Her own blue eyes nearly popped out of her head at hearing this. Color drained from her cheeks as she hesitantly asked “You killed and ate a wyvern? I’ve never seen one myself up close, but how could you take down something so big and eat it? Is wyvern all… you eat?”
Daku rumbled a purr which meant those afraid of flying feared falling when he shook from mirth. Cage gripped Brooke’s hand when she squeaked while Zatal calmed Lanna and Moril. Megdline, Frill, Sean and surprisingly Meeka weren’t afraid. The griffin smiled while flying without looking ahead. “No, my diet is usually a rat once a day. The wyvern was a treat and I haven’t fed since then. In about three or four days I’ll be hungry enough to eat again.” His eyes shifted to Cage’s. “Continue the story.”
Cage smiled as Daku’s huge head turned back around to continue flying south, far away from Eeroan. “When I awoke from the encounter I found everyone safe, but the attack burned a good portion of the tribe’s belongings. At the time, Daku didn’t show himself for he decided to watch me from afar so none knew of his presence until later in this story… Our daughter is quite the little hunter for she took down two birds by throwing stones so the tribe could get meat and use the feathers to fletch new arrows for the ones that were destroyed.”
At the mention of Rena, Brooke looked down as she still clutched Cage’s large hand. Meeka knew her woman well enough that she was depressed and took her other hand which made Brooke look up and smile appreciatively. Cage explained how Jada had her baby and received an awed sound, happy for Meeka met the woman before and worried about her pregnant sisters. She listened as the two of them left the Utala to come after her and the others, going to Castle Emroc and complete the bargain they made with King Tate. She gasped as Brooke told her tale of the first encounter with Lord Doyle and nearly being executed if not thanks to their mate, but Meeka’s biggest surprise so far was what Cage explained with his delivery to King Skylar and what transpired. She couldn’t keep her jaw from dropping as he repeated the Great Prophet’s words and couldn’t deny that it fit perfectly to what she knew of her man. She giggled at the cactus encounter.
Anger rolled off Meeka as they explained being captured by Lord Doyle, Cage being tortured and Brooke being raped. Her hand squeezed Brooke’s while asking “You didn’t let him get away did you? None fuck my woman except me or Cage… My Love, tell me you aren’t pregnant by him?”
“Possessive are we?” Brooke tried to hide the hurt behind a joke.
“Of course I am.” Meeka explained hotly. “I love you with all that I am and more. I don’t ever want another man to touch you. I don’t want to think of someone doing that to you… Did he hurt you badly?”
“He hurt my pride.” Brooke mostly admitted. “But I never gave in and fought as best as possible. Then Cage got me out of there and I made sure that stupid man would never have babies ever again as I cut off his lance and mashed it to nothing under my heel. He will never be considered a man again.” Brooke sighed genuinely. “And after we escaped I got my moonflow.”
“Thank the gods.” Meeka sighed too. “I couldn’t bear to carry the child of anyone but our man here.” She then laid a hand on Cage’s thigh.
“Better tell her now.” Brooke insisted in a sad way.
“Tell me what?” She asked worriedly as she could hear the defeat in Brooke’s voice and see the moment of tenseness twitch in her man’s thigh.
“Meeka,” Cage’s usual deep, masculine voice that she could listen to forever sounded hesitant and knew him well enough to realize that he was trying not to frighten her more than necessary. “I wish it wasn’t like this, but I can never give you, Brooke or any woman a child. I’ve been sterilized so that my seed doesn’t conceive a youngster. I cannot give you a baby because of what I am…”
“What you are?” Her musical voice quivered as she withdrew her hand from him. “What does that mean? And why can’t we have a baby? I’m already well past the age where my friends already have families because of my freezing curse. If not for it I would have had three or four. I want to bear a child to show my love to the man who loves me…” Her eyes began to water. “Brooke Love, it cannot be true. His seed spilled greatly within us when we were together. I’ve seen it, tasted it…” Meeka’s cheeks began to burn as she forgot others were listening and turned to see that predawn was coming and illuminated everyone enough to see them staring at her with sadness in their expression, even Sean who sat with Frill consuming his lap appeared sorry.
