Terran Realm Vol 1-6 Page 11

  He cast her a sidelong glance which told her he was thinking about more than Jenalee, he was stewing over her complete silence on his declaration … not of love, but that she was his mate. There was a big difference as far as she was concerned. Being mated wasn’t something she was comfortable with … when she said “I do”, it would be with someone she loved more than life itself, not because it was decreed.

  As soon as they had a few moments alone, she’d talk to him, try to explain in a way that wouldn’t hurt his feelings, especially after Jenalee’s defection. She was just afraid there was no escaping the fact that he’d probably see her in the same light … as someone who’d flushed his trust down the crapper.

  “And them?” Brenna forced her mind back into the moment and nodded in the rearview mirror at Mark and Claire, who followed in Claire’s car. The Sorhineth was carefully tucked away in one of Donovan’s old backpacks, lying at her feet. “Will they be fine too?”

  “I hope so,” he replied quietly, and Brenna knew he was thinking of more than them, he was thinking of Jenalee. How must her betrayal of him sting? From what she’d seen and felt from him, it had to be a knife to his heart.

  He ushered her through a side entrance, Mark and Claire joining them.

  Rooms, hell, Brenna thought as Donovan unlocked a spacious center suite. Two doors flanked each side, connecting to bedrooms. It was odd the room didn’t reek of Destroyer, but Jenalee obviously hadn’t spent much time here.

  Mark stepped to the princess phone near the wet bar and picked up the receiver, punching in a string of numbers. “Tony, Mark. Just wanted to give you a heads up that we’re here. Cars are in the usual spot, normal precautions.” He paused, nodding as the other man answered him. “Thanks, man.” He hung up and turned. “We’re set. Carmella knows what to bring up food-wise, and will leave it here in the suite, so we just have to lie low when she shows.”

  Claire had settled into one of the two leather couches flanking the unlit fireplace. “Brenna, can I have the Sorhineth?”

  Brenna slid the backpack off her shoulder and pulled the tome from within, handing it over as she sat down opposite. Donovan sunk into the plush leather next to her. He sat stiffly, his hands fisted on his thighs. His expression was stoic, except for the bunching of his jaw. She laid a hand over his, and curled her fingers into his palm. Even if she couldn’t get her mind around the whole “mate” thing, she’d begun to think of him as her friend—a friend with benefits, yeah, but a friend nonetheless. And supporting each other was what friends did.

  He’d been strong, showing almost no emotion throughout the day, no regret, no remorse, no fear. It was starting to tell on him. She’d learned enough about him over the past few days to know he’d hold it in for as long as possible, and when he let go it would be a freakin’ mushroom cloud. She only hoped he could hold out until Claire said whatever it was she’d concluded.

  The clink of ice on glass caught her attention, and she turned her head to see Mark pouring a stiff drink into a highball glass.

  She smoothed her fingers down Donovan’s arm, then stood and walked to the bar, laying a gentle hand on Mark’s shoulder. He started, even though he’d been looking at her in the reflection of the mirror. It seemed to be the only way he could meet her eye.

  “I think we can all use one of those. I’ll get the ice and glasses if you’ll carry the bottle.”

  “Sure.” His voice was strangled, and she knew there’d be more than one man losing it this day.

  They worked their way back to the seating area and Brenna did the honors, pouring them all a glass of Scotch. She raised her glass. “Merry Christmas.”

  * * * *

  They’re here. Jenalee has yet to return and the Destroyer link between us has broken. What if the unspeakable has happened and both she and the Sorhineth are lost to me?

  If the half-breed has true control of both the Sorhineth and his Warden, then the fate of the world may very well lie in his hands.

  It’s not something I can—or will—allow. I won’t make Jenalee’s obvious mistake and underestimate his power. All these years we’ve let him take the glory, let him run his business, and I’ll be damned—or dead—if I let it go on one more day.

  Chapter Eight

  Brenna’s quiet toast hit Donovan like a punch to the gut. Jesus. It was Christmas Day, and look how he and his friends had spent it. While the Terrans as a whole didn’t necessarily believe in the ideology behind the holiday, they did enjoy celebrating it.

