Prince of Magic (37 page)

Sian continued to kiss her. He breathed deeply and raked the palm of one hand across her hip. "We are not Anwyn."

"No, but it seems a logical way to do things," she gasped when he suckled a nipple deep. Her trembling fingers wound through his hair, and her thighs parted. She wanted him now… she had wanted him since the moment he'd changed the direction of his steady pacing and come to her. "Besides, these leather chokers bind us more surely than any words spoken before a priest, do they not?"

His answer was a gentle moan.

Gradually, Sian's enchantment faded. The fire went out with a gentle pop. The sweet scent that had filled the cave diminished, leaving only a memory. The softness beneath her was replaced by the roughness of a blanket and the hardness of stone.

Everything of Sian was with her now. With them. He had no energy or concentration left for his magic.

He rolled over onto his back, dragging her with him. Ariana straddled his body, and he was right there, hard and throbbing. A shift and he would be inside her, but even though she was anxious, she was in no hurry. This was a night to be savored, not rushed. Like the sunset, she didn't know if the like would come again.

In the name of savoring, Ariana stroked Sian's length with her hand while she leaned down to kiss his neck and his chest. Her lips trailed across the throbbing vein in his throat and her tongue flickered there, tasting flesh and leather. The smell of his skin was more erotic than the magical scents which had filled the cave before she'd stolen his ability to create them. The taste of him was more luxurious than any mattress or fine sheet. The sensation of his hand on her body was more beautiful than anything she had ever thought to experience.

So many times she had looked into his eyes and felt as if she could fall into them. That was how she felt now… as if she was literally falling into Sian in ways she had not known possible. She closed her fingers around him and teased with a long stroke, softly and then harder, and then softly again, until he groaned and thrust up into her hand.

This was her enchanter out of control. At this moment he was hers, and hers alone.

Sian guided himself into her, and the sensation of him filling her trembling body took her breath away. The cave was dark, without the wizard's light, but she could feel so well. She could feel everything. She rose and fell, guiding him into her body and then rising up and away. Again. Again. His hands rested on her hips, and he guided her. Faster. Deeper. Everything disappeared but the way she felt for this man. Love, lust, friendship, need… joy. No matter what happened outside the walls of the cave, they all existed for her and for him.

She cried out as release washed through her, fracturing and fluttering through her body. Sian came with her, his body stiffening and shuddering beneath hers, the seed he was afraid to spill filling her waiting body.

Everything slowed, and she dropped down to lay her head on Sian's shoulder. Heavens, she could not breathe. Not yet.

Moments passed before she saw the purple tinge of wizard's light surround her. Later, still before a word had been spoken, the fire outside leapt to life again.

Almost lazily, Sian rolled her onto her side, and she realized that once again the softness of enchantment cushioned her. He brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. "I love you, Ariana. I have loved you for a long while."

"I love you, too, with all I have to give." She draped one naked leg across his and held him that way, as well as with her arms. "We are in the mountains of the Anwyn. Can I not simply call you husband now? Can I not claim you as they claim one another? I do not feel the need for the words of others. We are wed, in all ways that matter." She touched the leather at his throat.

"You may call me whatever you'd like. We're still getting properly married when the opportunity arises."

"If you insist," she teased.

"I do."

At that moment, Ariana saw something in the man she now called husband that she had almost given up on.

Hope.

Sian hated leaving the horses at the way station with the young Anwyn male who looked a bit taller than he but was surely no more than thirteen years old. He'd heard that the Anwyn males were tall, but he was still taken aback. Not only was the boy large and possessed of Anwyn golden eyes, but he would turn into a wolf on the three nights when the moon was full.

He was sure the boy would take good care of the horses. The lad seemed quite capable. But to be on foot for days to come seemed barbaric.

Not that the horses could've handled the steep and rocky path he and Ariana walked upon.

He loved her. Maybe she was carrying his child, maybe she was not. She called him husband, but he still wanted a ceremony. Maybe in The City, maybe when they returned to Arthes. He wanted her bound to him in all ways. By heart, by body, by soul,
and
by law.

There were things he should tell her before that day came. He'd searched for the right words for days, but they would not come.
Oh, by the way, one day I might be emperor. Just thought you should know
…

No, he had to find the proper way to share the news.

The path before them had turned level for a stretch. "You mentioned that you might be able to heal Arik. Do you think it possible?"

"Maybe." She turned and smiled at him. "I believe his illness is somehow connected to the Isen Demon. If I can snatch back dark souls the demon has taken, then why can't I heal Arik?" She once again turned her eyes to the path. "After I deliver the Anwyn army to Merin, I'll return to Arthes and try."

"Will Arik live that long?"

"That is not in my hands," she said calmly.

