“Where are we?” Diamond whispered.
A snow-capped volcano smoked in the far distance, but the ground they stood on was silky soft and shifted gently. Warm blue sand squished between her bare toes. She gazed in amazement at the beautiful expanse of swirling dunes that stretched away into the distance. There was no definition between land or sky, it was all one, seamless in its making. Diamond had never seen anything like it—but she had read about it.
“This is the Sky Desert?” It was a strange and wonderful place, full of nothing yet containing everything. Diamond could feel energy burning into her magic—feeding her. Life thrived here. But one would only see it if the wizards who protected these lands deemed one worthy of entering their realm. The woman smiled but did not reply. In fact, she seemed unable to summon the energy to speak at all. She gently brushed her thin cold fingers against Diamond’s chest. Her brows drew together in a frown as she touched the gouges left by the Queen’s sharp finger nails. Her dull eyes were sad, questioning.
“She took it. The Queen took it,” Diamond answered, feeling the wrench of that loss again. “How do I get it back?” she asked through tears that left trails of moisture down her cheeks.
The woman frowned, her eyes flashing angrily. Turbulent wind blasted across them but not a grain of blue sand shifted. Currents of air tugged fiercely at Diamond’s cream silk nightgown before a bright flash of light had her squeezing her eyes shut. An answering warmth tingled along Diamond’s skin, fizzling down into her bones until something tight covered her body. She gazed upon herself in astonishment, her mouth gaping open. Lifting her hands in front of her face she turned them over and over, inspecting them—inspecting her whole body in awe.
A figure hugging suit that felt like warm liquid wrapped Diamond from neck to ankles. Layered on top were beautiful iridescent scales that encased her body. Glittering and utterly indestructible, the armour wrapped around her torso like a second skin. Her boots stopped just below her knees, her legs protected by larger metallic scales that covered her thighs, forearms and shoulders. Shining and glorious, the scaled suit writhed next to her skin as though alive, fluid yet solid, an impenetrable otherworldly force.
It was impossible to do anything other than stare at herself as the outline of majestic dragons pushed through the scales before disappearing, all of them were adorned with a single jewel in their foreheads. They slithered around her body like a living shield. Diamond screeched as a huge head appeared in the scale-encrusted chest plate and endless, multifaceted eyes rolled back to meet her own. A sense of overwhelming protection filled her chest.
These are the guardians, she realised in wonderment. The everlasting deities who protected Eternity and the gods. Daggers engraved with the runes of their ancient language hung from her waist, and she felt the vicious rigidity of blades that were secreted up against her body and thighs.
The woman stepped forward and placed the flat of her hand against Diamond’s forehead. Her touch was cold but the sudden images that flashed into Diamond’s brain burned her mind: images of battles long past, of fighting alongside fierce winged warriors, of fire unleashed from the gaping maws of magnificent dragons, of repulsive dead-eyed monsters she had never seen the like of in any mythical books. A cloying, eternal shroud of darkness threatened to swamp her soul and suck the very life from her.
Diamond gasped for air, fighting against the swirling black veil and sudden bitter cold.
Those images abruptly disappeared, replaced by a picture of this same woman, young and strong; her eyes cerulean, bright and glowing with cold fury. She was clad in the same armour that Diamond now wore, her face feral and splattered in red and black gore. Fighting with a grace and skill that took Diamond’s breath away, her movements were precise and deadly and so quick that as she turned and dipped and slashed it was hard to keep track. In one hand she held a dark metal spear, wielding it in a blur of lethal movements. Monster’s loomed above her; huge beasts covered in a shell like spiky exoskeleton. Enormous jaws, tightly packed with sharp teeth, snapped at the spear as if trying to take it. Evading their claws and teeth, this woman slew monster after monster. She did not tire or give quarter to her enemy.
Magic burst from her free hand in destructive waves. But Diamond could feel the woman pulling at the energy around her, manipulating the air, the earth, the flames of dragon fire and even the moisture from the tears of the fallen. She drew it towards her until the air hummed, and she filled with a power so bright it almost burned Diamond’s eyes.
