The Anaerris Code: Part 1 The Gemma (A Gemma Sinclaris Series)

by LK Kelley

  Slamming his hand into the mantel once again, he broke off a piece of the mahogany, making a vow then and there. He knew Eloran was behind all of this. Jaxx was certain of it. Eloran had murdered his mate! That was a mistake that he should never have made. Jaxx was older, stronger, and smarter.

  The truth was that Jaxx, himself, had been the first choice for leading the original Council of Ages, but the only reason that he had not become leader of the Council of Ages was that he didn’t want it. His colleagues had tried to reason with him, but he had refused, then tried to leave. Instead, Kulana had been forced to stop him by a vote of the Council, and he had been “blackmailed” into becoming the Council's enforcer and tracker. Jaxx never wanted to be part of the council, but the Council struck a deal with him, which he had been forced to accept, and he had been doing their bidding ever since. But, no longer. Since he had now found his mate, he was no longer bound to his agreement. And, that deal had only consisted of the stipulation that he would not take a mate in any way. But, Kulana had been very devious. She had never stipulated he would never find a mate. A loophole, as it were. But, quite frankly, and honestly, Jaxx had never even entertained the idea that he would find a mate. As one of the oldest still left alive, he'd lived so long, even he didn't remember his own age! It had been thousands of years, and he had convinced himself that there was not a mate for him.

  Well, that just flew out the window! The Council had destroyed his mate, and according to the Onaerris code of honor, he demanded, and it would be perfectly legal, in destroying the one, or ones, who had killed Gem! He would kill them, first, then he would try to find a way to kill himself! He refused to live in a world without Gem. It was a “mate thing”. If one died, soon thereafter, the other would follow. It was the only time that one of his kind could die, and he planned on following Gem quickly. He turned, putting his arms behind his back as he walked over to stare at Gem’s beautiful face.

  “The possibilities, Gem! I dreamed of having a life with you forever,” he whispered, as he sank to his knees, putting his head onto her lap. Silently, his shoulders shook as he cried.

  He didn’t know how long he lay there, but suddenly he felt a slight twitch. He raised his head to look at Gem. In total shock, he realized that Gem’s color had paled to the color of an Onaerris. Her features were perfected. Her skin was pale, her red hair had turned a darker auburn.

  “What the fuck?” he whispered.

  That’s when he saw one of her fingers moving! It was not possible! Even if she was the Jewel of Anaerris, she was also half human! She had no powers! She couldn’t heal herself! Jaxx remembered the previous year, Gem had cut herself on a piece of metal, and had almost lost her life. So, how could she be alive after being impaled? He watched the finger for a while, but it didn’t move again. He stood. He needed a cup of coffee. Blood was needed for his life to continue, but he also liked certain human drinks. Coffee was one of these. First, he stepped to the refrigerator, and pulled out blood to let it warm to room temperature, while he put his K-cup in the Keurig coffee maker for a single cup of coffee. Frustrated and sad, he didn’t give his blood time to warm, because he wanted to be with Gem. So, he drank the blood down quickly, picked up his coffee, and went back into the library, sitting down in his large wingback chair. He just stared at Gem, waiting with hope that he would see a small movement of any type. He was sorely disappointed.

  His coffee downed in one gulp, he rose, and returned to Gem's side. He brushed her beautiful red hair from her face, leaving a streak of blood on her cheek, and bent down to kiss her lips. Briefly, he wondered if she looked more like her Mother or her Father. Anger welled within him, and he tasted poison from his fangs as they descended. The body of his mate. Never would he know the pleasure of being inside of her. Never releasing his seed into her. Never to spend his life with her – to give her his immortality. That chance had been last night, and he hadn’t taken it! If only he had not stopped after that damn car had passed! He would have completed the Blood Chain, and she would be immortal! Gem would be with him forever. His head fell forward into his hands, and silent pink tears flowed down his cheek.

