Rhuul's Flame (14 page)

“I get it, Rhuul. You’re not used to having to worry about anyone’s feelings.” She walked just a little closer, nudging him with her shoulder.

“I guess that’s part of it, but it goes deeper than that.” He stopped walking and held her hand tighter, halting her progress. “I…” He looked down at their interlaced fingers. He hesitated for a few breaths, before finally speaking. “No one’s ever thought about my feelings. I’m not used to this.”

She never imaged him being vulnerable, but there he was, unguarded, open. “Just … just try to remember I’m on your side.” He nodded and kissed the back of her hand. “All right. How about we stop in town for a meal? After that, we can get the crystal back to the elders.”

He nodded. “I have a question for you.” He walked beside her with his wings tucked against his back.

“What’s up?” She watched him conjure his sword in his left hand.

He held it in front of his body with a raised brow. “What the hell is this?”

She laughed, allowing some of the day’s stress to melt away. “It looks like you have my flames.”

He eyed the fiery blade, turning it at different angles. “Will I be able to shoot fire with them like you do with your hands?”

“Calm down, killer.” She looked up at his Mohawks, and smiled. “Your swords aren’t the only things on fire.”

“What do you mean?” He lifted a hand to the side of his head.

“You’ll see. I’ll show you when we get back.” She started to realize life with Rhuul would be challenging, but she was proud of the choices he’d made. He’d spared his father’s life; that in itself was a major change from the man she first met.
He has the potential for so much.
A slight thumping sound caught her attention, and judging by the way Rhuul stiffened, he heard it too.

They turned around at the same time. Rhuul held his swords at the ready, and moved to stand just in front of her. She could hardly believe her eyes when an Eidon bounded up to them and dropped to one knee with his head bowed. She moved to stand next to Rhuul, seeing the vein in the center of his forehead for the first time. “Why is he here?”

“The better question is, how long will he be breathing?”

*

“Your Highness, I have been sent by your father. I have been dispatched as your personal guard.”

Rhuul looked at the Eidon in disbelief, while his body heated in a way he’d never felt before. “Get the hell away from me, Braka. I won’t warn you again.”

“I have been given my orders. I must obey them.” His tone was low and strained. It was clear how much he hated the assignment, but he remained on his knee.

“Personal guard? Veen sent you to watch over Rhuul?” Lea tried to take a step forward, but he held out his arm to keep her back.

“I don’t need a guard. Go back to Karn. That’s
my
order.”

“I cannot. You father expected you to react this way and ordered me to remain as your guard no matter how you protest. This was not my choice. My instructions are clear. If anything happens to you, I forfeit my life, as well as the lives of all my family.” Braka turned his fist in the dirt, as if he wanted to tunnel into the ground.

“This can’t be happening.” Rhuul closed his eyes and tried to follow his father’s reasoning. It was no good. The cauldron of hate for Braka bubbled over, preventing him from focusing. “If he had to send a guard, why would he send you?”

Lea leaned in and spoke in his ear. “Look at his armor. It’s different from the other guards I saw when we were in the palace. He sent him because he’s the best. Veen wants you to have the greatest warrior Karn has to offer.”

“The female is right. I
am
the best. Even though my place is at your father’s side, he has decided otherwise. No matter how either of us feels about it, I have been given this duty and I will fulfill it.” Braka grimaced, flashing his elongated canines. “I will not go back, Your Highness, unless you decide to return to Karn.”

“I am not called
the female.
I have a name; it’s Avalea.” Her hair burned a little higher for a moment before it returned to its normal height.

“I should have killed him. He wanted me to kill him. If I’d known he’d send you to me, I would have ended him right then and there.” Rhuul banished his swords, threw his hands into the air, and marched toward Kref, the only town between the way gate and Lea’s village, pulling her along. He could end Braka; he wanted to. A quick glance at Lea reminded him that his first instinct may not always be the most prudent. “Fine, follow me, and stop pissing off my
dranaiya
.”

“Your
dranaiya
?” Braka jogged up, giving Lea the once-over.

“Do you have a problem?” If the guard captain was about to speak ill of her, all bets were off. Prudence be damned, he’d slit his throat.

