Guardian

by Sam Cheever

  Then the portal started to shimmer and finally disappeared with a tiny pop.

  Ian walked over and reached a hand down to me.

  It occurred to me that I should refuse it. Just lay there on the ground until I died, which in my case would be a really long time. Unless…my eyes widened in sudden fear. “Ian!” I grabbed his hand, allowing him to pull me to my feet. “Am I mortal now? With this damned metal on my arm?”

  He shook his head. “Nay. It only dulls your powers, it can’t change your basic makeup.”

  Relief flooded me. I realized, at the rate I was going, that I might need a thousand years or so to figure out how to get the damned bracelet off.

  Ian put an arm around my shoulders and turned us toward the cave. We walked in silence for a moment. Until I remembered I had a bone to pick with him. “You were following me. Skulking around behind me.”

  He grinned, shrugging. “It’s not like I had a choice. I was in the heated pool and I started to double over in pain. You forget you’ve attached a very painful tether to me.”

  Oops! I looked at him and realized his soft, black hair was still damp, and he wore only his faery breeches. Even his feet were bare. “Oh,” I said sheepishly “sorry.”

  He just shook his head.

  Another thought occurred. “Wait a minute! Why were you hidden in a layer?”

  He stopped, frowning, and placed both hands on my shoulders, turning me to him. He leaned close, putting a hand on either side of my face. “Because it was the fastest way to get out of pain.”

  “Oh!” I gave him another sheepish grin.

  I started to turn.

  “And…”

  I stopped, arching an eyebrow at him.

  “I wanted to see if you and the angel would plot against me.”

  A range of emotions flitted through me. Predominant among them was anger for his distrust. But then I realized he was being more honest with me than he needed to be and I finally shrugged, sighing heartily. It would be nice if my life wasn’t always rife with intrigue and distrust.

  “Okay.” I finally answered, earning a bright smile from my sexy Elfaery.

  “Okay?” He questioned as his beefy arm dropped around my shoulders again and we reengaged our feet, heading toward the cave.

  I grinned back. “Yeah, okay. I can’t exactly blame you for being suspicious. I mean we did start out working together to entrap you.”

  He nodded. “Yes you did.”

  Then I shrugged. “And who knows, maybe she and I knew you were there the whole time…and planned the whole thing to throw you off.”

  He stopped walking and I continued on, throwing a coy smile over my shoulder as I dipped my head, and slid into the cool, dim interior of the cave, leaving a very perplexed, but eminently sexy, Elfaery in my wake.

  Etta was waiting for us when we entered the cave. She had her scrawny little arms crossed over her flat chest and a mean, bulldog expression on her monster face. I smiled at her and gave her a little finger wave just to piss her off.

  I thought I heard her growl. But I couldn’t be absolutely sure. It might have been my stomach. “I’m hungry.”

  Ian came up behind me. “You’re always hungry.”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s not my fault. Using electrical charge takes a lot of energy.”

  Etta’s scrawny arms uncrossed and dropped to her sides, her tiny hands bunching into fists. “Where have you two been?”

  Ian and I looked at each other. He shrugged.

  “Watching you talk to Heaven. What are you up to, Etta?”

  Her face turned the color of her robes, without the shimmery quality. “I…I…”

  I shook my head. “Never mind. We need your help.”

  She frowned. “You need my help? After abandoning me over and over again. Causing me to be captured, not once but twice, and imprisoned in the faery dungeons…”

  “Well to be fair they were caves…” Ian added helpfully.

  “…starved, beaten, attacked by Sprites…”

  Ian and I snorted. Etta cast a hate-filled glare in our direction. “It’s not funny, Sprites are scary.”

  I bit my lip to keep from laughing outright. “You want scary you should face off with a cave full of Harpies.”

  Her dark eyes narrowed. “I was there too if you’ll recall.”

  My face flushed guiltily. “Oh yeah. Did I ever thank you for saving our lives?”

  She just glared at me.

  Ian stepped around me. “Look, Etta, this is the deal. Something’s going on in Olympus. Something big. And we need to stop it.”

