Rhuul's Flame (10 page)

“B-better. It’s l-loosening.”

If holding hands allowed her to breathe, then he’d have to take the next step. He pulled her into an embrace and tilted his head to avoid her flames. “I won’t kill your precious beasts unless I have to. But make no mistake, if they leave me with no other choice, they will die.”

“But—”

“Lea…”

“Okay.” Her voice sounded stronger, filled with disappointment, but stronger nonetheless.

He leaned back to look at her. The ropes at her neck hadn’t retreated, but they hung loose. Now that she was out of immediate danger, the tension in his muscles eased, and instinct took over. He leaned forward and captured her lips. They were just as soft as they were on the mountain with the calciphex. She smelled of sweet flowers and fresh rain. The aromas cloyed with each other and called to him on a primal level.

He wrapped his unbound arm around her waist, his hand resting on her hip. She was succulent like a fruit, all luscious curves and firm roundness. He could hardly wait to sink his teeth into her. There’d be time for that later; for now, he teased her lips apart with his tongue and laid claim to her mouth, falling deeper into the abyss of want. She tasted sweet, like nectar. The heat from her grew as she held onto the back of his neck. She returned his kiss, her tongue silky and hot against his.

His body reacted to her every nuance. His cock came to life under the fabric of his pants, and he pressed himself against her without shame or hesitation. What was it about her? How could she break down his walls with a touch of her lips, a swirl of her wicked tongue? He had decided to walk away only minutes before, but in that moment, he was unwilling to pull back, even as his flesh was singed.

Sweat ran down from his brow as Lea grew hotter still. The skin of his forehead burned, but he couldn’t stop himself. If anything, he wanted more. He needed it.

What started out as a gesture of relief had now grown into an undeniable need. Torrents of desire saturated his blood, leaving him throbbing. Tendrils of pain pulsed in his groin, while his skin seemed to hum under the effects of her touch. He didn’t want to let go, but a low growl in the distance brought his focus back to the situation at hand. He broke the kiss and looked into the distance, still hearing, but not seeing the source of the sound. Her turned back to her, searching her face.

Lea closed her eyes and stood still. The rope was no longer around her neck. It had retreated to just above her elbow, his own in a similar position. “It’s moving away from us. Come on, we need to stay down wind.”

“All right.” He brought a sword back to his left hand and took a few practice swings. “You’ll probably have to get used to the way I use these.”

“Right.” She rolled her eyes and kept walking. “By the way, did you mean to kiss me just then, or were you just
swatting a bug
?”

“A bug?” There wasn’t enough blood flowing to his brain to understand what she meant, thanks to the still painful erection in his pants. It took a few seconds, and when it hit him, his shook his head. “Funny.” The rope loosened enough to make it easier to move their hands. He held hers, his Eidon half surprisingly silent. It felt right to be next to her. He pictured Lea at his side in his new realm. The image brought a smile to his lips, but it was gone in a flash.
She’ll never leave this place. This is her home. She’s happy here … Why am I even thinking about this?

“We’ll have to be as quiet as we can through this area. Just about everything here wants to eat us. Move with me. I’ll change with the wind and keep an eye out for anything trying to sneak up behind us.” She held his hand tight and dropped lower, forcing him to bend at the waist.

They snaked their way over and around rocks and obstacles, pausing whenever Lea stopped to listen. After a few hours, she seemed agitated, and halted their progress more often.

“What’s wrong?” He kept his voice low. She’d crouched down behind a large boulder, her breaths heavy.

“We’re surrounded.”

“How many?” They’d moved into an area with tall grasses in tufts among the rocks. Perfect camouflage for an ambush.

“Nine. These are
sekti
. They’re large, fast, strong, and poisonous. When I give the word, we’ll run over to that big rock. It’s too sheer for them to climb it. If we’re fast, we can get up there and they won’t be able to reach us. Get ready.”

“No. I will not run from them. Let them come to us.” He felt the rope tighten around their wrists as soon as he uttered the words.

“We’re too exposed here. They can jump onto this rock. We won’t stand a chance.” She pulled on his arm, but he pulled back.

