Braving Darkness: The Complete Series (Paranormal Scifi Romance)

by Scarlett Grove

  He drew her against his naked chest. She rested her head on his heart and ran her hand over the contours of his body. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her head. Lifting her gaze, she kissed him lightly on the mouth.

  His tongue flicked between her lips. Desire surged through her as his moist tongue found the interior of her mouth. She drew a deep breath and let out a soft moan. The place between her legs became slick as he ran his hand up the inside of her thigh.

  She could feel energy drawing into her from all around, from the very air she breathed, pooling in her sex. Her body pulsed with energy and desire as Rafe’s fingertips grazed the sensitive flesh between her legs. She trembled, momentarily feeling overwhelmed by the intensity.

  His hands moved up her body and pulled the cord on her bathrobe, flipping the robe open to expose her breasts and stomach. Rafe bent to kiss the skin between her breasts. He ran his tongue over the mound to the rigid peak of her taut nipple.

  Energy pooled there, too. Tight, intractable energy mounted in her firm nipples yearning to be licked and plucked and sucked. As if reading her thoughts, Rafe filled his mouth with her breast while his hand roved over her stomach and between her legs.

  As his teeth nipped at her nipple, his finger pressed between her damp folds, finding no resistance. She spread her legs and ran her fingers through his hair, encouraging him to devour her even more.

  Moving from one breast to the other, his fingers penetrated her body. Slick with moisture, he found her sensitive most spot with his thumb while his fingers thrust inside.

  Cassie moaned his name, losing herself in her lover’s attention. The whole world could disappear if she could spend the rest of eternity in Rafe’s arms. She let herself open fully as the energy grew under his touch.

  She wanted him inside her, all of him, thick and deep and hard. She wanted to feel his manhood, his tenderness, and his violence. She wanted to feel everything that made Rafe who he was. She wanted to merge with him and never let him go, never be apart from him again.

  As she pulled him toward her, he rolled on top of her. His erection pressed between her legs as he kissed her. Tongues danced and flicked. Cassie let her legs fall open farther, running her hands up and down Rafe’s body. She grabbed his hard shaft and guided it to her.

  It pressed against her ready passage and gently moved inside. She opened her mouth and tilted back her head as he sank slowly into her. Her nipples felt as if they were in some kind of heavenly fire, and her sex pulsed with marvelous need. She moaned as he disappeared inside, making her totally full, totally merged with him. Rafe whispered in her ear, speaking words of love and devotion.

  He had given her so much and trusted her so much more than she deserved. His goodness filled her with unbounded pleasure that pulsed with the energy her body had already absorbed. A white-hot sun radiated from her sex, and she felt her body wanting to explode into a supernova. She gripped his back as he rained kisses down on her. This big, strong, powerful man, the leader of his pack—he’d followed her, protected her, sacrificed for her. She could never repay him, never give him enough in return.

  He thrust into her, sending sparks of pleasure through her body. She moaned, encouraging him with her body and her words to take her. Of all the things he deserved from her, her body was the most ecstatic thing she could give. She prayed it would be enough, though she knew it never would be. He deserved so much more.

  As he increased his rhythm, following the demands of her body, the gathered energy inside her grew to a boiling point. It burst open like an overinflated balloon, popping and shattering with wild force. She screamed as the pleasure burst over her.

  It seemed to penetrate him, and he groaned against her mouth, thrusting harder and deeper with each movement of his hips. The wet, soaking ecstasy of her orgasm merged with his as his body exploded inside her. Waves of pleasure rolled over them as they clung to each other, moaning, panting, and worshiping each other in an eternal moment.

  When they finally came down enough to think, Rafe rolled his weight off her and gathered her onto his chest.

  “Is it just me, or is that getting more intense every time?” he asked, chuckling against the top of her head.

  “It’s the energy,” she breathed lazily. She didn’t have the strength to explain more, nor did she need to. She knew he understood.

