Love Charms (122 page)

 “What is it?” Jacob asked putting
another log on the fire.

“Zyllven’s lying. He’s not going to honor
any agreement with us.” I rested my forehead on the wall, tired and annoyed.

“You’re kidding. He seemed so...” Jacob
cast about looking for the right word, “agreeable.”

I nodded. “Yes, I know. That’s what makes
the betrayal such a bitch. You think you can trust him but you can’t.” Where
Jocyllen looked shifty, Zyllven with his wide, pleasant face, and roly-poly
figure looked honest, right up until I touched him. He would make a great used
car salesman.

“So what do you want to do?”

“Might as well find Wyllven and tell him
now. I don’t want to give Zyllven any more time than necessary to plot against
us.”

Jacob sighed, rubbing his neck. “If he
could just wait, I’m sure I could help him.”

“Yeah, about that...I know you’re a
lawyer and I’m sure you have connections, but how is it you can promise the
dragons a review of their appeal?”

Jacob gave a one shouldered shrug. “I did
my undergrad and JD at Harvard. I met a lot of people including the
commissioner that would hear the dragons’ case. My family is pretty well
connected. Or at least we were.” He frowned and I could tell he was thinking of
his brother.

I went and laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Are you okay?”

He shook himself. “Yes. Sorry. Sometimes
it’s so...”

“Raw?”

Jacob nodded, suddenly mute. I folded him
into a hug, rocking him gently. This wasn’t the time or place, but if I had
learned anything since Mark died, it was that grief kept its own schedule. For
a timeless moment, Jacob heaved grief on my shoulders and I just held him in
silence, knowing there were no words for the awful, searing pain.

After several minutes, Jacob pulled away
his head down, avoiding my eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall apart like
that.”

“That’s okay. I’m not a stranger to what
you’re going through.”

“Still, there are more important... more
immediate things to worry about. We should be talking to Wyllven.”

I laughed. “Do you know I cried my way
through an entire grocery shopping trip the week after Mark died?”

“No.”

“Yes. And when I got my hair cut, there
was a guy getting a trim next to me that talked just like Mark. I lost it right
there in the chair.” I winced at the memory. I had run out before they could
even finish styling my hair, throwing my money down on the counter.

“I guess I’m normal then.”

“Very.” I closed the distance between us
and kissed him on the cheek. “I like that about you.”

He turned to meet my lips, giving me a
deep kiss before saying, “If there’s one good thing to come out of all this,
it’s meeting you.”

I kissed him back, pressing against him.
I felt the same way. “Now, shall we go tell Wyllven his son is a thief and a
liar?”

Jacob laughed. “Oh man, do you know how
to kill a mood.”

“What? Did I say something wrong?” I
batted my eyes, a grin twitching on my lips.

“No, not at all. It’s just my thoughts
were going in an entirely different direction than yours.” He looked at the
bed.

I blushed. “Oh.”

“Don’t worry. Wyllven comes first.” Jacob
went to the door and opened it with a flourish. “After you.”

Chapter
Twelve

We found a guard standing at attention a
few hallways over from our room who willingly abandoned his post to escort us
to Wyllven’s chamber. The castle was a warren of gray stone hallways and, a
half dozen turns later, I doubted I could’ve found my way back to our room
without help. Each hallway looked like the last, with rough stone walls, smooth
stone floors, and torches at regular intervals to light the way. Interior
decoration was not a dragon strength. The guard however, never hesitated and
led us, his boots clattering with confident authority down hall after hall.

Whether from years of habit or some inner
compass unique to dragons, he knew exactly when to turn. After what felt like a
mile long hike, he stopped short in front of a large double door blocked by
more than a dozen members of the castle guard.

“Who goes there?” asked a loud, booming
voice belonging to a hulking guard who glared at us with suspicious yellow
eyes.

My guide gestured for me to step forward
and indicated I should speak with an encouraging nod. “I need to see the king.
We have some news for him.”

“Not possible.” The guard’s voice was
flat.

“Not possible?” I echoed. “Are you sure?”

The guard shook his head and widened his
stance in front of the door. Considering he probably outweighed me by at least
two hundred pounds and towered over my head like a tree, bracing himself for an
attack from me seemed a bit much. Nor was I crazy enough to think charging him
was a solution.

“It’s urgent,” I said infusing my voice
with as much authority as I could. “The king gave me express instructions to
come to him any time, day or night.”

“Well he didn’t give those instructions
to us.”

“If we can’t see the king, who can?”
Jacob asked.

“No one. He’s sick.”

“Sick? But we saw him tonight at the
joining. He was fine then.” As I spoke, I glanced at Jacob who arched an
eyebrow. I wasn’t the only one who thought this seemed too convenient. Had the
king caught an illness or had one been given to him?

“The king took ill after the joining.
Been in bed burning with fever ever since. Even if he had told me to let you
in, it wouldn’t do any good. He’s unconscious.”

