“And then you decided to let her stay with you? Maybe I need to come to the states more often.” The voice boomed throughout the room and silence fell on the group gathered there.
“I had every right to do what I did. She is currently harboring powers that no one thought could be possible for a human. Even Arinth born humans don’t have powers as strong as she does. Keeping her close is definitely a better decision then letting her out and about.” Tristan sat on the edge of his chair with a tap in his foot and an irritated tick in his cheek. They’d woken up rested and ready for business but this deliberation was not what he’d expected.
“Have you thought about the possibility that she might not be human? Are you sure if she is even Arinth born or Earth born? Have you thought about how much of a convenience it had to be that she would be right there, at this time, see what she saw and did what she’s done and now you’ve let her inside of your safe house?” Shepherd’s voice had grown calm again as he could sense the agitation rise in his fellow leader but he knew these were words that had to be said. These were questions that had to be asked.
“We have looked into her extensively and found no deception.”
“Well then maybe you shouldn’t use a storyteller that is already wrapped around her finger.” The words came back as a fast retort. All eyes quickly turned, then, to Mendax who sat seething in his chair to the left of the head of the table. He hadn’t appointed himself left hand man but as an awkwardly large pot took up right hand side he decided he’d have to settle.
“What?” The question came just after a moment of hesitation, which was enough to cause a collective gasp.
“Mendax, you already know she is Chase’s mate. It would never work.” Ida’s voice was low and calming, pitying. The lull of her octave spun around the men in the room and seemed to lessen the anger, such was her ability. “Is that true?” she asked, sensing the quick look from Shepherd who, perhaps, was surprised she’d dare question him.
“I’m not wrapped around any one’s finger. I feel nothing for the woman.” Then, further digging his hole and solidifying the claim, Mendax rose and placed both hands on the table. Before he could say anything Shepherd spoke.
“I trust that is the true reason why you brought your Techy on the road, left your Tracker behind and closely guard your Storyteller. You didn’t want to leave him alone with another Abasha’s mate. Do you not trust your own team?” Before Tristan could respond Vectio had transported behind Shepherd and held a knife just to his neck. Ida, comprehensive and aware of his every move, came forward using her own transporting powers and slammed the hilt of her long sword against his wind pipe. Stunned for just a second, Vectio stepped back and threw a punch into her stomach. The two collided with the force of the attack. A chair, somehow suddenly in their path, shattered beneath their weight as they tussled to the floor. A hiss sounded from his throat as a small shard, from the chair they’d just broken, launched itself into his arm just as he could block a knee to the groin. Blood boiling, Vectio transported inches away before grabbing Ida by the arms and wrenching them behind her back. If she transported from here he’d go with her. He wrapped an arm just so around her neck and held. She’d pass out before she’d get a chance to do any more damage to his arm or his groin, he’d make sure of it.
“Stop!” The loud word bounced off the walls as Influence filled the room. All living things stopped. Each Warrior seemed frozen in place as an angry Mendax froze mid step on his way out of the room, a slightly irritated. A calm Shepherd slowly leaned forward in his chair to avoid a knife cut from the tussle behind him.
“I think, Shepherd, it is time we talked…alone” each word came out clipped and angry. Tristan’s Influence wrapped around the European man and pulled him from his chair. Leaning forward to call on his power, Tristan ripped a small amount of life source from Ida’s body and spoke into it. “Transport” was all he said and they disappeared.
Ida, weakened by the removal of her ability, fell to the floor and gasped. A tear fell from her cheek and landed on the soft shirt that had twisted up above her breast. Vectio had released her the moment Tristan’s Influence had lifted but the darkness surrounding her neck burned fury behind his eyes. Her beauty was marred, however temporary, by the violence of his hands. The haze, however fading as it was, had blinded him to even the connection they had. He was dangerous. He turned from her and paced to the edge of the room. Behind him he could hear her sobs as she touched her body. He wondered what it must feel like, to be without your ability, empty.
“He’ll give it back.” The normally joyful voice rang through the air from across the room. They all turned toward it. “He’s never taken an ability and not given it back.” Technik leaned forward, as if to comfort, his face one of concern.
