Dalir's Salvation (18 page)

“Let me see.” He caressed the red spot on her finger, bathing it in healing energy.

“Oh.” She gave him a soft smile. “I didn’t know you could do that. You’re full of surprises.”

He traced the puckered skin forming the infinity symbol on her palm. Would it ever go away or would it remain as a reminder to her of all of the danger and uncertainty he’d forced into her life? “For some reason, I can’t heal this.”

She closed her hand. “I’m sure it will disappear on its own.” Ari shut the oven and grabbed the spoon. “The soup needs to thicken up a bit more but if you’re hungry the toast will be ready in a minute or there’s a salad in the fridge. Lettuce and tomatoes, that’s all you had left, but I guess you could just zip out to the garden and grab more vegetables. Maybe carrots. No. I put some in the soup. Cucumbers would probably be better.”

Over the past days he’d learned a few things about her. One of them was that babbling on about something was her way of avoiding what she didn’t want to face. Dalir pried the spoon from her fingers and dropped it in the pot. He pulled her into his embrace.

Ari tightened her arms around him and rested her forehead on his chest.

Soon, she wouldn’t have to feel frightened. He’d see to that. “Do you want to talk about it.”

“No.” She sighed. “You’ll only try to convince me the vision doesn’t mean anything.”

“It doesn’t.”

“But what if it does?” She gazed up at him. “What if—” Her voice broke.

“Don’t do this to yourself. Maybe it was a warning for me to be careful.” If she did see Taliana, that explanation made more sense. He lifted Ari’s chin and kissed her. “You’re right. We shouldn’t talk about it now. I want to enjoy the food you made. It’s been a long time since anyone’s made a meal especially for me.”

She frowned. “Wish I would have known. I could have made you something more special than soup and toast.”

“It’s perfect.” He kissed her again. Awareness sparked to life. Dalir forced himself to break away. If he kept going, they’d end up using the kitchen table for something other than enjoying their late dinner. “You make it special.”

Ari smiled and nudged him back. “Move. I better grab the toast before it burns.”

They worked together to assemble the meal then sat at the table. An unspoken agreement to savor the moment hovered in the air along with the scent of delicious food.

Dalir sipped his soup. Chicken, carrots and celery with a hint of spices. “This is good.”

“Thanks. It would have been even better if it had more time to simmer.” She buttered her toast. “Tell me something I don’t know about you.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know, like did you have a hobby growing up? Or were you a spoiled, bratty prince who sat around all day eating jam.”

He choked on a spoonful of soup. “Eating jam? What does that have to do with anything?”

“It doesn’t.” A teasing glint lit up her eyes. “I just wanted to see how you reacted. Seriously, when you were a kid, what made you happy living in Alandia?”

“Well.” He’d never thought about it. “I rode horses. I hunted.” And fought wars, but she didn’t want to hear about that.

“Aww, come on. Dish some dirt.”

A new recollection came in. One he hadn’t thought of in years.

“Ooh, look. You’re trying to hide a smile.” Ari leaned in. “Spill it.”

“Well, I did sneak into the kitchens a few times to steal strawberry tarts.”

She laughed and pointed at him. “See, I knew it. Tarts have a filling close enough to jam.”

Ari easily drew more stories out of him. How he’d broken his arm the first day of military training as a teen, racing Ronan to the top of a peak. The moment his father had presented him with Shield Breaker upon graduation. He told her about the home he’d built himself nestled in the mountain.

After dinner, she still wanted to hear more. Ari cut up a pear and Dalir opened a bottle of wine. They sat back at the table. He shared with her how his mother had reprimanded him as a boy for stealing those strawberry tarts he’d mention. She’d tasked him to help with the harvest. In that experience, he’d learned respect for people’s hard work and the land. Then, he told her about the stories he’d written in his teens about make-believe adventures and how Taliana had turned his words into music.

Ari filled him in on how she’d met Lauren and Celine in college. They’d answered the same advertisement for an apartment. They decided to live together, but by the end of six months, they’d wanted to kill each other. They’d broken the lease and moved to other places but in the process became best friends. They truly were her sisters. The unity, support and caring she’d lacked in her own family, she’d found with Celine and Lauren.

