Kalina studied Awai. “You, too, may change your mind one day.”
“Never.” Awai slid a spoon into what looked like thick blood, and tried not to grimace. She tasted it and was pleasantly surprised at the creamy texture and a taste like buttered potatoes. “I needed to find out what happened to them. Now that I know, I’ll see them and return to San Francisco.”
“The portal for human transport will not open for a year in Earth’s time,” Kalina said gently.
“I had a feeling about that.” Awai drank from her mug and guessed that it was some kind of mead, and then thumped it on the table. She frowned. “If a portal only opens up once a year, how did Alice and Alexi get a letter to Annie and me?”
Kalina shrugged her delicate shoulders. “A very few of us have magic allowing us to transport items to, and retrieve objects from, your world.”
“Magic.” Awai shook her head. “This is all crazy.”
“This world is far different from yours, as you have already determined,” the sorceress said.
Awai sighed. “You got me there.”
Kalina smiled. “Travel by individuals is limited to portals. If any of our people choose to go to your world to learn your ways and share ours, they must remain one Earth year until a portal opens before they may return.”
Awai considered what Kalina said. “A year will give me a chance to visit them for a while and say my final goodbyes. I arranged for everything I own to be distributed if I was gone more than eighteen months. That’s plenty of time to return to the City and re-establish my life.”
“We certainly hope you will decide to stay.” Kalina leaned back in her chair. “King Ty will not force a life upon you that you do not wish.”
“That’s good to know.” Awai dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. “I’d hate to have to hurt him. He seems like a nice guy, even if he’s a Dom.”
A laugh bubbled up from Kalina. “He is a good man and a great king.”
“So you’re a sorceress.” Awai studied Kalina. “What do you do that makes you one? Some kind of magic?” Even as she said the word “magic,” Awai still had difficulty grasping the concept. However, she’d already seen so many strange things that she couldn’t discount the possibility that magic was real here.
“I do wield magic. The greatest part of my abilities is beyond most of Tarok’s people.” Kalina crossed her legs at her knees. “I also look to answers from the past to search for hints of the future.”
The sorceress had a faraway look in her eyes as she continued. “Sometimes it is a matter of interpretation. I am not perfect, but I am almost always correct.” She tucked strands of her long dark hair behind her ear as her focus returned to Awai. “I create magical oils and salves as well.”
“Fascinating.” Awai had a thirst for knowledge, almost as much as Annie’s, but she didn’t have Annie’s perfect recall, or eidetic memory as her niece referred to it. “I want to learn more about it while I’m here.”
Kalina gave a low nod. “It will be my pleasure.”
Awai finished eating and looked out the window. The sun settled low on the horizon, and the room had a spectacular view of the sunset. Orange edged the blue-green clouds, and more oranges, as well as purples and reds, streaked the sky.
Kalina cleared the mostly empty dishes from the table and placed them on the tray that she had retrieved from the credenza as Awai. “Are you ready for your bath?”
“I could use one.” Awai pushed back her chair. “Just show me where.”
The bathing room was gorgeous—made of marble, crystal, and glass, with a ninety-degree view of the flower-strewn hillside and wash of cherry blossoms that were now caressed by the sunset. The crystal tub at the center of the room rose up from the green marbled floor, and Awai could see the sparkle of water through the sides of what was clearly lead crystal, or possibly silver crystal.
After she stripped off her clothing and handed them to the sorceress, Awai started for the tub. It didn’t embarrass her to be seen naked. She had a taut, firm body that she worked hard to maintain, and she enjoyed appreciative glances. Kalina was no exception, her amber eyes watching every move Awai made.
She eased up the crystal steps, climbed into the tub, and slid into the incredibly warm cherry blossom-perfumed water. “This is heaven.” Awai sighed as she relaxed against the silky smooth tub and stared out at the amazing view.
Awai allowed Kalina to pamper her. The sorceress washed Awai’s hair with almond-scented shampoo, and then bathed her with a soft sponge and gel that smelled like whipped cream and cocoa.
Good lord, I’m an ice cream sundae. Awai smirked. Maybe Ty would want to sample a little of everything she had. She mentally rolled her eyes. Already she was thinking of a good hard fuck with the king. A king. How crazy is this?
When Awai had finished bathing, the sorceress dried her off in a thick, soft, white towel with Ty’s club crest embroidered on it, then set the towel aside. Kalina left the bathing room.
While the sorceress was gone, Awai washed her panties and hung them to dry. She stared out the windows and the growing darkness. Stars sparkled here and there and she wondered if the sun of her own world would make an appearance. How far were they from Earth?
Kalina returned and handed Awai a skimpy black piece of clothing with spaghetti straps. “For you to sleep in.”
Awai took it and slipped it over her head. It landed just above mid-thigh and fit her well. “I like it.” A bone-deep weariness settled over her as she walked into the bedroom. “That bed is looking like the best thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Rest well, Milady,” Kalina said.
Awai was already sliding beneath the covers as Kalina left. Awai mumbled, “Good night,” before dropping off to sleep like a rock over a ledge.
