Jag knew that Rock didn’t want the extra responsibility of an Atan, a wife, right now. The lives they led would put her in much more danger than if she’d lived her human life oblivious of their kind. But, with the portal opening, those descendants of the ancients would be drawn to this place, to the Midnighters, and it was their duty to keep them safe. Jag didn’t mind the idea. To come home to a woman waiting for them, there to serve their needs, and a soft body for him to share with Rock and curl up against at night. He was looking forward to it. They would make sure she wanted for nothing and lived to care for them.
There had been many legends written about this time when the portal opened again. It’d been written that others would try to claim their women for their own selfish gains. That destroying the descendants of their people would protect the Kimil’s claim on this world. A claim that Jag had begun to notice having an impact on the delicate balance of the Earth. The Kimil had almost destroyed their world by covering it in a substance that didn’t carry the same energies. The Midnighters drew on the abundance of energy in their world for strength and protection. They and their people were very in-tune with the energy that flowed through their world and were able to manipulate it to varying degrees. The Kimil had closed themselves off from the natural energy in their world and essentially starved an important part of their life. Their world was on the verge of suffocation and Jag had seen a number of similarities to what was happening with the Earth. The Earth’s energy wasn’t as strong as on his home world of Lu’um and the people here didn’t seem to have an idea of their Earth or how to tap into its energy. They were apparently so focused on creating new sources, they were killing their strongest natural asset.
Jag had caught a shadowy glimpse of her as they approached, but then she disappeared. Both he and Rock had excellent night vision and what he saw made him hungry for more. She had long, powerful legs he wanted to feel wrapped over his shoulders and thick, dark curly hair that would spread out over their pillow. Given her strength when afraid, he imagined that her passions would run hot and powerful as well.
Rock laid a hand on Jag’s shoulder and jerked his chin to the right. Jag nodded, knowing that Rock didn’t want to speak and risk his voice carrying over the rocks. Who knew where she’d chosen to hide? She might be five feet in front of them or still running across the desert floor. Jag nodded and they clasped arms. The moment their forearms touched a fine light danced along his skin, following the matching marks on his and Rock’s arms. It was more than the simple tingle he usually felt. That’s new. They’d been born with those marks. Every Midnighter was born with them as a sign from the gods of their destiny. When you clasped arms with the man meant to be your warrior brother, the marks lined up perfectly. Every Midnighter was able to share energy with his warrior brother through these unique markings.
Rock looked as surprised as Jag felt, but the phenomenon was something to be discussed later. Jag felt empowered as he slowly crept around the boulders. The rain had already started to lighten as the storm moved by. Lightning illuminated the sky in the distance, but it wasn’t as bright anymore and the thunder delayed. He brushed his dripping hair back out of his face with his hand and listened carefully for her. As the storm moved away he felt a shiver of awareness over his skin. The markings on his arms tingled as if he still had his arms clasped with his warrior brother. He felt the hair on the back of his neck tingle. He was being watched. Only, was it her or someone else?
Feeling as though they didn’t have as much time as they thought, Jag moved quicker but paid attention to the area around them. Raindrops pattered lightly against the rocks around him and the ground was slippery and it was harder to get secure footing as he eased his way up the incline. The rain had washed away any sign of her passing, although Jag knew she’d been this way. He knew that Rock was angry at her attack, but he hadn’t spent as much time getting to know this culture as Jag had. Women weren’t as protected in this world as theirs. There were daily reports of violence against them and he had to admit he was impressed with her ability to bring two warriors to their knees.
She wasn’t stupid because she didn’t try to fight back. Her focus had been to escape and hide. A task she accomplished far too easily, but he and Rock weren’t about to let her go. She was in more danger than she could ever imagine right now and they needed to get her to safety. He stepped lightly over the uneven terrain. The storm would cover any sounds of his approach, but there were moments of deafening silence and the sound of his steps would echo around the massive rocks.
