Page 23 of Total Lunar Eclipse
“Zahra, what did you mean when you asked if we felt that?” he asks her out loud.
She looks disappointed I’m not continuing our conversation, and I realize Mars is right and she gets some sick pleasure from getting a rise out of me.
Just like I do from her,I realize.
God, we are a fucked-up pair; two of the same twisted peas in this cosmic pod of chaos.
“A tug. I feel this tug inside me here,” she indicates to her chest. “When I manifested myself into the room you can see through the glory hole, I found Vesta and Chiron! They’re trapped inside the stones. And it’s not just them. The other minors are trapped there, too. Ceres, Pallas, and Juno.”
I cut a look to Mars. If Lina has trapped the minors in her moonstone, she is slowly draining their powers to use for her own. The moonstone makes it so it amplifies the magnitude of the minors’ gifts and makes the process slow and painful. Mars shakes his head. We need to find Lina while we are strong, but we need to cut off her source of power and free the minors, too.
“We need to split up,” Mars agrees.
Now we just need to convince Zahra.
CHAPTER 11
ZAHRA
The look of astonishment on Caed’s face when I agree to split up is priceless. The dickhead man-god wasn’t expecting that, and he’s highly suspicious. Now I can’t decide whether to continue to be amused or to be insulted. I can hear Caed’s thoughts, as he and Khal bicker about my easy agreement. I don’t bother trying to convince them I mean it; I simply vanish.
In truth, I only leave Caed and Khal in Lina’s domicile because I know the insane woman is not there. I find it odd that even bonded and having Kane’s expansion powers, I can’t pinpoint her. I could find Khal using my bond with Caed, but Lina doesn’t show up anywhere in my internal map. It’s. . . unsettling. She could be anywhere.
I shudder at the thought.
I jump up into the eleventh dimension, Mio’s domicile, and instantly regret it. The realm is one giant, raging storm and I imagine this is what it would be like to fall into the planet Jupiter’s Eye. The strong winds buffer my body mercilessly, and in my panic, I start tumbling in the turbulent chaos. I’m so shaken and scared, I can barely form a coherent thought.
Barely holding onto my wits, I realize the storm is Mio’s defensive protection for his domicile. So far, every realm has had a protective measure, except Kane’s and Uranus’ domicile, but I honestly think I just lucked out and didn’t encounter anything. Thank god, because the Fae, the Merfolk, the Ice Enforcers, the Hairy Bastards from Caed’s realm, and the Nodes were enough to deal with. Quite frankly, I’m sick of having my ass handed to me every five minutes. If only I could talk some sense into this wind. . .
That’s it!
I recall how, in mythology, the winds were often characterized as men representing the four directions. If I could make this storm into something sentient, maybe I could explain my presence and connection to Mio. I scrunch my eyes tightly together and try to concentrate on my task and not the squall trying to tear my body apart. I have no idea if I accomplish my goal or not. One second I’m being pushed up and down by the gales, the next, I’m plunging downward at breakneck speed.
In my head, I mentally try to conjure up another mattress, or an ass-pillow. Maybe for preemptive measures, a neck brace. Instead, I feel a pair of arms wrap around me, catching me. I feel another pair of arms slide in behind me, cocooning me in their warmth. Oh, thank whoever-the-fuck, the twins got to me first. My eyes are still closed and I nuzzle into whichever twin’s holding me. I press small kisses against his neck and taste his salty skin. The other twin behind me moans.
It’s almost as if what one feels, so does the other.
I’m lost in a world of sensation: tasting, smelling, feeling.
Nothing could bring me out of this haze of passion.
Nothing except feeling another set of hands on me.
And another.
What. The. FUCK?!
My eyes fly open, and instead of beholding the gorgeous blue forms of the twins in god form, I find myself gazing at an equally handsome man. And his nearly identical companions. Indeed, they are carbon copies of one another, except for their coloring. The one holding me is a light violet, and his hair and eyes are darker versions of his skin. On his forehead he sports a triangle with a line through the top.
To my left and right are two other men, one orange, the other a deep cerulean blue. The blue man has an upside-down triangle on his forehead and the orange man has a normal triangle. Lastly, behind me, is yet another man. This one is a dark, olive green color with lighter green hair and eyes. On his forehead is an upside-down triangle with a line through the bottom. They all stare at me in awe and need.
Well, shit.
I just materialized the four elements of astrology.
Water and Fire press up against my sides, and I’m sandwiched once more between them and Air and Earth. Their hands run up and down my body seductively, while they murmur words of praise and worship. It’s damn hard to concentrate when four hot, naked men are whispering that you’re their queen. Really damn hard.
Not harder than their dicks, though.
