by Dee, Bonnie
I’ll find you no matter where you hide, Lily. Just be safe.
You too. I’m no Air Talisman, but the coming storm doesn’t look normal.
It isn’t—we’ve just heard. Don’t think about it—just hide. I’ll be there soon.
I know.
Carr’s voice faded from her mind, but she sensed his presence in the background of her thoughts, monitoring her through their connection. The sense of his continued presence was like a safety net; it gave her the extra courage needed to attempt the tricky climb to the cave.
“Damn it, Lily. Answer me!” Darcy’s voice screamed through the helo’s speakers.
Shit! Darcy was losing it. She pictured his pretty-boy face, burning crimson with anger, white flags of frustration around his pursed lips and along his cheekbones. Anger management was not one of Darcy’s virtues.
His ’copter flew away from the cliffs, out over the raging river, swinging around for another pass. From this new trajectory, he’d surely see her stuck on this ledge.
Lily looked anxiously to her right where the rush of water fell from the rocks to the river below. The waterfall was swift, so forceful that small rocks and other assorted debris loosened by the quake shot out along with the water. The thundering noise trifecta of the waterfall, the thunderstorm and the helicopter jet engines beat against Lily’s already tortured and sensitized body, making her dizzy and nauseated. She leaned over and gagged.
Sitting back, she wiped a shaky hand over her mouth. Damn, she had to get a grip.
Breathe, Lily. Carr’s ethereal hands stroked her back, soothing her. A short burst of warmth pulsed from her amulet into her body. Her gag reflex disappeared.
Taking Carr’s advice, she took small breaths until the world stopped swirling around her and she could see once more without wanting to vomit.
Once she was sure she’d regained control of her body, she eyed her path to freedom away from Darcy. Tricky but doable—if she were a mountain goat or a fully equipped rock climber. Since she was neither, she’d have to do what she could. Damn, she wished she’d signed up for wall climbing lessons at her gym.
“No guts, no glory,” she muttered under her breath, trying not to think of what it would feel like to land on the river’s rocky edge.
The sooner she started the better. Already the wind gusted so violently it would cause her problems. Grasping the amulet for courage, she received another shot of Carr’s strength. Since she wasn’t sure exactly how the amulet worked, she didn’t want to burn it—or Carr—out. She’d use the amulet sparingly, only when she needed a boost for an extra inch—or foot—or so.
She crawled to the edge of her ledge. Nothing had changed since she’d first awakened after the quake. The ground still dropped off, alarmingly so, straight down to the river. She had to cross a gap of six-to-seven feet of a sheer—wet—wall of rock to get to another small rock shelf. Oh to be a spider with sticky pads on her fingers and feet. Any hand or footholds she’d find would be untested and she’d have to make the crossing slowly, testing each and every grip in gusting winds and pouring rain.
At that point, if she made it, she’d be over halfway to the rocky ledge and the entrance to the cave behind the falls. To traverse the last gap, she’d once again have to cling to the side of yet another sheer, wet cliff wall. Much of that wall looked to be crumbling. One misplaced hand or foot and she’d fall over a hundred feet to the rocky river’s edge or into the raging Ohio itself.
She shivered, a combination of the now almost bitterly cold, wet winds and fear.
She glanced over her shoulder, seeking the enemy helicopter. Darcy was flying a search pattern over the banks of the Ohio River. Maybe he thought she’d fallen. Good. It would give her time to make the climb. Knowing Darcy, if he saw her, he’d do anything to grab her. She could … not … have … that … happen. Ever.
A cold, wet wind gust whipped the grit on the ledge around her. Through slitted eyes, she looked to the west. The sky was even more dark and ominous than a few seconds ago. Now, a blue-black curtain wall hovered over the horizon like a ravenous beast waiting to unleash its hungry cyclonic winds upon the unsuspecting mortals in its path.
The only good news about the potential for tornadoes was the strong winds would chase away Darcy. The bad? They would also keep Carr from reaching her.
The cave and its shelter were looking better and better, even with all the risk involved to get to it. Carr?
