Stealing My Heart Read online

  “Skin.” Elryk pulled back, gasping, dark eyes glazed with lust. “Please, I need to feel your skin on mine.”

  Kaythan was beyond words. He pulled back and tore his clothes off. Elryk just sat there, staring at him as he revealed his body. Once he was naked he started on Elryk’s clothes, kissing and licking every bit of alabaster skin as he revealed it. When he pulled down the pants and the hard, darkly flushed cock almost jumped at him he nearly came on the spot.

  With a last glance at Elryk’s blissful gaze he slid one arm under a shoulder and the other one under the knees and bodily lifted his lover into the centre of the bed.

  “What?” Elryk actually squealed.

  “Need to taste you.” Kaythan’s voice was rough with need.

  He lay down next to Elryk, head towards his feet and licked his lover’s wide cock from base to tip. Yes! The salty bitter flavour hit his taste buds and made him whimper. That was what he craved. He carefully lifted the engorged organ away from Elryk’s flat stomach so he could start licking in earnest. He took the wide head into his mouth and slowly slid down, taking as much of the other man’s cock as possible.

  Hot lips suddenly surrounded his own glans and he moaned when Elryk reciprocated by taking him all the way down. The man swallowed around his glans before letting him go and Kaythan felt his hips buck. And then they both started bobbing their heads, sucking and licking in a rhythm that drove Kaythan absolutely mad with lust. He slid his arms around Elryk’s slim hips and held onto the muscular arse cheeks, encouraging the other man to fuck his mouth in earnest.

  Almost choking on the cock moving in and out of his mouth, he felt his own balls tighten as Elryk sucked him with equal force. He wasn’t going to last. With a scream that was muffled by the thick organ starting to pulse down his throat, he came in hot spurts of blessed relief. He drank down Elryk’s seed, revelling in the soothing flavour as he emptied his balls with a new and exhilarating intensity he never wanted to go without ever again.

  He pulled back, trying to catch his breath. Elryk turned around—how did he find the energy?—and crawled into his arms. Kaythan tightened his embrace and held on. For the first time in hours he felt okay, the pain between his legs was gone and the beautiful man who lay trembling in his arms was now his.

  “Mhm, that was good.” Elryk nuzzled Kaythan’s neck, turning his head up for a kiss.

  This one was slow, tender and the tingles that moved all the way from the top of his head right down into his balls were good ones. He entwined their legs and pulled Elryk as close to him as possible. This was where he belonged, with his mate.

  Long minutes later the other man sighed.

  “Guess I should try and see if my magic works now.” Elryk lifted his head and focused on the curtains.

  Kaythan felt him tremble, then sag against him.

  “Nothing.” Elryk sounded dejected. “Maybe I’ve just lost it.”

  “I don’t think so. You are the most powerful lightning wizard born in many generations, aren’t you?” Kaythan wanted to fix this for his mate.

  “That’s what the Ritual of Muyd’pol revealed when they tested me.” Elryk snuggled in.

  “That means that something else is wrong.” Kaythan would bet the damned Xoh’kas had something to do with it. “And we’re going to find out what it is.”

  “How?” Elryk’s voice sounded tired.

  “I’m sure that Arith can help us figure it out.” Kaythan pulled the blankets over them. “Once we’ve had a nap.”

  Chapter Four

  Elryk tried not to stare at Arith as the ancient wizard led them along a narrow hallway into the back of his house. The wrinkles all over his face and hands were one thing. But the gnarled fingers and bent posture were highly unusual for a seer. The air magic that formed the core of his abilities should have minimised these overt signs of aging.

  “Welcome to my sanctuary.” Arith grinned and suddenly looked about a hundred years younger. He gestured around the room and Elryk gasped.

  Perched atop what felt like a giant tree, the front and both side walls were made of glass, a few leaved branches knocking on the windows on each side. The view across a deep wooded gorge and a distant mountain range was breathtaking. When Elryk turned around the back wall was as rough as a bark-covered tree trunk.

  “Quite amazing, isn’t it?” Kaythan stepped closer to him, making him feel safe despite the height.

