(The Immortal Fields)
Pallas could not help but be greatly worried about Reagan. It was not an uncommon feeling for him as his beloved High Princess was a Defender Cultivator, but she was also headstrong and apt to get into trouble because she simply did not think before charging in. Truly, he had a whole new respect for Shanae and Evan alike for they had been running herd on Robert and Sayena for millennia.
This war against Minstrel was much worse than any war Pallas had ever observed, and he had been observing Defender battles since nearly the beginning of Time. He wanted nothing more than to join Reagan and fight by her side as a proper Caretaker, but he knew he could not risk it. It stung enough that though he could spend time with her away from the Fields for a few hours here and there, he still had to spend most of his time on the Fields, and lately she had been too busy and tired to come to him.
"Pallas!" Reagan rushed toward him across the vast fields of flowers. Even as he turned, she leapt into his arms and wound her own around him fiercely. "Found you!" she said breathlessly.
"I am never hard to find for you." He smoothed her hair back from her eyes, and his fingers itched to take apart the fancy braid she wore. There was nothing more beautiful than seeing her hair spread around them where its color could rival the softest of clouds. He loved teasing out the little black bits the most. "You had only to call to me if you needed me." He bent his head to kiss her when he spotted the other two people observing. He hastily straightened. "Majesties."
Shanae stood just a few feet away with Evan. She shot a grin at her brother. "He's so cute. It's like he forgets that I'm aware of everything going on inside the Ephemeral Plane, especially the Fields. Or that we're both parents. Or that technically somewhere in the family tree we're related to him and therefore we share some personality quirks."
Pallas cleared his throat. "You more than anyone," he had to say. "You might as well be Shanta's daughter rather than descendant. You got not just her looks but much of her personality." He gave a graceful bow. "How may I serve you?"
Evan said dryly, "You can stop being formal, for one. I'm your future father-in-law." He looked around the Fields in a thoughtful silence for long moments. Finally he said, "You know, the Plane as a whole has become immensely strong. People are dreaming much purer and stronger now. Allister's presence alone has diminished a great deal of potential danger. Tasia's arcanistry has bolstered the Fields dramatically, and of course having Racine as future Librarian with her own majik has made an impact. I think that if the Plane had been like this back when the kingdoms fell, there never would have been any part of the Chaos War on the Plane much later from all the imbalance."
"I'd concur with that statement." Shanae linked her hands behind her back as she turned in a circle to view the expanse of the Fields. Both she and Evan had donned their Ruler outfits for this important meeting, and she knew both Reagan and Pallas watched them with confusion. "We've thought about it after watching things for the last year, and we have discussed things with Tasia many times, and none of us think that the Fields needs a full-time Archon any more than it needs a full-time Knight. It seems to do well with Allister as a part-time worker, and it has not suffered at any time you have left it to be with Reagan."
Pallas' heart began to pound. "Are . . . are you . . . going to fire me?"
"Can they do that?" Reagan wondered.
"Well, it's less of a firing than an . . . adjustment of work time?" Evan smiled at his daughter. "However, since Shanae and I share duties over the Plane for the time being, we have to be in agreement about it." He paused for a moment and then added calmly, "As we do seem to be about this. Pallas, Archon of the Immortal Fields, we are here to offer you the same opportunity afforded your sister: you may enter into the Resurrection Era and affix yourself permanently, allowing for the creation of a future you into whatever Eras may follow. You will maintain your Present Sight and ability to enter the Fields at will should there be immediate need of you, of course."
"Additionally," Shanae picked up softly, "you will no longer be required to spend the majority of your time here. A patrol every few days, not unlike what Allister does, should suffice, with your ear tuned to the Fields the rest of the time should there be an unexpected issue. When you wed Reagan, you will be High King of Delphinium first, and Archon second. And," she added pointedly, "you may now serve properly as her Caretaker. Tasia has determined that in the worst possible scenario, she will retreat you and Reagan alike—as is her right as Lead—for your own safety no less than she would send LeAnn and Chance—and Racine and Allister. That is the duty of a Lead, to ensure the safety of her critical teammates and her High Rulers. The safety bunkers still exist, though they have not been used since the fall." A hint of a wry smile touched her lips. "They were used every generation up until the fall, and things have been very different since. I would love to think they will never be used again, but, well. I've never been an optimist where that is concerned."
"Do you accept these conditions?" Evan asked.
Delight filled Pallas' face. "Shanae, Evan . . . thank you." He whirled and scooped an astonished Reagan off her feet. "At last!" he said in satisfaction. "I can claim you for my own without guilt! I will happily belong to the Era that brought my soul mate into existence, and we will share together whatever days we are given."
Reagan was still so surprised that she didn't notice when her father and aunt left. "It never occurred to me that that was what they wanted when they said they wanted me to go with them to see you." Hope and joy began to blossom inside her. "Now I won't have to endure you being away from me three-quarters of the day because I'm tied to the kingdom and you're tied to here and we will be able to spend more time together and there are so many things I've wanted to do with you and show you and oh gosh I'm going to hug Tasia until she begs for mercy because she knew about this before I did!"
"Indeed." He kissed her quickly and then held her closer. He could feel a sudden seriousness inside her and knew she now thought of her current battle. "You want to leave me behind regardless," he said softly.
"Pallas . . ."
