Immortal (26 page)

“How?” I asked. “I thought there was only one door.”

Madóran gestured to the windows, which were all tall, floor to ceiling. “These are as good as doors. The library has some as well.”

Bironan nodded. “Nathrin and Lomen can stand ready here. Faranin and I will wait in the library.”

Madóran turned to me. “You will both carry wood bins. If need be, you can use them to block him.”

I nodded, knowing that at best that would buy me a few seconds. I wasn't about to underestimate Gehmanin, not after what I'd already seen of him.

It was a plan. Madóran and Bironan started discussing details. I'd had enough, and since I was feeling a bit paranoid in the midst of all these semi-hostile ælven, I whispered to Caeran.

“I'm going to my room. You're welcome to join me.”

I felt the color creeping into my cheeks as I said it. He answered softly.

“I will, in a little while.”

He squeezed my waist, then let me go. Slightly dizzy, I headed toward the inner
portal
, and sighed with relief as I closed the door behind me.

A soft, blue light illuminated the courtyard. Moonlight, I realized. It had been dark earlier, but now the snow was all aglow, and the fountain danced glinting in the night. It was breathtaking. I stopped to watch for a while.

This was a magical place. Madóran had breathed beauty into every part of it. The more I knew of him, the more I admired and liked him. It didn't hurt that he seemed a lot more tolerant of me than most of the others. Maybe that came from taking care of humans for a few centuries. He was used to us.

The research partnership I'd proposed to him might shift everything for the ælven. Perhaps that was an ambitious hope; Madóran might just be humoring me, but I truly believed our working together could benefit both humans and ælven enormously. If I was up to the task.

It felt good to have a mission. My life had changed drastically in the last twenty-four hours. When I got back to school I'd have to reevaluate my course load and start shifting my emphasis to pre-med.

I went to my room and sat by the fire, leaving the door open. The warmth was soothing, helping me relax. I suddenly realized I was dog tired. It must be pretty late.

Have to learn to pay more attention to the moon. Could tell time that way, maybe.

Maybe time didn't matter so much.

It probably didn't, to the ælven. They probably thought humans were obsessive, breaking the day into hours and minutes and seconds. We were like ants; busy all the time. The number of hours and seconds we had were limited, so it mattered to us to keep track of them.

What was it like to be immortal? It had always sounded like a fairy tale, but I was beginning to think it might be daunting, and a lot less fun than silly humans supposed.

Madóran was probably older than the others, if what he'd said about Gehmanin was true. And he seemed to feel more pain from life's misfortunes, not less. He must have failed to save hundreds, thousands of patients over time, and yet his grief that he could do no more for Savhoran was acute.

Savhoran. I should check on him, make sure the fire hadn't gone out. I got up and went to his room, quietly opening the door.

A sudden movement startled me and I gasped. There was someone in the room. For a heart-stopping second I thought it was the alben, then Caeran turned to me from the bed against the wall.

His eyes were wide. He glanced at Savhoran, still lying on the table, and gestured for me to be quiet. I nodded and came in, carefully picked a piece of wood out of the bin, and added it to the fire.

Savhoran stirred and muttered. I stepped to the table to look at him, though I wasn't sure what I could do to help him.

His brow was dappled in sweat. I fetched a cloth from the cupboard and poured some cool water on it, then bathed his face. Caeran watched me, silent.

Maybe I shouldn't have added wood to the fire. Savhoran was in a high fever, it looked like. I wasn't sure, but I thought you were supposed to keep people warm when they were in a fever. Who knew if that applied to ælven, though.

Madóran. I hoped he'd come to check on Savhoran soon. Laying the folded cloth across Savhoran's forehead, I stepped back and looked at Caeran.

He came to me, taking my arm and steering me toward the
portal
. When we were out in the cooler air, he carefully closed the door.

“Madóran asked me to stay in this room tonight, to watch over Savhoran.”

“Oh. Yeah, that's probably a good idea.” I sighed. “It's been a long day. I should probably get some sleep if we're getting up at yuck o'clock.”

Caeran looked puzzled for a moment, then smiled. “May I visit with you briefly?”

“Sure.”

He offered his arm. I took it, feeling strange about this sudden stateliness. He escorted me to my room and we sat by the fire. I added a piece of wood and sat watching it catch, enjoying the crackle and the fresh heat.

Twice in the last two days I'd been attacked by Gehmanin. Tomorrow might make it three for three. I rubbed my upper arms, trying to get rid of goosebumps that had nothing to do with the temperature.

A crazy impulse to seduce Caeran right then, just in case one or both of us died tomorrow, came into my brain and made my nipples tighten. I swallowed, hiding the thought under a blanket of white light.

“Have I upset you?” he asked.

“No! No … sorry, there are just some thoughts I don't want to share.”

He pressed his lips together, then spoke carefully. “If it is one thought you wish to protect, you need not hide them all.”

He looked at me and the yearning was in his face. Instantly my heart filled with an answering ache. I saw another meaning in his words; he wanted to touch my thoughts as he'd done before. I felt giddy just at the thought of it. Oh, how I wanted that! But I'd promised Madóran to keep his confidence.

“How do I protect one thought?”

“Take the thought and surround it with light. Layers upon layers, until it is a glowing globe. Then set that globe aside in safety.”

Sounded too simple, but what the hell. I closed my eyes and renewed my shield, then thought about my conversation with Madóran in the kitchen and swathed it in light. With each indrawn breath I added another layer of light, and the memory became an image: a globe of light, with me and Madóran inside it, talking—or rather Madóran talking and me listening. The image began to fade as I wound more and more layers of light around the globe. Finally all I could see was the light.

