The Light of Asteria (22 page)

“I should have told you, I just didn’t know
how. I’ve agonized over not being completely honest, but I hoped I
could figure a way to take care of it without involving you … it
was never my intent to deceive.” His hands laced over mine, finding
the finger that held his ring. He brought it to his lips.

“I vow to you as Prince of the Alfar, Gavin
of Frey, I will not forsake you. I know this ring is not the same,
but I meant it as a promise to you that I will claim you as my own.
I thought I made that clear, but apparently not, and so I must
apologize for my lack of communication. You are my one true love,
Nora. I would but to slightly ask the clasp of my amulet to fall,
and it would respond. You have but to ask, and it will be
yours.”

He held my gaze captive, as he leaned me back
on the couch. Willing my thoughts to stay void, I allowed only the
feel of his body to register in my mind. Winter fleece pajamas
always served as a barrier when I was this close to him, and I
closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of bare skin against the smooth,
khaki material of his pants. I kissed his strong jaw line,
breathing in the intoxicating aroma of his scent. As his lips found
the hollow behind my ear, electricity and heat followed his touch,
making each caress tingle. He nimbly moved his fingers along my
ribcage to the rise of my hip, past my thigh to the yielding bend
of my knee. He had never touched my leg with his bare hand before,
and the feeling of that warm, sleek palm as it slid down my bare
skin overpowered my calm. My mind reeled with the sheer pleasure of
his touch. My hurried breath caused his emotions to strengthen.
With the softest of caresses, he pulled my leg around his hip. His
glass smooth palm against the back of my calf combined with his
body heat on my inner thigh, forcing the energy in me to burn for
release. My breath and heart raced for it. Desire flamed through
me, as he swayed our bodies forward, gently rolling on top of me. I
gasped.

“Are you all right?” he whispered; concern
ebbed over me.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and
aggressively found his lips once more. The weight of his warm body
forced every nerve ending to scream for our current. Desire caused
a tremendous amount of pressure in my chest, and suddenly the
barrier between us exploded. The force of my thoughts made him hum,
and he poured his love into our energy with lightning speed.

I was alive again, and I gladly replied as
Gavin’s passion combined with mine. Completely submerged in the
pressure of his body, energy ran powerfully and freely through us.
For a moment I succumbed, needing the feel of him physically.
Concern ebbed into the passion, and Gavin rolled on his side. The
quilt had slipped to the floor, and the lack of covering sent the
air swirling around my bare skin. He appraised my disheveled state,
and I became acutely aware that my shirt had risen, exposing my
waist. The desire coursing through me now was stronger than ever,
and I just concentrated on the delectable sensation. He groaned as
his lips found their favorite spot at the end of my collarbone.
Breathless, I wanted to cross this line now more than ever, forever
lost in this moment. Tenderly, his hand inched toward my midriff;
his warm thumb traced the sensitive skin around my belly
button.

“Gavin?” I whispered, trying to find my
voice.

He didn’t respond. I knew that in two seconds
my resolve would be gone, and we would reach the point of no
return. Desire rejoiced, and my less noble side coaxed to give in,
but instinct was like ice water and exclaimed that this should not
happen this way.

“I need for you to stop,” I whispered. He
brought his head up from my shoulder, and I was aware the strap of
my silk camisole was now around the top of my elbow.

“Why? I want to claim you,” his eyes, molten
green with passion, bore through me. He bent to kiss the hollow at
the base of my neck; my heart hammered in response.

Gavin ... I cannot resist you, and if this
is truly what you want, then you can have all of me. But the
instinct that has kept us both alive is telling me we must
stop
.

He froze. Whether it was what I said or how I
said it, I didn’t know. I could feel the passion, that had rejoiced
moments ago, wail in frustration as he reined it in. The creature I
had not felt in over twelve hours immediately was there, enveloping
me in love, but also begging me to release the emotions that would
tie me to Gavin forever.