He covered her lips with his fingers gently. "No. I understand. We would be a dangerous thing near Minstrel, given the circumstances." He gently cupped her cheek with his hand. "But you must swear that if you need me, you will call me. I will be there immediately."
She could only giggle. "Lucky me. I also have a Caretaker who can transport." When he scooped her up playfully and bore her down into the flowers, her heart was so full of love and happiness that she thought it might burst. They were feelings she intended to take into the final fight. You had to fight emotion with emotion, and she would danged well fight the bad with the good!
* * * * *
(Protea)
LeAnn was not in a good mood. First there was the whole thing of her twin being in danger and being hurt. That pissed her off more than a little. Then there was the madman trying to kill everyone. That was also very annoying. And to top it off, she hadn't seen her fiancé in the better part of twenty-four hours, and she had been very annoyed to wake alone in her own bed.
She gave an annoyed curse and slammed her fist into the punching bag she had been working out on. It swung wildly and nearly clipped Diego as he came up. "Whoa there!" He caught the bag with a wry grin. "That temper is so very Robert of you."
"At least I'm not as quick with it as he is!" She swiped a towel over her face. "What's up?"
"Your boyfriend asked me to tell you that he's waiting for you." He bowed gracefully with all the skill of a long-time courtier. "I might suggest going to find him before he takes out his annoyance on me. He looked cranky."
She turned on her heel, and her eyes snapped with speckles of temper. "Arrogant ass," she muttered. "Who does he think he is, summoning me like that? I'll give him a reason to be cranky!"
Diego just grinned. "Destiny, you handled that one so well. Nice job." He wandered off with a whistle now that his mission was complete.
LeAnn went first to Chance's room but found he was not there. He had been there recently, though, since the adjacent bathing room was still steamy from the shower he had taken. The scent of his skin lingered in the air and made her sigh internally. Something about the scent of his skin made her think of, well, romance. Not that she would tell him that.
She stalked into her bedroom and barely refrained from slamming the door. Halfway across the room, male hands closed over her arms. She instantly began to struggle but realized quickly that whoever had grabbed her knew all of her best moves and had her at an angle that raw strength could not break. "Let me go!"
"What in the hell is so sexy about you when you do that?" Chance asked musingly. "I can't figure it out."
She slumped over in his grip. "You scared me!" she snapped. He released her and she swung around to face him. Her pulse very merrily began to beat everywhere at once. He looked so clean and tidy that she wanted nothing more than to muss him up. His tunic was still open, and his bare skin tempted her to sink her teeth in. "Yeah, you're gorgeous, but I'm still pissed at you. Where the vined hells have you been?"
"I was trying to find something." His voice stayed calm, but his blue eyes held a familiar sparkle that said he enjoyed her temper. "Having found it, I came right back. And what do you know, you're about to head into trouble."
She made a disgusted noise and stripped her top and workout bra off. "If you're going to tell me I can't go, think again. And if you think I'm letting you go along, think that over too."
His eyes heated as he saw his pendant resting over her vivid Ruler Flower Mark. When she pulled her hair down out of its ponytails, the strands fell around her shoulders in a thick curtain and took his breath away. "I despise it, but I already knew you would leave me behind."
"Good, that saves us a fight." She finished stripping and pulled a robe on. Before she could take more than two steps toward the bathing room, he caught her in his arms. Her eyes closed in delight as she felt his lips press to her shoulder. "I'm sweaty and yucky. I need a shower."
"I want to give you something first." He turned her around in his arms. "I want to be absolutely sure you have a reason to come back." He lifted her left hand and gently slid a ring over her thumb and then lifted her right to give it a matching ring. Both matched the pendant she wore, made of obsidian and amber, but the rings had tiny rubies embedded. "I started looking for the perfect rings as soon as we became betrothed, and I finally found them." He brought her hands to his lips. "Will you marry me, Leslie Ann?"
Her eyes widened. "Rubeo," she managed to say, "we're already engaged."
"But I want to ask you. I want you to know that I am here with you more than willingly. So will you marry me? Accept me as a king for your people? Make my life hell and make me happier than I've ever been?" He released her hands and placed larger, matching rings in her palm. "If you will have me, then I am yours."
Tears slid down her cheeks slowly. "Of course I accept you!" She swiped at her eyes with her free hand. "Damn you. I am not that much my father's child. I'm not going to cry when I'm happy!" She put the rings on him and felt a thrill winding through her. Sometimes the choices you made really were better than destiny. She took a deep breath and then threw her arms around him. His arms closed around her in turn, and she felt his heart pounding against hers, the rhythm only for her. "I love you so much!" she whispered. "I swear I'll come back."
"I trust you." For such simple words, they meant so much more coming from a man who had never been able to trust anyone or anything easily. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was still only mid-morning. Less than twenty-four hours remained. He would take every minute. Intending to start as they would continue on, he scooped his lover up into his arms. "Let's take a shower."
She buried her fingers in his hair with a smile. "You already took one."
"You can never be too clean."
She laughed out loud and hugged him tightly. No matter what she faced the next day, she knew she would never forget how happy she was in that moment. She had won her stubborn Captain over and melted down his icy barriers to discover a heart of gold. Now it belonged to her for all time. She could not ask for more.
* * * * *
Kimber had already known something big had happened even before Theo got home. She had felt his anxiety and the danger alike through the thin threads between them. When he got home and went straight up to the attic without a word, she truly became concerned. His naturally lively face had looked far too serious.
