Unquiet Slumber (50 page)

With her completely subdued, Gabriel removed her hood and undid the tie at her neck. They all gasped and released her as the cloak fell to the ground.

Tianna stood there with her clothes torn and bloody scratches all over her body. That wasn’t what shocked them the most. The long hair that normally hung down to her lower back now stopped abruptly at her shoulders.

They knew she had exchanged her magical hair, if not other things, for Nathaniel’s release.

She put her hand up into her hair saying, “It’ll grow back.” Secretly, she wasn’t so sure. She had never cut her hair before. When she was young it had grown to the length of her lower back and stopped growing. It had naturally stayed the same length ever since.

The warriors all stood there in shock, not knowing what to say.

“I’ll be fine.” She swayed and then lost her balance.

Marcus, who was still behind her, caught her. He picked her up and yelled at his brothers. “Go get a bedroll so I can lay her down.”

Seth ran and laid out a bed for her close to the fire. Tianna didn’t want to be held by a male, any male, right now. She squirmed and pleaded, “Please put me down.”

Seeing the look in her eyes, Marcus put her back on the ground but held his hands near her to see if she could stand on her own. She swayed for a second and then walked slowly and painfully to the bedroll. Everyone remained quiet, but no one could hold back a cringe as they watched her move.

Gabriel couldn’t handle the silence. “Tianna, please tell us what happened.”

“No.”

She stripped naked and crawled into bed without saying a word. Tears fell silently down Nathaniel’s cheeks when he saw her battered body. She did this to save him, even after what he had done. The pain in his heart was excruciating.

After she was settled in, they tried desperately to get her to answer questions, but she refused to even acknowledge them. She just laid silently staring into the fire.

The loss of her hair made Tianna feel like she had given up an active, living part of herself. She felt lost and alone. She needed comfort, but she had enough of being touched by males and refused to let anyone near her. She longed for her mother’s touch.

Marcus spoke. “You must let Nathaniel lie with you to share your energies. You’re so weak you can’t even heal your own wounds.”

She adamantly refused and wanted to be left alone.

She could refuse their touch but they refused to leave her side. Both Gabriel and Marcus set up their beds on either side of her with their heads about a foot away from her. Tianna wanted to argue they were too close but decided to accept the compromise. She hurt all over and closed her eyes, trying to sleep.

“Tianna.” Gabriel waited for a response but none was given. He knew she was awake and listening. “Please Tianna, you must answer one question.” He paused for a reaction and then went on. “Did they take your innocence in addition to your hair?”

Tianna heard the concern in his voice and had to respond. She opened her eyes and stared back at him. “No Gabriel. My innocence, what’s left of it, is still intact.”

Gabriel and everyone else listening let out the breath they had been holding.

Gabriel reached over and touched Tianna’s arm. She didn’t flinch away but he knew to keep his distance. She closed her eyes again while Gabriel stayed awake and watched her sleep.

*~*~*~*

Tianna was sitting on a cushioned bench in a large courtyard wearing the same torn outfit she left Coldrenn in. She tried to stand but her body ached so badly she couldn’t move. She surveyed her surroundings and found herself encircled by beautiful black trees. They had iridescent leaves that seemed to reflect the moon’s light, causing the trees to twinkle. The effect was mesmerizing. The largest of the black trees towered so far up into the sky, its branches were lost in the stars. She watched as its branches swayed, but she felt no breeze. Their movement caused an odd sense of calm. As her body relaxed, she heard distant voices calling to her. They weren’t coming from any one direction but from all around her. She couldn’t make out the voices. They weren’t panicking but rather a group of overlapping voices, and some were distinctly children.

She stood to take a look around, but then turned abruptly when she heard footsteps. She took in a deep breath and knew who it was before she saw his face. She could smell the scent of his skin on her tongue. “Kai.”

The voices disappeared and were replaced by Kai’s purrs. “Yes, Kitten. It’s I, your mate.”

Kai stepped out from the shadows. He was dressed in his typical black silk shirt, untied and open so that his mark reflected in the moon light. He wore his matching black leather pants that hugged his body like a second skin. His hair was slicked back so Tianna could clearly see his face, and her inner Black Dragon thought he was beautiful.

He floated toward her. She knew she should hate him for all the evil he was doing but the Black Dragon within her wanted him. She needed him. Tonight, she was too weak to fight her and couldn‘t clear this feeling out of her mind.

“What do you want with me this time?” Tianna asked with exhaustion and pain clearly in her voice.

“Can’t I just want to spend time with my mate?” He walked over and sat on the other side of the bench. He reached over and caressed a cut on her cheek, obviously bothered by the sight of her injuries. He put his hand behind her neck, pulling her forward as he leaned in. He kissed her very gently on her mouth.

She cringed as he touched her swollen lip.

He caressed her Black Dragon mark. “I’m glad that you survived.”

She knew what he was referring to but decided to play dumb. “What do you mean?”

“Your visit to my followers of Coldrenn to rescue Nathaniel... it was very unwise. You could’ve been killed.” Anger suddenly filled his face and his eyes flashed with rage. “I’ve punished them for what they did to you.”

Tianna was afraid to ask because she already knew the answer. “What did you do?”

