“You’d be surprised.”
“Maybe.” I stared at him, sensing his magic that flared as he watched me, a tangible, carnal energy reaching out. Shadow’s Bend, but if I didn’t take him inside me soon, I might die of frustration.
I cleared my throat and continued, “When Lidra mentioned Tanselm, I listened. I couldn’t believe what she meant to do. She ordered Zartic to take several dozen of the Der to meet and escort a Dark Lord, one of Lidra’s newest friends, into Aelle. The Dark Lords are greedy. Aelle is a land of Shadow, yes. But we aren’t Dark. We’ve kept them out of our world for centuries because we know they aren’t to be trusted.”
“They’d take Aelle as surely as they’ll try for Tanselm.”
“Yes. So I was shocked when Zartic left to do Lidra’s bidding. Then, after he left, Sin Garu appeared at Lidra’s side.”
Aerolus sat straighter. “He was there, in Aelle?”
“Yes. And none of us had known.” My thoughts turned to Sava, who, contrary to his assertive nature, had begged me to keep quiet about what I’d seen. Perhaps he’d been more aware of Lidra’s schemes than I knew. “Sin Garu applauded Lidra, which had her breaking out into eerie, high-pitched laughter. She creeped me out, I’m not going to lie. But I couldn’t tell if she was genuinely losing it or if Sin Garu’s presence was to blame.
“I stuck around for a while until they continued where she and Zartic left off.” I could still see Sin Garu’s bone-white skin, the blue fire tattoo covering his lower back swirling and glowing as he mounted my aunt.
I grimaced at the same time Aerolus did.
“Must have been a sight, Sin Garu and Lidra.”
I shook my head. “You have no idea. I left as fast as I could, racing to Sava to tell him what I’d seen.”
“Sava? Who’s Sava?” Aerolus sounded jealous.
“He’s a friend,” I said slowly, wanting to smile when an obvious frown darkened his face. His anger licked at my magic. And I liked it. Though I didn’t want to correct him, some part of me had to. “Sava was a good friend to my parents. He took me in when they died.”
The anger immediately left him, and a wind of compassion caressed me. “I’m sorry.”
I didn’t want to think about how much I still missed them. “Life ends in death. That’s a fact no amount of wanting can change. My point is that I confessed what I’d seen to Sava — an Aellein lord with a lot of power. He warned me to stay quiet. And that’s very unlike him. I was furious. So I, well, I…”
“Didn’t listen,” he said dryly.
“No, I listened. I just didn’t have the patience to wait for Sava to take action. That man is so slow, so methodical about every little thing.” I realized that those very traits existed in my Wind Mage.
Stunned, I wondered if his deliberation process was part of what drew me to him. Could it be the comforting qualities of Sava, my foster father, had attracted me to Aerolus Storm, a Light Bringer?
I studied at Aerolus’ handsome face, his perfect, muscular body that even now firmed for me. He afforded comfort, no doubt. But he also made me burn with lust and lov — like. Extreme like.
Something a lover might instill. My lover. My Wind Mage.
“So, ah,” I floundered, feeling a blush creep over my face as I wrangled with how much Aerolus meant to me.
“He’s methodical,” Aerolus prodded.
“Right, methodical. So I couldn’t wait a few years to see what he might do. I had to act now, to take Lidra in hand before she did something so stupid as to aid a Dark Lord.” I still had trouble accepting what she’s done. “Did you know the Dark Lords make sport of the Shadren? They’ve taken Nocumat and set wraiths and demons on them just to watch the Nocumat die from engulfing so much tainted prey. I’ve seen them enslave our women to use as toys, inflicting so much pain and Dark magic that those poor women drowned in madness.”
“How did you see that?” he asked in a grim tone.
“From studies. I know you Storm Lords have a Great Hall. Well, in Aelle we have a Gray Keep that houses thousands of altee scrolls. They’re each spelled with illustrative text.”
His eyes widened. “You possess that many scrolls of enactment?”
I nodded, proud of my home. “It’s as if you’re actually there, watching the events unfold before your eyes. Can you imagine witnessing ancient battles fought by your forefathers? Seeing the Dark Tribes as they once were before the Light split them?”
“Incredible.” He sighed with pleasure. “What I wouldn’t give to hold an altee scroll in my hands. We have five at the Great Hall, but you must be an elder sorcerer to see one. That you have seen history unfolding, spellcasting from its very source, is remarkable. What else have you seen?”
Our conversation digressed from there, as we each expounded upon the delights of history, from both Light and Shadow perspective. I had so much fun talking with Aerolus that it came as some surprise to realize we were still practically naked, though aroused now by academia instead of each other.
He must have noted the same thing and shrugged. “I’m sorry. I tend to get carried away with talk of scholarly pursuits.”
