Free Parallel Fire by Deidre Knight Page A

watched as it shot up the dark mountainside, seeking her out like his own personal missile.
    Â 
    Â 
    Â 
    Anna stood on the deck of the main lodge, staring at the stars overhead. It was a perfectly clear night that seemed perfectly designed to illuminate her heartbreak. From deep within the woods below she’d almost imagined the sound of Nevin’s cry for her, but she knew her heart was only imagining what it wanted to hear.
    The sound came again, more plaintive, desperate. Needy. She leaned over the railing, listening intently; silence was her only answer.
    Tears stung her eyes, blurring her vision, and she blinked at them hopelessly. Of course Nevin wouldn’t lay claim to their bond now that they were back in the compound. Of course he would return to the man she’d always known before, so controlled and unemotional. The only surprise at all was that Anna hadn’t anticipated his behavior.
    Lifting a hand to wipe away her tears, she spotted an eerie light down below the deck. The woods glowed unnaturally, as if some powerful energized being were moving through the area. Anna tensed, clutching at the railing, and tried to get a better view. Perhaps it’s our commander, moving through the woods in his natural form , she thought. Yes, that has to be it.
    She shuddered. Or maybe it’s one of our enemies, probing us.
    Reaching carefully, she found her pulse pistol holstered at her hip. Her fingers twitched, but she didn’t make a move for fear that she’d alert this being—whoever it was—to her presence.
    The glowing intensified, moving up the mountain rapidly—and aiming right for her. “Anna,” she heard whispered through the dense trees. “Anna…”
    Before she could blink, the orb of brilliant energy made a beeline for her, seeking her out with intense purpose. “Anna,” came Nevin’s whisper again, from deep within the energy sphere. His power was so blinding, she could barely keep her eyes open.
    She sensed his invitation, his pure desire to have her touch this part of himself. Glancing all about them, she searched for him. “Where are you?” she muttered aloud, her gaze sweeping the side of the main lodge.
    â€œRight here,” came his throaty, emotional reply from just behind her. She jolted, and he caught her from behind, clasping her shoulders with firm, staying hands.
    â€œYour energy?” She squinted, trying to gaze at it in the pure darkness. Up close like this, it was absolutely blinding.
    â€œIt was the only way I could think to find you.”
    â€œYou sent it after me? Like a homing beacon?”
    He pressed his lips against the top of her head, blowing out a heavy breath. “You’re my lifemate. My energy reacts to that, feels it. But that wasn’t the only thing.” He wrapped his muscular arms about her waist, pinning her against him. “I wanted to reveal my energy to you…intimately. Sensually, not like the other times when we were stranded. This is the most vulnerable part of me.”
    Tears brimmed in her eyes anew. From the very beginning between them, their respective energies had been a staging area, a line neither would cross willingly.
    She forced her eyes open, leaning back against his chest. “How could All have ever made something so incredibly beautiful?” she whispered.
    â€œTouch it.”
    â€œI-I can’t.”
    â€œI would never hurt you, Anna,” he promised, pressing his lips against her ear. “Not intentionally. That I hurt you earlier, well, it’s torn me up inside. But with my touch? With my energy? No, I will never hurt you. Never .”
    Extending both hands, she placed her palms around the undulating sphere; at that precise moment, her lifemate’s very energy shot deep within her, setting her entire body afire. She began to quaver, feeling her legs grow wobbly, but he anchored her against his chest. After a moment, she began to