Lost Wanderer Awakened - Book One of the Airendell Chronicles (66 page)

Damian looks at Luca, “You two are really
cool together. You respect each other, but play with each other
too. All our folks did was fight. I like being around you
guys.”

Luca chuckles and pats Damian on the back.
“Tell her that, she thinks I am too protective of her, too serious
about it all the time.”

“As we should be,” Damian says gravely.

Morna wanders into the dining area. Almeda is
seated at the table, apparently in a state of meditation, but she
says, “How are you feeling Morna?”

“Hungry,” Morna laughs as she dips up a large
bowl of the stew on the serving line and picks up 2 pieces of soda
bread. She’s looking around for utensils and something to drink
when Almeda says, “On the table behind the partition.”

Morna finally sits down near Almeda, and eats
in silence for a few moments. “Go ahead child, ask me,” Almeda
says.

“Okay, are you reading my mind?”

“No, but I am getting impressions of your
thoughts and feelings. I get impressions from people around me. I
can read minds, but I rarely do. It’s epitome of rudeness. But I
can‘t actually enter a mind like Ari does though,” Almeda tells
her.

Morna blushes, and Almeda rushes to reassure
her. “Your buffer spell did its work earlier. No one was prying
into your time with your mate.”

Morna laughed, “I am so out of practice I bet
every magic soul in the vicinity felt my spell go up.”

“Perhaps, but it went up and it held. That’s
what counts. After our strategy meeting later, Breena needs to
start your lore lessons.” urges Almeda. “I know it seems that there
are more pressing issues, but having your magic or your science as
your godson thinks of it, at full strength is important.”

Morna nods her agreement and Almeda continues
speaking. “Speaking of Elias, he and I had a nice chat earlier.
He’s very intelligent and talented. He has a valid point,” Almeda
continues, “We have long realized that magic and science are
actually just two different ways of looking at the same thing. You
can excel by looking at it either way because as Elias put it, you
are analytical and intuitive. But until you have completed the lore
lessons and ascended again, you will be forced to rely more on your
strength as a warrior rather than a Spell Weaver.”

Morna gets up to get another bowl of stew and
more bread. When she returns she says, “Do you have any more
thoughts about who we are up against?”

Almeda looks troubled. “I think it is several
individuals working in a loosely concerted effort to shift the
balance between good and evil. We need to identify the strongest
players and eliminate or at least neutralize them. Then the others
will fall away. But I fear your mother is indeed a major part of
all this. Ari thinks that she is more powerful than she has allowed
anyone to see. Kyera should not be able to do what she did, I think
Magdrid was helping or taught it to her. Magdrid and Kyera were
childhood friends, did you know that?” Morna shakes her head no.
“In fact, it was thought that they were lovers for a few hundred
years. Perhaps they still are, who knows.”

Morna is thoughtful as she finishes her food.
“You think I will have to neutralize her myself don’t you?” When
Almeda nods, Morna continues; “I will readily do it, but it will be
hard to hold myself back from destroying her. She tried to destroy
my mate and my babies. I can’t allow her to remain a threat to any
of them.” Morna states flatly.

“I hope you are not allowing anger to cloud
your judgment.” Almeda says softly.

“No room for anger. I must be clear, concise,
and focused. Having Luca wrapped around my brain is helping a great
deal. I have been wondering if my exposure to the Luca’s venom was
enough to make me an immortal of his kind, one not reliant on my
magic. If I had to kill her, would I forfeit my immortality?” says
Morna.

“I think you are probably safe on that score,
but I don’t want you to deliberately seek to do that,” says Almeda.
“Besides, UCI could still try to strip you of your magic.”

“Oh I am not plotting the murder of my
mother, I am just thinking it might, in the final analysis, be the
only way to stop her. Whether or not I would forfeit my
immortality, if that was the only way to stop her, I would do it.
She must be stopped, but I will not do it unless it is necessary,
because I am not a murderer.” vows Morna. “Now Almeda, if you will
excuse me. My mate will tan my hide if I don’t sleep some more,”
Morna says as she starts to rise from the table.

Almeda touches her hand and says, “I am
relieved that your devotion to your family and duty is still
tempered by a sense of what is right and wrong.”

“Me too,” admits Morna. And she gets up and
washes her bowl and makes her way towards her quarters.

