Traveler, page 21
“Yes...and with his family having been slaughtered, I understood his decision to leave her behind. Even highly trained, there was simply no way for a twelve year old to safely hide himself and a four year old.” He sighed softly. “Now that he has her back...and you have appeared, my dear Traveler, things are in motion. We shall have to be prepared for things to get very dangerous...”
Aislin frowned. “Dangerous? Will you be in danger, Alex?” Her eyes were wide with fright. “Please tell me you’re going to be okay,” she whispered, nearly trembling beneath him. “If there is...then maybe we should just stay behind.” It was irrational to say that. She knew they needed to come to this world, to make things right. But this was Alex.
Alex pressed a finger against her lips, his blue eyes meeting her green ones. “Hush, munchkin. When I said that, I did not necessarily mean me. You must understand...your position as Traveler...that makes you a highly desired ally by anyone’s standards. It is my job and my honor to protect you. Once...in what seems like a previous life now...I was in training to be the bodyguard to the royal heir. While some might say that duty ended when Silvertongue eradicated the royal family...I cannot help but to feel a certain amount of...responsibility towards Rahim still. However...you are my top priority.”
Aislin listened to what he said, a soft frown crossing her features. “You were...Rahim’s bodyguard?” Looking at him closely, she took note of something interesting. “Hmm...maybe that’s why he was so attractive to me at first...before he opened his mouth. He looks a lot like you. What should be your top priority, though, is to protect the royal heir. If I’m this...great Traveler or whatever I’m supposed to be...shouldn’t I be able to protect myself?” She looked down at her hands. “Can you teach me to protect myself?”
He frowned slightly before pulling her onto his lap and holding her close. “Aislin, you may have the title of Traveler, but you are still learning how to control your abilities. Besides...even if you were the most powerful being in the entire cosmos, you would still be my top priority.” He placed a soft kiss behind her ear, murmuring softly. “If you wish to learn how to protect yourself, I would be more than happy to teach everything you need to know.”
Aislin kissed him softly, cuddling closer to his chest. “Thank you,” she whispered. “And I would love to learn everything an assassin has to teach me. Especially so this doesn’t happen again.” She glanced down at the now-fading bruises on her wrists. “At least this problem is taken care of, right? Are we going to be staying here longer?” she asked, glancing up at him.
Alex wasn’t quite sure that he wanted to teach her to everything he had learned over the years. Some were quite unsettling for someone unused to bloodshed. But he would cross that bridge when he reached it. He smiled down at her, lightly caressing her cheek. “No...I think it’s past time for us to return home. Unless you want to stay longer...?”
“No...I want to stay home. I think we should give them some alone time,” she smiled gently. “They have a lot of...catching up to do.” She sighed. “It’s so romantic, isn’t it?” Her gaze was far off and dreamy, eyes slightly glazed. Definitely off radar.
He watched her for a moment, an affectionate look on his face as he wondered if she would even notice when he brought them home. Chuckling, he murmured softly...more to himself than anything else. “Catching up? Light, at the rate Rahim moves, I bet sweet little Brileia will still be the shy blushing virgin the next time we visit.” Tightening his arms around Aislin, he buried his face in her hair, inhaling the scent of lilacs before he abruptly opened the gateway back to his bedroom, leaving them sitting in the middle of the bed.
Aislin chuckled and held him close as he inhaled the scent of her hair as they jumped, cuddling even closer to him once they were back home, safe in his bed. “I would hate to be a virgin that long, once I’d found the man I want to be with,” she murmured, glancing up at him. “What I’d like to do, though...” her eyes took on a little mischievous glint. “Is to be able to get out of this dress...and get comfortable.”
“Ah, well, she doesn’t know any better...but that is simply the way of the nobility...they shelter their daughters, hoping to sell them to the highest bidder.” Alex replied calmly, a hand sliding around her back to tug on the laces of her bodice. His fingers idly brushed against her skin as he took his time, loosening the fabric enough for it to slide down one of her shoulders. “I don’t blame you. You’re not used to wearing something laced so tightly...”
