The numbness of his brother’s world, of the Triscani, hovered within, constantly vibrated through his mind like bad background music to a horror film. He’d been too close to the darkness. Nothing could change that now. He’d felt their call, would always be aware of it on the edge of his senses.
He should already be one of the Triscani. He had been one of them. And somehow, by some miracle, Mari had brought him back. He wouldn’t waste this second chance to start over. The dark world might call his name, but Mari owned him now. Body and soul.
He wouldn’t take her down with him. He’d have to find a way to win, to beat back the darkness and deny his innate power its destiny. Before, when the last of his men died, when he’d lost Gerrick, when his own brother had betrayed him, he’d had nothing left but his mission. He’d had no one left that mattered, nothing to lose. Now? Now he held everything in his arms.
Everything. He chanted the word in his mind like a mantra as he traced the soft contour of her back with his palms, enjoyed the rise and fall of her softly curving form from the base of her spine to her shoulders. Every time his hand passed over her Mark, a jolt of heat jumped through him and headed straight for his cock.
He ignored it, his total attention on the glide of his fingertips sliding over her skin. Yes, she would take his heat whether she wanted it or not. And when he figured out a way to beat the insidious call of his power, when he knew he’d no longer be a danger to her? He’d claim her completely. Until then, he’d hold her and pretend everything was going to be all right. He could do this all night, all damn night.
<><><>
Mari floated in the cold nothing. Sarah had told her about this place, this frigid realm with no light other than the twinkling stars of the people like her, the other Timewalkers. There were more flickering lights than she’d dared dream, and not nearly enough to hold back the absolute darkness that pressed against them.
She and the others were tiny bits of light, minuscule pinpoints like the stars at midnight, but instead of floating in in the vastness of space, twinkling and winking at her from a clear night sky, she and the other Timewalker souls anchored the darkness. Their power held the enemy at bay, a net of light that prevented death from swallowing the world whole.
That was what Mari was now, one tiny, cold light in a sea of nothing. Floating free of the network. Alone. Freezing. Being chased by the darkness.
Was this death? Or was this the Purgatory her mother often spoke of?
Did it matter?
Mari thought about that for a while. Was she ready to let go? Ready to die? Was she finished?
Hell, no. Not by a long shot. She had mad comic-book, epic-level skills now, more caves to find and more bad guys to fry. She had to find a way to help cleanse the oceans of the Triscani energy, and her new skills in the water had barely been tested. She had dolphins to swim with, sharks to hunt with, and people to save. And if she had to do it alone, then so be it. She was used to that anyway. It sucked, and it was lonely, but she was used to it.
Her heart hurt, but she’d long since learned to ignore it and carry on.
Well, if she was going to live, she’d need to find her way out of this place, wherever she was.
Marina. A female voice called to her, filled her head. Insistent. Confident.
Mari tried to answer, but she had no body, no mouth. No breath. She thought back, Yes. I am Mari. Who are you?
A very feminine sigh escaped her new friend and Mari spun her senses in a circle, trying to find the source. You won’t find me. I am the dark, the space between leaves, the silence between heartbeats.
What do you want?
To reclaim those that are lost. To fight. To end the war and give Earth back to her children.
To kill. The thought was there, but the woman didn’t express it in words and Mari didn’t push. The voice was so powerful, so ancient and so very sad.
What do you want from me?
Give Teagh a message for me?
I don’t know who that is.
You will. You protect a piece of the Lost King’s soul. You will find him. He will help you learn how to use the stones. And you must heal him.
You can’t get him a message yourself? Mari honestly wanted to know. The woman’s power was extreme. Why did she need a messenger?
Not without revealing myself, and I’m not ready, not yet. But I will be, soon. There was a certain stubborn pride in the lady’s voice that Mari could more than identify with. She knew what it was to be doubted by others, to be watched and constantly judged.
What’s the message?
Tell him that Katherine is in trouble. He must help her find the Black Gate.
