Twin Flames
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
577 Mulberry Street, Suite 1520
Macon GA 31201
Twin Flames
Copyright © 2008 by Elizabeth Winters
ISBN: 978-1-60504-255-8
Edited by Heidi Moore
Cover by Natalie Winters
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
electronic publication: October 2008
Twin Flames
Elizabeth Winters
Dedication
To my own Twin Flame. I can’t imagine my life without you.
Prologue
The war was endless. It spanned too many generations to count. Devlin stood alone on the desolate hilltop, gazing down at the fire-scorched earth that was his land.
The slaughter of man and beast served only to coat the earth with sacrificial blood. Truce was unthinkable. There was only war. A war that would continue to rage uncontrollably over the planes of this world, leaving only death in its wake. Now, for trying to stop the madness, he had been banished.
Devlin cocked his head to study his older brother. Chalice, the sword arm of the Council, carried the weight of his position heavily on his broad shoulders. It was a position Devlin did not envy.
His long body hunched in frustration, Chalice marched toward Devlin. The small army behind him matched his steps, eager to carry out the sentence of the Council. They would banish Devlin to the very pits of hell if Chalice allowed it.
Rocks spilled beneath the feet of the bare-chested soldiers as they passed through the tunnel that led to Devlin. The crunch of gravel betrayed their position, but he would not run. He would face his destiny head on.
Chalice was the first to reach Devlin. The blade of his dagger glistened in the pale sunlight. Unsheathed, he held it at bay and ready for use.
Devlin felt a sharp surge of pain. “Leave me.” His voice was harsh, even to his own ears.
Chalice took a ragged breath. “I can’t, brother. We must finish this.” He took a step forward even as he waved his men back.
Devlin could not control the snarl that curled his lips. “You need reinforcements? Have you become weak in your old age?”
“Enough.” Chalice’s voice rang out in the silence, bouncing off the sun-scorched boulders and slamming into Devlin’s chest. “You have been banished. The alternative is death. Will you go willingly?”
Willingly leave the world he loved and enter an oblivion he knew nothing about? Willingly to renounce his current life for the unknown? Were his sins so unforgivable? Did he have a choice?
Devlin raised his outstretched hands and allowed the shackles to click into place. They would take him to the orifice of this world and force him to cross into the next.
He let them lead him down the hillside. The dirt crumpled underneath his weight, and he slipped. Hands chained and unable to catch himself, his body slammed into the gravel. The soldiers dragged him forward as the tender skin of his face shredded under the onslaught of the tiny stones.
The mile from hill to desert was agonizing. He tried several times to scramble to his feet without success, each fall causing more damage than the last. Finally, the caravan came to a halt. Bloody, Devlin lay on the ground before his brother, his breath trapped in his chest. He fought a groan as Chalice placed his hands under either arm and pulled him to his feet.
Chalice took a small metal device from the pouch that hung around his neck. As he rubbed it against his palm, a sharp glimmer of light appeared before them. The light expanded to a circle barely larger than a man. It pulsed with an energy so strong it was difficult to stand. It required every ounce of self-discipline Devlin possessed to allow his brother to lead him toward the blazing portal that blinked and whined in front of them.
As he was about to breach the opening, he felt Chalice press something into his palm.
“You know what you must do to return,” Chalice murmured under his breath. “Hurry home, brother.” The flat of his palm slammed into the flesh between Devlin’s shoulder blades, pushing him forward.
Devlin was demonic in his struggles as the darkness wrapped him in its impenetrable barrier. Fire scorched his chest. It seized his body, drowning away all thought. He clutched the pendant. It was his only hope.
Chapter One
Raven wandered through the empty park, her long hair whipping along behind her like a dark blanket against the cool wind. She had never been able to resist the pull of the full moon. It shone down upon her, the thick clouds unable to hide its luster.
She found peace in these moments as she walked beneath the sky.
The crisp autumn leaves danced around her as she moved toward the old park bench beside the trail. Usually, by now her body would relax, her mind would calm, but not tonight. Tonight a strange scent drifted in the air. It invaded the stillness of night, wrecked her haven in the darkness.
She was not alone.
Her hands clenched into tight fists. She stared out into the darkness, her brow damp with perspiration. In all these years she had followed the moon, her solitude had never been invaded.
She jerked around. A man, larger than any she had seen before, stood hidden among the shadows of the trees. It took time for her to focus on him. Once she did, he disappeared from sight. Heart pounding, she scanned the woods.
The leaves behind her crackled and shifted. As she turned, the man stood a mere foot away. His long black hair glistened in the moonlight.
It was him. Devlin.
The visions had come so infrequently lately that she had found herself imagining him gone. Her heart ached at the sight of him standing before her full and whole.
She swallowed a sob. “You scared me.” She took a deep breath and allowed her hands to relax in the pockets of her trench coat.
