FALL (The Senses) (10 page)

He was
rough, urgent, and she met him with her own crazed need, gripping his broad
shoulders. She pushed upward to meet his every thrust, her body awakening a
fervor beyond her imagination. His neck muscles strained, eyes staring down at
her as if he was memorizing every one of her expressions. She met his stare
boldly, their bodies writhing together, sweat clinging to their skin and
bringing them closer.

“Waleron,”
she said between gasps. “Take me. Have me. I am yours.” His name slipped past
her lips easily and she liked it. It felt like heaven being able to say his
name and know that he was here. He was alive and in her arms.

His
hands tighten on her hips, fingers driving into her flesh while his eyes showed
a wild need and, for a flicker of an instant, she was frightened of him. No.
He’d never hurt her. She loved him with everything she was and is—it nearly
killed her to have lost him.

Just his
name emerging from her throat was enough to send him falling over the edge. It
would probably be the last time he’d hear it pass her lips with passion. He’d
remember though. Always.

She
jerked around him and his restraint broke as his body took control over his
mind, making it impossible to stop his release barreling down on him,
propelling him into a raging tornado of unbelievable torment. Gripping.
Heightening. Sucking him under to a groan of heart-stopping ecstasy.

“Sweet
Jesus,” he muttered, as everything in his body became this woman’s.

She
whispered his name again and again while her hand cupped his cheek. It was then
that he saw the tear slide from the rim of her eye and he automatically wiped
it away, then lowered his head and kissed the wetness that clung to her flushed
skin.

She
sighed.

He
stared at the one woman that had made him forsake his control. She had
suffered. He saw the proof of it within her, saw it on the scars on her skin
and knew the faint cuts had to be Tarek’s work. It destroyed him to think that
he could not go back in time with all the power he had and take away what she
had gone through.

Had he
just made it worse? By being with her, had he inadvertently placed one of the
scars on her mind with his own hand?

“Waleron?”
Delara asked.

He
slipped from her succulent warmth and moved off her body to lie beside her.
Already he felt the coldness seeping back into him. She rolled onto her side
and her hand came to rest on his chest, her fingers drawing patterns on his
skin. Then she leaned over and kissed him, not on his mouth, but on his side
just below his ribcage.

His
muscles tightened as he stared up at the ceiling, trying to catch his breath
and his emotions that were floating high above him in an ominous, dark cloud.

“Don’t
do this,” she whispered. “Don’t close me out.”

He had
to. It was his only way to survive leaving her.

He
straightened and pulled his shield down. “I am filled with too much darkness. I
feel the rage inside me ready to snap and one day... One day I will and I will
not have you anywhere near me when that happens. I will not. Nothing can come
of this, Delara.” He noticed the flash of hurt pass over her face and it hit
him square in the chest. He should’ve known better. She was vulnerable after
what had happened with Tarek. God, he was so stupid.

“Don’t
do this,” Delara said, her hand on his right shoulder, the opposite side of his
snake.

“I have
to,” he answered. He slid out of bed and immediately felt…alone.

When he
leaned over to slip on his pants he caught a glimpse of her sitting up in bed.
The outline of her luscious body glimmered in the moonlight shining through the
window. It stole his breath away.

“Our
love can heal us both.”

He
stiffened. “I am no longer the man you love, Maitagarri. I am incapable of
love.”  His Scar being released had made certain of that and, now, the pills he
used to control his Scar made certain.

“You
saved my life,” Delara said approaching until she was a foot away. “You came
when I needed you most. That is love, Waleron. Our love. Nothing can erase it
or break it apart.” She reached out her hand and grabbed his. “What is between
us is everlasting. I felt it the day we met a hundred years ago. I felt it when
you found me near dead. I feel it now.”

“You
know not of what you speak,” he said as he let her hand go. He had no choice.
He knew he was going to have to be cruel in order to save her from himself. To
end this. “I saved your life because that is my job. My oath to the Goddess.
Nothing more.” He bent and picked up his crumpled shirt from the floor and
pulled it over his head. “I was wrong to come.”

He
strode towards the escape he had to take, putting his hand on the cold, brass
doorknob. Why did this hurt so much?
Because I love her.
And hurting
someone you love is worse torture than anything Jasmine could have ever done.

“I love
you damn it!” She shot back at him.

He
flinched. Christ. A part of him died at that moment, knowing what he had to do
and hating himself even more for going through with it.

He had
no choice. Without turning from the door, he said in a steady, calm voice, “I
will never love you again, Delara. You are a Senses and I will protect you with
my life—that is my oath.” He heard her intake of breath and in that single
moment the last flicker of light inside him died.

He
yanked open the door and walked away.

Chapter
1

The
Realm, Present Day

Tarek
Rises in 14 days

“For the
excellence of nature, for the peace of all living and for the good of the
universe, we join together,” Tor, the Wraith of Earth, said and then nodded to
Genevieve, the Wraith of Water.

The
delicate blonde Wraith raised her hands into the air towards the fountain in
the middle of the room. It was of a woman and man entwined in one another’s
arms. In one hand the man held a flame rising from his palm, and the woman had
a flower tucked behind her ear. She had long flowing hair that billowed around
them as if it had been swept up by a gentle breeze. A stream of water curved in
an arc between their bodies, flowing into an eight-point marble pool with soft-pink
pebbles on the bottom. The water from the spout was golden, but as it hit the
pool, it became cerulean blue. The water from the spout turned blue, matching
that in the pool as Genevieve’s hands weaved through the air.

The meeting
had begun.

Waleron
sat beside Zurina, a Senses Taster, Healer, and Visionary. He’d known her since
he was a child as she’d been his mother’s best friend. Zurina he trusted, his
mother he hadn’t. Zurina had a calm demeanor and was vigilant about her oaths
just as much as he.