The battle from a millennia ago raged inside Diamond’s mind. This was the same magic she had used in the forest, except this magic obeyed the woman’s command. Her energy formed a thousand swords at once, stabbing and cutting a path through her enemy. With just a thought, she thrust razor sharp ribbons outward and turned her enemies to dust. Realisation dawned, stealing Diamond’s ability to breath.
This was Lunaria. This fierce woman was the goddess of creation.
She was able to manipulate the elements and magic of this world to fight her brother, Erebos. Lunaria pushed thoughts and memories into Diamond's mind. She had fought for millennia to prevent Erebos from destroying every living soul in this world. But unlike him, Lunaria had a heart and had fallen in love. That love had become her greatest weakness. The goddess had loved her fae mate, King Noan Arjuno, and their new born baby so fiercely that she had died for them.
But here, now, in this dream world, Lunaria looked like the goddess of starvation and death. Diamond swallowed, her mouth and throat bone dry as the images receded.
‘Erebos is watching, he is waiting, but soon he will return. Child, it will take all your courage to fight through your grief and shadows. Even when your heart is breaking, you must remember that you are of my blood, and that only our blood can kill him.’
Lunaria’s voice was but a weak echo inside Diamond’s head. The bony hand lifted from Diamond’s forehead. Aghast, Diamond stared at Lunaria.
“W-what do you mean? How am I of your blood? How can I beat a god? I am only a girl,” she whispered, horrified that anyone would expect her to carry out such a task.
Lunaria smiled sadly. ‘You must, or he will destroy everything. Not just your home but mine too. I cannot help you, not from this prison. Only you can do what needs to be done. Don’t give up. Don’t let death and despair win—or Chaos will reign over Eternity.’
The goddess became more transparent, the air around them imploding. The atoms of this dream world cracked open until a gaping void yawned behind the goddess. Lunaria fought the ghastly shadow-fingers that tried to drag her into darkness. Forcing out her weak magic, the goddess drove them back before forcefully pushing her hand back on Diamond’s head.
Diamond’s magic flared into life, her body twitching as memories of lessons learned long ago were thrust deep into her mind, burning into her memory; a warrior’s lessons: how to think; how to read her enemy; how to move, strike and kill.
‘I will give you this…but you have to practice—beat him, beat death—and free me, her eyes begged Diamond.
The sands shifted, disappearing from under Diamond’s feet into a huge fissure that cleaved the earth, then she was falling, falling through darkness. There was no sound, no sight, only a desperate coldness. Down she plummeted, her mouth gaping in a silent scream. Her body slammed into something solid, then there was nothing.
Chapter 55
Hugo had not attempted to sleep or rest; guilt kept tightening his gut into painful knots. How many times will I have to hurt her, to damage that beautiful face or body to save her from worse insult? Now that he had calmed down, he knew he would have done it: he would have lashed her skin open to save her from Lord Commander Ream’s punishments.
Hours had passed and he was still intermittently shaking, although he was at a loss to decide why. Fear. Regret. Anger. Self-disgust. He smacked a fist into the mattress and half groaned, half growled. He deserved Diamond’s contempt, but that did not dull the pain of it.
> Why did I have to meet her? Why does she even exist? She had become his worst nightmare and his perfect dream. She didn’t know how right all her accusations had been. Hugo cared for her, to the point of losing control of his common sense. By bringing her to the palace, by guarding her room, by running after her this morning, he had broadcast his feelings.
Now she was a target for all those who wanted to get back at him.
His magic flared protectively. She was his Nexus. The implications of that almost stole his breath. Together they could stimulate and boost the other’s magic. But if the books he had been devouring recently were to be believed, if he and Diamond mated, their magic would swell far beyond any the Queen could yield alone. He swallowed and squeezed his eyes shut.