She washed the dishes and he dried them.

Dalir laid the dish towel on the drying rack. He’d never experienced this level of peace and contentment with a woman. Or wanted to spend so much time with them. Images of happy moments he wished he could share with Ari on Alandia emerged. A horse ride to the north shore. A late-night picnic under the stars. Shopping at the outdoor market in the city. Introducing her to his parents and to Ronan. Showing her off at formal events at castle Alandia. Things that would never happen. He’d hold her for one more night, and let himself pretend they were just a normal couple. Then he’d leave early in the morning, before she’d awakened, and hunt for Kell. He’d stay away until the twenty-four hours he’d given Thane to leave with everyone, including Ari, had passed.

She continued to stare at the water running down the drain after the suds had washed away. Lines creased her forehead.

He pulled down the lever on the faucet, shutting it off. “Ready for bed?”

“What? No. I’m not tired.” Dark circles shadowed her eyes. “I think I’ll get a head start on breakfast. Cinnamon apple coffee cake. I haven’t made it for a while, but I think I remember the recipe.”

Responsibility. Duty. Honor. Protecting her from harm. Every good reason why he couldn’t be there when she woke in the morning, compressed his chest, squeezed his heart. Dalir took her hand. “Save it until tomorrow.”

She dug in her heels. “I don’t want to go to bed.”

“Then lie in the hammock with me.”

Ari followed him to the back deck. She curled up beside him on the gently swaying canvas fabric. Low light, beaming out the kitchen window lit her face.

He wrapped an arm around her. “Close your eyes and relax. You’ll fall asleep in no time.”

“I’m not sleepy.” She snuggled into his chest. “I had a nightmare earlier. I dreamed that I was looking for you in the woods, but I couldn’t find you. Then Kell showed up and chased me. That’s why I got up.”

And he hadn’t been there to assure her she was safe. Dalir held her tighter. “I shouldn’t have forced you to talk to me at the hospital. I’m sorry for involving you in finding Kell. Meeting me ruined your life.”

“No.” Her head jerked up. “I’m not sorry I met you. If anything, I wish we would have met sooner.”

As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t deny the truth. He couldn’t imagine not having met her. It was even harder to contemplate his life without her in it. “I do, too.”

“Maybe tomorrow, we can—”

Dalir pressed a finger to her lips. He’d have to give a false answer to whatever she said. He didn’t want a lie to be a part of their last night together. “I don’t care about tomorrow.” He stroked his fingers down her cheek. For the first time in his life, the unfolding future didn’t hold the greatest significance. “Right now. In this moment. I only care about you.”

Ari rested her hand on Dalir’s chest. The muscles underneath her palm were tense.

Over the past days, she’d experienced a variety of his emotions. She’d witnessed many expressions cross his face. Fierce anger, unrelenting stubbornness, happiness, passion. But never anything like this. The look in his eyes made her want to cry for him and erase the pain. “I care about you, too.”

“I know.”

What was he keeping from her? Whatever was going on with him, they needed to talk about it. “Dalir, what’s wrong?”

He silenced her worries with the glide of his tongue over hers.

The sensual onslaught left her breathless and quivering with need.

Palming the side of Ari’s hip, Dalir gently rolled her on top of him. He flicked open the buttons to her shirt, exposing her breasts. He held her waist as she slowly inched higher up.

Dalir fit his lips over one of her nipples. Sucking. Licking. He turned to the other breast and did the same.

His warm, wet mouth in contrast with the cool air made her shiver. Tugs grew stronger in her core. Ari trembled as she held onto his shoulders.

The hammock swayed side-to-side.

Dalir swept kisses up to her throat. He brushed his lips over the shell of her ear. “Careful or you’ll tip us out.”

The erotic challenge gave her a thrill. “No, I won’t.” She kissed him hard and his tongue plunged deep. He tasted of the Moscato wine and the pears they’d share for dessert.

His erection pulsed insistently between her legs.

She rocked gently against him, focusing her movements. Each and every firm press focused on her clit.

He groaned as he latched onto her butt and thrust his hips upward.

The shallow movements, frustrating but spot on, rapidly built need. Heat coiled low in her middle.

Dalir kissed her throat. “Come for me. Let go.”

