Unfortunately, if she knew the Aellei royals, they were probably signing a blood oath to rejoin the Dark Lords while she sat here with a Storm Lord, intimately close.
Thoughts of the Dark Lords made her frown, and she unconsciously began tapping her fingers against Aerolus’ chest as she once again pondered ‘Sin Garu’s connection to the hint of unrest in the royal court.
Her exile hadn’t exactly been a waste of time. Though only a few weeks had passed in Aelle, here in this plane she’d had an entire year to gather information—a quirky time differential that worked to her advantage. While dodging the occasional Aellei search party and staying one step ahead of the Storm Lords, she’d heard things. Whispers of astonishing organisation in the wraith community. Rumours of the Aellei queen’s strange, insatiable sexual appetites, of her odd reluctance to share her Dark Lord lover with anyone else, a state completely contrary to Queen Lidra’s aloof desires.
The search parties thought it strange indeed that he’d never given his name. Considering how well ‘Sin Garu liked to brag of his conquests to anyone who would listen, Alandra thought that quality in the queen’s lover most curious.
An answer to all her questions hovered just out of reach, and had she not been so distracted with Aerolus she felt sure she would have figured out ‘Sin Garu’s plan by now. Obviously, he wanted Tanselm. But why that particular land when there were others with as much, if not more magic, and how did he think to gain lordship over the Storm Lords and their omnipresent sorcerer, Arim?
A hand caught her tapping fingers, and she blinked in surprise into Aerolus’ intense gaze. Staring into his awareness, into the central focus of his power, was like looking into the vortex of a storm—one that could kill or pass over calmly in the blink of an eye.
“Purie?” he murmured and brought her palm to his mouth. He studied her through half-lidded eyes, his tongue licking hungrily at his lips as he waited for her answer. Reconciling this Aerolus with the academic mage who’d done without sex for a year had her blinking in confusion, and unwanted erotic responsiveness.
“My name is Alandra,” she answered breathlessly, irritated at how easily he made her forget her resolve to stand firm against his attraction. “Look, Aerolus,” she began, only to stop when something nagged at the back of her mind—an unpleasant tingle that made her shiver.
“You’re bossy for such a little thing,” he said with humour, his voice a husky rumble that distracted her long enough to allow his tug-of-war with her hand. A quick jerk had her off-balance and fully in his arms, her breasts kissing his chest, her needy sex plastered over his rock-hard arousal.
“There’s something going on here,” she tried again, needing to listen to her instincts instead of her libido.
“There sure is.” He dragged her to him for a kiss that sent gales of desire coursing through her blood. The wild taste of him had reason retreating behind a storm of lust so intense it shook her with its power.
A small part of her thrilled that he was just as caught as she was. Tendrils of energy wrapped around them both, his latent elemental energy feeding her shadowy nature, increasing her ardour until she was ready to strip him naked and ride him until neither of them could walk again. She squirmed on the ridge growing between her thighs, and he groaned and deepened the kiss, one hand wrapped in her hair as he angled her mouth over his, the other on her lower back, edging her harder over his erection.
When his tongue stroked hers, she moaned in pleasure, surprised at how addictive she found his taste. The sheer magic of the man, amazing for a Light Bringer, called out to her Dark energy, to the Shadow that dwelled within her.
“So sweet, so hot,” he murmured against her lips, leaning back to stare at her. “Your eyes are like stars, your lips like wine.”
She flushed, pleased to hear such flattery. But when he stopped simply to stare at her, she prodded, “And my skin? Like pure-white marble? Or how about snow-spun down, maybe?”
If he knew how easy she was to seduce with words, she’d never be in control of him, so she hurriedly shut up and pressed her mouth to his again, sighing under his caresses.
“Like thick, sweet cream,” he murmured, running a finger down her cheek to her neck, resting above her fluttering pulse.
Her insides melted at the sultry gaze he passed over her breasts and lower.
“Cream?”
“Hmm.” His hand travelled lower, slipping between her legs to cup her mound. He rubbed his palm over her dampened curls, teasing her by brushing his knuckle against her full clit. “Sweet, milky cream that just keeps coming and coming,” he whispered as he stared into her eyes while his hand grew wet with her arousal.
She gasped and couldn’t help riding his hand.
“That’s it, love.” He nuzzled her neck and licked her pulse, making her shudder at the effort it took not to come from his erotic caresses. “I want you to come again. And this time I’m going to come inside you.”
He finally stopped rubbing her to release the snap on his jeans.
Unfortunately, before he could tug at the zipper, Alandra’s inner senses cried danger, causing her to shiver so violently Aerolus couldn’t mistake it for passion.
“Alandra?” He stopped moving and stared at her. “Love, talk to me.”
She tried to speak, but couldn’t seem to catch her breath. The room seemed so cold, so devoid of life.
“Something’s coming.” Her teeth began chattering, and she widened her eyes at the taint of evil energy filling her small haven. Dark blue light surrounded the malevolence, making her toes curl in dismay. “Ice wraiths. A lot of them.”
As if saying the words had conjured them, a dozen ice wraiths suddenly appeared. Tall and thin, the creatures lived in the Dark, hungering for the Light in others to bring them some reprieve from the eternal cold hammering their bones. Alandra stared in morbid curiosity. She’d seen normal wraiths and was familiar with the Shadren, but none of them came close to possessing this kind of Darkness.
Brittle skin spotted with black and blue bruises marred the sickly yellow of the ice wraiths’ rotting flesh. Lumpy, hairless skulls sat atop obscenely thin necks, their gangly bodies incredibly strong despite their frail appearance. A dozen pair of white eyes searched unblinkingly for their quarry, and the ice wraiths laughed and shrieked in pleasure upon seeing Alandra and Aerolus together in the chair.
At the typical behaviour befitting a wraith, Alandra relaxed.
“They could do with a toothbrush,” she muttered, disappointed that this was the best ‘Sin Garu could do. At least a Nocumat showed some creativity. Then several of the wraiths hissed, each exposing three rows of black teeth and a forked tongue that sparked blue when it met the air. Upon closer inspection, she noted bloodied entrails hanging from several mouths, and her first impression that the wraiths were more fool than threat faded under a growing alarm.
“’Sin Garu has much to answer for,” Aerolus said stoically as he studied the invading danger. Alandra silently agreed, stunned as much by Aerolus’ calm heartbeat as she was by ‘Sin Garu’s monstrous army. Did her Storm Lord not understand what the ice wraiths’ blue sparks meant?
“Um, Aerolus, I know you’ve dealt with wraiths before, but these are a different breed than the ones you’re used to.”
“I know, purie.” He tightened his hold around her waist and looked into her eyes. “We’re going to have to fight our way out of here. I’d teleport us to freedom, but I have no doubt they’ll follow our trail the minute we leave.”