The Bonding Chronicles Ch. 14

Even by the standards of Sara's people, she was breathtaking. While Karen took in the sight, Andrew flew out of the SUV and became enveloped by Sara's arms as he jumped into her embrace. Karen watched as the younger woman's body caught and supported Andrew with little effort. Her gift, even across the dozen yards that separated them, was able to sense the efficiency of her movements.

Sara had been the only Therian that Karen had ever met, the reclusive people doing a good job of keeping themselves secret, and Karen never trying to seek them out. Tani'm's supernatural physique seemed much as Sara's had been, reinforcing to Karen what a magical body was capable of, but the woman that laughed and cried before her shattered every notion that Karen had held.

The engine cut off, but the lights remained on, as Karen stepped from the vehicle. The young couple's relief was palpable in the cool, damp coastal air, adding to the wonderful fragrance of the Oregon coast. Sara's eyes were closed as she held Andrew close, burying her face in his neck as she took in his scent. Karen could sense their relief and arousal, as the two forces battled for dominance in her young lovers.

Her confusion was the only force that kept her from succumbing to the same emotions, which were fighting to take hold within the older woman's heart. By the time she reached the two teens, she had given up trying to understand how Sara had changed, or determine just what she was capable of, now that her limitations had been removed. All she could see was the child she had found confused and alone, struggling to understand herself in a world that seemed to make little sense.

Sara opened her eyes and saw Karen watching them, tears welling up in the older woman's gaze. Andrew could feel the depth of Karen's emotions, and despite some reluctance, he stepped back as Sara set him down, his stunning mate locking her gaze with his, her amber eyes promising him that they would continue where they left off soon.

Karen stepped forward and caressed Sara's cheek with the back of her fingers, the once pock-marked skin soft and pristine, warm and yielding to her tender caress.

"I..." Karen was forced to stop, the emotions she had been fighting for so long bubbling up at the sight of Sara. So many emotions battled for supremacy in her mind, as every role she had ever played for the young woman fought to take centerstage: Mother, guardian, confidante, mentor, friend, and most recently, lover.

Andrew had a small glimpse of the struggle that Karen was facing, the long history of the two women having been made clear to him over the last couple of weeks, and he was eager to see what would happen. Whether by design, or impulsive genius, Sara made their relationship clear, as she stepped forward and pulled Karen into a tender and passionate kiss.

Despite the younger woman's strength, the act was gentle, and as their lips met, Sara quickly fell into a submissive role, allowing Karen to set the pace. Andrew's body couldn't help but react to the caring scene that he was witnessing, and while a week prior he would have succumbed to his erotic desires, he was able to resist his urges, and appreciate the moment for what it was — the solidification of the two women's new relationship.

He was amazed that such a frightening event had yielded such an unexpected outcome. Karen's conflict over her new feelings for Sara were made clear by everything that had happened, and he was glad for it all as he watched them celebrate their reunion.

"You mustn't do this to me again," Karen declared with a husky breath, as their mouths parted.

Sara's smile betrayed her serious tone when she responded, "No, never again." Karen took advantage of the pause to shake her head and giggle, sensing Sara's continued response. "I'll make sure to schedule my next abduction for sometime after 'Iron Chef.'"

Andrew shifted his growing length over his pants as he began to walk towards the warehouse that loomed a few dozen yards ahead, Karen's happy voice fading to the background as he moved.

"That would be wonderful, thanks."

He could sense their elation as they held each other close, years of companionship deepening their relief as they came back together.

The warehouse was dark and barren, the few crates and pallets that were scattered about the only thing that Andrew could see in the dim light of the massive room. One crate stood apart from the rest, its presence seeming peculiar, as it rested far from the discarded groups of wooden refuse that had been left within the dilapidated building. Whatever had happened took place there, the thick dust heavily disturbed, and as Andrew drew closer, he became nauseous as the unmistakable scent of copper drew his attention to large splashes of blood that had been smeared and tracked around the area.