Yes, Lily. Are you okay? I feel your fear.
Looks like tornadoes in the area. You need to get to cover.
Not happening. Are you in the cave yet?
I’m, uh, close. Go. Come back after the storms pass. I’ll be fine.
I’m not leaving you. I’ll be with you soon.
Stubborn alpha-male—but she thanked Gaia he was. She really didn’t want to be alone.
Carr’s promise was the boost she needed to get off the damn ledge. If he could risk his life flying in such a storm, she could damn well get her butt to safety until he got there. Standing up, her head just brushed the overhang of the fortification as it jutted out over her ledge. She reached for and found a handhold about a foot away. Placing her foot on a jagged rock sticking out of the rock wall, she took a mental leap of faith and propelled herself off her perch. Slowly, cautiously, she found one handhold and foothold after another, inching her way ever closer to the safety of the next narrow ledge between her former safe haven and her goal.
Over the roar of the raging waterfall, she heard the sound of the helicopter. It was moving closer. She hesitated for only a second, then chose to ignore it. It had to be Darcy; he’d spotted her. If Carr were here, he would’ve used his mental link to announce his presence. She needed to stay focused on the task at hand. There wasn’t much Darcy could do to grab her off the side of a sheet of rock. He didn’t want her to fall—he wanted to rape her. She almost laughed at his dilemma.
“Damn it, Lily! Are you fucking nuts?” Darcy’s angry voice echoed off the side of the cliff wall. The bass vibrations from the speakers were so powerful that small rocks crumbled off the ragged edge from above and bounced off her body on the way to the waters below.
“Creep is gonna kill me,” she muttered under her breath.
“I’m dropping a cable with a harness. Clip yourself in. We need to get out of here. A line of tornadoes is coming.”
“Like I didn’t notice that, dumbass.” She reached for and found another set of hand and footholds. She moved another foot closer to her goal.
“Lily! You stupid bitch. Grab the damn cable and get up here!”
The ’copter was overhead now, just above the cliff drop-off. Just above her. The combination of the gusting westerly winds and the blasts of air from the rotating copter blades buffeted Lily’s small body, almost forcing her from the side of the cliff. She hugged the rock wall for all she was worth and inched ever closer to the safety of the rock ledge.
Finally, she made it.
The waterfall and its hidden cavern were only about six feet away now. But it was six feet across another gap just like the one she’d traversed. The weather conditions were worse than even a few seconds ago. It was so dark that only the flashes of lightning and the lights from the belly of Darcy’s ’copter lit her way to safety.
Chancing a glance upward, she saw Darcy inside the amber-lit cockpit, struggling to hold the helo steady in the erratic and increasingly stronger winds.
A dark blob dropped in front of her, startling her so much she almost slipped and fell from her narrow perch.
“Lily! Fucking grab the fucking harness. Now.”
Ignoring him, she edged over the small rock shelf and found her first hand and foothold to make her way to her cave and to safety from Darcy and the elements.
Now, if he’d only hang around long enough so she had enough light to see. If not, she’d do it by feel. No way could she stay in the open exposed to a tornado. If Darcy wanted to hang around and die, so be it. But she wanted to be out of t
he line of fire when his ’copter was tossed into the rock wall like so much trash. Buckling herself into the harness never even entered her mental picture.
The sound of another ’copter and glare from another set of bright searchlights startled her as she reached for her next foothold. Her foot slipped and she hung only by her hands. Her heart pounded furiously in her ears while she held on for all she was worth. Taking slow breaths through a constricted throat, she gingerly felt for a foothold with her left foot.
Slowly, baby. Move your left foot up and to the left about a foot—there, you’ve got it. Now, your right foot. Move it up about six inches. Good girl.
Darcy?
He’s leaving— The sound of gunfire chilled her even more than the strong breezes had. —with a little encouragement from an AK-47.
You shot at him?
Yes, is that a problem?
Only because you missed.
Carr’s deep chuckle trickled through her like a lazy river, rippling and winding until her whole body was bathed in his dark warmth. A bloodthirsty wench. Just my type. Careful, Lily, reach your left foot out about eighteen inches and you’ll be on a very narrow stretch of rock leading to the entrance behind the waterfall.
