Unexpected Eden Page 15

  “Mating,” he corrected almost absentmindedly. “And a man would never take this important step if he hadn’t already deemed the woman ideal for him alone.” At the top of the stairs, he steered her toward a section of the house she’d yet to explore. “Our culture is much different from the one you grew up in. Women here are revered and cherished by their men. This is his night to show you how important you are.”

  Revered. Cherished. Her footsteps slowed from the weight of the words. They curled through her, not uncomfortable, so much as unfamiliar. But they fit. With Eryx, they fit. “So.” She hesitated, thoughts scrambled. “What am I supposed to do?

  A hallway lined with deep chocolate panels stretched out before them and soft gray stone lined the floors.

  “You decide,” Graylin said. “You move forward or you walk away depending on what you garner from his actions. Not that ascertaining his true intent should be troublesome for you given your new gift.”

  He pulled her to a stop at the end of the hall, the closed doors ahead of them symbolic in a way she couldn’t escape. It was all she could focus on—the thick slab of wood with its distressed markings, and the commitment that waited on the other side.

  “There is one thing I will tell you.” He fixed her with a this-is-really-important stare. “If you can’t give yourself completely into Eryx’s keeping, trusting him without question, you shouldn’t go with him tonight.”

  The solemnity of his voice sent goose pimples along her arms. The content of his words gave her absolutely nothing concrete to stand on, but the weight behind them wrecking balled into her gut. “And, the eight-hundred pound gorilla you’re trying not to talk about in this conversation is?”

  “That’s it.” He straightened and squared his shoulders. “Suffice it to say, I love Eryx as much as I love my son and seek to protect him. I’m sure your senses are telling you there’s more to it, but some things in this world you have to figure out on your own. Tonight is one of them.”

  The door opened.

  Graylin stepped back.

  Alone, perched on the precipice of something huge, yet utterly intangible. Her imagination ran wild, snippets of what her future might look like if she stepped forward or if she ran.

  The smell of leather and worn parchment fluttered across her face. Books lined the far wall, and brocade chairs in taupe and crimson sat at conversational angles on thick patterned rugs. A glance at a corner window showed the Myren sun nearly nestled beneath the horizon, leaving a musky purple sky in its wake.

  “Time for you to choose, Lexi.” A verbal nudge from Graylin at her back, though neither he, nor Orla, joined her.

  An easy tug issued from the space around her heart, the pull strengthened by the memory of Orla’s quiet, heartfelt talk. She wanted this. Pitfalls and unknowns in all.

  She sucked in a slow, deep breath. With trembling legs, she stepped across the threshold, turned, and drew up short.

  Eryx stood near a mammoth fireplace, his torso covered in a thin mesh that looked like chainmail, but stretched across his skin like a fine fabric—similar to the one Ramsay had worn her first day in Eden, but with sleeves to the middle of his forearms. His pants were soft black leather, as were his boots. The braids he’d worn the day before were gone, his sable hair unbound and reaching midway down his back—just the way she liked it. The thickness against her fingers, the slide against her skin, the whole package reeked of power and screamed, “Wait until you see me naked.”

  He prowled in her direction.

  Heat blasted her as though she’d walked through a wall of flame. Take. Protect. Love. Eryx’s emotions, lust and raw possessiveness, but she felt them like her own. Powerful and barely restrained, so violent she stepped back.

  Safe. The thought pushed through her mind as an invisible, silk cocoon wrapped around her. No matter his needs or emotions, Eryx would put hers first.

  “Alexis.” His whiskey voice. A slow delicious burn. “Let me show you my heart. Take my hand and come with me to the home that would be yours as well.”

  Heavy, sensual magic wrapped around them. His formal words, his voice, his eyes, even the hand he held out in offering, hypnotized. A perfect moment without so much as a touch.

  She tingled, her newfound energy dancing beneath her skin. The wash of his emotions tugged at her spirit with a heady pull, but she was loath to move into the next moment too quickly. She’d never get this moment back. No way was she rushing through it.

