Illusion (30 page)

How did they get to this point? She couldn’t care less about the Khereb right now, or past politics. This was about him letting her grow, trusting her. “I’ve been living alone, making my own decisions since I was fifteen.” But she took his outreached hand, glided her fingers between his. “I’m not selfish.” Maybe he was right; she was a bit of a control freak. “This is my problem and no one can help me. I can’t even help myself. If I turn bad, you have to stop me from hurting people. We have to work together on this, so no more secrets. Show me some trust.”

He stared down at her, then heaved a sigh. “I apologize.”

She staggered back, one hand on her heart in pretend shock, and his eyes glinted.

“Trust is something I struggle with, but I’ll make an effort to share my thoughts. For a start, believe me when I say you won’t become evil—you’ve too much love of life for that. I’m convinced of it.” He tugged her hand and she followed him, the sand soft beneath her bare toes. The cavern was surprisingly warm; the pool had to be fed by a hot spring. Steam rose from the surface in soft swirls of gray-green. Phosphorous sparkled in the mist, reflected against the glittering roof.

“He wants me in exchange for Jane, doesn’t he?” She couldn’t help herself.

She saw the answer about Jane in his eyes. “We have to get her out of there.”

He nodded. “If we can.”

“How will we do it?”

“I’m not sure.” He must have seen the frown on her face because he added, “You said you wanted the truth.” He raised his brows.

What an ass. He looped her arm through his and led her around a pile of rock, a leather bag swinging in his other hand.

“I saw Molokh, right at the end. He talked to me, in my head.”

He stopped walking and stared down at her.

“He said ‘we are one.’ What does it mean?”

“I don’t know. But you are your own person,” he said.

“The House of Anu are dealing with Molokh. It’s how he’s getting souls, becoming stronger. We have to stop him and retrieve the journal.” She didn’t say it, but she could see he heard her intentions beneath the words. They were going to get Jane back.

He helped her across a small creek bed filled with river stones that fed the lake. Long-stemmed plants with massive green heads swayed on the bank. The water was a cool relief on her toes. She was acutely aware that he watched her reactions. He often did that. Stared and said nothing, while she wondered what he was thinking.

“We’ll evoke the Circle of Eight and retrieve her. From the Abyss.” Her tone was implacable.

He nodded slowly. “We shall try. Unless Molokh has transmogrified her into a Khereb.”

It didn’t matter what Jane was. She’d find her friend and bring her home. She felt sick to her stomach and changed the subject. “Is that what Molokh’s doing? Back on Earth, Jhara was changing into something foul.”

He shrugged. “If Jhara made a choice to join with Molokh he’s now Khereb. No doubt he hoped to gain from it.”

It was all about power. Since the Mage Wars, people lived in the present, rarely thought about the future, conserving their energy for survival. The tripartite government conserved power, pretended the races were equal. It was such a foolish thing to do. Now that she thought about it, Trent had changed, had become less human and more walking corpse every day. The sycophant must have united with Jhara in some warped ritual to increase his power.

“Is that what is happening to you?” she asked.

He looked surprised. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve changed as well.”

“I doubt I’ve become Khereb. Although I do hunger for blood.” As a confession, it came across matter-of-fact and bland.

“What do you mean? A vampire?” She had to force the high note out of her voice.

He laughed. “There’re no such thing as vampires.”

She must have looked offended because he tried to hide his amusement. “I don’t drink from live beasts, never fear. Raw meat will suffice.”

Ugh. Was that supposed to make her feel better? She was starting to feel ashamed of herself—so involved in her own needs that she’d never asked what Molokh had done to him. They never seemed to have time or privacy to discuss things, but it was no excuse.

“Did you bargain with Molokh?” she asked in a small voice. That wiped the smile off his face.

“No.”

“How bad did he hurt you? Your voice and eyes are … different.”

“I’m fine, Maya. Truly. I seem to have faster reactions, but otherwise, I’m unchanged.”

She sighed. “What’s to become of us, Resh? We’re no longer the people we once were. We’ve made mistakes. What if we keep making them?”

She felt rather than heard his soft exhalation of air.

