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  Aimery ran a hand down his face. Where had Isran taken Kyndra now, and what was the bastard up to that he would release him? Isran was cunning. He liked to tease and torment, gaining a gleeful, sickening pleasure out of it.

  The need to feel his magic threatened to take him back down into the pit of madness, but he fought it. He would be no good to Kyndra insane.

  It was the smell of food that drew him from the bed. He didn’t bother to look for clothes as he stumbled his way to the table. His hands shook from lack of use and weakness. He spilled more wine than he got into the goblet as he poured. It took two tries before he was able to pull meat off the bone. Aimery didn’t know what it was, nor did he care. He needed food and quickly.

  The first bite was like a taste of bliss. His mouth watered for more, his stomach growling as he ate. Aimery finished off the slab of meat and the entire loaf of bread. Then he delved into the delicious pastries arranged so neatly on the golden platter. Only then did he allow himself to finish the jug of wine.

  With his stomach full and his strength returning, Aimery found himself thinking if Isran and what his next step would be. He hadn’t killed Kyndra or him. But why? What use did either one of them serve Isran? Aimery wouldn’t stop until Isran was dead. Surely Isran had to realize that.

  There was a soft knock at his door. Aimery’s head jerked to the door, his heart quickening as he wondered if it was Kyndra. As the door swung open and a servant stepped into the chamber with her head bowed, Aimery sat back and sighed.

  He was such a fool. Isran wouldn’t allow Kyndra to walk around the castle, and he most certainly wouldn’t let her come to him.

  “Yer bath, milord,” the servant said.

  Aimery watched while the tub was brought in and filled with water. The tendrils of heat rising from the tub beckoned him to relax his aching body in the heat. He didn’t wait for the servants to leave as he rose and walked to the tub. The female glanced at him beneath her lowered lashes, a blush staining her cheek.

  He lowered himself in the tub and groaned. The water felt wonderful. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. For whatever reason, Isran was allowing him to build his strength, and Aimery was going to take every chance he got to do just that.

  “Do ye…need…anythin’ else, milord?”

  Aimery cracked open an eye to find the servant girl standing beside the tub. So, Isran had sent her to tempt him. “Nay. You may leave.”

  She licked her lips and opened her mouth as if she would say more, but she turned on her heel and left.

  The chamber once more his, Aimery relaxed in the tub until the water began to cool.

  Only then did he bathe. After he dried off, he wrapped the towel around his waist. As he walked to the table for more wine he noticed the black tunic and breeches laid out for him. He didn’t wish to walk around naked, so he put on the clothes.

  Once his boots were on, he looked beneath the bed for his weapons and found them gone as was the missive from Theron. Isran had wasted little time in seizing everything Aimery had.

  All he had to do now was wait for he knew Isran would return very, very soon.

  * * * * *

  Kyndra stared at herself in the mirror. She looked the same, but inside she was different. She had felt it since that moment in Isran’s throne room.

  Black Magic.

  She had taken a life. Regardless of why she had done it, she had done it. And in doing so had committed herself down a path where there was no return. A path that had ensured she would never see her realm again, never see the beauty of the dragons flying the sky or hear their call.

  Never look into Aimery’s eyes and see his desire for her.

  A tear slipped down her cheek. Kyndra hastily wiped it away. She hadn’t had a choice in the matter. Not only could she not let the boy die, but she couldn’t let anything happen to Aimery. He was much stronger than her. He would be able to end Isran’s rule and save the egg.

  How she longed to touch him again, just once more wrap her arms around him and feel his warmth. Her sex throbbed, and moisture gathered between her thighs as she thought about his rod sliding into her, thrusting hard and fast.

  Her breasts ached for his touch. She cupped her breasts and sucked in a breath when her fingers grazed her sensitive nipples. Her body heated, yearning for Aimery’s caress, to feel his lips on her, wringing cries of pleasure from her.

