Woman of Silk and Stone (15 page)

"
Anu sepiya, a talamu
sharaku; anu ersu, a negeltu; anu irtu, a assata. Za din ilu gir
Utu kanpir! Za din ila gir Nanna kanpir! Irnini, a daris anu. A
daris ana sa
," a voice, melodic and mesmerizing seemed to
whisper in my ear and echo in the chamber at once. I stared in
bewildered terror as the black cloud swirled around me, pressing
against me with urgent hands, tracing my form and pulling me closer
to something I couldn't see. And still the eyes of emerald and
lapis fire blazed at me, waiting for something, some response from
me.

Barely able to breathe, feeling as though
the smoke had actually entered my lungs and was learning me from
the inside out, I gasped, "Please..." before feeling a wave of heat
flash through me like an out of control fever.

The creature smiled. I don't know how I
knew, since it still didn't have a discernable mouth, but I did. I
could perceive intense satisfaction and triumph radiating from it,
as though my desperate plea for air had somehow given it permission
for whatever it wanted to do next.

"
Ti arrami. Ti summu. Sa.
Sa
," it murmured, and I felt soft, warm lips brush against
mine.

That's when my body caught fire and I
started screaming.

Pain.

God, so much pain. Again.

I could actually see the flames devouring my
skin, watch the way the hairs on my arms crackled and blackened,
dissolving into nothing. My skin looked like it was glowing from
the inside out, as though my very blood was on fire, and flames
coated my limbs, holding me still even though I screamed and tried
to flail against the attack.

Once again, just as I had in the void, I had
the awareness of being unmade, of being broken down into something
malleable and squished and smashed into something new; nothing more
than a clump of Play-Doh a toddler bashes against the ground over
and over just to see what will happen.

Just as the bone-rending agony reached a
maddening pitch, it altered. The pain disintegrated and turned to
soul-deep bliss: the first step into a steaming hot bubble bath,
the taste of melting chocolate, the gentle buzz after a glass of
good scotch. I sighed and my muscles released their tension, my
head falling back as the once intolerable heat in my veins reduced
to tender warmth caressing and soothing my aching body. Two large
hands cradled my face, and a mellifluous, familiar voice chanted
softly against my ear, unintelligible but comforting, and somehow I
knew that for the first time in my life, I was safe.

I was home.

At last, my body settled as though the
endless battle with the pain had never been, and I opened my eyes
to meet a brilliant green-blue gaze. The eyes in front of me were
like none I'd ever seen, or even known could exist. The area where
the whites should have been was a deep midnight black; the
background of the night sky against the glitter of stars. Instead
of a solid color for the iris with a few flecks of highlights, the
eyes were a swirling chain of emerald green, lapis blue, and
flickers of velvet red, constantly moving, constantly shifting.

They were unbelievably beautiful, and
unmistakably inhuman.

"HONEY! Honey, can you hear me?" I could
hear Hamsum's voice clearly now and turned to see him still
pounding against the invisible barrier, his face white with panic.
Strangely, the black smoke that had seemed so pervasive only
moments ago had completely dissipated, leaving me a clear view of
the stunned court. All eyes were on me, some in concern, some in
awe, and a few in outright hatred.

Back to normal.

At last, my brain seemed to come online, and
I realized that there actually were hands holding my face, that I
was pressed against a hard, decidedly male body.

"Honey. Honeydew Morning-Sun Sullivan. I am
very glad to meet you at last," the voice that had started this
whole crazy body-on-fire episode murmured.

Swallowing hard, I blinked and really looked
at the creature holding me so reverently. He was outrageously tall,
maybe even seven feet, with broad shoulders and leanly muscled
arms. His chest was beautifully proportionate and well-defined. I
could tell, since my face was practically level with his abs.

I'm a pretty tall girl; by the time I hit
high school, I was 5 foot 10, and I'd gained nearly another inch
when I went to college. I used to have a hard time finding a guy
tall enough to date; either they were shorter than me and commented
endlessly on my Amazon-woman status, or they were big guys who
wanted a dainty little lady who wouldn't challenge their masculine
prerogative to get the cereal box down from the top shelf.