She quietly climbed the stairs to the attic and eased the door open to look inside. He was sitting in the center of the room and seemed to be in mediation. She said nothing as she walked over to sit down across from him. It was no hardship to study him. He was still the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and she loved him more than life.
"Do you regret anything?" he asked suddenly.
Her brows lifted. "Regret?"
He opened his eyes, and they looked darker than normal. "Me," he said softly. "This world you unknowingly got yourself into. My being a Dual Cultivator, or you being a witch."
"I regret nothing," she said firmly. She scooted closer to him and pulled him into her arms. Her eyes closed with contentment as she felt him safe and warm. She ran her hands up and down his back to comfort them both. "I suppose I didn't expect it," she mused. "I spotted you around town and I was more than a little hot for you, which, considering our element, is appropriate. But this one day . . . I couldn't fight the urge to talk to you."
"I'm glad you did. I'd seen you before and thought that there was something in addition to your very spectacular butt and dark blue eyes that I really liked. It took me very little time to realize you were my soul mate. Your decision to stop on my dock just saved me the effort of grabbing you off the street." He winced wryly. "You took the news well when you realized I was a Crown Prince and Defender Cultivator alike."
"I was flattered to be chosen as your Caretaker." She buried her fingers in his thick red hair. "Did you know there's only one thing I regret about you?"
"What's that?"
"Not seducing you sooner and getting you to an altar. We might have had a real honeymoon." She grinned when he snorted. "I am entirely serious. You gave me many months to get used to dating a prince, but, really, I needed much less. You really should have locked us into your apartment sooner. The minute you took your shirt off, I was pretty much doomed."
"And tackled me to the floor."
"At least Raine did not giggle at you for needing to heal rug burns."
"It would have been worth it." He grinned and sat up to kiss her. When he finally eased back, he framed her face with his hands. "We leave tomorrow morning for the fight," he warned softly. "And . . . and I want you to understand what my being a Defender Cultivator really means. If something threatens LeAnn or Reagan . . ."
"You'll willingly lay down your life." She closed her eyes for a moment. "It terrifies me, but I understand. And I will suffer deeply until you can return to me, but I accept that. Believe it or not, it was Chance who explained to us just what loving a Defender who protects a High Princess means." She eased him closer to kiss him again, and she lingered over his flavor. "If you need me," she murmured, "then call me. I came to you when you fought in the past, didn't I?"
He smiled. "And nearly knocked me over with a feather!" Contented, his heart swelling with love and pride, he pulled back enough to strip off his shirt. "For the rest of today and tonight, don't let me go." He caught her in his arms and lowered her to the floor. "I want to know nothing but you."
She tangled her fingers in his hair on a smile. "I will never let you go, Theodore. You are stuck with me forever."
"Good." And as he kissed her greedily, he vowed to take those feelings with him into the fight the next day. Minstrel wanted emotion? He would inundate the other man with all the love he had for Kimber. Like the fire of their shared Flower Element, it could never burn out.
* * * * *
Storm got home to the apartment he shared with Kari to the smell of chocolate chip cookies baking. His mouth watered despite his mood. He eagerly hurried to the kitchen and slid onto a stool at the counter. "I'll have the house special," he announced.
Kari looked at him with a smile, sacrificing not a bit of her style even though she wore potholders shaped like cows. "Would the handsome gentleman like a drink to go along with that?" she asked teasingly as she leaned on the counter. "It's on the house."
"Surprise me." He propped his chin on his hands and admired her as she moved around the kitchen. Sometimes it still stunned him that she was there with him. Of all the things he had been expecting to bring back from the past, he had not been anticipating a Caretaker like his lover.
She set a glass of his favorite fermented cider made from ice apples in front of him along with a plate full of still steaming cookies. He reached out to cover her arm with his hands. "Tell me again that you regret nothing," he said softly.
"Of course I don't." She removed one of the potholders and covered his hands with hers. It still rocked her that someone so slender could be so terrifyingly strong. "Hell, Stormy, I never fit in back then. I was always out of step. Coming here was a relief. And, well, even if I hadn't felt that way, just being with you would have been enough."
He let out a little breath. "Thank you. I just needed to hear it again." He released her and picked up one of the cookies. He bit into it and it nearly melted on his tongue. A sip of his cider gave him that wonderful apple and chocolate flavor while the mild alcohol warmed his insides. He relaxed on a contented sigh. "Now this is the way to end a fight."
"Did you free Sabirah?" She finished putting the cookies onto a rack to cool and then pulled off the potholders to get herself something to drink.
"We did." He closed his eyes and pushed his plate to the side. "But she's not able to leave yet. Not without Minstrel." He opened his eyes and met hers. "In the same way that if I were dead, I would not be able to leave without you."
She was silent. Then, "She was supposed to be a Defender? I thought they were siblings."
"Adopted—another ironic tie to Tasia, really, given Liena's own history. And, yes, Sabirah was supposed to be the Alurian Defender of Ice, and their Lead. She died, though, and both roles passed to the next qualified people. Minstrel . . . he hates all of you because he failed her."
She sat down beside him. "So now I begin to wonder . . . is perhaps another aspect of Minstrel's fixation on Tasia because she is Karma and acts as the force of Judgment? Maybe he wants to be judged. Wants to die so he can find Sabirah and begin to atone for the terrible things he has done."
