Tremors shook her. “Percen—”
“Be silent!” Not allowing himself to consider the ramifications, he held out his hand and summoned his scepter. The weapon appeared in his grip. He lifted it high in the air, the jeweled hilt glistening in the moonlight, casting shafts of colored light onto the sand.
“Flesh and blood thou may be,” he intoned, focusing his energy onto his mother, “but stone is all eyes shall see.”
“Do not do this,” she rushed out, her tone laced with horror.
He shut his ears to her pleas. Had she listened to his pleas all those spans ago? Nay. She had been eager to leave him. Scowling, he finished the curse. “Cold as marble, hard as rock, with this curse I thee lock. The Stone Queen you shall forever be, until my life’s blood sets you free.”
Wind burst forth, as if a prince of darkness had huffed and puffed to blow the Druinn temple down. Because there was no roof, he saw every lightning strike that erupted in the sky before crashing the sands. Bit by bit, Alana’s flesh hardened into silver stone. There. ’Twas done. A beautiful stone enchantress.
Her expression seemed to proclaim: You are my greatest disappointment.
I know, Mother. I know.
He did not feel the ease of suffering he’d expected. Nay, he felt a new tide of shame, now mixed with sorrow and regret. For so long, he’d yearned for this woman’s love. Now, after this? He would never get it.
Sometimes sacrifices had to be made.
His shoulders slumped. Overhead, storm clouds gathered, stars slowly disappeared. A roll of thunder echoed. It was almost as if his emotions had changed the weather.
“Time passes differently from one world to the next,” he told his mother. “One day has passed in Imperia, but how many days have passed for Jorlan? Was he ever freed? Was the curse fully broken? Either way, I will bring him home. If need be, I will curse him again. He will spend eternity at your side. Just the way you wished, eh?”
Leaving Imperia, even for a short time, was not wise for sorcerers like Percen. He drew the bulk of his power from the land itself. What’s more, he knew something dark hovered just over the horizon. Something the citizens were not prepared to face. He did not know what it was, a war, mayhap, but he knew many lives would be lost soon.
Even still, he would leave. His vengeance meant more than the safety of his world.
Raindrops fell, gently at first, but gaining in intensity. Droplets ran down his mother’s cheeks like tears.
Percen dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead against her midriff, wishing she could wrap her arms around him.
“Do not worry, Mother. You will not be alone for long. I will search the galaxies, if need be, and I will find him. Then, I will bring him back to you.” Broken and destroyed. “You have my word.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
WHILE KATIE MANEUVERED the enchanted transportation along winding roads, Jorlan fought the urge to whisper sweet, seductive somethings in her ear. Sunlight streamed through the window to paint her in a golden glow. Her pale locks appeared as soft and smooth as silk. He found his curiosity about her life, her hopes and dreams, likes and dislikes, was just as strong as his lust.
“What kind of male did you prefer before my arrival?” he asked. As soon as he spoke, he wished to snatch back his words. The thought of her with another male caused a dark, primitive blaze of jealousy-tinged possessiveness to uncurl deep inside him.
She shifted in her seat and tightened her grip on the wheel. “That’s a difficult question to answer.”
“It is difficult to describe appearances and personality traits?”
Another shift. “Well, I never liked any of them enough. If that makes any sense.”
Aye, it made sense. It also doused the blaze. “You have never been in love.”
“Never. What about you? And what were your dates like?”
“I was in love only once, but I was a foolish youth who did not see past the woman’s pretty face.” But not even Maylyn had affected him as strongly as Katie.
He’d thought of Maylyn often, but not constantly. He’d wanted her, but not obsessively. His emotions for her had been as gentle as their lovemaking. Afterward, he’d entertained no urge to cherish her, or share anything more than his bed. Katie never left his mind. He wanted to cherish her. And ravish her. Hard. He felt anything but gentle. Nay, he wished to dominate her.
Own her.
He simply had to have her. Her lips were so sweet, her scent so delectable and her body a perfect fit for his.
If he’d had the time, he thought he would have taken things as slowly as she preferred. Thought he would have waited forever to have her—however long she required. But he couldn’t take things slowly, and he couldn’t wait.
He could have a right-now with her, or he could have a forever without her.
Only a fool would choose now over long term.
Or, perhaps his mindset needed adjusting? Perhaps only a fool would choose long term over the present, as no one was ever guaranteed a tomorrow.
“To be honest,” he said, “I never took the time to get to know the women I wanted.”
“Because their place was in your bed, and not your life?”
“Such was my mindset, aye.”
“And now?”
“Now I crave more.” Everything she had to give? “You mentioned having brothers.”
“Yep. I have five, and they are all older than me. They are rough, crude, sometimes rude, but they’ve always got my back, and I love them dearly. What about you?”
“I have one brother. He is older than me as well as the one who cursed me into stone.”
“Ouch. That’ll certainly make family barbecues interesting, though, huh?”
Barbecues? “We were still lads when our father died in battle. Our mother soon remarried. She took me to her new home, but left Percen behind to train with the Druinn. From then on, he wanted nothing to do with me.”
“I’m sorry. That sucks.”
“To this day, he does not understand that he got the better end of the bargain. Our mother’s new family was not kind.” Whippings had been the norm. Until Jorlan started fighting back.
To his shock, and delight, she reached over to pat his hand. “I lost my mother at a young age, too, and I’m sorry for your pain.”
“I…thank you.” He liked this. Liked sharing his life and learning more about hers. Liked the give-and-take. Liked knowing someone understood him. Truly a first.
They reached their destination: the house with the garden. The only home he’d known for centuries. He both missed it and despised it.
Katie parked in front of the home, emerged, and he followed suit. The sun heated the land to a boil. Sweat beaded all over him, quickly dampening his clothes.
They rushed to the porch and entered the much cooler domicile side by side.
When he caught himself staring at Katie as she gathered certain tools, he realized he had work of his own to do. Not on the house, but himself. If he did not rid himself of his fascination with her, he would experience one of two fates.
1.He returned to stone, and had to watch her live her life without him.
2.He returned home, free of the curse, and had to live without her.
Wait. There was a third and fourth possibility.
3.He returned to stone, and she left him, wherever he happened to be.