Chapter 15
Verity
This is better than any false memory the ether could have manifested for me. Altair, in my arms, covered in a sheen of sweat and staring into my eyes as if to sear them in his memory forever. I sigh contentedly as a whisper of pleasures slips through me. He moves gently, thoughtfully, and lovingly.
It’s nothing like the heated kiss I shared with Sadal, or his forced advances. Altair radiates power, but he handles me like a porcelain doll. I moan, the sound filled with heavy pleasure. He growls under his breath, so softly I almost miss it. But the sound sends my heart racing even faster. I ease my fingers over his slick skin, stroking him as pleasures builds between us.
He thrusts deep and pleasure erupts in my core and I explode like lava melting through the earth’s mantle; slow, deep, and powerful. My back arches and his eyes devour the sight of my breasts in the air. I curl my toes as the pleasure laps down my legs like an ocean. It feels like I’m floating, riding the high of this pleasure and connection we share.
Altair is on me then, clinging to me like a drowned sailor on a piece of debris. I hold him, feeling him as he pours himself into me. He falls still, panting, and I stroke his back gently. It isn’t how I imagined this moment would be, but it’s perfect, nonetheless. I close my eyes, a small smile playing at my lips. We’re bound together now, in every sense of the word but one. My heart is his. My body is his. The only obstacle is Sadal. And it’s one I’ll take care of personally.
Whatever it takes.
I lick my lips nervously, considering telling him my feelings. Altair and I have been hesitant with each other since the start. How could we not? Kidnapped, exposed to a world of magic and fantasy, I had my own walls and doubts. Altair had his. But now, we’re closer than ever and I don’t know that I want to hide from him any longer. I want him to know – to give him confidence in me despite everything trying to tear us apart.
I brush stray hairs away from his face, admiring the curve of his cheeks. “Altair. I don’t know if I should tell you this, but I think I understand now,” I say softly, choosing my words carefully.
He looks at me, a darkness flickering in his eyes. “Understand what?” He asks.
“How I feel,” I murmur, forgetting the shadow behind his hazel eyes.
I feel a surge of pain run the length of my body and my lips part in quiet surprise. Altair’s head is in my belly. In my belly. He stares at me, wild-eyed. “Verity?”
The temporary portal I opened with the help of the creature I met is closing, I can feel the energy draining from me to keep it open. It will be over soon; this moment with Altair. I swallow my fear, looking into his eyes. “The ether,” I stammer. “I have to go.”
There’s a rushing sound in my ears, like my blood pounding too quickly. I see his lips move and I give him a small smile. I want him to know I will be okay. I will find a way out. “I love you,” I say as the ether pulls me deeper into its gravity.
The world goes black for an instant before the portal spits me out into the shadows of the ether. I cough, taking a shaky breath. At least I don’t throw up this time. Portal travel, what I’ve learned Sadal uses to teleport us place to place, is never comfortable. I dress hurriedly in my thin shift and red cloak before the creature melts out of the shadows.
“Is it done?” It asks, husky voice rasping.
“I met him,” I say, eyeing him.
“A new memory was made?” The creature slinks to my side, tail swishing curiously.
I stare into its cat eyes. “Why do you care so much for memories?”
It cocks its head. “They’re what I am. The ether has many faces, many strategies to break or build those who enter the realm. My face is the face of memories.”
I narrow my eyes, considering its words. I wonder what else I could meet in this place of darkness and shadows. Though perhaps they won’t all be as helpful as this creature. “Are there others like you?” I ask.
“None,” it says, a hint of darkness in its voice. “The others are death, famine, war, and flesh.”
“Peachy.” I force a carefree smile even though I dread meeting the other faces.
The cat cocks its head. “Peachy.”
“Sarcasm,” I explain. I pause, studying the inky shadows that writhe around us. “I need to get out of here.”
“You were just out,” it says.
“I need to leave permanently,” I explain, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.
It flicks its tail, a spark of curiosity in its eyes. “No one leaves without the dark god’s permission.”
“I definitely don’t have that,” I mutter. “There has to be some way.”
The cat sighs. “I see much of the realms outside this through the memories of others, but I have never experienced it myself.”
Its words spark an idea. I chew my bottom lip. “You want to see it?”
This creature helped me make the portal to leave this place for a short time. Perhaps it knows how to make a more permanent portal, one we could travel through together. If it needs incentive, I’ll give it to him.
“Some of it.” Its tail swishes.
“I could show you,” I murmur, eyes locked on its glowing cat-eyes.
“A portal like that takes enormous power. I can smell it in you, little Bloodbane, but I do not know if you possess the skill,” it purrs.
“I’ll learn, practice, anything,” I say fiercely. “But I can’t stay here.”
“No,” it says. “If you do, you’ll most certainly go mad.”
I can already feel it pricking at my mind; something about these shadows