  Gem didn’t understand what was happening to her. Inside her body, she felt her heart slow then speed up so fast, a Doctor could never hear where the beat stopped and started again. Finally, her heart began to slow, only this time, it stuttered until it stopped. She waited for death. It didn’t come.

  “What the hell?” she wondered.

  Inside Gem felt a tightening of her veins as her blood rushed from her. Whatever was making her chest hurt had been removed. Even though her heart no longer beat, pain began to burn inside of those veins. The pain increased dramatically in seconds, and she wanted to scream, but couldn’t. If she wasn’t alive, then why was she in pain? She always thought that death would be peaceful, but that wasn’t what was happening. Struggling to breathe, she realized she didn’t need to do so! Just another “what the hell” moment. It didn’t matter, because she could not move. The pain moved around the massive hole in her chest, but the hole didn’t hurt! Damnit! It felt as if a zillion needles were punching into her skin all at the same time, while inside she felt as if knives were tearing into her veins. Someone was slicing her open over and over again without stopping. Still she couldn’t scream.

  “HELP ME! PLEASE! SOMEONE HELP ME!” she cried, even knowing no one would hear her. Somewhere between the pain, and what was assuredly death, Gem awoke lying on the pink beach in her dreams with the peach sea letting the soft water move over her nude body in gentle waves. Well, this was different! She’d never been naked in her dreams before, so this dream was definitely different! But, for whatever reason, she didn’t care! The water was so soft – like the caress of a feather. She sat up, and looked around. Two moons, as always, one white and pink, the other red and black, were shining above her large and bright! A brilliant, and quite large, pink sun was shining behind them. She looked toward the horizon, and noticed the peach sea just flowed toward the two moons appearing to drop off in the distance. It reminded her of an infinity pool for oceans! She cocked her head.

  “It's an infinity sea!” she giggled. Then, turning her head, she noticed huge spires far across the sea rising very high above the trees and other flora and fauna. Each was a different color. Beautiful, shining like jewels. The pink sun caused flashes of tiny lights on the jewels which blinked constantly. They were beautiful, and instinctively, she knew it was a city – a massive city unparalleled anywhere in the galaxy. The Galaxy. Well, she was in a dream, after all, so that's what she was going to call it! Doggone it, though! She couldn't think of a name for it! Well, she'd get back to naming her own galaxy later, and laid back down on the soft sand, and sighed as she stared at all the beauty around her allowing the water to caress her, again, and she closed her eyes.

  ~ 7 ~

  “Life Continues, even when You are in Your Own, Personal Hell!” ~ Jaxx

  Gem opened her eyes to the same, horrific dream she had been having as long as she could remember. However, this time it was even more real than it had ever been! She stood on a blackened bluff high above that massive deep valley with a river of blood flowing toward the blood moon just as it always did. She cocked her head. On the other side of the valley, maybe gorge would be a better word for it, stood a spire, but just one. It was no longer shining like a jewel, but looked like a burned out hulk of wheat. Her eyes widened as she realized the deep valley wasn’t a valley at all, but what was left of that beautiful peach sea that had caressed her body! But...the water was gone! The depth of it was unbelievable! And, the spire was all that was left of the City of Spires! How did she know the name of the city? And, what could drain an sea? Maybe some massive tectonic upheaval, she assumed. But, it left nothing? And, what about the blackness? It neither absorbed nor reflected light.

  Gem had sudden clarity of the situation. The battle below her was huge. It was a massacre of proportions that she could never believe in a conscious state. She had the
feeling that she was waiting on something – or someone. Her people were being massacred! She barely had time to wonder where she was when, she felt the same prick as so many times before, and looked down. For the first time, she realized the rod that pierced her body had an eerie, black glow! Her eyes traveled up to meet the eyes of the one who had killed her. He stood with his face in the dark, and bright red eyes staring at her through the visor of the helmet he wore, which was part of his armor. As her knees buckled under the pain, she watched him scream. Gem stared at him as he, too, sank to the ground, following her own descent. Red liquid like lava spewed from his wound, and it covered her face as it sprayed from his body. She watched his severed head fall onto the ground, rolling at her feet. Before she fell backward, she stared at the head, then looked up to see who had killed her killer. As in all her dreams, his eyes were horrified as he realized she had a spear sticking out of her chest.

