Cataclysm (Supernova Saga)

by C. L. Parker

His periods of transformation were coming far more frequently, with no rhyme or reason to the timing. When he least expected it, poof! The only thing consistent about those periods of spectral existence was that each one grew longer and longer in duration.

  He remained in ghost form throughout the rest of the evening before and all through the night. It wasn’t until the sun crested over the eastern horizon that the old familiar tingling began to prick his skin, bringing him back to his flesh and blood form. Christ, there wasn’t even a name for what he was. He wasn’t a ghost in the traditional sense—he still had a heartbeat. He wasn’t exactly The Invisible Man either. Hell, he wasn’t even The Incredible Shrinking Woman. He cupped his crotch and smirked to himself. Nope, not a woman and definitely not shrinking.

  Kerrigan came and joined him. She wore a cotton tank top that matched the color of her eyes and a long, white summer skirt with no shoes. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and what little makeup she wore accentuated her eyes and high cheekbones. The woman was a goddess, and she didn’t even realize it.

  “Good morning, handsome.” She walked over to where he sat in the chaise lounge and then climbed onto his lap to straddle him.

  “Mmm, you looking to give new meaning to the words ‘morning glory,’ Querida?” He cupped her ass and pulled her closer to the hardening bulge in his pants.

  “I just had this really great idea, and I want to try it out.”

  “I love the way you think. A little early morning exhibitionism is just what this boring neighborhood needs, I think.” He peppered the exposed flesh of her chest with light, suckling kisses.

  The light scruff of his beard tickled her, making her squirm and giggle, but she couldn’t deny the swarm of butterflies that fluttered in her stomach from his suggestion. “Be serious, Dom. I want to try something different.”

  “I am serious.” He trailed open-mouth kisses up the length of her neck and sucked on her earlobe. “Tell me you’re wet for me, Querida.”

  “You know I am.” It wasn’t a lie to appease him. The mere sight of him was enough to remind her that she was indeed a woman with a very healthy sexual appetite. How could she not be when he was so skilled at everything he did with his hands, mouth, and...

  “I want to hear you say it.” He meant it when he said he hoped she would say naughty things more often and had been trying to coerce her into it ever since.

  Even though things were veering sharply off the course she had originally intended, she couldn’t resist the opportunity to make him squirm for once. She purposely rolled her hips against him while sucking on his neck before lifting her head to tease his ear. “I am so wet for you right now, Dominic Grayson.”

  His massive hands cupped her more firmly, and he growled seductively at her admission. “I want you... right here... right now.”

  She pushed herself back from him, but remained sitting. “You can’t have me right now.”

  He tried to pull her back down to him. “I don’t like being denied access to what’s mine.”

  She put her hands against his chest and locked her elbows to stop him, laughing at his tantrum. “You’re spoiled rotten. You know that, don’t you?”

  “Yes, and you only have yourself to blame.”

  “Fine, I’ll take the blame, but can I please tell you what I want to try?”

  Dominic sighed and relaxed his hold on her. “Rain check, then. Now, tell me. What is it that’s so much more important than making sure all the neighbors know my name?”

  “Okay, so I just got off the phone with Mom, and she asked me when I was going to come home...”

  “Is your father still pissed about us?” he asked, remembering her father yelling through the phone when she had first told him they were a couple. Apparently it was exactly what her father had been afraid would happen after he had moved her and Gabe into the house.

  Kerrigan rolled her eyes. “No, he’s not. Anyway, Mom asked...”

  “You know, I really expected him to fly down here and show up in the middle of the night with a shotgun aimed at my head.”

  She sighed, annoyed. “He’s not going to kill you, Dominic. He just doesn’t agree with the whole living together out of wedlock thing. He’s old-fashioned, but that’s not important right now, so stop interrupting me.”

  He made a show of zipping his lips, and then resituated himself. Unfortunately, moving around turned out to not be a very good idea because then he got distracted by the way her breasts were so full and round and just right there in front of his face.