  The black magic was still new in her, and Aimery didn’t have his magic. There was a chance he wouldn’t realize what she had become. The kernel of hope had formed in her heart and wouldn’t be ignored. Kyndra rose from the stool and left her chamber. No one stopped her as she walked through the castle to Aimery’s room.

  The closer she got, the more her body yearned for his touch. When she came to his chamber, she stopped and placed her hand on the door. Isran had assured her Aimery had been released and seen to, but she didn’t know if she could believe him.

  After seeing Aimery lost in his madness, she wasn’t sure what she would find if she opened the door. But she had to see him.

  She opened the door and looked inside. The bed was mused, the sheet puddle on the floor. Water pooled near the tub and a towel had been tossed onto the bed. Isran hadn’t lied. She was surprised by that, and also relieved.

  “Kyndra?”

  Her head swiveled around to the table to find Aimery. He looked hail except for the dark circles beneath his eyes and the lines of worry on his brow. “Aye. It’s me.”

  “What are you doing here?” He narrowed his gaze as he rose, as if he didn’t trust her.

  If only he knew. “I’ve been allowed to see you.”

  “Why?”

  She swallowed and shrugged. “I don’t know. Who knows why Isran does what he does.” He seemed to accept her answer.

  Kyndra closed the door behind her and walked to Aimery. She reached up and ran her hand down his face. “Are you in much pain?”

  “It’s tolerable.”

  “And your mind? Are you with me?”

  He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “For now. It gets more difficult with each hour.”

  “You can withstand it,” she said and forced a smile. “If anyone can, it’s you.” His hands grasped her shoulders and pulled her closer. “What happened to you? Isran told me you had been hurt?”

  “It…was nothing.” She didn’t want to tell him how terrified she had been of being raped, of the pain she had experienced at the men’s hands.

  “It was something.”

  “Believe it or not, Isran saved me.”

  Aimery snorted. “The one thing I’ve learned about Isran is that he doesn’t do anything for free.”

  “I agree.”

  “You won’t tell me what happened?”

  She swallowed. “I was spared, Aimery. Leave it at that.”

  “But you were injured.”

  “Only a little.”

  “How?”

  He wouldn’t leave it alone, she realized. She would have to tell him part of it, but no more. “One of the guards hit me.”

  Aimery’s brow furrowed. “He struck you? I’ll kill him.”

  “No need. Isran already did it.”

  That only seemed to anger Aimery more. “Be careful around him. He uses people’s weaknesses against them.”

  Dread pooled in her belly. Isran had said as much to her, gloating that he had finally found Aimery’s weakness. “Do you have a weakness?”

  “Aye, and Isran knows it’s you. I know he’ll use you against me. I just haven’t figured out how yet.”

  Kyndra had a feeling turning her to black magic was part of Isran’s grand scheme.

  “Just like I don’t know why he’s kept us alive.”

  She knew the answer to that. “Isran says that he admires you, that you are one of the greatest warriors the Fae has ever seen. He said he couldn’t kill you because there would never be another like you again.”

  “That’s shite, and you know it.”

  She wasn�
��t so sure. Aimery was different from the other Fae. He had accomplished much more with the humans than any Fae ever before. But it wasn’t just what he had done on Earth, it was what he had done for other realms, including their own. It was no wonder Isran couldn’t kill him. How could anyone kill something as magnificent as Aimery?

  “Kyndra?”

  She threw her arms around him, needing his strength. His enfolded her in his embrace.

  “You’re shaking. What’s wrong?”

  She couldn’t tell him the truth, so she settled for something close to it. “Isran has returned my powers.”

  “Good. Use them to get the egg.”

  “I can’t. His power is too great.”

  Aimery set her away from him and cupped her face in his hands. “Kyndra, do whatever he asks. Just stay alive long enough for me to figure a way to end this.” Their gazes locked, and desire flared between them. Isran and his threat were forgotten as they lost themselves in each other. Kyndra’s lids closed as Aimery lowered his head and took her mouth in a soft, coaxing kiss.

