Realm leaper, p.16
Realm Leaper, page 16
Sage snorted, “Yeah..ok. Nothing creepy in that.”
“We have an extra room. My mom thought about renting it, but I know if we told her your situation, whatever lie you want to make up about your situation is fine, I know she’ll just let you stay there. She works at the university, I bet she could even find a place for you to work, make a little cash of your own. You don’t ever have to sleep in my room again if you don’t want. That’s not what I’m here for.”
Sage looked at Ian flatly, “And if I want to sleep in your room?” Without so much as cracking a smile, ignoring her attempt to bait him, Ian replied, “We can cross that road if we get there. What I’m saying, is you’d have a safe place to live, no strings attached. It’s up to you.”
Sage stared at him for a long time. She looked around her room, realizing just how pathetic her setup was, and suddenly feeling rather embarrassed that he was there in her slum.
“Just, give it a try. For a week. And if it doesn’t work for you, you can leave and I won’t follow you. No judgment.” Sage gave the thought one more full minute of thought, glued to her spot, before she snapped, “Fine. One week. Just, give me a minute to get my things. You can wait downstairs.”
She hadn’t decided if she was going to go with him or just escape through one of her emergency exits as she tossed her make-up kit into the canvas bag she’d swiped from his house, when the thought of working at the university occurred to her. That was the point of hiding in Techeduin, after all. She knew Techeduin’s university housed the biggest collection of elemental resources, books that might explain who she was and why Ranquer might be after her. That was the deciding factor, she told herself, as she stomped her way downstairs and met Ian. A look of relief broke over his face as he grabbed the canvas bag from her and they made their way back to his house.
Back at the house, Ian took her up to the spare room, showing her where everything was, promising to help her buy fresh clothes if she’d be interested.
Sage leaned against a chest of drawers with a mirror attached to it, realizing this would be the first time in five years she would be living with real furniture. The thought overwhelmed her, and Ian noticed her quiet disposition.
He made his way back to her, concern written on his face, “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head, “Nothing.” She looked into Ian’s eyes, and pushed into him, tilting her face upward in invitation. He gently lowered his mouth to hers and caressed her mouth with his. Her hands drifted to the shirt that she wore and began unbuttoning it as his hands slid under the shirt. She gasped as his mouth found her neck and—
✧✦✧
Sage rolled over in her bed, waking to sunlight flooding her room. “Just at the good part,” she groaned to herself. She froze as she saw who sat in her room, grinning like a cat with a mouse he had cornered. “What are you doing here?” Sage growled at Raphael.
“Well, I was concerned when all our fireplaces lit at once, but it seems we were just recovering a memory? Obviously, it was a good one.” he teased.
“Get out!” she shouted, tossing her pillow at him. He casted to the neighboring chair just before the pillow hit where he had been sitting.
“Tisk, tisk…so feisty!”
“OUT!” she commanded, and Raphael casted away from her room. She moaned in agony in her bed. Why? Why her? She asked herself. She rolled out of bed, still feeling the pressure of desire lingering from her dream, her memory, and decided a cold bath was in order before she could be seen in public.
She drew her bath and slipped into the frigid water, hoping the temperature would drive away the heat lingering and building in her core. After several minutes of agony, and relief still seeming eons away, Sage decided to take a different route. Using a combination of her water and fire magic, Sage heated the water to a comfortable temperature.
Tilting her head back against the tub, she closed her eyes and let herself relive those moments with Ian. She lifted her hands to her neck, allowing herself to caress her neck, her shoulders, and then finding their way to her breasts, heavy with want. She allowed one hand to continue descending, across the plane of her stomach, and lower. She kept her eyes closed, imagining Ian’s touch as she found the center joining of her legs.
As she slid home, she gasped as a different face entered her imagination. Altering between a fair-haired man and the face of a dark-haired, tanned fae, Sage continued working her body until she finally found release. With a shudder, she allowed herself to relax into the water, willing her body to find calm.
