Beautiful Salvation (21 page)

The kiss caught her by surprise. One minute she was seething, giving the pompous ass a piece of her mind. The next his arms were banded around her, crushing her against his chest. He swung her to the side so she was stretched across his lap, his mouth closing over hers in a kiss that sent fire down her nerves, heat pooling in her body. She groped around for a moment, her fingers finally finding his hair, sliding through the jet black locks to hold him to her. Pleasure spiraled through her and she deepened the kiss, parting her lips and using her tongue to coax him farther inside. He groaned, his grip tightening almost painfully as he pillaged her mouth.

The scent of blood curled through the air and Aiyana startled as she realized claws had slid from her fingers and she was using them to hold Saamal’s head to her. She tore her mouth from his with a gasp. “I’m sor—”

He chuckled and silenced her with another searing kiss, licking her lower lip as he leaned back. “My savage queen,” he murmured.

His eyes had bled to dark skies again, the whites darkened to shining obsidian. A fresh rush of desire flooded Aiyana’s body and it took every ounce of her self control to pull her claws from him and slide out of his lap. Those dark eyes watched her, wicked promises shining in their depths. Her heart pounded, her skin buzzing with the sensation that at any moment he might pounce on her, drag her to the ground and finish what his kiss had started…

He leaned back and disappointment bit at her, her body twitching as if she would follow him. A broad smile spread over his face, his eyes shining with the knowledge of what she wanted, how he affected her. A blush scalded her cheeks, burning hotter when he winked at her and drew the bone flute from the ground. His long fingers caressed the polished surface, dancing over the holes as he raised it to his lips and breathed into the top of the instrument.

The music flowed from the instrument like a breeze dancing over the land, coaxing magic from the air and earth, playing the song of a sunset. Darkness infused the music, high notes flicking into the air, bringing to mind flashes of lightning in a dark sky. Then the music dipped down, low, the crash of thunder rolling over the plains. Every note was wild, thrilling. The tune spoke to something in Aiyana’s blood, led her heart through pleasure and pain, excitement and joy. Finally the tune slowed, flowing over her like a tangible blanket, offering comfort and peace. She laid her head on Saamal’s shoulder as he played, letting the music wash over her. She let the notes drift through her mind, plucking at memories and pulling at emotions. As the last note faded, energy buzzed along her skin, a warm, pleasant sensation.

Saamal put the flute down, wrapped his arm around her. Slowly she tilted her face up to receive his kiss. His lips were gentle this time, caressing her mouth, tasting her. She moaned, delicately brushing her fingers through his hair, caressing his cheek. Her head swam with dizzying sensations, thick heat that filled her mind with images of warm furs and dark bedrooms. Saamal pulled back so his lips barely brushed hers when he spoke.

“Marry me,” he whispered.

Aiyana nodded, the heat in her blood making it too difficult to think enough to form words. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him to her again.

Suddenly Saamal’s body stiffened, as solid as stone but with tension screaming from every pore. He tore himself away, a growl crawling from his throat. His face twisted with pain, and he clutched at his heart.

“Saamal, what’s wrong?” Aiyana cried, her voice high with alarm.

The god’s eyes widened and he opened his mouth, holding a hand out to her. Before he could speak, his body began to fade. In a few seconds, he disappeared.

Aiyana screamed.

Aiyana.

Saamal snarled, fingers flexing around the empty air that had held Aiyana a moment before. He’d been ripped from her arms—literally. He’d proposed, she’d said yes. He had been on the cusp of the greatest moment of his life—and he’d been ripped away.

Rage boiled in Saamal’s veins, flooding through his fingertips until pain told him his claws were out in force. He opened his eyes and was almost surprised to find the entire world wasn’t colored in red, so great was his fury. Adonis’ face appeared over him, hazel eyes concerned, his hair tangled into a mess of spikes as if he’d been running his hands through it. Before Saamal could think better of it, he thrust out his hand to grab the demon by the neck.

But his arm didn’t move. Saamal gritted his teeth, straining to force the muscles in his arm to respond, trying to grab the demon he was nearly certain was responsible for dragging him back to the physical plane, going against Saamal’s wishes and taking him away from his bride. No amount of force or willpower could make his arm move, not even so much as twitch. Frustration forced his rage to new heights and he bit back a howl.

“He’s alive,” Adonis shouted.

A second later, Etienne’s face appeared next to the incubus’. “Is he all right?”

“He’d be better if he wasn’t such a fool.” Adonis glared at Saamal, his irises flickering red. “None of you listen. You are tied to the land, Saamal, you said so yourself. You
cannot
spend that much time on the astral plane.”

Saamal choked, tried to get his breath enough to speak. When he finally managed to get his voice to work, his words came out hoarse, barely there. “What’s wrong with me?”

