Healing Fire (19 page)

"Take him to the dungeons,"
Adalardo ordered his men who picked up the human man, carrying him away.

Others came to help lift Melor.

Blossom
came running to her side, tears streaming down her face.

Summer wrapped her arms around her
daughter, holding her close as she followed the men carrying Melor.

"He's going to be okay, isn't he,
Mom?"

"Yes, baby. Thanks to their magic
crystals, Melor is going to be just fine."

Chapter
Fifteen

Melor's lungs expanded, inhaling a
soft sweet familiar floral scent, a comforting warmth pressed against his side.
He opened his eyes to glance down at the peaceful sleeping face of his beloved
Summer.

He curled his arm around her shoulders,
pulling her tighter against him, gently brushing stray strands of silky hair
from her face.

A quick glance around the room told
him he was in his bedchambers, in the Palace. She stirred in his arms, her
eyelids fluttering as sleepy eyes opened and peered up at him from under her
long dark brown lashes. Her stormy gray eyes, still clouded from sleep, glanced
up at him in confusion.

"Melor, you're awake."

"Aye, my love, as are you."
He caught her delicate chin between his fingers, stretching her neck slightly
forward to cover her mouth with his in a slow welcoming kiss.

Her sweetness; he would never get
enough of. He let his hand slide around to cup the back of her head, to
increase the pressure and deepen the kiss.

She moaned softly, feeling her fingers
feather light along his chest. He released her head, and they were both
breathing hard. And most importantly, they were both naked.

"Where be Blossom?"

"She's gone with Queen Penny and
Vanora to outfit her with some Kell clothes."

"We are alone?"

Summer's smile was seductive,
breathtaking, making his heart beat faster than galloping stag hooves, and his
cock hardened painfully.

"Aye, my husband, we are alone."

"I am forgiven in not explaining
what being a Protected meant? I feared you would not accept me if I did."

"I was angry with you for a
while, but watching you almost die kind of put things into perspective. So,
yes, you are forgiven. It does not mean you can keep the truth from me ever
again."

"Nay love, never." He kissed
her again, wrapping his arms around her, rolling until she lay pinned under
him.

"And you are healed? Is there any
pain?"

"No, no pain. You healed me in
more ways than one. The healing fire of your love healed my heart so I could
love again."

Her legs parted in wanton invitation.
Melor kissed her deeply and slid straight into her hot tight heat. It felt so
damn good to be inside her, a place he never wanted to leave.

She threw back her head. Her moan tore
through the room.

"Oh, Melor, I love you so much!"

"Aye, my love, my Summer," he
panted. He shifted his hips, pulling almost all the way out and slammed back in.

Her legs wrapped around his waist, her
heels digging into his lower back as he thrust into her, unable to control his
desire. She writhed and mewled as he angled his hips to hit at just the right
spot within her, over and over again.

"Oh, God, Melor, yes, oh yes!"
Her body trembled as she screamed his name, her face flushing crimson as she
peaked.

He groaned, pumping harder, faster,
striving for his own release. He threw his head back and roared. His body
shuddered as the climax washed through his entire being, his seed pumping deep
into his lady's body. He collapsed onto her, gripping her, rolling them to
their side so as not to crush her.

She snuggled into his side, her face
serene and well satisfied as he too felt. He had his Protected, a daughter and
the family he had longed for, and would guard fiercely for the rest of his
days.

~ * ~

Grant was dragged forward by his
massive guards, who glared at him as if they wanted to cut off his head and
feed it to whatever beast they had on this alien planet.

Yes, it hadn't taken long for it to
sink into his thick brain these Kell men were alien, and he was no longer on earth.

The men placed him onto a chair and
removed his chains.

"If you move, little human, we
will not hesitate to end your life," the guard warned before backing away
but not leaving the room. He felt their watchful gaze on his back.

Three days he'd been kept in a cell,
in what they called the dungeon. It was clean, and they'd giving him a blanket
and food, whilst considering what they would do with him.

The door opened and in swept a woman
with flowing red hair. She was beautiful, the deep green gown laced with gold
and a crystal crown on her head sparkled with a myriad of colors. Her face set
deep green eyes, which Grant recognized from his photos. She was one of the
women who had gone missing in Tasmania, not long after her husband.

