CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Samuel was out. Completely. Blissfully. Out. His soft breathing created a gentle rise and fall of his arm where it lay on his chest. I gave thanks that Elves needed half the sleep of humans, for the extra hours of quiet gave me time to memorize him as he slept through to the next morning. His lean strength, his ridges and curves, and the way his expression relaxed in slumber, making him look less severe.
Despite Zophia hoping to hold the Fates off for a few days, they might well call me to appear before them at any time. I studied him—the mate my heart had chosen. And though he had threatened to bed me rough a hundred times until I learned my worth, he had tended to me most gently and then insisted I get some rest.
Samuel rolled onto his side. The sheet dragged across his hip, working hard to cover his essentials. His arm reached up and flopped to the pillow above his head, elongating his position. Another shift and the sheet would be irrelevant.
Breathe, Lia. Just breathe.
A feminine gasp had my head turning. Gemma looked like she might bounce right out of her skin. Ooh, don’t you just want to lick him? Her tongue dragged across her upper lip as she skipped to my side. Well, this is new, she whispered, though being a spirit, there was no need for the precaution. Have you ever had a boy-girl-sleepover before?
I giggled, trying not to wake him. “No, this is a first.”
Gemma tiptoed to the bedside and peered over Samuel’s prone body. The four poster was too high for her to get a good view, so she floated off the ground a bit. Is it totally inappropriate to say your boyfriend makes me want to—
“Yes,” I said, shooting her a look. “Please keep those thoughts to yourself.”
Just sayin’, that body could give a girl a serious case of the swoons. Gemma bit her bottom lip. Speaking of male hotness, is your blond Highborne friend single? Think I might have a chance there?
I rolled my eyes. “Well, being dead, I suppose neither of you has a vast dating pool to wade through. Mayhap you should get to know him. He is fun and a true gem of a male.”
Gemma’s mouth curled in an uneven grin. Fun, a gem, and super sexy. Sounds like a destiny trifecta to me.
The shuffle of sheets silenced our conversation. Strong hands found my waist under the sheets and pulled me close. He kissed me softly on the lips. “Good morning. Did ye sleep all right?”
Gemma clamped her hand over her mouth and burst into hysterics. Wow. Big day in the life of you, eh girlfriend? Okay, I’m outtie, but I want details later. Lots of details.
When Gemma’s form jogged through the wall, I turned my attention to Samuel. “I slept soundly and as you promised, I am indeed deliciously sore and would fondly stay in this bed for days.”
He chuckled and kissed my collarbone. “Oh, if that were only possible, Luv, but we’ve got plans today.”
“Plans? I thought we could—”
The knock on the door was loud and offensive. “Lia? You awake?” Bruin asked from the hall. “Breakfast has come and gone and after last night, I’m getting worried.”
I giggled as Samuel flicked my nipple with the tip of his tongue. “I am glorious, Bruin. Fash not.”
“Glorious?” There was a long silence before he cursed a low oath. “Lia, honey, is Samuel with you?”
Samuel raised his head, looking piqued. “Aye, I am. We’ll be out in a bit, Bear. S’all good.”
Bruin’s bear growled long and low. “Dammit, Samuel, do you think she needs this? For fuck’s sake, I’m supposed to be watching out for her. Galan’s going to shit kittens if he finds out you’re fooling around with his sister.”
“Our business, Bruin. Not yours, not his.”
“Yeah, I’ll remind him of that when he shoves his fist through your chest and rips your heart out.”
I winced as Bruin’s heavy stomp receded down the hall. Propping myself up on my elbow, I noticed Samuel was once again very much aroused. “Should we ready for our day or would you like another turn?”
Samuel laughed out loud. “If we keep taking turns we’ll never make it out of this bed and we’ve a journey ahead of us if yer going to be queen.” Scooping me into his arms, he headed for the bathroom. “Besides, showering together works on both fronts. We’ll get cleaned up and have fun doing it.”
***
Less than two hours later, showered, fed
,
and dressed for travel, Samuel Flashed me to a rolling green landscape much like the one by the stream weeks ago. In the distance, an elaborate, labyrinth hedge wove its way across what appeared to be the entire countryside. As far as I could see, acres of perpendicular paths cut in a mesmerizing maze.
Tham materialized by my side and we studied a grand fortress in the center of the labyrinth. It glowed against the darkness of the coming night, an imposing set of standing stones rising up as sentinels all the way around it.
“Where are we?” I asked, though I feared I knew
“Lothendril,” Samuel said, “The Silver Citadel.”
The Silver Citadel. Aptly named. For as the last of the day’s light sunk behind the horizon it reflected on the stone architecture. Lit by the heavens , the building and monoliths radiated a silver sheen as if the walls were carved from the finest crystal.