“You drank the elixir of the sun twice in as many hours, went to the astral plane, had a battle with some creature there, then went
back
without waiting until you’d regained even half of your energy,” Adonis told him, deep creases forming around his eyes. He shook his head, the crimson sparks in his eyes flaring brighter. “Dammit, Saamal, you picked a devil of a time for that eternal patience of yours to lapse.”

Saamal tried to concentrate on what Adonis was saying. The incubus seemed angry, but why? What did it matter to him if Saamal weakened himself, took risks that perhaps were not entirely wise? Wasn’t that why he and Etienne were here, to allow Saamal time to let his guard down?

A dull ache spread from the base of his skull and Saamal closed his eyes for a moment. His head was still cloudy and his body weighed far more than it should. He couldn’t move his limbs, and even speaking was a herculean task. If his faith in Etienne’s and Adonis’ abilities had been even a fraction less, his panic would be reaching new heights by now.

It wasn’t until he’d calmed down to concentrate on his breathing that the pounding of his heart quieted enough for him to become aware of the noise coming from outside the castle window. Growls, howls, and a high-pitched screeching that threatened to snap every nerve in his ears. The scent of blood hit him like a rampaging bear and his eyes flew open.

“What’s happening out there?” he demanded, his voice breaking as he tried to force volume from his vocal chords.

Etienne’s face was grim, golden eyes serious. “The jaguars started growing uneasy a few seconds after your consciousness left for the astral plane again. I tried to calm them, but their agitation only continued to grow.”

Saamal’s stomach tightened, twisting into a series of knots. “They are my first line of defense. If they are upset, then something bad is happening.”

Etienne pressed his lips into a thin line, and he nodded once. “They were right. Saamal, the land…it’s gone mad.”

“What do you mean?” Saamal fought once again to move, but his body barely twitched. He clenched his jaw, fighting to draw more power to him, to concentrate what he had.

“He means everything out there is pure chaos,” Adonis answered him, the disapproval in his voice giving way to deeper tones of dread. “The ground is shaking like it intends to cast everything on it into the sky. Great pits like the one you pointed to outside have been opening up everywhere, and the sky has shifted to a most unsettling shade of green.” The incubus glanced at the window, shifting uneasily on his feet. “The last time I saw anything like it was on the astral plane, after Ivy panicked at the seaside. Her fear twisted the world into a true nightmare—and that was nothing compared to what’s happening outside these walls.”

“Cipactli.” Horror blossomed in Saamal’s chest, closing like talons around his heart and squeezing until it was hard to breathe. “When I woke up, you said ‘He’s alive.’ Did you think I was dead?”

“Yes,” Etienne responded. “Even I could scarcely hear your heartbeat. For a time, it seemed as if you were no longer of this world.”

“No. No, this can’t be. If I was truly so separated from the land, if I faded as much as you say, then Cipactli would have felt it. If she thought that I died…”

“She would have no reason to think the pact would ever be made good again,” Adonis breathed.

“Yes.” Saamal tried to rise again, and once again found himself unable to move. Panic sent acidic tendrils through his blood, poisoning him even as he fought against it. “I have to get out of here, I have to touch the land. I must let her know that I’m still here or she will attempt to break her bonds.”

“You mean the giant crocodile your kingdom sits on might try to…stand up?” Adonis blinked.

Saamal gritted his teeth and managed to flex the fingers of his right hand. The movement was sluggish, weak—embarrassingly so, but still he moved. “Yes.” Relief trickled through him as he dared to hope he could overcome the elixir of the sun’s effects in time. “Adonis, help me up.”

The demon nodded his understanding. His flesh wavered, crimson coloring his skin as onyx leathery wings unfolded behind him, lashing through the air as they fought free of his body. Horns curled around his temples and his eyes lit up like twin suns. He scooped Saamal up in his arms and carried him to the window. Vicious winds tried to rip him from Adonis’ arms as the demon hefted them both onto the ledge then launched himself into the air. Saamal looked out over the land and his heart seized in his chest.

Chaos. Adonis and Etienne were right, the land itself was going mad. The briars were writhing like a nest of snakes, upset by the wild bucking of the earth beneath them. Adonis rolled with a sudden gust of wind, dodging a lashing limb covered in wicked thorns as long as a dragon’s eyeteeth. They lurched to the side and nearly tumbled to the earth as the demon fought against a violent crosswind, trying to land on a piece of earth that was not rolling in agony or collapsing into a jagged-bottomed pit.

Finally they dropped, scarcely missing the lip of the original pit Saamal had noticed by the castle. He rolled out of Adonis’ arms and pressed his palms to the earth, letting gravity pull his weakened flesh into the dirt. The rush of energy he should have felt, even with the land as barren as it was, was a mere trickle. Saamal gritted his teeth and concentrated on taking slow, deep breaths, blocking out the elemental discord around him. He called the sluggish spirit of the jaguar from inside him, extending his claws then curling them until the sharp tips dug into his palms.

