The Crystal Telepath

by Evelyn Lederman

  “There is something I should have told you,” Shirl admitted, “but I was so angry. Drake was able to manipulate the soul mate connection for his own use. I don’t know if it was because he was not meant to be my soul mate or something was off kilter with Drake. I battled my feelings for Drake because they did not feel natural. In the end, I turned him down.

  “When you and I were reunited, perhaps that frenzied reaction was the bond righting itself.” That had to be the explanation why they both lost all control and made love with three other people in the room.

  Starc paled. “My telling you about Elzbeth and the mind control telepathic impact must have taken you back to Drake and the nightmare you experienced. I am so sorry.”

  “Maybe we should both stop apologizing and start moving forward. Maybe Elzbeth will always haunt you, but we can move beyond that together.”

  “I can do that,” Starc said. “The explanation of the righting of the soul mate bond also helps to reduce the guilt at making love to you in front of everyone. I re-entered the Nightshade universe knowing we had to have sex to save our lives, I was just not sure how I was going to suggest it in such a way that I would not feel it was rape. The fact nature took that problem off my hands relieves me a bit.”

  “I guess it is a good sign we are holding each other,” Shirl replied, “and still able to have a conversation. We have a big day tomorrow, let’s head off to bed.”

  Starc looked at her in disbelief. “Shirl, are you inviting me to spend the night?”

  Starc could not believe his ears. Was she letting him into her bed after all that had occurred this evening?

  “I am inviting you to literally sleep with me,” Shirl clarified. “If we spend the night together without making love, maybe we have something more than just lust. We dove right into hot sex, without knowing each other. For a one night stand, I guess that is fine. As soul mates, I expect that we would want something more.”

  Starc released her. She picked up the mug she had been sipping from and poured the leftover liquid into the sink. Shirl took his hand and together they walked to the room she was occupying.

  “Shirl,” Starc said, “you better put on a nightgown or something. I do not think I will be able to control myself if you are not wearing any clothes.” Starc doubted he would get any sleep this evening, considering how hard his cock currently was. His desire for her had not waned from the time they had been together, he just had better control of it. He removed his tunic, but decided to sleep with his leggings on. They helped hide his desire for her, a little.

  From the dresser, she pulled out a non-descript white shift. Shirl looked at him, smiled, and walked toward the washroom. Thank the Supreme Being she did not change in front of him. Nothing would turn him on more than watching her strip.

  Starc pushed the sheets back and got between them. He was tempted to ask through the soul mate channel if he could get a rain check for the chance to watch her change. She seemed willing to work things out, even if he said something stupid.

  The washroom door opened and a vision walked out. She was angelic in the white shift. Her blond hair cascading over ivory shoulders. Shirl had not buttoned the top three clasps. He could see her crystals falling between the tops of her beautiful breasts.

  As much as he loved the way she looked in the night shirt, he would have given anything to lift the material over her head and bare her for his inspection. He would examine every inch of her amazing body. If it was possible, he grew even harder. It was going to be an agonizing night.

  Without a word, Shirl joined him under the covers. Even though they were not touching, the heat they generated was incendiary. This was a terrible idea. The worst decision he had ever made. How he was keeping his hands off her was beyond him.

  “Wow,” Shirl said, “it is really hot under these covers.” She proceeded to kick the linens down to the end of the bed. Her actions eliminated the material that helped hide his erection. “Was it this hot before?” She proceeded to pull the shift around her hips and then over her head. Shirl wore nothing under the nightshirt. He gazed on her perfectly shaped breasts. How he longed to take them into his mouth.

  “Shirl,” Starc growled, “you cannot do this and not expect me to touch you.” He could barely contain the urge to caress those breasts. He was not sure what game she was playing, but she played dirty. He hovered over the invisible line on the bed that separated his half from hers.

  “I changed my mind. A little exercise may help us sleep better.” Shirl looked at him and gave a provocative smile.

  She had barely finished her sentence when Starc was on top of her. One hand covered her left breast, while his mouth explored the other one. He licked and sucked, unable to get enough of her taste. With his hand he squeezed and played with her breast’s nipple. He was not making the same mistake as the last time of not communicating with her. “Shirl, you are beautiful. If I do anything you do not like, tell me. All I want is to bring you pleasure.” Her fingers dug into his shoulders, providing an erotic massage as they reacted to what he was doing to her.

  He shifted to place her left breast in his mouth. Its tip hardened as he continued to suck. He increased the pressure as he feasted on the nipple. Shirl arched her back, her body’s response to what he was doing to her. Starc took his right hand and placed it under the small of her back. He released her breast and covered her mouth with his.

  He continued to kiss her as his left hand made his way to the juncture between her legs. She further spread her legs to give him better access. Starc needed to make sure she was ready for him before he entered into her. The first time they were together she was able to take all of him. However, he was not sure how physically comfortable she was during that act. He wanted this time to be perfect for her. First he entered her with one finger. She was wet and ready for him. He could not deny his body its relief another minute. Starc entered her with one thrust, as he had before. This time he would take it slow. He would cherish and worship her. She played to his rhythm. Starc treasured every gasp and moan that came from Shirl. His hands explored every inch of her body he could reach. Her skin was as soft as satin.

