Mortal Enchantment (18 page)

An incredible sadness radiated off him. His eyes lowered to look at the ground. ‟I watched you. It was easy to see that you were not an akasha. You were more mortal than any other halfling I had ever known. You were so innocent…and beautiful.”

Rowan thought I was beautiful? With everything going on, I shouldn’t have focused on that admission. But I couldn’t help it.

He lowered his head. ‟I couldn't hurt you. No matter what my mother would do to me.”

I shocked myself when I put my finger under his chin, tipping his head up until our eyes met. ‟And you kept coming back, didn't you?”

‟After my mother's death, I feared my adopted siblings would try to kill you. Staying in the mortal world made sense. I could protect you there.”

My hand rested idly on his chest. ‟Because you do care.”

He leaned down, brushing his mouth softly against mine. It was a kiss like I had never experienced. One of those kisses in a movie or a romance novel that never actually happens, and yet here I was, having it happen—to me. Everything else in the world disappeared except the feel of his touch. His hands slinked onto my neck, slowly down my back until they rested firmly above my hips. His fingers tightened around the belt loops of my jeans, and in one swift motion, he pressed our bodies even closer.

I let out a gasp.

He pulled back for a second, staring into my eyes as if he searched for my approval. I stood frozen, my sweaty palms shaking. My lips trembled, parting slightly. And again, he kissed me. This time, his mouth crushed into mine. He was voracious. His tongue poked into my mouth, teasing. The further this went, the more my body ached to keep going. It was intoxicating. When he nibbled on my bottom lip, my legs weakened. I lost my balance.

We fell onto the bed, him on top of me.

Tilting his head, he leaned in until he was right above my collarbone. His hot breath tickled my neck as he kissed his way to my ear. Whispering, he said, ‟I've wanted to do this for so long.”

My heart beat faster with every passing moment. An electric force pulsated through my body, urging me toward him as if he were a magnet. I bit my bottom lip. ‟Then don't stop.”

His body relaxed next to mine as he slid his leg firmly between my thighs. My hands curled, gripping the comforter as if my life depended on it. He watched my expression as his fingers crawled through my hair, behind my ear, and down the side of my neck. My eyes fluttered. His hand curved around the side of my face, and again, he delicately grazed my lips. I pushed my body weight against him until he was lying on his back. I was straddled on top of him.

He moaned.

All of the confusion and tension between us had culminated into this moment. I was energized by desire as he ran his fingers under my shirt, unfastening my bra. And then, without warning, Rowan grabbed hold of my hips and sat me next to him.

No, no, no!

‟You don't hear that?” he asked, glancing at the ceiling.

Once I left hot-guy-fantasy-land and actually paid attention, it sounded like a riot of voices echoing through the ceiling. ‟Whatever it is, it can wait.”

Rowan got off the bed, slipping on another shirt. ‟After what happened at the council meeting, I don't think it can.”

I was sure my disappointment showed all over my face, but he was right. ‟Okay, let's go find out.”

He pulled me into his chest, pressing another long, lingering kiss on my lips. A tiny groan escaped from his throat. ‟On second thought, I’d rather you talk me into ignoring what’s going on upstairs.”

‟Tempting, but I think you’re right. We really do need to see what’s going on.”

‟Makes sense to go check it out.” His classic smirk appeared. “Besides, you probably need some time to recover.”

I rolled my eyes. Rowan sure didn’t lack in the confidence department.

Crowds of air court elementals filled the great room and continued into the outdoor courtyard. Rather than the yellow robes I was used to, most wore leather and metal body armor. Iron swords hung from their hips. The swell of voices made it impossible to understand what anyone was actually saying.

I faced Rowan. ‟What could this be?”

He scanned the room. ‟If I had to guess, I would say war.”

Nervous energy raced through my veins as I pushed through the masses searching for Jarrod. If Rowan was right, I was sure he planned to attack the fire court. I had to stop this. If they did have my father, I couldn’t take the chance that they would kill him if threatened.

