While Valteri saddled his horse, Belial gathered food and supplies. “I’ll wake the others.”
“I’ll wait for you,” he lied to the oaf. “Get Wace and your brothers. Have them meet me here while I saddle their horses.”
With a nod of his head, Belial left him.
Valteri waited until Belial had vanished into the storm and was gone for a few minutes.
Once he was certain Belial couldn’t see him through the bitter snowstorm, he mounted his destrier, his saddle tilting slightly as he adjusted himself and his sword.
“I know, boy.” He stroked his horse’s mane, feeling guilty that he asked this of his old friend. “We’ve been through worse, you and I, and I need you to do this for me. I promise, I wouldn’t take you out there if it wasn’t important.”
His horse snorted and pawed as if he was still resentful. Not that he blamed him.
Drawing his cowl over his head, he looked back at the keep to ensure that there was no sign of Belial or anyone else.
“You better not have caused this, demon.” Because if he’d put her in harm’s way, and if she were harmed over it, there’d be true hell to pay.
Valteri would rip his insidious form to pieces. His lady had best be hale and hearty when he found her.
Kicking his horse into a run, he sped across the bailey and out the gate.
Damn, it was a cold, miserable night. Valteri double-cursed the weather that forced him to slow his horse’s gait lest it harm Ganille. Ganille’s hooves slid on the frozen soil until he feared both of them would fall, and the last thing he wanted was to risk an injury to the only real friend he’d ever known.
“It’s all right,” he assured his horse. “Take your time. Be careful.”
Worse than the ice, swirling flakes continued to obscure his vision.
His cheeks burning from the cold, Valteri ground his teeth in aggravation.
How far could Ariel have gone in this?
When had she started out?
Because it was so thick, the snow would have obscured her tracks in a matter of minutes.
“How can I ever find you?”
You do have powers.…
Ariel’s voice from earlier that night whispered to him. Instinctively, he placed his hand to the scar where he’d been branded.
While he couldn’t remember that one, he remembered the brand that was hidden beneath his hair. Even now, he could see the old monk’s twisted, hate-filled countenance as he’d snarled the Latin words at him that he hadn’t understood.
“Let Saint Benedict bind this demon’s powers! Keep them inside him so that he cannot harm another!” Then more words had followed, only they hadn’t sounded like Latin to him. They’d seemed to be from another language.
But the pain of the brand on his skull had been such that Valteri couldn’t really comprehend any of it.
Only the sound of laughter ringing in his ears had overridden his pain and the smell of his burning flesh.
He couldn’t even remember now what he’d done to cause them to attack him so. Why they’d felt the need to drag him to the altar and assault him.
Of course, back then, those attacks had been so commonplace that they ran together in his memory. One huge amalgamate nightmare.
Had it been a similar moment when his so-called powers had been bound?
He looked up at the sky and blinked as tears froze against his eyelashes. Lost, and terrified of losing the only good thing he’d ever had, he did what he’d never done before.
Valteri prayed. “If that’s true … please, God, give me what I need to find her. Please, don’t let her die because of this.” He choked on his fear. “Because of me. Let me have what was unfairly taken.”
Ganille shifted.
And nothing changed.
The storm continued to howl and he had no idea which way to go. For that matter, he wasn’t even sure which way he’d come.
They were both going to die of exposure out here.
Few humans possessed enough survival skills to live through a night like this.
He doubted if Ariel would even think to find shelter before the cold overtook her.
His heart shattered as he saw images in his mind. Ariel laughing with the children. Of her reaching for him with desire glowing deep in her eyes.
The sweetest taste of her lips on his. Her hands roaming freely over his naked body.
No other woman had ever wanted him.
No one. Period. Had ever touched him with a kind hand.
Not even his own mother.
And the truth was, Valteri couldn’t imagine a life without Ariel anymore. Of returning to the empty isolation he’d known since his birth.
Losing her would be like losing a limb.
Nay, it would be like losing the heart that beat inside his chest.
“Please, help me,” he whispered. That, too, was something he’d never done as a man.
He’d stopped asking for help as a boy when his pleas had fallen on the deaf ears of his tormentors who’d had no compassion or mercy for him.
No one cared.
The world was cruel and it was merciless.
You are nothing to anyone.
Bastard born. Your own parents wouldn’t claim you.
Only Ariel had ever cared. Only she had ever seen anything more than a worthless piece of shit.
I can’t fail her.
Suddenly, a foreign warmth spread through his body. One the likes of which he’d never felt before. It started in the center of his gut and radiated outward, toward his fingers and toes.
Throwing his head back and closing his eyes, he let out his war cry. His breath billowed around his head in a thick cloud.
Breathless, he felt so peculiar. And when he straightened in the saddle and opened his eyes again, he could see.
Not like before. This was different.
He still saw the blizzard, yet he could see through it, too. Just as clearly as if it were a sunny day.
No longer did he feel the cold. This was how he felt in battle. That serene calm where he was aware of everything and nothing. Where he heard the universe and yet he was disconnected from his own body.
Valteri would never forget the first time he’d felt this way. Not long after his knighting, his lord had thrown him into war.
“Die with dignity, you bastard! You better not run!”
Why should he? There was no one who would have welcomed him home. So Valteri had gripped the leather straps of his shield and the hilt of his sword. Not even on a horse, as his lord hadn’t deemed him worthy of one.
He’d run toward the enemy, hoping to find peace at the end of a lance someone would run through him.
Instead, he’d seen everything as it’d come for him while he fought. Every arrow. Every sword.
Deftly and without thought, his body had moved of its own accord. He’d been a puppet to some higher force. His mind had turned completely off and it was as if something else had controlled him.