"It is possible," he agreed immediately, proving he had thought of it as well. "His death would only begin to reset the scales, but I could see him—if he could be healed—willingly working from the Realm to pay off his debt and do whatever was needed to make reparations. Arthur was honestly a worse person than Minstrel, even if his actions were not as bad, because Arthur willingly did what he did—and Minstrel has never been willing in any of this. He has been subject to his own madness and the evil trying to eat him. So if Arthur could have been reborn to try over had he not sacrificed his majik there at the end—no power, no rebirth—then Minstrel might actually have a chance to do good without being reborn, sort of more like Alloran than not. But that's just my guess, and not my job. Whatever may happen with him lays in Tasia's hands, and I'm happy to not know how she does some things. With this," he tapped his forehead, "I rarely ever get to be surprised by anything. Sometimes it really, really sucks to be able to know almost everything, you know?"
"Well," Kari murmured, "there's one thing you don't know about."
He quirked a brow. "And that is?" His heart flipped into his throat as she held out her hand and he saw the familiar box resting on her palm. "Oh," was all he could say. "No I . . . I didn't see that one." He gently took the box and opened it to find himself looking at a set of engagement rings. All four had been made of citrine, and two of them had veins of silver running through. They sparkled brightly. He had never seen anything more beautiful.
She took the box and removed the two rings with the veins. "I wanted to find rings as sassy as you, and it finally occurred to me that what makes you so wonderful is that you are as dual-sided as your Seed. That's what these rings represent. All sassy citrine magic on the outside but protective silver majik on the inside. Something inside you, like these rings, is something fierce and beautiful. Something that takes away my breath every time I look at you. Something that makes me feel like I could climb mountains because you believe in me." She took his hands and slowly slid the rings over his thumbs. "In light of that, I think we should skip the engagement part and just go from betrothed to wedded."
He gave a hiccupping laugh. "I could handle that!" He took the other rings and put them on her. "Though I admit I was hoping for flowers or candlelight. Maybe a question more than a statement. Oh, to hell with it!" He threw his arms around her and sent them both tumbling off the stools and onto the carpet with a soft thump. "The answer's yes anyway, so who cares?"
She grinned up at him, always willing to let him pin her down. She skimmed her hands across his face and then back into his hair. Serious now, she said, "You leave tomorrow morning, don't you?" He nodded, and she tugged him down until their lips met softly. "I thought so. Well, then I'll make the best of it." She rolled over and got to her feet in the same motion, and the lithe motion demonstrated how hard she had been training.
He gave a startled laugh as she scooped him up off the floor. "Now I know you're showing off." He swung his feet and decided, "I think I like this." He let his head rest on her shoulder and felt the tingling of their mutual Thunder Flower Element. She had been branded by his Seed, and he wore the rings she had chosen. That was more than enough for him, and he fully intended to take those feelings with him into the final fight. They would be his most potent weapon.
* * * * *
When Terry got home from work, he knew immediately that Beth was home as well and she was brooding. For one thing, he felt her presence the instant he entered the apartment. For another, he could feel she had shut her side of their bond so that he didn't feel what she did. He very nearly considered leaving her be.
For all of a second.
He found her in their massive master bathing room. She was brushing her hair in front of the vanity, and her reflection looked withdrawn and thoughtful. Her eyes lifted to meet his and she found a small smile. "Welcome home. Long day?"
"How long have you been sitting here?" he asked her softly as he came up behind her and put his hands gently on her shoulders. He could feel the tension in her muscles and firmly began to rub it away. "It's nearly evening."
"Is it?" She closed her eyes and leaned into his hands with a purr of pleasure. She hadn't even realized how tense she was. "I guess I've been here for a few hours then." She opened her eyes and looked at her hands. She wasn't sure she had the strength to take a dive into a world being torn by a madman.
Terry's hands suddenly covered hers. She realized in fascination that her hands were half the size of his and several shades darker because of her tan; he and Theo alike never tanned. They had used to sunburn fairly easily, but Tasia and LeAnn had jointly done something to change that since both would occupy worlds known for their hot suns and desert lands. "You know," she said musingly, "I'm on the small side for a female, but you make me seem very small suddenly."
"That's because I need to be bigger than you to keep you safe," he countered dryly. "And I've had my own moments of feeling small, thank you. Big Foot towers over me." The term was an affectionate one for Rodi; at six-two, he was the tallest of the Caretakers though Chance tied with him. Terry stood at a shorter five-seven.
She linked their fingers together. "I'm scared, Terry. Really scared. I've already seen inside Minstrel. It almost destroyed me. Tomorrow we have to go to a world that he has torn apart. It'll be like Aria all over again."
He lifted her up into his arms and carried her into their bedroom. They had a giant beanbag that was just big enough for both of them, and it was there that he went and sat down with her safely on his lap. "You're stronger than you think," he murmured into her hair. "I know you'll be fine."
She stopped resisting their bonds and let him feel all the turbulent feelings she had inside. "I can't shake my fear," she said softly. "And I don't want to go there as a liability. If Minstrel can feed on my fear, he will be stronger."
"Well, then let's find something else for you to think about. Ah. How about thinking about when we met?" He smiled when she eyed him. "I set my eye on you even then," he told her solemnly. "Why do you think I was always pulling on your braid?"
"Because you knew it would piss Theo off?" was the dry remark.
"That was a pleasant byproduct," he said just as dryly. "No, it was because I liked you. You were this three-year-old bundle of sass and joy and I just was always happiest near you." He snorted. "And then you hit twenty-one, and there went my pulse rate."
