Jordan

by Susan Kearney

  If it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would get done.

  —HONORIAN WARLORD

  27

  Spinning around, Vivianne eyed Jordan. He was standing, walking toward her in jerky steps like some zoned-out, nonbreathing zombie. Horrified, she edged away until her backside smacked up against the cave wall. That thing coming toward her was not her Jordan, who moved with the smooth grace of a panther. What had happened to the man she loved? Was he still there inside somewhere and fighting to get out?

  When she’d felt for his pulse, had it only been weak and she’d missed it? Had he gone into some kind of hibernation? Suspended animation? Because he was now very much alive.

  And the blue light shimmering in his eyes was the same. He spoke in his familiar deep voice. “It’s me.”

  “Jordan?”

  “I just short-circuited. And I haven’t regained complete use of my muscles after the shock to my system.”

  Afraid to hope, she folded her arms across her chest to stop her shaking. Torn between hope and fear and terror, she forced the words from her mouth. “Y-you still aren’t breathing.”

  “Huh?” One side of Jordan’s forehead wrinkled. “What are you talking about?”

  “Your chest isn’t moving.” She pressed harder against the wall, wishing it would open up an escape route.

  He looked down and placed his hand over his chest. Then his puzzled eyes jerked to her. “You’re right. I’m not breathing.” Reaching for his chin and missing the first time, he finally rubbed his jaw. “I no longer seem to require oxygen.”

  Astonished, overwhelmed, afraid to believe he’d survived, she stared at him. “How’s that… possible?”

  “I don’t know.”

  He combed his fingers through his hair, but a stubborn lock fell on his forehead, in a gesture she recognized from whenever he was trying to solve a puzzle. His movements were more coordinated now, almost normal. But he wasn’t normal. He wasn’t breathing. But she’d never realized how the simple movement of breathing humanized a person. Without his chest rising and falling, Jordan looked stiff, forbidding. Alien. This couldn’t be her Jordan. Could it?

  Yet if by some miracle he’d come back to her, she could adjust. Adapt. Be grateful for the gift of life.

  She was judging Jordan by normal human laws of nature. This man had turned into an owl.

  Jordan held out his hand to her. “We need to leave.”

  She looked down… and placed her hand in his. “Will removing the Staff hurt you?”

  “I’d rather not find out.” He raised an eyebrow. “At least until I know you’re safely back aboveground.” He leaned over the glass dome, and then he climbed inside and settled next to the Staff, which pulsed a little more strongly.

  “What are you doing?” Had the lack of oxygen damaged his brain cells? She tried to contain her worry.

  He gestured for her to come over. “Join me.”

  She glanced at the tunnel. “We need to leave.”

  He leaned back at an angle, and the glass supported him. Then he patted a flat piece of glass between his thighs. “There’s room for you to sit right here.”

  She folded her arms across her chest. “Why would I want to sit in there?”

  “Besides keeping me company?” he teased. “We can ride out of here in luxury.”

  “There’s no motor.” She pointed out the obvious.

  “Don’t need one,” he insisted. When she frowned, he gestured to the Key of Soil. “We have all the power we need.”

  She recalled his story of how the Key of Space had turned a rusted space relic into a shiny new ship. She’d also seen the Key of Wind tame a hurricane on Tempest. So she supposed it was silly to think that the glass done was no more than what it looked like—a big empty glass dome.

  She climbed in, and Jordan helped her settle. She tried not to think about how good it felt to touch his warmth, or how solid and secure she felt perched between his muscular thighs.

  Then Jordan closed the dome above their heads with a click. Without making another sound, the glass dome lifted off the cave’s floor. She held her breath. Would it jump into hyperspace? Transport them directly to the surface? Was the damn thing going to make her stop breathing, too?

  She was wrong on all three guesses. The dome simply lifted straight through the rock, cutting through layers of bedrock, limestone, and dirt as if taking them up an elevator shaft.

  “How is this possible?” she asked, staring through the glass as the Staff lit up just enough for her to see them slowly rise foot by foot.