A searchlight from Carr’s ’copter illuminated the path leading to safety. She hadn’t seen the continuous narrow ledge originally, probably because of bad lighting and because it only stuck out from the wall about four inches. But it was like a walk in the park compared to her previous climb and led her quickly to the larger rock shelf leading behind the waterfall.
A fine mist from the falls caused her to shiver even more, but she was safe. Being cold and wet just didn’t seem to matter much.
I’ll be down in a few seconds. Move back into the cave, Lily. I’ll be coming in fast and hard. Got to get the guys out of here.
Be careful.
Careful is my middle name.
Lily hugged the wall and slithered behind the raging water. The air behind the falls seemed almost warm, but she knew it was because she was out of the wind. Once she got used to the new atmosphere, she would feel cold and wet again.
She moved back about four feet and turned to watch for Carr. The light from the ’copter filtered through the watery curtain and reflected off the damp rock walls.
The KOTE helicopter had hovered over the top of the cliff, right over the spot where the water shot out of a crack in the rocks. Stronger and stronger winds buffeted the fragile machine. The pilot must have arms of forged steel to hold the ’copter in one position. The ’copter suddenly bobbed and weaved.
She gasped. Would they crash?
The atmosphere behind the waterfall was charged. Electricity in the atmosphere was so strong that the smell of ozone filled the entrance to the cave. Lightning flashed, creating a light show on the rock walls around her. Thunder shook the cliff, crumbling rocks and soil, adding them to the other items already flowing with the waters.
No, there was more than thunder vibrating the earth. Another earthquake? Lily sought with all her senses. Yes. A small one. Two meters down.
Blocking out the world, she concentrated on sending out her essence, seeking to soothe the small after-quake. The shaking stopped as she dissipated the 2.5 tremor. Suddenly she fell to the ground where she huddled in upon herself, moaning with pain and exhaustion.
Time passed, but Lily couldn’t have said how much. The noise of the storm raging outside and the sound of the waterfall were white noise for her semi-conscious state. Then strong, warm arms surrounded her. She knew the feel of them, but then again not. The last time she had the male warmth at her back had been on the astral plane; this time he was real—and it was so much better. Her back was plastered against a warm, solid male body. Hot kisses touched her hair. Her ear. Her cheek. Her jaw line. Large, rough hands caressed her, both soothing and disturbing.
She cried out as she was lifted and turned into a strong embrace. Her puckered nipples through the wet shirt she wore met a fiery warm, heavily muscled chest. Her moan echoed his groan at the contact.
“God, Lily, I thought I’d never get back to you.” His husky voice vibrated over her skin while his kisses warmed each inch of skin they touched. “Are you okay?” He leaned back and scanned her with a concerned gaze. “Anything hurt?”
She shook her head. Her tired gaze took in the man who, according to prophecy, was hers for the rest of her days. He looked like a medieval warrior; he only needed a helm and chain mail to complete the image. His eyes were molten silver; his gaze on her, possessive. Black hair blew about his rough-hewn tan face from the breeze making its way into the entrance of the cave. A thin scar traced one high almost elegant cheekbone and disappeared into his temple. His blade of a nose was arrogant, warning her that she might be the Talisman controlling the power of the Earth but her Consort was the one who would wear the pants in their partnership. She shivered at that thought of how he would want to dominate her in the bedroom.
And, Gaia help her, he was all hers. She wasn’t sure she was woman enough for such a man.
He mumbled something under his breath—it sounded like “foolish woman”—then grabbed her for a scorching kiss. He tasted sexy and hot.
Breaking the kiss, he moved away just enough to capture her gaze with his. “Lily.” His deep voice held a note of concern that matched the expression in his fierce gaze. “You haven’t answered me. Are you okay?”
“Fine … now,” she said on a sigh. Yawning, she snuggled her head into the space between his neck and shoulder. She wanted to be as close to him as she could get—he made her feel better. “I’m tired. I had to put down a small quake. It took more out of me than I’d thought it would. Wanna sleep now.”
