by Dee, Bonnie
He’d never observed such giant-sized courage in so frail a package.
Pride, possessiveness, lust, and emotions so varied and intense he couldn’t even give them a name, poured through him. His naturally strong instinct for survival expanded geometrically. He vowed to protect her—protect both of them—so he could claim her.
Hell, he’d heard of the instant connection some Terrans felt for their perfect complement, but he’d never known it to happen in real life. His parents’ union had been an arranged match; they’d agreed to get along for the sake of perfect genes and pure Protector bloodlines, but he’d never seen any real affection between them. For sure, he’d never expected to find his mate—especially at the beginning of the end of the world.
Carr maneuvered his astral body lower, almost touching her physical one.
His woman was pale, fatigued, and on her last scrap of energy. Yet, she wasn’t giving up. Her bravery and fortitude glowed around her, an aura tinged pure golden white. She warmed his soul as well as exciting his libido.
He’d seen plenty of Earth Keepers work a quake, but nothing like this. If she didn’t have help soon, she’d die—all her power, her life source had bled into the ground. Then the gods help the humans and Earth, because he knew as well as he knew his own name this quake was only the beginning. Everything he’d recalled about the Book and his own gut feelings told him: Evil was afoot.
He just hoped the Book’s prophecies were true—that he was the “one” Protector, the Consort of the Earth Talisman, because if he weren’t, this part of the world would be a dead wasteland in a matter of minutes.
Reaching for her astral body with his, he enveloped her within his protection. His essence sought and found her Keeper essence deep within the ground where he supplemented her waning strength with his deep well of power. I’ve got you, Talisman. Hang on.
What? What! Who are you? Her astral body struggled against the web of energy he’d woven around her.
Shh, love, stop fighting me. You’re wasting time—and energy. Focus on the amulet and your power. I’m adding my strength to yours. We have to stop this quake before all hell breaks loose.
The woman laughed weakly. Hell has already arrived. Armageddon is right around the corner … I don’t think I can … stop it … that is … not unless you have some really major Earth powers to add to mine.
Just trust me—we can do it.
Her head turned, seeking him on the real plane. A frown creased her pale ivory forehead. The expression on her face was filled with doubt—and pain. I can’t see you, but I feel you. I’m going crazy.
Then we’re going nuts together. A slight smile creased her full lips. Concentrate. I believe in you—in us.
As exhausted as she had to be, she managed to dig even more deeply into her core and increase the level of quake energy she absorbed from the depths of Earth.
Merged with her, Carr was fascinated at her meticulous work under pressure. All around her fragile physical body, strata of rocks that hadn’t seen the light of day since Pre-Cambrian times shot through the surface like a giant set of pick-up sticks. Except in this instance, the sticks looked more like parking garage ramps. The massive amounts of energy released by the quake stirred the air and strong straight-line winds alternated with mini-tornadoes of dust and debris, toppling trees and carrying them away. The landscape was colored in sepia tones from the swirling clouds of dust. Geysers of water shot into the sky from aquifers long buried deep within the limestone substrata.
And through it all, his Earth Talisman, silken ebony hair flying in the wind, torn from a ragged braid, rode the ground like a seasoned bronco rider while her precious life essence sought the depths of Earth in an attempt to quell the storm.
Even without his help, she’d reached the depth of five kilometers and had diffused megatons of power into harmless ripples. She’d decreased what CNN had called a magnitude 9+ quake down to one around 7.5. Yes, there would still be major destruction and a rearranging of the topography of this area of the United States, but she single-handedly had lowered the death toll considerably. Even if she weren’t the Talisman, KOTE would deify her for this day’s work.
Now all he had to do was help her reduce the damage even more while keeping her alive.
I’m not sure I can go any further.
Her mental touch wavered and barely tickled his senses. She was weakening again.
Yes. Yes, you can, soothed Carr as he projected even more of his seemingly unlimited amount of strength into her through their mental connection. It had to be the amulet providing all this extra power. He couldn’t ever remember having this kind of pure force flow through him before.
