Past trees, splashing through puddles, branches whipped at her face, her arms, blinding her, and she just kept on running. Nothing would stop her from getting away from the men who wanted to own her, each for their own purposes.
And then she stepped into something that she thought was a puddle and the ground imprisoned her leg, refusing to let go. The more she struggled, the tighter the grip.
"No,” she screamed as she twisted around to look frantically over her shoulder. She tugged and tugged at her foot, but only found herself sinking deeper and deeper into the ground. She leaned forward and reached down to claw at the earth and attempt to pry her ankle free. Suddenly there was a great tug and she toppled forward into quicksand-like liquid.
Her whole body was rapidly consumed by the sucking, gritty material. Using every last bit of her strength, she broke through the surface, gasping for air, and grabbed onto a thick tree root clutching it with both hands. Something beneath the ground yanked at her leg attempting to draw her beneath the quagmire.
"Help me,” she cried out. “Someone help me.” A hard yank on her leg submerged her below the surface. Hand over hand, muscles screaming, she managed to drag herself up far enough to where her head was above the silty, cloying liquid. She was now blinded, could barely breath, and didn't dare open her mouth, knowing the mud would pour down her throat. But she did hear the crackle of branches indicating someone was close by.
Coughing up muck, gasping for breath, determined to make one last attempt, she tried pulling herself up with all her might to call for help. Just as she was about to scream, the liquid surged and her mouth and throat were clogged by the grainy sludge.
"Hold on,” a male voice said.
All she could do was nod as she clung to the broad tree roots, choking on the mud filling her mouth. She heard a mumble of foreign words she didn't recognize. A firm hand gripped her wrist, just as the draw on her leg disappeared. With speed and strength that left her breathless, she was yanked from the deadly quicksand. Landing sprawled on the firm ground, coughing up gritty mud, she drew in clean, sweet oxygen. She couldn't believe she was alive. It was long moments before she managed to turn over and wipe some of the wet sludge from her eyes and found herself staring up into yet another handsome stranger's eyes.
She tried to speak, but found her throat wasn't yet working right. The man knelt next to her, pulled out a cloth and wiped the muck from her face. He then offered her a leather flask and she drank the cool, cleansing water, quenching her parched throat.
"Who are you?” she asked as she handed back the flask.
He looked down at her with blue eyes as quiet and calm as the still waters of a Jovantu river, and she felt herself falling into them. Somehow his manner calmed her even though she had no idea who he was or why she should seem to trust him not to hurt her.
"My name is Gar and we need to get you out of these ruined garments. You don't want to become ill."
"I—” The thought remained unfinished as she allowed him to lift her into his arms and carry her through the forests until they came to the banks of a sparkling river.
Carefully, he set her on her feet and she allowed him to remove her clothing, her own strength not quite what it should be. Why was she so calm? What was it about him that made her offer no resistance to his attentions? She looked him over and realized his clothing was as dirty as her own after carrying her through the woods.
"I've ruined your clothes as well,” she said softly.
He looked down and smiled. “I believe you have. Well, we'll take care of that.” To her shock, he pulled off his boots and tossed them aside. He then pushed down his trousers and shrugged out of his shirt. He was left standing there as nude as she was. She couldn't help staring at him. The man had a gorgeous physique and, unlike the ghostly complexions of the men in the underworld, his skin was golden, exuding warmth and vitality. His smile was gentle and open. Her gaze was drawn to his cock which rose thick and enticing from a silky, black nest of curling hair.
For the first time her passions were not harnessed with dread at the thought of touching a man. She felt unexpected desire and wasn't quite certain what to do about it. She wanted to reach out to touch him, to explore him with her new-found freedom. Before she could act upon her thoughts, he again lifted her into his arms strode toward the river.
When he'd reached a deep enough part of the water, he slowly sank down with her spread across his lap. His hard penis jutted against her hip. He cupped some water and trickled it over her breasts.
