I wanted to. Goddess only knew how badly I wanted to.
But was it advisable?
Probably not.
Would that stop me?
Hell, no.
I plucked the bracelet from its silken bed and slipped it over my wrist, before any second thoughts could intrude, and said, “Take me to him.” I had no idea what to expect, because the note Cynwrig had sent with the bracelet simply said to wear it if I wished a continuation of what we share in a non-physical manner. Which, considering it was a means by which two compatible people could meet and fuck on the dreaming plane, was something of a misnomer. Unless, of course, he really did intend to do nothing more than talk.
A large part of me would beverydisappointed if that were the case.
For several seconds, nothing happened. The stars on the bracelet spun around, weirdly reminding me of one of those old-fashioned dial-up phones so often found in antique stores. In some ways, it did make sense they’d be “dialing” the person onthe other end of what was normally a booty call, just in case they were in no position to receive it.
When the stars stopped spinning, their light bloomed around me, encompassing my entire body. Then, in a maneuver that reminded me of the kaleidoscope I ventured into every time I journeyed to the godly library, it swept me up, swept me away, and then dumped me not into a place of warmth and light, but rather cool darkness.
There was nothing here. Nothing but me, this darkness, and complete and utter silence.
Gradually, though, a soft sound intruded.
A heartbeat. Not mine: another’s.
It got stronger, louder. Anticipation, and perhaps a little uncertainty, swept through me. Then, from out of the shadows, walked a figure. A figure who moved with all the fluid grace and perfection of a predator.
Cynwrig.
My heart skipped more than a few beats and a sigh of pleasure escaped, but I didn’t say anything else, and I didn’t move. I simply watched him approach.
Unlike their golden kin, dark elves were neither slender nor delicate, and this man’s powerful body was nothing short of magnificent. His chiseled features were sublime, and his body ebony perfection, from the width of his shoulders, the well-muscled planes of his chest, to his washboard abs and the happy trail of dark hair that drew the eye down to the waistband of the jeans he was wearing and the impressive mound they covered. Those same jeans hugged the long magnificence of his legs, which held the muscular strength of a runner rather than a weightlifter.
My gaze rose and met his. His eyes were a smoky silver filled with heat—the kind of heat that urged me to rip off my clothes and have hot and sweaty sex with him right here and now.
You need to talk first, I reminded myself fiercely.You need to understand what this place is, what it means.
But most of all, I needed to understand why he’d taken this step, if only because Darby had said the Bruadar bracelets were rare.
He stopped just beyond touching distance, his face impassive, but his hands clenched, as if he were fighting the urge to reach for me.
“Bethany,” he said softly, “it is a pleasure to see you here. I was beginning to think I never would.”
His voice was smooth, velvety smoke that spun around me like a caress, sending delight skittering down my spine.
“I did debate the sanity of doing this, but I needed to talk to you about the current relic hunt.”
A somewhat rueful smile touched his full lips. “Whatever the reason, I am—” He cut the rest off abruptly. “What happened to your face?”
I instinctively raised a hand; the wound felt real rather than imaginary, and pain skittered lightly away from my fingertips. Weird. “I was chasing a dark elf thief down a tunnel and got thrown into a wall. Not his fault, though the bastard did try to bury me not long after that.”
His anger surged around me, through me, a heated wave of such ferocity that it briefly stole my breath... and warmed my heart.
My heart wasstupid.
“Who?” he growled. “Do you know his name? Or is this what you came here for?”
“The latter.” I flexed my fingers and grimly fought the urge to let them play across the field of ebony perfection standing so close, and yet so far away. “I’m surprised Ruadhán hasn’t spoken to you. He said he was going to.”
“It is possible the call was taken by my sister. I have not spoken to her for a few hours.” He paused, his expression briefly suggesting he was about to add something else but changed his mind. “Has this anything to do with the robbery at Tylwyth Teg?”
