The Theron Residency (Brides of Theron Book 4)

by Anthony Lorino, Rebecca

  She saw herself grow and mature. Strands of her microscopic DNA became visible in her mind’s eye. She saw the DNA transform into many beautiful diamond-like twisted strands being bathed in golden light. This transformation in one cell triggered a collective change like a virus infecting every part of her being with this lighter sense of being. She saw glimpses of her future where she was healing the sick with the indigo blue energy of her hands. She saw how just a touch and an intention would remove the negativity of the illnesses they suffered and replace them with the golden light of healing that existed within herself. The blackened energy would systematically be replaced one intention at a time.

  She was sitting on the prow of her father’s sailboat on a fall day. It was early in the morning, just before the sunrise. Her dad handed her a cup of hot cocoa with lots of marshmallows, and a dash of cinnamon, just like she liked it. “Its times like this that I know that life is simple. If you just focus on the positives in your life and push out all that is working against you, you will be alright.” This was the day after she got her acceptance letter to Cornell. He was trying to convince her that she should go, even though her mother was vehemently against it. “You make your life, Pumpkin. You write the script for your dreams. Now, go follow them. I’m not going to say that I won’t miss you like crazy, but this is where your life is leading you. Don’t worry about your mother. I will take care of her.” She nodded and tasted the sweet hot chocolate as the white mustache of melted marshmallows coated her upper lip. The reds, then pinks, then oranges started to move up the sky slowly as she found comfort in her father’s broad arms. They stayed out on the sailboat most of that day. That was a good day.

  She saw the work she did for the community, offering her medical services to the poor and homeless of San Francisco. It was one of her most favorite things. Next, a tribute to her successes within the ER and some of the most challenging moments where it seemed that luck was in her favor and the universe always had her back. She remembered the smell of freshly baked bread from the shop downstairs getting ready for the lunch rush. It would make her stomach growl in protest every time and wake her from a dead sleep when she had only come home hours ago.

  She realized the power of her intentions and how all her life her doubts and fears stopped her from enjoying the ultimate success. She knew in every cell and every fiber that she was good enough, smart enough, and deserving enough to receive all the abundance and joy that the universe had to offer. It was hers already. All she had to do was take it. She sent the intention of a child in her future. She went so far as to feel the soft baby skin and fine downy hair, as well as smell the scent of milk and baby shampoo. The slight weight of the child was in her arms and the love she felt for the infant encompassed it.

  Flash forward to Ceran. Her body instantly started to flush as the blood rushed to the surface of her skin. They had crossed paths before in other lifetimes. Just when she thought it was impossible, she realized that she loved him more than ever before in this life. She relived the day at Grendalia. Every single detail of that day resonated in her soul as if it called out to him, for him to be with her now. She could smell the scent of sandalwood and grass in his naked sunbathed skin as they lay on the blanket next to the lake. She could feel the warmth of the warm spring as he bathed her. She could see the bright red light from behind her eyelids when she put her hands in the small fairy pool wishing for her happily ever after.

  The focus of the last detail of this vision was the drying purple flower that sat on her dresser at home since the day Ceran had picked it and given it to her. She used her imagination and called it forward with her mind. When she opened her eyes, it was actually there in the palms of her hands. She looked at the drying petals that were now brittle and not nearly as vibrant as they were when the flower was alive. She closed her eyes again and wished that the life of the flower would return. When she opened her eyes, the velvety purple and cyan soft petals began to replace the fading dried and graying brittle ones.

  Then she focused her memory on the plant that he had picked it from. The flower levitated off of her palms and started to spin. While it rose and turned, she floated up with it. They became lighter and lighter, glowing with a golden light brighter and brighter as time quickly passed. The flower in her hands moved slowly at first but picked up a great deal of speed as the seconds ticked by. As it spun faster and faster, the room around her began to illuminate brighter becoming saturated with the warm golden light. As she levitated near the center of the pyramid, the walls on opposite sides started to take on a blue and a red tint. She wanted to return the flower to its home, its family, where it would be alive and vibrant yet again. It rose up and up until it was near to the peak of the room and just before it was about to touch, it exploded, raining multicolored glitter down upon her head. Somehow, she knew that it had made the trip home despite the explosion.

