves of a mutant fern behind him. Wiping his hand along his mouth he spat scarlet to the grass. "My underestimation of you has been remedied. Ready yourself female."
Ding-ding-ding. Round two.
We began again, this time with more strength behind his attacks. Good. Give it.
Galan made a rookie slip and stepped into a compromised position. Dropping low I swiped his feet and turtled him onto his back. I slammed my foot toward his solar plexus. His blurring reflexes saved him from the blow. He rolled away then back again, lightning-fast, grabbing my leg. The momentum flipped me on my back.
He straddled my waist, secured my wrists and pinned me to the dirt. "Do you concede?" A fine sheen of sweat beaded his brow, his cheeks mottled with a healthy flush. Gods he was cute. He couldn't actually think that he had me, could he? The gall of this man was astonishing.
"Not even close." My legs came up from behind his head and wrapped across his chest. A solid heave and my shoulder lariat flung him back to the ground. I sprung to my feet as Galan kipped to his.
My roundhouse landed square on his chest, but he managed to capture my foot. Using his body as leverage I pushed off, flipped backwards and cart-wheeled to my feet. He stumbled to save his fall. The corners of his mouth twitched.
Surprised? I dove to the door of the tent, grabbed my bullwhip and uncoiled its twelve-foot length. It was a gift from Reign on my twelfth birthday, along with training three times a week. The crack that sliced through the air gave me the warm-and-tinglies.
As I advanced, Galan sprang backwards into a string of acrobatic spins and flips, gaining distance from the tail of my weapon. His speed and grace sucked the breath out of me. Rolling to his knees he grabbed a good-sized stick off the ground and moved toward me.
Okay, I'll bite. What's the stick for? "I didn't realize you were a gymnast, Galan."
He bowed and twirled the stick in his hand like a baton. Over. Under. Over. Under.
I snapped my whip and before I saw him move he'd caught the length of leather with his stick and was winding it. It was a rookie play, but I couldn't help watch him move. In a blur, he drew me in like a fish on a line. In the next moment, he yanked my body against his, spun me in his arms and slammed me hard against wide, rough trunk of a massive tree. My shoulder screamed in protest as he pinned me, his thigh thrust between my legs.
I sucked in a labored breath, my excitement having nothing to do with physical exertion and everything to do with Galan's proximity and his raw masculine strength. My pulse thundered in my ears as my heart pounded for freedom. Could Galan hear my traitorous organ misbehaving? Full sensuous lips curved into a half-hearted smile, then dipped toward the column of my neck. He inhaled.
The noise of my heart quieted, replaced by a warmth spreading in the pit of my stomach and heading south. When he lifted his gaze, I was transfixed, caught up in brilliant blue eyes just inches from mine. Dwinn. The word echoed in my mind. My skin tingled to life.
Something was happening.
I silenced my inner voice and drew a deep breath. Suede mixed with sunshine. Gods, he made my mouth water. The pupils of his eyes flared as he studied me. "Galan." My voice was far too excited for my liking. "I'm impressed. You can bring it for a pampered boy from the valley."
Galan shook his head and stepped back. Without his frame for support, I stumbled, catching myself before I took a header into the scrub. His eyes bore into mine, his face stoic and unamused. "Not much of a challenge, really. As I expected, you fight like a female."
Seriously? Stepping against him I trailed a shaky hand up his bare chest to the smooth ivory column of his neck. His pulse was pounding against my palm, his skin hot and slick from sparring. I took a deep breath. "Actually, Galan, if I was fighting like a girl I would have done this." In one motion, I yanked a fistful of silver hair
and thrust my knee into his groin. As he sank to his knees, I shoved him away from me. "Asshole."
"Ohhh!" came the chorus from the peanut gallery as Galan crumpled to the dirt.
My hands were twitching, throwing off sparks like holiday sparklers. I stomped away. Dammit, what is happening to me? My sister doubled over laughing, grabbing the tent for support. "Not one word, Lexi. I mean it. Not. One. Word."
The rest of the second day passed without incident. Well, if riding for hours through a rainforest with Highborne Elves could be considered uneventful. Around mid-day, Aust moved us from the path along the water and cut through a section of thicker forest. We pressed on, looking for a rock formation along the western ridge that would signal the place to change direction. Aust assured me we were good, but I was thinking we'd missed the exit sign for Dragon's Peak.
