Chapter 8
In the dark, erotic clasp of Iliana’s sweet body, Han nearly missed the words.
His head swam dizzily, his body still shuddering from that release, beyond anything he’d imagined.
Her scent filled his senses, her skin like softest silk against him, her perfect curves arousing even as he crested down from the impossible heights.
He lay over her, boneless, still buried to the hilt in her, his mouth against her swanlike throat, her fiery curls under his cheek. Dimly aware that he should move so he didn’t crush her, instead he whispered, “Say it again.”
For a long moment, she didn’t say anything. Then she kissed his brow, tightening her embrace around him. “I love you, Han. I always have.”
Closing his eyes, he absorbed the sweetness of hearing those words from her at last. “You’re right—we should’ve done this a long time ago.”
“This was perfect. I wouldn’t change anything.”
He lifted his head, managing to make his sluggish muscles obey enough for him to lever up onto his elbows. She took a deep, grateful breath and smiled at him, more radiantly lovely in this moment than he’d ever seen her.
“I’m glad you were my first,” she said quietly, her lips rosy from his kisses.
“Me, too.” He opened his mouth to say he wanted more than that, but she shook her head sharply.
“No talk of the future,” she warned. “Don’t ruin this.”
He nearly argued, wanted to protest that ignoring the future wouldn’t make it go away, but he also didn’t want to ruin this magical night. “Will you stay?”
She hesitated, eyes going to his El-Adrel clock, much fancier than hers.
“I have a lot of freckles still to kiss,” he coaxed. “Stay the night with me.”
“Not all night,” she responded firmly. “I want to be back in my room before everyone wakes up.”
“People are going to be up and about all night,” he argued.
“They’ll be going to bed around dawn so they can be awake for the feast tonight. I’ll go then.” She wriggled out from under him. “Lie back. It’s my turn to explore and kiss the secret places.”
He heaved out a heavy sigh, pretending to be long-suffering, privately delighted that she wanted to enjoy him, too.
Stretching out, he savored the rapt expression on her face, the love she let show at last. Her fiery hair tumbled around her pale, freckled shoulders, outlining her exquisite figure, hips flaring from her narrow waist, and petite round breasts tipped with charming fawn-colored nipples.
He could spend a lifetime exploring her lovely body.
“Now this is a feast,” she murmured, sliding her hands over him, echoing his own thoughts, and set to tasting.
Iliana made it back to her room in the dark, pre-dawn hours without being observed. That was, without being observed by human eyes. Still, it was Founder’s Day and typically there was latitude for everyone to be out celebrating at unusual hours.
Grateful the rest day let her go back to bed, she slept a few hours—much needed, as she and Han hadn’t slept at all, making up for lost time with such hunger that she ached all over—and woke midmorning with a sense of being still in a dream.
Had last night really happened? In the cold light of the winter morning, it seemed far more likely that she’d fantasized it all.
But her body felt the truth of it, both deliciously sated and sore in new places.
Whoa, and her hair was alarmingly snarled, she saw when she went to the mirror.
It stood out around her head in a wild tangle, prompting her to uncork her grooming imp and setting it loose even before she liberated the water elemental to bathe her body.
She’d love to have a full bath, but the academy had limited facilities for that—students didn’t rate—and they were on a strict schedule.
But water elementals left a lovely, dewy clean feeling, so she didn’t mind too much.
As they worked, she took stock of the marks of her night with Han.
In particular, he’d left a vivid love bite on her throat, and the memory of his mouth there as they writhed together warmed her all over again.
Unfortunately her Founder’s Day gown had a low neckline, something she’d initially loved about it, but not when she’d rather conceal the evidence of her illicit activities. Fortunately, she did have a festive lace scarf that she draped around her neck that looked like part of the outfit.
She made it to the dining hall just before they stopped serving breakfast. A good thing, too, as she was starving, having consumed only sugared nuts, wine, and whiskey the night before.
Iliana helped herself to the Founder’s Day pastries and a bowl of tea with milk and honey, happily loading her tray.
The odd timing also meant the place was almost empty, with no cadre of wizards to alleviate their boredom by annoying her.
In fact, the only wizard in sight was Alise Elal, sitting by herself and looking glum. Iliana hesitated, not wanting to violate the unwritten social rules, but then decided screw all of them. Apparently she’d become a rebel with the loss of her virginity. And Alise had been a good friend.