 And Wyllven was the only one who knew
why we were here, and, with him incapacitated, there wasn't much we could do. I
gave the guard a pleading look. "Can you send someone to tell us when he's
awake? I need to speak with the king urgently."

Giving a curt nod, the guard said,
"I will send one of the pages to fetch you."

I winced at his word choice, feeling like
a stick about to be chased by a dog. Some of the archaic terms popular in Fairy
didn't hold up well in light of more modern interpretations. "Okay,
thanks. I guess we'll go back to our room and wait."

Behind us, the guard who had brought us
to Wyllven’s door, turned on his heel and began clomping his way down the hall.
Since he was the only one who knew the way to our suite, Jacob and I hastened to
follow him.

Back in our room, I perched on the edge
of the bed. “Well, so much for plan A.”

“Yeah, I know. Zyllven is smarter than he
appears.” Jacob threw another log on the fire. Fairy had a temperate climate.
For the most part, the days were warm, but it could be cold at night and a
chill had crept into the room.

“Now what?” I hadn’t gotten past plan A
to even think of B or C. Some psychic I was.

“We sleep,” he said.

“Sleep? When Zyllven is going to betray
us, not to mention his own people?”

Jacob nodded. “Yes. We’ve done what we
can today. It’s been a really long day, we need rest.”

Well, I was tired, but this didn’t seem
to be the right moment for tucking myself into bed. No matter how good sleep
sounded. “But…”

Jacob held up a hand. “No buts. I’m tired.
You can barely keep your eyes open. We need rest. We’ll regroup in the morning.
Let’s see if Wyllven is better and take it from there, okay?”

“I guess. I don’t think he’s going to
wake up though. I think he’s more than just sick, I think Zyllven has done
something.”

“I know. But let’s not jump to
conclusions. You haven’t read Wyllven since this morning. He might just be sick
and forgot to tell his guards to let us in.” Jacob threw some more wood on the
fire.

“Maybe. Maybe not,” I said, unconvinced.

“However it turns out, can we just let it
go until to tomorrow?” Jacob asked, weariness stamped on his face.

“No, you’re right. We’ve done enough
today,” I said, adjusting my pillow so it better supported my neck. I’d agreed
to help the dragons, not save them. If they couldn’t take care of themselves, I
wasn’t going to be much help. I sighed, letting my anxiety go. I was getting
too wrapped in other people’s problems at my own expense.

He climbed into bed. "It looks like
we're going to be roommates again."

I smiled and shifted to make more room
for him. "I don't mind."

"I should hope not." He reached
over and pulled me to him so we could kiss, his hand stroking my back and
lower. I followed his lead and we kissed for several minutes, our hands
wandering over each other's body, but when he moved to slide his hands under my
waistband, I stiffened.

"What's wrong?"

I didn't answer right away, fighting with
myself. I wanted to keep going with Jacob until we were both naked. I wanted to
lose myself in the heat he generated with touch alone, but I couldn't shake the
feeling I was being unfaithful to Mark. Or the doubt that this was an
attraction of convenience, a relationship born out of circumstance as opposed
to any real emotional connection. I didn't want to start something I would
later regret, yet with Jacob next to me, his brown hair tousled, and the curves
of his muscular body under my palms, I almost didn't care about future regrets.
Almost being the key word. In the end I sighed, and sat up. "Sorry. I don't
think I'm ready for this."

"Oh." He reached out to run a
hand lightly across my shoulders. "That's okay, we can take things
slow." He attempted to pull me back, but I resisted. "What is
it?"

"I do like you, Jacob, but I'm not
sure we're a good idea. Right now, you're a client first, a lover second."

"One you can't keep out of your
bed." He pulled me again, harder this time. "Now, come here, I won't
bite unless you want me to. I'll play by the rules."

I allowed him to pull me back a second
time. Our lips met and I let my weight sink into Jacob, unable to hold back a
moan when he gently sucked on my bottom lip, his hand cradling the back of my
head. I hadn't been kissed so thoroughly for longer than I cared to remember. A
tingling sensation spread from my stomach across my skin in a slow flush. I
felt alive for the first time in months. The cold dread I had lived with since
Mark died, retreated and let me feel something else for once, something good.

 I threw my head back, my breath coming
in gasps at the way Jacob’s fingers skimmed across my skin, touching, yet not
touching, scorching me with the lightest of pressure. I returned his caresses,
pulling his shirt over his head between kisses and tracing the curves of his
body with my hands. His chest was wide and strong muscles flexed under my
touch. I bent down to kiss him over his heart, pausing to inhale the scent that
emanated from his skin. He smelled sweet and hot.

I resisted the urge to allow him past my
shields, to dip my energy in his. For one, I didn’t want to read his thoughts,
I wanted to feel his body. Two, I was still uncomfortable with this new facet
of being psychic. The last thing I needed was a migraine from playing with
power I didn’t understand. Better to save it for emergencies and keep it out of
my love life.