  “I’ll have a much better idea after Arthur gives us the Dominus history.”

  “Why?”

  “We might find some information on the Ancient Staff and the Keys.”

  Hope and frustration filled his voice, making him seem more like the Jordan she knew before he’d been swallowed by blue lights, died, and come back to life.

  After they reached the surface, Jordan opened the dome and she climbed out. It was nighttime, but the starlight shined brightly over the fields of grain. He removed the Ancient Staff and folded it back into his sheath. As the glass dome sank back into the Earth, she spied the Draco. “Home, sweet home.”

  Jordan took her hand and squeezed. “Thanks for saving me.”

  “You’re welcome.” She had not forgotten her sorrow when she’d believed he’d died. Or her realization of how much he meant to her. Yet her chest remained tight and her nerves on edge. “How do you feel?”

  He faced her and caressed her cheek. “You sure you want to know?”

  “Yes.” A few minutes earlier, she hadn’t wanted to hear one more strange or incomprehensible thing. But now that she was aboveground with her ship in sight, she rolled her shoulders to ease the tension and faced him.

  “I’m different. There’s a part of me that I now have access to, new abilities I never knew I had.” His voice was soft, thoughtful, as if he understood her curiosity and her wariness.

  “What kinds of abilities?” she asked, trying to keep her fear from showing in her voice.

  “Could you explain to a blind man the difference between red and yellow?”

  “Beyond mathematical equations? Probably not.” She gazed at him, troubled, her pulse racing. “Are you saying you can’t even tell me what about you has changed?”

  “Such impatience. Give me a chance to get a handle on things. I’m not even sure if I understand what’s happened to me. Then I have to find the right words. It’s like suddenly finding a new set of muscles and learning what I can do with them.” Anger threaded his tone.

  “What’s upsetting you?” She shot him a level look, hoping he couldn’t read her anxiety.

  “If the Tribes hadn’t destroyed my home, if Trendonis hadn’t stolen the Staff, I wouldn’t have spent centuries without these abilities. My people would have taught me… how to live like this.”

  Like what, exactly? She wanted to press him, but he’d asked her to give him time to figure it out himself. So she would do that.

  Although his tone remained whispery soft, she sensed both wonder and fury seething inside him. She couldn’t blame him. The Tribes had destroyed his family, his world, his birthright, and part of Jordan’s self. There was no end to their evil.

  Now that Jordan was whole, not only could he fully see what had been done to him, he was different. This Jordan was not the same man she’d known before. The differences were subtle, but he seemed both older and younger. Older because he was more self-contained yet more willing to be open with her. Younger because he was practically vibrating with eagerness and anticipation.

  She recalled how he hadn’t just connected with her telepathically back in the cave. When she’d believed him dead, he’d responded to her thoughts. He’d read her mind. “Can you still read my mind?”

  “Do you want me to?” he countered, his tone a soft caress.

  The Jordan she’d known had avoided her questions by countering with questions of his own. But this Jor
dan sounded sincere. “Do my wishes matter?”

  “Of course. I’ll only read your mind… if you invite me in.” Jordan sealed his promise with a kiss to her forehead.

  “Down in the cave, I didn’t invite you in,” she murmured.

  “I apologize.” He bowed with a formality that she’d never seen before. “I didn’t have full control of myself then. I was still integrating the old me with the new me.”

  Hearts aching, she narrowed her eyes. “How much of the old you is still there?”

  He chuckled, his tone warm and sultry. “I’ve lost nothing.” He murmured into her ear. “I still remember exactly what you like.”

  His lips tickled her ear, but his warm breath didn’t fan her neck. She hadn’t realized how much such a simple thing would rattle her. She stiffened, then forced herself to relax. This was Jordan. He was alive and charming and sexy as hell.

  But he was different, too.

  “Did Arthur change you?” She still didn’t understand what had happened down there and needed to make sense of it.

  “Arthur played a part by finding the Key of Soil. But you did more.”

