She had never climaxed with a man before. There was nothing she could compare to what they just shared. She knew it was more than most women on Earth would have experienced. Shirl had barely steadied her breathing when her brain sizzled. There was no other way to describe it. She started to panic, as the euphoria of making love with her soul mate wore off.
For the first time, Shirl purposely linked into the soul mate channel. “What is happening to me? It is as if my brain is frying.”
Starc held his soul mate, as his brain excreted what would trigger the next evolutionary stage of their telepathic powers. He was barely functioning again mentally. A biological need took over his body and mind as soon as Shirl came into his arms. His animalistic need to mate overcame any rational thought he possessed.
He reassured Shirl what was happening to them both was a natural process. “A hormone is generated the first time soul mates make love. You will be able to manipulate your crystal in new miraculous ways. That includes being able to open a temporary portal with little effort.”
Starc had been dreading how he was going to talk Shirl into making love. However, as soon as they touched, a combustion occurred like nothing he had never experienced before. He did not know if it was them or something magical with soul mates that caused the frenzy that just occurred.
“Are you two finished yet?” his soul mate’s brother bellowed. As he made love to Shirl he lost the reality that three men were just a few yards away. That was how consuming his passion for Shirl exhibited itself. He stood in front of Shirl, shielding her from their eyes. Too little too late in his opinion.
Starc could see Shirl’s face redden with embarrassment. She had been so overwhelmed, she must have lost the perception too. He glanced at Cianan and saw him leaning over Chartail Adholm. Tarsea was on the other side of Chartail, administering what aid he could. Had someone described her condition to him, Starc would not have believed it. The woman looked like she had been attacked by a pack of wild dogs.
As Shirl adjusted her toga, she said, “We should not communicate through the communal pathways. At least one vampire was able to hear a telepathic conversation I had with Chartail.” She stepped around Starc, facing the men present when they performed the extremely personal act moments before.
Although she did not look them directly in the eye, Starc knew Shirl was ready to move forward and leave this terrible place. More color returned to her cheeks, although she was still dreadfully pale.
Starc took his soul mate’s hand and walked toward the injured woman. Chartail’s condition allowed him to concentrate on something other than what had just occurred between him and Shirl. No words of love or telepathic connection existed between them while they had sex.
“What in the name of all that is holy happened to her?” Starc stared in disbelief at the woman lying before him then whipped his head toward his mate. He noticed the mark on Shirl’s neck. He was torn between hatred and appreciation for the man who claimed Shirl. Drake had violated his soul mate’s neck, taking her blood. Looking at Chartail, he shuddered to think what Shirl would have looked like if Drake had not intervened.
“Yorik,” Shirl said. “I did everything I could to help her. That animal was relentless. Drake stopped him several times from ripping her to shreds.” At that point Shirl started crying. The tears were not for what she had endured, but for what the woman in front of them did. Starc took her into his arms. Heat once again generated between them. He released his soul mate, they could not afford to lose their minds and bodies again.
Darden approached Shirl and touched her crystals. “Drake returned them to you. We will not need the back-up crystal Starc wears. I was terrified Yorik would discover it when he took ours.”
“I am not leaving without Chartail,” Shirl stated. “Regardless of her crime, no one deserves what she has had to endure. Darden, just tell me what I need to do to open a temporary portal.” His soul mate had a determination he had not seen her display in the short time he had known her. Pride for Shirl warmed his heart. This experience, although horrific, had given her an inner strength he had not witnessed.
Tarsea lifted Chartail into her arms. “Seeing her like this, we could never leave her here. We will figure out what to do with her once we get back to the Troyk universe. Starc promised we would get you both out of here, and that is what we are going to do. Darden, let us get on with it!”
“Shirl,” Darden said. ”Buried within the usual static of the communal pathways is a faint frequency. That frequency is always there for a crystal telepath. When you are near a natural portal, your crystal picks up the frequency and opens an event horizon automatically. You need to find that frequency and increase the volume. The louder that frequency, the less power your crystal will need to open the portal.”
Starc watched his soul mate close her eyes and concentrate. Her forehead wrinkled as she deepened her efforts. He expected she would be frustrated since she did not immediately open a portal. However, Shirl remained calm. Starc was not sure how quickly the hormone would work to accelerate her natural crystal telepathic gifts. Darden and Cianan watched Shirl, as Tarsea whispered into Chartail’s ear. Although only moments had passed, Starc was becoming agitated. He was not sure when the vampires would return.
He grabbed the crystal underneath his tunic. “Darden,” he said, “can you use this crystal and open a portal yourself?”
His twin shook his head. “When I was teaching Shirl about portals and crystals, I had that crystal partially tuned to her brain frequency. It will take too long to re-adjust. Give her a little more time, she will do it. Her brain automatically opened the portal in Sedona with no previous training. She is a natural.”
Starc was about to respond when a loud frequency in his head brought him to his knees. “What the fuck!” Starc did not bother to cover his ears. He knew that deafening sound came within his own head. The crystal he held within his grasp started to glow. Shirl’s crystal responded in the same manner. He gazed from her amethyst to her lovely face. She had a look of utter amazement in her eyes. They were as large as a captivated cat’s. An event horizon had opened.