“No. It just means she is under my protection as well.”

“Gods, can this day get any more ridiculous?” As if he triggered it with his words, a bright light appeared under their feet. His eyes burned at the intensity of it. He shielded his face and pulled Lea close. When his vision cleared, Braka held his glowing scimitar in his hands, his knees bent. He was in a fighting stance. He tracked the guard’s gaze and spotted the elders sitting in their chairs.

“Your Highness?” Braka looked ready to rush in, his hands gripping the handle of the large sword tight.

“Put that thing away!” Lea placed her palm on the back of Braka’s head. “Or I’ll bake your brain inside your skull.”

“And you call me the killer?” He raised a brow and chuckled when her face flushed red before she pulled her hand back.

“They’re not enemies, Braka.”

He studied the faces of the elders for a few moments. “They’re not friends either.”

The five older men spoke at once, each staring at Lea with their strange colorless eyes. “Well done.” The Ylari crystal disappeared from Lea’s hand and reappeared in the palm of the elder on the far left. “Your destiny has begun.”

“That’s it?” Rhuul, his mouth hanging open, looked at each man in turn. “That’s all you have to say after all that? Do you even know what we’ve been through?”

“Rhuul, they put us onto the path. Think about what they said before we left.” Lea leaned forward, trying to look him in the eye.

“I don’t want to hear anymore mystical nonsense. Let’s get out of here.” He pulled on her hand, but she resisted.

“I want to stay and speak with them for a few minutes. I’ll meet you at my parents’ house.” She started to drop to her knees, but he stopped her.

“You bow before no one, Lea.”

“I choose who I honor, Rhuul. It’s my choice to show this respect, and I will. Now let go. I won’t be long.”

“Fine.” He turned and walked out of the building, his skin tight and hot. He was more than annoyed with the elder Omala. His palms longed to swing his swords, aching to teach the elders the error of their ways.
They put us in danger for nothing.

When he emerged into the light of the suns, Braka was at his side, a smirk on his face.

“What’s with you?”

“Your
dranaiya
is—”

“Be very careful, Braka. If you say anything about Lea in disrespect, I will cut out your tongue … first.” He turned to face the large guard, his swords in his hands. He was already in a foul mood. The opportunity to take Braka down would be a pleasant diversion.

“Are you certain you can handle a woman like her? From what I can tell, you have no control over her whatsoever.”

“You fucking bastard.” There were no other words to adequately express the unbridled animosity he felt at hearing Braka’s statements. He swung his sword upward, aiming for his purple throat. The sharp
clang
of metal against metal rang out as he struck Braka’s enchanted weapon, the runes in the metal glittering with magic. “My relationship with Lea is none of your damned business. If you think I am weak, allow me to educate you.” He summoned his strength, sliding his flaming blade up the length of the guard’s scimitar. He lifted his second sword and brought it down with speed. When Braka jumped back to avoid the blow, Rhuul prepared to advance.

“What are you doing?” Lea stepped outside and looked at their drawn weapons. “Braka, put that thing away. This is a sacred place.”

Braka moved his gaze between them, spending a little longer watching Lea’s face before he dismissed his scimitar.

“Hey there, hot stuff. You didn’t tell me you’d be bringing a friend.” A tall Eidon female sauntered over. She wore a dress, with long slits up the sides, that barely covered her perky breasts. Almost all of her purple skin was on display, her scales shining in the sunlight. “Won’t you introduce us?”

“Ta—”

Rhuul interrupted her and spoke quickly. “This is Braka, guard captain of Karn.” He watched Braka’s eyes all but light up as he watched the female move closer.

She stepped right up to him, the horns on her brow shining. “Hello, Braka, guard captain of Karn. What brings you here?”

“I am assigned to guard the
Paral
—the prince.”

Lea shook her head. “Braka, that’s not—”

“Let them get to know each other.” Rhuul was doing his best to keep a straight face, but he was losing the battle. “Come on, we were going to your parents’ house, right?” He took her hand and led her down the wide steps. “Catch up with us when you’re done, Braka.
She
can show you the way.”

Halfway to her parents’ house, Lea tugged on his hand. “Why didn’t you tell him that was Talloc?”

