The angel shrugged and bowed his head again. “Is it? For instance, you don’t even want to touch me.”
To his surprise, Eve settled onto the ground next to him. “Oh, no, it’s not that I don’t want to touch you. ” She paused and seemed to consider something. “If I touch you, would it have the same consequences for me as if you touched me?”
Aksariel shook his head. “Not unless you’re an angel of death too. So…if you’d like, please, touch me. You have my blessing.”
Eve raised her arms like she was going to hug him, but then stopped. Her expression darkened with suspicion. “This isn’t some kind of trick, is it?”
Aksariel frowned. “Honey, if you can’t trust an angel, who can you trust? I promise. I won’t lay a finger on you.
Now Eve smiled at him. It was the first time he’d seen her smile and the genuine warmth and sweetness pouring out of it at him just about slew him. He didn’t think she could rattle him anymore than she already had, when she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in the crook of his neck, he felt like he’d died and gone to heaven himself. It took all the self-control the angel had not to reach for her and envelope her in his embrace. He didn’t dare even blink at her, let alone move a muscle, but as her small hands briskly rubbed over his upper arms and she nuzzled his hair, he let his eyes close to better savor the euphoric sensation of her caresses.
“Oh! You poor thing! You are cold!” she exclaimed in a rather breathy voice in his ear.
“Hmm, I don’t feel very cold,” Aksariel murmured in all earnest. In fact, he felt like she’d just covered him with an electric blanket. Her long hair spilled onto his shoulder sending tickling tingles skittering over his skin. “Not anymore, anyway. Thank you for hugging me. I feel better now.”
Eve pulled back just far enough to gaze into his eyes. Her hand reached up and trailed down the side of his face. “You’re welcome,” she told him in a soft voice.
Aksariel gazed back at her with open fascination. “Eve,” he began, aware of how shaky he sounded and even more aware of how close Eve had inadvertently put her lips to his. “Kiss me. Then you can let me feel what it’s like to kiss a girl and I’ll let you feel what it’s like to kiss a boy. How about it? Do you want to kiss me?”
He’d barely finished getting his words out when she covered his mouth with hers, clutching fistfuls of his long hair on either side of his head to keep him imprisoned against her.
Not that Aksariel had any intentions of resisting her, the moment he felt her satin-soft lips press into his, he closed his eyes and sank his mouth over hers, indulging in her sweetness with a savoring thoroughness. Tentatively, he raised his hand and brushed his fingertips over her hair. She moaned quietly, but it was obviously not in protest. Encouraged, he stroked her face, tracing her brow and the curve of her cheek down to her neck. She didn’t pull away. She leaned closer to him, in fact. Aksariel’s senses were reeling as he wrapped his arms around her, his lips never parting from hers; pulled her into his lap. Eve shifted somewhat to make herself comfortable and then continued kissing him with a fervor that surprised and delighted him.
Slowly and with the utmost care, not wanting to startle her, Aksariel increased the pressure on her jaw, inviting her to open her mouth to him, and then boldly touched the tip of his tongue to hers, letting her experience the novelty of the sensation of deepening their kiss right along with him. He felt her tense slightly but then she groaned into his mouth with obvious pleasure and practically plunged her little tongue down his throat in response.
Aksariel’s heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it was about to leap out of his chest. There was definitely something to be said for having empathy. He was certain no one would ever accuse him of not having empathy after experiencing it like this, even though Eve was the one who had initially shown empathy for him.
“Wow,” Eve sighed, finally drawing away from his mouth after kissing the angel for several minutes straight. She gulped down a lungful of air and then broke into a huge, self-satisfied smile.
“Yeah,” Aksariel agreed, prying his eyes open. He wished he could think of something poetic and profound at this rather pivotal moment between them, but his head was spinning, his body was thrumming like an engine, and his skin felt so flushed with heat, the snowflakes falling on his cheeks actually burned. He took a deep, long breath and smiled.
He realized she still held handfuls of his hair, holding him captive to her lovely face, so he took the opportunity to dot her equally flushed cheeks with more kisses. “You’re so beautiful, Eve,” he whispered against her skin. “I can’t stop kissing you.”
Eve tensed in his arms, making him pause in his affectionate ministrations to peer with inquiry into her eyes. She peered back at him with a stern expression, unsettling him. He would have eased away from her but she continued to clutch his hair.
“Aksariel,” she sighed his name. “I thought you said you had never kissed a girl before.”
The angel’s lips curled upwards with relief. “I did say that. I’ve never kissed a girl, until now.”
Eve narrowed her eyes. “That was a really nice kiss.”
Aksariel’s smile widened. “You liked it, huh?” He raised his brow. “I wanted it to be special. One you’d never forget. I’ll never forget it. It was nice, wasn’t it? Now I know what all the fuss is about.” He paused and studied her face. She didn’t seem appeased at all. Then he realized what she had meant. “Oh! You think because it was nice that I’ve had lots of practice?”
Eve nodded.
Aksariel chuckled. “I said I had never kissed a girl. I never said I didn’t know how to kiss a girl.”
