Keeper's Knowledge (Balancer's Soul cycle) (66 page)

He then
looked up and saw Sarah flying over Sorono’s head and directly at
him like a bullet
.
Sorono only glanced as she flew overhead.
She wasn’t slowing down
as she made her approach
and she was aiming at
her love
with frightened
and angered
eyes.
Connor
opened
his
arms just as she shoulder tackled
him
.
He
jumped back to soften the bl
ow and be able to catch her in
an
embrace
safely. She wrapped her arms around
his
waist and squeezed. She finally managed to look up at
him
and her eyes were filled with
unshed
tears. “Why did you have to scare me like that, you big brute!”
S
he
began
pounded her fists against
his
chest and her blows weren’t soft. “You could have killed all these people. Didn’t you think you could have warned me? Why did you tell Mark to keep me safe
? Don’t you dare start another fight being outnumbered and expect me to sit out again
.”

He
smiled and b
rushed her hair back. It brought
her
rampage to an end
. “It worked, Princess and I finally found out what I am.”

Her lips quivered as she tried keeping her tears from flowing out of control. “Really? Then what are you?”

“Sorono just called me a
Harmonizer
.” Her mouth opened and
he
knew what was
to come
next, but
before it happened he
continued. “That is all he said and he
promised that
he’ll explain more, but for now just be patient and hold on to me.”

“I wasn’t planning to
let go
.” She buried her face into his
chest
once again and didn’t move.

Mark and Kara
began
flying over to
them
just as
Jillian and Jack were running up the ramp. They ran around Sorono and he
only
smiled as they passed. Mark land
ed first and came right up to them
.
H
e reared up to walk on his back legs and looked around before speaking. “
Dude
… When you do something
,
you
really
do it big
.” He grinned and held his
furry
fist up.
Connor
couldn’t help but smile and push
his
fist to
Mark’s
.

Jillian and Jack came up to them
just after Kara landed behind Mark. Jillian said “Connor, have you lost what sense you had left?”

Kara barked out a laugh
and said
“He wouldn’t be Brother if he had sense to begin with. Brother that was an awesome fight
…
!”

Her speech cut short as Sorono finally made his way up to
their
group. Veronica hadn’t moved even when
Connor
jumped back to catch Sarah. Sorono
bulk
eclipsed Veronica
proportionally
like
Connor does
with Sarah. She looked so frail and weak compared to him. He looked at the egg in his arm, but Veronica spoke first.
“Head
Elder…”

He held his right hand up for her to stop
after looking her directly in the eye
.
“Please
,
call me Sorono
, Veronica
. I do not use my title unless we are in a meeting. I adjourned
today’s meeting so call me by my given name.”

She bowed slightly
and it
came out
awkward
.
“Alright…Sorono…”
She raised herself back up and looked into his eyes.
“About my earlier question
?
What will be the punishment for
Connor and
m
yself
for the disruption?”
Sarah tightened her grip around
her mate
without looking up
.

Sorono chuckled and shook his head.
“You
’
r
e
more worried about your friend rather than
the safety
your child?”

“I’m not worried for the safety of my child. I can tell you will not hurt it.”
Sorono grinned at her answer and
Connor
saw
lost
passion pass before
the ancient one’s
eyes.

“That is a rare quality I haven’t seen in a
n extremely
long time.”
Sorono
now smiled softly.
“Do not worry about
any form of
punishment, because what Connor did only comes natural
to him
.
”
Sara
h
released her tight hold
on
him
and turned around to look at
their
dear friend.
“
I will answer all questions soon
enough
, but will you
permit
me to ask you a very personal question?”

“Only if I may have my egg back
?
”

Sorono chuckled and placed her egg
,
with care
,
back into her
awaiting
arms.
“Now
may
I ask my question
…
I know you have applied and
have
been granted to choose a mate.”
She nodded cautiously
, unsure where
this
was leading to
.
“Well may I place my name within the roster?”
His to
ne was nothing but confidence. Connor
knew
immediately that
they would be a good match.