  For the first time in their relationship, Shirl initiated the kiss. It started sweet and innocent. There was a tentative quality about it, which was amazing since he was inside her. He deepened the kiss, as he had every one he had ever given her. She tasted of spices and Shirl. She was unique. She was addictive.

  Their bodies became slick with sweat as he continued to slide in and out. “Faster,” Shirl communicated through their link. As she requested, he increased the rate at he entered and withdrew from her core. Urgency overtook them, as it had the first time. They climaxed together. He had never experienced the magnitude of the orgasm he shared with his soul mate.

  Rather than falling on top of her, he turned over on his back, taking her with him. “Are you thirsty? Would you like some water?”

  “Let’s just lie here a couple of minutes,” Shirl replied. “Let me catch my breath. I know it’s a cliché, but that was wonderful. My whole body is humming. I don’t think I could stand if I tried. We should take a shower before we try to sleep. Cianan will be here at ten tomorrow morning.”

  Her body shimmered from the sweat generated from the exertion of their lovemaking. She made no attempt to cover herself. Starc drank in the sight of her. He needed to taste her again.

  Starc nuzzled her neck, he could not get enough of her. He dragged his tongue up her neck and came across the mark she still wore from Drake. “Did it hurt when he bit you?” There were probably better times to have brought up her experience. He wanted her to know it was safe telling him anything. He had to garner her trust.

  She looked into his eyes, taking his face into her hands. “No, it did not hurt. He was careful not to break any bones. I can still hear the bones being crushed as those vampires killed Stephano and the CT Guards. There was also a nu
mbing agent in Drake’s saliva. He licked and numbed my throat before he fed from me.”

  Starc considered what she said. He could not help himself, he had to know, so he asked her one more question. “Did he bite you anywhere else?” It would kill him if he took blood from her inner thigh.

  Shirl got a knowing look in her eyes. “He wanted to take blood from my femoral artery. I would not let him. There was something too intimate about him biting me there that I was not comfortable with. Drake was true to his word. He protected me from the other vampires, as well as from himself.”

  “What did he mean when he talked about finding your heart?”

  “I told him I was your soul mate and I belonged to you. If I set boundaries, maybe he would honor them. He said my soul may have been committed to you, but not my heart. For some reason, I think Drake is very lonely and perhaps was hoping I would fall in love with him. After he told me about manipulating the soul mate connection, I am not sure what I really felt for the man. I have seen dozen of vampire films, but nothing prepared me for the reality of it all.”

  Starc had never lounged in bed and talked to a woman. Talking to this woman was a salve to his soul. For the first time he really understood what having a soul mate meant. It was more than the incredible physical attraction. He was beginning to see Shirl touched him inside like no one had or would ever again. Starc hoped that Shirl felt the same way.

  “How about that shower,” Starc said. “Promise, I will not touch you while we are showering. I think we can both use some sleep. Terra Flora can be a dangerous place if we are not properly alert and prepared.” Starc figured there was a good chance he was going to break that promise.

  Chapter 15

  Shirl prepared two mugs of the herbal beverage that reduced the static in her head associated with the communal pathways. Where Alex drank it to prevent the nose bleeds she had been suffering, Shirl utilized the beverage to better hear the frequency in her head that allowed her to navigate the portals.

  The idea that she could open a portal to anywhere within the infinite universe was overwhelming. She had asked Alex to join her in the kitchen as their soul mates slept. Shirl was still not comfortable communicating telepathically. Communication was so much more than words people spoke. It was how their bodies responded, if a person would make eye contact, and all the other non-verbal aspects as one conversed.

  Alex dragged herself into the kitchen. She looked drained, as if she had not slept in weeks. “For goodness sake, Alex, doesn’t that man ever allow you to rest?” Shirl asked in disgust. She blushed thinking about last night and being with Starc. They never should have taken that shower. It only led to them making love under the pulsating water and then again in their bed. It amazed Shirl how quickly she thought of it as “their” bed.

  Her best friend’s face blushed. “As little as possible.” Alex let out a little giggle Shirl was now getting used to hearing. “Seriously, I have had difficulty sleeping because I was worried to death about you. When Starc and your brother talked about what happened in the Nightshade universe, I was petrified for you. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was some monster sinking his fangs into your neck. It was not a good looking vampire I imagined, but a rabid dog demon.” Shirl saw tears well up in Alex’s eyes.

  She walked to her friend and kissed her forehead. “I was lucky Drake was there. He tried to manipulate the soul mate link between me and Starc. His touch was enjoyable, although I was plagued with guilt because of it. Compared to how Chartail was treated, I was handled like fragile crystal.” Knowing what she was, Shirl felt that was an accurate analogy. They valued her in that world, as they did here, because she was a female crystal telepath. “Once we were re-united, something happened to the link between Starc and me. He touches me and I ignite, regardless of how annoyed I may be with him.”

