Chapter 23 #2
“But when we arrived on Luciena’s beaches, we were severely outnumbered. The Luciens had created these – these explosives. A device that wielded power that no war had ever seen before. I fought as long as I could, I really did. But then…”
Taryn loosened a breath. “I barely remember what happened. An explosive landed near me. I woke up ten feet away, in a ditch, bleeding to death. That’s when Eryx, the leader of the Mrkynian Guild, found me.”
Airess stilled, not realizing she was gripping the fabric of the quilt until Taryn spoke again, “He made me a deal I couldn’t refuse, offering me shelter and a place to belong. Hell, I was fourteen. I gladly took his offer. It didn’t matter how steep the price was.”
His gaze slid over to her, and for the first time, she identified the raw emotion in his eyes. Regret. Pain. Loneliness. Airess couldn’t bear it.
“Come up here,” she said softly.
“Airess, I–”
“We haven’t slept in a proper bed in over a month. You shouldn’t be sleeping on the floor. Come up here.”
A beat of silence passed before Taryn stood up.
Airess scooted over to one side of the bed to make room for him as he grabbed his quilt and slowly sank into the mattress.
His bulky figure stayed to one side of the bed, careful not to touch her.
Airess didn’t have Fae hearing, but she was pretty sure his heart was beating just as loud as hers was.
The thought at first embarrassed her, knowing he could hear the thumping of her heart, but she no longer wanted to deny herself.
Taryn lay on his back, legs out long, and stared at the ceiling. Airess finally got the courage to turn on her side, her hand holding up her head as she spoke to him softly, “Have you thought about the first place you’ll go when we make it to Rune?”
Taryn turned to face her, mirroring that same position, looking at her through his dark lashes.
Something about this room, this bed, the way they were looking at each other, felt infinitely more intimate than any training lesson or night they had spent together in the woods.
They were allowing a deeper part of themselves to be seen, Airess realized.
She didn’t know if the thought comforted her or scared her.
“My childhood home. If it's still there, of course.” Taryn replied with a soft smile, his canines visible as the moonlight shone directly on him through the window. “Have you thought about what you will do?” he asked hesitantly.
“Well… there’s this group I intend to seek out.” Airess paused, deciding if she wanted to reveal what Esper had directed her to do. Taryn watched her intently, his facial expression eager to hear her words. Airess had grown to trust Taryn over their travels, and deemed it safe to tell him at last.
“It’s called The Obadiah, a group of Priestesses who say they can help me learn more about my Magick. One of their members was the one who helped me escape the engagement ball, you know, the one that I told you about.”
Taryn sat up, suddenly serious, “Do you mean the temple Priestesses?”
“I’m not sure. When I spoke with Esper, she said there was much I needed to learn. That this was only the beginning.” Airess looked down. “I’m not so sure what to believe. Hopefully they can teach me more about my power and why it is so rare.”
She looked up to him with a grin. She was finally allowing herself to think of the future after so long.
“But I also want more. I want to create a life for myself. I want a flat, a job. I want to live.”
Taryn’s eyes crinkled with kindness. He reached out and tucked a stray hair behind her ear, that caused goosebumps to travel down her body. “I’ll support anything you decide.”
She looked into his eyes, mesmerized. A palpable energy thrummed between them. Her body ignited, her flesh sizzling with need as his gaze dropped to her lips. Taryn’s pupils darkened as he drank her in, and suddenly the energy shifted into something more primal.
Airess reached out her hand to his scarred temple, her fingers running along the side of his face and resting at his jaw, never breaking eye contact. She had never touched a male like this before.
Taryn groaned.
He wasted no time. He cupped her face, fingers running through her hair. Their bodies pressed together, legs intertwined. He angled her head up to look at him and ran his thumb over her lips. Subtly, she nodded.
He ran another hand alongside her face, drawing his touch down her neck and to her collarbones, leaving shocks of electricity in his wake. The heat within her burned hotter. She gripped the back of his neck, needing him closer.
Taryn’s nostrils flared, and his eyelids grew heavy. It was a look she had never seen before from him, and the sight of it made the need between her legs ache. Airess thought she might burst if he didn’t touch her further–
Taryn pulled back, removing his hands from her body. He cupped her face possessively, and forced her head to look up at him. His arms shook, as if he was trying his best to control himself.
