According to Zane and Altair, they would reach the ancient library by nightfall. Which was fantastic news because the snow consistently covered the ground now and only continued to deepen. It was snowy and windy more often than not, and Iyana was always cold, despite a warm cloak, her magic,andAltair’s magic. Plus, she was hopeful putting some proximity between herself and Emmeric would be helpful for them both. Reluctantly, she admitted she did actually need him around. Her magic was stronger when she pulled from him, but they hadn’t been training for the past few days because of their dumb fight, much to Altair’s chagrin. More than once, he lamented,‘You’re acting like children.’Iyana continued to hope Emmeric would realize he was in the wrong and apologize. She wasn’t going to hold her breath.
Their argument was affecting her psyche, causing strange things to happen. Every night she had dreams involving Emmeric, which were too realistic for her taste. She’d had the one dream before when they were lying on a hill watching the clouds go by, but these were of a completely different variety. They would start out innocently enough—the first night they were in a tavern laughing and drinking, the second they were riding on horseback, and then the third they were in the kitchenof a cute little cottage. They would quickly take a turn, either of them initiating a kiss that would turn into a frenzy. Clothes would be shed, and lips would move elsewhere. Before anything went too far, Emmeric would push her away and leave. They always left Iyana in a state of confusion, because during the dream, everything felt real. Normal, domestic,right. Until he left her standing there wanting. Then there was a soul-shattering, overwhelming sadness. When she awoke, she would roll over to Altair and drag him away from the others, needing to sear the dreams out of her brain. But the one on horseback…she wanted to try that one.
Iyana asked Altair to slow Pryn, to drop off the back from the others, saying she needed to ask him something. Waving the rest of the group forward, he did as she requested. Once the others were out of sight and earshot, Altair ran a hand down her arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake.
“What’s on your mind, my star?”
“Not much. I just wanted to try something.” Swinging her leg off to the side, she turned around in the saddle to face Altair. His arms held the reins on either side of her, keeping her steady in the strange new position.
“And what was it you wanted to try?” he asked, his voice low and golden eyes darkening.
Iyana smiled wickedly, gliding her hands up Altair’s chest to the back of his neck and played with his hair. He raised his brows. Closing the distance, Iyana kissed Altair gently, lips content to explore each other. Soon it was not enough, and she nipped his lower lip, eliciting a growl from the star. He pulled her flush to him with one arm, the other still steering Pryn. Iyana slung her legs on top of Altair’s, allowing her to sit fully in his lap. She ground her hips against the hardening length in his pants. Altair gripped her harder, trailing kisses to her ear and down her neck, sucking the sensitive flesh near her shoulder. Iyana moaned, tugging on Altair’s hair to bring him back to her mouth.
“Hold on tight, astalle.”
His arm found its way between them, Altair unlacing her trousers and dipping his hand down to where she wanted him the most. Iyana hissed at his icy fingers, while Altair groaned, finding her ready for him. He started with slow, lazy circles around her clit before dipping one finger into her. Pulling out, he inserted two fingers and continued the languorous strokes with his thumb. Iyana threw her head back in ecstasy, making sure her grip around his neck was tight enough that she wouldn’t fall off the horse. The methodical way he worked her body was her undoing, like he was a virtuoso playing his favored instrument. Warmth coiled within her, anticipating his next move. Altair curled his fingers at the exact right spot deep inside her while pushing on her most sensitive area, and pleasure exploded through her. Altair caught her cry with his mouth, ensuring the others wouldn’t overhear. With jerky movements, she reached towards his waistband, but he took a handful of her hair and yanked her head back. Gods, it was just the right amount of pain to feel amazing.
“Astalle, I would rather not need a new pair of pants for the rest of the journey today. And unless you want to bare your delicious ass to the cold to let me come in that tight pussy, then you need to stop.” Iyana pouted, torn between sex and the cold. In the end, the desire for warmth won out. But she still stroked his erectionone last time, making him suck air in through his teeth. She smiled with smug satisfaction. Before she could swivel back around, Altair smacked her ass. Hard. She yelped at the sudden bite of pain, but he was already soothing it away.
“Rude,” she said.
He leaned into her ear. “That was for teasing me. Now be a good girl and turn around. You’re going to make this up to me later.”