Waleron
fiddled with his Pez dispenser as he looked at Mariana, the representative of
the witches’ covens. He noticed she changed her hair—now having two dreadlocks
hanging down either side of her face instead of three. The rest of her long,
ebony hair looked like silk blanketing her back. But it was her eyes that
caught his attention, the dark-walnut globes were swirling with disquiet. He
hoped this meeting wasn’t because they discovered the vamp slash witch Abby was
alive. He was supposed to execute her several months ago—he didn’t.

The
Wraith of Fire, Edan sat back in his chair, arms crossed, with a self-righteous
sneer on his face. Two years ago Delara and Edan were involved. The Wraith of
Fire liked to throw them sleeping together in Waleron’s face whenever he had
the chance. Considering Delara had used Edan to gain access to the council so
she could speak on Balen’s behalf when he was being sentenced for drinking vamp
blood, well the fool needed a wakeup call. Delara. Had.
Used.
Him.

Tor’s
raspy voice echoed in the marble room. “This unexpected meeting has been called
to address an issue that we’ve been made aware of recently.” Tor turned to him
and Waleron’s hand tightened on his Pez dispenser, his body stiffening.
“Waleron, you’ve been a Taldeburu for centuries. A well-respected Taldeburu. We
wish to keep it that way.” Tor cleared his throat as if he was struggling with
the next words. “We know Tarek is rising from Rest in two weeks.” Waleron
crushed his Pez and pieces of plastic lay in his hand. “But what we didn’t know
was that when Delara took off several months ago—and she does this often as
everyone knows—you have done nothing but search for her.”

Waleron
kept his voice calm and steady. “Tarek will kill her. She must be found before
he rises.”

Urtiz,
the Wraith of Air spoke up. “Tarek has done his penance and deserves to show
he’s learned from his punishment.”

Waleron’s
voice rose as he slammed his fist onto the marble table. “He will come after
her!”

Zurina
put her hand on his arm and before he could react she removed it. She knew he
hated being touched by anyone.

“And
this is the issue. Delara has made you act irrational.” Tor put his hand up
when Edan went to speak. Good thing, because listening to Edan’s remarks would make
Waleron’s irrational behavior come out full force. Tor continued, “We have
decided that Delara moving to another Talde will resolve this issue.”

“What?”
Waleron stood, his piercing gaze glaring at the Wraith.

“Waleron
sit down. You’re showing them exactly what they’re here to condemn you for,”
Zurina said.

Waleron
didn’t sit down; he addressed the council. “No. I swore to protect her. She is
my responsibility.” He’d made an oath.

Tor
looked to Urtiz and then Genevieve who was paler than usual. The Wraith of
Water was sympathetic to all and she had trouble dealing with volatile
situations. Just seeing the bubbling water in the fountain was enough to know
Genevieve was upset.

“Your
oath.” Urtiz’s voice was like a feather, soft and caressing. “Your oath is to
the Goddess. To protect the Senses and humans.”

“Delara
is a Senses.”

“Please
Tor, this isn’t right.” Genevieve sat beside him and placed her hand atop his
on the table.

Tor
ignored her. “It has come to our attention that you plan to kill Tarek. Is this
true?”

Waleron
hesitated. Everyone knew he would kill Tarek whether he came after Delara or
not. “Yes.”

Tor
glanced at Zurina and Urtiz, then back at him and sighed. “Our law states—”

“I know
what every single law states, Tor. But you did not see what he did to her. No
man does that to a woman and walks away unharmed.”

Uritz
weighed in, “He’s been in Rest for twenty years. That’s torture.”

“If you
kill him without cause it is murder. You will be condemned like everyone else.
Do not think you are immune, Waleron.” Tor was now standing and his face was
beat-red. “It is in Delara’s best interest to be removed from your Toronto Talde.
If Tarek does plan on coming after her, your Talde will be the first place he
looks.”

“She can
come to mine,” Zurina offered.

Waleron’s
eyes darted to Zurina and he shook his head. “No. Tarek has connections in
England. Dangerous ones. She is safest with me.”

“So you
can fuck her when you have the need to get laid?” Edan spat.

“Jesus,”
Mariana said, twirling her dreadlock between her fingers. “You’re such an ass,
Edan.”

“Edan.”
Tor snapped. “Not a word. I warned you.” He turned back to Waleron. “Then
Spain. Xamien’s Talde.” Tor decided. “
If
Tarek comes after her, then we
will punish him. Waleron we do this to protect you and Delara. We know your
connection to her is strong, but she is one Senses. You cannot choose her over
all others.”

 “This
is bullshit,” Waleron said. He noticed Zurina stiffen and glance up at Tor who
appeared equally as surprise by his swearing. “I protect all Senses. Delara
happens to have a psycho ex-maite who will be rising from Rest and out for
revenge.”

Tor’s
voice grew deadly and Waleron felt the Realm’s ground shake. “Disobey us on
this and your Taldeburu title is at risk. We will take it away if necessary.”

Waleron
froze. They were threatening to take his Taldeburu away? He’d sacrificed
everything for them, for the Senses, for his oaths. Maybe he’d acted irrationally
spending so much time searching for Delara, but he
was
her Taldeburu.
His oath was to protect her.

Zurina’s
voice filtered in his mind.
“Let me talk to them. Maybe I can convince them
to make it a temporary move. If you push them too far, they will retaliate.
Send Delara to Spain for now.”
She glanced down at his hand where the
crushed Pez dispenser sat. “
Maybe you should take more pills, Waleron. It
might help.”

She was
right. His Scar was awakening because of his anger. He knew it by the burning
on his skin, the fury stinging like poison through his blood stream. He needed
his steel room and more pills.