Earth Borne (35 page)

“There is a new
other
,” Mother declared. “This one is different.”

“How?” she asked.

“This one is male.”

Impossible! Confusion blasted through their realm. Their kind consisted only of females. Those males born of nymph mothers were not permitted. Surely they were mistaken. Curiosity nudged at her and she drifted toward this new
other
.

The instant she detected his presence, a bolt of awareness shot through her being.

Chapter 32

He couldn’t breathe. Struggle as he might, Thereus’s lungs sucked in no air. After a few minutes of gulping in nothing, he grasped he didn’t have to breathe. Hell, Persephone hadn’t been joking when she’d declared this realm was different.

In the blackness, he prodded for his neck, only he didn’t have one. No neck, no hands. A mild panic set in. Mild, bloody hell. He was used to switching between human and centaur forms, but here he had
no
form.

A different sense prevailed. An unusual sensation, like floating on water. Not that dissimilar from the brief second he was between human and centaur forms.

Why hadn’t Persephone mentioned this? He cursed again. She probably hadn’t known. If he located Melita, how was he supposed to collect her? The locket had vanished along with his physical body.

With no form, he possessed no eyes. Thankfully, no matter what direction he veered, he determined the Portal, and his exit. So long as he possessed awareness of it, he wouldn’t be trapped.

Persephone had said there would be many others in this realm, but he didn’t spot any. Sudden pain lanced through him as his every sense was assaulted.

A cacophony of voices railed against him. Hundreds, thousands, millions? Speaking to him? At him? His mind scrambled in futility to separate even a single voice from that mess. The thunder paralyzed him. He’d only ever come across such noise on a battlefield, but nothing compared to this din. These voices, they invaded his mind. Poked and prodded at him like a bull herded.

Despair struck him. He’d never locate Melita in this deluge. How the hell was he supposed to identify her? He wasn’t able to scent her out, couldn’t see her or sort through the voices. Hell, they all sounded the same. Bloody futile.

Grief consumed him. He’d been so sure his love would lead him to her, but clearly, he’d been a damned fool. The Portal behind him beckoned, yet his heart would break if he departed without her.

What had the goddess said? How did time pass in this place? How long had he been gone? Would he return to find Lucian a grown centaur? Gods forbid, no.

He had no idea what to do, his cocky arrogance for once failing him. Damn, he’d failed them. The voices screamed at him.
Make them stop!
He cringed in agony while his attempts to reason amongst this debilitating pain crumbled.

***

She lit up at the male’s essence.
Familiar.
Her sisters gathered around him, trapping him in their storm cloud of voices. The male said nothing. He answered none of their questions.

The bold outline of his unique essence indicated he was not like them.

He was an “other”
other
. Was he lost? Why was he here? She swayed closer and the fire burned hotter. Deep inside, her essence stirred. This male was…

Mine.

She recalled the moment she’d arrived, how the voices had at first overwhelmed her. Poor male, was that it? She growled, an instinct to protect him rising. “Away, quiet. Leave him!” Her voice cried louder than the
others
. They gasped at her in astonishment, yet they did as she asked. She was likely as peculiar to them as this new intruder.

The
others
dispersed. Silence spanned the distance between her and this new essence. Commanding her courage, she connected her mind to his.

Images, sensations, flooded her. She stumbled backward. Impossible. She should not be able to
see
anything, yet she did.

A dark man’s laughing emerald eyes. The small hand of a child wrapped in a larger, feminine one. A stream of others flashed through her mind faster than she was able to process.

Emotions. Amazing. Pain, sorrow, joy, lust. They hammered against her until she could bear it no more and dismissed them from her essence. Recovering, she studied the male.

What was he that he could do these things? In her realm, no such sensations existed, and yet he possessed them. She ought to be terrified, had she been capable of such sentiments. Or at least cautious, but she was drawn to him. To his warmth.

Yes, that was the attraction. He was warm, familiar. Like the creature who kept her tree company. Was he the same? Her essence sparked. More. There was more. Had she known him in her mortal life? Had she loved him?

Too curious to be wary, she approached him again. “Who are you, and why are you here?”

The male didn’t answer. Or was it that he couldn’t answer? Perhaps he didn’t understand their method of communicating.

“Melita.” The word was forced, barely a rasp.

Her essence pulsed in puzzlement. The word meant nothing to her. “What is Melita?”

“Mine,” came the answer, feral and possessive.

A shiver coursed through her being. Regarding the male more closely, she determined she’d underestimated him. He was neither weak nor timid. This male exuded power. Strength. As she connected with him again, heat seared through her as though someone set fire to her branches. But no, the heat emanated from within. He ignited it. The fire burned hotter. Brighter.

“Melita, it’s you.” His essence enveloped hers. Was she the one he sought, this Melita?

“I don’t know,” she confessed.

He withdrew, cringing as though her words caused him pain.
Poor male.
Some part of her wished it to be true, a bigger part tensed in apprehension. What was his purpose? These emotions he made her experience, they were not for her kind. Why had he come here to disrupt her promised pleasant existence?

***

Thereus’s horse reared. A laugh bubbled inside him. He hadn’t located Melita. She’d found him. In that terrible sea of voices, she’d drifted to him and extinguished the pain. He’d recognized her the instant she’d connected with him. Nothing would disguise her essence from him.

His passion for her erupted through his formless being. Damn. He’d confused her by unleashing it upon her. Here, she was different. His mind twitched in restlessness. He must bring her back. If too much time passed, the world they ventured to wouldn’t be the same one he’d left.

