Deana was fascinated by the story. “Did they?”
“Yes. But Yaniff had a vision of prophecy. He foretold of a Shimalee that would sing to a voice not of our plane of existence.”
“Yaniff? But you said this was a thousand years ago!”
“Yes.”
Deana expelled a breath. What a fantastic story!
Lorgin continued with the tale. “Yaniff saw much that day. He foretold of the ancient Lodarres line and the intricate web the forebears of this line would weave in the far future.”
“Lodarres line? Isn’t that your ancestral background?”
Lorgin nodded curtly, his eyes locked with hers.
Deana was starting to get the picture and she didn’t like the form it was taking one bit! “Are you saying this—this necklace brought you to my world, and that you joined with me because of some ancient custom you were bound by?”
Lorgin flicked his hair back over his shoulder. “Yes and no.” She waited for more. “Yes, the Shimalee brought me to you; and as foretold, since you wore the Shimalee, and I am the first in the line of Krue, you belong to me. I joined with you because I desired it.”
Deana did not look pleased. Lorgin felt compelled to add, “I warned you in the sanfrancisco I had taken the Right. You did not take me seriously; you have no one to blame but yourself.”
Disgusted, Deana turned away from him. He brought her back to face him. “Do you understand what I am saying to you? You have always been mine. You will always be mine. It is sealed. The choice was never yours to make.”
Deana thought back to that day in the resale shop when she had stumbled upon the necklace. It was true that she found the necklace under a pile of junk, unearthing it to the light of day. The purchase itself was just an impulse buy on a rather bleak day. Try as she might, she couldn’t recall anything unusual about the scene. And she definitely hadn’t heard anything “singing” to her.
Her face was rather sad as she confronted Lorgin with what she knew to be the truth. What was he going to do when he realized he had joined with the wrong person?
“You have made a terrible mistake, Lorgin. This purchase was nothing more than an impulse. There is nothing special about me.”
His hands cupped her face. “There is everything special about you,” he whispered as his lips descended sweetly on her own.
It was all she could do not to cry.
Deana was following Lorgin.
She had been surprised when, after he had given her that bittersweet kiss, he had rolled off her, gathering their clothes which he had flung about the room. “Get dressed, Adeeann; there is something I wish to show you,” he had said.
She was still pretty depressed about what he had told her. Soon he would realize the terrible error he had made. She felt bad for him. Perhaps it would lessen the blow for him if she got him to return her to Earth soon. It would be bad enough to know you had made a mistake of momentous proportions; to be shackled to it indefinitely didn’t bear thinking about. For his sake, she had to convince him to return her to her home, the sooner, the better.
It wasn’t as if there were any emotional attachments between them, other than friendship. By Lorgin’s own words, he saw their relationship as some kind of duty he was bound to by their strange beliefs. There had been moments while they were making love when she had actually believed he had a real affection for her. What could she have been thinking of? The fact that she was involved at all with a man like him was unbelievable.
She swallowed the lump in her throat.
This is what she had been afraid of back in San Francisco. The man was getting to her. No. The man had already gotten to her.
Already, she was thinking of making love with him again. Her vulnerability frightened her. If he knew, it would give him power over her. There was no way she could ever let him see she was starting to have…feelings for him. Good God—he would use them against her to act out his crazy fantasy. He would ensure a self-fulfilling prophecy.
No!
She knew she wasn’t this “voice” he had spoken of earlier. He had given her an incredible adventure, made heart-stopping love to her, but she knew she would have to leave him and soon. For his sake and hers.
What if she got pregnant?
Deana stumbled.
How stupid could she be? She hit her forehead with the heel of her hand. She wasn’t on any birth-control medication because she wasn’t involved in any relationship. Besides, most of her friends who were involved with someone used condoms these days. In her brief visit here, she hadn’t noticed anything that even remotely resembled the corner drugstore. What an idiot! What a complete idiot!
Deana took a deep breath to steady her fraying nerves. She was losing it. Nothing had been right since that man had intruded into her life! But perhaps she was putting the cart before the horse, and besides, maybe their two species weren’t fertile together. There was always that hope. In any case, she firmly decided against any more romps with her sexy alien friend. She looked over at him as he led her through a rabbit warren of passages. Pity he had to be so damn good to look at. She sighed heavily.
At that precise moment, Lorgin turned around, giving her a heart-wrenchingly beautiful smile. The dimple popped into his cheek, showcasing lips she knew felt like satin on heated skin. It was not going to be easy, she thought, shaking her head. Not easy at all.
“Where are you taking me, Lorgin?”
He reached over, taking her hand. “You will see. Right through here.”
He led her through a concealed doorway in the rock wall, then down some narrow, twisting passageways. In the distance, she could hear what sounded like gurgling water.
The passage widened out, and suddenly they were in a large cavern. Facing them was one of the most beautiful sights Deana had ever seen. She was spellbound by the scene before her.
Lorgin came up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders.
“What is it?” Her breathy voice seemed to bounce gently off the walls.
