Terran Realm Vol 1-6

by Dee, Bonnie

  “The voice—I like to think it was Gaia, Mother Earth herself—called me by name, told me I was the Talisman. She voiced these words.”

  Lily read from the Prophecy: “This day and your coming have been heralded for eons.

  “Use the amulet. Focus on it. Use it to channel your protective power. Learn your power well … for the worst is yet to come. A dark one—a Destroyer—will wish to stop you. A Protector shall join with you as your Consort. Above all, remember this: The power of three will rule the day.”

  “Wow.” Claire let out a noisy breath. “Do you recall what the voice said to you, Carr?”

  “Not really,” he replied. “I thought I was dreaming. I awoke with a sense of urgency. I knew I had to be somewhere and someone needed me. It took my buddy Ike to remind me of the Book and its tales. I thought they were myths.”

  “Most Terrans do, Carr,” Brenna said. “We Wardens sort of slipped up in our duties in this technological world. It took multiple natural disasters in the ’80s, and—” Brenna looked at Donovan “—one very special man to revive our heritage. But still many Terrans don’t take the legends seriously, even with the requirement Donovan instituted in ’89 to teach them to the young ones.”

  “They will now,” predicted Carr.

  Donovan’s cell phone rang. “Yes?” He listened carefully, his face growing sterner. “We’ll be there.”

  KOTE’s leader’s face was grim as he snapped the phone shut. Lily was afraid her time of rest had come to an end. “That was the head of the Oregon Quake Team. Crater Lake is boiling. The Three Sisters are experiencing swarms of 2.0 and 3.0 shallow quakes and hot gases are seeping through the ground. The sense is something bad is coming. Whatever happens, it can’t be good for the region as a whole.”

  “What about the San Andreas?” Carr asked. “Isn’t that the greater danger along the West Coast? Won’t they need us here?”

  “Morrisey in Oregon says if the Sisters blow and Crater Lake follows, teratons of ash will cover the world. San Andreas will be moot. They’re looking at a major seismic disaster in the Cascades—beyond Krakatoa, beyond Pompeii.”

  No one spoke for several seconds as the horror sunk in.

  “This Morrissey, is he an alarmist type?” Lily asked.

  Donovan shook his head. “Old school. As conservative an Earth Keeper I’ve ever met.”

  She stood up. “My gut says we need to be at the Sisters sooner, rather than later. That’s the key to the whole southern Cascades. Carr and I will do our best to stop the quakes. You’ll have Fire Keepers there for any fallout if we can’t completely shut down the seismic activity?”

  “They’re already there and more are on their way,” assured Donovan. “We always keep Fire Keepers in the region. The Cascades aren’t called the ‘fire and ice’ range for nothing.”

  “While my gut may be in overdrive predicting volcanic catastrophes, I’ve never worked with quakes preceding volcanic activity before,” Lily warned. “I’m a Midwestern gal and the substrata are entirely different.”

  “We’ll update you on the jet. Morrissey knows your background and is sending his Cliff’s Notes version of volcanic quake activity and the geological make-up of the region. He’s looking forward to meeting you. He said, and I quote: ‘In all my one hundred years as an Earth Keeper, I’ve never seen such a masterful reversal of a quake of any magnitude as the Talisman did in Indiana. I will be honored to assist her in any way I can.’”

  Donovan grinned. “Trust me, that’s high praise coming from Morrissey. He’s what is commonly called a ‘curmudgeon.’”

  Lily smiled. “I’ll be happy for his assistance. Plus he also has to give credit to my partner. I couldn’t do anything without Carr.”

  Donovan looked from her to Carr and back. “The jet has a … um, private bedroom.”

  She blushed and kept her face turned toward Carr who growled. “Donovan, you’re embarrassing her.” Donovan opened his mouth, and Carr waved him off. “We’ll handle it, man. Don’t worry. By the time we get to the quake zone, our energy levels will be at their peak.” He grunted when she elbowed him. She buried her warm face in his chest as his arms came around her. “We’ll need privacy on-site also. And I mean on-site.”

  “Where? Close to the volcano?” Donovan asked.

  Carr nodded.