I reached the center of the group. Oh, this was beyond bad. Fae from the woodland court wore the same attire as the air elementals. King Orion had told me at the Ball that he would join us if necessary.

Once I made my way outside, I found Jarrod with the woodland king. They stood next to a few men passing out swords and shields to a long line of elementals.

Rowan’s hand curled around my bicep. ‟Think before you go charging over there. We still don't know anything for sure.”

The weak and bloodied vision I had of Dad appeared again in my head. I jerked my arm out of his grip. ‟I can handle myself.”

‟I know you can,” he said, releasing his sword from its sheath. ‟I'm right behind you.”

His words of confidence gave me a ping of ease as I approached Jarrod. ‟Jarrod, what the hell is all this?” I asked calmly. On the inside, I was in freak-out mode.

Jarrod's eyes widened when he noticed me for the first time. ‟I'm relieved to see you, Princess. We searched for you and were concerned that you had been taken.” He glanced down at my white tank top covered in blood and dirt. ‟Have you been injured?”

I still wasn’t sure I could trust him. He had defended me at the council meeting, but I couldn’t forget that he was the one who handed me the enchanted wine. ‟No, I'm fine. Rowan brought me back to the castle when the fighting broke out. You still haven't answered my question.”

Jarrod took a quick glance at Rowan, but did not offer him any gratitude for keeping me safe. What was the deal with these two? ‟One of our spies told us King Taron is being held in the fire territory. We're going to attack at sundown.”

Something about his words did not sit well. The courts had been at peace for years, so why would we have spies? ‟Do we have any real proof beyond someone's word? Isn't anyone concerned about the treaty?”

King Orion spoke first. ‟The treaty is void. Liana brought it on herself when she attacked during the council meeting.”

But she went after Rowan. Wasn't he technically still a member of the fire court? How could her actions affect the peace between the courts when it was so clearly between them? No, this wasn’t the answer. Dad would never approve. I had to come up with another option and fast. ‟I don't think we should rush into war. We should call another emergency council meeting and discuss this.”

‟The council has disbanded,” Jarrod said, appearing irritated by my suggestion. ‟We are out of options.”

My stomach churned. Admittedly, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the council, but learning they had disbanded did not offer any comfort. ‟How do we know Liana won't kill my father once she discovers us charging into her territory?”

Jarrod ushered me away from the group. ‟We've spent a week talking and searching and we’ve gotten nowhere. This news is all we have to go on. We have to act now.”

This had gone south of cray-cray. Liana's motives were questionable, but that didn't justify starting a war without proof. ‟I'm sorry Jarrod, but I won't gamble on my father's life. I want you to stop this now.”

Jarrod grabbed my upper arm, drawing me closer to him like a child about to be scolded. Rowan motioned toward us. I held my hand up, asking him to keep his distance. Snatching my arm away, I asked, ‟What do you think you're doing?”

‟You may be the princess of this court, but your father appointed me the leader of the knights. He trusted me, and now you need to do the same.” Jarrod glanced around to see who was watching. ‟We will attack the fire court at sundown as planned, and if he’s alive, I will bring him home.”

Jarrod returned to the spot where I found him. I stood there dumbfounded. Rowan came to stand at my side. I tried to think as rationally as possible. These were Jarrod's soldiers. If they were anything like the council, they wouldn't listen to me. I had to go another route. ‟I can't stop this from happening. They don't know me well enough to go against Jarrod.”

Rowan made a growling sound from deep in his throat. ‟I'll make them listen.”

He took a few steps toward Jarrod, I put my hand on his shoulder. ‟No, the last thing I want is more violence. The only way to stop this war is to find my father.”

Powerful thunder rumbled in the skies. I had to keep calm or I’d start another lightning storm. A cold wind rushed against us and I shivered.

Rowan raised an eyebrow. ‟We need a plan.”

