Dark Tremor (Mated by Magic #2) (15 page)

Jace’s body went limp, and suddenly she was weighted down by his full mass.

Without the hum of the stone, the room went eerily silent. Jace’s soft, irregular breathing, the only sound besides the ringing in her ears from the blast.

She pushed on his shoulders, rolling him over. There was a large ugly gash just above his left temple.

“Jace.” She shook his shoulders gently. “Wake up.”

His lashes fluttered, his eyes opening in small slits. His mouth curved up slightly, then his eyes closed and he let out one last breath.

“Jace.” She put two fingers to his neck. Nothing. No pulse. Heart racing, she shook his shoulders and begged, “Wake up. Please.”

He didn’t move. Didn’t respond. She placed her ear against his chest, desperate for a heartbeat.

“Terra.” Falcon stood above her, his face pale. “His aura’s gone.”

“No,” she cried out. Oh, God, No. She stood and pounded against Falcon’s chest. “If you ever want me to forgive you, heal him now.”

Falcon gripped her wrists, preventing the next hit. “He’s gone. I can’t do anything.”

“Bullshit.” She ripped away and fell to her knees beside Jace’s body. A brutal sob escaped over the knot in her throat. It couldn’t be. Not after all they’d been through.

Falcon touched her shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“No. You don’t get to be sorry. And he doesn’t get to die.” She conjured a giant ball of fire mixed with her earthly power and willed it straight into Jace’s heart.

His body lifted for a moment, then fell back lifeless on the cold cement. 

He’d told her he loved her, and she hadn’t even had the chance to tell him back.

She blasted him again.

“Terra, stop.” He knelt and tried to push her away from the body.

“Get away from me, Falcon.” She blasted Jace again. “Wake up, damn it.”

“There’s nothing you can do.”

With clenched fists, she pounded against the motionless chest, then fell across his body with an anguished cry.

“I love you,” she whispered. Placing her hands on his cheeks, she brushed her lips over his. “I love you, Jace Fialko.”

A piece of mortar crashed to the ground and Falcon jumped. “Terra, we need to get out of here. The building isn’t safe.”

“Go, then. I’m not leaving him.”

Pieces of the ceiling pelted them, cutting skin.

“Terra. Now.” Falcon’s fingers dug into her upper arm and she swung at him.

She had a fireball in her palm when he tugged at her shirt, but stopped short when her peripheral vision caught the subtle movements. There. Oh my God. Her mate’s chest rose and fell.

“Falcon? His aura?”

“Holy shit.” The healer released her arm and dropped to his knees on the other side of Jace, placing his hands on his chest, pumping healing energy into him.

Terra gripped Jace’s hand, and willed life into him as well. A small breeze brushed by her face, as all free electrons were sucked into the newly alive man.

Unable to trust her voice, she kissed the tip of Jace’s nose, his eyelids, his lips.

Suddenly, one side of the garage cracked and bent inwards as if made of rubber. She screamed and sent an alternate force toward it.

Adrenaline still coursing through her veins, she scooped her arms under Jace’s shoulder and pulled. She moved him a few feet, before collapsing on the ground. He was too heavy, and she was too weak.

“Falcon, help me.”

Another crack and more debris fell around them.

Covering his head, Falcon ran out of the garage, shouting over his shoulder, “I won’t die for you. I’m done”

She was going to strangle Falcon if she got out of there alive.

Terra pulled on Jace’s belt and he moaned.

Seconds remained before the building would collapse. She didn’t dare touch the turquoise again. But what was she going to do?

She glanced around wildly, looking for anything she could use. Finally she spied it. Four pieces of wood and four little wheels. A dolly. No magic required.

Moving quickly, she placed it next to Jace’s chest. He rolled easily onto his belly, still limp. Then, she half-dragged, half-wheeled him to safety. At the end of the dock, Falcon stood, ringing his hands.

“Help me,” she barked.

He flinched, then ran towards her.

Jace groaned, holding his head when she moved him into a sitting position. Falcon helped steady him as she maneuvered him off the dock.

