Marie Harte - Aftershocks

Arim shook his head as he gazed at her rumpled bed. The sex here had been incredibly passionate. Though he tried to mute the impressions, he couldn’t help sharing in the amazing lust between the two.

A sudden vision of a petite woman with flowing black hair and ice blue eyes laughed at him from his memories, and in the distance, he heard Tanselm’s echoing longing. Lust and love mixed before remembered pain shattered the sudden haze clouding his mind.

Stunned at the depth of feeling pulling him back towards Tanselm, he could only wonder what all this mingling of Light and Dark really meant. Ethim had mentioned that Tanselm needed her Dark as much as the land needed her Light. But how could that be? For hundreds of years, Arim’s people, the Light Bringers, had stood their ground, caring and nurturing Tanselm’s rich earth to make up for the damage the Dark Lords had long ago caused.

Tanselm rejected evil in all its forms. Whenever real malevolence walked in Tanselm, the trees trembled and the winds spoke of her pain. Yet the Shadowy race of the Aellei now populated the eastern kingdom, with their princess, Aerolus’s affai , standing by to be queen.

That Tanselm welcomed the Aellei clearly told him they couldn’t be evil. His mind had a hard time acknowledging what his heart knew. For years, the only people Arim truly trusted were his family. In the past few months, he’d added a few more to that list, namely Samantha, Tessa and Alandra, all Storm Lord brides. But to trust a member of the Dark? Who was Ellie really? Ellie Markham? Or Elliara al il Ruethe?

He needed to see her again, to delve into her being and figure out what to do about this situation. Cadmus’ feelings aside, Arim refused to let his nephew experience the pain of Dark betrayal. He knew too well the harm in loving a woman so very different from oneself.

Shaking free of his memories, Arim focused on Ellie. The remains of her energy were easy enough to see. Feminine hunger, power, pain and joy radiated like the tied bands of a dark rainbow, the muted colours of life shadowing the reality of Ellie’s Seattle apartment. He found the contrast odd, but not in the slightest corrupt.

Arim sighed, coming to a hard realisation that his perceptions might not be as just as he’d once thought. Confusion and a sense of disquiet filled him at thoughts of what the future might hold.

“Damn it. I need a drink.” He ran a hand through his hair and exited the doorway in search of Ellie’s small kitchen. But the Dark Lord waiting for him in the living room froze him in his tracks.

“Arim, so nice to see you again.” ‘Sin Garu held up clawed fingers stained with blood in a mockery of a wave. “It’s been too long. And I mean that.” He smiled through a mouthful of sharp teeth.

“I’m sure you do.” Arim felt no other presence in the room but tightened the shields around himself nonetheless. Staring at the Dark Lord, he couldn’t help looking for any likenesses to Lexa. He found none but the same smooth, white skin.

“You know, Arim, in my quest to save Tanselm from the scourge of Light Bringers, I may have been too hasty. It seems not all Light Bringers are without Darkness.” ‘Sin Garu rubbed his hands together, a hint of blue flame curling within his palms. “Aerolus, for example, is much Darker than I’d thought.” He waited a moment, then continued, “And Cadmus, the Earth Lord. Now that fine young man has potential.”

Arim remained silent, and ‘Sin Garu’s smile faded. “You’re about as much fun as your nephew Marcus. Now Darius, that one I liked. Full of fire and anger. He really knows how to broadcast his energy.”

“Is there a point to all this?”

“Such a lacking attempt at discourse. Pity your mother never taught you any manners. But then, Ilya didn’t have a whole lot of time to teach you anything, did she? She died when you were what, eight, nine?”

Wondering at this personal inquisition, Arim waited. The hair on the back of his neck rose at the Darkness pooling behind him, and he concentrated the bulk of his shield along his back.

“My own father passed when I was born, leaving my mother to raise three children alone. And you know what? She did a wonderful job, until a Light Bringer stole one of us right from under mother’s very nose.”

Arim’s interest stirred despite his desire to remain aloof. “Lexa.”

“Yes.” ‘Sin Garu sneered. “A pity your kind tainted her. She would have made the best of us, perhaps proven even greater than myself. You have no idea how long it’s taken me to return her to what life meant her to be.”

A sudden anger on Lexa’s behalf took Arim by surprise. “What? It wasn’t enough she was forced to endure Light Bringers for much of her youth? You had to punish her as well?”

“I must admit, when she returned to us, she was not at all the girl I’d expected.” The Dark Lord’s face cleared of all expression. “But that’s all in the past now, isn’t it?”

“You brought it up. And I have to wonder why.”

“Because the similarities here are just too strong to ignore.” ‘Sin Garu’s blue eyes darkened with malice. “Just like you and my sister once enjoyed a close relationship, so too do Cadmus and Ellie, Light Bringer and Dark Djinn. I can only hope your nephew is less sensitive than you were. Why, when Lexa told me how pitifully you cried, how you cheapened yourself for a dead whore and her family, I—”

The blast took Arim by surprise, and he’d been expecting an attack. Holding tight to his shield, the blue flame trying to sear him couldn’t penetrate his energy. The hatred coiling within him, however, needed an outlet. Shooting a ray of pure Light at ‘Sin Garu, he stared in shock as the Dark Lord absorbed the attack .

‘Sin Garu’s lips curled. “She was right. You’re an easy one to enrage. I look forward to our next meeting. And do bring your wits with you, then, hmm?”

In the blink of an eye, he vanished, making Arim wonder what the hell this altercation had really been about. Mention of Lexa and the past seemed no more than a cheap trick to make Arim lash out. But ‘Sin Garu’s attention to Cadmus and Ellie concerned him most. The Dark Lord knew Ellie was Djinn. It was only a matter of time before he invaded Foreia in his quest for domination. And no matter how strong Ethim and his Sarqua were, they were no match for the power of a Dark Lord so steeped in hatred that Arim’s emotions merely added to the mire within him.

‘Sin Garu’s insinuations made Arim take a closer look around him. Hell, the Dark Lord’s words rang true. Arim and Cadmus shared similarities too close to be ignored. The time for a deep conversation with the Earth Lord had come. And the time to see Ellie for who she was, and not who ‘Sin Garu or he wanted her to be, had definitely arrived.

One way or the other, Arim vowed to protect Cadmus—from himself, if need be.

Ellie sat up in the gazebo as Cadmus entered. “Where have you been?”

He wrapped her in a warm embrace, making her forget all about keeping her distance. His strong arms both comforted and aroused, making her feel safe and desired. “I heard you’ve been having a time of it.” He pulled back to look down at her, and she noticed a strange, almost sleepy sheen over his eyes.

“Are you okay? You look a little tired.”

He gave a short laugh. “Tired? You could say that.” When she would have questioned him further, he kissed her hard on the lips and drew her to a nearby bench. “But I’m more concerned about you. Tell me what has you so upset.”

She sighed. “Am I that obvious?”

“To me.” He rubbed her palm with his strong fingers, and vibrations of longing tingled through her veins. “Jonas told me a little bit about your conversation.”