“Well, then do it. If it will help me harness that power, then yes.”
He slid his hand through her hair and then ran his thumb across her bottom lip. He couldn’t seem to keep himself from touching her beautiful mouth. He took a very deep breath, released it then said, “Liasare, it may bring unpleasant memories to the surface ... terrible things you don’t want to remember. You’ve been to hell and back and I don’t want you to revisit that place. I’m not keen on doing it unless you really want to. I want you to think about it love.”
Liasare chewed her lip for a moment, images running rampant through her mind. The thought of revisiting that dungeon was almost too much to think of, so she wasn’t sure if she could bear going back there in her mind. Jurek could feel her tension as she lay in his arms. He slid them both down in the bed and moved so she was nestled tightly against him.
“Tell you what, why don’t we both go back to sleep and talk more about this in the morning, okay?” he whispered and he rubbed tiny circles across her back.
She snuggled into him and fell asleep.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Liasare, you must come with me. Please, I have to show you some things.”
Not again. Will these people not let me sleep?
“Here, take my hand.”
Liasare kept hearing a baby crying, but couldn’t see where it was coming from.
“Who are you and where are we going?” she asked and she took the stranger’s hand.
“My name is Larensa and we are going to the other side of the stream. You’ll see.”
Liasare followed the woman, holding on to her hand, walking down a grassy hill, until they came to a bubbling brook. As they got closer to the brook, the cries from the baby grew louder and louder.
“There’s a baby crying,” Liasare said in alarm.
“Yes, don’t be worried, it is my son and he is fine. Come.”
Liasare followed the strange woman and knew she was Praestani by her bald head and tattoos. She was lovely, but not nearly as beautiful as Jurek’s mother, Liasare thought. Her tattoos were not as intricate nor were they as bold.
Larensa leaped over the brook and Liasare followed. She stopped when she came to a bundle of blankets on the ground. Liasare knew it was the infant she heard crying, for when Larensa reached it, the crying ceased.
“Liasare, you are bound to Alaricus and you must tell him that the prophecy stands. His mother was correct. You are the Key to everything. He will protect and guide you, but only you can do it.”
“I don’t understand. The key to what? And who is Alaricus?”
“The Key to the Light and to the Dark. And Alaricus is the one to which you have bound yourself. You have his power now. Look.”
Larensa pointed to the inside of Liasare’s arms and she was beginning to develop markings similar to Jurek’s.
“Dear God! What’s happening?”
“It is the power of Alaricus unfolding.”
“Who is Alaricus?
“He is your King, your Ruler, your mate.”
What was this woman saying? She wasn’t making the least bit of sense. Right then, the baby started crying. Larensa bent down and picked it up. She started cooing at it, and the crying stopped again. Liasare was looking over Larensa’s shoulder, trying to get a peek of the little one.
Spinning around, Larensa held the infant out and asked, “Would you care to hold him?”
Liasare took him into his arms and felt a surge of power flow between them. Larensa smiled. “You recognize each other,” she said knowingly.
“I don’t understand,” Liasare said.
“This is little Stellan. Isn’t he beautiful?”
And he was...the most beautiful baby Liasare had ever seen. But his eyes, those lovely Praestani eyes melted her on the spot.
“He likes you,” Larensa decided. Stellan giggled.
“I must go now. Remember what I’ve told you. Liasare, you are the Key to the Light. Only you. Alaricus will guide you.”
“Wait,” Liasare called, but they faded away.
She woke up, confused by the strange dream. She needed to examine her diet, because these strange dreams she was having were getting a bit over the top for her. She got up and went to use the restroom. When she was finished, she was washing her hands and something on her arms caught her eye.
Flipping on the bright light, she looked and said, “Oh hell no!” The insides of her arms were covered with markings, like she saw in her dreams. They were the same as Jurek’s only lighter. She began pacing and ran through the details of everything she’d dreamed. Pieces of the puzzle slowly formed the greater picture, as her heart thrummed in her chest.
She walked on silent feet back to the bedroom and looked at Jurek’s sleeping form. Backing up against the wall, she slid to the floor, and brought her knees to her chest, resting her chin on them. Sleep was as intangible as getting Tommy back now. So she sat there and admired Jurek, his breathing even, his thick hair falling across his eye, in all his naked magnificence. She stared at his tattoos and looked at the way they swirled in some areas, yet had angular designs in others. Her eyes automatically drifted to the one that hugged his hip. They were all truly astonishing works of art, and perfectly matched. Why hadn’t she noticed this before? Did he know about hers, she wondered? Was he withholding this information from her? If so, why? And what else wasn’t he sharing with her? It wouldn’t be long before she had her answers.
***
Jurek stretched and immediately felt the absence of her warmth and energy. He extended his arm, thinking she had rolled to the other side of the bed. When the only thing his hand found were the cold silk sheets, he was out of bed in one swift movement.
Liasare admired how his body moved in perfect symmetry, how it seemed to flow like water over smooth rocks, no jilted actions, but pure grace and rippling athleticism. She became instantly aroused by simply looking at him.
