by Anny Cook
All the people who would give a damn were either dead or had disappeared. Loss and betrayal weren’t new concepts for Bishop. His father was a manipulator and betrayer who made Judas look like a wannabe. In the past few months Bishop had spent a great deal of time untangling all the clues and hints that surrounded the hideous murders of Trav’s parents. And he was nearly certain that they all led back to one person—his father, Fremont Llewellyn. In his heart, he didn’t want to believe his father was capable of the murder of innocents but the evidence was adding up. In the back of his mind, he even reluctantly entertained the idea that Free had engineered the abductions of his brothers and sister-in law.
For years he had marked time in his own life before and after his brother Baron and his new wife Jade were abducted from their wedding reception. Life after they disappeared in the mountains never to be seen again. Even though they’d been gone nearly twenty-five years their absence was still like an aching tooth, a constant reminder of their loss.
That one event marked the turning point for so many other things in his life. His half brother, Nikolas, had been abducted at the same time. When he was eventually found wandering naked and freezing in the mountains he kept muttering about a little blue man and a vanishing tunnel. No amount of therapy or drugs had helped and finally Nikolas had to be institutionalized. For a long while Bishop had faithfully visited, positive that his visits would somehow make a difference for Nik’s recovery. And then one day Nikolas disappeared without a trace as though he had never existed.
Bishop shook himself out of the black hole of bad memories and dark speculations. Remembering wouldn’t help them now. He needed to locate the elusive tunnel and help for Trav. He capped the water bottle and placed it next to his blanket.
Refusing to consider the nightmare a journey through a tunnel would be for him, Bishop flashed the light along the wall, minutely examining the ripples and folds in the rock. It took him thirty minutes to locate the opening. The scent of roses grew stronger as he searched. Occasionally, he thought he heard the sound of dripping water but though he listened as intently as possible, he couldn’t pinpoint the direction. It was such a clever optical illusion that eventually he only found it by running his hands along the wall. He froze, shivering with a chill that had nothing to do with the temperature and everything to do with the incredible optical illusion he’d encountered. The folds in the rock concealed an opening at least three feet wide.
Holding the light on the crack, he took a couple careful steps backward and watched the opening disappear before his eyes like magic.
With a strange reluctance, he stepped forward again, pointing the flashlight through the dark space. He had a very bad feeling about the odd split in the stone. Very bad. Trav desperately needed help and there were no other options available so he took a deep settling breath and went through the black opening into the unknown. The light flashed around weirdly smooth walls that appeared to be some type of man-made material. The texture wasn’t quite like any stone he was acquainted with. He reached out to touch the wall closest to him and found the surface slick and warm.
The passage curved around to the right, then the left, then the right, jogging in short and long stretches that seemed endless. He investigated the first twenty feet and turned back. There was no sense in making the journey twice. If the tunnel led to help, then he would have to return for Trav. And if not? Then they were no worse off than the present.
The journey back seemed so much farther. Fighting off the black heart-pounding panic that he always felt in small spaces, he continued, jogging as fast as he could in the twisty corridor. Suddenly he burst from the tunnel into the familiar space of the cave. He bent over and planted his hands just above his knees. His chest heaved as he gasped for air. Nausea threatened but he wrestled the panic into submission, refusing to allow the fear to paralyze him. Trav needed help. He was going to drag Trav down that damn passage until he found help.
After a moment, Bishop shakily straightened up and went to check on Trav.
“We can get out this way, Trav. It will be tight in some places but I can drag you behind me.” Faint rumbles near the front of the cave finalized their decision for them.
Thirty minutes later, Bishop screwed up his courage and stepped back into the tunnel. He shuffled the first five feet, dragging Trav behind him on a jury-rigged stretcher put together from Trav’s sleeping bag, a thin foam mat and one of the sturdier pieces of wood stacked in one corner of the cave.
