Hunger Untamed (Feral Warriors #5)(61)

Ariana lifted a brow. "Pitchers of lemonade?"

Melisande shrugged diffidently. "They had questions. They wanted answers. It's not like anyone's seen an Ilina in a thousand years."

"So they plied you with lemonade."

Melisande scowled, changing the subject. "What now, Ariana? How do we stop the poison?"

"The answer will come to me, we have to believe that. In the meantime, enjoy the celebration, Mel. Soak up all the pleasure you can."

"While we can?" The words were quietly said.

"Yes."

With a grim nod, Melisande turned and continued down the corridor. When she was out of earshot, Ariana looked at Kougar. "Tell them thank you for me. Lyon and Jag for getting Mel out of there, and Olivia, or whoever offered her the lemonade. Did you notice she didn't scowl at you?"

"I noticed."

It pleased her. Melisande's violent objection to Ariana's mating a Feral a thousand years ago had poisoned the entire race's feelings toward Kougar.

Ariana led Kougar up the wide stair to the observatory, then turned right and led him down a long passageway to the room that had always been her favorite, the place she'd missed most during her long absences, forced to live her life as flesh and blood.

The observatory was round and not overly large, furnished as it had always been, with a profusion of pillows in various sizes, covered in bright silks, the walls long ago painted with a full-sized mural of a lush, tropical garden, the flowers seeming real enough to pluck from their stems.

But the thing she loved the most was the ceiling, for there was none. The Crystal Realm might sit in the clouds, the sun shining bright and warm, the stars glittering brilliantly at night. But the air, air that shimmered with myriad colors, remained a constant temperature. Never was there wind or snow or rain.

In the middle of the room stood the great golden urns of Barse, the fourth queen. And if the latest memory proved correct, in the middle one, at the very bottom, lay the Crystal of Rayas.

Ariana released Kougar's hand and strode to the urn which stood higher than her waist. "I think it's in here. Want to help?"

"Of course." With no visible effort whatsoever, he lifted the heavy urn, making whatever was inside rattle and clink, then tipped it upside down over one of the cushions. The crystal she sought tumbled out, the shape of a large faceted teardrop, attached to a thick silver chain.

"Found it. Thank the heavens something's going right."

As she placed the chain around her neck, Kougar set down the urn. "Maybe you've remembered more than you think," he said. "Maybe we should test you."

"Test away." Ariana fingered the crystal settling heavily between her br**sts.

"Have there been any other times the Ilinas were poisoned by the Mage? Times the Ilina queen overcame it?"

Ariana tried to seek the answer but hit a tangled mass of thought and backed off. Closing her eyes, she repeated Kougar's question in her mind, concentrating on the question, not the answer. And a pair of memories tore free of the mess with a rip of pain.

She grimaced, the discomfort fading as she examined them. "Yes. Another queen suffered Mage poison twice. A poison similar to the one I'm fighting. Both times she killed it by starving it."

"Starving it how?" Kougar watched her intently, no emotion visible on his face, but he couldn't quite hide the flicker of excitement in his eyes.

"By not feeding the darkness."

His brows drew together. "Have you ever not fed it?"

"No. The darkness gets stronger when it's hungry. I've always been afraid I'd lose control. But I don't think I will. In fact, I'm sure I won't." Excitement leaped inside her, and she smiled. "This is the answer we've been seeking, Kougar. This is it! The way to defeat the poison."

"Ariana . . ." He came to her, closing the space between them. Sliding his hands into her hair, he tilted her face up to his, his pale gaze embracing hers. "If this doesn't work . . ."

"It will. I'm sure of it. And when it does, once the poison is gone, I'll be able to turn to mist without endangering my maidens. Now that I have the Crystal of Rayas, I'll be able to free your friends. And the death of the poison within me means I'll no longer be feeding it to you through the mating bond. You'll be safe. This is it, Kougar!" Her smile slowly turned to a scowl. "All this time, such a simple answer. If only I'd known."

His thumb stroked her cheek. "If it's any consolation, you might not have been strong enough to vanquish the darkness before."

She lifted an eyebrow. "You think you make me stronger?"

"I know I do." He bent his head and kissed her, his tongue sliding between her lips, stroking her mouth, her teeth, her tongue. When her breathing had turned thoroughly ragged, he pulled back, watching her with hunger and satisfaction. "How long before the darkness grows hungry again?"

"Not long, not the way things have been going. Yours and Jag's fight helped, but even that only satisfied the darkness enough for me to wrench back control. If I had to guess, we have an hour or two. Maybe a little more. In the meantime . . ."

Kougar hooked her around the waist and pulled her tight against him, pressing his hips against her, letting her feel his thick erection. " . . . I pleasure you."