Micah pulled me back, "Come on, there’s something even better than that."
He took my hand and led me back down the path, but took a sharp left turn into the thick forest. Although the falls temporarily left our view, I could still hear them getting louder and louder. Micah parted an especially thick hedge and we ran smack up against the waterfall, still about midway up it. He turned to me, yelling, but it was completely impossible to hear anything over the water.
A small ledge up against the cliff led from the forest's edge straight under the waterfall. The waterfall itself was pouring over it, offering an awfully slippery rock and an equally treacherous fall.
I pulled back at him, giving him my best 'are you effin' insane?' look. He insisted, pulling me forward and pointing to something in the cliff wall. Notches had been drilled out and outfitted with a thick braided rope. The rope was new, although wet. A quick scan showed no frays, and it wasn't dirty from the overuse of grimy hands. Something told me Micah had installed it himself, wanting to create our own private cove amidst the wilds of Reunion Island. His beaming smile was the only confirmation I needed.
Still, this could have probably waited until after I had given birth and the baby was safe in someone's arms. Maybe Susan's. She would make a good babysitter. I wonder if she had a permanent place down by the beach.
Micah's insistent tug brought me back to reality and the rushing waterfall of death. Going into the thick of it, it didn't nearly look so majestic. Just treacherous. I angled my body away from the wall of the cliff, since my belly was far too big to face in, and holding Micah with one hand and the rope with the other, I began to shimmy my way across. The ledge wasn't nearly as slick as it looked. Being barefoot actually helped. My feet formed into the rough rocks, grabbing onto them more easily than I could have in shoes. Micah's grip was as solid as the rock formation behind me, which seemed to be pushing me further and further out onto the ledge. Micah gave one final insistent tug, and we were inside a cave. Impenetrable rock surrounded us on three sides; rushing water greeted us on the fourth.
Although we were right next to the waterfall, the sound of the water hitting the pool seemed suddenly blocked by the wall of water itself. At most, it was white noise, slightly amplified, bouncing around off the cave walls. We still couldn't talk, but we didn't need to. Just enough light was let in to discern Micah's silhouette, the faint outline of his face and of course his green eyes, which studied me so intensely I had to look away.
Grabbing my chin, he pulled my face back into his and kissed me, hard. His hands worked their way up my body, missing nothing. My thin nightgown was soaked with mist. I could feel the pads of his fingers as if they were touching me bare.
Within the cocoon, my senses were all out of whack. The colors were surreal, almost fantastical. What light that did come through the wall of water gave everything else a luminescent blue-green hue. Although the cave was dark, as my eyes adjusted, I could start to make out tiny shards of silver dotting the walls, ceiling, and ground.
The scents of Reunion Island ceased to exist in the tiny cave. I could only smell Micah, gruff and woodsy.
My will succumbed and my hands returned the favor, pressing into his chest, pushing against a wall that wouldn't move, wanting me too badly. We undressed each other quickly, having no pity on anything that stood between us. He knelt down and sucked at my breast until they were rock hard and aching for him to continue. I grew warm in between my legs and seconds later climaxed; sharp spasms taking me, and probably him, by surprise.
He raised his eyes to me in question. I was too impatient to answer. Instead, I returned the favor, kneeling down and giving him generous one-on-one time with my mouth. His legs and buttocks tightened in response. I wanted him, all of him. I was hungrier for him than I ever had been before.
When he could stand it no longer, he lifted me to my feet, turned me around and pushed me forward into one of the walls. He spread my legs slightly with his own foot, then felt for my opening with his hands. Though he meant to only get bearing, the feel of him touching me there was too good to let pass. I reached down and forced his hand further into me. He obliged, peppering my neck and ears with kisses. I couldn't get enough.
In one swift motion, he withdrew his hand. I arched my back to follow him and he returned, thrusting himself into me with a vengeance. His hands held my hips in place. Months without him left me tight, but I was slicker than the ledge we came in on, and I needed him. I needed this.
