He moved slightly and began licking her neck above the vein. Her voice caught in sharp little gasps. Do it, Leto. Please. I’m in agony now because I feel how close you are and now I’m close all over again.
He struck and began to pull heavily on her neck. Oh, God, your blood, Grace. It’s sweeter than I remember, and the power is heady, a rush everywhere. He groaned, and she felt that he would change for her, become the beast that she loved, which made her grow lax and smile.
He kept pulling at her neck and making short jabs within her body, but the entire time he swelled and transformed. She petted his arms and shoulders, relishing the size of him, thrilling at the massive growth of his muscles.
Even his cock was bigger, broader, so that with each new push, she arched in pleasure.
I’m here, he sent. She knew what he meant because his powerful mind was suddenly pushing within hers.
Everything had changed.
That was what she thought the moment Leto pierced her mind.
She surrounded him with her arms and savored. His right hand drifted up her thigh, her waist, and squeezed her breast. She felt tears start to her eyes. She had never felt so possessed, never felt like she belonged so much as she did right now with Leto stretched out on top of her.
She overlaid his hand with her palm and pressed that she might feel the pressure of his hand once more against her breast.
He groaned.
I love you, he sent. It was so different when he was deep within her mind and spoke telepathically, as though his words had resonance. But it was also different because there were no more walls. The intense physical sensations began to blend with all that she felt for him and with all that love that he was pouring into her.
She took his hand and lifted his wrist to her mouth. With the practice of two millennia, she brought her fangs forth and struck.
She felt the piercing because she could feel his external sensations. It hurt yet felt so good at the same time.
His blood hit her tongue and thirst was all she knew. She drank, and somehow the power of his blood eased back the closeness of her orgasm, holding it just offshore. The breh-hedden hovered at the edges as well, like last time, yet it all felt so very different because his love was like a constant wave pulsing over her now.
And in the same way, she let her love flow toward him.
Leto, I want to go deep into your soul this time.
Yes, please, yes.
She pushed against his mind, then fell in, because he wanted her there. She dove to the limits of his mind, then fell again through the cloud that separated his soul.
But once inside his soul, it was as though an iridescence surrounded her and covered her—and she knew it was his love, newly birthed in the past few hours. She let him feel her love as well, and the iridescence brightened.
I love you so much, he sent.
Delight filled her, a layer over the physical pleasure, a gentle coloring over the depth of the love that now flowed back and forth, two waves meeting and passing through each other, returning to meet and pass again.
Then suddenly the breh-hedden struck, so unexpected, like a wonderful fire that erupted to great heights.
The iridescence burned bright; pleasure filled her deep within her soul, then her mind, then shooting outward to wash in heavy waves over her body. She knew she was screaming, and Leto’s cries wrapped around her own, rising high into the sky.
She felt his pleasure as he began to come, which ignited hers. All the years of loneliness and separation burned away in the face of the breh-hedden, as though a fire ripped through her and through Leto. On that fire burned, forging a rapture that simply exploded.
She withdrew her fangs. He withdrew his.
“I’m coming again,” he cried against her ear. He pumped into her, that great hulk of him, hard and fast and true and honest and beautiful.
She received what he had to give. Her body responded with ecstasy again and again, pleasure flinging her into the stratosphere, waves of heat driving her back to be flung wide again until her screams resounded through the room and his roars could be heard all the way to the edge of the universe.
After a time, she floated back into her body.
She felt him float back into his.
He lay on top of her, sated, beyond sated; she could feel in him the intensity of his satisfaction.
She was moved beyond words as she embraced him. His wing-locks wept. She was damp beneath her back as well.
“The gates of rapture,” she said.
“What?”
“It was something I read in one of Beatrice’s collections, something like, ‘Approach the gates of rapture with wonder, Lay down the past, Then fall.’” She chuckled. “I fell hard.”
“Me, too.”
Only the deepest, most unexpected changes
Can conquer great evil.
—Collected Proverbs, Beatrice of Fourth
CHAPTER 20
The following morning, Endelle stared at James. She sat on her purple couch, her heart now pounding in her chest. “We’re that close?”
“Yes,” he said. “Very nearly home on this one.”
“You really believe that, don’t you? That the war against Greaves could be over soon?”
“Yes.”
She couldn’t believe it.
Thorne had come to her suite a few hours ago to report that obsidian flame had successfully stopped the torching of the colonies. His account had been extraordinary. Adding to the fact that shortly afterward the triad had healed Casimir after Julianna blasted open his stomach, and Endelle couldn’t believe her fucking ears.
Grace’s return had done this, had created some kind of magical effect on Second Earth. She didn’t know how else to think of such a wonderful string of wins for her side.
And now this. James wanted to get Leto ascended within the next couple of hours, because soon afterward Alison would open the portal to Third as had been prophesied from the beginning of her ascension.
“But we have to act quickly,” James said. “Greaves is getting very discouraged by all his setbacks, and he’s spoiling for war. Wake your people up, then let’s get both Alison and Leto over to White Lake. It’s time to move things along.”
