Betrayal's Price (In Deception's Shadow Book 1) (29 page)

Ashayna awoke
to the swaying motions of a santhyrian’s walking gait and realized she was
astride Winter’s Frost. Rubbing her eyes, Ashayna looked around. Night had
passed her by while she slept, but apparently Itharann had made use of the time
and they had traveled a good distance from where she’d fallen asleep. There
were still mountains in the far distance, though the air no longer held the
humid jungle quality. She recognized some species of trees dotting the
landscape around a small mist-covered lake. It shone bright in the morning
light and its source seemed to be a small, picturesque spring. A large redwood,
covered in soft green of leaves, shaded the spring’s headwater. The tree swayed
slightly in the breeze. The tranquility of the place was at odds with the
horror of seeing Sorntar in his changed form. In the grey light of the Wild
Path and later in Dakdamon’s prison, she had been able to forget the extent of
Sorntar’s changes. Now, under bright morning light, she saw again the harsh
changes.

Itharann stood
at water’s edge and relaxed his shoulders. Until then she’d been unaware of his
tension. Ashayna took note of it, promising herself she would not overlook
anything else she might use as a weapon against him. His slow smile revealed
pointed fangs. The teeth unnerved her more than some of the other changes. What
purpose would those serve? Nothing good.

“Perhaps after
we achieve the next stage of our bonding, we will explore the uses for my
fangs.” His voice was a low purr. “We can learn together.”

“May the Mother
shrivel your manhood.” Her voice came out a rusty crackle. She cleared her
throat and gave him a chilly smile. “And if you try anything, I’ll make a
necklace out of your teeth.”

His short laugh
echoed across the water, disturbing a pair of water fowl. When the panicked
flapping of bird wings diminished, the area around the lake returned to its
earlier peaceful state.

He didn’t allow
her to reply, instead sealing her mouth shut with another weaving. She didn’t
fight him. Knowing he planned to force the bond, she conserved all her strength
for later. She couldn’t afford to let herself think of him as noble and gentle
Sorntar. Itharann had granted her a favor by changing his appearance.

Summer Flame
wandered a little ways off at Itharann’s signal. To hold Winter’s Frost, he
wove a halter of power and tied her to a nearby tree. After Itharann secured
the mare, he allowed Ashayna to dismount. She grimaced. Though free to move,
she was still helpless.

Despair was
stirring in her heart when a familiar and beloved mind touched hers.

“Ashayna?”

He whispered
her name into her thoughts. Faint at first, then his voice grew stronger.

“Ashayna,
can you hear me?”

Yes, she heard
him, but didn’t want to believe. Surely this was another of Itharann’s tricks.
“Sorntar?”
Ashayna asked, unable to resist even if it was another trick.

“Yes,
beloved. When you healed what was broken within Itharann, you changed
something. I’m not sure what, exactly, but when he’s focused on other things,
he can’t block me from speaking to you. And his memories are open to my invasion.
I know everything about him, his weaknesses and his wants. This lake, it’s
sacred to the Mother, and even Dakdamon can’t influence Itharann here.”

Ashayna’s heart
lightened at the sound of Sorntar’s mindvoice. If this was another trick, she
didn’t think she cared. She opened what remained of her defenses to him,
welcoming him into her mind. It was as close to an embrace as she could manage.
“Do you have a plan?”

“More of a
desperate last hope. The Elementals must now know of the darkness within Itharann’s
soul. They’ll seek to destroy him. I don’t want to die, but I think there is
more at risk than personal survival. I believe the Great Mother and the All
Father have sent us back to fix Dakdamon’s mistake. For that, we need to be
whole. Only the Destroyer can undo the damage Dakdamon did to Itharann. You
will not get a second chance. Dakdamon’s grip on Itharann grows with each day.”

Ashayna sighed
with despair. Sorntar asked the impossible.
“How am I supposed to accomplish
this?”

