Gates of Rapture (The Guardians of Ascension)

  He kissed her and slid his tongue into her mouth, and, yes, he could feel the way she experienced his tongue.

  But that seemed to be what caused her to fly once more over the edge because she cried out, “Your tongue. Oh, God.” Her neck arched and she was coming. Her pleasure seemed infinite and it brought him, which increased her cries until she was screaming and screaming.

  He started seeing black spots before his eyes as he came, as his cock jerked, as her pleasure finally began to recede, as her body grew lax and eased against the sheets. Her head lolled to one side, her eyes closed, her lips parted. She was breathing hard.

  He breathed hard as well but now he was frozen above her, staring down at her.

  She had become something new to him, wondrous, surprising, extraordinary. “Grace,” he whispered.

  She shifted her head, then looked up at him. She smiled. “You’re so beautiful, Leto. Have I told you that?”

  “I can feel your body everywhere, the way we’re connected, the feel of the sheet beneath your head, your arms, your bottom.”

  She lifted a hand and rubbed her thumb across her lower lip. He turned and kissed her thumb. “Do you think it’s possible we’ll never leave this bed again?” she asked.

  He laughed. “So this is what it’s like. It’s so strange.”

  “It is. I can feel what it’s like for you to be inside me.”

  He pressed a finger between her brows. “I can feel that frown, how it pinches together. What’s wrong?”

  “I’m not sure. This has been wonderful, but I’m uneasy, even afraid. Leto, we weren’t really ready.”

  “I know. But we both agreed it had to be done.”

  She nodded. “This was amazing.”

  He kissed her again, and she kissed him back. He felt her tension leave.

  After a long moment, he withdrew from her body and was surprised at how empty she felt when he left her. He’d never imagined what that must be like for a woman, to be so filled up, then so empty.

  He rolled onto his back and lay looking up at the arch of branches overhead. Grace turned on her side, lifted his arm, and settled her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her. It was heaven to have her so close.

  “I wish this moment would never end,” he said.

  He felt her sigh.

  A well-trained army

  Can overcome astonishing odds.

  —Collected Proverbs, Beatrice of Fourth

  CHAPTER 8

  As dawn crested the McDowell Mountains in the east, Greaves stood on the round patio located in the middle of his famous peach orchard. The microclimates he had created in order to grow and ripen peaches every month of the year had won numerous horticultural awards. He had been pleased at the time to have been so honored.

  Right now, however, he could not have cared less. What good was an award-winning peach orchard when his kingdom hung in the balance?

  He moved in a slow circle, pondering the nightmare that, in a matter of just hours, had become his life.

  His spies had observed Alison, during the previous day, in flight over White Lake, her emerald wings glinting beneath the sun. Her breh, Warrior Kerrick, had flown with her, instructing her, protecting her, eventually surrounding her with a dense mist.

  The portal to Third Earth was over White Lake, and Greaves had learned from his Seers Fortresses that Alison was destined to open the portal to Third sometime in the next few days.

  In the next few days.

  His mind still reeled. As far as he knew, no one on Second Earth was aware of the truth about his dealings with Third Earth and what he had done to the portal. A year ago, he’d created a breach that had allowed him to bring Third Earth death vampires through the Borderland to his Estrella Complex without anyone knowing.

  But over the past week, he’d succeeded in widening the breach, which would make it possible to bring a large contingent through on command, at least a hundred Third Earth pretty-boys.

  If Alison opened the portal, the breach would be discovered and closed. He was a vampire who liked known outcomes, and a regiment made up of primarily Third Earth death vampires would have ensured his success because, in sufficient numbers, they’d be able to wipe the Warriors of the Blood off the face of Second Earth.

  Worse, of course, was that the portal and Alison weren’t even his largest concern. Alison was only a wedge of this shit-pie.

  Casimir had returned to serve as Leto’s fucking Guardian of Ascension. Leto, that two-faced traitor, who should be strung up by his balls for eternity. Of course having a guardian meant only one thing: Leto was ascending. And yet Greaves had an uncomfortable knot at the center of his stomach that told him this would not be an ordinary ascension to Third Earth.

  He pressed his hands to his face and breathed deeply. The orchard had just been watered so that the air was humid and cool as it entered his lungs.

  He moved to sit down on one of the stone benches that bordered the patio. Then there was Grace’s abrupt return to the arms of her other breh, Leto. And if what he felt was true, she was the real source of his every concern. She had returned to take up her place as the third key to obsidian flame. It was almost as though her decision had somehow triggered Alison’s wings and Leto’s ascension.

  If his recent plan to eliminate Leto at Nazca had succeeded, he would have been able to unravel this terrible synchronicity of events. But Casimir had shown up, fresh from his baptismal rites, and had met his own powerful hand-blasts with equal, if not stronger, skills.

  As Greaves pondered his situation, he knew he had only one hope of coming out of this a victor: He must attain pure vision in which the absolute future was laid out before him and he could prepare and act accordingly. But would Stannett be able to curtail his pleasures sufficiently to get him the information he needed?

