by J. L. Madore
Wonderful. The two of us continued our tango as grunts and smacks resounded around the clearing. I was more than a bard and a healer, I was a warrior's daughter. Bloodvine was a seasoned fighter before his transition, now he'd be even stronger. He waggled—what I assumed used to be his brow—as we faced off. He evaded the wolves as they surged forward again.
Two raiders facing off with Lexi weren't so lucky. The wolves flew past us, cannoning them into the ferns. The echo of snarls and tearing flesh vibrated around us. And what do you know the squeals were so freakin' satisfying.
Bloodvine barely turned his head as black ichor spouted into the air behind the wall of macabre fur.
"Nicely done my brothers," Aust said.
I bobbed left and avoided Bloodvine's backup blade as it sang past my head. A blue bolt of energy sizzled my ear and exploded behind me. The thud of a great, dead weight landed just within striking distance of my back. A barbarian. I'd thank Samuel later.
Bloodvine's rebuttal forced me back and I had to maneuver quickly to get around the barbarian lying behind me. The relentless hammering of sword on sword jarred my bones and vibrated up my arms to the roots of my molars. Over and over he came down, until my arms ached and my teeth rattled.
"Blaze, tighten up." Reign's string of curses highlighted that I was being forced away from the group. In battle, my father was a beast—truly a Reign of Terror—but when one of his girls was threatened he was flat out terrifying. In a mindless fury, he forced his way to me, slicing and splattering through three Scourge.
Bloodvine bombarded me, blow after blow after blow.
The hit came out of nowhere. It caught my shoulder and sent me hurtling over a tangle of roots and onto my ass. I raised my guard cursing as my hip burned like a mother.
Shit, dermabrasion sucked.
The hiss and thwack of an arrow finding purchase barely registered as I rolled back to my feet and regained my stance. Bloodvine was staring down at the lustrous brown shaft sticking out of his chest. Wide eyed he reached for the golden eagle flight.
When I moved to strike, he raised his hand. "Kill me and you won't get the name."
"What name?" I barely had time to pull back.
"Just an insurance policy I've had for a while." He struggled to touch his watch face and I froze. He coughed and a spray of blood spewed down his lip and chest. "Remember those conversations long into the night while you tended my injuries? I did some digging on my side and ferreted out one of the men who attacked your farmhouse."
Bloodvine watched me edge forward and smiled. "Let me go and I'll get it to you." A bolt-hole appeared just behind him. "On my honor."
"Tell me now or you go nowhere." I could hear the juicy rattle as air passed through the hole in his chest. There was a good chance he was walking dead and I wanted that name.
He shook his head and stumbled backwards into the energy field of the bolt-hole. As he disappeared I heard him repeat his pledge. "On . . . my . . . honor. . ."
Reign slayed the last Scourge in a decapitating slice and wiped his sword clean of its tarred goo. Like a knife through molasses. His shitkickers gushed and squished through the muck that killing Scourge left behind. He was filthy, sweated out, and magnificent. "Everyone breathing?" Dark eyes assessed each of us before his shoulders eased.
I triaged the group. Reign had a couple of broken fingers, Aust and Tham had some minor magical burns and Samuel had taken a nasty gash to his ribcage. Lexi, as usual, was more offended by the black spray of grossness on her designer boots than any injury she might have sustained. Her theory was, 'Cuts and bones heal. Ripped and ruined leather is forever.'
"We're good," I said, grabbing Reign's hand to work on his fingers. "Samuel, could you do something about the stench?"
As Samuel sent a spell around to clear the air I moved to heal his side.
"Was their objective to secure the spellbook?" Tham asked, helping Aust to his feet and picking up the book.
"No." Reign shook his head. "That was a scouting party. If they had any clue about the book they would have come at us like a swarm of demons." The air snapped with electricity and faster than I could form a thought to stop them, the Highbornes nocked another round of arrows.
"Hold that thought boys." Reign held up his hands. "The fight response is a good reflex. In this case, unnecessary. These ugly bastards are with us."