"You sure you know where we're going, Aust?" I asked.
"I am. It is where I was headed for my Ambar Lenn."
"Really? Why there?" Lexi asked.
Aust fell back on the path to keep pace with Lexi and Puff. "Lore from the ancient Highbornes spoke of Mahogany Bears in the farthest reaches of the north. They are said to den along the mountain ridges. Legend claims they stand ten feet when reared." He held his hand well above his head. "I always wondered if my connection would work with a beast so fierce as it does with the animals of our region. I meant to try it."
"Alone? What if you were hurt?"
Aust picked up a stick, mid-stride and tossed it for Faolan. "That is the very nature of the Ambar Lenn: a quest to challenge oneself physically as well as mentally, to find one’s inner strengths and purpose."
I rode, wondering what inner purpose Lexi and I would find if we were sent on Fate's Journey. As I considered the possibilities, I found myself peeking sideways at Galan. What had his plans been? He hadn't spoken since I left him palming himself in the dirt this morning. Watching his scowl harden all day, I was quite sure this was a case of 'If you keep making that face it's going to stay that way'. It had, in fact, stayed that way for the past seven hours. As my stomach knotted I shook my head. Why should I feel guilty? He was the jerk.
The screeching laughter of a jungle bird had me scanning the canopy. I was no expert in exotics but I knew that one. A toucan was sitting in the leaves of a tall palm watching our procession. Tipping back its broad beak it cackled as if mocking us.
Over the course of the day, the light filtering through the canopy transformed. What started out a brilliant white yellow softened to a golden glow. Thankfully with the passing of hours, the sticky heat also faded. If last night was any indication, by around eleven the temperature would plummet and we'd be piling on layers.
I licked over my cracked lips and ignored the tightening of my face. Adjusting my position in the saddle, I fished in my backpack and found water. Mmm, warm and stale. What would I give to be drinking a cold beer . . . in a frosted mug . . . while sitting on a snowbank. Replacing the lid on my bottle I tossed it back into my bag and promised myself I'd visit the Hearthstone the minute we got home.
Without my permission, my attention drew back to Galan. Long legs propelled him along the path. He showed no signs of tiring, no signs of faltering in the thick heat of the rainforest. His skin wasn't even flushed. And oh, there was so much smooth, ivory skin. He tugged at the lacings of his pants and grimaced mid-stride.
Damn. I really tagged him.
In a moment of pity, I called it an early night and gestured to a small clearing ahead. When his gaze met mine I offered him a genuine smile. His brow remained creased with the same angry scowl he'd worn all day.
"I should apologize," I whispered to Lexi.
"You could offer to heal what's achin'," Lexi said, wiggling her fingers in the air. "Give him a happy ending to a bad day with those magic fingers of yours."
I rolled my eyes and headed into the wilderness to relieve the pressure on my bladder. Thankfully Lexi didn't follow. Heal what's achin. I huffed, stepping over broad leafed scrub. Give him a happy ending. I tromped on, breathing in the solitude. I had no intentions of entertaining Lexi by responding to her idiocy. And it was idiocy.
. . . he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity.
Wisdom from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
"Oh shit!" I did not just compare Galan to Mr. Darcy, did I? I wiped my brow with the back of my wrist. It had been a long two days. The sun had obviously fried my brain. I hadn't even gotten to wash in the stream this morning after the incident with Galan. Lifting my arm, I performed a quick sniff test to assess the damage. Yep, two days in a tropical rainforest. Nice.
As if the universe was listening, a faint rush of water called from the distance. Glancing back toward camp, I wondered how far I'd come. Every tree and every rock looked the same. How long had I been trudging? Shit, I'd just broken about five of Reign's rules in as many minutes. I started counting them off on my fingers as I pressed on. I was alone in an unsecured location, no backup, no weapon, I'd left my charges to fend for themselves, and no one knew where I was. Technically, I could be ambushed at any moment and who would know?
I scanned the forest.
Surely, if someone was watching me I'd know, wouldn't I? With the light fading, the forest was filled with endless shadows and places Scourge could be hiding. The hairs on my arms stood on end. Paranoid much? I swallowed, listening for anything beyond an insect or a creature of the cute and fuzzy variety. "Get a grip."
