Heart Quest (11 page)

Instantaneously they 'ported to MidClass Lodge's lobby. Only a few people were there and didn't goggle. Trif relaxed and Ilex dropped his arms from around her.

She bounced up and down on the resilient pad, joy radiating from her. “I
did
it!
I
'ported us, and it was clean and right!”

Smiling back at her, Ilex stepped off the pad. Greyku had jumped from Trif 's shoulder and raced around the room like a mad thing. Trif exited the pad area and the landing light, which had blinked out as they teleported, flicked on again.

“Congratulations.” Ilex bowed deeply. “You have executed one fully successful teleportation, so now your Flair and your mind and your instinct know the path. It will be easier to duplicate in the future.”

“You are the
best
teacher! So patient and understanding.”

He kept his smile on his face. She'd described him many times in the last hours: solid, safe, patient, understanding. She'd used his title, Guardsman, in her countdown as if that was what she primarily saw him as. And that was good, he assured himself as the lover inside took blow after blow harder than Holly fists, and fell defeated.

She swept Greyku up in her arms and pirouetted, then danced down the hallway to her apartment. Halfway there, she looked back over her shoulder. “Come
on,
Ilex.”

“More brandy?”

“Oh, yes!” she caroled. “Or ale. That would be good too.” Cradling Greyku, she nuzzled the kitten.

“I think I'll pass.”

She pouted. “Please?”

He just shook his head. “Play a jig or two with your whistle. I'll hear it and it will please me.” Torture him.

“Yes, it's a night for music. One of the best nights of my life.”

She should have been naked on the beach with him, saying those words. He smiled with what he hoped looked like indulgence and not “gas pain” and waved her on.

Trif nodded and began to hum a tune, her mind obviously already on music. Then she put her hand on her door latch and a puzzled expression crossed her face.

Ilex was at her side in an instant, his hand covering hers, and he felt it too. Strong, masculine energy—in a strange form.

“I'll check out your apartment.”

She frowned. “No, it might be my HeartMate, he might be waiting inside….”

Ilex was already nudging her aside. “Guardsman Winterberry, overriding shieldspell,” he announced in his official tones. The door opened under his fingers, and he sent it wide and hard and it banged against the wall protector. He was in, wishing for his blazer, when the odd Flair washed over him.

Trif followed him in and shut the door. “You feel the unusual Flair, don't you.” She moved her shoulders as if trying to shrug off an uneasy feeling. “I think I know what it is. Something T'Willow gave me.”

The fact that she'd had an appointment with GreatLord T'Willow had gone quite out of Ilex's mind. He swallowed. What had the man said to her? Obviously, the matchmaker hadn't told her Ilex was her HeartMate or she'd have had him on the bedsponge now.

Thank the Lady and Lord. Maybe.

“I'll have that drink after all,” he said.

As she went into the kitchen, he casually sent his Flair questing.

And found a HeartGift. He was stunned. It
couldn't
be for her, not from T'Willow.

Fisting his hands, he regulated his ragged breathing and stopped the tumble of despairing thoughts. Slowly, he walked over to a box. He opened it cautiously to see a leather pouch rounded with an item inside. T'Willow's HeartGift.

Trif walked in, sans Greyku. Ilex smelled hot, fresh meat and heard slurping sounds. The kitten must be eating again. Well, it
was
a baby.

“I see you found it,” she said, offering him a bottle of ale.

“Thank you.” He placed it on the table. As soon as his fingers brushed the pouch, he set his teeth. He didn't like the feel of it at all. His flesh crept.

He picked it up anyway, weighed it in his palm, felt sweat bead along his hairline, forced his jaw open enough to say, “It's a HeartGift.”

She settled herself on her sofa. “Yes, he gave it to me to send out into the world, can you believe that!” She shook her head.

Ilex dropped the thing in surprise. It lit in the box.

“I put it in the box just in case Greyku thought it might be a toy and play with it.” She shivered a little, then glanced around. “I've learned that Greyku thinks everything in the apartment is her toy.”

Deliberately, he shut the lid and took up his lager. Drinking deeply, he was beyond savoring the liquor. He took a chair opposite Trif. “So tell me of your meeting with T'Willow.”

“He's a nice enough man, but wasn't very helpful to me.” She told him the rest, ending with: “And I promised him that I'd leave his HeartGift in some very public place.” Tapping a fingernail on her glass, she asked, “Isn't a HeartGift supposed to be invisible to everyone except the HeartMates?”