She made a small sound in her throat. “That sounds...completely unappetizing,” she murmured. “I would much prefer to choose the men I sleep with.” She let out a breath, nearly ecstatically, as she was able to breathe freely again. “No, not at all...which is surprising. I am used to wearing tight garments, like that dress the other night...but something that you can tighten by yourself is an entirely different matter.” She turned to him a little, holding up the rest of the bodice with her hands. “Thank you for unlacing that for me,” she said with a smile.
“You’re welcome...” He smiled back, playfully tugging on a lock of her hair. “Perhaps next time...we’ll choose something easier for you to wear, hm?”
Aislin cocked her head to the side, looking at him curiously. “But I thought these were standard gowns...what else would I wear, there?”
“I am sure that we could find something else that would be less constricting.” He frowned slightly. “...though I must admit that I’m drawing a blank as to what. And no, those dresses are more suited to rich nobles than common folk.”
She nodded, taking another deep breath. “I suppose I will have to find out for myself then,” she winked, smiling at him. “Now. I think I may go change into something more...comfortable. Unless you’re opposed to that?”
Alex laughed softly, his fingers playfully poking her sides. “I could make a new rule about changing clothes. But I think we’ve already been quite naughty today, don’t you?”
Aislin arched her eyebrow at him. “I don’t know...your mention of our bed when we were in my cabin on the Dragon’s ship spoke otherwise. But, as you wish.” She slid off the bed, glancing back at him and letting the rest of the dress slide down her body, looking completely unashamed to show her nakedness underneath. “Oops,” she murmured innocently, turning to walk out of his bedroom, towards her room. “I’ll come back for that...”
He nearly choked on his tongue when he saw the dress fall to the floor, his blue eyes wide and dark with arousal. He almost couldn’t think for a moment before he suddenly leapt to his feet and followed her. Reaching her bedroom doorway, he stalked towards her with a predatory grace. “You did that completely on purpose. I should call you vixen rather than munchkin.”
Coming to a stop just a few millimeters away, he stared down at her, determination and arousal in his eyes. Fingers slid into her hair as his other arm slipped around her waist to pull her close, deliberately pressing her against his body. “You have a really bad habit of walking away before I have a chance to respond to your comments. If you are going to keep testing my control, my dear, you might find that I’m more than you can handle.”
Aislin had stood next to her closet, going to grab pajamas from her drawers, looking at him with an amused smile as he stood in her doorway. “I like the sound of vixen,” she murmured, her own eyes darkening a little as he pulled her against her, her hands resting against his chest. “Oh..? And how would you have responded in this particular situation, my dear Alexion...? And you have no idea whatsoever about just how much...I can handle.” She slipped one of the hands on his chest down to caress between his legs briefly, teasingly.
A shudder coursed through his body, a growl escaping him before he suddenly lifted her off her feet. His eyes were nearly glowing with a heady combination of desire and power. The sound of water turning on in the other room echoed through the house as he claimed her lips in a fierce kiss full of hunger and promise. Easily holding her up, he carried her into the bathroom, steam wafting from the open doorway. “You’re about to find out, little vixen.” He growled against her mouth, waving his hand absently, making the door slam shut behind them.
Chapter 15
Four days had passed since Aislin had surfaced from the house, too busy spending time alone with Alex to focus on anything else. The next weekend was almost over by the time she got around to asking him to really start her training. His world needed her, after all, and if she was going to be the one to help him defeat Silvertongue, she would need all the advantages she could get. They were outside Alex’s house now, Aislin dressed in a pair of yoga pants and a sport’s bra along with her pendant, trying to purposefully send herself to his world. So far, it hadn’t worked.
An angry sigh escaped her. “Alex, why won’t it work? What the hell am I doing wrong?” She placed her hands on her hips, a low growl escaping her as she looked at him, and then abruptly she vanished.
