The Warrior Woman

by Evelyn Lederman

  “Canny, am I hurting you?””

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Candy answered between gasps. “Shift a little to your left. No, my left, your right.” He did as she requested and Tolfer was rewarded with the biggest groan out of her yet. Tolfer loved all the sounds that gushed out of Candy as they made love.

  She continued to ride him until neither had any energy left. Their second orgasm came hard and was overpowering. Candy was a lump of clay in his arms as he staggered to get them both out of the water. They collapsed on the softest grass he had ever felt. If he was destined to relive one period of time over and over again, it would be the time he spent with her in this grotto.

  They dressed, giggling to be so carefree. Well, Candy did. Men did not giggle. He just never knew it was possible to be so happy. As much as he dreaded leaving this peaceful place, Tolfer was assigned to help prepare the evening meal. It was time to start heading back to Utopia.

  He and Candy were not far from the grotto when Candy took a defensive stance. He had not heard anything, but knew enough to trust her gift.

  Out of nowhere a crazed man charged Candy. She fended him off, bringing him down with a kick to his knees. Tolfer had never seen anyone move as quickly as Candy did as she secured the man’s ankles and wrists with sturdy vines from along the path. The man would not have known what hit him had he been of sound mind. She had not even drawn the knife.

  Tolfer called for assistance through the communal pathway. Candy stood next to him, barely winded. She appeared to have actually enjoyed herself. The hormone had transformed Candy into the ultimate fighter. She was truly his legendary warrior woman come to life.

  It was not long before reinforcements came from the settlement. The group seemed disappointed there was not more for them to do. Candy and Kelog’s work with the population of Utopia made them want to see action. Any type of action.

  “What is going to happen to him?” Candy asked Klark. He was in charge of the Utopia army, if you could call them that.

  “We will feed him and care for any wounds,” Klark answered. “Zak is basically harmless. He has mood swings that make him unstable. From time to time he comes into the village for a meal. Seeing too many people confuses him. He has never done anyone too much harm. I am glad you did not hurt him.”

  “He charged me like a rhino,” Candy said. Everyone looked at Candy with blank stares. “It is an animal from Ginkgo Terra.”

  “Head on back to the settlement, Candace,” Klark said. “Your grandmother must be worried sick. Although we have communicated you are safe, I am sure she will want to see for herself. We will take care of Zak.”

  They walked back to the village, hand in hand. He had so much to ask her about what he had witnessed. The last thing Tolfer wanted to do was make Candy feel awkward. He still remembered how Shirl had thought people would think of her differently after what happened on Terra Nova. He did not want Candy to go through that.

  “You were incredible back there,” Tolfer said.

  “It was amazing,” Candy replied. “In the past I had to think and then my body would react. Now my limbs respond as quickly as my brain reacts. I am so much faster.” She could barely contain her excitement. He was mentally drained by what happened, while his soul mate was charged up.

  “Do you think your body is still absorbing new powers from the hormone?” Tolfer asked.

  “Yes,” Candy answered. “I was not this fast with the snake. When I am working out I have not noticed any differences. My adrenaline is still flowing. I am Wonder Woman.”

  Candy looked at him critically. He could see she was in the process of germinating another thought. “What about you, Tolfer? Have you noticed any enhancements in your telepathic abilities?”

  He did not feel any different. Tarsea had developed the same ability to read thoughts as Alex had. Shirl had developed more powers than Starc. Starc now had the ability to navigate the portal frequencies when he was with his soul mate. Their time in this dimension had been so physically trying he had not the luxury of time to test his telepathic talents.

  “Nothing so far,” Tolfer answered. “I am enjoying watching you too much.”

  Although he gave her a carefree answer, he was anything but. His soul mate was in danger in this world. Tolfer needed to discover what evolutionary change he had gone through and find a way to turn it into a weapon to protect Candy. Although Chartail was convinced Tarsea would come after him, Tolfer could not rely on waiting for something that might never happen.