She encounters Rinda along the way. Rinda
smiles uncertainly at her and Morna opens her arms to her. Rinda
rushes to her and kisses her right on the lips. Morna is
momentarily taken aback but then wraps her arms around her dearest
friend and first lover. “God Rindy, you look so good. I am so glad
you are here.”

“Me too Morna. I couldn’t be anywhere else
when you need us all. You know that right?” Rinda says sincerely as
strokes Morna’s face lovingly.

“I know sweetie. I have been so eager to see
you since I remembered who you are, what we were to each other all
those years ago.” Morna admits. She urges Rinda to sit beside her
on floor in hallway and they spend the next hour holding hands and
talking about old times.

Finally, Morna yawns and says, “I better get
some sleep. Luca will be put out that I didn’t go straight to bed
after eating.”

“Why? Because you are with me?” Rinda asks
defensively.

“No sweetie. Nothing like that. He just knows
I am tired. That latest attack on me took a lot out of me.” Morna
says honestly. “You are my best friend in the world besides Luca
and my sister. Luca knows that and wouldn’t ever want to keep us
apart.”

“I am not so sure about that. I would, if I
were in his place.” Rinda admits, embarrassed by her admission.

Morna looks thoughtful at Rinda’s admission
and says, “Luca is my true mate. Besides, I never told him about
us.”

“I know he‘s your true mate. I have known it
ever since you broke off our affair a week after you met him.”
Rinda says somewhat sullenly. “It’s just we used to be very close,
even after you were mated to Luca. I miss that, I still need
it.”

“Rinda you will always be special and very,
very important to me. You know that.” Morna says as she gently
kisses Rinda on the lips and strokes her lovely face.

“Sure Morna. Go get some sleep, we have some
trying times ahead of us according to your little girl in there,”
Rinda says as she points toward the door to Morna’s quarters, where
Samantha is lying asleep in her bed. “That little girl is very
devoted to you… but I get the feeling that she isn’t exactly what
she seems to be.”

“She’s fine Rinda. She saved our lives.”
Morna assures her.

“Oh I know that. But there’s more to her than
is obvious, I am thinking.” Rinda says quietly.

“Well, I agree with that.” Morna kisses her
friend and again and enters her quarters. Sammy is still asleep on
the bed. She looks around the room and finds that Luca has put all
of her purchases away from the lovear store. She brushes her teeth
and crawls back into bed beside the lovely Samantha. Sammy curls up
to Morna and wraps her arms around her as she sleeps. Morna smiles,
it reminds her of Breena when they were children. She would often
get into bed with Morna and wrap her arms around her to sleep. It
also reminds her of sleeping with Rinda when they were young women.
It is a nice pleasant feeling as she drifts off to sleep.

CHAPTER 24 - BATTLE ON THE SPIRIT PLANE

When Morna awakens five hours later, Luca is
sitting on the bed next to her watching her very intently. Sammy is
gone. “Where’s Samantha?” she asks groggily.

“I believe she is following Elias and Micah
around. They both seem quite taken with her. Especially Elias. She
seems equally enamored of both of them.” Luca chuckles.

“Is she behaving? “ At his nod, she asks “And
the others?”

“Bronwyn is teaching Damian, Breena and
Aideen some defensive drills, as you suggested to her yesterday.
Brigid and George were heading out to join them when I came in
here. I believe Sammy and your godsons are planning to go as
well.”

“George’s grandmother, Maria, is with your
father, Ari and Almeda. They are in deep discussions about
different kinds of magic. I was afraid that Maria would not like
being around Damian and I, but she said our spirits are pure.” Luca
chuckles at that. “Carrick and Enya are napping after being on
guard duty last. Brian and Mulder are on guard duty now.”

“Mulder is here?” she asks sitting up.

“Your father found him. Someone had lead him
off from this gateway and had held him in a binding spell of some
sort. He had been there for over three days. He was very angry, but
didn‘t recognize the woman who trapped him.” Luca informs her.

“Did Mulder contact Lila to let her know he
is okay?” she asks.

“No, he said Lila has been acting strange for
a while. She’s been disappearing for days at a time, he thinks she
has a lover that she is keeping secret. He’s not really sure what
is going on with her, so he doesn’t trust her completely right now
either. Your instincts were good, once again.” Luca assures his
beloved.

