Obsessed (10 page)

She heard only the pounding of her heart and blood rushing in her ears—and then a strange buzzing. Even the crickets and owls were silent, and she no longer heard the Everlasting River’s constant roar.

Strange, that.

The scent of jensai blooms was strong, too strong. Overpowering.

Liana lifted her head and her cheek brushed a soft petal before she could draw back. She rose up to her knees, and in the moonlit clearing, she found that she had fallen in a thicket of the blooms, and that it was a jensai vine she had tripped over.

A wave of dizziness swept over her and the buzzing in her ears increased—so powerful was the perfume of the jensai. She had never been so close to them before. It was forbidden for anyone but Healers to touch the blooms or the vines. Her thoughts spun and her limbs began to tremble.

When she tried to stand, Liana’s legs gave out and she fell to her hands and knees. A tingling sensation erupted on her cheek where the bloom had touched. Her head swam and her sight grew dim.

Hide. She had to hide herself until the weakness passed. If it passed.

Before she could move, her tresses vibrated a warning.

Something was coming. Searching for her.

And it wasn’t Aric.

The sensations multiplied, enhanced by the Elvin magic still in her tresses, and intensified by the effects of the blooms. Her throat grew dry as she tried to move on her hands and knees toward a bush. She struggled to crawl—and collapsed on her side in the middle of the jensai.

The beasts were closer now. She sensed them.

When they were almost atop her, she finally heard them through the buzz in her ears. Massive wings flapping. Pounding in her head. Slamming into her heart.

A horrible screech ripped her soul.

The clearing darkened as an enormous shadow blocked out the moonlight.

Her body went numb as she rolled onto her back. Through her blurred vision, she saw the unmistakable outline of an irani.

She had left Aric, only to fall into Zanden’s hands.

Snuffling, followed by a piercing whinny, jarred Aric from his sleep. Oddly disoriented, Aric forced himself to a sitting position to find himself nose to muzzle with Baethel.

The stallion bared his teeth and whinnied again, telling Aric that Liana had fled.

Fury and the pain of her betrayal ripped through his gut—but then his Nordain warrior’s senses took over.

Danger was approaching.

Still naked in his man’s body, Aric snatched his abandoned clothing from the ground—and shifted into his nordai form. As always, the breeches and tunic became feathers, and his sheathed dagger was strapped to his leg.

Flapping his massive wings, Aric took to the sky. His heart pounded as his fear for Liana magnified. He sensed her terror and confusion, even before he heard the irani approach.

Aric flew toward the irani like an arrow shot from a bow. An updraft slowed his speed, but he pushed himself harder and faster. In the moonlit sky he saw the glowing red eyes of the three monsters, and he smelled their rotten meat stench.

The first beast dove into a clearing.

They had scented Liana.

With the fury of the gods, Aric soared downward, quickly closing in on the first irani. Just as the beast reached its claws to snatch Liana’s still form, Aric attacked.

He drilled his hooked beak into the tender flesh at the base of the irani’s neck, severing its spinal cord.

The irani somersaulted through the air and slammed headfirst into a tree. The beast fell to the ground, its body twitching and flopping. And then its glowing red eyes went black.

Aric barely had time to come out of his dive when the second irani was on his tail. The Sorcerer’s filthy creature screeched as it gnashed at Aric. The irani caught one of Aric’s tail feathers in its teeth and ripped it out.

Shrieking the Nordain battle cry, Aric shot forward, narrowly missing the third irani. Baethel whinnied below, and Aric glanced down just long enough to see that the stallion had arrived and now stood guard over Liana’s motionless form.

Aric started to descend toward the clearing when he felt the jagged claws of an irani slash across his back. Firebolts of pain seared Aric and feathers scattered around him as he spiraled toward the ground. He struggled to pull himself to a stop, but slammed into a thick patch of grass.

Despite the pain ricocheting through him, Aric forced the change to his man’s body. He ripped the dagger from its sheath and bellowed with the might of a Nordain warrior.

Weapon clenched in his hand, Aric charged the irani who now attacked Baethel. The horse whinnied and rose on his hind legs, striking out with his forelegs while protecting Liana.

With one slash of his blade, Aric beheaded the first irani he reached. Blood spurted, showering Aric, but he ignored it as he dove for the last irani. The beast’s leathery wing caught Aric in the face, ripping a gash across his forehead.