If I scoop Diamond up now and run, could we escape? He slumped, his chin resting on his broad chest. Too many others would die—Jack would die. Hugo sighed; he did not want that on his conscience, and he didn’t think Diamond would either. Besides, they would be hunted to the end of time by the Queen. There was no running—not for him anyway.
Hugo growled at his confused thoughts. Being ordered to kill Diamond made his soul shudder with fear, and with absolute certainty he knew he never could. Sitting on the side of his bed, he tossed his knife, catching the white-bone hilt with precision, over and over, just like he had been doing on and off for the past two hours.
The image of that possessive glare Fedron had given Diamond had sent a wave of rage bubbling through his blood. And then there was Attion. Hugo snarled, thinking about his underling. So the abused became the abuser; it was sickening to think of that cycle happening over and over in this tower, of the many hundreds of young guards subjected to unspeakable horrors at the hands of males like Ream. Hugo swallowed the bile in his throat.
First he would deal with Attion and the boy, then he would think about Fedron. Hugo had met fae like him before. Primal and debase. They were always masters of manipulation and lies, hiding their true selves to fit into society, often exploiting unwary females to get what they wanted.
The fact he had hidden his true nature enough to become one of Commander Riddeon’s men showed what a good actor the bastard was. Unless….
Hugo frowned, wondering if the master commander had realised what a monster Fedron could become and was keeping him close. Fedron had been there in the forest, only obedient enough not to challenge Elexon’s leadership, but not completely loyal either. Maybe Hugo would seek out Elexon and warn him about Fedron. The master commander’s son struck Hugo as a solid capable warrior, he would listen—or not.
Hugo ground his teeth. Fedron had marked Diamond’s scent and would come for her eventually. A wicked grin twisted his scar at the prospect of taking down a male who would threaten his mate. He sucked air in through his clenched teeth.
Hugo tossed his blade in the air, caught the bone hilt and threw it with such force the wooden doorframe split. He watched the blade wobble from side to side. That damned girl had turned his life upside down. His head was constantly filled with her. Even with that spark of spirit and defiance, that challenged him at every turn, he did not for one second believe that Diamond would be able to fight with enough skill to survive Ragor. Not after only a few weeks of training. She may not even survive the Queen’s chosen test.
As for Diamond’s necklace, the Queen had an ulterior motive for taking it. He had seen the greed in her eyes when she had spotted it through that ridiculous see-through blouse.
Hugo gave a frustrated growl and looked at the moon out of his small tower window. His fingers curled into the bedclothes. Every day brought him closer to the thing he dreaded most about being an elite guard: winter solstice and the Queen’s bite. Hugo closed his eyes and groaned with dread, remembering the way she had run her hands down his body. He had a fool’s hope she would remain satisfied with one of the other guards, but deep down he knew she would not.
No. For reasons he didn’t understand she had left him alone all these years; but without a doubt, his luck had run out.
Hugo’s skin crawled at the thought of letting her do to him what he had done to Diamond. Only now he wasn’t sure her venom would work. His throat ached as he swallowed. He could not wipe the taste of Diamond from his mind or erase the feeling of her blood and magic raging through his body. For the first time in his life Hugo found himself uncertain how to handle the situation he was in.
Hugo dropped his head and studied the bare wooden floorboards. If he wanted to help Diamond, he had to make her into a decent fighter. Hugo needed to know she could protect herself, even if she ultimately had to protect herself against him.
The ice moon moved slowly through the glittering night. Eventually Hugo got up, yanked the knife from the door frame and studied it. Before he could attempt to get Diamond out of the city, he had to convince her and everyone else he did not care about her, not one little bit. He could not risk the Queen suspecting he had such deep feelings for another woman. The threat of her biting him before winter solstice was too high.
Hugo smiled grimly. After yesterday, making Diamond hate him enough to fight unreservedly was going to be easy. She needed to loath everything about him or she would always hold back. He swore to his empty room.
By the goddess, training her was going to test his nerves and his resolve. Hugo rubbed his hands over his face, already weary from his tumultuous thoughts. First, though, he had a debt to pay.
