She studied Damien, seeing his aura glowing a deep purple and gold, showing his spiritual awareness.
“Ready?” He took her hands again.
“Ready.” She closed her eyes.
She started channelling energy through her crown chakra, feeling the delicious surge as it flooded down through her central energy channel to her base chakra. She was growing used to practising her ability now and easily closed off her other chakras, letting the energy flow straight through to the base and from there through to the Earth.
After a few minutes, she opened one eye and peeked at her clock. Ninety-seven percent. She closed her eyes again and concentrated. Damien’s hands were warm in her own, guiding, comforting, and he tightened his fingers on hers as he brushed her knuckles with his thumbs, reassuring her. The surge of affection she felt for him flooded through her, and she gave a sharp intake of breath, beginning to tremble with the exertion of controlling the flow. She peeked again. Ninety-eight percent.
She looked up at him and met his gaze. He looked so calm and composed compared to how she was feeling, easily channelling his own energy, his hair beginning to glow at the ends, showing he must have reached a hundred percent on his own clock, not that he wore one. He smiled. “I’m going to plug into the Crux now. Are you ready?”
Sweat began to run down her back and between her breasts but she nodded, her breathing coming hard. She closed her eyes again, trying to concentrate on the flow and not on the nervousness threatening to rise within her.
For a moment, nothing happened. His hands were still warm on hers, his palms hot where they covered her fingers. Then, all of a sudden, a whoosh of energy flooded through her.
She gasped, her body stiffening at the strength of the surge, his hands tightening on hers. In her mind’s eye, she saw an image of herself standing at the centre of innumerable lines of energy, which criss-crossed in front of her and then led away to all corners of the country. The energy channels looked like canals with water flowing along them, and it was only then she really understood how the Earth was connected, and how they had to maintain the energy flow through it.
Damien had been right—the force of the energy flying by her was like standing next to a train roaring past at a hundred miles an hour. The wind physically buffeted her, causing her hair to fly about her face. Through it all, however, Damien’s grip was firm on her own. He won’t let you go, she told herself, quelling the panic that wanted to overwhelm her.
One of the channels wasn’t flowing as well as the others, and whereas the flow in most of the channels was a brilliant white, this one was a dull grey, the energy stagnant. That must be the ley line leading to the tear in the veil, she thought. Sure enough, Damien reached out along the line, and she did as he’d prompted and imagined her power seeping into the rent, closing up the hole.
She risked opening her eyes and glanced at him. His head was bent and his eyes were closed, his dark blond hair now tipped with scarlet, his skin glowing with a soft light. To her right Storm lay, for once, right by him, pressed up against him. Damien breathed deeply, and admiration flooded through her. He was so powerful, so in control, it took her breath away.
Unlike herself, she thought. She felt completely out of control. Her trembling increased as Damien poured energy through the connection they’d made with the ley line. She checked her clock—it read ninety-nine percent. She was nearly there! Maybe she wasn’t as out of control as she’d thought. She closed her eyes and redoubled her concentration. She had to make it a hundred.
Her muscles began to ache with the effort of keeping her chakras closed, and sweat soaked her clothing. She was breathing as hard and fast as if she’d run a marathon, and her hands grew slippery in his grasp.
You can do it, she told herself. Damien had said I have absolute faith in your abilities, and it was about time she started believing in herself, too. The trouble was, she didn’t know how to make the jump to that last percentage. You just have to let go, he’d said. What did he mean by that?
Instinctively, she knew the answer. She had to surrender herself completely to the surge. So far, she’d always held a tiny bit of herself back, afraid if she gave herself totally, she might never be able to return. She was nearly there, but a tiny, tiny piece of her was scared of surrendering herself wholly.
He ran his thumbs lightly over her knuckles. I won’t let you go, he’d said. She’d thought she trusted him implicitly—well this was the final test.
