Twin Flames (4 page)

“What do you see?”

Devlin’s voice penetrated her concentration and she lost hold. She turned, voice faint. “If you don’t stay quiet, I’ll never be able to do this.”

He grunted in agreement then settled back against the wall. Her concentration regained, she focused on the pool. The colors separated, one then another. The work was tedious, stripping apart each color and placing it on another plane.

In the end only two colors remained, yellow and purple. Her heart pounded as she separated the two. She felt it immediately. Power rippled before them in colorful waves.

She disconnected immediately.

“I feel it here.”

He stared at her like she was crazy. “That’s impossible. This is the sanctuary.”

“Well, impossible or not, it’s here. Now, how do we open it?

The intensity of his gaze sent shivers racing across her skin.

His hands brushed her waist as he came up behind her. “You’re the key.”

Her heart dropped. “What the hell does that mean?”

He started to repeat himself, but she held up one hand to stop him. “I’m not that powerful. This thing is massive.”

Devlin shook his head. “No. You must be strong enough. You’re the one.”

“No one could split down that gate. It’s millions of years old, and the magic used to create it has been forgotten for centuries.” Contrary to her words, she ached to try, even though the best possible outcome would be death. She could end up fried beyond repair.

“I can teach you the magic since you have the power.”

“That’s impossible. It’s lost, not a single soul possesses that knowledge.”

“I do.”

“Prove it.”

Chapter Four

Brilliant flashes of color danced from Devlin’s fingers to wrap around the thick air and skip towards Raven. The sparks of glistening light streaked through the darkness, a ménage of colors.

It was unlike anything she had ever experienced. She could only stare with fascination as wave after wave floated past. The power it would take to create such a spectacle terrified her.

She grabbed for the white cotton T-shirt Devlin had thrown on the ground and pulled it over her head, suddenly unable to bear her own nudity.

“Have I proven myself to you?”

The light flickered then faded to black.

He had more than proven himself, as he well knew.

“Does it make you uncomfortable?” Devlin turned, his head cocked.

“What? That you’re more powerful than anyone has the right to be?” Her back still turned, she clutched her hands in front of her. “Who taught you?”

Silent, he moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Does it really matter?”

She jerked around to face him. “Yes. Damn it. It does.” There would be no stopping him if his intent were sinister. She would not put him in a position to destroy.

He pulled her against him, a sigh wracking his body. “In my world many people have the ability to tap into the power, to see beyond the scope of the imaginable. Is it so unusual to you?”

Raven leaned back against the strong planes of his chest, her eyes squeezed shut, heart pounding. “What are you?” she whispered, not sure if she wanted the true answer.

“I am the same as you. The amethyst I left for you, did you recognize it?”

She nodded. “It was identical to my mother’s. It’s been in my family for years.”

“They are identical. They both came from the same stone. A very rare amethyst found only in my world.”

“That’s impossible. How would my family have it?”

“As I told you before, I believe you are from the line of Minoan. Did you ever wonder why your family has such incredible psychic abilities?

The knot that had settled in her stomach twisted, a dull aching pain.

“Your distant grandmother was the leader of the rebelling Minoans who fled to this world. The legend says she fell in love with one of you and made a family with him.”

“One of us?”

He shrugged, either oblivious or ignoring her irritation. “Different. Not from our world.”

“Let me get this straight. My relatives are originally from your world. You need to go home, and I’m the only one that can save you?”

“Something like that. So, do you think you can get the gate open?”

Did she really have a choice? Either he was telling the truth or was completely loony. And if he was telling the truth, he might be able to hand her answers she had sought her entire life.

Pulling away from him, she waded into the pool, stopping where she believed the gate rested. She knew she had reached her destination when the icy water suddenly heated around her. Excitement trickled through her veins as potent as the most stringent liquor.

Moving her hands around in the now-thick water, she tried to find the orifice of the gate. Tiny tendrils of power wrapped around her fingers, pulling her closer. She gasped at the pain. Each felt like a flame licking her sensitive flesh. Jerking back, she motioned for Devlin to join her. Quicker than a flash of light, he was beside her in the deep water.

“All the force concentrates here.” She pointed to what she believed to be the nexus of the power. “There is a tiny vortex of chasms that must be unwound before we can go any further.”

Brows furrowed he stared at the water. “Can you do it?”

She nodded. “Yes, but I’ll have to stop without a reserve of power, and it may reconfigure on its own.”