  Her awareness of her surroundings was becoming clouded now. Dizziness started to overtake her. She was neither here nor there, but instead somewhere in between. It was complicated and hard to understand or grasp. She had no physical body at this time and her arms and hands were transparent before her, only visible from the edges. She closed her eyes and imagined Ceran, imagined their room on the ship, where he would be, where he should be. Nausea from the disorientation bubbled up from her center. How could this be? She had no body. Would she stay like this? Live forever without a body? Spinning and spinning, moving vast distances beyond star systems and galaxies in her mind, maybe also in spirit. She didn’t know. All at once everything began to still and she drifted slowly down. No, she was still in the pyramid. Wasn’t she? She felt like she was descending slowly into consciousness yet again.

  She heard the low hum of the ship’s core electricity. It sounded like the buzz of a fluorescent bulb being turned on, then it was silent. She opened her eyes when all was still and found herself sitting on the bed that she shared with Ceran. He wasn’t in it, but she could smell the essence of him in this room. When would he be back, she wondered? Maybe, he already was. She leaped off the bed and sprinted to the Bridge. Maybe he would be there with Zirlo planning for the mission.

  Zirlo was sitting in the command chair looking off into the vastness of space in front of him when she arrived. They still had not left Theron. She could see the edge of the planet beyond the docking station. “Have you seen Ceran? Is he back yet?” Laura blurted out. He seemed startled from his quiet meditation as he jumped at the sound of her voice. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you from your thoughts.” From running, she was winded and was trying to catch her breath.

  “I don’t think he has returned. You’re back early. I thought for sure that you would return tomorrow when we left to meet the others.” Zirlo said.

  “Believe me, I feel like I was gone for several weeks. I guess that I was hoping that he had returned as well.” Laura looked down at her feet to try to mask her disappointment. “I’m really sorry if I disturbed you.”

  “No, not at all. It has been some time since I flew the girl. I figured that she and I would need some time to get reacquainted. I was about to go back to my room myself. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Yaza coming along shortly to drag me away from this chair telling me I need my rest,” he chuckled. “You look like you could use some sleep yourself. I am going to go over the route one more time. It doesn’t hurt to be thorough. I am sure he will be back soon Laura. Go to bed and maybe when you wake up he will be there beside you.”

  “I’ll do that, sir. Good night,” She turned to go back to her room.

  “Good night, Laura,” Zirlo said as he returned to checking the course he had plotted.

  Chapter 21

  Ceran and Zion trained for a couple hours after he learned and mastered the skill of his forefathers. They trained further using weapons and fists. As the time went on, he found that he had found a friend in Zion. They talked about their lives and gave details about who they were. Ceran realized that using his mind to rep
el blows was taxing. At the end of the training session, he was mentally as well as physically exhausted. Zion ordered him something to eat that did not resemble worms and excused himself from the room to call someone.

  Ceran found himself alone picking at the food on his plate. He was too exhausted to think about the upcoming battle that lie ahead. Instead, he let his thoughts drift to Laura. Thinking of her always centered him. He wondered if she was back already. He hoped she was because he couldn’t imagine waiting for her to return when everything in their rooms smelled and reminded him of her. He wondered if she had changed while she was gone. Would she still want to be with him?

  The heavy door clicked shut behind him and he looked back. “Eat fast, it’s time to go my friend.”

  “Where are we going?” Ceran asked as he shoveled the food into his mouth and took a big gulp of tea to wash it down.