He stepped farther into the light. “I am sorry. It was not my intention.” He sounded raspy, seeming to struggle with his words.
She nodded, having lost the ability to speak. Something glistened in his dark golden eyes, making her blood run hot and cold simultaneously. It was if he could see inside her soul.
“May I join you?” His husky voice shivered along her skin, dipping into every crevice and leaving a tingle in its wake. His steps were silent as he moved closer.
She studied him as he awaited her response. He was so dark. His large and muscular body, draped all in black, reminded her of a fallen angel, but it was the pain seeping from his gaze that wrapped around her heart.
Unable to resist, she stepped toward him.
“Well, Raven, shall we walk?” His breath tickled her cheek.
She couldn’t imagine moving, much less walking. She had waited so long to see him in physical form, to touch him. In a move too quick to be seen, she was in his embrace. Surrounded on all sides by his warmth. She had neither the strength nor desire to resist.
“Quiet, little one.” His long cloak floated around them, swirling in the wind as they twirled beneath the moon. “Shut your eyes,” he whispered, his arms tightening around her waist.
It was as if she were in a dream, floating on a nonexistent plane. She danced in his arms, spinning to the silent music streaming down upon them. All too suddenly, the moment passed.
She stepped from his embrace. There was no longer a dark sky for her to admire. A blood-red horizon had taken its place. The outline of three similarly shaped moons was faint but visible.
Fear as sharp as pain slammed into her chest. “Where am I?” She stared at her dark angel, her body trembling with uncertainty.
He shrugged, a wicked smile playing on his full lips. “Don’t you recognize it? Look again.”
Her eyes once against lifted to the sky, then to the landscape that surrounded them. He was right.
“I dreamt of this place,” she murmured. Every inch of it was as she had imagined, from the blood-red sky to the red clay-like sand that stretched out for miles. “It can’t be real.”
He grinned, white teeth flashed in the darkness. “I made it real.”
“I don’t understand.” She stepped back, only to find her back pressed tight against a boulder. The rock scraped the tender cloth of her coat, catching and holding. She panicked as he moved toward her, a shadow against the bright sky.
“You’re dreaming, Raven.” The wicked smile that had played along his lips since they’d met widened. His eyes sparkled in the darkness. “You’re so tense.” He gently turned her around.
A shiver raced across her skin as he pushed back her trench coat. It fell to the ground swirling around her ankles. His hands slid down her bare shoulders, massaging the knotted muscles. A groan slipped from her lips as the callused tips of his fingers traced the sensitive skin of her collarbone before moving lower to touch the smoothness just above the swell of her breast.
She fought the urge to move against him, to press closer and make sure he was real. A voice in the back of her head gave a shrill warning, but she ignored it. He was no stranger. He was the man who played in her dreams night after night. She could allow herself a moment of weakness in her own fantasy.
And weakness it was.
The tension trickled from her body as her eyes slipped closed. Only the darkness and his gentle touch lulled her to awareness.
With a breath of release, she leaned back against his strong body, surrounded by his warmth. He caressed her shoulder, moving his hands up her neck to cup her face, one long finger soft against the fullness of her lips. Unable to resist, she drew the tip of his finger inside her warm mouth, tearing a ragged moan from his lips.
“I want to taste you,” Devlin murmured, his breath hot against her skin.
Her blood burst to flames at the feel of his hard cock pressed against her ass.
He trailed his fingers across her lips to trace a path down her bare shoulders to her waist. Pushing her forward, in one swift movement he turned her towards him. Fire threatened to consume her as he brushed the long strands of hair from her shoulders.
“So beautiful,” he murmured, his face dipping down to press against her neck. A shiver wracked her body as the slight stubble of his cheek brushed the tender underside of her jaw.
She had never wanted this badly. Wanted him to kiss her, to scrape her neck with his teeth. Her hands slid up the smooth cotton of his shirt. Blood pulsed in her temples, and she wanted to scream. There were too many barriers. Her hand slipped in between the buttons. A tear split the air between them. She thought she heard him laugh, but was too senseless to care.
He released her, and the shirt hit the ground. She wanted her palms against his powerful chest. His taut, well-defined abs glistened in the moonlight, and she ached to taste them. Falling to her knees, she wrapped her arms around his hips and pulled him forward, his swollen cock pressed against her cheek. She had never known a man could be so large.
He grabbed her hands as she made for his belt buckle.
“Enough.” He groaned. Slipping to his knees, he pulled her with him onto the ground. On the way down, he ripped the dress from her body, leaving her bare.
The cool air felt glorious sweeping along her passion-heated body. She couldn’t breathe. He gently pressed her thighs apart to kneel between them.