“Father!”
E
veryone turned to Damian as he and the other Elder Keepers dropped
down
to
their
level
.
Connor
assumed to get a closer look
at all of
them
.
“How can you ask her that? We must check the bloodlines so no
genetic
mutations occur
within o
u
r race
.”

Sorono’s eyes lit with rage and his voice rang with clear authority.
“Do you think that I am ignorant of the law I
and my brothers
created…? I thought as much. Listen to me carefully Damian
. I know every bloodline and offshoot for every Keeper that has ever lived. I have memorized every name and even the names of the brethren that have fallen through
out
the millennia
’s
. If you are to succeed me in the time of my fall
,
you too will need to learn
all of
the charts
yourself
. Now back to Veronica’s bloodline, her line holds not a single link to me and since the passing of your mother was over twenty million years a
go
,
I think that I deserve a chanc
e to fall in love again after all this time. Don’t you?”

“Yes
,
Father.”
Damian bowed respectfully.
“Forgive me for my worries.
You’ve mourned long enough by any standard.
”

Sorono tilted his head as forgiveness enough. He returned his gaze down
and softened his tone
.
“
I haven’t seen a female so strong willed in so many centuries. And an ever rarer quality is that you would risk your life for another.
What do you say
,
Veronica? May I?”

“I’m not…”
Veronica’s voice and stature became timid.

Before she could do something she’d regret Connor
ran around S
arah
before she could stop
him
and he
jumped up and kicked Veronica
solidly
in her right
posterior
. S
ilence came from everyone as he
landed.
“Have you forgotten our agreement so soon, Veronica?”

It took her a moment to remember. She smiled as she rubbed her bottom.
“I do
and thanks for the painful reminder.
”
She
winced.
“
That really hurt you know. Be prepared for double
the
payback when you forget
your
pride
.
”
He
grinned up at her. She took a deep breath and returned her eyes back up to a confused Sorono.
“The answer to your question is, No.”
He blinked a few times
but Veronica continued
speaking before he had a chance
.
“There will be no need to write your name down. What higher honor could I have than to be
the
ma
te
with the Head Elder himself?
I choose you. Do you accept
me
?”

He grinned down at her.
“I do.”
They looked at each other and smiled.

“Congrats Veronica. En
joy the new man in your life.” Connor
turned around to walk back to Sarah, but
his
instinct
alerted him
to look down.

He
did, but too la
te. A long tail snaked between his
legs and
suddenly
went up.
“This is how a Keeper receives
her
congratulations.”
Veronica li
fted Connor
with her tail and brought
him
up so her r
ight hand could get a hold of him
.
He
didn’t dare struggle as her
sharp
black claws wrapped around
his
torso. She brought
him
up to eye level and she grinned
evilly
.
He knew immediately he
wasn’t going to
particularly
like what
i
s about to
happen next.

Veronica
pursed her leathery lips and in
an instant
, kissed
the
entire
side of
his
face.
Feverously
hot and
wet lips were the same as her humid
breath.
It was only one kiss, but one he
’d
never
want
ed
to receive
again. She sat
him down and he
looked over to see Kara and Jillian doubled over
,
laughing
as
never before. Connor
looked up and said “Hey Veronica. Kara
just
said
Congratulations
as well.
”
Veronica
grinned
even more
.

Kara immediately stopped laughing and looked at
him
, the whites of her eyes clearly visible
and terrified
. “Brother, you didn’t.” Veronica
was already making her way to his
sister. Kara wheeled
around
and took off running as fast as she could and Veronica
gave chase
. Kara unfurled her wings and took to the air. “I’m glad Keepers can’t fly!”
S
he yelled down to all of
them
as she circled
the now empty room
.

Connor
yelled up at her “Yes they
all
can, Kara!” V
eronica stopped and looked at him
before shaking her head and grin.