Morna is watching her mate intently, and says
“I need you.” as she reaches for him. She stretches her mind out to
build a buffer spell when she detects his already in place and
chuckles softly.

“I need you too love,” he assures her as he
kisses her hotly, passionately. He tugs the tank top up her body
and over her head. He reaches behind to unhook the cheap,
uncomfortable bra. He struggles with the poorly made hooks and
becomes frustrated, so he rips the offending garment off her body.
She chuckles, and says, “That’s the only bra I have with me.”

“Well, it was worthless anyway,” he shrugs as
he drops his mouth to her right breast. She moans loudly as he
takes the breast into his mouth and nips it none too gently with
his sharp teeth before suckling hard on the nipple. The treasured
burn and tingle rip through her body. She clasps his head closer to
her body and leans down and kisses the top of his head fervently.
He moves to her left breast, lingers there a bit before traveling
back to her mouth. He gently pushes her to lie back on the bed and
reaches down to unsnap the snug jeans and pulls them down with her
panties in one smooth motion. He takes a few seconds to enjoy the
sight of her naked body as he stands up to remove his own clothes.
“Morna, I could look at you all day.”

“Please don’t! I have better things in mind
than just looking,” Morna smirks as she rises up onto her knees on
the edge of the bed as he starts to take his pants off. She pulls
him closer to her and starts caressing his abdomen, hips, and
splays her fingers around to grip his buttocks. She enjoys the
warmth and the absence of the stoniness she perceives now. He feels
more like living flesh to her since her change, very hard living
flesh. She moans loudly as she revels in the feel and scent of him,
and drags her hands down to his erection and slowly takes him into
her mouth as far as she can. Now it is his turn to moan loudly. He
clutches at her shoulders and head with his hands as she slowly
savors his scent, his taste, and fleshy texture until he can take
no more.

Luca finally pulls her up to take her in his
arms and hold her close to him. He kisses her deeply. “I still
can’t believe I can really kiss you,” her murmurs and then looks
into her eyes. They are glassy, and she looks intoxicated. He sighs
contentedly because he can clearly see her deep, abiding love for
him in those eyes. He lies her back onto the bed and trails his
mouth down to her left breast to suckle freely, without hesitation
or fear of hurting her. He lingers there a few minutes before
moving his mouth lower.

She opens her legs widely in anticipation. He
puts his hands behind her thighs and pushes them up gently to gain
free access. He gently pulls the outer lips of her labia back to
savor the sight and scent of her there. Then he licks her clitoris
and sucks it into his mouth gently. Nipping at the sensitive
button. The familiar burn and tingle drive her wild. He uses two
fingers to check if she is ready for him, he is delighted that she
is and in one fluid motion covers her body with his.

He enters her as he covers her mouth with his
own. He is kissing her deeply as he drives fiercely into her
repeatedly. Seeking the release they both are eager for. Her strong
hips drive up to meet him stroke for powerful stroke. Her head
thrashes on the bed and she moans in ecstasy as he nips her neck
with his teeth. Finally, they achieve their release at the same
time. He continues to rock in and out of her to drive them both
through the waves of their orgasms. She clings tightly to him as
she wraps her legs around his hips in those last seconds.

They lie silently savoring their closeness
and mutual satisfaction in each other for several minutes before
Morna says, “Duty calls.” Luca chuckles as he rises up and brings
her with him. She reaches up and strokes his face tenderly. He
kisses her quickly.

Luca walks over to the cabinet that is built
into the wall where there is a bowl of water. He stirs it with his
finger, weaving a spell to warm it for her. Meanwhile she is
gathering clean clothes. She retrieves the shredded bra and laughs.
He laughs too and says, “Sorry love, but it didn’t hide anything
anyway. I think your breasts are just going to be in a permanent
state of arousal from here on out.”

“I think you are right, but I must admit that
I am very self-conscious about them.” Morna says as she looks down
and cups the impertinent breasts, feeling somewhat bewildered. She
uses the warm water to wash up, and dons a snug gold tank top. She
looks down and groans self-consciously, “This will never do!” She
quickly tugs on a clean pair of panties and the snug jeans from the
floor. She retrieves a bright green button up shirt and dons it
over the tank top.