****
Drake approached the castle wall carefully in the dawn's light. He knew exactly when the patrols would pass and where he could leave Garth so he'd be discovered quickly. Then he'd return to the mountains, stay out of sight. Maybe he'd even travel, discover what more of the world there was besides Selwyn's kingdom.
"You're going back to her, aren't you?" Garth's sudden reanimation startled Drake enough so he nearly released the other Elf. Garth took that as an invitation to move away from him. He stumbled a little, righted himself on a tree, and looked blearily at his old friend. "You should, you know. Sometimes I think that'd be the right thing to do."
"What's that?" Drake remained alert. He hadn't anticipated Garth regaining consciousness and if he exhibited any signs of remembering passing through the portal, he'd have to act. Striking down his friend in such a state didn't appeal to him, but he couldn't risk that knowledge passing on to Selwyn.
The other man settled his back against the trunk of the tree and slowly slid down it, wincing a little. "A woman. Find a woman, someone warm and willing, and settle down. Make my life a peaceful one."
"There'll be no peace while Selwyn is in power." Drake straightened, folding his arms crosswise over his chest.
"You may be right about that." Garth's chin slowly floated down to rest on his chest. "Won't last?forever?"
He was unconscious again. Drake bent and carefully pulled one of the Yundi Tsundi spears from Garth's neck. Despite the fact that the other would still be pumping poison into the Elf, he needed to leave it so those who found him would know how to treat him. "Go find your peace, old friend."
And then he turned and began walking with purpose back the way he'd come.
The clearing appeared deserted. He approached the portal, but the formerly living, wavering, inviting air now felt dormant when he placed his hand on it. He nodded to himself. So she'd done as he told her. She'd locked it. For a moment, he could almost see her on the other side, her hand on the other side of the portal-a thin barrier between worlds separating them-but then it was gone along with whatever hope he'd had for something more to his life than exile. He let his hand fall from the veil and turned slowly away.
"I locked it. Just like you said." She stepped out of the shadows.
For an instant, he couldn't let himself believe it was her standing there. And then he stepped forward, pulling her into his arms and breathing the only words that mattered. "You came."
She laughed but silenced, her arms going around his neck as he kissed her. Breathless, she pulled a little away. "I did. I'm here. I don't want to live without you. There or here. It doesn't matter."
He kissed her again, thinking of all she'd left behind. Her home and family. Her tribe. His life here in Ayeli was lost to him. He turned them both toward the portal and she glanced at him before raising her hand and allowing the light of Galohisdi to bathe them. One last time.
****
No sooner had they stepped through Galohisdi than she was assailed by doubts again. What if he wasn't supposed to be with her? What if his world needed him still? What if her earlier certainty had been born only of her own selfishness and desire? And could she truly make her life work with his-could he be content with a human woman whose life would not only end before his but would wane perceptibly during his own prime? She hesitated, Galohisdi's energy prickling her palm.
"Lock it." His tone held enough certainty for both of them-didn't it? His arm wound around her waist, his chest firm against her back. "Lock it, my love."
She closed her eyes and curled her fingers into her palm at the same time. She turned to face him but found herself too close to breathe more than a few words against his lips. "But what if-"
He shook his head, placing one hand against her lips. "You know what I think?" When she shook her head, he bent and kissed her forehead and then her nose. "I think you were sent to me. To rescue me from a doom I could never face. I think what we feel seems right because it is."
Yes. Her spirit whispered the confirmation and she reached back, hand finding the location of the portal by instinct as she leaned into his kiss, done with all doubt at last. And as the portal locked behind her, going dormant beneath her hand, she felt herself awaken beneath his.
About the Author
Michelle Garren Flye is an award-winning romance author. Reviewers have described her work as: "an engaging novel with charming and likable characters", a story that "will make you believe in love and second chances", and a "well-written and thought-provoking novel."
Michelle placed third in the Hyperink Romance Writing Contest for her short story "Life After". Her short stories have been published by the romance anthology Foreign Affairs, Opium.com, SmokelongQuarterly.com and Flashquake.com. She has served on the editorial staffs of Horror Library Butcher Shop Quartet and Tattered Souls.
Michelle has a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master's degree in Library and Information Science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, three children and their rapidly growing collection of pets.
Also by Michelle Garren Flye:
Sleight of Hand Series:
Close Up Magic
Escape Magic
Island Magic
Carolina Wine Country:
Ducks in a Row
Saturday Love
Agapi Mou (Coming?someday)
Published by Carina Press:
Where the Heart Lies
Published by Lyrical Press:
Secrets of the Lotus
Winter Solstice
Also set in the North Carolina Mountains:
Weeds and Flowers
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