by D. F. Jones
Cord glanced at GrandPap. He could sleep through an earthquake.
“Kaduntz will expect strength from her pairing partner.” Sariel stepped forward. “You will prove your worth to her.”
“Will she want me? Why didn’t she sense the bond link? Is it because I’m a half-breed?” Cord paced up and down the front porch.
“Get a grip, Cord. You are her match in every way.”
“What’s taking Erinelle so long?”
“You’ve spent your life protecting the ridge. You trained the people of the town, including the children, and helped each one to realize their unique ability and divine gifts to help us fight in the continuing angelic conflict with Luc and the Army of the Fallen. I am proud to stand with you.”
“If Luc comes looking for Kaduntz, the nature spirits will be vulnerable to an attack. Damn it, Sariel. I don’t have the time to fall in love. What am I thinking?”
Kaduntz.
Her lovely scent lingered in the air consuming him with desire, with a binding love for her, and he had just met her.
Cord rubbed his hands over his face in frustration.
Sariel lightly touched his shoulder, easing his anxiety. “After the pandemic, many of the Angel Watchers joined the ranks of the AAF. They had all been accounted for except Kaduntz. She’d disappeared once the wide-spread virus wiped out the mortals’ existence on the planet. She suffered because she felt responsible for humanity's extinction. Riddled with guilt, she disappeared until now. You will help her in many ways, Cord.”
“Kaduntz is a freaking legend, for crying out loud. How will I help her?”
“Your love, of course. If Luc hadn’t impersonated Uriel, the AAF might have never found her, and now it’s your job to protect her from Luc.”
He squared his broad shoulders. “I will protect Kaduntz with my last breath.”
Chapter 4
Inside the house, Kaduntz clasped Erinelle’s hand. “Tabris? Is he—is he?”
“He lives. He is fine. He should arrive by nightfall, and you ruined my surprise. I summoned Michael as soon as you crossed into Everglade. He will want a full report of your meeting with Luc.”
“How didn’t I sense Luc?” Kaduntz walked into the great room with a large stone fireplace, dark red leather couch and chair, and wood-hewn side tables. Large windows overlooked the back of the farm.
“From our intel, he’s created a type of second skin that uses chemicals undetected by even The Creator. He has avatars dispatched across the globe. The time is near to capture him and place him in prison, chained for a millennium. The Creator still doesn’t want to kill him.”
“Why for heaven's sake? The last time I stepped foot in this house was when we organized the search and rescue mission for Sandy Cothran. She and Baldric paired and caused a great stink, as I remember. And now, it’s the norm.”
“Sandy’s descendants live here too. Why did you distance yourself from the angels?”
“I couldn’t stop it, none of it. The helplessness of watching the era come to an end weighed me down. I needed distance. I was angry and sad. The Creator sent me to protect His people. Humanity died out. I wasn’t worthy to serve as the leader. And there is no need for Angel Watchers since humanity is gone. I failed.”
Erinelle touched her shoulder, then pointed at a wall of photographs dating back seven generations. “You’re wrong. Humanity has evolved, and we are still watching.”
Kaduntz stepped to the wall of photos, recalling the fond memories of meeting the feisty girls from the 1970s. “Cord is Ruby’s great-grandson?”
“First, I must check to make sure no tracking device is on you or your gear.”
“Geesh, I assure you, if someone tried to place a device on or in me, they would’ve died. But check away.” Kaduntz extended her arms outward, and Erinelle ran her hands over the front and back before looking inside her weapons bag.
“We can’t be too careful. Luc took several of the Ellauroa prisoners. They didn’t survive his interrogations.”
“I’m going to kill that bastard one day. Shadow warned me, and I sensed the evil within Ice Mountain. I assumed it was the Fallen prisoners.” She stepped into the bright yellow kitchen. The feeling of love in the house nearly brought her to tears again. “Something is wrong with me. I keep crying. When I met Cord, it released a scent from Fifth Heaven, then when we entered Everglade, I cried, and now I’m crying again. I don’t cry. What’s happening to me?” She plopped into one of the walnut kitchen chairs.