Attion stirred. Something had disturbed him, bringing him back from the nightmares that plagued his slumber. The exposed damp skin of his chest prickled with goose bumps. Slowly the guard turned his head, his hand sliding under his pillow to grasp the dagger he always kept there. His breathing became shallow and quiet as he listened. It had been years since the Lord Commander had visited his bed at night, but still Attion began to sweat fearfully.
Cracking his eyelids a fraction, he scanned the shadows cast by the light of Tu Lanah.
Nothing. No movement or threat. He loosed a big relieved breath and threw an arm across his face. He was being ridiculous. There was a chair wedged under the door handle; besides Ream preferred boys, not grown men.
“I can smell your fear,” said a familiar voice. “Did you know you whimper for mercy in your sleep?”
Attion bolted upright, his dagger clasped in his hand. It couldn’t be possible! His door was still locked, the chair still there. Unnerved, he scanned the shadows.
“If you fear your abuser so, if what he did to you disgusts you so, why did you lay your filthy hands on her?”
Before he could speak, Attion’s jaw exploded in pain. His head snapped back and his lip exploded against his teeth. He hit the floor next to the bed with a resounding smack.
“Get up,” ordered the disembodied voice laced with such wrath even Attion hastened to comply.
Standing naked, his mouth gaped open as Hugo materialised out of the shadows. The commander grinned at Attion’s fearful expression. The scar on his face twisted and morphed until he became a demon of shadow.
“You and I have much to discuss, Attion, but I think we will not do it with words. Sometimes actions are far more eloquent—don’t you think?” asked the shadow demon before he moved so quickly Attion didn’t have time to formulate an answer.
Chapter 56
Diamond awoke with a start, her heart racing and her legs entangled in the bedclothes. Loud impatient banging resounded on her door, vibrating the walls and floor. Hugo’s furious voice boomed through the thick wood. Catapulting herself out of bed, her hair in disarray and her heart banging painfully against her ribs, she ran to the door, unlocking it just as he threatened to bash it down.
Hugo barged in, his face enraged, his eyes glittering like molten silver. He slammed the door shut, rattling the walls enough to shake dust into the air.
“What the hell are you still doing in bed!” he roared at her.
Speechless with fright, Diamond ran away from him, tripping over the bedclothes that were now draped on the floor.
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t sleep well…” she stammered, her face flaming with stress and embarrassment as she regained her balance.
His eyes dropped to her bare feet, then travelled slowly, deliberately, up over her bare thighs, grazing over every curve accentuated by her too short silk nightie. She felt every inch of her skin burn where his eyes rested. Magic scorched her, hitting her in an intense wave that blasted through to her bones. Immediately and against her will, her body responded, heat pulsing through her core and pooling between her legs.
Confusion rooted her to the spot. Fear told her to run from his anger, but that blast of pure lust made her want to claw every bit of clothing from that coiled muscled body.
His nostrils flared as he inhaled. For a fraction of a second his dark eyes gleamed with a feral hunger. Her breath hitched as he took one step forwards, clenching his fists. Then he stopped dead, as if hitting an invisible wall. A slow cruel smile stretched his lips and the overwhelming feeling of want receded. She released a shaky breath as he crossed his large arms over his chest and stared pointedly at the flimsy silk.
“Oh? So you’ve decided to entertain the troops, have you?” he drawled, his eyes resting on her bare thighs. “Nice.”
The blood drained from her face, and she backed away from him.
“You wouldn’t?” she whispered crossing her arms over her chest, horror driving away any remaining lust.
His footsteps thumped as he strode over the floor, shoving his face into hers. “Get. Dressed. Now!” he roared.
She jumped, shrieked and grabbed her clothes off the chair, running on fatigue-heavy limbs into the bathing room. Less than two minutes later she emerged, her heart banging hard in her chest. Hastily she grabbed a tunic.
The Goddess and The Guardians Boxset: The Complete Romantic Fantasy Quartet Page 33