“I’m not strong enough to cast it. Even if I could get you out, you wouldn’t be able to return.”
“Then we’ll do it together. Come on.”
With the book in tow, they headed to the spell circle in the temple and stepped inside it. Cate held his hand and together they began to chant.
In this circle and in this hour,
we call upon the ancient power.
Open the door through time and space,
take us back to the other place.
There was a violent explosion of energy and Cate collapsed to the floor.
“Cate?” The book slipped from her arms as Jason picked her up.
“It didn’t work,” she said as he teleported back to the house and laid her down on the bed. “Goddess, I feel so weak.”
“Here.” He went to touch her, but she shied away from him.
“No. I won’t feed.”
“You have to. It’s the only way.”
“But you’ll get worse.”
“It doesn’t matter. When it happens, I’ll be here. I won’t fight you.”
“I’m not going to drain you.”
“I’ve made up my mind and if I have to die to save you I will.”
“Don’t say that!” Cate cried and her eyes flared with power. “I’d rather die than do that to you.”
“Cate, this is what a Mavis is supposed to do – to protect his witch – but I’m not doing it out of duty. I’m doing it because I love you and I won’t live without you.”
Tears pricked her eyes. “Do you really think I want to live without you?”
“You’re young and I’ve lived a long time. At least I can die knowing I saved you, or maybe I won’t.”
“You don’t get it, do you? I love you, you stupid bastard! I’ve always loved you — it’s why I could never love anyone else.”
Jason was stunned for a moment and then kissed her, gently. He stroked her hair and just held her.
Over the next few hours, the pain inside Cate intensified. At first it hadn’t been so bad. They had lain there, talking and looking through the book. They had discussed travelling and finding their own house. A future she knew they could never have together. More pain came, as if her body was being turned inside out. Jason forced her to take more energy and she was losing the will to resist.
Opening her eyes, she found Jason lay sleeping beside her. Cate got up and grabbed the book. She knew he was growing worse. When she reached out to touch him, she found him hot and feverish, passing in and out of consciousness. He tossed and turned, oblivious to her presence.
So Cate decided to turn to the book for help. On the first page words began to appear; written in gilt letters was ‘Grand Grimoire’, whilst a beautiful seven-pointed star was drawn underneath. She turned the page and started flipping through, barely paying much attention to the elaborate drawings and various spells and rituals. “How do I heal a Nuardan?” she asked. This was taking too long.
The pages suddenly started moving on their own, until they stopped on a two page spread titled ‘Nuardan’. “Elementals who have dominion over the earth and all its natural elements,” she read and said, “just tell me how to heal him!”
She skimmed through the paragraph that mentioned the Nuardans could turn into the elements, their home was the Azure Isle, an island which could only be reached by magic.
“Ah, they have rapid healing powers, but when badly wounded they are healed by one of their own kind, or by using a source of natural magic,” she groaned. “I don’t have a source here, much less another Nuardan.”
Cate blinked back tears as she turned back to the book. She read everything there was about the Nuardan. “Damn it!” she said angrily. “There must be another way to heal him.” She furiously started scouring through the pages, desperately trying to find something, anything that might help.
Of all the powers she’d been blessed with, why couldn’t one of them have been healing? She continued pouring through the book until she finally found an entire section on healing magic. There were spells, potions, ointments and things she had already tried. “I need to know how to heal a demigod,” she sighed. This was getting her nowhere.
Cate scrambled off the bed, taking the book with her, and headed back out to the temple. At least in here she would be more or less safe, and less likely to destroy the whole town. She slumped into the spell circle; her strength was fading now and all she wanted to do was lie down and sleep. She pulled off her leather jacket, then her T-shirt and jeans, feeling too hot.
She used her clothes as something soft to lie on, as she closed her eyes. She was asleep for barely a moment before something woke her again. She blinked, blinded by the bright glowing orbs around her. Pain began to rush through her, so intense it was unlike anything she’d ever felt before. She screamed, knowing that the ascension was finally upon her. It was going to be an excruciating way to die.
“Ahhh! Make it stop! Make it stop!” She felt another presence beside her
“You know as well as I do that you can’t stop the ascension.” Jason stepped into the circle and pulled her onto his lap. “But it’s all right, I’m right here with you, love.”
“No, you need to go. You need to get away from me. I could kill you!”
His arms wrapped around her. “I’m not going anywhere. We’ll get through this. Together.”
More pain, followed by the incredible feel of pure, unrestrained power flooded through her weak body. Her eyes shone bright silver, as more and more magic burst out from deep inside her.
The temple began to shake more violently as brilliant bursts of silver starlight shot from her body. Since the temple was protected, maybe it would be able to withstand the onslaught of her magic, but she knew from the sounds of loud explosions that the rest of the town wouldn’t be so lucky. More power sparked through her, the pain becoming so excruciating she began to lose all sense of awareness.
What would happen when she finally reached the peak of her power? Would it kill her? Would she turn into a mindless being at the mercy of her own magic? Or would she survive, lose her soul, and turn into something worse than Raven?
