Caller of Light (29 page)

“Careful luv,” he growled. “Or I’m going to jump to the second part of my plan first.” His green eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint.

Her heart sputtered. “What do you have in mind?”

Instead of answering, he ducked his head and kissed her. His kiss deepened and she responded with a hungry eagerness until he broke away leaving her breathless. Grabbing her hand, they walked to a patch of grass where he pulled a blanket from the pack and spread it out before plopping down in the center of it. Resting his elbows on his knees, he patted the empty space between his legs. “Come, sit here.” He smiled.

She hesitated. Except for a few obstinate rays, a threatening storm cloud obscured the sun. By sitting, Marek had interrupted the path of one of the shafts of light. Immersed in a soft glow, his eyes shimmered in the yellow radiance. She stopped breathing. A slow ache filled her chest. He was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen, and part of him belonged to her.

He reached out, beckoning her with his fingers. “Come little one.”

His velvet voice caressed her skin. She accepted his hand and settled herself between his legs. Relishing the strength of him all around her, her concentration stumbled as he pulled her against his chest. “Tell me what you have planned?” she asked, noting her breathy voice. She really needed to work on her self-control.

“Well, I thought we’d try an experiment.”

She detected his uncertainty and twisted to scan his face. “What experiment?” she asked with an arched eyebrow.

He brushed a hand through his windblown hair. “I want you to call the Critons,” he blurted with a tentative smile.

Her mouth dropped. How could he ask this of her when he knew her place in the scheme of royalty? She was a
nobody
. Just asking her to do this dredged up painful memories.

She shook her head and pulled away, but Marek’s long, sinewy arms ensnared her. He stroked the side of her face before wrapping his hand in her hair and forcing her head to his shoulder. His breathing remained steady as he waited for her to relax into him.

“Carina, I know about your heritage. But I’ve never seen someone so carefree around Critons, and more importantly, how attracted they are to you.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. Was he teasing her? She lifted her chin to look at him, but his face displayed warmth and reassurance.

“I don’t understand.”

He smiled. “Oh, my dear one,” he murmured, kissing the top of her head. “Haven’t you noticed that more Critons live on my land since your arrival? And more come each day. I imagine it won’t be long before we start drawing attention.”

“Is that good?” she asked, resting her chin on his collarbone.

Marek shrugged. “More Critons, aye, that’s definitely good. More attention, well, that remains to be seen.” With lazy strokes, he rubbed her arms up and down. She assumed he meant for his touch to be comforting, but it had the opposite effect and her pulse quickened.

“I know this seems like a useless endeavor to you, but maybe mixed bloods can have the gift too?”

She rolled her eyes. “There’s never been a mixed blood Caller.”

Marek sighed. “Not documented. But maybe that’s why some kingdoms have more Critons residing on their lands…because someone living there attracts them.”

She glared at Marek.

He frowned. “Will you at least try?”

“I don’t even know how to call Critons.”

“That’s why you’re going to
try
,” he persisted. “Just lean into me and clear your mind. When you’re relaxed, think about calling them to you.”

She narrowed her eyes, filleting him with her best dubious look. She hoped the doubt splashed across her face and defiant tilt of her chin accurately depicted her disapproval for becoming an unwilling participant in this nonsense.

He chuckled and squeezed her. “Just try,” he whispered in her ear. “If you do this for me, I’ll do something for you.”

Her heart fluttered as very unladylike thoughts invaded her mind. “You promise?”

Marek threw his head back and laughed. She really loved his laugh.

“Aye,
whatever
you want.”

“Very well.” She sniffed, and settled into his massive chest. Because she didn’t know what else to do, she initiated the relaxation and visualization techniques Master Dupree had taught her. Closing her eyes, she focused on her breathing and filled her lungs with deep, cleansing breaths. She exhaled and relaxed her body, part by part, starting with her toes and working upward.

With her eyes shut, she opened her other senses to recreate a picture of her surroundings within her mind. She smelled the vague hint of rain imbedded in the air and heard the grass bending in the breeze. The darkening sky as thunderheads rolled across the heavens didn’t concern her because Marek’s body protected her.

Her breathing slowed to long, regular breaths as if sleeping. With a painful abruptness, her senses exploded into a state of hyper-awareness like the Mother Source had reached out and in a selfless act of sharing exposed her to the Mother’s immense power. Carina could see everything around her as if her eyes were open. If she concentrated, she could experience the world through the Great Mother—the nematodes tunneling deep within the rich soil, the joyous voices of the trees singing to the sun, the water in the valley far below tumbling and playing over the rocks as it journeyed across the land.

Her mind could touch the world with a simple thought. From outside her body, she stared at her physical being sitting between Marek’s legs as he caressed her. They were so small in a world of vastness. She was life and death, all that was and would be. She had called and the Mother Source had answered, giving her access to the beauty and power of everything the Great Mother had to offer.

She smiled at the wondrous gift as power flowed into her. When every cell in her body throbbed with endless energy to the point she wanted to cry from the joy of life consuming her, she took another deep breath and marveled in her connection until a soft whisper told her to let go. Reluctant to dissolve the joining, but knowing she must, she threw her thoughts to the wind as if tossing a net across the water to catch fish and shouted the words,
come to me,
in her mind. A surge traveled down her arms and vanished through her fingertips jerking her out of the trance.

She pressed her fingers together wondering about the numbing sensation at the tips when Marek grabbed her hands and brought them to his mouth. With deliberate slowness, he kissed each finger. She watched in fascination as his lips nurtured each tip.

“Thank you,” he murmured without skipping the attention he was lavishing on her fingers. “Now, was there something in particular you wanted me to do?” His voice sounded innocent, but the gleam in his eyes spoke otherwise.

