by Aimee Moore
Ysiel shook her head at me, a dark look of regret passing her features. “No, Tanebrael is still missing. But we are searching, as always. Have you given my request any thought?”
“You bet your pert little arse we did,” Lianne said, pulling a stick of fresh cooked meat from the flame.
Ysiel smiled at her. “I am grateful that you have accepted my hospitality. The queen always did appreciate my taste for luxuries.”
“Oh yeah, luxury this is, too,” Lianne said with her mouth half full. Then she made a show of swallowing too much food for her mouth. “Give me a pot to piss in and I could live in this tent forever,” she said.
“You have not been honest with us,” Dal said to Ysiel.
Ysiel looked up at Dal. “Whatever do you mean?”
“More of your world spills into this one than you have admitted.”
“I have alluded to nothing. I said more have come, some like me, some not. Was that not truthful?”
Dal scowled at her. “It is misleading. Without warning us of the dangers your people brought, you could have arrived to find us dead.”
Ysiel laughed, a sweet melody on the breeze. “Oh, Child of War, there is no need for such dramatic speculation. I had no fear of any of you perishing, it is why I have asked you for help and none other. The three of you possess strength enough to defeat anything that may have spilled into this world.”
“Apparently not,” I said. “Because we managed to meet a bizarre, six-legged creature with a giant eye on top. We barely escaped with our lives.”
Ysiel paled, her mouth opening just a little as her eyes got wider. “You met a ristulg?”
Lianne said, “I don’t give a horse’s arse what you’d call it, it whooped all of our collective rears and then came at us like death, it did. If it weren’t for Dal we’d be dead.”
Ysiel’s solemn gaze lingered on Dal for a bit before she spoke. “A ristulg is part of the queen’s guard. She created an army of them, flesh and machine, to defend her and do her bidding. If you found one wandering the wilderness alone, then it too is searching for her.”
“When you go back to your world, I want you to take them with you,” I said.
Ysiel frowned and bit her plump lip. “I can’t,” she whispered. “They are now beings of your world. Only Tanebrael can move them, and once we have poisoned your world’s core, she’ll be powerless to take them.”
“You are not giving us much incentive to betray your queen,” Dal said.
Ysiel stood with a smile. “What sort of incentive do you wish? I can offer many, but I know of one that never fails to please.” And then her allure washed over us. My blood pounded in all of the places that should not have been making decisions for me. It wasn’t nearly as crippling as Karne’s, yet still stole rational thought away.
Dal grunted from the force of it, crossing his arms as he shot a defiant look at her. If my theory on allure from the opposite sex was true, then Dal was as incapacitated by Ysiel’s allure as I had been by Karne’s.
“Seven hells,” Lianne said, her voice breathy.
“Stop this,” I said to Ysiel, standing.
But Ysiel eased closer to Dal, whose being was so tense with dislike that the veins on his vast musculature stood out as ivy over marble.
“I can offer much incentive,” she whispered, putting one finger on his chest. She raised her lashes to meet the burn of Dal’s glare. “You want me to,” she whispered up at him. “And, beautiful protector, I want you to taste me.”
Oh hells, her words drew my gaze to her lips where my lust-fueled imagination took purchase. No, I had to stop this. I reached out and took her small wrist, moving her away from Dal, whose every breath shook with control. “Leave him be,” I said on a Kraw-worthy growl.
But Ysiel smiled at me, using her other hand to trail a soft caress down my cheek. The contact was explosive, and I gasped as hot desire lanced through me. Her cold fingers curled around the back of my neck, pulling me closer.
“Leave her,” Dal said from somewhere far away.
But her sweet breath fanned my lips, blowing away any logical thought that may have protested a moment ago. I didn’t know anything other than desire. “Just a taste,” she purred.
Ysiel’s lips, like teasing rose petals, brushed over my sensitive mouth, igniting desperate need in me. I whispered a moan between us.
“Enough.” Dal’s voice was a world away.
Ysiel was so small and slender compared to Dal, and yet, every brush of her skin, every sigh she fanned into my mouth, it was all so intoxicating. Her tongue brushed at mine; just a slight, teasing intrusion, and then her knee edged forward to rub up the inside of my leg.