“Don’t worry your pretty little head over it. It’s done. They’re no more.”

She swallowed hard. “You killed them?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Of course. They harmed my mate so they needed to be punished severely.” He shook his head while playing with the blunt cut ends of her hair. “Such a selfless gift you have given to rescue a Draak even after he betrayed you.” He released her hair and moved his hand to caress her neck. “I warned you to get away from those Draaks. They don’t love you. You’re mine and mine alone. Only I can protect you.”

He scanned her body, shaking his head. “I think I need to clean you up.”

When Tianna glanced down, she was now dressed in a beautiful blue gown that matched the color of her eyes when they glowed. The front scooped low enough to show off her Back Dragon mark. The bruises and scrapes were gone, as were the body aches. She couldn’t help but sigh in relief. She felt her hair, and found it done up in braids wrapped up to form a loose bun. Delicate blue and white flowers were intertwined in her hair. She found it nice to have her hair up for a change. Until now, she always had too much hair to do anything but braid it and let it hang.

Kai smiled and said, “Now, that’s better.” He leaned in and kissed her.

Tianna was dizzy from his scent and didn’t fight him. When he kissed her, she found herself kissing him back. When she realized what she was doing, she quickly pulled away.

“You’re a stubborn female.”

Tianna snapped back. “If I displease you, why don’t you find someone else?”

He purred while examining her body. “We’ve been through this many times.” He reached up and touched the mating mark he had given her. “I can have no other because I’m mated to you.”

She just shook her head. Arguing with him on this point was useless. They would just have to agree to disagree.

He scooted in closer to her so that he could caress his fingers down the center of her back, causing a pleasant chill to run up her spine. He turned his head, took a drink of his wine, and then handed it to Tianna. She peeked into the goblet, knowing she shouldn’t drink it. She lifted it to her mouth, inhaled its sweet scent, and, without hesitating, downed its contents. The wine made her mouth and throat feel like it was on fire. She hoped it would slow the swirling thoughts in her mind.

“That’s my girl,” Kai said with a smile as he took the goblet and placed it on the bench. Kai moved in so his face was now inches away from hers. “Now, kiss me mate.”

Tianna tried to say no, but she could feel her Faye nature stirring. She wasn’t just intoxicated by the wine, she was taken by Kai’s focus of mind and absolute confidence in knowing who he was and what he wanted—all traits Tianna wanted but lacked. When he blew gently in her face, his scent filled her lungs and her mind lost all focus. He leaned into her and their lips touched. She couldn’t fight it and she didn’t want to. Her Faye focused in on his eyes and found her target. Her Black Dragon burst forward and kissed him back.

Suddenly she found her arms around his neck and pulling his face tight against hers. He opened his lips for her and she accepted the invitation. She plunged her tongue into his mouth and tasted him. The mix of his taste and the Fire Wine was exhilarating. She began to kiss him as hard and as passionately as she could.

When he felt a growl coming out of her chest, he pulled her tighter against his body and kissed her back harder still. When they finally split apart, they were both panting. He gazed into her eyes that were now as deep black as his. He played with a twirl of hair hanging down next to her face. He brushed it out of his way and kissed the line of her neck. She tilted her head to the side and closed her eyes, beginning to purr. It was his turn to growl and he took her neck into his mouth and bit her.

She gasped, pulling his head tight against her neck. She could feel him sucking the blood from the wound, causing her to moan. The thought that some small part of her was now in his body was very arousing and her pulse sped.

Kai sat back up with blood still on his lips. He was now swaying and his eyes were unfocused. She pulled him in and kissed him again tasting her blood in his mouth. She needed more. She had never tasted his blood and desperately wanted to take care of this oversight. She pulled back from his mouth.

He sensed what she wanted so he tilted his head to expose the side of his neck.

She leaned in and licked a slow line up his neck. On the return path, she hesitated on his pulse point. She nibbled and it was his turn to moan. She opened her lips and took his skin into her mouth. She could feel his pulse, which was now racing, on her tongue. The Black Dragon within her loved the power she was wielding, but the rest of her mind was still attempting to fight.

Kai whispered, “Taste me, my mate. Bond with me and become mine.”

She sucked on his neck a little harder, still hesitating.

Kai’s whisper became more demanding, “Please mate. Don’t make me beg. Do it. Let me feel your bite. I want the taste of my blood in your mouth.”

She could no longer hold back. She grabbed onto him to keep herself steady and sunk her teeth into him until she could taste blood on her tongue. He let out a cry of pleasure. She sucked on the wound and let the blood flow down her throat. It tasted like the most exquisite fire wine, burning yet without pain. Unfamiliar warmth began to grow deep inside her and her Black Dragon mark burned as hot as her need. She wanted more than just blood now. She licked his wound to heal it and leaned back so she could look into his eyes, blood dripping from the corners of her mouth.

He moved in and gently licked the blood so that it lay on the tip of his tongue. She opened her lips and took his tongue into her mouth and sucked the blood off. As she kissed him, he wrapped his arms tightly around her. Their hearts were now beating as one.

When she was able to break the kiss, she leaned back, gazing into his eyes. Her eyes now matched the desire in his. They both felt a burning sensation on their chests, formally bonding them together.