Warrior from the Shadowland (28 page)

She
reclined on the couch, her breathing getting faster as he stood over her. 
“Hurry.”  Her legs shifted apart, revealing the glistening center of her body.

Cross
blinked his clothes out of existence without a second thought.

“Better.” 
Nia stared at the size of him and her brows drew together, slightly.  Cross
could almost see the “is this gonna work?” thought bubble appear over her
head.  Then, she glanced up at his face, again.  “Um, have you done this
before?”

Cross
hesitated, even with the energy pounding at him.  Some Elementals waited for
their Matches.  Some tried Phazing with lots of people, hoping they’d find the
one that it actually worked with.  Some just liked having sex and didn’t care
if it was their Match.  And some, like Cross, just grew-up lonely and without
any real expectation of finding anything more than a warm body now and then.

“Yeah.” 
He admitted, warily, not sure where this was heading.  “But, not for a long
time.  And
never
after I knew that you existed.  Not once, Nia.”

“Okay.” 
Nia tilted her head.  “And how old are you?”

“Two
hundred and forty.”

Nia
smiled.  “So, I’m still older.  Excellent.  I wasn’t liking the idea of you
being more experienced in
everything
.”

Cross
relaxed.  “Is this your subtle way of explaining that you’re a virgin?”

“Kinda.” 
She looked back to his erection.  “Alright.  Let’s try this, I guess.”

For
some reason her dubious expression made Cross chuckle.

Nia’s
gaze snapped back up to him.  “Did you just laugh?”  She demanded, in
astonishment.

Fuck.

Cross
got serious
fast
.  “Um… Yeah, but not
at
you, baby.  Just at the
way you were looking at me and bracing yourself… I mean, I think it’s great
that you’re a virgin.  Really.  I mean, I wouldn’t care if you
weren’t
,
honestly.  But, I appreciate the waiting for me.  Even though you didn’t know
it was me you were waiting
for
… I mean…  Shit.”  Cross trailed off
helplessly as he realized that he was just making it worse.

Nia
started giggling.  “I just meant that I hadn’t heard you laugh before, dummy. 
I
like
it when you laugh.  I was just surprised.  Look, you’re so cute
and flustered, now.”

Cross
felt his mouth kick up at one corner.  “I can’t concentrate with you lying
there like that.  Stop being gorgeous and I’ll start being coherent.”

Nia
kept snickering.  “Do the part about how you appreciate all the waiting I did,
even though I wasn’t doing it for you, again.  That was beautiful.  I want to
remember it always.”

“Wiseass.” 
Cross loomed over her, rested a hand on the carved back of sofa and trapped her
beneath him.   “Alright, I know that you’re a little scared, but the virginity
thing is the least of your worries right now.  The Shadows…”

Nia
cut him off.  “Didn’t we already
have
a ‘last chance to stop’ moment? 
Because, I’m
sure
I said that I wanted to keep going and…Oh.”  Nia broke
off as Cross free hand found the inside of her thigh and traced upward.

“No. 
We’re not stopping.”  He agreed.  He pushed slightly, parting her legs further
and staring down at her.  “Open, baby.  Nice and wide.”

Nia
bit her lower lip and the Water energy beat at him stronger.  “Yes.”  She
shifted so he could stretch her open, completely.

Cross
hooked her ankle up over his arm, so she was exposed to his view.  “That’s a
good girl.”  He stared down at her for a long moment, while the Phazing energy
grew even tighter.  He was holding it back, partly because he was still worried
about harming her and partly because he wanted to savor this.  “God, you really
are gorgeous.”

Nia
shifted impatiently as he made no further moves to touch her.  Cross could feel
her heightening frustration.  Her arousal grew as he just pinned her there,
watching.

“Cross.” 
Nia’s voice had a hitch to it. “You know, in books and movies, there’s usually
this thing called foreplay.”

“I
am playing, baby.”

“You’re
not playing
fair
, though.  Do what you did in the alley.”  Apparently
not trusting him to remember, she grabbed his wrist, drawing it down between
her legs.  Her fingers threaded through his as she pressed him against her. 
“Please, Cross.  Right there.”

For
the first time, Cross didn’t see blood staining his hand when he touched her. 
All he saw was Nia, warm and wet and perfect.  “Right there?”

