“Of course,” Doren said as he rose from his seat. He glanced at Kade as if considering something and then shrugged, letting it go. He turned and walked with the king.
Kade was grateful for the chance to be away from the Master Chosen. He was certain that Doren was going to question him for any small detail of his meeting with the Ancients that he may have missed. The more he thought about it, the more he knew he had to keep the metal books a secret unless it was absolutely necessary. Doren might be an ally now, and very well could become his new teacher, but Kade was not under the delusion that Doren would not also become…an…issue…was the best way he could think to put it. With a sigh, he let the entire line of thinking go and focused on the queen.
“My new room?” Kade asked.
Kade noticed Darcienna stalking alongside of him on his left with her arms crossed tightly. It was painfully obvious that she was not going to make this any easier than she had to. Ven walked on his right in her female form. Kade gave a mental sigh and hoped that Darcienna would be willing to talk to resolve this, but after another glance at both women, he had his doubts.
“Yes. The room you stayed in the first time is not befitting someone of your status. It would be shameful for us to allow you to stay in a room that did not match your rank. The guards will show you to your chamber,” Rakna said as she gave several buzzed commands to the two spiders. They buzzed back and then turned to lead the way.
“Wait. I need to feed Rayden,” Kade said as he turned for the exit. Rakna buzzed at the guards and then joined the king. “It won’t take long,” Kade said as he rushed up the stairs. Ven was close behind followed by the two guards. Kade was certain that when he was done with the dragon, they would know to take him to his new quarters. Darcienna stayed in the great hall.
Kade stepped outside and called to Rayden. The dragon eagerly responded to his friend’s call. The link exploded with affection as Rayden sniffed him several times. Odd, Kade thought as he watched his dragon’s new, curious habit. Kade tried to push the dragon’s muzzle out of the way but Rayden was not to be denied. More out of curiosity than anything else, Kade let the dragon continue. He should be used to these new clothes by now, Kade thought. Maybe he was just checking me over to make sure I was ok. At least, that is what Kade thought he was doing. As the dragon took several long draws with its nose firmly pressed against Kade’s chest, its hackles came up and its wings flared. There was a dangerous growl coming from deep within the dragon.
“Rayden, what are you doing?” Kade asked as he shoved the dragon’s nose back. Rayden sniffed in the direction of Ven and his wings shot out, his lips pulling back violently as he readied for a strike. “No!” Kade screamed as he threw himself between the dragon and the shapeshifter. “She is safe,” he said with his hands up in the air. Confusion assaulted him through the link. “No, Rayden! No! She is with us! Easy, Rayden, easy!” he said as he turned and pushed Ven back into the tree.
The dragon never took its eyes off the entrance. Rayden obviously remembered the scent of the shapeshifter, who had chained him to the ground. It would appear that not all were going to accept his new companion as readily as he had hoped, but…they had to. Ven might make the difference between success and failure. Rayden just had no choice, but Kade got a sick feeling that this might end in disaster…if he could not mollify his friend.
“I do not fault him,” the female voice of Ven said from the entryway. “I would not trust me either.”
“I know just how to distract him,” Kade said as he called his first piece of meat. As he expected, the link filled with the craving for food, but the desire to rend and kill was still dominant. He tossed the morsel in the air and the dragon caught it in its mouth but did not swallow or even chew. The rumble from deep within continued as its shoulders bunched. Kade got the feel that Rayden wanted to strike but the juices starting to run down his throat were getting the dragon’s attention. Rayden’s wings slowly retracted and then its jaws started to slowly grind up the meat. Kade gave a bit of a smile as he felt the dragon’s stomach win it over.
He worked the Food Calling for as long as he could concentrate, grateful for the temporary reprieve. After almost twice the normal amount of food, he patted the dragon on the neck and then returned to the tree. Hopefully the extra meat will take his mind off his desire to kill our best chance of defeating Morg, Kade thought as he gave the dragon one last glance before disappearing into the tree. Ven was waiting patiently. It was not lost on Kade that his new ally was not very welcomed by his closest of friends and companions. With a sigh, Kade turned to follow the two guards.