He placed his hand on one of the boulders and tried to listen to the Earth’s vibrations. This world had suffered enough damage that its natural energy was erratic and lacked the consistency of their world. He never realized how much he relied on his connection to the world around him until they’d crossed the portal into this one. Sometimes, like now, it felt as though he’d lost one of his senses. Breathing deeply and concentrating, he pulled at the natural aura of the area. For a brief moment he felt Rock and almost directly between them….her. Her fear sent his hackles up and his muscles clenched in response. An obsessive need to soothe pounded at him. Her terror was wrong and he needed calm her. An angry jolt ripped at him and he jerked his hand away from the solid surface of the rock. Panic jabbed at his heart. They weren’t alone.
Jag opened his eyes and quickly headed in the direction he’d felt the woman. Kimil were here and knew she was as well.
* * * *
Destiny clasped her hand over her mouth trying to muffle her panicked breathing. She’d backed herself into a small crevice between two massive boulders with a quick prayer there weren’t any dangerous animals in there already. The rough stone surface pressed against her hips and she knew if she backed up any farther she ran the risk of getting stuck and not being able to escape. She felt as though her heart was pounding hard enough for the entire world to hear its rapid thumping echoing in her ears. Water from the rain poured down the incline into her hiding spot as dirt and small stones fell on her from above her head. Claustrophobia made her hands shake more as she gripped the pepper spray and held it in front of her like a weapon. If one of them saw her she would blast them and run.
She’d already seen a couple shadows in the lightning pass by her, but so far her luck had held out. Neither of them had seen her. Thunder rumbled overhead and she gasped in a couple quick breaths hoping that the noise would drown her out. Each minute felt like an eternity as she waited. Could they’ve given up on me already and moved on? She strained her ears, listening for any noise under the sound of the storm, but she couldn’t make anything out.
The temperature had dropped with the sun, and combined with the rain she was starting to shiver. She knew that the adrenaline dump must’ve started to wear off because her thighs were screaming in agony and her face hurt. Reality began to set in and she wondered if she would survive the night. This hole was probably home to some nocturnal creature and she didn’t want to be here when it came back.
Clenching her teeth to stop them from chattering, she clasped the pepper spray tighter in one hand, pushed against the ground and tried to lift herself out. But her legs refused to cooperate and she slipped, wedging her hips tighter between the rocks. She would’ve tried again, but a mysterious feeling of danger crept over her skin, making all the hairs on her body stand up. She leaned back as far as she could and tried to remain invisible as a figure crept low to the ground and right across the opening to where she hid.
At first she thought it was a mountain lion, but another flash of lightning revealed black, scale-like fur, and incredibly long teeth. She blinked, wondering if she was hallucinating or her fear was creating images that weren’t real because there weren’t really panthers in New Mexico. Right?
It lifted its nose and sniffed the air around it, slowly turning its head in her direction. Its eyes were bright yellow and it curled its lips as it growled low at her. Dropping down, it stalked toward her hiding spot. Fear ripped through Destiny as i
t approached and for a moment she considered letting it kill her and saving herself from a long, painful death from exposure. Before she could finish that thought, her thumb pressed down on the button and she sprayed the animal right in the face.
The cat screamed and threw itself away from the opening to her hiding spot. Destiny ignored the pain in her hips and legs and pushed herself out from between the boulders and scrambled up the incline and out from between their protection. The rain had started to ease, but the ground was uneven and the rocks slippery as she navigated her way around them.
She felt a presence at her back a moment before a hand clamped down on her shoulder. She screamed and swung her arm up to spray the man behind her. His hand hit the nerve in her wrist enough to numb the feeling in her fingers and she dropped her pepper spray. Destiny tried to leap back out of the way, but her sandals slipped on the uneven terrain. There was a moment of weightlessness as she fell, but a sharp pain at the back of her head pulled her into darkness before she landed.
