The True Ruler, page 21
part #5 of Worlds Apart Series
The two forces continued to push against each other and Cassie could see both were losing mass. Candy had taken her to the floor and still covered most of her body. She knew enough about the Warrior Woman’s talents to stay put until Candy released her. Darden had crawled to lie beside her. He did not have the lightning fast reflexes Candy possessed.
“It is all right to get up now,” she heard her father say.
Cassie looked in the direction of his voice and saw Benko kneeling over his father’s body. Cassie struggled to stand and was relieved when Darden offered her his hand. With a gentle pull, she stood beside her soul mate. Together they walked toward her father and grandfather. Cassie was not sure if Jeryl Jarlyn still lived. The powerful energy surge he produced may have killed him.
Jeryl Jarlyn raised his feeble hand toward his son. Her father took it, the first physical contact the two had in over twenty years. Cassie knew this would all end with her grandfather’s death, but had not faced what that truly meant. Fortunately, her grandfather was not destined to die at either of their hands. His abuse of crystals ultimately killed him. From here on out, she would have a new respect for the rocks that fed most of their telepathic powers and would take great care while handling them.
“My son,” Jeryl struggled to say. Her grandfather was fading fast.
“Rest, Father,” Benko said. He did not give his father false hope he would survive.
Her grandfather was hemorrhaging from his ears and nose. It was a blessing his eyes were clear, so he could see his son one more time before he died. Cassie did not rush to his side. This time belonged to Benko.
“Cassandra is the True Ruler,” Jeryl said. “She can…”
Jeryl Jarlyn never finished his sentence. His lungs gasped for several more breaths and then he died, with the son he loved, holding his hand. Tears, she was uncertain her grandfather deserved rolled down her cheeks.
“JoAnna, send across the communal channels that Jeryl Jarlyn is dead,” her father ordered. Benko now looked at her. “What do you want to do, Cassie?”
She had asked herself that question so many times. By now, she should have an answer, but she didn’t. All evidence pointed to the fact that she was the True Ruler of this dimension. But she did not want it. She was not ready.
“Assemble the Primes that are loyal and declare yourself The Prime Ruler,” Cassie told her father. “You are your father’s heir, not me. Daddy, you are a folk hero in this dimension. They need you to heal the wrongs perpetrated by your father and his cronies. The True Ruler is a legendary character. Maybe one day I will be ready to rule, but it is not yet my time. I have a lot to learn and growing up to do.”
Cassie had seen her father’s face bear many expressions over the years. This was the first time she saw pride. He was proud of her. Her dad was kneeling next to his dead father, but rose and took her into his arms.
“You and Darden need to stay here for the time being until things stabilize,” her father said. “We will start sorting everything out in the morning. Chartail, Solfa, JoAnna, Koel, and Tarsea will make up my transition team. Solfa, it will be up to you to figure out how to fix the mess my father created in The Palace’s lowest level.”
“What are you going to do, Daddy?” Cassie asked.
“I am going to start talking to the people,” Benko said. “Not through communal channels, although there is no getting around that. Face-to-face discussions are what our people need. Mind control is a thing of the past. We have talented telepaths and need to find ways their gifts can enhance society, not limit it.”
“I am happy for your victory,” Drake said. “But I fear the sun will be rising soon and it is time we return to the Nightshade universe.”
Benko released Cassie and made his way over to the powerful vampire. “I am again in your debt.”
“And I am sure you know what my demands continue to be,” Drake said. “We can once again open negotiations between our worlds.”
“We are in desperate need of blood,” Lorenz said. “Naturally, we will not enter the same type of agreement your father had with Yorik regarding how that blood is obtained. My soul mate Afton is dedicated to changing the way our world runs. We will be setting up more settlements, similar to my keep, where humans and vampires live in harmony. Would it be possible to get donated packets of blood? I will gladly trade them for the crystals your father so desired from our world.”
“Isn’t it time you left the Nightshade universe?” Shirl asked as she approached the blond vampire. “You and Afton are welcome in this world. You could even return to Earth. Anywhere must be better than that bleak dimension.”
“Afton will not budge until all my brothers have mated and the Nightshade universe is a haven for human and vampire alike,” Lorenz said. “Believe me, I have tried.”
“Shirl,” Benko said. “Return our friends to the Nightshade universe and bring Alex home from the penal colony. Tell our friends there we plan to bring them all home, but need to stabilize things here first. I imagine there are some of our freedom fighters who want to be reunited with loved ones in this world, so hurry back.”
Cassie watched Shirl opened a portal and their allies entered behind her. She figured Shirl would be returning with Alex soon, but she was too eager to be alone with Darden to wait. She could catch up with her old friend tomorrow and tell her what transpired here today.
Before Cassie could escape with Darden, two Palace Guards entered the greeting room and an elderly couple followed. Cassie did not know who the couple was, but she knew they were important. The four approached Benko and had a quiet exchange.
“Cassie,” her father called out, “come here before you leave.”
Darden escorted her to Benko’s side and she waited to be introduced to the elderly couple.