Carefully Brooke spoke. “My Love, I know it is difficult to accept, but I feel the same way. I too denied it for I want Cage to give us babies together, but his magic told him the truth and he explained that his manhood makes the seed, but what gives life to the seed which gives us babies, doesn’t happen. His seed makes him barren without robbing others of pleasure. I’ve decided that I will not carry another child within and any child in great need of a mother will become my child, like our new son,” Sean smiled with adorable dimples. “but he says that if you decide to want to bear a child of your own you can find a man and Cage can do magic to get you pregnant without you needing to lay with anyone.”
Meeka sat silently for several agonizing minutes, holding only Brooke’s firm grip to keep from crying at how cruel her life is. She finally gets a man who can survive an un-survivable curse yet cannot birth a beautiful child of her own with him. The only sounds came from when Daku flapped his great white wings and that of the wind hitting her face and passing her ears. Her heart ached and as the land began to brighten she could see her woman felt just as sad, but Cage sat stoically without revealing anything. Meeka knew he didn’t care if he ever killed, but he never intentionally set out to harm anyone without a justifiable reason. Right now he knew that if he said anything that it would give her greater pain. He was patient with little tolerance and right now his calm mask showed great strength for he knew what she wanted but could not give and it pains him now that he could love them, truly love them. In those deep pools of black eyes, that were disconcerting at first, Meeka knew because of him her solitary world wasn’t lonely anymore. He’d given her a real life, his heart, but the truth about not being able to give her a life to bring into the world were right there. She saw he could not do this and had tried to correct the issue, knowing him, but nothing worked. She sighed through her small, adorable nose and closed her eyes while squeezing her love’s hand. “I’m alright now, Brooke… It was hard to accept. When Cage came into my life and survived my kiss I fantasized finally being able to have a family with him and have a houseful of beautiful children, growing old and having a dozen or two grandchildren.” Her bright blue eyes looked up to see Brooke’s loving brown gazing back before meeting Cage’s. Meeka’s hand stretched out invitingly and waited. She received a smile that made her melt and felt a tingle of pleasure as his large hand entwined with hers. Between them she asked “Now that I thought about it… It wouldn’t be a great idea to have a baby for if my curse triggered when my maternal instincts… I would not want to live if I harmed a baby…” She swallowed as Cage got a momentary inquisitive expression which vanished just as quick. “Now what did you mean by what you are?”
Cage nodded, but didn’t let go of her hand. “Brooke and I didn’t have much chance of rescuing you because the empire set up some nasty traps which prevented scouting and infiltration. If not for my magic both Brooke and I would have bled out or been captured several times. Our only option left was to cut through a place where any sane person would avoid, we crossed through the heart of Frozen Forest.” Meeka’s stunning blue eyes widened and Brooke chuckled at the reaction. “In there was dangerous, more dangerous than any mission I had back on Earth. In there my magic to sense beyond myself was limited to less than five feet and if Brooke hadn’t accompanied me or suggested we tie ourselves together I would have died again. The next while was tenuous at best till a fissure triggered by the weight of Brooke’s horse opened and swallowed them both and my reaction combined with her strength got her out
, but her horse didn’t make it. We holed up in a cave when none other than Granny and Frill show up out of nowhere.” Meeka turned her head to watch Megdline wave and lean back to rest for a few more minutes. “Brooke and I were obviously suspicious from all we encountered and for a while I expected them to be a trick of magic and had to restrain myself from attacking.”
“It was quite stressful.” Brooke added.
“Then a truce was called and we listened to why they showed up. Apparently after she went to check and clean out some hidden eggs in that wyrm nest she teleported to Twilight.”
“Jumped is the common term used.” Frill reminded and licked his paw.
“Oh… Jumped, I mean.” Cage modified. “And yes, I can understand Frill now.” He saw Meeka’s question already forming so he went on before it could slow the story. “Granny had me answer a few questions about my sleeping habits, primarily my dreams…”
“But you don’t dream...” Meeka spoke. “When we traveled together I never once saw you so much as twitch or move your eyes like I’ve seen when others dream. You sleep completely still.”