“You could never be like Raven,” Jason told her firmly and his voice began to fade away as oblivion finally claimed her.
Only seconds later her eyes, the shade of bright silver, flew open.
“Cate?”
Cate looked up into Jason’s eyes. Her senses hummed with power, as a deep hunger gnawed inside her. She sensed his raw elemental energy and her senses screamed at her, demanding that she feed. Take it, her magic whispered to her.
She thought she saw a flicker of fear in those swirling silver eyes of his. “Cate, it’s alright. I’m here.”
Cate? That part of her was gone, irrelevant. She was the Goddess, the power incarnate and bringer of death. She wanted energy, magic. Craved it, needed it, just as this shell of a body needed air.
“Take what you need from me.”
How could she refuse when it was being so freely given? Her fingers wrapped around his throat, the Mark on her palm burning from the raging power.
Jason gasped, static whirling around his body as she fed from his energy, pouring it out of him. She felt a rush as if she were tapping into nature itself. His magic surged into her, fuelling her power as strength flooded through her. Their minds merged and she could feel everything he did. The intensity of the love he felt for her was so strong it made her stop. She stared up at him. It was Jason, her partner. The man she loved. Her magic demanded more energy, urging her to take it all. It craved to be one with his powers. He gasped and they both slumped onto the temple floor.
Cate opened her eyes, wondering where she was. She blinked and moved her fingers. Groaning, she sat up and stared around. The temple was still intact and so was she. The circle had contained her, but only just. She felt alive and renewed. More incredible than she’d ever felt. She wanted to cry and laugh, to dance with joy.
Sitting up, she looked down and
saw Jason lying there, unmoving. Her heart almost stopped as she crawled over to him. “Jason? Jason, wake up!” She touched his cheek and it felt cold. But he was breathing, barely. “Wake up, we did it. Please love.”
Cate rested her head on his chest as tears began to flow. “Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me!” she sobbed. “I need you – please come back.”
Cate closed her eyes and suddenly found herself standing on the balcony from his dream.
“Damn, you’re good in that dress.”
She looked down to see she was wearing the one she’d bought for their anniversary. Jason came up and hugged her, kissing her neck.
She smiled and took his hands. “We did it. We got through the ascension.” She stared up at him. “But something is wrong. I took too much, didn’t I?”
“It was too late, my wound was already fatal.”
Cate shook her head. “No! No, I’m not going to lose you. Not now when we finally have a future.”
Jason stroked her cheek. “Cate –”
“Don’t you dare say goodbye to me.” Tears filled her eyes and inside her heart was breaking. “You can’t go, I won’t let you.”
“I love you.” He pulled her close and she could see he was crying too. “I’ll always be with you.”
There had to be another way. “Bond with me,” she said suddenly. “We can be bonded. My immortality–”
“Might not be enough. We could both die.”
“I don’t care. I’m not losing you.”
“Are you sure? If this works, there’s no going back from it. We’d be connected to each other forever.”
“I love you and don’t ever want to be without you. I know a bond is forever and I want forever with you,” Cate said. “But you have to be certain too.”
Jason smiled. “I’ve always wanted forever with you.”
Cate took a deep breath. “Breath to breath and life to life. Our minds and souls shall be bound from this day. May our minds, magic, and bodies be forever intertwined,” she said. “I take you as my bonded. This bond shall never be broken.”
Jason repeated the words and she felt pain tear through her. Her eyes flew open and she gasped as something pulled at her. Not just her magic, but at her very soul, as light washed over them. She lay against his chest, struggling to breathe as energy poured from her into him. She lay there for a few moments and waited. Nothing happened. Had she done something wrong? Was she too late to save him?
“Don’t leave me,” Cate said. “If you die, I’ll kick your Nuardan arse.”
Cate lay there and heard the steady beating of his heart before she felt a hand come up and stroke her bottom. “Hey!”
Jason grinned up at her. “You aren’t going to deny a dying man a little fun, are you?”
Cate gave him a playful slap before she hugged him. “Don’t ever do that to me again!”
“I promise. I can’t believe it’s over and we’re still here. You don’t regret the bond, do you?”
“No, why would I?” She scrambled up. “Come on, let’s see if they have a shower, bath, or something I can wash in.”
As they walked back to the house, everything seemed brighter and more vivid than it had before. If this was what being immortal was like, then it felt good.
“You look different,” Jason commented.
“Yeah, I look a mess.”
“No. When you were ascending, you looked like a goddess with beautiful wings.”
“I hope I don’t have wings now. Do I?” She felt around her shoulders. “Check my back.”
Jason ran a hand down her spine and she shivered as his touch sent a wave of desire through her. “No wings, but you look more beautiful than ever.”
Cate let out a sigh of relief and shivered again.
“Cold?”
She’d forgotten she was still clad only in her underwear. “No, I’m hot. Really hot.”
“Yes, you are.” He slipped his arms around her, his hands running over her bare skin.
