Cursed by Diamonds (A Dance with Destiny Book 1) (28 page)

Chapter 38

Vareilious

(vah-REEL-ee-us)

When her feet left the ground, Jenevier tried to scream, but fear had sucked the air from her lungs. Instead, she wrapped her arms firmly around the giant creature winging her to their glittery destination.

She could feel his muscles contracting beneath his iridescent skin as he tried feebly to hold in the deep guttural laugh now echoing off the surrounding mountains.

“I knew when first you saw me you longed to hold me in your arms. You had only but to ask, fair maiden. I would take great joy in pleasing you properly.”

The enormous Guardian roared with laughter as he soared much higher than necessary. She only clung tighter to his colossal chest. No witty comebacks. No more threats of vengeance. Primal fear was all that remained within her.

The wind stung her open eyes, but she couldn’t bear to close them. Only blindness could be worse than this. The winged Vanir shot straight up toward the heavens as her stomach rocked tumultuously within her.

“What are you?”

Her whisper was so faint and pitiful, she wasn’t even certain the mighty warrior heard her.

His gigantic wings stretched forth from his sides, bringing her to a sudden, unpleasant stop high in the air. The Gate Guardian wrapped his massive hands around her tiny clinging form, pulling her up to meet him face to face.

“I am the terrifying creature of the night. I am the Guardian Angel sent from the heavens to guide you. I am the vengeance within man’s heart. I am the comfort that cradles you to sleep. I am the swift bringer of justice. I am the loving caretaker of innocence. What I
am
, fair lady, is exactly what you need me to be.
I
am Vanir.”

He stuck out his long tongue and lapped up the tears that were freely flowing down her cheeks. Vareilious revealed, once again, his sharp pearlescent teeth.

She flung her arms greedily around his neck and held on for dear life. His thunderous laugh shook the heavens as he wrapped one arm around her and swiftly dove toward the fast approaching dome. Her terrified screams mingled with his jovial laughter, ringing eerily across the open sky.

When she unexpectedly felt the glorious security of firmness beneath her trembling feet, Jenevier released the Guardian’s glowing neck and jerked free from his grasp.

“Don’t touch me!”

His boisterous laughter renewed as she fell back on wobbly legs and landed flat on her bottom. Quickly jumping to her feet, her vision suddenly blurred as the lingering dizziness swayed her. She widened her stance, holding her arms out for balance. Crouched in this frozen position, she fought to regain her breath and steady her racing heart.

Where did the wings come from? I never saw any wings. How did he get wings? What kind of creature is he, anyway? How can he be all those amazing things he mentioned? And all those horrible things… at the same time? Who, no, what is he?

Vareilious casually leaned against the ethereal crystal wall, flashing her a dangerous smile. He chuckled, thoroughly enjoying her clumsy attempts at reclamation.

“Need any help, Kitten?”

“Do not speak to me, demon. Don’t even look at me.” Her voice trembled with rage and fear. “I have never hated anyone or anything as much as I hate you right now.”

Actually, she had never hated before, period. She had always found
something
good in everyone she met. Well, perhaps not that vile dog she had helped. But this raw, gut-gnawing, all-consuming feeling she was now experiencing, it was utterly suffocating. She didn’t like it. Not one bit. Her first taste of hate was disgusting, left a bitter taste in her mouth. And
that
made her hate him all the more. It was growing inside her. She could feel it swelling in her chest.

“Come now, Maiden. I am certain you are capable of far greater hate than you now possess.”

His pious smirk was the most blatantly sarcastic thing she had ever seen. The endless sunlight danced off his lethal grin as those gloriously mesmerizing azure eyes drank in her tiny tremulous form.

“And I am way too eager to teach you thus, Kitten. My mouth waters at the splendid chance to kindle that smoldering little flame of hate buried deep within you. I am ferociously aroused at the thought of stoking the tiny ember. Stroking it until it frantically pulses, just beneath the surface. The height of my ecstasy will be met only when I have engorged that meager little spark until it violently explodes—bursting forth from every pore of this lusciously soft body trembling here before me now.”