“Happy Founder’s Day, Alise,” she said, pausing beside her, ready to move on if Alise scorned her.
But Alise looked up and smiled, crookedly. “Prosperity through magic,” she replied, making it sound like a curse.
Tentative still, Iliana asked, “Is everything all right?”
“No.” Alise’s strained smile crumpled. “Everything is terrible.”
“Want to talk about it?”
Alise glanced around the empty dining hall, then patted the bench beside her. “Please. I’d love that.”
Iliana set down her tray and stepped over the bench to settle beside her old friend. Alise’s plate looked like she’d barely touched it. “What’s wrong?”
Alise sighed, glanced around again. “Promise you won’t tell anyone? Papa made me swear to keep it secret.”
Alise was defying her powerful father, Lord Elal? This was serious. “I swear,” Iliana said solemnly.
Alise stared at her plate as if it contained mud instead of chocolate pastries. “Nic ran away.”
Iliana choked on a pastry crumb, gulped some tea, and ended up burning her tongue. “What?”
Alise shrugged. “She’s missing, anyway. Vanished without a trace.”
“How can she vanish during her Betrothal Trials?” Iliana asked. Nic would’ve been confined in House Elal. And, besides, familiars couldn’t escape. Or could they? If anyone could do something so bold, it was Nic Elal.
“Papa didn’t say,” Alise replied, shaking her head. “He is, of course, beyond furious. Apparently she disappeared during the night more than a week ago. They’ve been searching for her with no luck.”
“Do you think she was abducted?” Iliana asked in a hush. The threat of abduction by rogue or landless wizards loomed over the heads of every unbonded familiar.
Alise snorted in disdain. “From House Elal? Not likely. No, Papa clearly thinks she ran away. He sent a Ratsiel courier to me this morning, interrogating me, in case I’d helped her or she’d come here.”
“But you haven’t heard from her?”
Alise shot her a dark look, her sleekly short wizard’s haircut making her green eyes stand out in her face.
“Of course I haven’t. Would Nic trust me?
No. She acts like she barely knows me since I manifested as a wizard.
Like I somehow plotted to take her place as Papa’s heir.
I never wanted this, Iliana!” Alise’s voice rose, her eyes brightening with tears.
“I know I’m supposed to be thrilled to be a wizard, but now I’ve lost my sister’s love, you avoid me, I have no real friends…
” She dashed away the tears. “I know I sound like poor little rich girl but now I wonder if wizards become such power-mad assholes because no one loves them anymore.”
“Oh, Alise…” Iliana breathed, then took her friend’s hand under the table, just in case anyone came in. “I still love you. I haven’t been avoiding you. I just thought that you’d moved on, you know. Hanging with the wizards.”
Alise hiccupped a little and nodded. “Yeah. Though… you wouldn’t believe what jerks those people can be.”
“Well,” Iliana replied judiciously, “I actually would.”
Alise burst out laughing, Iliana joining in the infectious giggles, just as they’d been when they were younger. Squeezing Iliana’s hand, Alise gave her a sad smile. “I’ve missed you, so much.”
“I’ve missed you, too,” Iliana said. “Now, eat your pastry, because the chocolate will make you feel better, and tell me everything you know. Maybe there are clues you missed.”
Alise obediently took a bite of her pastry. “All I know is that Nic’s last suitor was that rogue wizard from the swamps of Meresin, the one trying to reinstate House Phel.”
“Lord Gabriel Phel.”
“That’s the one. From what Papa carefully didn’t say, I gather that he successfully impregnated Nic. Because he came back to House Elal two weeks later—and why else would he return?—but when he arrived, she was gone.”
“But where could she go?” Excitement thudded through Iliana, but she carefully hid her especial interest in the answer from her friend. Alise might need a friend right now, but she was also a wizard.
“That’s the question, isn’t it? But she’s not anywhere Papa’s spies can find her, which probably means she crossed salt water. Nander doesn’t know anything either,” Alise added, a bitter twist to her mouth. “He just went back to sleep.”
Hmm. “What did Lord Phel do?”
Alise shrugged. “Papa didn’t say. He probably slunk back to Meresin. Humiliating, I’m sure, but what else would he do? Maybe that’s why Nic ran, because she didn’t want to be bonded to a rogue like Phel.”
“He’s a powerful wizard, though.” Gabriel Phel’s MP scorecard had made the rounds, everyone gawking at the numbers.
“Completely untrained,” Alise countered. “He never attended the academy at all.”