Her hair whipped around her face, stinging her skin, and she began to feel bruised and battered by the force of the energy. But she forced herself to ignore it. There was a pressure against her leg, and she looked down to see Storm sitting by her side, looking up at her. His eyes were silver, full of knowledge and understanding. He was no ordinary pet, she thought—he was an old soul, a spirit guide, linked to Damien, and Damien had lent him to her, to support her through this difficult process.
She looked up at the man sitting opposite her, whose eyes were filled with flame, but were still gentle, nevertheless.
She closed her eyes and let go of the last little piece of control, surrendering herself to the surge, putting herself in his hands.
Trusting him.
Chapter Nineteen
All at once, the noise and the buffeting wind vanished. For a moment she thought she’d lost the connection and opened her eyes, confused, but immediately she saw the look of wonder in his eyes and realised that was not what had happened.
Her hair still floated around her cheeks, but when she looked, it had turned completely white. She glanced at the clock on her hand. It read a hundred percent.
She felt an urge to get to her feet and pushed herself up. Damien rose with her, standing before her, reaching out to hold her hands. “Don’t stop channelling,” he said. “The rift’s not quite shut.”
She nodded, trying to concentrate, concerned she would let the flow dip below a hundred percent, but the truth was it no longer took any effort to keep the surge moving through her. It flowed naturally, the energy pouring down through them, sealing the tear in the veil completely without an ounce of effort on their part.
“You’re amazing,” Damien whispered. She followed his gaze, looking at her skin, seeing it glow a beautiful luminescent white, like mother-of-pearl. It was such an amazing sight that she caught hold of the bottom of the T-shirt clinging to her body and peeled it off, letting it drop to the floor, wanting to see the rest of her skin. She looked in awe at her slightly damp, warm body, shining softly, just like Damien’s.
She looked up, meeting his eyes. His gaze passed over her neat, high breasts encased in the lacy black bra, over her curvy, slender body glowing with energy. When he looked back up at her, the flaming energy of the shaman had been replaced by the white-hot desire of the man.
Suddenly desperate to feel him against her, she tugged impatiently at his black T-shirt. He grabbed it by the back of the neck and pulled it over his head, letting it drop on top of hers. She caught her breath, astounded by the sight of his broad shoulders and muscled chest, his skin also glowing from the surge still running through them, although his was more a golden radiance, as if he were full of sunlight, while she seemed more touched by moonlight.
She lifted her arms and put them around his neck as he lowered his lips to hers. It was an amazing feeling, kissing him while around them the energy continued to pulse, like standing under a waterfall, feeling the water soaking into her skin. It was a different sensation for him, too, she realised, remembering he’d never kissed a witch before. The thought that this was also a new experience for him thrilled her. She threaded her fingers through his hair, then brought her arms down, running her hands over his chest, delighting in the feel of his muscles and the scattering of light brown hair, brushing her fingers over his beautiful, flat nipples.
“Fair’s fair,” he murmured, sliding his hand up her back to her bra strap. He squeezed the catch and it pinged open.
“Smooth,” she gasped, clutchin
g the bra to her, suddenly self-conscious.
He gave her a sexy smile, kissing the corner of her mouth and across her cheek, then around her ear. “Don’t be shy.”
“I can’t help it.” She was blushing again.
He laughed. “You’re so gorgeous.” He teased the bra away from her shoulders and she let it fall to the floor, but kept her arms crossed over her. He fixed her with his hot gaze and ran his fingers lightly up the side of her ribcage, and she shivered.
Suddenly, making her squeal, he lifted her up and wrapped her legs around him, forcing her to relinquish her pose and catch onto him to avoid falling. Level with his eyes now, she clutched hold of him, her heart racing as he turned and walked toward the bedroom. He kissed her as he walked, almost bumping her into the doorframe, laughing and stepping aside to avoid it and moving to the bed. Turning around, he fell backward onto the mattress with her on top of him.
