Davies, Corinne - Claiming Destiny [Midnighter Seductions 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (4 page)

He tilted his face to the sky and rubbed the remaining burning substance from his skin. He was impressed that the little female was strong enough to attack through her fear. Lightning ripped through the sky, the thunder rolling over them before the flash was gone. He’d seen storms like this come hard and fast before continuing on its path, but it could still be dangerous. Especially if this storm wasn’t natural. The Kimil had the ability to control the weather around them and were known for using it in battle. Being able to create shadows to hide in was a great advantage to the deadly creatures.

Unease washed over his senses. “We need to find her.” He held out his hand to Rock and his friend gripped it and Jag pulled him up.

“I’m glad to see that her survival instincts are strong, but I’d rather not go thought that again.” Rock huffed out a breath and coughed as he rubbed the front of his pants. “Did you see which way she went?”

Jag nodded to the right. “She headed into that outcropping of boulders, but she’s running wildly. I’ll bet her first instinct will be to hide from us in hopes that we leave her alone.”

“That’s not such a bad idea,” Rock muttered as they jogged in the direction the woman had run. “The last thing we need to deal with right now is a violent shrew.”

“Right, because scaring the woman out of her mind will bring out the best in her. Why don’t we find her and take her somewhere safe. Then we can go back to the fight.” Lightning lit up the sky again and exposed the rocks ahead of them. The thunder rocked the air around them a moment later. At least the noise from the storm would cover the sound of their approach. If she was hiding from them, he hoped that it would hinder anyone else from finding her.

“Do you think that the legends are true?” Rock jogged next to him as they headed in the same direction she went. Another bolt of lightning ripped through the air, thunder roaring overhead a split second later. “What’s the possibility the Kimil were lying in wait, all this time, waiting for the portal to open? Chasing her could be a mistake.”

Jag knew that Rock didn’t want the extra responsibility of an Atan
,
a wife, right now. The lives they led would put her in much more danger than if she’d lived her human life oblivious of their kind. But, with the portal opening, those descendants of the ancients would be drawn to this place, to the Midnighters, and it was their duty to keep them safe. Jag didn’t mind the idea. To come home to a woman waiting for them, there to serve their needs, and a soft body for him to share with Rock and curl up against at night. He was looking forward to it. They would make sure she wanted for nothing and lived to care for them.

There had been many legends written about this time when the portal opened again. It’d been written that others would try to claim their women for their own selfish gains. That destroying the descendants of their people would protect the Kimil’s claim on this world. A claim that Jag had begun to notice having an impact on the delicate balance of the Earth. The Kimil had almost destroyed their world by covering it in a substance that didn’t carry the same energies. The Midnighters drew on the abundance of energy in their world for strength and protection. They and their people were very in-tune with the energy that flowed through their world and were able to manipulate it to varying degrees. The Kimil had closed themselves off from the natural energy in their world and essentially starved an important part of their life. Their world was on the verge of suffocation and Jag had seen a number of similarities to what was happening with the Earth. The Earth’s energy wasn’t as strong as on his home world of Lu’um and the people here didn’t seem to have an idea of their Earth or how to tap into its energy. They were apparently so focused on creating new sources, they were killing their strongest natural asset.

Jag had caught a shadowy glimpse of her as they approached, but then she disappeared. Both he and Rock had excellent night vision and what he saw made him hungry for more. She had long, powerful legs he wanted to feel wrapped over his shoulders and thick, dark curly hair that would spread out over their pillow. Given her strength when afraid, he imagined that her passions would run hot and powerful as well.

Rock laid a hand on Jag’s shoulder and jerked his chin to the right. Jag nodded, knowing that Rock didn’t want to speak and risk his voice carrying over the rocks. Who knew where she’d chosen to hide? She might be five feet in front of them or still running across the desert floor. Jag nodded and they clasped arms. The moment their forearms touched a fine light danced along his skin, following the matching marks on his and Rock’s arms. It was more than the simple tingle he usually felt.
That’s new.
They’d been born with those marks. Every Midnighter was born with them as a sign from the gods of their destiny. When you clasped arms with the man meant to be your warrior brother, the marks lined up perfectly. Every Midnighter was able to share energy with his warrior brother through these unique markings.

Rock looked as surprised as Jag felt, but the phenomenon was something to be discussed later. Jag felt empowered as he slowly crept around the boulders. The rain had already started to lighten as the storm moved by. Lightning illuminated the sky in the distance, but it wasn’t as bright anymore and the thunder delayed. He brushed his dripping hair back out of his face with his hand and listened carefully for her. As the storm moved away he felt a shiver of awareness over his skin. The markings on his arms tingled as if he still had his arms clasped with his warrior brother. He felt the hair on the back of his neck tingle. He was being watched. Only, was it her or someone else?

Feeling as though they didn’t have as much time as they thought, Jag moved quicker but paid attention to the area around them. Raindrops pattered lightly against the rocks around him and the ground was slippery and it was harder to get secure footing as he eased his way up the incline. The rain had washed away any sign of her passing, although Jag knew she’d been this way. He knew that Rock was angry at her attack, but he hadn’t spent as much time getting to know this culture as Jag had. Women weren’t as protected in this world as theirs. There were daily reports of violence against them and he had to admit he was impressed with her ability to bring two warriors to their knees.