  “NO!” he yelled, and caught her just before she fell onto the charred ground.

  Gem tried to say his name, but her voice froze.

  “No!” he cried, again. He held her gently, and his hand stroked her face, bloody tears streaking down his.

  This was the man she loved more than life itself. No, not Gem. Whoever's memory she shared! The woman had refused his gift more than once, but now, she couldn’t bear to be away from him forever – to cause him more pain. He had told her that he would find a way to join her if she ever died. She couldn’t have that! No! No movement was possible, now, and her voice was gone. A question shone in his face that begged her to please let him do it! There was no way Gem could refuse him, so she barely nodded looking at him.

  Crying pink tears, she was hoping it wasn't too late. Gently, he pulled her to him, burying his face into her neck. He opened his mouth, letting his fangs descend. Tears flowed from her own eyes. Gem could actually feel the prick of his bite, his mouth suckling what little blood she had left, draining her. As the blood flowed into his mouth, she began to get very sleepy, until her eyes closed, leaving the land of the living, and joining the land of the dead. Her last breath taken, she died in his arms.

  As always, she awoke naked in his bed of crimson sheets – cradled in his arms. When he realized she was awake, he looked into her eyes with his red ones. She had made it! Thank the Creator! His mouth descended to hers as his hand came up to caress her bare breast and nipple. A wave of pure power and fierce desire took her by surprise. His mouth demanded hers open to his, She opened it for his tongue to dart inside it. His fangs scraped her lips, but it didn't hurt! She pressed her mouth even tighter against his, feeling her own fangs as her tongue and his dueled, until one would dominate. She sighed in pleasure as he won. But it just wasn't enough! She needed him inside her! Now! Pulling him on top of her, she spread her legs to cradle his hips between them. He didn't wait. His hips drew back, and he plunged his cock deeply into her, straight to her womb! The fierceness of his movement would have killed a human, Gem thought.

  Strange. In the other dreams, during sex, Gem only saw it from an objective point of view. She didn't see anything, either, but she knew it was happening. But, this time, when the woman cried out, so did Gem, and she felt his massive cock moving inside of her fast and hard. When she tightened around it, she felt his hot seed erupt inside her womb! But, he did not stop, and continued to pound into her body. Her new, transformed body. Meeting each thrust with her own, her own red eyes stared into the mirror above his bed – their bed. She clasped him harder when she felt his semen flood her once again. She was ecstatic, when she realized that everything was still within her. She had a secret that only he knew, but Gem couldn’t figure out what it was. Whatever it was would send them on a journey of hiding from the Council. But, what was it? What was the secret? And, as always, that was where the dream ended.

  “Crap!” Gem said to herself. Then, she yelled as she demanded to the Cosmos, “Why give me these dreams if I can't understand them?”

  Again, she passed into the darkness reserved for those in death.

  Hours passed, before Jaxx finally notified Taylor. She read him the riot act, even while she was crying hysterically. She was beside herself with grief. But, there was nothing she could do any more than Jaxx could. Day turned into night. Almost twenty-four hours had passed. Earlier, he had carried her up to his bed, cleaned her up, tended to her wounds. Then, he pulled out one of his black t-shirts, and placed it over her head. It was long enough to cover her modesty as he pulled the red sheets over her.

  He climbed into the bed to hold her cold body. Even though he had seen no other movement, he still hoped.

  Closing his eyes, Jaxx’s mind wandered back to his beginnings. Well, he really didn’t know how he was made, but technically, the Creator made them as well as humans. All he knew was that he had always been. No childhood, no growth. Nothing more. What he did remember was the pain of the war between the Onaerris and the Anaerris.