She arched beneath him as he trailed his hands up the smooth expanse of her belly to cup her swollen breasts. Her nipples trembled under his touch, aching with sensation. His head dove and he flicked his wet tongue across one engorged tip. She screamed beneath him as he gently bit into the tender flesh, spasms wracking her body.
Leaving her breasts flushed and aching, he pressed his lips against her, moving slowly down her chest, then her belly, until he nuzzled her pussy.
Pleasure shot through her like a lightning bolt. She writhed beneath him as he tasted her. His tongue flicked her clitoris in an ever-increasing rhythm that sent her spiraling over the edge.
Absorbed in unassailable sensation, she floated in a daze of pleasure, spasms wracking her body. When she came back to earth, the ground beside her was empty.
He was gone.
***
Raven paced the night. Her blood pulsed with the power of the full moon. The visions were getting worse. She should get her ass to therapy. This time he had seemed so…real.
She gave her head a stern shake. No man that extraordinary was anything but fantasy. If there was one thing she had learned in twenty-seven years, it was that.
Still, she couldn’t tear her mind from the sight of his face, the warmth of his touch, the way his fingertips had felt rough against her tender flesh.
Damn. She had to get it together. She had responsibilities.
She was too old to allow the line between fantasy and reality to blur. As a child, it had been acceptable, but now it was certifiable. Yet, she couldn’t help but think there was a reason for these visions.
Her sister, Willow, was sitting on the porch when Raven walked up to the house. In one lithe movement, Willow jumped from the railing to the grass. “I was worried,” she murmured, her hands knotted, fingers twining together, then apart.
Raven felt an instant stab of guilt. She reached out and gripped her sister’s hands. “I didn’t mean to worry you. I thought you were asleep.”
Pulling away, Willow started back toward the house. “A man came by while you were gone,” she called over her shoulder. “He left an envelope for you. It’s on the kitchen table.”
That was strange. A pale yellow envelope lay propped against the napkin holder. It jingled as she lifted it, the twinkling sound of metal against metal. Slitting open the top with her pocketknife, she dumped the contents on the table.
The amethyst teardrop twinkled in the candlelight. It was small, about the size of her little fingertip. She put the gem back into the envelope, placed it back on the tabletop and ran up the stairs to the attic.
She didn’t remember where they had packed her mother’s jewelry after the accident. Box after box lined the dusty room.
She grabbed the closest one and yanked it forward. Her pocketknife shredded the duct tape in seconds, and she dug through the contents. The cardboard boxes ended up in a tattered pile. Then, finally, she found it.
With great care, she lifted her mother’s jewelry box from its nest in the Styrofoam. She gently unclasped the latch and pulled open the top. On the wine-colored velvet lay a single teardrop, identical to the one she had left downstairs.
What did it mean?
She tenderly lifted the jewel from its resting place, admiring its beauty. She didn’t remember having ever seen her mother wear it. It had remained cloistered in the velvet. As a child, Raven had never been allowed to touch the gem. Even now, as she held it in her fingers, she felt a twinge of guilt.
Pushing her guilt aside, she placed the jewel inside her front pocket as she walked back down the stairs. She shrieked as it blazed against the cloth, burning through to her skin. It was too hot to touch so she held out the pocket of her pants to keep it as far away from her skin as possible.
The envelope containing its twin had erupted into flame, the gem surrounded by a scorch mark.
Trapped between terror and curiosity, she waited for the stones to cool. When enough time had passed, she placed them beside each other on the wooden table. Two amethyst eyes stared back.
***
The quest was over. One thousand years of tireless searching…finished.
Devlin’s hands tightened around the iron railing overlooking the sea. This night the moon had imbued him with power, enough power that he had sought her outside the privacy of her home. It had been a risk, but one he had been unable to resist.
A deep breath rattled his lungs. It had been nearly a thousand years since the vision had come to him. A vision that had infuriated the Council of his people to the point they had banished him from their world. It was only with the other half of his soul that he would find the power to return.
The vision flowed through his mind as if it were yesterday. His people, ruled for years by a Council both corrupt and impenetrable, would finally be free. Free from the endless war that raged even now. A war waged by men who barely remembered what they were fighting for. It was Devlin’s return that would precipitate that freedom.
Soon…soon he would once again step foot on the world where he had been made. A world his family had ruled for generations under the once gentle guidance of a handful of elders, elders that eventually lost out to their own greed and pride.
He slammed a fist against the iron railing. He had found her. The one who held his salvation and the salvation of his people.
Incredibly, the touch of her smooth skin had nearly made him forget the task at hand. The urge to finish the seduction was strong. Even now, his engorged cock strained against the zipper of his trousers.
He would have her…but the timing would be right. He would not take her unaware, but with full knowledge and consent. When he impaled her on his cock, she would know him as reality, not the fantasy she imagined. Then, when both their fantasies had been fulfilled, he would take from her what was required.