The Eden Series: The Complete Collection (119 page)

Aziz had walked up while she was speaking and now stood before her. He looked confused by her statement. “Are you suggesting you wear pants?” he asked, puzzled. She nodded her head, lifting her chin stubbornly. He considered this for a moment before conceding. “Fine. Andre!” The soldier in question stepped forward. “Find the smallest pair of trousers you can, so that my queen may fight more easily.”

“Sir,” Andre replied with a nod.

Rain took a slow perusal of herself in the mirror. She looked strange in her eyes, but in a good way. For some reason she felt stronger, more capable, dressed like a man. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail and tucked in the long-sleeved, white blouse Andre had also brought. The brown pants fit her like a second skin. Giving her reflection a quick smile of approval, she went out into the sitting area of her room to find Elex waiting for her.

His eyes swung to her the second she entered. They roamed down slowly then upwards slower. Finally his eyes met her own. “You can’t wear those,” he stated plainly.

She placed her hands on her hips, taking a defensive stance. “What do you mean, I can’t wear these? Why not?”

He looked her over again. She watched his throat work as he gulped before answering. “I can see all your female curves,” he replied as explanation. “I’m not letting you out of this room like that.”

She wanted to laugh, she really did. Something about Elex being possessive, and the way his eyes kept sweeping over her in a mix of appreciation and disapproval. Her humour must have shown on her face, despite how hard she was trying to hide it, because as soon as he looked at it he scowled.

“It’s not funny,” he reproached. “I don’t want other men looking at you like this. Only my eyes have that privilege.” She was fully grinning now. His lips twitched, but he maintained his stern expression.

“Rain?” Aziz called out as he walked into the room. She threw Elex a look of triumph before turning to Aziz with a sweet smile.
Saved by the sorcerer
, she thought happily. There was no way Elex would argue in front of him. She chuckled inwardly until she saw the gleam in Aziz’s eyes.
Maybe Elex was right,
she rethought warily. There was something about the look in his eyes that made her want to take a step back.

She cleared her throat trying to remain calm on the surface. Elex’s anger was like a pounding drum in her head. Rain hoped Aziz couldn’t sense Elex the way she could. “I’m ready,” she affirmed.

“I can see that,” Aziz murmured. Rain wanted to glance at Elex, but she fought against the urge. “Elex, I have some things I need to do, so I expect you to keep an eye on my queen, and make sure she continues her training,” he instructed, never taking his eyes off her. She mentally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Yes, father,” Elex replied.

“Perhaps tomorrow we can let you face a real adversary,” Aziz directed to her with eagerness.

“Oh?” she replied. Rain had no idea what he was referring to.

“I believe the little forest girl needs a lesson in why she must not offend my future bride,” he explained. Rain nodded in agreement, anticipation filling her. The Shaman would be revenged, even if she had to do it slowly and painfully.

Their voices were distant and quiet, even though she knew they were close by. Lily could still smell the dampness of the cell and feel the musty air on her face. She knew when guards came and went, and heard Ethan explain away her state each time. She knew it wouldn’t be long before one of the guards got suspicious and alerted Aziz. There wasn’t much time, she knew.

The walls of the mountain fortress were thick and impenetrable. Avalon sat miles away west, much further than she had anticipated. Her mental fingers struggled just to get past the thick rock of the mountain and the wards Aziz had placed around it. Once she was able to get past them, which had taken almost an entire day, she was struck by the realization that they were quite far north east. Time was running out. She put all her strength into what needed to be done. If this didn’t work, she wasn’t sure what they were going to do.

She pushed harder, covering the vast lands of Eden in a blur of motion. Part of her desperately wanted to seek out Aiden, but she knew it would only waste her energy. She saw the Great Forest ahead and pushed harder.
Please let this work,
she prayed, just as she heard the door to their cell open.

“Why is she still asleep?” the guard asked.

Ethan put on a neutral face, praying the man didn’t see through him. “She was up earlier,” he lied. “You just happen to come when she has fallen back asleep.”

The guard grunted in a way that told Ethan he wasn’t at all convinced. “Is that right?”

Ethan nodded. “She gets tired a lot,” he explained. “Said something about the stone walls having an effect on her. Her people are used to being outdoors, not held captive in such a small, isolated area. It’s draining her.” The man’s face changed as he began to accept what Ethan was saying, even though it was a complete fabrication. Ethan had been making excuse after excuse as to why Lily was still sleeping and it was becoming increasingly more difficult the longer it went on. Unfortunately for them, it was the same guard that brought them their food each time. Had there been various guards then maybe it wouldn’t have been so difficult. That would have just made his life a lot easier, and Ethan was starting to think there was no such thing as easy for him. It was only a matter of time before the guard got really suspicious and brought it to Aziz’s attention. Then Ethan didn’t know what they were going to do.

The guard left their meals and exited. When the door was closed and locked Ethan let out a sigh of relief, ironically. His eyes moved to Lily, watching her chest rise and fall with her slow breathing. Whatever she was doing, he hoped she did it quickly.

