by Kiersten Fay
“Good,” Sebastian replied. “You take the front, Ethanule take the back.” He scooped up Anya's limp body, reveling in the feel of her strong heartbeat.
Cale threw the door open. His exit was followed by a gurgled, nearly silent cry from the guard outside.
Peeking his head back into the room, Cale tossed a stolen gun to Ethanule. “Here, you'll need this, pirate.” Ethanule caught it and Cale winked, disappearing once more through the door, eager for blood and action.
Cale and Ethanule made a surprisingly great team—Cale in front, swiping clear a path with only his claws, Ethanule taking out distant threats with the pilfered weapon. The pirate was a spot on shot, and soon enough they'd made it to the shuttle.
Swiftly, they piled into the tiny ship, dislodging and jettisoning away from Extarga as quickly as the shuttle's engines would carry them. Cale sent out an encrypted signal for Marada to pick up their location. If Aidan was on duty, he would see them.
Sebastian cradled Anya against him, brushing back her thick curls and rubbing his thumb across her soft newly healed cheek. He willed her to open her eyes, to look up at him with that familiar sex-kitten smile he'd grown to love.
She didn't.
Chapter 27
“I'm leaving,” Cale said from the doorway of Sebastian's room.
It had taken hours, but eventually Marada had come for them. Just in time too, the shuttle’s fuel tank was all but empty.
Still Anya slept.
The doctor—at Sebastian's insistence—had looked over Anya first. Determining that there was nothing he could do to wake her, he moved on to Cale and Ethanule, before irritating Sebastian with his poking and prodding.
Now Anya was tucked in Sebastian's bed. For three grueling days, he’d refused to leave her side.
“Do you have all that you need?” he said to Cale.
“I believe so,” Cale replied curtly.
Just after they'd arrived, Ethanule had thrown himself into decoding the rest of the book. His way of coping perhaps—just as Cale’s was to close himself off and don a cloak of coldness.
Hours ago, Ethanule had rushed to tell them that he'd discovered the location of Anya's eldest sister. A lowly planet called Earth, supposedly teaming with life, though unevolved.
There had been an urgency in Ethanule's tone. “The book declares that the Kayadon have been searching for her, and are close to discovering her location,” he'd said. “We must leave now to retrieve her, or lose her forever.”
An argument ensued. Marik was still lost, and none of them were willing to leave a fallen brother. So a plan was realized. Calic would take a shuttle to the archaic planet Earth—he could stock enough fuel for a one-way trip—while the rest of them stayed to rescue Marik, and hopefully Nadua along with him. Once they did, they would meet up with Cale.
“Are you coming, pirate?” Cale had asked Ethanule.
Sebastian noticed that the title pirate was no longer sneered. He had to admit, he too felt differently about Ethanule after all they'd been through together.
“No,” he'd said. “I feel responsible for Marik's situation, and I cannot leave Princess Analia like this, not when I can still be of use.” With a withering look, he said to Sebastian, “I pray she comes back to you.” In response, Sebastian could only give a tight nod.
Sebastian sat beside Anya, looking as though she were in nothing more than a restful sleep. Cale lingered in the doorway, as if expecting something more from him, or maybe just silently contemplating the abrupt shift in all their lives.
“Take Sonya with you,” Sebastian ordered.
“Unnecessary. You can't take down that tribe by yourself.”
Wry smile in place, he said, “Do you honestly believe Marik would allow himself to be captured for long? I'll bet he's already freed himself and is just waiting patiently for a ride.” He paused before adding, “We know little of this Earth, and Sonya's skills may be needed.”
“Earth will be easy. According to our records, the people are still running around with sticks and rocks as weapons. They'll probably revere me as their god.”
“Just do as I say.”
“She won't be happy.”
Sebastian shrugged. Then Cale was gone. Later Sebastian would find that—in perfect Cale fashion—he'd defied Sebastian and gone alone.
Sebastian knew he couldn't delay much longer. If Anya refused to wake, he would be forced to leave her in the care of Dr. Oshwald, while he started the search for Marik.
Aidan was constantly scanning the surface for any sign of Marik, with no results. Too much fresh snowfall quickly covered any clues that might lead to the location of the tribe that had taken him. They needed someone on the ground.
* * *
A blanket of white peeled back. Her body was like air and smoke. There one minute and then gone, flickering. Breathing was impossible, and also unnecessary, so she stopped trying. She had the faint recollection of pain, but couldn't remember what pain felt like. Absently, she reached for her stomach, but her hands passed right through, which was perfectly natural to her, though she felt it shouldn't be.
One second she was looking ahead, then behind, nearly at the same time. She was surprisingly accepting of the instantaneous movements. Everywhere were blobs of white melding with greens and blues. She tilted her head at a flash of orange, seemingly out of place.
When the orange began to grow in size, she strained to focus on it. Then like a wave, all things came into focus. Blotches of green melted together and took shape. Streaks of blue swirled, fanning out above her. Tendrils of green rose up below her. Sprinkles of light blue snaked around her, churning toward the valley below. With it, she should be hearing the sounds of water trickling.
