Authors: Rosalie Redd
“Yes—and that’s how you ended up here.”
She flinched, and a blush crept up her cheeks. Her eyelids fluttered, and her eyes glistened. She moved away from him and sat down on the edge of the bed. One of her thumbs rubbed the back of her hand, as if she were uncertain. She peeked up at him, and her emerald eyes bore into his soul.
Noeh’s stomach dropped. He was such an ass. She’d been through enough already with her recent torture, not to mention losing her mate and child.
He ran his hand through his short hair. She seemed so small and fragile, like a little kitten. He wanted to console her. Boy, wasn’t that odd, but he couldn’t bring himself to reach out to her, to offer her any sort of comfort. The uncomfortable silence lingered between them and only added to his frustration.
The marking under his right eye pulsed. He touched the swirl, amazed. His marking for compassion hadn’t pulsed like this in decades. For the sworl to throb now made him nervous. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to put her in this room, the one next to his bedchamber. His inner beast stirred. He liked that idea, very much.
Noeh moved closer and sat on the ornate wooden chair next to the bed. “Is there anything you need?”
Melissa’s eyes were moist with unshed tears. Though her pain was obvious, she held her head high and squared her shoulders. “Thank you, I’ll be fine.”
He rose from the chair, his hands at his sides.
Ok, then, tough little thing.
Her vibrant red hair hung in loose curls down to her waist. His heartbeat picked up. He ached to touch that long mane of silk, to wrap the fine strands in his fist. Her lips, so full and luscious, begged to be kissed. He wondered if they tasted as good as they looked
.
Where did that come from?
He shuffled back a step and dragged in a quick breath. His attraction to her was not something he could deal with. He needed to get out of there, fast.
“I have things to do. If you need anything, touch any of the sunstones lining the walls and think of Bet. She will attend to you.”
“You want me to stay here, in the room?” She stood, and her brows drew up to a point.
“Although I’ve warned the males not to bother you, I can’t guarantee they won’t. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a fertile female among our kind. It’s best if you don’t wander around on your own.”
Melissa placed her hands on her hips, her face turning red. “So, you are confining me to my quarters. Why don’t you just lock me up in a dungeon?”
What he wanted to do was pull her into his arms, kiss her, and ravage her mouth until she realized he was the most dangerous male here. Instead, he spoke through gritted teeth. “Stay put. It’s for your own good.”
He took one last look at the feisty little female and walked out of the room, slamming the door in his wake.
Chapter Eleven
Noeh paced the infirmary. He picked up a bottle of elixir and tossed the container from palm to palm. The pale green liquid sloshed over the lip, the cool solution coating the back of his hand. “
Craya!
”
A cloth hit him on the shoulder. The slick vial became a balancing act as he placed it back on the counter. Somehow, he managed not to spill anymore and wiped his hands on the soft cloth.
“I’ll have to remake that now, you know.” Gaetan’s pale blue eyes sparkled with mischief, defying his age of over nine hundred years. He wasn’t old, but he wasn’t young, either.
Noeh peered at him and raised an eyebrow. “Gee, glad I could give you something productive to do.” His head pounded, the pain ratcheting up to a new degree of misery. He closed his eyes, massaging his temple with his fingers.
Gaetan’s favorite stool groaned as he settled onto the worn wood. His hands rested on his cane. He seemed patient, his gaze tracing every move Noeh made.
Noeh blew out a heated breath.
“
Craya!
The Keep is turning into a shelter for refugees. I didn’t believe the old tales about other Lemurians and now—” He waved a hand in the air. “You should get someone to help you remake the elixir.”
“Why are you so angry? It’s not like we don’t have the room. We could use the help around here.” Gaetan shifted on the stool, favoring his disfigured leg, the one that was injured when he was a child and wouldn’t heal.
The twinge that crossed Gaetan’s face was like a splash of cold water on Noeh’s temper. He hated to see his mentor in pain and held his tongue until Gaetan once again settled. His friend wouldn’t appreciate any form of assistance.
