by Audra Hart
Morna reaches out to pat Damian’s cheek. “He is a special young man. I am honored to call him my son, my friend and my bonded protector.”
Just then Samantha wanders over to sit with them. “Morna, I haven’t had a single vision since I have been in here. Do you think this place blocks them?”
“No, I suspect there just isn’t anything to see yet.” Morna assures her.
Samantha hugs her, “I was scared when I saw you collapse earlier. Really scared!”
“I am fine,” Morna assures her. “Let’s go set up the bedrooms. I am happy to find there is an entire barracks here. I was never aware of that on the times that I had been here before, at least I don’t recall being aware of it.” She shakes her head as though to clear it.
“I was going to go hunt and do some reconnaissance.” says Damian.
“Check with Luca first, please. I want us going out in pairs only until we have an idea what we are up against.” Morna instructs.
Luca meets her eyes from across the room where he is talking to Aideen. They come across the room to Morna, Brian, Damian and Samantha. “Luca, Damian needs to hunt, can you go with him?”
“Morna, I know you don’t want anyone going out alone, but I don’t want to leave you,” Luca admits.
“Luca… if you won’t go with him, then someone will have to weave the iron-lion and a hiding spell and follow along. I don’t think anyone should be out there alone.” insists Morna.
Aideen pipes up, “I can do that! I have done it with Daddy.” She realizes too late that she has revealed too much in front of her father and covers her mouth.
“Dammit Aideen! You are just as stubborn, foolhardy and reckless as your mother!” Luca rants. “God, please save me from rash, stubborn, imprudent women!” Aideen flinches at her father’s angry words and demeanor.
Morna stands up abruptly. “Luca, that is enough! She’s a grown woman, just like I am. She knows what she is capable of. We can send a third person out if you worry she will lapse in her concentration. But if she has done it before, I see no reason she can’t do it again.” Morna reaches up to stroke her mate’s cheek. “Darling I am sorry, but you can’t protect us from everything. You have to let us be who we are.” Luca sighs and nods his head slightly.
Morna turns from Luca to face the rest of the group. “Anyone else up to watching a vamp hunt and then doing a little recon?” Morna asks.
Breena and Bronwyn both volunteer. “Hell, all three of you ladies go. Have fun, it’s an interesting experience, I promise. But be careful, not just of Damian, we don’t know who else is out there, so be vigilant!” reminds Morna sternly.
“Really Morna? I have to have three babysitters?” Damian says exasperated.
Morna leans in and whispers in his ear, “They aren’t babysitters darling. None of them see you as a child. Believe me!”
After they all leave and others return with food. Luca finds Morna in what has been designated as their quarters. “How are you feeling love? Do you need to sleep, eat?”
“Probably both, but first I need to say I am sorry. I should not have reproved you like that in front of everyone else.” She apologizes shyly.
“I had it coming,” Luca disagrees. “But honestly, I know I baby Aideen too much. I think I just try to make for being gone so much when she was coming up.”
“I understand, I have been tempted to do the same. Not baby her exactly, but to excuse her self-centeredness because I feel guilty for not being a proper mother to her, but I must be a mother and leader to her now, so I can’t.”
“Okay, okay.” Luca sighs and rubs his face. “Speaking of our children; I don’t think Damian understood what you were telling him earlier.”
“Probably not. He has no idea how beautiful he is and how appealing he is to the young ladies.” Morna laughs. “He has no idea that Breena and Aideen both would gladly risk being that close to a vamp just for a roll in the hay.”
Luca looks shocked at her words. “Really, you think they would risk that?”
“Breena much, much more than Aideen. But Luca, you just don’t realize how much your kind appeal to human women sexually. It’s obvious that they are both very, very attracted to him. Aideen is a grown woman, after all. And we are passionate people. And we have to be risk takers to do what we do.” Morna says as she wraps her arms around her mate.
“Morna is that my appeal to you? That I am a blood drinking monster, I mean?” Luca asks quietly.