No problems with that here. I was definitely
falling into the dainty lady category compared to this fella. His
skin, which I was seeing a lot of since he was only clad in loose
black trousers, was different than what I'd gotten used to in
Solis; it was the hue of smoldering lava, the vivid, fiery glow of
a burning ember, an iridescent red that should have been
frightening, but was unexpectedly beautiful. When he moved, an
ombre effect rolled over his skin, making the ruby tint fade into
burnt orange or intensify like a flash of fire. It was unreal, and
completely impossible for a human being.

So I was back to that. There was no way this
guy was human.

Even though Temuk and Khenti, my Easter
Island friends, had appeared somewhat alien to me, they were still
recognizably human, unlike the male creature standing in front of
me. And that was saying something.

Abruptly, it registered that the creature
had spoken to me, and said my full name, which I hadn't told anyone
here.

"How did you...who are you...what did
you..." I garbled out, unable to complete a thought as I looked up
at his face.

His fierce, gorgeous face.

He was like a god, like Apollo come down
from the sun, or dark Hades rising from the flames; a luminous,
pagan beauty that boasted the kind of physical perfection never
seen in real life. Even paintings and sculptures meant to depict
the glory of the human body had never captured this kind of
exquisite construction.

It occurred to me that this guy, this
creature who I'm pretty sure set me on fire and was keeping
everyone at bay with some kind of invisible bubble, might be one of
the
Ilati
everyone was always talking
about.

"Peace, Honey-
sa
.
Do not fear me," he admonished, the luxury of his low-pitched voice
brushing over me like the lightest of touches. "Thank you,
arrami
, thank you for coming at last. I
have waited for you far too long."

Those perfectly bowed lips carved a smile
from his features. Without thinking, I reached up and brushed my
thumb against the curve of his beautiful mouth, gasping out loud
when I felt the texture of his skin.

It was hard, almost diamond smooth, yet
appeared supple enough to flex with his broadening smile. White,
even teeth flashed in a grin and he sighed deeply, turning his
cheek into my hand.

It was then I noticed that my own skin felt
tight, that in fact, everything about me was tighter, stronger,
more vigorous. The muscles in my legs felt primed, as though I had
been stretching and prepping to run a marathon and was only waiting
for the starting gun. Though I didn't understand how, I sensed the
strength in my limbs and that all my organs were working more
efficiently, that I was infinitely less destructible now.

Which was saying something.

"To feel your touch at
last...Honey-
sa
, I am overjoyed," he
crooned at me, his own oversized hand clasping mine against his
face, a look of supreme contentment settling on his flawless
features.

All at once, the bubble around us seemed to
evaporate and Hamsum nearly fell flat on his face in surprise
before he gathered himself and rushed to my side. He was panting
and dark with fury, his lovely turquoise eyes blazing with
concern.

"Honey, please answer me! Are you alright?
Has he harmed you?" he demanded, ignoring the warning grumble from
the male rubbing his cheek against my hand like a big cat.

I really couldn't think of any way to answer
that question that wouldn't sound like a confused whimper, so I
just shook my head. Hamsum reached out to try and pull me away, but
halted when the soft rumbling coming from my new admirer morphed
into a savage growl.

"
Sa
!
Sa
! Do not touch what is mine," he snarled, and Hamsum
glanced at me with wide eyes, comprehension dawning. I just wished
he would share.

I tried to pull my hand away, but the big
red fella just held on and tugged me even closer, making a pleased
humming sound as, off-balance, I stumbled into his arms.

"Peace, Honey-
sa
.
Just let me hold you," he soothed, his free hand reaching around to
rest at the small of my back, the heat from his skin soaking into
mine like the warmth of a roaring bonfire.

"Um...who are you?" I finally managed to
ask, pleased to note that my vocal skills were improving. I got no
answer from the god-like creature nuzzling me, but Hamsum spoke up,
his voice no longer strained with worry, but soft with wonder.