~~*~~
Awai danced among the cherry blossoms strewn across the clearing. She spun and spun as laughter spilled from her lips. Blooms swirled around her in a sweetly scented whirlwind. She had never experienced such pure and complete joy.
After everything that had happened in her past, her soul felt truly free. Finally free.
A pure white tiger joined Awai, the large cat rolling in the blooms with the same sense of joy. It was as if the cat had escaped its cage and was reveling in its newfound freedom that was equal to Awai’s. Perhaps greater.
Awai met the tiger’s intense gaze and saw flecks of silver in the gorgeous blue of the animal’s irises. Awai felt no fear. She experienced only curiosity and a sense of kinship.
For a long moment they stared at each other while blossoms swirled around them. It was as if some kind of connection bound them together and they couldn’t break that bond.
The big cat looked away as if something had caught its attention.
The connection Awai had felt was severed as if sliced with a dagger. She caught her breath at the deep feeling of loss.
Powerful, overwhelming darkness swept down on the clearing, fast and sudden. A deep oppression from the darkness nearly drove Awai to her knees.
Blossoms dropped to the ground and did not stir.
The malevolent presence caused Awai’s heart to thunder and her blood chilled as if cold rain ran through her veins.
The white tiger spun on Awai, its eyes no longer blue. They now glowed a fierce red.
Terror tore through Awai like a jagged blade and she stumbled back as the beast growled and slowly stalked her.
“No!” Awai reached for her whip at her bedside at the same moment she realized she’d been dreaming.
No whip rested on the stand beside the bed. Where was it?
She flopped back on her pillow and stared at the ceiling, her heart pounding and the dream vivid in her mind. The room she was in was dark, save for the glow of a single fat candle beside her bed. She turned toward it and frowned. Why did she leave a candle burning?
And then it all came back to her—Ty, the palace, his stories about her nieces and their children, and the fact that he was both a king and a weret
iger. Like the tiger in her dream, only Ty had black stripes while the one in Awai’s dream had been pure white.
Cold slid over her skin like a sheet of ice at the thought of Ty being a weretiger. She tried to tell herself all of that had been a dream, too. But even in the dim candlelight she could see she was in unfamiliar surroundings. The same room that Ty and Kalina had left her in last night.
She started to climb out of bed and froze when she saw a gigantic tiger stretched out on the floor, its blue eyes focused on her.
“Sleep,” came Ty’s voice, calm and soothing in her mind.
Awai scrambled under her covers and pulled them over her head. “It’s all a dream,” she told herself. “Only a dream.”
CHAPTER FIVE
WHEN AWAI WOKE AGAIN, IT WAS MORNING and she realized at once she was definitely not dreaming. She was in some kind of wonderland, with a gorgeous man who claimed she was going to be his queen.
Yeah, right. That was sane.
After a servant brought in breakfast and Awai ate, she dressed and began pacing the room Ty had left her in.
Sunshine bathed the grounds below as the sun rose on the opposite side of the palace. A cool breeze blew in through an open window, stiffening her nipples through the thin material of her blouse.
She’d disregarded the robes someone had laid out for her while she slept, and instead put on her own clothing. Her blouse, skirt, and panties were clean, so she figured she’d wear them until she could find something more suitable, like a shirt and pants.
Did they have undergarments here? She wasn’t about to dress in clinging robes that showed off her body to the extreme, like the other women in this place. Maybe the robes weren’t so bad, not much worse than her own clothing, but she felt a need to have some kind of control.
She wondered where Ty had gone after leaving the chamber. What if he’d slept with another woman? There were plenty of beauties in this place from what she’d seen when he escorted her through the palace. Not to mention Kalina.
Awai frowned at the jealousy pooling in her belly. She’d been in enough one-night stand BDSM relationships that she hadn’t cared about any man in particular. She’d never allowed herself to become attached to any one person, and had avoided personal intimacy. Sex was one thing, but allowing a sub to know anything about her life outside the bondage clubs was something she’d never permitted. The fact that she’d shared so much with Ty about her scum of an ex—that blew her away.
She thought about the dream of cherry blossoms and a pure white tiger and she paused in her pacing. Once the darkness had come down on them, the tiger had gone from friendly to terrifying in two seconds flat.
Ty had been sleeping beside her bed in his tiger form and had spoken in her mind again. Something about his voice had been calming enough that she’d easily fallen asleep.
“Are you ready to submit to me?” came Ty’s deep penetrating voice from the doorway.
Awai whirled to face him and to see he was even more incredibly handsome than she remembered. Again he wore only leather pants and lace-up boots, and his long blond hair fell freely about his shoulders.
She had the sudden freakish desire to drop to her knees and say, “Take me, Master.” Instead she said, “You wish.”
By his cocky expression, she had no doubt he could read the desire in her eyes.
“Where are some decent clothes?” She desperately needed to change direction and gestured toward the silky black robe lying over a clothing trunk. “That isn’t what I call suitable.”
He raised one brow. “In the palace, it is what women wear. And when you agree to be my submissive, you will wear what I choose for you.”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s not going to happen.”
When her gaze met his again, he gave her a sexy smile that made something inside her melt. He held out his hand and suddenly in his grasp was a pair of short boots. Her heart stuttered at the example of magic he had in this world.