  Chapter 14

  The Nightshade Universe

  Shirl stepped out of the portal into the Nightshade universe. A world to which she swore she would never return to. However, this time she was not defenseless. She could annihilate any vampire that came at her. As before, her eyes had to adjust to the dark environment. Only torches burning in the distance provided any light.

  She grabbed the blood opal and spoke before she was aware of any vampire’s presence. “Drake has given me and my companions safe passage in this world.” Shirl had Starc, Alex, and Tarsea with her. The most important people to her in any universe were by her side. She was wagering a great deal that Drake’s word would be honored by Yorik. The master vampire had honored Drake’s dictates before. She could only hope he would once again.

  Relentless was a good word to describe Alex’s determination to accompany them on their mission to rescue Candy and Tolfer. Pregnancy was a condition, not an illness, she kept ranting. At one point, she was so frantic about not going, Tarsea finally relented. Shirl had never seen her friend so emotional. Even Alex admitted she must be possessed after throwing the last temper tantrum. To Shirl, it was debatable whether it was the Nightshade universe or saving Candy that drove her friend. Now their fates were sealed together in this bleak world.

  They would leave for the penal colony from this world in eight hours. She had no idea if Drake was still present in Yorik’s hive. If he was not here, she hoped he would be able to arrive before they had to enter the portal to meet the others. Cianan and Ervin Allaway would leave from Terra Nova. Darden and Koel would leave from Earth. They felt it was too risky to leave directly from the Troyk universe. The portal was used by too many crystal telepaths in that world. Timing was imperative if the mission to rescue Candy and Tolfer was to be a success.

  “New blood is always welcome,” a voice from behind her claimed. Shirl would know that voice anywhere. Yorik! The same chill as before ran through her body. This creature was evil incarnate, but she knew she had to strike a deal with him.

  She turned to address the master vampire. Shirl was shaken by the presence of the girl next to him. Afton, Yorik’s daughter, who they had brought into this hellish world in order to free Shirl.

  The girl had long black hair. She was dressed in virginal white and was dreadfully pale. Shirl could not let the guilt she felt about Afton cloud her actions. Candy’s life was in danger.

  “I have come to see Drake,” Shirl informed Yorik. She needed to appear strong, invincible. It was time to play her trump card, something even Yorik could not turn down. “Blood will be awarded to those who assist me. However, Drake must captain the Nightshade contingent on this campaign.”

  Yorik’s eyes grew larger at the mention of blood. He rose from his throne and approached. “Perhaps a down payment is called for.” A shiver ran down Shirl’s spine as Yorik approached.

  Starc and Tarsea stood in front of each of their soul mates. Their actions were futile if Yorik decided to attack. Only Shirl had the ability to protect them. The master vampire did not seem affected by the action of the two men. They were insignificant as a threat in the vampire’s eyes.

  Yorik hesitated in front of Tarsea. “Your mate is with child,” Yorik said. “A true blessing. Please come forward, my little sweetheart.” Shirl just hoped Alex would not react to Yorik’s words. She was always sensitive about her diminutive size.

  Alex placed her hand on Tarsea’s back and walked around her soul mate. Her face was
awash with fascination on seeing her first vampire. Yorik seemed as captivated with her best friend as she was with him. Alex generally had something to say but appeared to be dumbstruck by what was before her.

  Yorik knelt before Alex. He placed his hands on her abdomen. “A special child you carry,” he said. “You must bring her back to this world when she is of age. Nightshade is her destiny.”

  Alex found her tongue with those words. “I don’t think so. Never in a million years would I subject my daughter to the horror you have exposed your child to.”

  Shirl stiffened. She was petrified the vampire would strike out at her friend. To her amazement Yorik laughed. He snapped his fingers and one of his guards came over to receive his orders. There was a short exchange before the guard left the room.

  “You have fire, my girl,” Yorik said. “It is too bad you found your soul mate. My little sprite, you would have given me years of entertainment and blood.”

  Tarsea immediately reacted to those words. He moved to place himself between his soul mate and the vampire who was infatuated with her. Shirl braced herself for a confrontation when Starc came to stand in front of her. Silly man. She had the ability to deal with Yorik with a simple energy blast.