“Lucian Michaels! Think back, my beloved. How much peace did you ever have around me? Have I not always been a passionate wanton with you?” When he smiles, she continues. “Don’t get me wrong, the added physical prowess is nice, very nice. And I am completely content with you as my husband and lover and cohort in battle and everything else. But the same was true before your change. I am honored to have you has my mate, whatever type of being you might be. Because the man you are has never changed, no matter what your body becomes. If I had to choose which version of you to spend eternity with, I would not be able to decide.” Morna wraps her body around his and growls in her need. “I can’t believe how much I want you, all the time!”
“Me too Morna,” Luca admits. “Just knowing I won’t hurt you has freed me so much. I burn for you hotter than I ever have. It’s very liberating.”
“We better change the subject for a moment. We need to plan.” Morna steps back, all business now. “I think we need to contact Ari and my father. Everyone needs to be here by in the morning, at the latest to evaluate what we know, what we need to know, and how to proceed from here.”
Morna, your father came while you were resting earlier. But he has gone out looking for Mulder and evidence of what happened to Mulder’s son and grandson. He will be back soon.”
“Who is with him?” Morna asks.
“Two of your half-brothers, Raider and Sailor, I believe.” They seemed like competent men.”
Morna chuckles. “I am glad my father didn’t name me. I would probably be called Explorer or Wanderer or something silly like that.”
“Your father told me that he had bribed a Sprite to whisper the name Morna to your daddy Neill when you were born. So essentially, he did name you.” Said Luca.
“Hmmm, interesting.” says Morna. “Okay, what about Almeda and Ari, can they come?”
“They should be here soon. But I want you to sleep for a while before they get here. You were attacked pretty hard today, and you were already tired before that.” he reminds her.
“In a bit” she says a little impatiently.
He pulls her into his arms and kisses her soundly. He caresses her neck and shoulders, then works his way down her back to cup her butt none too gently. By the time he ends the kiss she has wrapped her body around his. She is breathing hard and feels like she is consumed with wanting him. Luca sets her away from him gently, and chuckles smugly.
“Was that to keep me in line?” she asks with a grin once she catches her breath and controls the fires inside her somewhat.
“Probably, just a bit. But mostly just cause I want to touch you like that all the time… but you do need to sleep.” Luca asserts again.
Okay, I will if you stay with me.” she says.
“Morna if I stay with you, we will end up making love…”
“Yes, we will, and then I will sleep like an angel.” she quips. And then she reaches for him and pulls him down on the bed with her.
Out in the dining area, Enya elbows her mate Carrick. “Did you feel that buffer spell go up? I bet I know what they are doing.” she whispers, and the couple stealthily slips off for their own tryst in their quarters.
Morna sleeps four hours and when she wakes up she is surprised to find Sammy curled up next to her. She gently strokes Sammy’s cheek and then slips out of bed quietly and goes to find Luca. She finds him on guard duty with Damian at the entrance to the gateway. It’s a beautiful early spring night outside the gateway. Morna can feel the crispness in the chilly air and see the stars twin
kling brightly in the sky. A few more days like today and the tree frogs will be out in full force she thinks to herself. She looks back at the faint golden glow from whence she came, and misses the emerald glow of her home gate at Airendell.
She comes up behind Luca and wraps her arms around him. “What is up with Sammy?” she asks.
“She’s scared for you Morna,” says Luca. “I think we all are. You should go back to sleep,” he urges.
“I will, I just need to eat and drink. I am ravenous. Speaking of ravenous, Damian did your hunt go well?” Morna asks.
“I had to go a long ways out to feed, there was a group of kids getting wasted close by. But yeah, it went okay. But Breena has been watching me funny ever since we got back.” Damian says. Morna and Luca chuckle.
“Don’t worry about it Damian. She will sort it out. For us, watching the process of your kind hunting evokes some complicated feelings for us.” Morna explains. “But I assume you found nothing on your recon mission?”