"It's warm,” she said with surprise. She'd expected the sparkling water to be ice cold.
He smiled and she found herself entranced by the full sensuality of his mouth and wondered what he would taste like. She was awed by the feeling that she truly wanted to be touched by a man. She wanted to feel his hands stroking her body and his hard cock pressing between her lips to bury inside her vagina. What had come over her?
But again her mind wandered off as she sank into his embrace and allowed him liberties she never could have imagined, actually wanting him.
He lowered her into the water until all but her face was submerged, steadied by his strong arms. He washed her hair with one hand as his muscled thighs and one arm anchored her to him.
"Relax, little one. You've been through a great deal. I'll take care of you. Please allow me to do this for you."
His voice was calm and mesmerizing and she found herself relaxing completely in his arms, all thoughts of where and whom she'd been running from flitted away beneath his attentions.
And then something nudged into her mind. She wanted to fight the intrusion.
"No,” he said. “Just relax. You are meant to be here. He has waited a long time. I know he frightened you. He's not used to women. He's used to everyone doing as he commands without question."
Gar's hands continued to stroke her body, soothing her with his hands, his voice like thick cream, drenching her with his words. It was as though she were floating on a billowy cloud.
"Open yourself, honored one. I feel your energy; you are safe here."
His hands explored her body beneath the water and Krystallina moaned softly as his fingers encouraged her to spread her thighs. She allowed his thick fingers to stroke over her engorged pussy lips. And then a finger brushed across her clit, another slipped inside her channel. She shuddered and climaxed, arching against his hand as her mind and body opened wide and the presence she'd felt lingering pushed inside her mind.
She struggled to push the man entering her thoughts out, to close herself off from his intrusion, but it was no use. Gar's hands stroked and soothed and her passions flared, throbbing sensations that couldn't be ignored. The man in her mind beckoned to her and, within her mind, she followed. He led her toward a glowing fire, past it and toward a hut. He was as naked as she and Gar were, his body bronzed and beautiful, muscles rippling, dark hair flowing down his back, a shock of white cut the dense night of his locks.
She should be afraid. She should flee from him as she'd done before, but this time something stopped her. Was it the hands stroking her body toward mindless passion? Or was it something else?
Sarek held back a flap and motioned for her to precede him. She felt no fear in her mind and stepped inside the hut. Why wasn't she afraid? Why didn't she run?
It didn't matter because she knew somewhere deep down that she must be here. That her destiny would be revealed inside this hut. And though in some sense she knew it wasn't real, that her body had somehow been separated from her mind, that one man was using his hands on her body, and another had laid claim to her mind, there was something buried inside herself that said this was the place she had been running to all along.
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CHAPTER 6
Gar was the anchor of Sarek's household. And unlike Sarek, who had spent far too many years in the Misted Forest at the command of Goddess Night, Gar still retained some civility and understanding of human nature. If not for Sarek's co
mpanion-apprentice, the woman would already be lost to Sarek.
He had watched Gar with Krystallina, hidden from view just beyond the river's edge. He marveled at how his soothing hands had calmed the startled woman who had run from Sarek in panic. His own fault. He should have reached for her mind, tried to soothe her fears before confronting her with something he should have known would frighten her. She had recently come from Kadin's hand. Had he really expected her to fall at his feet in thankfulness for saving her from the horde?
Krystallina was not a weak woman or Goddess Night would not have sent her to Sarek. But just like the wild animals of the forest, it took a quiet and steady hand to woo her.
As Gar soothed and stroked her body, Sarek entered her mind, drawing forth the image of the spirit hut and guiding her to it. As Sarek poured water over the hot stones at the center of the hut and steam rose, he studied her. Her stance was guarded, fingers clenching and unclenching as she hovered nearby, her image made ethereal by the swirling strands of vapor rising between them.
His gaze traced over her body, noting her flushed skin from the heightened sexual desire, her dusky nipples tightly beaded, the hint of silky cream glistening on her smooth, bare mound, lips puffy, pink clitoris, wet and teasing him from beneath the hood of her femininity.
