Silently she followed him back to the compound. Instinct warned her that now was not the time to push him. The time would come when she would find out what he was hiding. And besides, her head really did hurt.
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CHAPTER 13
It seemed too quiet after everything she'd been through. From her enslavement by Kadin to her communion with the environment, and her formal joining with Sarek not hours ago, and finally her formal acceptance of Sarek's companion Gar, into her life. Now, in the silence of eventide, a week after her twin marriage to the environment and to Sarek, it was like she was only now coming out of a nightmare that had turned into somewhat of a dream come true. How was it she had stepped so seamlessly from one into the other?
She cupped her breast through the silken material of her dress. Somewhere in the midst of all that had taken place, the brand above her breast had vanished as though it had never been. She had spent so much time hating the mark and trying not to look at it, that when she had peered into the mirror the other day, she couldn't believe her eyes when she saw it no longer marred her skin.
Each day Sarek had tutored her on harnessing her new powers. And each night she had spent blissful hours in his and Gar's arms. Their fiery passion knew no limits and burned brighter with each coupling among them. The shared intimacy was so much more than she had ever experienced, and she was so afraid it would disappear. Yet something else still worried her. And tonight she meant to find the answers once and for all.
Sarek was in a meeting with several of his apprentices, the first of the men who would be sent out to seek the location of others of the Aestivali bloodline. Humans like herself, who sheltered the soul of an ancient one. And as each one returned to the mystical forest, their tribe would again arise to defend their land and to be nurtured and protected by it.
She sensed Sarek's presence before he entered the courtyard and rose to greet him, offering him a goblet of wine. “I've been waiting for you."
He sighed and then drank the wine. “You want the answers I promised you."
"I think I've been rather patient, don't you?"
He nodded. “True. I wanted..."
"Is it so bad, what you have to tell me?” Her voice lowered. “What links you to the underlord? I sensed something, although I don't quite know what it meant. You closed your mind too quickly. The whole forest seemed to reflect your wrath. And some element of fear as well."
Sarek took both her hands in his and guided her toward a bench where they sat. She waited as patiently as she could as he gazed off into the distance.
"In another incarnation Kadin and I shared the same parents."
Shock reverberated through her. “He's your brother?"
His gaze captured hers. “In a manner of speaking, you might say that. The current body his soul is nurtured in is not my brother. He is my enemy."
"As-ya said Kadin let me go on purpose. That he knew I had powers."
Sarek nodded. “I'm not surprised. He wagered and lost this time. He would have used your powers against me. He has always coveted the forest and its secrets. He never wanted to protect it as our people are destined to do. He wanted to possess it and its powers. He went so far as to cause the death of one of the early protectors and thus was banished for good. He found his way into the underworld and has ruled that province ever since."
"I never realized. I never would have expected it. The two of you are so different.” She gripped his hands. “He knew what I am, didn't he? All this time he knew I was Aestivali."
"I would say that he probably did. He wanted to use you to wound me. By mating with you, my soulmate, it would strengthen my abilities to protect the forest. Enslaving the woman he knew was my soulmate was a game to him. But he wanted more. That's why he let you escape. If you were taken from me after the mating, the wound to the forest and me would be unrecoverable. And it could not be rectified until a reincarnation occurred, which would leave the forest vulnerable to him. I don't think he counted on your strength. You saved not only yourself, but the forest.” He pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers. “And me."
"I don't think that's quite the way it was. You are the one who saved me from the hordes."
His arms tightened around her. “I think they were simply meant to force you to me at a quicker pace. I'm not certain you were really in any danger from them. At least not then."
"We can't ever know that, can we?” She stroked his arm, then, unable to help herself, she slipped her hand inside the front of his pants to grasp his cock. It was hard and hot and so ready for her attentions.
"You have saved my life, Sarek. In so many ways. I-I feel reborn, and so blessed."
He unlaced the front of his pants and released his erection. She straddled his lap, then positioned the broad knob of his cock at her opening.
"And what assignment did you give Gar this evening?"
Sarek smiled as he planted his hands on her flared hips, pressing downward. “I wanted you to myself tonight. No distractions."