Now to set it aside. I had no clue how to do that. Where to store a thought safely? My brain produced the image of a safe deposit box. The glowing globe obligingly shrank down until it would fit in the box. I closed the lid over it, slid the box into its drawer, and locked it with my key.

Maybe that would work, or maybe it was futile, but at least I'd tried. No way was I going to give up a chance to be close to Caeran.

I opened my eyes. Caeran was leaning against the adobe wall of the fireplace, watching me. He smiled.

“Your khi is very bright for a mortal's. Have I told you that?”

“Not in so many words.”

I reached for him, and he drew back, glancing down at my borrowed shirt. I looked and saw that it was smeared with blood. No wonder the ælven had grimaced at my appearance.

“I could take it off,” I said.

He smiled. “You'd be cold.”

“You could warm me up.”

His expression grew wistful. “You did a great thing, assisting Madóran. Any of the others would have been placing themselves at risk, to be in contact with Savhoran's blood.”

I hadn't thought of that. Caeran was already at risk, but no need to make it worse. I got up and went to the dresser where I'd just put away my clean clothes, took out my t-shirt, and changed into it, dropping Madóran's shirt on the floor.

I returned to my seat by the fire. “Better?”

Caeran reached out and caressed my cheek. I leaned into it, hungry for more, for as much of him as I could get.

His arms slid around me, drawing me close. I felt the heat of the fire on my side, but it was a shadow compared to the blaze in my heart.

Oh, yes. I felt my brain shutting down as pleasure sensors leapt to life. Warm breath on my neck. Strong arms wrapping me tight, and strong shoulders beneath my arms. The silky touch of his hair on my cheek. The clean, salty smell of him—I would never get tired of that smell.

My left side was roasting. I didn't care. Caeran must have noticed, though, because he shifted us to the bed. I practically floated, shamelessly willing to go with him anywhere.

“Len,” he breathed into my ear.

“Yes.” It was my answer for anything he cared to ask.

His lips closed on my throat. I buried my face in his hair, and ran the fingers of one hand up through the soft tresses. He shifted and suddenly we were kissing, long and slow. My insides melted and slid down into a molten puddle between my hips.

This was what I'd been wanting. Totally selfish. Yes, yes, yes.

He paused and drew back, searching my face. The firelight caught the gold in his eyes like an opal's flash.

I wish I could stay with you.

And there he was, glowing in my mind, delicious beyond description. I closed my eyes, my head slumping back as I drank in the sensation of him.

Stay a little while.

Will you forgive me if I do not? I want our time together to be unhurried.

I knew an impulse to scream with frustration. Caeran's arms tightened around me. I thumped my forehead into his shoulder.

Why wait? We'll have my whole life to be leisurely.

My heart, I know. I promise you the wait will not be long. Tomorrow we will have the night to ourselves.

Assuming we survive the morning.

We will survive.

Slowly, gently, he pulled away. I felt him sliding out of my mind, the ache of loneliness filling the void he left. He softened it with kisses all over my face. I shuddered, clinging to him.

“Soon,” he whispered. “Tomorrow.”

“I'm holding you to that.”

He smiled, kissed me once more, and left. I collapsed backward onto the bed, still tingling, still ready.

Oh, man. Twenty-four hours. I did
not
want to wait.

Think of it as a reward, I told myself. Help capture the bad guy and the handsome prince is yours.

I snorted, then got up and chucked the last two pieces of wood on the fire and set the empty wood bin by my door. Pretty feeble defensive shield, but it was better than nothing. I flinched away from imagining having to hold off Gehmanin with it. I didn't want to go to sleep thinking of him.

Instead I went back and sat by the fire, reliving the past few moments with Caeran. Soon I had trouble keeping my eyes open. I pulled off my borrowed trousers and dropped them with the shirt, then crawled into bed. Too tired to rinse out my panties.

Have to go commando tomorrow. I grinned into my pillow, imagining Caeran's reaction to that as I fell asleep.

A bang startled me awake. I jumped to my hands and knees on the bed, staring wildly toward the door, heart pounding.

Caeran peered in, looking apologetic. The bang had been the door hitting the wood bin. A dim glow from the courtyard behind him told me the sky was lightening.

“It is time,” he said gently.

I rubbed a hand across one eye. “OK. Give me a minute.”

I dragged myself out of bed, my limbs feeling leaden as the adrenaline jolt subsided. Changed into my jeans and pulled on my socks—have to wash them today, for sure—and my shoes. Out of habit, I stuffed my keys and wallet in my pockets. If I was lucky I might get to drive into Las Vegas today.

It was chilly in the room; the fire was long gone and the morning was cold. I wished for my coat and thought about putting on the caftan, but it might hinder me if I had to run so I skipped it.

My hair was a mess. I combed my fingers through it, straightening it as best I could. Maybe Gehmanin would think Caeran and I had been having wild hot sex all night. I wished we had.

No more delaying. I picked up the wood bin, took a deep breath, and joined Caeran on the
portal
.

Caeran was holding another empty bin. The others were all there, even Mirali and a strained-but-determined looking Tiruli. Seeing her reminded me of Savhoran, and I worked my way over to Madóran to ask how he was doing.

“Somewhat better,” was his guarded reply.

My appearance was the signal for everyone else to take their places. They split into two groups, one heading for the front room, the other going west along the
portal
and disappearing into a room that must be the library. I never had gotten a chance to look at Madóran's books.

Had I really only been here two days? It seemed like forever.