His eyes would not move — could not move — as he tried to understand everything that had happened; for a gifted tracker, the story would have been clear, Andrew knew that, but for him, the scene spoke of just one thing: the near tragedy that had almost taken Sara from his family. It took several moments for Andrew to pull his eyes from the scuffled marks where blood painted a terrible picture, and as he scanned the empty room, he remembered why he had entered the building in the first place.

Mercedes was nowhere to be seen, and the only sounds that Andrew could hear were Karen's soft footfalls as she approached from behind.

"Dear God."

The words escaped Karen in a hushed tone as the moonlight presented what had stopped Andrew in his tracks. He turned his gaze and smiled at the sight of Sara, who was still clinging to Karen's arm. He was not surprised to see her, and took her silent approach as further confirmation of her changed nature.

"How did you survive this?" Karen asked, squeezing her lover's hand as she looked into Sara's amber eyes.

"Oh, what? The blood? It's a little interpretive art I like to call, 'Ode to Brandon.' It's made from one hundred percent organic blood, Brandon's to be exact. Well, most of it, anyways, I'm sure some of mine got in there somewhere." The shocked and expectant look on Karen's face did not lessen, despite Sara's attempt at humor, so she pressed on, "I just can't help but put a little of myself into my work."

Andrew almost laughed, before he saw the stern look that crossed Karen's face. It was clear that the older woman found no humor in what had happened, and while Andrew was proud of what Sara had done, Karen could not see beyond the danger she had been in. The intensity of Karen's demeanor made it clear to her mates that she was not going to let something like that happen again.

Her eyes settled on Andrew, whose smile faded for a brief moment, before he nodded and agreed, "We will be more prepared next time." He almost broke out with laughter, as Sara smiled and mimicked his speech outside of Karen's view.

She turned, and Andrew was surprised to see Sara wilt before the woman's powerful glare.

"At this point, I would settle with just being prepared."

Her eyes darted around the scene, and Sara was taken aback by the intensity of Karen's grip as her fingers tightened in direct relation to the concern that Andrew could feel in her heart. Karen thought back over her last several days, back to where this had all begun, and remembered the happy, playful way that Sara and Andrew had joked when they found Tani'm near death in the forest. The fact that her mates could comfort each other, and her, in the face of such mystery and danger, was not something she wanted to lose, but she worried that they would fail to recognize the threats that surrounded them.

Her fingers loosened as she reached out, beckoning for Andrew to come to her, and once he got close, she pulled Sara and him into her arms.

"I'm sorry. This... I... We can't let fate pull us apart. I won't — can't — lose you."

Andrew and Sara settled into that moment, knowing how Karen felt, though realizing how much more the older woman had felt their near loss, her longer life helping her to understand what was at risk. For many moments they remained like that, giving and taking comfort as their little pack became one, until Andrew broke the mood by beginning to chuckle. He had not wanted to, but had a hard time holding it back once he got started.

Karen pulled away, looking into his eyes as she asked, "Seriously?"

Andrew shrugged and said, "Well, speaking about losing people, wasn't Mercedes supposed to be here?"

Sara turned her gaze, realizing that he was right. She had been so consumed with joy at being reunited with her mates that she had forgotten all about her waifish cohort. Then, the last moments she had spent with Mercedes came back to her, and she realized what the woman must have been struggling with.

It didn't take Sara long to see Mercedes' message written in the dust on the floor.

"I am sorry"

She could smell the woman's scent, and thanks to her new gift, see her trail leading out through the window, but before she could give chase, Andrew asked, "Would you like to find her?"

When Sara turned to look at her diminutive man, she could see him waving his phone back and forth, a point on a map moving further away from the building on the device's screen.

***** Divine Light *****

Caili had never seen the Crystal Cathedral without the light of the Mother Superior to fill its great hall, and as she stormed down its long corridor, she found herself missing the majesty of the great Celestial woman's presence. It was not that the massive cathedral had lost its splendor — the tall columns and vaulted crystal ceiling ensured that would never be the case. Instead, it was as if the hall had lost its soul.