When he became aware again, the battle was over.
He’d stood among the slain, covered in blood, but completely unharmed.
Only then had he felt the weight of his armor, or heard the moans of the dying. Felt his own thirst or smelled the putrid stenches of war.
They had simultaneously hailed him a monster and a hero. And while no one wanted him as friend, they definitely didn’t want him as a foe.
That inhuman power and sensory disconnect was what he felt now.
He urged Ganille forward, guiding his skittish horse through the snow. Somehow he knew where the road was. He saw it so clearly.
Instinctively, he knew where to go, and in no time, he found a small brown palfrey whose reins were ensnared on the side of the road in a bramble bush. She shrieked and tugged at the lines.
Cold winds bit into his flesh and his joints were stiff from riding as he dismounted.
“Easy now,” he breathed, approaching the panicked horse with care.
Moving slowly so as not to further alarm the mare, he gently patted her side until she calmed. Then, he took her bridle and untangled her reins. Scratches marred her flesh as he rubbed his gloved hand over her flanks, noting the blood seeping there and over her bare back.
What the hell had happened?
As he eased the mare back, he saw a damp red saddle blanket on the ground that was embroidered with his dragon.
This was definitely from his stable. He hadn’t mistaken the horse.
“Ariel!” he called, hoping she was somewhere nearby.
Only the howling winds answered his call. No doubt, his voice had been lost to them.
Tying the mare’s reins to his destrier, Valteri searched the area on foot, calling for his wife, his heart lodged painfully in his hoarse, sore throat.
Where could she be? Had the palfrey thrown and trampled her like it’d done the blanket?
All too well, he remembered what it felt like to be stomped by his own horse.
Could Ariel survive such an attack? Unlike him, she was tiny and frail. Unused to being brutalized.
Valteri closed his eyes, hoping she was all right. He couldn’t bear the thought of her as otherwise. Then, he felt a strange pull. Something inside knew where to go.
Listening to it, he headed straight toward a large tree.
Vaguely, he saw a small lump lying in front of it.
He rushed forward and knelt down to find her there.
“Ariel?” he gasped, pulling her over, and into his arms.
Her face was a ghostly white and a large bruise swelled against her right cheek.
Terror consumed him. She lay too quiet. Her body was too cold.
“My lady?” His voice trembled with the weight of his fear and panic as he gingerly pulled the strands of pale hair free from her cheek. “Please, Ariel, speak to me!”
Her eyes fluttered open and the dazed look gradually sharpened. “Valteri?”
Relief washed over him. His heart hammering in gratitude, he lifted her in his arms and cradled her close to his chest so that he could press his cheek to hers. “Don’t speak. I must find us shelter.”
Nodding, she draped a finely shaped arm over his shoulders and snuggled her head against his neck. In spite of the freezing temperature, desire and tenderness crashed through him, almost crippling him with their sharp waves.
Nay, he could never let her leave him, not as long as breath filled his lungs.
Valteri pulled her cloak tighter around her and stumbled back to their horses, but with every step he took, he heard her wince from pain. “It’ll be all right, Ariel. Just a little further.”
He must find somewhere close by to check her injuries before she succumbed to them, or worse, before their journey maimed her.
As carefully as he could, he mounted his horse with her and rode back the way he’d come. Another blast of wind and snow struck them, causing his horse to rear. Ganille snorted, pawing at the air.
“Whoa, boy!” he ordered, but the horse barely settled. More wind howled and Ganille panicked, running through the forest.
Valteri struggled for control of his horse and to maintain his tenuous hold on Ariel. For several minutes, he could do nothing more than remain in his saddle as they crashed through the snow and high foliage.
Suddenly, the snow thinned, and there before them stood a small, dark hut with a thatched roof. Ganille shook his head and quieted, pawing softly at the snow.
Valteri blinked at the little cottage. Unsure if he should believe his sight or luck, he turned Ganille toward it and reined to a stop in front of the door.
Throwing his leg over the saddle’s pommel, he held Ariel tightly and slid to the ground, trying to jar her as little as possible.
He took a great deal of care as he approached the hut, waiting for an angry Saxon to rush out and attack him. That was what they normally did whenever they saw a knight approaching.
But no light or sound appeared.
Was it deserted?
“Hello?” Supporting Ariel against his chest with one arm, he knocked on the door. It swung open, its leather hinges creaking as a gust of wind caught it and sent it slamming into the interior wall.
Valteri entered, then paused to scan inside. Definitely empty. Whoever had owned the small cottage had left it years before. Cobwebs hung like palls over a few meager pieces of rough wooden furniture, and a musty, sour stench clung to the damp air.
Curling his lip, he made his way to the small cot that sat against the far wall.
With the toe of his boot, he tested the leather straps that crisscrossed the ancient frame. It appeared sound enough, but he couldn’t quite banish his misgivings.
Still not fully convinced it would hold even her light weight, he carefully lowered Ariel to the cot, ready to catch her if it gave way.
When it didn’t collapse beneath her, he sighed in relief and touched her cheek.
She looked up at him, her gaze awash with relief, pain, and exhaustion.
“Rest here while I make you a fire and tend the horses.”
Nodding, she closed her eyes and placed her bare hand over his glove. “Thank you for coming for me.”
His chest tightened. Did she think he could ever leave her in such danger? “Did you doubt me?”
“Nay,” she whispered. “But a part of me hoped you wouldn’t find me. I don’t want to be your death, Valteri.”
Misery and happiness both raked his heart. I’m a sick bastard.
Wanting to kiss and strangle her, he doffed his heavy cloak and placed it over her.