His sharply defined animalistic incisors slowly parted. She watched, horrified, as his tongue touched her outstretched wrist and slid crudely up her shaking arm.

Jenevier couldn’t take it anymore. She lunged at those brilliant blue eyes with all her might. Screams tore from her throat as she vainly tried to rip those glistening orbs from their perfectly sculpted sockets.

Alas, her fierceness was nothing more to him than a warm breeze on a cool night. The monstrous Guardian had taken her by the wrist and she now dangled in the air in front of him—caught in his enormous hand like a child’s ragdoll. His continued pious laughter enraged her very essence.

“Ahh, Maiden, I smell your sweet hatred. It only makes me crave you all the more. Your final release will be epic.
This
I promise. You fight with me now, little lady. But soon you will relish the ultimate satisfaction I will bring to your quivering body. Oh, Kitten, your buried passions stir me as none I have encountered before. Our sweet, inevitable union will be legendary, tiny warrior. Can you not sense it? Can you not feel the tremor in the very air between us?”

Jenevier watched as the ethereal giant sensuously licked his perfectly contoured lips. She swung her free arm with all her might. He simply caught her other wrist as if she had politely handed it to him. Now, she dangled helplessly before him in his inescapable grasp.

She squeezed her eyes closed as his hungry tongue once again tasted her tender flesh. She pictured him as a giant venomous snake, not the flawlessly angelic creature now holding her arms prisoner.

He eagerly lapped up the fear-tinged sweat trickling down her neck. He was feeding off her terror. She could feel his intensity growing, hear his heartbeat quicken. She kicked and squirmed, vainly fighting against this heavenly warrior.

Jenevier heard the pleasure vibrating in his throat like the dangerous purr of a majestic lion. The sound made her sick. Yet his breath was sweet and intoxicating, almost mind reeling. He slowly lowered her until just the tips of her toes were barely touching the elegant marble floor. Her wrists remained his captives, yes. But he lowered her arms and gently wrapped them behind her back. Feeling slowly returned to her pale fingers.

Vareilious was lost in his quest to devour her pain, her panic, her fear, and yes… all of her sweet hatred as well. He pulled her firmly against his iridescent body, wrapping his giant wings around her. He was momentarily lost in his desires.

The soft, ethereal feathers brushed lightly against her face as his eagerness smothered her. She continued in vain to struggle within his embrace, but she knew her release would be granted
only
when he had finished with her.

Jenevier hated this beautiful Vanir with a growing force—building and waiting inside her. He sensed it. She knew full well he would. This was exactly what he wanted. This was his purpose. This was why he tortured her. And oh how she loathed him. Yet, the stronger her hatred grew, the more his internal laughter vibrated against her tightening chest.

“Oh, Kitten… purr for me.”

His breath upon her ear burned like fire and smelled enticingly like the most luxurious roses imaginable. It numbed her mind, addled her senses.

“Ahh, Maiden, I smell you. I smell your sweet temper boiling. I taste your fear. It is delicious beyond all reason. You are ripe, little kitty. I desire you almost past the point of controlling.”

“Do not… call… me… Kitten.”

She snapped her teeth at him. He chuckled.

“I will never take you or your vengeance for granted. I know you now, fair lady. I know your intense desire to harm me. It only makes me want you all the more. Now is not our time, no. But I will incessantly dream of the moment I get to free—and then tame—that most decadent fire burning deep within you. Oh, lovely maiden, how you make me tremble.”

Vareilious’s kiss was sudden and unexpected, but not forceful and impassioned. It was more like this terrifying sentry had kissed her thousands of times before and was thusly entitled to do so. The shock of his assumption to such entitlement with her was disgusting.

