Jaden (St. Sebastians Quartet #1) (16 page)

Again, she had the thought that it was like drowning. Like drowning in him.

"Let me have you," he whispered into her ear. He was hoarse and panting, and the sound of his voice nearly drove her mad.

He arched up from her and undid the button on his jeans, his eyes fixed on her face. Waiting, hands poised over his zipper.

She nodded, almost frantically. "Yes."

He slid his zipper down. The sound, so familiar, was suddenly the biggest turn on of her life. He had to stand to get his jeans off. Then he freed her of her clothes. In a moment he was on her again. The warmth of his skin against hers, of his erection against her belly, had her mindless with need. She ran her fingers over his back, reveling in the hard muscle beneath her fingertips.

He kissed her again, moaning into her mouth. And then he was inside her.

She'd been with men before, but it hadn't felt like this. She hadn't even known this was possible. Every time he slid into her the pleasure was nearly too much. She thought she might float out of her body from the intensity of it. And it didn't stop or lessen. It got better with each possession. More intense, until she'd climaxed beneath him.

After, she lie spent on the sofa, trying to catch her breath.

He lay on top of her, holding most of his weight on his elbows. His breathing was as heavy as her own. She supposed the look of surprise and satisfaction he wore was a mirror of her own. She hadn't been expecting this, either. But she was glad it had happened.

"That was amazing," he said, still catching his breath. "I should have taken you up to my bedroom, but I couldn't wait."

"What's stopping you from taking me to your bedroom now?"

It took him a moment to get her meaning. When he did, a grin spread across his face. "Absolutely nothing."

In the next moment, he had her in his arms and was carrying her up the stairs.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Kenda looked out at the distant mountain range, confused. Where was he? He'd never seen those mountains before. But that wasn't quite right. They were familiar. They looked a bit like the foothills he saw from his office window every day. A bit like them, but different. They were bigger. The trees were taller, the foliage thicker. The vista seemed somehow wild and untamed. There wasn't a sign of any of the houses built along the mountain range. The structures that had caused thousands of trees to be chopped down to make way for pools, tennis courts, and mansions. He'd had a hand in designing many of those houses, so he knew them well. And they were gone. Every one of them were gone.

"It'll be dark sooner. We should be getting back."

Kenda looked to his left and realized he wasn't alone. A man was with him. The man was dressed entirely in green and was wearing black boots that came to just below his knees. The lower half of his face was covered in what looked like a green mask, but his brown eyes were wide and kind. He was surprised that he knew those eyes. Knew this person.

"Prodigy and his night raids," another man said.

Kenda turned to this new speaker. He knew this man, too.

He looked down at himself and was surprised to see he was dressed as the two men. But where was he?

"Collect the princesses," the first man said. "We'll make it back to the castle before nightfall if we leave now."

The princesses? What princesses?

But even as he'd asked himself the question, the sound of raised voices came to him. They were high and sweet and young. He turned around and saw four small girls splashing around in the lake. They were laughing and shouting. They looked so small and innocent, so helpless that his heart nearly broke just looking at them.

Yes, they had to get the princesses back to the castle before nightfall. Ever since the old Maliki had died, and the kingdoms were split between his sons, the forests between the two kingdoms wasn't safe.

"Time to go back," the second man said as he approached the princesses. "It'll be dark soon."

Kenda felt a tug on his pant leg and looked down. A tiny little girl was standing in front of him, staring at him with large brown eyes. One fat tear was on her cheek and her lips trembled.

"Sauda said there are monsters on the path at night and that's why we have to go home early now. Are there monsters?"

He crouched onto his knees so he could look into her scared eyes. He wasn't sure what he should say, but he wanted to comfort her so she wouldn't worry. No child of four should have to be concerned about monsters, even if they were real. She was young and should be able to enjoy her childhood.

"Sauda said that, did she?"

Kesi nodded. "Yes."

"Well..." he trailed off. He could hear something far off in the distance. He knew he should recognize the sound immediately, but he couldn't. He was confused today. Not sure even of who he was.

Then he knew.

He grabbed Kesi and stood. "Prodigy!" He ran toward the wagon, carrying Kesi with him. At his words, the others sprang into action. The girls were gathered and loaded onto the wagon. It would be a bumpy ride, so he secured each of the girls, then got in beside them. The first man he'd seen was driving, with another man beside him. The second man he'd seen got into the wagon and set himself at the other side of the girls.

"How can he know we're here. Zuri said she'd set a spell of protection on us, blocking us from view," the second man said.

"Chris?"

The second man looked at him, confused, but only for a moment. "We've no time for games. How did Prodigy find us?"

He was talking to his brother, Chris. At the same time, he knew he was looking at Chris, he also knew what Chris was saying was true. He didn't know how he knew it to be true, but it was.

They set off at high speed. He was thankful he'd taken such deliberate steps to make sure the princesses were set securely in their seats. While the road to the castle was paved, none of Maliki Bakari's men had been out to tend to it in over a year. The threat of war loomed and that was all anyone was focused on. So the once smooth road was pocked in places. They bumped up it, toward the castle at considerable speed.

Kenda yelped in pain when something pinched his thigh. When he looked down, he saw Kesi had wrapped her little arms around his leg and was holding tight to him. Her little body shook. He could only imagine the terror she was feeling. As her protector, it was his job to not only guard her, but to see to her overall well-being.

He stroked her back and pushed hair out of her face. She was the youngest of the princesses and the most fragile.

"You send the wrong message by running!"

Kenda looked up to see Adia looking from him to the road behind them. Adia was the oldest and the most like her uncle Brell, although, thankfully, she hadn't inherited his lust for power. But she was a fighter. She was always willing to fight for herself and her sisters.

