Darkness, Kindled (34 page)

She would’ve been gone. He’d never have been able to talk to her again … or touch her …

He was a mess. An effed-up, confused 
mess because all that mattered in that moment was that she was okay, not that he wasn’t supposed to want her. For now he was with her … and he could touch her. His eyes dipped to her trembling lips. Need fisted in his gut.

Nothing else mattered.

There was too much space between them.

Without thinking about the consequences, 
Jai tugged her roughly into his arms so he could hug her and assure himself that she was safe. The familiar feel of her body against his only sharpened the need and his hold tightened, his heart pounding so hard, they both could hear it.

He felt Ari squeeze him back. “I’m 
okay,” she reassured him softly. “He just wanted to mess with my head. I didn’t do anything. I didn’t command him. It was hard, but I didn’t, I promise.”

“Ssshh,” Jai hushed, not wanting her to 
worry that he thought she’d be reckless enough to do that. Ari was honest and sometimes impulsive, but she was smart, and unlike some people, she had a lot of self-control. She amazed him. “I know. I’m proud of you.”

He heard her breathing change—it became 
ragged as she pulled back to gaze up at him. Everything was there in her eyes. Her gratitude, her relief … her desire. Jai’s eyes dipped to her mouth again. One taste. One taste wouldn’t be so bad …

She tried to take a step back and Jai’s 
hands tightened around her. He didn’t want her to go yet … he hadn’t had time …

“Jai—”

His control snapped.

He hauled her up against him, his lips 
crushing down over hers, satisfaction slamming through him at the taste of her.

She melted instantly, her arms wrapping around him, her mouth opening to let him deepen the kiss, his tongue teasing hers mercilessly. And that instant surrender to him was like throwing tinder on the fire. He wanted to be closer.

He wanted inside of her, so deep inside she’d never get him out.

At the sound of her gasp in his mouth, 
Jai nearly expired on the spot. He wasn’t close enough. Pushing her against the counter, finesse, gentleness, it all was burned away by the blazing heat in his blood. Jai gripped her hips and easily lifted her onto the counter so he could insinuate himself between her legs, long legs that immediately wrapped themselves around him, drawing him closer. His fingers dug into her hips as he nudged against her, groaning deep at the pleasure that rippled through him from the tease. The first time he’d kissed her, there was a spark—a spark between two strangers, and it had made him cautious. Confused him. He hadn’t really taken the time to enjoy the taste of her. Now he was going to enjoy it.

Damn, the girl could kiss, he thought as 
she licked at his mouth, her pace slowing and drawing him into something deeper, more languorous … sexy as hell. At the feel of her hands on his chest, Jai pulled back. He wanted to feel her too. With his lips. He kissed her jaw, tasting her skin. Was it possible to be addicted to a person? he wondered vaguely, his brain a fog of mush, now that another part of his body was controlling him. Jai squeezed her harder to him as he trailed soft, lush kisses down her neck until he came to her bare shoulder. That naked skin had been teasing him all night. He bit it softly.

She whimpered, the sound full of need.

It was like a kick in the gut.

Jai was done with patience.

She was his and he was having her now.

His hand clasped her nape, drawing her 
head back so he could look into her flushed face, her eyes bright. She wanted this too. She wanted him …

He pulled her roughly against his mouth, 
his kiss deeper than before, his body pushing into hers as her legs climbed his hips. Those legs drew his attention. He wanted to touch her, see for himself how soft the skin at the top of her thighs was—CRASH!

The door slammed open.

Instinct had him throwing his body from 
her and then shielding her, his chest rising and falling as he struggled to get his breath back. There was no one there.

Jai shot a wide-eyed look at Ari only to 
find her staring back with a mirror-image expression on her face.

“It’s Ms. Maggie,” she informed him 
hoarsely.

Ms. Maggie? Why …? Jai’s gaze traveled 
over Ari. Her flushed cheeks, her lidded, dark eyes, swollen mouth, the hem of her dress indecently high … Ms. Maggie had interrupted them before he did something he’d regret.

Shit.

Hell.