She rose to her feet and called out, “Carla?”
A slight pause, then the security audio system came on. “Yes, Madame Endelle?”
“I need all the WhatBees here to my palace, ceremonial dress, their brehs included. Make sure that Alison wears flight gear and obsidian flame as well. Got it?”
“Yes, Madame Endelle.”
* * *
Leto slung his purple cape over his shoulder. Warrior formality demanded that he wear a traditional brass breastplate over a short black leather tunic. On the breastplate was the emblem of the Warriors of the Blood—a silver sword crowned with a green laurel wreath. He had always thought the emblem simple and quite beautiful, even powerful.
He sat down in the chair near his twig bed and buckled on a sleeker, more formal version of battle sandals.
“You show a lot of thigh in that tunic,” Grace said, but she was smiling.
He worked on the last buckle, looking up at her as he gave a final tug. She stood near the entrance to the bathroom, brushing a long curl around her finger, then letting it fall.
“You like?” he asked.
“Can’t you tell?”
“Oh, I can tell. Your scent has this room clouded, and I’m not blocking any of your physical sensations.” He could feel her nipples pushing against her bra. He took a couple of deep breaths because he was so close to throwing her back on the bed and taking care of business … again. But with five minutes left before they were both expected at the palace, he’d run out of time. “You look beautiful, by the way.”
“Thank you.” She glanced down at her flight suit. “But I feel underdressed for the occasion.”
“Carla was adamant,” he said, rising to his feet and turning toward her. “Endelle wanted Alis
on and obsidian flame ready to mount wings if necessary.”
“I know, but still. This is your ascension ceremony.”
“Sort of an ascension. I wouldn’t worry about it.” He put his hands on her arms. “And in case you haven’t noticed, I’m not complaining about the flight suit at all. It fits your curves perfectly.” He drew her close, then ran his hands from her waist over the curve of her bottom.
She laughed. “Now your scent is filling the room.”
He released her because he was feeling way too much. “Are you ready to go?”
She folded her brush away and nodded.
He put his hands on her arms once more and thought the thought.
* * *
Grace arrived at the landing platform in the palace and was immediately overwhelmed by the sight of all the warriors dressed in the same garb as Leto. They were gathered in small knots, just talking, but they were a massive physical presence given their height and general physique.
She had known these men for a long time, some of them her entire life—like Marcus and of course Leto. Others had come later: Kerrick, Luken, Santiago, Medichi, and Zacharius. Jean-Pierre was the youngest, having ascended out of France during the revolution years.
And Thorne was one of the men as well.
They looked magnificent, all powerful, muscular warriors, the shortest six-five.
James appeared in the doorway and called out, “Ah, the man of the hour. Leto.”
So, this was to be an ascension ceremony attended by a Sixth ascender. That was a surprise. His appearance brought a knot to Grace’s stomach. Something was going on, something big.
He waved everyone forward. “The ladies are in the central rotunda, and we’ll have the ceremony in there. If you’ll come with me.”
James led the way. Casimir, as Leto’s Guardian of Ascension, was already present and stood near Endelle. The warriors who were bonded joined their brehs. Luken, Zach, and Santiago stuck together, the last bastion of bachelorhood in their small group.
Moving to stand near the terrace, James waved Grace and Leto forward. She stood off to Leto’s right, a foot back as was the usual position for those supporting the ascendate.
James took his place in front of the terrace.
In a typical ascension ceremony, the officiate would offer thoughts on service to the dimension, usually reading from a book. In this case, James began very differently as he addressed Leto outright.
“Your ascension, Leto, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, is very different from the usual process since you’ve not been called as an ascender. You’d normally be called by the appearance of dreams detailing the new world and longings for a different life. The only aspect that resembles a typical ascension is that you’ve developed the ability to morph like a Third Earth warrior. Would you agree that all of this is true?”
“Yes, absolutely.”
James drew a deep breath. “That’s because you’re not officially ascending to Third Earth.”
At that, Leto turned and met Grace’s gaze. She saw relief in his eyes. They had both been worried about what would happen if he actually did ascend to Third.
James smiled as Leto turned back to him. “There will be no disruption of your breh-hedden, you may trust me in this. Sixth wouldn’t have allowed it. But I digress. There is a specific purpose in your ascension. We need you to take over my role as the gatekeeper of Third Earth. My duties call me elsewhere, and I’m not allowed to make war in your dimension, to use force to protect the gate. And we feel it’s necessary for the securing of peace on Second Earth that a warrior be stationed at this critical gateway.”
This pronouncement brought a hum through the group. Grace had no idea what Leto would do as a gatekeeper or why it was necessary at all.
Endelle stepped forward. “I don’t understand, Shorty. I thought Alison would be opening the portal and we’d have access to Third Earth society, customs, even their wisdom and knowledge.”
“You should know by now that nothing in the ascended world is simple. One day I’m sure that the sharing of cultures will happen and that this will be true among all six dimensions. But right now we have to deal with a situation that Greaves has caused. It needs to be locked down before we can go further.”