Three Talon enforcers strode from the tree line. They looked like a matching set of hard-core soldiers, armed, stoked and ready to go off. Muscled arms bulging out of leather battle-vests, tree-trunk legs wide in their stance and expressionless eyes hidden behind mirrored wraparounds. Intimidating was a laughable understatement.
"Welcome to our band of merry men." I began the introductions pointing from left to right. "Galan, Tham and Aust, this is Savage, Cowboy and Rue."
The Highbornes inclined their heads and nodded in turn, their scanning glances capturing the body ink and wide dog-collar Savage wore, the Garth Brook's Southern flare of Cowboy's black hat and boots and Rue's seedy been-there-survived-it-all disposition.
Rue sauntered over to Reign, his inner fuck-you dialed down for once. "Julian tracked Scourge mobilizing to your destination. A scouting party trailed your Flash signatures about an hour ago."
"You're a little late on that one," I said, gesturing behind me. "Been there, got the stringy mess of corpses to prove it. We're about to loot the fallen. Want to join the fun?"
"Sadly, not this time, Blaze." Rue scanned the dead bodies scattered around the clearing. "Castian wants that book Behind the Veil and out of Scourge reach ASAP. Reign, you and the girls are to escort the Highbornes back to their village while Samuel watches over Haven."
Reign stiffened. "When the fuck did I become Castian's bitch?"
Cowboy tipped his hat. "Don't kill the messengers, boss. We're just following orders. Figured you'd want to stick close to the girls anyway, since the Scourge are in play, so we brought you a warhorse for your travels."
"Is there any movement toward the village?"
"Nada," Cowboy said.
Rue ignored the glower my father was spearing him with and held his hands out for Rheagan's spellbook. "Gentlemen, if you don't mind."
Tham paused, looking to his brothers before checking with us. When Reign nodded, he handed it over. In a Flash, Rue, Cowboy and Savage were gone.
"This is good news," I said, searching the faces of the Highbornes. "With the spellbook in Castian's possession, the Scourge can't access it and we have one less thing to worry about. Now, let's get you three back to your village and release you all from exile."
CHAPTER TWELVE
Looking to the setting sun two days later all I could think of was getting off my mount and closing my legs. We were back at the clearing from the second night and I was heading straight for the grotto. My shirt was sweated through and clung to me, the seams of my pants chaffed my inner thighs, my arms and neck were bitten and pocked by some carnivorous insect the size of a fleck of pepper. The Elves called the little vampires 'no-see-ums'. I might not be able to see-um, but I could sure as hell feel-um.
Oh, and I smelled. There was no lady-like way to put it. I stunk.
It seemed like I'd been astride Naith for weeks, and I was jonesing to get back to Haven and my students at the Academy. The travel since the battle in the clearing had been uneventful, but the excitement of dropping the reality bomb on the Elders Council had grown to almost epic proportions with the Highbornes.
If nothing else, tomorrow would be interesting. The Elves had acted out a dozen scenarios. Tham always played the part of the irate, irrational and irritating council members and Galan took on the role of the bane of their existence. Apparently, stirring shit and ruffling feathers was the least the elders deserved.
"Envision the elders' faces when they learn that we have secured our reinstatement to the Realm. The frenzy will be something to marvel," Tham said. "And we three, unworthy and unwanted souls, were chosen by Castian to do it."
They all laughed.
"Unwanted?" I said. "At your Ambar Lenn, everyone looked very supportive of you."
Tham shook his head. "False appearances, neelan. We three are the shame of our community. You are looking at the scoundrel, the disappointment and the aberration. Those who came to our ceremony, other than Aust's parents and a few friends, attended solely for their own entertainment."
"That's awful." I looked at each of them, shaking my head. Aust caught me watching Galan. His exotic feline eyes lit as his smirk broadened into the first genuine smile I'd seen since his shake-rattle-and-roll on the floor of the tomb two days earlier.
I looked back to the trail and told myself it was a professional interest drawing my attention. Galan had been scratching the palm of his hand raw for days. Something was up.
When we finally dismounted for the evening, I gave my reins to Aust and went straight to where Galan was laying his bedroll. "Galan, what's happening with your hand?"