Sarek's cock was hard and throbbing, eager for the mating to be consummated. But ritual must be followed. He reined in his desire and, dropping to the ground, legs crossed, he waved a hand toward the other side of the steaming rocks.
"Sit. We'll talk."
After a moment's hesitation she sank down to the earth. His attention was riveted on her mound, watching as her lips opened like the bloom of a flower to reveal the inner pink petals and her clit rising like a tiny penis, needy and wanting, just as his own erection was eager to feel her surrounding him.
Gar was the one touching her, raising her desires to a summit of fiery need that would be almost unquenchable by the time Sarek melded with her to perform the Janusvarian Coupling of Amak. He'd only read of it and he wasn't even certain a twinned crisis could be induced by such an act. The fact that she had opened her mind to him gave him some measure of hope for success. That and the mirror of reactions surging in her mind, a flow of responses to Gar's caresses.
"This isn't real."
He blinked at her words and quirked a raven-dark brow refocusing on her expression. “Isn't it? Why do you say that?” A misty sheen coated her perfect flesh. His gaze caught the angry brand above her breast. He frowned.
Kadin's mark. Again his attention stuttered as she lifted a fluttery hand to cover the mark, as she realized what he'd been staring at.
"No,” she said, a look of confusion spreading across her face. “I'm not here with you. I'm somewhere else. At least my body is."
"We are mind melded.” Sarek couldn't be certain she would understand the concept of a true mind meld even though she said she'd been inside Kadin's mind.
"Mind meld.” She looked at him. “Am I in your head, or are you in mine?” He really was pleased with her quick intelligence.
He smiled. “I have come to you. It seemed appropriate.” He saw her jerk and a glazed look entered her expression. More cream coated her thighs, the inner folds of her labia blushed an even deeper fuchsia. To his gaze, her opening pulsed, beckoning him to her. It was all he could do to resist the signals of her body. Her scent rose, mingling with the steam, settling over his body, his pores drawing her mist inside him. Sarek thought it had to be one of the most mystical and yet sensual moments he'd ever experienced.
He quickly turned his attention to dipping the clay cup into the bucket of water and steaming it over the hot rocks, hoping the veil of vapor would hide his rising need from her eyes. Pre-ejaculate leaked from the slit in his penis, liquid that coated his thick rod, preparing him for her.
"How is this happening? Why?” She was curious about everything. He wanted to take the time to explain each minute detail. But he wanted her in his arms when he did it.
"You have been led here by Goddess Night. She has formed your destiny. Have you never felt different from your people?"
"Yes. My parents always branded me a changeling child. Not one of their own. I think my father sent me off for marriage as quickly as he could without breaking traditions.” Her head dipped down and she stared into the hot orange coals beneath the metal grate holding the steaming rocks. “I made them uncomfortable, but I couldn't help that I could do things none of the others could."
He wanted to cradle her in his arms, but the time was not right. Not just yet. “Our people. Those of the misted forests have been hunted by others on the planet. The others fear our kind and have attempted to destroy us. We are Aestivali, people of the earth, a part of the world around us. But we have been forced to hide amongst those of other cultures on the planet, scattered to the four corners. Until now."
She looked at him, her eyes wide. “But that's not possible. I was born in Jovantu. I'm not Aestivali."
"But your soul is old. You were born into a body that would not have lived without your essence. It was your time to be reborn. It's why you have not felt a part of that world, why you have felt persecuted. In another life you were probably executed for being Aestivali. Do you really not understand the difference? No normal woman could have endured slavery in Kadin's realm. No other woman could have escaped."
"I-I don't know—” She shook her head and he felt her disbelief, but he also felt the sense of understanding begin to light her way.