As soon as she thought it, it was so. The scent of fresh grass entered her nostrils. A bird began to sing its loving song as the orange blob solidified, smiling at her with recognition and love.
Who is she? It was almost like looking in a mirror. Who am I?
The answer came in a flash: Anya. Analia. Princess. Sister. Daughter. Slave. Lover. Friend.
“Mother?” Anya spoke. Her voice was out of sync with the movements of her mouth, the sound of it dying off into a faint echo.
“Hi, my baby, I've been waiting for you.” Her mother's lips hadn't moved, but her voice was like a harmony of bells. Her blond curls and blue eyes matched her own. A long orange and yellow sundress covered her small frame.
“Why? Where are we?” Again, Anya's voice came out before she could get her lips to work. She decided to stop using them.
“We're in the Fields of Porthina, goddess of transition.”
Which means we are dead.
Though she only thought it, the words came out as clear as if she'd intended to speak them aloud.
“Not entirely,” her mother replied. “You can still go back.”
“Go back?” Anya couldn't remember what there was to go back to. Then an image flashed in her mind. A face: horns, fangs, red, no…gold eyes. “Sebastian!” her heart screamed.
“Yes.” Her mother's lips quirked. “You have a fine male for yourself. I couldn't be more proud of your choice, and of you.” She warmly embraced her, and Anya felt through their connection how much her mother loved her. “Things are set into motion. You have much to do still. The longer you linger in the fields, the harder it will be to return.”
“Can you come with me?”
“No, my love, I have been here a very long time.”
Desperately, Anya clung to her mother. “What happened to you?”
“Betrayed by one of our own, we were given to the wrong ship. Darius saw something in you from the start, and I was in the way of his ambition. I won't say more than that.” She paused. Blue eyes that mirrored her own gazed down at her softly. “We were never intended to board Extarga. Though now I see, it was always meant to be.”
“He's dead now, Mother. Sebastian killed him.”
“I know, sweetheart. Sebastian waits for you now.
Tell your father I love him, and have never blamed him for what happened. Tell your sisters I'm sorry I could not be with them.”
“Why did you come with me instead of them?”
“You were the youngest, barely five years old at the time. I want you to know that I don't blame you either.”
“But you would still be alive…”
“When it is your time, fate will find you wherever you are. You must go now, my love, before you forget the way.”
“How? I don't know how to get back.”
“Your soul knows where it truly wants to be. Think of your demon and follow your heart.”
Sebastian's face popped into her mind. His eyes were closed and withered looking, beating back and forth as if in a dream. Darkness shaded his face, and she realized she'd never seen him unshaved before. She wanted to feel his skin against hers once more. To be embraced in his warmth, to touch his whiskery cheeks and ease his worries.
Then she was falling.
The ground ripped from under her. The orange of her mother’s sundress faded into nothing. With a heavy whoosh, she couldn't breathe, or she'd forgotten how. After fighting through the horror of suffocation, air was forced into her lungs and she inhaled a deep breath. Her chest heaved. Everything felt heavy and tight.
A frantic sound beat in a steady rhythm. “Anya! Anya! Breathe! Anya!”
Comprehending her name, Anya said dimly, “That's me.” Her throat was horse, as though she hadn't used it in weeks. Eyes cracking open, she saw a blurry Sebastian. He looked panicked. She reached up to stroke his jaw. “No more worrying, okay?”
He fell on her then, burying his face in the crook of her neck looping one arm tightly around her. “Are you truly awake? Or am I dreaming?”
“You're not dreaming.” She wrapped her arms around him, and they stayed that way for some time. When he leaned back, he hovered over her watchfully, as if she'd disappear, his gaze eating up her every feature.
“I thought I'd lost you. There was nothing I could do. I've never been so helpless. Never again.”
“Don't make promises you can't keep.”
“I'll be keeping this one. I'm not taking you into war.”
“Oh yes you are,” she said sternly, shocking both of them with her tone. “Things are set into motion, and I have much to do still,” she echoed her mother words.
“What more should you have to do?”
She told him of her mother and the conversation they'd had in the Fields of Porthina. Anya had promised to get her mother's message to her father. “He didn't send me to that ship, Sebastian. We were betrayed.”
“That may be so, but you've been through enough. I won't risk losing you again.”
“This isn't your choice, Sebastian. It's mine. I'm going to do what I can to help my people,” she sighed. “I love you, but you can't keep me in a protected box for the rest of my life.”
Shoulders slumped, he bowed his head and held her tight once more. “I know. We'll do what we can to help your people. But I have to know you'll be safe.”
“You can't know that for sure. Anyway, I thought I did pretty well against Darius.” When Sebastian gave her a withered stare, she added, “Besides the fact that I nearly died and all.”
“There is that small detail.”
“I just need more training, is all.”
Sebastian grumbled. “We'll talk more of this later. Right now I don't want to argue when I just got you back.” He swooped down for a smoldering kiss, lighting her blood on fire with a stroke of his tongue.
His fingers caressed the length of her side, trailing down over her hip and back. Anya could tell he was going slow, worried about hurting her. But, surprisingly, she felt great, and more than a little hungry for him, so she urged him on with a pump of her hips. Her tactic had worked because he palmed her behind and thrust back with an almost inaudible groan. But then he slowed once more.