Jacob moved to slip his hands underneath
my clothes and I didn’t stop him. I couldn’t. It would mean letting the guilt
come back. I could sense the sadness lurking at the edges, dark shadows kept at
bay through simple human touch. Jacob’s hands were healing, his lips a balm. I
couldn’t think of anything but the present moment when he touched me. There was
no past, no pain, just the here-and-now. I wasn’t sure if Jacob and I were
doing the right thing, but I wanted to avoid the sadness more.

I shuddered as Jacob lightly dragged a
finger across my chest. My bra did nothing to deaden the sensation, and when he
cupped my breasts in his hands to rub my nipples with his thumbs, I arched
back, body as taut as a bow string. My hands began to tremble then, followed by
the rest of my body. Quivering with a craving that transcended sexual desire.
The need to be touched, the need to live again. I had denied myself too long.
Mark might like to think that our relationship would continue beyond the grave
and he had almost convinced me of it, but my body knew better. My flesh and
bones ached with the knowledge...with life.

My hands still shaking, I began to pull
my shirt over my head. I wanted to lay, skin on skin, against Jacob’s chest. He
was warm where I was cold and empty. All I could think of was soaking up that
heat any way I could. But Jacob grabbed the hem of my shirt and resisted my
efforts to take it off. I gave a moan of protest and tried to yank the shirt
away from him, but he didn’t let go.

“Sofia, are you sure?” Serious brown eyes
met mine.

We looked at each other, silence
stretching between us while I considered his question. Just minutes ago I had
told him no, that this would be a mistake. Now I wondered if I had been right.
My heart and intuition screamed for me to follow my instincts, but my head, the
part of me that balanced checkbooks and told me I should eat more vegetables,
hesitated, holding me back. I was on a precipice, an edge. One step back and
things would be as they had been; stagnant guilt and loss. Just an inch forward
and I would free fall into an unknown future. I took a deep breath and jumped,
deciding the status quo was nothing worth maintaining.

“I think I’ve changed my mind.” It was
time to shake things up.

“No regrets?” Jacob kept his gaze steady,
but let go of my shirt.

I pulled the shirt over my head in one
quick motion and tossed it on the floor. “No regrets.” I had already lived with
them for far too long. The ring of truth in that thought, resonated through me
like a bell toll. I had made the right decision. No matter what my dryly
practical mind might say, it was time for this to happen.

Warm hands worked their way up the bare
skin of my back to unhook my bra. I shook myself free and let the bra join my
shirt on the floor. I leaned over to lay on top of his chest and just rested
there, feeling our hearts beat against one another. Wanting more, I moved my
lips along his neck, to the line of his jaw, up to his mouth. Kissing me with
an intensity that stole my breath, Jacob pushed the waistband of my pants down
past my hips along with my underwear. I kicked off my pants and shifted my legs
to make room for his hands. With an expert touch, he quickly drove me out of my
mind.

While I was still lost in sensation,
Jacob flipped me on my back, pinning me with his body. Starting with my
breasts, he worked his way down my stomach, caressing me with both his lips and
hands as I undulated beneath him. When he reached my center and kissed my core,
I couldn’t hold back a hoarse scream at that first contact. Apparently not
satisfied with my immediate reaction, Jacob gave me a wolfish grin and
continued to stroke me until I found myself moaning another release into the
pillow beside me.

Jacob left me for a moment to get rid of
his pants and I watched with interest as his sleek body was revealed. I knew
Jacob worked out, after all I had even worn his workout clothes, but I hadn’t
really thought about how such a dedication to exercise would manifest in a
physique that was just one big lean muscle. He walked back to the bed with
quiet grace and controlled strength in each step. I cupped my breasts in my
hands and rotated my hips in a slow invitation.

In two steps, all control was abandoned
and he was on the bed, on me, crushing my lips with his. Hard edges grinding
into my soft curves. Conscious thought fled, running as sensation flooded my
body. We kissed, rolling on the bed in a frenzied quest for more; more contact,
more heat, more tension, more of each other. I wanted to drown in Jacob, to
soak up his essence in my pores, and the next time I ended up on top, I took
advantage of it. Locking eyes with Jacob, I dragged the tips of my breasts down
his chest and, moving lower, I took him into my mouth, hot velvet covering
satin skin.

Strong hands lifted me away after several
minutes and brought me up to where Jacob could capture a breast in his mouth. I
sucked in air, holding it as he alternated from one nipple to the other. Dizzy
from the lack of oxygen, I pulled away and moaned, “Please, I can’t wait
anymore.”

With a slow grin, Jacob gently lay me on
my back. I arched up to meet him as he covered me and then...nothing. He went
still and a disappointment I didn’t understand came into his eyes.

He fell on the bed beside me with an
exasperated sigh, “I don’t have a condom.”