  * * *

  Casimir sat in a very comfortable recliner. He’d changed to jeans and a T-shirt, but the shirt was pretty snug. He smiled. One advantage of having participated in Beatrice’s redemption program was the absolute requirement of regular exercise, in a gym, including weight lifting. He was looking better than he had most of his life. And the truth was he felt better.

  He even munched on an apple.

  The suite came with a full bar, and he had been tempted, just for the hell of it, to make a peach blow, that absurd drink he’d made a few months ago in an attempt to seduce Greaves. He’d even pulled out the fresh peach and the soda water and was hunting around for the cream when he realized he’d lost interest. All he wanted was an apple and to cruise some Mortal Earth TV channels. He liked watching The View just to keep up.

  Yes, he really had changed.

  He took another bite of apple and was trying to figure out how to DVR Criminal Minds when he heard the steel gate in the observation room glide open.

  His heart set up a racket. James had said a female Militia Warrior often came to the portal to do some work for him. He hoped to hell that was her.

  He set his apple down and went invisible. If this wasn’t the woman, then he’d fold the hell out of there. Third Earth had some strange goings-on, and he wasn’t a warrior, not by a long shot. He also didn’t know what one of his powerful hand-blasts would do to the portal to Third if he had to use that skill to defend himself.

  The door opened, and a woman crossed the threshold, a very beautiful, curvaceous woman.

  “Is that you, James? Are you in the bathroom? Jesus, I can smell you. Did you bathe in wine or what?”

  Casimir weaved on his feet. The scent was back, that intense wildflower scent, the one he had first smelled when he arrived at the observation deck.

  And the scent belonged to this woman.

  Oh, my God, it was a breh scent. He couldn’t be mistaken about that, because right now all he could think about was how to get this woman on her back. Worse, her scent was about a hundred times stronger than he’d ever experienced with Grace.

  She wore jeans and a snug tank top that displayed beautiful
breasts. She was as tall as Grace, which was perfect for sex. Her hips flared and her lips were full, two of his favorite attributes in the female form. She had a deeply sensuous look. Her hazel eyes looked familiar somehow, but he couldn’t quite place her. Her long light brown hair lay in waves over her shoulders.

  Some of his former hedonism took root, and for a long moment all he could think about was stripping her down and taking her to bed.

  But the newer part of who he was asserted itself. He forced himself to calm down, then he made himself visible.

  Her eyes widened when he appeared, but she didn’t look too shocked, like maybe invisibility was more normal on Third Earth. “Who are you?” she asked. “And what are you doing here and did you bust up a bottle of vino or what? The entire room reeks of it.”

  A wine scent. Grace had said he smelled of mulled wine.

  He wondered what this woman would think of breh-scents.

  He moved forward holding her gaze. “I’m Casimir of Fourth Earth. James brought me here to guard Warrior Leto.”

  She blinked several times as though processing what he’d just told her. “So, you’re Casimir. I mean, I know of you because James and I talk a lot. And you took Grace to Fourth Earth as your breh.”

  So she did know about the breh-hedden. “Then you know all about Leto and Grace? And you know about me, about events of five months ago?”

  She nodded. “I felt so bad for my Grace. She was so torn, but James assured me that there were strong reasons for your presence in her life. I hear you entered Beatrice’s redemption program?”

  He nodded. “I did. It’s been extremely difficult but the right path for me absolutely. I have two little boys—”

  “Kendrew and Sloane.”

  He smiled; he couldn’t help it. “Yes, apparently James does talk a lot.”

  “But what’s this about you guarding Leto?”

  “Apparently, he’s in his rite of ascension to Third and for some reason I was chosen to get the job done, I think because Greaves wants him dead.”

  “Leto’s ascending to Third? But won’t that change things for Grace?”

  “I don’t think any of us understands what’s going on. Leto’s supposed ascension just isn’t following the norm—starting with the fact that I was assigned to guard him. How does that make sense?”

  “I see what you mean. So while you’re guarding him, you’re staying here?”

  “James’s idea.”

  She looked around. “Exactly how are you guarding him if you’re up here?”

  He tapped his head. “I have my voyeur window tracking him constantly. I wasn’t going to follow him around at the Seattle Colony or wherever else he happened to go. Besides, he and Grace are engaging with the breh-hedden now, and I don’t want to intrude.”

  At that, she cocked her head. “James told me a lot about you. All I can say is that Beatrice’s program really must be working for you to be staying out of their business.”

  He smiled wryly. “Then you really do understand my previous reputation. And you called it exactly right. In fact, I would have made a point of annoying the hell out of him by constantly suggesting that we make it a threesome.”

  At that, the woman laughed, a full-out laugh that made his heart soar. “And that would have bugged Grace as well.”

  He felt himself drifting back into dangerous waters, because right now he wanted to tease this woman, say some risqué things, see if he could get her worked up. Given that she was still cascading her wildflower scent in his direction, it wouldn’t take much.

  He turned to stare at the wall just to gain some perspective. He wanted to stay on the right path.

  When he glanced back, he could see that she was eyeing him. He shrugged. “I’m trying to be good.”

  “You know, this is really strange that I’ve caught your scent like this.” She blinked twice and enlightenment dawned. “Holy shit,” she said, eyes wide. “Are you my breh?”