She snorted back. "I am not the sadist who discovered maturity and started working out shirtless."
"No, you just started wearing two-piece swimsuits. Frequently. Until it's a wonder I wasn't drooling every time I saw you. And then you turned twenty-five and became an adult." He winced. "Hello, detonation."
"So you love my body best?" It was asked teasingly.
"Actually, it's fairly low on the list. At the top is this." He ran his thumb over her lips. "This smile. Hooked me faster than a fisherman tossing out a net." He lowered his head and kissed her softly. "You're still a bundle of sass and joy, and nothing makes me happier than to be near you."
She caught him closer and held on tightly as her heart ached in a different way now. It was aching with all the overwhelming feeling she had for him. She let it well up until she felt as if she might burst. Seeing his blue eyes darken in response was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She softly framed his face in her hands. "I'll take you with me. I'll take your presence inside my heart. As long as you're in there, there's no room for fear."
"Maybe you should practice." He stood with her in his arms.
"Practice what?"
"Well, you know. That whole representing love as the carnation thing. You ought to try some method acting practice on the 'love' part."
"Well," she demurred "we suffer for our work."
* * * * *
Logan was just closing the school down for the evening when the door opened. He glanced up and immediately smiled as he saw Raine in the doorway. She always showed up to walk home with him if she could. "I was hoping you'd be free to walk with me."
"I made sure to find time." She walked over to lean on the counter across from him. "You heard, right?"
He nodded. "Tasia told me and Terry that we'd need to cover her shift tomorrow. We both assumed that meant tomorrow would be the start of the final fight." He drew a long breath. "I don't like it. Then again, I'm sure you knew that."
"I had a hunch," she said dryly. She hopped up to sit on the counter and lightly swung a foot. "You know, don't you? What my being Rea's twin soul means, or what it means for Tasia to be LeAnn's? We've never discussed it, but I think you know."
"I know. I've known all along." He locked the safe and then walked around the counter to face her. She was utterly beautiful to him, more every time he looked at her. "I would be lying if I said it didn't frighten me. Yet, on the other hand, that fierce protectiveness inside you two is one of the things I love most."
She went into his arms on a soft sigh. He was her husband and her dearest friend and her everything. "I don't know what my life would have been like without you, but I think it would have been terrible." She held on with a smile as he swung her in a circle. "What about you?"
"Sure as hell my life would have been more boring," he concurred. "I've always thanked my sister for our meeting."
"Tasi?" Her brows lifted and then she realized. "Ah, I see. Because you are both descended of Liena. Your powers echo on similar wavelengths so you were bound to be drawn closer, and since I'm her best friend . . ." She chuckled. "And yet despite you and Tasi being friends for your entire lives, you still didn't meet me until you found me in the marketplace." Dryly she added, "I think that one can be blamed on Emily."
"I would agree." He walked over to the front of the building and locked the door. He then pulled all the blinds and left the place lit only by a single lamp from the office. When he saw her lifted brow, he smiled and went to the audiobox. The device could play all manner of discs that held music, or it could pick up the stations broadcast across the galaxy that offered random selections of the same. "I thought you might like to dance with me. There's more room here."
She closed her eyes as music came out of the speakers. She very nearly swayed on her feet as the familiar smoky mystical voice and haunting lyrics sank into her body and soul. "Very sly, by the way, how you got your hands on that."
He grinned briefly. "Well, having heard that she and Theo were in a musical where they played lovers, it was only natural that we ask to hear them sing some of the songs. It was just an accident that the audiobox happened to be recording at the same time."
"Ha." She went into his arms easily and smiled as he began to ease her into the dance. She moved even closer with a sigh and rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm so glad you let Tasia convince you to learn to dance."
'"Here's a secret." He smiled. "I already knew how. But you looked so adorable insisting on it for our wedding that I pretended otherwise and Tasi let me. I'm a Virtuoso." He sent her into a spin and then brought her back. "We tend to know any dance we need by nature of our power."
"I should be offended, but you and your sister are kind of cute when you're in cahoots like that." When he gave a laugh and swung her around in dizzying circles, a wild wave of happiness welled up inside her. "Oh I love you!" She threw her arms around him tightly. "You know . . . I don't really feel like going home yet."
His entire body heated at the husky invitation in her voice. "Well," he lowered her toward the floor, "I could be convinced to stay longer." He glanced around. "I hope like hell my sister doesn't notice though."
She snickered. "She will. I noticed when she and Rodi got a little, erm, playful here."
He grimaced. "Too much information, thank you."
"Better shut me up before I start telling details." She opened her mouth but his covered hers and stole the words away. No matter where they were, everything about him was perfectly right for her. He filled all the empty places inside her heart. There would be no weaknesses inside her for Minstrel to exploit.
* * * * *
Silas sat on the edge of the low wall in the training garden and watched as Emily whaled the tar out of a punching bag. On one hand, he was really, really glad he wasn't her target. On the other hand, he couldn't help but admire the flow of light over her body. She definitely wasn't curvaceous, but she was so sleek and sexy that she stole his breath.
"Stop staring," she muttered. Her concentration had splintered as she saw the heat in his silvery-black eyes. He looked too gorgeous leaning there with his wings visible. He and Gail rarely hid their wings on grounds. "Damn it, you're distracting me."