“Terra?” Held up between them, Jace stumbled forward just as the building collapsed with a deafening crunch. 

“I’m here.”

They collapsed onto the parking lot tar. White dust covered them, whooshing out of what would’ve been their grave.

“That was close,” Falcon muttered, standing.

“You jerk!” She jumped up, clenched a fist and plowed it into Falcon’s jaw.

Falcon’s head snapped back and he stumbled.

“Shit.” Her knuckles swelled and throbbed.

Jace chuckled from where he lay on his back, then lifted onto his elbow.

“Come over here and let me see what you’ve done.” He inspected it and kissed away the hurt. “You’ve got a fierce upper cut.”

“I guess I deserved that.” Falcon stood, rubbing his jaw.

“Damn right you did.” She pointed a finger at him and glared. “You’ll be lucky if I don’t tell Wovaka everything.”

“You wouldn’t.” Falcon went pale.

“Get the car. I’ll think it over on the way to the rez.”

Grumbling, Falcon stuck his hands into his pocket while he jogged to his car.

With her help, Jace stood. He pulled her to his chest and kissed her fully on the mouth. “You are one mean little badger.”

Sitting semi-upright in the backseat of the car, Jace’s whole body hurt like a son of a bitch.

Falcon leaned over him, pulsing heavy-duty healing energy, and the whole car buzzed.

By the time the Escort pulled off onto the packed dirt road, Jace’s vision had finally cleared. He took in a deep breath, exhaled fully, and caught his mate’s worried gaze in the rear-view mirror.

“Terra.” Leaning forward, he reached between the seats and squeezed her thigh.

She gave him a tight smile, and stretched out her hand for him to take. “You okay?”

“I was only dead for a little bit. No worries.” His attempt at lightheartedness was not well received, but under the circumstances, he thought it was pretty good.

Twenty minutes later, she silently parked the car next to a round mound of dirt topped with grass. It had a polished cedar door and smoke poured from a chimney.

Where the hell were they now?

The healer, Wovaka, walked out of the adobe hut, followed by four native men, dressed only in loose bathing suits. Black runes covered their chests, backs, and ran up and down their arms.

One woman in a native print dress followed, carrying a three-foot rain stick. Bright beads and feathers swung from the bottom.

Unfolding out of the back seat, Jace leaned on the larger of the two men who came forward to help.

Terra opened the driver’s side door and into to the waiting arms of Wovaka, who hugged her into his chest. Then, the ancient man handed her back to Jace with a nod and firm handshake.

Falcon stood on the other side of the car, eyes to the ground.

“Hmph.” Wovoka caught his gaze and pointed toward a second modern building. “Go.”

“I should help.” Falcon tried to enter the shelter, but his grandfather put out his arm as a barrier.

“Your aura says you’ve already done much to save these two. Be proud and hold your head high. We’ll talk more later.”

Falcon nodded, seemingly puffed up by the praise.

Jace raised an eyebrow at Terra who gave a small shrug.

“He will grow. He just needs time.” Wovoka watched Falcon as the little weasel strode into the adjacent building.

Jace wasn’t convinced but he wouldn’t argue the point. Not now.

“Come.”

The old man opened the cedar door and steam poured out, soaking their clothes. Inside, a pile of stones sat in a wire basket, atop a cast iron furnace.

Despite the rustic exterior, the inside was modern, with new redwood slats and benches. A shining tiled shower area sat off to one side, with large chrome showerheads. 

“Clean first, then we will begin.” Wovaka dunked a large ladle into a bucket of water and poured it out onto the stones. Steam hissed, filling the small space. He repeated the process, then left them alone. Outside, his voice led the others in a Native American chant.

Whatever ritual they were performing was filled with healing properties, and Jace’s raging headache began to subside.

He still had no idea what was going on, but he figured it had something to do with Terra’s new leadership.

“We need to shower first.” Terra took his hand and led him to the shower area.

Her face was drawn, her expression detached. When she looked at him, it was as if she stared straight through him. She turned the water on and started to undress.

“Terra. Stop for a moment.” Her soft cheeks surrendered to his palms and she gazed up, blinking hard.