  Yorik seemed amused by the men’s posturing. He laughed as if he was reacting to a private joke. “Relax, my Troyk warriors. No one is safer in my realm than this little girl, and Shirl is under Drake’s protection. He should be here within the hour. In the meantime, let me introduce you to my daughter Afton.”

  Shirl could feel the obstruction in her throat grow larger. She could barely swallow. It took all her mental fortitude to look the girl in the eye. Afton was staring back and forth between Starc and Tarsea. The men were part of the group that had taken her from her safe existence on Earth. A human exchange to save Shirl and ultimately Chartail. The girl stepped forward, she offered no welcome. As if having second thoughts about meeting them, the girl sat back on the chair next to Yorik’s.

  “I will be happy to return Afton home,” Shirl offered. “Her friends must be frantic by now. She is a child of light. Her aura is dimming with all this darkness.” She had read a lot of new age books but never had seen such an example of someone’s life force being drained as she witnessed seeing Afton.

  “This is her home now,” Yorik informed her. “However, I can make sure she is exposed to sunshine. Her intended is arriving with Drake. Your timing is really quite remarkable.”

  A Billy Idol video flashed in Shirl’s mind. Although the woman in the clip was not wedding a vampire, she was being forced to join in a demonic ceremony. Drake had promised to protect her and Yorik was forcing Afton into a union with a vampire. Shirl could feel the bile backing up in her throat.

  “I cannot allow this girl to be victimized any more than she already has,” Shirl warned Yorik. She had time to rectify this terrible situation before she left this world for the penal colony. Shirl was ready to release a power she swore she would never unleash again. There would be no regrets if her hand was forced.

  “A mated female crystal telepath is threatening me,” Yorik said, once again seeming amused by this interchange. “How powerful are you?”

  “Powerful enough to remedy a kidnapping that should never have occurred,” Shirl responded.

  Yorik stared at Shirl. He must have been measuring the threat she posed with what he gained having his daughter in the Nightshade universe. “I am her only family,” the vampire said. “She represents the mortality of my bloodline. Do you really believe I would do her harm?” Shirl had no idea what he was talking about, but he seemed genuine in regards to what Afton meant to him.

  Shirl looked for Yorik’s daughter to offer some type of response. The girl sat there mute. Shirl could tell nothing of how she was feeling from her body language. How could she jeopardize a mission to rescue Candy and Tolfer on a girl who could not communicate what she wanted? Was Afton that terrified?

  “She looks no worse than when we brought her here,” Starc communicated through the soul mate link. “Afton was dreadfully pale when I first saw her on Ginkgo Terra.”

  Although Shirl could wield unbelievable power, it was Alex who had the courage to stand up to Yorik. “As far as I can see, your daughter appears to be petrified. She is too afraid to even voice her own wishes.”

  If it were possible, the girl became paler. Her posture in the chair straightened. Alex’s words broke through whatever invisible walls Afton built around herself to retain her sanity. “I wish to stay,” Afton said in a voice barely audible. There was no emotion in her voice. Shirl could not tell if she meant what she said.

  “This may be your last chance to go home,” Alex said as she approached the girl. “I found myself in another world. It was terrifying. But I was surrounded by people who cared for and ultimately loved me. I want nothing less for you. My soul mate was one of the men who brought you here. Please, let us make things right.”

  “I am of his blood. Things were never right on Earth,” Afton admitted. “Maybe I will find a place here to belong.”

  Shirl could understand a little how Afton felt. She had been born in the Troyk universe but was carried through the portal to Earth when she was a baby. The only people she had been close to were the two offspring of Troyk dissidents, Candy and Alex.

  Since Drake was coming with the man that Yorik was forcing his daughter to marry, perhaps he was not the monster her father was. Although Drake was a vampire, he had kept his word to Shirl during her captivity in this world. She could only wait for his arrival and size up the man who accompanied him.

