Fantasy Quest (4 page)

“Probably because you scare everyone else in the realm but me, my Lord.”

Lerik shook his head and laughed.
 
“You’re probably right.”
 
He slapped the elf on the back—a blow which would send any other being flying across the room.
 
However, elves were sturdy stock—especially wood elves—and Oopec didn’t budge.

“My lord, if you’re finished berating me for the day, there is something I should bring to your attention.”
 
Oopec pushed his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose and blinked up at Lerik.

“What is it, Oopec?
 
Spit it out.”

“The portal, my Lord.
 
Your consort and Max came through the portal near Castle Marsoon.”

Rage boiled inside Lerik’s veins as all the ramifications of the news flashed through his mind.
 
Marsoon was the lord of a particularly bloodthirsty goblin clan who enjoyed raping their victims before boiling them with vegetables and serving them for the evening meal.
 
And not only his consort was in danger, Marsoon and his minions didn’t much differentiate between men, women, animals and any other creature as long as they breathed and could be eaten later.

“Don’t just stand there, elf.
 
Ready my horse.”

“Stryder is already saddled and waiting, my Lord.”

Minutes later, Lerik rode his horse across Verrath, dread warring with anticipation surging through his body.
 
He’d waited an entire lifetime for this woman, he would not allow Marsoon or any of his goblin clan to lay one claw on her—or Max.
 
The little gargoyle had served him well, venturing into Earrath to befriend his consort.
 
A brave little creature, Lerik would reward him with an entire moat full of bananas for his loyalty.
 
Few warriors had braved the trip to Earrath, let alone a tiny purple gargoyle without clan or kin.
   

Stryder’s hooves thundered over the grassy plain, and the first tang of ocean air tingled over Lerik’s tongue.
 
He reined the spirited horse to a slow gallop as they started up the last hill before Castle Marsoon came into view.
 
It wouldn’t do to alert Marsoon or his minions that they had company.

When he crested the hill, the dark ominous castle speared up from the sand, obstructing part of the view of the ocean.
 
Lerik searched the beach for any sign of Max and his lady.
 
His breath caught in his throat as he saw them.

Max loped next to a fiery-haired siren with curves that could threaten a man’s sanity.
 
She wore a simple threadbare cotton tunic and short trousers held up by a frayed piece of rope.
 
The material was so thin, her coral nipples and the lava-colored curls at the juncture of her thighs showed like a beacon, causing his mouth to water with anticipation.

She turned to face him as if sensing his presence, and their gazes locked, shaking him to his toes.
 
Awareness burned through him like none he’d ever experienced.
 
It wasn’t purely sexual, it was an awareness that the woman whose soul he read behind those brilliant green eyes was destined to be his.

When her cat eyes darkened with desire, his body reacted, and he shifted in the saddle, his soft leather trousers suddenly too tight and confining.

Out of the corner of his eye, the movement of Max scenting the air caught his attention.
 
Both he and the goddess before him shifted their gazes toward Max in time to see the fuzzy purple gargoyle bare his sharp teeth in a menacing growl.

“Damn!”
 
Lerik’s woolgathering had put his consort in danger.
 
Reaching over his shoulder, he pulled his long sword from its sheath and flicked the reins causing Stryder to spear forward.
 
As he moved closer, he scanned the surrounding beach for any sign of the goblins.

Guttural grunts from the side were the only warning he had before three of them jumped at him, knocking him from his horse.

Years of fighting to survive allowed him to keep his sword in his hand and land without impaling himself, or injuring Stryder.
 
He rolled as he landed, coming up into a fighting crouch and striking out with his foot, sweeping his three attackers off their feet.

Stryder reared into the air stomping one of his attacker into the sand.

“More fucking goblins!”

Lerik’s brow furrowed at the sweet female voice.
 
Apparently, his consort could curse like a common serving wench.
 
He turned his head to see how she fared, and the sight made him freeze with shock.

She kneed one goblin in the crotch, and when he crouched to grab his tender bits, she elbowed him in the face, causing a spurt of green blood from his nose.
 
Meanwhile, Max had set about taking large bites out of any goblin ankles that came too close to his lady.

Pain sizzled through Lerik’s head and as if from a distance, he felt himself fall to his knees in the sand.
 
Only years of hardened battle and instincts had him swinging his sword out in a wide arc until screams of pain accompanied slight resistance as his sword met goblin flesh.

He turned his head to check for more attackers, and the world swam in front of him.

Then Max was licking his face in large enthusiastic motions.

“Must heal Lerik, Astiria,” Max said in between slobbery licks.
 
“Must leave Marsoon before more goblins come.”

Max’s words sounded very far away, even though the fuzzy warmth of the gargoyle pressed against Lerik’s chest.

“I don’t know how to heal him, Max.”
 
Astiria’s words were husky and low making Lerik smile through his pain.
 
“On the computer there’s a button I click to heal someone.
 
Can we get him onto his horse like this?”

“Astiria must!
 
She choose healer in game options.
 
Here in Verrath, Astiria can heal.”
 