  “How did we get here?” He thought they’d walked into a modest farm house after Kaythan had flown them to the seer’s home in an undetectable glider.

  “That’s right, your magic isn’t working, so you wouldn’t have noticed.” Arith sank into a comfortable armchair near the front. It almost swallowed his fragile body. “We passed a few layers of protective and concealing spells. They’re necessary to hide this place from the Xoh’kas as well as the magic thieves.”

  “How did you know my magic isn’t working?” Elryk frowned. Arith winked. “Uhm, okay, you’re a seer, but even Kaythan and I only found out a few hours ago.”

  “Sit down.” Arith motioned to a couch across from his armchair. “This will take a while.”

  Elryk took a seat and Kaythan followed, putting a protective arm around his shoulders. The contact reduced the slight pulling sensation in his groin immediately. Tah’, but this mate bond would take some getting used to.

  “Let me get to the point.” Arith ran a hand through his shoulder length white hair. “The formation of the first mate bond in over two hundred years has activated the Muyd’Zel.”

  “The Magic Key?” Elryk sat up. “That’s the second legendary magical object to suddenly reappear from the shrouding mists of history. And how would the formation of a mate bond even be noticed? What in Tah’s name is going on?”

  “I’m getting to that.” Arith shook his head. “You young ones are always so impatient. Right, where was I? Oh, yes. Two hundred years ago, when the Xoh’kas family took over, they had an ally inside the Magic Council, the last Lightning Grand Master in charge. His name was Rhunnyt Bak’omir.”

  “That’s right.” Kaythan nodded. “Elryk is the first lightning wizard in many years to show the potential to advance from Great Wizard to Grand Master level and join the Council.”

  “That’s because for all that time the Xoh’kas have killed all candidates before they made it to the Ritual of Muyd’pol.” Arith’s eyes flashed with anger. “So the Council has been weak by definition because their leader was a fire, water, earth or air wizard. Only a lightning wizard has parts of all the others types of magic inside him plus his own. That’s why he can unite and strengthen the Council members to enable them to effectively check and balance the Ruling Assembly’s activities. With the magic thieves now stealing magic on top of this, the Council has been weakened to the point where they are totally ineffective and the Ruling Assembly, under the leadership of the Xoh’kas, is unopposed.”

  “So how does this link to the Muyd’Zel?” Elryk wiggled in his seat.

  “Patience, my son.” Arith grinned and leant back in his armchair. “One of the things Rhunnyt did was banish the Muyd’Othar, or Magic Shield, from the real world into the magic realm. This left the Magic Council open to any attacks, further strengthening the Xoh’kas’ hold on them. Once Rhunnyt had created the hiding place he was executed by the Xoh’kas. Knowing that the Magic Shield would be needed to restore the power of the Council at some point, a group of ‘rebellious’ wizards created the Muyd’Zel to enable the right person to find and use the Shield.”

  “Let me guess—the right person is Elryk?” Kaythan’s grip on Elryk’s shoulders tightened.

  Arith nodded.

  “And this will be dangerous.” Kaythan growled.

  Arith nodded again.

  “I’m sure you’ll keep me safe.” Elryk patted Kaythan’s thigh and grinned inwardly at his mate’s protectiveness. He could take care of himself, well, once his magic was back, but it was nice to have someone else’s support. He’d missed th
at.

  “You bet your sweet little—ahem—on that.” Kaythan’s yes twinkled wickedly.

  Elryk winked at his mate, letting him know he understood and appreciated Kaythan’s words. He just saw one major problem, so he turned back to Arith.

  “How am I going to retrieve the Muyd’Othar, though, without my magic? It seems to be blocked and I have no idea how to get it back.” It was rather embarrassing. “We thought it was the mate bond, but that can’t be it, can it?

  “Well, that is part of the problem.” Arith frowned. “We can’t wait for the bond to solidify, because the Xoh’kas are also trying to find the Shield. If they get to it before you do they will surely destroy it. You have absolutely no time to lose.”

  “So how do we do this? Sounds rather hopeless to me.” Kaythan was obviously still worried about his safety.