“After what
Dakdamon did to him, Itharann no longer trusts anyone, not even me. But when
you healed him, you flooded his soul with the essence of his lost love’s power.
He remembers the strength of his love for her—for you. I think you’ll be able
to reach a part of him not even Dakdamon has touched. During the bonding
ritual, he’ll be vulnerable to your magic. That’s your chance.”

“You want me
to seduce him while we are in the midst of the bonding ritual? Are you out of
your mind?”

“When you
put it that way, yes, I do sound crazy. And no, I don’t mean seduce him
physically. You need to persuade him into releasing all control to you, so you
can use your magic upon him. What do we have to lose? Itharann is winning.”

“If I do
manage to seduce an ancient Larnkin, what do I do then? I doubt Itharann will
just let me go poking around in his soul.”

“You’re the
Destroyer.”
Sorntar’s voice faded, then rallied
again.
“You have great destructive powers, but also the power to unmake, the
power to purify. You must unmake Dakdamon’s work. Sever the connection between
Itharann and the God of Mists and Time. Then forge a stronger bond of love with
Itharann yourself.”

“But I don’t
love Itharann.”

“Are you so
sure of that? You are half Larnkin, and your Larnkin-half loved Itharann. Look
within yourself.”

“I don’t
know how to reach that part of me, if it even still exists.”

“You must
trust yourself…and your magic,”
Sorntar said, his
mindvoice sounding stressed.
“I can’t maintain the link… I’ll try to help
you when the time comes.”

“Sorntar…I
love you.”
But he’d already vanished from her
thoughts. She cursed mentally. Like so many times in her life, she’d missed
another opportunity. Next time she was with Sorntar, she’d show him how much
she loved him. If she was given another chance.

While she’d conversed
with Sorntar, Itharann had returned from surveying the lake. She immediately
detected a flaw in Sorntar’s plan. Itharann’s thoughts brushed hers.

He held out a
hand and beckoned her forward. “What are you hiding from me, my little scout?”

No point in
wasting energy on a lie. “Sorntar thought if I seduced you, I might gain your
trust and heal you. I told him I’ve never heard such a crazy idea.”

Itharann’s
somber expression transformed, his eyes lighting with laughter. “Indeed.”

She arched an eyebrow,
expecting a darker reaction. Anger at the very least.

“It doesn’t
matter what Sorntar whispered into your head while I was busy elsewhere. I will
get what I want in the end. Though, perhaps I should let you seduce me. I might
enjoy it.” Itharann watched her with an unreadable looked for a moment and then
moved on to the next chore of grinding herbs and pigments into a paste.

He sorted
through several packets containing the dry ingredients needed for creating the
paint. Faster than she wished, he had them ready.

“We’ve wasted
enough time. Take off your clothes.” Power laced his words.

Seeing no point
in fighting, Ashayna obeyed, stripping with cold haste. Naked, the breeze lifted
goose flesh on her skin.

“That’s a poor
way to seduce a man. If you’re serious about it, take it slow, reveal a little
at a time. Make him wait for it.”

Ashayna
snorted. “I’ll remember your advice when Sorntar’s back in control.” A small
part of her mind wondered at the foolishness of baiting a Larnkin, but her fear
was gone, replaced by new purpose.

Itharann’s
smile stretched further. He picked up one of the pots and dipped a finger in
the paste, and then motioned her closer.

After a brief
silent debate, Ashayna came and allowed him to begin painting her body with the
foreign symbols. If his fingers lingered on her skin longer than was necessary,
she didn’t say anything. But she thought about what Sorntar had said. Was it
possible? Did she have it in her? Did it matter? No. They were both doomed if
she didn’t try.

When Itharann
would have painted the symbols on his own body, she took the pot from him.

“Eager?”

“Perhaps, but I’m
not sure if I remember them all. I was a little distracted last time.”

“Go on. I’ll
guide you if you should falter.”