Refocused on the noise of the stream, I lifted my feet high and plodded through a tangle of vines and green. Gods I missed cobblestone paths. After a few hundred yards the jungle transformed and trees thinned. Soaring fifty feet before branching into a living umbrella, I was standing beneath a vaulted ceiling in a massive natural cathedral.
The sound of running water grew louder and after a few more minutes of exploring, the trees opened up. It wasn't a river I'd heard at all. The grotto in front of me was encircled by stone and at the far side a seventy-foot waterfall plunged into a contained pool. The frothy, white water graduated into an iridescent turquoise as it moved away from the falls. Where I was standing, across the pool, it was clear as glass.
Cool mist kissed my face with an overwhelming relief after the swelter of the day. Edging to the low rocks, I dipped my fingers, confirming my initial thought. It was a limestone pool, warm, clear and probably filled with restorative properties.
I studied the surface shimmering in the fading light. Would there be blood-sucking or maybe flesh-eating beasties living within? The underwater inhabitants darted away in streaks of silver, gold and crimson, too fast to focus on. They would probably be garden variety tropical fishies, right? Feeling somewhat confident that I was not about to become piranha-paté, I toed off my boots, peeled my leathers down my thighs and pulled my muscle-shirt over my head.
There was no helping the squeal that slipped from my throat as I sank into the water. Logic told me it wasn't cold, the goosebumps tingling across the waistband of my undies and my hardening nipples said different. My internal temperature was molten. Gravity took my body as I fell forward, disturbing the mirrored surface. I pushed across the centre of the pool. It was deep enough to swim and I luxuriated in the stretching of my aching muscles.
The pool bottom was silt which gave way to fine sand close to the waterfall. Scrunching my toes into the silky soil I sighed and spun a slow circle, watching the ripples dance away from me. "Gods, this is so what I needed." Floating on my back for who knows how long, the sky darkened and the stars came out one by one.
"If you created this place Castian, you were inspired."
I floated in half-conscious bliss until male voices invaded my world. My eyes flew open just in time to catch the blur of someone cannon-balling beside me.
"Ahhh. . ." Tham said, shaking his hair like a Golden Retriever. He stood, looking to where Lexi, Aust and Galan were stripping down and laughed. "
Will you three be joining us at any point within our lifespan?"
Galan cast him a dry look. "Mayhap." He pulled off his sleeveless jacket and the tunic they wore and night, folded them and laid them beside Tham's clothing strewn across the rocks. "We need not disrupt the forest in its entirety. There is something to be said for civility."
Lexi held her fingers over her mouth, gawking at Galan and Aust as they undressed. Ignoring my initial urge to get out of Dodge, I retreated to deeper water until the surface lapped above my black lace bra. It became obvious in a hot minute that these Elves had no qualms about being naked. In fact, I got the distinct feeling they didn't even realize they were exposing themselves to two women they'd just met. I studied every detail of the waterfall until all male parts were safely in the water. Nice rocks. Very grey.
"Civility is regarded with all too much importance, Galan." Tham laughed.
"True," Galan said, pushing across the pool. "And you are correct. This is perfection."
"Yet still my ideas are met with trepidation." Tham feigned a look of insult.
"In truth, this was Jade's idea not yours," Aust said, swimming over. "How did you find your way here, neelan?"
I shrugged, smiling to myself at his endearment of calling me 'lovely one'. Oh, I was burning off energy, looking for a place to hide for a while. Something brushed against my calf and I jumped. Full-dark had fallen. There was no way to tell what might be down there.
Lexi peeled down to her skivvies and jumped in. "Well, lucky for us, Aust and Galan thought to track you. Otherwise you might have kept this little oasis all to yourself."
Tham splashed Faolan on the edge of the pool.
All to myself, huh, what a tragedy.
Outwardly I made every attempt to remain composed. Inwardly my body was aware, unsettlingly aware, these men were naked. Gods, like, really—everything out there—naked. It shouldn't have mattered; I was a healer for gods' sake. I'd laid hands on dozens of naked men and nothing had ever stirred within me. I was raised around warriors who thought underwear was offensive and often wandered the halls drunk with their parts airing out.