  Her body melted against him, eager to taste more of him. The kiss quickly turned fierce, the desire between them too great. Her sex throbbed when she felt his thick cock pressed against her.

  “By the gods, how I hunger for you,” he murmured between kisses.

  She clawed at his tunic, needing to feel his skin under her hands. With one jerk he pulled it over his head and yanked her back against him.

  “I thought I had lost you.”

  Her tears made him blur. “I’ll always be yours. Always.”

  “Kyndra.”

  He said her name as if it were a prayer, spoken softly, lovingly. The tears she had tried to hold at bay spilled onto her cheeks.

  “Why do you cry?”

  “Because I’ve finally found you. Because I’d give up everything to be with you. Because I fear what the future holds.”

  He brushed her tears away. “I will find a way to free us.” She was grateful when he kissed her again. If they had continued talking, she was liable to confess what she had become, and the thought of Aimery’s beautiful eyes filled with loathing was more than she could take.

  His kiss stole her breath and heated her blood. He kissed as if their very lives depended upon it, as if it were the last chance they would be together. And for Kyndra, it most likely was.

  She put all her love, her hope, in the kiss. She didn’t have the courage to tell him of her love, but she could show him.

  She helped him take off her gown then eagerly aided him in the removal of his boots and breeches. When they were both naked, they stood bathed in the sunlight.

  “I’ll never get enough of you.”

  She smiled and ran her thumb over his lips. “Good, because I want more of you.”

  “You can have me for as long as you want.”

  She was swept into his arms as he kissed down her neck, nipping her skin with his lips and tongue. Kyndra forgot about Isran, the black magic and the egg. She forgot about her vows to the Order, the Blue dragons and their realm. She forgot everything but Aimery and his wonderful hands caressing her body.

  His hands were everywhere, stroking her, learning her. The force of her desire made her tremble and her sex clench greedily for his touch. Aimery’s hand cupped the back of her head as he leaned her over his arm and kissed down her shoulder and across to her breast.

  The first touch of his mouth on her nipple brought a sigh past her lips. His tongue circled the tiny bud, teasing it until it was hard and aching. Only then did he draw her nipple into his mouth and suckle. Kyndra moaned and clutched his head, holding him against her.

  His other hand kneaded her bottom, grinding her against his hard cock. Kyndra lifted her leg to wrap around his waist. She wanted him inside her, to feel him stretch and fill her. Moisture gathered between her legs. His rod rubbed against her pearl sending ripples of pleasure over her.

  “You taste delectable,” he murmured against her skin.

  He lifted her and placed her on the bed, but when he covered her with his body Kyndra pushed at his shoulders. She rolled him until he was on his back. Then she straddled his hips and ran her hands over his chest.

  She rose up on her knees and took his rod in her hand. Her lips parted when she spotted the bead of fluid at the tip of his cock. She used her finger to smear the liquid around his head before she lowered herself on him.

  His fingers gripped her hips as she slowly sank down his thick rod.

  Only when she was fully seated did she begin to rotate her hips. She started out slow but, at the pleasure and desire washing over Aimery’s face, she quickened her tempo. When she rose up and down his length, he moaned her name, his gaze glued between their bodies.

  “I can’t last,” Aimery ground out.

  Kyndra’s climax was already building. She could feel the tension mounting, her body tightening just before she peaked. “Then come with me.” Aimery reached up and pinched her nipples, sending her over the edge. Her breath locked in her lungs as her orgasm exploded. She could feel herself clenching around his rod, heard his moans as his cock jumped inside her, his seed filling her womb.

  She drifted on the bliss of her climax for hours or days, she wasn’t sure, but when she opened her eyes it was to find herself in Aimery’s arms, his beautiful swirling blue eyes staring at her.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Aimery smoothed Kyndra’s dark locks away from her face and kissed her forehead. Her passion, her fire stole his breath. He had refused to allow Isran to come between them as they made love. But now, in the afterglow, Aimery couldn’t help but think of their predicament.

