Rage to Adore

by Cara Lake

  Rage to Adore

  Cara Lake

  This book is a sequel to Calm Before the Storm but can be read as a standalone.

  To realign The Balance and save the universe from destruction Tanith must form an intimate bond with a dangerous man who is her complete opposite.

  Like Tanith, he is a warrior, but the similarity ends there. She holds the essence of Love and he of Hate. In a world where he has known only betrayal and violence, he fights to resist his burning attraction to this woman who offers him comfort. He knows if he surrenders, his heart will only be broken again, and this time it could cost him his life.

  Slaves to destiny, two warriors must battle the dark forces threatening to consume love and compassion in a galaxy threatened by chaos. If they want to survive the darkness, they must negotiate the blurred lines between love and hate—together.

  Reader Advisory: This story has graphic sexual language and scenes—no closed bedroom doors (or other rooms) here!

  An adult science fiction romance from Ellora’s Cave

  Rage to Adore

  Cara Lake

  Although a thousand leagues two hearts divide,

  That love has joined, the gulf is not so great

  As that twixt two, who, dwelling side by side

  Behold between, the black abyss of Hate.

  —Ellen P. Allerton (1897)

  Glossary

  Aura: Field of luminous radiation that surrounds a being and denotes a particular power or energy. All species with supernatural powers exude some kind of aura in relation to their specific abilities. Esseni have auras that manifest in direct relation to the essences they hold. These auras become stronger and easier to read when Esseni potentials cross paths with their partner duality. Only trained individuals, usually wiccani or warloki, are able to read auras.

  Auriga: Home planet of the Aurigi. Major cities: Elpida and Magellania.

  The Balance: The universal law that maintains the web of the universe holding all elements in place. Disturbance of The Balance causes ruptures that have dire consequences for the myriad galaxies that exist in its web. All things are interdependent and need to coexist in balance for the universe to be maintained.

  Balauri: Three-headed dragons whose saliva is poisonous and can create precious stones.

  Barghesti: Large black-haired wolf-like dog.

  Chaos: Primary god of disorder and instability.

  Chemon: Blade made from shell of a chemosh beast. It is the hardest substance in universe.

  Chemosh: Rhino-horned, armor-plated beast. The chemosh’s shell is used for swords, blades, and armor.

  Chthonia: Home planet of the Chthoni. Major city: Fortress of Choronzon, also known as The Abyss.

  Concordia: Guiding council of the Eunomi Alliance based on Auriga in the city of Magellania. There are twelve Concordia members: Cygnus, Terra, Tellurus, Stellar, Sollarus, Etanin, Deneba, Rastaban, Arcturus, Al Ashfar, Albireo, Ursa.

  Discordants: Syndicate of species who strive to serve Chaos and create disorder and instability in order to exploit populations for their own benefit.

  Earth: Home planet of the Earthani. Major cities: New York and London.

  Elementals: Like Esseni, they hold essences that unite the fabric of the universe, but of tangible things rather than actions or abstract concepts. (For example, Fire and Water, Sky and Earth, Light and Dark).

  Eldars: Spiritual leaders of the sanguini people.

  Eridanus: Home planet of the Eridani. Major city: Cetus.

  Erymanthi: Large boar-like creatures with tusks.

  Esseni: Unique individuals who hold the essences of one of the dualities (yin-yang pairings) that help keep the universe in check. (For example, War and Peace, Love and Hate). They therefore have the power to control The Balance, to ensure stability or instability, depending on their allegiance. Bonded Esseni usually develop great supernatural powers and can live for thousands of years.

  Esseni vessel: A vessel, usually in the form of jewelry, that holds the essences of bonded pairs.

  Eunomi: Alliance of species from all over the galaxy who strive to maintain The Balance and align with Gaia on the side of order and stability. Named after Eunomia, a child of Gaia who strove for order and justice.

  Gaia: Primary goddess of order and stability.

  Lyra: Home planet of the Lyrani. Major cities: Vega and Elnath.