Iyana bit her lower lip in anticipation, loving the way Altair’s gaze dipped to watch the motion. But she did as he commanded, turning back around. And to show she wouldn’t listen toeverythinghe told her to do, she ground her ass into his still erect cock, laughing as she did so.
The closer they got to the mountains, the harder the wind blew, snow flurries flying into their faces, almost completely obscuring their vision. Iyana buried her nose in her cloak, trusting Altair to guide them. She understood why nobody ventured this way unless it was absolutely necessary. One of the nine hells was probably similar to a frozen wasteland tailored specifically to torment people, such as her, only accustomed to heat. The cold seeped down to her bones. True to their word, the group reached the library as the sun was setting. Darkness set in rapidly in this part of the world, especially with snow clouds blocking most of the sun’s rays.
“Look, astalle,” Altair said into her ear to be heard above the howling wind. There was awe laced through his voice. Iyana hadn’t realized anythingcouldstrike the star with awe.
Emerging from her temporary cocoon, Iyana’s first glimpse of the ancient library left her speechless. It was enormous. The impressive Aisa Mountains served as a backdrop to a single circular tower. She craned her neck up, up, up, and still was unable to see the top of the library hidden away in the clouds.
White stone blocks comprised the entire tower, with arched windows interspersed regularly throughout each level. As they encroached on the building, it was obvious it was in disrepair. The walls were crumbling, the glass windows werebroken, and the external decorations and adornments had broken off, littering the entrance with various bits of stone—some flung out hundreds of yards away from the library itself. Briefly wondering what could cause such an extreme level of devastation, Iyana turned her attention to the stone fragments they wound through. Iyana picked out parts of statues depicting humans, animals, and mythical beasts of various sizes, a fair amount of the pieces measuring larger than the horses. One extremely large statue serpentined on the ground, covered in scales and ending in an open mouth full of sharp, wicked looking teeth—a dragon. For a moment, she wished they were real. Wouldn’t that be a sight—a giant, scaled serpent flying through the sky, breathing fire.
Stones littered the snowy floor, drifts piling on top until it was impossible to identify what they were depicting, up until the entryway steps. The doors to the library were plain wood, without ornaments, but they were at least fifteen feet tall and appeared to still be in good condition. As awe-inspiring as the actual library was, the two statues standing on either side of the doors were even more so. Identical women flanked the doors and were so large they made the grand doorway appear small. Sculpted from pure white marble, veils flowed over their serene faces. The craftsman who had carved these was masterful at capturing the waves and translucency of the fabric. On the left, the woman held an open book in her palms. On the right, the woman held a shallow bowl overflowing with flowers, plants, and herbs. Even in a carved stone form dozens of feet above her, it didn’t take long for Iyana to recognize many of them—yarrow, ginger, lavender, valerian, arnica. They were all medicinal.
Iyana swung her leg over the horse, lowering herself to the ground. The statue on the right lured her in.
“Iyana…” Altair warned. Ignoring him, she continued towards the base of the statue, boots crunching in the snow. The wind had died down this close to the library, the building acting as a shelter, but snowflakes continued to fall lazily around her, sticking in her hair and eyelashes.
She approached the square base, an unbroken chunk of marble smoothed down by an artist and time. It was easily taller than her. Snow and ice covered an inscription, rendering it unreadable. Using a spark of her magic, reveling in how easily itcame to her now, Iyana melted away the frost. The inscription read Medicine Is A Shield.
“It’s Imera,” she whispered, stepping back to take in more of the statue. “It’s Imera,” she repeated, louder for the others to hear her.
“So who is that?” Talon asked, indicating the statue on the left.
Altair was already making his way to the base of the woman holding the book, and he melted away the snow compacted over the words. The inscription read Knowledge Is A Sword.
“The women look exactly the same, so are they both Imera?” Talon asked.
Zane shook his head. “Imera is only the goddess of healing, as far as I’m aware.”
“A twin then? Or sister?”
Altair frowned, studying the woman holding open the book. “Imera never had a sister.”
“I keep forgetting you were alive when the gods were awake,” Talon said. “Man, you’re old. It’s unsettling looking at your perfect, handsome face.” Zane glowered at him. Tal noticed, grinning and throwing a wink over to the prince.
Kaz, who had been in leopard form until now to keep warm, shifted and glared at them like they were all idiots. “You’re all idiots,” she said. “It’s Elena.”
