The Awakening (8 page)

             
It seemed forever and no time at all
before
they came at last to the temple, and as they approached the marbled steps the fresh scent of lemon and lilac began to tease her senses.  She
trembled
as gentle hands
quickly removed
her
skirt and blouse, and she was only vaguely aware that she was
standing naked now in the moonlight as Vardra came forward and they began to move together alone up the st
eps
. 
T
he priestesses’ voices began to reach out to her again
,
and they moved to
spread out, spanning
the breadth of the bottom step
protectively as they continued to sing
.

             
“You are trembling,” Vardra said softly when they were inside, and she gave Thais a reassuring hug.  “And you are blessed, for the Creator has left his mark upon your brow.”  Vardra took Thais by the hand and tugged her along.  “Trust to your heart, Thais, for you’ve nothing to fear here.  Look within and know the love that has brought you to this moment.” 

             
“It is not fear of the unknown, Vardra,” she said softly, feeling the wetness of tears upon her cheeks.  “It is fear of disappointing.  What if Aramis regrets his decision to – “

             
But Vardra would not let her finish.  Instead, she bent to place her face against Thais’ as she shushed her gently.

             
“Trust to your heart, Thais.”  She said again, and this time Thais did.  She closed her eyes and in a dizzying rush of images she saw Aramis there, caught glimpses of a lifetime together
,
and the happiness she saw reflected in his gaze
eased her worries immediately
. 

             
“C
ome, the hour grows late, Thais
. 
And do not worry.  Remember that
I will be here with
you throughout.  I
’ll not leave your side until ask me to
, even
should you wish me to be with you on your wedding night.”  Thais felt a flush stain her cheeks at the thought, and yet there was something about it that brought her both a sense of comfort and arousal, which both shocked and intrigued her.  Thais had never felt such stirrings before – women did not lay with women where she had come from – but since being here, she had begun to understand that there was a quiet beauty to the feel of a women’s skin, and longed to know more of the headiness of it.

             
Not trusting her voice as fresh tears of happiness glistened once more, Thais only smiled and nodded, reaching up to place a warm kiss on
Vardra
’s cheek.

             
“Then let us not waste time,” Thais said with more bravado than she felt.

             
Vardra
took her hand and led her down a
large, open hallway whose stone floor was covered by a series of plush, red rugs.  She felt the wind as it danced and teased around her, could feel the power of Aramis as it flowed and pulsed throughout her center.  Her skin prickled and her spirit began to feel light, comforted by his brief touch that had been carried to her on the breeze.  Enjoying the increasingly familiar tickle of desire she felt at the thought of him, she relaxed and followed eagerly along as the hallway narrowed, turning so often that she had lost all sense of direction.  It was a great shock to her when
Vardra
at last stepped aside and she saw that they had entered a large chamber that opened up to the night, their only light the moon above that glowed so bright the stars all around were swallowed up by
blackness.

             
It was not an oppressive room by any means, the floors again covered with all manner of rugs, this time in shades of blue and green.
At each corner of the room stood a massive marble column, and white silk curtains fluttered and danced in the breeze of massive windows that lined
three
of the
four
  walls.  On each of the curtains was all manner of symbols and drawings, mysterious, sensual and alive, and the smell of lemon and lilac was much stronger here, so much so that for a moment she thought she might be overcome by the tangy sweetness of it.

             
In the center of the room was a narrow table covered with white leather cushions.  The light of the moon overhead seemed as bright as day in this one
spot
, and it was here that Dominic now waited, kneeling, and her breath caught at the beauty of him. 

             
Unable to speak, she felt herself being led along by
Vardra
, who helped her up onto the thick leather padding
of the table, which was
surprisingly
warm and soft.  She bent and gave Thais a slow, intimate kiss, then eased her down to lie on her stomach.  In the night voices
continued
to come together in
chants and
song,
a soft rustling of sound that delighted her spirit
.  As the
y joined
their hearts with hers
,
Dominic began the intricate process of
tattooing
, whispering quiet words of magic as he worked with practiced strokes to trace the delicate pattern along the small of her back.  She barely noticed as the pin pricked and bit at her skin, finding comfort in the heat that soon began to radiate from within as the magic of the night took hold.  His hands were firm and familiar as he worked, and she could feel their own bond deepen through the
very personal ceremony the three of them now shared.

             
“It is done,” Dominic said after a time
, and she felt his hands ease her into a sitting position.  She felt dizzy for a moment but it quickly passed, and she was grateful to feel Dominic holding her safely from behind as
Vardra
’s face came at last into focus. 