* * * *
Rock leapt forward and managed to snag the woman around the waist before she slipped between two boulders and over a cliff. He’d heard her head contact the rock face with a sickening crack and feared that she might’ve fractured her skull. “Jag!” The coppery scent of blood colored the air and Rock feared it might bring the attention of other predators to her. Keeping her pressed against his chest, he navigated his way to his friend. Jag was there a moment later.
“How badly is she hurt? I can smell blood,” Jag said as he pulled off his shirt.
“The side of her head, she smacked it against a rock face and knocked herself out.”
Jag moved closer and pressed his wet shirt against her head. “It didn’t occur to you to try to reassure her before leaping at her?”
Rock felt guilty enough for scaring her again, but this was exactly why he didn’t want an Atan. They were a liability. A pawn to be used by their enemy, who would know for certain that they had returned to this world. “She would’ve been better off if we hadn’t found her. She panics too easily.”
Jag looked at him as if he was out of his mind. “Sure, because she was panicking when she made you choke on your own balls right before she dropped me to my knees.”
“She was panicking,” he argued.
“Exactly.” Still holding the material against the side of her head, Jag pulled his communications device from his armband. They’d brought some of their own devices across the portal because the humans’ current technology couldn’t track them or listen in. “I’m afraid to think what her reaction would be if she’d been actually thinking about her actions.”
Rock didn’t want to admit that he was impressed at her instinctive reaction to what she perceived as a threat. A part of him wanted to get to know their Atan and looked forward to having a conversation with her. But, as their leader, he couldn’t risk his attention being divided or distracted at a vital moment.
Jag contacted Blade and gave him directions to where they were. The woman’s weight was almost insignificant and he wasn’t concerned about carrying her back to the portal, but with the injury they needed to get her to safety as quickly as possible. He was concerned about the head wound. She’d hit her head really hard and he wanted someone to look at it.
“I can’t tell where it went, can you?” Rock had lost the tenuous feeling of the Kimil moments before Destiny had leapt from her hiding space.
“I thought for certain I saw it, but I must’ve been mistaken,” Jag replied.
He and Jag moved in perfect tandem as they made their way back toward the road. The woman was far too still and Rock felt his anxiety rising. The rain continued to fall on them, but it had lightened considerably as the storm passed over them and continued on. A pair of headlights shone in the distance as they approached the road.
“Is she still bleeding?” Rock asked.
Jag moved the shirt slightly. “I can’t tell. It’s too dark.” Rock heard the anxiety in his friend’s voice. It echoed what he was already feeling. He glanced around them and Jag followed his lead.
“Do you feel like we’re being watched?”
Rock nodded his head in agreement. “It could be an animal we’re sensing.” But he would be happier when they were back in their world.
“I hope so.” Jag looked back at the woman as Rock scanned the area around them. “All this lightning confuses the small amount of energy I can pick up on in this world.”
The vehicle slid to a halt, its large engine rumbles almost drowning out those in the sky. Blade’s brother, Thunder, hopped out of the driver’s seat and ran around the front of the vehicle and opened the back door as they got close. “I got here as fast as I could. Blade said it was an emergency.”
“It is,” Rock replied as Jag jumped into the backseat. He carefully lifted the woman up to him before climbing in himself.
Thunder pulled the SUV around and headed back in the direction he’d come from. The engine roared as they sped up. “Who is she?” Thunder looked in the rearview mirror at her.
“In’tialóox, our third.”
Thunder’s eyes grew large and his skin paled slightly. “How badly is she injured?”
“Get us home, Thunder.” Rock didn’t want to speculate or think about how bad her head might be. If they could get to her to their healer then they might have a chance to save her. He wasn’t going to trust her to the doctors of her world.
Thunder focused on the road and the engine roared as he stepped harder on the gas.
