Book 2 (Complete) - A game of Queen's conquest is set to be played across Elysium and in the four corners stand Elissa's suitors:
- The High King - he insists that they are a perfect match, but will she agree?
- The Dark King - bound by blood...
The detour to see the wild dragons means that night falls before they can reach their destination. On the plus side Elissa is treated to panoramic, dragon-back views of the setting sun and then the first stars appearing in the darkening sky.
However, the air now has a biting chill to it and she shivers, the cloak about her shoulders proving insufficient protection. Wordlessly, Kai moves from his position at her side, so that he is directly behind her and wrapping arms around her, he pulls her back against his chest. Instantly she is enveloped with warmth and a sense of immense security, as if nothing can touch them up here.
There has always been this undercurrent with Kai, even when they first met they sparked off each other, admittedly dangerously. The timing was never right, but now there is nothing in their way. Elissa feels as if she is standing on a precipice and hopes that they can make it work, but there is the gnawing fear that she will publicly fail once again.
"What are you thinking?" Kai's deep voice rumbles through her.
"I'm scared of falling," she admits.
His hold tightens, and warm lips nuzzle at her hair. "I will always catch you."
Elissa places her hand over his and Kai threads their fingers together. Despite the size difference, they fit.
They fly in companionable silence and finally lights appear on the dark horizon. Antares starts a gradual descent and glides down, landing in front of a large, low structure.
She is not quite sure what she expected, but not this. Given Kai's warrior status she had thought perhaps something fortified, but there is not a battlement in sight. Instead his home looks more like a Sultan's palace, carved from smooth, pale stone.
Kai helps her down and offering his arm, guides her under the imposing arched doorway and into a vast, gleaming marble hall with a domed roof.
"Welcome to my home."
"Wow!" Wide-eyed, she scans her surroundings.
While the building is single story, it is built on such a grand scale that even Kai, who normally dominates a room, seems diminutive.
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A passageway with open archways leads through into a large, paved inner courtyard. Candles mark a pathway between planters and a fountain, to a table set for two. Glasses and silver cutlery glint in the light from several flaming braziers.
Ever the gentleman, Kai pulls out a chair for Elissa. Once they are settled, two servers approach and moving as one, place large plates covered by a metal cloches before them. Kai uncovers his plate to reveal a whole roasted bird with couscous and roasted vegetables spilling from the cavity.
"I hope that you are hungry," he announces.
She is a little anxious to unveil her dish as Kai's meal is huge; enough to feed a family. Having hesitated for a little too long, he reaches over and removes the cover for her. Her dish consists of a salad garnished with delicate slivers of roasted meat, pieces of crumbly cheese and pomegranate seeds.
