bare chest in shadows that accentuated all those delicious muscles. His skin seemed less pale today. Maybe it was a trick of the warm, golden sunrise, but the bluish tint that had been there before had faded.
His hair swirled over his wide shoulders, lazily caressing them. Sunlight gleamed off its shining depths, accentuating the deep purple tones hidden in the inky locks.
She self-consciously straightened her own hair, sure it was a wreck from sleep. “What are you doing?”
“Watching you sleep. Did you know that you talk when resting?”
She had ever since she was a little girl, but she hadn’t really expected anyone to hear her. “What did I say?”
“Nothing I truly understood. Except for my name.”
She’d dreamed about him—vivid, erotic dreams that left her body humming with latent need. “Sorry,” she said as she tossed back the covers. “Next time you shouldn’t eavesdrop.”
He tilted his head as if trying to understand.
“You shouldn’t listen,” she clarified. “It’s rude. Besides, aren’t you supposed to be working?”
“On what?”
The way he said it gave her pause. There was no sense of recognition in his eyes, no trace of urgency in his tone. “That thing that’s going to get you home. You know. Your magic… thing.”
He frowned and looked around the room as if seeing it for the first time. “This isn’t my home,” he said, as though he just now realized that.
“No. It’s not even your world. Remember Sorsca?”
“My world…” His eyes widened, and the pale blue ring expanded as his pupil contracted with fear. “Obliterra. It’s sucking away my thoughts. I’m already losing myself.”
He looked so scared, so uncertain, her heart squeezed out a rush of sympathy. She went to him and hugged him close. “You just need to focus, okay?”
“Focus?”
“Concentrate on your task. Do you remember what you said you had to build?”
His grip on her tightened, but she felt him nod. “Yes.”
“Good. Just remember that. Concentrate on building your ride home. I’ll be back in a couple of hours with more supplies so you can finish, okay?”
Again he nodded, but when she pulled back, she could see fear hovering in his expression. “I will do as you ask. But you must hurry.”
“I will.” Adria dressed fast and rushed out the door. She only hoped that when she got back, she’d find Toren here, working, and not wandering in the woods, lost and alone with no memory of who he was.
* * *
Adria came back to find an odd, artistic sculpture on the back porch. Structural ribs of aluminum foil were folded to spiral around a wooden core. At the base were small piles of pebbles that seemed to have been laid out to exacting standards. What she suspected had once been her earrings had been pounded flat, shaped and imbedded into the log, forming some kind of symbol.
What he’d built looked nothing like technology that she recognized, but she sensed within it a kind of power, much like what she’d felt when Toren had made love to her.
He was nowhere to be seen.
Panic rippled through her, shoving out all thoughts of their time together. She hurried to the bedroom, silently praying he would be there.
She found him sitting on the bed, staring out the window. The blank look on his face scared the shit out of her.
She scrambled around the bed to reach him. “Toren? Are you okay?”
He smiled at her, and a faint hint of recognition lit his eyes. “Adreeahbenwah.”
“Yes. It’s Adria.” She cupped his face in her hands. “How do you feel?”
His gaze scoured her face, as though he were rediscovering details he’d forgotten. “You are so beautiful. Your eyes are always dark. You make me ache with want.”
She melted a little at his praise, but not so much that she could overlook his lack of response to her question. “None of that, now. What are you doing sitting here? Don’t you have work to do?”
“Do you have need of me?”
She needed him all right, but
His hair swirled over his wide shoulders, lazily caressing them. Sunlight gleamed off its shining depths, accentuating the deep purple tones hidden in the inky locks.
She self-consciously straightened her own hair, sure it was a wreck from sleep. “What are you doing?”
“Watching you sleep. Did you know that you talk when resting?”
She had ever since she was a little girl, but she hadn’t really expected anyone to hear her. “What did I say?”
“Nothing I truly understood. Except for my name.”
She’d dreamed about him—vivid, erotic dreams that left her body humming with latent need. “Sorry,” she said as she tossed back the covers. “Next time you shouldn’t eavesdrop.”
He tilted his head as if trying to understand.
“You shouldn’t listen,” she clarified. “It’s rude. Besides, aren’t you supposed to be working?”
“On what?”
The way he said it gave her pause. There was no sense of recognition in his eyes, no trace of urgency in his tone. “That thing that’s going to get you home. You know. Your magic… thing.”
He frowned and looked around the room as if seeing it for the first time. “This isn’t my home,” he said, as though he just now realized that.
“No. It’s not even your world. Remember Sorsca?”
“My world…” His eyes widened, and the pale blue ring expanded as his pupil contracted with fear. “Obliterra. It’s sucking away my thoughts. I’m already losing myself.”
He looked so scared, so uncertain, her heart squeezed out a rush of sympathy. She went to him and hugged him close. “You just need to focus, okay?”
“Focus?”
“Concentrate on your task. Do you remember what you said you had to build?”
His grip on her tightened, but she felt him nod. “Yes.”
“Good. Just remember that. Concentrate on building your ride home. I’ll be back in a couple of hours with more supplies so you can finish, okay?”
Again he nodded, but when she pulled back, she could see fear hovering in his expression. “I will do as you ask. But you must hurry.”
“I will.” Adria dressed fast and rushed out the door. She only hoped that when she got back, she’d find Toren here, working, and not wandering in the woods, lost and alone with no memory of who he was.
* * *
Adria came back to find an odd, artistic sculpture on the back porch. Structural ribs of aluminum foil were folded to spiral around a wooden core. At the base were small piles of pebbles that seemed to have been laid out to exacting standards. What she suspected had once been her earrings had been pounded flat, shaped and imbedded into the log, forming some kind of symbol.
What he’d built looked nothing like technology that she recognized, but she sensed within it a kind of power, much like what she’d felt when Toren had made love to her.
He was nowhere to be seen.
Panic rippled through her, shoving out all thoughts of their time together. She hurried to the bedroom, silently praying he would be there.
She found him sitting on the bed, staring out the window. The blank look on his face scared the shit out of her.
She scrambled around the bed to reach him. “Toren? Are you okay?”
He smiled at her, and a faint hint of recognition lit his eyes. “Adreeahbenwah.”
“Yes. It’s Adria.” She cupped his face in her hands. “How do you feel?”
His gaze scoured her face, as though he were rediscovering details he’d forgotten. “You are so beautiful. Your eyes are always dark. You make me ache with want.”
She melted a little at his praise, but not so much that she could overlook his lack of response to her question. “None of that, now. What are you doing sitting here? Don’t you have work to do?”
“Do you have need of me?”
She needed him all right, but
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