“Gods, I’ve wanted to do that for so long.” Rake murmured at her lips, sending another sweet wave of bliss pouring through Layla from his breath as he sighed. Layla’s entire body felt intoxicated now – deeply passionate from that powerful, otherworldly kiss.
“How long?” Layla breathed, entranced in his arms and not about to pull away. As she lingered at his lips, Rake eased his lips over hers again, as if he couldn’t quite pull away either.
“Since I first saw you, giving Dusk hell in the employee’s ballroom your first day as a Concierge.” As Rake spoke, his lips curled up in that sexy little smile, though it was more bold this time. “Please forgive me for kissing you in such passion, Layla. I simply couldn’t hold back anymore. You’ve held my interest a long time. I’m a strong Royal in my Lineage, and though I’m not a Dragon, I feel your power calling me. Even now, with your magic mostly hidden inside you.”
“Binds have the ability to call strong Royals of any Lineage, not just Dragons.” Layla recalled, gazing up at Rake’s lovely face as he gazed down at her with his vivid jade eyes.
“I know. I feel it.” Rake murmured as he nuzzled his nose over her lips. But with a mysterious smile, he finally pulled back. That vast tension he’d aroused between himself and Layla was not gone, however, as he helped her stand, then handed her cocktail glass back. As they watched each other, unconsummated things shone in Rake’s eyes as Layla sipped his drink. But the intensity of the beverage had gone now, as if Rake had put all his power into that first sip to make sure he got his kiss. It was just a lovely drink now, smooth and sweet on Layla’s tastebuds.
Its power now stretching between herself and Rake André.
“Come on. Let’s get out of this pool and have some dinner.” Rake spoke quietly as he gestured to a path that led up through the rocky terrain at the bottom of the canyon. His jade eyes sparkled beneath the stars, his lips quirking in a deliciously shy-bold smile as he added, “we can always soak more later, if the mood strikes us.”
“I’m flying back to Morocco tomorrow.” Layla lifted an eyebrow at him as she turned, stepping out of the pool with a hand from Rake to assist her. His touch absolutely thrilled her now, in a way it hadn’t all week. “And don’t you have to get back to the Paris Hotel?”
“It’s my vacation month from the Hotel. I won’t be missed.”
Rake gave his sexy shy-bold smile again as he gestured to the tent. Moving in, they took up silk robes from the padded lounge chairs by the bar, slipping into them as they brushed sand off their feet on a rug and donned sandals. Deep tension still stretched between them, but Rake only gestured up a path towards the canyon’s guesthouse as they left the tent. It was a way they’d traversed often, and Layla moved up the rocky scree of the path confidently, the moon full above now and providing plenty of light.
The small canyon was consumed by flowering desert plants, the air charmed like Riad Rhakvir to be an oasis in the desert. As Layla ascended the switchbacks, still feeling that delicious tension stretch between herself and the impossibly sexy Rake André, she came to the guesthouse’s stairs embedded halfway up canyon and stepped up.
Built out of the canyon’s wall and spilling onto a promontory, the modern house of glass and steel was Rake’s home and also a guesthouse where Layla had been staying all week. As if Frank Lloyd Wright had built a Buddhist temple, the elegant structure was surrounded by massive statues of Buddhas and bodhisattvas carved right out of the canyon’s wall. The deck-ingress was devoured by potted plants and flowering succulents, more plants cascading from hanging planters all along the beams. As Rake opened the glass door, Layla breathed deep of nag champa and sandalwood incense, turning to a massive fountain of jade Tibetan lions curling around each other as they writhed out of the canyon’s stone. The ferocious beasts snarled at each other, and at Rake’s touch, began to spout water from their snarling jaws.
Beckoning Layla in, Rake closed the glass door behind her. Stepping out of his sandals and moving to the jade basin, Rake dipped his hands and splashed his face in a sober ritual that Layla now knew. As she kicked off her sandals and splashed also, Rake took up a white silk towel from a hutch, extending it to Layla. Familiar with Rake’s guesthouse rituals now, Layla dried her hands as she stepped into Rake’s home, breathing with energy like fresh air flowed through her every sinew.