  She shrugged, looking petulant. “What does that have to do with me?”

  I threw Ian a look. “We don’t know who we can trust on the Mount. And if we don’t do something there’s going to be a major war.”

  “Humans will get caught in the crossfire.” Ian added.

  Etta finally started to look interested. “So?”

  I took a deep breath. “So we need you to contact ‘Him’. And ask for His help.”

  Her eyes widened to popping point. “You’re kidding right? You want the one, true God to get involved in your little intrigues on Mount Olympus?”

  I frowned at her. “First of all, that’s the last thing we want. But we don’t think we have a choice. We think there’s a good chance that one…” I glanced at Ian, “…or more of the gods is plotting against Zeus. You know what will happen if there’s an open war for Zeus’ seat. The whole balance of power will shift and wobble, not just in Olympus, but everywhere. It could spur a breakdown in all control, and humans will be cast into the resulting tumult, probably feeling its effects for centuries.”

  Etta glared at me for a long moment, her dark eyes slowly filling with understanding. “You must be very desperate if you want Him to get involved.”

  Ian nodded. “We are, yes.”

  Etta finally sighed. “I’ll need to go to Him. He’ll be reluctant to become involved. I’ll have to persuade him…”

  “There is one condition though…” I held my breath as the guardian’s eyes grew stormy.

  “You think to impose conditions on the one true God!” Her wings lifted and gave a couple of thunderous beats upon the air. She started to glow and I watched her double in size within mere seconds.

  I put my hands up in a motion of placation. “Calm down Etta. Don’t you see, I must insist. Ian and I have to be included in whatever happens. We have to do everything we can to keep this from reaching an unacceptable conclusion. With His help we can hopefully find out who’s at the bottom of this treachery and stop him or her before it becomes necessary to upend the whole hierarchy of Olympus.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  Ian and I swung around at the sound of a deep voice behind us.

  I heard Etta’s robes rustling as she slid back to her normal size.

  My mouth opened but my throat clenched on his name.

  Keane, Monad Warrior stood in the mouth of the cave glaring at us. His hostile gaze swept over Ian and then turned to Etta and I. “What’s going on Nuria? And who the hell is this man?”

  Chapter Eleven

  Old Friends and New Enemies

  I smiled at my fellow warrior. “Hey Keane. I’m really glad to see you! How’d you find us?”

  He scowled at Ian a beat or two longer and then turned back to me. “The Watcher sent me. He was worried he wasn’t able to see anything when he followed Etta’s power surge.”

  We all looked at Etta and she looked away guiltily. I wondered again what that conversation with the sky had been all about. “I was just checking in.” She mumbled.

  Keane glanced at me and I shrugged.

  He glanced at Ian.

  Ian offered Keane his hand. “Ian Lavelle.”

  Keane ignored Ian’s hand and looked at me. “The human you were sent to find?”

  The unspoken question was, of course, why was the human still alive?

  I nodded. “Yes, Mr.
Lavelle has gotten himself in over his head with something and Etta and I have been trying to help him extract himself. Don’t ask for details, Keane Warrior Monad. I cannot give them to you. You’ll need to trust me in this.

  Keane’s ocean blue gaze sparkled with curiosity but he gave me a slight nod. You promise to tell me as soon as you can?

  I nodded.

  Aloud he said. “What have you three been up to? You have not checked in with the Watcher. He is not happy.”

  I sighed, showing Keane the metal on my wrist. “I’m cut off from my powers. I screamed at the Watcher when he appeared but he couldn’t see me.”

  Keane grabbed my wrist and looked at the plain band. “ ‘Tis a simple power block. Any faery should be able to remove it. Have you gone to Tana?”

  I felt the first stirrings of doubt and narrowed my eyes at Ian.

  He ignored me, staring at Keane. “So you are a Warrior Monad too?”

  Keane narrowed his blue gaze suspiciously. “I do not know of what you speak, human. I am a warrior yes, but Monads are spirit tales. They do not exist.”