The bright light that filtered through the semi-transparent ceiling was warm and inviting, but did not infuse Caili with awe and splendor, as it had on the few other occasions she had found herself walking across the soft sands of the grand entrance. Her anger had at first blinded her to that difference, but as she passed column after column, making her way towards the dais that dominated the far end of the immense hall, she began to notice the changes between that day, and the rest that had come before. The sands, while soft and perfectly white, lacked their sparkle, and the light that filtered through the ceiling was white, with no hint of the rainbow of colors that normally tricked her senses and drove her towards reverence.

She had known that the great hall had been built by magic, but had always assumed those aspects were part of its nature, and as she neared the dais, determined to get answers, Caili was forced to wonder — was the Crystal Cathedral an extension of the Mother Superior?

"It is, my child."

The voice came from behind a column, and despite the subtle whisper with which it has been spoken, she knew its speaker immediately. As if by instinct, she dropped to a knee, supplicating herself before the All Father. The large man, resplendent in platinum and gold colored armor, stepped from behind the broad column, his bearing speaking of a profound and ageless strength, his eyes piercing and determined.

If Caili had looked up, she would have seen the sympathy in the large man's gaze, a deep desire to ease her turmoil and understanding for what she was struggling with. He reached out, but stayed his gentle hand before it rested upon the back of her downturned head. She could feel the heat from his presence through the short-cropped blond hair that hugged her skull, her eyes growing wide at the realization of what he was about to do.

He clinched his fist, and withdrew his hand before it made contact, speaking, "Your actions do not serve you well this day."

"How can she expect me to betray my nature... our nature, like this?"

"This task is not easy, which is why it was entrusted to you."

Caili struggled not to unfurl her wings in anger, and could almost hear the smile spread across the All Father's face as he sensed her internal battle.

"Those men were innocent... Well, most of them were, anyway, and they died needlessly. I could have-"

The All Father's voice was deep, and his presence was felt in every syllable as he cut her off. "Your strength of arms has never been in question, and until this moment, your strength of will would have been kept in such a light."

Caili clenched her jaw, recognizing the trust that had been placed in her, but knowing how contrary the Mother Superior's orders had been to her nature. Especially when she considered her previous failings.

"You have not failed us, child."

Again, his deep voice spoke to something within her, lightening her worry and easing her conscience, and despite his gift, she could not help but revisit the pains of the past.

"Your sacrifice is written across your flesh, and it pains me to know you carry it still — within your very soul."

Acheron's face, twisted and broken, came rushing to Caili's mind. Decayed flesh clung to a broken skull and deep red eyes squinted with laughter, as she felt deep furrows of skin being torn from her body. The memory was banished as fast as it had arrived, shaken away by Caili, who fortified her will while the All Father spoke.

"Your capture allowed us to end his blasphemy... for a time."

Caili looked up, realization dawning in her sky-blue eyes as she rested her gaze on the splendor of the All Father for only the second time in her life. She barely counted the first — her fatigue and abuse had been so complete that when he found her within the twisted halls of Acheron's lair, she thought she had dreamt of his beautiful face. As her eyes settled upon him, she realized that the dream had been reality, and that it truly had been he who had saved her.

It had been a great day for her people. The greatest threat The Realms had ever known had finally been defeated. That had been the only comfort she had found in all the things that had happened to her, but as the All Father's words dug into her mind, she realized her sacrifice had given them nothing.

"Tarry that thought, my child. Your actions have saved more lives than can be counted, and gave all The Realms a half-decade of peace."

His statement had just finished when Caili nearly stood, the force of his glare the only thing that kept her from rising from her knee.

"If Acheron has returned, why must I babysit this strange little wizard?"

Despite her words, the All Father could sense a fondness in her voice. She liked the boy, and he understood why; Andrew's hopeful joy and trust in people's better natures was very much like Caili's.

"No matter what the Mother Superior thinks of Andrew, she cannot think he poses as much of a threat as Acheron, can she?" Caili's question had been shouted in her frustration, and hung in the air with potency, echoing throughout the great hall for a few seconds.