Large blue eyes filled with tears, and he all but cried when he saw her pain, deep within.

“It’s over, honey. You need to let go.”

When her lower lip quivered, he tugged her t-shirt over her head, pushed down her jeans, leaving her in black sexy underthings.

“Jace–” His name was a cry on her lips.

Not bothering to remove his clothes, he wrapped his arms around her. Tiny shaking sobs turned into wracking cries of anguish.

The shower had to be adjusted so the water wouldn’t hit her in the face. Then, he rubbed her back and muttered soothing words of nonsense. After a few minutes, her crying got to him. Swallowing hard, he held her close, until his own tears were under control. She needed him to be strong for her.

When her sniffles turned to hiccups, he tossed his shirt to the side, and stepped out of his sodden jeans, all the while not letting go. Never. She was his mate, his life, and his savior. Now it was his turn to save her.

“I almost lost you. You we-were dead.” She turned her head out of his chest, but didn’t look up.

“But I’m not. And you’re not.”

“But you were.” She began to sob again. “If you were smart, you’d run as far away from me as possible. I kill everyone I care about.”

“Sweetheart. I’m not going anywhere. You’re my mate.”

A plastic bottle labeled ‘soap’ sat on a tile shelf.  With her face pressed tight to his chest, and her small fingers grasped onto his back, he reached and pumped the plastic top. Honey smelling liquid poured out into his palm.

Knowing how much she needed the contact, he washed her back and down her buttocks, then gently massaged her scalp until it was all sudsy.

She sighed, her muscles relaxed under his fingertips, and she leaned into him. The white dust from the building went down the drain, and with it, some of her pain.

Her grip softened, she sighed, and looked up at him with the saddest eyes he’d ever seen.

“I’m sorry,” she hiccupped. “I never cry. Not even when…my mother died.”

He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her. When he pulled away, he caressed her cheeks and his thumbs wiped at her tears. He struggled for the right words and came back empty.

“Terra, I–” He cleared his throat and rested his forehead against hers, glad for the water that hid his tears from her. Unlike the last time they had showered together, this time he needed her to know how much he cared, beyond the sex, beyond the mating. He tucked her chin and made her look up at him. “I think there are times when crying is good.”

“I was always afraid if I let go, I’d be swallowed whole by the depth of my sadness and never be able to climb out. Know what I mean?”

He understood completely.

“After I killed Megan, I felt the same way. I never thought I’d be free of the pain, the guilt.” He brushed his lips over hers. “Until I met you. You’ve changed everything.”

When the next tear rolled down his cheek, he let her see it. She reached up and brushed it away. Then he tugged her into his chest, afraid she might disappear, and the moment be lost forever.

“From now on, I promise, we’ll cry together. I won’t be afraid.” Her small arms wrapped around him.

She unglued him and at the same time put him back together. How was that possible?

The chanting outside grew louder, and Wovaka tapped on the door.

Jace rubbed his eyes, grabbed a light terry robe from a metal hook, and held it up for her. Then, he found a pair of trunks for himself, and opened the door.

“It is time.” Wovoka added more ladles of water to the stones, until the steam was thick as fog. Barefoot, he walked over the slats of wood while charcoal runes dripped off his dark skin.

Staring at Terra, the ancient healer reached into a pottery jar and sprinkled ashes onto her blonde hair. Then he put both hands to her head and chanted a long string of native syllables with his eyes closed.

Although he couldn’t see her aura, Jace knew the moment it changed. He felt it in his shoulders and the muscles in his jaw.

She was going to be fine.

Nodding and chanting, Wovoka motioned for him to sit next to her, then rained more black ash above their heads. Two ancient yet firm hands rested solidly upon his skull. Waves of potent healing energy surrounded him. He exhaled, momentarily stunned by the powerful force.

When Wovoka finished chanting, he grabbed both of their right hands and clasped them between his.

“I leave you now, as one.” He started to walk away, then turned, winked, and said, “You might want to lock the door.”