His lips gently roamed down her neck as one hand found her breast and the other hand went lower until he found heat. She gasped as his fingers stroked her sex. “Why did you seal the bond?” he murmured in her ear.
“You – you know why.” His fingers continued to stroke, sending shivers of desire through her. “You were – oh goddess!”
“I want you so badly.” Jason suddenly pulled away, making her ache with need. “But I need to know this is real. A bond is forever. In the old days it was considered a marriage. That makes you my wife.”
“I know that. I didn’t say the words just to save you. I did it because I love you.”
“Good, because I don’t know how much longer I can stay in control.” His eyes started to burn with desire.
Cate smiled and shoved the door open. “Get in then.”
In one swift move Jason picked her up and kissed her. Cate gasped and moaned as he thrust his tongue into her mouth. Her tongue stroked his as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he backed her up against the wall.
Tossing her bra aside, his hands found her breasts again. He dipped his head to take one hard bud into his mouth and then the other. She arched towards him at the tender assault as waves of pleasure shot through her. They hit the floor, struggling out of their remaining clothes as the throbbing ache became an overwhelming need. His lips roamed down her stomach, as he found her aching core and thrust his fingers inside her for the first time. Cate cried out as he continued to lick and his hand stroked, sending waves of ecstasy through her.
Her hands fisted in his hair. She was so close now and bit back a scream as the first orgasm exploded through her. Then his lips found hers again as he ravaged her mouth and they fought to be closer. Powerful magic sizzled and burned around them. In one swift move he was inside her. Jason groaned and found her wet and ready for him. She parted her legs further, accepting the full, hard length of him.
Cate rocked against him, loving the feel of his hands on her, of his body laying claim to hers. He moved in and out of her heat. Again and again their bodies met and parted, moving in a wild, frantic rhythm. Over and over, he took her higher with every stroke.
Cate felt the first crash of orgasm and couldn’t hold back any longer. She screamed his name and clung to him, pulling him tighter. Still he moved within her body, taking her to heights of pleasure she’d never felt before. She watched his eyes burn brightly as the magic continued to swirl around them wildly.
Jason kissed her again, taking her mouth as he took the rest of her, in long deep strokes. His tongue tangled with hers as their bodies melded as one, fitting together perfectly.
Another orgasm tore through her, shaking her, and she drew her mouth away to gasp for air as her body shook from the onslaught. She felt his body jolt against hers as they came together in a powerful explosion of love and magic.
Cate didn’t quite remember how they had made it up to one of the bedrooms. All she knew was she’d never felt so happy, so at peace, in her entire life as she lay in Jason’s arms. In her husband’s arms. “Husband,” she murmured. “That’s going to take some getting used to.”
Jason smiled and kissed her hair. “I quite like it.”
“It just doesn’t feel real.”
“Which part of everything we just did didn’t feel real?”
“I don’t mean that. I mean the bond. I said the words and now we’re joined together. Forever. Which is great, but–”
“Then what’s wrong, love?”
“It’s nothing. I’m just being silly.” Cate shrugged. “Let’s see if there’s any food around here.”
Cate tried to pull free of his embrace, but he wouldn’t let her. “No, not until you tell me what’s bothering you.”
“I don’t know. A bond should mean something, other than a way of saving your life.”
“To me it does.”
“It does to me too.”
As they went downstairs, Jason couldn’t help feeling she was holding something b
ack, but he couldn’t sense what exactly. The sight of her wearing only a shirt was making it hard to concentrate. They found bread and cold meat in the kitchen that had been well preserved and Cate started making sandwiches.
Jason suddenly felt nervous. “I was planning on asking you this after the ascension was over, but I thought I’d wait – oh hell!” he said and got down on one knee. “Forget the bond, will you marry me?” He held up his hand to reveal the ring Lydia had given them.
Cate put her hand over her mouth in shock as he slipped the ring on her left hand. “I know the odds aren’t in our favour, but I love you and I want you to be my wife. I know the bond might not feel like a real marriage, so let’s do it for real.”
Cate threw her arms around him and kissed him. “I love you so much.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Yes! But what about the–”
“The Ashrali? I don’t think we have to worry about them so much now we’re bonded. Your magic makes it harder for them to sense me.”
“If not, we’re in this together now. No matter what. So don’t even think about trying to run away from me.”
“I won’t, but I don’t think your parents are going to be very happy.”
“They’ll get used to it. Maybe we should keep this a secret for now. About the book, my ascension, and about us.”
“Why?”
“The moment Gran knows we have the Grimoire – I don’t know. I just have a bad feeling something awful is going to happen.” She glanced over to where it lay glistening on the table. “So many people have lost their lives for that thing. I thought it was the solution, but now I’m starting to wonder if it’s the problem”
“The book belongs with your family. It’s your legacy, no matter who craves its knowledge.” He stroked her hair. “You found it, it belongs to you now.”
“We found it. I couldn’t have done this without you.” Cate rested her head against his chest.
“Whatever happens next, we’ll get through it together.”
CHAPTER 29
Denai Touch: Excalibar Investigations Series Page 30