He handed the boots to her, and she noticed the wound she’d given him when she’d bitten him. It was healing, but still red. She felt a trace of regret for hurting him, but shook it off. He’d deserved it, she told herself.
Something soft like sheepskin lined the short boots that he handed her. Once she slipped them on, she discovered they actually looked good with her short skirt.
“Come,” he said as he reached for her hand. “Let me show you more of my realm.”
Surprisingly, Awai found herself looking forward to learning more about this world that she and her nieces were in. Although she had yet to discover their collective wellbeing, somehow she trusted Ty when he said they were doing well and that they were healthy. Cripes, she couldn’t forget that they were also happy as wives and mothers.
I must be out of my mind. Since when did she trust the word of someone who was a virtual stranger to her? A man, no less.
He led her through the palace. Once they left the magnificent structure, he took her down a winding path. The air smelled of sunshine, wet earth, crisp pine, flowers, and other scents she couldn’t identify.
He escorted her to his village first, and in her short skirt and midriff blouse, she felt extremely underdressed compared to the women of the village, even if the women’s robes were clingy. Awai began to wish she’d worn the robe.
The village was amazing—filled with color, music, and laughter. The place reminded her a lot of what she had learned of medieval times only everything seemed cleaner. People also appeared healthier and happier than what she knew about that period in history. She had a feeling no one went hungry here, no street urchins stealing food just to survive.
Speaking of urchins, why didn’t she see children of any age in the village? She would have to ask Ty when the moment presented itself.
She spent her time absorbing her surroundings while Ty spoke with his people and as he showed her the various shops. Villagers bowed when he passed, and it was obvious in their motions and in their expressions that they respected and loved their king.
Was he showing all this to impress her? Awai’s old suspicions plagued her as she studied the man.
Her instincts told her he wasn’t making an attempt to impress. He was simply sharing what had meaning to him. He was showing her his heart.
It was almost more than she could stand, considering she wanted to keep all her inner walls firmly in place.
While he talked with the sword master about a weapons order the woman was making for him, Awai took in the sights and sounds and scents of the village to distract herself.
Warm smells of baked bread and cookies came from the bakery, and the not unpleasant odor of fresh fish from the fishmonger’s. A man pushed a cart filled with round and oblong fruits and vegetables toward a produce stand and he nodded to Awai as he passed by.
Awai returned his nod with a smile before her eyes strayed back to Ty, who appeared to be a mysterious force as he admired the female sword master’s blades. The muscles in his arms bulged and rippled as he lifted a white-gold dagger. The sun’s reflection on the blade was the same color as his hair. Indeed, she had never seen a man so beautiful, or so basic. Ty seemed to have no artifice about him at all.
That can’t be true. All men can deceive, and any man might. Shaking her head, Awai forced herself back to reality. Whatever reality was now.
When he finished speaking to the sword master, Ty settled his hand at the small of Awai’s back. His palm felt warm and tingles traveled up her spine.
They walked past a shop filled with pretty glass baubles that sparkled through the window.
“Why aren’t there any children around?” She glanced at Ty. “Are they in school?”
He stiffened before inhaling and blowing out his breath. “We will sit and eat, and I will tell you what you want to know.”
She frowned, wondering why he sounded so serious.
They went to at an outdoor deli of sorts where their food was delivered and placed on the table before them. They drank mead and ate t
he spicy meat-filled pastries. A strawberry tart for dessert had been included in the meal.
Ty kept his voice low, so they could not be overheard. “My brothers and I have a sister.” His expression was filled with pain and regret as he began.
Awai raised a brow in surprise. “I thought there were only four of you.”
“Her name is Mikaela.” He looked away, as if he was traveling in his memories. “She was a good sister and we loved her dearly.”
Awai remained silent and bit into her meat pastry, letting him go on.
“Our parents died of an incurable disease. On their deathbeds, they divided the kingdom between my brothers and me.” He returned his gaze to Awai. “They left nothing to our sister.”
“Why?” Awai’s skin tightened. “Why would they do that?”
“We don’t know.” Ty shook his head. “Mikaela was supposed to inherit a portion of the Kingdom of Hearts, the lands of which are extensive. It was a shock to all when she received nothing.”
Awai couldn’t help but feel sorry for their sister. “How cruel, to leave her out.”
“Mikaela became more and more distant after our parents succumbed to the illness.” Ty raked his fingers through his wild mane of hair. “It came as an even greater surprise when she left Tarok for the Kingdom of Malachad, where she joined with Balin and became queen. Balin was our sworn enemy.”
Awai swallowed the drink of mead to wash down the bite of meat pastry she’d just eaten. “Mikaela’s way of rebelling?”
“Perhaps.” Ty frowned. “It was certainly a shock to us.”
Awai waited for him to go on as she ate.
“Mikaela always did have stronger magic than my brothers and me,” Ty said. “However, she is more powerful than we ever knew. That has become apparent over the past two decades.”
Awai felt Ty’s gut-wrenching sense of the loss of his sister. “What does this all have to do with your people’s children?”
Kept by Seduction Page 4