She remained still, her damp, pale hair fanning out around her. He longed to run his hand through the silken mass, but her words hung in his heart like an anchor stone.
Clenching his teeth, he turned away.
As quickly as he could, Valteri returned to the horses and unsaddled Ganille. Though the barn had seen better days, it still remained intact enough to offer shelter for the horses. He draped his saddlebags over his shoulder and retrieved an old, rusty ax from the barn’s wall.
It took a while to find wood dry enough to use, and to locate the small piece of flint still resting in the aged ashes of the last fire the dilapidated hut had seen. As he set about making a fire in the center of the room, he sensed Ariel’s gaze upon him.
Glancing over his shoulder, he saw her blue eyes open and focused on his movements.
Unable to discern the emotions flickering in her gaze, he continued striking the flint until he had a decent fire started. Winds howled outside, pounding the hut with a force that made him wonder how it continued to stand the abuse without collapsing. But then, he of all men should know how hearty even the frailest of things could be.
Rising from his task, he turned to face her. “How do you feel?”
“Cold,” she said, her teeth chattering.
Valteri crossed the room to stand above her. In spite of the sympathy inside him, his anger mounted over her foolishness. “As well you should. What did you mean leaving on a night such as this?”
“To keep you safe.”
How could he argue that?
Sighing in frustration, Valteri picked her up and carried her closer to the fire. Though she said nothing, he noted the rigidness of her body, as if she wanted him far away from her. Careful to keep the cloaks between her and the filthy floor, he set her beside the saddlebags.
When he reached to lift the hem of her kirtle, she grabbed his hand. “What are you doing?”
His throat tight, Valteri sat back and removed his gloves from his hands. Ignoring her question, he touched her left thigh. She gasped in pain and her entire body jerked.
“I need to check your injuries, Ariel. I heard you wincing as I carried you, and every time your hip touched against my body you trembled.”
“Oh.” She ran her hands over her arms as if to banish a chill. “And it should be noted that the weather was not so bad when I started my journey. How was I to know that it’d turn this ferocious?”
He shook his head at her as he slowly inspected her for injuries. “Still … you should have stayed.”
“And let you die? How could I do that?” Ariel drew a deep breath and met his gaze. “I had no choice.”
“No choice?” he asked with a sharp frown. “You always have choices, milady.”
“And I seek only to protect you.”
He knelt beside her and cupped her chin in his warm hand. Against her will, he forced her to look up at him. “I can protect myself.”
Tears of frustration filled her eyes at his unreasonableness. “How can you ask me to sit by and watch you die in my arms?”
One corner of his mouth lifted into a charming grin. “There’s no other place I’d rather die.”
Outraged by his teasing at something so serious, she glared at him. “How can you be glib? ’Tis no jest.”
“I’ve never been more serious.” His tone said otherwise.
And though she longed to deny it, the sincerity of his gaze told her that he spoke the truth. “I don’t take your life or your soul so lightly, and neither should you. I wish you were more heedful of my warning. This is not a jest, Valteri.”
He sat by her side. The firelight played in his hair, flickering shadows across the handsome planes of his face. “You shouldn’t have fled because you feared for me. Death is what happens to us all, is it not? Was that not your very job before you came here?”
“Aye.” Reaching out, she brushed a strand of hair from his icy, red cheek. “But you, milord, should have an entire lifetime to live. You shouldn’t die so young just because of a curse that has nothing to do with you. Not to mention that if they lay hands to you, they could use your powers to free the Malachai demon onto this world.”
Fire burned in his eyes. It scorched her with its intensity, melting her will. “Curses have followed me the whole of my life. What do I care for one more? And what do I care what happens to a world that has never done me any favors?”
She buried her hand in the top of his braid at the nape of his neck and pulled him close. “Those other curses weren’t for your death.”
“Trust me, they were. Many have cursed me to die. In this life and the next. Eternally, and to be damned to hell and beyond.” He stroked her back, his touch warming her far more than the fire. “Given all that hatred, what do I care if I pass through this life as soon as possible?”
“I care.”
His grip tightened around her waist. “As an Arel or as my wife?”
“As your wife!” How he could doubt her feelings for him?
He scoffed and pulled away. “But can you really be my wife? Can Arelim take human vows?”
A chill went over her. There was something she hadn’t considered.
Could she? While she’d known a number of Arelim who’d slept with mortals and had children with them, she’d never known any who’d married them.
Until her.
“You’re not exactly human.”
And that sent another fear through her.
Neither was Apollymi. The goddess of destruction had fallen in love with a Sephiroth warrior. While they weren’t Arelim, they were close kin to them.
That relationship had been so frowned upon by the higher powers that it had led to the Primus Bellum.
Consumed with a newfound terror, she bolted from the cot. “What have I done?”
Could loving Valteri cause another such war?
“Ariel?”
She couldn’t even speak of the horror. His father was Jaden, brother to Apollymi. If the gods had feared the power of Apollymi’s child mixed with a Sephiroth, would they not fear the powers of her child mixed with Valteri’s?
Nay, Apollymi was a dark goddess. Sephirii were warriors of light. It was the mixture of those two contrasting powers that had bred the Malachai race of demons. Creatures so powerful and dark that they were virtually unstoppable.
She and Valteri wouldn’t have that same mixture. They were both creatures of light. It was why he was still good in spite of the hate that had been delivered to him.
Surely, their relationship would be allowed. Just like her mother and her father’s.
Right?
Do you want to find out?
Dare you find out?
His gaze darkened and the sudden suspicion in his eyes stung her. “What?”