  “Isn’t that too risky?” Donovan said, concern on his face. “The ground will be in total upheaval if what Morrissey predicts occurs. Never mind the potential for a flow of melting snow and mud as the volcanic activity defrosts the snow cover.”

  “We’ll need to be on the ground as close enough to the epicenter as we can get without impeding the Fire Keepers and the other Earth Keepers,” Lily said, battling the urge to take her red face and crawl into a hole. She had to get over this embarrassment that everyone knew about her sex life. She’d rather battle a 6.0 quake single-handedly than trot her sex life out for public viewing. “I was about thirty miles from the epicenter of the Wabash Valley Fault quake.”

  “We might not need to be that close, baby,” Carr said. “This time I’ll be with you physically, so the energy produced by our joining should be geometrically magnified.”

  She knew Carr’s conclusion was just a guess but it made sense. She nodded, her face burned hotly. “Damn, this is awkward.”

  “Lily,” Brenna said, touching her arm gently. “We’ll give you all the privacy you need. And the prophecy is clear on this point—so none of the other Keepers and their Protectors will do anything to cause you further discomfort.”

  “She knows that, Brenna. As do I,” Carr said for the both of them. “But we’re on a learning curve. We aren’t sure what we’ll need to do, or for how long. So the best bet is to set up a place away from the other Terran teams present, but close enough to transportation so we can move if need be.”

  “So? No observation by Morrissey, I take it?” Donovan teased.

  “Hell, no.” Carr snarled, causing Lily to choke back a laugh. Her man was just as leery about public sex as she. That was good. Kinky in the bedroom was one thing—but not in public.

  “I’ll let Morrissey know your requirements,” Donovan said. “Probably a good thing he can’t observe, I don’t think the man has ever had sex, let alone watched someone else do it. He could have a heart attack on the spot.”

  “Donovan!” Brenna punched him in the arm. “That is so mean—but so true.”

  Everyone laughed. Lily couldn’t wait to meet this Morrissey. He must be a real character. She shivered, thinking about what might come.

  “We’ll be fine, little Talisman,” Carr whispered in her ear. “I have faith in us and in Gaia to get us through this.”

  “I love you, Protector, you always know just the thing to say to make me feel better.” She drew his head down for her kiss.

  * * * *

  Tuesday, 6:30 AM, EST, Brody’s Finger Lakes estate.

  Brody rested his chin on steepled fingers. He observed Darcy Miller. Ben’s son was a chip off the old block in looks and Terran power, but was a lightweight when it came to subterfuge. This youngster thought he could pull one over on a Spirit Keeper of his age and power? What an idiot!

  He let the younger Miller finish his string-of-lies report, then waited, allowing the silence to work on the younger man’s nerves.

  After a few minutes, Miller’s tension escalated through the roof.

  Brody smiled and finally replied. “Lies. All lies. Why don’t you tell me the truth? Why are you really here?” When Miller opened his mouth to lie once more, he cut him off. “Anh—don’t tell me you’re here to help me because your father told you to do so. You have your own agenda—what is it? Is it the woman? Redfern?”

  Many emotions crossed Miller’s face, but the strongest was anger.

  “Ah, you want the bitch for yourself.” Brody smiled. “Sorry, young man, she’ll be mine. Her power. Her body. Her soul. I have a need for a new mate—mine flew the coop with my traitorous former aide.”
/>   His sources told him the turncoats were even now on their way to the Gulf Coast to aid other Air elementals with a threatening series of potential hurricanes, unfortunately ones he had no hand in. Ben Miller’s words about the Gaia effect swiftly crossed his mind and were just as quickly dismissed. He blamed solar activity, not his scientists, for the Gulf’s piss-poor luck. Later he’d develop a plan to deal with his lovely bitch of a wife and Steed. But first, he needed to get Miller with the program and have the man kidnap Lily Redfern and kill her Protector/Consort.

  “Lily’s mine,” snarled Miller. “I saw her first.”

  The impetuousness of youth. Well, young Miller would learn who his master was—or die.

  Filling his voice with a combination of his Speaker and Singer powers, including a healthy dose of emotional poisoning, he said, “You will bring Lily Redfern to me—or I will eliminate you, your inept father, and any of your bloodline. Is that clear?”