Now Eve smiled and nuzzled his chin. “Oh. Okay. For a minute there, I think I was jealous. Aksariel, do you think….” Her voice trailed off and she fidgeted in his lap, looking away from him briefly. When she faced him again, her dark eyes were smoldering with longing. “Aksariel, will you kiss me again?”
The angel of death blinked back at her. “If you want me to, I will. I think I’d like to, actually.” He hadn’t been expecting her to ask for another kiss, but he was glad she did. Then, there wasn’t too much about Eve he had been expecting. She had surprised him at every turn. He suddenly realized how he was holding her, touching her, and she wasn’t afraid. He tightened his grip on her small body nestled in his lap. “Eve. You’re letting me touch you. It isn’t so horrible, is it? How do you feel?”
“Happy,” Eve replied, tugging on his hair to bring his mouth closer to hers. “At peace. Now that I’ve kissed you, I feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven.”
Aksariel’s eyes fluttered closed. “Me too,” he said and exhaled a caressing breath over her lips before capturing them in his second kiss.
###
The Age of Atlantis
Signs in the darkness led the way to the Enlightened Path. The Oracle had to find the strength of will to follow the signs, no matter the pain and no matter the sacrifice.
As Oracle to the Mighty Ones, it was her duty to serve those in power, as decreed by law, but her heart was with her people, so the miracles that she performed were offered freely to those in need. To those who ruled she offered only what they deserved, which was difficult when she could hear their thoughts.
Telepathy was one of her many hidden talents.
“Priestess! Please hurry! He’ll find us if you don’t leave now!”
Lina sighed reluctantly as she gracefully turned away from her beloved Stones and exited her Grotto of Life. Her faithful handmaidens grabbed her and hurried her to her dreaded meeting with DeMere.
“DeMere the Dirty, DeMere the Despicable, DeMere the Dastardly...”
“Priestess!” her handmaidens yelled at her.
“Well, he is,” she muttered as she allowed them to drag her to her destination.
Two factions ru
led her land. DeMere ruled through force and deceit. The DeMere followers lived in terror. They lived in fear for their lives and they lived in fear for the lives of their families. Inner members of DeMere’s circle of power were dark minions whose energies overflowed with an unhealthy thirst for power, and they would do anything to achieve their goal. DeMere’s opposition, DomNall, had the qualities of a just and worthy leader, but DeMere was persuasive in his promises and lies and his numbers were growing. DeMere was suave and handsome and many couldn’t see past the perfection of his earthly shell. But the Oracle could see his warped soul, and hear his warped thoughts, and it was her job to protect her people, even if they made unwise and unhealthy choices.
Lina promoted and supported DomNall in every way possible, but he was old and therefore perceived as weak. She could read his sharp mind and wit, but even she could see that the battle was lost and a new strategy must soon be executed.
DeMere could never be allowed to know her true powers. He could only guess at half her strengths, and he coveted them all. The people were quick to sing her praises so it was impossible to hide all of her talents. Word spread quickly with each new healing and miracle. Her powers as a medical intuitive were legendary, but her expert knowledge and mastery of crystals and their uses was unprecedented. DeMere possessed an unusual capacity to read and manipulate people and he was an exceptional scientist. His plan was to manipulate Lina’s powers and create the ultimate weapon.
She would never let that happen, but he was closing in and time was running out.
“Ah, my beautiful Oracle, there you are!”
DeMere ushered Lina into his plush suites and motioned for her to sit next to him on a lavish sofa. She took a seat opposite him in a straight backed chair and sat with her back rigid. She would never let her guard down around him.
She could also see the future and she knew exactly what he wanted.
Every meeting with him was torture. Lina forced herself to pretend to be in alliance with him for to do otherwise would have been suicide. By law, the Oracle was only permitted to use her powers as directed by the leaders. The extra healings and charity work that she performed were sanctioned by the governing leaders, but the government directives must be performed without question. Lina knew that DeMere was gathering his forces, because the signs of doom were growing, and she knew that time was against her. Her duties as Oracle and mother to her son, Napan, kept her far too busy, and in all honesty, she tried to deny the warning signs. But she could no longer ignore it. The energy in the room was dark and forbidding. She could feel a horrific political storm gathering and she needed to calm herself. She couldn’t focus with this much negative energy so she imagined that she was dancing around DeMere. As she danced her long brunette hair swayed and she used imaginary sticks to play the drums on his head. Up in his face, her spirit laughed and stuck her finger in his ear.
As DeMere droned on and on about how wonderful he was and why she should adore him, at least, that was her version of his ranting; she sat calmly and appeared to be interested in what he was saying.
“You’re such a blowhard,” she silently told him.
He turned and looked at her.
“Did you say something?” he asked.
She smiled sweetly and shook her head negatively.
“Have you prepared the crystals that I ordered?”
His tone was serious and his demeanor had turned aggressive. His aura glowed bright red. Obviously the niceties were over.
He had ordered her to use her powers to make him a weapon. He claimed that he wanted to use it to defend the people against threats from the giant beasts that roamed the land, but she knew as well as he did that he wanted the weapon to defeat his enemies. She didn’t have to hear his thoughts to know what he would do, but she did hear his thoughts, and her fears were confirmed. He wanted to use the weapon to kill his opposition and anyone who wouldn’t join him.