Sensing her shiver, his astral body snuggled her corporeal one. He swore he could feel her just as if he held her physically. With disembodied hands, instinct had him tugging her body even more closely into his. He stroked her, warming her. Warming him. She shuddered against him, hesitated, began to move away, then with a sigh that pierced his soul, melted into him. Her acceptance of his “touch” trebled their merged power. Together they plowed through another kilometer of bedrock in less than a second, processing, repelling, and dissipating the destructive energy of the tectonic shift.
What did you do? Her husky voice was a whisper-soft breeze in his mind. His cock, with a mind all its own, hardened.
I’m not sure, but it worked. Just keep going, he murmured, stroking her back with incorporeal fingers. I feel your strength. You can do this. You are brave.
Both her astral and physical bodies trembled at his words, at his gentle massage. She nodded and soldiered on.
He hugged her closer. Even in the alternate reality in which they worked, her curvy rear snuggled his cock. Her ass was firm, a prodigious work of feminine art. His single-minded penis hardened to what felt to him like titanium steel. He swore he could feel the intense arousal in his real body, thousands of miles away. Carr chuckled at the image of his cock sticking out of his Army-issue BVDs. Ike probably wondered what the hell was going on.
Shaking his head, he returned to the task at hand—directing his thoughts and energy to supplement his woman’s power. There’d be time for sex—later. If they lived.
Yet his resolve was tested.
Crossing from the real plane to the astral, her scent, a combination of lemon grass, vanilla and amber, tickled his senses. His cock grew even harder. She smelled yummy. How would she taste? Could he taste her during an astral plane experience?
He nuzzled silky black locks away from her neck and nibbled at a small spot behind her ear. He groaned. Yes, he could taste as well as smell. She tasted like lemon shortbread cookies. He licked a path from her ear along her jaw to the corner of her lips. She trembled within his grasp, a tremulous feminine moan rustled through their mind connection. A potent surge of energy swept through their joined essences.
Shocked, but pleased at the unexpected result, he experimented to see if he could reproduce it. Carr revisited her earlobe, biting it gently, licking away the pain, and once again their merged energies spiked.
What in the name of Gaia are you doing? she asked, her voice tremulous.
Carr murmured, Experimenting. He licked and nibbled a tendon on her neck. She moaned, a low, guttural sound that reverberated through his body to his very soul. Again their power increased.
Stop that! I’m trying to save this part of the world—and you’re making sexual moves on me? Are you a pervert? Or just stupid?
Shhh. Something tells me this is the way to save the world.
Chapter Two
So, I’m supposed to lie back and think of saving the world while you fuck me on some alternate plane of existence?
Put like that it seems so crude, but basically the answer is “yes.” He chuckled. Didn’t your parents explain the birds-and-bees approach to energy when you were in puberty?
Her mental groan told him all he needed to know. They had.
Procreation—or at least the act leading to procreation—was o
ne of the most powerful energy joinings in the Terran world. All Terrans were taught the act of sex, both on the real and astral planes, was a way to increase their natural energies. Mated Terran couples worked more strongly and efficiently together; thus mating with other Terrans who shared your elemental affinity was highly encouraged.
Keeper-Protector couples of the same element were the strongest pairings of all. It was a selective way to keep the elemental powers pure and stronger. It was only logical that a Talisman-Protector coupling would be of the highest energy level.
Carr’s gut told him that to make it to the core of the quake, ten kilometers down, and survive while doing it, they needed to have sex. Lots of it. Sex on the real plane would be the best, but astral plane sex was an adequate substitute.
Fine. Just do it. Through their mental link, she’d followed his thought processes and concurred in the logic of his conclusion. Yet she sounded resigned—and something else. Both her physical and astral bodies shrank in upon themselves as if for protection, belying her agreement. Clearly, she was more afraid of the act of sex than she was of the quake.
Don’t you like sex?
An uncomfortable silence. Not really.