Jag was brushing the abundance of curls away from her face and gently wiped some mud from her jaw. Rock was able to get a good look at her. Her skin looked flawless and she had a full lower lip that he wanted to press his lips against. She wasn’t as sickly thin as many of the women he’d seen on the TV and in the magazines they’d looked at when they first arrived in this world.
Her breasts were full and lusciously curved. A man could lose himself between them if he wasn’t careful. Her wet clothes stuck to her skin, highlighting the gentle curve of her belly and the dip to her waist. Jag held her in his lap, but her legs lay over his legs and his hand rested on the muscle of her thigh. He knew she was in shape, and given how far she’d walked she wasn’t weak spirited. The dull ache between his legs gave testimony to her sense of self-preservation.
He forced himself to look away from her beauty. He didn’t have time for a wife right now. A decade from now would’ve been better timing. They would see to her injuries and secure her safely in their home. That would give him and Jag the opportunity to drive the invaders back and allow them to properly protect the portal. Her appearance was no doubt the first of many women who might find their way to this area. He needed to think of a way to draw them to one place. Had he and Jag not been on this side of the portal they might never had known she was passing and she might’ve lost her life in the desert.
He looked to the road behind them, wondering again about the eerie feeling they’d felt before Thunder arrived. He’d noticed a few things that might prove that their enemies had already made their way to this world, but he needed more proof before destroying the portal for good.
Chapter Three
Destiny stretched as she slowly crawled up from the depths of sleep and rolled over to curl around one of her pillows. She felt incredible considering the frigg’n bizarre dream she’d had. Running through the desert being chased by two Leatherfaces and then hiding from panthers under centuries-old boulders. There had to be some meaning to all of that, but she was too comfortable to think about it overly much.
The last thing she remembered in the dream was smashing her head against one of the rocks as she slipped. Instinctually she lifted her hand and rubbed that side of her head with her fingers. Her hair felt crusty to the touch and matted together. Did I fall asleep with gum in my mouth? Oh, shit! I’m late for work!
She sat up quickly and blinked as she took in her surroundings. “Where the hell am I?” she muttered to herself, not entir
ely certain she wasn’t dreaming again. She was dressed in her dirty clothes, except her sandals had been removed, but she could see the dusty lines from the sandal straps on the top of her feet. She was lying on a bed of the softest material she’d ever felt. Sliding her fingers into her hair again she pulled at a clump that was stuck together. It wasn’t gum because it had dried into a lump. She pulled a chunk down the length of her hair and into her palm. As she poked at it with her nail, it flaked apart. It was a dark brick color and looked suspiciously like dried blood. Pushing her fingers past the matted mess, she gently poked at her skull expecting to feel some sort of scab, but there wasn’t any evidence of an injury.
More confused than ever, she looked around this dream room. The furnishing was simple but looked luxurious. The bed she lay in the middle of was monstrous and looked to be up on a raised area. Three large wardrobes sat against different walls on the other side of the room. She crawled down to the end of the bed and saw a large bench or chest at the end. There was a lounge, and a couple overstuffed chairs sitting in what looked to be a reading area by windows that stretched from the ceiling to the floor in an outward arc.
She loved this dream room and didn’t look forward to waking up, no doubt leaning against the rock. She crawled off the bed and onto the chest and slipped to the floor. The bed wasn’t on a dais after all. It was a big bed that sat high off the floor. She was tempted to peek underneath the material that lined the bottom and rested against the floor, but the last thing she wanted now was to get sucked into a childhood nightmare about creatures under the bed.
She moved over to the windows and looked out at a wonderland. Flowerbeds overflowed with a riot of colors and the grass was a vibrant green that looked like emeralds reflecting the sun. She pressed against a glass panel and it disappeared, startling her, but the fresh, fragrant breeze distracted her as it flowed into the room. The air was chilly but not icy cold. After walking in the desert for hours, she appreciated the cool, crisp feel of the air.
Davies, Corinne - Claiming Destiny [Midnighter Seductions 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 3