Max’s weight moved off his chest and cool feminine hands settled over his forehead, beating back the pain.
 
“Put hands on Lerik.
 
Picture him healthy inside Astiria’s head.”

“Shit.
 
Why couldn’t I have chosen something I actually know how to do in reality?”

Lerik’s lips quirked at the curse, and then she moved her hands over his skin leaving behind a trail of liquid heat that had nothing to do with healing.
 
His erection strained against his already uncomfortable trousers and he groaned.

“Crap, Max.
 
I hurt him.”

Lerik opened his mouth to explain, but no words came out, and she swam unsteadily in his line of sight.

She puffed out a breath fluttering her red mass of hair, then repositioned her hands and closed her eyes.

Lerik allowed his own eyes to drift closed as the familiar warm tingling of magical healing teased at his senses.
 
It wasn’t the full healing rush he was used to from other healers—it was obvious this was her first time using her new powers.
 
However, as his headache cleared, he was able to open his eyes without the world spinning.

His consort still knelt over him, her eyes closed, sweat beading over her forehead while her lips silently chanted unknown words.
 
Lerik pushed himself up to a sitting position and grabbed her wrists.

Her green eyes popped open, widening as he dragged her forward into his embrace.
 
A small squeak broke from her throat as his lips closed over hers.

Fissions of fire flashed between them as he dipped his tongue inside the plush paradise of her mouth.
 
She tasted of ale and something he couldn’t quite identify.

Lerik swallowed her moan as she buried her fingers into his hair, dislodging his leather tie and spilling his hair over his shoulders.

Tentative at first, soon she met his tongue thrust for thrust and plastered each of her full curves fully against him.

A small growl from Max brought Lerik out of the haze of passion, as if he’d surfaced from a very deep lake.
 
He reluctantly pulled away from her, holding her at arms length.
 
When she opened her eyes, they were the color of the deepest green leaves in the enchanted
Forest
of
Baltaise
.
 
Her well-kissed lips tempted him, but he quickly reminded himself that they would have a lifetime to finish such things.

“Thank you for healing me…Astiria.”

~~~

Gooseflesh marched over Astiria’s skin at the exotic pronunciation of her name from that sensuous mouth.
 
Her thoughts were still so scrambled from the mind-numbing
kiss,
she was amazed she still breathed.
 
As if of their own accord, her fingers reached up to trace the tingling warmth still lingering on her lips.

She considered herself an experienced woman.
 
She’d dated extensively before marrying her asshole ex-husband.
 
But, never in all those years had a man’s kiss affected her anywhere in the remote universe of this one.
 
She allowed her gaze to travel over every inch of the man before her.
 
The man who’d captured her attention and her hormones on the computer screen stood before her in the flesh.
 
And oh, what a wonderful specimen of flesh he was.

“Come, we must return to my castle.
 
We aren’t safe here.”

Castle?
 
My God, I made myself a laird or some other type of clan leader.
 
Which means he probably has an ego to rival his…
 
Her gaze traveled down to the enormous bulge straining to be free of his pants.

Lerik turned a confused gaze toward Max.
 
“Do you think she’s still weak from the healing, Max?
 
I know it was her first time using her powers.”
 
He looked back down at her.
 
“She does speak our language, does she not?”

Astiria’s ire at being talked about in the third person pushed aside her still-raging hormones.
 
“Of course I speak your language!”

Max wrapped his purple arms around Lerik’s leg.
 
“More goblins, Lerik.
 
Must take Astiria and go.”

Lerik, not bothering to reply to Astiria, nodded and reached down, hefting her over his shoulder like a giant bag of potatoes.

“Hey!”
 
When, two steps later her view became Max sitting on a rounded black horse’s ass, she recovered her wits.
 
“Damn it!
 
I’m perfectly capable of sitting up.”

As if he hadn’t heard her words, the horse beneath them shot into a gallop, jouncing her breasts against Lerik’s muscled back with every pump of the horse’s powerful legs.
 
She beat her fists against Lerik’s back.
 
“I should have created you with some manners, you barbarian!”

Her behind stung as his large hand swatted her.
 
“We can discuss all this later when you are safe, Astiria.
 
And I’m no barbarian, I’m human.
 
The barbarians are even worse than Marsoon, the Goblin Lord.”

“Let me down, you ass!”
 
When she received no response, she turned a pleading gaze to Max who held on tight to two fistfuls of saddle blanket to keep from being dislodged.
 
“Max, how do I get out of this place?
 
How can I go home?”

Unmistakable hurt suffused Max’s features and Lerik’s muscular body stiffened beneath her.

“Astiria belong here with Lerik and Max.
 
Earrath make Astiria sad.”
 
Max smiled up at her wanly.
 
“Here, Astiria be happy.
 
Saile the Seer has ordained it.”

Max’s crestfallen expression coupled with the hard truth deflated her anger.
 
Even before she’d met the asshole-ex husband, she hadn’t been happy.
 
Not that she was ready to accept that this fantasy world was real.