  She slid her hand into his open palm. A perfect fit. Two pieces meant to be together. His warm, strong fingers enclosed hers, and he pulled her into the shelter of his arm.

  She stepped forward on shaky legs—and surrendered to the unknown.

  Chapter 16

  Lexi flew high above the Myren landscape, the night sky peppered with twinkling stars and streaks of silver energy. Wind nipped her cheeks with the barest sting of autumn. Cold temps weren’t her favorite, but tonight she didn’t mind. With Eryx’s heat at her back and the scorching grip of his emotions, the cooler air was a relief.

  “Am I ever going to get to fly on my own again?”

  Eryx’s arm tightened around her waist and he nuzzled her ear. “When I have fewer control issues.” His provocative rasp dragged invisible fingers down her belly, and she wriggled against him.

  From there, they stayed silent, the quiet accentuating the erotic tension between them. Eryx guided them toward a stretch of darkened buildings and brought them to land alongside a towering rock wall. He steered her forward, still quiet. Almost brooding.

  Thick, spongy grass with its veins of silver sparkled in the moonlight, their footsteps registering no more than a whisper. The perfume of unseen blossoms hung in the air, tinged with a salty, elusive scent. “Where are we?”

  Eryx kept his pace, focused on an indefinable destination ahead. “Havilah.” His emotions snipped along her arms, as clipped as his response.

  She puffed out a frustrated breath. A perfect, magical night and her Prince Charming gets a dose of manstration. Figured.

  Eryx halted before a wrought iron gate anchored to a wall of solid rock. He gripped her chin and gently angled her face to his, the slant of his features etched with regret. “I’m sorry. I’m distracted.” His eyes searched her face. “If I talk less, it’s because tonight is about feelings. I need you in tune with yours.”

  A hint. Subtle, but there, his eyes a little more narrowed than normal with a read-behind-the-lines look to them. A quick tap of her emotional radar—worry, hope, fear…a well full of love. Beautiful and understandable, but not a lick of help.

  She petted the strange fabric covering his pecs, the slick/rough texture pleasant yet foreign. A part of her, some illusive place emanating from the space around her heart, wanted to reach out. To connect and console. “I’ll try.”

  He brushed his lips against her temple. With the gear he wore, the leather scent was stronger. “I know you will.”

  The gate groaned open.

  He grasped her hand and pulled her through the opening.

  A sharp, humid gust buffeted her face and pushed her hair off her neck. The tang of salt settled against her lips, and anticipation skittered along her collarbone. Salt water. Had to be. Anticipation tingled in her cheeks. She’d never seen the ocean. Always wanted to—even had a passport ready to go—but had never had the chance.

  A fire roared to life not fifty feet away, the pit large enough to roast three pigs. Around it were loungers and thick futon-like cushions, their coverings a mixture of snowy-white, taupe, and silver. Unique, yet tropical looking plants dotted the secluded paradise, and white sand paths spread out in intricate veins. All of it sat high on a flat bluff, a white-capped sea tossing in the moonlight beyond.

  Beautiful.

  Eryx led her toward the most sumptuous of the cushions—thick, snowy white, and the size of a king-sized bed, situated
with the stormy water on her right. Lexi sank into its comfort, reclined into a mountain of pillows, and stretched out her legs. The fire sent licks of warmth against one side of her body to offset the whip of wind at the other.

  “Are you warm enough?” Eryx scrutinized her with an unsettling intensity.

  She petted the velvet gown against her leg in a nervous twitch. She folded her hands in her lap and straightened her posture. She didn’t belong here. Didn’t know how to act. “I’m fine, thank you.”

  Disappointment whipped across his face, but he banked it quickly and pivoted away.

  “Eryx?” She squeezed one hand with the other, blood pulsing a protest in her fingertips.

  He paused beside a nearby table and glanced back, his face schooled in polite question.

  “The fire’s nice, but the wind’s a little cold.”