She squealed again, afraid she’d hurt him, but he just laughed and rolled over so she was underneath. For the first time since she’d dropped the bra, he ran his gaze down her, taking in her full beauty, and she shivered at the heat in his gaze.
He began to place light kisses on her throat, travelling slowly downwards, and her pulse raced as he circled her breasts, then finally closed his mouth over a nipple, making her gasp with the warmth of his tongue swirling over her skin. She looked up at the ceiling, knowing was she going to have to breathe out as well as in at some point, but for the moment it seemed impossible.
Her hair was still white, and she knew she was still channelling, and the surge flooding through her was only adding to the sensations spiralling throughout her body. “Damien…” she gasped, trying to form a coherent thought, “I should close down…”
“No, don’t stop.” He kissed back up to her mouth, hooking a leg across her, and pressed his hips forward. Her eyes widened as she felt how aroused he was. “I’ve never felt anything like this…” He tugged at her jeans, impatient. She undid the button and he stood up, pulled them off her, and threw them on the floor.
Dressed only in a pair of small, lacy, black panties, she lay back on the bed, her white hair spread across the duvet, arms above her head, feeling wanton as he stood over her and studied her still-glowing body. Her nervousness had faded as she saw how much he wanted her, and now she couldn’t wait to feel him against her, skin against skin.
He hesitated, however. “I think you should know… Being called one of the most powerful men in the country… It relates strictly to the shaman part of me.”
She laughed. “Don’t be modest.”
“I don’t want you to be disappointed—I know I’m your first.”
She turned on her side, propping her head on a hand, and fixed him with a saucy stare. “Get them off,” she ordered, running her foot up his jeans.
“Yes, ma’am.” He flicked open the buttons slowly, pausing between each one, raising an eyebrow at her. She gave a whistle, enjoying the show, her heart rate increasing with each button. The final one undone, he slid the jeans down and kicked them off, following them with his boxers.
She stared as he stood before her in all his glory, skin still radiant with its golden glow, holding his arms out for her to study him.
“Wow,” was all she could say, breathless with admiration.
“Nice.” He laughed and fell onto the bed beside her, pushing her onto her back. He looked down at her, then lowered his lips and kissed her slowly, deeply, beginning to trace lazy patterns on her abdomen with his fingers. He trailed them up to circle around her nipples, brushing them with the pads of his thumbs and making her shiver, then moved lower, drawing a line across the top of the remaining piece of black lace.
He lifted his head to watch her as he ran his fingers down the outside of her thigh, then slowly up the inside. Her stomach quivered, remembering her meditation and how he’d done the same thing on the beach. He reached the top of her thigh, and there was a naughty glint in his eye as he traced his fingers across the lace, then began to circle lower.
“I think you need to get these off,” he said urgently, tugging at the lacy panties. Swallowing, her nerves returning, she pulled them down, letting him sweep them aside impatiently.
She lay back, looking up at him, and closed her eyes, unable to bear the heat in his blue gaze. He traced his fingers up her hips, then across the flat of her stomach, and then began to circle them in her hair. Finally, he slid them into the deepest, most private part of her, moving easily, and she realised she was slick with desire.
A rush of energy flooded through her, taking her by surprise, causing her to arch up against him. He groaned and kissed her hard, brushing his tongue against hers with a deep, passionate kiss. He continued to explore her with his fingers, arousing her, and, after a while, she felt a familiar tightening in her stomach, her muscles aching with need.
“Damien…” Again, she felt a rush of energy, this time more powerful, causing her to gasp, longing surging through her. She pushed him onto his back, moved on top of him, and sat upright, clasping his hands with her own. He pulled them above his head, bringing her forward so he could catch her nipple in his mouth, and she sighed as he swirled his tongue, shivering at the energy continuing to flow through them. She opened her eyes, looking at the clock stuck to her hand. The dial had gone black—it wasn’t registering a percentage. She frowned. What did that mean?
