by Dee, Bonnie
He sucked harder, faster. He felt James following his lead. Following him as he came gushing to life.
And climaxed.
* * * *
Mach cradled James in his arms. There was a core of innocence in him that had remained intact. Perhaps it was because he was unable to fully realize what he had done for Nolen. When Mach had questioned him during those times that he used his Spirit talents, James had revealed that though he knew that the thugs he had hired were taking a life, he had tried to select people with no ties in their lives as the sacrifices. And he did indeed believe that the nine innocents would help to save the world. He believed Nolen’s plan was to have the assassins take their own lives after they had accomplished their mission. For that very reason he had found criminals, hit men and other unsavory types who would deserve their ultimate punishment.
He was unable to believe that Nolen wouldn’t leave any loose ends. And James himself was a very loose end. His fragile hold on reality would be shattered if he found out the scope and true goal of Nolen’s plan. At that point he’d probably go insane or kill himself. If Mach couldn’t save him, he would go crazy and if that happened…
He stroked James’ forehead, thinking of Casey and Eileen. By the Maker, he missed them. Dealing with James drained his spirit. He needed that perfect balance that being with them offered him. Soon.
“James, let me go back to my cottage and clean up. I’ll meet you here and we’ll go to the well together.” He felt James tense and then relax. Such a little thing to do to ask his permission rather than demand to have his way, yet James relished the small courtesy.
“Go on.” He kissed Mach’s mouth. “But hurry back.”
“I will. I don’t want you to do this alone.”
* * * *
Donegal, Ireland
The Cave
“Gabe sent word. They’re getting in place there. They’re on their way to Nimhnach’s camp.”
Dagda’s accent thickened and he spoke in the Old Tongue as Mach entered the inner chamber. Mach smiled to see Sióg lingering nearby. Dagda pressed his cheek to Sióg’s hand as it rested on his shoulder. He knew that Dagda and Sióg had mated. That was impossible to hide from the Spirit Keeper, though Casey and Eileen were unaware of the changes in Dagda’s aura.
Mach realized that this new relationship would impact too much on their more pressing goals. Soon enough to share it after Nimhnach was defeated. And it would be soon. Tonight.
Casey and Eileen were ensconced with the last of the Terran-mheasctha who had checked in, debriefing them as Casey called it.
Mach responded to Dagda in the same ancient tongue. “I couldn’t sway James from Nimhnach’s control. Even though it’s weakened, his innate need for an authority figure and his feelings of unworthiness have helped to cement Nimhnach’s bonds. I’m afraid he’ll have to see for himself how vile a creature he worships.”
“So, you’ll go with him tonight and use the incantation to watch how Nimhnach meets his end.” Sióg didn’t question him, but stated what each of them knew must be done.
“Aye. I have to return to him now. I’ll bring James back with me when it’s all over.”
“We’ll be here.”
* * * *
Donegal, Ireland
Brigid’s Well
“It’s almost time.” James’ voice trembled. He held the vial with the compound in his right hand. He knelt with Mach by the ancient stone circle that surrounded the site. Off to the side was a modern water filtration system and pump that connected to the well’s water. The original well wall had been left intact to honor the powerful goddess and saint.
Here was where James and Mach waited for just the right moment. And here was where Mach softly murmured the incantation as the time drew near.
“It’s time, Mach.” James stood and unstoppered the vial. As he tipped his hand, the harmless fluid poured out into the cool water and a window opened above the secluded niche that sheltered the well.
“Look above, James, and see what Arven Lowery has done. Know him for who and what he is: Nimhnach, the Destroyer.”
James stared in awe and dropped to his knees. He gaped as Arven’s Grove came into sharp focus and a scene of unbelievable horror played out.
“No. No. No! What the hell is Lorraine saying? Who has she killed for Arven? Sweet Jesus, she’s in agony. She must have taken poison. My God, Arven. No! Who are those people? What do they mean? He’s killed thousands and thousands of men, women and children? Millions of people? Tell them they’re wrong, Arven. Tell them.”