“I know not, Valteri. I never felt this way before. In the past my senses were dull. ’Tis only now that I see true colors, smell true scents.”
“And what do you feel?”
“I…” Ariel paused.
She couldn’t say it out loud. Would the curse work immediately if she did? Over and over, she saw him falling dead before her, and she knew she could never utter the words lodged in her throat.
I love you.
So, she sighed instead. “What of you? Why do you want me to stay so badly?”
Valteri shook his head and rose. His emotions were so entangled that he didn’t know how to answer so simple a question. Part of him would die for her, and another part wanted to curse her existence and all that she stood for.
Fate was indeed a cruel bastard.
“What can I say, Ariel? When I look at you, I see a promise for a future and that terrifies me. Because the one thing I’ve learned in this life is that the worst betrayal always comes when you learn that the one you’d take a sword for is the one holding the hilt.”
“I would never betray you.”
“So said Judas.”
“I thought you didn’t believe.”
Valteri scoffed. “I believe in all traitors.”
And that broke her heart. “And what if I promised you that I would never, ever betray you?”
“That would require the greatest act of all faith on my part.”
“Would you not give me that?”
“I don’t know if I can.”
And how could she ask it of him when the truth was that she no longer even knew what her own true nature was.
Aye, she’d been born an Arel, but she’d been tainted by this mortal flesh. Had lived as a mortal being. Like the Atlantean god, Acheron, who’d been cursed to live a mortal life, it would leave a scar on her.
Forever.
She would never again be the same.
Any more than Valteri was.
Half god. Half human.
Like Acheron.
He wasn’t what he would have been had Jaden claimed him.
By being together these last few weeks, they had changed each other.
In numerous ways. She now understood emotions and felt for others. He was no longer alone. He craved her company.
She could no longer imagine a world without him.
What are we going to do?
Wishing she had the right answers, she traced the embroidery on his cloak. “I remember flying. The air fluttering against my cheeks, but that air never felt as it does now.”
She let out a heartfelt sigh. “Am I Arel or human? There are times when I feel myself going mad from the strain of trying to decide.”
Ariel raised her right leg and encircled it with her arms. With one cheek pressed against her knee, she looked up at him.
Valteri swallowed hard as he watched the shadows play across her sad countenance.
Rubbing his jaw, he wanted to ease the ache in her eyes, but for his life, he could think of nothing. “But even if you are human for now, what of the morrow? Do you know when you will again retake your true form?”
“Nay. The crone never told me that part.”
Would she be transformed as soon as he died, or would she live out a normal human life?
“Then you’re more human than you know.”
She frowned as if confused by his words. “How do you mean?”
Sighing, Valteri returned to sit beside her, but he didn’t look at her. Instead, he studied the fire. “None of us ever know how long or how short a time we have. Most people spend the whole of their brief lives afraid of death. It’s the one true demon that stalks men. The one demon they can fight for a time, but in the end we all must fall beneath its brutal fist.”
“Except for you. You court him.”
He nodded. “But the filthy little bastard has always eluded me.” He tossed a stray piece of wood into the fire and sighed. “At least you have one advantage over us—you know for certain what awaits you in death.”
She shook her head. “So you say. But if Belial has his way, he’ll drag me off to Azmodea and trap me there.”
“Can he do that?”
Ariel scowled as she considered it. “I’m not really sure. I’ve never been there. Only heard the stories of its misery. Mostly from creatures like Shadow and Thorn, who speak of the pain and torture. It’s supposed to be a dark, tormented place that’s filled with the awful entities who live to prey on others. There are places to hide, but if they find you, they will attack without cessation.”
“So it’s like here, then.”
She rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. “Only worse.”
“Doesn’t sound like it to me.”
She lifted her head to stare at him. “You don’t understand, Valteri. There’s no one there to help you.”
“And that would be different from this world, how?”
Ariel opened her mouth to argue with him and then realized that from what he’d experienced in his life there was no difference. Her gaze dropped to the scars on his body.
Not from war.
From cruelty.
“Sorry. I forgot.”
He sighed wearily. “Human or demon, makes no never mind to me. They are both out to use and abuse anyone who gets in their way.”
She wished she could tell him differently. But the truth was that she hadn’t seen much better behavior herself. “Thorn and Shadow came to help us. For no reason.”
“Have they?”
“They haven’t hurt.”
He snorted then sighed as he threw another piece of wood into the fire. “I don’t know, Ariel. I just keep thinking…”
She gave him time to continue, but when he seemed to have forgotten, she prodded him. “What?”
“If there is a God, why has He punished me for things I couldn’t help, and damned you for events you couldn’t prevent?”
“That wasn’t God. It was a vengeful woman who was lost in her own grief, and a self-serving demon out for his own advancement. They had nothing to do with God.”
“Why hasn’t He stopped them?”
“Because of our free will. As much as it hurts, it’s our gift and our curse. To interfere with it would take it away from us.”
He pierced her with a harsh stare. “It didn’t feel like free will when I was a child, chained and beaten.”
She pulled his head down so that she could kiss his lips. “I know. We can’t control our obstacles or what others think or may do. But we are all the masters of our own end. Of the choices we, ourselves, make.”
Valteri grimaced. “You say that, and yet I recall a story Brother Jerome used to tell of the pharaoh who was born to be damned. Was that really his choice?”
“Of course it was. All the pharaoh had to do was free the Hebrews and even he would have been saved. Instead, it was his own stubbornness that damned him. His pride that cost him his life.”
A strange look crossed his face and she struggled to name it.
“What?” she asked.
He looked away, his body more rigid than the sword strapped to his hip.