  “I’m to return you to your ship. I’ve orders to travel along with you until the goal of this objective is over.” Zion said as he started to remove the weapons from his wall and pack them into large leather bags. He took the two long, double-edged swords that were connected as one, twisted them apart from each other, and slid each one into the two scabbards on his back. The hilts were visible from where they passed through the slits in the back of his long, black leather trench coat that he always wore when he left the room. He adjusted his hood low over his brow and looked at Ceran to see if he was ready.

  “Can I help you carry anything?” Ceran asked.

  “Here,” Zion shoved a bag in his direction. Ceran picked it up and followed the tall man out the door. Zion took him back through the park to the nearest Stargate, cutting a path through several large circular paved walkways in the gardens. Zion never really talked much and to tell you the truth, the most Ceran heard him speak was in the training room. At the Stargate, Zion called up the coordinates and walked through. Ceran followed behind him walking into the mirror-like fluid, passing through the high pressure contained within and popping out into the cave.

  “You can call your ship for transport now,” Zion said as he adjusted his grip on his bag.

  Ceran tapped his transmitter and said, “This is Ceran, I need transport to the Pyxis.”

  “Welcome back. Sending the signal in 3-2-1.” They materialized in the electronportation room on the Pyxis.

  “Gods, I am glad to be back.” He looked over at the engineering desk to find Roran, head of engineering, onboard his ship. “Do you know if my mate has returned?”

  Roran shook his head, “I haven’t seen her, and I have been here all day.”

  “Thanks,” Ceran turned to Zion and said, “Let’s see about getting you a room.”

  They walked along the hallway to the bridge. It was dark and quiet. They ran into Yasa on the way as she had come to find Zirlo. They discovered that he had fallen asleep in the commander’s chair. “Zirlo, wake up. It’s time you went to bed. You need your rest.” Just as Zirlo opened his eyes, she turned to the men, “Excuse us. I am going to take this man to bed.”

  Zirlo yawned and looked at Ceran, “I was waiting for you.”

  “Yeah, right. I believe that.” Yaza said and laughed.

  “Really, I was,” Zirlo gave his wife a glance in good humor and gave a bemused glance to Zion and Ceran. “Laura came down a while ago asking for you. She is waiting for you in your quarters.”

  Ceran smiled so big, he couldn’t hide his excitement, “That’s great.”

  Zirlo looked at Zion and said, “I have spoken with your commander and I took the liberty of assigning you a room in the officer’s wing. You will be across the hall from Ceran. He can take you there.”

  Zion nodded and said telepathically, “Thank you, Sir.” Zirlo nodded and let Yasa tug him in the direction of the Commander’s quarters.

  Ceran checked a few things on the bridge computers. “I’ve noticed, you don’t say much.” He turned and looked at Zion peering over his shoulder.

  Zion nodded and his eyes crinkled up in thought, “I prefer to listen.”

  “Well, everything looks in order here. Shall we be on our way? I figure that we have, maybe, a couple of hours to sleep before chaos breaks loose.” He playfully punched Zion in the shoulder and picked up the bag he was put in charge of on his way here. Zion just gave him the measured look that Ceran had come to expect before they walked down a series of hallways. Zion was looking all around him, as if carefully mapping where he was so he would know how to get back to the bridge. He was nothing if not meticulous. When they got to Zion’s door, Ceran opened it and programmed it to read Zion’s handprint.

  Ceran dropped the bag inside and made sure that Zion was comfortable and introduced to all amenities of his quarters. He showed him how to find the food court and markets on board the ship using the interactive map. When he was satisfied that, Zion was settled in he turned to his own door. Laura, his love, was just behind it. He felt the excitement of knowing that soon she would be in his arms. The door slid open and he stepped inside. The main lights were off in the room and only the faint blue-white glow of the small lamps that ran along the baseboards were illuminated.

  He quietly tiptoed to the bedroom so not to wake her. In the hallway, he could hear the faint sound of her rhythmic breathing coming from the bed. She was lying diagonally across the bed with her head on his pillow and eyes closed. She looked so peaceful in sleep. He kneeled on the floor by the bed and pushed the silky strands of golden hair away from her face, lightly brushing his fingertips along her cheek. She started to stir and slowly opened her eyes.