  “Me?”

  “When you placed the Staff in the housing, you completed a circuit. With all three Keys in place, the Ancient Staff could draw on cosmic energy to revive me.”

  “Those blue lights I saw inside you were cosmic energy?” Her jaw dropped, and she couldn’t stop staring at him. He looked the same. He sounded the same. His touch felt the same.

  But she wasn’t responding to him like she had before. Once she’d believed Jordan was just a brilliant employee. When she’d seen him change into an owl, she’d accepted he had unusual powers. But now she suspected he had godlike powers.

  He could read her mind, and while he’d said he would do so only if she invited him in, she didn’t know if she believed him. She wasn’t certain she wanted to know all his abilities.

  Not yet. Maybe not ever.

  She wasn’t that evolved. She wasn’t ready to have someone know her every thought. Sometimes she was selfish. Got angry for no reason. Had doubts she didn’t want to share. She couldn’t imagine anyone liking her if they could read all the things that went through her mind.

  But Jordan had already done so, and he still accepted her. Still wanted her. She could tell from his gentle touch that he knew she had doubts. But if he could read all that she was and still want her, she could do no less.

  They’d been given a second chance. This time she didn’t intend to waste it.

  She lifted her mouth to his. “You still like making love, don’t you?”

  Crushing her to him, he angled his mouth down for a kiss. He didn’t bother with nibbling. He took what he wanted right off, without any hesitation.

  There was something very powerful about a man who could sweep her off her feet, and as he kissed her, her doubts fell away. Ignoring the past, putting aside the future, this moment was for them. She was going to take this time with Jordan and enjoy it.

  When she’d been in foster homes, she’d planned how to go to college. While attending college, she’d planned her career. Once she’d founded Vesta, she was always looking down the road. All her planning had brought her unimaginable success. Yet… she hadn’t stopped often enough to enjoy the perfect moments like this one with Jordan.

  His mouth on hers was deliciously tempting, utterly sensual. She loved the way he smelled, even when dusted with dirt. Jordan’s scent was all male heat. His scent was life.

  Wrapping her fingers around his neck, she leaned into him, appreciating the hard muscles of his chest. But most of all she enjoyed how protected and cherished he made her feel, as if she was the center of his universe.

  Having his total attention focused on her wasn’t only thrilling and exhilarating, it turned her on. His wanting her seemed so natural, so uncomplicated. So justifiable.

  His lips on hers were both hard and soft. As they kissed, her blood thrummed through her veins with a bubbly effervescence that intoxicated her. She wanted to tell him how good he was making her feel. She ached to tell him she loved him. But she couldn’t find the strength to pull her lips from his kiss.

  But finally, she had to come up for air. “ I still need to breathe,” she reminded him.

  His chest lifted and fell, and he sighed.

  She grinned. “Are you breathing again?”

  “I’m faking it,” he admitted and nipped her neck.

  “You would do that for me?”

  “There’s not much I wouldn’t do for you.”

  How could she not love this man? Under the starlight, the night took on magical qualities. All outside influences—Earth, the Tribes, Arthur, and the crew—vanished.

  Her world consisted only of one wish—making love to Jordan. With her heart full, she was going to show him exactly how she felt.

  As they kissed, she unfastened his shirt, smoothed it over his shoulders, and ran her palms over his broad chest. Damn, he felt so good. Vibrant. Alive.

  As she caressed his chest, his nipples tightened and she played lightly with the tips.

  Breaking her lips from his, she nuzzled his neck, sipping in his musky scent, teasing his flesh until she dropped her head and took a nipple into her mouth. Laving with her tongue, she trailed her hands lower and undid his pants. In almost no time at all, he stood before her nude, his sex hard.

  But she had more to give before she allowed herself the prize. She released his nipple only to take his other one between her teeth. Capturing him, she held him still. When he thrust his hands into her hair, his fingers tensing on her scalp, she slipped her hands over his tight butt.

