The Lord of the Clans (28 page)

She missed looking at him, at his cold, hard features while anger stirred within him, at the amused twinkles in his eyes whenever she blushed, stumbled, or asked an inappropriate question.

Inhabiting the Lord of the Clans’ body felt similar to losing him because she couldn’t see him any longer. Despite the fact that she had enjoyed driving her erection into him, she wanted her pussy back. She needed him to make her gasp while he filled her to the brim with his huge cock.

Grasping at this new, wild hope, she blew out the candle on the night stand and lay down on his outstretched arm. He might look like a woman, but he still acted like a protecting warrior.

He pulled the covers over them before bringing her closer to him and placing a tender kiss on her brow. Once nestled in the crook of his shoulder, she spoke in a soft voice.

“I guess I’ll see you in the morning, my lord.”

“With pleasure, my lady.”

She sensed his grin. Clinging to the idea that she’d be Ariana in the morning, she closed her eyes and let sleep take her.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

She didn’t wake up screaming.

A pale light filtered through the windows as the night ended without her suffering another gut-clenching nightmare. Instantly recalling his last words before they'd fallen asleep, she lifted the covers. Her muscled chest rose with each breath, and her flat stomach didn’t conceal the penis resting against her thigh.

The change hadn’t happened. The Darkening loomed over her horizon and she was still the Lord of the Clans.

He stirred beside her while she attempted to hide her bitter disappointment. She glanced sideways toward him when he opened his eyes and stared at her before uttering a deep, guttural noise.

“Huh.”

She perceived his emotions in this single sound—crushed hopes and profound frustration for her as well as for him. Although still imprisoned in a woman’s body, he instantly got a grip on himself.

He threw back the covers, got up, and set about getting dressed. His precise, deliberate movements helped her to swallow the sour taste lingering on her tongue, and also get out of the warm pallet. He was fully clothed by the time she passed her shirt over her head, but his eyes didn’t betray his thoughts.

“I’ll get the horses ready while you finish up here. I hope you’re hungry because we’ll have a nourishing breakfast before we go.”

“Why?”

He strapped his double sling across his back before walking toward the door. His hand on the handle, he turned to her and shrugged.

“Who knows when our next meal will
be.
”

He didn’t need to say more. They'd travelled north to reach the foot of the Shrouded Mountains. They were obviously getting close to the darkness, and he wanted to be prepared for any eventuality. Even though her recollections of the map provided by the leader of the resistance had somehow fled from her mind, she felt certain Cameron knew their exact location.

And he worried.

He left the room with most of their belongings while she quickly put her pants on. Unlike the morning she’d woken up as a man, she positioned her nuts in the right place so the fabric wouldn’t chafe them. Out of the uncanny things her shaman’s spell made her do, this one was a real treat.

She buckled her boots, strapped on her sword and picked up their coats before going downstairs to meet him.

The main room appeared empty, and at this early hour candles still lit the place. Most patrons must have tarried in bed because only two men sat in a corner drinking steaming beverages. She ignored them as she walked toward a table by the window and pulled up a chair.

Something felt wrong, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Not the other two patrons, craggy as they looked. Not the good smells coming from the kitchen behind the counter. Not even the relative silence. So what?

Cameron came in from the front door of the tavern as she pondered the issue. When the two men didn’t even glance at him but kept on talking in whispers, she knew something was definitely wrong. They wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to gawk at a pretty girl unless they were deeply troubled.

She looked around again, but nothing seemed amiss. Cameron joined her at the table and sat down. Just as she was about to share her uneasiness with him, the innkeeper entered the room carrying plates and hot tea on a tray.

She held her tongue while he put the contents of his platter down on the table. As soon as he left them to go back to the kitchen, she reached across to grab Cameron’s hand.

“I have a bad feeling. Something is wrong here, but for the love of the Creators, I’m not sure what.”

“I am.”

He cocked his head toward the window. A vague light filtered through heavy, opaque clouds. The high mountains still lay in shadows because the sun hadn’t yet fully risen. On both sides of the street, a few trees stood straight as no wind ruffled their young leaves.

The sternness of the landscape made her uncomfortable, yet she’d never been bothered by a grim day before. Try as she might, she couldn’t figure out the nature of the apprehension knotting her throat.

“What’s to see? It’s too early to tell, but I guess we’ll probably spend the whole day under the rain again.”

“We overslept. It’s mid-morning already, not dawn.”

Her eyes widened while she kept on staring outside. “That’s impossible. Even on a rainy day, it should be much clearer.”

“These aren’t clouds. The sun is up, but it’s concealed.”

Pins and needles pricked her toes. Her belly tightened as the real meaning of his words sank in. Wrenching her gaze away from the sudden, frightening view, she had to lick her dry lips to speak.

“The Darkening?”

“I’d say so. It must have passed the barrier of the mountains during the night and has now invaded the sky.”

“Dear Gods, are we too late?”

“There’s only one way to know that.”