  Kerrigan noticed and snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Hey, you! I’m up here. Focus.”

  “I can’t help it, Querida. You’re straddling me, and it’s been days since I’ve touched you.”

  “Fine.” She grabbed his hands and put them on her chest. “There, you’re touching me. Happy?”

  He swept his thumbs back and forth over her nipples, and gave her a satisfied smile. “Very, but I’d be happier if you told me you’re not wearing any panties, just like I know you’re not wearing a bra.”

  “Dominic Grayson! I swear!”

  “I’m kidding, Querida.” He laughed, and then pulled his hands away to avoid further distraction. “Go on, finish your story. What did Priscilla say?”

  “She asked me when we’re coming home for a visit, and that gave me an idea. I want to take you home.”

  “You want to take me to Chicago? No offense, but I don’t think now is a good time for that, what with my disappearing act being so unpredictable and all.”

  “No, I don’t mean home to Chicago. I want to take you to my home, my sanctuary.”

  “Is that even in the realm of possibilities?”

  She knew it was, but she couldn’t tell him that she had been to Drew’s. Dominic was much too sensitive about the whole Drew issue to add to his suspicion that he was trying to get in her pants. He also didn’t need to know that her fellow Guardian thought she was his soul mate and had tried to kiss her. No, that wouldn’t be a good idea at all.

  “I don’t know.” It wasn’t a lie. She didn’t know if a Guardian could take a mortal into their sanctuary, and even if it was possible, she didn’t know if she was advanced enough in her training to pull it off. But if it was true that she had been able to absorb some of Drew’s energy by being in his, maybe the same would be true for Dominic. It could be the answer she had been looking for or, at the very least, it would buy them some time.

  “I’d still like to try, though.”

  He licked his lips in that seductive way that said he had something naughty running through his mind and ran his hands along her ribs until he reached the underside of her breasts. His gaze swept down her body, lingering on her cleavage before returning to her face. “And if you succeed, will you let me make love to you there?”

  She had the beginnings of a sultry smile as her eyes flashed a pale blue. “It’s my domain, Dominic. The most intimate place I could ever take another person. You won’t be the dominant force there like you are in our bedroom. You will be completely at my mercy. So, no... I won’t let you make love to me there. I will make love to you.”

  He bit down on his bottom lip. Kerrigan in her element, in control, and using that dominance to pleasure him... yeah, he was all over that. They couldn’t get there fast enough. “Oh, I’ve definitely got to see this. Do your thing, Querida.”

  “I’m really not sure how to do it, but I think I’ll have to try it from inside my sanctuary, so let’s start there.”

  “What can I do to help?”

  She smiled, making him forget his own name. “You’re doing enough just by being here.”

  He stroked her cheek with his thumb. “Where else could I be? I can’t breathe when I’m not with you.”

  The smile on her face grew until it threatened to numb her cheeks. Hadn’t she said essentially the very same thing about him to Drew the day before?

  “What?”

  She felt like a grinning fool. “Nothing. I just... I f
eel the same way about you.”

  “Yeah? Well, what are we waiting for? I’m beginning to feel a little breathless,” he said with a suggestive waggle of his brows.

  Kerrigan closed her eyes and concentrated on the place she wanted to go. It didn’t take long for her to reach it. Whether it was because of the many trips she had already made there or the increase in her strength from her sessions with Drew, she didn’t know. Her mind’s eye opened to reveal the familiar garden of her sanctuary. The sun shone brightly, the flowers were in full bloom, and the birds sang their songs. She could hear the sound of the surf off in the distance beyond the trees. With steady steps she moved toward it, watching in awe as the tree line morphed and parted to reveal a path that led to a vast, clear blue body of water. Her bare feet left plush grass and stepped onto warm, soft white sand as she made her way toward the shoreline.

  The tide was coming in, the surf dwarfing the beach and slowly rising. Giving no thought to her long skirt, Kerrigan stepped into the water and looked toward the setting sun. That was odd because usually when she went into her sanctuary, it was the same time of day as it was back in the mortal world.