Warm blood washed over his hands and he pressed them to the earth. “Cipactli, hear me.”

The earth heaved and thrashed, sending Saamal flying dangerously close to the pit. His body rolled like a ragdoll tossed by the wind as he struggled to find the energy to make his arms move enough to stop himself. He scrabbled at the dirt, slowing his momentum as he reached the precipice of the pit. He peered over the edge at the gleaming vicious rocks lining the earthen floor. Hot air blasted from the pit, the breath of an infuriated Cipactli. Nerves writhed with dismayed energy. He imagined he could feel the crocodilian immortal closing her teeth on his flesh, taking his body as recompense for the shattered pact between them.

Saamal set his jaw and worked his body until his hands were over the pit. The effort it took exhausted him, but he forced himself to keep moving to fight against the lethargy the elixir of the sun had infused every fiber of his being. He let the blood slide from his fingertips down onto the rocks, willing the power in his blood to stir.

“I am here, Cipactli, and I have not forgotten our pact. I am working to bring back what is your due. Have patience.”

A roar unlike anything any reptilian throat ever made on earth echoed up through the pit, blasting Saamal with more heated breath and the foul odor of old blood. He gritted his teeth and tried to hold on as the earth surged up, rolling like the tail of a great monster until it snapped, flinging Saamal into the air like a ragdoll. He fell toward the pit, the gnashing rocks at the bottom filling his vision, and Adonis shouted from a few meters away where he fought against the wind, trying to get back to Saamal. The incubus let out an earth shaking roar and leapt to catch him, but the wind ripped at his wings, fighting him for every inch so that he hovered in the air, trapped. Saamal grabbed the edge of the earth as he hurtled into the pit, claws digging into the rocky soil as his lower body dangled limply into the abyss. Pain screamed through his joints as he held himself above the gaping maw below.

Adonis gave up trying to fly to him and dropped to the ground, flattening himself against the writhing earth as much as he could and clawing his way toward the pit. He flung out a hand and grasped Saamal by the wrist. Saamal struggled to raise his lower body as Adonis pulled him out, filling his mind with thoughts of Aiyana, of how she would remain trapped in the Dreamworld if he could not escape this fate. A weak, but much-needed tingle of energy fought to life inside him and he kicked at the edge of the shaft, climbing over the edge.

He was almost free of the pit when a sudden vice closed over his ankle with crushing force. Saamal screamed, agony shooting through his body like heated fire irons, stabbing him ruthlessly until his left leg dangled uselessly behind him. The pressure vanished and Adonis gathered him into his arms with one final, desperate heave. They both tumbled backward to the ground as the world around them began to quiet. The earth rumbled to a low growl, the land still shaking, but no longer pitching like a rolling sea. The briars trembled, but ceased their thrashing. The wind died down, as if it had never been, and Adonis immediately took advantage of the lull to throw himself into the air with a few beats of his enormous wings. He carried Saamal back to the window of Aiyana’s tower, warily circling around the brambles that had nearly snagged them on the way out.

The silence was deafening as they entered the castle again, the lingering turmoil outside mere background noise. Saamal groaned, feeling something wet and sticky on his left leg. He looked down as Adonis lowered him back onto the furs of his temporary bed and hissed as he found his left foot had been severed at the ankle—bitten off. Cipactli had claimed a piece of her retribution, no doubt the only reason the land had calmed as much as it had. Saamal gritted his teeth, hoping his pound of flesh had bought them enough time.

“What in the name of Fenris happened out there,” Etienne demanded, staring at the stump of what had been Saamal’s left foot.

“Cipactli is pissed.” Adonis shoved a black clawed hand through his wild hair. “And she’s not accepting any apologies. This is where my assistance with women ends, gentlemen.” He threw his hands in the air and started pacing the room. “You’re on your own with this female.”

Saamal ignored the tremble creeping over his body and the incubus’ nervous ranting. “Too far. It has gone too far. I’ve given up half my power, the sacrifices have been stopped—here and in the Dreamworld. The pact has been shattered and Cipactli will not be appeased until she is given her due.” He shifted his leg and looked around for something he could use to bandage it. He was too weak to heal such a wound quickly. It would be a miracle if he didn’t go through the rest of his existence as lame as the Greek god of the forge.

“And what is her due?” Etienne asked. He unfastened the belt at his waist then tugged it free. With sure, quick movements, he wrapped it around Saamal’s leg and began to tighten it into a tourniquet.

“Blood price,” Saamal answered, clenching his teeth as the pain in his ankle grew, pulsing with increasing intensity as the belt tightened. “She is owed a century of sacrifices, and she will take them now by whatever means she can. The pits you see will continue to grow, continue to open up all over the kingdom. She will eat her fill until she is satisfied.”