“Hm. Um. I don’t know how to tell you.”
“Spit it out, Erinelle.”
“My instincts tell me you and Cord initiated pairing partner links. Your scent nearly took the top of my head off.”
Kaduntz pushed away from the table, knocking the chair against the white kitchen cabinets. “There’s no way.” She threaded her fingers through her hair. “I know it happens, but Erinelle, at my age? How can this be? Does he know?” She leaned against the cabinets, gripping the lip of the counter.
“You’re acting like a schoolgirl,” Erinelle said. “The only time it happened to me was with he who has no name. Do I know how to pick ’em or what? Luc used me, then threw me away, so I’m not the best judge of character on relationships or pairing links.”
“Luc set me up too,” Kaduntz said. “He’ll come looking for me if I don’t go back with a report, which places the Ellauroa and other species on the ridge in danger. We must protect them.”
“Your army joined the AAF. We’re aware of Luc’s design on the Ellauroa and Campbell Ridge. Thane—you remember Joe’s warrior guardian—spotted the Keepers of the Law after you entered the gateway. We’ll send an AAF team out in the morning, but tonight, we celebrate. My sister from Fifth Heaven has returned.”
“We—as in?”
“Everglade and its angels are planning a feast. Tabris is coming along with Michael. Music and dancing. You deserve a little libation after enduring decades of drudgery. Give Cord a chance too. Pairing is a gift from The Creator.”
“Tabris. My little brother? Oh, I can’t believe it. I’m a bit overwhelmed. I’m not used to social interactions, feasts, or celebrations. Those are trifle events that have no meaning to me.”
“You have given so much. Enjoy the evening. We will plan Campbell Ridge’s defense in the morning.” Erinelle said, “Upstairs, I left clothes and a tub of hot water. The luxuries are as plentiful as before the eruption here. We are blessed with good friends and family. Sometimes, you need love and fun. This is your time. Oh, and Cord is waiting for you on the porch.”
She vanished, leaving Kaduntz alone.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake.”
Luc had been the only angel interested in her in Fifth Heaven, but she hadn’t fallen for his charms. She had empathic resonance detecting the good souls from the bad ones. Cord touched her on a level that none other ever had, and it made her nervous. She was a warrior. She fought demons. She didn’t have time for relationships, much less love.
Against her better judgment, she crept into the front room and peered out the window. Cord locked eyes with her again, and she quickly closed the curtains, then pressed her back to the wall. Physical battles were much easier for her than emotional ones.
After bathing, Kaduntz looked at the clothes on the bed. She rolled her eyes. “Saints preserve me.” She hadn’t worn a dress in over ten thousand years. She went back into the bathroom to grab her warrior garments, but they had vanished.
Someone took her clothes.
Well, it would serve them right if she strode outside bare-ass-naked.
The thing that she assumed was the pairing link grew inside of her, and coursed through her veins like warm honey on a summer night. She had an overpowering desire to make Cord hers, and not in a gentle way either. She wanted to take him hard and fast to satisfy a need so deep in her that it was difficult to understand.
She put on the dress.
She glanced down at the matching sandals with diamond embe
llishments and shook her head. Looking in the mirror at her reflection was like looking at a different person.
She looked like a girl.
Erinelle must be living vicariously through Kaduntz’s linking experience.
Walking down the stairs, Kaduntz’s heart rhythm increased. Her ears throbbed, and the weird feeling was back in her midsection. Her hands trembled. She sensed Cord at the door, and then she stepped onto the porch.
Cord stumbled back, his eyes widening. The vein in his throat pulsed. She wanted to lick it. Great day in the morning, his dark eyes seemed to turn golden.
“Would you care to walk with me?” He pointed toward the west. “I want to show you the Campbell Ridge Cave, where my family met our angels.”