  After their audience with Yorik they were led to a part of the fortress Shirl had not seen during her time in this world. They were served a meal by servants who had not been ravaged by the vampires for their blood. Shirl had no appetite. Her anxiety grew with each moment. She glanced at Alex and had noted her friend had barely touched anything on her plate. It spoke volumes about this world when even Alex could not stomach food here.

  Restless, Shirl started to pace the room. It was spacious, containing only a table and a number of chairs. The room was as musty as the rest of the building. She wondered if the enclosure that protected the vampires within its proximity was responsible for the poor circulation of air. The table where the others sat was rotting away. If Drake did not arrive soon she was going to have to find a way outside to get fresh air.

  It had not taken long for Shirl to reach her limit. Her skin was crawling with anxiety. She asked a servant to lead her outside. Starc stayed behind at her request to help guard Alex. Yorik’s interest in Alex’s baby was troubling. The fortress was like a maze and she wondered if there would be a chuck of cheese at the next turn. Finally the woman she followed opened a door that led to a small exterior courtyard.

  Fresh air cleansed her lungs. Glancing up she saw the purple canopy that filtered out the sun’s harmful rays. Seeing a purple sky was soothing to her soul.

  “I told you there was beauty in my world.” Drake’s words startled her. She had not heard him approach. “But it pales in comparison to your radiance.”

  Moving closer, Drake started to nuzzle Shirl’s neck. His tongue found the scar that covered the bite marks he had made to claim her as his. As his smooth lips started a suction movement that brought her tender flesh into his mouth, she was captivated. Shirl cried out before she could stifle the sound. How could she feel so wonderful in Drake’s arms when she was mated to Starc?

  “Whatever you are doing,” Shirl dictated, “you need to stop. The soul mate connection is not yours to manipulate.” Stepping out of his arms she stared into his hypnotic eyes. They were so dark they appeared black. His dark hair rode the top of the midnight blue shirt he wore. Sinful as the most expensive dark chocolate, Drake took her breath away.

  “If you expect me to apologize for using every tool at my disposal to possess you again, you will be terribly disappointed.” Drake had a non-expressive look on his face as he uttered those words.

 
“Possession,” Shirl uttered, “what an empty word.” With the connection between them severed, once again she was able to reason. Her eyes still drank in his beauty, but the enchantment was gone. “I need your help. We should join the others.” The less time she spent alone with him the better.

  The journey back to where her soul mate and friends waited seemed to take a fraction of the time it had taken to reach the courtyard. Leaning outside the room was a blond vampire who made Drake look like chopped liver. He was the statue of David come to life, only the slingshot was missing.

  “This is Lorenz,” Drake growled, obviously aware of her reaction to the vision before her. Shirl extended her hand in greeting. Drake grabbed it and guided her into the room where her friends waited.

  Alex gasped upon noticing their presence. No doubt she was overcome by the vampires’ exterior as Shirl was. “Let me introduce my friend, Alex, to you both. I believe Drake already met Starc and Tarsea. Alex, this is Drake and his friend Lorenz.”

  “Ah, the little chameleon you talked about.” Drake walked over to Alex and took her hand and brought it to his lips. Fortunately, Tarsea did not attempt to stop Drake. “I had heard whispers that an unborn child was within the confines. It is truly a blessing to have new life in a place such as this.”

  Alex retrieved her hand. She had allowed Drake enough time to kiss her hand before she liberated it from him. Alex was always as cool as a cucumber in stressful situations and was able to behave in a diplomatic way as not to insult Drake. It was only when her soul mate was in danger that her best friend became a basket case.

  “With all the humans in this world,” Alex said, “I don’t understand why you are so enamored with the fact I am with child. Somehow I imagined you would have viewed the creation of a new life in a breeding program frame of mind.”

  Drake’s eyes opened just a little wider in response to Alex’s comment. “Yes, well, we do have such arrangements in parts of this world. A vampire cannot breed in most cases. On rare occasions a woman with a specific genetic marker has conceived a half vampire child. It is a very rare occurrence. My brother Lorenz is betrothed to the offspring of such a woman. Please, let me introduce you all to him.”