Mach listened to James’ fear-induced babbling with an aching heart. When Ethan returned the power of speech to Nimhnach, he wept with James as Arven spewed out his weak excuses for everything that had gone wrong with his vile plans. But when Nimhnach reviled James for an inept, weak, disposable piece of trash, pity overwhelmed him.
Then thunder roiled and lightning flashed and they heard Ba’al’s terrible voice pronounce judgment on the Destroyer. And even James had to believe.
Still, he shot to his feet and attempted to climb toward the wavering scene as it faded from view.
Mach held on to him as he sank to the ground, weeping. “I’m sorry you had to see that, James, but there was no other way to convince you of the evil in that man. I know it must hurt, but I’ll help you. Let me help you.”
James raised his reddened eyes, and hatred contorted his features. “You fucking bastard. You knew what would happen tonight and you didn’t tell me! Get the fuck off me. I don’t want your pity. I don’t need your fucking help!”
James wrenched out of Mach’s arms and stumbled away on faltering legs. A few steps and he was down again. He grabbed his head and knelt in the damp earth, crying in pain.
Mach sighed. He didn’t want to blank out James’ memories of the past few months. There was too much to destroy and it could easily leave him unable to function.
Perhaps the other Spirit Keepers could heal his battered spirit. He covered the few feet to James’ huddled form and touched the base of his skull. Sleep overtook James and he collapsed.
Mach stooped and lifted him in his arms. The distance to the Cave wasn’t that far for a Terran to travel, even with a full-grown man in his arms.
* * * *
Dagda’s Cave
“Mach, bring the human inside.”
Eileen met him at the Cave entrance. She looked refreshed and glowing, and Mach’s spirit was instantly energized. Casey appeared next with an old-fashioned stretcher. Working together, they placed James’ unconscious body on the simple canvas and wood conveyance and carried him into the Cave.
When the tunnel narrowed, they left the stretcher behind and shifted him between them, Casey holding the upper part of his body and Mach carrying his legs. Eileen led them, holding the electric torch to light their way. The going was awkward and they heaved a sigh of relief when they finally arrived in the inner chamber.
“Bring him to my alcove,” Sióg directed. “Mach, get a bowl of stew and some of the water from the stream ready. Eileen, help me wash him. Casey, get some of your clothes, you’re near enough in size. Dagda, contact Brigid and the others and make sure everything went well on their end, and tell them that we secured Ireland. Get going!”
Dagda grinned and murmured aside to Mach, “I must attract bossy women. She reminds me of Brigid.”
Mach returned his smile. “Aye. Spirit Keeper females are not known for their accommodating ways.”
“Mach! Dagda!”
“Aye, Sióg!”
* * * *
Manhattan , East 92nd Street
“Brigid, my sweet child, we’ve won! Mach told us of your capture of Nimhnach and his punishment at Ba’al’s hands. ‘Tis a great day!”
“Yes, father, we handed over Nolen to Ba’al as Aviva—” Her voice broke and she gulped. “As Aviva suggested. She didn’t want our hands sullied by his, by his—oh, father, Aviva was badly wounded by Nimhnach’s female companion. They’ve taken her t
o a Terran clinic where she can be helped. We almost lost her today.”
Dagda sucked in his breath. “Will she be all right? We almost lost someone too. Macalister, Nimhnach’s helper. He’s got only a thin grip on the real world. He saw what happened with Lorraine and Nimhnach.”
“Dagda? It’s Gabe. Brigid is finding it difficult to speak. She and Aviva, damn, all of us, and Aviva, have become very close. I don’t know about you, but we’re exhausted here.”
“Aye. But ‘tis a good sense of fatigue.” Dagda paused. “Have you contacted Donovan and told him?”
“Yes. Well, as much as I can. The success of the mission has been entered into the records for him to go over at his leisure.” Gabe chuckled. “Code Talisman is a damn good tool to have. I had a helicopter out at Nimhnach’s place in less than ten minutes to take Aviva to a KOTE clinic. She’ll pull through, but it may be a long haul.”