The guesthouse had a rejuvenating environment, and Layla inhaled deeply as she took it in once more. Though the house had enough space for twenty people, it was also Rake’s home-away from the Paris Hotel and displayed the fact that he’d spent most of his life in Buddhist monasteries. Everything was Tibetan, from ornately inlaid wooden tables with red coral and amber, turquoise and lapis, to stout hand-painted armoires in stunning reds, saffrons, and teals. Every pillow was tasseled, every textile woven from the softest silks and yak-wool. The bright, homey colors were accented by large and small Buddhas hiding in the potted greenery, while heavy wooden room dividers featured carvings of bodhisattvas, Tibetan lions, dragons, and more.
A large silver platter of fresh fruit sat on Rake’s stout table beyond the living area, and he gestured to it with a smile. Moving over, Layla selected a lychee fruit to break her fast and peeled it, popping it in her mouth as Rake cut up a starfruit and began eating where he stood.
He eyed her as he ate and she eyed him, still feeling what had passed between them down at the pools. But taking up the platter, Rake merely gestured to a section of his home Layla hadn’t been in yet, beckoning her to come with him. As he moved to a set of tall jade doors guarded by Tibetan lions and threw them open, Layla found herself astounded by his private rooms. Layla’s room was in a different wing of the guesthouse; as she moved in behind him with reverence, she felt honored now that Rake would allow her into his private sanctuary.
An open layout like the rest of the house, Rake’s rooms were also decorated in Tibetan style, though decidedly Zen. An astounding set of rock pools cascaded down beside a long swath of floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the canyon. As Rake breathed over a jade panel by the doors, the outer wall of the house suddenly rippled and disappeared, along with a generous swath of roof. Glass and steel vanished.
Leaving an incredible view out over the canyon and up to the wide midnight sky.
The waterfall pools now cascaded to an infinity edge over the deck, potted flowers and succulents providing a lush environment teased by the brisk midnight wind. Beside the pools, Layla could see a sauna built into the canyon’s wall, a zen bathroom adjacent. Beneath the now-open roof, Rake’s bed stood upon a wide tier of glossy red wood, surrounded by a meditation garden of Buddha statues, zen rocks, and a winding stream of koi fish. At the head of the bed stood an enormous jade pot with a flowering pink dogwood tree that cascaded over the bed in a broad canopy.
It was breathtaking, and Layla’s breath was actually stolen as Rake led her in down a short flight of jade steps into his bedroom. Moving to a dining set on the porch beside the pools, Rake set down the tray as Layla looked out over the canyon, shaking her head in wonder.
“When you have guests, can’t they see you up here on the balcony?”
“No.” Rake smiled as he arranged the tray on the table. “The enchantment of the wall and roof provides a visual misdirection. It’s like one-way glass, though it’s more like a breath-barrier. I created it so that when I’m hosting people here, I can still get alone time with the beauty of the canyon.”
“So do you own this house?” Layla asked, taking a seat at the table as Rake beckoned, then sat also. She’d not heard the story behind the Dreaming Canyon yet and was curious. Reaching out, they began tucking into the fruit, Layla suddenly ravenous after her past twenty-four hours fasting.
Trying to ignore her increasingly heady fascination with Rake.
“Actually, the Deathkeepers of the American Southwest own this land.” Rake smiled as he ate, though his manner held far more intensity than it had all week as he watched Layla back. “Their clan has used this canyon for eons for meditation and rejuvenation – but it’s sacred to my entire Lineage, so all are permitted here. As a deeply strong Royal Deathkeeper, I’m the most recent caretaker. I did have the house built here, though. Much nicer than living in the cave that existed previously.”
“So you have three jobs?” Layla cocked her head incredulously as she learned of his duties. “Head Bartender and a Courtier at the Hotel, plus caretaking this place?”
“It’s less of a job and more of an honor, Layla,” Rake smiled, though his gaze was purposeful now as he watched her. “Caretaking this land is a sacred position in my Lineage. This canyon has been used for dream-journeying by us for ages. Part of my arrangement with my clan allowing me to work at the Paris Hotel is that I also do service here – keeping the canyon during my vacations as a shaman for those who need sexual healing but can’t pay for me at the Hotel.”
“So you’re like a tantric sex therapist for your Lineage?” Layla joked, though she was deeply curious now.
“Essentially.” Rake chuckled, though his gaze was hotter now upon Layla as he ate. Tension surged between them, renewed by the topic at hand. Unable to banish the sensation of their kiss earlier, Layla blushed, then decided to change the subject.
“So how does the enchantment work?” She asked, waving her hand at the sky and balcony.