  “I know what you are talking about,” Alex replied. “Tarsea uses sex to either get his way or distract me. Unfortunately, it works every time. You and I never had a physical relationship that lasted for any length of time and then we are catapulted into these intense soul mate melodramas. Sometimes I feel like I’m trying to take a drink from a fire hose when I am dealing with Tarsea. I am more likely to get caught in the extreme stream of water than quench my thirst.”

  “I am definitely caught in a whirlpool of emotion where Starc is concerned. However, that’s not why I wanted to talk to you. Rather than toss and turn, I needed to concentrate on someone other than myself.” Shirl almost laughed at the look of horror that crossed Alex’s face. “Relax, I was not focusing on you. I was thinking about how relatively easy I was able to fit into Troyk society, while you are still having to pretend to be someone you are not. It would be nice if Candy could have the same type of transition I had. She must be worried sick about us both.”

  “Funny, I was thinking the same thing. She probably made it to Sedona and is driving everyone insane,” Alex said. “Candy is probably getting in their faces, telling them how incompetent they are. Our being dragged into a portal to another universe would not be on their list of possible scenarios.”

  Scraping footsteps sounded behind them. “It was the luckiest day of my life was when Darden opened that portal,” Tarsea commented as he dragged himself into the kitchen. “You girls did not put any coffee on? I do not know how you are able to function without caffeine.” He started his own brew after he kissed Alex.

  Alex returned her soul mate’s kiss willingly. There was a harmony between the two she had not been able to achieve with Starc. They fit together. It was almost magical. She supposed that was because they were soul mates. Could she settle for anything less with hers?

  “It was always the three of us,” Alex continued, recovering from the passionate kiss. “Candy will be exposed to mind control probes by Jarlyn, as you were. I cannot imagine Candy talking about you, without mentioning me. It is not a long stretch to associate Alexia Montiff with the other surviving daughter of the refugees, Alexandra Mann. I have already admitted to being part of the family. We are going to have to come up with a way to warn Candy, without compromising her ignorance of me in this world.” The complexity of the story they were going to have to contrive almost gave Shirl a headache. She would have to think more on the subject.

  Shirl heard the front door close and moments later Tolfer walked in. He hugged Alex and then came to her. “I could not let you run off to Terra Flora without properly feeding you. Do you feel like something sweet or savory this morning?”

  Alex was the one with the sweet tooth, Shirl rarely bothered with deserts. “Savory. Can you make something that has a little kick to it?” She had always loved Mexican breakfasts with their flavorful salsas. Shirl especially liked green tomatillo sauce on her eggs. She was one of those people who could not get enough cilantro. If that herb was not present in the Troyk universe, she would have Darden bring some back with him from Earth.

  “I am sure I can whip something up. Where is Starc?”

  “Still sleeping,” Tarsea answered between sips of his coffee. “He got a little unexpected exercise last night.”

  Alex kicked her soul mate under the table, “Ouch! What was that for? Our bedrooms share a wall.”

  “A little tact goes a long way, baby,” Alex responded.

  Tarsea looked at Shirl over the lip of his mug. “Sorry, Shirl. I did not mean to be obtuse and make you feel uncomfortable. As soon as things stabilize, we need to all move back into our apartments. There is not enough privacy in this house.”

  “I could not agree with you more,” Starc said, as he joined the rest of the group in the kitchen. He gently caressed Shirl’s shoulder, before he headed to the coffee. That intimate touch was a start. It was not an outright display of affection, as Tarsea had shown Alex, but it was a huge step for Starc. “However, for the time being, we have to be more aware of our surroundings.” Starc made a side comment within their private channel. “The
shower in our room is next to the linen closet.”

  Shirl could feel her skin warm, reacting to Starc’s comment. The smell of onions frying in a skillet grabbed her attention. “That smells heavenly, Tolfer. When I cooked at home, I was more likely to set off the smoke alarm than produce something I could eat.” Her stomach growled and she could not wait until Tolfer was done with his latest masterpiece. Discussion related to Candy would have to wait. It would be a good idea to have a substantial breakfast before they headed to Terra Flora. She had no idea how they were going to find the stones that Jarlyn wanted. To add to that, there was the Giant Larma beast and whatever other critters lived in that universe that created additional challenges.

  Chapter 16

  “Let us give Shirl the freedom to fly solo on this trip,” his brother suggested. Starc was pleased that Darden decided to join them on their trip to Terra Flora. Alex showing Shirl one of the world’s more unfriendly inhabitants had not gone over well with him. Everyone’s nerves were a bit frayed and Starc still did not fully trust Cianan. Would her brother get between Shirl and a larma beast if one attacked? Until he could answer that question, the jury was out on his trustworthiness.

  Starc had heard almost the whole conversation that occurred between his soul mate and Alex this morning. Tarsea had seen him as he made his way to the kitchen, but had not given away his presence. He had only wished his soul mate had discussed more of her feelings with Alex before the conversation shifted to their friend still in the Ginkgo Terra universe.

  There was no question they clicked sexually, it was everything else that worried Starc. All he wanted was Shirl to be comfortable in their relationship. It was obvious she had many doubts which Starc had been neglectful in addressing. They needed time and a lot less drama. He could no longer sweep their problems under the rug. Starc had to aggressively deal with what had not been working so he and Shirl would have a future.