Read Online Merry Gentry 05 - Mistral's Kiss by Laurell K. Hamilton - Free Book Online
Authors: Laurell K. Hamilton
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the afterglow of Abeloec’s power. My eyes fluttered open when the lap my head was resting in moved. I found Mistral above me, his hands still holding my wrists, still cuddling my head. “I want you hurt, not broken,” he said, as if he saw something in my face that he had to answer.
It took me three tries to answer. “Glad to hear it,” I finally said.
He laughed then, and began to move carefully from under me. He laid my head on the dead earth, gently. Apparently, I’d disarranged our makeshift blanket, because I could feel other patches of dry, scratchy vegetation here and there against my skin.
I turned my head and looked for the others. Abeloec was crawling a little shakily toward my head, as if he and Mistral were going to change places. It took me a moment to focus past Abe, farther into the dark beyond.
The darkness was shot with neon glow, blue, green, and red. The colors were everywhere, some individual burning lines and some entwined like string wound into rope—stronger, thicker for being joined. Doyle knelt closest to us, as if he’d tried to come to me. His sword was drawn as if there was something among us that metal could slay. His dark skin was covered in lines of blue and crimson.
Rhys was just beyond him, covered in blue and red lines, too—and there were other figures in the dark covered in green and blue lines, and images of flowering plants. I caught a shine of long pale hair. Ivi was covered in dead vines and green lines of power. Brii stood near a tree, hugging it, or tied to it with green and blue lines. But it was as if the tree had bent toward him, its thin, lifeless branches embracing his naked body like arms. Adair had climbed a tree and stood on one of the thick upper branches. He was reaching up into it, as if he saw things there that I did not. I caught glimpses of other bodies on the ground, covered in dead vegetation.
Frost and Nicca were kneeling farther away. They had lines of blue only, snaking over their bodies. They were holding someone’s arms and legs. It took me a moment to realize it was Galen. He was so covered in the bright green glow that he was nearly hidden from sight. The others seemed to be enjoying the power, or at least not to be in pain, but Galen’s body seemed to be convulsing, almost as I had when Abeloec brought me, but even more violently.
Mistral’s face appeared above mine, and I realized that he was holding himself above my body, much as Abeloec had earlier. But he didn’t kiss me, as the other man had. He made sure that the only thing I could see was his face. “My turn,” he said, and the look in his eyes was enough to make me frightened. Not in fear of Mistral, but fear of what was happening.
Something powerful—and what would be the price? One thing I had learned early was that all power comes with a price.
“Mistral,” I said, but he was already moving down my body. The wind was back, a thin, seeking wind that touched my body like invisible fingers. The dead leaves rustled, and the vines seemed to sigh in the growing wind.
I raised up enough to look down my body at Mistral. I called his name again.
He looked up at the sound of his name, but there was nothing in his face that really heard me. This was his one chance in a thousand years to have a woman. When we left the gardens, his opportunity would be gone.
If I’d known the others were safe, then I wouldn’t even have tried to argue with the look in his eyes. But I wasn’t sure they were. I wasn’t sure any of us were. I didn’t like not knowing what was happening.
He smoothed his hands along the inside of my thighs, gentle, caressing, but that gentle movement spread my legs with him kneeling between them.
“What’s happening, Mistral?”
“Are you afraid?” he asked, but he wasn’t looking at my face when he said it.
“Yes,” I said, and my voice was soft in the growing wind.
“Good,” he said.
Abeloec answered me, “I am the intoxicating cup like Medb for the
It took me three tries to answer. “Glad to hear it,” I finally said.
He laughed then, and began to move carefully from under me. He laid my head on the dead earth, gently. Apparently, I’d disarranged our makeshift blanket, because I could feel other patches of dry, scratchy vegetation here and there against my skin.
I turned my head and looked for the others. Abeloec was crawling a little shakily toward my head, as if he and Mistral were going to change places. It took me a moment to focus past Abe, farther into the dark beyond.
The darkness was shot with neon glow, blue, green, and red. The colors were everywhere, some individual burning lines and some entwined like string wound into rope—stronger, thicker for being joined. Doyle knelt closest to us, as if he’d tried to come to me. His sword was drawn as if there was something among us that metal could slay. His dark skin was covered in lines of blue and crimson.
Rhys was just beyond him, covered in blue and red lines, too—and there were other figures in the dark covered in green and blue lines, and images of flowering plants. I caught a shine of long pale hair. Ivi was covered in dead vines and green lines of power. Brii stood near a tree, hugging it, or tied to it with green and blue lines. But it was as if the tree had bent toward him, its thin, lifeless branches embracing his naked body like arms. Adair had climbed a tree and stood on one of the thick upper branches. He was reaching up into it, as if he saw things there that I did not. I caught glimpses of other bodies on the ground, covered in dead vegetation.
Frost and Nicca were kneeling farther away. They had lines of blue only, snaking over their bodies. They were holding someone’s arms and legs. It took me a moment to realize it was Galen. He was so covered in the bright green glow that he was nearly hidden from sight. The others seemed to be enjoying the power, or at least not to be in pain, but Galen’s body seemed to be convulsing, almost as I had when Abeloec brought me, but even more violently.
Mistral’s face appeared above mine, and I realized that he was holding himself above my body, much as Abeloec had earlier. But he didn’t kiss me, as the other man had. He made sure that the only thing I could see was his face. “My turn,” he said, and the look in his eyes was enough to make me frightened. Not in fear of Mistral, but fear of what was happening.
Something powerful—and what would be the price? One thing I had learned early was that all power comes with a price.
“Mistral,” I said, but he was already moving down my body. The wind was back, a thin, seeking wind that touched my body like invisible fingers. The dead leaves rustled, and the vines seemed to sigh in the growing wind.
I raised up enough to look down my body at Mistral. I called his name again.
He looked up at the sound of his name, but there was nothing in his face that really heard me. This was his one chance in a thousand years to have a woman. When we left the gardens, his opportunity would be gone.
If I’d known the others were safe, then I wouldn’t even have tried to argue with the look in his eyes. But I wasn’t sure they were. I wasn’t sure any of us were. I didn’t like not knowing what was happening.
He smoothed his hands along the inside of my thighs, gentle, caressing, but that gentle movement spread my legs with him kneeling between them.
“What’s happening, Mistral?”
“Are you afraid?” he asked, but he wasn’t looking at my face when he said it.
“Yes,” I said, and my voice was soft in the growing wind.
“Good,” he said.
Abeloec answered me, “I am the intoxicating cup like Medb for the
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