  Ian grinned. “As angels don’t exist?”

  All eyes swung to Etta, who stood at the back of the cave in full angel gear, wings drooping at her back.

  Keane glanced at me. “He sees her as she is?”

  I nodded. “He’s not human. He’s half elf, half faery.”

  The droop-winged creature at the back of the cave gasped.

  I grinned because I’d figured it out before Etta had. One point for me.

  Keane’s eyes widened. “It’s not possible.”

  Ian grinned. “I assure you it is.”

  Keane walked around Ian, examining him like a viral cell under a human microscope. “Has he powers?”

  Ian scowled. “He has ears.”

  I bit my lip to keep from smiling. For all Keane’s skill, he’d grown a bit snooty over the centuries. He viewed his advanced spirituality as an excuse to remove himself from the consideration of such things as the thoughts, feelings, and aspirations of those he considered beneath him. It simplified his life. But I’d always felt a bit sorry for him. He missed a lot of good stuff by removing himself from those things.

  “Ian has very impressive powers.” I glanced at my handsome Elfaery. “And even more impressive friends.”

  Ian grinned at me.

  Keane’s gaze swung to my face. “Tana?”

  I nodded. “And Faerydae.”

  Keane’s eyes widened but, to his credit, he merely nodded, hiding his surprise well. “Then he is well placed to find out what’s going on.”

  Ian frowned. “You would think so wouldn’t you?”

  I bit my lip to keep from smiling. “We’re working on it, Keane. You can return to the Watcher and tell him I have a plan and, as soon as I’m able, I’ll have this thing removed…” I lifted my metal bound wrist. “…and provide my report to him.”

  Keane fixed a suspicious glare on Ian but said nothing. Ian’s shoulders went to square and his handsome chin lifted in affront. When the fingers of his hand twitched I decided I’d better intervene. I grabbed Keane’s arm.

  “I’ll walk you out, Keane.”

  Keane looked at my hand on his arm and, for a moment I thought he would shrug it off and ignore the unspoken plea in my voice. But finally he gave me a smile and turned toward the cave entrance with me. “As you wish, Nuria.”

  Once outside I walked rapidly away from the mouth of the cave, not willing to have Ian overhear my conversation with Keane but conscious of the need to stay close for Ian’s sake. When I figured we had enough space between us and the cave I turned to my fellow Monad. “Ian is working with both the elves and the Faeries to try to figure out who’s behind the current trouble.”

  “And has he made progress?”

  I shook my head. “He knows some of the minor players, but he hasn’t been able to trace the plot past them, to whoever is pulling the strings.”

  Keane frowned. “Who are these ‘minor players’ as you call them?”

  I hesitated only briefly, deciding I could trust him with at least that much knowledge. “An elf named Aubrie…”

  “I know of him,” Keane interrupted, “he is fairly close to Faerydae is he not?”

  I nodded. “Very close. Close enough to create a danger to the queen if she is not extremely careful in her handling of him.”

  Keane nodded, understanding the complexity of that situation fully. It was the type of thing we faced on Olympus regularly. The exact thing we were facing now…though I wasn’t willing to let him know that much yet.

  “The other is a faery named Dawnia. They are apparently working together at the behest of someone who is powerful enough to move among the various magical populations, stirring unrest…” I narrowed my eyes at him, “…as well as within the human sphere.”

  Keane swore. “This is catastrophic!”

  I nodded, agreeing completely.

  “Have you any idea who it might be?”

  I kept my face carefully blank and shook my head. “Obviously Tana and Faerydae are prime suspects.”

  Keane nodded. “Obviously.”

  A thought suddenly occurred and I almost smiled. It would be a way to throw Keane off the scent of what Ian and I were doing until we knew we could trust him. And it would be a practical exercise in weeding out the two Queens as suspects. “That is where you can help us.”

  Keane frowned, “Me? How?”

  I need you to make an Ambassadorial visit to each of the Queens. Spend some time with them. See if you can figure out how involved they are with the plot. And while you’re there you can keep an eye on our suspects.”