Slowly he straightened, lifting his eyes only at the last moment. I reached for his wrist and he stepped back. "Merely a scratch I received from a jagged rock during the Scourge battle. Gratitude for your concern."
"Will you let me have a look?"
Another step back. "Uh, again, gratitude, however, I respectfully decline."
I sucked in a breath. Nothing had changed. Aust trusted me. Tham trusted me. Galan, however, didn't want me or my gift anywhere near him.
"I see," I mumbled, forcing down a wave of nausea pushing up my throat. Pivoting, I undid the strap of my pack and dropped it where our tent would be. Leaning my head forward, I covered my expression with a mass of hair. "Sorry, I wouldn't want to taint you with my evil."
A warm hand secured my wrist. "This is not a reflection on you. It is not personal."
"Not personal?" I jerked my arm back, enraged at the quiver in my voice. "My gift is a huge part of who I am. Nothing could be more personal."
"Jade."
I shook my head, striding from the clearing without looking back.
"Jade!"
I pulled out of the water and propped myself on the large sloping rock at the edge of the limestone pool. Breathing deep, I wriggled my toes at the tiny fish and tried not to squirm when they came to investigate what intruder had invaded their world. They were cautious and darted away, tentative and unsure of what the unknown might cost them. I could so relate.
Somehow, I felt rather than heard Galan arrive behind me. Staring at the pristine water below, I waited. He said nothing.
"What do you want?" I asked.
Leather ties rasped as he unlaced his boots and tossed them to the side. "Mayhap, a moment of your attention." It maddened me how his voice stirred butterflies in my chest. "I would like to explain—"
"Don't bother. Tomorrow you'll be back in your village and done with me. Reign can send someone else to help Lexi reintegrate your village." I drew a deep breath and cursed how good he smelled. Wrapping my arms around my knees I became well aware I was wearing only my bra and underpants. "Our quest is complete once you three are safely returned and your Elders Council is served Castian's release. Won't be long now."
"You need not go."
I laughed. "You can't accept me and I won't stay where I'm not wanted." Saying the words stung like vinegar in a cut. He rolled up his pant legs, sat beside me and slipped his feet into the water. I refused to look at him and stared down into the water.
"Not wanted?" he repeated.
My heart broke a little more. "I won't apologize for my affinity—"
"Jade. Please look at me."
My hair swung as I shook my head. "I have nothing to say." I could feel the hot sting rising to my eyes, but I'd rather he thought I was a bitch than a fatal attraction.
"Very well, I shall speak, you listen." He paused for a moment, as if picking his words. "I cannot say being with you is easy." As I fought the urge to bolt he swept back my hair. "Sweet merciful gods." Galan stroked my tears with his thumb. "Oh Blossom, the last thing I want is to see tears shed because of me."
"I'm fine." I stood, brushing off my cheeks and then my butt. "I don't need your pity." I stepped past him, stopped only when his hand clenched my calf.
Without letting go of me, he rose and took hold of my arm. "Please, hear me out."
"I've heard enough." I pulled at my arm. "You can't stand me. I get it!"
In a blur, he yanked me to his chest, pinning both my arms behind my back. He held me tight, crushing us together while his breath came fast and his heart slammed against mine. "I was saying. . ." He struggled against me, grabbed a fistful of hair to hold my attention locked on his. "Being with you is not easy. You stir my affections far beyond my comfort. I have fought for control, yet you have become a desire I can neither deny nor ignore."
I stopped struggling and searched his face for any sign he was screwing with me. He couldn't be so cruel. Could he?
He smiled at my expression. "Is it so difficult to believe?"
I closed my mouth. "Between the scowling, disdain and insults, I must have missed it."
Releasing his hold, he brushed my hair behind my shoulder and inhaled. "Since the moment I laid, poised over you on the forest floor I have been at my wit's end. My body burns with hunger, my heart aches to be near you, and my senses strain to catch your scent on the breeze or hear your silken voice. I cannot explain what it is between us, Jade. It is synergy for certain, the whole larger than the both of us. Physically you are resplendent, beyond that. . ."