Ariel reached out and touched his shoulder. The muscles beneath her fingertips were taut with strain. “Please tell me what haunts you?”
His jaw twitched. “Just an old memory.”
“Will you not share it?”
Valteri stared at her and the pain on his face reached deep inside her and touched her heart, making it pound. “I was told that my father, after seeing me for the first time, was so stricken with grief over my deformity that he cursed my mother and abandoned us.” His low tone was bitter and harsh, laden with the full weight of his anger and hatred for his father. “They said that he never came back or spoke to my mother again. Because of me.”
Tears filled her eyes and she bit her lip to keep from crying out at the injustice. How could anyone believe such a thing?
“You know that’s not true, right? Shadow told me that your father knew nothing of your birth.”
Valteri looked away. “Everyone told me that my father never returned because he went on a pilgrimage to atone for the sin of fathering me, and was ambushed and slaughtered by the Saracens outside of Jerusalem. The monks claimed that the Saracens carried out God’s punishment. And while the brothers blamed me for my father’s death, I always blamed his pride for refusing a less than perfect son.”
Her heart ached for him.
So much pain. So much unnecessary sadness. “They lied to you in order to hurt you.”
He shook his head. “How can I believe that I have a choice when my own father, a god, is being held in captivity? How can I have a choice when even he doesn’t?”
He had a point, but still …
“Jaden gave up his freedom to protect others. He made his choice.” Ariel traced the line of his jaw, his whiskers prickling her fingertip, sending coils of pleasure through her. He sat so close she could feel his heat, even stronger than that of the fire. “I wish I could make you believe,” she whispered, noting the chills that rose on his neck.
When he looked at her, her breath faltered at the tenderness in his eyes. “When I’m near you, I can almost believe in anything.”
Before she could move, he leaned forward and captured her lips.
Ariel growled with pleasure. She ran her hands over his back, pulling him closer to her.
Though she knew she should push him away for both their sakes, she couldn’t bring herself to do so.
Not right now, when she needed this comfort.
Valteri nipped at her lips, drawing them between his teeth and gently scraping them. She shuddered, her body exploding with a demanding need.
He laid her back against the floor and she went willingly, delighting in the feel of his weight pinning her down. Ariel closed her eyes, savoring the raw, earthly vitality of his touch, his body.
Never had she imagined anything feeling so wonderful. Not even the freedom of flight could compare to the warm, heady sensation of his kisses.
He left her mouth, and buried his lips in her neck. Ariel arched against him, her body sizzling in response to his touch. She wanted him. Heaven help her for she couldn’t find it within her to push him away.
She might not truly belong in his world, but she was his wife. And a wife belonged to her husband.
Nay, she’d never hurt him.
Never betray him.
Tonight she’d try not to think of what might happen on the morrow. Of what they might do to them.
To the world.
For now, she needed his touch as much as he needed hers.
Valteri inhaled her rich rose scent, his head reeling as if he were still intoxicated. He knew he should leave her. If he had any decency within him, he’d rise from her body and sleep outside with the horses.
But no matter how much his mind argued, his heart wouldn’t listen. His limbs refused to obey.
He promised himself that if she gave any indication of fear or gainsay, he’d release her. But she continued to hold him close, her tender hands running the length of his spine, sending wave after wave of pleasure coursing through his veins.
No one had ever accepted or welcomed him the way she did. And nothing had ever felt better than her luscious curves that molded against him, pressing against his chest, his hips. His body burned for her.
She encircled his shoulders with her arms.
Valteri looked into her eyes and his breath faltered at the gentle need that hovered in the rich blue hue.
She smiled up at him. “For this night, I would have you as husband.”
Ariel watched the emotions play across his face—disbelief, longing, and finally happiness. He returned to her lips, his breath sweeter than any wine. She pulled at his tunic, wanting to feel the strength of his chest against her palms.
The fire played across his face, displaying the raw hunger in his mismatched eyes. She trembled, unable to believe that he desired her so much.
Reaching up, she took his braid and slowly undid it until his hair cascaded over her. Its ends tickled her neck and face. As she had longed to do so many times, she ran her hands through the silken strands.
Valteri closed his eyes and turned his face to gently nip at her arm. Ariel sucked her breath in between her teeth, her breasts tingling. No man could compare to her warrior. He alone stood most honorable, most noble, and she vowed to let no harm befall him.
Somehow, some way, she was going to find a way to save him.
Even if she had to fight Noir herself.
Whatever it took. They would not take him because of her. She wouldn’t allow it.
He reached for the hem of her kirtle and she shivered as the cold air contacted with her naked skin. Her breasts tightened in response. Heat stole up her cheeks and she tried to cover herself from his gaze.
“Nay, Ariel,” he whispered, running his finger down the center of her bare chest. “You have naught to be embarrassed about.”
Ariel swallowed, still uncomfortable. But as he dipped his head to her breast and took it into his mouth, she forgot her nudity. All she could think of was the passion coiling in her stomach, the all-consuming pleasure running the length of her body. His hair spilled across her breasts, her stomach, tickling her, inflaming her senses.
She cradled his head as he suckled, his tongue sending a thousand quivers to her belly. His hands roamed over her flesh, but when he touched her left thigh, she gasped as pain slashed through her pleasure.
Valteri pulled back with a frown. How could he have forgotten her injuries? He ran his hand over her thigh and grimaced at her wound. The whole length of her thigh and hip was red and bruised.
As gently as he could, he probed that injury. Finally he deduced no bones had been broken. “You should have reminded me,” he whispered, his voice hoarse with guilt that he’d been so neglectful.
She touched his chin, turning his face until he met her gaze. “It didn’t hurt until a second ago.”