“Why are you sitting on the floor like that?” he asked, gliding toward her. Nothing about him was human, she noticed. He oozed power and sexuality, and she felt her body respond to it, connect to it, as if she were tethered to him by some unseen cord.
When he crouched in front of her, as she knew he would, she held out her arms to him and he saw the tattoos.
“Did you know?”
“Yes,” he murmured as he bent his head to the markings and kissed them. They burned when he touched them with his lips...not a painful burn, but the kind that indicated recognition ... a sweet sensation. His scent flared then and washed over her. She was nearly overcome by its potency, so aromatic it was.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was going to but we did other things instead,” he said as he slowly inched his tongue up her arm.
“Stop Jurek, I can’t think when you do that. You know what kind of effect you have on me.”
“Oh, Liasare, I should hope so, because I can assure you, I am overwhelmed by you right now. Look at me. I can’t be this near you and not touch you. Please don’t deny me.”
She did look at him. How could she not? He was truly an amazing sight when he was aroused. And to think she did that to him, had that kind of effect on him. Her lips parted slightly in anticipation and she nodded. That was all he needed as he pulled her down on the floor and spread her legs. He slipped his fingers inside of her and she gasped as he said, “Oh Liasare, you’re so wet for me.” He moved his hand around, sliding it in and out and teasing her until she was almost bursting with pleasure. Then his hand was gone and was replaced by him as he entered her, slowly, teasingly. He was inside of her, kissing her, moving within her and she was in heaven. He slid his hands beneath her and brought her closer to him, moving in and out of her, as she begged him to move faster.
“What do you want Liasare? Tell me now.”
“I want you Jurek, right where you are, harder and faster.”
He was only happy to accommodate her. “Is this what you need?”
“
Yes! Oh, yes.”
“Open your eyes for me Liasare. I want to look at your beautiful face as you come for me. Now, Liasare.”
“Yes, Jurek, ah,” she sighed, as she willingly complied with his demands. It wasn’t but seconds later when he was right behind her, calling out her name in that rich sexy voice of his.
Liasare ran her hands through his hair and pulled his face to hers so she could kiss him. “Will it always be this way for us?”
“I can’t say, but I’d like to think so. I want to lay like this all day, inside of you.”
She smiled, “I think I should like that, but I need some answers from you. Jurek, I held Stellan.”
He was so startled his breath left him in a whoosh. She held his face between his hands. “He’s your son isn’t he?” she whispered. He could only nod. “I knew it from his eyes. They were so much like yours. He was so beautiful and I felt a connection between us. That’s how I finally figured out he was yours. I met Larensa too,” she smiled. She watched the myriad of emotions as they played across his face. “Did you love her then?”
Jurek closed his eyes, nodded and swallowed. He turned away, remembering Larensa. “I thought I loved her more than anything in the universe.” Looking back at Liasare, he whispered, “That is until I met you. I wandered for four hundred years, never believing anything else existed, until that day I saw you surrounded by those Xanthians and I felt something stir within me. I’d never felt anything like it before. Liasare, I think we are polar opposites that need to be together. When I’m near you, my power flares. I feel it within my soul. I believe that’s why you’re part of the prophecy.”
She threaded her hands in his hair and pulled his mouth to hers, pressing her lips against his. “I know you said it doesn’t adequately describe how you feel and I agree, but I love you Jurek. There’s something else. Larensa also told me I was the Key to the Light. Do you know what that means? And who’s Alaricus?”
He rolled over, careful not disengage himself from her, and moved her on top of him so he wouldn’t crush her.
He smiled as he answered, “Me.”
“What?”
“I’m Alaricus. My full name is Alaricus Jurganus. For years I went by Alaric. Larensa always called me Alaricus. When she died, I stopped using the name altogether and started using Jurek.” He took her arm and kissed her markings again.
Liasare held Jurek’s arm and examined his tattoos. “These aren’t tattoos, are they?”
He shook his head. “They are the markings of a Praestani.”
“Is that why mine look like yours?”
Jurek looked away from her for a moment, and then sighed. Rolling onto his side, he asked her, “Can we get back into bed, where it’s a bit more comfortable?”
“You’re not dodging my question are you?”
“No, I promise. This may take awhile and I thought we might as well be some place a bit softer than on this hard floor,” he smiled.
“Okay, then.”
Standing, he lifted her in his arms, and carried her back to bed. “Promise me something, Liasare. Promise me you won’t bolt out that door when I explain things to you.”
“Okay, but you’re freaking me out Jurek. Is it that bad?”
“Not in my eyes, but it may be in yours.” He took her hands in his and began. “When we got you out of that fucking dungeon, I took you straight to Lare-Stell. You were dying, Liasare. I didn’t think I had gotten to you in time. Naroo and Tak joined powers with mine, but it still wouldn’t have been enough to heal you. I did something I’ve never done before. I should have asked you, but obviously, it was impossible because you were unconscious and at death’s door. I transferred some of my power to you in order for you to live. With that came immortality, but more importantly, life. I refused to let you die Liasare. Hate me if you must, but I would do it again if faced with the same circumstances.”