“It is called the Cave of Many Colors.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Multicolored waterfalls cascaded gently down two opposite sides of the cavern, joining together in a pool of swirling hues. “It’s beautiful. What causes the colors to form?”
“No one knows.” His voice came from over her left shoulder. Gently, he squeezed her shoulders. “Sometimes it is better to just enjoy the magic in life, not to analyze it.”
She nodded, too moved by the beauty before her to speak.
“Yaniff made this for you.” Lorgin’s words broke into her thoughts as he thrust a vial into her hand.
“What is it?”
“Cleansing oil. I thought you would prefer a more womanly scent to my oil, which you used last night.” He didn’t add that he had asked Yaniff to create this oil in the scent of the tasmin flower, which so reminded him of her.
Deana unscrewed the top, taking a whiff of the oil. “It’s lovely. You must thank Yaniff for me. It was kind of him to be so thoughtful.” Lorgin’s answer was a brief nod.
They stood enjoying the view for quite awhile. Deana was aware that Lorgin had moved off when she heard the rustle of his garments as he undressed. Surprised, she turned to him. “We can bathe here?”
He smiled. “Yes, of course.”
Looking down at the vial in her hand, Deana wondered if it was wise. Lorgin noticed her hesitancy. “Tell me you are not still shy of disrobing in front of me, Adeeann.” His words echoed in the chamber as he approached her completely divested of clothes. His voice lowered. “Not after what we have done.”
Her face flamed. “A-a little.”
He was standing in front of her now. He reached up, gently running his fingers through the long, curling strands of her hair. “You are an unusual woman,” he murmured. “Sometimes I have no idea what is going on in that mind of yours; other times, you are only too obvious.”
She backed away from him a few steps, eliminating t
he contact. Her expression serious, she asked, “When am I obvious?”
Lorgin moved closer. “When your emotions are involved. You are not adept at hiding your feelings. Your thoughts are another matter. They continually surprise me.”
He could see her feelings? How disastrous! Gramps had always told her she was a lousy poker player. She would have to be more careful. Raising her chin, she looked him right in the eye.
“Oh really? And what emotion am I giving away now?”
His low chuckle bounced off the walls. “You are nervous. I do not know why.”
“You should be standing here.” Her eyes flicked to his tumescent arousal.
He followed the direction her eyes had taken, raising an eyebrow. “I would hope you would be flattered, not nervous.”
She turned and sat down on a boulder. “I am nervous, Lorgin.”
He stood behind her, again lacing his hands on her shoulders, giving them a little squeeze. “Why?”
Refusing to look at him, she thought it best to just tell him. “We can’t do that anymore.”
The hands on her shoulder tightened. “Why not?”
“I—I don’t want to get pregnant.”
Lorgin let out a sigh of relief. Leaning over, he whispered in her ear, “Then you will not.”
She turned to look up at him. “I won’t?”
He gently kissed her. “Of course not.”
She looked perplexed. “Oh? Are you sure?”
He smiled slightly. “Positive. You need not worry about this.”
Well, she must look like a first-class ninny. He obviously had some type of birth control she knew nothing about, or perhaps she was right in thinking that the two species might not be able to reproduce. Somehow that thought didn’t make her joyously happy. At any rate, he seemed somewhat amused at her concern, so he must not have any worries over it. Maybe she would look less of a ninny if she explained a few things to him.
“We use condoms.” He had leaned over and was nuzzling her neck. Now he stopped.
“What is that?”
She didn’t expect him to ask her that! “They—um—they’re made of a material that is waterproof, and they—um go over the man, you know, when—”
Lorgin looked at her aghast. “Why do you do this?” What a horrible sexual custom, he thought. “Do you not like the feel of each other?”
“Yes, but it is used as a preventative, both for disease and—”
“Disease?” He looked appalled. Deana didn’t think she was doing a very good job of explaining this to him. “What do you mean, disease?”
Deana explained as best she could, which probably wasn’t very good because he looked rather sick when she finished.
“We do not have disease here, Adeeann. Our well-being is part of our very makeup. Illness here is only of a spiritual kind.”
“That’s amazing. No disease of any kind?”
“No. Not like you spoke of. Of course, anyone can come under the influence of a spell, but such magic is strictly enforced and watched over by the Guild.”
Lorgin watched her as she thought about what he had said. By Aiyah, he was glad he had removed her from such a horrible world. Disease! Who had ever heard of such a thing!
Deana was thinking about what Lorgin had said as she rolled the vial between her hands. Now that her fear of unwanted consequences had been resolved, should she allow Lorgin to remain her lover while she was here? She remembered the smile he had given her in the passageway and crossed her legs. All I have to do is think of him and I’m squirming. Does that answer your question?
She felt him nuzzling her neck again; his warm hands on her shoulders seared through her tunic.
“Come, zira, bathe with me.”
Zira! She had to at least straighten that out with him. “Lorgin, if we do…bathe together, it doesn’t have anything to do with my going back to my planet.”
Lorgin hid his smile. “I agree. It has nothing to do with it.”