To Bishop’s untutored eye, it appeared to be a section of fairly straight tree limb about two feet long. His woodworking experience was limited to finished boards from the local home improvement store. He had no idea what purpose the rough pole was intended for but it worked well as a harness for him to wrap his rope around. After he cut slits in several places across the top of the sleeping bag and the mat, he threaded the wood through the slits and tied his rope around the ends. He refused to consider what would happen if the passage narrowed to less than the spacious width it was at the beginning.
Behind Trav’s feet were a bundle of boxes, musical instruments in their battered cases and two backpacks. They were roped together so Bishop could drag them along behind him. It occurred to him that he was just as far around the curving bend to insanity as Trav but to admit that would lead to true madness so he grimly kept moving.
Drag Trav a few feet. Drag the boxes a few feet. Rest.
Repeat as soon as he caught his breath. Every so often Bishop stopped to adjust the flashlight in the head harness he’d put together with a ripped-up t-shirt from Trav’s pack. He was sweating profusely though he was dressed in a bare minimum. Trav had abducted him in the middle of the night while he was sleeping. Since he slept nude… Well, he’d been damn grateful when he found a ratty pair of jogging shorts and a t-shirt that had seen better days when he was rummaging in one of the boxes. Unfortunately, he did not find any shoes so he shuffled along, wincing whenever he stepped on a particularly sharp pebble.
The journey took on the qualities of a never-ending nightmare. Bishop began to have visions of the tunnel closing in on them or the ceiling caving in. Several times he stopped and fought back the unreasoning panic and nausea. Once he curled up on the passage floor and cried.
Then with dogged determination he continued his self-appointed task. Drag Trav—who had thankfully fainted in the first few feet, drag the boxes and rest. It was a distinct shock when he realized he was no longer in the tunnel but was standing in a decent-sized cavern. The roar of a nearby waterfall drowned out any possible signs of an immediate threat. With renewed energy, he pulled Trav and the battered pile of boxes into the cavern. A quick check on Trav confirmed that he was still breathing. Trav had long since fainted, so after checking his pulse, Bishop allowed him to sleep. He collapsed next to Trav in a heap and finally permitted himself the luxury of a well-earned rest.
As he sat there, hunched over with weary satisfaction, he peered uneasily at their new surroundings. The flashlight had dimmed significantly once they entered the cavern, making any accurate assessment impossible. Off to one side, he noted a fairly level area that was probably the best place for them to spend the night. A few feet past that the light caught the flash and glitter of falling water.
After a while, groaning from his stiffening joints, he clambered to his feet and set about the last chores for the evening. By the time he had Trav moved and the boxes and other paraphernalia piled around them as a barrier, he was more than anxious to spread his blanket and lie down next to Trav. Not even the overpowering darkness when he switched off the flashlight kept him from immediately falling asleep.
Chapter Three
Mystic Valley on the trail from Dai’s Retreat to Lost Market
As he stubbed his toe on a tree root, Merlyn was reminded that dark came in many shades. At the moment, the woods surrounding him and his bond mate, Jade, were very dark…at least for him. Jade had lost her sight in an accident many years ago so dark was a constant s
tate of being for her. He wasn’t sure who was more handicapped as they trod down the path in the fitful light of a failing light stone. For that matter, he wasn’t even sure why they were walking home from Dai’s Retreat in the middle of the night.
Jade had poked him out of a dead sleep and announced they had to leave for Lost Market immediately. None of his sensible objections made a dent in her determination to go home so he was leading his weary pregnant bond mate through the woods in the hours just before dawn. His mouth stretched in a huge yawn and Jade chuckled.
“What?”
“You. You look like a black-haired lion when you yawn.”
“How would you know?” he demanded as he guided her around an enormous malzhal tree root that jutted into the path.
“I retain quite vivid memories, Merlyn. And sometimes Dai allows me use his mind to peek.”
“Really?” Merlyn stopped dead on the trail. “You can do that?”
“Not often.” Suddenly, she yawned. “But once in a while when I’m really missing my sight, he’ll show me you or the children. They’re growing up so fast.”