“Yes.” 
Her fingers found his wrist again, holding him there as he slowly moved his
hand.  “Yes, Cross.”  Her head fell back.  “Finally.”  It came out as a sigh.

Cross
had expected the frantic energy of the Phazing.  But, he’d never imagined what
it was to love someone with everything in his soul.  His instincts were
screaming at him to just take her, but he had to be sure that it would be
safe.  They could go nice and slow and not risk the Shadows hurting her.

Plus,
teasing Nia after that strip show she’d made him endure only seemed fair.

Cross
kept his touch exactly the same for several minutes.  He didn’t change the
pressure or the speed or touch her in any other way.  Gentle and unrelenting,
he just caressed.  It didn’t take very long for her to start getting restless. 
Nia’s breath came out in little pants as she tried to move against him and
increase the friction.

“Cross.” 
She sounded more frustrated than ever.  “You’re cheating.”

His
eyes devoured the sway of her breasts as she arched up.  “Am I?”

“Yep.” 
Nia let go of his wrist, so she could reach for the silver streak at his temple. 
“You are.”  Her thumb curled around the marker with an erotic tug.  “Now, I
am.  Please, Cross.”

Cross’
teeth ground together as she stroked at the sensitive hair.  “Stop that, baby. 
It feels too good and I’m trying to hold this together.”  Just because he
couldn’t help himself he bent down to kiss the inside of her breast.  “We have
to go slowly, so I’m sure it’s safe.”

Nia
didn’t like hearing that.  “I don’t want to go slow.  You’re trying to weasel
out of this and leave me aching, again, aren’t you?”

“No,
I’m not.”

She
didn’t believe him.

A
burst of water energy hit his back and Cross fell forward on top of her.

They
both groaned.

“
That
was cheating.”  Cross was pressed up against her body and she was still spread
open.  He instinctively rocked against her.  “Shit.”  He dropped his head down
to her shoulder and let out a harsh sound of desire.  “I’m not going to stop,
Nia.  So, don’t worry.  I know you need the Phazing and you’re going to get it. 
Be a good girl and I’ll make sure you get all of it.  But, we have to be
safe.”  Against his will, his hand found the curve of her breast.  “God, you’re
so soft.”

Nia
whimpered and tried to move against him.  “We
are
safe.  You’re just
torturing me for fun.”

Cross
smiled, slightly.  “Well, maybe a little.”  He leaned forward to kiss her,
briefly.  “But mostly, it’s so you don’t get hurt.”  The Phazing energy was
going to break through, he could feel the Shadows battering at him.  He
massaged her nipple, enjoying the way it rasped against his palm.  “Okay, we
need to take a break and…”  He lost his train of thought, as she sent Water
energy sliding around him again like a fist.  “Baby.”  He swallowed.  “Harder. 
Yeah, just like that.”  He dropped his forehead to hers.  “You’re cheating
again.  Don’t stop.”

“Cross.” 
She added a seductive huskiness to his name.  “You’re still holding the Shadows
back from me.  It’s time.  You have to let go.”

Cross
met her eyes and saw stubbornness underlying passion.  “Princesses fight.”  He
hung on to control as her energy stroked him.  “But, they’re not supposed to
fight
dirty
, baby.”  He let the Shadows out just enough to push against
the Water energy.  It was a careful brush and it felt so incredible Cross
nearly came right then.  “Slow.”  He ground out.  Even if it killed him, they
were going slow.  “Do you still feel… right?”

“Yes!” 
Nia gasped, her breath sawing in and out.  “But, I’m not a princess.  I’m the Shadow
Queen.  And you need to see that this will work, before I die from slowness. 
You
aren’t
wrong and neither are your powers.”  She let go of the
Water.  She just released whatever restraints she might have been keeping on it
and let it flow out unrestricted between them.

It
was like a bomb detonating inside Cross’ brain.  The fluid pressure burst
through him, cleansing and powerful.  It massaged him from the inside out,
arousing places that Cross hadn’t even known he possessed.  Filling up holes
and empty spaces inside of him, healing and pure. Nia’s energy was like life.

“Oh
God.”  It was a whisper.  A prayer.  Cross closed his eyes.  “Oh God, baby.” 
He forgot about teasing her, and about going slow, and about everything else
except getting inside of her.

Now.