What had he almost done? Dammit, he 
could’ve lost everything just because he couldn’t keep it in his pants! He’d have lost Ari, his reputation, his fragile relationship with his father … What the hell had he been thinking? And Ari … she wasn’t helping! He’d told her they weren’t anything more than friends and she kept looking at him …

Shit! It wasn’t her fault.

She was an innocent. He was the 
grown-up. The Ginnaye. And for the first time in his life, he was failing at what he did best. He groaned, rubbing a hand over his head as his taut, frustrated body warred with his self-flagellating mind. “That shouldn’t have happened.”

Ari’s wounded eyes ripped him apart, and 
watching her struggle to pull down the hem of a dress he’d almost gotten her out of made him feel like crap. And that made him angrier than anything could.

Was he becoming what his stepmother Nicki had always predicted?

“Jai …?” Ari’s voice was filled with 
vulnerable need for assurance.

Assurance he couldn’t give her.

Enraged, needing her to understand, the 
growl ripped out of him before he could stop himself. “No. It never happened. I was worried about you and I just … shit!” He hit his palm off the tiled walls, needing the sting of clarity.

She slipped off the counter, struggling 
with her dress, looking very much like a girl who had nearly given a boy everything only for him to act like a jerk and treat her like she wasn’t worth it.

Guilt pricked him, mixing with the pain 
of hurting her.

Today was the last time he’d do that to 
her. She deserved better. “Ari, I’m so sorry,” he said. “The last thing you need is an older guy treating you like crap. You deserve more. And I can’t give you more.”

I’ll never be able to.

She got even, though.

She made him want her even more than he 
already did. He watched with fascination and admiration as she finally accepted the truth. She shrugged on that truth, even though he knew it hurt her, and she wore it with a carefully controlled expression. She smoothed her hair and straightened her shoulders, looking him straight in the eye with nothing but cool civility.

“We better get back to work.” She 
strolled past him as if she didn’t have a care in the world, and Jai could only gaze after her.

God, she was something.

And that something wasn’t his.

New 
York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Samantha Young, is a 27 year old writer from Stirlingshire, Scotland. After graduating from the university of Edinburgh, Samantha returned to Stirlingshire where she happily spends her days writing about people she’s keen for others to meet, and worlds she’s dying for them to visit. Having written over ten young adult urban fantasy novels, Samantha took the big plunge into adult contemporary romance with her novel ‘On Dublin Street’. ‘On Dublin Street’ is a #1 National Bestseller and has been re-published by NAL ( Penguin Group).

For 
more info on Samantha’s adult fiction visit http://www.ondublinstreet.com

For 
info on her young adult fiction visit www.samanthayoungbooks.com

An Excerpt from Chapter Three of 
Silent 
Orchids

(The Age of Alandria~Book One)

A Young Adult Urban

Fantasy/Fantasy Novel from Morgan Wylie

A dying realm.

The ancient evil 
of the Droch-Shúil has been unleashed.

The Orchids have been silenced… but for how long?

Daegan, elite of the Ferrishyn warrior tribe of Faeries, is charged with a mission to find the Sol-lumieth, a mysterious new power that could change the fate of all in the realm of Alandria. But he is conflicted by his purpose, and he cannot trust the motives of those he serves. He has too many questions and they must be answered.

Kaeleigh, a girl abandoned as a small child just outside Missoula, Montana, is now 18. She is trying to discover who she is and where she belongs. In her heart, she feels she has family out there… somewhere. Desperate to unravel the mysteries of her past, she embarks on a journey that will forever change her along with her two best friends, Finn and Chel—who have secrets of their own.

Three~

The 
slam of his fist against the marble wall echoed as he marched down the hall leading to where High Court was being held. Daegan didn’t even register the pain in his hand until seconds later.

Summoned!?

I am family!

Can they not simply request my presence?

Clenching 
his fist then shaking it out to relieve the pain that was now throbbing, he grumbled under his breath, “I don’t know how much longer I can do this. I guess it doesn’t really matter, though, does it?” He would comply no matter the request. He always did, even when it went against his better judgment.

Daegan, 
nephew to the Paladin and third in line to the throne, resigned himself to his current fate as he strode angrily toward the chamber. He had been trained by the Ferrishyn elite guard—the Ferrishyn being the warrior race of the Faeries.