"They are different shades of the same color, and we have yet to see whether Andrew will lighten or darken as he continues his journey — which is why we must watch him closely."

Caili's eyes narrowed on the great man, his statuesque face showing no emotion as he completed his statement. She had never understood why the Mother Superior seemed to hate Magus so completely, only knowing that the powerful woman and her husband would descend upon all that appeared with righteous fury, ending their lives the moment their presence had been known. In that moment, she finally understood.

"Acheron is a Magus."

Her voice was but a whisper as the revelation of her great tormentor's nature settled upon her. Magu were so rare that Caili had only known of the Mother Superior and All Father's war upon them by lore, trusting that their actions had been necessary. Acheron's reign of terror had been so prolific, that few would speak his name, and she had been forced to assume that he was a wizard gone mad, driven to insanity by forces beyond his will or control. She had never considered that Acheron and the holy crusade against the Magus, were connected.

The single thought she could not shake, was how different the two men seemed; Acheron leading by force of will and magical enslavement, while Andrew seemed to guide his mates by love... she was frozen there, in that moment, as yet another realization struck her like a bolt of lightning.

"Exactly," The All Father began, "What Andrew wields with such gentle ease, can easily be used to corrupt and enslave."

For the first time, Caili understood the dangerous road that Andrew's gift could lead him down.

***** New Beginnings *****

Mercedes had been unsure about what she would do. The idea of returning to the Clowder brought up too many painful memories of what had happened to her. She had intended to confess her guilt to Andrew, to plead for forgiveness, but she knew that words would be meaningless, and understood all too well that she did not deserve to be forgiven.

The longer she sat on that crate, with Sara's playful attempts at pulling her out of her own head reminding her of what she had been forced to do, the more she knew she could not ask for such a thing. She had almost cost them everything, and from the joy she had seen in Sara's eyes as the powerful woman talked about Andrew, Mercedes knew that he would forgive her. But that was not something she felt could be given, understanding that it must be earned. And so it was, that when Sara vanished from the building, and she heard Andrew's excited yelp as he lunged into her waiting arms, she knew she had to leave.

The truth was, she had no idea what she would do. Her life had never prepared her for the human world. The forest was inviting and comforting, the cool night air and sweet caress of the full moon tried to sooth her aching heart, but the longer she ran, the more her uncertainty built. Life in the Clowder had been idyllic by almost every standard. The love and commitment that everyone shared drove them to build a wonderful community, but had done little to prepare them for life outside of the compound.

Xander had tried to prepare the next generation for life beyond the Clowder, pushing them to consider school and college, but he was an outlier. He was their leader, but his allowance of each family to set their own rules meant that most of the community maintained their suspicion and fear of the outside world. Mercedes had sensed it within her father and mothers, the distrust of humans that caused them to withdraw from a society that they often spoke of with derision and contempt.

Those thoughts swirled within the troubled woman's mind as she rushed through the forest, every mile bringing her closer to a world she feared she would never understand. Thankfully, Xander had managed to teach them enough despite their parents' protest, that she had some confidence that she could figure things out. Brandon had often left the Clowder, and so had amassed a small amount of money — by some unknown nefarious means, Mercedes was certain — which Mercedes clung to with the hope that it would sustain her long enough to get her bearings.

She would never be able to repay her debt, if she could not first survive within their world. Her heart swelled with the idea of returning to them someday; confident and strong willed — all the things she was not in that moment.

When she came out from the forest, the freeway was empty for as far as she could see, the sun still but a whisper on the dark horizon, and as she studied the distant skyline, she knew that dawn was just a couple of hours away. She wanted to move as far from Sara and the Clowder as possible, so with determination, she jogged south along the freeway, hoping to find her way to California.

Cars zoomed past, and despite a couple of vehicles stopping to give her a lift, she jogged on, dismissing them once she smelled the musky scent that the men were giving off. Their lust-filled eyes and sexual stink were too much for her, her wounds still fresh. Even though she had been polite, the men seemed to take offense. Their anger and heated words as they took off did not bother her, she rather enjoyed the jog.