She pushed herself back to look at him, but one glance at his eyes and all thoughts fled her mind. His pupils were so large his eyes looked black, and she could see that for the first time he was on the brink of losing control. Desire swept over her in a wave, and she moved down, the tip of him brushing against the moist, swollen part of her.
She pushed down, and his hands flew to her hips. He held her there, letting her adjust, before pushing further in, bit by bit, until he was right inside her. “Oh God, Kimi…”
Her skin glowed a vibrant pearly white, his a warm light gold, and she’d never seen anything so beautiful as the two of them together. She’d thought it might hurt, but she was so hot and ready for him it didn’t hurt at all, and as she began to move on top of him, the tension began to build again, her muscles starting to tighten around him.
The surge wasn’t lessening—if anything it seemed to be increasing, and the energy flowed over her like water, running down her arms, sending her palms red hot, although she was still channelling properly. She arched her back, sweat breaking out across her body, her temperature soaring. Was this right? Somehow, she was sure it wasn’t normally this good. She looked down at him, his name forming on her lips, but he was losing it. He lifted her and rolled her over, still inside her, deliciously heavy on top of her, and he wrapped her legs around him as he increased the pace of his hips.
She wanted to say something, to stop him for a moment, to make sure this was right, but it was too late, too late. Her muscles quivered and her thighs tightened deliciously, and she couldn’t stop it, pleasure rolling over her in waves. And as she began to cry out, so he came inside her, saying her name, his sighs matching her own.
At the height of her climax, Kimi realised something was wrong. There was too much energy flooding through them—far more than she’d felt when trying to close the rift. Her head spun as the energy pooled beneath them, then erupted from them in a gigantic wave, similar to the red flare in the woods. Damien swore, still in the midst of his own climax, and she gasped, opening her eyes. He was staring at the pendant she wore, and to her shock, it glowed bright orange. Danger?
The bulbs in the lamps around his apartment began to burst with small cracks, one after another, making them jump as glass shattered across the carpet. Kimi closed her eyes again. Even as her muscles finished pulsing, she could see the wave of energy expanding from them as clearly as if it were a tidal wave of water. It spread through The Crux, exploding every bulb in the house and blowing every fuse, then continued to broaden at an incredible rate, quickly reaching the outskirts of the city, washing through the sub
urbs and then reaching the inner city, detonating every piece of electrical equipment it reached. In less than ten seconds, they blew the entire Exeter power grid from east to west.
Damien shuddered. She knew he could see what she was seeing. She lay there in the semi-darkness, breathing heavily, her hands resting on his damp skin, heart racing.
Eventually he looked down at her. “Fuck me—that was one hell of an orgasm.”
Against her will, she started laughing, and he winced and withdrew from her slowly. He rolled onto his back, pulling her toward him, and she curled onto her side, raising herself on her elbow to look down at him. Sadly, she saw her hair was black once again. The power had dissipated.
He reached up and touched her face tenderly. “Did I hurt you?”
“No.” She kissed his hand. “Damien… I’m sorry, I thought I had it sussed but I guess I lost the surge…”
“It wasn’t you,” he said. “Something happened, I don’t know what—I was too occupied to notice.” He sat up suddenly, listening. Then he looked down at her. He smiled, but it was a sad smile. “They’re coming for me. We should get dressed.”
She sat up, alarmed. “Who’s coming for you?”
“The other Elders.” He got up and pulled her with him, clasping her to him. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean it to end this way.”
She went cold, realising there was no way they could deny the fact that they’d been together when the whole city knew something was up. He slipped on his boxers and jeans and passed her clothes to her, but she stood there stupidly, her heart racing. This couldn’t be it. She could still taste him, could feel his wetness between her thighs.
“Get dressed, Kimi.” He turned to her and helped her on with her clothes. “Quickly, and mind the glass from the bulbs.” When she’d pulled on her jeans and top, he held her face between his hands and kissed her soundly. “You know I love you, right?”
Midnight Shaman, Fire Witch Page 17