He found her humor terribly misplaced. “And now?”
“The only ache I feel is the emptiness in my arms. Come, Lord Norman, I need you to banish that emptiness.”
Valteri stared in disbelief of her words. Before he could stop himself, he pulled her against him. Her hands danced over his naked chest, exploring him. He closed his eyes, savoring each delectable touch.
Lying on his back, he pulled her atop him.
Ariel gasped at her position. His leather breeches felt strange beneath her bare buttocks and a demanding throb pounded. He ran his hands up, over her chest, cupping her breasts. Her head swimming with pleasure, she arched against him.
Did all humans feel this way when they coupled? For some reason, she doubted it. Nay, what existed between them was something more than lust, something more than special.
Valteri reached up and buried his hand in her hair, pulling her forward until her lips touched his. She gasped as her breasts brushed against his hard chest.
His warm strength surrounded her, chasing away all the chills brought by the drafts in the old hut.
Ariel closed her eyes, wishing she could stay with him like this for all eternity. Oh, if only she could remain human and they could break the curse. She would never ask for more than Valteri’s love, his touch.
Pain flickered in her breast at the thought of how temporary this moment was.
How fragile life could be.
Ariel trembled at the truth, but pushed it out of her mind. She might not have been born to it, yet she felt as if this was her home and Valteri was her destined mate.
Curse be damned.
Suddenly, he rolled her over. Ariel bit her lip as he fumbled with his breeches. Expectation flooded her heart and set it pounding even as heat crept up her face.
He pulled his breeches from him and she feasted on the sight of his bare body. Never had she seen anything so glorious.
Hesitant and somewhat afraid, she reached to gently touch him. She traced the trail of curls that tapered away from his belly. He drew a sharp breath and she smiled at her power over him.
Valteri closed his eyes, savoring her questing touch. Never before had a woman been so bold, so eager for him. What was it about his precious Arel that made her reach out when others refused?
But would she leave him?
Fear tore through him and he vowed to never let her go. So what if he died on the morrow? At least he would die having known happiness. No matter how brief. And if he had to die, then nothing would please him more than to draw his last breath while staring into her eyes.
Her hand cupped him and he gasped. Unable to stand any more, he pulled her hand away.
She looked up into his eyes and he shivered at the innocence, the love that shone so brightly. Would she still have that look when the sun broke them apart?
If there was a God, then he prayed that he died before he did anything to make her look at him with hatred.
Never let me break her heart.
As if sensing his thoughts, she ran her hand over the scar on his chest. She fingered his brand and a frown darted across her brow. “I can assure you that the ones who did this are damned for giving such pain to an innocent child. No one preys on the innocent without it exacting a foul price.”
Taking her hand, he brought it to his lips and nibbled her fingertips. Fire danced in her belly, tingling her body. “For your gentle touch, milady, I would gladly suffer through it all again.”
Warmth flooded her body and she pulled him against her chest. She held him tight, wishing she could have stopped the torture he’d received.
All of a sudden, he covered her with his body and her thoughts scattered. Ariel trembled against the pitching fire coursing through her veins.
He kissed her deeply, separating her legs with his knees. Her head swam from the pressure of his lips, the taste of his mouth, and she reached up to hold him close. He braced his arms on either side of her, cradling her head in his hands. Warmth flooded her at the tenderness of his touch.
And then he slid inside her. Ariel tensed at the sudden fullness. His hips resting against hers, Valteri began to nibble the flesh behind her ears.
Chills and unbelievable pleasure spread through her, tightening her stomach, her loins. She threw her head back with a throaty moan. Never had she felt anything like the quivering pleasure pulsing through her. She gripped his shoulders, raising her hips to draw him deeper inside.
This was what she wanted. This feeling of belonging and of being needed.
At her invitation, he began to slowly rock his hips. Ariel bit her lip at the strange dance. With each gentle stroke, her body burned more.
Valteri closed his eyes against the elation bursting inside him. Not even his dreams could compare to the reality of what he experienced. Her swollen breasts rubbed against him, urging him faster. She ran her hands down his spine and over his buttocks, and he trembled from the force of her touch.
If he died right now, he knew he’d have no regrets over his damnation. The feel of her beneath him was well worth the price of hell, and then some.
Ariel quivered as he buried his face in her neck. His breath echoed in her ears and his soft moans delighted her. This was her husband and she vowed to fight for him.
For eternity if she had to.
As he moved against her hips, a strange pulsing warmth grew. She arched her hips, pulling him in deeper, marveling at the bittersweet pleasure. He moved faster and the throbbing grew until she feared she would die from it. Then, just as she could stand no more, her body burst.
Ariel moaned, her entire body shaking. Never, never had she experienced anything similar. Her heart pounding, she wondered if she had died. Surely that alone could explain the falling sensation.
But then Valteri’s arms tightened about her and he, too, convulsed. He groaned softly then collapsed against her, holding her so tightly that she almost cried out in pain.
“Am I still alive?”
He laughed in her ear. His hold loosening, he leaned up and kissed her gently on her lips. “Aye, love. The curse has yet to find us.”
Though his tone was light, she found no humor in his words. But even so, she couldn’t bring herself to dampen the wonderment of what they’d done by castigating him. “Is it always like that?”
Valteri shook his head. “Nay. ’Tis never so sweet as it was this night.”
Warmth spread through her and she swept his hair up over his shoulder. His arms braced on either side of her, he stared down at her with an intense look that stole her breath and left her even weaker. She traced the stubble on his jaw and offered him a smile. “I’m glad that I’ve given you what no other has.”
She just hated that the price for it might be his very life.