She wasn’t stupid because she didn’t try to fight back. Her focus had been to escape and hide. A task she accomplished far too easily, but he and Rock weren’t about to let her go. She was in more danger than she could ever imagine right now and they needed to get her to safety. He stepped lightly over the uneven terrain. The storm would cover any sounds of his approach, but there were moments of deafening silence and the sound of his steps would echo around the massive rocks.

He placed his hand on one of the boulders and tried to listen to the Earth’s vibrations. This world had suffered enough damage that its natural energy was erratic and lacked the consistency of their world. He never realized how much he relied on his connection to the world around him until they’d crossed the portal into this one. Sometimes, like now, it felt as though he’d lost one of his senses. Breathing deeply and concentrating, he pulled at the natural aura of the area. For a brief moment he felt Rock and almost directly between them….
her
. Her fear sent his hackles up and his muscles clenched in response. An obsessive need to soothe pounded at him. Her terror was wrong and he needed calm her. An angry jolt ripped at him and he jerked his hand away from the solid surface of the rock. Panic jabbed at his heart. They weren’t alone.

Jag opened his eyes and quickly headed in the direction he’d felt the woman. Kimil were here and knew she was as well.

* * * *

Destiny clasped her hand over her mouth trying to muffle her panicked breathing. She’d backed herself into a small crevice between two massive boulders with a quick prayer there weren’t any dangerous animals in there already. The rough stone surface pressed against her hips and she knew if she backed up any farther she ran the risk of getting stuck and not being able to escape. She felt as though her heart was pounding hard enough for the entire world to hear its rapid thumping echoing in her ears. Water from the rain poured down the incline into her hiding spot as dirt and small stones fell on her from above her head. Claustrophobia made her hands shake more as she gripped the pepper spray and held it in front of her like a weapon. If one of them saw her she would blast them and run.

She’d already seen a couple shadows in the lightning pass by her, but so far her luck had held out. Neither of them had seen her. Thunder rumbled overhead and she gasped in a couple quick breaths hoping that the noise would drown her out. Each minute felt like an eternity as she waited.
Could they’ve given up on me already and moved on?
She strained her ears, listening for any noise under the sound of the storm, but she couldn’t make anything out.

The temperature had dropped with the sun, and combined with the rain she was starting to shiver. She knew that the adrenaline dump must’ve started to wear off because her thighs were screaming in agony and her face hurt. Reality began to set in and she wondered if she would survive the night. This hole was probably home to some nocturnal creature and she didn’t want to be here when it came back.

Clenching her teeth to stop them from chattering, she clasped the pepper spray tighter in one hand, pushed against the ground and tried to lift herself out. But her legs refused to cooperate and she slipped, wedging her hips tighter between the rocks. She would’ve tried again, but a mysterious feeling of danger crept over her skin, making all the hairs on her body stand up. She leaned back as far as she could and tried to remain invisible as a figure crept low to the ground and right across the opening to where she hid.

At first she thought it was a mountain lion, but another flash of lightning revealed black, scale-like fur, and incredibly long teeth. She blinked, wondering if she was hallucinating or her fear was creating images that weren’t real because there weren’t really panthers in New Mexico.
Right?

It lifted its nose and sniffed the air around it, slowly turning its head in her direction. Its eyes were bright yellow and it curled its lips as it growled low at her. Dropping down, it stalked toward her hiding spot. Fear ripped through Destiny as it approached and for a moment she considered letting it kill her and saving herself from a long, painful death from exposure. Before she could finish that thought, her thumb pressed down on the button and she sprayed the animal right in the face.

The cat screamed and threw itself away from the opening to her hiding spot. Destiny ignored the pain in her hips and legs and pushed herself out from between the boulders and scrambled up the incline and out from between their protection. The rain had started to ease, but the ground was uneven and the rocks slippery as she navigated her way around them.

She felt a presence at her back a moment before a hand clamped down on her shoulder. She screamed and swung her arm up to spray the man behind her. His hand hit the nerve in her wrist enough to numb the feeling in her fingers and she dropped her pepper spray. Destiny tried to leap back out of the way, but her sandals slipped on the uneven terrain. There was a moment of weightlessness as she fell, but a sharp pain at the back of her head pulled her into darkness before she landed.

* * * *

Rock leapt forward and managed to snag the woman around the waist before she slipped between two boulders and over a cliff. He’d heard her head contact the rock face with a sickening crack and feared that she might’ve fractured her skull. “Jag!” The coppery scent of blood colored the air and Rock feared it might bring the attention of other predators to her. Keeping her pressed against his chest, he navigated his way to his friend. Jag was there a moment later.

“How badly is she hurt? I can smell blood,” Jag said as he pulled off his shirt.

“The side of her head, she smacked it against a rock face and knocked herself out.”

Jag moved closer and pressed his wet shirt against her head. “It didn’t occur to you to try to reassure her before leaping at her?”

Rock felt guilty enough for scaring her again, but this was exactly why he didn’t want an Atan. They were a liability. A pawn to be used by their enemy, who would know for certain that they had returned to this world. “She would’ve been better off if we hadn’t found her. She panics too easily.”

Jag looked at him as if he was out of his mind. “Sure, because she was panicking when she made you choke on your own balls right before she dropped me to my knees.”

“She was panicking,” he argued.

“Exactly.” Still holding the material against the side of her head, Jag pulled his communications device from his armband. They’d brought some of their own devices across the portal because the humans’ current technology couldn’t track them or listen in. “I’m afraid to think what her reaction would be if she’d been actually thinking about her actions.”