“Say it.” He growled.
The words sent head spreading through her body. Airess lost all breath. All words. Her heart pounded incessantly with a mixture of nerves and excitement. She was utterly enthralled by him.
“Yes–” she breathed out, but her permission was lost on his lips crashing into hers.
Electricity ignited her entire body at the contact.
Even her Magick responded, rising to the forefront of her mind.
The kiss was urgent, frantic, even. Taryn tasted like the ocean and earth as their lips moved together in perfect sync. She let out a breathless moan.
Airess hadn’t realized just how much she wanted–needed to kiss him until now.
Taryn shifted, his body hovering over hers in a matter of seconds.
His tongue grazed over her lips. Instinctually, she opened for him, their tongues dancing together.
Her heart fluttered, never had she ever kissed a male before until now.
Her cheeks heated with his hands now weaving into her hair, as if he needed to feel every inch of her.
He broke the kiss, taking a moment to scan her face. His lips were red, hair disheveled. He ran a thumb along her cheekbone.
“Perfect.” He ground out, “You are so damned perfect.”
And then his lips were on her jaw. Her neck. He sucked and nipped the soft flesh between the crook of her neck. Liquid heat pooled between her thighs as she trailed her hands down his muscled chest–
Taryn abruptly pulled back and hissed in pain. Airess’ eyes flew open in shock, immediately drawn to the dragon tattoo on his shoulder now glowing. He rolled to the side, gripping his shoulder with his free hand as he bit down on the quilt to stifle his cries.
Airess sat up quickly, eyes wide as she watched him tremble in pain.
“What’s wrong? What’s happening?”
In between breaths Taryn breathed out, “It’s fine. It’ll –” He grimaced again like he was being flayed from the inside out. “It’ll pass.”
Airess got to her knees and pried Taryn’s hand off his tattoo, revealing the black glow that replaced the red ink. “Oh my gods! What is that?”
She pressed her palm onto the tattoo and gritted her teeth as she felt pain.
His pain.
She held her hand steady and felt it all–felt Taryn’s pain from his childhood, his teenagehood and every terrible moment in between all meshing together to one horrible feeling.
In a moment of panic, her hand began to glow, the sparkling light coating her hand like a glove.
Without a second thought, Airess pressed her illuminated hand into Taryn’s tattoo.
The black light began to fade.
At last, the pain ebbed away unwillingly. Resentfully. Taryn grabbed Airess' wrist lightly and moved it off his arm. “How did you do that?” He whispered coarsely.
“I don’t know.” Airess admitted, removing the quilt off Taryn and instinctively wiping the bead of sweat off his brow. “Are you okay? What just happened?”
Taryn closed his eyes and sat up slowly in the bed, shifting his body to face her. “There’s something you should know.”
Airess sat back, her knees touching his in a comfortable vicinity. Her brows drew together in response.
“I did more than swear a simple Oath to the Mrkynian Guild when I was a teenager. I swore my loyalty with the Oathmark.” Taryn raised his bicep and ran his fingers along the tattoo.
“I didn’t understand what it meant at the time. I thought I was getting a tattoo to prove my loyalty and willingness. Little did I know, I had made the biggest mistake of my life.
“This mark… it controls me. Eryx controls me through it, and everyone else at The Guild. He inflicts pain if we don’t comply, physically and emotionally. He can splinter the minds of anyone who swore the Oathmark to him.”
Airess’ stomach twisted at the words. She recalled Taryn telling her he didn’t have a choice whenever he had abducted her after the engagement ball. She had thought it was a matter of social coercion, not this.
“He uses it to control hundreds of members. Some of them are so loyal to Mrkynia that they wanted the Oathmark. Others who started young were unaware such a thing even existed.” Taryn’s head dipped low.
“I’ve only made it this far without him killing me because Raiden is steering him the other direction.”
Airess' mouth parted. How long had she sat next to him in oblivion of his impending death sentence? How many times had she doubted him, thought he would betray her, when he was literally refusing to capture her despite the Oathmark?
“We can fix this. I don’t know how, but my Magick subsided the pain. We can make it to Rune, and I can learn to control my power. I can help you.” She reasoned, her voice appearing cool and confident.
Inside, she was trying her best to keep it together.
Taryn gave her a sad smile. “I’m open to anything at this point.”