“We won’t stand a chance if we don’t defend ourselves. You want us to go over to that rock and do what exactly? Stay there until they leave? Your focus is on preserving them. What about us? How long will we last on a rock without food and water? They can come and go in shifts.”

“Rhuul, you don’t understand. This is their territory. It’s not fair to kill them when we’re trespassing.”

“So they should kill us? Is that what you’re saying?” He watched the indecision in her eyes, and pulled her to her feet. “It’s us or them, Lea.”

“I just don’t—” She placed a hand on the boulder and sucked in a breath. “Watch out!” Before he could speak, she leaned into him, pushing his body away from the large rock.

He spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. A great beast had launched itself at them. A mouth full of daggerlike teeth was connected to a wide head, thick neck, and muscular body. The animal had no fur. Its cream-colored skin was speckled with tiny spots that were concentrated at its clawed paws. Lea had moved him out of the way, but now she was in danger of being slashed by the creature’s talons.

“Lea!” He pulled her to him and turned on the balls of his feet, placing his back to the animal while attempting to drop low to avoid its bite. He felt a burn, as if hot knives sliced into the skin of his arm. He forced a breath through his teeth, and felt his more violent Celestan nature come forward.

His vision blurred, but he made out the shape of the
sekti
. When it lunged for him again, he lifted his sword and plunged it deep into its chest. Another slash to his left arm, and he cursed the rope preventing him from using both limbs freely. Blood poured down his arm in hot trails. He called his other sword to his bound hand. His vision continued to worsen. He could almost make out the gouges left behind where the
sekti
raked his flesh. Almost.

His world grew dark; his heart raced. His mouth went dry, and his balance wavered. “Lea … try to … get behind me.” He could hear more of the beasts, their growls and breathing closing in. He held up his sword and squinted in a last-ditch effort to spot any movement in the darkness of his field of vision.

“Rhuul!”

It was the last thing he heard before he felt the ground beneath his chest.

*

Time almost stood still for Lea when Rhuul lost consciousness. The sight of his blood, the stillness of his body, and the sound of more
sekti
closing in sent a rage through her unlike any she’d ever felt before. She screamed and allowed her inner fire free rein within her.

She crouched, picking up Rhuul’s swords. When another beast rounded the boulder, she extended his sword and sent her flames down the blade, setting the creature on fire before piercing its heart.

The remaining
sekti
attacked as one. She didn’t think; she created a swirling wall of fire around Rhuul and herself and moved it outward, engulfing the creatures. They were dead almost instantly.

With the threat eliminated, she focused on reaching into the earth with her magic. “Hold on, Rhuul. I just need to…” Tears welled up in her eyes as she grew plants around them. Smoke from the charred bodies rose like phantoms, haunting her with the actions she’d taken.

“Don’t think about it. You have to move fast or your
kan’na
will die.” She picked up a nearby rock and crushed the plants into a paste. When she was satisfied with the consistency, she smeared it in Rhuul’s wounds and placed some under his tongue. “I’ll need to let that settle in before I can heal him.” She ran her fingers over his cheek, her tears turning into steam. “You shouldn’t have tried to save me.”

Using her magic, she grew vines of varying thickness and weaved a rudimentary stretcher, padding it with mosses and grasses. She cultivated more vines to lift him onto the rudimentary bed, settling his long body onto it.

She tied him facedown to keep his wings free, secured the woven rope diagonally across her chest and shoulder, picked up his swords, and walked sideways, pulling him with her joined arm and right shoulder. “I’ll get us to the springs. We will complete this trial.”

Chapter 7

Rhuul opened his eyes to find his world still out of focus. Several blinks helped to clear the view, making two things apparent: first, he was lying down. Second, he didn’t feel his swords. “Lea?”

“I’m here.” Her voice cracked. She sounded hoarse, raising an instant alarm in him.

“What’s wrong?” He strained to push himself up. His muscles were fatigued, as if he’d overworked them. The memory of the
sekti
rushed back. He moved his gaze around the darkened space, searching for them. “Why is it dark? Where are we?”

