AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He moved with dangerous grace as he faced her. “I wish to spend the day with my hari Tehdra without prying eyes.”
“We will be alone?” Heat surged through her.
“Just an illusion. My blades will ignore my orders and follow at a discreet distance.”
She did not know how to respond to that. When given an order by her dark king, she followed it absolutely. A scream pierced the air. It echoed through her frame, leaving an empty hollow feeling like she had brushed against death. A wraith landed in front of them, the force of the wind generated by its wings tumbling her hair from its knot.
It was massive, fearsome in its width and height—a monstrous creature born of darkness. It seemed shadowy and insubstantial, yet Tehdra could make out the large body, the clawed feet, its sinewy wings and serrated teeth. Empty sockets where eyes should’ve been, seemed to suck at one’s soul. Empty, but seemingly evil.
Ajali simply appeared on its back like magic. The hand he held out to her beckoned her close. Tehdra smiled at the incongruousness of the food basket attached to the back of the wraith. Something so deadly travelling with a picnic basket. She slapped her hands in his and let the pleasure of being so close to her mate permeate her entire being as he swung her up and seated her behind him on the formidable creature.
She understood this outing was about deceiving the enemy if they were indeed spying. And it served her purpose in every way.
Chapter Nine
Ajali fought the fascination that Tehdra aroused. The wraith shot through the sky with dizzying speed, and her laughter poured down his throat like a fine wine. He brushed aside the delight of her laughter. She seemed free. The need to know more about her was imperative and not because he wished to bed her, but because without a doubt she was the enemy. His blades disapproved of his method. She was also a unique foe; no one could fake her level of ignorance with the sword. She was also unskilled in the sensual arts, which had left him puzzled as to what kind of infiltrator she was.
Acheron had reported his findings to Ajali in the wee hours of the morning. Master Thorne did indeed exist, and had three daughters. Acheron had been relentless in tracking down all of them, and had resorted to slicing open a few men with his knives to learn the location of one of the daughters, and it had still taken him hours to uncover the truth. One of the daughters had died years ago and Tehdra assumed her identity. Master Thorne had been rewarded with several bags of gold for his silence by a cloaked figure. The man only knew if anyone were to check if one of his daughters had joined the Nurian king’s harem, he was to confirm. If not for Acheron’s ruthless and suspicious nature, Tehdra’s cover would have held. His blades were almost obsessed with his protection and relentlessly researched every hari that entered his kingdom, especially those in possession of black hair. They wanted to bind and torture her. It had been Ajali’s first instinct, but denial had tightened in his gut at the thought of her suffering under Acheron’s care.
When Ajali had said no to torture, his brother and blades had gaped at him in appalled silence. They were wary of the feelings she evoked within him. Triton had wondered if she was a witch because Ajali’s interest had been instantaneous. He had calmly explained it was lust. Acheron had tried to reach out to her with the w
itch’s power buried in him and had felt nothing.
Ajali had admitted to his brother that Tehdra held him entranced by the way her lashes fell against her skin, the curve of her mouth, the lusciousness of her lips when she smiled. She made him feel…. A state he had not existed in since the last war. It had always been too dangerous for him to endure strong emotions for one individual, not when he could make a similar mistake of placing that one life, no matter how important, over the lives of thousands in his kingdom.
She was to be a simple distraction while he laid plans for the enemy, but somehow he ached to know her. He glanced over his shoulder, seeking signs that she was a mole but all he met was naked need in her gaze. It aroused the hell out of him. But it was more than a craving for her body; it was for her smiles and the wicked passion that lurked beneath the darkness of her gaze. He actually wanted to learn her, as well as understand who she spied for and why.
He had gleaned Gavyn’s thought to execute her instantly. Ajali understood his blades’ feelings. They believed he was being reckless, knowing she was the enemy, yet he still allowed her to live. Worse his desire for her did not lessen. Since her arrival in Nuria he had found his thoughts straying to the enigma that she represented and trying to unravel it. He fucking hungered to unleash the heat he felt within her for him and bury his cock deep within her tightness.
Tehdra made him yearn for more than strife, war and succession planning, and Ajali wondered if that was worth exploring, adversary or not.
***
Tehdra grasped Ajali’s waist as the wraith flew over the lands. Her breath caught at the majestic city they soared past. The wraith dipped and twirled as they sped into the hills. Miles of hills, valleys, and gushing waterfalls rushed by.
She had never been on an encounter so ordinary, as mundane as a picnic. The aroma that seeped from the basket made her mouth water, and the smile that curved her lips was filled with sweet satisfaction. An entire day spent with her leki. She would treasure the opportunity and remember the experience when haunting loneliness descended.
She detected three wraiths like distant dots on the horizon following them. Also, some of his blades followed on Kuns. They were very serious about his protection, yet instead of irritating her, it engendered warm feelings towards them.
She was every bit as resolute about his well-being as they were.
Tehdra inhaled his scent and snuggled closer into his back, abolishing any space between them. She liked the rough chuckle that rumbled through him, leaving tingling desire in its wake.
“Hold on.” A gruff command.
With a flex of his powerful thighs, the speed of the beast increased ten-fold. Instead of inspiring fear, the dizzying pace caused excitement to pulse through her and unfettered laughter spilled from her throat.
The beauty of the land was almost daunting in its sheer perfection. Several frenzied cries reached her ears, drawing her gaze to the magnificence of the city they approached. It scintillated like rubies and diamonds as the sun glinted off its many walls, turrets, baileys and mezzanines.
Within minutes they had passed over the city into sheer wilderness splendor: mountains, valleys and terrain that held a cruel elegance within them. The rhythmic movements of the wraith beneath her soothed her. She inhaled the crisp coldness of the air into her lungs as peace unlike none she had ever known, crept into her being. She felt contentment. Tehdra stirred against his back, startled at her thought. She had not claimed Ajali, yet she was content just being with him. Darkans were the only citizens of Amagarie that mated, and when they did, it was for life. It was their darkness, the animalistic beast inside of them that allowed them to mate. For years she had wondered if she would find her other half, the one capable of soothing and making her beast complete, until her brother had committed his treachery. Since then she had only envisaged atoning for his treason. She was capable of having lovers until she found her mate, yet she had not done so. There had been room for nothing else, but giving her life to her kingdom.
She’d found hers at three centi old and had a lifetime of loneliness to anticipate. But now she would bask in the brief time she had with him, and allow herself to be seduced. Then, when the chills of loneliness tried to dominate her, she would have heated memories to keep her warm.
The sharp dip of the wraith pulled her from her musings. Its landing was graceful and seamless. The area Ajali settled on was secluded, intimate. The trees formed a canopy, birds chirped, the brightness of the sun welcomed them as it rays highlighted the beauty of the land.
She slid off the wraith, filled with exuberance, and went from flower to flower, inhaling their fragrance. Water spewed from underground and glided over rocks to form a shallow pool that invited play.
With a harsh scream, the wraith launched into the air.