Opening his mouth, he attempted to speak, but his efforts were worse than a newborn babe’s. He lacked the ability to transform his thoughts into words, yet he must convince Melita to desert this existence and follow him. How could he speak without words? He hated that she possessed no true emotions. Here, she borrowed his.

Cursing, he hunkered down and focused. What would convince Melita to follow him? Lucian. If anything would convince her, her son was it.

He reached out to her again. “Come.”

“Why?”

He formed an image of Melita carrying Lucian and projected it toward her. “That is Lucian and you.”

Her essence stilled. “Who are you?”

Images of him and Melita together flooded the space between them. Visions of them laughing and clasping hands. His lips pressed against her skin, devouring her. Their bodies tangled in the sheets as he made wicked love to her.

“What is…this?”

“This is love.”

“Love,” she whispered in reverence. “I do not know love.”

“You did. With me. With our son, Lucian.” Her regret, nay, sadness, blasted through him.

“Why did I leave love?”

Damn, he’d been hoping to avoid such questions, but he should have guessed Melita would ask. “To save me, our people. We are safe, my love. You can return. We need you.”

Time passed with infinite sluggishness as she digested his answer. He fought the urge to add more. Inside, he pleaded she would say yes. Deeper still, the terror of her refusal brewed. Before she responded, he reached out again. This time, he reined in his lust, displaying only his utter devotion to her, and how he would wither into dust without her. His love.

She broke contact with him, and suddenly, she vanished.

He spun around, searching for her in the sea of blackness, but she was gone.

***

Her questions had been answered. Melita. She’d been loved in her mortal life, and she’d cared for a man and their child—a family she’d sacrificed her life to protect. The man she’d loved had risked the same to save her.

The notion overwhelmed her. She had to break away from this male, for a moment, to ruminate, so she went to the one called
Mother
. “What should I do?”

Mother
embraced her with her essence. “Go with him, child. This world is not for you. He is your destiny.”

She caressed her mind with
Mother’s
. Then she drifted back to the male. His mind was clouded from hers in sadness. “I will go with you.” Even speaking the words sent shivers through her essence. Any resistance faltered before this male. The love he’d revealed called to her. She craved it more than sunshine. Beside him, she was no longer empty.

His essence surrounded her, blocking out the world, gleaming with the elation of joy. He shared with her this “love” and through him she embraced it. “Take me away, show me love.”

“I’ll show you more than that.” His tone rang with masculine confidence. “I’ll show you home.”

She brightened. “Home.” Yes, that was what she desired.

“Come.” He led her toward the strange presence. “No matter what, I will be with you,” he promised as they leapt through the darkness together.

***

Thereus crashed to the ground. He groaned, groggy as though recovering from the most bizarre dream. His limbs flopped heavy against his body, refusing to obey the commands of his brain. Frowning, he observed how his fist was clenched. He whistled low as he opened his hand to reveal the glowing seed within. Instinctively, he closed his fist again, terrified of dropping the precious seed.

“Warrior,” a soft feminine voice called to him. Grunting, he angled his head to the side. Small, delicate feet wrapped in sandals. He struggled to gaze higher. A silk robe, hands, a neck, and then… Persephone’s divine face, barely distinguishable against the bright silhouette of the sun.

“You have succeeded, Thereus.” She smiled at him. “Place the seed in the locket. Once you reach Halcyon, you must plant it. Your mate will be restored, and not into a tree, do not fear. Remember, she must never leave the sanctuary.”

He nodded, trying to gather his wits.

“Hurry, her soul is no more than a child’s, waiting to be born. Should you fail, she will forever remain in emptiness.”

He opened his mouth to argue that Persephone could open a Portal. At her perfectly arched brow, he thought better of it. This test was for him alone to complete.

Thereus drew his gaze to his fist. His limbs were dense with fog, his muscles stiff. He willed his other hand to open the locket. Sucking in a deep breath, he opened his fist, and with precise movements, placed the seed within. Once closed, he clenched his fingers around the locket. His life rested within this piece of silver. He’d guard it with every ounce of his might.

“Warrior, deliver a message to Arsenius for me. Lena’s true love shall await her with the rising of the next full moon. You must seek him out.”

Just as he was about to question her, the goddess vanished.

Thereus reclined on the meadow’s grass until sensation was restored to the rest of his body. As awkwardly as a foal learning how to walk, he struggled to his feet. He glanced around. The valley? A moment of panic seized his chest at the missing tree, but he calmed his horse. Melita was the seed, yet he couldn’t eliminate the erratic beating of his heart. Not until he planted her safely in Halcyon, and embraced her once more. Only then would he breathe with ease.

He set his jaw. Everything was in order at Westgard. He’d stop by to collect Lucian, they’d journey to the coast, and hire a ship. Soon, Melita would be whole again.

***

“You must take care of them, Thereus.” Alkippe embraced him. In many ways, guilt gnawed at Thereus. Because of him, Melita would never see Westgard again. Because of how he’d arranged things, Alkippe was not free to visit often or set up residence in Halcyon. It seemed so logical before, but the centauress’s tears slammed the truth into him. Once again, he was abandoning his home. His reasons this time were as selfish. May the gods spare him.

What hurt even more was that the moment he was gone, Alkippe would recall nothing. Persephone would work her powers on the inhabitants. No one, save himself, would ever grasp what happened to Melita. This was the only way to keep her safe. From her brother and the other gods who would claim her powers for themselves. It protected the nymph world as well, from the lust of gods like Zeus.

He forced a smile at her. “I will, Alkippe, I swear it. You’ll see Melita again.” She veered away, likely before her grief overwhelmed her. The centauress wouldn’t recall the truth, yet she was also clever enough to figure out why the Lord of Westgard left. He vowed he would fetch her for a visit soon.