She glanced at GrandPap. He feigned sleep, but she saw the corners of his lips curve up. Was this a conspiracy? Did everyone know about Cord and her?
“I’ve heard of the cave, and I’d love to see it.”
Thankfully, the path to the cave didn’t go through town. The fluttering spring leaves from the tree nymphs encouraged her.
A calmness swept over her.
The magical connection to Cord grew with her every step.
The sadness and guilt that had been her constant companion gave way to lightheartedness.
Happiness engulfed her as he relayed the family history from Leeel passed down through the generations to him. She knew their history, but she loved the deep baritone of his voice.
Did he sing?
“I do sing. I write music and lyrics too. Would you like to hear one?”
“You read my mind?”
He chuckled. “You didn’t block me this time.”
Releasing a sigh, she said, “I’d love to hear you sing.”
“My love is an angel, strong and true.
I see much more than her eyes so blue.
A kind, yet fearsome warrior in need of rest,
Please take the time to savor life’s best.
My love is an angel shining like the sun.
My love is an angel in need of some fun.”
“Cord Jackson, you have a gift. Did you make up the lyrics and tune?”
“You inspire me. We all have jobs left to do on the planet, but it doesn’t mean we can’t savor precious moments to laugh, love, and live.” He jumped on a tree stump and spread his arms. “This place, you and me, the air we breathe, the sun and sky are all gifts.”
She clapped her hands. “I agree. Thank you for reminding me.”
He hopped back to the ground, then swooped his arm around her waist. “Don’t you feel the link? It isn’t just me, is it?”
“I feel it. But you must understand, I’m old.” The palm of her hand caressed his cheek. “I never expected to experience linking to my pairing partner. I gave up on that idea thousands of years ago.”
“For the record, you’re not old.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss on her neck. “Beautiful, most definitely, but not old.”
At the entrance of the cave, Kaduntz’s heart soared. “Is this a portal to Fifth Heaven?”
“It’s a portal to the In-Between. It’s where everyone in my family met their warrior guardian for the first time.” He helped her over the stream.
The Triquetra knot glowed from the center point at the top of the cave entrance.
He sat on a rock ledge, and she joined him.
“In the beginning, Adam and Eve weren’t mortal.” She took his hands into hers. “They were like you and the others in Everglade. Except they lived in paradise. I visited with them for many years.”
“They lived in harmony with the other magical creatures,” she sighed then continued, “The lion lay with the lamb, so to speak. Until the day Luc misled Eve. He twisted the words of The Creator. She fell for his lies.” Kaduntz ran her fingers through her short hair.
“There’s a river that runs from the tree of life. It’s where humans got the idea of rebirth,” she said. “Any mortal who plunges into the river comes out cleansed without any memory of past deeds. The Creator didn’t want to take the chance of Adam and Eve finding it, so he placed them on the opposite side, to a vast barren land. He closed off the entrance to paradise, forever.”
“I led Adam and Eve to the Cave of Treasures. I left supplies for them, and when I returned,” she said, “I found them dead. I cried out to the Prince who breathed life back into them. The caves throughout the world became portals, but both sides of the angelic war access them. Are you sure the gateway to Campbell Ridge Cave is secure?”
He took her hand, his fingers gently rubbing the delicate skin between her forefinger and thumb. “It is secure. The town is safe, but not the outer rim of Campbell Ridge. That’s why we send patrols every day.” His striking eyes seemed to reach inside her soul, tugging her heartstrings. “I brought you here to rest and relax. I didn’t mean for you to draw on painful memories.” He reached up and took her face in his hands. He leaned in and whispered, “I only want to bring you joy and happiness.”
Was he going to kiss her?
She’d never been kissed. She didn’t know how and started to panic. She stood abruptly and brushed off the back of her dress. “I’ve had good memories with mortals too.”
