Chapter 39
Elise watched Kurt struggle to drink the contents of the first vial: a dose of the Strength Potion. She remembered the blessed brew and the surge it had given her. She prayed the potion would restore at least a measure of his vitality.
After a few gulps, Kurt’s eyes flew open.
Once freed from the many layers of blankets covering him, Elise could see the extent of his injuries.
His left arm was wrapped in a bandage completely soaked with blood.
Another bandage wrapped around his waist, nearly reaching his chest, and a third encircled his upper left thigh.
His dark blue eyes locked on Elise’s.
“How did you know? How did you get here?” he asked, his grip tightening around her hand.
His scent filled her senses the closer he came, drowning out the smell of blood that hung in the air.
There was something almost intoxicating about it, as though the very air between them had turned warm.
Elise didn’t know if it was his condition or the potion, but his nearness sent a tingling warmth across her skin.
“Drink these too,” Elise said, remembering the two remaining potions in the satchel.
She handed them to Kurt, and he drained each with a single gulp.
As he wiped the corners of his mouth, Elise could tell Morgaine hadn’t failed in choosing the brews. Kurt’s hand rose with renewed vigor in search of hers. His fingers traced the length of her arm, sending chills through her, before settling at her waist and gently pulling her closer.
Elise felt every part of her body awaken. The unexpected reaction startled her, but almost involuntarily she found herself closing the distance between them.
In that moment, only one thought took hold in her heart. She wanted Kurt to know exactly who she was. She wanted every lie and every unspoken truth to disappear at once.
“There are many things about me that you must know,” she said.
“Back in Noldrin, I had no home, no coin, no employment.” She paused as she saw Kurt look at her with a measure of concern.
“I’m not Elise de Varenne. I only used that name in the hope it would help my situation here.
My real name is Elise Rumph. I took the surname from one of the only two books I inherited…
everything else was taken from me…not that my family had much to begin with. ”
“Elise,” Kurt murmured, taking both her hands in his.
She lowered her head as a lump formed in her throat.
“I come from a rather wretched background. Whatever refinement I possess, I learned from a lady who took me under her wing. I was engaged to her nephew, but she broke off the engagement without him ever speaking to me again. I wasn’t even someone’s second choice…
In truth, I had no choice at all back home. ”
Kurt cupped her chin in his hand, and warmth filled his eyes. “None of that matters. I, too, have suffered the cruelty of deceit,” he said weakly. “I was once in love, but the woman I believed loved me left me for a king many years ago.”
Elise’s heart ached for him with every word he spoke. It was no wonder he had been so distant when he thought she and Sebastian had feelings for each other. His confession only strengthened her resolve to reveal more. Everything.
“There’s more I need to tell you, Kurt,” Elise whispered. “The man you saw me kissing...he’s not...well, he’s not from Noldrin.”
But in that moment, Kurt rose to take her in his arms. He smiled, and his eyes shone like a million stars.
“That doesn’t matter either.”
He pressed his lips to hers in a kiss that spoke more than words ever could.
Elise felt as if she had died and gone to heaven. His touch, the taste of him, consumed her like fire. He slipped his hands around her hips, and Elise felt as though she was about to implode.
They lay down together, and once they did, she couldn’t fight the urge to hold him.
He kissed her more deeply, the rough brush of his unshaven beard contrasting with the softness of his mouth.
Everything about him invited her to discover more.
He explored her too, his hands gliding smoothly over her body.
He had waited far too long for this moment, and so had Elise.
Every touch, every caress carried urgency and gentleness all at once.
They rolled together across the mattress.
Elise’s hands moved from his neck to his perfectly sculpted chest. The shape and firmness of his body tempted her to linger there forever.
Every part of him she had only ever admired from a distance was now beneath her hands.
Every inch of him felt firm and strong. She breathed in his scent as though it were the most delightful fragrance she had ever known.
Then, in one swift motion, Kurt rolled on top of her, his lips finally parting from hers.
“Is this just a kiss, too?” he asked with a grin.
Kurt looked at her as though happiness itself had taken her shape.
“Kurt, that man,” she said carefully. “He’s a—”
“You don’t need to explain a thing,” Kurt interjected, his lips already drifting to her neck.
Elise rolled with him once more until she found herself on top.
“But I have to,” she said, gathering all the courage she could to utter the rest. “He’s a demon.”
The pavilion fell silent. Kurt’s eyes widened as he stared at her in shock.
“He’s guarding me while I develop my powers,” Elise continued. “The alternative was to go with him...to Hell.”
Kurt shook his head. His smile faded, and he let go of Elise as he sat up on the bed.
“How could that be?”
“My powers are rare. I’m an Oracle,” Elise whispered, feeling a great weight lift from her shoulders now that she had finally told Kurt her biggest secret. “That’s how I knew you were badly injured. Morgaine brought me here and helped with the potions.”
A fierce protectiveness kindled in Kurt’s eyes.
“Stay with me. If he comes, I’ll defend your right to remain here.”
“No, no,” she managed. “There’s no need for that. After one year, I’ll be free.”
Elise went on, recounting everything about the Stone of Raj and the need to remain close to it.
“Stay with me,” Kurt repeated. This time, his voice carried the edge of a command. He held her tighter, as though afraid she would vanish the moment he let go.
Elise couldn’t help but surrender to the warmth of his touch and the growing temptation to sample those lips once more. It was as if Kurt were under a spell, an enchantment that left him caring for nothing but her.