13
✧✦✧
Gavin could smell her halfway up the stairs from the dining room to the balcony. The scent of honey, sage, and citrus were intensified in a way that suggested a certain…train of thought. She was standing at the railing that looked over the city, a plate of food balanced on the banister. Her cinnamon hair whipped away from her face and his breath caught as he stared at her.
She turned and he couldn’t help but smile at the blush that immediately flooded her face, her neck. Her hand absentmindedly raised to her neck, and he heard her breath catch as he strode closer to her.
“Who are you thinking about?” Gavin teased.
“What?” Sage gasped. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, normally when someone blushes like that, they are having some pretty…pleasant thoughts.” He waggled his eyebrows at her, hoping to push her a little further.
“Gods…you are all insufferable,” Sage snapped. He couldn’t help but notice the smell of want increase around her.
“Insufferable? I can agree with that. Fae are horrible at minding their own business.”
She smirked, rolling her eyes as he walked to stand next to her. He hadn’t noticed before, but her eyes were mesmerizing. He smiled in response as she stepped back, pushing herself against the pillar at her back. Her scent danced toward him on a breeze, more enticing than he had ever realized. He couldn’t stop himself from stepping closer, unable to break his stare from hers. Her breathing increased, and damn if it didn’t have the same effect on him. Her hand lingered on her throat, and he could hardly resist the urge to put his hand over it, to find out if her skin felt as soft as it looked.
His stare snagged on the soft swell of her breast, just visible over the edge of her dress. He was close enough now he could feel the soft thrum of power rolling off of her. The vibrato of power hummed around her, pulling him closer and closer to her. He realized he’d been lying to himself, that he didn’t know why he was drawn to her. She was breathtaking. She was the embodiment of free will, untethered, drifting like the wind.
He brushed a strand of hair from her face as the wind pulled against it, and his control snapped when she gasped and closed her eyes. He leaned in, pressing his mouth into hers. Surprisingly, she opened for him, pulling him by his shirt closer to her.
In a moment he had her against the wall, kissing her. She kissed back in urgency. Her lips were soft. Her skin was soft. And she was warm, like sunshine. Her kiss felt like liberation. His hand wrapped around her neck, cradling her head, as his other arm wrapped around her waist. He pulled her closer, barely stopping a groan from escaping as her heat washed over him. He kissed her again, gripping tightly to the short leash of control he still commanded.
She pushed him away, “I need to get out of here.” He could feel heat radiating from her palms, more intense now than moments before. “I need somewhere quiet. With water.”
Pulling himself back into focus, he searched his mind for the perfect place to take her, “I know a place.”
With all his years of training, Gavin willed his body to remain under his control as he lifted her into his arms, wings spreading behind him. He flew over the city, aiming toward the edge of the city boundaries.
Her hands were nearly scorching when they landed, and he had to grit his teeth to keep from imagining how they’d feel against his bare skin as he placed her on the ground.
They walked across an old bridge, the Philisian River running below it. Gavin kept his focus on the path but noticed Sage panting. Discomfort seemed to course through her, and that longing to shelter her, to make her smile resurfaced.
“This is an old trade route,” Gavin explained, “Just a ways ahead of us we will find a creek. No one really uses this route into the city anymore. Actually, if you follow that path it’ll lead to Mystaira.” Gavin pointed down the larger road as they veered away from it, following a game trail into the woods. She nodded but didn’t offer anything in return. He could see the focus to manage her power as she held her body tight, stiff, and began walking faster.
A few more minutes' walk brought them to a creek, babbling over rocks and boulders. Sage staggered to it, splashing into the water, allowing her dress to soak in the babbling brook. She fell to her hands and knees in the cool water, and he watched as she breathed deeply. After a few moments, she sat up on her knees, closing her eyes and beginning breathing patterns resembling what she’d practiced at the wind temple. Deciding to do his best to not disrupt her, Gavin found a flat, dry spot to sit down and watch.