“You really should get someone in here on a more permanent basis. You could use the help.” Noeh leaned against the medicine cabinet, the coolness from the stone seeping through his trousers.
“And you’re avoiding the topic.”
Noeh crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I thought we were discussing the elixir.”
“C’mon, Noeh, I’ve known you all your life. It’s not the other Lemurians coming here that concerns you, is it?” Gaetan’s tight mouth and penetrating stare told Noeh he didn’t believe a word of it. “It’s taking a queen.”
Gaetan placed his hand on his cane, leaning his weight into his staff as he stood.
Noeh’s stomach clenched as if Gaetan had punched him. He drew in a slow breath. “Ah, my old friend, sometimes I think you know me too well.” He twirled the ring on his finger, the familiar movement providing a modicum of peace. “I’d rather be tortured daily than saddled with a queen. Oh wait, having a queen will be daily torture.” He laughed, unable to contain his unease any longer. “And by the next new moon, really? Nothing like getting down to it, fast and furious.”
“You know the new moon is sacred.” Gaetan pursed his lips and shook his head. “After the darkness of a new moon, the first light of the young moon signifies a new beginning.”
“Yes, a beginning I wonder if I should have agreed to.” Noeh exhaled a soft breath. “You know, maybe becoming a warrior isn’t such a bad thing.”
“You wouldn’t.” Gaetan’s voice was low and airy.
“The idea crossed my mind.” Noeh gripped the edge of the cabinet and pushed off to a standing position.
Gaetan trembled, the shiver visible as it rolled over his shoulders. “You are the last of the royal blood. I hate to think what would happen if you weren’t king.”
“Don’t stress over it. I will follow the scriptures, much as I despise them.” Noeh lifted his shoulders in a half-hearted shrug. “Given my limited options for a queen, I’m sure one bonding band around my neck will be my due. Hoping for the strength of two or three would be fruitless.”
“Are you considering Mauree for your queen?” Gaetan reached out and placed his hand on Noeh’s shoulder, concern etched in the lines around his eyes.
“I am, though the prospect makes my stomach turn.” Noeh tasted bile in his mouth.
Their on-again, off-again relationship had been mostly off, and she’d tried to get him to bond to her on several occasions. One time, she’d almost succeeded. She was confident, beautiful, and assertive. All great qualities for a queen, but he didn’t love her. She also had a mean streak, and that, he couldn’t tolerate.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have many other viable options. The scourge had devastated the female population, leaving few behind. None of the others had the mettle, the internal strength, to become queen. He needed someone by his side who could lead and make tough choices when necessary. Mauree was the only one who met the requirement. Love, that wasn’t a prerequisite. He’d do what was necessary to ensure his kind survived. Although he tried to focus on Mauree as his queen, his thoughts kept returning to a redheaded female with spirited green eyes.
*****
Rin sat at the ancient stone platform in the Portal Navigation Center. He scooted the chair up so he could reach his tools. He inhaled, feeling taller, stronger, and bigger than he actually was. As a Jixie, he was lucky to top out at just over three feet tall.
He loved his job. His father and his father’s father had sat in this very seat, polishing and cleaning the sunstones to ensure the gateway worked without a hitch. He glanced at his gnarled joints, crooked from years of arthritis. The weakness was one he’d inherited from his father. It was the one physical ailment that would never heal.
He brought a sunstone close to his eyepiece, examining the reddish-orange crystal for the slightest imperfection or sign of cracks. Any fracture would prevent the power from coalescing and would render the portal useless. Seeing none, he cleaned the stone in the water-soaked cloth and returned the crystal to its rightful place. Heat radiated through his chest. He wanted to share his joy, but he was alone.
He stood from his workbench and stretched. His back popped, and he rubbed the spot through his coarse shirt. A wave of heat rolled across his arms. He loosened the strings on his top, pulling the thick material away from his throat. Sighing, he wiped a bead of sweat from his brow.
Rin sauntered over to the
porte stanen
that took up the center of the room. The round stone, almost six feet in diameter and three feet high, had a flat top, carved for use as the master portal.