What’s the Black Gate?
That… The being drew Mari’s attention to the network of lights again, but this time she saw more than Timewalker souls and the thin, anchor strands connecting them. She saw the area from a far off distance. The illuminations formed a web of energy that obstructed a gaping chasm between worlds, like a locked gate suspended in outer space. That gate was bulging at the seams, straining to hold the darkness away from Earth’s energy, from humanity’s brightness, and from the worlds beyond Earth that were brighter still.
He must help her.
Katherine? Sarah’s Katie-bug?
The woman’srelief flooded her being. Yes. The Katie-bug. She’ll die if he doesn’t find her. Promise me.
Okay. But how do I get out of here? I don’t know how to go back.
There is only one way home for you now that you’ve been lost in the dark. The woman’s voice seemed to be coming from farther away, as if she was leaving. Mari tried to follow, but the woman’s next words stopped her cold. Thank you, Marina. Don’t die. Go back to him.
He doesn’t want me. Can’t wait to get rid of me. Totally not interested. Mari didn’t sugar coat it. What was the point?
The young woman laughed. He needs you. Raiden is your home now, you’re only way home. Together you are the Sicarii, the first in over a thousand years. Feel him holding you. Feel his kiss. Hear his heart beating, and you will always find your way out of the dark…
Just like that, the voice was gone.
Mari wanted to scream at her to wait. She had so many more questions about the Black Gate, the darkness, what Sicarii meant, and the girl herself. But she was truly alone again, backstage of the biggest show in the galaxy…the war for Earth’s survival against the terrifying Triscani masses. Just what was locked behind that gate? Triscani? Something worse? And if it were Triscani, how many? Enough to devour the planet and every living thing on it?
Was she in the worst Star Trek episode ever? Where were Spock and Scottie with their awesome, last minute, brilliant yet hairbrained idea to save everyone? Why did the world’s survival depend on a twenty-six-year-old from New Mexico with no family and no math skills?
Worse, going back was going to hurt. A lot.
How many times did she have to let that arrogant asshole break her heart before she stopped…what? Loving him?
Madre de Dios. She loved him. Had for two years now. Had loved him since the very first dream. The first kiss had sealed the deal. And making love? Heaven on Earth, at least until he’d made it something less.
Fucking. A brutal word for a brutal truth. He didn’t love her, didn’t need her, didn’t want her in his life. He’d made that very clear. Explosive passion did not guarantee a happily ever after. Amazing sex, life-altering-no-one-else-will-ever-be-this-good sex, but that was still all it was. Just. Sex.
God, she was so stupid.
And that voice, who for all intents and purposes could very well be a figment of her imagination in this place, wanted her to focus on Raiden as her way home? To think of Raiden as home? Her safe haven and her sanctuary? Perhaps in a dream.
His kiss? His touch? His heartbeat?
Was the woman a sadist or just plain mean?
Mari flitted around, so cold now that she didn’t remember what it felt like to be warm. She tried to conjure memories o
f her own body, the feel of water pressing down on her, of sand between her toes, the spray of a hot shower on her back after a long dive. A hard pinch to wake up.
Nothing. The thoughts came, but the memories did not. It was like speaking to herself in a foreign language where the words had sound but no meaning. She felt nothing.
Panic set in as she realized she was losing herself here. But heaven help her stupid heart, she could still remember the hot press of Raiden’s lips, the heated slide of his fingertips over her flesh, and the thundering of his heart when he…
Raiden.
Pain struck where her chest should have been and she felt a pulse rise from within her soul, a pulse that was thunder in her ears after the silence of these cold stars.
Raiden.
Mari gave in and followed the sound. She didn’t fall into her body, or shoot out of the sky like she’d seen in some movies. She blossomed from within, filling up the space her physical form occupied like hot water seeping up from some deep underground well.