Sage gracefully rose to her feet, and Gavin watched as she began moving. She stepped, lifted onto her toes, windmilled her arms, bent her knees, and floated into stances and poses. All the while shapes, ripples, and waves appeared and disappeared in the creek. At one point, she had gathered all the water on one side so that it formed a massive wall of water, damming the water behind it, before ultimately slamming the water down. In the process, she managed to soak him and about fifteen feet of the bank.
He was in awe. As far as he knew, she hadn’t practiced water wielding at all with Raphael. After over an hour of her practice, she finally dropped back to her knees with a deep breath. Mist hung in the air and it almost looked like she was wrapped in rainbows. The sound of the creek seemed to applaud her performance. As she looked up at him, Gavin was struck by her beauty. Her hair was slicked back away from her face, drenched from the water. Her dress clung to her body, highlighting the dips and curves of her frame. The sun itself shone down on her like a celestial spotlight. In that moment, she was as radiant as the Goddess herself.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Gavin rose to his feet and offered her his hand. He could feel the tremble in her hand, her arms, a sign of the exhaustion she’d worked herself into. “Better?” Gavin asked.
Sage nodded, “And starving.”
Gavin gathered her back into his arms, contemplating whether they should risk a visit into the city with both of them soaked as they were. Ultimately, he decided he didn’t want anyone else seeing her with her dress plastered against her body the way it was, and brought her back to the tower.
He walked her to the kitchen, and with a wink said, “Thanks for the show,” and strode back down the hall to catch up on his sentry duty. He could have sworn he heard her whisper, “Gods,” as he made his way up the stairwell.
✧✦✧
Sage was left dripping wet in the kitchen. The wood-burning oven was still alight from the morning breakfast rush, and Sage coaxed the air and flames to work together to dry her clothes. Sage called into the back bedroom, and a sleepy Hyacinth walked into the kitchen.
“Did I wake you?” Sage asked, palms still lifted to the fireplace.
“I was just taking a nap. Couldn’t sleep last night.”
“Dreams?” Sage asked knowingly.
Hyacinth nodded her answer as she walked towards the tea kettle and used her powers to fill it with water. Despite being sleepy, the female worked quickly to produce a pleasant spread of tea, small sandwiches, and cookies she’d stored away deep in the pantry. After stepping in one of the puddles from Sage’s dripping dress, Hyacinth finally asked, “Why is my floor so wet?”
“Sorry about that. Turns out I’m really good at water magic,” Sage answered.
“So that means I can have you work on tea and washing fruits and veggies instead of burning bread every morning?”
Hyacinth laughed when Sage gaped at her. “I don’t burn the bread every morning!”
“If you say so,” Hyacinth shrugged in response. “So…who took you to the water? Raph? Or Gavin?”
Sage cleared her throat a little before replying. She wasn’t sure why she was hesitant to answer, or why she blushed when telling Hyacinth, “Gavin.”
“Ohhh! I knew it! Tell me all about it. What happened?”
“What do you mean ‘What happened?’ Nothing happened. He just took me to the creek.”
“Oh no. Something happened. Come on. You have to tell me; you woke me up from my nap after all.”
Sage hesitated. This wasn’t a big deal. They were both grown. There wasn’t any reason for her to feel embarrassed. Except that the image of Ian kept replaying in her mind. Was she being dishonest? Should she have let it go so far with Gavin?
Quietly, she admitted, “He…kissed me.”
Hyacinth’s surprised face made Sage giggle nervously. She ran both hands down her face, a blush crept up her neck. “Why is this embarrassing? I shouldn’t be embarrassed.”
“Why would you be? Do you like him? He’s good-looking.”
“Good- looking?” Sage replied, laughing.
“I may not be able to talk to him, but I have eyes,” Hyacinth explained. “Besides, so does he. I’ve seen how he looks at you.”
Sage rolled her eyes, “Yeah, well. We’ll see. Here, let me clean this up for you.” Sage gathered up their dishes and began to tidy up the kitchen. The two pittered about the kitchen amiably, Hyacinth poking fun at Sage and both sharing stories from their past, as far as Sage could remember.