Valteri lay in the still quietness, listening to the winds howl and the fire crackle. Ariel’s hair spread out over his chest, its silken ends soothing his skin. He’d give anything to stay like this for all eternity.
But what of the morrow?
Was there any way to spare her from the curse?
“Valteri?”
He started at her gentle voice intruding on his thoughts. “I thought you were asleep.”
“I had a wonderful dream.” She turned in his arms until she stared up into his eyes. The brightness of her gaze warmed him. “You and I were drifting in a glorious ray of light so bright that we couldn’t see each other, but I could feel you. Your breath was my breath. Your lungs, my lungs.”
“My heart, your heart?”
She smiled up at him. “Aye.”
“But what happens when the night comes and ends the sunlight?”
She frowned and playfully hit him on the shoulder. “Ever the doubter, aren’t you?”
Valteri brushed her hair back from her face. “My life has taught me to be wary.”
Sadness replaced her happy gleam.
A twinge of guilt tweaked his conscience that he’d stolen her happiness, but he couldn’t force himself to be so optimistic.
Especially not in this.
His life had ever been a study of kicks to the crotch and slaps in the face.
Just when he thought life would be good, something always came around to jerk him off his feet. Never once had he been spared any ridicule or shame.
Why would that change now?
After all, he was cursed.
She’d said it herself.
And by the weight of her sigh, he’d say that she’d come to the same conclusion. “So how did you find me in the storm, anyway?”
Valteri wondered what had made her ask that question. “Belial told me that you were gone and I set out after you.”
“Belial?” She tensed in his arms.
“Aye.”
“’Tis his fault that I fell from my horse. He tripped her during the storm.” A scowl knitted her brows. “What mischief is he planning now?”
A chill of foreboding raced over him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood upright. How much power did the demon truly possess?
“Is he among us?”
Ariel shook her head and settled back in his arms. “Nay, I can tell when he approaches. ’Tis a stirring in the air, and the stench of brimstone chokes me.”
Valteri held her close, his heart thumping heavily. “Do you know his limitations?”
She ran her hand down his ribs, drawing small circles in a tender caress that seared him. Her breath fell across his chest, raising chills. “When he’s in human form, his powers are limited. He can only beguile and tempt. ’Tis his demon’s form that’s so dangerous. Then he can infiltrate the mind or possess a body.”
Again foreboding seized him. “Infiltrate the mind?”
“Aye. He can manipulate memories, or steal them as he did with me. He’s also a master of dreams, using them to weaken his victim’s resolve.”
Valteri fell quiet as he remembered the nightmares he’d had. Could Belial have been the cause of them?
I should have kicked his ass in those.…
“What of Thorn and Shadow? What are their powers?”
Ariel paused as she considered them. “Thorn, I’m not so sure about. Like you, he’s a powerful warrior, but beyond that, he doesn’t let anyone know what his full range of powers are. No doubt, he fears anyone knowing his limitations.”
“And Shadow?”
“His are insidious.”
“How so?”
She lifted her hand up to show her shadow. “It looks so harmless, doesn’t?”
“Aye.”
“It’s not.” She locked gazes with Valteri. “Our shadows know our sins. They are the keepers of the darkest part of our souls. It’s where we relegate the things we’re not supposed to think. The us we’re not supposed to be.”
He scowled at her words. “How do you mean?”
“Shadow can walk among their world. Where our deepest darkest parts live a life of their own. He can find out anyone’s secret. Learn all about someone and spy on anyone. It’s why they call him the prince of Shadows and his mother, the queen of all shadows. She has the same powers.”
“That’s terrifying.”
“Aye, but the most terrifying is that they can separate us from our shadows and use them against us.”
He gaped at her disclosure. “I’m still not quite sure what you mean.”
“You spoke of your twin, but we all have one from the moment we’re born.” Again, she lifted her hand and waved at the shadow on the wall. “Think of it like a good twin and a bad one. Shadow can release the bad twin and allow it to become a separate being from us.”
“Why?”
“Because our darkness can defeat anyone. It can overcome us and force us to do things we’d never do otherwise. Shadow’s world is truly the most terrifying. He grew up among the darkest, scariest parts of everyone.”
“Then how can you trust him?”
“He’s never done me harm.” She smiled at Valteri. “In many ways, he reminds me of you.”
He scoffed. “And Belial?”
Ariel clenched her teeth. “His powers are weak compared to theirs. But the one thing I’m certain of, he wants my soul more than he’s ever wanted anything. There’s no telling what he’ll do to secure it.”
“Then he’d best beware.”
“How so?”
“I would do anything to protect it.” Valteri touched her cheek. “I won’t see you harmed. I don’t care how strong he thinks he is, I assure you, he’s no match for me.”
Horror swam in her gaze. “And that, milord, is my worst fear. You going after him.”
Morning came, but it brought no joy to Ariel’s heart. Though she was more than grateful Valteri had saved her and that they’d shared the night, she feared what would follow.
What new nightmares were lurking for them.
The voice inside her heart urged her to flee, but where would she go?
Especially now that she knew for a fact he’d follow her.
Valteri entered the hut, his cheeks mottled by his exercise. “I’ve saddled Ganille.” He stretched his hands out to the fire and she admired the strength and beauty of them.
“Tell me, Ariel…” He drew her attention away from his hands, hands she remembered seeking out her most intimate parts and thrilling her, back to his face. “Where’s your saddle?”
Heat stole up her cheeks from both his question and her brazen thoughts. “I didn’t take one.”
He cocked an eyebrow. Lowering his hands, he turned toward her. “No saddlebags either?”