He held her as she was consumed by an orgasm that spread over her like a wild fire.

His hardness pressing against her and the tautness of his jawline reminded Ari that he needed relief.

They helped each other untie the strings to both of their sweat pants and pushed the soft, yielding cloth past their hips.

She held onto his shoulders.

Dalir lined up the tip of his shaft with her opening. Gaze holding hers, he glided into Ari with nerve-racking slowness.

As he rolled his hips up, she pushed down. Her body quivered as she matched his slow, careful movements designed not to tip them over. Their future seemed just as precarious.

Dalir clasped Ari by the nape and kissed her. “No matter what happens, time can never take what we have. A part of us will always exist like this…together.”

He guided her hips to meet him at a faster pace.

The hammock bounced.

Pleasure radiated.

Her climax intensified as he found his release.

* * * *

“Ari.”

The woman’s voice floated in. Ari fought the pull but like an assistant nudge, it prompted her awake. Was it Celine or Lauren? Ari’s vision adjusted to the weak, gray light of pre-dawn.

Silence hovered.

She’d imagined it. The voice must have just been in her dreams.

Dalir shifted in his sleep. His palm drifted down her back. As he cupped her hip, she intertwined her legs with his, sliding into the right spot at his side. Intoxicated by warmth and contentment, she wanted nothing more than to stay right there.

Sex in a hammock. A first for her. She’d always laughed at the notion of intense sex having the power to make the earth move. Her cheeks flushed. If it wasn’t possible, they’d come pretty close to making it happen. Twice. Ari resisted tracing his jawline. Making love had also erased the sadness. She honestly didn’t regret one minute of what happened. She’d experienced more wonderful with him in a few days than her entire lifetime. It seemed as if Dalir believed he deserved to exist alone without good in his life. He’d just have to get used to her caring about him. She wasn’t going anywhere. She laid her hand on his chest. Shifting her position, she eased up.

The hammock rocked.

Dalir tensed but didn’t open his eyes. “Are you all right?” His husky tone held an unusual weariness.

They’d talk over breakfast. She’d let him sleep. “Yes. I just need water.”

“Okay. I’ll get it.” His voice faded. “Give me a minute…” His breathing deepened as his arm slackened.

A strong breeze, hot and cold and filled with a being, a consciousness, blew over the porch.

Chill bumps multiplied. Ari shivered. A thought, hers but not hers, whispered through her mind.

“He will rest now. Come with me.”

She wasn’t imagining it. The woman in her vision at the lake. Instinctually, Ari comprehended it was her presence. She had to find out more about Kell and how to keep him away from Dalir. Ari tamped down the urge to rush as she slipped out from under Dalir’s arm and out of the hammock. It bobbed and swayed with the loss of her weight.

Dalir murmured unintelligibly. The hand that had rested on her hip moved to his stomach.

The breeze nudged her inside and to the bedroom. Instinct guided her on what to do next. Ari got dressed in her own jeans, shirt and tennis shoes.

A light glowed in the closet near the floor.

Ari’s hand shook as she took the dagger out of Dalir’s boot and slipped it into her back pocket. She snuck out the front door. He could show up any moment. She hated leaving him like this. An ache settled in her chest. He’d worry, but when they’d searched for the warehouse, he’d told her to trust her instincts. Every fiber of her being said she had to go.

Out front, a faint blue light floated in front of the tree line. It darted into the woods and zipped down a path.

She chased after it. She was out of breath by the time it paused in a small clearing.

The light formed into the auburn haired woman from her vision. Her blue tunic fluttered as she glided forward. The yellow jewel at her throat sparked with an inner glow.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Taliana.”

“You were Dalir’s fiancée.” Ari’s heart stuttered in her chest. Taliana would want to help Dalir not hurt him. Right? “What do you want?”

“To save Dalir.”

“How?” Ari approached her. “What do you need to do?”

“Not me. You. It’s time.”

“For what?”

“To accept who you are.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Yes. You do.” Taliana’s deep blue gaze held hers.

In an instant, it was as if Ari viewed all of her fears. Felt every rejection. She squeezed her eyes shut, but failed to block out the memories. Emotional pain rocked her back. A sob escaped. “Why are you showing me this?”