And that sound, the pulsing rhythm that had called her back from nowhere, sang to her where her ear was pressed to Raiden’s bare chest. She was warm, blessedly hot pressed against him from head to toe. His hands slid up and down her back in a slow glide that brought her temperature steadily up from warm to simmering to overheated.
She wanted him. Again. Despite the long lecture she’d just given herself in that horrible void. And judging by the growing bulge pressing against her abdomen, he wanted her too.
“Mari?” His deep voice rumbled through her entire body and she tilted her head up, up, up to find him watching her.
“Hi.”
“You’re back.” He smiled and her heart broke into even smaller pieces. Why did he have to be so damn irresistible? So gorgeous. So sexy and mysterious and kissable? It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t anywhere remotely close to fair.
“Thank you…” She pressed down on the bed and slid her body up the length of his until her lips hovered just out of reach. “…for warming me up.” Was she really going to do this? Hit it and quit it? That had never been her style. Never. But she wanted him, needed him, needed to feel alive, and hot, and out of control for a while. She was newly from the darkness, the cold too close to the surface of her mind. And the dark souls that hovered within were still there, cold and hungry, waiting for a chink in her armor, waiting for her to stop fighting their call.
“Mari?” His eyes darkened with lust and his hands clenched on her back. She’d seen that look before and knew he wouldn’t resist. He wanted to ride the lightning as badly as she did. But he surprised her. “We need to talk.”
Closing the gap, she pressed her lips to his, a soft protest. “After. Okay? Just kiss me. Touch me. Make me forget the cold.”
Raiden didn’t answer her in words, he buried one hand in her hair, slid the other over her ass and kissed her, over and over, like she was his air. His blood. His heartbeat. His life.
He’d made her feel like this before, and it was a lie, but she was too tired to fight her body or her emotions. She needed this. So, she told the annoying little voice in the back of her head to shut up and she kissed him back like he was her air, her heartbeat, and her life. Because he was.
There was no slow build up this time. Both of them impatient and crazed, both needing to feel the fire burning them from the inside out. He flipped her onto her back, his mouth tasting and nipping at her neck, her collar bone, her breasts until she squirmed and begged. Then he suckled at one nipple and spread her open with two fingers. He teased her with his tongue on her breasts, one then the other while he slid two fingers inside her and pressed his palm against her most sensitive spot. Fast. Slow. Until she yanked on his hair and begged him to take her.
With one smooth thrust he did. She met him, gave him everything as he pushed her to the edge.
The Shen on her shoulder burned but she ignored the pain, it was part of the package now. A slow trickle of warmth that should have been a flood of heat, but they’d both made their choices now, and she was done serving her heart up to this man on a silver platter. He owned it already. There was no sense beating a mortally wounded organ with a stick. Nothing would change.
So, she cut off all thoughts of the Mark, until the trickle of warmth no longer drew her attention and she could focus on the pleasure of his weight pressing her into the mattress, his body filling hers, heating hers. Pushing her over the edge.
She tilted her hips to meet him, thrust for thrust, and dragged his lips to hers for a kiss. She claimed her last moment of perfect bliss and exploded into a million little pieces of pleasure.
Raiden followed her over the edge, kissed her again, then rolled onto his side and tucked her neatly into the crook of his arm. “Mari…”
“Hush.” She rose up on her elbow and kissed him, so softly, so sweetly, so reverently. “I love you, Raiden.”
He didn’t hear the words. He didn’t see her tears. He didn’t know that she climbed from the bed, showered and dressed. He slept the deep, healer’s sleep she’d forced on him with her final kiss.
She walked out and closed the door, determined to save herself this time. Determined to find Teagh and learn how to harness the full extent of her power. Determined to leave behind lost dreams and broken hearts. She’d healed Raiden, taken the darkness from him. He’d survive for centuries now, with his Immortal bloodline and cleansed soul. He’d fight his war and she’d fight hers. She’d track down every one of those damn caves and fry the alien bastards. And neither one of them would stand in the other’s way.