“Nearly invisible,” he corrected. He glanced at the box again. “I haven't had much experience with HeartGifts.” The one he'd made so many years before was safely tucked away. In a bank, where he wouldn't be tempted to do something terminally foolish like give it to her in a weak moment of overwhelming temptation. “I would guess we could barely see what's in the pouch, and of course the case gives it some protection. Not nearly enough in my estimation.”

Her mouth turned down. “I wouldn't want my HeartGift roaming the world either. I wonder if I'll have to wait way until my Third Passage to make one, so long away. Years.”

He didn't want to get on that topic. “T'Willow must have used some elaborate Flair on the thing. It would naturally attract his mate. He'd want it to repulse others, but not be so distressing that they'd throw it away.”

She nibbled her bottom lip. “I suppose. I think I'll take it to the club, the Maypole, tomorrow night. The moons are waxing and it will be a good time. It will be full twinmoons on Samhain, then the new year in a few days. I hope he finds her soon. Or she finds and accepts the HeartGift. It's law that if you accept a HeartGift, you accept the HeartMate, right?”

“Yes. That's the law, though I haven't ever heard of anyone enforcing it.”

“More like an instinctive thing too, I guess. And the Heart Mate who makes the gift isn't allowed to tell his love they're HeartMates, it's against the law.”

“Taking free will away.”

She switched her nibbling to her thumbnail, then stopped. “I'm hunting for my HeartMate, but I don't think I could force him to do anything, and I wouldn't be telling him he's my HeartMate, just introducing myself to him,” she said, rationalizing her actions.

“You think so?”

“I really wouldn't want to take his free will away.” Her expression turned stubborn. “I just want to know who he is to—to court him. T'Willow said he knew who I was.”

“What?”

“My HeartMate knows who I am and has his own reasons for not claiming me.” She crunched a sofa pillow to her, threw it aside, then stood and paced. “Why wouldn't he want me?” She flung out her arms. “What's wrong with me?”

“Stop that line of thinking now. Nothing is wrong with you. You're a young, beautiful, intelligent, and talented young woman.”

She sent him a smile, but flushed a little. “I think so too.”

“Good. Accept the fact that something is wrong with him.”

Her expression turned into a scowl. “There's nothing wrong with him that I couldn't accept.
Nothing.
”

Greyku strolled in, tiny tongue curling a bit of food from whisker to mouth. She slid a slyly innocent look at Ilex.
Maybe he's old and gray.

“I don't care if he's old and gray!” Trif shook her head. “No, he can't be too old or too gray or we wouldn't suit and HeartMates always suit.” She looked at him. “Don't they?”

This whole conversation was too uncomfortable. He stood. “I'm not the one to ask.”

“I've thought of a thousand more questions I should have asked T'Willow,” she grumbled. “Isn't that always the case?”

“Thank you for the drink,” Ilex said. “I'll see you later.”

She smiled, then shook a finger at him. “Don't think this is the end of our teleporting lessons.” Vulnerability was in her eyes, in her voice as she ended, “I want to make sure I have it right.”

“Then I'll help you practice.”

And Me too.
Greyku had explored the mainspace and sat next to Trif 's feet.

“No one could forget you, Fam Greyku,” he said.

At that moment a knock came on Trif 's door. “Special Delivery,” a man's voice called.

I
lex tensed, moved quickly to the door, looking out the one
way security peephole. The man was uniformed as a professional courier. “Isn't it late for a delivery?”

The guy outside the door looked at where the glass should be, though it was bespelled for invisibility. He snorted. “From T'Ash. Everyone knows those FirstFamilies are weird. And no one refuses T'Ash.”

Ilex opened the door. “I'd heard that.”

“It's my amulet.” Trif reached past Ilex to snatch the gold box labeled
T'ASH'S PHOENIX
from the courier.

“You'll seal my delivery orb?” The man offered a small glass sphere to Ilex.

He pressed his thumb to it, and the deep green sigil of his personal seal floated into the ball.

“Fare well,” said the delivery man.

“And may you do the same,” Ilex said, and watched the man walk down the hallway. “Trif, the desk guard should have scried you that the delivery man was here. Better, he should have taken the delivery for you, determined its safety, and then handed it over to you.”

Trif was busy dispelling the box. “The guard knew you were here with me. Besides, T'Ash said personal delivery, and no one refuses T'Ash.”

“I'd heard that.”

“Oh, it's incredible, it's fantastic, and it's mine, mine, mine!” Trif had gotten the box open and was dancing around with a necklace in her hand.

Greyku watched the dangling silver chain and the pale pink and white stone with utter fascination. Ilex was sure the kitten wanted to claim Trif 's new treasure as a toy.

“What's the stone?” Ilex asked.

“A bit of calcite from my house Dad and my uncles are building for me in Clover Compound. They've done some built-in tables.”