  “Get out, both of you.” It was an order, not a request.

  “Pardon?” Mark’s head popped up and he looked him straight in the eye.

  “It’s Christmas. Go home, to your families. Forget this mess ever happened.”

  His only reply was an unladylike snort from Claire.

  He shifted forward, planted his forearms on his thighs, and stared at both of them. He might be responsible for tanking Brenna’s Christmas all to hell, but Mark and Claire had done nothing but be unfortunate enough to call him friend.

  Glowering didn’t seem to be having much of an effect, and when Brenna reached up to massage his shoulders, he almost melted into a puddle on the floor.

  She’d been studiously avoiding his eyes since he’d told her she was his mate, but had shown in other ways she cared … brief, fleeting touches, twining her hand with his. He’d known she was too strong to simply accept something fate decreed, but he knew, from her actions, she felt something for him, and he’d do his damndest to turn that something into the kind of love he’d seen in both sets of their parents. But first…

  “Listen, you didn’t ask to get caught up in all this crap. No one knows what’s happened, and no one needs to. Hell,” he said, and could feel the proverbial light bulb going on above his head, “having the two of you missing pretty much implicates you as well, if Julian starts poking around. Either we part ways now so he doesn’t know of your involvement, or we’re stuck together for the duration because things could get even more dangerous. You need to behave normally.”

  “And we will, starting tomorrow,” Claire stated calmly. “Right now, we’re sharing Christmas with friends. And part of that is figuring out exactly what we’re going to do.”

  Donovan sagged back against the couch. Claire had never listened to him, and it didn’t look like tonight was going to be the start of something new. If he hadn’t been so damned soul-tired, he would have pushed the issue, but right now all he wanted was a few moments peace of mind … in safety. Some time to formulate a plan, because it was a certainty Julian would be coming for the Sorhineth.

  “Fine. You’re the closest thing we have to an expert on the Sorhineth. Where do we go from here?”

  “I think the bigger question is what we’re facing. This is kind of an out-there concept, but hear me out. You’ve been pretty much pissed off at everything Terran since you came back home but especially since October, and made it quite clear, right?”

  Donovan nodded, wondering where she was going. His reasons for forming a tight little clique had never been public, but Claire was so damned perceptive she’d figured out something was off. She just hadn’t known what.

  “And Jenalee, who we now know was a Destroyer, conveniently gives you the location of the one thing you really need. Did you ever stop to wonder why?”

  “Shit. You’re right. I’ve been so busy thinking about what happened…” He’d never killed a woman before, and the fact it had been his childhood playmate and adult lover was something he still didn’t want to really consider. Instead, he’d been appraising it tactically, wondering what he could have done differently. He could have cast a silence spell, but it would have been of little good with Brenna being strangled. As the vision played in his head, he felt a flash of fury again which he quickly tamped down. He needed a clear head for this. He’d done the right thing in deflecting Jenalee’s spell right back at her. He had to keep thinking that, or go completely insane.

  “As you should have. But Jena
lee and I were never close, so I haven’t had to deal with any of your emotion. She gave you the location of the Sorhineth because she wanted you to find it. She wanted you to bring it back to San Francisco and hand it over, pretty as you please.”

  “But my place…” Brenna protested.

  “Probably she and Julian hedging their bets. Jenalee’s ‘abduction’ had to be a diversion, nothing more.”

  “Who is this Julian you guys keep talking about?” Brenna sounded a bit exasperated, and Donovan was sorry he hadn’t pressed the issue and explained the Terran’s role in all this the moment he’d been mentioned back at his house.

  “He’s one of the Terrans who works for me, almost from the first day I started the company. Apparently he found a better deal.” Donovan didn’t even try to hide the bitterness in his voice.

  “Okay, so somehow he’s involved, and Jenalee shows up at your house, expecting you to hand over the Sorhineth, but overheard me saying I could sense her taint on Mark, so shifted her tactics,” Brenna concluded.