“Correct.” He smiled, glad she did notice that quirk. “That plus my infinity mark which grows and shrinks when I use magic really frightened the top brass in Twilight…” he saw her confusion and she scrunched her features so adorably that it made his smile deepen. “Granny spoke to the First Council there about me and used an illusion from our encounter to explain. She told them everything, including my warning to not piss me off or come at me in any way with hostility or I’d fight to the death. From what Granny said, it scared them shitless and they took it to heart. So they sent her to teach me magic and test me to confirm their suspicions. The last test they had was for me to eat a piece of meat…”
“But you’re a vegetarian.” She admitted.
“Good thing too because in this universe I have a violent reaction to animal flesh. I truly cannot eat meat of any creature. I can eat eggs so long as they are not fertilized by a rooster and consume byproducts like milk, but anything larger than an accidently swallowed fly will send me hurling the contents of my stomach. I threw up more violently than any sickness I’ve ever had in my life. Apparently that was the final test to explain what I really am. Supposedly I’m a warlock.”
“A warlock? What’s that?” She asked.
“A person with the power to take on several first class sorcerers and still win. It is why my spells power have grown so quickly since you were taken. I’ve already shattered the strongest barrier a first class sorcerer used against me.”
“You cannot be serious.”
“The impact of his spells already surpassed mine.” Megdline declared while continuing to kick back. “If I used the same spell as him at the strongest possible level, he will overwhelm my spell without breaking a sweat, but I’m still more efficient and can hold my own.”
“She’s right.” Cage honestly admitted. “She’s taught me much and because of it we were successful up to this point. Even I know that power is useless without versatility and have much to learn and experiment with. As a warlock, only Daku and the dragons will supposedly stand a fighting chance against me.”
“It is no assumption.” Daku rumbled as he turned his head around again. “At this rate of development you will reveal the mark of your full potential in a year. Most elites, like yourself, will begin to slow in progress very soon, but it won’t stop. The force of your spells has only increased so dramatically due to necessity, but very soon you’ll understand how your power will slow without something truly dramatic occurring which will increase your need to protect yourself and others.”
Meeka asked as Daku resumed flying “Elite? What does that mean?”
Brooke squeezed her hand and spoke calmly, but Meeka could tell she was speaking to lower the obvious fear of flying. “Meeka Love, it means our mate is truly worthy of us. We are bound by fate and the spirits to be mated to the most powerful magic man alive. Only the dragons will rival his power one day. He is a warlock, but this is where the problem lays.” The seriousness in her tone kept Meeka’s full attention. “You understand it is true he is from a world called Earth?” she waited for her woman to nod. “It is true, but his ancestors were immensely dangerous and were warlocks as well and had the power greater than any magic man today. They were a great danger and a few alone almost killed this world. The dragons, some warlocks and non-warlock magic men created and sent his people to a realm without mana with which to do magic to protect everyone.” Brooke had Cage help explain it better and he did by using his right free hand to conjure an illusion of what he imagined two universes to look like and between them stood a gold barrier like that of a chain-linked fence. Brooke explained how the gauntlets that are now the flesh of Cage’s arms had done what was thought impossible and pulled him from the mana-less universe and by passing the barrier between the universes had caused his sterility. The more she explained the more Meeka believed. Brooke ended by saying “Because of our man’s heritage and the danger he presents, Twilight sent Megdline to guide Cage in the ways of magic and also to reach an agreement whether to send every magic man and woman to kill him or let him live his own life… So far they haven’t chosen as far as I know, but with Daku as the last griffin, they dare not be rash. At this moment they are still watching us from afar, but they are also protecting us from being followed by the same means. I believe this is how we were able to flee so easily from where they held you. They protect us all because of him, but no action from the council is good in my opinion. They only watch us, nothing more and Megdline promised that any truly private moments are not being viewed.”
“Good.” Meeka blushed and looked down while whispering. “I wouldn’t feel comfortable when we wanted to be having sex and know someone watches.”
“I must tell you something, Love.” Brooke looked down in shame and Meeka felt a jolt of fear for what might come next. “I know it was wrong, but…” she hesitated. “I had sex with Cage without you, but it was only one time… I swear I didn’t mean for it to happen. Believe me, I regret having him without you.”