“What situation with Greaves?” Endelle asked, her voice sharp.
“The commander created an invisible breach in the portal to Third that has allowed him to bring Third Earth death vampires through at will and without you or your warriors aware of what he’s been doing.”
Endelle frowned. “Somehow I thought Greaves had found a way to create those vampires himself, making his usual squads bigger and better. It never occurred to me that they really were from Third Earth. Not that I could have done anything about it had I known.”
“Exactly. Their origin would have changed nothing. But the real danger is simple: Greaves is ready to bring a hundred such vampires through the breach in the portal as soon as he engages you in what we believe will be the forthcoming battle over White Lake. Not even you could have fought a contingent of that size; they would have decimated your Warriors of the Blood. You would have lost the war that fast.”
This brought a number of heated expletives from all the warriors against Greaves and his machinations.
But it was Leto who asked the next logical question. “So are you saying that by opening the portal and sealing the breach, we end the possibility of Greaves sneaking these bastards through during a battle against him?”
“Precisely. The portal will once again be secured—but it will need to be guarded by a warrior. May I ask if you are willing to accept the assignment?”
“There is no question. Of course, I accept. But what will it entail? Will I reside on Third?”
“No, on Second, but the ascension that I initiate here today will give you a permanent mind-link with the portal. You will be alerted when anyone approaches, no matter which dimension, and because of the demand inherent in the mind-link, you will need to respond to each approach. Are you willing to engage in a mind-link of this sort?”
Grace felt the sudden tension in Leto’s thighs, back, and neck. She understood his reaction. He had served as a spy for a century, always at Greaves’s beck and call as well as James’s. Now he would be bound, or so it would seem, to the portal, with no real guarantee how easy or how pressing that duty would be.
But she also knew Leto’s character, the essential element of his warrior’s soul. Above all things, Leto was a man of duty, something he would always do and something she treasured about him. She was not surprised when the tension eased from the same parts of his body and he said, “I am willing.”
James smiled and even approached Leto to reach up and clap him on the shoulder. James couldn’t have been more than five-eight, so he had a ways to reach. “Good man,” he said quietly. “And I’ll always be there, Leto, to be of service to you. This isn’t a duty we would expect you to perform without our being available to you at will.”
“I’m grateful for that,” Leto said.
James stepped back to his original position and added, “There is an observation deck as well as living quarters at the portal, which you will have access to at any time.” His expression softened. “I confess that when certain political situations on Sixth Earth became irritating, I would stay in the portal suite for weeks at a time, at least until my temper cooled. But you will see the situation for yourself before the morning is out. Or you can ask Casimir. He has been staying there while he served as your guardian. And of course Grace can accompany you whenever you wish as well. Does all of this sound acceptable to you?”
Leto nodded.
Grace released a deep breath. Leto could remain on Second Earth and as needed she could travel to the portal with him. She had been uneasy from the time that Casimir had shown up and made it clear he was serving as Leto’s guardian.
James made the rest of the ceremony very simple. He offered a brief prayer to the Creator, wishing many blessings for L
eto in the coming decades. He then placed his hands on the sides of Leto’s head and essentially installed the mind-link.
* * *
Leto felt the weight of his new responsibility, but for some reason he didn’t feel burdened as he had in times past. Instead, something inside him now rose to the challenge. He glanced at Grace and smiled. She had done this for him, her acceptance of him and her belief in him. Her love had made all things possible.
James ended the ceremony by extending his arms into the air to encompass everyone in the room. “And may the Creator grant each of you strength in the coming hours to fulfill each given destiny. So be it.”
“So be it” passed around the group, and a moment of silence rested upon the rotunda.
After at least a minute had passed, Endelle asked James what was next on the agenda.
James went straight to Alison and took her hands. “The time has come to open the portal to Third.”
Leto glanced at the woman he had fought in the Tolleson Two arena. And now both of them had a connection to the portal.
“With Stannett out of the way,” Endelle began, “we have a slight advantage in the future streams. I want to see a block set up, on Alison’s behalf, so that as much of the opening of the portal as possible will be kept shielded from Greaves. We know that he’s had some of the best Seers in the world under his command. I don’t want to assume that just because Stannett is gone, we’re home free.”
“Agreed,” Thorne added. He glanced his breh.
Marguerite smiled. “I’ll get on it.” She reached within her flight suit pocket and withdrew her phone. Leto heard her make the arrangements with her Seer teams.
Everything seemed to be coming together, except for one small thing. Leto felt sure that Greaves had something else up his sleeve, something unexpected that could still turn the tide of war against Endelle. However, he kept that suspicion to himself. Even if it was true, what could anyone do about it at this late hour?
He turned to James. “So what’s our timing here? Do you know?”
James smiled. “You’ll leave for White Lake in fifteen minutes.” His gaze slid over the group. “Warriors will want to change into flight battle gear. Obsidian flame will serve in support of Alison.” He turned to Thorne. “You’ll want to have Colonel Seriffe shut down all the hotels and gardens for the morning. Declare a state of emergency.”