She hadn’t considered that. All of those events happened on Aeldor, not every day, but they were a part of life, and her people took precautions accordingly. As they drew closer, she noted how the gleaming stone structure towered over the surrounding buildings. The overlord’s citadel was massive, much larger than the castle she had always called home
“Do you live there alone? It’s huge.”
“My brother and his family live with me, but in a separate wing of the private residence. There are four in all, and we could go for days without seeing one another, although we try not to.”
“You’re close,” she stated simply.
“Yes. He is my junior, but by only one annum. We were practically inseparable while growing up. He is also a member of my personal guard. The residence is only a small part of the citadel, however. It also serves as the seat of government for Voltarre. It houses our justice center and some other vital services that support our people.”
“Much like the castles on foreign worlds I’ve read about in books.”
“But I am not a king, Aurelia. I did not ascend to the position by right of birth.”
“Yet your father was overlord, and his before him.”
“Except for a few instances, the eldest son usually rises to power, but his instillation as overlord is always by vote of the people. Unlike a king, if he does not stay in favor with the people, a new election can be called.”
“Has one ever been voted out?”
“A few have, but not in recent times.”
They had a family dynasty who had authority over the people and the military. Their residence was above the seat of power that looked a lot like a castle. But he denied being a king? She decided getting into a debate over semantics with the big, powerful warlord wasn’t a good use of her energy.
“Building with stone must be trying and take forever.”
“Close to it, but it’s worth it for in the end, the structures are long lasting and virtually impervious to conventional weaponry. We made it large enough to shelter the townsfolk should we come under attack, which has happened more times than I care to recall.”
She knew from whom, too, but she chose to let that sore subject drop as well.
“Our citadel wasn’t always made out of calisanite. Originally, we used wood, but when the fortresses kept catching fire, it became clear we had to rebuild with something sturdier. Especially with our people enthusiastic over growing the population.”
“What does one have to do with the other?”
“Children are abundant here, but youth and immature pyrokinetic capabilities can be problematic.”
“You mean the children burned down the fortresses?” Of course, his people, like hers, had abilities. She’d seen him use his firsthand. How could she have forgotten?”
“Our children come into their power around the age of eight, but control comes with practice and time. Imagine a child with fire-starting capabilities having a tantrum, or a defiant adolescent who is told no by a parent.”
“Oh my,” she exclaimed. “I’m picturing it now, and it isn’t pretty.”
“Indeed. They react before they think, and the whole house is up in flames. Calisanite is impervious to fire. If a child loses control, some scrubbing may be required to get rid of the smoke residue afterward, but it makes a fitting punishment to help them learn to control it in the future.”
“You adapted to your environment, and your ability changed along with you.”
“Yes. The first settlers could bring ice like you, but with the warm climate it wasn’t nearly as effective as on Aeldor. Over time, as you say, we adapted.”
She stiffened, imagining getting home and setting fire to everything around her. They didn’t build with stone, which was too cold in their climate, but a synthetic material which could still burn at high temperatures. “Will that happen to me?”
“Not any time soon. It took centuries for the change in us to occur.”
Her shoulders slumped in her relief. Then a thought occurred to her. “I tried to extinguish the fire on the ship, but my abilities were weak, and failed. Later, on your ship, I froze the ice in the cup, just by thinking about it.”
“Abilities are often unpredictable away from the home world.”
“You too?”
“No. I have traveled extensively and have always been unaffected. Your loss was likely due to stress, dehydration, or fear. Any or all of those could impact your abilities.”
She frowned. Stressful situations were when she needed her powers the most.
“We’ll have to discuss it more at another time; we’re preparing to land.” Darios guided her to one of the eight seats and buckled her in. He remained standing and grabbed a loop dangling from the roof.
“I could have stood,” she observed.
He considered her for a moment, his eyes skimming her from head to toe. “The reentry and landing aren’t overly rough, but it’s enough to shift unsecured cargo, especially undersized baggage.”
Unsure how she felt about being referred to as either undersized or as baggage, she wrinkled her nose. “I’m actually considered average height for a woman.”
“I seriously doubt you’re average in any way. As for size, you’ll have to stand on tiptoe to look a Voltarrean woman in the eye. You’re safer sitting, little one. Besides, I’d have to lift you just to reach the straps.”
Containing a compliment, an endearment, and a hard-to-face truth all in one, his observations sent heat rising to her cheeks. Evidently their species flourished more in heat than in cold because he and all the others towered over her.
She eyed the top of his head, which wasn’t far from the ceiling, and his scarlet warlord’s cape clasped around his neck and draped over his shoulders and down his back. The intricate pattern of tattoos on his upper torso and powerful arms drew her avid gaze. She saw faces and places amid abstract designs she couldn’t entirely make out, but they all seemed to dance when he moved.
One particular mark connected one vivid design to the next. Interwoven throughout, it ran like a ribbon from one shoulder down over his chest, and farther, over more ridges and grooves of hard muscle until it disappeared behind his belt. Her face flushed hotly as she imagined where it ended, but she forced her gaze away, not daring to dip another inch south, to the insubstantial leather garment that accentuated more than concealed what it was meant to.
