Obsessed (24 page)

Her eyes followed the glow, and then returned to him. Jalen watched as her throat worked, and a nervous flutter began at the base of her neck.

He needed to touch her, feel her, consume her. To bury his cock inside her hot core. Yet he would go slow. “Do not fear me, fledgling.”

She lifted her chin and her eyes narrowed. “I am not afraid of you.”

With a smile he raised his hand and caressed the soft skin along her jaw. “That pleases my heart.”

A shudder passed through Ranelle, and for an instant she closed her eyes, pressing her cheek into his palm. But then her eyes flew open. She stepped away from his touch and watched him.

His muscles flexed as he slid his carved bow and quiver from his shoulder, and laid them carefully on the cave’s floor. The feathers on his arrows were the same color as his clothing…changing colors, blending in with their surroundings.

“Who are you?” she asked, narrowing her eyes, obviously unsure of whether or not she would receive a truthful answer.

“I am a Seraphine warrior, servant to Queen Yanea and the goddess.” He looked into her silver eyes and he saw disbelief in their depths.

“Seraphine?” She said the word slowly, as though afraid it might burst upon her tongue. “You are telling me you are Elvin?”

He smiled and she gasped as he caused the enrli symbol on his forehead to glitter. “Aye.”

Mesmerized by the enrli, Ranelle reached up and outlined it with her fingertips, sending a shudder of longing through him. His cock hardened and he yearned to be deep within her.

“It sends tingles through my hand to my body,” she murmured. “I saw this in my dream. What is it?”

Ah, ’tis good,
Jalen thought to himself. Ranelle would not realize the significance of her dream, but he did. Only a heartmate would see another’s enrli in such a night vision. It was a sign of the goddess’s approval.

Her fingers moved to a cut along his brow, one of his many from the climb up the cliff. “Does this hurt?”

“As I said, all will be healed by morn.” Jalen clenched his fists at his sides, holding himself back from stripping off her clothing and fucking her. To Hades with ceremony and tradition. If she continued her innocent touching, he might lose control, and that was something he had never done.

Ranelle froze as her gaze fell upon his ear. Slowly her fingers eased up higher, into his damp hair, and she traced the edge of his ear to its point. “You could be Tanzinite, like Liana, but your skin is golden instead of pale.”

Jalen fought to hide a grin at her fascination with him. “Have you finished your examination?”

Ranelle’s hand shot back, as though his skin had scalded her. Even in the dim glow from the light above, he saw the cherry blush rise to her cheeks.

“You may touch me.” His voice deepened as he moved closer to her, reveling in her womanly scent, mixed with rain. “As I have longed to touch you.”

Jalen felt the hesitation and doubt in her mind, but then she flung up a barricade in her thoughts, blocking him from reading her. A combination of disappointment and pleasure flowed through him. He had enjoyed knowing her thoughts upon occasion, yet he was pleased she possessed such power. It was no wonder she had been able to slip away from him in Fiorn, although he still did not understand how she had ignored the command in his voice.

Ranelle did not back away as he had feared she would when he had let her know how he desired her touch. Instead she tilted her head up and fixed her gaze upon his. “Why did you follow me in the village?” Her voice was low and lyrical. “And why did you come here, to rescue me from the Sorcerer?”

“I was sent to protect you from Zanden.” Jalen eased his hands to her arms and lightly rubbed his thumbs along the sleeves of her wet tunic, and was pleased when she did not shun him. He paused before his next question, not wanting to ask, but needing to be certain. “The Sorcerer—he did not touch you, did he?”

Ranelle’s cheeks went pale as she shook her head, and he regretted the need to learn the truth. “No. But he intended to, this very night. That is why I had escaped into the storm.”

Fury burned in Jalen’s gut, shocking him with its intensity. Never had he experienced a consuming need to protect another as he did with Ranelle. Such anger was unknown to him, but he did not question it. Ranelle was his heartmate.

“I regret that I failed in keeping you safe in Fiorn.” Without another thought he pulled her tight against him, cradling her to his chest. “Enough questions, fledgling. We need to get you out of these wet clothes.”