As the bedroom door closed behind her with a sad and grief-filled click, she finally understood the torturous choices made by Spiderman when he had to leave Gwen. He walked alone, not because he didn’t love, but because he loved too much to risk the lives of others.
“With great power comes great responsibility.”
Time to go save the world. Alone.
Again.
Right.
Chapter Thirteen
“Thanks, Sarah.” Mari double-checked the contents of her backpack one more time. Passport, wallet, and a change of clothes Tim had retrieved from her hotel room, and a very generously pre-loaded credit card that Tim had pressed into her hand before she walked out the door. Couple hours and she’d be on the ground in Miami. The tug inside her pulled her toward the Keys, or maybe Cuba. She wouldn’t know until she got closer. Then she would hunt for Teagh, this Darkwalker Lord, in earnest.
“You’re sure about this? About leaving him behind? You may not get along right now, but you need him. He helps heal you.” Sarah frowned, her freckles bunching across her forehead with worry. “What if you get hurt?”
“I’ll be fine. I can’t take the chance that he won’t listen to me again, not after what the star girl told me. I have to find Teagh and tell him about Katherine. I need his help. And Raiden is the reason I’ve nearly died, both times.” She felt bad stating the obvious, but seriously, the guy had caused her some major pain from the moment he woke up in that underwater tomb.
The woman’s presence in the cold stars had not surprised Sarah or Tim. Sarah said she’d been there, on the other side, and seen the web of stars made of Timewalker souls. She didn’t know who any of them were, and didn’t want to. She figured it would put them all in too much danger. Sarah was probably right about that. Just like Mari was right about this.
Mari wrapped Sarah in a hug. “Thank you for everything. I have the new cell. If I need you, I’ll call. You and Tim need to stay here and be ready to help Kate. I don’t know what’s going to happen, I just know it’s soon. I’ve got to find this guy and send him to help Kate as quickly as possible. I don’t have time to argue with Raiden about that, or to worry about what other secrets he has that are going to bite me in the ass and or get me killed.”
Sarah wiped away a tear. “True. God, men can be so stupid sometimes. Okay. Be safe. And call me, every day, or I’ll go totally insane worrying about you.”
Mari p
romised she would call. It would be nice to have someone to call, someone that she could talk to who didn’t think she was crazy. Someone who actually cared.
Having a hot hunk of man at her side who loved and adored her like Tim loved Sarah would’ve been even better, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. She was up two real friends over last week. Nothing to shake a stick at.
She couldn’t deal with a secret-keeping, anti-hero with soul-sucking superpowers that turn him into one of the things she was trying to kill. She hadn’t told Sarah or Tim about Raiden’s close call. It had felt like too profound of a betrayal. It wasn’t her secret to tell, so she said nothing. The knowledge explained her dreams, and her nightmares…both of which featured Raiden as the star performer. So, now she knew, and nothing could convince her that he hadn’t known the risks all along. He’d known, and lied to her. He’d kept her in the dark, again, and nearly gotten them both killed.
No sense feeling sorry for herself when there was nothing she could do to change things. She’d offered him everything and he’d turned her down flat. More than once.
She was a romantic fool, but she was not a masochist. End of story.
In no time she was on the airplane, window seat, fourth row, pretending to read a book she’d picked up at the airport shop while the flight crew went through the standard checks and safety spiels. She fastened her lap belt and leaned her head against the hard plastic airplane wall. An elderly man sat on her left, but he wasn’t friendly, and that suited her mood just fine. She wasn’t feeling friendly, either. Alone? Wretched? Resigned? Yes.
Friendly was sooo four days ago…
<><><>
“Gone? What do you mean she’s gone?” Raiden paced, his blood pumping with none of the ice-cold efficiency of the killing machine he’d been before he woke up in that cave, before he’d lost his twin brother to the darkness, before her…
Blue Abyss: Timewalker Chronicles, Book 3 (The Timewalker Chronicles) Page 23