Chapter Six

   Lexa stared up at Arim, her lover, with as much distrust as cautious affection. How he managed to slip beneath her safeguards time and time again after all the hurt he’d caused remained a mystery. A testament to his power, she thought.

   He flexed within her, and she had to bite her lip not to moan at the sheer pleasure of his touch after so many years. Like magic, they flowed together, their passion just one more thing linking them tight.

   Arim felt as if he’d been made just for her. If it were as simple as having great sex to solve her problems, she’d be in the bliss of the Next right now, contemplating an afterlife full of wonders. Instead, she felt her Dark essence begin to withdraw and hoped she hadn’t let anything slip in a weak moment.

   By Dark’s breast, her orgasm had completely shattered her. Her Light Bringer had learned a trick or two since they’d been together… She had to fight the jealousy she had no right to feel.

   Once young lovers eager to experience only each other, they’d loved completely in ignorance of another’s touch. In the time since, Lexa had her share of lovers. He’d certainly not been abstinent, not if his experienced mouth was any indication. Good Night, but what he’d done to her with that tongue…

   With a groan, Arim withdrew and lay down on the couch. In seconds he had her in his arms on top of him. He pressed her head to his chest and settled his chin in her hair. Warmth spread through her, affection that fought the tight constraints of protection she’d spent years perfecting.

   “The Djinn means nothing to you, does he?” he asked with a contented sigh.

   For a minute, Lexa had no idea what he was talking about. Then she recalled his probing questions about Jonas. “Why?” Why ask her that now?  What did he hope to gain from the information?

         “Because you were so tight, so hungry for my touch.”

   The jerk sounded way too arrogant, and Lexa decided to take the offensive, refusing to act the fool. “Oh? And you weren’t hungry for mine?” She slid a hand down his body and centred a cool blast in her palm, surprised when her magic actually worked. Arching the small energy over his shaft, she smiled at his exclamation and the firmness growing there. “Most men like what I can do for them.”

   Arim tensed. “Most men?”

   She shrugged, wishing they could go back to the calm press of their bodies, where the Netharat, ‘Sin Garu and Light versus Dark didn’t exist. But that would harm more than help, especially since just one taste of Arim meant she was losing her perspective.

   “Jonas is particularly handsome, I think. And very Dark, you know.”

   Arim reversed their positions before she could blink, and she found herself flat on her back looking up at him. “But it wasn’t his Darkness you were just clinging to, was it, sweet?” he asked silkily. “It was my mouth tasting you. My cock filling you with Light Bringer seed.”

   She pushed at his arms and he lowered himself, practically crushing her with his weight. Instead of feeling threatened, however, she felt incredibly turned-on. His jealousy pulsed like a warm wind, caressing her, as if readying her for another round of carnal pleasure.

   “You know, Blue, back then we were young. Innocent in the ways of pleasure. Of the games people play.” His eyes flashed with colour as he focused on her. “Seems like we’ve got nothing better to do than reacquaint ourselves. Since we’re both without magic at the moment, it’s my strength against yours.” He grinned, a mean smile that made her ache anew. “Your house, but my rules, my way. I have some questions I want answered. And you’re going to satisfy me.”

   “Right.” She huffed at a hank of hair suddenly in her eyes, disturbed when he caught both her wrists and held them over her head with one hand. With his other, he cupped her breast. Her body hummed with pleasure. Like a switch that had been thrown, she responded to his dominance, wanting more. Which scared her to death, because her heart didn’t seem to understand that sex and love didn’t necessarily go hand-in-hand.

   Panicked at the thought of losing herself again, of going through the pain of rejection, she blurted, “So is this how the great Arim Valens treats women, these days? Forcing them to have sex? Raping them? Maybe you’re not as different from my brother as you like to think.” It was a low blow and totally off the mark. But her comment had the desired effect.