             
“Come, Thais,” she said gently, her words echoing oddly, and Thais felt herself standing and being led along once more, this time with Dominic
by her side
as well.  The
y took
her down a massive set of polished stone steps that
led into
a sparkling pool of water below.  The liquid was clear and cool as her feet f
ound its edges
first and she smiled, but as Dominic and
Vardra
carried her
deeper
into the water the surface began to churn restlessly.  She watched, more fascinated than frightened, then cried out in shock
ed pain
as the water
rose up around her and blanketed
the freshly
tattooed
skin, a searing heat
biting
into her flesh with such intensity that she began to thrash and kick.

             
On either side of her Dominic and
Vardra
held her tight, Dominic whispering a quiet prayer while
Vardra
sang, their calm exterior a maddening contrast to Thais’ struggles as the water licked and bit at
her
still raw skin
.  She began to believe they had gone completely mad themselves when she at last
understood what was happening
,
even before an odd calm began to soothe her once more.  A cauterizing, of sorts, she realized, finding a moment of rationale’ somewhere
within the fog that seemed to shroud her thoughts,
a ritualistic scarring that somehow sealed the magic of the high priest’s blessings.

             
And then she felt a towel being wrapped around her, warm and soft, heavenly comfort as she
was
lifted and then cradled within strong arms and carried back up the massive column of steps once more.  Dominic again, she thought with a smile –
comforter,
she would call him; bringer of peace.

             
In the night the island
continued to sing,
and she could not help but join her voice with
its own
to give thanks to the Creator of all things for the joy he had brought to her life.

~ VIII ~

             
The breeze blew
gently
in from the sea, teasing
within the long
strands of her hair.  She was soft and warm, with lush curves and a soothing spirit, and she laughed lightly as she came back
to him
from the shore.  He found himself smiling as he watched her, and it felt good, her presence a much needed balm to his weary soul.  The time that they had spent together, learning of one another, had opened up a different side of him.  His soul had found moments of peace, while his body began to finally know the ache of craving something
new and fresh
.

             
The
bonding
ceremony
that morning
had been brief and private, with only himself, Thais, Dominic and
Vardra
allowed inside Aramis’ private temple.  The four had joined hands and then souls, and Thais
had
found the ritual bonding words falling from her lips as easily as if she’d known them all her life.  She felt the delicate stirrings of emotion as a weave began to form between them all – Dominic and his high priest, Thais and her Pra’atah – and then a rush of heat as the four became one for a brief moment in time.

             
“It is done,” Aramis had then said quietly before pulling Thais to him and taking her mouth with his own, drinking deep in a never ending need to quench his
thirst
for the taste of her.

             
The celebrations that followed, however, had been exhausting.  A day of food and dance, and while she had been nervous and worried about their first night together
and initially glad for a day full of people and excitement
, she was actually relieved when Aramis had finally stood and
gathered her in
to
his arms among cheers and praise
.  With a warm heart he had blessed them all, then had
disappear
ed
quickly and easily into the sunset beyond
with his new bride
.

             
It had been dark when they finally came to the
familiar
, isolated part of the island he called home, an odd journey for her that lost all sense of time – had it been forever or only a moment since they had left, her mind
questioned.  But this thought was quickly pushed aside
as she felt his arms strong about her
,
and
she
watched as they very heavens themselves raced past in a blur or dazzling light against velvet blackness.
 
And when they had planted their feet on solid ground
once more
, she had rushed laughing to the water’s edge while he had watched, amused
.  He knew the last two days had been hard on her,
and so had let her stroll for a time along the shore if for no other reason than to allow her time to come down from the noise and excitement of the day.

             
“It is a lovely night, don’t you think?” she asked, her face flushed as she smiled up at him.

             
“Very,” he answered thickly.

             
Her pulse quickened
at the hunger she saw reflected in his eye
s
. 

             
“Thais,” he whispered as his hand
caressed
her face
.  It then skimmed down along
the smooth column of her neck,
his eyes
watching the pulse as it beat frantically, calling to him with alarming insistence
. 
Hi
s fingers
trailed
down the length of her arm and
he
gathered
her small hand in hi
s, then
smiled in an attempt to e
ase the fluttering of her heart.

             
He turned and she followed him without question to climb the steps leading back up to the familiar portico.  He could feel her eyes on him, could hear the sound of her blood as it coursed hot through her veins with anticipation.  When they finally came to the top, he stood aside and heard her laugh softly, childlike as she took in the transformation of the large opened space just outside the main hall.  He grinned, enjoying the satisfaction her pleasure gave him.  He had gone to great lengths to set the proper mood and was pleased with her reaction.