And suddenly, unexpectedly, Jake began to tremble, warmth cocooning him from the crown of his head to his very toes. A force like a great golden whirlwind drove him to his knees, electrifying the room all about him. He kept praying, chanting in Antousian, begging, whispering … feeling the very wind of All about him. He didn't dare open his eyes. Heat overcame him, seeping into his bones, making the brittle places soft and pliable again … changing him. Transforming him.
"Wh-what is happening?" he murmured aloud, unable to stop the massive tremors jolting his huge body. It was as if All himself were touching him. A stream of Antousian prayers escaped his lips, hardly intelligible, but he couldn't contain the words. He might as well have tried to halt the sun's progression across the sky.
Then, just as suddenly, the whirling died down, until the room was empty. Devoid of the supernatural power that had occupied it just a moment before. Only a soft voice remained, whispering, I have never left you.
He glanced up, lifting a shaking hand to wipe the tears from his eyes. The words had been audible, a deep rumbling somewhere inside the room, only … not.
I have never left you. Was All telling him Shelby was still on base? Was it the sign he was seeking?
I will never leave you. The words chased across his spirit, electrifying his body, causing him to jolt and quiver until he fell to the floor. Even then he continued to spasm, his spine jerking and jackknifing off the hardwood, but he couldn't stop the flood of energy and healing seeping into his body any more than he could his physical reaction to it.
I will never leave you … I will never leave you … I will never leave you.
It was the last thing he heard before his whole world went black.
Chapter Twenty-five
Kelsey's back was pressed flat against the temple wall, barely out of reach from the spiraling cauldron of power in front of her. A force that still—somewhere deep in the middle of all that roaring and commotion—was her lifemate. Her eyes were completely shut, hands splayed at her sides. She listened as the Refarians attempted to maneuver Jared out of the temple and down to the hangar deck, but didn't dare look. God, she couldn't look—it was just too painful … no way she could look at all.
Marco stood beside her, leaning against the wall solidly. So resolutely, in fact, it was as if he intended to hold the very structure in place. She stole a glance at him, surprised that his dark eyes were wide open, missing nothing. He gave her arm a light squeeze, just letting her know he was watching over her. And Jared. Although there wasn't much a Madjin protector could do in a situation like this one. It had to be uncharted territory for Marco—and for the history of all Madjin before him.
Soldiers advanced on the glowing sphere of power that filled the entire temple … her husband. The sizzling smell of pulsar whips filled her nostrils, and she battled a wave of horrible nausea. Just knowing that they were putting those energized lashes against Jared's glowing body, knowing the deep physical pain it was causing him, was almost enough to have her call the whole plan off. And they would back off if she ordered it, a weird thought right there. She was the queen. She'd unleashed this plan, and she could end it, here and now.
This will be the ugliest part, she reminded herself. But it's for him. Just remember, that this is the only way to bring him back.
Without the ability to link or speak to him, they were reduced to wrangling him like a wild bull, slapping at his golden sides, urging him toward the chamber door.
Kelsey dared to open her eyes again; beside her Marco stiffened, almost as if he knew she'd chosen to watch. But he didn't look in her direction—his dark gaze was fixed squarely on Jared, his lips moving soundlessly. She knew so little about how the ancient band of Madjin worked, but she guessed he was using his gifts somehow, trying to place a ring of protection around Jared.
Wincing, she remembered how empathic Marco was. "Is he hurting?" she barely managed to ask.
Marco's black eyebrows lowered, but he said nothing, a dark stain of emotion flooding his cheeks. It was the only answer she needed, even though she'd already known the truth. Tears filled her eyes.
Once more several soldiers advanced on Jared, spinning the vibrating whips toward him. Confused, he reared up in reaction, his energy growing greater and wider until a solid blast of power knocked the gathered soldiers against the walls of the room. There were curses and mutterings all around; two soldiers were even backing out the door, looking so visibly shaken, it was a wonder they didn't run at breakneck speed just to get away. A female lieutenant halted the departing men, saying something quiet that none of the rest could hear. One of the soldiers dropped his head, a terrible expression of grief on his face, but the commanding officer took him by the shoulder, guiding him back toward the room's interior. Then she took hold of her own rotating lasso, advancing toward Jared—but not before hot tears began streaming down her face as she worked.