   He released her as if she were toxic and leapt off the couch, immediately putting distance between them. “I am nothing like that curse that infects all it touches.” He scowled at her as if she held the same taint. “I thank you for reminding me just where your loyalties lie. And for the incredible fuck. Apparently, you’re only a frigid bitch when you’re fighting, because that pussy was hot enough to melt ice.” His eyes glittered. “Sure were hungry for it, weren’t you, Blue?”

   Anger burned. Had she been able, she would have scalded him with blue flame and watched the cold sear his flesh from his bones. This was the Arim she’d left behind all those years ago. The same sorcerer she’d been battling all these years. One mind-blowing orgasm and she’d forgotten all that?
      “Yes, I was desperate.” She eyed him up and down, as if she found him lacking. It was all she could do not to dwell on the hungry part of him rising yet again. No man, especially no Light Bringer, should have a body that tempting and a mind that infuriating. “But then, you’d know all about whores, hmm, Arim?  The only way those Light Bringer women will touch you is if you pay them. Too much Darkness in you, I’ll bet. Isn’t that a shocker from Tanselm’s legendary Light Bringer sorcerer?”

   His expression blanked, and she smiled, pleased the information she’d learned about him proved correct. In the many years since they’d parted, she’d kept abreast of his conquests. To her surprise, he’d formed no lasting attachments. Only short flings with indiscriminating women, some whores, some not, who demanded nothing more than a favour or two, and Arim’s coveted body. Under an enchantment of truth, the women had admitted that Arim had a habit of bringing Dark energy into the bedroom with him—an energy she now recognised as familiar.

   Funny, but at the time of their initial pairing, Lexa had been too innocent to know how similar she and her lover truly were.

   Arim stepped forward, his anger a palpable force that had the air around him warming. Surprised he could manage that with Sava’s shield in place, Lexa nonetheless stood her ground as he stalked her. Then that part of her that was missing—the piece of her soul caught and held by the demons—cried out from the demon plane.  She was reminded again of what she’d sacrificed for this man and realised what a terrible mistake she’d made.

   “Too much Darkness for the ladies of my world, yes,” he hissed, stopping a few feet from her. “But not enough for the Ice Bitch of Malern.” Inwardly, she winced, always hating that name. “‘Sin Garu’s little sister certainly knows how to fuck like the best of them.” He tossed her over his shoulder, leaning down to grab something.

   “What the hell are you doing? Put me down.”

   “You want me to keep my distance?” He laughed, an ugly sound that promised retribution. “Why should I? As you so clearly stated, I’m much more like your brother than I’d thought. Take you by force? Why the hell not?” He carried her into the bedroom.

   For the first time since she’d known him, Lexa felt real, honest fear towards the man she’d once loved with her whole heart. Just moments ago he’d gazed at her with tenderness, and now…this.  

   As much as she struggled, she couldn’t free herself from his steely grip. He leaned down again, and she fought like a wildcat when she noticed what he’d picked up. A length of Dark-hide rope to match the one he’d fetched from the living room. Bound, she’d be helpless before him.

   “Arim, stop. Let me—”

   “Shut. Up.” He threw her on the bed and captured her hands, tying them together above her head and to the headboard behind her. Then he grabbed one flying ankle and secured it to the footboard, leaving her other leg free since he’d run out of rope.

   She was breathing hard, fear and excitement battling within her. The fear she understood, the excitement not at all. She’d never had rough sex before, and hadn’t particularly thought to try it. Watching Arim seethe with Darkness brought out her baser instincts. For as much as she wanted to be repelled by his strength, the Dark Lord within her revelled in his power, and in his willingness to use it.

   “Go ahead then, do your worst.” Lexa couldn’t help tensing when he leaned close. She closed her eyes, not wanting to appear weak while he took what she didn’t want to give. Her control. Her self-respect. Her last shreds of affection for memories of the man she’d once treasured.

   Seconds ticked by. A minute passed, and he did nothing. When she opened her eyes again, he was nowhere to be seen.