Dagda laughed on a dry note. “Probably just in time for another fight.”
“Exactly.”
Dagda cleared his throat. “I was going to tell Mach, but I think you, Ethan and Brigid should know first. Sióg and I have joined and…” He couldn’t keep the jubilation from his voice. “I’m free of the Cave! Well, not really, but close enough! I can travel to the domain of the Spirit Keepers! Sióg figured out that since the tunnels all lead down eventually to the Spirit realm, it’s still part of the Cave.” His voice hushed. “I’ve seen clouds again and trees. Tasted fresh fruit and smelled flowers growing from the ground.” Gabe could hear tears in Dagda’s voice. “And though they haven’t many of them, I’ve heard the laughter of children again. I’ve made love on a blanket of grass and kissed a woman’s naked flesh by the banks of a crystal lake. Tell them, Gabe.”
Dagda broke the connection and Gabe stared at the phone in his hand.
Brigid had rushed upstairs to their bedroom where Ethan lay drained of strength on the bed. They’d just gotten back in from the clinic when Dagda had called. Ethan had dragged his weary body to their room, still reacting to Aviva’s near death. When the phone rang and they saw it was Dagda, he and Brigid went to the study to take the call. Now, he was alone after Brigid had left to find solace in Ethan’s arms.
He straightened his shoulders. For the first time in months, he felt totally at peace. The greatest battle he had ever fought in his life for KOTE had been won. Evil had been defeated. In Ethan, he had gained a true friend and brother, another part of himself. His love for Brigid had grown and changed, and expanded to include a man for whom he’d give his life, as he knew that Ethan would give his for him.
Two new groups of Terrans had been brought into the fold, and a most unlikely alliance had been forged with the fluichlari demons.
And perhaps of greatest importance to his cothrom foirfe, to Ethan and Brigid, the ones with whom he shared a perfect balance, an ancient curse had been lifted.
He strode toward the other two parts of his heart to tell them the joyous news.
The End
About the Author
I’m a native New Yorker, born and bred in Brooklyn, married for thirty-odd years (and they have been odd) to my high school sweetheart. Is it any wonder I became a romance novelist? I now live on a mountain top in rural Pennsylvania. Although we haven't been blessed with children, we've had the pitter-patter of little Tibetan Terriers paws throughout our married life. I play guitar and studied voice privately with a coach from Juilliard. I sing everything from folk music to Grand Opera-in ten languages including Gaelic and Hebrew.
Visit my website at: http://www.jeannebarrack.com
Earth Awakened
Terran Realm
Rae Morgan
First Published 2009
ISBN 978-1-59578-364-6
Blurb
Keepers and Protectors join together to control the power unleashed against Mother Earth.
Earth Keeper Lily Redfern, a dedicated scientist and unworldly young Terran woman, is the chosen Earth Talisman. Struggling to stop an earthquake threatening to split North America in half, she is aided by Carr Madoc, the Protector-Consort chosen to guard and strengthen her.
Protector Carr Madoc doesn’t understand how his mind can span two thousand miles to aid Lily. He simply knows the only way to give her the energy she needs to survive is to make her his … mind, body, and soul. He must heal her fear of men and show her the key to her own power is rooted in their passion for each other.
Autumn Brody has lived a nightmare of abuse ever since Algernon Brody, who is evil incarnate, murdered her parents and took her as his bride. Trent Steed, Brody’s aide, has fallen in love with Autumn and plots her escape. Brody throws the world into chaos in order to emerge as its savior, and Trent must fight to protect Autumn and their newfound love.
When Brody’s evil plans initiate the beginning of the end, only the Talisman couples, forged through love and courage, can stop Armageddon itself.
Chapter One
Monday, 10:30 a.m. (EST) An archeological dig in southwestern Indiana
Lily Redfern scraped at the rich, dark earth covering what she suspected was the mound’s stockade, a fortifying wall that surrounded the central portion of the ancient site’s structures. Moaning, she arched and rubbed at the pain nagging her lower back.
