Beloved LifeMate: Song of the Sídhí #1 (7 page)

I felt his humor spike. “Yes, Mia Cara, the castle has plumbing.” He hesitated. “Do you think you’ll black-out if I move you?”

I groaned a heartfelt sound.
“I better not. I’ll never be able to look you in the face if I pee all over you.”

“Hmpgh.”

I mock growled at him.
“It doesn’t do any good to swallow your hysterical laughter if I can feel it bursting through our bond.”

He chuckled and kissed my lips in a comforting show of love.

He began slowly shifting me. I was whimpering by the time he stood up with me. He carried me across the wide room and into another room. It had several doors leading from it. He went straight ahead through the single open door.

I closed my eyes. The movement made me dizzy.

He stopped and I opened my eyes in time to see a frown crease his face. He leaned down with me still in his arms.

I squealed like a stuck piglet.
“What’re you doing? Just help lean against the counter and I can make it from there.”
No way in this world was I letting him set me on the commode and have my backside shine the world.

“You’ll fall flat. I’m not letting you go,” he said in a no-nonsense tone of voice, his worry leaked into me. “I'll hold you until you finish.”

“No, no way. I can’t go with you holding me.”
I fretted. I really had to go, but there was no way I was going with him holding me on the commode or whatever they called it here.

He chuckled. “Commode is fine.”

I groaned. I forgot I had my surface thoughts open to him. For just an instant, I felt hurt that he hadn’t opened his thoughts to me. I quickly buried that thought so he wouldn't feel bad over my hurt. Talk about confusing.

“Please, I can’t go with you holding me. It’s just humiliating,”
I said.
“We could compromise. Help me sit down and then leave. Okay?”

He finally sighed, “Let’s get you down and then go from there.”

He set my feet on the floor and I whimpered as pain shot through my hips. I felt his anger and frustration skyrocket and I cringed.

“Shh, love, I’m not angry at you,” he said warmly. Then his voice grew hard. “I’m angry at myself for having hurt you so badly.”

“It’s okay,”
I said, gasping past the pain. I finally gave in.
“I don’t see I have a choice. Can you hold me while I go?”

Tears fell down my face. I was so embarrassed.

I felt his panic and worry as he looked at me. Then suddenly he felt relief.

“My love, do you trust me?” he asked hesitantly.

In shock, I blinked at him. He was my bonded lifeMate.
“Of course, I trust you.”

He slightly shook his head and smiled. I felt his wonder and a feeling of overwhelming love flow through the bond and into me.

“Most halflings,” he grunted, “most elves would run backward at what I'm about to do.”

The words were barely out of his mouth when I understood. I watched living crystal flow around me. I giggled as Colin released me, and the firm yet cushion-soft crystal completely supported my body.

Colin mentally commanded the synth crystal to hold me in position on top of the commode. He was brilliant; I essentially had an exoskeleton of living crystal. My Colin was the Chi’Kehra. He controlled synth crystal. Whether it was in solid form, like what was currently wrapped around my body, or liquid form. The crystal was a form of pure energy; the scientific combination of a dozen different ingredients that modern scientists believed to be mythical poppy-cock.

I watched my beloved walk out of the bathroom, but I heard him stop immediately inside the next room. I chuckled. He was still not leaving me completely alone.

I finished and was trying to figure out how to flush the silly thing when it suddenly did it all on its own. How? Then I knew. I felt Colin’s humor at the back of my mind. I looked-up and found him peeking around the door frame.

I chuckled. I couldn’t be angry with him, not with his love and concern pulsing around me. If he had been in my position, I would have been just as concerned.

“Thank you,”
I said and sent a caress of love across our bond. I watched his face light up as he felt my love flow into him.

He grinned. “You’re welcome. Now, no arguing, I can feel your pain throbbing through our bond. Let’s get you in bed.” He reached to pick me up.

“Since we’ve gone this far, would you help me take a shower or a bath?”
I asked and held my breath.

His worry pulsed through me with increasing intensity. “Mia Cara, you need rest.”