She shook her head.
“How did you plan to survive your journey?”
Ariel rubbed the chills from her arms and sighed. “Forgive me, milord, but I’ve never had to plan such things before. ’Tis only recently that I’ve had to worry over being hungry”—she gestured to the walls surrounding them—“or needing shelter.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a piercing glare. “Then I suggest you never again try and leave.”
Though his words should have made her angry, they didn’t. He was right. Though she might be well-versed with a sword, she stunk at planning an escape.
He held his hand out toward her. “Come, we should make our way back while the weather’s pleasant.”
Ariel pushed herself up, but pain ripped down her leg. She sat back down immediately.
Valteri rushed forward, a stern frown on his face. “Are you all right?”
“Nay.” She hissed in pain. “’Tis the bruise. I fear it won’t allow me to walk.”
Without a word, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the horses.
Ariel savored the feel of his arms around her even though she knew she shouldn’t. She damned that curse. But for that, she could stay with him forever.
Valteri placed her atop his horse, then mounted behind her. He pulled her back against his chest and wrapped his arms about her waist. Snuggling her head under his chin, she listened to the deep throb of his heart, grateful for its healthy, steady beat. He touched her cheek, his grip tender.
She expected him to say something, but instead he seized the reins and kicked his horse forward.
Ariel closed her eyes and tried to focus only on the moment, not on the coming future and what it might bring.
But it was hard when she was worried about everything.
Around midday, they stopped for a brief meal.
Valteri found them a comfortable, dry spot and spread his cloak on the ground. He set her upon it, then pulled the saddlebags from his horse and set about preparing a light snack.
Before he could finish setting everything out, Belial and a group of Valteri’s men joined them.
Ariel met Belial’s amused gaze. No doubt the evil demon had guessed what had transpired between them the night before.
Indeed, the bastard had probably planned on it.
So be it. As long as she remained in human form, she was Valteri’s wife and she had no intention of denying her husband what comfort she could.
What of his life?
She flinched at Belial’s voice inside her head.
The bastard was still strong. She’d have to remember that and take more precautions.
“Ariel!” Belial cried, feigning concern. “I’m so grateful to find you safe. You had me terribly worried.”
“Like a pimple in your nether regions, I’m sure.” She returned his smile.
His men let out nervous laughs while Belial glared at her.
Even Valteri laughed.
She tsked. “Forgive me, brother. I didn’t mean to cause you worry.”
Still glaring, Belial kicked his horse over to her. “I trust you weren’t harmed?”
She had to crane her neck to look up at him, and she had the distinct impression that he enjoyed making her strain. “I’m fine. All things considered.”
He dismounted, knelt beside her, and whispered just for her ears. “I suggest you not try and escape again.”
“Don’t threaten me, demon.” She made sure Valteri’s men couldn’t hear. “I know the extent of your powers.”
His smile sent a chill over her. “I hope for your sake that’s true, but what if you’re wrong?”
Belial’s words were meant to shake her confidence, her resolve, and to provoke the fear he needed to feed from.
It didn’t work.
She wasn’t afraid of him. Rather, she wanted to punch him. Right in the throat.
“Ariel?”
She turned to see her husband approaching as if he sensed something was wrong.
Valteri held himself rigid; no part of him betrayed that he knew the truth about Belial. Pride swelled inside her, and with it hope.
They might beat this bastard yet.
“Is your brother overly chastising you? Would you like me to beat his ass for you?”
Belial arched a brow at that, but held his tongue.
“We’re fine, my husband.”
“Then come.” Valteri led Belial’s skittish horse toward him. “Let’s return.”
Though the journey back was uneventful, it wore against her nerves. Even without speaking, she could feel Belial’s malevolent intent, his treacherous gaze seeking her out and noting the way she held on to her husband.
If only she possessed the powers to see inside Belial’s mind as easily as he seemed to be able to read hers.
It wasn’t fair, but then what was?
In little time, yet not soon enough, they rode into the bailey, where Shadow and Thorn waited.
The children broke from their play and ran to greet them, with rosy cheeks and bright smiles. Her heart warming at the sight, Ariel waved to them.
Edyth paused next to Ganille and smiled. “We made snow angels, milady! Would you like to see them?”
Ariel returned her smile, but before she could answer, Valteri spoke up. “Milady is injured, good Edyth. It may be awhile before she can see your angels.”
Edyth’s face puckered into a worried frown. “Will you be all right, milady?”
“Aye. It’s not serious.”
“Come on, Edyth!” a small boy cried. “We’ve got Creswyn pinned down.”
Ariel stifled her laugh as Edyth eagerly ran to join the other children.
Valteri dismounted, then helped her down, his arms a perfect cradle for her body.
Ariel wrapped her arms around him, noting the darkening of his eyes as he stared at her lips.
Smiling, she wished they were alone so that she could yield to the part of her that longed for his kiss.
His grip tightening, he carried her through the hall to their chambers and placed her on her bed. He pulled her cloak from her shoulders and folded it.
A strange look crossed his face as he watched her. “At least I have no worries about you running away. Not until your leg heals.”
Ariel swallowed at his tone. “Aye, but I would give everything I have, if you would.”
He placed her cloak back in the small chest then turned toward her. “I refuse to run. You know that.”
“You’re a fool.”
“Only for you.”
And with that, he left the room.
Ariel wanted to strangle her stubborn husband. How in the name of anything could she save a man who didn’t want to be saved?
“I will find a way.”
But as the crone came in with a snide, knowing smile, she knew that her time was coming due. And that any moment was about to be Valteri’s last.
Mildred would see to it.
And if she didn’t, Belial would.