“Take her hand,” Darden communicated through the link that existed since they were born. He knew only their link and the soul mate channel would break through the ear shattering frequency he was experiencing. “I had heard stories about soul mates being able to navigate together, even if one was not a natural crystal telepath. You know the frequency for home, you can navigate for her.” Darden communicated to Cianan and Tarsea they were leaving.
They were about to step through the temporary portal when the door opened and a single vampire entered. Drake. Starc did not know if more vampires were behind him or if Drake would attempt to stop them leaving the Nightshade universe.
“You do not have to leave, Shirl. I will take you to another location within the Nightshade universe where you will be safe,” Drake spoke to Shirl through the communal pathway. When the event horizon opened, the volume of the frequency reduced, allowing Starc to hear what the vampire said to his soul mate. There was an intimacy in the delivery Starc did not like. “If you do not find your heart, return. I am here if ever you are in need of me.”
Shirl turned and gave the vampire a weak smile. She tightened her grip on Starc’s hand. “Let us leave this terrible place,” Shirl communicated through the soul mate channel. “Help me find the frequency that will take us home.”
Starc glanced behind him as he entered the portal. He looked past Tarsea, who held Chartail in his arms. Drake was holding back a number of vampire guards, helping to assure their escape. Darden and Cianan were ready to enter the portal right behind him.
They left the Nightshade universe, but what had Shirl done to survive? Chartail looked close to death and Shirl had a single mark on her neck. He knew he told her to do whatever it took to keep living, he was just not sure he could ever trust her again if she had sex with
Drake.
Starc hated himself for how he felt. The betrayal of Elzbeth Southam once again haunted him. Did he have a future with his soul mate beyond the physical craving that clearly existed between them?
Chapter 13
Shirl finished off her glass of wine. She telepathically ordered another. Before she finished chewing the bite of salad she placed in her mouth, the wine arrived. She did not think there was enough alcohol to sooth the hurt she felt.
They had been back in the city for two days, and Starc had barely spoken to her. There had been no physical contact between them as well. It was almost as if their wild sex escapade had not occurred. She started to question Starc’s motives related to their interlude. Had he merely had sex with her for her brain to excrete the hormone needed to escape the Nightshade universe?
Chartail was hidden away in the safe house the men used to ferry dissidents to another world. Alex and Tarsea spent most of their days caring for Chartail, pretending to have mid-afternoon interludes. Solfa and Darden took the evening shifts. The communal pathways were abuzz with chatter about the two couples.
When the group was together at Tarsea’s parents’ house, they spoke about what to do with Chartail. The poor woman’s father had earlier proved he did not care for his daughter. Most of her friends had disowned her. Shirl could not really blame them.
Guilt by association must have paralyzed them with fear. The Troyk universe had little tolerance for people who spoke or acted against the government. There was no Bill of Rights here. No freedom to speak against governmental policies, a right that was sometimes taken for granted in the United States. Here, little dissension murmurs that arose were quickly rectified by mind control abilities.
Their first priority was to get Chartail physically healthy. Her mental health was another matter. Shirl could only imagine the terrible dreams that plagued the woman’s sleep.
Shirl did not dream. She half expected Drake to dominate her dreams, as vampires did in the series True Blood. That series did not come close to what she saw in the Nightshade universe until the Hep-V vampires entered the picture. The savagery and blood lust was closer to the reality she experienced there.
She did not dream of Starc either. The incredible sex they had should have fueled weeks of wet dreams. It had also been performed in public. Shirl half expected a dream where they were making love as the Super Bowl’s half-time entertainment. Exposed for all to see, as she had been in the Nightshade universe. Maybe her subconscious was still coming to grips with what had happened.
“Shirl,” Alex said, as she broke through Shirl’s thoughts. Her friend knew she needed a distraction so she dragged her to lunch with two friends she met through Chartail. As if having lunch with the girls was going to fix what was ailing her.
Alex looked at Shirl with concern on her face. Today Alex was wearing a non-descript tunic and leggings, allowing her to blend into the background. Her friend was a true chameleon. Alex wanted to make as little of an impression as she made her way to and from the house Chartail was recuperating in.
“We want to know if Cianan is seeing anyone,” Sondra said. Like the other woman sitting at the table with them, Sondra was tall, blond, and beautiful.
“My brother and I are not exactly close,” Shirl shared with the women. That certainly was an understatement. Her brother barely tolerated her. Although he had been protective of her when they were in the Nightshade universe, as soon as they returned to the Troyk universe, Cianan went back to being an ass. “I will covertly find out and get back to you.” That seemed to satisfy Sondra.
“It was so nice of the Childers to take you in. You have a built-in friend with Alex. Sondra and I were so pleased when Chartail introduce us before…” Jessalyn did not finish her sentence. She did not have to. They all knew what Chartail had done.
