Briannas Prophecy (34 page)

“The stone,” he said impatiently. “I want the stone.” He wiggled his fingers as if that alone would make the stone appear from its hiding place.

Brianna sighed, pulled on the chain that held her lucky Petoskey stone out from under her shirt. “This stone?” She feigned a look of total confusion. “This is just my lucky Petoskey stone. I don’t know why you’d want this so badly.” She drew the chain over her head and handed it to him.

The man flung it across the room where it cracked against the wall. “Do you mock me? Do you think that I will not kill you where you lie?” He snarled, his ominous dark eyes turning black with rage.

You won’t if you want the stone, buddy. Niklas won’t give it to you, and I don’t have it.
It was a wonderful thought, even if it didn’t make her feel any better. She closed her eyes and thanked the Goddess that she’d taken Niklas’s advice and never worn it. Brianna yawned.

The man glared at her, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. His inky black hair hung loose and lank against his forehead, looking greasy.

“You seem a bit strung out, maybe you should try decaf.” Brianna closed her eyes against his penetrating glare. If she kept looking at him, she may just lose her nerve.

“I don’t need your primitive stimulants. They are beneath me,” he snarled.

She shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “It was just a suggestion. You appear so tense.” Why did he want the stone? Did he know of its powers? “What do you want with this stone anyway? It’s not like its anything special.” She gave a delicate shudder. “It’s not even pretty. The only reason I even kept it is because my mother gave it to me. And that’s only
if
we’re even talking about the same thing.” She pasted an innocent look on her face, hoping it appeared genuine.

“What I will use it for is my concern. You only have to provide me with the means to obtain it.”

“You have no right to hold me here like this, so let me go.” She raised her chin, looking into his hard eyes that gleamed when he smiled cruelly. He looked around the cell he kept her in. “To think I never imagined I would have to point out to you that you are in no position to make such demands, Your Highness.” His tone was mocking. He reached out and trailed a finger down her cheek.

His touch was abhorrent. It was all Brianna could do to not flinch or pull away when he touched her. But she was not going to give him the satisfaction of knowing he scared her. She suppressed a shiver of revulsion, somehow knowing that if she wasn’t careful, this man would drop all pretence of civility. “Why have you brought me here?”

His mocking gaze raked her from head to toe, making her feel dirty in the wake of his look. His lips curled in a parody of a smile.

“Why, to have my wicked way with you, of course.”

Brianna scooted away. “I would rather die.” He rushed forward, much faster than she could have anticipated. He grabbed her neck, forcing her against the wall. She choked. His hand squeezed, blocking her airway.

“That can be arranged!” he enunciated every word carefully. “Do you understand, Your Highness?” he spat. He released her, throwing her to the floor. He indicated the water on the table. “Clean yourself up, as I will be coming to escort you to dinner.”

“You’ll never get the stone. I don’t have it anymore.” Brianna choked past her sore throat.

“Where the stone is, is of no consequence. I
will
possess it.” He turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

“Well just wait and see if I invite you to another one of my tea parties, mister. You’re right on the top of my go to Hell list!” she shouted after him. Brianna looked around the room and was glad he left her. With all of her bravado gone, she needed a respite.

She stood and winced as her body protested the abuse it had suffered at the man’s hands and limped over to the corner to retrieve her necklace. She gave it a dirty look “Some lucky charm you are,” she said as she slid the chain back over her head and limped back to the bed where she concentrated on contacting Niklas again.

Niklas? Please answer me. Why is it I can never make contact with you?
Still nothing. It must be the distance. Otherwise, she should be able to communicate with him. She wasn’t as strong of a telepath as Niklas. She sighed and sat down with her head in her hands. How in the world was she going to get out of this mess?

Brianna closed her eyes and a picture sprang into her head. A man with silver hair and silvery blue eyes and next to Niklas, the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. “Larin!”

“You called, oh beauteous one?” He was bowing again.

“How can someone be so appealing and yet so annoying at the same time?” Brianna glared at him. “You can be so damn obnoxious.” She limped to the table in the corner and poured herself a glass of water. She sniffed it suspiciously.

Larin took a good look around the cell that served as Brianna’s accommodations. His surprise was evident.

“You know,” she said, leaning against the wall. “I find it a bit comforting to find that you obviously don’t know everything. Even though you try to make it seem as though you do.” She had to hand it to him, though. He recovered very quickly.

“What is the occasion of your summons, oh lovely flower of the desert? Your incredible beauty is startling, though surrounded by thorns.” He put his hands together, the tips rested against his lips. “Yes, a cactus flower, a beautiful white blossom surrounded by the most horren—”

“Will you cut the crap? Geez, I thought you were supposed to help me if I needed it. Not make me sick to my stomach at every opportunity.” She looked around the sparse room. “Well, I obviously need your assistance. Need I say more?”

Larin crossed the room, took her chin into his hand and looked into her eyes. “I do not understand why you don’t use your own power to save yourself.”

His slim hands gently brushed over her bruises, taking some of the pain away. He massaged her head, his magical hands removing the pain of the goose egg she’d discovered there. “I don’t have any power, Larin. I’ve told you that already.”

Larin eyed her with disbelief. “How can you so readily believe everything that has happened to you, yet still deny your own power, your own heritage?” He held his hand out to her, clearly wanting her to take it. “You are, at least, part Fae, Brianna. Your power is your heritage, much the same as the color of your hair and your eyes. The blue in your eyes comes from your Fae blood, just as the lightness of your hair.” He smoothed a tendril of her hair behind her ear. “Just as you have accepted your blue eyes, you must accept your power. You must learn to accept it, Brianna, otherwise you will be unable to help him.” Larin smiled at her softly and snapped his fingers.