As the most skilled warrior with the addition of his “gifts,” he was invaluable as both protector of the family and executioner of their dark justice.

The 
only slight differences between him and the Faeries of the earth were his larger build that was able to hold the form of a warrior, his more dominant nature (earth Faeries were more of a peaceful race), and his slightly darker skin. The Ferrishyn were bred to fight and to protect, whereas the Faeries were made to grow and cultivate the earth. Daegan, with his raven black-blue hair that fell to his ears, sharp facial features, and chiseled jaw, exuded dominance and an energy that when unrestrained often made bystanders cower where they stood. Thick, dark eyebrows punctuated the dark-chocolate color of his eyes. Eyes that were deep set and held an intensity that could see into the depths of the most guarded. Eyes that had seen too much despair and not enough hope. His strength and confidence came not only from years of training as a warrior but also from the center of who he was as a Ferrishyn.

Daegan 
was very young when his parents had fled with him from Feraánmar to the outlying lands. It wasn’t long after that they had died. In fact, he hardly remembered them at all. Wren and Maleina, the current guardians of Feraánmar—called the Paladin, had found him. He was their great-nephew or great-great nephew; he couldn’t remember. When they had found him, he had been in fairly bad shape, having had survived for over a year by himself roaming like a nomad and hiding in caves or whatever shelter he could find—or create—at the ripe age of seven or eight. He couldn’t remember many of the details now, and in any case, they were unimportant to him. A long many years had passed since then.

He 
had been orphaned by the devastation and tragedies of the Uprising that began many years ago. The Paladin were now his only family. His anger and bitterness at having lost his parents when he was young had colored how he viewed everything growing up. He chose the path that brought him to his current station with not many other choices that he could foresee. He had dedicated himself to become the best warrior possible and he had succeeded. He was a warrior… the finest. And everybody knew it.

The 
Paladin were the guardian rulers of Feraánmar, the dominion of the Faeries. It consisted of only two—Wren and Maleina. They had stepped in after the last great battle when the king and queen, along with the princess of Feraánmar, were killed, leaving no heir to the throne. The Paladin had grown in power in the years since. This power gave them life, and they always craved more of it.

However, as leaders they were weak. Wren had lost much of his younger ambition.

Many would say Wren and Maleina should be dethroned, but no one had yet tried—maybe because of Daegan himself, because he stood in the way whether he wanted to or not. Change was coming, however. It was a time for planning and seeking opportunity… for what, he could not yet say. It was just a feeling, but he would be waiting.

✾✾✾

High 
Court was held in the throne room of the kingdom in Elnye, the capital city of Feraánmar. The surrounding walls were a beautiful ivory marble with veins of red threaded throughout from floor to ceiling. Eight giant marble pillars, four on either side of the room, escorted Daegan to the opposite end of the room. He had barged in, not waiting for the servant to “announce” him. He felt a bit bad thinking of the poor Faerie trying to keep up with him enough to make an official announcement.

Two 
oversized high-back ornate thrones set up on a stage covered in the most lavishly expensive burgundy fabric stood ominously before him, mocking him or anyone that would wish for anything different than what the Paladin would so “generously” offer. Two plush, brilliant-blue velvet pillows lay on the floor at the base of the stage for those entreating with the court to kneel. It gave a false sense of casual openness, as if one’s petition might actually be heard, which, unless it benefitted Wren and Maleina—well, mostly Maleina—it wouldn’t be.

Lush 
greenery surrounded the hall. Crawling vines with small white and purple blooms ate their way throughout the room. Thin-trunked trees with perfectly shaped leaves of all shades of green with roots that grew from underneath the marble floor were landscaped behind the thrones. Wren and Maleina were earth Faeries with a natural-born connection to the land. Not so much presently but in the past, earth Faeries had felt a responsibility to cultivate and nourish anything that grew in Alandria. Unfortunately, Maleina felt their magic was better used within their domain. As a result, everything beyond the borders of Feraánmar suffered. Alandria was dying and not just from a lack of magic. Inside High Court, however, there was something sinister lying within its natural beauty.