Rearing back, Baethel struck the irani from the side, knocking the beast off balance. Blood poured down Aric’s face as he lunged at the irani, burying his blade to the hilt in its skull. Both beast and warrior collapsed to the ground with the force of Aric’s blow.

The irani continued to flap and twitch as Aric sprawled across its back. He pushed himself to a standing position and gave the dying beast one last kick to its miserable head. And then the irani lay still.

Attempting to catch his breath, Aric wiped blood from his eyes with his hand. His back and forehead burned where gashed by irani claws. Baethel whickered and stepped aside, allowing Aric to see his beautiful Liana—her face buried in jensai blooms.

“No. Gods, no.” Taking care not to put his own face too close to the potent blooms, Aric dove forward and scooped Liana in his arms. She was so tiny—almost weightless.

He held Liana in one arm and sprung onto Baethel’s bare back. “To Seraphine,” he commanded as he grabbed a fistful of Baethel’s mane to steady himself. “To the Elves at once!”

Baethel bolted into the night as Aric clung to Liana, holding her small form tight to him with one arm. “Zjenni, what were you thinking? Why did you break your vow? Why did you attempt to leave me?”

A droplet rolled from his eye, mingling with the drying blood on his face. He scrubbed the moisture away by rubbing his cheek against his shoulder. By the gods! He was a warrior—King of the Nordain! He did not shed tears.

But the thought of losing his zjenni, his heartmate, was enough to bring him to his knees.

He would never forgive himself if Liana died.

* * * * *

A gentle caress on Liana’s cheek brought her slowly out of her dream of being held by the dark stranger. She smiled as she remembered that he wasn’t a stranger any longer, and that she knew him as intimately as she knew herself.

“Aric,” she murmured, and her tresses moved, sliding around the hand that stroked her so gently—but when her hair touched the person it immediately stilled. It wasn’t her Aric.

She blinked, struggling to focus on the face above her. A woman sat on the edge of the bed Liana occupied, and she had an odd glittering symbol painted onto her forehead. The woman had a smile as kind and loving as a mother for her newborn babe. Crystal blue eyes sparkled at Liana, and hair fell like the darkest honey about a face so lovely and so perfect that Liana couldn’t imagine meeting anyone more beautiful.

“Who—” Liana blinked and swallowed, her throat so dry it ached. “Who are you?”

“I am Angelei.” She had a musical voice that sent a small thrill throughout Liana.

Angelei lifted a golden cup to Liana’s mouth, and Liana automatically parted her lips and swallowed the cool liquid. “This is orlai, a drink that will aid in your preparation,” Angelei said as the mixture rolled over Liana’s tongue. It tasted sweet. Of strawberries with a hint of wild ginger.

A warm and quite pleasant sensation spread throughout Liana’s body. She felt relaxed and almost as though she’d had a bit too much ale. “Where am I?” she asked, the words feeling thick in her mouth as she spoke. “Where’s Aric?”

“You are within the protective confines of Seraphine, and you will see your Aric soon.” Angelei smiled and set the cup on a table beside the bed. “We brought you back to health after you nearly succumbed to the jensai. You inhaled far more of its pollen than most beings can withstand at such close proximity.”

Relief flooded Liana to know that Aric was all right—and that he was there. But then she realized what else Angelei had said. “Jensai?” Liana frowned, her mind whirling from the effects of the orlai. “I do not remember anything beyond it being late at night…”

“Do not be concerned.” The woman leaned back and tucked her dark tresses behind her delicately pointed ear, and her smile became even more radiant. “Your memories shall return.”

“You are Elvin.” Liana’s eyes widened and warmth rushed through her as her gaze dropped from Angelei’s face to her body and she realized the woman was completely naked. Angelei had a lithe body with skin the color of cream, generous breasts, and taut raspberry-colored nipples. The same glittering blue symbol that was on her forehead was also shaved into the shorn dark hair between her thighs.

When she glanced from Angelei to her own body, Liana discovered she was just as bare. Not even a blanket covered her.

“Ah…” Heat flushed Liana’s face as her gaze met the Elvin woman’s.