His
hands grew rougher as he pulled her fully beneath him and positioned her hips. 
Too rough.  He had to be more careful, he knew that even as he trapped her. 
The Shadows screamed for release, blood dripped out of his eyes as he tried to
contain them.

“Cross?” 
Nia’s voice broke in something like panic.  “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” 
He paused, even though it hurt like an icepick to his brain.  “Stop touching?” 
He eased back.

Nia
calmed down, instantly.  “No.”  She smiled up at him.  “Don’t stop.  Just… I
love you.  It’ll be okay.”

“Love
you.”  He whispered.  “The Shadows are going to get loose, though.  Are you
sure about this?”

“Yep.” 
She leaned up to press her lips against his.  “Don’t fight it, sweetie.”

Her
kiss is what did it.

The
Shadows got free.

They
poured into Nia, swirling and combining with the Water energy like a fireworks
display.  Cross’ breath escaped in a rush as he felt the power surge out.  His
energy slammed into Nia’s with a pyrotechnic explosion that literally lit up
the room. Shadows and Water, twirling and twisting and swelling into something
bigger.

And
bigger.

And
bigger.

“
Holy
Gaia
.”  Nia’s words came out as a wail.  Her heels dug into the sofa. 
“Cross, now!  Now, now, now, now,
now
!”

Cross
had absolutely no argument with that plan.

He
slid inside of her with one long, forceful move and she exploded around him.

“
Cross
.”

“Nia.” 
Her face filled his vision.  She was so, so beautiful.

The
Water energy rained down on every inch of his body, inside and out.  Cross saw
a rainbow of colors and lights, of love and wholeness and connection.  He saw
everything he’d ever wanted and all of it was Nia.

And
then he couldn’t do anything, but roar as he came deep inside of her.  It was
too much.  He couldn’t stop it.

Their
powers snapped together like puzzle pieces.  No longer two different energies,
but one synergetic whole.  The oppressive weight of the Shadows lifted. 
Instead, of a solid mass pressing down on him, it washed against Cross like a
waves in an ocean.  Just as powerful, but moving, natural, almost soothing.

Healed.

Freed.

Right
.

Cross
knew that he wasn’t going to get a headache, even if he let go of Nia.

Except,
that he wasn’t planning to release her.  Ever.

Cross’
head dropped forward so he could kiss the turquoise streak at her temple.  “You
okay, baby?”

Nia
let out a purring sound and stretched beneath him.  “No more space between us.”

“No,
there’s not.”  He tugged at the turquoise hair just hard enough to make her
smile.  “Are you okay?”  He repeated.  “Did the Shadows hurt you?”

“No. 
The Shadows are wonderful.  I can feel them all over me, like a blanket.
Keeping me safe.  I told you this would work.”

“And
I
told you, I wanted to go slow.”  Cross was still inside of her and he
could feel himself growing hard, again.  “Next time we go slow, Nia.”  He moved
out of her.  “No arguments or cheating or fighting dirty.”

Her
eyes widened, as if she thought he was stopping.  “Well, we have forever and
there’s no one around and... Oh,
yes
.”  She gave a ‘hmmm’ of surprised
pleasure, as he slowly pushed back in.  “And there are a lot of rooms in this
castle to practice various speeds in, so do whatever you want.  Just keep doing
it.”

“Good
girl.”  Cross glanced around and grinned.  “God, I love this house.”

Five
hundred years ago, when the Fall began and our way of life changed forever, I
wasn’t even alive.  Everything in this volume comes from my interviews with the
survivors and from historical records I’ve collected from the Elemental
archives.  Since I take my role as impartial reporter of facts very seriously,
rest assured this text is a completely objective and accurate account of the
plague and all that followed.  Give or take…

Daphne,
of the Time House- “After the Fall: A History of the Dark War”

Job
lived alone.

He’d
lived alone for centuries, so he should have been used to the quiet solitude of
an empty house.  Constructed along the lines of a Renaissance castle, the Earth
Fortress stood in a neat clearing of trees, along a small river.  With its
curving edges, arched doorways, and symmetrical design, Job’s home wasn’t the
worst place to be on an autumn night.  He had a fire blazing in his study and a
stack of reports to wade through, so there was no need for him to feel so…
lonely.

