The Binding (40 page)

Julia blushes as I laugh, “Yeah, isn’t it yours?” I tease back.

“So,” he comes back to stand in front of me, “you’re telling me that even though it’s one of your favorites, you still thought that we were Vulcans when you first met us?” He raises his hands up questioningly and when all I can do is laugh , he drops them in mock disgust. He grabs one of the two smaller bags, shouldering it. The other he tosses to Tolan.

“Don’t worry about the language, my love ,”
Tolan says as he kisses Julia on the top of her head, “you’ll both have plenty of time to learn it.”

“Really? How do you say ‘m y l ove ’
in Sidhe ?
” she asks him quietly.

“Depends,
is it the word or the endearment you want to know?”

“Endearment,” she answers.

“Jai’loa.”

“Jai’loa,” she repeats.

It’s
too much .
I have to turn away before I’m all sugared out. I look at Tharin and he rolls his eyes at me , and we both quietly laugh at the two love birds.

“The doorway to Velesi isn ’
t like the portal where you walk through as if walki ng from one room to another,” explains Tharin. “You need to hold on to my hand and whatever happens don’t let go.”

A little nervous I ask, “Why? Will I fall into a vortex and be lost in another realm?”

He looks at me and shakes his head, “You watch way too many movies. No, but we can get separated on the other side. You’ll probably end up a few feet from me, but where we’re going, the landscape is a dense jungle and it will be raining, hard. Just to be on the safe side, hold on tight.”

All four of us move to the doorway and wait as Tolan begins to chant the summoning . While he’s chanting, I stand close to Tharin, holding his hand. I like the idea of holding on to him, touching him. Maybe for the last time before entering Velesi, his homeland…where his love is waiting. Ugh , I need to get over this and quick. Man up, girl. You ’ve gotten over wors e, but as I look at Tharin staring ahead at the doorway, my stomach drops.

If this is the last time I’ll be able to touch him, then I’ll hold on so tight I’ll stop the circulation in his hand. I squeeze his hand, not looking at him, but something to the side of us catches my attention. The wolves! I grab Tharin’s arm and I hear him in my head .
“Calm down, Lily. They’re friendly, in fact, they’re old friends.”

I give him a confuse d look and he smiles down at me. He lets go of my hand and digs into his coat. He pulls out the Manui statue when one of the shadows come s out of nowhere, grabbing me from behind . He pushes us forward as soon as the doorway opens for Tolan. I scream for Tharin trying to reach out to him, but strong arms hold me tight, carrying me forward and away from him.

We
fall through and down among large, thick foliage and it’s p ouring rain . Just before we hit the ground, my kidnapper rolls to the side so that he takes most of the impact, with me on top of him. Instantly, I hear whooshing sounds and then Tharin’s voice calling for me close by. I open my mouth to scream, but a huge hand covers my mouth, preventing me from calling out to him.

As I grab his arm , I see the black onyx stone on my wrist . B
efore I can conjure up an image of Cessa, my attacker speaks menacingly and close to my ear so as not to be overheard. Not that he needed to. The rain is pouring so hard and fast you would have to yell to be hear d above it . However, I hear him loud and clear when he makes his chilling threat.

“The instant you call her, I will slit her throat and kill her in front of you.”

My heart is beating fast and the image of Cessa being killed makes it skip a beat. I nod once in agreement and he pulls me back against him as he backs into the jungle.
Please, Tharin, I’m here…please, Tharin, please , I continue to beg in silent prayer that Tharin would calm down and find me, connecting our minds as he has done before.

“I can kill him easily. If you so much as make a sound , mentally or otherwise, I will kill him.”

I feel Tharin seeking me out, trying to reach my mind and I cal m down using what Asi taught me. This time i nstead of shielding against an emotional attack, I close off my mind to him. As I do, my heart sinks as I continue to remain silent, pushing him away from danger. When he doesn’t connect with me, I hear him roar into the rain.
His rage shakes the jungle and even my attacker tenses at the sound. There is rage and sorrow and frustration and a prom ise to find me ―
and a promise to kill my abductor . Nearby I hear Julia screaming for me desperately , and Tolan trying to comfort them both as Tharin continues to call for me. As Tharin, Tolan and Julia’s calls slowly become more distant, the hand on my mouth relaxes.

After another long moment, he releases me slowly . He turns me toward him by the shoulders. The man from the rock wall! I was right the first time I saw him, he looks just like Tharin and Tolan. His sandy hair, his green eyes, the way he h alf—
smiles at me, it’s like looking at Tharin. There are two distinct differences. The first I notice is that he’s big, larger than Phoris as far as height and broadness. The other is his ears. Instead of the subtle slant that comes to a soft point as that of Tharin and Tolan, this guy’s ears are pronouncedly slanted upward and end in a sharp point at the tip.

The rain continues to pour as he stares at me for a long while. Then he leans into me . In a quiet, soft voice that reminds me of Phoris, he says, “Welcome to Velesi, Princess.”

*

By the time I realize it wasn’t one of the wolves that was running up to us, i t was too late. As Ziri grabs hold of Lily, he turns his head giving me an arrogant and determine d look as they pass through the doorway. We follow immediately, only seconds behind them, but it was all the time he needed.

We hold on
to each other so we would land in the same spot, while I’m cursing myself for my complacency. I let go of Lily’s hand, giving Ziri the opportunity he needed to take her from me. The image of her face as he snatched her from me was one of terror. Another face pops in my head . S
he too trusted me to take care of her, protect her. I push E’leiana’s image from my mind and concentrate on finding Lily.

I continue to yell for her, fear gripping my chest. I reach out to her mentally, hoping to find some evidence they’
re near. What if Ziri has a way of taking her to a distant location once they came through the doorway? Damn you, Ziri!
I’m going to kill you , if it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to kill you ! Not able to hold back my anger, my frustration and my fear for Lily, all of it comes out in a roar from deep within. Even the cold rain can’t cool my rage . All I can think of is him touching her and Lily unable to fight him off.

I feel a hand on my shoulder and I pull violently away from it, turning on my brother.

“
Calm yourself, Tharin . We’ll find her ,” says Tolan . He’s holding a hysterical Julia.
She’s soaking wet . The fear for her friend makes her unaware of her state of condition.

I stand facing Tolan. I’m br eathing hard, beside myself with anger and fear.

“You’ve always protected him in the past, Tolan , but not this time . I f Ziri’s hurt her in any way, nothing and no o ne will stop me from killing him.
I don’t care if he is our brother.”

End of Book One
of the Velesi Series