“Nope, not a magical soul out there that we could tell. Bronwyn taught me some tricks to help me spot signs of magic. She’s awesome!” Damian says with obvious admiration.
“Yes, she certainly is. She is an excellent teacher. She is one of my best warriors and instructors too. Even a vampire with lots of fighting experience wouldn’t want to go up against her, I can tell you that.” Morna assures him.
“Aideen and Breena could use some coaching in stealth and defense though.” Damian says. “At one point when I was hunting, I smelled Breena for a few seconds. I am glad she got her spells back under control pretty quickly. It would have been bad if I had turned to hunt her.”
“You smelled her and didn’t hunt her?” asked Luca, clearly impressed.
“Yeah, but like I said she got it under wraps real fast.” reminded Damian.
“It is still impressive you didn’t start to hunt her, believe me. Perhaps you don’t find her blood scent that appealing?” asks Luca skeptically.
“It made me thirsty, but she also appeals in another way, a way I wasn’t expecting…” Damian trails off. Morna and Luca exchange knowing looks. “She is very beautiful isn’t she? And she seems really smart and nice too.”
“Yes, she is all of those things.” agrees Luca. Then he changes the subject. “Morna, please go eat and go back to bed.” He kisses her lightly, turns her around and swats her ample rump. Morna wags her backside playfully at him as she walks back into the living quarters.
Damian looks at Luca, “You two are really cool together. You respect each other, but play with each other too. All our folks did was fight. I like being around you guys.”
Luca chuckles and pats Damian on the back. “Tell her that, she thinks I am too protective of her, too serious about it all the time.”
“As we should be,” Damian says gravely.
Morna wanders into the dining area. Almeda is seated at the table, apparently in a state of meditation, but she says, “How are you feeling Morna?”
“Hungry,” Morna laughs as she dips up a large bowl of the stew on the serving line and picks up 2 pieces of soda bread. She’s looking around for utensils and something to drink when Almeda says, “On the table behind the partition.”
Morna finally sits down near Almeda, and eats in silence for a few moments. “Go ahead child, ask me,” Almeda says.
“Okay, are you reading my mind?”
“No, but I am getting impressions of your thoughts and feelings. I get impressions from people around me. I can read minds, but I rarely do. It’s epitome of rudeness. But I can‘t actually enter a mind like Ari does though,” Almeda tells her.
Morna blushes, and Almeda rushes to reassure her. “Your buffer spell did its work earlier. No one was prying into your time with your mate.”
Morna laughed, “I am so out of practice I bet every magic soul in the vicinity felt my spell go up.”
“Perhaps, but it went up and it held. That’s what counts. After our strategy meeting later, Breena needs to start your lore lessons.” urges Almeda. “I know it seems that there are more pressing issues, but having your magic or your science as your godson thinks of it, at full strength is important.”
Morna nods her agreement and Almeda continues speaking. “Speaking of Elias, he and I had a nice chat earlier. He’s very intelligent and talented. He has a valid point,” Almeda continues, “We have long realized that magic and science are actually just two different ways of looking at the same thing. You can excel by looking at it either way because as Elias put it, you are analytical and intuitive. But until you have completed the lore lessons and ascended again, you will be forced to rely more on your strength as a warrior rather than a Spell Weaver.”
Morna gets up to get another bowl of stew and more bread. When she returns she says, “Do you have any more thoughts about who we are up against?”
Almeda looks troubled. “I think it is several individuals working in a loosely concerted effort to shift the balance between good and evil. We need to identify the strongest players and eliminate or at least neutralize them. Then the others will fall away. But I fear your mother is indeed a major part of all this. Ari thinks that she is more powerful than she has allowed anyone to see. Kyera should not be able to do what she did, I think Magdrid was helping or taught it to her. Magdrid and Kyera were childhood friends, did you know that?” Morna shakes her head no. “In fact, it was thought that they were lovers for a few hundred years. Perhaps they still are, who knows.”