His kiss wasn’t like Alzeen’s. It felt more curious than passionate, like… he was
exploring
her. She shook her head violently, trying to free her imprisoned lips. He held her firm. She was going nowhere until he allowed it. And that made her hate swell all the more.

Jenevier could bear it no longer. She felt the warming surge start deep within her bones. It was foreign and uncontrollable. The intense burning sensation folded in on itself, growing stronger and stronger, until it suddenly burst forth from her raging marrow. She felt it leave her body. Then, she felt the vibrating shock when it landed solidly into her loathsome target.

The alien force emerged from her in a brilliant flash, pushing the enormous sentinel back. It slammed him hard against the wall. She was momentarily shocked. She had no idea where such energy, such raw power had come from. And she cared not.

“I hate you!”

Her charged words echoed, reverberating deafeningly across the mountain tops as the warrior’s buoyant laughter mirrored her cry.

“Vareilious, making new friends again, are we?”

Time instantly stopped…

Jenevier staggered. That gentle, magical voice ceased her racing heart. She knew it well. It had visited her countless times throughout her life.
This
was the voice of her make-believe childhood friend. It was the angelic accent of her very own conscience. It was the same voice in her head, the one she had always listened to and trusted the whole of her life. It was the unwavering voice of peace and love.

Chapter 39

Willow

(
WIL
L
-oh)

“Dinner was sublime. Please give my compliments to the talented cook, Miss Floria.”

Alastyn rubbed his overstuffed stomach as the little girl danced around his table playing peek-a-boo and giggling wildly.

“Oh, but you can’t be full yet. Willow’s bringing out your cobbler.”

“Oh, but I simply couldn’t take another bite.”

Willow approached the table carrying a steaming bowl of the deliciously pungent dessert and smiled as she proudly placed it in front of him.

“I make all the sweets,” she said.

He inhaled deeply. “Mmm, it smells divine.”

The voluptuous teen sat down across from him with her elbows on the table and her chin resting in her palms.

“I want to watch you take the first bite.”

Her ever-present smile was captivating.

“He’s stuffed, Willow,” Floria sang out, while she danced around them. “He can’t take another single bite.”

The happy little girl bounced away. Alastyn watched as Willow’s smile faded and she stood up. He reached for her.

“No, don’t go, Willow. I’ve been waiting for this part all night. I truly am stuffed full, but I cannot leave something this mouthwatering to go to waste.”

She turned back to the kindly young man. “It will taste just as incredible for breakfast.” She reached for the cobbler and he placed his hand over hers. “It’s okay, Alastyn. I’ll warm it and bring it to your room when you wake.”

“Willow?”

Her heart raced when he said her name.

“Yes?”

“Will you sit with me and talk for a while? I have much to ask, and I would enjoy your company as well.”

She tilted her head as she looked at him.

“Is something wrong?”

“No. Well yes, actually.” He blushed brightly. “I’ve never been here before and I don’t know the area or with whom I should speak.”

She smiled and sat down beside him, her heart fluttering like a tiny hummingbird. This man was so handsome he made her blush. She wanted to reach out and touch those gorgeous raven curls. She would have to risk the wrath of her mother if she accepted this wanted invitation. Glancing around at the emptying tables, Willow felt sure she wouldn’t soon be hearing shouts coming from the kitchen.

“Very well,” she said with a smile. “What do you want to know?”

Alastyn divulged a condensed version of his past few days, finishing with the part about Haven and the mysterious Elves.

Disappointment deflated her heart. “So, you want to know if I’ve seen any Elves?” She snorted out a laugh.

His cheeks flushed red. “No, that would be silly. I wanted to see how familiar the Elven tales were in these parts and glean any clue I may find in them.”

“Well, Floria would probably be much more help to you in the whole
Elves and Tales
category. She talks ceaselessly to everyone who travels through here. If they have a story, Floria has an ear.”

Willow removed the cooling bowl of scrumptious dessert and returned to the kitchen in a huff.

