Emily knew he would be the love of her life. And selfishly, she wanted more than a human life span to revel in that miracle.
If only he could find it in his heart to forgive what she must do.
Emily only hoped she hadn’t completely lost her mind, as well as her heart, for what she was about to do was the craziest thing she’d ever done in her life. And success hinged on someone that likely didn’t even exist outside of her dreams. Raine.
* * * * *
Naked and wanting, Emily crawled over the sleeping form of her lover. He was, if it were possible, even more attractive in repose. Edge’s face was a smooth contrast of strength and beauty, his body naked and golden in the shadows of the darkened bedroom. The rippling muscles of his chest rose and fell with every deep breath, and it was all she could do to keep from moaning her rising desire aloud.
But she mustn’t wake him. Emily knew, without a doubt, that he’d never willingly agree to what she was about to attempt. Oh he’d agree to the sex, would he ever…but she meant to have him without any means of protection between them. There was no way Edge would agree to that. If she survived—if—Edge might be mad at her, would probably even rage at her since his temper was so unpredictable and volatile. But Emily trusted that he wouldn’t hate her for it.
She prayed he wouldn’t.
It was a risk. A dangerous one, considering how strongly she cared for him already, but one she had to take. She loved him—of course she loved him, how could she not—but she loved her world and her people too. And to protect her world in the best way, she must become a Shikar. With all the Shikar gifts and strength, she would at last be able to serve her race in the way she’d always wanted to.
In doing this she would risk all—her life, Edge’s love, and her very soul if he turned away from her. But if she won, the risks would have been worth it…so long as Edge still cared for her in the end.
And at last she would be able to make a true difference in the fight to save the world.
Careful not to wake him, she stealthily climbed over his body, pausing to kiss his splendorous form whenever the temptation became too great. His body was as eager as hers, even in sleep. The thick, long sword of his cock rose in salute, reaching well past his navel at full length. Golden as the rest of him, the sight of its thick shaft and mushroom head made her mouth water.
Pressing a soft, tentative kiss on his firm, round sac, she watched for any sign that he might wake. His flavor was a mixture of sandalwood and musky male essence and made her yearn for a deeper taste. She swirled her tongue over him, laving his testicles with kisses and licks until she could deny her urges no more.
Taking his cock firmly in hand, she guided her watering mouth over him. He was so big, so thick it was nearly impossible for her to take more than the great head of him past her lips. Sucking and licking him she took him as deep as she could, opening her mouth as wide as she could until he slipped deep into her throat.
Edge sighed and arched up into her mouth. Shooting her gaze upward she was relieved to see him still asleep, though now with a small smile playing about his lips.
Taking a risk she knew was folly, but unable to stop herself, she moved up and down upon him. Sucking him. Licking him. Kissing him. Until her own body was trembling with need, her pussy already flooded and tingling with anticipation.
If Edge still cared for her after this was all over, she would have to try this again someday. When there wasn’t so much riding on the secrecy of her seduction, of course. It was magical, having him so quiet and still beneath her. So vulnerable, or at least appearing that way. She rather doubted Edge was ever really vulnerable, asleep or not.
Gently releasing him, though unable to resist suckling him one last time—like a flesh lollipop—she moved to straddle him at last.
“I love you, Edge. I do. Please forgive me.” She breathed a kiss against his mouth as she sank down over his steely girth.
So wet was her body, so ready and aroused for his that his cock slipped easily into her. As if it belonged there, in the very heart of her. He filled her until her intimate skin was stretched taut to accommodate his great width. She sank down with a sigh, deeper and deeper until there was no space between their conjoined bodies. His flesh reached far into the depths of her; at this angle she was penetrated more fully than ever she had been before, and it was very nearly perfect.
It would have been, had he been awake. But she shied away from the guilt of her deception. Best not to dwell on it.
Emily began to move. Rotating her hips gently on his, thrusting her sheath up and down over his delicious cock until her breath hitched and deepened. Nearly mindless in her ever-growing desire, she moved more firmly and was far more careless than she should have been. Edge moaned and moved beneath her, rousing enough to feel her upon him.
“Emily,” he breathed, hands moving to grip her hips as she rode him.
Fearing that with all his stamina, he would be able to stave off orgasm with time enough to fully waken and put a stop to all her scheming, Emily licked her index finger and reached beneath their softly rocking bodies. Hoping that Shikar men had sensitive prostates just as human men did, she gently slid her finger into his anus and ground her pelvis into him in an effort to help him find release the soonest.
Edge inhaled sharply and nearly bucked her off in reaction. He moaned. The sound choked off abruptly as he gritted his teeth, finally waking but too late to stop the inevitable. Eyes flying open in surprise, his body bucked twice more into hers. Emily came with a cry, the orgasm taking her by surprise. Her cunt tightened, twisting her body on a rack of ecstasy, and Edge met her with his own release.
So fast, she barely had time to come down from the pleasure of climax, her body turned to ice.
The floor rose to meet her as she toppled bonelessly off his body and bed, and Edge’s howl of anguish echoed in her ears a moment before darkness and silence took her deep.