“And we would have to start all over.”

“Exactly.”

“Can you use me?”

She tilted her head to stare at him. He was strong, but was he that strong? She had never sucked power from a human. Used them for support, yes, but never actually fed. Devlin was far from human, but she had no way of knowing how he might react. It might kill him.

“No. It’s too dangerous.” She pulled back from the nexus, feeling a twinge of disappointment. “We’ll have to come back more prepared.”
And dressed
, she added silently. She sure didn’t want to meet whatever was behind that gate wearing only a transparent T-shirt.

He started to argue, then grimaced as he pulled back as well. “It can wait until tomorrow.” He seemed to be trying to convince himself it was the right decision.

He came closer, his arms wrapping around her in a strong embrace. “There is no reason to return the way we came.” His grip tightened. “Close your eyes.” His breath was soft against her cheek. Eyes closed, she snuggled against his warm chest. Her breath caught as the world began to spin. She clutched tightly to Devlin as he took them from the cave.

Raven slowly opened her eyes and focused on her surroundings. The room was unknown. She lay huddled in a huge bed, covered in burgundy and black fur-lined wool blankets. Three candle sconces hung from the wall on both sides of the room, the glow creating a sinister glare. Black drapes hung from the window, trapping the room in darkness.

Where was she? She remembered nothing past being held in Devlin’s arms as they left the cave, then the giddy sensation of flying. All other memories were lost.

“I must apologize. It appears my form of travel did not agree with your constitution.” Devlin stepped out of the shadows. A vision in black, his pale skin shadowed by the candlelight, he stepped forward. “I am glad to see you have awakened.”

“Where am I?”

“I brought you to my house.” He motioned to the room. “I thought it would be better if you recovered here instead of a place where too many questions would be asked.”

“It’s fine, but I thought you lived in the cave?”

“No.” He shook his head. “I sleep there, I live here.”

She wasn’t about to ask why, sure it would lead down a path she did not want to take. Although he claimed to be human, she still had her doubts.

“You slept for two days. We need to return to work. What do you need?”

Two days? How was that even possible? She had never in her life slept more than four hours at a time.

“I’ll need to go home to grab some things and refuel. I won’t be able to work for at least another day.” God, it was going to take hours of meditation to recharge her batteries, if even then.

“Unacceptable. We must go now.” Arms crossed, he stared at her like an avenging angel…or demon. All he needed was a pair of horns.

She sat up straighter, drawing the blankets tighter around her bare breasts. “It’s impossible. We don’t have enough power left.”

A smile played on his lips, sending a shiver down her spine. “I healed you as you slept. If you test your powers, you’ll find them fully restored.

She tested her strength, shocked to find he had spoken the truth. She hadn’t realized such a thing was possible. Not only were her psychic powers recharged, but they were stronger.

“I stopped by your house and retrieved some of your clothes. You’ll find them in the armoire.” A quick flick of his hand and the doors to the armoire opened, displaying at least a week’s worth of clothes.

How long did he intend on keeping her here?

Staring at him dumbfounded, she watched him disappear from the room. The door slid shut behind him.

The curse must have affected his brain as well as his body. That was the only excuse Devlin could think of to rationalize his own stupidity.

What had he been thinking, bringing her here? After centuries of waiting for the pieces of the puzzle to fall in place, the key within his grasp, he was letting a hot body and a sexy smile distract him.

To hell with it. They would open the goddamn gate tonight and he would go home. He couldn’t afford to get emotionally involved with the woman who was his ticket back to his world. The woman he had to sacrifice in order to succeed.

It’s not really a sacrifice, a tiny voice whispered in the back of his head. But it was, he knew that all too well. He would take her to his world, stripping her of her own reality, everything she cared about. She could never come back, for he would have to return as well. Once they opened the gate, they would be inexorably linked.

“I’m ready.”

The sound of her soft voice made him pause. She was innocent in all of this. Could he ask her to make the sacrifice? Did he have a choice?

She moved beside him, her arms wrapping around his waist, and he wondered if she could feel the pounding of his heart.

Her hands slipped beneath his sweater, silky smooth against his skin. It amazed him he could want a woman this much, particularly a woman belonging to his enemy. It was forbidden.

“What’s happened?”

Her voice was like a lullaby, gentle and alluring. He turned to stare into her beautiful amethyst eyes, tried to lie and found he could not.