The path grew steep again, and they stopped talking. The green trousers he had stolen before sneaking out of the palace were too big for her, held in place by a belt she'd fashioned from a length of rope, but when she climbed just so, the fabric molded to her backside and formed a pretty picture. He was tempted to rush to catch up with her, grab her, kiss her, and make love to her right here under the sun. It wasn't as if there was anyone around to watch, unless he counted the small critters that occasionally scurried from their path. He did not.

Sian rushed to get closer, but he did not grab Ariana. Not yet. "There's something I must tell you."

She glanced at him, suspicion in her eyes. "I don't like the sound of that, or the uncertainty that's pouring off of you."

"I had to fall in love with an empath," he said as he moved to walk beside her, as the current trail was wider than it had been to this point. "I don't suppose I will ever be able to lie to you."

She shrugged her shoulders. "You can try if you'd like. Now, don't make me wait. What is it that has you so tense?"

He took her arm and spun her about, bringing them both to a halt on the rocky trail. This was best said eye to eye, so he could better judge her immediate reaction. Besides, she was getting winded, and he knew she would not stop for even the shortest rest on her own account. "Before I left Arthes, Arik called me to his chamber. He said that he has another son, an illegitimate son who was kept ignorant of his true parentage for many years."

Ariana smiled. "That's wonderful!"

"Not really," Sian mumbled. He smoothed back a strand of wayward hair. "It's me, apparently."

He had not thought anything could take her by surprise, but this did. "I don't understand."

"Neither do I. All I know is that if you can heal Arik and he lives to father another son, this secret can remain a secret. I don't want to be emperor, but more than that, I don't want my mother's name to be sullied. I don't want the man who raised me as his own to be disrespected by gossip and supposition. Arik is not too old to marry and have more children."

Ariana sighed. "Even if I can't save him, even if Arik doesn't have an heir, there might be a way to save you from this."

She seemed confident, but he could think of nothing but a miracle that would save him. Of course, miracles were possible. He knew that now.

"While I was dead…"

His heart leapt. "I wish you'd begin that sentence another way," he said. "Those are words I wish never to hear again."

She smiled lightly, understanding. "After my visit with Uncle Duran, I was… intercepted for a short time."

"Intercepted?"

"I was somehow pulled aside by whatever remains of Emperor Sebestyen," she added. "Not a ghost, not a soul at rest, but… a lost spirit, I suppose."

The idea was terrifying. To be in the hands of lost loved ones was one thing, but to come face to face with one such as Sebestyen… "What did he want?"

"He said he had two sons. Twins! They survived and have been in hiding all this time."

"Is that possible?"

Ariana shrugged. "I'm going to do my best to find out."

Before she could say more, they found themselves suddenly and completely surrounded… by the most hideous creatures Sian had ever seen.

It happened so fast, for a moment Ariana didn't breathe. What were those things? At quick glance she counted eight of them. They seemed to be half mountain cat, half man, standing upright but sporting vicious claws. They were primarily covered in hair that ranged from black to yellow and everything in between, but also sported sporadic patches of weathered skin that appeared to be human. Each wore a dark stone around its—his?—neck, but nothing else.

Were they animals or men? They appeared to be neither.

The creatures attacked. Ariana and Sian drew their weapons, each gripping a sword in one hand and a knife in the other. They adopted a back-to-back position, which was the only way to assure that neither would be struck from behind.

"Shield yourself," Sian ordered.

"I'm trying!" She did her best to cast the unreliable shield not only around herself but around Sian as well. The magical armor gave her only a minimal advantage, but at the moment she'd gladly take it.

The animals moved in closer, wary of the weapons but certainly not afraid. Two dropped down and approached on all fours, and it seemed that one of them actually smiled. He showed yellowed, sharp teeth and a shine of spittle. Ariana's mouth went dry. The beasts would attack low and high. Even with their magic, how could they defend themselves well from all angles?

One on one, she could hold her own. This battle would not be one on one.

"It was worth it," she said in a lowered voice. "No matter what happens, having you was worth everything."

"Don't talk like this is over," Sian insisted, and then the animals pounced.

Ariana had taken her battle lessons to heart, and she wielded her blades as well as any sentinel who'd had no more training or practice than she. The first beast to move in was easily killed with a swipe of her short but sharp sword. The second to come at her slipped on a loose scrabble of rock… thanks to the shield perhaps?… giving Ariana the opportunity to dip down, lunge forward, and plunge her knife into the area where the heart should be, while holding another creature at bay with the sword. The creature she stabbed fell, and the one that came into contact with her sword blade backed away, one arm cut. She could not see how Sian fought, but his back remained against hers and she heard the screech of a wounded animal.