   Arim sat in a chair and stared at the wall, seeing nothing as he tried to calm his rage. That blue-eyed, black-haired witch was going to be the death of him. For one small, infinitesimally long second, he’d been tempted to take her by force. The thrill that afforded him made him ashamed to take his next breath.

   Seeing her tremble in fear had been almost as bad. Excitement he could handle. He’d seen that in her eyes. But fear?

   Leaving her side had been difficult when the Darkness inside him demanded he take what was his by right. A Darkness that shouldn’t have been there but was. He ran a weary hand over his face, humiliated Lexa knew what dwelled within him. He’d never been able to explain how a Light Bringer sorcerer so filled with Light could have such Dark needs, sexually. Lexa was just as bad, though she’d never admit it. For a Dark Lord, she had an amazing tendency to light up in bed, literally.

   The women he normally sated himself with liked bondage, a mixture of pain and pleasure that gave them that thrill they lacked. For Arim, it was as close a substitute to the pure Darkness he had only ever touched with Lexa. Still, the pain never matched the clarity of her blessed Night.

   Such a secret to hold. His family could never know. Ravyn would be appalled. His nephews would think him daft, and the Church of Illumination would order his head on a platter. Their beloved sorcerer, Tanselm’s Guardian of Storm and Killer of Shadow, at one with Darkness? Never. 

   He flushed, embarrassed at such a weakness. But he’d always been this way. Tanselm knew who and what he was. The land accepted him. At first he’d wondered if the problems with his magic were her subtle way of finally rejecting him. Then he learned the land itself had a problem, and he felt simultaneously worry and relief.

   Lexa yelled his name, her voice gruff with anger and concern. Arim ignored her. He still didn’t understand how she could get to him. After such complete bliss, feeling their shared connection, he thought they’d actually begun to breech the hurt between them. And then she’d compared him to ‘Sin Garu? Referred to the evil as her brother?

   Something about her reaction didn’t ring true.  He paused in thought. It was more than just Lexa’s avoidance about discussing Jonas. More than her odd reference to ‘Sin Garu, a man Arim thought she hated more than anything.  She’d been with Arim every step of the way, her actions and sensuality in tune with his. Light’s breath, but a woman didn’t get that wet for a man she didn’t desire. What, then, was she hiding?

   He went over and over it in his mind, stopping when he remembered that odd sensation during orgasm. Lexa had been missing a part of her. In retrospect he’d thought it was her magic. What if that bit of her lacking wasn’t due to Sava’s spell, but to something more?  She’d been attacked by demons. The only person alive Arim knew who’d survived a demon attack was Sava, an Aellein king much older and more powerful than many knew. And the man refused to discuss that bleak time in his past.

   His anger gone, Arim realised something else. When he’d lain with Lexa, all had been right with the world. She’d let him touch her, had breathed easily onto his chest. Then he’d blown it asking about Jonas.

   He wanted to kick himself. He was almost as bad as Darius, the least charming of his nephews. Needing the word ‘tact’ tattooed to his forehead, Darius often had to be reminded to consider others before he spoke. Yet he’d found a woman to love him.

   Arim only had the dream of a perfect love. Who could love a man with such Dark secrets, with a past as sullied as his family’s?

   An hour passed as Arim pondered Lexa’s strange state, as well as their inability to get along. They hadn’t even mentioned what had set them apart to begin with. Aggravated with his morose mood, Arim continued to ignore Lexa and stepped through the bedroom into the bathroom. He took a shower to revitalise himself. After finishing, he was pleasantly surprised to find a towel under the sink. He dried himself off and wrapped it around him. As soon as he stepped out of the bathroom, the towel disappeared into Shadow.

