Revealed (43 page)

Soon he and Nadiah were deep in a rustling nest of silvery, incandescent feathers. They formed a barrier against the world, a shield around himself and the woman he loved that nothing could get through.

Rast found that image strangely comforting. And he also found that something new was happening—something that seemed to involve not just his wings, but his entire body.

As the wings came together and their feathers interlocked, a strange rush of power came over him. It started slowly, as a tingling in his toes. Then it made its way up his calves and legs and thighs. By the time it hit his hips and chest it was rushing upward in such a dynamic, electric burst he thought the top of his head might fly off. It didn’t though, he just felt different…filled with…something, some power, he didn’t understand.

“What the hell?” he muttered, flexing the wings again. The power rushed up and down his body in bursts and he was dimly aware of having the hardest erection of his entire life. The strange electricity built and built until he felt like sparks might start shooting from his fingers and toes if it didn’t dissipate soon. What was going on?

It is the power of your wings. Use it. Channel it into your beloved.
This time the voice sounded slightly more urgent, as though Rast didn’t have much more time.

“Channel it into Nadiah?” he said doubtfully. “But what if I hurt…” He trailed off as he looked at her lifeless body. Her chest no longer rose and fell and he was fairly sure if her heart was still beating it was only a faint stutter in her chest, soon to be silenced forever. The woman he loved was beyond hurt now. He had nothing to lose by trying.

“Here goes nothing, sweetheart,” Rast whispered to her. Taking a deep breath, he cupped Nadiah’s pale cheek in his hand and willed the power to surge from himself into her.

Please,
he thought as he pushed the power into her.
Please, I don’t know who you are but please let this work.

At first there didn’t seemed to be any effect except that he felt the power flowing from him into her, like a full cup pouring into an empty one. Only his own cup never ran dry—the power generated by his wings kept it flowing, always flowing.

Then the current seemed to shift somehow. To Rast’s astonishment, he felt the power targeting the hidden, hurt spots inside Nadiah. It found the viruses causing her fever and eradicated every microscopic one of the little bastards. It filled her lungs with air and started her heart beating again. And then the current of healing power found the broken bond—not only Nadiah’s end but Rast’s as well. As he held her tight, he felt the warm, soothing flow as the current knit the two ragged ends together like an expert seamstress mending a garment.

When the last stitch pulled tight and they were back to where they’d been before the high priestess had interfered, Nadiah took a deep gasping breath and opened her eyes.

“Rast?” She sounded confused but completely herself. “Rast, I had the strangest dream.”

“So did I. Thank God it came true.” He blinked back tears. “Or the Goddess, I guess. Thank the Goddess.”

There was no answer but he felt a sense of approval, as though the owner of the voice he’d heard was listening.
There
is
a Goddess,
he thought wonderingly.
And whoever she is, she wants Nadiah and I to be together—together forever.
He felt another, even stronger surge of approval and knew it was true. Somehow, even though they had been born on different planets in different galaxies, he and Nadiah had been made for each other. She was the only one who could complete him, the only one who could make him whole. And he was the only one who could do the same for her.

“Rast?” Nadiah was looking up at him anxiously. “Are you all right?” she asked.

“Are you?” he asked, giving her the question back.

She frowned, appearing to take some internal inventory. “Actually, I feel…wonderful. I’m still a little weak but the fever’s gone.” She looked at him uncertainly. “Did…did you do that?”

“I don’t know,” Rast said honestly. “Maybe not so much me as something—some
one
working through me…through the wings.” He nodded at them.

“The Goddess,” Nadiah breathed, her eyes shining. “But…are you all right? You have such a far away look in your eyes.”

“I’m fine,” he said firmly, pulling her closer. “Perfectly fine now that you’re okay and our bond is back in place.”

“Yes, I feel it too.” She shifted in his arms. “It’s back just the way it was before that awful priestess cut it. Thank the Goddess Y’dex wasn’t able to regraft himself to me. Ugh.” She shuddered. “I don’t think I could have stood that.”

“Don’t think about him now,” Rast said. Leaning down, he kissed her gently on the mouth. “Don’t think about anything but us, here, now, alone.”

To be honest, he wasn’t quite sure that they
were
alone, but the presence in the garden seemed to be completely benevolent.
 
He didn’t think the Goddess would mind if he held the woman he loved.

“We
are
alone, aren’t we?” Nadiah smiled. “
Finally
.”

“Mmm-hmm.” Rast kissed her again. “No parents to disapprove, no slimy ex-
 
fiancée to get in the way,” he murmured. “No one at all to interfere…”

“No one to interfere with what?” Nadiah asked a little breathlessly.

“With this.” Rast traced with one finger down her jaw and throat and around to the low scooped neck of the gauzy white priestess gown she was wearing. “You know,” he murmured, “I never realized how thin this material is. I can practically see right through it.”

“Rast.”
Her cheeks were beginning to get pink with embarrassment and he thought how wonderful it was to see them flushed with life and health instead of fever.

“Sorry,” he murmured. “I can’t help it. You’re just so beautiful.”

“You’re not too bad yourself…for a male with wings.” She smiled at him and then nodded at the surrounding wings. “I like this you know—it’s like having our own little private space right in the middle of the garden.” She stroked the sleek, iridescent feathers gently with her fingertips.

A shiver of pleasurable sensation ran through Rast’s entire body, surprising him. It felt like a warm, gentle hand was stroking him, caressing his entire body whenever Nadiah touched the wings.

No, not just the wings—
my wings,
he thought. As strange as it might seem, he was beginning to think of the new feathered appendages as being part of him—part of his body.