Images flitted through his mind. Her memories, not his. A large man cast in shadow. Bruising hands. Heavy weight. A feeling of smothering. An acrid smell of sweat. Pure Earth energy used to defend. Fear. Pain. Promises of retribution. More fear.
Growling in the back of his throat, his words were forced through clenched jaws. Someone hurt you?
It’s not important right now—just … just … do it. I can’t hold on much longer—and neither can the Midwest.
But what happened to her was important. Some fucking asshole had abused her. She suffered from post-traumatic stress. His little Talisman was a wounded soul—and what they needed to do would cause her even more pain, more trauma.
Carr’s Protector instincts battled primeval territorial imperatives telling him to protect, to seek the bastard, to avenge immediately the attack against his woman. Precious seconds passed as he subdued the berserker rage blasting through him.
Redirecting his anger, he poured his fury’s energy into their joint battle against the quake. Survival and securing the greater good was their priority. After they finished this fight with Earth, after they survived, Carr would seek out the son of a bitch and make it brutally clear no one touched his woman.
Protector? She sighed. Forget him. He’s nothing. Just do what needs to be done. We don’t have much time.
So brave.
No … just realistic.
Nodding his understanding, he pulled her even more deeply against his astral self. He shuddered in ecstasy. She was all feminine heat, a silky flame burning his mind and body. He rubbed his turgid length along the seam of her firm ass. He surged through her jeans as if they didn’t exist, into her tight, moist passage from behind. He groaned at the fire in her core; if it felt this good on the astral plane, he might not survive an actual physical joining.
A jolting shudder passed through her, shocking him out of his enjoyment. Terrified thoughts flew from her mind to his. She gasped, hyperventilating as she struggled against his ephemeral hold. She was in pain. He felt it as if it were his.
Pain? What had the fucking bastard done? And how long ago?
A stray thought told him all. The man hadn’t merely touched her. He’d manhandled her, bruised her, but not penetrated, thank Gaia—and the attack had occurred recently. He pulled the asswipe’s name from her mind. Darcy Miller.
Carr knew him. The piece of shit was, sad to say, a Terran and gave Protectors a bad name. Worse yet, Miller was a cowardly piece of dung with connections.
He soothed his woman with his hands and lips. I’m sorry, baby. Tears streaked her cheeks. He kissed them away between grumbling and swearing in four languages. He vowed then and there if Miller survived the quake, he was dead meat. Carr would not rest until he had Miller’s weasely neck in his grip.
Turning his full attention toward soothing and seduction, his astral body pushed into her bruised body as slowly as he dared. He didn’t want to hurt or traumatize her any further. It would be a fine balance between her fears of the sexual act and the overriding need to enhance their energy output. With each stroke of his cock, with each caress of his hands and lips on her astral body, their powers increased exponentially.
And Gaia, bless her, his little Talisman bore his sexual moves with all the courage she’d shown in fighting the cataclysm, sacrificing her fears for the safety of all life.
And, the gods help him, she felt good—better than good. It was as if she were made just for him. Her body was sleek female muscle covered with baby-soft skin. Her sex was tight—and all liquid heat—just for him. Her untutored reaction to his lovemaking was telling; she’d had little experience. And what experiences she’d had previously, he sensed, had all been unpleasant. His little Talisman had run across some real assholes. That would all end now. She had him—and he protected what was his.
Maybe he’d kill Miller for days.
If it were any other day or time, he would quit what he was doing and leave her alone. She deserved to be wooed gently, but logic bolstered by genetic memory and the Book’s prophecies told him the quake would not go away without the power their sexual congress would create.
Carr needed to bring his sexually reticent Talisman to at least several power-producing orgasms to shut this quake down once and for all. His woman moaned at his thoughts, moving away from him mentally, spiritually and physically. The loss of her heated channel had him growling. Her fear tasted bitter against his tongue. Just relax, baby. I won’t hurt you. Not like he did. Relax into me. That’s it. So good, so brave. Trust me. He rubbed her back in long soothing strokes, peppering kisses along her shoulders. No one, human or Terran … or the fucking gods themselves … will ever hurt you again. I swear on my family’s honor.