A flush surged through Ranelle, sending tingles straight from her scalp to her toes. Fire licked at her arms where his body molded hers, and her nipples grew taut against his chest. Was it only days ago that she had imagined the mystery man watching her as she undressed? Yet faced with the flesh and blood of her fantasies, she found herself embarrassed to shed her clothes before him.

And what did she truly know of the man who called himself Jalen? She believed he spoke the truth in that he was Elvin, but he was still a stranger to her.

“You have my word that I will not touch you, Ranelle.” Jalen’s hands rubbed her back through her tunic, and his voice lowered to a sensual rumble as he added, “Unless you wish for my touch.”

Heat in her body increased as she realized the hardness against her belly was his cock, most definite proof that he desired her. His male scent filled her senses, intoxicating her to the point she felt dizzy with wanting of him.

The moment Jalen released her, cold seeped into Ranelle, his warmth denied her, and she wanted to throw herself back into his embrace. Her tongue weighed heavy in her mouth as she watched him remove his tunic and his boots.

Several scrapes and wounds were upon his golden skin, but all looked as though they were almost healed. His muscles rippled in the golden glow of the light he had created with his magic, and she longed to feel his masculine strength beneath her fingertips.

Still in his breeches, Jalen knelt before Ranelle, placed his hands upon her boot and looked up, his sapphire eyes glittering. She swore she could feel the heat of his fingers through the thick leather to her toes.

His hands eased up the lacing to the top of the boot. “May I?”

She nodded, barely able to think with him so close. It took all of her focus to continue blocking her mind, wanting to keep her thoughts private from this man. She didn’t want him to know just how attracted she was to him, and how much she desired—no needed—his touch.

Every movement he made was fluid and sensuous. With deft fingers he unlaced her boot, then grasped her thigh with one large palm and the heel of her boot with his other. Instinctively she bent and braced her hand on his bare shoulder as he pulled the boot from her foot. Jalen’s skin felt smooth and hard beneath her palm, his muscles rippling beneath her fingertips. His long golden hair was dark from the rain, and she was fascinated with the way the strands glittered in the cave’s soft glow.

Within moments he had removed the second boot, and in a liquid movement he was standing before her. “Take off your tunic.” He reached into the pouch at his waist as he spoke and withdrew a small folded square of cloth. “So that I may dry you before your skin becomes too chilled.”

Ranelle eyed the cloth, sure he must be jesting. But as she watched, he shook out the material, and it seemed to grow, blossoming to the size of a small blanket. The cloth shimmered like the rainbow sands of Mairi, catching the light and playing with it, and the scent of honeysuckle and forest breezes replaced the dusty smells in the cave.

As though to prove to her that the cloth was suitable, Jalen rubbed his own damp hair with it. To her surprise his long hair was dry within an instant, and shone like a river of gold as it spilled past his shoulders.

“Now remove your clothing,” he said.

She dug her teeth into her lower lip as she untied the belt and let it drop to the cave floor. As she grabbed the bottom of her tunic, she paused and glanced into Jalen’s eyes. Hunger glittered in the blue depths that frightened and thrilled her all at once. She froze, unable to move.

But he gave a slow, sensual smile that melted Ranelle to her core and caused her knees to go weak.

“Allow me,” he murmured as he let the shimmering cloth slide to the floor. He moved his hands to her wet tunic and helped slip it over her head. Her sodden braid slapped against her bare back as the tunic was removed, and she straightened in a rush of embarrassment at her partial nakedness.

Ranelle’s face burned and her nipples tightened to aching peaks as Jalen’s gaze devoured her. He didn’t even have to touch her to make her feel as though she had been thoroughly stroked by his talented hands.

“Your breeches.” His voice rumbled deep from within his chest, and she knew that he, too, was struggling with his desires.

She dropped her gaze to the lacings at her waist, unable to meet his gaze. With trembling fingers she untied the breeches and let them fall to her feet.

He made a sound not unlike a cat’s purr. “You are exquisite, Ranelle.” Jalen’s caressing tone sent shivers through her.

When she dared to look up at him, she saw that his eyes were liquid fire. They roamed over her body, igniting flames wherever his gaze landed. Gods but she was so hot for him.

Jalen raised his hands and cradled her face. “Sh’lai noirei de simnai, mi enchantrei,” he murmured, and then brushed her lips with his. Raising his head, he stopped to gaze at her, then dipped down and flicked his tongue along her lips.