“That doesn’t give him the right. He had no right.” Ida’s voice came out sad and distraught. “You don’t know how it feels. You don’t understand.” She rose to her feet, her knees knocking, and walked over toward the table. Vectio, jumping forward to grab out a chair, stopped almost midair as a hand rose to block him. “I don’t want your help. I don’t need your help,” she cried. He ignored her words and pulled the chair out. He didn’t speak, as usual, but stepped back. Then as if still angry at the sight of her neck he came forward and swept her hair over her shoulder, ignoring her sounds of distaste.
“Julius, please?” He lifted a hand to wave the healer over.
“Vectio let me look at your arm.” Julius started as he came over but was stopped as Vectio stepped back.
“Her neck,” he said, “Please.” Julius stared at him for a moment before turning toward Ida whose tears continued to wet her shirt now pulled down to once again cover her ample breasts. The sobs had died but a dead look in her eyes had replaced them. Julius placed a hand softly to her neck and gasped.
“You’re cold as death!” He closed his eyes against the offensive temperature and began using his life source to heal the bruises around her throat.
“That’s what happens when you’re without your ability.” The voice came from nowhere and then seconds later the leaders appeared, unharmed. Tristan walked around the table to them and knelt before her. “You will hate me, as your life source will immediately resent its enemy. I am not your enemy Ida. I do what needs to be done. We are on the same side, you and me but I will not apologize for what I have done. Please, do not attack me.” The last sentence was expected of a Dark Warrior Leader, cold and collected. Though, the tone in which they were said gave the opposite impression. Ida, wary but forgiving, slowly leaned forward; sliding from beneath Julius’ hands. She didn’t say anything but closed her eyes ready to be returned her ability. Tristan reached up and placed a hand on her head, returning her life source and her ability as gently as possible. It would also help with the anger she would feel once her life source was back in its original host. Feeling the moment the power left his body, Tristan immediately leaned forward to wrap his arms tightly around the woman. He knew she’d received the ability because she began trying to tear away from him, the life source disgusted by his touch.
“Get…Off…me,” her voice came out muffled as her face was smashed to his chest.
“Very well,” Tristan waited a few more beats before completely releasing the woman and stepping back around the table. Ida kept her eyes closed until she could sense him moving further away, anger seething in her bones, heeding his words. The moment she opened them the blood in her body boiled at the sight of him. Swallowing the forced anger, Ida lifted her chin. “I hope you two men accomplished something while you were gone and all of this,” she waved her hand over the broken chair in the corner and Vectio’s bloody arm “wouldn’t have been for nothing.” She huffed and lifted her chin, ever the Elvin queen. Before either leader could respond she’d disappeared.
“This war isn’t between us. We have to work together for whatever is coming.” Tristan spoke again before turning and looking at each member of his team. He could sense Shepherd at his side doing the same with his own team; their Influence combining. He then turned and stepped from the room. On his way back to his quarters he mulled over the converse he and Shepherd had when he’d transported them. It was true, they had to work together because for now, it seemed like the Council had abandoned both of them. He wondered how many more teams weren’t able to connect with the Council. Was there something going on with Arinth? Or was it Earth?
****
“So, tell me how you came to be a Dark Warrior? How did you get recruited?” Adrian sat, curled into the large couch cushions of the library sectional. She’d been busy doing nothing for the last week, aside from trying to avoid Chase Hunter, and so far it had been pretty lucrative. Unfortunately, her curiosity won out. If she was able to accidentally ‘mind creep’, as she called it, she’d like to know where she might end up. There was that explanation and also just the simple fact that she wanted to be around him. He acted like he didn’t want to be around her but she knew the truth. She’d caught him staring at her plenty of times during breakfast and dinner since the other members of his team had gone. He wasn’t fooling her and he’d talk to her regardless. She knew he couldn’t ignore her, either.
“I wasn’t recruited. It’s what I’ve been since birth. It seemed almost natural to become a Dark Warrior when I became of age.” Chase sat, staring at the book in his hands, trying and failing to concentrate on reading. She’d been ignoring him for the last few days and he was unsure why she all of a sudden wanted to talk now. He liked her but one thing he’s noticed since all the other Warriors had gone was that she liked to talk, about everything. She seemed not to know the meaning of privacy or of silence. Must be a human thing.
“What? I’m just going to ignore that! So basically, you don’t get to do what you want in life? You do whatever the Light Warriors have picked out for you? Yes, yes, don’t be so surprised. Arinth told me a little of this and that.” She harrumphed at the idea. From what she’d discovered so far, humans on earth had free will and none of the other species did. Point one for humans.