She tore her gaze away and covered her mouth to cough indelicately, not from the persistent wheeze but from her tongue sticking to the roof of her suddenly dry mouth.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“I, uh, yes,” she croaked. “Just...um, thirsty.”
“We’ll be landing soon and will get you settled right away. You are to rest, according to Crynar, to prevent a relapse. Even though your lung treatments are finished, he says there is a risk if you exert yourself too soon.”
She nodded, afraid to speak and stutter like a fool again.
How was she supposed to think with him practically naked?
The man’s muscles had muscles, and Aurelia wanted nothing more than to memorize every single one by running her hands over his gorgeous body, adding her lips and tongue, as she inventoried each delicious nook and cranny, and every scrumptious valley and hard plane.
With a will of their own, her eyes shifted back, aiming lower.
The snug leather loincloth seemed larger than she recalled, or perhaps the bulge behind it did. Either way, her maiden’s heart beat wildly knowing his sex, and quite a lot of it, was only a handbreadth away.
The sound of Darios clearing his throat made her freeze.
Caught in the process of licking her lips, she closed her eyes, an unwelcome blush sweeping like a flash fire across her cheeks, something becoming commonplace when around him.
He didn’t comment, other than to murmur, “We’re here.”
When he bent low and released the seat restraint, she couldn’t miss the scent of him—clean, masculine, and ve
ry appealing—or the upward tilt of his lips. As he took her hand and assisted her to her feet, she took note of the gleam in his stunning eyes and flushed hotter.
Grateful to be exiting the confined space before she could embarrass herself further, she quickly forgot her unladylike lustful display as she stepped down onto Voltarrean soil. Being shoeless, in borrowed clothes, and clinging to his hand like a frightened child faded into the background as the real significance of the moment dawned that she, Aurelia, an Aeldorian woman, and a member of the royal family, was the first ever to do so in modern times.
Darios understood the magnitude of the event as well. It was revealed in his voice, which grew somber and huskier than usual. “This is a reunion of our people a long time in coming, princess. Welcome to Voltarre.”
THE WARLORD’S HOME was as impressive from the ground as from the air.
Once they left the landing pad, they stepped onto a moving walkway that took them to a bridge at a side entrance. She peered over the edge at the red-tinted water.
“Is this a moat?”
“No,” he answered, a chuckle in his voice. “It is a tributary of the Niaford River that runs through the city.”
From what she knew of their history, Nia was one of the original settlers who fled Aeldor with Atagan. She became the first overlord’s wife. Apparently, they honored their history and humble beginnings in the naming of things of import.
Peering over the railing, she noted the stillness of the water circling the vast structure with flag-topped battlements. It certainly looked like a moat to her—albeit a red one. On Aeldor, the water was a brilliant blue and crystal clear. In the summer months, when the river near her home wasn’t frozen, she could see straight to the bottom. Here it was a shade of dark vermillion, and rather murky. Aurelia wondered if it ran hot, like everything else.
He led her into his home, and she welcomed the coolness. Taking in the high-vaulted ceilings, floors that appeared to be marble, and artwork adorning the walls, both paintings and sculptures in carved, lighted nooks, the inside didn’t convince her of his non-castle claim.
Darios strode quickly toward a staircase. She had to hurry to keep up with his long legs, and when she got to the first step and peered up, she couldn’t count the number of flights leading to innumerable floors above her.
With his fingers curved beneath her elbow, he began to climb, giving her no choice except to do so as well.
“I have business to see to but will be back in time to dine with you this evening. Until then, I’ll show you to the room where you’ll be staying, and you can get some rest.”
“I’m too excited to lie down and sleep. Do you mind if I explore?”
“When you’re recovered, I’ll give you a tour.”
“I feel fine.”
“Crynar said you need to rest and that overexertion, especially of the lungs, could cause a relapse. And he urged you to take it easy upon arrival. Although our atmospheres are similar, you aren’t used to the heat which can be draining.” At the first landing, he paused. “It’s five stories. I hadn’t thought of that.”
Startling her, he scooped her up with an arm behind her back and one beneath her knees and held her securely against his chest.
“Is this necessary?” she queried breathlessly.
“Whether or not it is, I’m certainly enjoying it.”
Her gaze rose to his, at least that was her intent, but she got distracted along the way by his beard-stubbled jaw and sensuous lips and lingered until his mouth tipped up in a grin. When her eyes met his, this close she could see the distinctive flecks of gold and orange, which explained why they always appeared to dance like flames.
“No arguing; you’re a little short of breath already.”
She blamed his proximity, not her recent illness. She wasn’t so bold as to tell him that, however. But it seemed she didn’t have to because he chuckled louder as her face flooded with heat.
“Here is your room,” he announced, stunning her because she hadn’t even noticed them climbing the stairs. “Can you reach the lever?”
