AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He didn’t answer. He didn’t want to. Ben had no right to interfere. Not now! Not when he found everything here in his arms. The rest of the world could just go fuck itself for all he cared.
Shit, Raiden! Answer me, damn it!
He caught Jazmi by the hair and pulled her head back as the kiss deepened. Her sultry essence rolled into him like a wave of burning fire. A storm started as a whirlwind rushed over him, clamoring for more. From the depths of his soul, he yearned for her, ached for her. He held nothing back as he reached beyond himself to connect with the dream in his arms.
Raiden!
Now all four brothers screamed in his head. It was a struggle to break the intoxicating kiss. With his lips smoldering, it was a struggle to separate from her. As they parted, he rested his forehead against hers. He licked his lips, savoring her taste as he gazed into the blazing dual color of brandy brown and sharp orange of Jazmi’s expressive eyes.
She granted him a sultry, promising smile. “You’d better answer them because I’m afraid they have something urgent to tell you.”
He didn’t give a shit. All coherent thought pooled low in his groin. It was unreasonable to ask him to think of anything besides the woman in his arms.
Raiden!
Goddess, damned persistent assholes.
What?
Come back to Azadi right now! Michael took the telepathic lead. Mother is missing, and we’re afraid Murduk kidnapped her!
Raiden stilled as the absolute terror from his brother pounded into him.
Before his brother uttered another word, a vision yanked him into a different reality.
He stood on one of the rolling hills outside his family’s hometown of San Francisco.
The Golden Gate Bridge melted into the bay while the city burned. Alien ships above shot into the congested area with fireballs and streams of ionized blasts. Screams of pain and panic mixed with soaring missiles from the military on the ground. The human weapons bounced off the alien ships, exploding back to earth.
Concentrating on multiple streams of consciousness, he witnessed the scene repeated throughout the planet.
The annihilation of humankind was well on its way.
A firm grip from feminine fingers twined with his. He glanced at Jazmi next to him.
“Can we stop this?” She whispered the question.
He narrowed his telepathic abilities. The timeline was fluid and held no firm answer. “I don’t know.” But one thing came through crystal clear.
The invasion had begun.
Meanwhile, deep in an uncharted cave in the Himalaya Mountain range, aboard the CS Zikia.
Adapa, father to Zamush and his brothers, lifelong mate to Princess Inanna, gasped as his eyes flew open. At first, the film covering them made it hard to see. With trembling hands, he rubbed his eyes. After a couple of blinks, his vision cleared. Gazing through the transparent barrier of the stasis pod, he struggled to figure out what happened.
Why was he awake? Where were Inanna and their sons? They had to be the ones who woke him up. He didn’t see anyone through the limited clear glass. With a shuddering grunt, he waved a hand over the control to dissolve the door.
The secure door vanished, and he fell and dropped to the unforgiving floor. He positioned his open palms just in time to avoid smashing his face as he landed.
Another grunt and he rolled onto his back. With effort, he opened his eyes again. Studying the bland metal ceiling of the ship, he let his body relax and his mind wander. Even though his family wasn’t there, he shouldn’t have any trouble connecting with someone. Especially his eldest son, Raiden. Who, Adapa admitted with a wry smile, was a more powerful telepath than he was. When he couldn’t connect with anyone, he let his mind go blank.
Floating through his memories came the sorrowful day he put himself under. The endless weakened state he suffered for years finally took its toll. He either succumbed to death or went into an endless stasis sleep. His intention was to give Inanna time to find a cure. While time was irrelevant to him as he slept, he suspected centuries had passed.
Out of the corner of his eye, a golden spark caught his attention.
Are you well, Grandfather?
Warmth flooded him as his tension evaporated. Here was the spirit of his first granddaughter, from his son Ben.