I paced back and forth. The men had mostly culminated outside now. There were hundreds of them. I didn’t like my chances, but I was pissed off enough to take them all on. ‟If only Dad could have told me where he was.”

‟What do you mean,
told you
?” Rowan questioned, standing in my way and stopping me mid-stride. ‟You spoke to him?”

I had only told Ariel about the dream vision, but she dismissed it as a nightmare. ‟Dad came to me briefly in a dream a few nights ago.”

His face turned red. ‟Why are you just
now
telling me this?”

I immediately realized what a stupid decision I had made. ‟Because I wasn't sure I could trust you. You aren't exactly Mister Open Book.”

He cringed, stung by my words. A moment later, as if putting up another wall, he was all serious-face. ‟Tell me everything you remember.”

‟It all happened so fast. There's no doubt he was abducted. But when I saw him, he was in an empty room. He told me I would be betrayed by elementals I trusted, then he faded away with the vision before he could name the traitors.”

Rowan ran his fingers through his hair. ‟Did you recognize the location?”

Had I actually made things worse by not telling Rowan? I lowered my head. ‟No.”

‟Describe it to me,” he said.

My memory raced. ‟It's hard to explain. There was nothing on the walls and no windows. It was a dark room—maybe an abandoned building or something. It was dirty and smelled like something had been recently burned there.”

‟And that's all you remember?” He took an exaggerated breath. ‟Any small detail could be important. Please think.”

I stayed silent for a minute or two as I replayed every moment of the vision. Then, something clicked. ‟There was a playing card. Like, from a deck of cards and a couple of plastic poker chips on the floor.”

Rowan leaned his head back while rubbing his hands over his face. ‟I can't believe I never thought of this before.”

My eyes widened. ‟What?”

‟Nevin,” he said, with a disgusted tone.

My stomach tightened. ‟Who's Nevin?”

‟Liana's half-brother. He was exiled from Avalon even before I was born. He runs a few hotels in Las Vegas.”

‟
Las Vegas
? How is that possible?”

‟He's only half-elemental. His father was an incubus, so he's immortal.”

If Dad was in Vegas, it would explain the wrinkles on his face. Without the protection of the veil, Dad will be dead in a matter of weeks. ‟We have to go. Now.”

He shook his head. ‟Nevin is too dangerous. We need to reunite the council and let them decide.”

I was instantly infuriated by his suggestion. ‟No! We're talking about my father. There's no way I'm waiting here for them to make a decision. He could be in the mortal world slowly dying.”

My voice must have carried because several elementals turned to watch us. Rowan leaned down and whispered, ‟Kalin, you have no idea what you'd be walking into. Do you know what an incubus can do?”

I had read that an incubus could come into your dreams and suck out your soul, but I had no idea what was myth and what was real. Either way, I had no interest in taking part in any soul-sucking activities. Just thinking about it scared the crap out of me. ‟Not really.”

‟Nevin can feed on mortal emotions. His ability to influence makes him deadly to mortals, and since you are a halfling, you are vulnerable. If you touched him―even in the slightest way―you would be under his control. You would want to be near him with a desire like you have never felt before. You would never leave his side, and you would do whatever he asked, even if it meant killing yourself.” He shook his head again. ‟No, I can't take the risk.”

Holy Spaceballs! I couldn’t believe a creature with so much power could live in the mortal world. I crossed my arms in front of me. ‟I'm going. I'll go by myself if I have to, so you can help me or not.”

He let out a growl. ‟I will take you, but from this moment on, you listen to everything I say.”

I nodded, trying to hide my growing fear.

‟I mean it, Kalin. No more questions. No nothing. Got it?”

‟Got it.”

Rowan waited in the hallway outside my room while I rummaged through my designer closet. We needed to blend in, so fashionable seemed to be the way to go. I settled on a purple Burberry tank top, leather boots, and a pair of Seven jeans.