Chapter Eighteen

“Wake up Tempest.”

“No.” She knew that tone of voice. He was speaking quietly, acting like nothing was wrong, but she knew better.

“Sorry baby.”

She felt his hand on her backside smacking her hard enough to make her globes sting. Her eyes flew open, she groaned and slammed them close.

This can’t be happening. Please let this be a dream, but she knew better. The feel of his hands on her arms as he picked her up made her want to scream. She could run as long, and as far as she could but in the end, she couldn’t escape her past without dealing with it.

She opened her eyes to find herself naked in the cave where it all started.

“Is this a dream?” Her eyes looked at him. She closed them against the desire for him to say yes.

“No, this is real.”

“We need clothes.” Her hand went to the wound in her abdomen; it was bleeding steadily.

She pulled her blood-stained hand away to look at it before she gave him a shaky smile. Whatever happened, she was one with him now. She could feel the connection, the feeling of belonging with someone. It felt like her and Lucca against the world. He would fight for her, and she would fight for him. This feeling was one of the reasons people looked for that special someone. She belonged, and she would always hold this deep in her heart even if this was her last day.

She gazed down at the blood again. How much longer did she have?

“Look at me menace.”

Her eyes met his and smiled. Nothing could stop her from feeling this incredible emotion and connectedness with her mate.

“You’re my mate.”

“I am; we're stronger together than apart.” His hand came up, and the blood on her disappeared. Then he made sure her wound was covered before he clothed them.

“I don’t know if I should be impressed that you can clothe us or should I fangirl over this outfit.”

“Do both, admire my abilities and my style.”

She was wearing a pair of black jeans that were cut just enough to show off her muscles in her legs. They flowed with her like a second skin. Her chest was covered with a breastplate that was so smooth and supple she wasn’t sure what it was made of, but she loved it. On each thigh, she was wearing a medieval dagger.

Taking one out, she tested the edge. It would pierce a heart with one thrust. Across her back was a rapier. On her feet was the boots they bought earlier.

She bowed from the waist and rolled her hand outward. “I bow to your abilities and taste.” He laughed; it was better than crying.

He was standing there in a pair of black pants that were so soft it had to be some kind of animal skin. His chest was bare except for the tat on his shoulder.

“I’ve never seen this before.” She walked up to him and traced it.

“It’s Bruiser another beast that lives within me. He has decided to make his existence known.”

“Isn’t that good?”

“No, if you know how to pray, now would be the time. Do you notice anything about this cave?”

“It’s dark, dank, and smelly?”

“There is all that. Go stand in the place you were asleep and then come stand by the wall.”

She walked over to where she had slept her life away. There was a soft wind that seemed to be blowing. Her hand raised to hide a yawn. She squinted her eyes. How could this be right?

Turning around she walked over to the wall next to where Lucca was standing. Evil reached for her. She already knew if she touched that wall pain would go through her body.

“Are we dealing with two different entities?”

“It feels that way.”

“Where do we start?”

“We find Aquilo.” He called his symphor to him shoving it into the wall. A squeal of pain flooded the cave. He turned the symphor.

“Stop feeding off of her, or I promise I will kill you.”

The pain she was feeling lessened. She pulled the bandage away and watched as the blood slowed down to a trickle. Lucca reached for her and pulled at her abdomen until there was a small black insect in his hand. He crushed it and pulled out six more. She wanted to throw up every time she saw him pull one out of her body.

“Last one.” He pulled and pulled until what came out of her was bigger than his fist. “The mother.” He dropped it to the ground and stepped on it.

“Return to your master or die today.” He pulled his symphor out of the black creature on the wall. It fell to the floor writhing in pain before it pulled itself together. It gave a high-pitched yell disappearing before she could figure out what it was.

“It is over?”

“No.” He moved his hand and cleaned her up and placed a bandage back on her. “That was a Quali. It’s the first time I’ve seen one on earth. They live to make a connection to a being, and then slowly suck it dry. It was also trying to reproduce in you. For it to be on this planet, someone brought it here. I don’t think you were a chance opportunity; it was pointed at you.”

“You have to work on your communications skills,” she complained as she followed him up the path to the front of the cave. “Example, I’ve no idea what that was menace besides the fact that it was nasty. Good thing we handled part of the problem.”