Ven followed him back down to where Darcienna was waiting. She gave Ven an icy glare that could have frozen water solid. The shapeshifter gave no indication of seeing the dagger like glances. They made their way down the tunnel they had used previously to get to the spring. Before they turned the corner to the room with the pool, the guards stopped and motioned to their left. There, in the side of the tunnel, were two brand new doors imbedded into the rock. There were real brass hinges on two ornate doors. Each door had to weigh close to twice his weight as it was large enough to allow entry for someone twice his height. Kade pulled on one of the rings and the door swung open smoothly without making a sound. The inside was easily three times the size of the room they had stayed in previously.
Kade went in gaping as he slowly scanned the room, taking in the vastness of it. Darcienna was close behind. Ven hesitated, unsure if she was to follow until Darcienna turned and gave her a hard stare. The shapeshifter moved over to stand in front of the other door and turned to face out. Darcienna closed the door with considerably more force than was needed. Kade was sure the echo could be heard all the way down the hall and out the exit. He swallowed hard.
“I don’t know what is going through your head, but she is a shapeshifter!” Darcienna said with such heat in her voice that Kade flinched. Her face was starting to flush.
“I know,” Kade was able to get out before she cut him off.
“You cannot have anything with her,” Darcienna said as she violently jabbed her finger at the door.
“I know,” Kade said, but Darcienna continued on with fire in her voice, full of passion.
“As much as you might think she is beautiful and has all those curves, she cannot be with you,” Darcienna said, showing no sign of slowing down.
“I know,” Kade repeated, but again, she charged on.
“She will never love you! She is a shapeshifter!” Darcienna raged.
“I know,” Kade said. By this time, he knew this was all he was going to get out and stopped so she could continue. He hoped she would get this out of her system sooner than later.
“And you could never love her!” Darcienna practically screamed as she furiously walked away from him.
“I know!” Kade said forcefully. Darcienna reacted as if this was the first time she had heard him talk. She marched at him with eyes blazing.
“And, how do you know?” Darcienna challenged.
“Because, she is not the one who has my heart,” Kade shot back as he grabbed her and pulled her firmly into an embrace, pressing his lips to hers.
What better way to silence her than to cover her mouth with mine, he thought.
Darcienna fought him for several long moments. She even pounded on his arms with all her strength, but her lips never left his, even when he gave her enough room. She melted under his embrace. When he finally pulled back, the fire in her was completely gone. Her eyes were filled to the brim with tears. Kade pulled her to himself and hugged her tightly. She cried the cry of a broken heart. Kade did his best to calm her as he stroked her hair. He hated himself for causing her this kind of pain.
“Darcienna,” Kade said with such passion that she paused and melted a little more. “You must know by now how I feel about you. Yes, I feel compassion for her, and yes, I do feel a bond already forming, but not in the way I feel with you. She is not you. You must not let that cloud your judgment
,” he said as he continued to stroke her hair.
“I thought you…when I saw you and her…” Darcienna said and then started to cry again.
“You were wrong,” Kade said, backing up and placing a hand alongside her face as he looked deep into her eyes. She turned her cheek into that loving touch. He spoke gently but firmly. “I have what I want and I am not going to give it up,” he said as he forced her to look at him. He needed her to see that what he said came from his heart.
“You better not,” Darcienna said as a new stream of tears started down her cheek. Kade was not sure why, but he believed that these were the good kind of tears. He was only a guy, so what did he know? She reached her hand around behind his head, wrapped her fingers in his hair and pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss. After several long, heart pounding moments, she broke contact. Breathless, she pushed him to arm’s length.
“You need rest,” Darcienna said before the passion could build past her self-control.