It wasn't easy duty putting a whip to the king, the one whom they all, to the very last man and woman within their corps, loved so completely.
The scent of smoldering power had Kelsey gripping her pregnant stomach, fighting waves of nausea because, in a very real sense, it was Jared himself whom she smelled burning. She pressed her eyes shut even tighter, haunted by the memory of what had been done to him by Veckus years ago. Frightened by the remembrance of the physical scars he bore all over his body from the Antousians whipping him.
They'd beaten him again during this most recent capture, too, brutally, and now his own people were treating him the same cruel way. Kelsey worked a hand at her belly, terrified of opening her eyes, but needing to see. She'd called this latest torture down on her mate and husband. The least she could do was watch as they tried to contain the out-of-control storm that he truly was.
At last, with a strange whirring sound, Jared grew far more compact, all the frantic rearing and spiraling finished. It was like being at the eye of the hurricane they'd been battling, which didn't exactly make Kelsey feel secure about his well-being—or their ability to corral him onto the transport.
Besides, what if he went wild on the craft? What if he suddenly grew confused or disoriented? What then? They wouldn't have a prayer of getting him under control, not thousands of feet in the air. Sure, he'd been compliant on the way back from the Antousian compound, but he'd still been stunned from being kept in that tight containment cell. In the past few hours, finally free from the walls of his prison, he'd expanded, had grown much less stable. His energy readings were off the charts, according to the soldiers who were trying to rein him in right now.
"Got him," the female soldier in charge said, holstering her pulsar whip. Although her face was still streaked with dampness, it was perfectly resolved. She didn't reach to wipe her tears or even acknowledge them in any way.
Kelsey released a tight breath as she watched the soldiers guide Jared gently toward the door of the temple. She wondered whether he sensed her presence, whether he even knew she was right near him. Then again, maybe he didn't remember her at all, she thought in frantic despair.
The lead soldier paused at the threshold of the temple, turning her tear-reddened eyes on Kelsey. "My lady? You're joining us?" The lieutenant inclined her head respectfully.
"Oh. I—I … yes, of course I'm coming." Kelsey had been so paralyzed by the proceedings, so sickened at Jared's suffering, that she hadn't totally realized it was time for her to move.
"He needs you near him," the woman added, swiveling on her boot heels without lifting out of the bow. "He does know you're here, my lady. It's important that you stay right with him, no matter what happens during this procedure. Be strong because he is fully aware of you. You understand?"
Kelsey's body jerked in reaction to the words. How do you know? Are you sure? God, please tell me you sense something of the man that he was. … She wanted to blurt five thousand questions. Was the soldier an empath? Intuitive? But Kelsey didn't voice any of her doubts. She wasn't just a wife or mate today—she was her people's q
ueen, and such questions would drive a wedge between the soldiers carrying out the difficult operation.
Kelsey stepped close to the soldier. "I won't leave our king's side," she whispered in a fierce voice. "This is where I belong."
"We need you, my lady. It's not just him—we need you, too." The woman rose from her half bow, pegging Kelsey with a steely, black-eyed stare that was so intense, she actually had to avert her eyes. Whoever this lieutenant was, she was definitely made of stern stuff.
As the soldiers wrestled with Jared's undulating form, Kelsey couldn't hold back a semi-hysterical laugh. Several of them glanced at her in shock, and she gave a small wave, letting them know she was all right. The thing was, she'd suddenly flashed on all those years of watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade with her mother. She pictured the balloon handlers, how they battled the New York City winds to keep their overpowering cargo under control. That was exactly what this military procession looked like, with Jared hovering high in the air, encircled by the knot of soldiers who kept their whips at the ready. Then she felt suddenly grim: The last thing they needed was a Hindenburg-style accident.