Merlyn pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. “Tell me about it. Each child seems to grow up faster than the one before. The way I figure it, Cougar and Gazelle will go directly from seven to fifteen. And the new babies will just start at fifteen to begin with. That way, we’ll eliminate the whole diaper and feeding process.”
She snuffled against his chest. “Don’t you wish. It won’t happen that way, you know. I think they seem to mature faster because the young ones learn from the older ones. And the younger they are in the group the more older siblings they have to learn from. Llynx and Panther…”
“Were born con men. They take after our half brother Nikolas. I shudder to think what they’ll be like when they hit their teens.” Merlyn took a deep breath. “We need to move on. It will be dawn in a little while. You said we needed to be there by dawn.”
“Uh-hmm. But before then, you’ll have to find us a place with some privacy.”
Through their bond, he felt the first tremors of schalzina as her womb tightened with small contractions. “Now? Jade, my love, have I ever mentioned that you can be extremely inconvenient?”
“Frequently but I’ve noticed that you easily cope with the inconvenience when my schela has your cock locked snugly inside me. I suspect it will be the same this time.” Her arms tightened around his waist. “If you don’t want to deal with the fire of schalzah instead, I recommend we find shelter immediately.”
Merlyn shuddered. Schalzina, a woman’s uncontrollable need for her mate, was a frequent pleasurable occurrence during pregnancy but schalzah—schalzah was schalzina magnified tenfold. During schalzina, though physically locked together, they were capable of enjoying all the sensual possibilities between a man and woman. Schalzah stole the senses, leaving the bond mates conscious of nothing except their drive to join repeatedly, time after time after time until they passed out from exhaustion. He always thought it was like being on fire with no possibility of extinguishing the flames.
“I’ll find us a place.”
“Have we crossed Creek Three?”
“It’s coming up.” Merlyn’s voice was muffled as he turned away, his attention captured by a pale beige dome shape. “Why would someone set up a hurka out here?”
“Dai just mentioned that he sent Wolfe and Hawke out here earlier today to set it up.” Jade’s voice was rich with barely suppressed amusement. “He said he thought we might find a use for it.”
“Oh, he did, eh? Dai is getting too big for his sharda.” Merlyn led Jade off the path to the hurka, set up in a pretty little grassy glade. He unfastened the ties that secured the door flap and poked his light stone inside to make sure it was empty of small critters. There were no critter visitors in sight but he was pleased to note the blankets that were spread on a soft comfortable mat plus a basket filled with spare light stones, clean clothing and finger foods.
“I believe it was Arano’s doing actually. Apparently, he told Dai that we would be needing shelter.”
“Nice to have a Master Seer as a son. Duck your head.” Merlyn gently guided Jade through the low door and helped her settle on her knees on the pallet before following her.
While he fastened the hurka ties, she removed her meerlim and sturdy sandals before slipping her arms around his waist, searching for the tabs that secured his sharda. Surely it was a complete accident that her hands just happened to find his rigid cock instead.
“Ummm. Your kzusha is so hard.” Her fingers brushed the heavy folds of the kiltlike garment out of her way so she could cradle the warm, thick length in her hands. “Hurry, Merlyn. I need you.”
“We’ve been mated for nearly twenty-five years, Jade. In all that time, the second you began schalzina, my cock was harder than stone. Why would it be different this time? If you want me inside you, release my cock and stretch out on the pallet while I finish undressing.” Merlyn inhaled deeply and held his breath while she moved around behind him. Then he ripped open the tabs on his sharda and shoved the soft fabric to the side. Seconds later he tossed his silky white shera on top of the sharda, kicked off his own sandals and eagerly lay down beside her. No matter how many times they made love, he was always burning for her kiss, her touch, the abiding sense of home he felt every time they joined.
When his warm, lightly furred chest brushed against her tight nipples she whimpered and arched into him. “Merlyn? Now?”