***
The deck of the Maiden’s Voyage was tilting under the swell of the sea, making it nearly impossible for anyone without years of experience on the waves to walk on it with anything but a steady gait. To Luc, though, it was a normal experience, and he walked it with the best of them. With a laugh, he finished singing the sailing song the crew was bellowing before climbing down belowship to freshen up into something that didn’t smell like tar.
Aislin popped into existence in this world right before Luc. His eyes bugged out for a moment, his mouth flapping like a fish on a hook. Her red hair was in her eyes, a slightly dazed expression on her face. “Rogue...?” she whispered, unsteady on her feet. “How...how did I get here?”
“You tell me, mermaid,” he commented, looking a little too long at how her clothing clung to her curves. “You’re the one who popped into existence in front of me.”
“Right,” Aislin mumbled, staggering forward a little. “Can you help me g-” the phrase wasn’t destined to be finished as Aislin collapsed into a heap at his feet into a dead faint.
Luc swore, looking around quickly to see if anyone was looking before scooping her up in his arms. He needed to get her out of sight. Luc busted in his cabin door, laying her gently on the bed. And now he needed to put her into more comfortable clothing. He had an idea, one that would be a little easier to get her into than a dress. He would just dress her in his clothes! A satisfied smile on his face, Luc rummaged through his drawers to get his smallest pair of pants and a shirt to dress her.
Sitting down next to Aislin on the bed, Luc hooked a finger in the waistband of her yoga pants, trying to slip those off first before he slipped the pants on. He didn’t want to get her clothes dirty, after all. At least that’s the excuse he gave himself. In reality, Luc just wanted to see her. He had been attracted to her since he had first pulled her from the ocean, naked as the day she was born. And now that Ghost wasn’t here, he could properly introduce himself.
It was in that moment that a darkly clad Alex materialized within the small cabin, having used the silver pendant to track his wayward student. Blue eyes darkened with rage when he caught sight of Rogue leaning over an unconscious Aislin. With an angry growl, he leapt forward and tackled the man, slamming him into the ground. “I should rip your balls off and make you eat them!”
Luc found himself tackled to the ground, losing his breath as he got slammed into the wooden planks. “Wait,” he gasped. “Wait...it’s not what it looks like!” Luc tried to shove Ghost off of him, his own green eyes flinty. “And my balls are just fine where they are, thank you!” he snapped.
“And what exactly should it have looked like? Because it looked to me like you were trying to take her pants off.” Strong fingers wrapped around his throat as Alex deliberately slammed him against the wooden floor again.
Luc’s hands grabbed the assassin’s wrists as they began to tighten on his neck. “Gods, man, let me go and tone down your anger!” he snapped. “And why in the bloody hells should you care if I was? She’s your student! And, for the record, I was trying to put some more appropriate clothes on her than the outfit she was wearing! She looks like a loose woman dressed like that!”
“Why should I care?! You pathetic little bastard, you and your Captain already caused her a great deal of pain, just with the whole island fiasco!” He glared angrily at him, not letting up on the pressure at all. “Because of you two numbskulls, she had to play the part of a courtesan to a sadistic bastard...and why...all because neither of you were man enough to save the girl on your own.” Growling angrily at the mere memory of the bruises that covered her body, Alex suddenly slammed a fist into Luc’s face.
Luc felt the fist slam into his face and saw the stars a few hours early. Gods, but that hurt. “For Gods’ sake, man, let me up before you kill me!” He gasped, his face turning red with rage. “We didn’t know what she was going to do!” He gasped. “The Captain and I couldn’t do anything. We would have forfeited the entire crew, all of those lives, if we had gone off-deck. But, I think we’ve finally found the great Assassin’s weakness,” he laughed weakly. “You feel much more for your student than you let on.”
“What is between my student and I is our business, not yours. As for all those lives...if you were willing to sacrifice the Traveler for one girl, you should have been willing to do the same with all those lives. But obviously the girl wasn’t as important to you as you pretended.” Alex snapped coldly as he leapt to his feet, leaving Luc on the floor. Grumbling angrily under his breath, he went over to check on Aislin.