Chapter Twenty-three

“Brianna!”

She turned at the sound of Silera’s voice. Larin had unceremoniously dumped her into the dining room, where Niklas’ mother sat drinking tea with another woman.

Silera’s eyes were full of tears. “Where…where did you come from?” She shook her head. “I don’t care, I’m just glad to see that you’re back.” She rushed to Brianna, her arms open. “I was beside myself with worry.” Silera wrapped her in a warm embrace. “Are you well?”

Brianna nodded, hugged her back, then reached up to push the hair from her face.

“Oh my Goddess, what happened to your neck!” Silera put her hand to her neck and felt gently.

Touching her neck, Brianna felt the welts there. She could almost feel the imprint of the man’s fingers. No wonder it hurt so much when she talked.

Silera brushed Brianna’s hair back and frowned at the multiple bruises she saw on her face, neck and arms.

“Ahreelia, find Niklas, tell him Brianna has returned. Tell him,” she looked at Brianna’s bruised face and arms. “Tell him she is well, but she needs him.” She turned and gave the woman a stern look. “Go. Quickly.”

Brianna suddenly felt faint. Silera grasped her by the shoulders, took her to the adjoining room and told her to lie down on a long surface with flat cushions. In the short time she’d spent on
Terrna
, she found this was what passed for a couch.

Silera left the room for a moment and returned with a basin of cool water. She took a cloth and began to bathe Brianna’s cuts and bruises with it.

Brianna closed her eyes. What was it with people wanting her to bathe all of the time, did she smell or something? Geez, she’d just had a bath last night.

“I won’t ask you to speak now.” Silera wiped Brianna’s brow gently. “Any questions can wait until Niklas has seen you to your room and you are comfortable.”

Silera’s ministrations were so soothing, she felt herself drifting off… She woke with a start when she heard a loud crash. A scream lodged in her throat. Who was it? Had the man found her again? Sitting up, Brianna saw Niklas walking toward the corner of the room where Silera had cared for her contusions. Tears filled her eyes. He was the most beautiful sight.

Silera was hurrying behind him, talking frantically. “…the doctor, he is on his way. Niklas, what if—”

Brianna shook her head. Still not totally fluent in
Terrnan
, she had trouble understanding everything that was being said when they talked so quickly. She tried, but her head pounded mercilessly, making it hard to concentrate. Even with her head aching so badly, she couldn’t help but admire the way Niklas walked, the power in each stride, the way his hair framed his face. She had eyes only for him, watching as he carried himself with an air of confidence.

Even through the cloud of her exhaustion, Brianna’s senses were on overload. What was it about him that had every one of her nerve endings acutely aware of his presence? She looked down toward his hands. He had such good gentle hands, long fingered and strong.

He reached out to brush the hair from her face. His touch only served to add more fantasies to her libidinous thoughts. He looked down at her arms, gently lifting her leg to raise the hem of her slacks so he could inspect it. Brianna watched as he stiffened, his jaw tensed, and a muscle jumped under the skin, he was so angry. Niklas reached down to pick her up.

Brianna flinched away. “Don’t…” Regretting the words almost as soon as she said them, she bit her lip. Looking everywhere but his beautiful eyes and tempting face, she searched for the words to explain how she felt.

Niklas closed his eyes. “I will not hurt you,
Laharra
. I am not angry with you, I am simply angry at what has been done to you. Please let me carry you to your rooms where I can bathe you and see to your wounds.” He waited patiently for her permission.

Brianna nodded her assent. She closed her eyes, biting her swollen lip as he lifted her in his arms. The pain in her mouth served to distract her from the closeness of their bodies pressed together.

* * * *

Watching the tears run down her face, Niklas berated himself. He had promised to protect her. And he had failed. There were kidnappers, quite possibly even assassins, on his world and in his home. He was sure the rage he felt poured from his gaze.

When Brianna looked up at him, the blood drained from her face, and she whimpered in alarm.

Niklas closed his eyes, and sighed. “I’m sorry I cannot shield you from my anger,
Laharra
. Only know that I would
never
hurt you. I would sooner cut my own throat.” He leaned his head down to press his lips against her hair. Laying her gently on the bed when they reached her suite of rooms, he left for a moment to arrange the bathing chamber. She would need the familiarity and the therapeutic advantages of real water.

When he returned to Brianna, he sat down beside her. He didn’t want to cause her more grief, but he had to know. “Were you…violated?” He looked down, amazed to find that his hands were trembling. He closed his eyes, unaccustomed to such tremulous feelings. He would never forgive himself if she had suffered the worst because of his failure to protect her.

Brianna watched him carefully before reaching out to cover his trembling hand with her own.

Niklas looked up, amazed that she’d reached for him. It was the last thing he’d expected.

She closed her tear-filled eyes. Tears that had once trembled on her lashes slid down her dirt-smeared face, leaving lighter trails in the grime covering her cheeks. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and brush them away, hold his
El’edal
in his arms, and revel in the fact that she was alive and safe.

“It wasn’t your fault, Niklas,” she whispered hoarsely.

He returned his gaze to his hands. It
was
his fault. He had failed to protect her, and she had somehow managed to escape her captors on her own. He scowled for a moment. She had probably called Larin again. He scrubbed his face with his hands. Even now, he could begrudge the faery what little time he spent with her? He should be grateful.

“How can it not be my fault? I brought you here against your will. Then I promised you my protection, and I have failed you.” Niklas stood, picked Brianna up in his arms and carried her to the bathing chamber.