“Actually yes, that’s exactly how it is. It’s different though, usually the placement that you are given at birth is exactly what you want to do in life. I wasn’t trained to be a Hunter and then dreamed of doing other things. I didn’t even know it was the ability I’d been given until I was in my early twenties. I spent the first thirty years of my life like, what I understand to be, a normal Earthen young adult. We’d partied and drank Spirits and lounged around with the rest of them.” He’d closed the book but still refused to look in her direction or show any true interest in their converse. In reality, he wanted to know everything about her instead of always talking about him. The small synopsis they’d been given by Technik in those first few days she’d lived with them hadn’t done anything to curb the interest he’d developed in the last week. It seemed like no question could delve enough and no matter how long he looked at her she always seemed more beautiful. If he didn’t know any better he’d think his loving her was growing by the hour.
“Humans have free will. If I was born with the ability to Hunt and I decided I wanted to be whatever Mendax is…”
“A storyteller.”
“…A storyteller, then I would do that despite the odds that are stacked up against me.” Adrian lifted her chin, smiling at him, as if she’d found something Earthen humans were better at.
“I assure you. We have free will, we do whatever we want but what’s inbred into our blood is fixed into our minds, most of the time we fall into the realization that it’s what we want to do. Yes, the Light Warriors picked me at birth to be a Dark Warrior but honestly, if I hadn’t been told that I wouldn’t have known. I grew up a Hunter. My brother was a Hunter. My dad isn’t a Hunter. My dad is a carpenter. But yet, I still would have chosen to be a Dark Warrior and…” He stopped talking as he heard a giggle coming from behind him. Turning, he noticed as the soft light brown skin of Adrian’s face turned a deeper shade as if she was holding her breath. “What, on Earth, is so funny?”
“It’s classic! You’re like Jesus!” She continued to try to hold the laughter in until it burst from her. Clutching her stomach, Adrian squeezed her eyes shut and tried to ignore the annoyance that covered his face.
“What do you mean, like Jesus? Who’s Jesus?”
“You don’t know the story of Jesus?” She sobered a little, rolling to her feet and coming to stand just before him. “Your father is a carpenter; you are a Dark Warrior sent to Earth to protect the humans from themselves and all their enemies! You are conflicted by the decisions you make but know they must be done! You’re Jesus! Well, probably a more handsome, strong, darkly mysterious and broody version.” Her voice, in a sing-song tone, rang against his ears like a heavenly sound. He loved her laugh and he’d show her, anything to stop her from making fun of him. Rocking forward, Chase ignored the continued ‘Jesus-rant’, whoever that was, and planted a kiss right on her lips. Her cackle seemed to stop almost immediately as the warmth of his touch seeped into her skin. Pulling her close, Chase softly teased the corner of her mouth with his tongue before pulling back again. Her eyes were closed and her lips still puckered when he looked down at her. Smiling softly, Chase chuckled as she began to pout with her eyes closed.
“You called me handsome.”
“Is that the only thing that you got out of that entire…why?” She began and then gasped when she opened her eyes. The room, once a library, had turned into a wheat pasture. The tall wheat waved in the wind and reached just up to her knees. Gasping at the warmth of the sun and the cleanliness of the atmosphere, Adrian stepped from his arms. “You are here with me right? I’m not crazy, am I? Just doing this all by myself?”
“No, Adrian, I’m here with you.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and turned her towards the sunset. “I don’t think this is a memory. It’s not like last time. I think this is…Essence. True Earth.” They walked, hand in hand, for what seemed like an hour. The wheat had turned to grass and the silence turned to the soft bustling noises of Mother Nature, the beautiful woman of life source that she was. Adrian smiled up at him as they came across a pond, almost big enough to be considered a lake. Glancing down at her body, she laughed as she noticed the material that covered her breast. A soft elk skin cropped, tank top stopped just above her belly button. Seriously? What is it with the cropped tops? A pair of shorts, shorter than she’d ever worn in her entire life, conformed to her curves and ended in a rim of lace. Glancing over at him, Adrian laughed out loud. A pair of tight, brief like bottoms covered his groin. He looked down at himself and groaned, touching the same elk skin material.