Nadiah must have noticed his reaction because she pulled her hand away. “Did that hurt?” she asked, looking at him anxiously. “You shivered and I thought—”

“No, really, don’t stop. It felt good.” Rast gave her a hungry look. “
Really
good.”

Nadiah stroked him again, petting the individual feathers. “They’re so amazing. They saved us, you know—if they hadn’t come out—manifested at just the right time….”

“I know.” Rast arched his back as the warm stroking sensations increased.
Looks like I’ve just grown a whole new erogenous zone,
he thought.
A damn big one.

“Did you do it on purpose?” Nadia asked. “I mean, did you consciously think about making them come out when you came after me?”

Rast shook his head. “No, that was the last thing on my mind. All I could think about was getting to you—holding you one more time before… well, before the end, I guess.”

Her eyes widened. “So you just dove after me, thinking you were going to
die?”

He shrugged, making the feathers rustle. “I guess so. I just knew I couldn’t be without you.”

“Oh, Rast…” Leaning forward, she buried her face in his neck for a moment. “I love you,” she whispered brokenly. “Love you so much.”

“I love you too, sweetheart.” He kissed the top of her head and cradled her close, breathing her in, loving the feel of her in his arms.

At last she sat up and wiped her eyes. “Sorry.” She sniffed. “I just…I can’t believe you would…” She shook her head, unable to continue.

“It’s okay,” Rast assured her, stroking her hair. “Everything is going to be okay now. I promise.”

She gave him a slightly watery smile. “I think you’re right.”

“I
know
I am.”

“But the wings…” Nadiah began stroking them again. The delicate feeling of her fingers caressing him was driving Rast crazy.

“Yeah, what about them?” he asked hoarsely.

“Well, they came out when you came after me,” Nadiah said, sounding thoughtful. “Do you think…does that mean I
am
the right female for you after all?”

“Sweetheart, you’re the
only
female for me,” Rast assured her. “You know that, don’t you?”

“Now I do.” She gave him a tentative smile. “For awhile there, though, I was worried that I might be impeding your progress. You know, keeping you from answering your higher calling as the Counselor
 
of
First World
.”

“You could never do that.” Making a decision, Rast cupped her cheek and looked into her face. “Enough about my wings—let’s talk about your eyes. Have I told you what a beautiful color they are?”

Nadiah bit her lip. “Yes,” she whispered. “Several times, I think.”

“Because it’s true—your eyes are the most gorgeous shade of blue I’ve ever seen.” He paused for a moment. “But I never want to see it again.”

“What?” Nadiah looked at him uncertainly. “What do you mean, Rast? You’re scaring me a little.”

“I mean…” He stroked her cheek tenderly. “After our time together here in this garden, I never want to see that shade of blue again. I want to change it. I want to change
you.”

“Oh, Rast…” Understanding bloomed on her face and her cheeks were flushed with pleasure. “Are you sure? I thought you wanted to wait until we were joined.”

“That was before,” Rast told her. “I wanted to prove to Sylvan that I was a man of my word—to let him know he could trust me to take care of you.”

“I’m sure he can’t dispute that now.” Nadiah smiled. “Not after you dived off a cliff for me.”

Rast grinned. “Actually, now I don’t care what he thinks. What anybody thinks. Remember how I told you that I always follow my gut instinct and it never plays me wrong?”

She nodded. “You said you trusted your intuition. Why?”

“Because I had a feeling, back when we were coming home from Tranq Prime—a feeling like if I didn’t claim you then, that I might lose you. I ignored that feeling and look what happened—this whole mess with the crazy priestess could have been avoided if I’d just listened to my instinct.”

“That’s true.” Nadiah nodded. “But you also never would have come to
First World
and learned your true identity. And you never would have gotten your wings either. That would have been a shame.” She ruffled his feathers again and Rast groaned with pleasure.

“God, that feels
amazing.
I think it gets better every time you do it.
”

She laughed. “Good. I have a whole new way to touch you.”

“And I want to touch you in a new way too,” Rast reminded her gently.
 
He couldn’t keep the need out of his voice, the hunger he felt to touch her, to take her. “I need you, sweetheart,” he murmured, kissing the side of her neck again. “Need to be inside you.”

Nadiah shivered with pleasure. “I want that too. In fact…Rast, can I tell you something?”

“Anything,” he assured her. “Anything at all.”

“All right, well, this might sound strange but now that I’m better I feel so…so…”

Suddenly Rast knew exactly what she was feeling. It was as though, when they were touching her, the wings gave him powers of perception that extended from his own body directly into hers.

“Hot?” he finished for her, raising an eyebrow. “Wet?”

Nadiah blushed and nodded. “I know it’s not right. I was nearly dead just a few minutes ago but now…well, it’s like my entire body is tingling. And I need…I need…I don’t know what I need,” she ended in obvious frustration.

“I do.” Rast gave her a lazy smile. “Will you let me give it to you? Will you let me change the color of your eyes?”

“Yes,” she whispered. “With all my heart, yes. Do…do you think we can do it like this? I mean, surrounded like this?” She indicated the protective way his wings still encircled them.

“I’m sure we can. In fact, I
want
to.” Rast gave her a hungry look. “It feels right this way. It’s like I have you all to myself. Like we’re in our own private world.”

“I feel that way too,” Nadiah murmured softly. Pressing forward, she rubbed her breasts against his bare chest.

“God, sweetheart!” Rast groaned. He could feel the tight little buds of her nipples though the thin white material of her gown. It made him feel like he might explode if he didn’t take her soon.

“I want you to change the color of my eyes,” she said. “I want to give myself to you completely.”

“Good, because I can’t wait anymore” he growled and took her mouth in a ruthless, hungry kiss that made her moan and cling to him even tighter.