The appealing smell of scrambled eggs wafted from the plate in front of her and tickled her nose, but as much as she usually enjoyed this familiar odour, her lurching stomach wouldn’t take it today.

Of course, there was only one way for them. Defy the Shrouded Mountains to find out what dwelled on the other side.

Except that they already knew. The devouring darkness was spreading across the Four Kingdoms and would soon plunge the world into endless night, chaos, and death. Tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, she grabbed the mug of tea and pushed her plate away from her.

“I can’t eat.”

“I’m not surprised.”

He didn’t look especially hungry either. His plate also untouched, he went for tea instead and took a few sips before putting his mug down on the table. He wiped his mouth and stared at her with a grave expression.

“I know you’re scared and the odds are against us, but there’s still good news. As it turns out, we won’t have to ride all the way to the top of the mountains and back down on the other side.”

“Really?”

“I paid for the room before I went to check on the horses. The innkeeper gave me directions to a series of tunnels leading north. Apparently, they were built through the mountains by tribesmen a long time ago. I believe this short cut will save us at least two days ride.”

“Won’t we get lost in the tunnels?”

His soft chuckle warmed her for a brief instant, and she felt like hanging on to the reassuring sentiment. Although he sat across from her, she was looking at her former face and the urge to see him knotted her belly.

She wanted to gaze upon the hard features of the Lord of the Clans so badly that her lungs ached. She needed to witness the strength of his huge body and the intensity of his cold, gray eyes.

“I guess you would, Ariana, but I’m sure we’ll be all right. I’m used to that kind of place and, for all we
know,
these tunnels might prove pretty straightforward. It’s not like we’ll be entering a maze.”

“If you say so.”

A shadow of a grin played on his lips as he stroked her fingers. His light touch gave her a sense of security. Yet they had more important things to do than stare at each other, and time wasn’t on their side.

“Shall we go?”

“I think we’d better.”

She followed him to the stables. As soon as they got on their horses, he headed out of town and toward the peaks. She had to squint several times while they paced down the main street. The black blanket of clouds above head blocked the sun, and this gloomy day was the coldest so far.

The memory of the hot, carefree moment they had enjoyed at the lagoon seemed to belong to another lifetime.

The only sensations ruling her mind now were of obscurity, dread, and cold. She’d have liked to get rid of them in order to focus on the ordeal ahead, but they stuck to her brain like slimy snails.

Galloping appeared out of the question as they couldn’t see well enough.
By the time they got to the foot of the Shrouded Mountains, a murky mist had begun to curtain their surroundings and freeze their limbs.

Wrapping her thick coat around her, she glanced past him as he shouted and gestured toward what looked like a hole at the base of the towering peak. They reached it in no time and dismounted just as the heavy mist clinging to her skin turned to rain. He strode to the entrance, took a look inside, then came back to rummage in his saddlebags.

“The tunnels are small. We have to leave the horses here or they’ll hinder our progress.”

“What if we need them on the other side?
And what about our things?
We can’t just leave them out in the open.”

“We’ll make do. Besides, I don’t think anybody will come this way to steal a horse. This place is forsaken.”

His gloomy tone added a shade of sombreness to their already bleak surroundings. Reluctant to let go of her horse as though the animal represented safety, she stroked its neck while whispering her goodbyes. She might never set eyes on him again, or on the world for that matter.

She got hold of her water skin before joining Cameron near the entrance. A dozen torches were piled up on the floor. Wondering who had left them there as well as who would want to visit such a dreary place on a regular basis, she rolled nervous fingers around the torch he handed her.

He lit two before entering a darkness that seemed to be alive. Man-sized and obviously cut through the mountain rock, the tunnels didn’t allow for much freedom of movement apart from advancing.

They had walked for only a short while when three black-as-ravens passages branched off from the main tunnel. He halted, observed the three options, and sighed deeply.

“Looks like we’re in a maze after all.”

“Of course.
What else?”

No real surprise there. Any other person in search of a menace to defeat would have found a direct tunnel, but this kind of luck apparently never was available to her.
Because she had no sense of direction, or because the Ancients had decided to abandon her?
Whatever the reason, they’d have to go through a pitch-black, oppressive, silent maze.

“Don’t worry. I promise we’ll get out of here.”

She nodded, hoping he wouldn’t read fear in her eyes. They carried on and on, the sound of their feet echoing along the walls, the flames of the torches dwindling from an increasing lack of air. She had the impression of breathing dust. They soon came across other branches, each one dividing into several tunnels, some of them leading to dead ends.

The longer they walked, turned, or retraced their steps, the more certain she became that he had no idea where they were going. She also figured he wouldn’t tell her. Not to avoid looking at a loss, because no human had the capacity to find his way through such an intricate labyrinth, but to prevent scaring her.

Her feet began to hurt, yet the long, obscure passages never seemed to end. Although tired and thirsty, she didn’t have the heart to ask for a break. Then coming out of nowhere, a violent blast of air blew out the torches. Utter darkness enfolded them as a spine-chilling silence settled over the tunnels.

They were trapped in the dark, and completely lost.