He was met with silence. He hadn’t expected this. Anger, rage, sadness, perhaps, but not silence. He was perplexed and wasn’t sure how to deal with this.
“Please say something Liasare.”
“What would you like for me to say? I’m confused and trying to sort this out in my mind.” She lifted her eyes to him and he saw the consternation reflected in their depths.
“That’s a start. Are you angry?”
“No, of course not. Why would I be angry?” she asked, taking his face and pressing another kiss to his mouth.
“Because I did it without your permission.”
“Jurek, don’t be a fool. I would have done the same, a million times over, to save you. I would do anything, and I mean anything to save you. I don’t want to exist without you, so I get why you did it.” When she stopped talking, he was on her like a man who’d been dying of thirst and had just been given the gift of water. He kissed her like he’d never kissed her before, without reservation, spilling his love into her, filling her mind and soul with it. She pulled away from him and furrowed her brows. “Did you doubt how much I love you?”
His voice hoarse with emotion, he answered, “It was never your love I doubted. I was afraid that what I have done to you would scare the ever loving fuck out of you Liasare. You are now filled with the power of the Praestani. While you’ll never have power as one born with it, you’ll be able to wield it to protect you and those around you. But what puzzles me is that you had some of it before I even transferred mine into you. I’m thinking that now, you’ll be even that much more powerful. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
“Probably not. I guess I don’t see why I should fear something that has the potential to protect me and those I care about.” She closed her eyes for a moment, her mind churning with thoughts of what lie ahead of them. “I believe there is a lot I need to learn. Jurek, as much as I hate to say this, we need to go back to Earth, so I can kick some ass. If I have all this extra power now, I want to take down some of those motherfuckers that tried to destroy me. And then I want to figure out what this key thing is. We have a lot of work to do and as much as I adore laying around making love to you all day, it isn’t going to provide us with answers, or help us get any work done.”
She looked at him when she was finished talking and he had a really stupid grin on his face. “What?”
“Well, you’re exactly right of course. However, I won’t let you return to Earth quite yet. I want you healed in body and spirit before you do that. But damn, you turn me on!”
“Oh no you don’t,” she squealed as she hopped out of bed and made a mad dash for the shower. As one might expect, he was already there, body wash in hand, ready to do his duty. It was the longest shower she had ever taken and well worth the time spent there.
The sanctuary turned out to be exactly that for her, as well as him. She found peace and comfort there and her body healed and her mind became stronger than it had ever been. Liasare’s mother had been cruel to her after her accident, so during her stay at the sanctuary, Jurek did his best to wash away those memories too. By the time they were ready to return to Lare-Stell, Liasare was a new person, one whose life had love and meaning like it never had before.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Lare-Stell Base
“Well, look who’s decided to show up. Where the hell have you two been?” Tak asked, without bothering to hide his irritation.
“That’s none of your damn business,” Jurek snapped.
“Excuse me? We’re in the middle of trying to plan some sort of offensive move against an entity we know very little about, other than what Brownie here can tell us, and you two disappear to do what? Have some kind of romantic interlude? Look at her. She’s glowing. Did you tell her Jurek? Does she know everything?” Tak taunted.
Liasare looked between the men, sensing an impending testosterone eruption of a volcanic magnitude, and decided to step in.
“Whoa! Calm down you two. First off, maybe we should have told you where we were but...”
“Liasare, please go to my quarters, now love,” J
urek said, cutting her off.
“Hey, wait a minute Jurek,” she began.
“Liasare, you misunderstand me,” Jurek said, his voice laced with menace, though she recognized it wasn’t directed toward her. “Tak has severely overstepped his bounds. As his Liege, he has no right to question me, or you for that matter. Please go to our quarters,” he finished, emphasizing the word ‘our.’
The second Liasare was out of sight, Jurek was on Tak like lightening. Their energy forms streaked throughout Lare-Stell as they mentally sparred, Jurek chastising Tak for his insubordination and Tak for Jurek’s disregard of his men.
When they returned to their mass forms, they began to physically fight. They kicked and threw punches, knocking each other around and beat each other until Jurek was the victor, as they both always knew he would be.
“Don’t ever tell me what I should or should not do again. I do what is necessary, at all times. Liasare will always come first with me and you need to get that through your thick skull, right here, right now. Are you quite finished?”
Tak nodded.
“Liasare and I will be back here in one hour. I expect you to be on your best behavior. Have the team assembled so we can begin to make our plans.” Jurek flashed to his quarters.
***
“What the hell!” Liasare exclaimed when she saw the cuts and bruises on Jurek. She ran to him, gently touching his face.
“No worries sweetheart. It will be gone in moments. Tak wasn’t very happy about our little disappearing act.”
“I could see that. Why wouldn’t you let me explain?”
“He is my subject Liasare. An explanation wasn’t necessary.”
“Whoa, what do you mean, your subject?” she asked, in confusion.
“Sit.”
When he used that tone of voice, she knew he was getting ready to drop some kind of a bomb on her. She plopped her bottom on the nearest chair. He pulled another one up and faced her.
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