Job
knew Cross and Nia would be happy together.  He’d worked hard to ensure that
they found one another because he’d sensed that they were a Match.  Since Job
loved them both, their happiness made him happy, too.

It
truly did.

But,
it also made him feel the weight of his thousand years of quiet solitude.  A
thousand years of living alone.  Elementals could survive for millennia longer
than Job.  A thousand years wasn’t the end of his life.

Except,
in a way, it
was
.

The
Fall had killed something inside of him. Job knew that he’d never find his
Match.  It was too late for him, now.  Having met nearly Phase in the universe,
Job knew that his Match wasn’t among them.  And he had very little hope that
his Match was one of the humans that everyone was now so intent on finding.

It
amazed Job that humans and Elementals could interbreed.  It took a lot to amaze
someone who’d seen eleven centuries, but he still could barely believe it.  It
went against all the biological knowledge of their species.  Still, not even
Job could argue with the proof when she grinned at him, shook his hand, and
said, “Hey, I’m Melanie.  Wow, you sure don’t look like you’re a million years
old.”

Uriel
presented his Match to the Council with all the modesty of someone who’d
discovered a lost continent.  And why shouldn’t he be proud?  He’s just become
the most famous Elemental in the universe.  The Phase who went to the human
realm and brought back hope for everyone.  There’d been a few muttered
complaints about diluting the Elemental bloodline with human DNA.  But, most
Phases instantly supported
any
chance to have a Match, even a part human
one.  It was a sobering indication of how concerned the Council was about the
future of the Elementals that not a single person voted to banish Uriel.

Instead,
he got a medal.

Melanie
O’Shea was mostly human, but in the eyes of the Council, she was also a Wood
Phase.  Her grandfather, Parson, had been a great man.  Job had known him. 
Parson was not a Phase to break rules or shrink from his duties, so Job
remained curious about what Parson had been doing in the human realm.

Just
looking at Melanie, though, Job knew that she shared Parson’s DNA, even with
the mystery attached.  Her smile was identical to Parson’s.

Her
cousin, the cop who was apparently insisting that Ty, Uriel, and Thar show up
for some ludicrous court date, must have Elemental DNA, too.  Someone was going
to have to talk to him and Job had a feeling it wasn’t going to be the Wood
House.  Melanie seemed certain that Sullivan enjoyed his “humans only” mindset
and Uriel –besotted pushover that he was- agreed that they should leave
Sullivan in his happy ignorance, for now.

Job
disagreed.

He
wasn’t about to let some idiotic human prejudices doom the universe.  They needed
more Phases, or the Elementals would become extinct.  Extinction meant no more
world for anybody.  That trumped Sullivan’s desire to leave his head in the
sand.

Sullivan
could be someone’s Match.  He could help stop another apocalypse.  Melanie was now
supporting some of the Wood House.  And, given the rewritten laws of
interbreeding, there didn’t seem to be any reason why she and Uriel couldn’t
have children.

This
was the first positive news Job had heard since the Fall.  Especially, since
Phase-Matches usually had closely synced lifespans.  Uriel was well past a
human’s age already, so logically Melanie’s life span would stretch to
correspond with his.  She was part Wood Phase, after all.  The Fall had
disrupted the natural flow of life and death, but traditionally Phases were
hardy creatures.

Humans
could replace some of what had been lost.

Additionally,
looking for more humans with Elemental DNA would occupy a lot of desperate
Houses and keep them out of trouble.  Job didn’t care if the search drew Phases
to the human realm and broke the Council’s oldest law.  If human Matches
stopped the despair and hatred, if it slowed the number of Phases joining the
Reprisal, then Job –for once- would toss out the rulebook himself.

Job
was sick of the killing.

Chason
and Parald’s endless battle, the growing number of Phases who just stopped
trying, the innocent people caught up in cycles of death…  He’d much prefer
that the Elementals turned their attention to sustaining
life
.

Job
didn’t have any hope that his own Match might be out there, though.  Logically,
he knew that his Match could have died in the Fall before he ever found her.  So
many Phases had been lost; more than even Job could identify.

In
his heart, Job doubted that his Match had ever existed, at all.  He just wasn’t
meant to have one.  Most Elementals found their Matches long before they
reached their thousandth birthday.  Job had scoured the universe when he was
younger, and all he found was more quiet and solitude.  He’d slowly come to
acknowledge that he was meant to be alone.  So, he worked hard to make a
difference for Elementals and save whoever was left.  He accepted his life and
the path he walked.

