Page 19 of Music of the Night
The gentle murmur of my name broke my sleep. My eyelids fluttered, but I was so warm, so comfortable, and blessed sleep had come without nightmares. I curled my legs up and squeezed my eyes shut, unwilling to leave the cocoon of furs surrounding me.
“Aria.”
His voice was hushed yet insistent and the warmth of his breath kissed my face. Suddenly I remembered where I was. In his bed. And my clothes, likely still discarded on the floor. My heart raced as I became aware of the way my body molded against his, the curve of my back into his chest, his arm, curled around my waist while one hand traced the slope of my bottom.
“Dawn will come soon and you will be missed. It’s time.”
Time? I blinked unsteadily as understanding gripped me. Time for me to return to High Tower, but how could I after such a night? Nothing would induce me to leave his arms, his bed of pleasure and the strange sensations that tingled through my veins. My face warmed at the thought.
“I…” My breath hitched. “I don’t want to leave you.”
He kissed my bare shoulder, his lips lingering against my skin as he breathed in. “It is but parting for a moment.”
I opened my mouth, but words did not form under his caress. Instead of rising I closed my eyes, limp under his touch. His hand slid down my back, tracing my spine until he reached the curve of my buttocks and slowly, sensually, squeezed my cheeks. A moan of ecstasy burst from my lips. I was his, and his alone. Did he not sense it? Did he not feel the way my body melted under his touch? How could I leave his embrace, leave him to his misery? Did he not want me to stay with him?
“It’s part of the enchantment,” he went on, squeezing me against him just for a moment. “What you feel, the rise of your emotions, it’s part of the magic of the music.”
I stiffened, unsure whether I was hurt or angry.
“Don’t mistake me.” He kissed my shoulder again. “The taste of you is enough to leave me with sweet memories until you return. But you must understand, what has happened between us has bound us together. Should you change your mind after leaving here, I will not hold it against you. Now come, you must rest. The magic is particularly draining.”
Magic. I had to know. I shifted on the bed until I could see his face, illuminated by the soft glow of one candle. My doubts faded when I faced him, for his eye was dark, hungry, as though he would ravish me again and again and never be satisfied. “Are you saying, the way I feel, what happened tonight was because of magic?”
He pulled away, leaving a gust of cool air between us as he reached for my dress. Holding it up, he leaned toward me, his face deadly serious. “Only time will tell. I know my heart, Aria, but I don’t know yours yet. Let me take you home, and return to me one week from today. Perhaps you will think differently in the daylight.”
Words burned my lips, but I hesitated, unwilling to give a promise I could not keep. He’d been hurt, tortured by so many, I would not be the next one in a long line of regrets. Not if I could help it. Perhaps words, promises, would mean nothing to him, and my actions, more. He’d see. I would return, because I could not stay away if I wished it.
Dressing quickly, I followed him downstairs and put on my cloak and gloves while he opened the trap door. Fingers of cold air rushed up, and when I looked down, I saw nothing but white mist. My belly flip-flopped as he held out his hand. “The stairs will lead us down to the boat.”
A boat? Were the passageways so flooded? I nodded, not trusting myself to speak, and let him guide me.
The mist cleared as we went down and lights glowed around us, embedded into the cylindrical archways of the tunnel. We reached the bottom quickly and stood on a landing of slick rock, just beyond a yawning darkness that must be the water. A rowboat was tied up at the edge, and Uriah deposited me inside after untying the rope. Standing behind me, he took up a pole and guided the boat through the water. It moved silently with only an occasional dip, water lapping up against the sides and then falling silent. I was cold beneath those tunnels, and icicles formed above me as we glided, silent passengers in the underground cavern.
“What are those lights?” Breath escaped my warm mouth in an icy white cloud and I couldn’t help but stare up at the glitter above, shining like stars, pinpricks of light against the darkness.
“Crystals.” Uriah’s low voice echoed through the tunnels, sending a shiver of delight up my spine.
I bit down on my bottom lip to still my excitement. I wanted him just as much, just as badly, as if he’d never taken me to his bed. If anything, the yearning had changed to a craving. A need as vital as food, no, as important as the air I breathed. It took me a moment to control myself before I realized he had not ceased speaking.
“It was the reason this tunnel was first built. Miners discovered crystals in the rock and in their lust for wealth and riches, dug deep. But they awoke creatures of shadow and bone, monsters that dwelled in the water. The dark creatures attacked, the tunnels flooded and shifted into what they are today. Naught but a connection to a past, a reminder of what once was.”
“They are beautiful,” I breathed, enchanted by the shimmering lights above the dark void. Looking at them reminded me of beauty, of hope, and the uneasy feeling that there was something in the waters, waiting, watching. Hungry.
When Uriah first mentioned the tunnels, I thought it might be a way to journey to him without needing to go outside, but I was gravely wrong. The water could not have been deep, for he pushed with the pole as though there were no need for paddles. Other tunnels shot off into darkness. I imagined the miners hoping for riches as they dug further, creating a twisted labyrinth underground. Sometimes I thought I heard the faint sound of rock and axe, but it was nothing more than my imagination.
A low hum echoed through the tunnel. Uriah sang a haunting tune under his breath. It was warm, comforting, and eased my worries. My shoulders relaxed and all too soon, the boat bumped against a ledge where another set of stairs led up. I was back at High Tower Castle.
I waited for the spell to break as Uriah stepped off the boat and held out a hand to assist me. I held it tight as the boat wobbled and then I was on solid ground. I lifted my face to Uriah’s shadowed one. His hair fell across his eye and suddenly I couldn’t breathe. My lips parted and liquid lust warmed my body.
“Here is where I leave you. Aria.”
Squeezing his hand, I searched his face for a sign. “I’m not ready.”
“You are,” he assured me.
A moment passed, and then another, but we stood, frozen. I wondered if he was as reluctant as I, although he hid it well. At last I shivered and let go of his hand. Unsure what else to say, I turned to leave when his hand caught my elbow. In a whirl, he spun me back into his arms. His lips were like a brand on mine, sealing me, marking me as his.
It was over too quickly and before I caught my breath; he was back in the boat, lifting a hand in silent farewell. I watched, pulse thudding as he faded into the gloom, the fire of his kiss lingering on my swollen lips.