"Surely he gets it now," Kelsey muttered to the lieutenant. "Surely he won't suddenly expand and—and …" And we won't have to hurt him any more than we already have.
"He's finally cooperating," the soldier agreed, reaching to wipe away her glistening tears. "That's a good sign."
Kelsey turned to Marco, who only shook his head. "I can't get a clear reading on his emotions." But the grief in his eyes told Kelsey everything the protector wasn't saying.
She glanced up, watching Jared's colors morph from pure gold to a slightly russet shade. She knew from experience that meant he was feeling—or expressing—some intense emotion, usually toward her. "He knows I'm here," she whispered in amazement.
"The change of color tells you that?" The female soldier cocked an eyebrow.
"Yes. Yes, that's exactly what it means." Kelsey pressed fingertips to her lips; she hadn't thought she'd actually said the words aloud. But she was totally rattled, shaking all over. "Thank you so much for this, uh …" She didn't know the soldier's name.
"I'm Lieutenant Mar Ariell." Another slight bow. "Well, it's Marley, but I go by Mar."
"Thank you for helping my husband … and me."
Again Lieutenant Ariell bowed, placing a fist over her heart. "I'm honored to serve you both, my lady."
Snapping back to her full height, the woman turned to the other soldiers. "Listen up! It's time to move out. Remember to be gentle. … Don't let anything go wrong on our watch, soldiers! This mission is critical. So is respect. This is your king and your commander," she barked. "This is the man we all love. Remember that … no matter what happens out there."
Kelsey filed out of the temple, barely allowing herself to breathe.
A steady vibration caused Jake to stir. His forehead was mashed against something hard, and whatever the constant buzzing was against his side, it was as annoying as hell. With a groan, he worked to move his limbs, dimly aware that he was face-first on a very hard surface. Rubbing his eyes, he rolled onto his side, and saw nothing but bare hardwood floor.
Damn, I was out cold. More vibrating, a jarring staccato along the floorboards. Only then did he notice his cell phone doing a little gyration beside his knee, moving a few inches every time the phone rang like some enraged beetle. Must have fallen out of my pocket when I … when I what? He wasn't exactly sure what had happened to him. But he felt renewed, and the bottomless hole inside his chest no longer ached so badly. Reaching for the phone, his heartbeat sped when he realized it was Kelsey.
"What's going on?" he nearly barked, unfolding the phone to his ear. Kelsey never called him unless it was serious business. Not in any timeline—past, future, or present.
"We're taking Jared to the mitres, Jake. Now. He needs you with him. … I need you. We all do."
"For what? What's at the mitres?" He gave his head a dull shake, struggling to his knees. Raking a hand through his hair, he tried to remember exactly how he'd wound up on the floor but couldn't seem to pinpoint what had led him there.
"I'll explain everything on the way, but the short version is that we plan to use the mitres to connect with Jared. Thea thinks the dimensional energy waves could help him stabilize enough so she can connect with him and … talk him down, so to speak."
"Shit. He hasn't shifted back?"
"He's still in his D'Aravnian form, and Thea says time is crucial. We do it now."
Jake rose to his feet, straightening his uniform jacket. "I'll meet you at the hangar deck."
"We're on the way there now. And Jake? Can you bring Shelby, too? We might need her time-walking ability while in the mitres. She might have some answers on how we can reach him."
Jake slumped. "Can't. She's gone."
"Gone where?"
Wouldn't he love to know. Gods, he'd do anything to be able to answer that question. "Long story, Kelsey. Let's just focus on Jared right now."
Kelsey and Thea made quick work of uploading the codes to the mitres chamber, the dimensional portal snapping open to allow their entry. They'd brought a skeleton crew inside the chamber, the other soldiers remaining on the transport. In Kelsey's mind, the fewer lives they risked, the better. Other than her, it was just Thea, Marco, and Jake … well, and Jared, who churned high overhead like an Old Testament cloud of glory.