“Fuck him. Let him find out for himself.” If Braka was going to be his live-in pain in the ass, there was no reason not to have a laugh at his expense.

“You’re out of control.” She rolled her eyes, clearly missing the complexities of male posturing and revenge.

“Ava! Ava!” Ghena bounded up to them, and leaped into Lea’s arms. “Are you all right? The elders told us you went on a journey.”

“I’m fine, don’t worry.” She rubbed her cheek against the top of his furry little head and held him close.

The fiend looked up at him with a wide-eyed stare. “What happened to you?”

“What do you mean?” Rhuul looked down at his bare chest and pants, seeing no signs of any change.

“Well, for one thing, your head’s on fire.”

“My what?” Rhuul walked ahead, stopping to gaze at his reflection in the closest window. “What the hell is this?” He ran his hand over his scalp while he watched the orange-and-green flames on his skull. There was no burning, he felt no heat, but the fire shone bright and strong. “Lea. Why is my head on fire?”

“I don’t know.” She looked down at Ghena with a demure grin. “But I like it.”

“My damned head is on fire and … You like it?” Anger and surprise could wait. The look of pure attraction he saw in Lea’s eyes, however, was something he needed to take care of. Now. “Come here.”

“By the gods, I don’t need to be here for this.” Ghena jumped out of Lea’s arms and ran back toward the house.

Rhuul reached out to her and when she came close enough, pulled her to him, holding her firmly against his body. “Is anything else going to catch fire?” He brought his mouth to hers in a light kiss before he sucked her bottom lip between his teeth. He was rewarded with a slight shudder, and her arms around the back of his neck.

He pulled on the soft, plump skin before releasing it. He never broke contact. He kissed her deep and slow, caressing her tongue with his own, feeling his body awaken in her embrace.

A quick pull, and he had her arms behind her back. He closed a hand around her wrists, tightening his grip when she tried to pull them from his grasp. A head rush made him feel high for a time as Lea pressed herself even closer to him. He didn’t feel the heat from her flames, and ran the fingers of his free hand through her burning strands. “Gods, Lea, what did you do to me?”

“I told you, it looks like you have my flames.” She placed soft kisses while she spoke, her lips warm and sensual. “I’ve never seen this before. My mother doesn’t have any flames. They look good on you.”

“Mmm, does this mean I have your powers too?” If she kept teasing him with her delectable mouth, he wouldn’t hesitate to take her up against the house they stood next to.

“I doubt I turned you into an elemental.”

He dragged a hand up to her left breast and teased the ring he’d placed, making small circles with his thumb.

Her reaction was instantaneous. “Take me to my house.” She struggled to move her hands, and when he released her, she palmed the back of his head, pulling his face toward her chest.

He resisted her for a time, watching her face contort as he teased her nipple. He’d never felt the level of satisfaction he experienced as he watched her breaths quicken and her flames undulate. She was perfect and unraveling under his attentions.

The cloth pants he wore did nothing to hide the raging hard-on inside, not that he would have tried to conceal it. He rubbed it against her belly and sucked in a breath when she gripped his shaft.

“Take me home, Rhuul.”

“Avalea!” Renna’s voice rang out with excitement.

It was the absolute last sound he wanted to hear, and he let out a litany of curses as he released Lea’s hard nipple.

Lea closed her eyes and started counting backward under her breath. The look on her face said it all. He wasn’t the only one suffering. “Mother, I’m fine, I promise.” Renna pulled Lea into a hug.

Embral moved over to him and placed a heated hand on his shoulder.
“You have bonded with my daughter.”

Rhuul had never had anyone speak to him inside his head, at least not while he was awake. In the same way Lea’s words in his dreams unsettled him, he found the sensation of Embral’s mental voice strange. His immediate instinct was to pull away from the elemental, but he remained still and nodded.

“She is one of the most important treasures in my life. If any harm were to come to her, or if her heart was to ever be broken—”

He turned to face the tall elemental and spoke in a firm voice. “If anyone tries to hurt her, I will kill them. If we are ever separated, I will find her, and if there is a problem between us, we will work it out on our own terms.”