After cooking dinner, eating together, and cleaning up, Sage quickly ran to her room to change and then spent the night in Hyacinth’s cozy room. It was the most normal feeling evening Sage could remember having. A bitter-sweet film of nostalgia coated the night as she thanked the gods for putting Hyacinth in her life, and prayed they watched over her own sister in Thuledain, worlds away.
✧✦✧
The next morning, Gavin completed his air patrol quickly. His focus was on the task at hand for the day. He dreaded having to pick up his dress robes but was simultaneously curious to discover what the Queen had chosen for Sage.
He’d had dinner with the Queen the evening before. It was nice to finally have a moment with his old friend, and she couldn’t hide her excitement when she explained she’d had a hand in designing Sage’s robes. Not only that, Sage was to be the Queen’s guest of honor. Symon had interjected when Gavin asked Aryael whether that was a smart decision given some of the citizens, his own people nevertheless, had begun raising concerns over leadership. News of disappearances and strange occurrences had started trickling throughout the continent. Not only was Felysia becoming wary, but other nations were beginning to reach out to allies in hopes of forestalling any major disasters. Symon’s answering retort matched the weariness that seemed to cloak the King nowadays. Aryael, ever the optimist, had teased Symon until he eventually lightened up for the evening.
All of this was on his mind as he reached Sage’s room. He knocked on her door but heard no response. He knocked again, pressing his ear to the door, straining to pick up any trace of her movement inside. After a third knock brought no response, he opened the door. The immediate lack of her scent in the room was enough to send him into high alert.
Could someone have broken through the wards on the Obelisk and taken her? Did she flee, somehow using wind power to glide to the ground?
As dread trickled through his veins, he heard a soft exhale of breath behind him at the door.
“If it isn’t the Lord of Mystaira himself.” Sage’s voice was like a song as it danced across the room to him. Immediately, his shoulders relaxed, and he turned to find her leaning against the doorjamb, grinning like a cat.
“M’lady,” Gavin replied, playfully bowing in her direction, quickly putting aside the anxiety he felt moments before. “I’ve come to escort you to your appointment.”
“We are such dorks,” Sage snorted.
Gavin grinned, “I don’t understand the word, but if you are implying that I, the Great and Mighty Gavin, am anything less than mesmerizing, I take offense.” He was grinning widely, obviously not offended at all, and enjoying the playful banter.
“Give me a few moments to finish getting ready?” She brushed past him as she headed towards the bathing room, and his heart thudded hard in his chest.
Swallowing thickly, he replied, “Sure. But be quick. I don’t want to be late.”
Sage’s only answer was the click of the door.
Twenty minutes later, they were flying toward the city. He was still on edge as they entered the city, recalling their first trip to the market. His smile vanished as they landed, and his predatory instincts kicked in, allowing him to take in every detail of the commercial district they walked through.
The white stone buildings and red clay streets felt oppressive, and he had to suppress an urge to physically growl at any male fae who walked too closely by her. What was he doing? He’d never been the type of male to act possessively of another female. He’d been raised by his mother and sister to have irreverent respect for females and their autonomy.
They’d made it to the seamstress’s business; a smallish building just a few scant blocks away from the palace. Gavin knew she was responsible for creating many of the royals’ own garments and was slightly surprised Symon hadn’t put up more of a fight over the choice of seamstress. Granted, Gavin knew that Symon stood little chance of convincing Aryael of changing her mind once it was made up.
They walked through the door, entering a dark, cool room, cluttered with full-length mirrors, spools and spools of fabric, and the sound of female chatter ringing through a back room. Gavin cleared his throat. An elderly fae female appeared in the doorway at the end of the room.
She was old, even by fae standards. Her face showed the signs of age with wrinkles, sun spots, and eyes that twinkled with the wisdom of a life long-lived. There was something more to her though. An expression of humor danced between the lines framing her eyes like she knew something no one else knew.