He kissed my exposed collarbone, then burned a trail of seduction up the column of my neck. Silken hair draped over my chest and bra, tickling as he nipped the tender skin behind my ear. I locked my knees as heat engulfed me.
"From out of nowhere I have the uncontrollable need to claim you as my own. I think of little else save my desire to lay with you, our bodies united. I have struggled to fight it, and in doing so I have hurt us both. For that I apologize."
"Why fight? Am I that bad?"
"No." He kissed the bridge of my nose, hovering just inches from my face. "It would be far too easy to lose myself with you." His crooked grin melted me, stoked the fire smoldering low in my belly. "Jade, if I were to give in and take you, we would be bound for eternity. Highbornes mate for life."
I don't know what he read in my eyes, but his smile softened. "You are an exquisite female, spirited, strong, educated and human. I am of Elven blood and have never been outside my valley. I hold no station, no notable skills and am regarded in my village as a terrible waste of a male."
What the hell? "Why?"
He ran his fingers through his hair and frowned. "When my naneth died birthing Lia, I went against my sire's wishes and our village traditions and raised her myself. The elders demanded she be placed in a home with a female to leave me the freedom to contribute to our society as a male of worth. I refused."
"So?"
His face tightened. "So, I shamed my father and gave up my chance of ever holding any station within my community."
"How does—I'm sorry I don't get what that has to do with anything."
"Do you want to know what my father said on the eve of my Ambar Lenn?" 'Galanodel, your life is frivolous, your attitude puerile. My only solace is that your naneth's death prevented her from realizing the bitter disappointment you would become.'"
I reined in my disgust before Galan's gaze captured mine. When our eyes met, I hoped my face was expressionless. In Lexi's vision at the Ambar Lenn he spoke about his father. 'Disdain and unending criticism are the bricks and mortar of our relationship.'
His tone was cool and detached. "I expect nothing less from my sire." His eyes focused on the white-water pooling at the base of the waterfall. "If you bonded with me you would share my shame and I cannot allow that. You deserve more from a male."
It took a moment before I could speak. "I'm sorry, Galan. You shouldn't have been ridiculed because you chose to raise your sister. At the risk of overstepping and thrusting
my opinion on you again, I have to say that your father is a colossal bastard."
He laughed louder than I had ever heard, drowning out the rush of the waterfall for a moment. For the first time since I'd met him his smile lit up his eyes. "I appreciate your opinions more by the moment, yet they change nothing."
"I was raised by a man, a warrior. I'd love to see one of your elders say Reign was a waste of manhood. He'd tear their lungs out their assholes."
Galan's laughter vibrated against my chest. "Gods you have a wicked tongue."
"Sorry."
He pulled me closer and shook his head. "I have lived a century and ten with those who speak only what is acceptable. I detest it. You, beautiful Blossom, are never to hold back. Promise me."
"You'll live to regret that."
He tilted his head and smiled a crooked smile. "I shall take my chances."
"All right. If I'm being completely honest, I think we should forget about forever for now. Forget about station and shame and your community." I brushed his cheek. His skin was warm and he pressed a kiss into my palm.
He watched me, his face unreadable. "To what end?"
I held his gaze and pulled the tie at the waist of his tunic. With steady hands I pushed the fabric off his smooth, muscled shoulders. It dropped to the slope of the rock below with a soft thud. "Let's explore this spark between us and see if it ignites." I left him to think about that and eased into the water. The initial chill of the surface encircled my hips, my ribs, my shoulders. After gliding across the pool toward the falls I turned to catch a gorgeous glimpse of his pale, yet seriously choice, backside as he dove in to join me.
Galan was as graceful in water as he was on land. After a couple of strong strokes, he caught me up in his arms and swam backwards toward the swirling mist of the waterfall. When we came to a shallow spot, he stood, waist deep and pulled me up against him. My hands slid flat against his pecs and he tilted his head back, eyes closed. He arched his back and exhaled, letting my wandering fingers do their thing . . . that is until I reached his injured hand.