   The Aellein bastard. Did Sava really think remaining naked with one another would solve all of Arim’s and Lexa’s troubles? Trust that idiot to think sex cures all. A look at Lexa’s naked and tied up body, however, had Arim rethinking the notion. The woman had a small yet curvy frame, with breasts that filled his palms and a waist he could span with one hand. That was to say nothing of the moist heat between her legs and the soft, firm ass begging to be ridden…

   His grumbling belly diverted him. He avoided Lexa’s intense stare by stomping back into the kitchen. The refrigerator, thankfully, was stocked with food. Minutes later, Arim stacked two plates of sandwiches, chips—his favourite creation in this mundane world—and carried two cans of cola.

   “About time you got back,” Lexa grumbled as he approached. He set the food on her dresser. Her face flushed and she continued to complain, but the sulky tone, and the fact that she couldn’t stop staring at him, buoyed his mood.

   “I have to go.” She nodded towards the bathroom.

   He leaned over to release her from the bonds holding her tight. Once free, Lexa suffered no burns. The Dark-hide only served as regular rope, whereas on him, the Dark-hide affected his skin with sores and burning cold. She scurried out of bed to the bathroom and slammed the door shut. Sometime later, when he was halfway through his sandwich, Lexa reappeared looking refreshed and just as alluring as she had before she’d left.

   No doubt about it, Sava was on to something about nudity and forgetting the past, because all Arim could think about was getting inside of Lexa again, and the sooner the better.

   Clearing his throat, Arim tried to focus on assuaging his stomach’s hunger. “You know, I’ve never seen you look bad.” She blinked at him in surprise. “Well, just once. Taking a shot from those demons turned you a little green.” Not to mention seeing her covered in her family’s blood. But Arim thought it best not to mention that time.

   Like the girl he’d once known, Lexa flushed, embarrassed at the compliment.  Arim found her contradictions intriguing.

   “You know beauty is a simple spell, and one every Dark Lord is born knowing.”

   He chased the sandwich with a drink and prodded her with her plate. When she began eating, he decided to question her with kid gloves, in the hope something would break free if he had the discipline to ask nicely. He fairly choked on the thought. “You weren’t born knowing spells, though, were you?”

    “No. I instinctively knew some things. That I was different than my mother and father—Muri and Esel. That Sercha couldn’t harness Dark energy like I could.” Her voice was soft, sad, irritating Arim that he couldn’t help caring. “I had to learn how to cast spells. And to walk in the Light.” She took a sip of her drink and paused as if thinking. “I could always grab hold of blue flame. Its coldness is a part of me.”

   A part, but not the whole of you. Arim dug into his chips and asked with a casualness he was far from feeling, “What was it like living on the Isle of Frigia?”

   She stared at him in surprise, no more astonished than he at his inquisitiveness. He’d always wondered, but had never had the opportunity to ask.

   He continued. “After…it happened, you disappeared. It wasn’t until years later that we learned you’d moved to Dark Lord lands—Malern, then to the Isle of Frigia. Where the Malinta Demons live,” he added in afterthought.

   She paled, and he knew he needed to follow up with questions about the demons. His instincts told him the truth would be vital to them both at some point.

   She took another long drag on her soda. “Malern is nothing at all like Tanselm. Lots of Dark Lords concerned only with themselves and what you can do for them. The beasts of the Dark aren’t very friendly, though they love the taste of wraith.” She smiled with cool satisfaction. “I started my ‘new life’ in Malern with Ini, my biological mother.” Her voice evened and she continued to talk, much to his surprise. Even more shocking, she maintained eye contact, her gaze both dispassionate and slightly challenging, as if daring him to pity her.

   “I know about Ini.”

   She laughed, a hard grating sound that bothered him. “You don’t know anything. That woman made ‘Sin Garu look like a Church brother, all kindness and Light.

   “Ini found me and beat me to make up for leaving her as a babe. She had it in her warped mind that I’d wilfully walked away at three months of age.” Lexa snorted. “Most Dark Lords aren’t really as bad as ‘Sin Garu. They’re just selfish creatures out to satisfy their own needs at the expense of everyone around them. Ini… She was a twisted soul. The things she did to B’alen and ‘Sin Garu…”

   “And you?” Arim guessed, his voice low.