Thea slipped a palm onto Kelsey's shoulder, guiding her toward the luminous tube in the center of the room. Two centuries earlier Jared's ancestor, Prince Arienn D'Aravni, had seeded part of his own energy inside the cylinder to power the mitres. From the moment they'd entered today, Arienn's vibrant essence had been reacting to Jared, glowing brighter and brighter with every passing moment.
"You know what to do," Thea coached Kelsey. True enough. She'd been down this path before, most recently when they'd used the weapon to defeat the Antousians over at Warren. Still, this was Jared's very life, their shared future, and Kelsey was far more terrified than she'd been that day months before.
Shaking, Kelsey approached the center point of the mitres, that large glowing cylinder that was the seat of its power. Capable of opening dimensions and warping time itself, the mitres would have its greatest victory today … or its greatest defeat. She bowed her head, slid both palms about the smooth, clear container, and allowed the mitres codes—locked within her mind since Jared had placed them there almost six months earlier—to unspool.
A jolt of supernatural energy drove Kelsey to her knees, the room all around them whipping with a blast of power more intense than anything Jared had been throwing off during the past few hours. But she kept a grip on the main unit, refusing to back down as a giant spiral began looping about them, a weaving thread of blue that blurred everything else.
"This isn't good," she thought Jake said, his words stretched like a rubber band. This isn't gooooooood.
"No other way!" Thea shouted behind her, her voice shrill above the powerful wind that whipped at them all. "Just hold on!" Holllldddd onnnnnn.
Inside her belly, Kelsey felt Erica gyrate, her own primal energy reacting to the onslaught of power that was unfurling around them. The blue circle expanded, became pure heavenly light. In backward narration she watched as Jared thrust inside of her, placing Erica's very life within her belly … then her mother was dying, so fragile and thin … and suddenly she was fourteen, kissing Jared for the very first time.
Backward and backward, time's footprints left their marks, voices bending about her. Arms pulling and dragging at her. …
"Got … to … get … her … away," someone said, the words strung out and distorted.
Kelsey battled the rushing wind, focused her eyes on the image before her—it was that elder, wiping away her memories of Jared so many years ago. "Please, no!" she shouted, tightening her arms about the main cylinder, digging in for the duration. She'd be damned if any of her friends would pull her away now. Not now, when every instinct ins
ide her said that if she couldn't link with Jared here in the mitres, he'd be lost to her forever.
Time spun on its axis, playing tricks: She was meeting her father's girlfriend at that fundraiser, feeling awkward and angry. Jared was shot down over Idaho—only that was wrong—she hadn't been there then. Hadn't known his suffering. …
Time halted and advanced, back and forth, forward and backward, until she felt something catch hold of her, a very real lasso wrapping about her chest. Laughing crazily, she looked up into the thundercloud and felt Jared sweep her into himself.
Thea rushed forward, but she was too late. Kelsey had vanished inside of Jared's rotating golden sphere. One minute their queen had been in a trance, Jared hovering over her like a funnel cloud of power—the next, she'd begun to levitate, hands extended as if reaching toward the gods themselves.
Jake shoved her aside, trying to take hold of Kelsey's booted feet, Marco grappling right beside him. Both men were more than a foot taller than she, but Thea still wanted in the battle herself, and kept trying to lay hold of Kelsey as she ascended high above them. Still, too late. Far too late.
Kelsey instantly became engulfed in the raging storm above them all.
Oh, my friend. Oh, dear, sweet sister, come back.
Then, as if in answer to her pleas, the ceiling above them opened—the mitres itself spun wide, a giant trail of power leading like a wormhole into the sky. Kelsey rotated upward, caught within Jared's essence and the interdimensional space weaving overhead.
"Marco! Gods, Marco, help them," Thea shouted, her voice nearly lost in the whipping wind.
Marco lifted both arms, trying to get a grasp on Kelsey, but she swiveled upward, lost in Jared's swirling hurricane. "Thea … I can't get her!"
"You've got to try," Thea insisted, actually jumping, trying to expand her small height enough that she might lay hold of her dear friend.
Jake pushed them both aside. "Let me," he thundered. "I've used this thing before. Maybe … maybe … I can get to her."
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