She did and when the door swung inward, she saw an opulent bedchamber in sunny yellows, golds, and white. “It’s beautiful.”
“It belonged to my mother before she passed.”
“I’m sorry. I, too, lost my mother, but I was very small at the time. I don’t remember her at all. Do you remember yours?”
“Yes, her time came more recently. She got to see our people at peace while my father never did, although he was part of the problem. That’s a story for another day, however.”
Once inside, he set her on her feet. “The first door is to the bathing room where you’ll find everything you need. Will you need a servant to assist?”
She giggled. “I am not such a pampered royal I cannot bathe myself, my lord.”
He grinned. “’Tis a relief. We do not usually have personal servants here, and I would have had to scramble to find one. The next door is to a closet. It is empty. We preserved some of my mother’s clothing for history; the rest went to our less fortunate which is how she wanted it. Occasionally, while strolling down the street, I’ll see a woman on the way to the market in one of her gowns. Though it can be rather startling, as well as bittersweet for me and Daryk, she would have found it amusing.”
“That is your brother.”
He quirked a brow in surprise.
“I heard the discussion over what to do with me, remember?”
“Yes, but I hadn’t realized you were present for quite so much.”
Heat stole into her face at the subtle admonition. Thankfully, he didn’t belabor the topic.
“If his wife is feeling up to it, you will meet my brother at dinner. Otherwise, it will be only the two of us.”
She nodded but then glanced down at her borrowed garments, wondering what she’d wear.
“I’ll have suitable clothing brought to you, though they will probably need alteration. Our women are much taller. I’ll also have food sent up for the midday meal.”
“Thank you. What about the communication with my father? Have you received a reply?”
“I had news before we left the Atagan. It isn’t good, I’m afraid. An unusually large dust storm in sector nine is interfering with transmissions to Aeldor and most of the area.”
She glanced up, studying his placid expression. As excuses went, it seemed awfully convenient.
He took her hand and laid it flat on his chest. “As a truthsayer, I’m not in the habit of lying, Aurelia. I have seen how they can swell into more and easily grow out of control.”
Unlike him, she couldn’t so easily distinguish truth from lies. She had to read the emotions, often anger or guilt, hesitancy and nervousness, to perceive deception. But she couldn’t read anything about Darios. The only sensation she got from him was the comforting warmth surrounding her whenever they touched.
Emotion welled up in her, of purely her own making, for judging him with suspicion when he hadn’t given her the first reason to. From her own sense of nervousness and guilt, a denial slipped past her lips. “I didn’t say you were—”
He squeezed her fingers, cutting her off with a murmured, “You thought it. But I won’t take offense; you don’t know me well. Later, when you do, I’d likely consider it rude.”
“I’m sorry. I meant you no insult.”
“The cloud is slow moving and may take days or longer to pass through or dissipate. We think it’s how the Ophig craft eluded us so easily. They feared us but didn’t hesitate to fly into a giant swirling cloud of space dust. Sometimes they contain chunks of rock as large as small asteroids. Only idiots would enter one blindly.”
Dismayed, she concluded, “So my family is left to worry?”
“I sent a message from the Atagan that you were safe, but there was no response, and I can’t be sure it went through.”
She nodded dolefully. “Thank you for trying, my lord.”
“Call me Darios, please. After the kiss we
shared, I think we’re past formal titles. Since you’ll be a guest in my home for the foreseeable future, the both of us my lording and Your Highnessing one another could become tedious, don’t you agree?”
She nodded, basking in the warmth of his body, her palm growing hot where it rested against him. Perhaps getting too comfortable was a bad idea; they were from two different worlds. She tried to step back, but the arm at her waist wouldn’t let her.
His touch did crazy things to her head. Just being in the same room roused her passion. When his head descended, lips slightly parted in anticipation of another kiss, she trembled, growing weak at the knees.
He stopped, long black lashes coming up to reveal concerned dark eyes.
“A chill,” she explained, damning herself a liar, yet again.
He didn’t challenge her this time. Instead, the logs in the hearth against the far wall flared to life with a blue fire, and one by one the candles in a tiered holder on the mantle and two in red crystal candlesticks by the bed flickered to life.
He’d set a scene rife for seduction.
No matter how tempting he was, she hadn’t gotten to her age with her innocence still intact by jumping into bed with someone she’d known for two days. She arched a brow at him, earning her an enticing grin in return.
Before she succumbed, which would happen if she allowed this to go much further, she twisted in his arms and with a broad, sweeping wave of her hand, sent a cooling mist to extinguish the flames.
“I’m feeling tired suddenly. I think I will rest. Didn’t you say you had work to do anyway?” she reminded him.
“Yes, except to get me through until supper, I need sustenance.”
He took her by the hips and spun her back around. His mouth swooped down to capture hers, his tongue licking along the seam until she opened for him. Then it dipped inside to tangle with her own. The hunger she sensed sent shockwaves pulsing through her body. Had he carried her to the bed right then, she wouldn’t have resisted.
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