  Damn, he’d known she was sharp, but this … her cognitive abilities quite simply blew his mind. She was a good person to have on his team, mate or not.

  “That’s the way I see it,” Claire agreed with a dip of her head.

  “Hmmm, pretty seamless,” Donovan conceded, running a hand through his hair. “But why me?”

  “Because you trusted her unconditionally. But you told me she said something about ‘your true nature.’ I think, for some reason, in your hands, the Sorhineth becomes dangerous to them. And they didn’t figure it out until after you’d already retrieved it.”

  “That’s ridiculous. For God’s sake, I’m a mixed breed, half Protector and half Earth Elemental. The power I hold is meager compared to full bloods.” While he’d been many things in his life, delusional wasn’t one of them. There were true beings of power within the Terrans, Claire being one of them, but he wasn’t in their company. Claire was full of shit.

  “And yet you defeated a full-blood Singer,” Claire reminded him gently. “Singers’ power is held within their words, and you destroyed her with yours. You are more than you ever anticipated, Donovan, fated to do something none of us can even comprehend. Jenalee said as much.”

  Donovan laughed it off. “I’ll buy your hypothesis on Jenalee, but me being something special is just goofy.”

  He didn’t miss the long look Brenna and Claire shared, but was too damned pissed to worry about it. Instead, he pressed on.

  “So now we think we know why. What do we do? When I started this, I wanted to find some way to bring the Terrans back to being what we were meant to be, stewards of the earth. Now I don’t know who to trust outside of this room, or where my priorities should be.”

  “You have the best instincts of anyone I’ve ever met.” This came from Mark, who’d been conspicuously silent for their entire exchange. “What’s your gut tell you?”

  “To protect Brenna, my family, and you two, and to hell with the rest of it.” The answer was so simple it startled him. “But what does that say about my noble goal to make things better?”

  “Maybe this is the first step toward attaining that goal,” Claire offered.

  “Since when did you become a mystic?” Donovan tried to keep his words light, but knew his frustration was coming through. He wasn’t very good at acting. Even planning beat the hell out of dissecting his life. If they went down that road, he really would lose it.

  Claire laughed. “Just call me Obi-Wan, thank you very much. So here’s what I think we should do. Let’s order some lunch and figure out exactly what the Sorhineth says.”

  Donovan nodded. She was right … about it all.

  * * * *

  Lunch was light fare, and more than any of them could really stomach. Mark hovered on the sidelines, obviously wondering what, if anything, he could do. If he would only look at her, Brenna would try to engage him in conversation of some sort. But he studiously avoided her gaze, as he had since this morning when he’d made his comment about her being brilliant. Brilliant. What a laugh.

  With a sigh she turned her attention back to the journal. Donovan and Claire were hunched over the Sorhineth, muttering every now and then. Brenna supposed she should feel a bit put out over the fact the Sorhineth was obviously more Claire’s forte than hers, but strangely she felt perfectly comfortable in handing over the precious tome to the pretty little Terran. Maybe it was the fact Claire’s library was so impressive, but she thought it was more because the book seemed at home in the Terran’s hands.

  But more than that, the Sorhineth preyed on her mind. Something Jenalee had said, “settling for second best” made her think of this mysterious Julian. Was he the second-best she’d spoken of? And if so, what did it mean? Was she a complete idiot for not voicing these questions aloud?

  Damn, all this inner thinking was making her head hurt. She turned her attention to the journal laid out before her. Anything had to be better than introspection. Her eyes skipped over her ancestor’s spidery handwriting, then she lifted them to study Donovan. He’d laughed off his obvious power, downplaying his heritage and importance in what was happening, but he seemed to forget he had put it in motion.

  Claire was right. There was something bigger going on here, and she had the feeling Donovan was the pivotal piece to the puzzle.

  She dropped her gaze again. Maybe the journal held a clue.

  * * * *

  Forty minutes later she had it, but wasn’t sure what to do with what she’d found. She excused herself for the ladies room, and pondered what she had read. As she washed her hands, she made her decision.

  When she reentered the room, the tableau had changed very little. Donovan and Claire were still seated on the couch and Mark stood by the window, framed by the late afternoon light.