  Chapter 65

  In the morning, Cassie dressed in the clothing Rafe had found for her––jeans, a gray T-shirt, a black hoodie, and fresh underthings. She put on her own boots. It felt good to be clean after the road and being soaked in the rain.

  Cassie and Rafe ate a big breakfast at the dining room table, served by Dina. Rafe told Dina not to bother, but the girl wouldn’t hear of it. Maybe she knew he was a true alpha. Spencer, Selina, Clark, Emilia, and Brigid joined them to create a battle plan. Spencer would stay behind, but Emilia and Brigid would join Cassie and the wolves on their mission.

  Cassie didn’t know if she wanted Clark on the trip to L.A. His attitude was nothing but a liability, but Rafe felt some loyalty to him. She didn’t want to question it, especially after what happened to Rafe’s pack.

  Rafe, Cassie, Selina, and Brigid were fighters, while Emilia and Clark only had tech abilities. Spencer gave Cassie back her weapons and outfitted the others with weapons of their own. Rafe and Selina chose swords and semiautomatic rifles, while Brigid chose only one handgun and a dagger. The witch used her magic abilities more than weapons.

  After visiting the weapons locker, Spencer brought them to where the vehicles were kept. He gave them the keys to a Hummer that made Rafe’s lips curl into a slow smile. They loaded the weapons and two days’ worth of supplies into the back: water, sleeping bags, food, and first aid.

  Emilia and Clark brought the terminal out to the Hummer and packed it in the back with the rest of the gear before they loaded up and hit the road at about noon.

  Spencer had provided them with enough gas to get to L.A. and back, but the question of how they would transport the children still hung in the air.

  Cassie had found an old MP3 player among Emilia’s things and conspired with her to load it with music. Cassie plugged it into the control panel of the Hummer and turned it on as Rafe turned onto Highway 5 headed north.

  Rafe’s favorite Beastie Boys song, “Sabotage,” played in the surround-sound speakers. Rafe immediately perked up while Selina and Clark moaned in the back seat. Emilia giggled, and Brigid seemed to have the same taste as Rafe. In the rear seat, she bobbed her head along with the music.

  Cassie felt a surge of joy for being able to bring some happiness to Rafe. He looked over and squeezed her thigh before looking back out at the road that was crowded with decomposing, abandoned cars.

  He maneuvered around the cars, weaving in and out of lanes, sometimes driving on the shoulder. Interstate 5 was more littered with cars than any other freeway they had been on. Decomposed corpses rotted down to the skeletons sat in drivers’ seats and hung out of windows. It was gruesome to be confronted with so much death.

  The people in the cars must have met their deaths quickly. Being one of the major cities in the United States, Los Angeles would have been targeted for some of the worst bombings during the war. The population hadn’t stood a chance. Yet the compound south of San Diego was a thriving community of shifters and other mutants. Cassie never would have believed the groups could exist together after her brief experience with Rafe’s pack.

  It was a revelation, seeing mixed groups get along together. For all Xavier’s faults, he had brought a community together and had kept them safe a short distance from a major dome.

  The music played on, a mixture of songs for everyone’s tastes. Emilia had spent the last several years digging through old technology to scavenge the vestiges of humanity’s creativity.

  About twenty miles from downtown Los Angeles, Brigid passed sandwiches to the group as Rafe wove in and out of lanes. As he turned to take the sandwich from her hands, Cassie screamed.


  In front of them, a wall of cars had been constructed on the freeway. Rafe slammed on the brakes, skidding to within feet of the towering structure.

  “What the hell?” Brigid said from the backseat.

  “Get off me,” Clark said as Selina peeled herself from his lap. “How are we supposed to get around this?” he asked, looking out the front window.

  Cassie squinted at the spray paint across the wall of cars. It read: do not enter. go back.

  “What do you think this is about?” she asked Rafe, who had dropped his food on the floor.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “What does any of this mean? We’ll just have to go around. Unless you want to blow it up.”

  Cassie opened the door and hopped out of the car. She motioned for Rafe to back up while she stood in front of the wall of cars. It gave her an eerie feeling that she couldn’t quite place. Maybe they should avoid this area all together. She could sense danger. It wasn’t zombies. It was something else.

