Read Online Stone of Ascension by Lynda Aicher - Free Book Online Page A

choice?
    Her hand shook as she stretched it out to snatch the offered ring. What did he mean by ”contain the energy”? She fumbled with the chain, lifting it from her chest to eye the stone. The chain was attached to a corner of the stone by a small loop so it hung suspended in the diamond shape.
    She lifted her gaze, unclear on what he wanted her to do. Damian reached out, extracted the ring from her grip, and then carefully set the circle around the stone where it rested in her palm.
    Within seconds, the sensations died—the heightened awareness, the insistent vibration that rubbed imperceptibly over the hairs on her skin, the weighted denseness in the air that surrounded them were all gone.
    Amazing.
    “You felt that?” Damian held her gaze. “That was the energy. Now, pinch the ring into the small clasps on the corners of the stone to hold it in place.” A spark of stinging flames shot up her arm at the simple brush of his fingers over her palm. She flinched at the strange sensation and the quick withdrawal of his hand indicated he’d felt it too. Was that the energy? The odd feeling ignited a longing within her that was unfounded and unfamiliar.
    She snapped the ring into place and let the stone fall back to her chest. It looked stunning, the violet diamond mounted within the simple gold ring resting against the navy cotton of her shirt.
    “Now, your name.”
    “Why?” She buttoned the coat then crossed her arms tightly over her chest.
    “So I can stop thinking of you as the lost beauty.”
    His admission stunned her. She took a step back. Her instant denial was no doubt a result of the last time someone had called her beautiful. Nate. And look where trusting had gotten her then.
    She cautiously assessed him. Like always, his clothing was impeccable and cut to accentuate his strength. The crisp white shirt under his dark suit appeared even whiter beside the golden tones of his skin, and the royal violet tie was knotted to perfection. Everything about him spoke of power. Despite all that had happened, he still drew her in, pulled at her until she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to be protected by him. To be held and cherished by a man so totally in control.
    “Amber.” The small concession was given as a challenge. She lifted her chin and waited.
    He gave a slight nod in acceptance. “Amber. How appropriate.”
    “Why?”
    “Your name is very powerful,” he answered. “Amber—the blood of trees. It is formed from nature to shield and protect against infection, to give a tree a chance to heal as it restores itself from the inside out. It is the color of liquid sunshine, yellow for the midday sun and orange for the fiery sunset. It is alive, still and active. It is the balance that harmonizes yin and yang, as well as the past, present and future. It has the power to change negative energy into positive energy. But most importantly, it provides protection. Something you are now in need of.”
    Her lips thinned. “I don’t need protection.”
    “Oh, you need more protection than you can imagine.”
    Her panic flared, but she tried to control it. It was a pointless endeavor, but she would contain it—there was no way she would let him see it. This was all too extreme and beyond real. Every fiber of her body rejected the crushing feeling of being trapped and forced into something she wanted no part of.
    A chill that had nothing to do with the weather snaked over her. She exhaled, trying to maintain her calm and gather her wits. There had to be some logic in this. But there had been no logic to any of the things that had happened to her since New York City. Why should this be any different?
    “How did we get here? No, wait.” She held up her hand to stop his answer. “I don’t want to know. Just take me home. I don’t care where we are or how we got here. Just take me home.”
    “I can’t do that.”
    “Obviously you can since you brought us here. What you’re saying is you