  “I think I found something,” she announced, and watched their heads whip up.

  Donovan stood and walked to her, running a possessive hand over her shoulder and arm. “What did you find, lhiannan?”

  And damned if his words didn’t give me a little girly shiver. What if I’m really his mate? Would being bound to a man like Donovan really be such a bad fate? Even if I don’t love him? But that was a thought, and a discussion, for later when they were alone.

  “Well, I’m sure it’s in the Sorhineth, but you’ll probably have to dig to find it. Anyway, the journal talks about a kind of special Terran called a Talisman. Does that ring a bell for any of you?”

  All three shook their heads negatively.

  “Well, these Talismans each represent a form of Elemental power, and apparently they’re all vital to keeping the earth in balance when the shit hits the fan.”

  “So there are four of these Talismans, and since we’ve all become so complacent, we have no idea who they might be, or what to tell them if we ever do find them. Isn’t that marvelous?” Donovan’s voice was mocking and a hint bitter.

  “Do you think KOTE knows?” Mark asked, breaking his silence.

  Brenna mulled over the agonizing choice of correcting Donovan. There were five Talismans—Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Spirit. What she really wanted to know was what the “fruits of the earth” she’d read about related to. They were what indicated a Talisman who had been preordained.

  Given everything that had happened, and a feeling deep in her gut, she was pretty sure the Spirit Talisman was standing in front of her, clueless and alpha as he could possibly be.

  No matter how much Donovan had agonized and even waffled since Jenalee’s death a few short hours ago, she thought she knew the reason. As a Protector, he was designed, even bred, to kill while performing those duties. But a woman—and his best friend? No way he could dismiss something so huge without great difficulty.

  Being the Spirit Talisman was something he certainly wouldn’t welcome, but she felt the truth of what she’d read, deep in her bones.

  The diary said that according to lore, the Spirit Talisman would bring the Terrans back from spiritual
apocalypse and save not only his people, but thousands of human lives at the same time. She didn’t think Donovan would appreciate being looked at as a savior, even if he had started this quest with something vaguely similar in mind. He’d been looking to save his people, yes, but not in so direct a role.

  She was saved from her choice by Claire.

  “I think KOTE knows of the Talismans, but maybe not who they are.” Claire’s voice was solemn.

  “So the more we look at this, the more KOTE is becoming a bad guy, right?” Mark’s question was stunning in its simplicity.

  “I don’t know about that,” Brenna cut in. “If KOTE knows, then why didn’t one of them just come and ask me for it? As Terrans, it would be their right, and I would have acceded to it, just as I did with Donovan. I’d have to say Jenalee and Julian are more likely suspects, though how they knew about the Sorhineth is a mystery.”

  Donovan hummed before answering. “Maybe, but we’re still back to my original question of where we go from here. My gut still tells me to close ranks around me and mine.”

  “I think the bigger issue is why KOTE should even care what we do.” This was what bothered Brenna more than anything, and if her hunch about Donovan being the Spirit Talisman was correct, they were in bigger trouble than they’d originally surmised. If not from Julian, then from KOTE. There was no way they would let her, Donovan and the Sorhineth go free once they discovered they had it.

  She opened her mouth to let them all know what she’d found and then shut it slowly. She needed to read more of her ancestor’s words before she let something so big and wondrous fly. But more than anything, it was something she needed to tell Donovan alone.

  Donovan considered her with a thoughtful expression, oblivious to her inner turmoil. “You’re right. I suppose they could just want to keep the Sorhineth for themselves. So why would it make a difference if I have it, even for a little while?” He turned his gaze to Mark and Claire.

  “Because you threaten the status quo, that’s why.” Again it was Mark who slashed through the nonsense. “I still think it’s KOTE who’s behind this. They sent you to Boston, through Jenalee, not only to retrieve the Sorhineth, but to bring Brenna here. Jenalee may have been connected within KOTE, but you’ve been making too much noise lately. Without you raising a red flag, no one questions when things like Loma Prieta or Hurricane Hugo happen.”