Behind her a large regal man followed
closely, their gazes fixed on him as they drew closer.

"Mr. Grant Corwell, do you know
who I am?" She gazed down at him with every authority of a noble.

"You're Penny Summerton."

"You will address the Queen of
Kell as your Majesty or Highness," one of the guards snapped from behind
him.

Penny raised her hand to silence the
guard.

"I was once that woman, but as
you can see, I am here, perfectly well, not murdered. And I am Queen; this is
my husband King Adalardo."

"Be of great thanks to my queen,
human. If not for her, your head would be sitting on a spike outside my palace
walls," rumbled the King.

Grant swallowed convulsively in fear.

"After consulting with my King,
we have decided on your punishment for your unprovoked attack on a Kell
Warrior. Thankfully, he was healed and is now enjoying time with his new wife."

"What punishment?"

She smiled, a kind, pitying smile,
making Grant shake with fear of the unknown. Were they going to torture him?

"It has been arranged you will
sit here until you see every woman who has come from earth to live here in
Kell. You will listen to their stories and of their lives on earth before they
met their Kell men. Once their stories are done, you will be returned to earth.
What you do with the information is then up to you."

"You're not going to hurt me?"

The king snorted. "We are an
enlightened people. We will always protect what is ours. I will do anything to
protect my Kingdom and my lady. The only pain you will experience is the
suffering of your own heart. Be wise and be a man, face up to the truth of your
life."

Penny smiled lovingly up at her
husband before returning her cool green gaze to Grant. "We shall start
with someone you know very well."

The King clapped his hands and in
walked another woman followed closely by another large dark Kell male. Grant
sucked in a sharp breath as he gazed up at his sister.

"Elly," he whispered.

"Hello, Grant. I hear you've been
looking for me. Let me introduce you to my Protector, Anyon. Protector means
the same thing as husband. After all these years, only when I disappeared, do
you even notice," she scolded.

Anyon fetched her a chair from the
side, the King and Queen made a discreet exit as Elly sat down.

"Now, let's begin, shall we?"

~ * ~

Melor was quite sure his Protected was
about to do herself some harm, as she fell with a
bump
off her chair.
Tears streamed down her face as she laughed so hysterically.

"What?" Blossom raced in
from the back door, the wooden sword still clutched in her hand. Melor frowned
at her playing warrior games, and the fact that a few men were again hanging
around their Domicile.

He had lost count of how many times he'd
refused offers of promises for Blossom's hand when she came of age.

"Why is Mom laughing like a
hyena?" Blossom's lips began to twitch up at the corners as her mother
continued to laugh.

"Oh, baby." Summer seemed to
be trying to catch her breath. "Did you tell Melor that Fruit Loops grow
on bushes?"

"Um, no." Blossom started to
giggle.

Melor walked around the table and
gripped Summer's, arms lifting her back onto her feet. She leaned against him
still trying to bring her laughter under control.

"Honey, Fruit Loops are made not
grown."

"I assumed they grew on some tree
or bush then were left out to dry in the sun. Now I suspect this is not the
case."

Both Blossom and Summer burst out into
complete hysterics. He simply shook his head.

"What is all the laughing? Has a
tale of jest been told?" Sarid stuck his nose in the back door; the
warrior had been hanging around their stag farm as a helping hand for the past
few weeks.

"It seems I am the one at the
center of the jest," Melor said in a dry tone. "Somehow I think
growing Fruit Loops is out of the question."

Epilogue

Tuthal drew in a sharp breath; sweat
covered his body as he bolted upright in his bed. Beside him, his lovely
protected, as if sensing his unease, turned.

"What is it honey?" she
asked, her voice sleepy, rich and husky.

Normally he
would indulge in her beauty and take comfort from her arms. "Tis naught
but a dream my sweet. Be at ease and return to your sleep. You both need it."
He kissed her shoulder.

"Humm, if you're sure?"

"Aye, my love."

She
turned back to her side, her leg resting up on a pillow to help make her more
comfortable with her advanced swollen belly.

Tuthal rolled out of bed, exiting
their bed chamber, his mind going over all he had seen. What his dream had told
him and what he had to prepare.

He pulled on his turrets, his boots
and a fresh robe, which hid the array of swords attached to his belt.