She blushed and remembered to breathe. When he got to the last finger and gazed at her expectantly, she forgot about her glorious daydream.

“Well, um…” She cursed the deepening blush warming her cheeks. “I suppose you could continue with what you were doing.”

In a flash, she was lying on the ground with Marek towering over her. His eyes blazed and her heart skipped beats. His voice barely contained what his eyes proclaimed. “Is there a particular place where I should begin?”

Her eyes widened and she nodded.

“Then tell me, so I can repay my enormous debt to you?” He leaned close, encompassing her entire field of vision. Not trusting her voice, she pointed to her mouth.

Marek chuckled low, bending over her. “Aye, that’s an excellent place to start.”

His lips brushed against hers, just a taste, before he kissed her with such unabashed intensity she succumbed, riding the sensations and passion flooding through her veins caused by the mere touch of the man who could command her total submission with just a whisper.

38 – BRANDING

A low warning hiss from FireStrike startled Marek awake. He untangled himself from Carina who groaned in disapproval when his arm slipped out from underneath her. Although he would’ve preferred coaxing her awake in a more enjoyable manner, his Criton ripping gashes into the Great Mother with his front claws demanded his attention.

He stepped into his pants and walked over to his winged companion, resting a reassuring hand on the Criton’s neck. FireStrike snorted and postured by extending his wings as he stared at the northern skyline. Another growl rumbled from the back of his throat.

“What do you see?” Marek followed FireStrike’s gaze, scanning into the distance. Although the skies were clear and the meadow empty, the hair on the back of Marek’s neck rose. He knew his Criton well enough to realize something was wrong. They were at the edge of his border, still within his lands, but probably out too far to have traveled alone with Carina. His desire to spend time with her might’ve just put their lives in jeopardy.

He hustled over to Carina. Immersed within the blanket, only a foot and a few coils of hair braved exposure. In a short amount of time, she’d become the center of his life. The invisible pull toward her, an attraction he’d never experienced with any other woman, intrigued him. She’d come from nowhere and enchanted him. His precious Carina had captured him in an unbreakable hold that he’d gladly carry for the rest of his life—for as long as she would have him.

He strapped on his claymore and welcomed the silence, letting the cool air revitalize his body. But the peaceful serenity erupted into chaos when FireStrike’s earsplitting roar flooded his ears a millisecond before the mountaintop burst into flame around him.

The deafening sound jerked Carina awake. Heat prickled her skin. She lay frozen, her heart plummeting into her stomach. She recognized the scene unfolding, it had replayed in her mind, night after night.

Critons filled the sky. They screamed and strafed the bluff before rising to dive at them again. A large, yellow female with red streaks on her wings dropped from the heavens, blocking the sun to spew fire at Marek. Reacting with warrior reflexes, he dove behind a boulder and huddled close to the rock while flames surged around him.

FireStrike bellowed in defiance as riderless Critons lashed at him with their teeth and claws whenever he tried to take flight. The ground trembled from FireStrike’s flame shooting skyward as he kept the brunt of the Critons at bay.

The yellow Criton screamed. Her gold eyes focused on Marek, her prey. She maneuvered around the rock to corner him, her wings flapping in strong, powerful strokes.

Marek jumped away from the boulder. His eyes blazed. “Run Carina,” he yelled while drawing his sword.

Although Carina admired Marek’s courage, she knew he had no intention of attacking the Criton. He was the distraction so she could escape. Paralyzed with fear, she watched her nightmare break out of the dream realm to unravel before her in vivid color. The overheated air undulated with a life of its own. The acidic odor from the yellow Criton’s flame scorched her lungs. Her body shook and her mind shattered.

Marek had transformed into a wild beast with crazed eyes and lips curled into a snarl. His bare chest, rising and falling from the adrenaline pumping through him, glistened with sweat. He was magnificent, standing in front of the yellow Criton with his sword raised overhead. If the Criton got close enough, he’d use his claymore as a spear in an attempt to penetrate the strong muscle surrounding her chest cavity.

“Carina!”

She jumped at his shout. His face twisted in fury.

“Run!”

His speckled eyes locked onto hers and held her spellbound as if inhaling her essence into his soul. A sob escaped her, and tears ran unchecked down her face. Sadness and regret glimmered in his eyes. But what ripped her apart, what devastated her, was acceptance. Acceptance for the sacrifice he was about to make on her behalf. She’d spent her life trying to find her way, to discover her place in the world, and when she finally realized her path the Gods were about to snatch it from her.

She stood on shaky legs. None of the Critons, including the yellow female, seemed interested in her. A strange calm settled over her because now she understood what had to be done. The flames in her dreams had coached her well, hardening and fortifying her. She inhaled the heated air, breathing it deep into her lungs, and summoned her courage.

The yellow Criton had Marek cornered. The steady flap of her wings kept her stationary in front of him. She raised her head skyward and bellowed in triumph with her victory near. An immediate cacophony of responding Critons permeated the air. Carina covered her ears, grimacing from the noise.

No longer able to protect Marek, FireStrike lay gasping for breath. Blood streamed down his body from gaping lacerations. Critons surrounded him, their heads low, ready to finish the attack.

As if mocking Marek, the yellow Criton lowered her head and opened her mouth to display rows of sharp teeth.

Marek extended his arm, preparing to throw his sword. Even in this desperate hour, Carina marveled at his powerful chest and the rippled muscles lining his abdomen.

Arid blasts of air slammed into Carina’s body from the heat emanating inside the Criton’s mouth. Wisps of smoke escaped between the gaps in the animal’s teeth. The angry Criton roared, exposing the flames at the back of her throat. Although death by Criton fire was considered honorable, only sadness gripped Carina’s heart as she stepped in front of the man she loved.

“What in Haden are you
doing
?” Marek pulled her into his chest, shielding her with his body.