“Pink calcite is good for grounding.” Ilex nodded. The stone was a simple ovoid shape, highly polished.

T'Ash was also the best man on Celta with stones.

The gift was fabulous. Two FirstFamily GreatLords had given Trif incredible gifts today. He'd given her nothing. Ever. It was enough to depress a man.

She slipped the chain over her neck and the stone fell between her breasts. Something about the pinkness and the curve of the stone lying in her cleavage sent hot fire racing in his blood, hardening him. “The man is a genius,” he said.

Trif admired her new necklace in a mirror. “T'Ash? He is, isn't he?”

Ilex cleared his throat. “If you will give me the amulet, I will take it to my—source and have a retrieval spell imbued into the stone.” He held out a hand. His fingers trembled. He steadied them with effort and Flair.

She made a moue. “I suppose I must.” Then she blinked. “You'd go now?”

“Yes. T'Ash isn't the only one who is rarely refused.”

Her eyes widened. “Why, Ilex, you look—” She stopped.

He raised a brow. “Yes?”

“Ah, quite, ah, dangerous.”

He laughed and shook his head. “It's only my guardsman's manner.”

She looked doubtful. Reluctantly, her hand went to the necklace; then she pulled it off and handed it to him. His fingers closed convulsively over the stone. It was warm from her body, her energy, her Flair. Definitely radiated essence of Trif.

So sexy he could whimper.

“The spell should be ready in three days. Or two nights and a day. I'll bring the amulet to you when it's charged. Now will you promise me not to go questing?”

“I won't go questing alone. I promise.”

“You won't go questing only with Greyku.” He put steel in his voice.

“I won't go questing without a human companion,” she clarified.

“Very well. Don't break your promise to me.”

She appeared insulted.

He left.

 

T
he next morning, Trif woke up and stretched, just know
ing it would be a good day. She'd teleported by herself! Ilex and Greyku had been with her, but she had taken them along, not the other way around.

She wanted to do it again. She bounced off the bedsponge. Greyku grunted and curled into a tighter ball. As soon as Trif finished her morning ablutions and had a bite of breakfast, she scried Ilex.

“Here.” His shaven face surrounded by wet hair and strong bare shoulders appeared in the scrybowl. Her mouth fell open at the virile image and she had to snap her mouth shut. “I was wondering if you'd accompany me on my questing this morn—”

“No.”

Giving a heavy sigh, she put a plaintive note in her voice and widened her eyes. “Then could we have another teleportation lesson? I
really
want to—”

“In case you don't recall, I was out late last night.” He muttered a Word and a shirt clothed him. It was too bad. She kept her mind on her mission.

“Oh, Ilex, you're not an old man! And I bet you teleported wherever and back too. I want to be able to do that, and I feel I'm
so close
to getting my 'porting skill right.”

“Where did you have in mind?” He shifted and she guessed his trous were on now.

She gulped and persevered, though he and her imagination were distracting. “Um, could we try a few places? Like to the beach and back here and to Clover Compound and then to my work?”

There was silence.

“
Please,
Ilex? Don't you—do you need any furniture at all? I promise I'll give you something top-of-the-pyramid from Clover's Fine Furnishings? Or maybe I could have Mitchella do a look around your apartment and give you tips—” He stared and a little shudder went through him. She rushed into speech. “Maybe not. Uh—could we do a trade or something?”

“Another boon?”

“Yes.”

“You shouldn't agree so quickly.” Now his eyes crinkled and he was less the sexy man she'd awakened and more her good friend, looking amused.

“Whatever you like.”

He laughed, and she had to take a step back from the scrybowl it was so potent: flashing white teeth in a pirate's grin, a crease beside his mouth, his eyes pure blue with no hint of gray. Zow. All these new thoughts about Ilex!

“All right.” His gaze grew speculative. “Or rather, let's try a little something. See if you can teleport to the lobby landing pad. I'll meet you there shortly. Fare well.” Her scrybowl went blank.

Trif curled her toes in anxiety as all her doubts zoomed back. She didn't want to make a fool of herself before Ilex. But she wanted to be able to 'port anywhere. And this was her first test. Such a short hop. Were short hops supposed to be easier or harder? She couldn't recall and there wasn't time to look it up in the instruction sphere.

I believe I can teleport to the lobby,
she mumbled, and began the breathing pattern that would raise and focus her Flair. She sent her mind reaching to the landing pad to see if the safety light was on. It was. She formed a mental image of the room, added sunlight, thought how it smelled in the morning—lavender-fresh from the housekeeping spells, recalled the atmosphere—people rushing to work. “On three,” she said. “One, Trif Clover; two, I can do. Three!”