   “She wasn’t anything like Muri. No warmth or compassion. Just ice-cold vengeance for anyone who stepped in her way, blood relation or not.” Lexa gave him a lopsided smile. “I took her lessons to heart. I used my brothers and turned them against one another. B’alen’s vanity was his downfall. ‘Sin Garu’s single-mindedness will be his.”

   “Why does he lust after Tanselm so much?” Arim had to know.

   “Because you have it.”

   “Me? What do I have to do with this?”

   Lexa pushed aside her half-eaten plate, which Arim happily helped himself to. “Do you really want to know?”

   He nodded, half expecting her not to say any more since he’d admitted such.

   “Believe it or not, it’s pretty simple. Remember when we attended University, in the very first weeks of schooling?”

   Arim recalled it clearly. The first day of classes he’d seen Lexa…and fallen instantly in love. “The four of us used to spend a lot of time together. You and me, Sava and Kirsch.”

   “And ‘Sin Garu.”

   Arim stared at her, and then it clicked. “That sullen blond? He looked like a man fully grown. By the Light, he was an obnoxious fhel. Always taunting me, always trying to get your attention.” He saw the cruel male in his mind’s eye. “That was ‘Sin Garu?”

   “Ini pushed to have him enrolled in University. At that time, the scholastic board was all in favour of including as many colours and bands of Light as they could to better educate their students. Apparently, ‘Sin Garu knew who I was, though I hadn’t a clue. Male Dark Lords mature much faster than others their own age. He was only a few years younger than me, but he looked like a grown man. Larger. Meaner.” She shook her head. “When I chose you over him, he took the rejection to heart and complained about it to Ini. Like the good Dark Lord she was, she beat him for feeling inferior. Ini festered his competitive nature to destroy and take what he wanted.”

   “Which was you.”

   She looked discomfited and comprehension dawned.

   “You don’t mean…”

   “‘Sin Garu wanted me…sexually. Dark Lords have no laws governing sexual liaisons. From what I’ve seen, it’s fairly common for Dark Lords to bed their own before finding ‘cleaner’ lines.”

   “Hell, Blue.” Arim could only shake his head, sick to his stomach that she’d left Tanselm to live in that kind of environment. “You didn’t, ah, that is, no one ever forced you to…”

   “No.” She adamantly shook her head. “Luckily for me, Ini didn’t subscribe to incest. She definitely didn’t approve of her son lusting after her daughter, and she tore strips off him for thinking it. She turned his lust into anger using you as his target. It didn’t help that every time he met you after seeing us together, you bested him and rubbed his nose in it. You were so strong, even then.”

    “He was a piece of fhel, what could I do?” Arim’s heart warmed, unaccountably pleased that she remembered him as such a strong, capable male. “So you’re basically telling me ‘Sin Garu wants Tanselm because I have it? Or rather, because the land chose me to serve her?”

   “His obsession started that way, yes. But Tanselm is a force beyond compare, as you well know. With Tanselm in his control, ‘Sin Garu could conceivably launch attacks on any outlying worlds of magic, to include the mundane worlds, taking them with ease. He’s bent on universal domination. Aided by the speed with which he recreates his Netharat out of dead and decaying parts, it’s a wonder you Light Bringers have held out as long as you have. You still play by the rules. ‘Sin Garu doesn’t.”

    “Is that why you’ve helped us? Because you’re afraid if you don’t, he’ll take you when he conquers everyone else?” Arim felt sick mentioning such a possibility.

   “Partly. Mostly it’s because, aside from my family, Tanselm gave me what no one ever has.” That said, Lexa seemed to come to her senses and closed herself off.

   They finished eating and drinking in silence. When Arim stood to gather their dishes, he asked the question she’d hinted at answering. “What did Tanselm give you that no one ever has?”

   Lexa considered him for a moment, then sighed and turned away. “Something you wouldn’t understand. Unconditional, lasting love.”