Resting for the first time that morning, her expert gaze swept the dig site. The ancients had chosen well. The ancients in this instance were Terrans, or Mississippians as the humans had named the prehistoric mound builders. From the top of the mound, she could see for miles. The elevation allowed for easy access to the wind and water; subterranean aquifers as old as time were buried deep within the Earth, and the Ohio River was a mere ten miles to the south. In the distance, the mighty, life-giving river gleamed like liquid fire under the bright spring sun. Earth energy, her elemental affinity, was also abundant, and ley lines deep under the ancient site hummed and buzzed with power waiting to be plumbed.
The element of Spirit ran strong here. This was a place of power, of Earth magick. And, under all the wrong circumstances, it was a site of potentially horrific destruction.
A sharp pain traveled her spine, exacerbating an ache in her temples. She gasped. Something was horribly wrong, more than an aching back from bending over too long at the dig, more than the subtle head pain that had grown fiercer as the spring morning had passed.
Taking a drink of water from her ever-present sports bottle, she used her five normal senses and searched for anything out of place. Finding nothing, she tapped into her essence, the spirit at her core that made her a Terran Earth Keeper, and sent it down into the earth.
Sounds of grinding and crashing spoke to her psi and tore through her mind like a tornadic wind. These were the sounds of an Earth in the early stages of tearing itself apart. She cried out as the Earth’s pain more fully invaded her body. Bending over, her head touching the ground, she clasped her arms around her middle. She groaned as the intense heat and nausea roiled through her. With deep, calming breaths, she managed not to lose what little was in her stomach. Consciously, urgently, she dissipated the energy she’d absorbed from the cataclysm shaping up many kilometers below the surface. The excess power excited the air around her. The resulting mini-whirlwinds teased her hair loose from the tightly woven French braid she habitually wore on a dig.
Shoving at the escaping strands, she struggled to her feet. Arms extended to each side, she reached with all her Earth Keeper magick and searched the ground beneath her feet once again. And, again, she found the signs of major seismic activity.
“Impossible,” she muttered. There had to be a mistake. It was inconceivable. This was not a normal quake for the area. Not normal at all. It was too deep and portended to be too strong.
Glancing around, she located the other, mostly human, members of the dig. They stood by the chieftain’s structure at the uppermost part of the mound. She’d purposely chosen to dig away from the rest today. She had problems—she guessed attempted rape would be considered a problem—with the
excavation team’s leader, Darcy Miller. Miller was a Terran like herself, but of the Protector class with an affinity to Earth.
No matter what he was, he’d always been a Class-A jerk and a thorn in her side. But lately he’d surpassed his asshole status and graduated to a stalker, pressuring her to have sex with him. Last night, he’d taken the decision out of her hands. He’d sneaked into her room at the small motel in town and sought to rape her while she slept. She suspected he’d drugged her soda at the evening meal since she slept so deeply. Luckily, a sixth sense and fear-induced adrenaline roused her enough to fight him off before he fully entered her.
Images of his leering face and large, muscled body as he lay on top of her played behind her eyes in a repeating loop. Over and over—her own personal horror film. The marks from his fingers bruised her arms; his attempt to enter her left even more bruises on her mons. The stench of his sweat lingered on her skin even after two showers and liberal applications of her favorite body lotion and perfume. But what was worse was his odor; it was so strong, fetid, she could taste it. Gagging, she reached for her water bottle and took a long draw from it, washing away the remembered taste, wishing she could vanquish the memories as easily.
No wonder she’d chalked up her early morning headache and impending sense of dread to the violence perpetrated upon her. But she’d been wrong. Maybe fatally wrong. What had caused her physical and mental distress was much worse than being attacked.
Far beneath her, the Earth was self-destructing.
She dissipated the seismic energy automatically, attempting to halt the progress of the quake before it reached the surface.
“Lily!”
The masculine voice filled with rough machismo and overbearing conceit caused her racing heart to speed up even more. She looked up. Darcy waved at her then headed her way, with a self-satisfied smile on his smarmy lips. The bastard acted as if nothing had happened, as if she’d wanted his sexual advances.