Ranelle gasped at the sensual touch, her lips parting with her moan. Jalen took the opportunity to delve his tongue inside her mouth, and she lost herself in the feel and taste of him. He eased his hand to the back of her neck and deepened the kiss ’til her head spun. Her entire body shuddered with longing and she almost cried out when he broke the kiss and drew away.

With a cat’s languid grace, he retrieved the cloth from the floor. “Turn around,” he said as he stood.

His command compelled her to do as he bid. Slowly she rotated, her body still quivering from his kiss.

Jalen’s hand brushed her skin as he grasped her braid. “You have the most beautiful tresses.” She shivered again as she felt him untie the braid, and his fingers combed the wet mass.

The cloth glided over her shoulders as he began rubbing her wet head. Warmth emanated from the material, and in a mere instant, her hair was dry. Jalen continued rubbing the cloth over her shoulders, massaging her muscles and erasing the soreness and the aches from them.

A sigh escaped Ranelle and she closed her eyes. “That feels wonderful.”

“Aye. As does your skin against my hands.” Jalen moved lower, drying her back down to her hips. He seemed to pay special attention to her buttocks, caressing them with the cloth and causing her to ache between her thighs.

He finished the back of her legs, and in the next moment she felt him move in front of her. Ranelle lifted her eyelids and watched as he worked the cloth over her feet and ankles, then moving up past her knees and to the front of her thighs.

She caught her breath as his face moved close to her folds.

Pausing, Jalen inhaled. “You smell sweet.” His fingers gripped her hips as his nose brushed the soft brown curls of her mound. “Of the goddess’s nectar.”

Ranelle’s legs trembled. But Jalen did not touch her clit as she now longed for him to. Instead he continued drying her body in a slow, measured pace. She wanted to scream for him to stop torturing her so.

After he ran the cloth across her belly, he stood, his gaze fixed on her breasts. Her nipples throbbed and ached for his touch, and Jalen smiled as though he knew how much she needed him. With his frustratingly slow movements, he dried the underside of her breasts, then eased the cloth along the sides and up to her collarbone, and then her neck. The material slid over her breasts, teasing her nipples, but still he did not touch her with his hands.

The throbbing between her thighs intensified. Gods but she wanted him.

Ranelle whimpered. “Please.”

“Tell me what you desire.” Jalen rubbed her shoulders with the cloth. “Show me.”

Trembling, she reached her hands up and placed them over his, where they rested on her shoulders. “Touch me,” she whispered as she gently pushed his hands down ’til they rested on her breasts, still covered by the material.

Jalen flexed his hands over her soft mounds, kneading them through the silken cloth. He let the material slide down her body, and it landed upon her feet.

Ranelle moaned at the feel of his strong hands upon her breasts. And when he lowered his head and lapped at her nipple, she cried out from the wild sensations building within her. She slid her fingers into his golden hair as his hot mouth possessed her nipples, from one to the other.

“What more would you like?” he murmured, his breath heating the sensitive skin of her breasts.

She wanted Jalen’s tongue upon her.

“Taste me. Lick my clit.” The words came out of her mouth before she realized she had spoken.

“As I have longed to.” Jalen’s smile was purely and erotically male as he knelt before Ranelle and encouraged her to widen her stance with gentle pressure with his hands between her thighs.

He spread the soft folds with his fingers and stroked her clit lightly with his thumb. She cried out and grasped his head, pressing him tight to her. Jalen gave a throaty murmur and began devouring her, licking her nub with his tongue that seemed almost magical in its talent.

Sliding one of his long fingers inside her tight core, Jalen delved into her wetness, slowly fucking her with his hand as he tasted her intimately.

A storm of sensations swirled through Ranelle. Her head spun, and she didn’t realize she had dropped the barricade in her mind ’til she heard Jalen’s voice.

You are the sweetest of treasures, fair Ranelle,
he murmured in her thoughts.
There is no aphrodisiac as luscious as your nectar.

She clenched her hands in his hair as the storm grew wilder within her. “Oh, gods,” she cried as her hips bucked against his face, her orgasm slamming into her with the force of a hurricane.