“Everyone makes errors, Maya. We need to learn from them. I care little for the past or anything you might have done, and hope you feel the same about me. This life offers a new challenge and new possibilities. We will find a mage and evoke the high ritual—rid this realm of the Khereb. I shall deal with Besmelo. We will share a life together, if that is what you want.”

Damn, he had to go romantic right now. Said in that low, raspy voice it took all the zing out of her resentment. She had to find a way of managing this rock of a warlock otherwise life together would be hell.

They walked around lumpy stalagmites and calcified water dripping from the lime-washed ceiling. The white arches highlighted the ochre walls like antique picture frames.

Resh helped her over a large slippery boulder and around a corner strewn with smooth flat stones. Swirls of steam floated above the water, tiny lights captured within. She caught his scent and recognized the familiar incense with a tang of something else. Ozone? Or was it the lake?

“Is the water okay to swim in? It looks weird.” The water was clear even if it was pale green. When the steam shifted, she saw a few flat pebbles and white sand beneath the surface.

He shook his head and smiled down at her. “I forget that you know so little of the Empire. It’s a mineral in the water. The lake is fed by subterranean springs. Some believe the lake is dangerous, will reduce a warlock’s life span. It’s quite invigorating, although most don’t bother traveling the distance through dark tunnels to get here.”

They reached a small grotto where water poured from a crack in the wall. “Let’s swim,” he said.

He handed her a bar of soap and a comb. As soon as she walked into the water, a weird energy wound up her legs and tugged her stomach.

Lord, what was that? She started to bolt for the shore, but Resh dragged her back, held her hand tight in his hot grasp.

“Maya, it’s fine. It’s a relaxant in the water. It won’t harm you.”

She’d kept her eyes averted when he’d dragged down his pants, and she sure as hell kept her own T-shirt and underwear on when she stepped into the water. If she caught a glimpse of his tattoos and muscled backside, well, hell, she was only human. Well, half djinni—or was it half demon? She pushed away the argument and focused on the heat from the pool instead.

It was very warm. Warm enough to chase away the shivers running over her body.

The cavern had grown eerily silent. She waded up to her hips in the water and dipped below the surface to soak herself completely. Resh had already submerged and swam toward the water flowing from an overhanging rock. She followed him, hoping to wash her hair in the stream, slightly nervous about swimming in a lake fed by a volcano. What was it with her anxiety about being trapped by rocks anyway?

She swallowed hard when his hand appeared out of the mist, but she let him pull her close to the waterfall. It was icy cold so she quickly washed and combed the tangles out of her hair. As soon as she finished she placed the bar of shampoo and thin, marble-like comb on an overhanging rock, and ducked beneath the water, let the heat warm her again.

She pulled her hair back and tied the mass on the top of her head in a high pony, aware of his gaze on her breasts. She couldn’t blame him for that. There’d been some hot tension, but they’d never had a chance to follow through. Even so, she felt terribly nervous all of a sudden, uncertain if he would make a move or if she wanted him to.

He made the decision for both of them, pulled her close so she could smell the clean scent of his breath on her face. His eyes were a hungry pewter-black, locked on her chest. For once, she was happy with the way she looked. Maybe they weren’t such a bad addition after all. Not long-term, but hey, they had their advantages. As long as she could get rid of them later, she might as well reap the benefits now.

He bent close and whispered in her ear, “Take the top off.”

“What about…” Her voice was a thread of sound.

“Forget the others. They won’t come back for hours.” He looped his arm around her back and pulled her close. His erection was a line of steel against her thigh and he rocked against her.

With one hand he tugged her head to the side and nuzzled her collarbone, murmured something in a low voice. She couldn’t hear what he said, but a moment later he bit her gently, and she whimpered. Then he laved the bruise with his tongue. She looped her arms around his neck and brushed her breasts against his tattooed chest. His tanned skin was smooth, except for a smudge of black hair trailing from navel to groin. She averted her eyes from his lean hips and ran her hands down heavily muscled arms. He sighed, grasped them in his own and lowered them beneath the water to his open thighs.

They faced one another, chests pressed together, his forearm tight against her lower back. Oh, she loved playing with fire. There was no doubt about it. She’d love to paint him like this, a rich landscape of passion, his eyes tracking her every movement, opening him to the world.