  Using her palms to swirl circles on his cheeks, while her tongue mimicked the swirls on his chest, she could feel him tightening. Good. She wanted him on edge. Hungry to see what she would do next.

  Content to keep their progress slow and steady, she spent a long time exploring his ass. She slid her hands over the top curves, enjoying his tight flesh, the way his hips began to grind. But she wasn’t done with him… and slid her hands over his hips.

  She cupped his balls, which were wickedly firm, tight. She caressed him where he was soft, enjoyed the quiver that overtook him, that told her how much he was enjoying her touch.

  Feeling powerful, feminine, she released his nipple and nipped her way down his ribs. All the while, her hands stayed busy, stroking him into a seething need. When she finally dipped her head and took the tip of his sex into her mouth, he released a small groan.

  “Enough.” He grabbed her shoulders and lifted her to her feet. He kissed her lips once again. At the same time, he slowly removed her clothes, not in a wild rush, but methodically, taking his time, using the excuse of disrobing her to touch and tease and taunt.

  When they both stood naked under the stars, she leaned into his heat. “Whatever happens, I will never forget you or our time together.”

  He nodded, his eyes burning into hers. “I wish I could give you more.”

  “Tonight we shall make enough memories for a lifetime,” she promised him. Those memories would never be enough. No matter how special this night, no matter how good they’d be together, she’d always yearn for more. Which made tonight even more special.

  Jordan scooped her into his arms and laid her down on the pile of clothes they’d tossed onto the grass. Then he joined her, kissing her ear, her neck, her collarbone.

  “Do you want me?” he murmured.

  She giggled. “Now I know you’re not reading my mind.” Because if he was, he’d know that she was damp, the moisture seeping between her thighs.

  “Say the words. Tell me you want me,” he demanded.

  “I want you.”

  As if her statement gave him permission, he slid between her parted thighs, entering her, filling her.

  Blue lights danced before her eyes. At first she thought the lights came from the heavens, but then she realized that the lights she’d seen inside Jordan back in the cave had returned.


  She stiffened, and he slipped his arms around her. “It’s all right. The lights are part of us now.”

  “Us?”

  She should be terrified. But she wasn’t. He was still Jordan, and his hands skimmed over her chest, then down her hip to twine into her curls and open her folds, and she moaned with a pleasure she didn’t understand.

  Because not only could she feel how good his fingers felt, she could also feel her warm, slick heat on his fingers. Her warmth surrounding his sex. It wasn’t just double the pleasure, it was so much more than two halves of the whole.

  She was feeling from both sides. His and hers. It was a glorious sensation. Mind-blowing pleasure.

  And when she burned, so did he.

  A man can succeed at almost anything for which he has unlimited enthusiasm.

  —KING ARTHUR PENDRAGON

  28

  Jordan awakened to find Vi against his side. Her breath fanned his ear, and she entwined her legs with his. He wrapped his arm around her and nestled her closer, wishing he never had to let her go. He didn’t know what the hell had hit him in that tunnel. But being inside Vivianne’s mind for that brief instant troubled him. The last time in the cave was different than the single incidents he’d gotten from her before. He’d had free access… to everything.

  The wind blew a tendril of her hair across his forehead. And he no longer needed to breathe to recognize her scent.

  She opened her eyes and smiled at him. “You okay?”

  “Yes.” He kissed her cheek.

  She held his gaze. “How’re you doing with your new abilities?”

  She understood that he was no longer the same man who’d entered that tunnel. Yet she’d made love with him. But he’d also read her thoughts. Until she knew exactly what he was, she might love him—but she had doubts.

  While on the one hand he wanted her to love him… on the other, it would only bring her heartache.

  “I’m adapting,” he said. “How about you?”

  “I’m getting there.”

  With a sigh of frustration, he understood that if any human could accept his true self, it was Vivianne. She was so open-minded and adaptable, a truly exceptional woman. But as alluring as he found her, he had to find the strength to keep from creating any deeper bonds, because that would be a path to disaster.