The contact caused one indecent scenario after another to tumble through my mind, heightening my desire for her. But it was not a betrayal, no; this was right, wasn’t it? Dal was here and he would join us. Yes, this new and thrilling idea was what I wanted.
Strong hands grabbed my shoulders, pulling me away. My body cried out with loss, and I turned on Dal with a snarl.
But then Ysiel’s allure was gone, my throbbing need ebbed away, and Dal’s body relaxed as the hazel in his eyes frosted over with winter’s chill.
Guilt washed over me as I put my hand over my mouth. I kissed another, in front of my mate, with no remorse. I closed my eyes as I tried to collect myself. I could still taste her. Could still feel her slight body permeating my existence.
“Demon’s fire, that was hot,” Lianne said.
“That was wrong,” I said, turning to Ysiel. “You manipulated me and took what I did not willingly offer.”
“But you did willingly offer. You made no protest.”
“You know that you had to use your allure to do that, else I would never have imagined such a thing. If you do it again then I’ll be finding a way to betray you instead.”
But Ysiel only smiled. “You are frustrated with me. Forgive me, it would seem that humans don’t share Nialae freedom when it comes to pleasure. Your king had me believing otherwise.”
“King?” I whispered.
Lianne sputtered, dropping her stick of food. “Caelund? That sniveling, whining, rat spawn, limp di—"
“Yes, probably that one,” I said.
Ysiel laughed. “He is sweet, your king. So young and refreshing. He accepts my pleasures, and I accept his information. His private library contains information on the Helegnaur; your people call it the Polar Construct.”
“You’re laying with the boy king?” I whispered. Good heavens, with her allure she could practically run the continent from the boy king’s bedroom.
Lianne was laughing. “That’s got to be as awkward as a one-legged rat trying to poke a cat in the pucker,” she guffawed. “No really, at least it’s over in a good ten seconds, eh? Does he do you the courtesy of hopping back on and finishing the job, or is he too stunned that you let him the first time?” Then she continued to laugh and slap at her armored knee.
“Caelund is a determined lover; what he lacks in stamina he makes up for with enthusiasm,” Ysiel said.
“And books,” Dal said in a flat tone.
Lianne was laughing so hard that tears were coming out of her eyes.
“I’m not sure I want to find this Helegnaur,” I said, “not if it prevents your queen from removing those terrifying ristulgs.”
Ysiel let off a disappointed breath. “Oh yes, those. Well since you will not accept the gifts I offer now, allow me to offer a less immediate incentive. The Helegnaur has the power to defeat Tanebrael’s guard.”
Dal laughed.
Ysiel smiled. “This amuses you. I am glad to see humor in you.”
Dal said, “You ask for much, based on only your word. We have no proof of your honesty. And less proof of your trustworthiness when you force your allure on us at will.”
Ysiel spread her palms. “What proof can I offer? I have no reasons to mislead you. I want only to be home, and you hold the key to my freedom.”
“S’no
t a bad place to be trapped,” Lianne muttered.
“Fine. Say we agree to help you,” I said. “We don’t know where to start looking for this Helegnaur. And we certainly don’t know where to find another leyline.”
“The Helegnaur is thought to be in a temple of sorts far west of here,” Ysiel said. “I have yet to find a book in your king’s library that explains more, or shares access to leylines, but that is a start.”
“Oy, journey like that’ll take months, it will. If this queen of yours can flit about at will like you then we’ll never get there in time.”
Ysiel let out a long breath, pearlescent hair stirring in the wind. “Tanebrael should have come forward by now and called me to her side,” she whispered. “Either she has chosen to remain hidden for reasons unknown to me, or she’s been subdued. Though both are frightening prospects, the strange twist of our fates is that Tanebrael’s absence will likely grant you the time you need. For a species as long lived as us, time is just another luxury.”
Then her compelling gaze met mine. “Please, say that you’ll find the Helegnaur. Together, I know that we can help our people.”