  Eryx’s smile flamed to life, big as when he’d lit the fire moments before. With swift steps, he grabbed a fluffy, white blanket from a nearby bench. The covering billowed out above her and settled across her lap.

  She curled her feet under her thighs and ducked her chin. “I didn’t want you to move us. I’ve never seen the ocean before.”

  Eryx knelt on one knee, tugged her feet back out to a full stretch, and tucked the blanket around her. When satisfied with his work, he cupped the side of her face and grazed his thumb along her cheek. “Never tell me what you think I want to hear. I can’t provide for your needs if you don’t share them.”

  Her heart pole-vaulted high enough to clear the moon and Graylin’s words echoed through her mind. Tonight will be about Eryx proving himself. Demonstrating the manner in which he means to go forward in your life together as mates.

  She trailed her fingertips along his forearm. Even with such a light touch there was no missing his strength. Power held in check by fierce discipline. She rested her hand over his at her cheek and pressed a soft kiss into his palm. Definitely something she could get used to.

  Maybe that’s why you’re so afraid.

  He drew away and rose. “Are you hungry?”

  Thank God. A topic she could deal with. “Are you kidding?” Genuine laughter escaped. “I’ve been starved ever since the awakening. Seems like all I’ve done is eat.” She shifted to one side and ran her hand along her hip. “I’ll be big and fat in another two weeks, so you may want to reconsider this baineann thing while you’ve still got time.”

  “You won’t get fat.” His gaze followed the line of her curves, and he pulled in a slow, sensual breath. “I’ll make sure you burn the energy you need.” He turned with a sultry wink and left her smoldering body to cool. From a nearby table he lifted a platter full of bite-size meats, fruits and cheese and placed it beside her.

  Her stomach grumbled and she popped back two of the treats in quick succession. The sharp tang of the cheese exploded and the meat’s spice left a trail of warmth on her tongue. She could ooh and ahh over the foods here all night.

  Eryx handed her a glass of red wine. “Go easy on that. Our wines pack a bigger punch than what you’re used to. I’d like to know you chose to be my mate with a clear head.”

  Lexi laughed and bit into a new selection.

  No response. No movement.

  She glanced up.

  Eryx watched her. Avid. Concentrated.

  She swallowed the morsel, dropped the bite pinched between her fingers back onto the platter, and reached for a napkin. Great. He probably thought he was hitching up with a frat boy.

  “Don’t do that.”

  She wiped her fingers on her napkin and pretended she couldn’t devour at least half of the food. “Don’t do what?”

  “Don’t shut yourself down. Don’t try to be someone you’re not.”

  She focused on the cushions as a slow heat spread across her face. She traced the stitching along one edge of the cushion. “You were staring.”

  “I was appreciating.” His voice stroked across her in a devilish glide. He sat beside her and settled his hand above her knee. “I don’t want the woman you think I want. I want you.”

  Her skin rippled in response, every nerve ending standing up to take notice. “Even when I stuff my face and giggle?”

  He smiled, warm and smooth. “Especially then.”

  A spark of mischief fired and she pursed her lips, her best playful. She sidled her hand toward the tray keeping her gaze locked to his, grabbed another bite, and alley-ooped it between her lips.

  “That’s more like it.” He gave her backside a playful swat and shifted to sit at her feet. After he’d arranged a pile of pillows behind him, he fished under the blanket and curled warm fingers around her ankle. With deft movements, he removed her sandal and massaged her foot, his thumbs working deep at the arches.

  Lexi scrunched deeper into the cushions, and moaned. “I thought you wanted me with a clear head.”

  “Then let me modify my intent.” His gaze took a languid trip along her body. “If anyone’s going to muddle your mind, it’ll be me.”

  Her heart jackhammered and the muscles along her thighs fluttered. He turned his attention to her other foot, every action unhurried. Seductive.

  They talked about the time he’d spent looking for her. About the events of her life during the same span. Every moment lulled her. Eased the last bits of her anxiety into nothingness.

  After she’d eaten most of the food, he tucked the ends of the blanket back under her feet and stood. He traced the side of her face and furrowed his brow.