  It had already taken so long to get that far on the crowded freeway. Going back and finding a way around would eat up too much more of the day. She wanted to get to the dome as soon as possible and save those children.

  She took a deep breath and gathered the energy into her body. She sucked energy up from the ground and from the sky through her root and crown while also pulling energy from the air around her. It gathered in her stomach until it felt as though it were overflowing. Then she clapped, shot her hands out, and sent a blast of energy bursting through the wall.

  The cars exploded outward and away from her, crashing down the street and over the side of the freeway. Cassie took a deep breath and let the crackling energy dissipate from her body with a few shakes of her wrists. She turned with a smile and walked back to the car.

  “I don’t have a good feeling about this,” said Clark when she got inside.

  “Are you psychic now, Clark?” asked Selina as she loaded a clip into her rifle.

  “Don’t tell me this makes you comfortable,” he shot back.

  “Someone tell me why we brought him,” Selina said to no one in particular. Rafe just sighed.

  They slowly made their way toward downtown Los Angeles, where the streets were even more packed with cars. Cassie expected to see something extraordinary, but all she saw were bombed-out buildings and toppled skyscrapers. Something shivered up her spine—an awareness of danger, but she couldn’t place it. They just had to pass through here as quickly as possible.

  “The dome is in Pasadena,” she said, keeping her voice low. “They plopped it right down on top of the city and reconstructed it. That’s what it looked like, anyway.”

  As Rafe turned onto the highway that would lead to Pasadena, they heard a loud thump on the side of the car. Everyone twisted to look at what had hit them. When Cassie turned back toward the front window, Rafe slammed on the breaks.

  A line of mutants stood in front of them, holding an assortment of weapons, everything from baseball bats to military-grade rifles and a bazooka. They were dressed but looked dirty and ragged.

  “What are they?” Brigid asked.

  “I don’t know. I can’t get a good read on their scent,” Rafe said as he shifted the car into reverse.

  “They’re rats,” said Emilia. “I’ve smelled them before.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding. Rats with bats.” Selina laughed as Rafe swung the car around.

  “They might be small, but they are assholes. Believe it,” said Brigid. “I’ve heard they eat people alive. I had no idea they infested this area.”

  Rafe stepped on the gas, but another group of rat shifters darted in front of them, their weapons trained on the car. Rafe sped forward, straight through the band of rats. They scurried aside, letting him through, but they opened fire on the Hummer.

  Rafe headed due north and found another highway that would lead them to Pasadena. But before they could make it five miles, the car came to a halt.

  “What now?” whined Clark.

  “We’re out of gas. They must have hit the gas tank.” Rafe jumped out of the car to inspect the tank. Clark complained about everything he could come up with until Rafe returned.

  “We’ll have to find another ride.”

  The group piled out of the car and unloaded their supplies. Rafe took the gas can and slung his rifle over his shoulder, while Brigid and Emilia carried the food and Cassie carried the water. Selina picked up all their sleeping bags and made Clark carry half of them.

  They wondered off the road and into a neighborhood of middle-class, ranch-style homes. It didn’t take long for Rafe to find a suitable SUV, fill it with gas, and hotwire it.

  When they finally got back on the road, dusk had already fallen.

  Chapter 66

  Everyone remained silent as they drove the last few miles to the dome. The glow from within illuminated the darkness. Opaque glass encased the population of children. Cassie knew that they saw a false impression of what was on the outside—a toxic sky writhing with radiation.

  Cassie felt completely unprepared. What would they do with all those children? How would they feed them? What if the Anu followed them and recaptured them as soon as the walls came down?

  Rafe parked under cover of the tree line on a hill, overlooking the dome that sat a few hundred yards away. Emilia began tinkering with the terminal while Selina and Rafe inspected their weapons.

  “Ready?” Rafe asked everyone. They each nodded, and Rafe led them down the hillside, guns ready.