The beast swung the blade to her left, but Rain easily evaded it. She could tell he was holding back. The others that were fighting around her were much faster as they practiced together. If this were a real fight, Rain had no doubt she’d be a goner in seconds. Another attack and she jumped back, neatly avoiding the dulled blade. The pants were amazing. She had never felt so free to move. If she had been wearing these when she was attacked in the village, she would have been able to race up that hill so much faster.
I’m never going to wear dresses again,
she decided.

A growl filled her mind making her smile. She wasn’t completely fluent in Elex growl, so she wasn’t sure if he agreed or disagreed with her opinion of dresses. She could feel him watching her from the sideline, his eyes glued to her every movement. Even without the ability to hear people’s thoughts, Rain was well aware of what was going through his mind. She knew, in spite of his protests, that Elex liked her in the pants. She held up a hand to the beast, requesting a quick break. He stopped immediately, watching her patiently. She resented the fact that he was not in the least bit out of breath.

Heat crawled up her spine and the back of her neck as Elex came up behind her. She was bent over, hands on knees, desperately trying to catch her breath.

“I think I’m out of shape,” she confessed.

“Your shape looks fine to me,” Elex replied seriously. She straightened, turning to face him. A small smile played on his lips.

She pushed the stray strands of hair that had come out of her ponytail off her face, still breathing rapidly from the workout. “That’s not what I meant,” she rebuked.

His eyes trailed down the front of her, lingering on her exposed collarbone that glistened with sweat. The blouse, now practically drenched, was sticking to every part of her. “You are wholly indecent,” he murmured. His hands moved to grab her by the waist, but froze midway. He let them drop again, taking a careful step back.

Rain raised her eyebrows, challengingly. “Something wrong?” she asked playfully.

“You make it harder and harder every day,” he answered seriously.

Her eyes flickered down before meeting his again. “Do I?” she countered, making her voice sound husky. She loved teasing him. No matter what Aziz said, Elex had emotions like a normal human. He wasn’t as cold and unfeeling as the sorcerer would have her believe. She loved to tease him like this, and knew he enjoyed it just as much as she did. His eyes were burning right now. The only thing stopping him from pouncing on her were all the beasts and soldiers around them. She stood taller, letting herself smile in a triumphant way. There was nothing he could do to her right now, so she could tease him all she wanted to with no consequence.

His eyes narrowed, his mouth flattening into a thin, displeased line.
We won’t be surrounded by others forever,
he spoke.
You will pay for the images you just put in my head,
he continued, warningly. He stepped closer, leaning down to whisper in her ear. “Perhaps I’ll show you, personally, exactly what those images are, and just how hard you make things.” Goose bumps broke out along her arms as she breathed in his scent. His hair tickled her cheek as he pulled back to stand straight again.

Her mouth had gone suddenly dry. She licked her lips and watched his eyes as the followed the movement of her tongue. Another growl came, this time out loud for everyone to hear. The beast waiting for her took an involuntary step back. They were all terrified of Elex, she noticed. Aziz had said he was his greatest weapon, but Rain hadn’t really seen him fight, except for the time on the hill. Then he had simply thrown the grown men around, which in itself was a feat, but she couldn’t help wondering what he’d look like in battle. His magnificent wings spread wide, his long, black hair flying around his beautiful faces as foe after foe fell beneath his sword. The image sparked a need in her. Now he smiled at her in triumph with the knowledge that he made her as crazy as she made him.

“I think I’m going to call it a day shortly,” she announced, breathless.

“I get to decide when you can retire,” he corrected. She opened her mouth to argue, but stopped when he held his hand up. His eyes went out of focus for a moment, before centering on her again. “My father requests our presence. Looks like you’ll get to call it a day after all,” he said with a tight smile. She could tell he wasn’t happy about something.

Looking down at her attire, she glanced up at him questioningly. “Should I change first?” she asked.

He shook his head. “There’s no time. Come, we must go now.” Elex called out instructions to the other soldiers, leaving the man Rain knew was named Andre in charge. Then he turned to her wordlessly and picked her off the ground, holding her tightly. She let out a surprised squeak. “It will be faster this way,” was all he said before he took off and flew out of the opening in the ceiling.

They dropped through another opening less than a minute later. Rain wondered how many rooms had accesses like this for Elex. She supposed Aziz had designed the fortress specifically with his son in mind. As she shook off the cold from the higher air, it took her a moment to notice the room that they were in. Rubbing her arms absently, Rain did a slow turn, taking it all in.

They stood in a glorious throne room that she had never seen. All the walls of the fortress sparkled with the minerals embedded deep in the rocks, but in here it was amplified tenfold. The floors were the natural stone of the mountain, but had been polished until they shone like water. Rain could almost see her reflection in the surface. Swirling colours of greens and pinks wound their way throughout the gray. Her eyes found the elegant sconces that decorated the walls, all lit with red and orange flames. Behind her was a raised platform, on top of which two massive thrones sat in all their opulence. She had never seen such furniture. The chairs looked as if they were carved right from gold. Cushions of deep red rested on the seats. The backs were decorated with large gems – emeralds, rubies, and sapphires. Rain found herself lost for words.