When I saw him hesitate, I bit my lip and plunged on, using every advantage I could.
“I don’t want to beg and you think I’m being manipulative like the other women.”
I sighed.
“But I really want to be clean. I can smell the dried blood in my hair. It’s just gross. I feel icky.”

“I won’t let you in the bath by yourself, not even with the crystal holding you up. You’ll have to let me help you,” he said, briefly stroking my cheek with his knuckles.

“Okay,”
I agreed and felt my blush rush up my neck, into my face, and finally fill the tips of my slightly pointed ears I inherited from my half-elvish mother.

He grinned and left me sitting where I was. He quickly pulled off everything, except his snug fitting pants. My eyes widened and I felt myself flush from another kind of heat as I watched the muscles across his back ripple with suppressed strength. He stopped moving. Turning around, he looked at me with a slightly raised eyebrow.

He was instantly kneeling in front of me. “I’m glad you find my body pleasing, but if I’m going to get through this shower with my sanity intact and not embarrass myself, you’ve got to shield your surface thoughts from me.” He cupped my cheek in his hand and very lightly brushed his lips across mine.

“I can feel your desire and I know you can feel mine,”
I said, shielding my surface thoughts.

I felt his regret.

He started the water in a Jacuzzi-sized tub and added several streams of a rose smelling soap. Bubbles bloomed into life, big and frothy they filled the tub.

He carefully picked me up and set me on the wide edge of the tub. He helped me out of the large shirt, which I realized was his and I felt his desire – that had been simmering at the edge of my brain – burst through me.

I gasped in shock. I was totally grubby looking. How could he feel that way toward me?

He groaned, gripping the edge of the tub, he turned away from me. “Sorry, give me a second.”

I really wanted a bath, but not at his disposal.
“I’ll wait until morning for a bath. Maybe by then, I can take it by myself.”

He looked at me, very pointedly ignoring everything below my chin. I felt his confusion. “I know how badly you want to clean-up. I can feel the urgent need.” He looked at me and took a deep breath as if he was going to tackle something he didn’t want to touch; I felt his pain as he said, “I’m not some kind of animal that can’t control himself. You aren’t in any kind of shape for me to even give you pleasure. Surely, you know that I’d never hurt you.”

I snapped my jaw shut with a click and grimaced at my stupid action when it pulsed with pain.
“You silly man, I know that! I also know the desire between two lifeMates, especially after they have bonded is tremendous. The desire, both our desires are growing. We both want the other and the bond makes our desire feed off of each other. Your helping me in the bath, would cause you pain. I can’t do that to you. I’ll just wait until morning. Okay?”

~ ~ ~

Time and again, he expected her to use her new found 'power' against him, believing she would slap him down. He'd seen it repeatedly through his entire life. Every Sídhí male was very aware of Woman's Choice. Women held power and they twisted their lifeMate into knots over every little thing, taking pleasure from the pain they caused.

Already, there were a dozen things she could use as a weapon against him.

She could have easily used her pain against him. Instead, she tried hiding how badly she hurt.

And family, every time they spoke about family, he felt her bursting with love and yearning for her family on Earth. Yet, she never once asked to contact them, even though he knew how desperately she wanted to.

Every time he turned around, he expected the worst. It never happened.

Like right now, he could feel how urgently she wanted a bath, but she refused when she thought it would cause him undue pain.

He shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around this new lifeMate of his, but he couldn't fully understand her. Finally, he realized it didn't matter if he understood or not. He simply thanked God for blessing him more than he ever deserved.

He smiled down at her and picked her up, cradling his most precious mate against his chest.

Her sigh of delight, as he lowered her in the hot water, was worth every moment of pain he experienced during the bath as he soaped her up and washed her fine silken hair. Oh yes, he was in pain, an exquisite pressure he thought he'd explode from. It was worth every moment.

~ ~ ~

I snuggled deeper in Colin's warm embrace.

Sound asleep he tightened his arms, curling closer around me. A wave of love surrounded me; his sleep-filled emotion enveloped me within in a cocoon, caressing me as if he lay awake.

I trembled, realizing that even as he slept he loved me.

Who knew life could take such a dramatic turn?

