Genesis (19 page)

He rolled onto his side, cupping his
head in his hand. “Oh, I don’t know. I’ve been told I was dreamy a
time or two.”

“
Ha!”

“
That all you’ve got,
darlin’?”

I pointed at the door. “Get
out!”

“
You sure are bossy.” He
held his other hand out to me. “Not necessarily a bad quality to
have…especially in bed.”

Images I shouldn’t have been thinking
flashed through my mind. My face flushed. Grunting, I marched over
to him and yanked on his fingers. “You need to leave.”

Instead of me tugging him to his feet,
I ended up beside him again. “I have a better idea, involving me
and you and a bed, but not here.”

“
I won’t go with
you.”

He grumbled under his breath. “Why
don’t you just end this absurdity? You. Are Mine. I’d be happy to
show you just how much if you would shut up for two
seconds.”

I shook my head, pulling
away.

He snared me in his arms. When he
spoke, the fire in his voice faltered. “Wait…please.” His voice
turned soft. “I’m done joking, okay. Just let me hold you for a
little bit.”

My heart ached for him, but I couldn’t
let myself get caught up in the feeling. It was nothing more than
the aftereffects of compulsion. I stiffened.

“
Please, Rayla? I need to
feel you near me.”

My question came out as more of a
breath. “Why?”

He pulled back, gazing into my eyes.
“How can you ask such a thing?”

“
I…I know you feel a strong
connection between us, but it’s not real.”

His fingers traced my spine and my
pulse exploded. Dizziness swamped rational thought. “Tell me you
don’t feel that. Tell me you don’t know the difference between what
you feel for them and me.”

“
That’s not
fair!”

“
Whoever said it was? You
agreed to be mine already. I’m simply asking you to honor that
agreement.”

I groaned and hit his chest. “I didn’t
know what else to do.”

He grabbed my hand, interlacing our
fingers. “You could have gone with Roger and waited for
reinforcements. You could have backed out when I asked you if you
were sure.”

I wasn’t going to allow myself to admit
he was right. I also checked my mental barriers to make sure he
couldn’t know the weakness I harbored towards him. “I thought it
was the only way.”

“
Why do you deny what we
have?”

I closed my eyes tight because I
couldn’t stand the haunted look in his eyes. “You don’t really care
about me.” Just like Brody.

His chest muscles bunched under my
fingers. “Is that what you think?”

I didn’t know what to think anymore.
Heath consumed every thought I had. I’d tried to forget him over
the past month. If he really cared like he was implying, how could
he let me go to Uldran or here? He was playing it safe.

“
Do you blame
me?”

Wait. What? I hadn’t spoken out loud.
My walls were firmly in place. There was no way he could be reading
my mind right now.

He smiled. “Think again. You could
never build a wall strong enough to keep me out.”

“
What!”

His fingers brushed my parted lips.
“Shhh. You’ll wake the entire castle.”

“
Why don’t my shields work
on you?” I hissed at him. “Jett said he couldn’t hear my thoughts
anymore as long as I kept my conviction. Trust me. I’ve got
conviction where you are concerned.”

He touched the tip of my nose. “Jett
doesn’t have the connection I do with you, and as far as your
conviction goes…” He gave me his rogue smile. “That is yet to be
seen.”

“
You’re
impossible.”

“
Good to know things haven’t
changed all that much.” He gave me a grin that turned my stomach to
sunshine. “I did have a good reason for staying away until
now.”

Trying to distract myself, I looked at
the stars twinkling above the canopy. “What’s that?”

“
I’ve been in the mortal
realm.”

My ears perked up. “What
for?”

He eased back and placed his hands
behind his head. “Been enlisting help.”

My mind flitted to Natalie and Sam. No
one had mentioned them. I needed to contact Roger to see if they
were okay. “Who?”

He snared my shoulder as if he couldn’t
stand not touching me. “Not so fast. I’ll tell you, but
after.”

“
After?”

He nodded and pulled my head against
his chest. His heart thudded wildly beneath my ear. And if I didn’t
know better, I would have thought he was nervous. Heath nervous?
Laughable.

“
You do this to me.” He bent
closer, inhaling deep. “You are my air, Rayla—my life.”

Whoa. Could I get any more
uncomfortable? “Liar.”

He pulled away, giving me a clearly
offended huff. “I’m serious.”

“
You don’t do serious,
Heath. I’ve already been warned, by you, in fact. I’d be stupid to
believe otherwise.”

He swallowed hard. “I’ll admit I’ve
been that way in the past. Not so anymore.” He tugged me closer.
“Words mean nothing; I know you feel it too. All you have to do is
give me a sign.”

I licked my lips, but turned away when
he moved closer. “I’m not ready,” I whispered.

He sighed, his body tensing. “I know.
It’s why I haven’t pushed you until now.”

My door handle jiggled. “Rayla?” said
Jett. “Are you okay? I can’t get the door to open.”

Heath smiled at me. “My cue to leave.
Think about what I’ve said.”

“
But you didn’t tell me what
you’ve done in the human realm!”

He shrugged. “Later.”

An instant after that, I held onto air.
The door burst open. Jett’s face was contorted in fear mixed with
anger.

I stumbled to my feet, carefully
avoiding the shards of wood scattered on the floor. “I was just
about to get up. You didn’t have to break the door.”

His chest heaved as if he had fought an
entire army to get in here. “Why didn’t you answer me?”

“
I…was asleep.”

“
I heard voices.”

I cocked my head at him. “You shouldn’t
say things like that out loud.”

His jaw tightened as he walked past me.
He checked every corner of the room. Moonlight peeked over the
edges of the ceiling, lighting our surroundings in an ominous glow.
Eventually, he made his way back to me. “Why are you lying to me?
Did Gibbit show up again?”