“You may be right,” Kade said as he regretfully let her go and walked over to fall heavily into the bed. He put his hand to his chest and felt his pounding heart. His self-control was completely and utterly shattered. He might be unfamiliar with how to interact with females, but his body needed no lessons. The hurricane of emotions slowly ebbed as his body returned, ever so slowly, back to normal. He spread his hands out to his side and noticed the plush feel of the bed.
It was the most luxurious, soft bed he had ever felt in his life. It was as if it were made of the same stuff his clothes were but thicker and lots more of it. Kade slid toward the headboard and laid his head on the pillow. He motioned for Darcienna to join him as he patted the spot next to him. She hesitated momentarily as she studied him.
“It’s safe,” Kade said with a chuckle.
They laid in bed for quite some time, talking. Kade took that time to explain the game of The Taking in Plain Sight. She, of course, thought it was completely foolish that they did not just share their knowledge and said as much. Kade explained why it was like it was and even repeated some of what he had already said, but in the end, she still believed the ways of the Chosen to be devoid of sense. The conversation turned to more lighthearted topics and Kade started to drift off to sleep. She snuggled into his shoulder, afraid to move for fear of losing this moment. As she lay there looking at the door, she pretended that nothing existed beyond this room. For now, this was the extent of their world, and she was more than good with that.
The night was quiet as all activity died down. Darcienna laid there with her head on his chest, enjoying the sound of his heartbeat. She closed her eyes, listening, waiting for the next strong beat to hit. The room had a soft glow from the algae on a small spot here or a crevice over there. It was just enough to see the shadow slip into the room and glide toward them soundlessly. Darcienna barely saw it in time. She screamed and threw her hands up just as the black mass bounded at them.
*CH5*
“What?” Kade yelled as his hand shot out. The Divine raced through him, setting his nerves on fire. Light exploded into the room just as the black shape smoothly bounded off the shield to land cat-like next to the far wall. The sack of books it was dragging landed with a thud. Kade rubbed his eyes with his free hand and focused on the animal. “Chance?” Kade asked as he reached for Darcienna’s arms and pulled them down. The shield faded.
The silky creature calmly got up, padded over to the bed and leapt up gracefully. Darcienna just stared, still trying to get her heart to slow. Kade knuckled his eyes and reached over, scratching behind Chance’s ears. The animal leaned into his hand, enjoying the affection. After a few minutes of scratching Chance’s head and back, Kade climbed out of bed. He picked up the sack of books and dropped them next to the bed.
Kade fell heavily to land next to Darcienna and turned to face her. Chance fidgeted and squirmed until he had himself pressed against Kade as tightly as possible behind his knees. As soon as the Mordra was content, he quickly slipped off to sleep. Darcienna propped herself up on her elbow and looked from the Mordra to Kade and then back to the door.
“I thought Ven was watching the door,” Darcienna said suspiciously.
“I am sure there is a simple explanation,” Kade said as he sighed and slowly climbed back out of bed. Chance opened his eyes and watched Kade walk to the door. After a moment, the silky creature got up, moved up to the pillow and then fell as if his legs had given out.
Kade lazily opened the door. Peeking into the hallway, Kade now saw that it was Vell standing guard. The shapeshifter was surprised to see Kade and showed as much in his questioning look. Kade gave him a lazy, tired smile as he glanced back at the animal covering his pillow, wishing it were him in the bed.
Turning and facing Vell, Kade said, “Darcienna was wondering…how the animal got in.”
“I was informed that this creature belonged to you,” Vell said hesitantly. “Was I mistaken to let it in?” Vell asked as he shimmered and changed form.
“No. You did the right thing,” Kade said to Ven as those beautiful, brown eyes looked back at him.
It was obvious that she liked being herself while in his presence. Kade was very conscious of the fact that he had no shirt on when she was in this form but could have cared less if he was buck naked while she was in the form of Vell. He had to get this worked out in his head, or he was going to drive himself nuts. It was only a fluke that he even had pants on. He gave her a smile and slipped back into the room.