Morna is thoughtful as she finishes her food. “You think I will have to neutralize her myself don’t you?” When Almeda nods, Morna continues; “I will readily do it, but it will be hard to hold myself back from destroying her. She tried to destroy my mate and my babies. I can’t allow her to remain a threat to any of them.” Morna states flatly.
“I hope you are not allowing anger to cloud your judgment.” Almeda says softly.
“No room for anger. I must be clear, concise, and focused. Having Luca wrapped around my brain is helping a great deal. I have been wondering if my exposure to the Luca’s venom was enough to make me an immortal of his kind, one not reliant on my magic. If I had to kill her, would I forfeit my immortality?” says Morna.
“I think you are probably safe on that score, but I don’t want you to deliberately seek to do that,” says Almeda. “Besides, UCI could still try to strip you of your magic.”
“Oh I am not plotting the murder of my mother, I am just thinking it might, in the final analysis, be the only way to stop her. Whether or not I would forfeit my immortality, if that was the only way to stop her, I would do it. She must be stopped, but I will not do it unless it is necessary, because I am not a murderer.” vows Morna. “Now Almeda, if you will excuse me. My mate will tan my hide if I don’t sleep some more,” Morna says as she starts to rise from the table.
Almeda touches her hand and says, “I am relieved that your devotion to your family and duty is still tempered by a sense of what is right and wrong.”
“Me too,” admits Morna. And she gets up and washes her bowl and makes her way towards her quarters.
She encounters Rinda along the way. Rinda smiles uncertainly at her and Morna opens her arms to her. Rinda rushes to her and kisses her right on the lips. Morna is momentarily taken aback but then wraps her arms around her dearest friend and first lover. “God Rindy, you look so good. I am so glad you are here.”
“Me too Morna. I couldn’t be anywhere else when you need us all. You know that right?” Rinda says sincerely as strokes Morna’s face lovingly.
“I know sweetie. I have been so eager to see you since I remembered who you are, what we were to each other all those years ago.” Morna admits. She urges Rinda to sit beside her on floor in hallway and they spend the next hour holding hands and talking about old times.
Finally, Morna yawns and says, “I better get some sleep. Luca will be put out that I didn’t go straight to bed after eating.”
“Why? Because you are with me?” Rind
a asks defensively.
“No sweetie. Nothing like that. He just knows I am tired. That latest attack on me took a lot out of me.” Morna says honestly. “You are my best friend in the world besides Luca and my sister. Luca knows that and wouldn’t ever want to keep us apart.”
“I am not so sure about that. I would, if I were in his place.” Rinda admits, embarrassed by her admission.
Morna looks thoughtful at Rinda’s admission and says, “Luca is my true mate. Besides, I never told him about us.”
“I know he‘s your true mate. I have known it ever since you broke off our affair a week after you met him.” Rinda says somewhat sullenly. “It’s just we used to be very close, even after you were mated to Luca. I miss that, I still need it.”
“Rinda you will always be special and very, very important to me. You know that.” Morna says as she gently kisses Rinda on the lips and strokes her lovely face.
“Sure Morna. Go get some sleep, we have some trying times ahead of us according to your little girl in there,” Rinda says as she points toward the door to Morna’s quarters, where Samantha is lying asleep in her bed. “That little girl is very devoted to you… but I get the feeling that she isn’t exactly what she seems to be.”
“She’s fine Rinda. She saved our lives.” Morna assures her.
“Oh I know that. But there’s more to her than is obvious, I am thinking.” Rinda says quietly.
“Well, I agree with that.” Morna kisses her friend and again and enters her quarters. Sammy is still asleep on the bed. She looks around the room and finds that Luca has put all of her purchases away from the lovear store. She brushes her teeth and crawls back into bed beside the lovely Samantha. Sammy curls up to Morna and wraps her arms around her as she sleeps. Morna smiles, it reminds her of Breena when they were children. She would often get into bed with Morna and wrap her arms around her to sleep. It also reminds her of sleeping with Rinda when they were young women. It is a nice pleasant feeling as she drifts off to sleep.