The love saturating our circle caused energy
to disperse, and we once again were cocooned in millions of
gossamer strands. I laughed at the thought that my power grew
stronger every moment I was with him. We had nothing to fear.

Wrapping myself in Edna’s gift, I got up from
the couch.
I’m going to get dressed, and then we have to get
some breakfast, I’m starving.
He smiled as I headed to the
bedroom.

“I see sleep did you well, Nora. You seem
better, and your intent runs pure today,” Rena stated, placing a
plate of fresh fruit and a small bowl of oatmeal in front of
me.

“I don’t deserve a friend as good as you are,
Rena; you’re one in a million.” I smiled. “Now that my schedule has
been cleared, can we work on our sculptures?”

“We will do that eventually, my lady, but
right now we have issues to discuss, and I must teach you about our
enemy. We need to complete that task before we begin our creative
play.” Rena’s wooden voice echoed in the room; her emotions became
stilted. I mentally felt around, searching for why she was being so
formal. Gavin’s emotions were neutral, but they held a hint of
haughty disdain.

Why are you not talking to her in the way of
your people?

“Rena refuses my request to speak with her,
even though I am her prince and could have her exiled from the
kingdom if I so choose.” I shuddered at that kind of power. She
ignored him, busying herself with clearing the breakfast
dishes.

You can always speak to her in the way of
my people
, I thought a little sarcastically. His brow furrowed
as he lost the fight to squelch the frustration growing.

“You don’t understand, Nora. We speak with
our minds most of the time. When we choose to speak with our voice,
it binds us to what we are saying. Rena is now bound to you by the
words she spoke last night, as I am bound to the words I spoke this
morning.”

Rena’s surprise caused her to drop the plate
of grapes she had been carrying to the refrigerator. She smiled as
she met Gavin’s eyes. I hugged them both in turn. I couldn’t stand
it when my two favorite people in the world were mad at each
other.

Plans had been made last night to go to the
place where our worlds met. It was the Alfar’s last respite and was
impenetrable by the Dokkalfar. Elias and Elaine planned to leave a
week ahead of us to assure we had a clear path. Gavin and I would
stay with Tark and Rena and travel together.

Gavin stated that I would not be able to
survive the trip to his world, but my mind was made up. He was not
facing the queen alone, and I would not be left here without him.
He sighed; his exasperation erupted.

“It’s not possible,” he insisted, as we
walked up the winding stairs. “The portal leading to my world was
created to defend; it would surely kill you. Please do not think of
it again. We will find another way.”

When we reached the top of the landing, a
smile lit my face. The attic door stood open; the knob was
completely gone. The gesture truly touched my heart, and I turned
and found emeralds ever watching my reaction.

“I will wait until the instinct you rely on
says that it is time. All you have to do is ask, and my amulet is
yours,” his softly said.

The next two weeks were the busiest of my
life. We got up early every morning and worked on some basic Alfar
customs. I was surprised to find that elves knew the languages of
man, but they preferred English. Gavin explained the loose
structure and convoluted rules weakened the language’s intent. The
sun’s rays bathed the living room in a soft glow, warming
everything it touched. At this moment, the Dokkalfar seemed almost
like pesky ants. Gavin stopped; his expression became serious, his
full lips frowned in a thoughtful scowl.

“You must appreciate their evil. I don’t want
you to be afraid, for I will always be with you, but they’re
stronger than you give them credit for.” His voice became guarded;
his emotions whispered of the warrior within.

What do you mean?

“When we arrived at the turn of the twentieth
century, the Dokkalfar were scarce. After the First World War, they
grew in strength as well as number. By the end of World War II they
had developed the ability to place visions in the minds of their
victims. My fear is that if your shield is down, they will be able
to do the same to you.”

My heart plummeted as my mind wrapped itself
in blue. I took a deep breath, trying to squelch the fact that I
was going to get old and eventually leave him with no source. The
black elf was right; it was a snippet of time for him. Gavin held
my hand; his expression became determined.