  Of course, he had plans to force the younger Miller’s compliance already in place. He smiled, a slight twist to his lips, as he thought of his previously issued orders about the boy’s mother, the lovely Molly.

  Screaming, his hands over his ears, Miller fell from his chair while Brody’s power battered the young man’s brain into mush.

  “Is that clear, Miller?” Brody yelled, pouring even more power into his voice. So much power the room vibrated, causing several pictures to fall from the wall.

  “Yes-s-s s-stop p-p-please!” cried Miller, writhing on the floor.

  No backbone these young ones. Hell, even Steed, a half-human, had withstood his power better than Miller. This was almost no fun at all. What a wuss!

  Brody throttled down. He chuckled as Miller picked himself off the floor. Moving like an arthritic, aged human, the young man struggled to get back into the chair in front of Brody’s desk. His breath came in painful gasps. His ashen face lined with pain.

  Reaching across his desk, Brody shoved a bottle of water at the younger man. “Here, take a drink. After that, you swear your allegiance to me and we’ll plan how you’ll retrieve my Earth Talisman.”

  Miller nodded weakly and took the proffered bottle, drinking greedily. Coughing, he drank again, then swallowed. “I swear my allegiance to you—and will bring you Lily Redfern.”

  “On pain of death,” prompted Brody, his voice once again filled with crippling power.

  “On … pain of … death,” Miller stuttered as he dropped the bottle to grasp his head with both hands.

  Brody inhaled. Ah, he loved the smell of defeat and humiliation in the morning.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Tuesday, 4:30 a.m., PST, KOTE jet.

  The briefing papers lay on a side table in the private sleeping area of the KOTE jet. Lily had not said a word for almost twenty minutes. She was too pale, and looked too fragile for the job that lay ahead.

  Carr went to her and knelt by her side. Taking her cold hands from her lap, he kissed first one then the other, warming them with his breath. “Baby, what’re you thinking about?”

  She looked at him. Tears glistened in her eyes. “What if I fail?”

  “There’s no I, Lily. We’re in this together.” He gently squeezed her hands. “And I will protect you—and we will succeed. We can’t do anything else.”

  “Carr,” she whispered, “do you really believe that?”

  “Yes.” He stood, pulling her up with him. “Come on, baby. I locked the door. This cabin is soundproofed. I want to make love to you fully for the first time here, in a clean, safe place. I want to show you how beautiful you are to me. A rare gift who has come into my life.”

  “No matter what happens, Carr Madoc. Know you also are a gift I’d never hoped to find in this world. No man—none—has ever touched my soul, or me, the way you have. I love you.”

  Her smile blinded him. Her words touched the part of him that belonged only to her.

  His heart pounding with the knowledge that she soon would be completely his, he swept her into his arms and carried her the few steps to the king-size bed, the covers turned down to reveal pale cream silk sheets. He laid his precious burden on them.

  As Lily sat up and removed her clothing, he stripped, his eyes never leaving his woman.

  Her creamy skin glowed like the nacre of a pearl, marred only by the bruises she’d gained over the last twenty-four hours. He vowed to kiss every single mark, evidence of her bravery, soothing them with his lips and tongue. Her black hair, the color of a moonlit night, lay like a silken shawl about her shoulders, covering her breasts, allowing her dusky rose nipples to peek through. Her womanly scent, always tantalizing, grew stronger with her arousal. Lemon creme. Ripe peaches. Luscious sun-warmed strawberries. The fruits of summer. She was Earth’s bounty personified.

  “I’m so blessed,” he said, his voice husky with love and the unceasing awe that she had chosen to trust him with her love.

  Lily’s cheeks pinkened. While she might be embarrassed by his words, her grass-green eyes gleamed with approval as she scanned his naked body.

  His cock, hard, long and thick, jerked to attention in response to her examination. A spurt of pre-cum glistened on the tip. His balls tightened in their sac at her frank appreciation. Her gaze fixed on his cock, she licked her lips as if she recalled his taste from the night before.

  You taste like apples, she whispered through their link before reaching for him. Switching to verbal communication, she issued a command, her voice low and sultry. “Bring that luscious beauty over here.”