  “Two things. One is that you have to work together, use both your strengths to overcome the initial disadvantage of no magic.” Arith leant forward in his armchair. “But the more important part is that the Muyd’Zel itself will help restore Elryk’s magic as you progress. It’s been divided into five pieces, one for each type of magic. Obtaining each piece will result in the ability to gain access to the next location as well as strengthen Elryk’s magical abilities in the area just conquered.”

  “And how do I get the first one? Without magic?” Elryk’s stomach was rebelling.

  “That’s where my friend Nysat comes in.” Arith grinned. “Like me, he comes from the era before the Xoh’kas. He was one of the wizards involved in creating the Muyd’Zel. He may be a lot younger than me but he’s a very powerful earth wizard and has infused that first piece with the ability to awaken that part of your magic inside you. Each of the next pieces will build on that until all of them can fuse and restore you fully.”

  Arith got up and walked to the back of the room. Close to the door where they’d entered, he bent down and lifted a small wooden box about the size of three hand widths on each side. Its top was green and it felt warm when Arith put it in Elryk’s lap.

  “This contains the earth magic part of the Key.” Arith returned to his seat. “Just be careful when you open it.”

  “You must be joking.” Kaythan stared at Arith. “You’re letting Elryk take all the risk?”

  Oh, his mate was in a fine mood now. Elryk almost grinned.

  “He’s not going to die, Kaythan.” Arith tilted his head. “But it’s good to see that you are so protective of him, even though the bond isn’t fully formed. That’s a good sign.”

  “I don’t care about any signs.” Kaythan had relaxed a little and sounded less aggressive. “I just ca- I just want to make sure he’s safe.”

  “And you will.” Arith nodded. “I can see that.”

  “So I just open this thing and see what happens, right?” Elryk wanted to get to the interesting part.

  Arith nodded and Kaythan squeezed his shoulders.

  Elryk put his hand on the lid of the little box and closed his eyes. Touch was an important part of earth magic and he wanted to know if he could find out anything before opening the box. The warmth against his legs increased and the box started to hum. The lid snapped open and there was a small egg-shaped crystal inside that shimmered a deep vibrant brown and bright green in turn.

  He lifted his hand and pulled it out, feeling waves of earth magic pulsing into him. Kaythan’s grip on his shoulder tightened and his mate moaned. The box tumbled to the floor and Elryk folded his hands around the crystal, absorbing all it had to give. Strength flooded the back of his neck, he could smell earth and growing plants, feel soft grass under his feet and hear the soft vibrations of a small earth tremor.

  After a while the imagined perceptions faded and he returned to reality. His hands were empty, the crystal was gone.

  Elryk turned towards his mate, Kaythan’s big blue eyes burning into his, and smiled. He already felt so much stronger, so much more alive, and he’d only absorbed one of the five types of magic. But there was hope now.

  When Kaythan bent down to kiss him he forgot everything and gave himself over to the feeling of being wanted. Surely they had some time to enjoy their new mated status?

  The earth magic soon started building inside him and he rejoiced. When it didn’t stop until it grew into an overwhelming need to move—now—he got worried. And when a rolling rumble surrounded them he almost panicked.

  By the time he was able to tear himself away from Kaythan’s lips to see what was going on there was a thunderous bang and the comfortable sofa vanished from under them. Instead, they were floating on a flimsy raft in the middle of the wide open ocean.

  Chapter Five

  “Crap!” Kaythan gasped from the sudden change of environment. He was used to initiating a transport to a new location with the appropriate magical devices. But being transferred without his consent was a new experience and one he found he didn’t like.

  “I guess water magic is the next one on the list.” Elryk gazed around them with wide eyes, took a deep breath and smiled. “I just love the ocean.”

  “Humph.” Kaythan relaxed, detecting no immediate danger. “There’s just an awful lot of it around.”

  Elryk threw his head back and laughed. What a beautiful sound. Kaythan was going to ensure he heard it often.

  The water next to one side of their raft started churning, as though it was about to boil. He grabbed Elryk’s arm and held onto the edge of the raft with his other hand, trying to stabilise them. Not knowing what creatures lived here he wasn’t about to let them take an involuntary swim.

