by Cara Carnes
The spirits along the border of the telepathic barrier parted. Slade focused, pressed past them and onto the Oracle plane. Snow’s energy hummed, hovered in the air he drew into his lungs. He fed the power into his brother and Rylen.
Slade? You’re here. I feel you here. How?
One by one the spirits withdrew. Pain shot along his temples, a searing burn which blacked out his awareness of the physical realm. He wasn’t worried, though. Zelig, Marden, and the others would keep him safe.
We’re going to get you back where you belong. With us. Are you okay?
Yes. I think so.
Her voice lacked the determined grit he’d grown to love. Screams rose from the telepathic plane as Rylen and Slone continued to battle the malevolent spirit. Several others joined them, including Zelig and Marden.
Slade, what is going on? Who’s screaming?
Zelig and the others are handling it.
Handling what?
You’re on the Oracle’s plane, one far away from the physical one. We can get you back, but we must perform a bonding ceremony first.
Bonding?
You would become our mate. He softened his thoughts. Are you willing to be our mate, Snow?
Yes. The whisper was a soft caress against his thoughts. You’re hurting. I feel it. Who’s hurting you?
Protective, healing energy filled him. He basked in the warmth but knew he didn’t have the time. We must move quickly, Snow. My brother and the others are weakening beneath the Admiral’s spirit. Let me show you.
How? She drifted closer, hovering within his aura.
Relax, I will show you.
Snow
* * *
Slade was in my mind, shoveling information, memories and plans into my head. I processed as much as I could and trusted him and my other Shadows to help with the rest. His brother was here, with his own squadron.
They were rescuing me.
But they were running low on time. The longer they remained within the telepathic plane, and Slade remained with me on this one, the more dangerous it was for us all. I fed the power through Slade. I pulled energy from the Well and fed it to Slade. The more I sent, the more the Well provided. An endless wave filled me. I felt each of my Shadows envelop me as their voices echoed around me, a chant in a language I didn’t recognize. Others joined in. I sensed them near, far more powerful than I imagined.
Their pains, rages, and negative emotions assailed me. So many spirits, some unreconciled to their new situation. Unlike my Shadows, I sensed the evil within those the other warriors contained. Far more malicious spirits within each than my Shadows, except for Slade and Marden. And Zelig. The weight of the men’s burden incited my need to help.
One of them was Slade’s brother. Now that the dark wall was gone, his entire mind was my playground. Every memory, every moment. The newfound power I drew from the Well gave me all my Shadows, every crevice of their thoughts and souls were mine. And I was theirs.
Confusion.
The spirits within each Shadow didn’t understand what was happening. Suddenly, they were all connected, every spirit accessible by all seven of my Shadows. Ashan and Ren stumbled beneath the force of so many new souls. I fed them each more power, calmed whichever agitated spirits I came into contact with.
But it was not enough.
I sensed the violent war going on within Marden, Zelig, and Slade.
And the others. The other squadron. The one Slade had been a part of, left to do the right thing by the Guardians and the Roterans they protected.
There was a battle going on, one I couldn’t see because my Shadows blocked my view as they surrounded me and pressed me closer. I sensed the shift as they drew me onto a different plane. The anguish I’d experienced dissipated into a throbbing awareness rather than a constant stabbing pain. My newfound relief allowed me more freedom to explore the vast abilities I sensed within me.
Some of the spirits entered me. I embraced them all. I moved from one of the Shadows to another, consoling. Marden. The stark relief within his aura struck me center mass, made me stumble beneath its intensity. I’d had no idea how many evil spirits he’d kept hidden. They attacked him and anyone else they could touch.
One thrust into me, but I channeled the hot energy drifting within the recesses of my mind, a scalding force which cast the spirit back into Marden. Cowering.
I continued moving, working until I had no more evil to vanquish, no more confusion to calm.
But my Shadows were still locked within a war, one they fought along with the other squadron. Dark Guardians.
I noticed a crack within the protective barrier between Ashan and Varik. I shimmied past before either could stop me.
Unfathomable rage and pure evil. I’d never experienced an aura or spirit so dark and tainted by hatred. This had been behind Slade’s quiet. He’d suppressed himself because of this malevolent spirit, one now freed. It fed from the negative energy of the other spirits within the Dark Guardians. I’d weakened the spirit by calming my Shadows and their spirits, but there were far more untouched by me within the other squadron.
I knew what I had to do.
Snow. Return to us. It is not safe. Zelig’s order thundered through the new bond, the one that connected me to all of them. We were one mind whenever I chose. They meant to protect me because I was their mate.
But they were all my mates. Didn’t I have the same right to protect them and those who they loved?
I would not stand aside and allow my Shadows to get hurt. Or the Dark Guardians who’d come to help them. Me.
Telepathic tethers connected the other squadron to my warriors. I followed one, the thickest, strongest one from Slade to another warrior.
Slone.
Snow. Do not. Come back to me. To us. Slade’s plea sliced into me, a desperate, wounded strike I buried deep. I could not obey, not when I could sever the spirit’s power source. If I calmed the spirits within the Dark Guardians, I could weaken the one they fought.
The Admiral.