  “I think it’s possible that I am. You smell of wildflowers, by the way.”

  She waved her hand in the air. “Sorry, but your wine scent is getting to me.” Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes dilated, her lips swollen. She fanned her face and looked around.

  This time she glanced at the wall, but she said, “I know there’s a Murphy bed in there. Were you aware of that?”

  “Yes.” The word came out strangled.

  Casimir knew temptation, because her wildflower scent was really working him. His jeans were feeling as though they’d shrunk. He also knew how easy it would be to take her to bed.

  “So, how do you know Grace?” he asked.

  She laughed that bright laughter of hers again. She slapped a hand against her chest. “I’m Patience, Grace’s twin sister.”

  “Holy shit. Holy, holy shit.”

  “Yeah, and double that.”

  He stared at her for a long, long moment. The nature of her scent, so similar to Grace’s, now made sense. And that she said he smelled of wine. He also marveled at what he considered a significant twist of fate—the kind of synchronicity he’d never really believed in, yet here was some kind of proof.

  “As for the bed,” he began, “believe me, Patience, if I’d caught your scent even three months ago, that bed would already be out of the wall. But I’m not that man, or I’m trying not to be that man. If you are my breh, and I’m yours, then fate has brought us together and I don’t want to screw it up.”

  She nodded. “I get where you’re coming from. But I hardly know what to think. Third Earth is a shitfest, and the last hundred years have been a trial. The one good thing that has come of it is that I was able to serve as a Militia Warrior, something Thorne fought against my whole life.

  “But I never felt like I belonged here. I never quite fit in, probably because I have no family in this world. I’m not anchored.” She then tossed her hands in the air. “But, hey, you’ve got a lot on your mind and I just came over to check on the portal. And I have to get back to my barracks. Maybe we can reconnect once you get Leto ascended. How does that sound?”

  He took a few steps toward her. “Are you okay?”

  She shook her head. “No, I’m not. I’m lonely as hell, but that’s not your problem.”

  “James shouldn’t have brought you here. I can see that it’s taken a toll on you.”

  She laughed. “Well, that was my fault. He asked me, and I jumped at the chance to do something different. I haven’t lived the most stable life, just so you know.”

  She returned to the observation deck, and he followed.

  She touched a panel on the wall and a computer emerged. She fired it up, took several looks at the portal, then typed in what Casimir supposed was her report.

  She then moved to the steel gates.

  He didn’t want to let her go. He could see that she was hurting, maybe even embarrassed. He wanted to do something for her, at least to reassure her, but she waved her hand over the steel lock to the left of the door, and the gate slid open. He reached a hand out to her, but she stepped through and waved. The gate closed.

  He realized that his millennia of seduction hadn’t exactly prepared him for handling a real relationship with a woman.

  “Well, shit,” he muttered.

  * * *

  That afternoon, Grace had just finished her first meal of the day when Leto got word that Endelle wanted them both at the palace. Alison was ready to work with Grace on her obsidian flame power, and Thorne was busy setting up a temporary command HQ in the middle of the palace’s central rotunda. It would seem that Endelle and Thorne both believed a decisive battle with Greaves was on the horizon.

  After dressing in soft black yoga pants and a loose blue cotton top that gathered at the hips, Grace folded with Leto to the palace. He held her hand the entire way, and it was so strange to feel what her hand felt like to him. She could sense his external sensations, which had been a bizarre experience upon awakening. His arm had been draped over her waist and stomach, so that wh
en he began touching her, she could feel how soft her skin was to his callused warrior fingers.

  Of course, he had made love to her, a very quick and erotic experience because of the extraordinary nature of the breh-hedden. It seemed to take so little to become thoroughly aroused, which she could see had terrific benefits. But at other times, she had no doubt it would be very inconvenient.

  As Grace materialized on the landing platform in what she recognized as the dining room rotunda of the palace, Alison was there to greet them both. The blond beauty looked tall and elegant as always, her hair pulled back in a twist. She wore navy slacks and a lavender silk blouse. She gave Grace a hug. “Welcome home,” she said. “You were in so much pain at the contest grounds that I’m not even sure I welcomed you home.”

  Grace smiled. “Yes, my head really hurt, and you helped me so much. Thank you again.”

  “How are you feeling now?”

  “I’m fine now, really.” She glanced up at Leto. “We’ve taken care of the problem.”

  “Good. I’m glad.”

  Grace felt Alison’s compassion like a wave flowing toward her. Everything about Alison brought a sense of peace and rightness with the world.

  Alison turned to Leto and extended her hand to him. When he took it, she grew very still as she searched his face. “It’s wonderful to see you like this, Leto, so relaxed. And like Thorne, you’ve lost that pinched look about the eyes that both of you carried all those years.”

  He glanced at Grace. “My breh has come home.”

  Alison glanced from one to the other, still holding Leto’s hand, perhaps reading him as an empath might. “Oh, I see what it is. I almost missed it, but you’ve completed the breh-hedden, haven’t you?”

  “Yes,” Leto said. “We both felt it was necessary.”

  She nodded, releasing his hand. “This is the time to go with your instincts.”