Once fully seated inside her, he curled a fist in her hair and bared her neck. His lips traveled a heated path along the column, making her shudder. He had such a delicious mouth. Her stomach twisted and surged, her pussy gulped greedily at his member, sucking and coating him with her juices, until he was sliding easily in and out of her entrance.
"So you've given him a task to accomplish.” She rode him slowly, undulating and grinding her hips, pressing his erection against her clit, feeling the rising pulse of pleasure, knowing she was close, so very close.
"He is to study the Aestivali Amak and design a new position."
Krystallina's breaths grew uneven as she lifted and then sank back onto the thick stalk of Sarek's erection. “A new position? Better than the Janusvarian Coupling?"
Sarek peeled down the front of her dress, baring her breasts. His hands cupped each full mound, kneading them and driving her higher.
"Just for you, beloved. Only for you."
She splintered as her climax washed through her. “Oh, stars, Sarek. Hold me, hold me tight. Don't ever let me go."
His arms wrapped around her, shackling her to him, and she had never felt more cherished. “Never, soulmate. You are finally home and right where you belong."
She smiled and rested her head against the very spot made for her.
Just above Sarek's heart.
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Adrianna Dane
Theresa Gallup uses the pen names of Tess Maynard and Adrianna Dane. Theresa has been writing since the age of 10. A legal secretary for 30 years, she is currently working on another erotic romance, as well as a full-length romantic mystery/suspense. She has been married for 30 years and has three grown children (a daughter and twin sons), and is a new grandmother.
Writing as Tess Maynard, her first published short story appeared in the ezine, The Whispering Forest, in January of 2004. Writing as Adrianna Dane, where adding sensual heat to romance is her motto, Esmerelda's Secret was her first foray into the erotic romance genre.
Having traveled and lived from the East Coast to the West Coast, Theresa receives inspiration for her stories from a variety of sources, including music and poetry, and her tastes are eclectic.
For more information about current projects, visit Theresa's web sites at: www.tessmaynard.com or www.adriannadane.com.
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Devon Andromeda, a Nanus-altered Argadian Enforcer of the First Level, is assigned the mission to hunt down and eliminate Eluria Zydon, a rebel leader, who also happens to be the daughter of an Elite Tribunal Commander. Enforcers are altered and trained as assassins who retain no memories, or humanoid emotions that would hamper their purpose. Aggression is the only emotion unblocked in an Enforcer; the Tribunal directs their existence.
Eluria Zydon's life is filled with more than enough memories and emoti
ons for both Devon and her. She lives with the guilt of past injustice and her life has been dedicated to finding the cure to set Devon and those like him free. It is a payment she prays will also free her soul once and for all from her tormenting past.
Confrontation on the lifeless planet, Serdion, will change them both forever. An explosion delivers Devon into Eluria's hands. An experimental drug opens the floodgates to Devon's emotions ... and his memory. The first emotion he faces, and must learn to control, is desire. Eluria has been trained as a Twilight Companion and has the knowledge to help him harness his passions. Will he accept her help? Or is his only intent to complete his mission—her termination?
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Geoffrey Kirk has been in love with his best friend, Nash, since almost the moment they met. Convinced that Nash would never return his feelings, he forced himself to move on, and fell for his assistant, Sunny. Despite his strong feelings, he never acted on them, and when he discovered Sunny and Nash together, he thought he lost his chance for happiness forever.
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A story blazing with reluctant passion, bitter betrayal, ghostly retribution and the battle for a man's very soul...
A brilliant businessman...
Daniel Grogan is at the top of his game as he prepares to marry a wealthy socialite. But something goes wrong on his wedding day and his path takes a crazy turn toward strange visions of mountains and oceans, and a growing obsession about a woman he's never met face to face.
A rebellious rabbi...
Peggy Witwater entered the rabbinate to serve her people. When congregational politics deal her a vicious blow, she fights the tide of change while trying to help Daniel; not realizing her actions could ignite her own deeply buried obsessions.
Passion and vengeance from beyond the grave...
As the two are drawn toward one another, they fall under the shadow of a vengeful spirit who will stop at nothing to claim Daniel. To win the battle for his soul, Daniel must acknowledge past wrongs, or risk falling into an eternal—and fatal—enchantment.
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Krystallina's Crisis Page 6