I love you all. Let me help. I can do this.
And I could.
Spirits entered me, some I’d never met. Images, memory, and knowledge filled me. I calmed and healed each one, moving as rapidly as I could. My Shadows had not fought my decision, but I sensed their concern and protective fear growing within our bond. The longer I was away from them, the more they’d worry.
I drew more energy from the Well, demanded its compliance to my commands. The more I sought, the more it complied. The Dark Guardians held far more spirits than some of my Shadows. All were darker, eviler. They possessed only a few Tezan or friendly races. Those I found got extra power, extra energy to strengthen them so they could enter the fray.
And they did. More spirit allies joined in, stood between me and the dark ones I calmed far slower than I desired.
Snow. Return now.
Marden, please. I’m close. I tugged against the grip he’d gotten on my telepathic self. I felt as though I were dragging him with me. Let me finish. Stay beside me if you must, but I will not stop until I do this.
I sensed the Roteran Guardians surrounding us, wary but silent. They did not halt me from violating their shields, entering their auras to calm spirits housed within them. One by one, I plunged in, prowled each crevice of their souls until I’d touched each spirit. By the time I was done, pure, crisp energy spread within each warrior and along all the links.
Only the evil Admiral remained. I turned my attention to him, but Slone was already there.
The spirit screamed and disappeared. I moved, intent on calming him, but he was gone.
Where did he go?
I vanquished him to the void. We are rarely allowed to do so, only when a spirit’s knowledge is inaccessible. He was beyond salvaging.
I didn’t know that could be done.
Only a few Dark Guardians can do it. Slade’s voice filled me. Return to us, Snow.
I returned to my Shadows, hovering within each to graze t
heir soul against mine. By the time I was done, I curled between Ashan and Marden. My Shadows had found me. Everyone was safe.
But we were not back on the physical realm, not yet. I remained silent, waited.
My Shadows had found me. They would keep me safe.
I love you, my Shadows.
We love you too, Snow. Ashan’s mind brushed against mine.
Rest. We can get you back from here. Zelig’s bossy tone made me smile. I was back where I belonged, with my men.
15
Snow
I woke wrapped in Marden’s arms, weighted down by his body half atop mine, a protective press of his powerful frame alongside my back. I reached out, greeted the spirits awake within my sleeping Shadow. Although he was the only one within the room, I sensed the others lurking nearby, on the telepathic plane. Having access to them whenever I wanted along an entirely new plane I’d never used before was a bit overwhelming.
I had no concept of time, how long I’d been gone from this realm. How long I’d been back.
But I knew what awaited me. Tezan. The true Summoner’s Well. The battle for its control, the power within.
I wasn’t ready but trusted my Shadows to prepare me for whatever must be done. Together, we could do anything.
“You’re awake,” Marden whispered in my ear. He kissed my neck, fanned hot breath along the shell of my ear until a shiver of anticipation rippled through my body.
I turned. Folding my arms around him, I claimed his mouth.
Unlike before, when he’d fought the attraction and need building between us, he took control. Guided the kiss into a maddening frenzy of tongues and lips. I tasted, teased, and toyed with my Shadow, savoring the way the slightest touch incited a response. He didn’t halt my groping hands as I glided them along his arms, his back, his chest. Wherever I could touch, wherever there was an etching. A spirit.
They were all mine to protect.
I felt some of them remaining within me, as if refusing to leave their protective sentry position. I wasn’t sure if my Shadows sensed their loss. I didn’t understand how they’d remained within me. It didn’t matter. Not now.
“Marden.” The name was a plea.
Need flared within me, a throb radiating throughout my entire body. My nipples hardened when he flicked his fingers against them. Then he pinched, and I moaned, claimed his mouth again. His hands continued their foray downward, in a slow, spiraling pattern which matched mine.
A gasp escaped me as he stroked between my legs, a slow, sensuous glide of fingers against skin. My entire body reacted, trembled with need as he parted my folds and rubbed the bud of nerves I’d touched a few times. I’d never gotten the reaction he did. My entire body tightened. Pleasure cascaded through me, a crashing wave of sensation so powerful I cried out with the force.
“I’ve got you, Snow,” he whispered in my ear. “You’re so wet and tight against my fingers.”
As if to emphasize the point, he thrust deep into me. I groaned, writhed my body against the hand drawing the intense reaction from me. This was what I’d craved, needed.
More, Marden. Please.
I cast the plea into his mind and scored my nails along his back. The spirits pulsated beneath my touch, zinged through me like a million sparks.
Tell me you want me, Snow. I cannot wait.
I want you. Please.
Marden braced himself above me. The intensity of his gaze seared into me. My hand ran down his stomach. My breath huffed out in pants and soft gasps as he guided my touch downward. I grasped his thick shaft.
He guided my grip, moved up and down. “Your touch is softer than Vartan silk.”
“Marden,” I whispered.
He took over, filled me. I gasped. He froze. I shifted beneath him.
“Stay still, give yourself time to adjust.” Legs wrapped around him, I trusted him and forced myself to remain still.
He kissed me. The contact turned carnal, a promise of what was to come. I moaned and writhed against him. He moved.
