Page 17 of Married By Wind
He did not respond, and my frustration only grew. This was why we were bound together, to teach us some kind of lesson, but what if I was the sole one to blame for this? I dared not look at Vinn as he mounted up behind me, and my shoulders stiffened when he tried to touch me. Let him feel what it was like to be human, to suffer, to have guilt, to regret one’s actions and have no recourse.
Silent tears slipped down my cheeks along with an iron determination. If the sand devils could be killed, I would take up my papa’s spear and slay them all.
We hadn’t gone far when Vinn reached around me and yanked on the reins.
“What are you doing?” I snapped.
He swung off Nika and dragged me to the ground, where I stood fuming in front of him.
“Don’t be angry,” he pleaded. Threading his fingers through my hair, he lifted my face to his. “Mortals have opinions of gods. It helps to inspire fear and worship, to put a barrier between mortal and immortal. But I’m here because I’m on your side. You asked for help, and I gladly give it. We will go into the desert, find the sand devils, and break this curse, and you will return to your people victorious. You came to me, remember? Do I not have your trust?”
I did not answer him for three reasons. The first being that he was right: I was the one who’d asked for his help.
The second being that flashes of fragrant lands rushed before me, greens and reds and the chilly winds of mountain peaks.
And the third being that he kissed me.
When his warm lips brushed over mine, gentle, hesitating, I froze in shock. Vinn was kissing me. I’d longed for this moment for months, dreamed about it. But it wasn’t Vinn the mortal, but Vinn, thegod of windwho was kissingme. A mere mortal.
Shock faded into desire, and my fingers fisted around his shirt. I pulled him closer until his chest pressed against mine, and opened my mouth. He tasted like purity and magic and strength, everything I hoped and desired promised behind the power of that kiss. I moaned into his mouth and tilted my head, pressing against him for more. I wanted more than his essence; I wanted all of him.
21
Vinn
Instead of claiming her mouth with mine, I should have apologized and told her I had a share in the blame. She might have found the lamp, but it was I who’d unleashed the sand devils across the desert. But she was already upset, her brown eyes swimming with tears, and I couldn’t stand the thought of her crying, so unhappy. Even more so if that anger was directed toward me, as it would be when she discovered the truth. If she asked more questions, eventually the truth would come out, and instead of letting that happen, I did what I’d wanted to do for so long. I kissed her, and it was better than anything I’d experienced.
For a moment, her entire body went rigid, then her soft lips parted, and she kissed me back with a heat and passion that made me feel as though I was drowning. Her lips, her tongue thrusting into my mouth, her warm body pressed against mine, awoke a desire that had long lain dormant. I wanted her; I wanted companionship and connection. A deep need rose, and suddenly I didn’t want to lie, to hide the truth from her. I wanted her to know me, to see me truly.
She was shaking when I broke the kiss, her fingers tight around my shirt as though she would rip it off. I stroked a finger down her jaw, and when her eyes met mine, they were deep pools of desire. I wanted to take her then, right in the sand with the blistering sun glistening on us and no one around for miles. Out of the corner of my eye, a darkness loomed on the horizon. Storm clouds?
Resting my hands lightly on her shoulders, I told her the truth. “It was me. I set the sand devils free.”
Ulika’s face crumpled as though I’d punched her in the stomach with the butt of the spear. She ripped herself free of my touch, spun on her heel, and ran.
My shoulders sagged as I watched her go. She hadn’t asked any questions or waited for me to explain. She’d just run. I picked up Nika’s reins just as a sharp wind blew. There, in the direction Ulika had fled, a darkness crept toward us. The sand devils were coming in the middle of the day, and I could only use my magic once more. I scanned the barren land for shelter as I leaped onto the camel’s back. Urging her into a run, I dashed toward Ulika.
22
Ulika
It was him! I panicked and ran because I couldn’t think of anything else to do. He’d freed the sand devils, which was probably why the gods had forced us to complete this quest together. Both of us were to blame; that was the truth he’d hidden from me and that secret taste like a lie, even though the gods couldn’t lie. Was it possible there were two sides to Vinn? One was the storyteller I’d fallen in love with, and the other was the god, a trickster full of mischief, willing to play with the hearts and minds of mortals.
After all, he had kissed me, and that kiss had answered the call of my heart, the longing to be seen and desired by him. I wanted him to desire me as badly as I yearned for him, but longing clouded my judgment. I wiped my lips with the back of my hand, but the taste of him was imprinted on me. When he’d kissed me, I’d sensed a cave was nearby and something evil haunted the wind.
“Ulika!” Vinn shouted.
Wind whipped away his words, and only then did my vision clear. A wall of darkness rose in front of me. Wind. But nothiswind. A storm. I jerked to a stop. My hair twisted as though a hand was yanking at my scalp. Sand swirled, and I jerked my scarf over my nose and mouth as a muscular arm bore me upward.
Vinn hauled me on top of the camel, yanking me tight against his body. So tight I couldn’t breathe. The last thing I wanted was to be in contact with him again, not now, not after what had just happened, but there was no time to fight. The wave of darkness coasted toward us. I snatched the reins, and shouting at Nika, who finally noticed my sense of urgency, I drove her toward the cave.
Blood roared in my ears as the storm drew nearer. We weren’t going to make it. There was too much open space, too much sand. Visibility lessened, and grit stung my bare legs, driving beneath my skin. Vinn leaned over me, his hand sliding around my waist, and for a moment, I feared he would use the last of his magic to whirl us free of the storm. Instead he pulled, and we tumbled off Nika’s back.
I wheezed for breath, but Vinn grabbed my hand and dragged me through the storm until the ground opened up and everything stopped. I scrambled to untangle myself from Vinn, blinking as I took in our surroundings. We’d slipped into a cool recess underground, and the opening above us let in glimpses of the storm and a steady stream of sand, flowing like a miniature waterfall.
I pressed myself against the cool stone, waiting for my heartbeat to return to normal. We were safe. For now.
A faint silver glow came from the rocks, displaying the angles of Vinn’s sharp cheekbones, highlighting the fact that I was alone with him until the storm passed. I couldn’t ignore him or pretend the kiss hadn’t happened. It had. I’d enjoyed it. But that was before I’d known what plagued my people was his fault.