  “You’re home.” She smiled and stretched, taking a deep yawning breath.

  “Gods, I missed you. I wasn’t gone for long, but it seemed like an eternity.” He looked her over for changes since the last time he last saw her, “I don’t ever want to be separated from you like that again.” As his gaze swept over her chest, he felt a longing that only one thing could take away. Already, the blood was rushing down from his chest and up from his legs to find direct passage to his cock. At this moment, his need for her touch was urgent. It was like the rush of battle, he needed to conquer her and vanquish the absence of her from his memory.

  His mouth found hers with a seemingly unquenchable hunger. He pulled off her clothes with efficiency, taking only a second to look at those parts of her that were typically hidden. She was lying naked in the center of the bed with her legs open to him in invitation. He reached for the hem of his shirt and yanked it over his head, then unzipped and stripped from the waist down. There was no time to waste. She looked at him with the same hunger, the same sense of wanting. Would he ever get enough of her? He answered resolutely, never! He couldn’t see a time in his future where he wouldn’t want to make love to her.

  He dove into her and she pulled him down hungrily, tasting him, kissing him. This just made him burn harder for her. His cock was probing where her inner thighs met, seeking passage into the promised land, where his release would be found. He felt the slick entrance and went in hard with her rising to meet him. So hard that she gasped wide-eyed underneath him. “I am sorry, but I don’t intend to be gentle. Not tonight.” She looked at him with a wicked smile that seemed to give her unspoken consent to treat her as roughly as he may. He plunged deep inside her again and again.

  She screamed and moaned and called out his name and when he spilled his seed deep inside her, she made him know that she wasn’t finished with him yet. She rolled out from underneath him and pushed him to the bed. Her leg crossed over him and she straddled him with hands on his chest pushing him hard into the mattress. Her breasts were peaked and her nipples were darkened in her own state of arousal. She had this literal golden glow about her that made him ready for more. He reached up and filled his hands with the soft flesh of her breasts, caressing the peaks with a brush of his thumb. She fell back searching and found him just as wanting. She filled herself with the length of his hard cock and fell hard until her body met his.

  He reached for her neck
to pull her down to him and she kissed him thoroughly. Before she began to ride him hard, she kissed his ear and then his neck, lingering there for just a moment with her kisses tasting the salt of his skin. When he least expected it, she bit him on the shoulder. He arched up toward her and wrapped his arms around her. He lifted her slightly and she began to rock steadily into him. “I dreamed about you, about this, you know.” She whispered into his ear.

  “I think that I had a dream like that, too. Only, Zion was there to wake me up when I had it.” He chuckled. She crashed into him and raked her fingertips down his back, exploring him, and tasting the flesh of his neck and earlobes. “I was sure it was real,” he added, “I could taste you and smell you. I could feel my fingertips on your skin. It felt like this.”

  “I don’t ever want to go anywhere without you either. I love you,” Laura said as she rocked harder and harder into him. She threw her head back and let him hold her up, pushing harder and deeper into him. He could feel when she had her release as her body tightened and the walls of the flesh surrounding his cock and clamped rhythmically, pulsating to the tune of her own orgasmic song. It was enough to drive him to his own climax. She reached out for him as they stilled and he pulled her to him. She wrapped her arms around him tightly as if she would never let him go. She kissed his forehead, temple, nose, cheek, and finally his mouth, whispering over and over, “I love you!”

  “I love you, too.”

  Lying in the bed next to each other, spent and exhausted they talked about what they did while they were away. Ceran told her about Zion and all the training they did. He told her that while on Sirius, he made a good friend in this odd Birdman from Eldoret. They laughed at the breakfast prank that Zion had played on him. Overall, Laura was looking forward to meeting him.