Xae grunted as he slid in deep, then said, “Yes. I had everything planned.”
“Oh, I love you so fucking much.”
Xae chuckled as he sped up, but his amusement quickly fled, giving way to passion and pleasure. The sun warmed us on top, the water cooled us below, and our bodies joined in between. I gripped handfuls of wet sand as the water sloshed around me, then closed my eyes and thanked the Goddess for the wonderful man she'd given me. And I added that I hadn't forgotten the way she'd brought him back to me after my first prayer. She had made a loyal follower out of me. I'd fight for her in the same way I gave myself to Xaedren—anytime and anywhere.
Just as Xae and I shouted together—him coating my back while I emptied into the sea (sorry, fishies)—the moonstone in his necklace began to ring softly, vibrate, and glow.
Chapter Thirty
Jerking away from Xaedren, I spun to stare at his pulsating pendant. “Shit.”
Xaedren grimaced and stood up, water rushing off his naked, glorious body. As he headed for his clothes, my heart sank. I didn't want him to go, and not just because it would ruin our day. I hurried over to my clothes and dried off with the towel he tossed me, then started getting dressed. The boots were the hardest. I had to sit down and quickly brush my feet free of sand before I pulled on my socks, then the boots. By the time I was done, Xae was ready, holding his hand out to me.
“Hurry, love,” Xae said. “I still have to get into my fighting gear.”
I rushed into his arms, and he faded us into his bedroom. As Xae sped to his armor stand, I brushed off the remaining sand and slicked back my damp hair. My mind raced. I had another anxious wait ahead of me. Or I could go with him. I was a master of three elements. I could help. Hadn't I just vowed to the Goddess that I would? And that was mere seconds before Xae's pendant summoned him. It had to be a sign. But Xae would never allow me to go with him. So what to do?
Xaedren stretched his neck and bounced a little to settle his chainmaille shirt. Then came his sword belt and the straps that went across his chest, holding numerous weapons, most of them daggers. He met my stare and held out his hand.
“Be safe,” I said just before he kissed me.
“I'll be fine. Stay here if you like. I won't be long.”
“All right.” I stepped back as if I were going to stay.
At the last second, right when Xae started to turn into a dark wraith, I latched onto him. His eyes, on the verge of going transparent, widened. At first, he tried to push me away, but then he realized it was better to hold me tighter and make sure he didn't lose me along the way.
I closed my eyes and clutched Xae tightly as we moved from one place to another in seconds. When I opened my eyes, we were standing in the center of a village. Bells clanged and people shouted. This wasn't like the attack on my village. The Corrupted weren't just incapacitating people. They were killing. Mercilessly. People were running, screaming, and . . . shifting. It was a Ladrin village. Shit. This would be personal for Xae. And for me.
“What the fuck is he doing here?” Lord Loren asked, his brilliant white, Makhon wings pulling in together behind his back.
“He grabbed me just as I faded,” Xae growled. “And I'm taking him back right now.”
“We don't have time for that.” Loren launched into the air. A shadow resembling the Wraith Lord burst out of him and shot downward, through a corrupted man, taking the corruption out the other side and destroying it.
But that was one man and there were over a hundred Corrupted.
“Damn it!” Xaedren growled. “Stay behind me!”
Xae ran to defend a mother cradling a young boy, the two of them huddled against the side of a building. As he blasted the Corrupted with his Spirit Magic, pushing a piece of his soul out of himself to burn the corruption out of others, I stuck close. But I wasn't there to sightsee.
Finding a target nearby, I sent a tornado at her, picking up the corrupted woman and slamming her down in the middle of the road. The fall knocked her unconscious. At least, I hoped she was only unconscious. I didn't want to kill anyone before Xae could free them.
Xae looked from my target to me and smirked. “All right, love. We'll do this together.”
I grinned back. “I'll follow your lead.”
After sending the woman and child running for safety, Xaedren motioned at a mass of people down the street. A group of Ladrin was taking a stand, most of them in leopard form, encircling a bunch of children. Over twenty Corrupted had them surrounded, but the Ladrin were tearing them apart, massive paws topped with deadly claws delivering blows that would have killed normal humans. But these weren't normal humans. Corruption gave them superior strength and resilience. And even if those didn't work, their immunity to pain would keep them going.
As Xae ran for the group, I wondered why he didn't choose to help someone more like the last two, people who were in dire need. But then I realized that if we helped these Ladrin, they could help the others.
And I could help them faster than Xae.
I flung a hand before me, sending a wave of magic into the ground. The hard-packed dirt buckled, then opened, sucking the Corrupted into a deep pit. The Ladrin pulled back, all those bright, leopard eyes focusing on me, then they lifted their heads to roar. At least I think they were roaring. The sounds they made were rasping and low, like a saw going through a tree trunk.
The Leopard Ladrin didn't waste a second more, immediately herding the children over the ravine, the little ones leaping like deer to safety. A few leopards went with the kids while the remainder ran off to help others.
Xaedren pulled up short and looked at me.