Embedded in the porte stanen were numerous sunstones. Each crystal lay in the pattern of a large circle filled with water. Concentric rings led to the centerpiece, the keystone. He rubbed the central stone, its large red crystal the most important rock in the Keep. With moist eyes, he admired its smooth texture. The Keep’s water held magical properties that worked in tandem with the energy of the sunstones to ignite the gateway.
He picked up another sunstone, this one’s crack ran through its core. Not good. He placed the sunstone into a bag to be used for cooking in the central kitchen and replaced it with a fresh crystal.
His hands tingled, his body reacting to a call.
Who requests entrance?
He touched the keystone and sent a response along the energy string.
Who are you?
The same request came back, more intense, more urgent, but without confirmation. He could sense the requestor wasn’t a Gossum. The energy force was similar to a Stiyaha, but not quite the same.
Tell me who you are, for I won’t open a portal until you do.
I am Demir, leader of my Pride.
The loud response reverberated in Rin’s head. He winced from the pain and almost fell off his chair.
Craya! Not so loud. I was told you were coming, but I had ‘ta be sure it was you.
Large bells rang in the corridor, announcing to the residents that a gateway was about to open. Rin drew his hands together and brought them to his lips. He blew through his fingers, warming them for the upcoming task. His fingers ached, but he paid that no mind and went straight to work. His life’s passion lay before him in those sunstones.
He calibrated the stones to Demir’s location, arranging each within the pattern of concentric circles. His hands moved over the crystals, faster and faster. The outermost circle emitted a soft glow. As each ring lit up, steam rose from the stones. The heat eased the ache in his arthritic hands, and his body became one with the movement.
A swirling ball of mist rose midway in the room. The orb grew in size as the light intensified. The keystone ignited, turning a fiery orange.
Rin raised his hands. “Portal open!”
The Keep shook with the force of the energy. Pebbles rained down on his head. She wasn’t happy, he could tell from her reaction. He glanced at the ceiling and shook his fist.
“
Curse you, Keep, for making my life difficult.”
A hole formed in the haze, the smell of pine trees and fresh rain permeating the air. The vapor thinned as the hole grew in size. Pine trees became visible through the opening, along with several unfamiliar faces.
“Come quickly!” Rin said.
First one, then another, and another came through the hole. The fog dampened their clothing and hair. By the time the last one entered the Keep, the group numbered thirty.
Rin moved his hands over the sunstones again, this time slowing down the energy within the rings. The steam dissipated, and with it, the portal closed. He wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his fist. With a nearby cloth, he dried his hands, being ever so careful with his inflamed knuckles.
He evaluated the group he’d just let through the portal. The males were about six feet tall and slim. Well-defined muscles flexed under dark shirts as they moved, fluid and sleek. They looked human except some had yellow eyes like a cat. Several of the males spread out, searching, sniffing, taking stock of their new surroundings. A female wrapped her arms around a male’s waist and nudged her nose underneath his chin, the movement sensuous and personal.
A handful stood apart from the others. This group’s clothing was tattered and worn, with rips and holes in the fabrics. Weighed down with bags, they appeared defeated, their eyes downcast.
A current of tension between the two groups filled the air. Rin ran his fingers over his thin mustache. His mouth went dry. Had he made a mistake letting them in?
Chapter Twelve
Noeh, having heard the bells, met Gaetan, Saar, and Jax at the Portal Navigation Center to greet the new arrivals. The last of the steam disappeared as the gateway closed.
Rin leaned against the porte stanen, wiping his hands on a cloth. Several newcomers stood in the room, all dressed in varying shades of black, brown, and gray. They were all shorter and thinner built than the Stiyaha. A male with a smug grin on his face placed his arm over the shoulder of another, crossed his feet at the ankles, and leaned on his comrade. A small blade glinted from his waistband. Another male had his arm wrapped around a female at his side. She nuzzled under his chin, glanced at Noeh, and giggled.