He wanted to kill her people and she could not allow that to happen.
She could make him the weapon that he wanted, but she had to stall. He wanted to force her to apply spiritual laws for material gain. This was an abomination and could not be permitted. She had to find a way to deflect him and she had to find a way to get her Astral Keys to safety. In the wrong hands they would be deadly.
She was the Door Opener and she would never give him the Keys.
“I will have what you need by the next full moon.”
She closed her eyes and bowed her head to make him think that she disagreed with his request, but she would fulfill it nevertheless.
He slithered near her and returned to the snake charmer that he was.
Thankfully, she wasn’t a snake.
“You will have anything that you desire. I will give you whatever you wish.”
“Can you give me my husband back?”
It came out before she could stop it. She wished that her husband was still alive. She wished that he hadn’t been killed in a tragic accident. He was the love of her life and he was all that she wished for. The only reason that she could go on after his death was because he had given her a son, a son that looked like him, a son who was the light of her life. She could see her husband’s love every time that she looked into her son’s turquoise eyes.
Her husband died only one short month ago. DeMere had given her time to mourn, but apparently her time was up.
“His death didn’t help at all,” thought DeMere. “I thought she would turn to me in her grief and I could make her do what I wanted. I should have let her stupid husband live. It just made me wait longer while she mopes around and pines for him.” He sighed loudly.
It took every ounce of control in her body. She took notice of every breath and forced herself to breath normally.
DeMere killed her husband. DeMere killed the love of her life, her soul mate. Her hands shook and she hid them beneath the long flowing sleeves of her gossamer caftan.
She stood and announced, “I have much work to do. You will have what you want in ten days’ time.”
As soon as she was out of his sight she ran. She couldn’t see past her pain. The sky darkened and a sudden storm clouded the sky. Another ability that she rarely used was her control over the weather. She never interfered with the natural order of things, but her emotions were unchecked and nature was responding to her. Rain pelted her and people ran for shelter as thunder and lightning filled the sky. Thankfully, she reached her destination before further destruction could be inflicted. When her husband died there was a torrential downpour for a week and a dozen tornadoes wreaked havoc over the land.
Her handmaidens screamed when they saw her. They rushed to her side but she flew past them. They knew where she was headed. They had seen her look like this a month before so they knew that something was horribly wrong. They hugged each other and cried. They could see and sense things also and they both had the overwhelming feeling that this was the beginning of the end.
Unfortunately, they were right.
Lina stood in the center of her Grotto of Life. She dropped to her knees and wept uncontrollably.
“He died for nothing!” she screamed. “He died for nothing!”
A tragic accident is something that must be accepted in life as the way that things are meant to be, but not murder. Murder was unforgiveable. The ascension of power through murder was done by men who had lost sight of their true nature. Men who are good retain their comprehension of their creator and they are purified through spirit. But men like DeMere, who want nothing more than the selfish exploitation of the earth and uncontrollable power, are black spirits. They are evil incarnate.
She awoke on the floor, her face covered in dried tears. The power of her Stones was healing her. She had a vision of clarity upon waking and she now had a plan of action. It would require every ounce of her strength of character, but she knew that it was the only way out. She had ten days to implement her plan so there was no time to lose. The only aspect of the plan tha
t she couldn’t consciously fathom was her son.
She would have ten more days with him, and then she would never see him again.
**
Phena purred as he rubbed against Lina’s legs.
“Don’t worry Phena, you’re going with me.”
She had reassured him many times, but he was still worried. He knew the importance of her mission and he wouldn’t have remained behind, even if she wanted him to.
“I can’t do this without you,” she assured him, but there was doubt in her voice and he had never heard that before. She never failed in any endeavor and she was the most powerful Oracle the land had ever known. Phena could sense her worry and concern.
Each Oracle chose an animal companion, but Lina believed that it should be the animal that chose the Oracle. Having decided to let the animal come to her, she was extremely blessed when one of her people brought her a tiny, sick little black jaguar to heal. He was near death and obviously the runt of the litter. Helpless animals were her weakness. A variety of beasts roamed her land and she had seen many species, but this particular baby jaguar really tugged at her heart strings. Her telepathic powers applied equally to humans and animals, so when Phena was brought to her it was love at first sight and she knew that she had been chosen.
Fiercer than lions and tigers, jaguars are smaller, but they are brilliant swimmers and agile climbers. As guardian spirits, they possess great magic and they exude mysticism and power. It is said that the jaguar spirit comes to those who must endure a heroic path. They act as guides to the realization of your own power. Jaguars aid in imminent rebirth and in the ability to go beyond what can be imagined. Jaguar spirits are enlightened when they enter the world of the living, where other animal spirits must learn to achieve what the jaguar is born knowing. A symbol of mastery over all dimensions, the black jaguar gives insight over both the spiritual and physical worlds. It was a testament to Lina’s strength as Oracle that she was chosen by this powerful spiritual creature.
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