"With your sisters here, little one?" Chris said.

"I'm not little. I'm eight," she pronounced. She tilted her chin higher into the air. "I can protect my sisters. Isn't that right, Sauda?"

At six, Sauda was tall and lanky for her age. She was the same height as Adia, and tried to be as tough. Kenda wasn't surprised when Sauda nodded and said that she too could protect her sisters."

"Not today, little ones," Chris said.

Kenda tried to recall his name in this world, but he couldn't. But he knew this man. He knew all of them.

Thunder cracked overhead. A moment later, lightning flashed. Then it happened again. And with every crack of thunder, the sky darkened.

"He's near," Kenda said. Again, he wasn't sure how he knew, he just did.

"Faster!" Chris said. "I can hear him nearing."

Kenda looked down at his weapons, at his sword. But weapons like these were useless against Prodigy. Prodigy didn't fight with weapons. He fought with magic. Dark magic. Black magic. Against such a thing, they were helpless. They needed Zuri.

The wagon continued up the hill. They were going faster now. Even faster than before. He didn't think they could risk going any faster. The wagon wasn't made for such travel. Why hadn't they taken one of the heavier, faster vehicles? In hindsight, he saw that they'd been reckless and stupid.

"Faster!" Chris shouted again. "I see him through the trees."

Kenda turned to look behind them, then swore. He could see the wizard, too. And he wasn't alone. And he wasn't traveling via wagon. He was on foot.

He was on foot and gaining.

Three creatures followed close behind him. They weren't from Two Lands, but from beyond the border. They were night crawlers. They moved only in darkness and, it is said, ate human flesh.

The four of them ran forward, gaining on the wagon.

Seeing what they faced, Kenda pulled out his sword. It might not work on Prodigy, but it would work on night crawlers. But even as he pulled his weapon free, he noticed something else. The trees. The trees were shifting unnaturally in the wind. What was this new evil?

"Tree men!" the driver shouted.

Tree men? Kenda wondered. What on earth was a tree man?

Then he remembered. These weren't from Two Lands either. He'd thought they were a myth. Some believed tree men were the offspring of the same evolutionary parents as humans, but had evolved in a different direction. They'd made their homes in the trees and had never developed beyond hunting for food. They were scavengers with long arms, for swinging between the trees. Their feet were said to be like human hands. Their bodies were covered in thick, coarse hair and they had the faces of apes.

So much for calming Kesi's fears. He was sure this was everything and more that she'd been afraid of.

He looked down at her and saw she'd had her face pressed into his thigh. She couldn't see anything, which he supposed was good. But he had to release her so he could fight.

Thunder continued to crack and the sky darkened until the only light was coming from the lanterns at the front and back of the wagon. He could see the tree men, trailing them through the trees. He could see the night crawlers, but only because their eyes were yellow.

He extricated himself from Kesi, making sure she was secure in the wagon. Then he crouched, weapon at the ready. He used the lightning to track the tree men. At any moment they would attack. They were getting closer. Prodigy and the night crawlers were getting closer.

Lightning flashed across the sky. At the same time he saw this, he saw a tree man let go of the tree it was swinging on and descend toward them, screeching as it fell. Kenda lifted his sword, ready to fight. Then the sky flashed bright orange. In an instant, the darkness was gone, replaced by blinding sunlight. The night crawlers cried out in agony, then fled into the forest, looking for cover. Some of the tree men fell from the trees, others fled back the way they'd come. On the road, between the wagon and Prodigy, the witch Zuri floated. Her hair whipped out around her like black smoke. Her red gown fluttered in the wind, and her hands were held out, toward the wizard.

She didn't say anything to him. She didn't give him a warning. Her hand flashed out in Prodigy's direction. Kenda couldn't see what exactly she did, but Prodigy's clothes went up in flames.

Zuri turned to the wagon. "Go!" she shouted. Then she turned back to face the wizard. "You are on the land of Maliki Bakari and do not belong here. Take your devils and go!"

The earth rumbled and his body shook. From far away, someone was calling his name.

"Go!" Zuri shouted, and the wizard flew backwards, head over heels through the air.

"Kenda!" the voice called again.

Still breathing heavy, Kenda pulled away from the hands that clasped him. They had to get back to the castle. He had to keep Kesi safe.

"Kenda!" The hands grabbed him again. They shook him again. "Wake up!"

His eyes popped open onto a view that warmed his heart. Jaden. They were in his bedroom, in his house, in St. Sebastians.

He was out of breath. Sweat dripped from his temples.

"You're having a nightmare."

He looked left, then right. Then up and into Jaden's eyes. And that's when he knew the truth.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Kenda had the most orderly kitchen Jaden had ever been in. It had taken her less than a minute to find the coffee and coffee filters, then put a pot of coffee on. She'd suggested breakfast, but Kenda was too wound up to wait for her to make anything. As it was, he'd had a hard time sitting on the deck and waiting for her to bring the coffee out to him.

Now they were sitting on cushy chairs, looking out at the water. Well, they were facing the water, but Jaden couldn't see it. All she could see were the images from his dream.

She listened as Kenda relayed everything he'd dreamed about, from the lake, to the princesses, to the attack from Prodigy. Then the way Zuri had appeared out of nowhere, bringing the sunlight with her. The image of the tree men closing in on the princesses made her flesh crawl. Then there was Prodigy and the night crawlers, running at them.

"Night crawlers and tree men, that Chimera seems like a fantastic place," Jaden said. "I can't imagine why the daughters of the king have preferred to stay in stasis all this time."