She looked at him, feeling as though the heavens had fashioned him to satisfy her every wish.
This was the man she had only ever dreamed of, the very man she had nearly lost forever.
Needless to say, between one kiss and the next, she found herself beginning to yield to Kurt’s desire to keep her there.
That was, until a loud caw tore Elise from Kurt’s embrace.
“Someone is coming,” she said, fighting every instinct to remain in his arms.
“Wait,” he said, pulling her back to him.
Elise went back to Kurt slowly without protest.
It was one of those moments when reason had long since left the room, and one could think only of the immediate pleasures the body craved.
Elise remained there, wrapped in Kurt’s strong arms. She had never felt so small as beneath the strength of his hands.
She answered in kind, her own hands exploring the firm contours of his back.
The more she melted into his embrace, the more she caught his sweet scent.
It was as though they had known each other for a lifetime, and yet she could have spent an eternity in his arms.
The entire pavilion seemed to grow warmer, so steeped in passion that it was only a matter of time before nature closed the gap between yearning and absolute bliss.
Unfortunately, the delightful moment was short-lived as Morgaine swept the curtain aside in one brusque motion.
The witch, quick-witted and a firm believer in the oldest instincts of mankind, seemed to regret having to interrupt such promising proceedings.
“We have to leave!” she ordered, striding toward the bed.
Elise jumped up and hurried to Morgaine’s side.
Morgaine took the duke’s face in both hands, tugged lightly at his cheeks, and turned his head from side to side.
“Did he drink all the potions?”
Elise nodded.
Morgaine closed her eyes and began to chant,
“By earth below and sky above,
Heal this handsome lord, so dearly loved.”
“Let Elise stay. I know everything,” Kurt pleaded with Morgaine.
“It can’t be,” the witch replied. “Your enemies are on their way. You must reach an agreement. This territory is lost to you.”
“How do you know?”
“I know, and that’s all I can tell you. You won’t win this battle. Do as I say if you wish to live long enough to see Elise again.”
Shock swept across Kurt’s face.
After a moment of silence, he murmured, “I will.”
“Good,” Morgaine said, turning to Elise. “Say your farewells, but make them quick.”
Elise hurried to Kurt’s side.
“Please do as Morgaine says.”
Kurt nodded, taking Elise’s hand. “Promise me you’ll be there when I return.”
“I promise.”
Kurt’s grip tightened around her fingers before he pressed a kiss to the back of her hand.
The clamor of steel grew louder outside, and men began shouting for the Duke of Dornheim.
Elise let go of Kurt’s hand, for something deep within her told her this would not be the last time they stood together.
Morgaine seemed to struggle for patience, but the moment Elise rejoined her, the urgency in the witch’s voice made it plain they could wait no longer.
“It’s time to go.”
*****
It took two nights of flying before Elise and Morgaine arrived at the castle. It was well into the night when the broom came to rest a few feet above the stone courtyard before settling softly onto the ground.
Both Morgaine’s and Elise’s dresses were in disarray. The front of Morgaine’s bodice was barely containing the fullness of her cleavage, and the wind had tangled both their hair into a hopeless mess.
The men guarding the gate were not the same ones they had seen the night they left, but they proved no less helpful. At the sight of Morgaine, they were just as eager to lend a hand.
The witch accepted the arm one of them offered, while Elise took the other.
Elise felt as though the gift of walking on clouds had been granted to her the very moment she left Kurt behind at the camps.
The journey had left her completely spent, and though she could hardly wait to crawl into her own bed, the happiness Kurt had given her could have carried her through another week.
The feel of his lips was still fresh upon hers, and his scent lingered strong on her clothes.
If she had once believed she knew happiness, this feeling proved her wonderfully mistaken.
“Thank you, Morgaine,” she whispered.
Morgaine drew her into a brief hug.
“He’ll be back, dear.”
Elise nodded with a smile.
The witch was just about to leave when the two guards rushed back to their posts.
Elise turned to see none other than the king approaching the gate.
Sebastian stopped dead the moment he saw Morgaine.
Elise felt Morgaine stiffen for a breath, but poised as she always was, the reaction passed unnoticed by everyone else.
Morgaine walked toward the king in complete silence. Their gazes remained on each other until they stood barely two feet apart. She leaned toward him as though to catch his scent.
“You’ve been starving yourself, I can tell,” she purred. “I told you not to.”
Sebastian seemed to shiver. Then, like a man who truly had been starving, he seized Morgaine by the arms and, to everyone’s astonishment, kissed her as though he had been told he would never see another dawn.
They wrapped themselves around one another with the determination of two warriors fighting over the same patch of ground. Neither seemed interested in breaking free.
A long moment passed. The guards cleared their throats. Elise smoothed her sleeves. But the king and Morgaine remained in their own world.
Eventually, Morgaine broke the kiss with a low groan and tipped his chin upward. Sebastian lingered with his eyes closed, drifting after her as though unwilling to believe she had moved away.
“Morgaine,” he whispered, as though the very sound of her name pained him.
Elise and the guards watched in stunned silence, unable to tear their eyes away.
“Don’t trouble yourself following me,” Morgaine said with a reassuring smile. “I’ll be back.”
Sebastian dipped his head in acknowledgment.
With that, the witch stepped onto her broom and took flight, leaving everyone below to watch her disappear into the night.