She sighed, then hesitantly leaned into him, nestling against him, accepting his aching cock once more. I know you speak the truth. I feel it. I feel our joined power increase with the … uh … intimacy. We’re gaining on the quake. I’m not scared. Really.
Beautiful little liar, he rasped as he licked and nibbled down her spine, his hands holding her hips steady for his thrusts. I’ll make it good. I promise.
It’s strange—but I do trust you.
With her acceptance of him, the energy exchange between them trebled and poured from their joined astral bodies, feeding their essences deep within the bowels of Earth.
Breathing a sigh of relief, he silently thanked the gods for choosing him to be the Protector-Consort of such a brave woman, and promised to treasure her for as long as the gods and Gaia gave them.
Escalating his lovemaking, Carr reached around to fondle her generous breasts, revisiting the sensitive spots behind her ear and along her neck with his lips, teeth and tongue. Her nipples puckered at his ministrations. He bet they tasted sweet and tart like lemon drops.
She moaned, this time with pleasure and not pain, telling him she liked his actions.
Their energy now trebled with each caress, each lick, each nibble.
Stroking down her body, he fingered her clit while his cock moved slowly in and out of her tight, moist channel. In and out, he gradually sped up. Her hips moved back to meet him. Her vaginal muscles now attempted to keep his cock inside her body. Her guttural moans came on top of one another as he increased his rhythmic thrusts. His groans and grunts provided a counter-lyric to her sexy sounds.
Her tension communicated itself right before she screamed and succumbed to a petit orgasm. One of the many he planned to give her now—and well into the future. If he hadn’t been sure she was made for him before, he was absolutely positive now. She responded to his every touch as if they’d been created for one another—and according to the Book, they had.
Growling deeply in his throat, he fought to hold back his own climax, knowing they were nowhere near finished. The world around them st
ill shifted and rearranged itself. Some primordial memory told him they needed to bring the quake almost to a standstill before he could take his final pleasure deep within her, killing the quake once and for all.
Please, I can’t do that again, she gasped. It’s too much.
Did I hurt you?
She shook her head. No … it was too much … too much feeling. I’m so tired.
I know, baby. I’m sorry, but, he nuzzled her neck, we’re not done yet. Sweeping some silky strands aside, he nipped the nape of her neck, then kissed away the sensual pain. The source of the quake is still two klicks away.
She nodded and sighed, arching into him when he swiped a finger over her clit. Her sigh evolved into a drawn-out moan as he licked his way from her neck to her shoulder, his finger rubbing her clit in firm, circular strokes.
As he gently sank his teeth into a spot between her neck and shoulder, he thrust deeply. She screamed and arched into him when another, more powerful orgasm overtook her. Her reactions were so natural, so sensual. He thanked the gods that Miller’s recent brutality had not damaged her innate sensuality irreparably.
You know, this isn’t a natural quake. It was induced, she murmured in a sexy, gasping voice that stroked his nerve endings like the finest raw silk.
How do you know? His shock at her statement momentarily halted his hip action. The quake attempted to regain the ground it’d lost.
Driving into her once more, he slowly withdrew. He flicked her swollen clit with his finger and stuck his tongue into her ear, mimicking the movement of his throbbing cock. She climaxed again, shuddering violently against him. He held her tightly, nuzzling her hair.
How do you know, little Talisman? He stroked her sides. He cupped her breasts. They were made for him, filling his hands. Later, he would spend hours tasting her breasts alone.
I can sense the patterns. She babbled incoherently as yet another sexual peak was reached. The, uh … quake rhythm was too steady … not fractured like an … um … tectonic shift of a normal fault. Oh shit, please … please… Another peak was reached and she screamed. Uh … um … the L-waves were too regular when they broke the surface… the S-waves, too fast. Oh, shit, shit, shit! Aaahhhhh! She screamed and moaned, trembling within his arms in orgiastic pleasure.