“Why, on Arinth, are we doing this?” His voice seemed gruff as he adjusted himself in the small briefs and turned away from her. Kneeling by the lake, Chase ran his hands through the purple water. It touched his skin softly leaving crystal like drops on his hands. Turning back to her, Chase held out a searching hand. “Join me?” he’d risen from his crouched position and motioned to the water.
“Why not?” she said, with a tinge of shyness. Then, to counteract her uncomfortableness, Adrian quickly hooked her fingers in the tops of her shorts. Chase drew his eye brows up as she removed the piece of cloth and she walked paced him. Fire burned in his blood as she then, with the same sudden confidence, removed the short top. Her breast, full and covered in soft caramel colored skin, sat high on her chest. The nipples, a dusty brown, were erect and seemed to point at him. He took in a well needed breath just before she turned, a smirk on her face, and dove into the water. Not to be outdone, Chase chucked the briefs and dove in after her. The lake had a most impossible depth as he saw her swim down, down, and down further into its belly. Maybe, because it seemed to be their subconscious, anything was possible in this world. With that thought, Chase stopped holding his breath. Breathing in the water, he was comforted as he didn’t immediately choke. It was as if he’d suddenly grown gills. He breathed in the water and blew out through his nose. Swimming over to her, Chase opened his mouth and gulped the water to show her she could breathe.
“Wow!” She spoke after breathing in the water, her voice resonating causing ripples to blow through the water.
“This is incredible!” He spoke, reaching out to her. Wrapping his hands around her small waist, Chase pulled her towards him. “I could kiss you all day.” His voice was husky, despite the muffling, and sultry. Her eyes half closed as she leaned forward and gave in to him. The water soothed their skin and seemed to push them closer together, egging them on. Suddenly pulling away, Chase grasped Adrian’s hand and began swimming back to the surface. She followed him with a fire in her eyes. They broke the surface in one motion and swam to the shallow end together, kissing each other as they moved from the waves. Once he was on sure footing, Chase laid Adrian beneath him in the tawny sand. She sighed as he dipped his head and took one hardened nipple into his mouth. Heaven exploded behind her eye lids as he slid one hand between her thighs, dipping a curious finger into her body. She rode the wave hard as tremors ran over her body. A low satisfactory moan slipped from her lips as Chase nudged her legs further apart with his knee. She let them fall open.
“Are you sure?” He spoke around the soft kisses he placed on her cheeks. Adrian, so he couldn’t try and pull away, lifted one foot and wrapped it around his body, laying it softly against the small of his back, encouraging him.
“As sure as ever,” she replied; her own voice raspy and filled with emotion. She wrapped both arms around his neck as their lips met. He pushed his tongue softly against her lips, gaining entrance. Using one hand to guide his member into her, Chase sighed as the warmth tightly surrounded him. A new feeling, complete and utter ecstasy, filled the two as he moved within her. Digging her fingers into the muscles of his back, Adrian moaned with pleasure as he sped up the pace. A rippling, like a growl, sounded from his chest and Adrian laughed. Chase flinched as she tensed around him but chuckled himself. Around them, flowers sprouted and caressed their arms, long river weeds grew high and touched their limbs. The water ebbed and flowed, caressing their legs. The sunset seemed to pause and the sky was blue and filled with softy puffy white clouds. It was as if the further into their joining they went the more beautiful the world around them became.
A deep urge to bite filled Chase, as he felt himself close to climax. His lips buzzed almost uncomfortably as he kissed them against the skin joining her shoulder and neck. The same feeling filled Adrian and burned against her lips. Fangs had formed from their mouths, sharpening and pushing against their lips. Opening her mouth, just at the top of her climax, Adrian bit down on Chase’s neck. He, in turn, did the same. The finishing pleasure rippled through the two as they sipped from the sweet veins of each other’s necks. The wounds, painless, disappeared when they withdrew their teeth. Their blood coursed through each other’s veins, buzzing over their muscles and lighting their eyes aglow. She shivered as his cool life source made its way down to her finger tips and toes.
After kissing the softly bruised spot where he’d bitten her, Chase rolled onto his back. Not yet wanting to loose contact with her, he pulled her up into his side where she nestled her head beneath his chin. She fit him just as perfect as his own skin. Her warmth seeped into his body and they felt as one. Tilting her head up, Adrian smiled against the sweat of his chest. It’d been good, better than good, better than the one time she’d had before, and with no pain. She’d been surprised but then again, they were in this mind land and she doubted he’d hurt her here where they could make anything happen.