“Are you sure you're feeling alright?”
“Actually, I can't believe how great I'm feeling.” Realizing there was no stab wound, she looked down at her body which was covered in one of Sebastian's large shirts. Lifting the hem, she felt where the wound should have been.
“Ethanule healed you. That's his ability.”
“How convenient. I wonder how much of this is luck and how much is my father's doing.” It was possible her father had seen a glimpse of her future and realized she would need Ethanule specifically.
He dipped his head and kissed where she had been stabbed. Her body quivered under the soft touch of his lips. “Luck or not, you're here with me and that's all that matters.” Once again, he kissed her belly while his strong hands traveled up her thighs.
All thought left her when he slid a thick finger over her heated core. His lips stayed on her belly only a moment longer before they made their way to where she needed them most. When his tongue replaced his finger, she could no longer hold in the moan that had been gathering in her throat.
She didn't have time to feel guilty for taking pleasure while so many other things needed to be done, because her climax came swiftly. As she cried out, Sebastian did too. He gripped her hips and didn't let go until the pleasure trickled out of her body.
In a breathless, husky voice, he asked, “What was that?” At her confused look, he began to grin mischievously. “I think I just felt your orgasm.”
“Y…you did?” She went instantly red from embarrassment.
He just nodded and smiled. She could see he was ecstatic about this. He crawled up her body, circling one taut nipple with his tongue and using his finger to once again caress her wetness. When her body jerked with the building pleasure, so did his.
Her embarrassment almost returned, but then he said, “Gods, I love you so much.”
She could only respond with a moan as another climax shook her body. Then he was removing his clothes, and she could only wish she had the powers to make them disappear faster. She marveled at his bare chest rippling with tight simmering muscles. When he hovered over her, she couldn't help but to feel every ridge and valley.
Finally, he slipped inside her. She closed her eyes at the connection she felt, the absolute rightness. When she opened them, Sebastian was staring at her with a look of worship in his liquid gold eyes. She knew he was feeling it too.
With every thrust they both cried out. In and out, they marveled at each other. Sebastian's climax ripped through her, and she came instantly. Both orgasms crashed into each other, mingling in the air and flowing back through them. Neither could tell whose pleasure belonged to whom.
When it was over, Sebastian held her against his chest, thick arms surrounding her. “My mate is a goddess.”
Anya laughed. “That's one way to come back to life.”
“And I'll be showing you all the other ways too.”
Keep reading
for an extended excerpts from the next installment in the Shadow Quest Series
* * *
DEMON SLAVE
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Extended excerpt of THE DEMON SLAVE
Shadow Quest Book 2
By
Kiersten Fay
Chapter 1
Pain laced Marik Radkov’s throat as he sucked in the freezing air. His legs burned with each long stride. The indigene followed close behind, hollering with each launch of their primitive arrows and spears. Marik thought about turning to attack—he abhorred running away from a fight—but he and his comrades had come to this icy planet with diplomacy in mind.
His captain, Sebastian, suddenly cried out as if in pain, though nothing had hit him. Marik followed his line of sight to the valley below, where Sebastian’s mate, Anya, stood in what they thought would be a safe location. They’d left her there to rest, whi
le they searched the area for her sister, Nadua. Now Anya was being threatened—by whom he couldn’t see through the blanket of snowfall, but the outline of a craft rested behind her.
His blood turned to ice in his veins as Marik watched the strange man drag her toward the craft. He became enraged when her body went limp and she no longer fought her captor. Fire burned through him, warring with icy dread. He pumped his legs harder, as did Sebastian.
When an arrow embedded itself into Marik’s calf, slicing past bone, he hardly felt it. His mind was focused on getting to Anya, and ripping apart whoever had her. The Edge was growing fast, making pain nothing more than a tickle. Horns glowing in rage, his fangs descended—ready to tear into flesh.
The snowfall, which only moments ago had dusted the ground, had grown into a furious blizzard before he realized. It must have hidden the approach of the small shuttle ship that Anya was being pulled toward.
A tug brought Marik’s attention back to the arrow in his leg. There was a rope secured to the thick end. Another hard tug and the ground came rushing toward him as his calf slipped out from under him. He clawed at the frozen terrain to keep from sliding backward. Sebastian had stopped and turned to him, pain and indecision etched in his eyes. When a demon’s mate was in trouble, nothing else mattered. The fact that Sebastian hesitated now was a testament to their friendship.
“Go!” Marik ordered. His claws sliced the layer of ice underneath him as another pull forced him back. “She needs you more than I. You know this.” The rope went taut once more and when Sebastian hesitated again, Marik let go. He prayed that Sebastian made it to Anya in time.
The cold wetness of the freshly fallen snow, coupled with the hardened frozen ground, assaulted Marik’s exposed skin as he was yanked backward. Sebastian’s silhouette disappeared into a wall of gray and white. Marik geared himself up to meet his new friends. The pain in his leg became nothing as he invited the Edge, embracing the rage and the extra strength that came with it. He’d never been trained to use the Demon’s Edge in battle, but he’d had more than enough experience losing himself to it over the years.