The only thing that could make my life perfect would be adding my family into the mix. I knew by now they must be frantic. I could still hear Sarah's heart rendering scream of denial; her eyes had looked tortured as she watched the gate shut between us.

I shoved my worries to the back of my mind. Given time I thought Colin would agree to meet them, but I knew that decision would take time.

As long as he remained at my side, loving me the way he did, I could live with that.

The End

Glossary of Sídhí Terms

Blood
Thirst
- The uncontrollable urge of a vampire to drink human blood from a specific person.

Chameleon
– Chameleon are race of people from Sídhí. Three to four feet tall, slender, and covered from head to toe with short, thick black fur like that of an otter. They have solid black eyes and sharp white teeth. If injected with raw synth crystal they Change into an umbra.

Chi’Kehra
– Chi’Kehra is the title for the true elf monarch. In known history, there have only been two. Every elf baby is tested at birth; the baby’s hand is sliced open and dipped into pure synth crystal. Any child that has a scar after this process is declared as the ultimate elf leader, Chi’Kehra. The Chi’Kehra is the only person that can completely manipulate synth crystal in its pure form.

Dragon
– 1.) Dragon shifters are a race of people originally from Sídhí. They have the ability to change their shape to that of a specific animal/dragon. Each sub-race (Clan) has various strengths provided by the synth crystal in their blood. A person’s first shift into dragon can take place before or after puberty. A shifter in human form smells human. They consider the term shapeshifter a slur as they are dragon. 2.) Dragons are a very intelligent, and highly dangerous, Sídhí animal.

Elves
- Race of people originally from Sídhí. The have a rigidly strict code of honor. They give an oath of fealty to whomever they choose. First, they always give a blood oath of fealty to the unknown Chi’Kehra, second oath goes to their house, and third oath may go to their valley or their liege lord. Due to synth crystal they have increased sense of smell, sight, strength and mental capabilities. They have pointed ears, approximately a half inch to one inch taller than a mundane human’s ear. The pupil (black center) and the iris (colored portion of their eye) are larger than a mundane human’s eye.

Fairy
- Race of people originally from Sídhí. Each fairy has various strengths provided by the synth crystal in their blood. Very secretive race. Most live in Atlantis Valley, which covers large swaths of land and all of the North and South Atlantic Oceans. Five castes: Royal, warrior, merchant, common, and servant. The five castes contain hundreds of sub-races, such as siren, pixie, nymphs, changelings, dwarves, leprechaun, brownie, banshee, harpy, phoenix, enchanter, mermaid, mystic… Physical and paranormal attributes vary widely between sub-races.

Gateway
- A gateway is a permanent ‘doorway’ that allows people or inanimate objects to travel instantly between Earth and valley (see valley) or between valleys. A mundane human cannot see a gateway, but they can go through a gateway if touching a Sídhí or holding a piece of synth crystal.

Halfling – A halfling is an individual who is half one race and half another.

Khatt
– A khatt is a large Sídhí animal. Very family orientated. They live in large herds. Babies are called kit - litters of three to five. Omnivore, though they prefer meat. They will adopt a human upon occasion. Long lived - several centuries.

LifeMate
– When a person is drawn toward another person by the synth crystal in their blood. Two people who are perfect soul mates. Two people who fall in love and bond. LifeMates are miserable when apart from each other.

LifeBond
- The lifeBond is a permanent mental bond between two lifeMates. The bond allows them to feel each other’s emotions. The bond cannot be broken once formed.

LifeBud
- The LifeBud is a physical organ in a Sídhí brain that allows a lifeBond to be created between two lifeMates. The bud can be destroyed before a bond is created, but not afterward.

Mia
Cara
- Literal translation: my beloved.

Morag
- A nocturnal insect with a blackish oval body with grooved wings and several dozen legs. It makes an irritating buzzing/belching sound, but is not very loud.

Mundane
(human) – A mundane is a normal human with no synth crystal in their blood, normally born on Earth. Some valleys have a few mundane settlements. The Dhark Valleys keep mundane humans as servants/slaves and a source of blood for their large vampire population.