“Oh thank goodness.” Meeka sighed heavily. “I worried you or Cage were dying on me. Don’t dwell on it so much.” Her rosy lips quirked and it made Brooke wonder why the smile, just not for long. “Then to make you feel better should I have him f…”
“No,” Brooke interrupted adamantly. “I get you first, to feel you again. It was settled back then between us.” Cage nodded with a wry smile that said ‘For how long she’ll have you is the undecided question.’ “I just got you back. You won’t be out of my sight for the near future.”
“Possessive are we?” Meeka smirked.
The Utala priestess proved that fact by pulling her beautiful woman close and giving her a deep kiss. Meeka’s curse made bumps rise all across her body and the power that rose from it came from within, but Brooke’s immunity prevented the curse to find a way to freeze her whole within moments. Brooke’s lips parted as soon as Meeka’s tongue glided teasingly across them. Cage, Daku, Frill and Megdline felt the rushing tingle of magic and turned to the pair kissing tenderly at first and then hungrily with passion. Meeka and Brooke kissed deeply after truly being together again as they began to caress each other’s arms, feeling the rush together in being reunited. Brooke’s hands slowly reached down to the shortened white dress and stopped when a deep, rumbling yet high pitched voice said “Not on my back!”
The two pulled away and looked to Daku’s smirk and felt truly embarrassed beneath such a gaze. “I’m flattered you feel so comfortable on my back, but my only rule in this matter is if you don’t want me laying on your back when it is time to mate, do me the same courtesy.”
“I’m sorry, Daku.” Brooke admitted bashfully. “I meant for it to be a quick kiss, but it turned into… well that.”
A serene expression emanated from the currently large griffin. “Although I’ve never had a true spirit mate, I’ve seen why your love happened like that. I must com
mend you, Priestess for resisting so far. It is rare for humans to have dual spirit mates. And being together so short of time is quite impressive to not be feverously joined for many weeks. To still be in command of yourself is quite something. Look at my partner, he is struggling not to mate the two of you at the moment.”
Everyone turned to Cage to see him crossing his arms and thumping his leg impatiently, but the heat in those coal black eyes could melt steel and both Meeka and Brooke shivered in expectant delight. Cage focused on his breathing while turning to Daku. “Two questions, one, what do you mean you never had a mate? Are you a virgin? Secondly, what did you mean by spirit mate? Is that like a soul mate?”
“Before you answer that…” Frill slid off Sean’s lap and approached Daku’s head. “Are you telling me that you can actually see spirit mates?”
“Indeed I can. Elder dragons and white king griffins have such a gift. You Frill, I can tell have yet to meet your true mate, but Megdline has found hers and is bound.” The great blue eyes turned over to the others. “As are you two. Zatal, you actually have four mates and are bound to each of them equally with a dim fifth mate that you are growing to love. Lanna has yet to find hers, but you Moril have gotten yours as well. It is rare for so many to be spirit mated, but it isn’t unheard of in deeply connected groups.” Daku looked back to Cage. “I’m over a million years in age, what do you think? Of course I’m no virgin, but my true mates never found me before the great divide… As for spirit mates, yes soul mate is another accurate description. My eyes are so powerful that when I focus them I can see a person’s potential lover. The average spirit is fickle and can change as the individual does. Zatal is a good example, but Megdline, you Cage, Lanna, Brooke and Meeka are what I like to call unbreakables. Your spirits were destined specifically for another and that other or other’s alone, whether it’s chance or biological, I don’t know, but your spirits are inseparable and will never love anyone as deeply as your true mate. Likely when one dies, they will soon follow or go mad. Some, like Frill or Lanna or even me might never find the ones destined for us, but it doesn’t mean we can love anyone any less. I wasn’t there when you showed image’s to the villagers of when you four were being taken,” He meant Meeka, Zatal, Moril and Lanna “but who’s mates were the most difficult to control, the ones who would truly kill another tribal member to retrieve you.”
Laugh of Destruction (Book 3 of the Death Incarnate Saga) Page 2
