Dream of Me (8 page)

His wide lips parted in a snarl as he looked down at her. “Who is
this
?” His voice was like a low, rumbling thunder in the distance, promising approaching disaster to all that got in his way.

Instinctively, she edged away from the towering brute. Relief flooded her chest when Kieran placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and took a half step in front of her.

“This is my
sou’tali
— Elena.” Though a flash of intrigue colored his dark eyes, his snarling lips didn’t change.

“So the whispers of the warriors were true. You are able to
dream seek
?” he asked with a skeptical tone.

“I have.”

Nodding, his commander flashed a grim look over at the group of warriors. “Rumors say that others have as well. This is not the best time for the Goddess to bless us with mates. This will only make the Kelithians bolder and more deadly.”

Ignoring his leader’s veiled warning, Kieran asked, “How did you know where we were?”

“The boarder sentries reported that two Kelithians were seen crossing the greenwood and onto our land. We followed them from a distance. It appears they were after something…” The brute turned his gaze back on her with meaning. Glancing over his shoulder at the other warriors, his deep voice ordered, “Get the prisoner back to the stronghold and keep him bound.” Turning back to Kieran before his eyes slid briefly to her, his whispered, “Get your mate back to the stronghold as well. The
Gu’an
will want to discover why the Kelithians sought her out. And I confess that I would like to discover it as well.”

Walking down the dark corridor, Kieran held a flaming torch above his shoulder, lighting the way. To his left, Elena walked silently beside him, her face averted from him. He didn’t fight the disappointment that settled over him at how aloof his mate was acting.

Last night after his brothers in arms and commander found them in the glen, he’d flown them back to the safety of the stronghold. Since returning, he couldn’t deny that his mate seemed withdrawn. Not that she had been so welcoming before, but she seemed to retreat deep within herself. Fearing that everything she’d seen had been too much of a shock to her delicate female mind and no knowledge of how to help her, he’d summoned Sera for her help. Upon arriving at his door Sera simply scoffed at his assumption that he’d harmed her in some way. Shaking her head she’d handed him a sleep tonic to give to Elena for the remainder of the night, insisting that after some sleep his mate would be back to her normal disagreeable self.

She was wrong. His mate was worse.

Since the moment she awoke, he’d expected her to demand and plead with him to let her return to her home. Instead she’d decided to ignore his existence completely. Any effort on his part was as meaningless as his words according to her. Feeling his feral nature rising out of frustration he’d been about to lash out at her stubbornness when a sharp knock echoed against the door of his chamber. One of his brother’s in arms had been dispatched to take Elena to the Gu’an. Not willing to let her out of his sight for a moment he offered to escort her personally.

Part of him worried what fruit her audience with the Gu’an would yield. Would she demand to be sent back and would the Gu’an grant her request? His clawed fingers clenched tightly at the mere thought. He refused to allow anyone to take her from him. As soon as Elena granted him the right to begin the
Malrai Hin
, she would be his and none would seek to take her from him.

Approaching the entrance of the great hall, he slowed his steps. He couldn’t enter with her; it was the law. Only those that the Gu’an had summoned could enter. No one ever entered without invitation unless they wished to invoke the wrath of their leader. Turning toward Elena, he saw that she was taking in her surroundings with curious eyes while casting a guarded glance at the guards in front of them.

“Elena,” he whispered softly from beside her. His heart jumped in his chest as her eyes instantly locked on his. He could drown in the liquid green depths of her eyes and never wish for another thing. Glancing away from her, he motioned ahead of them. “You must go the rest of the way on your own.”

Jerking her gaze forward, she surveyed the dark archway as the two that stood guard were watching her like hawks with stern expressions. The icy hands of fear and uncertainty curled in her stomach.

“Why?” she asked, turning back to Kieran. It had been her intention to give him a cold shoulder and ignore him completely in hopes that he’d send her home, but she was willing to listen to him in this moment.

The torch he held swished with movement of his hand. “I am not permitted to enter; only you were summoned.”

Glancing straight ahead once more, she scowled, “Who is this Glue-man, anyway?”