Alastyn was left all alone and horribly discouraged. He glanced over toward the younger sister and couldn’t help a gentle smile. Floria had curled up on a large pink cushion on the floor beside her throne and was slowly closing her weighted eyelids.

He sighed before walking outside, filling his lungs with the crisp Northern air. It worked to clear his head, yes, but his heart was fearful and lonely. Not since he was a boy—unable to reclaim his favorite toy from the older children—had he felt this tiny. Even though Ousten was a bustling town full of travelers and chatter, Alastyn felt he was the only soul left to roam this earth—in solitude, desperately searching for nothing more than a myth, a mere vapor on the blowing wind, an unattainable dream.

I have asked but one young girl. Tomorrow, I will refresh my purpose. I’ll question all who will speak with me. I never thought it would be easy, no. But I had wished for it to be so.

Feeling too much like a lost little boy, he headed back inside the Fuzzy Muzzle to his newly acquired sleeping quarters. As he rounded the corner at the top of the stairs, Alastyn literally bumped right into Willow.

“Oh, there you are.” Her beaming smile lit up the darkened hallway. “I was looking for you.”

Willow didn’t step back from their collision. She remained but a breath away. Alastyn chose not to retreat either, but he wasn’t sure exactly why. He could smell her daisy-scented hair and wondered if daisies grew in the snow.

Her voice dropped to a whisper as she absently played with the fastened buttons on his heavy winter coat.

“I was wondering if you still wanted me to heat your pie and bring it to you in the morning?”

“Yes, I do. But only if you promise to provide me with your charming company during such a delectable breakfast as blackberry cobbler.”

Alastyn playfully twisted the shiny red ribbon tying back her silky hair.
Oh dear gods, what am I doing?
He released her hair ribbon and started to step back, but didn’t.

Her sweet smile widened. “Is that so?”

He swallowed hard. “Yes, Milady, that
is
so.”

“I must say… I am a bit surprised.”

Not as surprised as I am
, he thought.

“Very well, then. I’ll be there… bright and early.”

Willow flipped her long ponytail and headed back downstairs.

“What
was
that just now?” he mumbled to himself, shaking his head. “What did I just do? And…
why
did I do it?”

*****

The gentle knock came just as the sun began to lighten the horizon. Alastyn stumbled to the door and was pleased to find a smiling Willow carrying a tray with two steaming bowls of sweet bliss.

“May I?” she asked.

He yawned. “I would be offended if you didn’t.”

They spent the better part of an hour eating, laughing, and talking about absolutely nothing of importance at all. The lost little boy who had fallen asleep on this oversized bed, now had a comforting companion with the magical ability to take away his gnawing uncertainty and terrifying loneliness.

“I’m sorry I was so rude to you last night,” she confessed. “I mean, you were going on and on talking about this beautifully enchanting maide
n—
”

“Jenevier.”

“Yes, Jenevier. Your eyes were sparkling and your smile was so genuine and full…” She paused.

“Yes?” he prodded.

“Well, I became a bit jealous. And, I didn’t handle it very well.”

Alastyn didn’t try to hide his shock. “Jealous?”

“Yes. I thought you wanted me to sit with you for reasons other than to tell me how blissfully angelic some
other
girl was.”

“Why, Willow? You are a very lovely young woman. I’m certain sparkling eyes and full smiles are rabidly contagious when you walk down the street.”

“Perhaps, but nothing close to yours. I could see the love all over your face. You were as light as air—glowing inside, as you spoke of her and remembered her so fondly. It was obvious to anyone, you truly love her.”

He stared off into the distance. “That’s because… I do.”

“But how? How can you love her so deeply? You only knew her but for a moment.”

“It was a moment like no other, Willow—a magical mixture of her lovely face, coupled with her soft laugh. Then… her trembling touch, the way her eyes sparkled, and her unimaginably intoxicating scent.” He sighed. “These things all exist without creditably describable words. Yet, there was more. It wouldn’t have mattered what she looked like on the outside. It was something else entirely. Something… something unexplainable happened when our eyes met.”