  Gods, he loved it when his little innocent talked dirty.

  He approached the bed, stroking his cock. “Baby, I love the way you suck my dick, but I need to come inside you.”

  It was more than a need, it was an imperative with all that was Protector. The lovemaking they had done on the astral plane had to be consummated on the real to join them fully. It was more than love, it was territorial—a marking, a claiming that would be clear for all other Terran males to sense, to acknowledge. Lily was his and his alone.

  “I sense your need, Carr. It is mine, also. Make me yours—I want no other.” Lily’s hungry stare fixed on his cock, a faint fleeting of regret passing over her face. She grinned. “Later, then. I mean, we do need to see which sex acts create the most energy, right?”

  He choked back a laugh. His little Talisman was turning out to be adventuresome. “Cocksucking Laboratory, huh?”

  His precious love blushed. Tearing her eyes away from his hard-on, she met his gaze, a wry grin on her lips. “I always loved hands-on lab experiments in school.”

  “Funny, so did I. One more thing we have in common.”

  They shared a warm smile. “Carr? Make me your woman.” She lay back among the pillows and soft bedding and opened her arms.

  “My pleasure, baby.”

  He edged onto the bed; then lay on his side, facing her. Leaning on an elbow, he used his free hand to stroke her body, tracing his way over her face, down her neck to her chest and over each breast. Her skin was so soft; her body, supple and firm. Her budded nipples tightened and begged for his kiss—and he could do nothing less than oblige, pressing a gentle wet kiss on each before moving to discover the rest of her. She made the sexiest purring noises as she arched into his sensual massage. “Like that, huh?” he said, his lips following the path his fingers charted.

  “Ahh, sweet blessed goddess … what’s not to like?” She nipped his chin when his lips sought her mouth.

  Kissing her lightly, reverently, he whispered against her lips, “I think you’ll like what’s coming next even better.”

  His lips nibbling hers, he stroked further down her toned abdomen, resting briefly over her womb, where one day she would carry their child. When he reached her moist folds, he gently parted them and inserted one finger, gathering the copious sweet cream and spreading it across her labia.

  She was hot and very, very wet. Gently exploring with his finger, he found her tight, so tight he groaned at the thought of a
ll that taut heat grasping his cock within her. He reminded himself that he had to be gentle this first time. She had little experience and all of it bad.

  He wanted her so hot, so damp, his cock would slide in easily and she’d only experience ecstasy.

  “Carr?”

  “Yes, baby.” He massaged her opening with his finger, gently stretching. Her scent was so luscious, his mouth watered, wanting a taste. He brought his finger soaked with her juices to his mouth and sucked it.

  Lily moaned. Her lambent gaze captured his. “Don’t worry so much—just love me.”

  “Lily.” He bent to her and breathed against her lips, his tongue tracing her mouth, sharing his taste of her. “Patience, sweetheart. I’m going to pet you for a while. Just relax—feel. I want to give you pleasure before I take you fully.”

  She groaned when he stroked a finger over her swollen clit. “My darling Protector, I’m more ready than you think.”

  “You need to be more than ready, baby. I want you to burn.”

  She arched into his petting, moaning low in her throat. “For the love of the Goddess, Carr, don’t tease.”

  His mind sought hers and found incandescent joy coloring her essence. He smiled. She was so receptive—just for him—only for him. He growled and inserted his middle finger and firmly stroked the inner membrane of her sex, searching for and finding the spongy G-spot. A couple of curled strokes of his finger and a little pressure on her clit with his thumb had Lily thrusting her hips into his strokes.

  She moaned. “Carr. Oh, damn. I want … no, I need—”

  Her inner muscles clutched at his finger. Fuck, he wanted to be in her so damn bad—but she wasn’t consumed by passion yet. He could hold on—he would even if it killed him.

  “Need what, baby?” He licked and nibbled her ear lobe. He now had two fingers inside her. Her clit was hard and engorged, throbbing against his massaging thumb. He increased the firm rotation of his thumb, eliciting a high, squealing gasp.

  “Oh, sweet Gaia! I want—” she reached for and circled his cock in a firm, not-going-to-let-go grip “—this … in me … now!”