Deana, pleased with his response, got up and undressed. When her last garment fell away, Lorgin scooped her up in his arms, carrying her to the pool.
She flung her arms around his neck, leaning back in his arms to look at him.
“We—we are just friends, aren’t we?”
Now he did smile. “We are friends.”
“And…you will take me home soon, Lorgin; won’t you?”
His eyes were heavy-lidded with passion as he went into the swirling water with her. “Of course, zira. I will take you home.” His mouth swooped down to capture hers.
Lorgin prided himself in the honesty of his responses.
Some time later, Lorgin lay by the edge of the pool on his back, his hair flowing over the rock rim into the water. He could feel the mildly swirling current tugging on it. How he had let Adeeann talk him into this, he knew not.
He felt her fingers glide through his hair as she gently washed it. Perhaps it was not such a bad idea after all. Her soothing ministrations produced a tranquil effect on him; he closed his eyes, letting his thoughts wander over the pleasure they had just shared…
He had set her down in the water, watching her delight as the beautiful colors swirled around her, telling her she looked like the center of a living rainbow. He remembered the tinkling sound of her laughter as she scooped up a handful of water and watched it trail down her arm, the colors separating and combining as it flowed over her skin.
“How beautiful, Lorgin!” She scooped up another handful, fascinated by the liquid spectrum.
Lorgin watched the colorful droplets of water separate and flow down her arms to her breasts with interest. A pale turquoise droplet rolled slowly toward her aureole where it seemed to hover for a moment on the tip of her nipple before dripping off. It was followed by a lavender one. Then pink. He felt his manhood throb.
“Where is your tasmin oil?” She looked up at the hoarse sound of his voice. He knew his eyes were sparking.
“Here. Why?” He held out his hand for the vial. She gingerly placed it in his palm. He put a drop of oil on his hand, then slowly reached for her breast.
The feel of her skin beneath his massaging fingers was like the finest krilli cloth, smooth and silky, and soft as only a woman can be. He let his fingers glide along the path of the crystal water, slowly. His fingertips, like the droplet, separated as they moved down her; they seemed to flow around her, echoing a gentle vibration.
When he reached her nipple, he slowly circled the tight nub with the tip of his index finger, taking his time to reach the crest. As he arrived at his destination, he coiled his arm around her narrow waist, bringing her closer to him while he smoothly took the luscious peak in his heated mouth.
He heard her light intake of breath, an exclamation of wonder. It moved him, this innocent sound of delighted pleasure. Taking her breast full in his mouth, he wrapped his other arm around her waist. The embrace seemed appropriate to him, somehow; the fact that he had to cage this woman, demanding her to have pleasure.
This subduing was a new experience for him.
Other women he had known did not need to be coaxed into being with him. Just the opposite. But this woman—she resisted him on many levels. Her fear of him, which he knew to be fear of herself. Her stubborn talk of returning to her world. Her refusal, even now, to admit to being his wife. Her physical resistance to him when he entered her—that slight muscular barrier that tried to stop him even as it welcomed him.
Lorgin knew how to take what he wanted. His training and his experiences, both as a warrior and a mystic, served him well. Each of these pathways would be adhered to. As a warrior, he would conquer her. As a mystic, he would bind her to him.
She was, after all, his.
He had claimed her in every way possible. And if she had any doubts, well then, he would just have to find a few new ways of claiming a woman. He smiled sardonically at the intriguing thought.
He felt her tremble as he suckled her.
She was very responsive, his Adeeann.
Moving upward, his lips traced a searing path. He kissed her ardently, opening his mouth on hers, inviting her to come inside.
The first tentative touch of her tongue rocked him. He lifted her higher against him in the swirling water to give her better access to him. Tightening his embrace of her, he silently urged her on.
She entered his mouth like she did most things, he thought: in a rush of passion. She was fiery and feisty, and, occasionally, playful. She probed and toyed and nibbled. Her arms wrapped tight around his neck as she lost herself in her pleasure of him.
Lorgin groaned. She tasted so sweet!
He easily held her to him with one arm, letting the other slide down her slick skin. He caressed her bottom under the water, gently running the edge of his hand along the crevice of her rounded buttocks.
She gasped into his mouth.
Letting his hand glide lower, he continued to allow her access to his mouth.
His fingers found her under the water, and he gently nudged her legs apart so that he could have better access to that which he sought. His finger glided against the inner folds of her soft womanly passage, smoothly like the flow of water around her. He wondered if she was even aware of what he was doing, so light was his touch.
When he inserted a finger gently into her, she stopped kissing him, blinking her surprise.
“Lorgin…”
“Yes, Little Fire?” He moved his finger in her, stroking her. She braced her hands on his shoulders.
“Lorgin…”
“That is my name.” He bent his head to run his open mouth up her neck. She trembled in his arms. He brought one of her legs up around his waist. Then the other.
She was completely open to him now.
He brought the tip of his erection to her passage, sealing his mouth to hers at the same moment. While he kissed her, he slowly lowered her down onto him. As before, there was a moment of resistance before he was invited in. He smiled against her mouth. And thrust.