  Kyndra’s finger traced his eyebrow. “What are you thinking about?” He turned so that he faced her, though his arm was still around her. “You.”

  “Liar.”

  He grinned. He didn’t want to talk of Isran or the dragon’s egg, not yet. Not until they had to. “What is it like in the Order?”

  “Wonderful.” She smiled, her gaze taking a wistful look. “I think it is much like your army. There are rules, of course. Your army takes an oath to serve our realm and their king and queen.”

  “Aye, but I don’t make my men take vows of celibacy. Why do they ask that of you?”

  “The dragons need to be our sole purpose. Long ago, when the Order first began, there were some who were married. The duties to their families took precedence to the dragons. So the High Priestess decided that to be a priestess in the Order, one must give everything to the Order.” Aimery ran his thumb over her lips, wanting to kiss her again. “Has anyone left the Order because they wanted a family?”

  “A few. We go through rigorous training before we take our vows.

  To be in the Order is not something to be taken lightly. Only a tenth of the girls who come to the Temple will become priestesses.”

  “And how many become warriors?”

  She grinned and glanced at the dragon cuff on her arm. “Even fewer.”

  “Then you are truly unique. No High Priestess whom I have known about has also been a warrior.”

  “Nay. None ever has been.”

  “You were to be the first.”

  She shrugged. “Things change.”

  “Will you return to the Order once we get back?”

  “Will you return to the palace?”

  Aimery would give it all up, everything, just to be with her. He had found the one thing that could make him complete. He wasn’t about to let her go. Not now. Not ever.

  But now wasn’t the time to make those kinds of confessions. First, he had to get them free of Thav, and to do that he had to kill Isran.

  “Have you spoken to Isran?”

  She nodded her head.

  “Has he divulged anything?”

  She licked her lips. “He is preparing to crack the egg.”

  “Did he say when?”

  “In the next day or so. He also has Eldar locked in a cage in the throne room.”

  “Eldar? You
mean Isran didn’t kill him?”

  “Nay. Eldar looks so old and frail that a strong wind could break him in two. Yet, there is something in his eyes that tells me he is stronger than he appears.” Aimery considered her words. “Do you think you could get Eldar to side with us? If I could free him, together we could fight Isran.”

  “You don’t understand just how powerful Isran has become. It’s…frightening. Besides, you don’t have your magic.”

  “Not yet, but I intended to get it back.”

  “How?”

  Aimery smiled. “Isran is overconfident. He thinks his magic could defeat mine easily.”

  “Can it?”

  “Maybe. Maybe not,” he answered with a shrug. “I intend to make Isran think he doesn’t need to fear me, that there is no reason not to give me my magic.”

  “Won’t he get suspicious? Why would you want your magic back so desperately if you cannot use it against him?”

  “To keep from going insane. Even now I’m fighting it, but it is easier with you in my arms.”

  Her lips turned up in a smile. “Do you think your plan could work? Isran has a way of learning everything.”

  That made Aimery pause. He had forgotten that little tidbit. “He returned your magic, yes?”

  “Aye.”

  “Have you tried to block him from your mind?”

  She nodded. “And failed miserably. He probably knows everything we’re talking about now.”

  He could be, but not unless he was occupied elsewhere. Aimery had no way of knowing it. For all he knew, Isran had his full concentration on them, learning everything. “There has to be some way you can block him.”

  Her gaze lowered. “I will find a way.”

  There was something in her tone that told him there was something between her and Isran. He didn’t think he could stand it if she had betrayed him and sided with Isran. Kyndra had been untouched before him, so he didn’t think she could fake what was between them.

  Still…

  “Kyndra, what have you been doing?”

  Her gaze met his. “Surviving.”