Jace stared at the closing door, speechless. The chanting stopped, some laughing followed, and then car tires crunched on the gravel. Engines roared away, leaving just the crackling of logs and a lone whippoorwill lamenting nearby.

“That was it?”

She shrugged. “What did you expect?”

“I don’t know... but not that.” He smiled and wiggled his eyebrows, turning the deadlock. “I suggest we do as he asks.”

She looked around the room. “But...there’s no bed.”

Her sweet and innocent face made his chest tighten. She was such a dynamo in the desert, he kept forgetting her inexperience. His cock swelled at the thought that no other man had ever known her, nor ever would.

He nibbled the top of her ear and whispered, “We can figure this out.”

When the softest lips met his and firm fingers dug into the back of his neck, a bit of Iesco power released from his core. The wood fire sparked to life, and the stones crackled.

Without depriving his mouth, he found her robe’s tie, and she shrugged the fabric onto the floor. One hand slid down her back and found her muscular ass, the other cupped her soft breast, kneading the tender flesh.

She moaned and her firm nipples pressed into his hand, begging for more attention. He pulled her down onto the warm wooden floor, so that she knelt in front of him.

“Straddle me.” He sat, legs crossed, cock hard, wanting nothing more than to feel her soft warmth around him.

With a small smile, she licked her lips and moved slowly towards him, placing her hands on his shoulders as she positioned herself so that her folds rested just above his heavy erection that stretched the material of his shorts.

Swallowing hard, he gripped her hips to keep her slightly above him, while he suckled on the rosy tip of one breast. When it hardened, he nipped.

“Jace.” Her head fell back and she arched to give him access to the other.

He complied with her silent demands.

Her breath grew short and the building started to shake.

He chuckled and calmed the ground with his own power.

“Take these off,” she begged, pulling at his trunks.

With a small smirk, he shifted under her and pulled off the thin material.

Eyes wide, she stared at him and her mouth made a little O. One hand reached forward and a fingertip tortured him up and down the length of his aching need. She wrapped her fingers around his length, and a bead of cum escaped. Seemingly fascinated, she leaned down and licked.

“Terra. Oh man.” Never had a woman held him so entranced.

Her eyebrows raised, and she slowly took him in her mouth.

There was no way he’d last.

“Not this time.” He knotted his fingers in her hair and gently tugged until she released him.

“Did I do it wrong?” A little frown appeared and a hurt look crossed her face.

“Oh, sweet thing. No. You don’t understand. It’s way
too
good.”

He pushed her wet hair out of her eyes, leaned over, and took her mouth. When they both panted and gasped for breath, he released her.

“Something this good needs to be savored. I would’ve come inside your mouth.”

A small grin spread across her beautiful face.

Damn, she was sweet.

“Lie down.” He knelt above her and spread her legs with his knee, brushing her folds with his thumb. Her already slick and swollen lips swelled and she shivered under his touch.

He moved lower, kissing her stomach. With circles on her inner thigh, he approached and touched the prize with his index finger.

“Jace...” She started to close her legs.

“Shush.”  He pulsed his energy into her by placing a palm below her navel, and tapped her knees.

She opened for him fully.

Then, his mouth took what it wanted.

She tasted of tangy honey and orange. His tongue found her nub and he played with his teeth until he knew what she liked best. Tiny little noises escaped out of her throat as he brought her higher to the edge of release.

Her eyes closed, breasts swelled, and nipples hardened, as he teased her, tasted her. He stroked at the slick cleft with his tongue, and she gasped like she was coming up for air. She shuddered around him, trembling with the first quivers of her release.

“Jace–” she cried out, her head tilting back and let go, screaming his name over and over again.

He was so tuned to her that he could counter the tremors in the ground underneath, almost unconsciously.

While she arched, wanting more, he turned her over on her hands and knees so that her sweet ass was facing him.

They came together in the dim light of the sauna. She let out a sweet, little moan as her body clamped around his cock.

Every time he moved, it was as if she knew what he wanted and met him thrust for thrust. His eyes rolled back, their bodies glowed from his fire power. The pleasure mixed with agony.