  Brigid helped Emilia carry the terminal and helmet. Cassie would have to go into the fourth dimension just yards from the dome. Anything could happen. A million things could go wrong.

  They settled behind a shed not far from the tunnel that led to the back door of the dome. Cassie’s heart thumped wildly, and sweat trickled down her brow. Emilia began turning dials and knobs before she handed Cassie the helmet.

  “I’ve connected my combination lock hacker to the terminal. If you touch a combination while you are inside, you can use it to find the code.”

  “Nice,” Cassie said.

  “Good luck,” said Emilia as Cassie lowered the helmet over her eyes.

  Cassie took a deep breath, and the world fell into blackness. She found herself immediately back in the place where she had met Magdalena the day before. The light of the moon illuminated the forest, and Cassie could smell the fresh scent of the rain. A soft wind blew over Cassie’s bare arms and goose bumps rose on her flesh.

  “Magdalena?” she whispered. She didn’t know why she was whispering. Silence. “Magdalena?” she said again, this time louder. Still nothing.

  The girl wasn’t there. She probably wasn’t in The Program at all. It was already past bedtime inside the dome. Cassie felt for Magdalena’s energy signature. She could feel the girl pulling her forward and crossed the line from the forest to the streets of the dome. The eerie toxic sky loomed above. Cassie cringed, knowing so many children believed the lie.

  She floated down the street as if pulled by an invisible thread toward Magdalena. Her body slid through a wall, down a hallway, and through another wall to stand over Magdalena’s bed.

  Familiarity overwhelmed Cassie. She’d lived in this exact style of rooms for five years. Five years of lies. Five years of deceit. Even in the fourth dimension, fear gripped her. She felt as if at any moment, the Anu would burst through the doors and force her back into a dome.

  Her hand reached out and touched Magdalena’s arm. The girl’s eyes fluttered, and Cassie bent to speak in her ear.

  “I said I would return. Come with me.” She prayed Magdalena could hear and see her.

  Magdalena’s eyes shot open in shock. She covered her mouth with both hands and sat bolt upright in bed. Cassie raised her index finger to her lips.

  “Follow me,” she said under her breath, beckoning for the girl to follow. Magdalena slipped into her shoes and followed Cassie out of the room. The door slid open for Magdalena as they went down the hall to
ward the exit. At the end of the hall, the dormitory door slid open, and they stepped into the night under the dome.

  Cassie sent out her mind to sense for Pyramid Corp. guards. A group of them patrolled just around the corner from Magdalena’s dormitory. She stepped back through the door, and Magdalena followed.

  “Wait here,” Cassie said before she glided through the door. She watched the guards march around the dormitory and disappear into the darkness. She led Magdalena out, and they bolted across the compound. The exit doors were on the opposite side from Magdalena’s dormitory.

  Just as the guards rounded the corner again, they slipped into the darkness on the other side of the dome behind a utility shed. When Cassie had come out of the dome with her mother, there had been no guards near the exit. No such luck this time. Two armed guards stood near the first door. She had to come up with some way of distracting them, or Magdalena would be caught. She motioned for Magdalena to wait and fluttered over to the guards, invisible in her astral form. Went she came into the dim light of their overhead lamp, she checked if they could see her. They couldn’t.

  An idea popped into her mind, and she lifted her hands to place them on the sides of the guards’ heads. She willed it into their thoughts that they were needed on the other side of the dome. With all her might, she forced the thought into their heads, pushing with all her mental capacity.

  The guards looked at each other and had a short conversation about checking the other side of the dome. Relief ran over her astral form as they took the long way along the dome wall. She glided back to Magdalena and motioned for her to come.

  They came to the first locked door, and Cassie put her hand over the keys. Electronic numbers blurred on the screen of Cassie’s mind. Finally, the numbers stopped, one by one.

  Cassie said each number to Magdalena, and Magdalena punched them into the keypad. The door clicked open and they shuffled through. The setup was almost exactly like the dome Cassie had escaped—a room of computers and a second locked door.