  “I can do that.” He frowned, “But what will you and the half breed be doing?”

  I winced, glancing toward the cave. If Ian heard himself referred to as a half breed I was pretty sure there would be bloodshed. “I wouldn’t taunt him were I you, Keane Warrior Monad. He’s a very powerful creature.”

  Keane just shrugged. Like most of the men I knew, he viewed himself as invincible and more important than everyone else. Particularly someone whom he apparently viewed as a rival. He wouldn’t bother to be perturbed by Ian if he weren’t just a little threatened by him. “I fear him not.”

  I shook my head and turned away, hoping he’d forget he’d asked me a question. “Fair travels, friend. I’ll contact you as soon as I get this metal removed from my wrist.”

  “Nuria.”

  I winced, stopping, and answered without turning. “Yes?”

  “What are you up to?”

  I blew out a silent sigh and turned. “Ian and I are trying to locate the leader of this plot.”

  His pretty eyes were narrowed in suspicion. “And you have some idea who that is don’t you?”

  This at least I could answer honestly. “No. But we are working very hard to find that out. You must trust me, friend.” My voice softened on the last word, bringing Keane’s dark head up in surprise.

  We rarely used such endearments, and only when our emotions were high.

  He stared at me for a long moment and then gave me a brisk nod. “As you wish. Contact me as soon as you can. I only wish to help.”

  I watched him turn and walk away, feeling guilty for not entirely trusting him. And at the same time, wondering if I’d just pushed away a valuable ally when I needed one most. As Keane disappeared into the dense greenery around the cave I turned and ducked back inside.

  Ian was alone in the cave, bending over a small fire that now held a coffee pot. He looked up when I entered.

  “Where’s the angel?”

  He stood up, glancing behind me for Keane. “She’s gone to plead our case. Is the Monad gone?”

  I nodded.

  “Will he cause trouble?”

  I walked over to the fire, suddenly feeling cold down to my deepest center. “I don’t think so. I’ve asked him to drop in on the Queens under the guise of an Ambassadorial visit. They will be less guarded with him, assumi
ng that he knows nothing of what is going on.”

  “An inspired idea, Nuria.” His voice was suspiciously soft and I looked up.

  I gasped. He stood just inches away, his body heat calling to me as I shivered beside the fire.

  Ian reached out and pulled me into his arms. I nearly sighed as a wave of instant pleasure caused by his heat and the feel of his hard body swept over me. “We are alone at last, drunkin’ spirit.”

  I shivered again, this time from the meaning throbbing behind his soft words. I tucked my face into his neck and inhaled the musky scent of him. It sent pleasure spearing through my body and wetness pooling between my thighs.

  His big hands rubbed up my back and into my hair, tangling there. Ian used my hair to pull my head gently back and his lips dropped toward mine. “It is time we finished this.”

  His breath swept my face and I felt my knees buckling beneath me. Ian tightened his grip around my waist and my feet nearly left the ground as he pulled me up and into the soft onslaught of his hungry lips.

  Of their own volition my hands wrapped around his densely muscled forearms and held on as the world swayed around me. I closed my eyes against the feeling that my world had broken from its moorings. Beneath my toes, all that was left on the ground as Ian pulled me up hard into his body, the dirt and rock floor of the cave seemed to roll and tilt.

  I gasped as Ian slid his hands from my hair, over my back, and down to grasp my buttocks, yanking me up so that I rode the hard ridge of hot flesh at the juncture of his thighs. I moaned and ground myself against him, certain I couldn’t get him inside my body fast or deeply enough.

  Ian bent over and started to lower me toward the ground. I braced myself for the cold, hard earth and was pleasantly surprised when I landed on dense softness. Ian grinned at my look of shock and lowered himself on top of me, the heat from his body dissipating any residual chill I might have been harboring.

  I grinned up at him. “You magicked a bed? I wasn’t aware that was one of your skills.”

  He shrugged. “I have many skills you are unaware of drunkin’ spirit.”