I willed my body to relax into him. As soon as he felt me give in, he began thrusting again, slowly, steadily. I braced myself by putting my hands up against the rough cave wall. It was sharp, I'd have cuts to contend with in the morning, but for now it felt good.
He leaned forward, yelling in my ear so I could hear, "Use the elements. Make them pleasure you."
I turned my head in question and he nodded his encouragement. I turned back around and concentrated. No way I could top the pleasure Micah was pouring into me, but what if…
I called the tiniest bit of wind in through gaps the water left. It blew gently in my ear, and I tilted the side of my head to allow it access. I called for a little bit more, weaving in bits of heat to warm it. I wrapped our bodies in a warm breeze, then in a selfish gesture, focused it and sent it below, in between my legs. The pure sensation of warm air, with Micah pushing into me, was better than anything I'd ever felt. After only a few seconds, I had to move it away. I didn't want to come again quite yet.
But I didn't let the air go completely. I kept it close, encircling my breasts and pinching at my nipples as if it were Micah's fingers.
I wondered briefly, about what witches say; magic coming back to you three-fold. I hope to hell it did.
Micah broke off a larger piece of rock from the cave wall. He presented it to me as if to ask for my permission. I nodded, quickly and urgently.
He reached around and placed it between my legs. I sent tiny tremors into the rock, then tied off the weaves. It buzzed in response. I was paralyzed with the shooting sensations running through my body. I could only stand there, mouth open. I wasn't even sure if I was moaning anymore. Micah continued to grind into me with a fury. I climaxed – then held still while he finished. It didn’t take long. One final, deep thrust and he went lax.
My legs collapsed, and I melted into him. All of the built up energy and elemental power still coursed throughout my veins. I let go, releasing it back into the ecosystem. The cave walls buzzed in response to the blast of power. Finally, the wall of water burst outward - the energy had nowhere else to go. The moonlit forest was revealed for a fraction of a second, until the water resumed its constant, steady fall over the entrance to the cave.
We collapsed together, exhausted, but in pure bliss. He sank down with me, until we were both lying down, catching our breath. The rocky floor scraped me, pressing into my back. I didn't care. I would pay that price time and time again if only I got to experience that every day. I looked at Micah. I could experience it every day. This was the life he had planned for us.
Chapter 30
Ready for Battle
The life Micah planned for us, the life on Reunion, wasn’t ours yet. Two days of peace and then we were on a boat, headed for the battle of our lives. My stomach cramped on and off all night. The seasickness, combined with the lack of sleep and energy, put me in a strange place. Literally. I unwillingly bounced back and forth between consciousness and my secret cave of women, who were all just as antsy over the looming battle. With each nautical mile covered, I could feel the heightened energy coming from the islands. The Shades could too. Many cowered in fear, retreating to the darkest corners and watery depths of the cave. Part of me wanted to go with them. But there was more than just me at stake. I had no other choice but to rally my teams, purposely surrounding myself with the strongest and most trustworthy Shades, trying to force confidence into them and myself.
When dawn’s first light poked through the small porthole of my room, I dresse
d in the warm snow gear Micah purchased for me and opened my door. Micah was already missing from bed, no doubt attending to some pertinent task on the fishing trawler.
I made my way to the captain's deck. Everyone was there; Cato, Susan, Alex, Micah, and the French captain. With the exception of the captain, who kept his eyes glued on his sonar machine, everyone looked at me.
I frowned. "What?"
Simultaneously, four pairs of eyes traveled to my now extremely large belly. I covered it protectively with my hands. "What?!"
"Sorry." Micah walked over to me and put his hand around my shoulders.
I shrugged it off, already annoyed at the extra weight. Only a couple minutes out of bed, my lower back was already screaming in pain.
Micah repositioned himself with what dignity he could muster and cleared his throat. "We have some bad news."