“’Tis our way.” Angelei cocked her head, an amused expression on her exquisite face. “No one wears clothing within Seraphine. We believe our bodies are beautiful and that we should enjoy them—and each other’s.”

Angelei’s gaze slid over Liana’s body appreciatively. “You have a most lovely form, Tanzinite maid.”

To Liana’s dismay, she felt her nipples tighten. The heady effects of the drink Angelei had given Liana only seemed to magnify the sensations she was feeling. And somehow the orlai made her feel less embarrassed at her nakedness than she normally would.

Angelei stood in a fluid, graceful movement that reminded Liana of a cat. “Come,” she said, holding her hand out to Liana. “We must prepare you to meet with the Seraphine Council.”

Still flushed with a trace of self-consciousness Liana allowed Angelei to help her to her feet. When she stood, Liana’s knees threatened to buckle. In fear that she might fall, she clung to the Elvin woman’s arm.

While she waited for the weakness to pass, Liana absorbed her surroundings. She was in a beautiful room that must have been a part of the forest. Walls were made of tightly woven trees and vines, laced with wildflowers in purples, pinks and yellows. The ceiling was fashioned of branches and leaves. Golden orbs hovered above, their soft light making it seem as though the room was flooded with early morning sunlight.

Much of the furniture was rich and ornate, and appeared to be carved into living trees—even the massive bed Liana had been sleeping in.

“’Tis Elvin magic that makes it appear so,” Angelei said, answering Liana’s unspoken thought. “We would never harm any of the goddess’s living entities. She gives her gifts up to us, and we respect and care for them. They in turn care for us.”

Liana smiled at the elegant, statuesque Elvin woman. “It is all so lovely.”

“The goddess blesses us.” Angelei inclined her head and gestured to a doorway. “The preparations must begin.”

Angelei led Liana into a hallway that was lit by the same golden globes that had been in the bedchamber. Angelei was so tall that Liana had to tilt her head back to look at the Elvin woman as they walked.

The leaves and loam made such a soft carpet beneath her feet that Liana felt as though she was walking on a cloud. And the orlai made her feel like her head was soaring and her skin was alive with awareness. “Where’s Aric?” she asked, her body throbbing and aching for him.

The Elvin woman squeezed Liana’s hand. “King Aric L’tiercel is also being prepared for the meeting. You will see him in time.”

King? Liana frowned as pieces of her memory returned from that night. Aric was King…of the Nordain…and willing to leave his people for her. And she had fled…

Liana started to ask Angelei when she would see Aric, but all she could do was gasp in amazement as the Elvin woman brought them from the hallway and outdoors to a magical place. A waterfall roared as it tumbled in silvery waves down a mountainside. At its base was a small lake of the most crystal blue—like the Bewitching Pool. Ferns, trees and flowers of every variety and color grew in abundance on the grassy shores.

Liana was in such awe that she could scarcely breathe as she was led into the lake. Unlike the Bewitching Pool, these waters felt balmy and warm as she waded into it—surely Elvin magic made it so. When the water was just below her breasts, Liana leaned back and soaked her tresses, absorbing the essence of the lake and renewing her lifeforce. Her scalp tingled and her body relaxed even more, as though the effects of the pool worked with the orlai.

Angelei opened a vial of cleansing gel that smelled of jasmine, and she started washing Liana’s hair, just as Aric had in the Bewitching Pool.

Liana closed her eyes and leaned into Angelei’s skillful hands, remembering Aric’s ministrations, his touch, how he had soaped her breasts and brought her to orgasm.

She could almost feel it.

Her eyes flew open as she realized she did feel it—and gasped as she found herself looking into the emerald eyes of a musclebound brown-haired Elvin god.

“I am Tirnac.” The man smiled and the symbol on his forehead glittered green as he soaped Liana’s breasts. “’Tis my pleasure to assist in your preparation for the meeting.”

“N—” Liana started to shake her head as Tirnac rubbed the jasmine scented gel across her nipples…and she moaned instead. She struggled against the effects of the orlai and her mounting arousal. “Aric…where—”

“Shhh.” Angelei’s fingers massaged Liana’s scalp. “You are a Seer, and thus must be prepared for the Council so that your thoughts are clear and you are fully receptive to visions.”

Liana caught her breath as Tirnac rubbed her belly and moved to her thighs. “I—I do not understand.”