  The taste of birthday cake and sour milk overcame her, followed by a surge of love and fear.

  Emotional sensation manifested first as a physical sensation, followed by insight.

  All of a sudden, Eryx’s explanation made sense. And how sad was it he felt fear when she was a languorous pile of velvet and skin?

  He strode to a small table near the fire pit and grabbed a long, mahogany box about six inches thick. The odd shirt he wore stretched and pulled across his chest as he situated the box at the edge of the pit, arranging items she couldn’t see.

  She let go, imagining the point in the night where she’d be able to touch the hard muscles beneath the silky-rough surface.

  Eryx lifted a dagger from the box.

  Lexi’s lustful thoughts tumbled off track. The weapon had to be as long as her forearm. Maybe bigger. Rubies and sapphires embedded the ebony hilt and the silver blade gleamed.

  She straightened away from the pillows, poised to leap.

  The barely perceptible tightening of his arms told her Eryx was aware of her change in focus. Hell, he could probably hear her banging heart. But he kept his eyes averted, focused on whatever task he was about instead.

  He sucked in a deep breath, laid the dagger on the ledge, and shoved the sleeve of what he’d called a drast past his elbow. A gust of wind pushed his hair away from his harsh face, the flames casting his golden skin in a fiery glow. He reached for the weapon. In one, smooth move, he sliced the blade deep along the inside of his arm from elbow to wrist.

  Her stomach plummeted. She jolted forward on the cushion. “Eryx!”

  A muscle flinched at the back of his jaw.

  She froze. The wind whipped around her, the fire a steady burn along the side of her face.

  He stretched out his hand toward the pit and his blood flowed thick and crimson, sizzling against the hot metal basin.

  Her heart constricted and pain shot through her body. Was it her pain? His? What the hell was she supposed to do? He didn’t move. He just stood there, waiting. Breathing.

  Tonight will be about Eryx proving himself. Surely that was the key. She cursed Graylin and stupid traditions and swore if she ever had a daughter, she wouldn’t go into this mess so ill prepared. She tried to swallow, but her throat wouldn’t cooperate. Reclining into the cushions with jerky movements, she clenched her trembling hands t
ogether in her lap.

  A sigh escaped his lips, taking his tension with it. He lifted his head and addressed the heavens. “I vow to the Great One to love and provide for this woman until I leave this life. To see to her needs and the needs of those she holds dear. To protect her at all costs, even to the point of death.” His gaze shifted to hers, void of all barriers, exposing his soul.

  She fisted the cushions, seeking some purchase to hold her in place. The need to be with him, hold him, pounded from every quarter.

  “No other will be placed before her and she will be cherished until I breathe no more.” He waited, quiet, blood still seeping from his wound.

  Lexi didn’t know whether to weep or bind his gash. How was a woman supposed to appreciate such a vow from a man when his blood was pooling up and he did nothing to stop the flow?

  As if sensing her concern, Eryx motioned for her.

  Lexi shot forward, torn between verbally flaying him and asking a million questions.

  He focused on his arm and slid his free hand along the deep gash. The lines between his brows were furrowed with concentration, but the blood dwindled and the flesh mended. When blood no longer flowed, he held his arm out to display the jagged pink line along his arm. “You see? Everything’s fine.” He grabbed a damp cloth from the ledge and wiped at the blood.

  Lexi snatched the cloth from his hand and took over.

  His mouth opened.

  “Not a word, Eryx.” Her arms shook so badly it took every ounce of focus to wipe gently across the wound. Her throat was dry, barely able to generate words. “I sat through that. I watched while blood poured out of a four inch deep wound on the man I love, and trusted he knew what he was doing. So, let me do this.”

  The wind lashed out and whipped her hair into her face. Her heart beat so frantically it hurt.

  “Say it again.” His voice rumbled like thunder, and this time the wind coiled around her in a way it shouldn’t have been able to, caressing every intimate place at once. The nature of her trembles transformed into something far more pleasant.