I waited for him to continue. Whatever it was, it couldn't be worse than my still-cramping stomach.
"Susan senses no less than three Nerinas on the islands."
I moved to sit down in the stool, massaging my lower back with one hand.
Alex stepped forward. "Reports I could get my hands on at Reunion before we left show four departures leaving for the islands in the past three months, carrying a grand total of at least 20 people. None have returned."
My kneading hands move to my temples. "Which means what?"
"Which means, Kaitlyn, that we are grossly outnumbered." Cato took the podium now. "If there are at least three elementals for each fire, water, earth, and air, plus Shawn, even if their powers are miniscule compared to ours, they could still overpower us."
My rubbing stopped. "We aren't outnumbered."
An especially strong cramp gripped my midsection. I leaned over, putting my head between my knees. I could barely tune into what Cato was saying,
"…schizophrenic tendencies… Our battle plan cannot be…just you."
"I've got it handled," I tried to reassure the crew from fetal position.
"Are you ok, Kaitlyn?" Micah knelt down beside me so he could feel my forehead.
"Yes. It's just seasickness. I need to take a walk outside. I'm sure it will be fine."
"I'll go with her." Susan stepped over to help me up.
I tilted dangerously, trying to navigate the narrow doorways of a boat with a midsection that looked like I was smuggling melons and balance that was decreasing by the day.
She helped my awkward body without a problem, perfectly at ease on the swaying ship, red high heels and all.
She helped me make a couple of rounds on the outside decks until I felt well enough to stop. We watched the islands come into view.
"Are you ready for this?" she asked quietly.
I touched the waterproof case strapped to my body underneath my clothes, then to my protruding belly. "I have everything I need right here."
She nodded. "I am going to stay on the boat with the captain. Everyone else will accompany you ashore. We have no way of knowing what to expect when we get there. Satellite imagery for the last few months of the islands is distorted. We think that was Shawn's doing."
I nodded. "He is smarter than you guys give him credit for."
She turned to me suddenly. "No matter what happens, Kaitlyn, I’m here for you. I have a feeling the Seven is about to go in a whole new direction. As far as I'm concerned, some of their archaic practices are about to come to an end. You won't go anywhere, no matter what. You're our Gaia – our family. You and yours…" she laid her hand over mine on top of my belly. "…are protected."
I smiled up at her, wishing that some sort of outcome where we could stay with Susan, after the battle, was possible. I knew it wasn't. And for that, I cried.
She hugged me, cooing over and over, "It’s ok. It's ok."
I pulled myself together, and my sobbing stopped.
"Now." She wiped a tear from my eye. "Are you ready?"
I laughed. I was eight months pregnant, seasick, and crying. I was the very antithesis of being ready for battle.
"Yes," I said with resolution, because there was no other choice. Just like the Shades, the team here had to believe in me. Otherwise all was lost before we could even get started.
Chapter 31
My Kryptonite
Less than half an hour later, I came to an abrupt realization that I didn't have it all handled. A giant wall of spinning, white, harsh water raced toward our tiny fishing charter. I watched, paralyzed with shock, my death approaching at an alarming rate.
Susan ran to the bow of the boat, dispersing the wave in large chunks, diverting water left and right before it could slam into us. Knowing her, she’d prepared for this specific event. It was our downfall in Spain. She had probably been practicing how to handle this exact scenario ad nauseum ever since. I wished I'd thought of that.
Still, there was wave left over by the time it reached us. The ship reeled to the left. The flimsy glass windows on the captain’s deck proved no match for my weight. I went crashing through. A brief, heart-stopping free fall ended in a hard landing. I braced for the icy cold waters of the Southern Ocean, but got the deck of the fishing trawler. The cold water came shortly afterwards, spraying from above.
"Kaitlyn!" Micah's panicked voice came to me before he did. "Are you ok?"
"I think so." I attempted to get up but a sharp, stabbing pain in my back stopped me. "Ow."
