Marie Harte - Gale Season

“What are you saying?” Arim asked with an intensity that took her aback.

“I’m saying that Ellie is trying to help Cadmus return home to expose the Djinn threat there, but in order to get to Tanselm in one piece, he’s going to need power, a lot of power.”

“But a Djinn can’t cross the shields,” Arim said, clearly alarmed. “Surely even he knows that.”

“Yes,” she said slowly. Was she the only one able to read between the lines? Maybe if they distrusted the Djinn less, they’d be able to appreciate Ellie’s cunning. “But Cadmus isn’t Djinn. Despite the sheen of Djinn flame, he’s a Light Bringer at heart. And Ellie’s not exactly a Djinn, either.”

“You just said she was.” Darius frowned.

“Now I’m confused.” Marcus rubbed his eyes, and she wanted to grin at the headache she was causing.

“She said ‘not exactly’, which for an Aellei means pay attention,” Aerolus drawled. “My guess is that Ellie is part Djinn, and part something else.”

“At least one of you has the brains to go with the looks,” she muttered, pleased to see identical scowls on Darius’ and Marcus’ faces.

“Even so, she won’t be able to penetrate the shields,” Arim said thoughtfully.

“Sure she will. She and Cadmus are sharing energies, at least for now. And the Djinn have had someone on the inside for quite some time, tampering with Tanselm’s protective spells. How do you think ‘Sin Garu breached the shield in the first place?

“The only question is, does your Djinn traitor know where Ellie’s true allegiance lies, and if so, what do you think he’ll do about it when he finds out?”

“We have to let Cadmus know the truth.” Arim began to pace.

“He already knows.” Alandra recalled her last conversation with the frustrated Ellie. “He may be infuriating, but he’s quick to have answers. Besides, from what Ellie told me, she’s been trying to delay Cadmus’ return for some time.”

“Why?” Arim stared hard at her.

“Because she sensed something not right with her father’s contact there weeks ago. I’m thinking she already knows to be wary of your traitor. Ellie wants the Storm Lords to maintain leadership over the land, and she’s been tasked with keeping Cadmus in one piece by a rebel band of Djinn. You see, Arim, not all the Djinn want the Dark Lords in power over Tanselm. ‘Sin Garu will not only kill as many Light Bringers as he can, but all those who oppose his rule.”

“Yeah, if the asshole’s even still alive,” Darius muttered, running his hand through his hair in frustration.

“Oh, he’s alive,” Arim said with assurance. “The question is, where is he, and how do we handle this new Dark Lord threat?”

Alandra glanced at Aerolus, uneasy at the intent look he was giving her. She dimly recalled she had something important to tell him, but the intense focus of his stare shook the important worry from her mind.

“I have some thoughts about where we should go.” Everyone turned to Aerolus, who kept his gaze on Alandra. “I say we take Alandra back to Aelle and get the answers from those that know.” Before she could stammer a firm refusal, he latched onto her arm. “Meet me back here in three hours,” he told his brothers and uncle. “There’s something we need to do before then.”

He teleported with Alandra out of the kitchen before anyone could speak, Alandra included. When next she could catch her breath, she found herself in the most beautiful shadow she’d ever seen in her life.

Rich with vibrant colour and magic, the grey cloak of shade fell from a mountain of rock so full of energy she had to blink to make sure it was real. Aerolus gave her a small smile and brought her hand to the smooth surface of stone.

“Welcome to Tanselm, Alandra.”

Alandra stared at MornMountain in awe, and it was all Aerolus could do to stand still and not gather her in his arms. As he’d known, Tanselm had reached out and accepted the slight Aellei with open arms, the land’s rich magic delving into Alandra’s being and bonding with her as if she’d been born to the land.

His eyes misted, the sight of his affai too beautiful to behold, as she caressed the pure energy of his world with reverence.

“This is the most wondrous place I’ve ever been.” She tore her gaze from the rock to stare at Aerolus, her smile a mile wide. “It makes Aelle pale in comparison.”

Mention of her homeworld eased him into a quest for answers he desperately needed to know. “I saw a glimpse of Aelle in your dream, but I’d like to hear you describe it to me.”

She shrugged, her hand petting the rock like a lover, and his body hardened at the carnal images flashing through his mind. “Aelle is filled with the splendour of the Aellei, yet its magic is not even a quarter of what Tanselm possesses. Thank you for showing it to me,” she said soberly, her heart in her eyes. “I know it can’t be easy bringing a creature of Shadow into your world.”

“You don’t know anything,” he murmured, the need to touch her overwhelming. He stepped closer and stroked her cheek. She blazed a brilliant white in the shadow of the mountain, and he had never seen her look so lovely. “I trust you, Alandra. I know there’s more you haven’t yet said,” he paused, seeing the telling shift of her gaze. “But I know you’d never see the Light of this world extinguished. And I know you would protect me with your life, as you did when you thought Arim meant me harm.”

She blushed and looked away, towards the thick forest beyond the kingdom. “I overreacted.”

He said nothing, studying her for the best way to proceed. “I know you miss Aelle, Alandra, and that my family is the reason you are no longer there.”

“True,” she agreed. “But I don’t miss Aelle as much as I used to.” She stared at him, her violet gaze intense as if trying to see inside him. “But you, I don’t understand how being away from this place isn’t tearing you apart. I knew you were strong before,” she said quietly, frankly admiring. “But I’m in awe of your commitment to saving this world.”

He caressed her jaw, her cheek, sliding his hand to cup her face. “I give everything I am to those I love.”

Leaning forward, he kissed her softly, thoroughly, on the mouth. Like petals of silk, her lips parted on a sigh.

“You are so damned sexy,” she groaned. “And your energy is so much hungrier here.”

“Hungry, yes,” he said, holding her to him with a force that told her just how much he wanted her. “Hungry for the truth, for peace, for your l—” He interrupted his admission, worried that saying the word ‘love’ might spook her.

“For what?” she asked coyly, her hands lowering from his chest to his groin, lingering over his throbbing cock. She rubbed him through his trousers, and her eyes sparkled, pleased at the obvious control she had over him.

Dammit, why must everything be about control? His blood heated as he stared at his affai , wishing, almost, that she was a normal woman with whom he could have a genuine conversation without worrying about losing at some mysterious game they apparently played.

As she continued to caress him, she bit her lip, her eyes shining and her aura pulsing with… love.

His eyes widened, and he wondered if he truly was the idiot Arim had accused him of being. All this time he’d been playing word games and second guessing both himself and her, when all along the answer had been right in front of him in their tied magic.

Still joined, with Tanselm’s boost he could now see the love bonding them together. His Light and her Shadow forged into an altogether different energy, one vastly more accepting, and one that made use of everything around them, giving Aerolus nearly the power his uncle wielded.