Page 52 of The Erion Triad

Kyel gritted his teeth. “Then this is it.”

Lucie took Juliran’s hand, then placed Zaen’s and Kyel’s hands one above the other, stacked between her two hands, joining them all. She looked at all of them, filling their bond with the strength of her love. “Thank you. All of you. You have shown me what it means to live without fear. You have helped me escape the confines of my own mind—in more ways than one. Thank you for eternity. Know that whatever happens, I wouldn’t have my life any other way.”

“Nor I.” Kyel kissed her forehead.

“We are blessed. Always.” Zaen kissed her forehead too.

The hint of a smile curved her lips. “I only wish we could have mate bonded in real life, not just in my mind.”

Kyel growled. “Then let this work and we will have mate bond sex as many times as you like, mate. I will show you time and time again in as many ways possible how it can be done.”

Pink teased her cheeks, but her eyes gleamed in a way that went right down to his shaft. He shouldn’t be turned on right now, but that knowing gleam in her eyes was all it took. If they survived, he was going to live the rest of his life in a constant state of arousal, that was for sure. He could tell by the lingering look in his brother’s eyes, he wasn’t the only one. That was good. They would have good lives.

If they lived.

Wewilllive. Lucie spoke in his mind.

Juliran wasn’t the only one not able to keep his broadcasting to himself.

Lucie firmed her shoulders and faced the open door to the crystal case. She took a steeling breath and held it as her fingers curved around the crystal. Motes of blue and green circled her skin and the inner glow of the crystal reached for her.

He tried to soothe her fear, her trepidation that washed over him, sending back warmth and love as best he could.

Slowly, slowly, she curled her fingers around the crystal. The room exploded in beams of light that radiated outwards from the tower in strobes of electric blue. They washed over the land, coating over everything like sunlight. The ground began to glow with the energy of the crystal. The grass, trees and shrubs illuminated with the colors of the crystal. The energy color bled into the buildings, changing sandstone to swirls of vibrant blues and greens. The entire land as far as he could see was washed in the stunning colors of the Erion crystal.

A screech blasted around them, and the glass in the tower rattled. Anger and rage made the cloud writhe and boil. The face turned and raced towards them, bearing down on them like an enraged beast.

“It’s not working. I… need more.” Lucie’s voice was small and strained. This was killing their mate. That could not happen.

He wasn’t going to stand by and let her die to save their land. If she died, he didn’t want to go on. He wrapped his arms about her, giving her everything he had.

The light erupted with power. A blast hit the clouds and the face recoiled.

“Kyel. Zaen. Lend us your energy!” he yelled.

They were bonded mates; her energy was theirs. If she couldn’t do it on her own, then the four of them would blast thatdrumas turdout of the sky. Kyel and Zaen snapped to action and wrapped themselves around him and Lucie.

The ground trembled and the tower shook, not hard, but enough to feel the shift beneath his feet. They were lost in the blast of energetic light that seemed to wash through the very particles of reality.

When the light cleared, he blinked. And blinked again. “Do you…? Can you…?”

“I can… It’s…” Zaen said.

“As beautiful as our mate,” Kyel finished.

On the ground, crystals emerged from beneath the soil. Large and small shards reflecting the energetic light from the tower. The land and everything on it glowed with light from within. The very structure of the land was changing before his eyes.

Above, the mouth on the face gaped wide. It circled the tower, screeching, but couldn’t seem to get any closer. But while the land had changed and was keeping the face at bay, the sky was still blocked by the clouds of the entity.

“We’re keeping it away, but it’s still there,” Juliran said. They couldn’t stand like this forever. “We can’t chance taking our hands away while it’s there.”

“We need more juice,” Lucie said.

Kyel looked as confused as Juliran felt. “Are you thirsty, mate?” Kyel asked.

“What? No! I mean, we need more power. More people,” Lucie said.

“Tann, come and touch us,” Kyel said. If she needed people, he would get everyone in his Homeland to hold hands.

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