"Don't move…" Another lurch of the boat sent Micah and me sprawling into the railing. We gave a whole new meaning to 'manning the rails'. I lay motionless, afraid to discover what damage my body incurred. From my new position I spotted Susan, still at the bow of the ship, working her hands and chanting. The ocean responded to her, but the attacks kept coming.
I gathered energy to help, I could still do something from my position on the ground, but a voice inside my head spoke.
No. Don't!
I ignored it, summoning more energy from the ocean surrounding us. Suddenly, I felt blocked. It was weak, eerily similar to one of Shawn's walls, but it was coming distinctly from within myself. From the Shades.
I could break through, easily. But they had never done that before.
This is a diversion. Save your energy for the real fight.
They were right. Shawn was attempting to drain me before I could even get close to him. I reached toward Micah, who was picking himself off the floor. "Get me out of here."
He looked at his sister, doing her best to fight off the attacks, but understood. "Alex, Cato – get to the raft!"
"Grab my duffel bag!" I yelled after Cato. He didn't acknowledge me, no time for that, but he made the quick diversion to my cabin.
Micah picked me up, carrying me gently but quickly to the small, rubber lifeboat tethered to the back of the trawler. He lowered me down to Alex; the entire process sending more jolts of pain up and down my body, all from my back.
Amidst the chaos of the sea, we made progress away from the fishing boat, circumnavigating the island, and approaching it from the other side. Our little engine did what it could, but it couldn’t move quickly. The constant up and down and side to side motion actually worked out the kinks in my back, though, leaving behind only a dull ache.
Despite that, the ride was hell. The constant spray of ice cold water showered us as we tried to hold on for dear life. When the small rubber boat finally ran itself up on the land, no one moved. I'm not sure I could have. My fingers felt frozen to the small rope loops running along the inside. My clothes were soaking wet and stiff from the cold. I attempted to move my legs and heard my pants crackle, as if they had already turned to ice.
"Well this sucks."
A few groans answered my statement. I made no effort to do anything. The land was draining me. The Galapagos flashed through my mind. I forced it away. Eventually, a small warmth, starting at my toes, made its way up my body. I tested each limb as it became unfrozen, and realized Alex and Micah were doing the same. I was still exhausted, but I could move now.
Finall
y, I looked over at Cato. He had been the source of the heat. Dark, heavy bags circled his eyes and his wrinkles, as many as there were, seemed especially deep. He lifted his eyelids slowly and managed a small smile. "I'm done for, Kaitlyn. I can't handle this lack of energy in my old age. I'll do what I can from here, but you'll have to go on without me."
I nodded, understanding exactly. I pulled myself toward the duffel bag Cato still clutched, pried his icy fingers off, and pulled out a few essentials to leave with him.
"What's this?"
"A blanket, made from all natural materials from the Chakra; plus boots and a hat. It will help mask you from the island."
"That's my girl." Cato nodded approvingly.
I beamed with pride until Micah grabbed my arm and judiciously pulled me out of the raft and dumped me on the sand. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I froze.
"What?" Micah asked.
"If this place is anything like Galapagos, I can't move. The island will react."
"Ok.” Micah paused. “Well, that kind of puts us at a disadvantage."
"No. Alex – hand me a blanket out of that bag."
He obliged and in short order had me dressed in the same attire as Cato; blanket wrapped around me like a cape, boots and a hat.
"Lovely," Micah remarked.
The blanket felt heavier than it should have been. I looked down and inside at the portion hanging over my front.
"I added a few touches of my own," Alex said.
Concealed inside was a row of lightweight throwing knifes, angled and leveled to be at the perfect height to be retrieved by my throwing hand. Shawn’s athame, my one link to the Shades as long as the knife was close enough, they were there too.
"Aw, thanks! It's almost like…like you brought me flowers."
Micah cleared his throat.
I raised my eyebrow. "And you?"
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