He leaned forward and grasped her hand, making the first connection. “Our souls were joined in another life. One we cannot recall in this incarnation. But nevertheless it is true. Goddess Night shines her light for us and shows us our path. I am the current guardian of the misted forests, known as a master magician, still feared by many for the gifts bestowed by Goddess Night. The Goddess has seen fit to finally reunite us. Will you deny her, Krystallina? Will you deny your true calling? Your destiny?"
He saw the cloudy uncertainty in her eyes and then they began to clear. As she looked at him, her fingers tightened on his.
"I'm afraid to trust you. I've spent so many years protecting myself. I want to believe what you say, it makes so much sense. But why did she wait until now? Why did she let me suffer at the hands of the cruel underlord if she had this wonderful destiny in mind for me?"
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CHAPTER 7
It was the oddest feeling, like she was in two different places at the same time. She was holding a conversation with Sarek, could feel his strong fingers clasping hers, but she could also feel Gar stroking her body, lifting her, and carrying her from the water. She felt him lay her on the soft, cool grass, his hands never leaving her, drawing her sexual passions higher and higher, yet not allowing her to climax.
It felt like her body was wound so tightly she wanted to scream. She looked at Sarek, who had risen to his knees and was drawing her up and past the steaming stones to face him, a mere hint of humid, dripping space between them. At the same time she felt Gar spread her legs, and she experienced the hint of cool air curling between her pulsing labia, teasing at her clit. And here, in this place with Sarek, she spread her legs and felt the moist, hard heat of his stiff rod press between her wet lips.
It was as though she were two people experiencing a myriad of emotions, all arousing. Every inch of her body was bathed in desire, every corner of her mind suffused with the need to couple. But with which man? The one stroking her body, or the one seducing her mind?
Sarek's head dipped closer and Krystallina could almost feel his breath touching her. Her lips parted.
"Do you know the Tenets of Amak?” he whispered against her mouth. She caught his breath and swallowed his taste, finding it pleasant. And she wanted more.
Her gaze met his and she was pulled into the fathomless depths of the blue-green, undulating sea of his eyes. Even in the moist heat of this hut, her lips felt dry, and she traced her tongue over their fles
hy, parched surface. Like a springing feline he captured her tongue with his mouth, sucking it deep into the chasm, chaining her to him. Her gaze widened and then her lashes fluttered closed.
She was aware of Gar's mouth against hers and her body reacted, just as in her mind she clung to Sarek. How could this be happening? How could she be responding in body and mind to two different men? She arched her hips, needing connection, needing to be filled, but which one of them would breach her entrance? Which of them would have her?
Sarek broke the kiss and looked down at her, his gaze hot and demanding. “The Tenets. Have you read them?"
"Y-yes. It was required before I left Jovantu. Obedience, Acquisition, and Acceptance."
"Are you willing to abide by the laws of Amak?"
He curled his arm around her waist, drawing her closer. His cock pressed deeper between the seam of her engorged lips.
"Sarek.” The words were a breath of pleading.
"You must answer me, Krystallina."
"I'm not like the women of my tribe. I don't know if I can follow the Tenets. My life has been very different. I will not have a master. I have come too far."
He bent her to him and she felt the will to yield to him overwhelm her as his cock frictioned between her sensitive lips. “Do you think I would be as cruel as Kadin? Do you think I would do you harm?"
Her instincts told her she could trust him. But did she dare trust that instinct? “I want to trust you."
"Your father would have given you in marriage to a man you didn't know. Would that have been better? Someone who had no idea of your special gifts and would have looked at you as something evil. Is that what you want?” He hugged her closer. “You are my mate. It has been so for lives past and will be so in lives future. Will you deny your destiny? Look into my mind. See the truth."
As she did as Sarek suggested, she felt Gar open her and the tip of his cock pressed at her opening. Krystallina saw the truth of Sarek's words. She had no choice but to trust him. It was her destiny. She thrust her hips, wanting Gar inside her, wanting Sarek inside her. Needing them both to fill her.
Krystallina's Crisis Page 3