Luc rolled to his side, coughing hard as he struggled to regain his breath. “Dammit, Ghost, it was the Captain’s idea, not mine! I didn’t even want to let Bird go in the first place!” He rolled to his knees, head down and trying not to get too dizzy. “She’s passed out cold,” he remarked. “I don’t know why...she just showed up and passed out like that.”
“She ran out of energy...that’s all...she’ll be fine with some rest.” Alex commented idly, paying more attention to the unconscious girl than the pirate for the moment. Gently he brushed the hair from her face, a sigh escaping him. Then he glanced over at Luc, frowning slightly. “Your Captain was an idiot...then again, he’s been that way for twenty-four years. I suppose I shouldn’t expect him to change now. I suggest that you keep this visit to yourself...no one else needs to know about her abilities.”
“Twenty-four years...you’ve known him that long?” Luc asked, an interested and narrowed look on his face. “And who would we tell? Silvertongue?” he asked, an amused look on his face. “I’d tell that rat-bastard to go to hell before I told him anything about Traveler,” he said honestly. “She is safe with us. Even with everything that happened with Bird, she is safe here. The Captain is somewhat paranoid, if you haven’t been able to tell. His paranoia has kept him alive. How...how long will she be out?” He asked, his face showing more concern than was really warranted.
“It’s not paranoia if they’re really out to get you.” He commented quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed beside Aislin. “Not too long...it’s just a matter of magical exhaustion.” Then he looked over at the other man, a serious look on his face. “How far are you from land?”
Luc pondered for a moment, running calculations in his head. “Two days,” he said finally, glancing over at Alex. “Give or take. Why do you ask?” He stood, crossing his arms across his chest. “And who’s after the Captain?”
Alex nodded slowly, observing the man for a moment. “Before I answer your question, tell me something, Luc...how far would you go to protect your Captain? Would you lay down your life for him?”
“In a heartbeat,” Luc answered without hesitation. “Rahim and I have known each other since he started on this vessel. We have been friends ever since, partners even. And then he became captain of this ship...and asked me to be his first mate. I have already risked my life for him, more times than I can count.”
“Well...to put it bluntly, your Captain is number one on Silvertongue’s hit list. He has been lucky enough to hide from him this long. But I have a feeling that things are going to get much more...dangerous, especially from the moment he chose to abduct his little bird.”
Luc’s eyes narrowed. “She already knows him,”he murmured offhandedly. “She mentioned having met him, I think.” He shook his head. “Then isn’t having her off ship the best place for her? The safest place? We need to protect them both...but I have no idea how. You’re still keeping much from me, I think,” Luc said honestly, his eyes meeting Alex’s head on. “Aren’t you, Ghost?”
“Truthfully...sending her off ship would do no good. Silvertongue is just as interested in finding her as he is in killing Dragon, though his reasons for her are vastly different. At this point, separating them just makes them both miserable...and it makes the girl more vulnerable.” He replied seriously. “Yes...there are things that are being kept from you. Dragon thinks he is protecting you by hiding certain facets of his past from you. It just isn’t my place to tell you his secrets...not yet anyways.”
Luc snorted. “Story of my life...” he muttered. “I won’t say anything, I promise. Now...take care of your Traveler...and if you hurt that girl, I will personally kill you. She is far too valuable to be treated like an ordinary woman.” He looked at Alex pointedly. “If you know what I mean.”
Alex rolled his eyes in response, rising to his feet. “Traveler will have ripped me to shreds by the time you ever got close to killing me, Rogue.” Slipping his arms beneath Aislin, he lifted her up and cradled her close before glancing back towards Luc. “Keep your guard up. There is an ill wind blowing.”
Luc nodded and touched his forelock. “You too, Ghost. I’m sure we will see you and your wayward student soon. Hopefully with less clothing this time,” he joked with a wink, completely playing around. “But seriously...I don’t know how this jumping thing works....but you and she are both needed here, more than you know.” He glanced at the sleeping girl in his arms. “So don’t stay away too long.”