“I would have said that, but you would have taken those tiny fists and banged on my chest.”

He was right, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. “I can feel you.”

“You can also talk to me.”

“I can?”

“You can if you ever need me, and I’m not their reach for me menace.”

She nodded to his back. He couldn’t see her, but that was alright. All that mattered was that they were now tied together. She was still reeling from what happened. It still scared her a little that she had gone from not wanting a mate to feeling like she would die without him.

“Do you know where we are going?”

“Yes.” He stopped and waited for her to move to his side.

In front of them was a mini tornado. It swirled around defying the law of physics.

“That shouldn’t be there.”

“I believe it’s an invitation.” She reached out and took his hand before they stepped into the swirling mass.

Her stomach dropped even as her body went straight up. They landed in a long hallway done in white and blue. She could see the sky and the wind being represented.

“Well come on, don’t keep me waiting.”

They turned to look at each other before walking down the hallway. It opened into a large room with massive couches that looked like they were from a different time while being in pristine condition.

“Have a seat.”

She turned her head to see the wind talking to her. She approached him with a look of amazement on her face.

“Aquilo?”

“In the flesh, not really.”

The wind stopped, and he took the form of a male. He was tall with dark hair that looked beyond black. His eyes were all white, but they didn’t distract from his good looks.

“I bet you get all the ladies.”

“All except the ones mated to The Created.”

She smiled and nodded. He was attractive but not that attractive.

“So, you’re Tempest?”

“I am.”

“I’ve wondered about you over the centuries. What do I owe the honor of your presence to?”

“Someone is trying to kill me. I am hunting him or her down.”

“You came to visit me because?”

“Sounds kind of crazy now that I’m here.”

“Tell me anyway.” He indicated the couch Lucca was standing by. She went over and took a seat, waiting for Lucca to sit by her side.

He sat opposite of them and waited.

“Are you trying to kill me?” Her hand clenched Lucca’s thigh as she looked around the room before looking back at Aquila.

He raised a hand, and the room was filled with wind that swirled around them. She was dizzy as she watched different sections of the wind separate and recombine into new sections.

She lifted her hand to control the wind but ended up adding to the wind as more come at her whispered command.

“How could this be?”

“No one person controls all the wind. They would be crazy to try. If I were to turn the wind over to you to control, you would die quickly. It doesn’t work that way. You control the wind base. From what you control every other wind or whisper of wind is conceived. That’s why if you die, a part of the Earth will die with you.

“I control the wind that flows out of your very essence. I have never wanted to control them both.”

“Who is trying to kill her?”

“Guardian.” He tilted his head slightly to him. “The one who is always trying to gain the Earth for his own.”

“Who?”

“It is time for you to go now.”

*~*~*~*

He woke up to find them lying in bed peacefully. He carefully got up and made his way to the door trying not to disturb her. He crept downstairs and into his kitchen to find his refrigerator open.

“Do you want a beer?”

“Why? You know it doesn’t affect us.”

“Do you want one or not?”

“Yes.” Dante handed him a beer.

“Don’t forget about me.” Julian appeared in the seat beside him.

“Or me.” One by one his brothers materialized in his kitchen taking a seat and a beer.

He tried to control the quirk of his lips. This felt like old times.

“When did we stop doing this?” Raphael asked. He was the youngest, and it seemed to have hit him the hardest.

Lucca raised his beer to his lips. “Do you know what this stuff tastes like?”

“Don’t say it,” Damon warned.

“I’m going to wonder about you if you say it.” Julian teased him.

“It tastes like piss.” They all groaned.

“Seriously, how do you know what piss taste like?” Mick asked him.

“When you’ve been in the desert for days without water.”

“Enough said.”

“Too bad there’s no kick to this stuff.” Damon groused taking another swig of his beer.

“You ask; I answer.”

“Now that has a nice kick to it.” They lifted their bottles and saluted Dante with them.

A book appeared in the middle of the table. It flipped open to a page.

“To answer your question, we stopped doing this when this prophecy took over our lives.”

They all leaned in to reread the prophecy that told them they would die one at a time as they searched for their mates. It demanded they search alone without the help of the others.

“Dante, how did you help us when you were forbidden to help?” Lucca looked up at him frowning.

“When have I ever followed someone else’s rules?”