“We’re inside one of the caves at the Hespa springs.” She lifted her right hand and shot a ball of fire into the ceiling. The plants growing on the rock above ignited, illuminating the area. “How are you feeling?” The added light allowed him to see the redness in her eyes. She sat with her knees pulled close to her chest. Sadness wrapped itself around her features, pulling her face into a melancholy frown.

“Lea, what happened?” He lifted his wings high and moved to sit next to her, wanting more than anything to wrap his arms around her and hold her close. Doing so would probably break her arm with the rope in place, so he settled for taking her hand in his.

“You were poisoned by a
sekti
. After you passed out, they kept coming.” Her body stiffened and her gaze moved to the far wall. “They wouldn’t stop. They smelled blood and they were going to kill you. I couldn’t let them.” She turned to face him, her eyes steaming. “I…”

The sight of her distress tugged at him. He lifted their joined hands and placed a light kiss on the backs of her fingers. “Tell me.”

“I killed them.” Her voice was barely a whisper as more steam rose from the corners of her eyes. “I killed all of them. I treated your wounds and dragged you here. I had to … I killed so many. They stalked us for so long. I shouldn’t have slain them!” She covered her face with her right hand, her sobs stealing her voice. “I couldn’t let them hurt you, so I killed them. I didn’t even think about it. I just reacted to protect you. I convinced myself it was right. It felt like instinct.”

He pulled her hand from her face and wiped her tears. “You did what you had to. Remember what I said? It was going to be us or them.”

“I didn’t have to kill all of them!” She brought her face to her knees and released a shaky breath. “I could have taken another path to get here. Could’ve been more selective, but I didn’t do that. I marched right through their lands. I was so angry. I wanted them to come; I dared them to. I was a monster.”

“You’re not a monster. I would have killed them to keep you safe if our roles were reversed.”

“But you’re a killer, that’s what you do. You don’t respect life. It means nothing to you to destroy. I’m not like you.” Her words were strong, but her voice was still weak and small.

He didn’t have the answers for her accusations. She spoke the truth. He had no problem eliminating anything he viewed as a threat. So he changed the subject. “You pulled me all this way? How long have I been asleep?”

“I built that to carry you. That’s the sixth one. The others wore out.” She pointed to the woven litter covered in moss. “You were out for three days. It took a day and a half to get you here. Once I got you to the springs, I finished healing you. These waters helped purge the poison. I pulled you into them until you started to get better.”

“You did all that for me?” He hadn’t intended to speak the words aloud, but he couldn’t contain them. No one had ever done anything for him like this before. He’d never had someone show such compassion. Such caring. Lea had cast aside her beliefs, killed to protect him, dragged him across who knew what, and tended to him until he was healed. He stared at her in awe, unsure of what else to say.

“Yes. But I can see every one of the
sekti
in my mind. I’ve never been so angry. I … I lost control.”

“When you have something to protect, it makes it easier to—”

Her body tensed and the flames of her hair rose higher. “No. Killing should never be easy. It shouldn’t be an afterthought. I’m supposed to feel this guilt. I’ve taken lives, and that may be meaningless to you, but I wasn’t raised that way. Everything we do has an effect on something else. Every action has a consequence.” She paused. “If we explain away the small stuff, it gets a lot easier to justify the big things. Might even start thinking everything is small stuff.”

Raised. The word rang hollow in his ears as if it were a foreign concept. “I wasn’t raised to think anything except…”

“Except what?”

“Never mind.” He shook his head and rolled his shoulders. His body felt stiff, tired.

“You should eat something.” Plants rose up in front of him with various fruits, berries, and nuts on their stems. “Oh, I almost forgot.” She pulled his swords from her back one at a time and handed them over. “I borrowed these.”

“You used my swords?” He looked over the blades, picturing them in her hands. No one touched his weapons. He’d never allow it. But the idea of Lea wielding them filled him with a strange sense of pride. They looked fine, so he sent them away and grabbed a piece a fruit.

“I’m not proud of it, but I did.” She picked a handful of berries and started eating.

“How far are we from the Ylari crystal?” The fruit was sweet, bursting with juice. He wasn’t sure how, but he felt himself returning to normal with each bite. The stiffness left his muscles, and he felt energized.