  A hump rose in the water, and she watched as it came closer. A spotted head with two distinct black eyes and a slightly pointed snout peered toward her. It was a green sea turtle. She had never seen one in the wild. They only ever came ashore late at the night when the beaches were deserted. Not at all deterred by her presence, the turtle slowly made its way onto the beach and headed toward the sand dunes. Time fast-forwarded as she watched it dig a hole with its fins, lay its eggs, and then head back out to sea. The turtle craned its long neck and turned to look back at her, blinking one eye, or maybe it was a wink. She could have sworn she saw it smile before it sank back into the water and swam away.

  Curious, she thought, but she didn’t get the sense that it was Dominic. Besides, he had never appeared to her as an animal before, so she turned to seek him out. Nothing but dune grass, sand, and...

  There—a formation of rocks. They were an earthy brown and ranged in size, but the largest one with patches of black and green—it called to her. Weathered and beaten by elements it had no control over, the rock stood steadfast. It was a survivor. It was Dominic.

  “I see you,” she whispered, knowing he was still there with her in the mortal world.

  The oceanic breeze whipped through Kerrigan’s hair as she made her way toward the rock for closer examination. Life teemed in and around its crevices, seeking shelter from larger prey that was certain to be on the hunt for food once the rising tide had reached its full depth. They would be trapped, protected from the hunters yet beaten against the rock. It wasn’t surprising. Dominic was the foundation and the barrier, the defender and the danger. He sustained and he threatened. Such a beautiful contrast, it had to be him.

  Gingerly, she ran her fingertips over his rough exterior. The deep gashes and prickly peaks of the sand-encrusted stone smoothed under her touch.

  “Te siento, Querida,” Dominic whispered into her ear. “I feel you.”

  A soothing calm enveloped him—like when she touched his twin mark, only all over. He realized then what it was. She was erasing his hurt, his burdens, if even for just a moment.

  Absorbing so much into herself, a tear slipped down her cheek. She could feel his pain, his determination, his perseverance. No stronger man had ever existed. Trial after trial had been thrown his way, and yet he was still enduring even more. When would it end?

  A spark of light from deep within the major crevice caught her attention, and she moved closer to get a better look. Tiny black and red crustaceans busied themselves gathering sustenance from the manna. With each poke and prod, the light source dimmed and flickered, weakening more. She knew what that light represented. It was the source of his existence, and once it burned out... so would he.

  The task of pulling him into her sanctuary was forgotten at this new revelation. Watching as his life source was devoured by scavengers made her heart wrench. There had to be something she could do. If she could just reach inside him, she would pull his spirit away from the threat and hide him away into herself.

  The tide continued to rise with each surge of surf onto the shore. If she didn’t hurry, the crustaceans would be trapped inside him, continuing to gorge on his essence. Determined to save him, she tried to push her arm through the opening to shoo them away, but it was too narrow. She couldn’t get to him. If she failed him—if she couldn’t save him...

  “No.” Her voice was thick from the sobs she choked back.

  “Querida? What’s wrong?” She was white-knuckle fisting his T-shirt, and the tendons in her forearms were pulled taut.

  In her sanctuary she pushed even harder, her effort to force her way through to his inner Light leaving abrasions on her hand. “Leave him alone!”

  “I’m right here, Querida. I’m okay.”

  “No, you’re not! They’re... they’re taking too much!”

  “Too much of what?”

  “You...”

  He took her face in his hands. “Open your eyes, baby. Come back to me.”

  “I can’t. They’ll kill you. I have to find a way.” Her muscles were coiled up like a spring ready to snap, and her skin felt feverish.

  It scared the shit out of Dominic. Normally when she was in her sanctuary, she was peaceful, calm. Something wasn’t right. He had to snap her out of it before things got worse. “You have to come back to me now, Querida.”

  She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. Not knowing what else to do, Dominic pulled the waistband of her skirt down to reveal her birthmark, the symbol that proved she had been touched by the Light by birthright. Taking a chance that it would work the same for her as it did for him, he pressed his fingers to the spot and gently massaged it.