I glanced at Dal, whose look was guarded, at best. Then to Lianne, who gave me an encouraging nod. I bit my lip as I let my gaze wander into the distance, to the trees that were now foreign with their marble trunks and crystalline leaves.
I exhaled as I met Ysiel’s gaze. “Alright, we’ll try,” I said.
Ysiel smiled at me. “You have my thanks. And the thanks of every Nialae who wishes to return home.”
I cared not for Nialae thanks that would probably never come, I only cared for my own people. “Can you take us to the temple you sp—”
“No,” Dal said. “We journey there alone.”
I frowned at Dal.
“Oy, a quick blink would take us there instantly.”
“We have time, as she has stated,” Dal said, fixing Ysiel with a challenging stare.
Ysiel gave a smile that didn’t meet her eyes. “Very well. I’ll return when I have more information. Safe travels to you.”
I let a long breath out of my nose as I shared a look with Dal, and then Lianne sputtered behind us as the tent over our heads vanished.
“Bloody hell!”
When we turned to look, Lianne was flailing behind us in the grass, the chairs and crackling fire gone.
∞∞∞∞
The rest of the day was awkward between us all as we continued north to the university, determined to gain our own information without Ysiel’s influence. That night, Kalgar and our cart were settled behind a towering cluster of stone just off the road. We stewed in our own thoughts as we cooked our meal over flame.
Guilt was gnawing at my insides after Ysiel’s kiss, and I didn’t know how to rid myself of it. Setting the soup pot over the flame, I added the salt and dried meat to the water in silence as Lianne broke vegetables into a chunks and Dal attempted to peel potatoes.
“I’m sorry, Dal,” I said over the crackle of flame.
Two heads raised to look at me. Dal’s gaze lingered on me for a moment before he returned to his task, lopping off half of the potato in his efforts to handle the small knife in his large hands.
“Hm,” he said. “Conflict; that is what Ysiel seems to excel at.”
“Eh. Swap me, will ya. Don’t want no Kraw thumb in my soup,” Lianne said, handing an amused Dal the carrots and garlic.
“She kissed me,” I whispered as they made the exchange.
“Made herself damn tempting, she did. Can’t be much better than a man, though.” Lianne’s gaze flicked toward Dal for a moment, then returned to peeling potatoes.
I shrugged, my face heating at the memory as I pushed the wooden spoon through the soup. I glanced at Dal. “When she uses that allure… Being touched is the only thing that exists anymore. It’s dangerous. Dangerous and horrible and I regret it.” I set the spoon aside and sat, fidgeting with the whorled seashell at my throat.
“Her gifts are powerful. Kraw can handle pain, starvation, and abuse. We are strong. But Kraw are also strong in lust, and Nialae power is a manipulation of that.”
“I thought Kraw did not have weakness,” I said with a teasing smile.
Dal returned my smile, crushing garlic between his fingers. “There are few.”
“Can’t say all them Nialae got their minds on their naughty bits though,” Lianne said, dropping uneven potato chunks into the pot. “That Jacinthe fellow from Boris, nuttier than squirrel shit he was. Said something bout seeing us again, didn’t he?”
“There is more to Jacinthe than he reveals,” Dal said, tossing the garlic paste into the pot.
“How so?” I asked. “Can you make sense of him?”
“No. The only word I know to describe my misgiving is instinct.” Dal’s gaze traveled down to my neck, where my thumb rubbed over the smoothness of the whorled shell necklace. “Like that shell. It is without the scars of time, and so instinct drew me to it. It is the same awareness for Jacinthe. He is no ordinary Nialae.”
“Can’t say any o’ them qualify as ord—"
A scream sliced through the air, and all of us went still. The scream came again, a slight bob to it, and soon the pounding of footfalls met our ears. I waved my hand at the fire, and the flame went out, embers turning to charcoal as they cooled to inertness, plunging us into darkness.
Dal drew his sword without making a sound, then crept toward the edge of the rock to peer at the road. Lianne moved with stealth, too, and I followed them both to watch, my vision adjusting to the moonlight.
