Through The Veil (19 page)

In love with Marcus? No, she couldn’t love him. Loving him
was dangerous and would make her vulnerable. She never planned to be in that
position again. She had to take care of the Others. They were her priority, the
only one she could have right now.

“In the meantime, I have something that might help.” Bethany
reached into one of the pockets of her cargo pants and pulled out a crystal on
a chain. “I know Marcus explained to you about the
ley
lines.”

Lori nodded. Bethany touched the stone and the crystal
suddenly began to glow with a dim light.

“This is a crystal from one of those
ley
lines. By wearing it, you should be able to draw on Mother Earth’s power. I
think you’ll find it much easier and with a little exercise, your mental and
physical energy won’t take such a hit when you use your power. I want you to
wear it and practice your ability.”

When Bethany placed the crystal onto Lori’s palm, it
immediately flared with a bright light and a slight vibration began to pulse
through it. Her eyes widened as she glanced at Bethany. “Is it supposed to do
that?”

“Yes, but I’ve never seen one flare so dramatically. Your
power is very strong.” Bethany tapped her chin speculatively. “With a little
practice, you’re going to be able to harness it better which will make it more
effective when you need it.”

Lori had thought she would cross the Veil within the next
twenty-four hours to help her friends escape, but as she considered the
crystal, she could see the wisdom in becoming stronger.

“Do you think my arrival caused the change in the
Predators?” she asked Bethany, dreading the answer.

“I’m not sure if it’s something you did or if Mother Earth
has decided she’s healed for long enough. She may have decided to let us have
our freedom again and figure it out for ourselves. I think the Veil occurred as
a natural reaction from the Earth’s defense system to protect itself from man’s
destructive nature. The Predators change in behavior may just be the first sign
of our world changing once again.”

“You say Mother Earth like it’s a living breathing entity.”
Lori had never been particularly religious before or after the Veil. But this
idea seemed to go beyond that of a shadowy, never-seen God punishing the world
at his whims which signified the general teachings she’d heard before in the
ES.

“Yes, of course it is. How can you even doubt that after
seeing the power pulsing through the
ley
lines? Our
family practiced the Wiccan religion before the Veil so Brooklyn and I have
always had a healthy respect for the power within the Earth. That’s only grown
since the Veil moved in. I believe Mother Earth became fed up with humanity
hurting her and decided to take action against mankind. She didn’t do it to
hurt us, though. I think she reacted in simple self-defense and then once she
realized what she’d done to the children of the Earth, she gave us our
abilities to help make up for the loss of the older ones.” Bethany was so sure
in her convictions.

Lori nodded. “What you’re saying makes sense.”

“Lori, what did you do in the ES before you were
imprisoned?”

“I ran a textile and clothing mill in Philadelphia.” She had
so much responsibility running the mill and design line. It had been a
stressful and rewarding job, but it was lost to her now. What would she do for
a job now?

“Ooh, a fashion girl then. So tell me what do you think of
our wraps?” She gestured down at the swaths of fabric wrapped around her body.

“I love them. They’re really chic and I love all the
variations I’ve seen of the same basic design.” She would love to design some
wrap dresses around the same idea using fine silks.

Bethany grimaced. “It became a painfully slow process to
figure out how to dress ourselves with wings. You have to remember we were all
teenagers or younger when it happened. For a while, we all adopted the men’s
dress of no shirts, but with a bunch of teenage boys around, that was just not
a good idea. We were trying to build a whole new society. But having half-naked
women and constantly horny teenage boys as a combination…” She grimaced as
she shook her head. “Well, let’s just say, it wasn’t pretty.”

Lori laughed. “I can imagine.” She looked out over the women
eyeing the men as they worked out. “Although, I have to say, I’m not seeing a
whole lot of difference here.”

Bethany burst out laughing. “Oh wow. You’re right. I didn’t
even realize. Well, they say that women don’t hit their sexual peak until their
mid-thirties. We may just be seeing the proof of that right here. But you know
what? Let’s not tell the guys. They may not appreciate the double-standard and
I don’t want to give this up.”

“You won’t hear a word from me.” Both women sighed as they
looked out over the sweaty bodies on the field. Nope, she wouldn’t do anything
to have this taken away from any of them.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Lori enjoyed her own personal view of
Marcus’s sweaty body as he finished building the steps leading up the side to
the
treehouse
. The stairs were a brilliant piece of
engineering and Lori loved that he’d spent this time to build and design them.
As they stepped up to the platform, Marcus tested the system by raising and
lowering them. Of course, it worked perfectly.

Marcus gave her a smile which sent her stomach fluttering.
She launched herself into his arms, giggling. “Thank you so much for doing this
for me. It’s brilliant.”

“Hmm, just how grateful are you?”

“
Very
grateful.” She stroked up and down his
already hard length through his jeans and he groaned as he bent down to take a
nibble at her nipple through her T-shirt.

“Ahem.”

Lori scrambled away from Marcus to find Bethany and Aaron
standing behind them. Bethany had kindly averted her eyes, but Aaron just
smirked at them as he said drily, “Sorry to interrupt, but I did try to let you
know we were coming.”

“Sorry, I must have been distracted. I didn’t hear you.”
Marcus pulled Lori to stand in front of him to hide his erection.

Aaron smirked once again. “Yeah, distractions will do that
for you.”

Bethany punched him in the arm. “Stop giving them a hard
time. You’re embarrassing Lori and I need her to do me a favor.”

Lori smiled and waved Aaron aside. “Don’t worry about it.
What can I do for you?”