  The King of Onaerris desired the planet of Anaerra, because of its beauty. His own planet was volcanic, hence the red color of it. It was a combination of lava, flame, and blackened soil. Humans would have called it Hell if they knew about it. To him, it was his home. But, when the war began, both he and his brother, along with a few Onaerris and Anaerris, including Kulana, conspired to stop the destruction as best as they could. But, the Onaerris leader, Gwalese, had an obsession to take what he felt should have been their birthright. Legend had it that their kind had originally been banished from Anaerris, because they were abominations in the Creator’s sight. Neither Jaxx nor Kulana ever believed it, nor had many others of both races. They believed that the two races were separated, because of their physical differences. Where Anaerris needed cooler temperatures, his kind needed extremely hot conditions. Onaerris drank blood to survive, while the Anaerris drank the cool, peach waters of their world. Neither went hungry. For eons, the Anaerris supplied the Onaerris with their rejuvenating blood while they, in turn, provided strong metals and jewels from their world to build the beautiful jeweled buildings of Anaerris. It had served all of them for time immemorial. For whatever reason, though, the leader of the Anaerris, Sitla, had decided to change the terms of their agreement, and began to limit the blood to the Onaerris. Of course, Gwalese retaliated with a limited supply of the metals and jewels. No one ever knew what the problem was between the two, but the disagreement escalated until war was declared by Gwalese, who was determined to capture Anaerra and its people, then take their blood and planet from them by force.

  The Onaerris attacked the Anaerris in a surprise coup. But, the goal was thwarted. When they arrived, Anaerris was already a blackened wasteland. The ocean had been completely drained, and the land burned beyond recognition. This inflamed Gwalese even more, and he ordered that his people were to seek out all Anaerris, and drain their bodies of blood. The stench and burned land rose to the point that even the Onaerris became sickened. A group of Onaerris renegades had banded together with a group of Anaerris to try and save both their species from the certain extermination of both Gwalese and Sitla. At some point, Sitla’s daughter, Kulana, began to change her viewpoint. Since no Onaerris or Anaerris could procreate, Kulana had made Jolinaer part of her family. And, because Jolinaer considered Jaxx a brother, they accept him as well.

  Jaxx and Jolin had always considered themselves brothers, since they were both charged with specific duties. Jolinaer was the Herald of Onaerris, and because his heart was softer and kinder than most Onaerris, Kulana had deemed him as the envoy to Anaerra representing his people long ago. On the other hand, Jaxx was the Enforcer – the one who was charged with tracking and punishing those who would dare to go against the Onaerris. He had reveled in it, and was merciless when he found his prey, killing them without trial or explanation. Whether or not he liked the Council, he was a violent being. Kulana had hated Jaxx’s job, and tried to get him to stop. But, he had grown to love his position within the hierarchy too much to bow to Kulana's desires. When Jolinaer had begged him, he looked u
pon his brother as weak.

  That was until Jolinaer had disappeared just after the attack on Anaerris. Jaxx had seen him twice before with a red-haired beauty. The first time he saw her from afar. But the second time, she was just a short distance away, and he had met her. Jax remembered it well. Jolinaer had called him to meet in secret, and while the beauty was there, it was Jolinaer who told Jaxx that he was leaving the realm taking with him – his mate! Jaxx had been stunned as he had looked toward her. He narrowed his eyes at his brother.

  “What the hell do you mean you’re leaving with an Anaerris? When did you get a mate? We’re in the middle of a damn war, and you want to desert the rebellion?” Jaxx had yelled, and had looked upon the female with disgust. “And, with an Anaerris female?

  Jolinaer had placed his hand on Jaxx’s shoulder, and introduced Analyse.

  “Brother. You know me well. Do not believe the reason for this war brought about by Gwalese. It was never about blood, but about something more,” he began.

  “Really?” Jaxx’s lip turned up into a sneer. “They broke the contract with us! They deserve to die!”