Each thrust brought me farther and farther to the edge, a spiral of sensation and awareness. I fanned my aura outward, allowed his entry into my telepathic plane. Heat and need burned within me, radiated from Marden.
“Relax, Snow,” he whispered in my ear. “When we’re connected on all planes, we feel as one.”
I did. Eyes closed, I clung to Marden as I exploded. There was no other way to describe the heightened awareness of him. Us. My Shadows.
Marden growled in my ear as he followed me into the precipice. I wrapped myself around him, relished the press of his weight on me. Then he moved, shifted to where I was against his side. Head pressed against his chest, I closed my eyes and focused on his heartbeat. No words described what I’d experienced, what he’d given me.
“Our souls will meet in our dreams where we may all be one. Rest well, knowing you will never be alone again.” He whispered the words in my ear. His voice cracked toward the end, but he covered it up with a kiss to my temple.
My heart swelled as I whispered the words back. My darkest Shadow finally gave me his light. I still didn’t fully understand what the words meant, but I recognized their enormity.
Then I thought about the others. My other Shadows. My gut twisted. My muscles tightened. I had made love with Marden. He had been my first.
Although I had shared intimate moments with them all, I had finally gone the entire way with one of them. Would they be upset? I didn’t know how this would work.
“What’s wrong?” Marden growled the question. “Did I harm you?”
“No,” I said quickly. “I was just worried the others would get angry.”
Marden steadied my gaze on him with two fingers beneath my chin. “You are our mate, Snow. Ours to protect, cherish, love, and pleasure. And we are yours. There will never be jealousy between us, nor anger.”
I nodded. The spirits within me showed me images, as if educating me on Roteran culture. I traced the etchings on Marden’s chest. “I must confess something to you, but please do not get upset with them. I am okay with their decision.”
His eyebrows quirked.
“I am not sure how or why, but some of the spirits remained within me,” I whispered against his chest.
“That is not possible, Snow.”
“It is. I feel them.” I touched his cheek, put his hand on my right shoulder blade. “Connect with me and look. They are here, inside me. Daxan is one of them.”
His aura grazed mine, a light caress that turned bolder when Daxan greeted him. The warrior spirits within me roused, flexed beneath Marden’s presence. They greeted me as well, offering themselves fully to me—their memories, knowledge, and lives were mine to summon whenever needed.
Marden paled, kissed my lips gently. “Forgive me for not believing you, mate. I did not think such a thing was possible. Come, we must show the others. Dacian or Enzo will likely have an explanation for this.”
Enzo. He was one of the Dark Guardians within Slone’s squadron. I had so much knowledge within me now. It was almost overwhelming. Had the spirits given it to me, or was it the Well? Or both?
We dressed quickly. Marden insisted on helping me, which slowed the process down as a gentle touch of assistance turned into something far more pleasurable. Ren and Varik met us in the hall. Each of my Shadows embraced me. I swept my aura across theirs, then basked in the heated caresses along our telepathic links. The new contact with their minds, their spirits was beyond intimate, almost indescribable. Although we were individuals with our own unique dynamics as sole warriors and mates, we were also a cohesive unit when we wanted to be.
I would never be alone, experience the darkness of loneliness, not ever again. That was what the spirits within me swore, vowed. I would never face a battle alone.
I sensed Marden communicating with Zelig and the others but didn’t press to hear. I trusted them to share what I needed to know. There was so much within my mind; I was okay with letting them decide if I needed m
ore.
We met in our nook, the corner of the larger area where I’d first met them aboard this ship. I hugged them each, offered a kiss and connected our auras long enough to ensure them I was okay. More importantly, I ensured they were okay. My Shadows never put their pains, aches, and needs first. That was my job now. I was their mate. Their protector.
The double doors to the larger area opened, and Slade entered alongside his brother and the rest of the Dark Guardian squadron. Slade chewed up the distance between us quickly. I leaped into his arms, wrapped myself around him as he claimed my mouth. I should have been mortified by the wanton display. It was not the Skeron way, and I’d been harshly trained to accept my so-called father’s customs.
I may have been one half Skeron by birth, but I was Tezan by right. I was the mate of a Roteran squadron by choice.
Slade set me down and grinned. My heart beat hard in my chest. Amusement glimmered in his gaze. The warrior before me was a different man than the shrouded, silent one I’d known before. I looked forward to getting to know the spirit who’d sequestered so much of himself behind the cloying darkness. He’d battled the evil Admiral spirit within him constantly. I felt the enormity of his existence. The spirits within him shared everything. No one had realized how horrid every moment had been. He’d never shared the darkness with anyone.
I pushed energy through Slade and my other Shadows. He tightened his grip on my waist and drew my attention to the warriors beside us. “Mate, this is my brother, Slone, and his Dark Guardian squadron. Admiral, this is our mate, Snow.”
There was no question they were blood relatives. The resemblance was stronger within this realm than it had been in the other one. He and his Guardians exuded a darkness, a lethal quiet. It seeped from their aura in thick waves of nothingness similar to the way Slade had once been, yet different. I channeled my awareness, cast it into the telepathic realm as well. I gasped and withdrew, pressed my head against Slade.