He swept his hand down her body and captured her breast in his hand, rubbing the nipple with his thumb, tugged slightly, then released.

She flushed all over as perspiration beaded on her face and ran down her back. The water lapped against her hips, the faint swoosh of water spilled down the rock, and the mist swirled around their bodies, hiding them from the shore. She could smell him, bergamot and yes, a hint of ozone mixed with male sweat. Her heart raced.

Desire built between them, crackled like flames burning on dry logs. Her muscles tightened in anticipation. His hair spilled over his shoulder, black and wet. She loved his hair, ached to see it fall free across her pillow. In a world that was safe and calm, free of all their obligations.

“I want you,” he said. “You have no idea.”

She could imagine.

His hand reached between them as he licked her neck, gave her another nip. She almost cried out, but he hadn’t hurt her, even though her skin burned. The back of his hand brushed high on her thighs and he pulled one leg, then the other over his, so she was splayed wide. His hand sank between soft folds at the same time as he angled his mouth across hers. He lifted for a better fit, then joined, tongue deep in her mouth, stroking.

Her entire body shuddered as an electric line of pleasure ran from her head to her toes, and centered on her loins.

She started to shake and he pressed her against his chest, rubbed her back and buttocks in wide sweeps, trying to slow her down. Her skin was so sensitive it felt like he touched raw nerve endings.

His thumb passed over her clitoris, then pressed inside slowly, parting her slippery folds. Her muscles clenched down and she grasped him, held him in her hand.

“Resh. It’s been a while,” she whispered, not wanting to break the spell.

“Shhh … I’ll take it slow.” His eyes were burning.

His kiss deepened, harder now, and she cried in the back of her throat. Tingles ran up and down her spine, hit her between the thighs where his fingers circled, entered, then rubbed, slow then faster.

The rhythmic movements made her head tighten as if a rubber band wrapped around her skull.

She pulled back, collapsed against his chest. He shoved back, took her breast in his mouth and bit down slightly on her nipple. He waded out of the water, one hand between her thighs, the other hand on her hips, holding her legs tight around his waist.

The air cooled her skin, a welcome relief. He edged back onto a rock and cupped her knees, pulled them down to the smooth surface, stared into her eyes.

“I want to be in here,” he breathed into her mouth. “Take me.”

He waited for long moments, huffing, silver sparks lighting in his pupils, and she nodded, her senses expanded as every hair on her body stood to attention.

She grasped him in her hand, her finger rubbing over the slit at the top, making him jolt and arch his back. An electric line of pleasure ran from her head to where his finger slid into her so deeply. Her legs began to shake before he entered, her walls bearing down hard, clenching on him. Slowly, her body opened to accept him.

Her muscles tensed as he thrust into her, her knees driven off the rock as he pushed up, head slung back, his mouth a hard line.

“Look at me.”

She couldn’t; it was too personal. What if she disappeared?

He stopped moving, trembled. “Stop thinking and look at me. I’m here.”

She looked into his eyes and the moment was so revealing she felt tears well in her own.

“That’s it. Together. You and I. Don’t hide from me.”

And he shoved into her, hands hard on her hips. His entire length in one urgent thrust. The base of her spine melted, caught on fire, and she exploded. The sensation ran up her body, through her blood, and hit her head. She screamed, stared into his eyes and saw his face contort, felt long, rhythmic spurts inside. They went on forever, as she shook and cried, tears spilling down her cheeks. His pupils lit up like stars and the Tesseract stared right back at her. Beautiful and black, thousands of universes, young and old. All alight and aware. Millions of possibilities sparkled back at her.

Beginnings and endings.

Eternal.

* * * *

Maya had no idea what to say, couldn’t quite meet Resh’s eyes, even though her pulse quickened at the thought of what they’d been doing five minutes earlier. It wasn’t just the intimacy between them. He wanted more from her than she could give. She knew she was sending him mixed signals, but right now she didn’t know how to bridge the silence between them. He seemed to understand. After one glance at her face, he let her be. Just held out his hand to help her over some white rocks hugging the shore.