  Ophiuchus: Home planet of the Ophiuchi. Major cities: Serpens and Arushka.

  Portal Travelers: Individuals with the innate ability to open starportals. The skill can be learned, but true portal travelers can access territory they have not previously visited, needing only a picture as guidance.

  Realignment: Every eight hundred years as decreed by Gaia and Chaos, the essences of all things must be realigned to stabilize The Balance. These essences reside within the Esseni potentials, who must bond for realignment to occur. Failure to realign causes disorder and imbalance, which will affect the harmony of the universe.

  Saevici: Shapeshifters. Individuals born with the ability to tame the beast spirits that reside in them at birth. They usually need to be taught to harness the spirit and go through initiation rituals to enable them to change at will. There are a few species that are both sanguini and saevici.

  Sanguini: Blood drinkers. There are many types. Most are healers with the ability to purge disease by drinking blood and then giving their own, which has healing properties. Some species have lost the sense of using their ability for good and instead use it for their own benefit and to the detriment of others. (Drakulus is a good example.)

  Taijitu: The symbol that represents the concept of opposites existing in harmony and balance (yin and yang). The Taijitu mark appears on the skin of an Esseni potential when they meet with their partner duality and are intimate (i.e., they kiss). The mark appears on the body in the same place but on opposite sides of a pairing. For example, if it’s above the hip it will be on the right side for one Esseni and on the left for the other.

  Vita Cruor: Name given to the council of sanguini eldars based on Ophiuchus.

  Warloki: Individuals who have the ability to harness great magickal ability. Warloki powers are derived from the negative energy of the dark. The majority support the Discordant cause.

  Wiccani: Individuals who have the ability to harness great magickal ability. Wiccani powers are derived from the positive energy of the light. Most support the Eunomi cause.

  Prologue

  Fate

  His hand skimmed over the valley between her breasts then palmed one hardened nipple, plucking it softly. Her whole body shook with pleasure, a fire igniting in her belly at the gentleness of his touch. Rolling the small pink berry between his index finger and thumb, he pinched harder. Heat spread through her quivering flesh and she gasped when he moved his other hand to spread her legs wide. She was already wet for him.

  “You are so beautiful, my love,” he murmured huskily, peppering her throat with kisses. “You are all I’ve ever wanted. You have exactly what I need.”

  His hand moved from her shoulder to her throat, cradling her neck with calloused fingers. He applied more pressure, the weight of his palm causing her already rapid heart rate to spike.

  “I’m going to take what I need,” he whispered, his voice no longer gentle but laced with raw darkness. The pressure intensified and she gasped for breath, her arms flailing wildly, trying to claw back the stranglehold that was choking the life out of her. “Please!” she begged, tears leaking as she fought to stay alive. “Don’t do this! You said I was your love!”

  “You may be my love,” he said, through gritted teeth, “but I don’t love you.”

  “You need me!” she cried, fighting against the venom of his words.

  His laugh was brutal
. It ripped her in two before he even spoke again. “Yes,” he said triumphantly. “I need you to die.”

  Tanith Laska woke up sweating. It was the same dream that had visited her frequently since childhood after she had learned from her father just who and what she was. She pushed off the heavy covers, her feet touching the cold ground and immediately her body felt anchored. Safe. The chilly tiles proof that she was home. Relishing the chill, she walked to the doors that opened onto a small balcony and throwing them wide, stepped out into the cool night air.

  The view from her room was sublime. Tanith took a moment to absorb the tranquil calm of her home planet Lyra and the beauty of Vega, the city of her birth. It seemed a million miles away from the chaos that had been her last mission—a battle hard fought against a horde of rarog, a faction of Choronzon’s Discordant army, who had tried to raze a Lyrani village to the ground and take slaves in the process. The village had been saved but the cost had been great. It was nothing that Tanith had not come across before—because Tanith Laska was a warrior. A good one. And as a member of the Eunomi Alliance she had spent years honing her skills with one purpose in mind. Her duty.