And,
if loneliness struck him sometimes, he didn’t let it affect his duty or the
obligations that he carried.

So,
when Job sensed another presence in the Earth Palace, he actually ignored his
instincts for a moment.  He believed in his security measures and, perhaps
egotistically, he just couldn’t imagine anyone breaking into his home.  He
thought the tingling at the back of his neck was a symptom of his isolation.

Until,
he heard the female voice, anyway.  “So, you’re the almighty Job, huh?”

Job’s
head snapped up.  He stared at the woman who’d invaded his sanctuary, trying to
process her sudden appearance.

She
wasn’t a Phase.

That
was his first thought.  There was no streak in her hair.  It fell, thick and
wavy and solid black, to her waist.  Besides which, Job absolutely would have
heard about it if an Elemental who looked like this woman survived the Fall. 
She wasn’t traditionally beautiful, but she had vivid lavender eyes and the
rounded, curvy shape that male Phases lusted after.  If she was Elemental,
she’d have a phalanx of men crowded around her, vying for attention.

In
fact, the woman almost seemed… human.

Dressed
in kakis with frayed hems, thick soled flip-flops, and purple,
spaghetti-strapped shirt emblazoned with ‘I got wasted at Mayport Beach’s
Wastin’ Away Bar and Grill’ she looked… human.  And he’d never seen a Phase
carry a zebra stripped backpack slung over one shoulder.

Not
even the Fire House had taste that bad.

“I’m
Job.”  He confirmed, because he had no idea what else to say.  He should toss
her out, obviously.  Granted, she didn’t look dangerous and, even if she was
hiding a sword somewhere on her (really) lovely body, he could still flatten
her in a fight.  No one had Job’s powers.  But, she shouldn’t be here.  Barging
into someone’s home was a mark of poor breeding and Job refused to put up with
it from anyone.  For some reason, though, he didn’t insist that the woman
leave.  “May I help you?”

“You’d
better.  I got a gigantic fucking problem and I’m expecting you to fix it, big
shot. It’s your damn fault I’m in this mess.”  She dropped her zebra backpack
onto the two hundred year old, Aubusson rug.  The soothing earth tones of the
carpet clashed horribly with the shiny, patent leather stripes.

It
should have offended every molecule of Job’s dignity.  Instead, staring at her
tacky clothes and angry face, he actually felt that lonely feeling inside of
him fade.

“I
see.”  Job got to his feet, out of habit, and gestured towards a Chippendale
chair.  “Please have a seat.”

She
flopped down on the subtle, fretwork upholstery.  “You have no idea what you’ve
done to me.”  She scraped an agitated hand through her ebony hair.  “I’m
completely screwed now, all because
you
wouldn’t connect the dots. 
Stupid, stubborn asshole.”

“I
see.”  Job repeated and, since it seemed clear that she wasn’t going to
volunteer her identity without prompting, he asked, “Have we been introduced?” 
He knew that they
hadn’t
, but demanding “who the hell are you?” seemed
inappropriate.

“I’m
Tessie.”  She scowled at him as if he should’ve known that.  “Aren’t you
supposed to be all mega-genius?  God, keep up, huh?”

“Tessie?” 
That wasn’t an Elemental name.  He wasn’t even sure it was a human one, except
that it made him think of baseball for some reason.  Job liked baseball.  It
was game of statistics and firm rules.  “Are you sure that you’re in the right
place?  Because, I…”

“Oh,
I’m in the right place, alright.”  She interrupted.  “I’m declaring sanctuary
and you’re gonna provide it for me.  It’s the
least
you can do.  Now, I
have that GI Joe dipshit Chason and his Reprisal goon squad tearing up my town,
looking for me with all the subtly of that bumbling
Schliemann
guy
trying to find Troy.  There are
reasons
I try to keep a low
profile, ya know.”

An
odd thought occurred to Job.  He eyed the woman with a growing feeling of dread
and wonder.  “Are you claiming that you’re the…”

“The
Quintessence.  Yeah, hi, how are ya?”  She flashed an insincere smile. “Just
show me where my room is.  I’m moving in here until you get your damn
Elementals under control.”