"Honey, this is Sarrim Adar...a Lord of the
Darisam
," Hamsum stated reverently,
keeping his eyes lowered in respect. With a sinking feeling, my
gaze shot back to the glowing creature who held me so tenderly. His
chiseled lips simply curved into a gratified smile, jeweled eyes
watching me with fascination.

"Ok, so...Sah-reem Ah-deir," I enunciated
carefully, trying desperately to get my bearings. "It's nice to
meet you. Can you, uh, let me go for just a second?"

The smile vanished and he pressed me closer,
that low rumble starting up in his chest again. Helplessly, I
glanced over at Hamsum, who had moved away a few more steps,
apparently no longer concerned for my safety. Reassuring as that
might be, I still wasn't all that chuffed about the immortal fire
giant clutching me to him like a toddler with his first teddy
bear.

"He will not harm you, Honey. If I am not
mistaken, Adar has claimed you as his
Arrami
. I have never seen it occur with my own eyes,
but stories have been passed down about the ritual, and I see it is
no less magnificent than imagined."

That old, unwelcome dread I had felt the
first few days of being in Solis began creeping its way up my spine
at his words. It seemed like every time I started to get a handle
on things here on Edin, something new and completely
incomprehensible knocked me off my feet again.

"Okay, and what is an
Arrami
?" I asked, proud at how calm I sounded, while
inside I was running around in circles screaming and pulling out my
hair.

Since Adar didn't seem inclined to do
anything but nuzzle me and mumble incoherently, I looked to Hamsum
for answers. He shrugged and shook his head, clearly just as
baffled as I was regarding the big guy's behavior.

"
Arrami
means
life-mate. Wife, if you will, although that is a very tame word for
what
arrami
means to a Darisam. They are
eternal, completely immortal, and they can wait many thousands of
years before finding a mate. Once they do..." he trailed off,
gesturing at Adar's apparent adoration of all things me. "It is
irreversible. They mate for life, which for a Darisam, is a serious
commitment."

I shuddered a bit at the thought, and I
could almost scent the fear that emanated from me like a somber
cloud; a bitter, charcoal smell. That gorgeous voice rained over me
again as Adar finally eased his grip on me and spoke, luminescent
eyes glittering down at me with an inner firestorm. "Forgive me, I
was overwhelmed. I will answer all your questions. I will provide
anything for you that you desire."

As distracting a thought as that was, I just
wanted the weirdness to stop. Practicality was keeping me from
freaking out about the way my body was feeling, but I knew
something really drastic had occurred when Adar set me on fire.

And just like that, I wanted him far, far
away from me.

He set me on fire.

On fire!

He seemed to sense my abrupt change in mood,
and pulled me in closer, embracing me completely as he apologized,
"Forgive me,
ti summu
." In the blink of an
eye, his glorious, seven-foot frame dissolved into black smoke and
swirled around me before vanishing completely.

And then, I disappeared too.

***

Traveling with the cloud of black smoke I
knew as Adar was a startling experience. First of all, I was
travelling with a cloud of black smoke, which was pretty
mind-boggling in itself. Adding in the sensation of becoming
weightless, formless, and moving at a speed so incredible it was
like standing still while the Earth spun around on a dial, the
whole event entered the realm of the inconceivable.

When we came to a halt, mere seconds after I
watched the great hall simply dematerialize, I was still clasped in
Adar's arms, uncomfortably aware that he was
extremely
excited to have me there.

He bent slightly, nuzzling my neck and
drawing in my scent, his hands moving restlessly along my back.
Despite my natural prudishness at being manhandled by an exotic,
immortal creature, I felt a shiver of desire trace through me,
letting me know that bizarre as my mind knew all of this was, my
body was not immune to Adar's considerable charms.

Marvelous.

Gathering the tattered shreds of my dignity,
I shoved against his chest and tried to wriggle free. "Okay there,
big guy! Back off for just a sec, please? This is a little
overwhelming," I pleaded, finally catching his attention. Those
many-faceted emerald, ruby, and lapis eyes focused on me, and with
a sigh, he let me stumble away from him.