  The grip she had on his shirt began to loosen, and she shook her head again, determined to hang on to the connection to her sanctuary. No matter what was happening to him there, he wasn’t about to let her put her life at stake for him.

  “Shh, Querida. You have to let go. I’m right here waiting for you. I’ll always be waiting for you.”

  Quiet sobs wracked her small frame, but her shoulders folded in and she began to relax in his arms. Tear-filled eyes opened to regard him, her bottom lip quivering with the effort to hold back her emotions.

  “Come here,” Dominic whispered. He pulled her against his chest and hugged her to him as she let the tears flow. “Jesus, I don’t know what you saw, but you sure know how to scare the shit out of me. What’s got you so upset, hmm? What did you see?”

  She sniffled into his shirt and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. “You.” Her voice was faint and shaky. “You’re dying.”

  He sighed. “Yeah, but we already knew that, didn’t we?”

  “It’s not the same as seeing it for myself.” She clutched his shirt again and snuggled closer as if by holding onto him physically, she could keep him there. “I can’t lose you, Dominic. I just can’t. I’m trying so hard to find a way to save you, and I just... I don’t know what to do. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

  “Hey.” He nudged her to get her to sit back so he could look at her. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for, and I’m not going anywhere if I can help it. You need to stop trying to shoulder the responsibility of my curse because it’s not your responsibility.”

  “It is. Grammy told me that our paths crossed for a reason. I’m supposed to be able to save you. Some Guardian I turned out to be, huh?”

  “You’re an excellent Guardian. You just always seem to forget that everything happens for a reason. You’re getting so upset over my impending demise that you’re forgetting that if I’m at the end of my road, there’s nothing you can do to about it. You can’t stop fate.”

  “But why would we have gone through everything we’ve gone through together just so that I can end up losing you in the end?”

  “I’m no great philosopher, but I’m p
retty sure there are some questions we shouldn’t ask. Wouldn’t want to tempt the Hand of Fate and all.” He laughed, earning a grimace from Kerrigan. “What? Listen, all I’m saying is that we’re wasting time sitting around contemplating what’s going to happen. There’s no way we can know that. I believe the answer will reveal itself in time. Until then, let’s just enjoy each other. Okay?”

  Kerrigan smiled. “You know, you’re sounding more and more like Grammy. I think she rubbed off on you while you were staying here with her.”

  He got a faraway look in his eyes, obviously remembering the old woman fondly. “Yeah, Availia and I had quite a few long talks.”

  “I wish she were here. She’d know what to do.”

  “But she’s not, so it’s up to us to figure it out. Now,” he said, moving under her. “Why don’t you go upstairs and clean yourself up? Let’s get out of the house today, just you and me. We’ll have some fun, and maybe that fun will involve some serious PDA and a little exhibitionism.”

  She laughed weakly. “You really have no shame, do you?”

  “Nope. Not when it comes to you.” He bucked his hips, making her bounce in his lap. “Go on up. If you’re lucky, I might spy on you while you change.”

  “Okay, okay.” She stood and started walking away, calling back over her shoulder, “If you’re lucky, I might make a performance out of it for your viewing pleasure.”

  He made a show of jumping out of the lounge chair and lunging after her. She squealed and took off running, but pulled up short when she saw Drew appear from the corner of the house.

  Dominic’s mood immediately deflated. “Can’t we have just one day together?”

  “Hey, Drew! I didn’t know we were supposed to meet up today.” Kerrigan greeted him with a smile; a smile that quickly fell once she saw the intensity in his eyes and the determination in his step.

  He ignored her and focused solely on Dominic, not stopping until he came face-to-face with him. Wait a minute, make that nose-to-nose.

  Not a good idea. No way was that going to go over well with Dominic. You just didn’t step into his personal space with an air of threat about you. It could be detrimental to your health, and your ability to walk—or breathe, for that matter.