Chapter Sixteen
“Grimm.”
He started out of the doze, which had lulled him in the dark. It had been the first sleep he’d had in three days—since Emily had revealed her tie to Raine.
Emily wasn’t the only one who suffered from chronic insomnia.
“Grimm,” the whispery voice came again, though there was no one in the room. The voice was in his mind.
“I hear you,” he murmured, closing his eyes and fading into the realm of limbo where he knew she was waiting.
Raine’s weary gaze was both a balm and a cutting knife deep in his aching soul. “You haven’t much time,” she said in way of greeting. “She’s already fading.”
And he knew. Holy Horde he knew, without having to ask, why she’d brought him here. “Emily,” he whispered.
As Raine had protected her friend Steffy so too would she protect her sister, even in death. “I can’t hold her for long. Her will is as strong in death as it is in life. It wants to leave this place, to travel on. You must go to them. You must save her.”
“But she cannot cross over,” he warned her. “She has not the gifts or the strength.”
Raine smiled. “I have given her what gifts and strength she needs. But you must meet her half way, as you did the others. Her life depends on you now.”
How could she sound so certain, this woman who was human and yet possibly so much more? How could she know their secrets? Even in death she was psychically strong. She must be, to know so much. To call him here to this in-between place. Grimm felt the loss of her that much more, seeing her here again after thinking on her for so long.
“Go now. I’ll be waiting for you with her,” she said. “Hurry.”
He reached for her, wanting to touch her. More than anything he wanted to touch her, to see if she was as real as she seemed. But a feeling like no other he’d ever experienced in all his long years swept over him before he could manage it. The force of a thousand hands pressed in on him, a power equal or greater even than his own, pushing him through the veil and back into his o
wn world. Raine had thrown him back, to hurry him on his way.
Grimm was stunned. The woman had dared to exert her power over him and it was strong, stronger than any other he’d encountered. Dead and trapped between worlds though she may be, Raine was indeed formidable.
Opening his eyes, once again in his own world, in his own chamber, he was surprised to find a mist of tears had filled his eyes and spilled down over his cheeks. “But O! as to embrace me she inclined, I waked, she fled, and day brought back my night.” He quoted his favorite Milton in a gruff whisper.
Gathering his composure once again, Grimm brushed his thoughts aside and Traveled. He would try against hope to save Emily. Though he feared he would fail, he would try.
For Raine.
Chapter Seventeen
Edge rolled off the bed after her, grabbing her to him as she collapsed.
“Let me have her.” Grimm’s voice was startling, and he loosened his hold instinctively as The Traveler pulled Emily from him.
He looked into Grimm’s face, in pain and grief and anger. Anger at Emily for what she’d done. Anger at himself for not seeing it would happen, sooner or later. “I didn’t mean to,” he offered helplessly.
“She did,” Grimm said simply. Raising Emily’s hand to his mouth, he bit down.
Edge gasped and moved to stop him.
Grimm looked at him, halting him with but the force of his gaze. “I have to. Her blood carries the signature of her very spirit. I must know the scent and taste of her on the other side, or I will lose her.”
Satisfied with the answer he hadn’t expected from the quiet Traveler, Edge subsided and watched the scene unfold with worry and horror. “Can you save her?” he asked, hoping against hope for what he feared was an impossibility.
“I don’t know. But I’m going to try.” With that promise Grimm disappeared, leaving Edge to grab for Emily’s body, lest she fall with a bump once more onto the floor.
* * * * *
“Hang on, Emily. Hang on to me.”
Emily could feel her sister clutching tightly, holding her close…though she had no body to feel with. It was more a sensation, a knowledge in her mind that Raine was holding her fast, keeping her safe.
She could not speak. Could not see. Could not feel. She could only hear—or perhaps sense—Raine’s voice in her mind. If indeed she had a mind in this place. If this was a place at all…she didn’t know.
She was losing all sense of self.
Who am I?
“You’re Emily. My own Em-em, my sister. Stay with me. Hang on.”
Who are you?
“Hang on. Just hang on to me, please.”
The urge to float away, to fade into nothingness was all she knew. But hands clutched her—what were hands? —and a voice called out to her, keeping her trapped when all she wanted to do was…
Die.
Emily felt her soul wrench as the thought became clearer. No. She did not want to die. She must fight against the lure of oblivion.
“That’s it, big sis. Fight it. You’ll be home soon.”
Home. Where was home? With Edge, the tiny thought drifted, but was strong. Like the voice of her sister was strong. The voice of Raine.
“You’re drifting in and out of life and death. Don’t be scared. But hang on to me. Don’t go…” The mantra was continued, over and over, until Emily heard two voices crooning it to her. One was Raine’s.
The other was…
“It is I, Grimm. Come back with me, Emily, if you want to live.”
I do. I do want to live, she tried to call out, but she had no voice with which to scream.
“It’s all right. I’ve got you.” Grimm’s spirit was like a warm, safe blanket that surrounded and covered her. Giving her shelter, guiding her back. Back. To life.
As though through a vast, growing distance she heard Raine call out, though not to her this time. To Grimm.