Instead, he cupped her face upward and tasted her mouth. Immediately, the taste of her sent him into a downward spiral. His rock-hard dick throbbed painfully against the zipper of his jeans, begging for release.

His kiss hardened and a moan slipped from her lips. Stroking his hands down her sides, he cupped her ass and pulled her up against him. She threw her head back, moaning as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Still fully clothed, he walked with her toward the bed and slammed them into the mattress. His patience was wearing thin. He wanted inside her wet pussy.

Her clothes went flying as he yanked them off. His followed suit as her tiny hands pulled and tugged mercilessly.

When she was finally naked in his arms, he lifted and placed her farther back on the bed. He knew what he wanted and he was going to take it. He nipped at the soft skin beneath her neck absorbing the salty taste of her flesh.

She was a fantasy come to life, this woman who would save him. His mouth closed over one pebbled nipple and she jerked beneath him, a groan of pleasure slipping from her lips.

Unable to resist, he nipped at the sensitive spot, knowing it would send her over the edge. Indeed, he felt the spasm of muscles beneath him. Releasing her nipple, he pushed her legs apart, settling himself between them.

His tongue licked at her hot, damp pussy, in discovery of each fold, each sensitive tip. He sucked in her clitoris and she screamed with pleasure, spasms wracking her body. She was hot and wet with desire. Lifting up, he plunged his thick cock inside her, her warmth overtaking him. She was so soft and tight as he plunged, her screams of pleasure music to his ears.

Afterwards, their bodies still entwined, a haze of sexual satisfaction cuddling them in a thick cocoon of warmth, he tried to figure out what the hell he was going to do. Of all the situations he had envisioned, he had never imagined falling for the key.

It had been the most incredible sex of her life. Raven couldn’t stop thinking about it, even as Devlin shouted commands.

When they woke from their sex-induced coma, he had demanded they work on the gate. Knowing he wouldn’t let it rest, she had agreed.

He had been adamant they make no mistakes. Thus, she was enduring a lecture about the dangers of the cave and how to avoid the oozy monsters that lived in its depths.

Either the man liked to hear himself talk, or he was really worried. She was afraid the latter was true, not that she could blame him.

“Let’s just do this,” she finally interrupted. “I promise not to awaken the guardians. Believe me, I have no desire to confront them.”

For a few moments, his dark gaze searched her face. Then he nodded and turned to the cave. Her belly churned as he disappeared through the opening, still not believing they were actually going to attempt this.

They traveled the passage to the sanctuary without incident. Wading through the icy water, they stopped before the gate.

It was quick work to tear apart the strands of the gate she had previously unraveled. The intricacies of the inner gate were stunning. Slowly, she tapped into the source of her power and sent it spiraling forward. What she saw made her stop cold.

Power, unlike anything she had ever imagined, flowed in brilliant blue circles around the lock. Her mind could not penetrate it, even with the extra power boost.

Shutting her eyes, she concentrated on pulling the necessary power from Devlin. He gave without resistance. Their combined powers allowed her to untangle the first three circles without difficulty, but the final circle proved to be more difficult. She pushed her mind against it only to have it bounce back. Then she saw the difference.

Eyes now open, she focused herself back to the physical. The gate stood before them, rising from the depths of the water. The once psychic guard had become a circle of fire and ice.

She stepped towards it only to have Devlin pull her back. His eyes dark, he stared down at her. “We must do this part together,” he murmured, pressing a soft kiss on her forehead. “We’ll need these.”

He held the two amethyst teardrops. They pulsed with power, shining brightly in his dark hand.

“I don’t understand.” She reached out and touched the gems, feeling their strength.

“The stones will fuse our power. All my life I have carried my half and searched for the other.”

“Which has been in my family for generations.”

“Yes. These two gems each hold the essence of my world. They are a map through the realms of being.” He placed one piece in her hand. “This, combined with your blood, is my ticket home.”

“So I’m your sacrificial lamb.” She fought back the nausea creeping up her throat as he pulled a crystal dagger from his back pocket. The blade sliced quickly through the skin of his palm. He grasped the amethyst in his bloody fist then held out the dagger with his other hand.

Uncertainty warred within her as she took the dagger. The touch of his blood on the gem had ignited a flow of psychic power she couldn’t ignore.

Eyes tightly shut, she sliced open her palm with the bloody dagger and gripped the amethyst. The gate exploded in a collision of fire, ice and pure psychic power. Shards of light shattered into the room at the impact, then quickly disappeared.