“
No. I’ve been alone.” The
lie slid easily from my lips. I didn’t want Heath to get into
trouble, but more importantly, I didn’t want to explain why I
didn’t out him when I had the chance.

I was now sure of one thing, at least.
The connection I shared with Heath was completely different than
what I had with Jett or any of the other lords.

The loss of him hit me anew, and all I
wanted to do was curl into a ball and cry. I smiled at Jett. “Can
we talk about this more in the morning? I’m still really
tired.”

He shifted uneasily before he nodded.
“I hope you know you can tell me anything, Rayla.” With that said,
he let himself out. A few moments later the door was fixed and back
in place.

I heaved a huge sigh. Jett was a good
person, but I doubted he would take Heath’s invasion too kindly. I
needed to get my head sorted out. If only I knew how to do such a
thing.

Morning slammed me in the face. I woke
to a gentle shake and a kind smile, but that did nothing for the
ache that currently occupied three quarters of my head. The glaring
light didn’t help, either; however, it did halo Jett’s impeccable
features in a golden glow. It would have made an awesome
composition.

I smiled back even if it didn’t have an
ounce of sweetness. The yawn I tried to suppress slipped past my
lips along with a slight groan. “Can’t I have a little bit
longer?”

He pushed the hair off my forehead and
ran his finger along my jaw. “I would be happy to give you all the
time you like. Just say the word, and I will inform Tabitha you
have made your decision.

I jumped to my feet. “I’m up. Give me a
minute to get dressed.”

He frowned, which planted a pit of
guilt right in my stomach. “I’m afraid the Altasian delegation is
already here. They have waited longer than is customary. We must
meet them in the great hall.”

I pointed at my nightgown. “I can’t
exactly go down in this.”

His eyes swept the length of me. “Maybe
not the best idea.”

“
Well?” I said, ignoring the
blush that heated my cheeks.

He didn’t look away. “Well,
what?”

I gave him an incredulous glare. “Get
out. I need to change.”

“
We don’t have time.” New
clothes covered me in an instant. How did he do that? I’d managed
to cover myself in armor when Ainessa had a knife to my throat, but
I’d yet to figure out how to do it again when I wasn’t an emotional
wreck. Maybe that was the key?

I hardly thought this formal enough of
an occasion to be wearing a ball gown, the obvious downside to
having anyone else clothe you. I picked at the sparkling fabric.
“What’s this for?”

He sighed. “It was a
request.”

“
From whom?” If it was Luke,
he would get an earful.

“
Queen Kalista.”

I shrugged, realizing there was no
point in arguing about a dress, and followed Jett to the great
hall. A bountiful feast lay before us full of savory dishes, meats
and cheeses, not to mention an assortment of delectable fruits. I
hadn’t slept all day, had I?

“
Ah,” said a familiar voice.
“Here she is.” Luke strutted over to me then took my hands. His
warm fingers caressed mine, sending a flush of chills through me.
He leaned in to brush a kiss along my cheek. “It’s so good to see
you, Rayla.”

I stepped back a bit to get a better
look at him. His glamour was better today. I could hardly see
through it at all. His golden mane had grown at least four inches
and now curled behind his ears. The scar on his cheek was barely
visible and was all that remained of his injuries, at least on the
surface. The rest of him was as perfect as ever. Tension within me
released. He was healing. I pulled him into a hug. “How are
you?”

He laughed. “Never better, my lady, now
that I have your arms around me.”

“
Cheesy much?” I asked,
bumping his shoulder.

He grinned and the world melted away.
Luke was like sunshine blaring in your face. You had to take
notice.

He turned toward his companion. “Rayla,
may I introduce Queen Kalista of Altasia. She insisted on coming to
meet you.”

The queen stepped forward. She appeared
a couple years older than me, tops, but her eyes were old. Just how
old was anyone’s guess. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance,
Rayla.”

I smiled. “Thank you. I’m pleased to
know you.”

She gave me a curt nod. “We’re looking
forward to your visit. The whole kingdom rallied together to
prepare once we found out you would be coming to us sooner than
expected.”

“
Thank you,” I said because
I couldn’t think of anything else. It wasn’t my fault Tabitha had
gotten a bee up her pant leg.

“
Well,” said Luke. With
graceful fingers, he pointed to the nearest table. “Shall
we?”

Jett grunted and moved beside me. “The
head table is over here.”

Everyone filed in after him. I followed
Luke which seemed to make him happy from the smile he gave me.
Gibbit’s warning surfaced in my mind. Luke didn’t seem any
different. Maybe Gibbit had bad information, or maybe Heath had
paid him to make me worried. One thing was certain: I wouldn’t be
able to enjoy my stay in Altasia if I was constantly concerned
about my safety.

I settled onto the seat next to Luke.
“When do we leave?”

He laughed and patted my hand. “I’m not
surprised to see you eager to find alternate
accommodations.”

I frowned at him. “I like it
here.”

He frowned back. “But I thought you
disliked Jafan.”

I couldn’t think of him and that name.
“Jett is much different than I imagined him. He’s become a good
friend in only a few days.”

Luke frowned deeper then quickly tried
to cover it up with a chuckle. “The old man’s full of
surprises.”

Old man? I nodded, not really sure what
to talk about now. I improvised. “How was the trip
here?”

“
Quick.” He laughed, raking
a hand through his sunny hair. “Once we were safely on land, we
drifted to Lombarda, and it is a short ride from there.”

Where exactly was Altasia? “Couldn’t
stand to be away from me, is that it?”

His face went completely serious. “Yes,
my lady. I needed to see that you were safe. I’ve been worried
about you.”