“You remember I told you once that you remind me of someone?” she called.
“I do. I remember everything you ever said,” he murmured.
“You reminded me of the Grim Reaper, “ Raine laughed. “It was your cowl, you see. And your sad presence here.” Raine’s voice was fading. Emily’s ears filled with a rush, like supersonic booms that grew louder and louder.
“Don’t be so sad, Traveler,” came the last of Raine’s shouted words. “And take care of my sister!”
The incorporeal world closed like a tunnel around them—she could almost see it, though she had not sight. The real world rushed in on Emily with the force of a thousand one-ton bricks. She choked on air, her body trapped her spirit and held fast to it. She screamed.
And awoke to a new life.
Chapter Seventeen
Emily looked into the mirror at her black, Traveler eyes, hardly believing what she saw reflected there. Behind her, the entire team was assembled, discussing the miracle of her escape from death.
Edge was silent. She knew he was angry. Far angrier than she could have guessed he would be.
But she did not regret her decision. She could not regret it. She had survived, after all.
The minute she’d regained consciousness, Tryton had appeared, railing at her for her folly. She’d barely had time to cover her nudity before Obsidian and the others had come, knowing already what had happened through whatever pipeline that supplied them with all their other secret knowledge. But Edge had said not one word to her, or to anyone. He left all the explaining to her.
“Who is this woman, Raine, that she knows so much about us?” Tryton demanded. “And why have you kept your knowledge of her secret, Traveler?”
“She is no threat to us, Elder. She is dead,” Grimm said tightly.
“But not so far gone to the living world that she cannot help Steffy and Emily,” The Elder fumed. “I hate the puzzle of her. I hate not knowing who she is or how she can do what she does.”
“Well, be grateful, Tryton,” Steffy interjected with no small amount of bristling anger on Raine’s behalf. “If it weren’t for her both Emily and I would be dead by now. And while you might not have mourned the loss of two humans, I can promise you would have missed us as Shikar warriors.”
Tryton winced, a wounded look making him look older than normal. “Do you really think that? That I wouldn’t have cared had you died? Of course I am grateful to Raine’s Shade. You are all like my children, and my truest friends. It would have crippled me if either of you had died.”
“Strategically, you mean. Because you need all the fighters you can get,” Steffy muttered testily.
“Hold your tongue,” Cinder commanded sharply. Steffy gasped before he soothed away the sting of his words by pulling her close. “We’re all too emotional now. We should not say things in anger or hurt that we do not mean.”
Emily turned back to them. “I did what I did because I had to. And I knew that I would be safe. Raine told me I would be all right.”
“In a dream. A dream that could have been only that.” Edge spoke at last, anger tightening his every muscle into stone.
“But it wasn’t just a dream. It was real.”
“You didn’t know that!” he shouted.
Taking his punishing words as her due, she subsided. Silence reigned for several moments before Edge spoke again, more calmly this time. “You should have at least discussed this with me first.”
“You would never have agreed,” she sighed.
Edge shot to his feet. “Of course I wouldn’t have! There was every possibility that you would die,” he bit out.
“Calm down, Edge. She didn’t die.” Cady tried to soothe him. “That’s the most important thing to remember right now.”
Running his fingers through his hair in frustration, Edge sat back down and fell into an angry, brooding silence once again.
Tryton moved to Emily and lifted her chin up, to better study her face. “A Traveler. A rare Caste, even for a full-blood Shikar.”
“Raine shared herself with me. I,” she
swallowed under his heavy gaze, “I never even guessed she was psychic. I never would have believed it had she told me.”
“She told you this? She told you what her gifts were?” he asked quizzically.
It was Grimm, surprisingly, who answered for her. “Astral projection. That was her gift, was it not?”
Emily nodded, grateful when Tryton turned from her to The Traveler. “Yes. She said she’d been doing it since she was a little girl. But she never told me until tonight. She was afraid I wouldn’t believe her. And she was right—I was too cynical to ever have believed such a claim. As it is now, I still find it hard to believe. But for this.” She reached up to touch the area beneath her new eyes, but let her hands fall to her side as the full weight of what they signified hit her.
“I’m truly a Shikar now,” she said in wonder.
“Yes,” Tryton answered. “Though you could have stayed human and we would have loved and kept you all the same, you are now truly one of us. It cannot be undone,” he said warningly.
“I wouldn’t want to undo it,” she said firmly and it was the truth. “And now that I’m as strong as you, I can do what must be done to fight the Daemons.”
Tryton grunted. “And what is that?”
“Meet them at the Gates. On their own ground. We must invade.”
The entire group gasped, though Edge seemed most intent on what she had to say and held his silence.
“Invasion is folly,” Obsidian bit out.
“To meet the Daemons on their own soiled ground would end in a bloodbath of fallen warriors,” Cinder said at the same time.
Emily shook her head. “No. Raine knows their weakness. The Daemons search for a way to live above ground. They need the power that their feedings will supply them with as their numbers grow.”
“So the Lord of the Horde makes a new army then,” Tryton said brokenly, shoulders slumped.
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