Chuckling low in his throat, he flashed an amused grin. “It is
Gu’an
. It’s our term for our leader and rank of the highest honor.”

“So he’s your king,” she stated with understanding.

Tilting his head to the side, he nodded, “Go. It is best not to keep him waiting.” Slowly he took a step behind her. His hopes lifted as she turned to look over her shoulder at him. Maybe she wasn’t as unaffected by him as she claimed. He flashed a reassuring grin. “The warriors have been summoned to a meeting with the Li’r. I will return for you afterwards.” Without another word he turned away.

Watching as he disappeared down the dark corridor behind her, Elena turned back around. The two guards by the doorway stood with their arms crossed over their bare chests as they regarded her with stern expressions. Pushing her shoulders back, she took a calming breath before she began putting one foot in front of the other. Passing under the stone carved archway she fought against the impulse to rush pass the watchful guards.

The room she entered was wide open with a high cathedral ceiling, void of anything other than a simple stone throne that sat upon a raised platform. Above her the moonlight spilled through the high arched windows around the room. Where was this Gu’an? Spinning in a circle she searched for where this all important person was. Seeing no one, she took a step up the raided platform to inspect the thrown seat. Along the arm of the stone seat were deep groves, more than likely from claws bearing down repeatedly. Slowly, her fingers trailed over the sharp grooves in the smooth, cold stone.

“It’s forbidden for anyone but the Gu’an to touch that throne,” a dark voice echoed around the dark room. Jerking her hand away, her head jerked around, seeking for the source of the voice, but she could see nothing.

“Did you ask me here to play hide and seek?” she asked stepping down from the platform with another slow sweep of her eyes. The sound of rustling movement above had her head jerking up to a wide window near the ceiling. Lounging within the windowsill was the dark silhouette of a man that stared down at her, unmoving.

“I see the priestess was correct about your character. You
are
very disrespectful.”

Shrugging her shoulders, she looked away from the dark figure above her. “Respect is earned. Why should I respect people that kidnapped me from my home?”

Looking back up, she watched as the form above her shifted with slow movements as he rose to his feet. With a quick flash of light a pair of wings spread out behind him before he stepped off the edge of the windowsill without a second thought. His wings slowed his descent until he settled on the floor a short distance from her.

“Point taken.”

Closing the distance that separated them the dark figure stepped into the moonlight. Like the others she’d met, his skin was gray with jet black hair, but unlike the others that wore their hair long, this man bore short hair. His square jaw was dusted with dark stubble that led up around his wide lips that pressed into a tight line as he regarded her. If this was the king she’d been warned about offending, he didn’t look like one. She had envisioned someone dressed in silk and fur robes with a glimmering crown. The man before her was dressed like all the others in simple dark trousers while his feet and chest were bare with a strange curved blade strapped at his right hip.

“What are you looking at?” he bit out, stepping closer to her in effort to intimidate her. It was working, but she refused to back down.

“Are you supposed to be the
Gu’an
?” she asked with disbelief.

“I am.” At her look of disbelief, he asked, “Why are you disappointed?”

“You don’t look like a king. You look like all the others.”

Scoffing, he walked past her to the raised platform. The thick muscles in his arms and back flowed beneath his skin with every step he took. Settling down on his thrown, he glared back at her. “Forgive me for not living up to the expectations of a backward thinking primitive.”

Arching her neck backward in offense she returned his glare. “
Excuse me?
How do you think I’m a primitive? You people live in a castle with no running water, electricity or any other technology and you think I’m a primitive?”

“We have no need of such things in Garmoria. I call you a primitive because you are
human
. I know all too well how your people think. You are a silly and inferior people that believe anything different from you must be destroyed or bent to your will.”

Elena couldn’t find the words to combat his accusing tone. It was hard to tell whether he truly held grudges against
humans
— as he referred or if he was simply trying to force a reaction from her. Taking a gamble that is was the latter, she changed the subject.

“What’s your name?” Her question utterly baffled him and almost had her laughing at his look of bewilderment.

“What?”
he asked leaning forward in his thrown. His eyes searched hers with an abundance of confusion.