“Well?” Darcienna asked tersely.
“Well what?” Kade responded, sliding back into bed, eager to slip back into his dreams. Chance had moved to the middle of the bed and was waiting for Kade to get situated.
“How was Chance able to get in the room?” Darcienna asked, tight lipped.
“She let him in,” Kade said, feeling irritation of his own growing. “She was told that Chance belonged to me so she let him in,” he said as he looked at her. “I am glad she did. He has my books,” he said as he glanced over the side of the bed at the sack, conscious of the fact that he, once again, forgot about them.
“Oh,” Darcienna said, all the heat gone from her voice.
“You need to get over this thing with Ven,” Kade said firmly. He was not going to tolerate this kind of irrational behavior, and he meant to make sure she understood. “You know how I feel about you. That is clear for all to see. You are the one who lies here next to me,” he said with conviction as he looked deep into her eyes. It was best to quell this before it got out of control. Darcienna squirmed slightly under that gaze. “She is not you. But, I have accepted her, and she is a part of our lives. You need to find a way to accept that. Sooner would be much better than later, but you must.”
Darcienna deflated. She was like a flower wilting right before his eyes. Kade waited, giving her all the time she needed to work through this. Her eyes shifted back and forth occasionally as she considered the situation. It was the only evidence that she was even still paying attention.
“She just seems so attached to you,” Darcienna finally said, her voice small and helpless. “I want that for me,” she said, not able to bring herself to look him in the eye. “I can’t help how I feel. It makes my stomach twist in knots.”
Kade felt himself go soft inside. He put the crook of his finger under her chin and lifted her head gently until he was looking deep into her blue eyes. The anger he had seen earlier was nowhere to be found.
“I wish I had all the answers, but I don’t. All I can do is tell you over and over how much I love you, and that she will never…,” Kade was saying when she inhaled sharply.
Kade flinched and looked at her questioningly. Her eyes went wide and tears started to well up. Now what? Kade asked himself, frustrated that she was upset again. He sat with his mouth gaping, completely at a loss as to what was wrong now. His ten years in seclusion were definitely working against him. Women are so bloody confusing, he thought, exasperated. It was so easy to say the wrong thing and not even
know it.
Darcienna lunged at him. He was too slow to duck what was sure to be a stinging slap. He tensed, waiting with his eyes shut tight. Before he knew what was happening, she had her arms wrapped around his neck tightly and planted a kiss so passionately on his lips that he completely forgot what they were arguing about. From a slap to a kiss in no time flat. Crying and then kissing him was beyond his understanding, but he was not going to question it. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. His muscles relaxed and his body molded with hers as the passion exploded. His logical mind shut down and his body took over. There was no stopping where this was going, and neither one tried.
Kade fell onto his back, sweat glistening off his chest. Darcienna’s eyes were half closed, a slow smile spreading across her face. She was still breathing hard from the exertion, but she was more than ok with the workout. It took a solid ten minutes before her heart returned to normal. She gazed at the glowing algae on the ceiling as the pleasure of the last hour brought a smile to her face. Neither said a word as they relaxed more and more, letting the memory of their togetherness drift though their thoughts. He reached for her hand. She held on tightly for a second and then relaxed her grip but did not let go. They lay there for quite some time as the passion faded, their muscles turning to water.
“Where did that come from?” Kade asked while his eyes followed the pattern of lights on the ceiling. Darcienna did not answer. He wondered if he had said something wrong, but her grip had not changed. She was not digging her nails in so she could not be mad. Maybe she did not hear the question. Not letting go of her hand, he turned to ask her again and stopped. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was deep. She wore the most peaceful smile he had ever seen on her. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it as though it were one of the most precious things he had ever held. As carefully as possible, so as not to disturb her, he laid her hand on her stomach. He was too wide awake now for sleep and decided that a nice walk in the cool night air would be just what he needed.
The Divine Unleashed (Book 3) Page 14