A woman, breathing hard, tears streaming down her face, ran down the road in. Her nightclothes were a bright beacon in the darkness, and her curly brown hair flew behind her with abandon. I began to step forward, but Dal’s thick arm caught at my middle.
“No,” he whispered.
“We have to help,” I whispered back.
“Wait,” he said.
Moments later, a grand chariot of glowing white and silver came rattling down the road after her, being pulled by slender white creatures that could have been either deer or horses. The woman screamed again, and four the drivers of the chariot laughed. They were Nialae men, wearing masks with crude beaks protruding from their faces.
“Dal!” I squeaked, looking up at him. He was watching the scene carefully, brow furrowed in concentration, nostrils flaring as he caught scents that I could not.
“Bloody hells, what’re they going to do to her?” Lianne said.
The chariot slowed before it got to the woman, the deer-horses tossing their heads and snorting.
“Why would the hunter slow…” Lianne said.
“The goal is not to catch,” Dal said in a low voice.
“That’s ludicrous,” I whispered.
But then the allure of the Nialae hit us, and I fell to my knees with a gasp alongside Lianne. I glanced at her as she uttered a muffled curse, digging her fingers into the soft earth.
Dal cast me a pained look, then continued to watch the woman. But she was no longer running. She was on the ground, moaning. The Nialae men watched, flashes of white teeth showing predatory smiles below their masks in the moonlight. The woman tried to get on her feet, but her breathing was coming faster, and instead of rising from her hands and knees, she thrust her hand between her legs, over the folds of her dress, and cried out as her body convulsed.
“Bloody hells she’s got the right idea,” Lianne said in a strained whisper.
“Do not,” Dal breathed.
The Nialae men laughed, then turned the chariot around, away from the woman. She flung her brown curls out of her flushed face and reached a hand out to them. The white deer-horses began to trot away at a teasing pace.
“No!” She screamed. She got to her feet and began to chase the chariot down. She didn’t get far before she fell to her knees, a moan ripping from her throat as she reached for herself again.
My own blood was throbbing for release, and I let off a whimper as I
watched hers. “This is sick,” I whispered.
The scene continued, the woman chasing the chariot of laughing Nialae and then finding shuddering relief when she couldn’t bear it anymore.
“Come,” Dal said, turning away.
But I couldn’t force my mind or body past the desire that thundered through me. I slumped back against the rock that Dal had vacated and looked at him as a breath trembled out of me.
“Seven hells they’re taking forever to leave,” Lianne whispered, raising her gaze to Dal.
“Dal,” I breathed. My lips were hot, my voice caught in the tight need coiled in my chest.
He turned to look at me, then let off a soft groan. In three great strides he was lifting me off the pine-strewn ground and pressing my back to the rock. There was no stopping now, nothing else mattered but this. I wrapped my legs around my mate and kissed him with everything I had. His hard length ground through our clothes against the aching part of me, and climax rocked me. I shuddered, letting soft moans into our kiss while the world around me seemed as weightless as I in this pleasure.
Once the world righted itself, I gave Dal a lingering kiss, hoping for more. Until I remembered Lianne.
I winced toward her as Dal let me down. She was still crouched there, facing us, mouth agape.
“Lianne…”
But she only rose with a huff and marched into the woods.
“Wait!” I went after her, but Dal’s hand on my arm stopped me. “Dal, we can’t let her wander off alone like this,” I said.
“She will not venture far,” Dal said on a growl, pulling my backside against him to sink a soft bite into my neck.
I groaned, arching my back, and just like that, Lianne was forgotten. I turned and knelt in front of Dal, working at his pants until the hard length of him was free. I met no objection as I looked up and slid my lips over the tip of him.
Dal let off a sound somewhere between a groan and a growl, and I laughed as I teased him a little. I loved the taste of him, the sounds he made as I took him in and out. And I loved the way he filled me here, too.
But not long after I began my gentle teasing, Dal gripped at my hair to still me. I rose, pressing my lips to his, pushing him back against the tall rocks. His touch was firm, bruising almost as he held me close, and I reveled in it. I shoved him down onto the ground and removed my pants.