I drew a deep breath, but it failed to fill my lungs. The Highbornes were once the great guardians of Queen Rheagan and her palace. Corrupted by magic and complacency, they failed to protect the realm from the Queen herself. The Citadel stood as monument to my race’s legendary fall from glory.
I had yet to absorb the majesty when a swirl of black mist brought Kobi into our group. Wearing his full Talon leather uniform, he nodded to Samuel, swaggered over and winked at me. “Demon on board. Let the party begin.”
Samuel drew me closer with a firm hand at the small of my back. “Yer can sense an attempt at possession before it happens, demon. That’s the only reason yer here. Do yer job.”
I remembered my crescent tattoo and realized I had yet to tell anyone Castian warded my body against possession.
Before I could mention it, Kobi’s pierced brow arched as he broke into a taunting smile. “And you hate that I’m here, don’t you Merlin? Afraid I might sample your goods again? Did our little Lia tell you about my visit to her room last night—”
My ears heated right to the tips. I looked up at Samuel, who was glaring quite murderously at Kobi. “I said nothing of it because nothing happened worth mentioning in a night filled with much more important issues.”
Kobi raised his palm to his chest. “You wound me Highborne. That kiss wasn’t nothing. I have a healthy frame of reference , and you and—”
“Stop,” I hissed, glaring at Kobi. “Why do you insist on causing turmoil?”
Samuel pulled me tight to his side, his fingers gripping into my hip. “Because he’s a filthy demon. And if I learn he had any part in the upset that led to yer pond adventure, he’ll be a feckin ' dead demon.”
Kobi laughed. “What, you think I—”
A far-off rumbling had us whirling. Three males on horseback approached at a gallop.
Jade’s childhood attack ran through my mind. Ambushed by Scourge raiders in exactly this fashion, men on horseback attacked, raped and almost killed her mother and slaughtered the man she believed to be her father. Night thickened around us, offering a few places where we might take to hiding.
The thundering of hooves created a weighty rhythm in my chest. Tham drew his dagger and stepped before me. A sweet gesture no matter how ineffective.
Samuel drew his wand and pointed it at Kobi. “Are ye finished being a prick?”
Kobi winked at me. “Sure. Let’s go with that.”
The riders were nearly upon us. I gripped Samuel’s arm and pulled toward a nearby bush. The blessed male did not budge. I tried again, but he held fast and flashed me a hot look. “Stop yer fussing and stand behind me. This is why we’re here.”
His tone stung. So Kobi had brought us back to that, had he? I ruffled my hair forward in hopes to cover the points of my ears and hide my hurt. To me, panicking seemed the only option. The riders stopped just short of our group. The horses stamped and plodded the packed earth.
Peering out from behind the shoulder of Samuel’s slicker, my pulse hammered through my veins.
The three males were alike. Dark features, dark eyes and by their menacing scents . . . dark hearts. The largest of the three leaned forward, the leather of his saddle creaking with his shift in position over his horse’s broad neck.
No fetid stench of Scourge Raiders. Mayhap they were simple local folk passing by.
“Weel, what have we here? Look lads, a filthy Highborne rabbit caught in our snare.”
Or mayhap not.
Samuel pocketed his wand. “Clap yer gob, the lass has done nothing to deserve yer venom.”
The two other males chuckled and dismounted, each wearing pleated tartan skirts that came to their knees. These men posed a serious threat but were human.
The male still seated on his horse smiled. “She’s Highborne scum. That is enough. Then there’s the bit about bringin ' an exiled Elf on our land, so trespassing seems to be another offense.”
One of the men on the ground before us nodded. “And ye riled our stock by Flashing in. Magic’s outlawed here.”
“True enough. Ye cannae be upsetting the animals,” the third one said, their taunts bouncing from one to the next. “So, we ask again. What tithe shall ye offer in compensation for our troubles?”
I eased a step back, my heel stopping when it met Kobi’s boot. The demon smiled down at me, his eyes glowing red, and then cast a glance to the three. “You’ve overestimated yourselves, boys. Apologize to the lady and you might survive. If not, I don’t see things ending well for you.”
The three burst into a fit of deep laughter.
One of the males rushed forward. Samuel met the advance and matched the male with every shift and scramble. Move for move. Strike for strike. Samuel blocked, punched and countered, as if he anticipated every blow.
The attacker’s dark eyes widened. “Ah Jaysus, is it you?”
“Aye,” Samuel said. “I have a mind to use the tip of my boot to shove a tithe up yer sorry arse for insulting the lass.”
The largest of the three dismounted and approached Samuel looking rabid. “And why would ye care, Sammy boy? She’s a bloody Highborne. Are yer loyalties so far gone ye lost sight of the cause completely?”
Samuel scowled and gestured to the males. “Lia, meet Deaglan, Nolan and Chad, three of my younger brothers. Lads, meet Lia Caleblasse, the lost heir of the Queen and the woman ye’ve all sworn yer life to protect.”