“What’s your name? You do have a name, right? Or are you simply known as Gu’an?” Taking a step closer to the platform she held out a hand in greeting, “I’m Elena.” The Gu’an simply stared at her hand warily. He tilted his head side to side, surveying her hand from every angle as if she concealed a weapon.

“What are you doing?” he asked, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.

“It’s called an introduction. It’s a
human
thing. Does your kind have no understanding of polite manners?” she smirked as his brows lowered further at her jibe.

“I am called Cian.”

When he made no move to shake her hand, she dropped it while taking a step back. “Well, now that’s out of the way. Why am I here?”

Bracing his elbow on the arm of his thrown, Cian leaned back against cool stone. “
Li’r
believes that you have information as to why the Kelithians from last evening attacked you.”

Scrunching her brow with confusion she ran a nervous hand through the length of her hair. “That was last night? What time is it anyway and why is it still dark out? And who is Lee-r?”

Cian’s lips curled into a soft smile as he chuckled at her rush of questions, “You are a very strange female, Lady Elena. It is mid day and it is always this dark here. Our world possesses no sun like your world does.
Li’r
is our term for the leader of the warriors — the people that keep Garmoria safe. I believe you met him last night after the attack. He is also known as Arlen.”

The image of the terrifying man that bore spiked coverings on his hands suddenly rose from her memory. That was the general of their army? His bloodcurdling appearance suddenly made sense to her. And like the king, the general seemed to dislike her on sight.

“Why did those men try to take me last night?”

Slowly rising from his thrown, Cian stepped off the platform while watching her. “I was about to ask the same thing. Why would Zyaid have such an interest in you?”

She shook her head in confusion. What was he talking about? “Who the hell is
Zyaid
? Look; Kieran explained to me that your people and the Kelithians — or whatever, are at war. However, I have nothing to do with that. There is no reason why anyone would want to kidnap me.”

“And yet two Kelithian warriors risked death by crossing the Greenwood and coming onto our land to kidnap a human woman that had been here for barely a few hours. Never have they been this foolhardy and something tells me that it has to do with
you
,” he said, pointing an accusing finger at her.

“It wasn’t my choice to come here, you know,” she pointed out, resting a hand on her hip.

Shaking his head, a tired sigh escaped from between his lips. “Regardless, as Gu’an it is my responsibility to protect the interests of my people. The priestess has informed me that you are Kieran’s
sou’tali
and as such you are entitled to my protection as well. If the Kelithians try to take you again they will see this old feud coming to an end very quickly. I won’t abide anymore senseless bloodshed.” Scratching at the back of his scalp, Elena didn’t miss how his large bicep tightened with eye-catching movement.

Jerking her eyes away from the tempting sight she tried to focus back on what Cian was saying. How long had this war waged between these two people and what was the cause? Before she could summon the courage to ask her stomach let out a low rumble, drawing Cian’s attention from his thoughts.

“I have kept you long enough. I will have Rurik escort you to the dining hall and get you some food.”

With a dip of his head, he turned striding past her to the open archway. For a moment he spoke to one of the guards in hushed tones. She held herself still as she struggled to make out what was being said. They must have considered that she’d listen in on them because they seemed to speak a different language. She was still no closer to getting answers on what was really going on and to make mattered worse, it appeared as if Cian wouldn’t help in her endeavour to get home.

“Lady Elena?” Turning toward the archway, she saw another gray skinned warrior watching her. His gaze watched her curiosity but was guarded like all the others. Flashing a smile, he stepped forward. “I am Rurik. I have been asked by Gu’an to escort you to the dining hall.”

“I’d rather wait for Kieran,” she stated taking a step back from him. “He said he’d be back to get me.”

Nodding, Rurik smiled kindly at her hesitance. “I understand; however Kieran is at a warriors meeting with the
Li’r
and may not return for some time. I wish only to obey my Gu’an orders and take you to get some food. I offer my protection in Kieran’s absence and promise that no harm will come to you.”

Parting her lips to decline his offer for the second time and inform him she needed no one’s protection, her traitorous stomach decided to growl once again. Heat rushed up into her face as Rurik smirked at the sound. He held an arm out to her in a silent offer of an escort.