“I would like to introduce you to Prime Addum Feabigger and his wife, Sacha,” her father said. “They were arrested as soon as your grandfather knew you had entered the Troyk universe. When Stellar started releasing the prisoners from below, the Prime and Sacha were set free. They are your mother’s parents.”
Cassie stood frozen in place, staring at her maternal grandparents. Her father never spoke of her mother and only gave cursory answers when Cassie inquired about her. Obviously, Jeryl Jarlyn feared what they might tell her, so he had her mother’s parents arrested before she had a chance to meet them.
“Our daughter disappeared so many years ago,” Prime Feabigger said. “We had no idea she escaped our dimension with Benko. She was barely out of school and we did not like the people she was hanging out with. Cathey, our daughter, was not a mind control telepath, but we are. After all these years, we figured she had been captured, used a false identity, and was sent to the penal world. I am embarrassed to say, we washed our hands of her so many years ago. When Prime Adholm petitioned to see his daughter in the penal world, we never bothered to explore the possibility Cathey was there.”
Her grandmother stood crying, but did not say a word. Cassie was drawn to the woman. She went over and hugged her grandmother. The woman shook, she wept so violently.
“Don’t cry, Grandma,” Cassie said. “We will get to know each other and you can tell me all about Cathey. I have no memory of her, so I am counting on you to provide me a mental picture of who she was.”
Cassie nodded to Prime Feabigger. She was not yet ready to allow another grandfather into her life, especially one who had lost his daughter without a fight. Benko would have made inquiries and fought for her, unlike the old man who stood before her. Perhaps tomorrow she would be in a more forgiving mood. Jeryl Jarlyn’s body was still within a glance of where her father stood.
She applied pressure to Darden’s hand, signaling she wanted to go. Right now, all she wanted was to be alone with him. Cassie silenced any pathways that she found distracting, which were all but the link she shared solely with Darden. She needed rest and her soul mate.
They left the greeting room as more people entered to meet with her father. There would be a short period of chaos while power shifted from the mind control telepathic government to her father’s vision for the future. She knew she had a role to play in that transition, but not tonight. Her current plans had nothing to do with ruling people, but focused only on a single individual.
Drake’s blood still surged through his system. He had never felt so alive and energized. Cassie, on the other hand looked ready to collapse from exhaustion. His needs were of little concern when it came to the well being of the precious young woman next to him.
They decided to stay in The Palace instead of heading to his apartment or the Childers’s residence. The idea of a bed a couple yards away from the greeting room was too much of an opportunity to pass up.
“How does a nice hot shower sound to you?” Darden asked. She was filthy and needed to bathe before he tucked her in for the night.
“Only if you take it with me,” Cassie said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him gently and they headed for the bathroom within her quarters.
“We need to burn these clothes, baby,” Darden said with a laugh. “I was beaten to a pulp, so how did your jersey end up in worse shape than mine?”
“I’m not sure,” Cassie said while looking at the filthy, disheveled woman in the mirror. “At first, all I could think of was saving you and then defeating Jeryl Jarlyn, regardless of what it took. When I thought I was going to lose you, my world shattered. I never want to feel that way again. You are my everything.”
He cupped her face in his hands. She was beautiful, even with her face covered with smudges of heaven knew what. When he was imprisoned, all he saw when he closed his eyes was her face. He no longer saw the ten-year-old girl, but the grown woman before him.
“Let me take care of you, baby,” Darden said. “I love you so much, it hurts.” He was being true to the promise he made to tell Cassie how much he loved and adored her.
Darden pulled the ruined tunic over her head. She wore a transparent bra that gave her support, but did not hide the beauty of her breasts. He knelt and pulled her leggings to the floor. When Cassie stepped out of the pool of fabric at her feet, she wore nothing but a barely visible pair of panties that matched the bra he had been admiring. Her eyes never left him as he removed his clothing. Cassie did not move or attempt to remove her undergarments. She was leaving that privilege to him.
He wrapped his arms around Cassie and unhooked her bra while his mouth captured her lips. She had the sweetest taste. A flavor uniquely hers. He had kissed a lot of girls before he met Cassie, but none ever brought him as much pleasure. His fingers hooked under the elastic band of her panties and pushed them down past her hips. The panties joined the rest of her clothing on the floor.
Together, they entered the stall. He turned on the shower and sheltered Cassie from the cold water until it heated. His lips never left hers. He could feel her fatigue, but her excitement pushed it aside. The last thing Cassie wanted was to take a relaxing shower and go to sleep. She wanted to celebrate their victory and being alive. Countless emotions travelled through their connection.
When the water temperature was just right, he shifted their positions and let the soothing stream hit her exposed back. He reached for the shampoo and clumsily poured some in his hand. He didn’t want to release Cassie for a single moment. With his free hand, he lathered the lavender scented shampoo throughout her hair.
Cassie tipped her head back to rinse the soap from her tresses. Her beautiful neck was exposed and Darden ran his tongue up her carotid artery. For an instant, he wondered if Drake’s blood was influencing his behavior. He immediately dismissed that thought. His desire was to drive deeply within his soul mate, not drink her blood. Nor did he need Drake’s ability to put a woman in a trance and take advantage of her. He needed no supernatural powers with this woman. His woman.