Just as she said the last word, Greyku wandered in from the bedroom and Trif 's concentration broke.

She 'ported to the pad and landed unevenly.

A couple of people clapped, and she flushed deep red as she stepped off the pad, flicking on the light. As she met her neighbors' eyes, she realized they were genuine in their appreciation. There were very few middle-class people who could teleport. She sent them a wavery smile. They nodded and hurried out the front door. She glanced around for Ilex, but didn't see him.

Greyku's yowl echoed down the hallway. Trif didn't know if she heard the scratching on her door in her ears or her mind.
Stop that!
she scolded the kitten.

You left without Me. I want breakfast and want to come with you too.

Trif saw a shadow in the hall—Ilex. Had he seen her wobbly landing? He tilted his head, then turned and walked back, past his own door and on to hers. She heard whispering in her mind—Greyku and Ilex? She thought so, didn't hear the whole conversation, but did get a sense that Greyku was trotting into the kitchen to get her own breakfast, purring.

Ilex came down the hall with a loose-hipped stride she hadn't noticed before. He moved with utter confidence and command. He was a guardsman, a hunter, a fighter, and she was just realizing how powerful he was—not just his Flair, but his aura of authority.

She tried to look casual and smiled. He smiled back and her insides did a funny twinge thing.

When he came up to her, she said, “Merry meet.” She didn't often use the greeting, but somehow this new view of Ilex demanded it. He was a Noble, after all, even if he was a second son.

He bowed. “Merry meet.” He went to the light and turned it off, stepped on the landing pad, and held out his hand. “Ready?”

Her breath was a little fast. “For anything!” she said, and he blinked.

“The beach first?” he asked.

She stepped onto the teleportation pad and cleared her throat. “Yes.”

He linked his arms around her and she became overwhelmingly aware of his masculinity, the spicy scent she associated with him. She hadn't felt like this before, noticing his maleness and her own femininity.

“Give me the image of the beach,” he said.

It was the same tone he always used, but she could barely think. Focus! She thought of the beach, where they'd been last night. How it would look in the morning light. More, as she breathed, she considered the scent of the ocean, a whiff of the docks around the bend. Then she layered on the
atmosphere,
how it felt. Not crowded. Some people walking. Couples. Like her and Ilex. She formed the image using all her senses for detail, not just sight. The wash of the surf.

“Excellent,” Ilex murmured, and the warmth of his breath teased her ear and was another diversion. She tensed.

“Easy,” he said.

“Yes,” she breathed out. Gathered her Flair, her courage. “On three. One, Ilex neighbor; two I can do;
three
!”

The force of their leaving pushed her back into him for an instant—just enough for her to feel a
very
aroused man against her backside.

She lost the image, grabbed at it, failed. Darkness spun around Trif, an eerie black whistling
nowhere
.

A quick image from Ilex flicked into her mind, and they materialized with a whoosh into the center of the Great Labyrinth, miles north of Druida City. A beautiful, mystical place.

Anger emanated from the man behind her, showed in the white knuckles of his fists.

“Ooops,” she said, but didn't turn to face him. Her heart raced and hot blood pumped through her—from revelation and excitement. Ilex found
her
sexy? Visions of them frantically exploring each other on a bedsponge filled her mind.

His hands dropped from her and he stepped far back, out of her immediate aura. She stifled a sigh.

“Do you know how dangerous losing focus is?” he asked in repressed tones.

Of course she did. It wouldn't stem a lecture, though.

“If any portion of you, one neutron, materialized into a solid object, you'd be trapped. If more than a small amount of you 'ported into—say, that wall over there…” He gestured to a pretty, quite solid stone wall about ten feet from them. “You'd die. Haven't you ever heard of Four-Fingered Pete?”

“Everyone has heard of Four-Fingered Pete,” she said lightly, cocking her head to listen to Ilex, still not turning around. He cared for her. He'd been worried about her safety. But she couldn't get the feel of him out of her mind.

She tingled at the memory of his long, solid erection settling into her bottom. She wished she dared to reach back….

His hands clamped on her shoulders and spun her around.

Yes, his brows were lowered, his mouth thin. Drawing on all her control, she kept her gaze from wandering down to the front of his trous.

“Do you think this is a joking matter?” he asked.

“No,” she said, unobtrusively bunching her tunic in her fists to keep from stroking his face. She could allow herself to admire him now since she knew he found her attractive too. She forced her expression into solemnity. “I was distracted and lost the image. I'm sorry.” She thought she heard him grind his teeth. To test herself—and him, she said, “Perhaps you are reconsidering your generous offer to teach me to 'port.”

“No,” he bit out. “I promised you.”