She held her
silence, and kept her touch a light caress. Was it her imagination, or did he
shiver when her fingers glided across his flesh? Maybe, maybe not, but he did
close his eyes and sighed like it was the first time he’d relaxed in all his
life. He gave nothing else away.

When finished,
he ordered her to the lake. Ashayna reached water’s edge and stopped. A soft
rustle of feathers announced Itharann had joined her on the bank. He commanded
her to face him while he stood gazing out onto the smooth surface of the lake.

After he let
her look her fill, he grinned and motioned for her to enter the water. Her body
obeyed his command. Her magic didn’t stir at all. No memories. Nothing. With a
growing sense of defeat, she walked out into the lake. She was going to fail
Sorntar again.

The tepid water
had an earthy smell, but underlying it was the sharper scent of the magic
non-water she remembered from their first bonding. She kept walking deeper
until she feared Itharann planned to make her walk to its very middle.

He didn’t order
her to halt until the water reached her chin. She stopped, but before relief
had fully registered, her body dove under the surface. She swam with her arms
arched over her head, legs kicking, slicing through the water. Need for air
burned in her lungs. Curving back up towards light and air, she surfaced next
to Itharann and dragged in lungful after lungful of air. Fresh air had never
tasted so good.

Itharann took a
step forward, his gaze roaming over her in a way that raised a blush to her
face. He seemed to struggle with some internal decision, but after no more than
a few heartbeats his expression softened and he reached out and smoothed a lock
of her hair behind her ear. Leaning into her, he placed his hands on her
shoulders and stroked his lips against hers in a gentle kiss.

Even with
everything Sorntar had told her, she stiffened, surprised by Itharann’s
tenderness.

“I won’t hurt
you.” His lips stretched into a sorrowful smile, showing his fangs. He caressed
her collarbone. “I’m capable of gentleness.”

He bent for another
kiss, his warm breath causing her skin to tingle. He cupped her breast, the
weight of his hand soothing and arousing.

Her heart,
mind, and body were all at war. In her heart, she only wanted Sorntar, her mind
was willing to do anything to win him back, while her body was content with
Itharann’s attentions.

Warm lips
nipped at the underside of her jaw, and then he froze. Itharann loosed a curse.

“What’s wrong?”

“My host needs
to be put in his place.” Itharann’s expression darkened with anger. “If Sorntar
continues fighting me in the future, he’ll get us all killed.”

“Wait. Sorntar
doesn’t want this?” She pushed at his chest, trying to break free of his
embrace. “Please don’t do this. I’ll do as you ask in the future, but please
don’t force him.”

He pulled her
closer and buried his face in her hair. His fingers tugged at the damp strands.

“Itharann,
please no. It will destroy him.”

“Why should we
stop? We both want this. Sorntar isn’t gentle and innocent like you think…you’ve
been in his dreams. He’s wanted you almost since the first moment he saw you.
Oh, yes, he’ll rage and fight at first, not because he’s trying to be noble,
but because he wants to be with you first. Which is foolish. We share one body.
Regardless, in the end he’ll like it. You’re bondmates, after all. Come, kiss
your beloved Sorntar.”

Ashayna fought
his compulsion. She won for the first handful of heartbeats, but Itharann urged
her closer with the flick of a finger and she couldn’t fight his command. Her
hands settled on his shoulders, caressing his hard muscles before stretching up
on her toes and laying a kiss along one cheek.

“You didn’t
specify where.”

Itharann
chuckled, “I’ll be more specific in the future. Come kiss your bondmate with
passion. Sorntar will…” Itharann froze, making a helpless choking noise. His
limbs shook and his talons curled into his palms with such force blood dripped
into the lake, tinting the water a pale pink. Ashayna felt the weavings holding
her give way.

“Run.” An
earsplitting scream echoed on the heels of his one word.

Ashayna would
recognize Sorntar’s raptor scream of rage anywhere.

No matter how
sensible his words, she would not leave him alone to deal with Itharann’s
wrath. Ashayna slipped up behind Sorntar and embraced him.