“Do I make you nervous?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Very much. I’m a warrior. I fight. I know nothing about whatever this thing is between us. I—”
She started to speak, but he slid his hand to the base of her neck and kissed her. Soft yet demanding, sweet but tangy. She went all jelly on the inside and fell against his muscled chest. She thought she wanted him hard and fast, but she liked slow kissing and matched his gentle pressure igniting a passion that went dormant long ago.
He pulled back slightly and searched her eyes. “I’ve wanted to do that since I met you this morning.”
“Don’t stop on my account.”
His thumbs caressed the hollows of her cheeks. “I want to make love to you. You’re my—”
She pressed her finger to his lips. “I know. I can’t believe after thousands of years, that you’re mine.”
Golden sparkles of angel dust sprinkled down around them like confetti. She heard the music of the love angels. “Oh my goodness, I remember them.”
“They’re going to play the theme from Love Story.” He gave her a sideways grin.
She burst out laughing when she heard the notes. “No way. Love Story?”
“It’s their favorite lately.” He laughed too.
He took her hand, and they ran down the hill through the woods until they lost the little suckers.
In a small clearing next to a large maple tree, Kaduntz doubled over in laughter. “We outran them. I haven’t had that much fun in a hundred years.”
“Shush, they’re still close.” Cord kissed her again, and she placed her hands on his chest, then they eased down onto the lush spring grass.
He took her hand and pressed featherlight kisses on the inside of her wrist, then kissed her palm. “You are good,” she moaned.
He stopped and stared at her. His breathing labored.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I dreamed of this. You here, with me.”
“Am I as good as your dream?” she teased.
His lethal good looks made her chest tighten. He caressed the curve of her cheek with his hand as if she were the most delicate china doll. Cord leaned in and kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose, then brushed his lips across hers.
Minutes ticked away as he trailed his fingertips along her throat, down her arms until linking their fingers together.
He pulled back and locked eyes with her. The emotional push and pull between them conveyed so much without one word exchanged verbally, weaving the pairing link together.
Love, she never thought would be reciprocated, spiraled through her core. She’d heard pairing partners had an instantaneous connection, but she’d never believed it, until now. They knew nothing of each other, but their souls connected on a higher plane, b
eyond any rational explanation.
“You are so much better than a dream.” His voice deepened, with hoarseness, he said, “I know this isn’t poetic, but, Kaduntz, you and I must become one. You are the other half that makes me whole. Ubi tu Gaius, ego Gaia. Wherever you go, my love, I will follow. I bind myself to thee.”
“Ubi tu Gaius, ego Gaia. Wherever you go, Cord, I will follow. I bind myself to thee. Take me; make me yours.”
An angel pairing didn’t last a lifetime—angelic pairings lasted an eternity.
“You are a part of my soul,” Cord whispered, “a part of my heart, forever.”
All the past hurts and disappointments in her life vanished, replaced with an abundance of love that overflowed. She closed her eyes for a few seconds to savor the feel of his lips against every intimate part of her body. The touch of his hands created a humming vibration within her.
She ran her hands over his broad chest, his muscular biceps, and his impressive forearms. Clothes quickly slid off, and he joined with her in a most exquisite rhythm — the pounding of her heart, the racing of her pulse with the magic of her first orgasm.
Cord is mine.
Chapter 5
The celebration of Kaduntz and Cord took place in the center of town with music, dancing, loads of laughter, and lots of food. Strings of lights weaved overhead from one side of the street to the other.
One day miraculously changed her life.
Angels and hybrids together. Who knew?
She recognized Uriel, Thane, Luwenia, Simon, and Raphael with Erinelle, mixing it up with the locals.
“I love hearing you laugh.” Cord swept her into a wedding reel, a custom in the new realm of Everglade.
She and Cord danced along the glinting mosaic floor that created a history honoring each family’s generation of hybrids that came before them. Especially the ones who laid down their lives to save each one in attendance.
“You’re a great dancer, Cord Jackson. I feel as though I’m flying.”
He kissed her again. “So are you, my love.”