Willow looked away, swallowing hard. “And does she return this great love?”

“I believe so, yes.”

“And if not?”

“Then, I cannot change how I feel about
her
… no matter where her heart now lies. Love isn’t something you can simply exchange or return to another out of obligation, Willow. Real love is felt deeply and earnestly, whether it is requited or not. I cannot go back and
unlove
Jenevier. Such would be an impossible feat.” He snorted softly. “I could sooner pull down the heavens than deny her my heart. She is my destiny, Willow. I feel it with every ounce of my being. Whether I spend the rest of my life
wanting
her love, or sharing in it with her… I cannot change my heart.”

“I would boldly face a thousand demons to be loved so,” she whispered.

He smiled at her. “You will be, one day.”

“I don’t think so. I’ve never even
heard
of love such as this. It must be a rare thing indeed. So, that’s why I was jealous and behaved so badly. I wanted a place inside that chaste heart you poured out to me last night. I wanted just a tiny taste of that magical love you described.”

A tear ran down her rosy cheek. Alastyn wiped it away.

“Come now. Don’t cry, Willow. You are so beautiful. I am truly flattered I even caught your eye. You are worth more than a hundred other maidens I’ve met. You, Milady, are a radiant beauty in this cold, dreary place.”

She finally gave in to her curious desire and touched his loose black curls. Alastyn wiped the tears from her face and took her chin in his hand.

“Never again let me see you shed such tears for nothing more than
imagined
inadequacies, lovely lady. You have none. If my heart were still mine, I would freely entrust it to you.”

“Is the whole of your heart taken?”

“Yes,” he whispered. “Every last inch of it.”

Willow moved closer to him, her sweet breath warming his lips as she spoke. “Not even a teeny tiny little sliver is left for me to squeeze into?”

“Please do not tempt me so, Willow. I am but a man. A man who feels abandoned, left all alone in this world… for now.”

“So, you
are
tempted?”

“Of course I am tempted, Willow. I desire comfort and companionship. As do we all. But my heart is no longer mine to give. I would only hurt you, use you for my own selfish needs. You are too worthy a woman for such useless feelings as mine.”

She took his hands and placed them just above her ample breasts. “My aching heart beats within. It races, but is near to crumbling. Can you not feel it?”

“…I can.” His whisper was strained, heated.

“I have never given it to another, Alastyn. It is all mine—pure and perfect and unfettered. And… I freely offer it to you now.”

He reluctantly pulled away. “No. Why would you do this, Willow? I cannot repay such an extravagant gift, and I do not deserve it. I have told you the truth of my heart. You are indeed offering your most splendid of all treasures to a truly unworthy recipient.”

“Yours is not the only heart that can be magically struck by love’s painful arrow at but a glance.” She gently cupped his cheeks in her hands. “Last night, you walked into my life and sent my world spinning out of control. I cannot deny my feelings, my desires,
or
my growing worship. That is one curse I feel we are destined to share.”

“Please stop, Willow. I beg you. Don’t do this.”

“Very well.” She sighed and stood up. “I am finished, Alastyn. I will not tempt you further. I only wanted you to know what you have unintentionally done to my soul.”

“…Willow.”

“Still… I must ask you this one thing before I go.” She paused and glanced down at her fingernails, fidgeting.

“Yes, Milady?”

“Well…” She took a deep breath. “I need you to tell me… what it is
you
would have done, Alastyn? Tell me how you would have felt.”

“Concerning what, Milady?”

“Concerning your heart.” She sighed before once again meeting his emerald gaze. “Tell me true, Alastyn. Would
you
have been able to go on… if your lovely Jenevier had not returned your passionate feelings in- kind?”

“…Willow.”

“Please.” She grabbed his hands. “Please, tell me. This is the answer I must needs know.”