“I hoped you and Marcus could head up to one of our villages
in the north—Cottonwood. It’s where our clothes are made and we’re having some
production delays. I thought with your expertise, that you may be able to spot
where the issues are and maybe make some suggestions for streamlining the
process.”

Joy flooded her at the request. She’d love to be able to
show how she could become a valuable part of this society. Also if she did this
favor for Bethany, then she might be more open to allowing Lori to take some of
the Warriors with her when she went back to the ES. In addition, this would
give her time to build and learn more about her powers since it would take more
energy to get a group through the Veil. She had to be ready for that. Besides,
she wanted to do something to repay the kindness she’d been shown here and it
would give her more opportunity to understand life in the WS. No matter how she
looked at it this was a valuable opportunity for her.

“Yes, of course, I’d be happy to.”

Marcus turned to Lori to ask, “Do you know how to ride a
horse?”

“A horse? Why?”

“That’s normally how we travel from village to village. It’s
too tiresome to fly such a long distance and we conserve fuel for the few cars
we have left that way.”

She grinned. A horse would be fun. It had been so long since
she’d been able to ride.
 
“Obviously I
haven’t ridden in a few years, but I used to ride regularly. But where are the
horses? I haven’t noticed any around.”

“We keep them in a pasture a little bit away from the
village. It’s actually an entire farm built within high, fort-like walls to
keep it safe from Predators. You’ll like it.”

Bethany nodded. “Good. It sounds like the trip is a go. If
you all leave in the morning, I’ll let the village know you’re coming. Just be
extra vigilant and take care as you travel. I recommend that you move fast to
keep out of the Predator’s paths. Which reminds me.” She gestured for Aaron to
hand her something. He brought forth a sword and scabbard. “This is for you,
Lori. Marcus can show you how to strap it around your back or thigh, whichever
way you’re most comfortable with it. I recommend a little bit of practice with
it tonight so you don’t accidentally injure yourself or Marcus. I hope you won’t
have to use it, but it’s better to be prepared than not.”

“Thank you, Bethany. It’s beautiful.” The handle and top of
the scabbard featured amazingly gorgeous metalwork. It was a truly glorious
example of weaponry, but she desperately hoped she wouldn’t have a chance to
use it. A shiver of apprehension ran down her spine.

* * *

The next day, they rose with the sun. Marcus flew her about
a half-mile out of the village to the farm. A huge wall surrounded the facility
on all sides without visible windows or entrances. Marcus flew her over the
wall and she found herself in the middle of a working farm.

The entire complex covered a huge area of land. A massive
barn stood to the side. There were several huge corrals and pens holding
various forms of livestock—horses, cows, goats, chickens, and pigs. At the
other side of the complex, massive gardens grew, with the plants overflowing
with luscious fruits and vegetables. Large fields full of cotton, wheat, and
other grains that Lori didn’t recognize grew in neat rows. A gathering of
little cottages took up the final side.

Marcus grinned as she took it all in. “It’s impressive,
isn’t it?”

“It is. Who works all this land?”

“You’d be surprised. There are less than a dozen people who
manage it all. It’s a very stream-lined operation. Come on. Let’s head into the
barn. I already let Drake know we were coming, so he should have our horses
ready.”

As they entered the barn, pleasant memories of childhood and
visiting her uncle’s horse farm in Virginia assaulted Lori. She spotted the man
who must be Drake down at the other end of the barn. A tall, lean man, his
wings were olive green and he wore a cowboy hat. An angelic-looking cowboy…she
enjoyed the visual.

As Drake turned toward them, his eyes were kind and she
immediately liked him. A feeling of calm emanated from his entire demeanor. She
could see why he’d been chosen to work with the animals here. Behind him stood
two horses, saddled up and ready to go. One was a gorgeous, leggy palomino and
the other was a shorter, stockier paint. Both horses looked like they’d been
well-cared for.

He removed his hat as he reached forward to grasp her hand.
He had shaggy red hair, freckles, and a happy smile of greeting.

“Drake, this is Lori.”

His hand felt callused but warm as she shook it. “It’s nice
to meet you, Lori.” He shot Marcus a look of surprise after he glanced at
Marcus’s hand holding proprietarily in the middle of her back. His raised
eyebrows stated all kinds of unspoken questions.

Marcus gritted his jaw and grimaced, but he didn’t explain
any of the unspoken conversation going on between the two of them. What was
that all about?

Lori felt the need to cover for the awkwardness between
them, so she redirected their attention to the farm complex. “It’s nice to meet
you, too. I had no idea the village had anything like this. It’s really
impressive. Do you just work with the animals, or do you work the fields, too?”

Drake shrugged. “Nope, I’m just the animal guy.”

“He’s being modest,” Marcus said. “He’s more than just the
animal guy. He’s one of us with a special ability. His applies to animals…he
can communicate with them.”

“Really?”

Drake nodded.

“That’s amazing.” She considered the possibilities that
ability could hold. “Can you communicate with the Predators, too?”

Drake frowned in concern. “I’ve never been able to before,
but now…” He shook his head for a moment. “No, I still can’t, but something…”
His brow furrowed. “Something’s different with them. I don’t know.”

Marcus interjected, “So, you sense a change in them?”

Drake nodded. “Yeah, something has definitely changed there.
Before, they’ve always been like a wall. I’ve never been able to get anything
from them, but in the night I feel confusion and I think it’s coming from them.
It’s the strangest thing.” He shook his head. “I just don’t know what to make
of it.”

Marcus and Lori shared a concerned look. “Be sure you keep
Bethany apprised of any changes with them,” Marcus said. “There may be more to
it than you think.”