Feeling safer than she’d ever felt in her life, she closed her eyes and slipped into a deep sleep.
*
“Lily?” Carr whispered in a frantic tone. “Are you okay?”
Holding her against his chest one-armed, he laid two fingers against the pulse in her neck. Rapid, but slowing. Strong. She was merely asleep. “Poor baby. You’re all tuckered out.” He kissed her forehead and trailed small kisses down her nose to her cheeks and finally her lips.
She sighed against his mouth. He captured the sweet breath, then placed one more kiss on her full lips. She was cold, wet, and exhausted. Probably dehydrated and hungry to boot. He had to see to her basic needs first. Time enough later for cuddling and loving.
They’d definitely have time to get acquainted in their snug little cave. Mark and Donovan wouldn’t be able to get back to rescue them until after the massive storm system blew through—or was halted. The report Donovan had managed to get from KOTE headquarters was that EF-3,-4 and-5 tornadoes were strung along the length of the Midwest from the boundary waters of Minnesota down into north Texas. Tornado Alley was in the midst of the worst wave of storms since the deadly Palm Sunday storms of the 1960s.
This tornado swarm was Destroyer-induced. Claire had gotten the information to Brenna that an informant had relayed files and information to both coasts’ KOTE headquarters about Algernon Brody’s role in both the Indiana quake and the current storm system. The information had come in time to get Air Keepers on alert. By lessening the lower atmospheric conditions, they had averted a major catastrophe. But still the storms were serious, since they presented a double whammy on the already damaged infrastructure of the Midwest.
No matter how much the storms were lessened. Claire confirmed that the Book had started writing in passages about the next set of catastrophes. Even now, somewhere, an Air Talisman-Protector duo was arising, just not in the Midwest.
He couldn’t worry about the other couple. All he needed to do was take care of his Talisman—his woman.
The first matter of business was getting her ready to recharge her essence. Currently, her power reserves were so low he could barely sense them. Another quake like the one in Indiana would kill her. His biggest concern was that she wasn’t ready physically or emotionally for the sexual acts n
eeded to recharge her energy. He could only send her small amounts through the amulet and those mostly bolstered her spirit, giving her the courage or fortitude to do what needed to be done. It was how he helped her make the climb to the cave. It would take astral, and better yet, real plane sexual acts to fill up her energy well. And the sooner they had sex, the better, since another Earth emergency could happen at any time.
Cradling her in his arms, Carr edged farther back into the shelter of the cave, away from the wild curtain of water and its spray. Lightning lit the skies, making it seem more like noon and not near dusk. The reflected light filtered through the water, providing enough light for him to see the cave extended farther back than he’d first thought. Using his own Earth sensibilities, he probed the cave for structural fractures. He didn’t want to be caught in a cave-in from any after-quakes. He let out a sigh of relief. The cave was a natural limestone cave that had survived for eons. No fissures or cracks to worry about. He figured the early Terrans who’d settled this area had built their fortifications and mounds over the caves for reasons of security. He wouldn’t be surprised to find relics of their ancestors.
During his probe, his senses had found something else—there was also ley line power here. Lily and he could both tap into it, if needed.
Holding Lily to him securely with one arm, he pulled out the powerful flashlight he had put in his pocket. Turning it on, he scanned the cave as he walked farther and farther away from the light show preceding the storm front. After a sharp bend, the cave opened up to an atrium. It was dry for the most part, with a small stream flowing through it, a part of the aquifer feeding the waterfall. Good, they would have water, and with the survival pack he had strapped on before lowering out of the ’copter, they wouldn’t starve or be too cold.
Laying his precious burden on a dry, sandy area near the stream, he shrugged off the pack. He extracted a space blanket and placed it on the ground. Stripping Lily out of her torn and wet clothes was a test in patience and restraint. As he uncovered her, he cursed at the bruises and cuts on her body. None were life-threatening, which amazed him considering that within the last twenty-four hours she’d not only fought off a 9+ earthquake, but had also defended herself against Miller’s assault.