He grinned. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." He thought about it for a moment. "You know, that's probably the only nice thing you've ever said to me." He laughed and caught her wrists as she swung around to hit him. "See? There you go again. You're so grumpy, Em."
She glowered at him. Caught as she was, she couldn't get free without hurting him. Hurting him was the last thing she wanted to do. The sight of him bloody and helpless still burned into her memory. A shudder went through her body, and she pulled her arms free to wrap them around his neck.
He froze for a moment in shock and then he pulled her even closer and buried his nose in the slate strands of her hair. "What brought this on?" he asked huskily. "Not that I'm complaining. I don't get to cuddle you enough."
"I'm just . . . I'm scared, okay?" She buried her face against his shoulder. "I actually have a reason to come home now and it scares me."
He sighed. "Isn't that supposed to make you feel safe and squishy and all those happy-go-lucky things that you deny unto death exist in your beautiful heart?"
She opened her mouth to retort but his words sank in and her jaw fell. "My what? Where do you get the idea that my heart is beautiful? You said it yourself that I was rude and mean and foul tempered!"
"Well, you are." He grinned cheerfully. "You're also incredibly tender and loving, and if you deny it, I'll produce enough evidence to make even you blush." She was blushing already and it couldn't have delighted him more. "Then again," he added thoughtfully, "I'm probably the only one who thinks it. You scare everyone else."
She pulled herself out of his arms and eyed him intently. "Really now."
"Sure." He knew he was rattling the tiger's cage but enjoyed it too much to stop. "I mean, geez. When you're queen of Hyacinth, you're going to give me gray hair. I've watched your dad run herd on your mom, and I don't think Arista has anything on you."
She picked up a staff and tapped it against her palm. "Is that so."
"It's very so. I have every belief that I will get very adept at saying 'She didn't mean that' right on the heels of your every statement." He burst into laughter as she swung the staff at him. He blocked and disarmed her and then caught her up and tossed her over his shoulder before she could do more than curse. "I'm nuts about you."
"You're just nuts!" She kicked her feet. "Silas, put me down. I'm warning you. I swear I'll bite your wing if you don't!"
His laugh held a husky note of masculine anticipation. "If you do, be prepared for me to ravish you wherever we happen to be. My wings are the most sensitive place on my body."
She stopped breathing as her pulse began to pound. "Really? The most sensitive?" The idea was seductive as hell, and her hand lifted without conscious thought toward the beautiful gold feathers near her.
"You heard me." He flipped her over into his arms properly and caught her wrists. "Oh no you don't. I think LeAnn might be miffed if we wrecked her rose bushes." He headed around the side of the castle to a side entry and then took the back stairs to find their wing of the castle. He strode into their room and then walked over to drop her onto the bed so that she bounced. Before she could recover, he pounced and pinned her. "Gotcha!"
She suddenly felt very serious. "And you're really intending to keep me, forever?" There was a trace of vulnerability in her eyes that broke his heart. "Even though I have to leave you behind when we leave tomorrow morning?"
"I'll be watching you," he vowed softly. "I'm your personal guardian. We do stuff like that."
The idea that he would be watching over her filled her with a shocking wave of emotion. She had never truly understood how happiness could fill every corner of her heart and soul until she had met him. In that moment, she felt so full she might burst. "I love you," she whispered, startling him. "So you had better be here for me to come back to or I'll hunt you down, turn into a snake, and bite your cute ass!"
He grinned. That was his Emily, he thought happily. He hoped that someday they had a daughter exactly like her.
* * * * *
The sun had fully set by the time Ryan got back to his rooms. He had had dinner with his parents, but he hadn't seen Gail anywhere. It made him feel more than slightly depressed. If he didn't get to see her, he felt fairly sure he wouldn't sleep at all and be utterly useless the following morning.
He opened his door and was surprised to discover the lights weren't on. He kicked the door shut and then went to light some candles. He really did not feel like having artificial light. Candles were always more soothing, especially the ones that Jayden handmade.
The light from Delphinium had begun to spill in the window thanks to the late hour. He kicked off his shoes and prepared to go into the bathing room to run a bath when he heard haunting guitar music curling around him. He knew instantly that it belonged to Gail and turned around quickly.
His breath caught as he saw her on the balcony. She sat perched on the rail with the guitar on her lap, and her hair and wings fluttered around her in the night breezes. He could hardly believe that such an incredible creature belonged to him. He must have done something really good in a past life to earn a demi-goddess for his soul mate.
He walked over and opened the doors to let in the night. His hair ruffled around his head as he stood in the doorway and listened to the music curling around him. As the last note died, he found a tremulous smile. "Sometimes I wonder if you're playing the guitar, or my heart. It's beautiful, Gail. I think you might skirt Shaman too."
She looked at him with eyes that burned like silver flames in the candlelight. "Are you going to invite me in?" Turning to find him watching her with love in his eyes had shredded at her control. "I warn you now, I don't feel very civilized."
"Who said I wanted a tamed bluebird? I much prefer a fierce hawk who will protect me." He stepped back and held his arms open. "Nothing about you scares me. I don't think I'm scared of anything anymore thanks to you." He spun in a circle and looked so beautiful that he closed her throat. "How can there be room for fear or anger if you're inside me?"
She moved into the room and snatched him off the floor and into her arms. The fresh scent of orchids curled around her as she buried her face in his hair. "I can't get over you," she murmured. "How radiant you are. It makes me feel greedy and not want to share you."