“I’m here, sweetheart.” Knowing how sensitive she was once schalzina began, he cupped her gently, stroking the hot, wet folds. Schalzina actually denoted the way a woman’s body prepared for joining with her mate. He’d never known a time that her pussy wasn’t ready for his cock but Merlyn always made sure, always checked because he couldn’t bear the thought of hurting her.
Her slick petals pulsed as another rush of fluid coated his fingers. Essence of Jade, he thought. Her scent was embedded in his brain. It would be with him when he was an old, old man. He shifted, moving over her until they were fitted together, creating a perfect whole. With one thrust, he filled her pussy, groaning as he felt her schela firm and grasp just below his cock head in a tight ring.
Jade wrapped her legs around his hips and squeezed, pulling him closer. “Yessss,” she hissed. “I love the way you fill me, the way you feel inside me.”
He didn’t know how it was possible but his cock was getting harder. “You’re just horny because you’re pregnant,” he grunted as he shoved his cock even deeper. “And because you’re in schalzina all the time, you drive me crazy. I walk around with a hard cock poking out the front of my sharda. No amount of pleats can hide that, believe me.”
“You’re complaining?” she teased as she planted little nipping kisses along his stubbly jaw.
“Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is at my age?” He slid his hands beneath her and rolled until she was on top.
“You don’t know how to be embarrassed. And what is this?” she demanded as she sat up, squirming on his cock until she felt him slide as high inside her as possible. She sighed in pleasure. “Oh, that’s better. I love fucking top-saddle when I’m in schalzina. You fill me so much deeper.”
Merlyn thought his eyes might be crossing. Jade’s schela was squeezing his penis tighter than any cock ring. He groaned and a sheen of moisture coated his pale blue skin.
“Are you in pain?” She braced her arms above his shoulders and leaned forward so she could brush her nipples across his lips.
“I’m in exquisite pain. Don’t stop,” he commanded as he latched on to one tightly furled nipple and sucked enthusiastically.
She rocked on his cock, her pussy tugging with heavenly pressure because of the schela lock. When she thought about all the ways her body had changed after they arrived in the valley, she was the most thankful for the schela, the ring of muscle high in her pussy that gripped his cock, locking them together during schalzina. One time in the height of passion she
’d confessed that schalzina almost made pregnancy worth the morning sickness and backaches.
Appalled, Merlyn had declared that thirteen children were certainly enough! Apparently, that wasn’t quite so as she was pregnant again—with numbers fifteen and sixteen—but something told her these would be the last ones so she was determined to enjoy all the benefits of schalzina while she had them.
Merlyn bit down gently, careful not to pierce her tender nipple with his fangs, while he reached up and lightly ran his fingers over the rims of her pointed ears. A rush of feminine moisture bathed his cock as she shuddered with the flash of heat. “Again!”
He was quite well aware that her ears were incredibly sensitive erogenous zones—far more so than her breasts. Releasing her nipple with a faint pop, he urged her to lie flat against his chest. “Come closer, sweetheart, and I’ll nibble on your ears. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
When she stretched out in his arms, he rolled again with her until he was cradled between her thighs. He slid his arms beneath her shoulders so he could support the weight of her head in his big hands. And then his wicked tongue slithered around the velvety rim of her right ear.
Her legs squeezed his butt like a vise, her schela clamped down on his cock and she came with a banshee howl that could likely be heard all the way in Lost Market. He didn’t worry about holding back his own orgasm. As long as she was in schalzina, he would remain hard and ready to serve her needs, whether that was ten minutes or two hours. Thrusting as deeply as possible he spurted his seed in her depths, lured to new heights by the frantic milking of her mhital nibbling at the broad head of his cock.
They dozed for a while, still locked together. Then Merlyn rolled them back over so he wouldn’t squash Jade and they slid back into sleep—a normal occurrence for them when Jade was in schalzina. Over the years, Merlyn figured they slept with his cock locked inside her hot, silky sheath as much as they slept apart.