“Just so you know, I’m not a vampire. I have no idea where that came from. I’ve never grown teeth before.” Adrian spoke heavily as if she was out of breath.
“I, also, am not a vampire. I might be immortal and what you think of as an alien but I’m not a vampire. Maybe it’s some weird desire that we both had that our minds formed,” Chase spoke next to her. Silence passed between the two just before they burst into laughter.
“I must say, though, that was the best I’ve ever had.” Adrian leaned up, smiling at his words, as a butterfly came and sat on her shoulder. Its large monarch wings spread and flapped in the soft wind. Then, as if it was trying to dig into her skin, the butterfly laid its wings against her shoulder. Eyebrows raised, Adrian gasped as it seeped into her skin burrowing just under the surface. It didn’t hurt but she still flinched as the insect Imprinted onto her body. Chase, who had come up to rest on his forearms beside her, swiped a hand softly across her shoulder and down her arm. The skin there was smooth.
“Wow, uh…I’ve never seen that before.” Chase’s voice sounded incredulous as he fingered the butterfly under her skin. “It’s like a moving tattoo.” He drew his arm back as the soft orange of the butterfly’s wing glowed when he touched it.
“Umm…that felt weird but I think you have an incoming too!” Adrian spoke softly as a large blue butterfly flickered around Chase’s abdomen. It was large, blue black masculine in color, and its wings were strong. It glided to a stop just across Chase’s abs before diving into his skin. “Wow! Yours isn’t gentle at all!” she laughed as he groaned loudly in pain. The insect burrowed roughly into his skin using its wings as if actually digging into him like a dagger. Chase lifted an arm and lay back, throwing his arm over his eyes as he tried to brace against the pain. When it’d stopped, he looked down at himself and sighed as it flitted around under his skin. It was like a large tattoo, taking up most of his side. Its top wing nearly reached his left nipple and curled down to his abs. The second, right wing, stretched to his belly button where its bottom tip grazed his hip bone.
“Who said I wanted a butterfly tattoo? When we wake up this had better be gone!” Chase yelled to the sky, laughing, as Adrian ran her hands over his stomach, caressing the butterfly as she tickled him. It seemed to like it as the wings swelled beneath his skin and a glow followed along with her movements. He sobered as she continued down, her finger tips skimming the tops of his thighs.
“Have you ever done this with anyone else? Gone to different worlds in your mind?” Adrian’s voice was low, sexy, as she kissed the tip of one butterfly wing. It buzzed beneath her lips as it was aroused by her touch. Pleasure exploded behind his eyes as he lay back in the grass. Testing a theory, Chase reached forward and pulled Adrian above him. He laughed as he looked just over her shoulder blade.
“No, I’ve never done this with anyone else.” He chuckled more and Adrian sat back on her haunches, straddling him.
“What in the world is so funny?” she smacked at his chest as he couldn’t control the girlish giggle that erupted from him.
“You thought you got off easy? You thought that teeny tiny butterfly was all you had?” he continued to laugh and Adrian jumped to her feet. She kicked the sand at him before stepping towards the water. She knelt in the liquid thoughtfully. Waving a hand over the water she used her mind to lift it into the air. Using it as a mirror, Adrian scooted around until she could see her back in the water. Chase, behind, her still laughing and clutching his stomach, was speaking but she ignored him.
“What the heck?” she yelled. The one butterfly that had landed on her shoulder had spread and somehow turned into a cascading line of butterflies that flew around her shoulder blade and onto the back of her neck. The soft red and orange hues of the beings glowed under her gaze. One, most ambitious, flittered down her back and settled just on her spine. “Arrggghh! Don’t go down there!” It settled, as if finally finding where it wanted to be, just above the curve of her bottom.
“You have a, what are they called…tramp stamp!” he yelled and dodged as she ran at him, attacking him. A sound, like thunder, exploded across the sky. They immediately stopped running and glanced up into the clouds. The sky darkened slightly. “I guess it’s time to wake up. Maybe we can try to wake ourselves up this time?” He stretched out a hand and Adrian took it in hers. They concentrated, trying to use every piece of their mind to wake up from this dream, this world or whatever it was that allowed them to transcend to a different realm only the two of them shared.
“Will we come back?” Adrian whispered.
“We can definitely try.”
"The only way to be a writer is to write, write and write. The only way...is to write." -Jade Elyzabeth
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