“Nora, please don’t shut me out. I know where
your mind is going. I would rather live a shorter life with you,
than a longer one without. Please do not despair. Once I get all of
the difficulties out of the way, we’ll be together. That’s all that
matters.”

“I love you,” I whispered, as a tear fell
down my cheek. Edna had taught each day was to be celebrated, for
there was no guarantee of a long life for anyone.

~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 13—The
Journey

From the windows, I watched the tail lights
disappear down the winding cobblestone road. Elaine and Elias would
send word once they reached the portal safely. Tears blurred my
vision. I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to say
goodbye.

“Don’t worry, love. I assure you they’ll be
fine.”

I leaned against Gavin’s chest, allowing his
comfort to ease my anxiety.

It had been a month since the encounter with
the dark elf, and I still hadn’t stepped foot outside the house. I
had grown use to having everyone here … together, we could face
anything … apart, we were vulnerable.

The rest of the week flew by in a blur as we
prepared to depart. Gavin sent my sculpture with Elias, and Elaine
had taken Edna’s jewelry. With the Tahoe packed for the trip
tomorrow, the only task left to do was to prepare the art studio
for the long absence.

“Can I help do anything?” I asked, as Rena
put some dirty brushes in an old coffee can filled with water.

“You can cut this paper so I can wrap these
supplies.” I took the small silver box cutter and started to divide
the thick paper sheets into large squares.

“Are you excited about going home?”

“I will not be going back to the kingdom; I
will be staying with you, my lady,” she said. This was news to me.
I hadn’t made it past the plan to get wherever it was we were
going.

“Rena, why do you call me ‘my lady’? It kind
of freaks me out.” She looked at me and sighed.

“I call you that when I need to remember who
you are. To me, you are my best friend, but in my world, stations
in life are set. You will be future queen, and I will be your
guard,” she admitted, her wistful look staring in accusation.

“Well I’m not of your world,
my
lady.
” I bit sarcastically. “I don’t care if
you
become the Pope, I’ll never treat you any differently than I do
now.” She grinned and started cleaning the glass blowing tools. As
I looked around the immaculate studio, I became aware I would
really miss this place. Sadness washed over me, and my mind
wandered back to why we were leaving in the first place.

“Where did the Dokkalfar come from?”

Rena’s expression grew serious.

“They originally were of the Alfar race. A
clan of elves gifted in distributing energy among the land
understood power in a way others did not. They found the darkest of
emotions that drain the Alfar also held incredible energy. In
exploring their discovery, Jayril, the leader of the clan, started
to thirst for it. Over time, they grew in power and secretly
slaughtered the animals for sustenance. The combination of the love
of dark energy and the consumption of flesh and blood eventually
turned their skin gray. Their eyes lost the jewel tone that
contained their essence, and vivid color gave way to darkness. But
their skin did not turn pitch black until the past millennia on
earth.”

I kept my shield up as visions of black elves
murdering other living beings played horrifically clear in my head.
…
The sweetness of your flesh must be extraordinary if you have
held the attention of royalty, even if only for a moment. It would
almost be worth it to taste the pleasures of your body.
A
shudder ran down my spine. Rena searched for my intent, and when
she couldn’t find it, her brow lowered in concern.

“You okay?”

“Yep … what happened next?” I shook off the
memory and cleared my mind. She hesitated, searching my
expression.

“At that time, the ancients had ruled for
several millennia, and they very old. Horrified of Jayril’s
actions, they banished his clan from Kailmeyra and divided the
responsibilities of maintaining the kingdom from one to seven.
Keepers of the land, water, sky, beasts, mountain, and energy were
created, as well as Kailmeyra’s first king. The ancients alone
understood energy in the same way as Jayril, but fearing the land
would give way, they did not teach it to anyone else.” She suddenly
froze; her eyes flitted toward the back of the studio.

Ripples danced on the water’s edge of the can
that held the soaking paintbrushes. I looked on curiously as it
rippled once more. That was odd. I stared at the container, waiting
to see if there was a pattern.