  Leaning against the railing, Tanith considered the other word her father had used the day he spoke to her of her duty. Fate. Such a beautiful word. So full of promise.

  Tanith Laska whispered the word, releasing it to the wind. “Fate” rhymes with “Hate”. And those were the words that had been a mantra to her throughout childhood.

  Her destiny.

  Her fate.

  Hate.

  Standing alone on the balcony, Tani savored the biting kiss of the wind as it whipped her red hair into a frenzy, flying free around her face. That was the irony. She wasn’t free. She was tied and bound to a duty that had been persistently drummed into her since birth. The dream that had woken her, a potent reminder of everything that duty would entail. A reminder that her predecessor, eight hundred years ago, had barely survived the duty fate had led her to.

  And now it was Tanith’s turn to carry the torch, her own fate and that of the galaxy intertwined, balanced on a fragile scale that would rise or fall depending on the outcome of her next mission. The mission to seek out Hate. To find the man who held the essence of Hate and try to persuade him to her side. The man she was fated to be with.

  He was her destiny.

  For Tanith held the essence of Love. Love and Hate.

  Two extremes. Meant to be one.

  Chapter One

  Love

  Two days later…

  “Love! Love! Love! All you need is…”

  Tanith Laska sucked in a deep breath trying in vain to block out the sound of the all-too-familiar music. It was too ironic, too sensitive, touching a raw nerve that had once seemed a distant possibility, but was now a close probability, if the recent intel her superiors had received was correct.

  Desperate to forget what was to come, she had tried to soak up the relatively calm atmosphere of Earth after the recent conflicts on her home planet of Lyra. She had needed a few days to relax prior to her upcoming mission, but it seemed that everywhere she turned there were reminders. Every song she heard was a love song, every movie poster a romance, every pair that passed by a couple. All of which was shocking really, considering the current climate of intolerance and hatred that pervaded the entire solar system.

  Fate was determined to have a laugh at her expense. Goading her. Taunting her with the promise of something she had come to believe was forever out of reach. Something that even in these dark times filled with uncertainty and chaos, primitive Earthani had managed to hold on to. Of all the planets in the galaxy, they seemed to be the ones most focused on love. Even though the people of Earth were struggling with territorial and economic conflicts that fueled hatred toward others, Tani knew that many Earthani still held faith in love. Love and romance still existed here despite everything.

  She found it odd that Earthani culture had a massive industry dedicated to churning out mushy idealistic romances in the form of novels, songs and movies. Having been dragged to a few so-called “rom coms” by her friend Irina, she had been irritated by the happy-ever-after expectations that seemed to prevail. Love conquers all. Well, not in her experience. If her life as a Eunomi warrior had taught her anything, it was that love in all its forms was an elusive proposition. As elusive as the fate that destiny had in store for her. Fate and love were the bane of her existence. A noose of inevitability around her neck.

  For Tanith was Love, pure and simple. That is to say, she was the vessel, the Esseni potential who happened to carry the essence of Love. She didn’t really know what love was, having never been in love. Oh, she loved her family, her friends, and many of the warriors she trained with were more than just mere partners-in-arms. But love, real love—she’d never allowed herself to feel it because she was only meant to feel it for one other person. Her other half. The yang to her yin. Hate.

  Who he was and where he was, she didn’t know. He could be anywhere in the galaxy on any one of the several inhabited planets linked by the intricate starportal vortex that connected this quadrant of the solar system. He could even be here on Earth. Right here, right now. In New York. Maybe only a block away. In a passing cab or subway train beneath her feet. But she knew in reality that was unlikely because the intel they’d received placed him on the planet Ophiuchus about a million light-years from Earth. And wasn’t that a real pain in her ass. Ophiuchus was not a place she would choose to go willingly or ever again for that matter. Unfortunately, duty demanded that her next port of call was that planet. Sighing, Tani took a sip of her cappuccino and tried to remember all the important reasons she needed to undertake her next mission.