"Who said you have to?" He wound his arms around her neck so that he could lean back and study her face. She wore a bemused expression. "What's so funny?"
"You. Sometimes even I forget that underneath that gentle exterior is a very wild spirit. I half expect to see you grow wings as well."
"I like yours." He buried his fingers in the thick lavender strands of her hair. "I don't really have any need to fly. I like just being in your arms, really." He grinned. "And the way you will just carry me around sometimes is close enough anyway." He wiggled his dangling feet to prove his point. "Whoop!" He held on tighter as she started walking through their sitting room into their bedroom. "Yup, just like that." Once put on his feet, he caught her collar and tugged her down to kiss her contentedly. "Gotcha," he murmured huskily. He tumbled her over onto the bed, though it did not take much effort since she went willingly. "I don't want to let you go."
She shook her head on a smile. "I don't intend to let go either. I know I can't go with you tomorrow, but I will be watching over you like I did when you were on Aria. You won't be alone, Ry."
"I already knew that." He leaned down to kiss her again and felt his heart overflowing with millions of emotions. Hers, his, everyone's. Emotions of love and hope. As long as they filled him, he could never be hurt by Minstrel's madness. "So . . . how late can we stay up?" he asked teasingly.
Her eyes lit with desire and love. "Let's find out."
* * * * *
"Damn it, Relisha!" Allister scooped up his daughter under one arm and his son under the other. "I told you to stop tormenting your brother!"
"He started it!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Enough!" Allister sat them down on their beds and leveled a steely look at both. "Now, you listen to me. Your mother is very tired, and she's under a lot of stress. Don't give her something more to worry about."
The twins fell silent and then Percival asked softly, "Daddy, why does Mommy fight?"
Allister sighed and sat down between the twins. Both climbed onto his lap, and he wrapped his arms around them snuggly. "Because Statice and Destiny knew she would be strong enough to protect this universe. She's one of the most incredible women I've ever known. I believe in her ability to protect us all. That doesn't mean she's invulnerable, however, and if she's worried over you two, she won't be able to concentrate."
Relisha rubbed at her eyes. "Okay. We'll be good. But you gotta protect her, kay?"
"Absolutely." Allister kissed them both and then simply rocked them for a few moments. He still couldn't believe how much he loved these two terrors. "Okay, bedtime." He let them go and tucked them both in, and he smiled as Relisha snuggled the stuffed dragon toy that Tasia had given her for a birthday gift.
He shut their door behind him and let out a long breath. Melina, watching from the top of a hall lamp, asked impishly, "Being a dad is harder than being the Knight of the Fields?"
"Yes," he said dryly, "it is." He smiled as she flew over to land on his shoulder. "I think my brother cursed me when we were kids. He told me he hoped I had kids just like me. Gods save us, I did. Percival is far too much like me—and Relisha is far too much like her mother." He grinned when she giggled. "Where is Racine anyway?"
"She went to her sacred space. Said she needed to forget the world existed." Melina flew off his shoulder and hovered in the air as he headed down the hall. If he couldn't remind Racine about the more pleasant aspects of the world, then she would be annoyed. With a smile, she flew down the hall and peeked into the twins' room. "Go to sleep and stop throwing pillows!" she scolded.
Allister eased open the door to the small room in their wing that Racine had made into a sacred space and stepped inside. He shut the door softly and locked it behind him to bar intrusions. For a moment, he just stood and admired his wife as she kneeled naked inside a cast circle. She still stole his breath every time he looked at her.
Her lips curved though her eyes did not open. "You're distracting me. Strip and join me."
He smiled and removed his clothes. Only then did he walk forward and enter the circle she had cast. He sat down across from her and draped an arm over his knee. "I like distracting you."
She opened one eye and felt her body heat at the sight of his naked beauty. "And you do it very well. Good goddess, I'd bet you caused lots of trouble in university."
He smiled with sudden wryness. "I did, but not for the reasons you think. I honestly just was not into anyone that way while at school, and the two people I did date I only went out with because they asked me and I was mostly just a little lonely. It didn't last long."
She smiled. "And yet you knew all of your weapons and how to utilize them to land me."
"Lack of interest does not make me oblivious to what made others interested in me." He grinned a bit wickedly. "I'm not ashamed to say I at least took advantage of my accent where you're concerned, especially since I knew you loved it. I knew we were meant to be together."
She scooted closer and cuddled against him with a sigh, content as his arms folded around her. "We've been here before," she murmured softly. "Haven't we?"
He sighed and leaned his head back. "Yeah." It was still vivid in his mind how he had been forced to stay behind on Protea while Racine went with the Defenders into the final stage of the Realm War. All Caretakers had been left behind for that one, too. "It still sucks."
She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. "But this time," she said softly, "I am a seasoned, second tier, Defender Cultivator. I know my power. I believe in my power. And," she turned to look at him directly, "I know you believe in me. Perhaps that more than anything makes me strong." She rested her hand over his heart. "Tomorrow, when we go into battle, I won't be afraid." Her eyes closed in delight as she felt his shadowy magic curling around her. "You planning to make sure there's no room in my heart for fear?"
"I thought I might." He gently lowered her to the floor with a smile. "It's part of that 'mate of a Cultivator' thing. We fight beside you in whatever way we can." He softly kissed her, thrilling to her taste even after so many years. "But," he murmured, "kindly remember that I will be pissed if you get yourself into the sort of danger where you have to be retreated."
