Chapter Six #2
The gossamer fabric of their gowns pulled across full breasts and caressed long legs. Sweat beaded on his forehead and tendrils of smoke rose from the ground beneath his boots. He cursed under his breath. “Damn.”
If he set the grass on fire, he’d be kicked out of the festival, and the desire to stay blocked out everything else. The phrase “banned for life” popped into his head. He fought for control, and while he succeeded in keeping his fire powers at bay, his blood rolled to a boil.
The men grew restless. One young man broke rank and ran toward the closest female Wizard.
Guards intercepted him before he reached his goal and dragged him away.
Because of his enthusiasm he would be sent packing.
Female Wizards demanded self-control, and this was one time the men listened.
Two hundred years ago the Talons and Grey Council had defied the rules of Bealtaine and insisted apprentice male Wizards be allowed to participate, confident and arrogant their will would prevail.
Male Wizards gathered for the festival. Female Wizards did not.
The Grey Council tried threats, then gifts, then literally got down on their knees and begged.
In response, the female Wizards sent a tsunami to swamp the island.
Negotiations ended that afternoon and the festival was cancelled.
The female Wizards had sent a powerful message.
The following year, only qualified male Wizards were in attendance.
With the eager young man whisked out of sight, the procession continued as though nothing had happened.
Women srolled around the group of men in a wide circle as though there was no time constraint.
Their movements were seductive; their glances filled with promise.
Rowan was more certain than ever that he wouldn’t be selected.
His disappointment rocked him to the core and caught him off guard. What was happening to him? Why, after all this time, did he still care about such things?
“Because you’re male and breathing,” he hissed under his breath.
A chestnut-haired woman, dressed in flame-red silk, turned from the line and, with slow and deliberate steps, walked in Stryker’s direction.
The drums ceased. Tension rose around the gardens.
Fire Wizards were not known for restraint in any form.
If she rejected Stryker, or worse, if he turned away from her…
It had happened before. The woman had killed herself in front of everyone. It had been a black day.
The crowd held its breath.
The female Wizard’s focus was only on Stryker, her intention clear, yet also giving him the opportunity to look away. That would signal that he had rejected her. While a female Wizard did the choosing, a male Wizard could refuse. Sex was consensual.
Stryker showed no signs of turning away.
He was focused on her as though she was the only person in his world that mattered.
Stryker moved toward her. When she was within his grasp he hesitated, his body looked like it was coiled and waiting.
The woman had to make the first move. Her smile spread, touching her eyes.
She rested her hands on Stryker’s shoulders, rose on tiptoes and kissed him, lightly at first, then deeper.
His brother responded as though his existence depended on her embrace, as though her touch was his salvation. He picked her up in his arms and headed for one of the tents located on the perimeter of the garden. Stryker was the first to be selected.
A roar of excitement erupted from the men.
The drums renewed their beat, more urgent than before.
With the first selection the festival officially began.
Rowan clenched his hands at his side, praying for continued control.
The emptiness within him, which he fought so hard to contain, grew darker, more intense, a physical pain only a woman’s touch could heal.
Each male Wizard fought the darkening, a consequence of living outside the healing caress of a woman’s love for long stretches of time.
Another female Wizard, drenched in shades of a summer sky blue, brushed past him.
Her beauty shone more radiant than a full moon and a hundred times more seductive.
His breath quickened. He caught a glimmer of spun silver overlying the blue and could not pull away from her hypnotic allure.
She shone more brilliantly than all the others.
He could see only her. All colors faded away except for hers.
He was drawn to her and couldn’t look away. Didn’t want to look away. And then she turned toward him, her smile filled with enchantment and promise. He held his breath, waiting, hoping.
She moved toward him. The gentle sway of her hips was a promise. She paused, gazing up at him, laughter and desire blending in her eyes. Her tongue moistened the corners of her mouth. She sighed.
He clenched his hands tighter at his sides. The impulse to take her in his arms and kiss her roared through him like a wild forest fire. She had to be the one to make the first move. So intense was his longing for her, he knew that if she rejected him now, he would never be the same.
She placed the palm of her hand over his heart. The contact was like a jolt of electric current. Her eyes held his. The music floated away and the couples around him blurred. Only the woman who stood before him was clear, solid, intoxicating.
“I choose you.” She’d spoken, but he hadn’t seen her lips move. The statement was in his thoughts. That was fine with him. More than fine. He wanted her. Wanted her more than anything or anyone he’d ever wanted before in his life. He paused. It was more than want. It was need.
The woman moved closer until her body touched the length of his, her form soft and lush and willing against his hard muscles.
The world disappeared. Her full lips pressed his and he drank in her heady scent, kissing her deeply.
The taste of her, with her exotic perfume, was vaguely familiar, laced with tropical sea breezes and orchids.
He had an image of warm sand and star-dusted nights and a woman who’d fulfilled his every fantasy.
A woman who had banished the darkness for a time.
The woman in his arms placed her fingers on his mouth as though she’d read his mind. “Think only of me. Of tonight,” she whispered.
She had read his thoughts. There were rumors that a select few female Wizards had that power. But when her voice and her expression didn’t reflect jealousy that he was thinking of another, he dismissed the theory as nothing more than a lucky guess.
Doubt and fear persisted.
He prided himself on the ability to block his thoughts. It had worked well on more than one occasion. But all he could think about was that if she could read his thoughts and see into his soul, she would deem him unworthy, change her mind, and reject him.
And he wouldn’t blame her.
Her lips parted again and there was laughter in her voice, like rain caressing the first buds of spring. “I made the right choice.”
Relief washed over him. He knew it was the spell in the wine, the glamour she wore, and this night, but it didn’t matter. Whatever she wanted, or desired, it would be hers. He would find a way. Nothing she asked for would he deny. He would protect her with his life. Now and forever.
She drew his face toward her and kissed him with urgency and passion. Was it a thank you for his unspoken declaration? Or building desire?
“Yes,” she answered against his lips.
He picked her up in his arms. The fabric she wore was as transparent as mist. The memory of another island tugged at his thoughts again but evaporated as quickly as a dream when her arms wrapped around his neck and her breasts pressed against his chest.
Her nipples were ripe and ready for his touch. Her lips parted again in an invitation he could not deny. Would not deny. He didn’t know why he’d been granted such an honor, but he intended to enjoy and savor each moment. She was perfection and she had chosen him.