  “Hey, Tani!” A hand touched her shoulder, breaking her out of her reverie and allowing the latest love song to intrude. “Love is in the …” She winced but looked up, smiling at the sight of cerulean-blue eyes gazing at her in sympathy. Luc Whitaker understood her predicament. At least—he did now. Kissing her cheek, he sat down next to her and ordered a latte from the hovering waitress who had appeared rather quickly. Less to do with efficient service and more to do with the fact that Luc was a six-foot-two-inch blond hunk who seemed to attract female attention with ease. He was the kind of guy who radiated a glow that drew people in and it wasn’t just because of his own unique Esseni aura. There was just something about Luc that was special and even Tani’s armored heart wasn’t immune to his charm.

  Sitting across from Luc, she couldn’t help but think how lucky he was, or had been up until this point. For the first years of his life he had no notion of what he was, how unique or how sought after. Now he did know but he still hadn’t quite come to terms with his Esseni status. She felt a wave of compassion build in her chest for the man sitting opposite. In the short time she had known Luc he had grown to be a good and loyal friend and for a brief moment she almost wished he was the one she was searching for. Unfortunately he wasn’t. No one was quite sure yet what essence he was carrying. They had their suspicions but it certainly wasn’t Hate. She thought again how lucky he was that because he had come to learn of his uniqueness only recently, his childhood had been very different from hers.

  In contrast, Tani had always known what she was. From the moment of her birth, her Lyrani parents had identified her as an Esseni. Their knowledge of wiccani light magick and involvement with the Eunomi Alliance meant that they immediately read her aura, the shimmering halo of color and light that signified her as being as a potential Esseni. And Tani’s aura had been strong, pulsing with vibrancy unusual for an infant so newly born. Violet pink and soft magenta hues proclaimed to all who could read the aura that she was Love. Tender, affectionate, intuitive, artistic, magickal. And so from the very beginning of her life she had been bound to her destiny, trained with one aim in mind. That she would do her duty to The Balance. Her path was set in stone. No deviation. No choice. She was destined for Hate.

  “I’ve seen that look before.” Luc’s wo
rds woke her from her reverie. She smiled back at him half-heartedly. “Really?”

  “It’s what I see when I look in the mirror every morning. Doubt. Confusion. Who am I? What am I?”

  Tani laughed. Luc had hit the nail on the head. “You’re right, but I ought to be over it by now. After all, I am a hundred and two years old.”

  “And you don’t look a day over twenty. Do I get brownie points for saying that?” He winked suggestively at her.

  Grinning, she took a sip of her chocolate. “Are you flirting with me, Mr. Whitaker?”

  He laughed and sat back in his chair. “Would it make any difference if I was?” he asked. But they both knew the answer. They couldn’t go there.

  “I wish…” she began but then let her words trail off as Luc caught her hand then in a gesture of solidarity. “I know,” he said, leaning closer. “It would be so much easier.”

  “If life was meant to be easy, Luc, you’d be surrounded by a harem of women salivating over your every need.” Raising their heads in unison at the person whose voice had broken into their moment, Luc and Tani both smiled. Tani couldn’t help rolling her eyes at the blonde standing before them who was wearing a smirk on her perfectly made-up face.

  Cassiopeia Shedir was one of her best friends and had been for most of Tani’s life, even though Cassi herself was older. Much, much older. Nearly three thousand years older in fact. To the Earthani, however, Cassi appeared to be a smartly dressed, corporate twentysomething. Beautiful but cold as ice. Look but not touch beautiful. The reality was that Cassi, like Tani, was also a skilled warrior of the Eunomi Alliance. Like Tani, she had spent her life fighting against the forces of Chaos, the Discordants whose sole aim was to cause disorder to The Balance of the universe and shockingly, like Luc, she too had only recently discovered she was an Esseni.

  Hugs over, Cassi took a seat and reminded them of why they were here and the job at hand. She had big news for Luc. “It’s confirmed,” she said. “You are officially the Esseni of Light. Your aura matched the previous vessel who was killed by the Discordants exactly twenty-nine years ago, the year you were born.” A reminder that being an Esseni was very dangerous.