There was an uproar when the citizens of the Troyk universe found out about Chartail’s supposed fate. The protests were short lived, as Jarlyn’s mind control telepath squad convinced the populace of the commodity a condemned prisoner presented the population. Shirl was immune to mind control tactics, but pretended her acceptance of Troyk policy. She did wonder if anyone would be sentenced to death and sent to the Nightshade Universe in the future. One thing was clear, she would never again accompany anyone to that world. The severity of her experience there would negate any mind control telepath from trying to convince her otherwise, mind secretion or not. The blood opal Drake had given her was hidden in her underwear drawer.
The discomfort caused by the discussion was relieved when her brother communicated through their familial link. “We have an assignment for tomorrow. Jeryl Jarlyn wants us to go to the Terra Flora universe and acquire some rare agates. I will pick you up at ten. Inform Starc about the assignment.” Yes, inform Starc indeed. They were barely speaking. She even wondered if Starc would go with them. He was assigned to protect her, but she was afraid he would find someone to cover for him.
“What is it?” Alex inquired. Her friend could always read her like a book. She never was able to hide anything from Alex.
“That was Cianan letting me know we have an assignment. I hope Terra Flora is a better experience than the last hell hole where I was sent.”
“Terra Flora!” Alex exclaimed, as she stood and threw her napkin on the table. “That does it! We are going to the zoo.” What going to the zoo had to do with Terra Flora was beyond Shirl’s comprehension. Alex had a committed look on her face and Shirl knew there was no talking her out of this trip. “Ladies, we will see you next week.”
Alex placed money on the table and hugged each of the women before they left the restaurant. Shirl wondered if the zoo had polar bears. She realized how little she knew about the geographic and temperate makeup of this world. Shirl never remembered Alex being so melodramatic. She figured she was not going to like what was at the zoo.
“This is the terrifying Giant Larma beast from the Terra Flora universe. That is the world Jarlyn is sending you for some rocks,” Alex said in disgust.
Shirl stared at the animal that even her most terrifying nightmare could not have conjured. “It supposedly only eats rodents,” Alex continued, “but I have no idea how aggressive these beasts are in their natural habitat. This one came through the portal. It took six CT Guards to bring it down. Raine Narmouth told me all about it when I was stupid enough to go on a date with him.”
Her friend had telepathically asked Tarsea and Starc to meet them at the zoo. The men replaced Koel who had been watching over them from a distance during lunch and their journey here. Raine Narmouth still presented a threat to Alex. She never left the house without one of the men accompanying her. Koel had stayed behind to help Tolfer guard Alex while the rest of the men were working to rescue Shirl and Chartail.
“Not stupid,” Tarsea said, as he kissed the top of her head, “misguided.” It was obvious that peck on her head was not enough for her friend. Alex grabbed her soul mate’s tunic and brought him down to her level so she could kiss his lips. Tarsea deepened the kiss. Shirl re-directed her attention back to the Giant Larma beast, giving them a little privacy. Starc seemed unaffected by the amorous display. He and Shirl certainly had gone a lot further than just a harmless kiss.
“I have been to Terra Flora before,” Starc informed her. “Although I have never seen one of these in the wild, we will be prepared to fend one off if the need arises.” Those few words were more than any other conversation they had in the last two days. Starc had become the king of one word answers.
Feeling hurt all over again, Shirl wanted to do the one thing that always made her feel better. Shop! Leenea had given her money to buy tunics and leggings, but she had been too depressed. Now, that was saying something, too depressed to shop!
“I’ve seen enough,” Shirl said. “There was a cute clothing boutique I saw as we made our way here. Let’s check it out.” Alex cringed every time Shirl used a contrac
tion in her speech.
Starc and Tarsea moaned at the prospect of accompanying their soul mates shopping. It must be a universal male trait. Shirl wondered if Tarsea was talking to Tolfer through their familial link to see if he could relieve them.
Starc walked beside Tarsea as they followed their soul mates into the quaint shop. He figured Shirl thought he dreaded the idea of shopping with her. Nothing would be farther from the truth, regardless of the groan he had performed for Tarsea’s benefit. He could not wait for Shirl to model the different outfits as she tried them on, especially the evening wear.
Troyk women dressed quite elaborately for the second dinner seating at restaurants. Where daytime fashion was quite conservative, what women wore later in the evening was quite revealing.
Tarsea was continually trying to get rid of the sheer outfits Alex’s aunt and cousin purchased for her. His friend did not want men to ogle his soul mate. Starc knew he would behave in the same manner, if his reaction to Drake was any indication.
Shirl grabbed a number of outfits for both her and Alex from the racks. Starc perched himself right outside the dressing room that Shirl occupied. She would have to walk past him to see herself in the mirror. Tarsea was in a chair nearby, mumbling to himself.
Alex came out first. Her soul mate took one look at her barely-there outfit, sprang from his seat, and dragged her back into the dressing room. He heard some scuffling and then Alex’s laughter.
Shirl came out wearing her first outfit. Starc was speechless. His mouth became dry, he could barely swallow. She was stunning in the sheer silver and gold tunic, with matching leggings. The metallic color made it look as if Shirl was a jewel placed in a setting. The translucent material hugged her every curve and his eyes traveled to her breasts. Bead work covered most of the area, thank the Supreme Being.
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