“Keep your lips to yourself, Princess.”
Saieke laughed and he grunted. Then she flashed from point to point, inhaling the wildness and beauty of the place. An animal slink up a tree and swing from vine to vine. It had several tentacles and had a mixture of green, red and blue colors. It was beautiful.
“He is harmless; he will allow you to touch him.”
As if mocking Drac’s word, the creature bared his upper lips to reveal a row of pointed teeth.
“I will certainly not touch him.”
He chuckled, and she grinned. “How far have you lighted?”
“The entire castle.”
Excitement raced within her. “Is there a lake on the grounds? I am not sensing any.”
She shrieked as her world tilted and she was flowing in his arms. Shadows and light blended, her breath caught, and her vision tunneled as he moved with unparalleled speed. She pressed her face into his neck and held on. As Amagarians, they were fast and could flash for thousands of miles in just a few hours, but Darkans’ speed defied everything she had ever witnessed.
They came to a stop in front of a massive river. Power rippled across her skin as she connected with her element. The darkness there was overpowering, and the one great torch that he had travelled with barely dispelled the dark. “The darkness is unrelenting.”
He placed her gently on her feet and drew her into the curve of his arms. She relaxed into the safe haven of his embrace.
“This is our great river. It spans from the western border, and runs for thousands of miles to the northern Darkage. Its depth is more than a thousand feet and it feeds the waterfalls of the Darkage. There is a fall about a hundred miles from here that runs through caves and leads to an island which is uninhabited except by our native fauna. Some very dangerous animals dwell there and are only disturbed once a year when the king takes a hunting party to keep down the numbers of the larger predators.”
“Your realm is beyond beautiful.”
Where the torch light moved across the landscape she could briefly pick out Birds perched high in the branches of massive trees. Not only birds, but other winged animals rested on the limbs. There was chirping and rustling from the various animals that she had yet to see. Lower down vines ran and dipped, creating formations like tentacles. The flowers were vivid in their colorings and bountiful. She could only imagine what lay beyond as it stretched out into the endless darkness.
The power in the water beckoned. She swayed gently to a rhythm that she felt from its ripples.
He appraised her lazily. “You are of the water.”
“Yes.”
“And the wind?”
“Most assuredly.”
“A curious combination, Princess.”
“Saieke.”
He stiffened.
“My name is Saieke.” She looked at him expectantly and blinked when he observed her almost coldly. She instinctively realized he saw it as a danger, the intimacy of her name without titles.
“I have you been calling you Drac,” she pointed out.
The insufferable man only grew icier.
With a light laugh, she flicked her finger, pulling water from the river and doused him.
Surprise chased his features.
“Do you ever play?” She flashed behind him, tipped on her toes and pressed a wet kiss behind his neck. She smiled, he could have moved away long before she repositioned at his back. “I ache to know all of you,” she whispered, “do not go cold on me.”
He inhaled and his chakra pulsed with desire. Her smile widened, and she knew he could feel the curves of her lips against his neck.
“What is that you want to know?” he asked silkily.