She laughed and held him tighter. Sure, it might not be the most romantic statement, but she had never felt more loved in her life.
* * * * *
The house was quiet and dark. As soon as they had finished dinner, Tasia had disappeared upstairs to the attic. Rodi had let her be, and he had cleaned up the kitchen and the living room both. The house felt very quiet without either of their kids around, but he didn't mind as long as they remained safely tucked away.
He was not happy with Anna's little stunt. He still considered grounding her until forever, but every time he thought about it, he realized that she was simply far too much like her mother for his own sanity. Goddess only knew that Tasia was a protector to her very bones and willing to lay life on the line for princess, kingdom, and anyone she loved.
She had been alone long enough. He began to climb the stairs toward the attic, and he stripped off his clothes along the way. He could feel the strong circle she had cast; the stronger the circle, the closer to skyclad someone had to be to enter. Physical trappings would be rejected as material possessions. He eased the door open and wasn't surprised to see her kneeling in the center of a circle of blue-white flames tinged with her rainbow-gray arcanistry.
His breath hitched. Cloaked in nothing but candlelight and her thick hair, she was almost unbearably perfect in her beauty. Almost, because the perfection was marred distinctly by her slightly crooked nose and the little scars over her body from battles fought that could not be healed. The imperfections only added to her beauty. Little was more alluring than the signs of strength. It really made him want to coddle her, though.
"Ha," came her amused voice. "Coddling me is the very definition of impossible."
He grinned and propped his hands on his hips. "Well, one can try. Remember, you're dealing with a Caretaker. It's encoded in my soul to protect and defend."
She snorted as she opened her eyes. "Honestly, I'm grateful in some ways that you Deactivated your Seed. I do not envy Shanae and Robert being each other's Caretaker. That was a frustrating endeavor for many years."
"So she says, but she still acts like my Caretaker anyway."
She smiled at him. "Well, that can't be helped. I mean, I am Aria's Defender, right? I should be there to protect her True Born, even if he is not on the throne." She made an elegant gesture and opened the circle. "May he enter and be welcome."
He stepped inside and the circle closed behind him. Content, he sat down on the floor across from his wife. "You know," he said musingly, "until I met you, I had no idea that my majik could be used in ways like this. Had no idea there was a name for the things I thought and the ways I believed. Even as children, when you would talk so matter-of-factly about things, it just felt right. You know how nervous I felt coming to you after we were reunited and asking you if I could enter the Faith and walk the Path?"
"Of course I do. I had been expecting it, though. I have never been surprised when someone asked me. Now want to know a secret?" The light danced in her eyes. "You had already unconsciously been on it. You had taken to heart everything I ever told you, and had been abiding by it without knowing. It just got formalized when you asked. That's why I advanced you to the final stage of the Path in fairly short order. You had already proven you did not need much oversight."
"I'm not as surprised by that as I should be."
"That's because you know me as well I do." She stretched her arms over her head and then braced them behind her. "I'm waiting for the lecture," she announced. He quirked a brow and she clarified, "You know, the one about how I can't leave you behind and how you absolutely refuse to let me face danger alone and how you know that I'll be so busy protecting my princess that I might forget to protect myself, and so on . . ."
He skimmed a knuckle over her leg to savor muscle and skin alike. "Should we skip right to the part where you tell me that you're trusting me to stay here and protect the kingdoms and the other Caretakers just in case there's a trap and how knowing I am defending Protea and Iris will allow you to fight with an unburdened heart?"
Her lips curved. "Has it occurred to you that we've had this conversation one too many times if we know each other's lines?" A companionable silence held for a few moments as they simply enjoyed the night, and then she finally whispered, "I don't think I am who we think I am."
Concerned, he moved closer and pulled her into his arms. "What do you mean?" he asked softly.
"There's so much evidence piling up." She closed her eyes. "Everything just makes me more sure. There's a pattern that I've seen and it scares me. There's something more inside me. Something more that Destiny wants from me. Why Rodi?" She opened her eyes, and the caramel color glowed fiercely. "Why me?"
He smoothed her hair back from her face. "Because you're you," he said softly. "The most incredible woman I've ever known. Destiny knows that if something needs to be done, you're the one she can trust with the job. Shanae and Sayena fulfilled their roles. Now it's your turn."
His words only fed her suspicions and her fears. She shied away from it for once. She didn't want to think about things that would upset her. Instead, she wound her arms around her husband and pressed closer as she let her arcanistry curl around them in a flow of soft shadows. "Don't let me go all night," she said softly. "Fill me with your presence so that I can know you're there even when we're apart. Minstrel wants to feed on my emotions. I'll let him feed on all the love I have for you. It's as infinite as my very power. Maybe it is the base of my power."
His breath caught in his chest. "How the hell did I deserve you?" he asked roughly. "I'm seriously considering being grateful our ancestors were such idiots." He tugged her onto his lap and let his own majik flow forth and merge with hers. It created an incandescent swirl of shadows that bespoke a perfect harmony of Light and Dark where sparks could fly free and safe. "I'll be there if you need me," he said softly. "I swear it."
"I know." And in knowing it, her confidence grew. There was strength in letting someone protect you, just as there was strength in protecting someone else. As long as she had both of those feelings inside her, she could never be broken down. She could plunge into the heart of madness again and come out alive.
©Stacy J. Garrett. Do not reprint or redistribute without permission.
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