  Sea grass bubbled up from the depths. A head followed, making him realise it was hair not grass. A woman’s delicate face was revealed, then naked shoulders, the skin as white as Kaythan’s but with a bluish hue. Her slender arms floated up, resting at the surface and the splash of a fishtail where her feet should be completed the picture.

  “I’m Alwiil, the guardian of the second chamber of the temple of Tah’Muyd.” Her voice was melodious but her smile held no real warmth. “What is your business here?”

  “We’re looking for a piece of the Muyd’Zel.” Elryk smiled. “Can you please tell us where it is?”

  “That all depends.” Alwiil’s eyes narrowed.

  “On what?” Elryk’s smile turned less certain.

  “On who sent you.” Alwiil’s tail vanished. “And on how strong your water magic is.”

  “Arith the seer sent us.” Elryk’s shoulders slumped. “And I have no water magic.”

  “Arith? So he remains among the living.” Alwiil nodded. “All right, I’ll tell you where you can find the Key. But obtaining it will not be easy if, as you say, you are without water magic.”

  “Of course not.” Kaythan snorted. “These things never are.”

  Alwiil stared at him as if he was slime that she’d just pulled out from under a rock.

  “Kaythan!” Elryk flashed him an angry glance.

  “The reason it won’t be easy, warrior, is your mate’s lack of water magic.” Alwiil grinned. “The second piece of the Muyd’Zel lies at the bottom of the ocean. Only a very strong water wizard would be able to lift it up from the depths.”

  “So how can we possibly do it without water magic?” Elryk frowned. “We don’t even know where it is.”

  “You can thank Arith for placing you directly above it. You only need to dive straight down and get it.” Alwiil smirked. “However, only one of you can go. The other has to stay on the raft or it will vanish, making it impossible for you to advance to the next chamber. Also, your time is limited because once the diver enters the water, the raft will start to disintegrate.”

  Kaythan sighed. He knew where this was going.

  “So it’s a test of our trust in each other as well as of our determination to obtain the Magic Key.” Elryk nodded.

  “It is indeed.” Alwiil turned serious. “Do you accept the challenge?”

  Elryk looked at him, the question clear in his eyes.

 
“I think I should go.” Kaythan held up a hand to stop Elryk from protesting right away. “I’m physically stronger with you still recovering from the gateway episode. And you might be able to stop the raft from disintegrating too quickly, giving us more time.”

  “Huh?” Elryk’s eyes widened. “Of course! The raft is made from wood and should be susceptible to earth magic.”

  Alwiil chortled. Whether in agreement or for a darker reason he really didn’t want to know. A dive of unknown length into unfamiliar waters was challenge enough.

  “Let’s do this.” Kaythan took off his boots, vest and tunic, briefly enjoying the interest in Elryk’s gaze as it roamed across his bared chest. His belt and pants followed, leaving him in his briefs.

  “Are you sure?” Elryk tore his gaze away from Kaythan’s crotch with an effort.

  “I’m sure.” Kaythan cupped his mate’s cheek and pressed a brief kiss onto his cool lips. “Hold the raft for me?”

  Before he could change his mind, he started taking deep breaths to increase the oxygen level in his blood. When he was ready he smiled at Elryk, filled his lungs with as much air as possible and dove head-first into the freezing water.

  Elryk didn’t like being left behind. His mate had to risk his life because he hadn’t been able to recover his magic. Fuck! He hated feeling so powerless.

  And every second that Kaythan remained underwater seemed to last hours. Who knew how deep down that Key was going to be? Would Kaythan be able to see it in the darkness? Was he going to be able to hold his breath long enough, withstand the water pressure? What about sharks and other horrible sea creatures?

  “Are you worried yet?” Alwiil’s voice and gleeful grin grated on already raw nerves.

  “Is that the point of this stupid exercise?” He was ready to yell at her, the universe and anything else that got between him and his mate. Tah’, but he wanted Kaythan to be safe.

  “It’s not an ‘exercise’.” Alwiil shook her head and pointed at the raft. “It’s a test of your ability to trust that your mate will do his part just like he trusts you to do your part. Only if you work together will you succeed.”