There was a sponge in the shower, but he did not use it. He wanted to feel every inch of her body as he cleansed the evidence of battle from her skin. Adorable sounds of pleasure escaped her as he massaged her flesh. Her mouth sought his and Darden was more than willing to kiss her with all the passion he held for her.
He could feel how much today’s activities weakened Cassie. Darden needed to towel her off and get her into bed. There he would love the woman he waited eight years to be with. So far, their lovemaking had been urgent and out of control. Today, he was going to savor the experience, taking her slowly and methodically. He intended to discover how to bring pleasure to his beautiful mate.
Darden wrapped Cassie in a warm towel and used a second one to clumsily dry her long hair. He lifted her onto the counter of the vanity while he tended to her. She closed her eyes as he massaged her head through the ultra-soft absorbent material. When he was satisfied he had removed most of the moisture, he tossed the wet towel aside. Gently, he ran his fingers through her hair, working out the few tangles that existed.
His hands left her head and wiped the drops of water resting on her shoulders and upper back. Her skin was silk. Where he was muscle hard, Cassie was so soft and fragile. He thought of everything they had been through today and how close they came to losing each other. He would never again lose an opportunity to love the woman the Supreme Being made specifically for him.
He lifted Cassie into his arms, allowing the towel to slip from her body and fall onto the floor. With great care, Darden placed Cassie on the bed. Someone had entered their room and turned down the sheets. In the future, he was going to have to lock the door, but tonight he was grateful for the intrusion.
“You are still wet,” Cassie observed.
“I know,” he replied, “but I am going to get wetter before I am done loving you. Odds are, we are going to have to take another shower before we are finished.”
Cassie’s lips shifted into a sexy little smile. “That sounds good to me,” she said. “You realize my father will probably be staying across the hall.”
Darden laughed, something he feared he would never do again during his captivity. Cassie, his brother, and their friends had rescued him and freed this realm from the mind control government. It was something he only dreamed about, like lying next to Cassie in their bed.
“Your father has Chartail sharing his bed,” Darden said. “They will be making too much noise of their own to hear any cries of passion coming from this room. Your father knows what we are and can no longer keep us from being together. The damage has been done, as he may say. The power everyone feared turned out to be a unifying ability, not anything destructive. I couldn’t imagine anything evil ever coming from you.”
His soul mate stared into his eyes as if trying to determine what he said was true. All she had to do was reach into their channel and all his feelings would be revealed. Life was too precious to hold anything back.
He knew the moment her mind touched his and understood he was truthful because her arms and legs wrapped around his body. Cassie lifted her head and plastered her lips to his. Darden deepened the kiss, bringing her head down onto the pillow. His hands ran up and down her torso, memorizing every curve. She had lost some weight since leaving Gingko Terra and he needed to make sure she ate more so she would not lose her delicious figure. Men liked something other than boney flesh to hold on to.
As he continued to kiss Cassie, he ignored how hard he was. This was about loving Cassie, not relieving his driving need. It was about love, not sex. He owed Cassie that.
Darden released her lips and planted kisses down her chin and neck. He let them drift to her ear and ran his tongue along the outer shell. She caught her breath and moaned. The fingers of one hand tangled in his hair, holding him in place. Her delicate shivers made it obvious she enjoyed what he was doing.
“Do you like it slow, baby?” Darden whispered before he again used his tongue to caress the sensitive spot he had discovered.
When she went to grab his engorged shaft, he caught her wrist and gently held it against the mattress. If she touched him, he would lose all control. He did not want to deprive her of anything, but this time he had no choice. It was best to otherwise occupy her mind.
He let his hand drift to her glistening folds, already wet and prepared for him. First one finger entered her, then another. Like what his tongue was doing to her ear, his fingers moved slowly within her. Brushing by, but not touching her clit. He wanted to build a slow fire within her.
He brought his lips back to hers, wanting to taste her again. When Darden was held prisoner, he could almost taste her when he dreamt of Cassie. Now he could not get his fill of the unique flavor that was his soul mate’s alone.
“I want you inside me,” Cassie cried as his fingers quickened the pace.
She would have to wait a little longer, as he still had yet to reacquaint himself with her delectable breasts. Cassie wrapped her free arm around his neck when he attempted to move his head to her chest. His soul mate had other ideas. He had to rethink his strategy.
Darden removed his fingers and place the crest of his staff against her feminine core. Instead of entering her with a powerful thrust, he gently broached her glistening folds in a slow, graceful entry. He released her hand and lifted his head a couple of inches above her face. Cassie did nothing to stop him and their eyes met. For once, he wanted to watch her expressions as he inched into her core.
Her breathing changed slightly, as she stretched to accommodate his size. Sweat began to accumulate on her nose and he lowered his head to lick the moisture from her skin. Cassie brought up her legs to wrap around his hips, bringing him deeper inside her. Her muscles contracted around him and he ground his teeth to keep from shouting out with joy. It felt so damn good!
