by Lora Leigh
“She’s been pushed too hard,” he finally said roughly. “She needs to rest.”
To be honest, he didn’t know if he could face the anger or recriminations she might feel when she awakened. He had forced her to endure the memories she had wanted only to hide from. Had it destroyed the love she felt for him, then he would prefer not to know.
“I disagree, Shanar.” Had it been anyone other than Chantel who spoke, he would have ripped their heads off. Instead, he was forced to turn slowly, to restrain his rage and face the petite woman rising from her chair to confront him. “Ariel isn’t a delicate person. She’s a fighter. You can’t coddle her.”
He grimaced tightly. Ariel was more than just a fighter. She was so damned willful and headstrong that there had never been a chance of protecting her, let alone actually putting it in effect. She had waded into the thick of danger with a smile on her lips and her laughter echoing around her.
He wasn’t so certain she would feel the same now, though. After so many years of peace from the nightmares, she wouldn’t thank him for bringing them back.
“I pushed her too far.” And it ate at him, how hard he had been pushing at her. He could have protected her until she came into her powers on her own. He could have, no matter what it took, held onto his own control until she was ready for the life he was throwing her into.
Instead, he had pushed, prodded, distanced himself from her and forced her to unlock the memories and the love she had for him. In doing so, he had unlocked so many things that he would have let her hide from, if it were possible.
He had seen it in her eyes just before they closed in sleep. The sudden awareness, the flash of pain it had brought her.
“Shane, there’s no time to allow them to come to terms with who and what they are, on their own,” Chantel said gently, her hands pushing into the pockets of her jeans as her shoulders hunched defensively. “Ariel had to remember, and she had to do so quickly. Jonar isn’t far behind us, and Caitlin is still hiding. We have to get to her before he does.”
“Do you think I don’t know this?” His lip curled furiously. “Do you think I’m unaware of what the stakes are in this game between the Guardians and Jonar, Mistress? I know well. Perhaps better even than you for I have lived it, every fucking century, waiting, watching, knowing what was coming. But she cannot continue in this manner. I will not allow it.”
He faced off with her, aware of the tension that suddenly filled the room as the three men with her watched him warily. He had fought to contain his rages for so long, knowing that the very blood that ran through his veins would make him a risk when combined with the strength the Guardians had given him. He was a Viking. Berserker rages were a part of who and what they were. The adrenaline coursing through his blood was even more volatile when combined with the strength those fucking aliens had cursed him with.
He growled. A low, dark sound as he pushed his fingers through his hair and turned from them again.
“She believes Jonar will strike at me, rather than her.” He pushed back the anger, barely, concentrating instead on protecting the one person that meant more than life to him. Above all else, he must protect her. “She will seek to place herself in front of me should that happen. We can’t let her do that.”
She might be angry with him. She might very well hate him. But he had seen her commitment to that when the memories washed over her. She wouldn’t be able to hide from what they had shared in that past life; adding that to the woman she was now, would only make her more determined than ever to be certain that no one, ever, died in her stead.
Whoever had struck at them the night before had made a mistake. The power that poured from that crystal had begun unlocking the remainder of the power trapped inside Ariel’s soul. Something had broken free within her during that attack. Shane had sensed it, felt it during the remaining ride to Newhalem.
“I agree,” Chantel said then. “You must fight side by side, not one before the other.”
She was deliberately misinterpreting his words. He wouldn’t allow it.
“No.” He gritted his teeth, wondering what it was they weren’t understanding.
Turning back, he stared at her furiously. A look he knew others had trembled before over the centuries.
“She must be kept away from me, Chantel. I will fight; you and Ariel will battle with the crystals alone.”
Surprising, a small laugh came from her throat as a sad smile shaped her lips.
“And do you think Ariel will allow that?” she asked him patiently. “Shane, she refused that route in her first life, she will object even harder now. You are dealing with a woman only now learning all that she is. If you try to protect her, you will make her foolhardy rather than wise, as she attempts to aid you. Don’t make that mistake.”
It was a bitter truth that he fought hard to swallow.
“So what do you suggest I do, Mistress?” he snapped. “Place her in the thick of battle where Jonar can strike at her, not just physically, but through her memories as well? He will kill her.”
“He might try,” she sighed then. “But we’ll all be there, Shane, to protect each other and to fight against him. You can’t baby Ariel. You can’t place her out of danger. If you try, then Caitlin will pay the price, and in turn, all of us will die. This is our last chance. We have no choice but to accept the risk.”
And when Jonar faced Ariel and she remembered the raping of the child she had been, what then? God help him, Shane didn’t think he could stand to see it.
“I cannot bear her pain, Chantel,” he whispered then. “It’s like the sharpest sword cutting into my soul. She doesn’t deserve this. Not like this. You know what he will do to her, how he will use her memories.”
Compassion filled her gaze. “None of us deserved the pain,” she said then. “But it’s the price we must pay for whatever will come later, after Jonar’s defeat. We were promised happiness, long lives and joy by Mother Earth herself, Shane. She would not have lied to me. And she would not have broken the vow she made. The pain will be but a small price to pay for our rewards.”
“Enough of this sappy stuff,” Joshua moaned mockingly. “The heart of the matter is simple. She will fight, we will take Caitlin, she will tell us where Arriane is, and all of you will live happily ever after. Now awaken the woman and let’s get on with it. We don’t have all year to finish it.”
Cold, brutal, the Mystic faced them all as he rose from his chair as well.
“Aren’t you the eager one?” Shane grunted. “Of course, why would you care? You intend to destroy us all when you finally find Arriane again anyway.”
It didn’t sit well with Shane, the suspicion that Joshua held no love for his tiny wife, no caring of any sort. Only a man of little honor could be so cruel to such a fragile creature as Arriane had been. The problem was, Shane knew Joshua’s honor, and knew it was as strong, as abiding as any of the other warriors. The contradiction of the man continually surprised Shane.
Joshua smiled coolly. “I don’t have to love the bitch. I just have to get her to fuck me, I believe were the terms of the legend. And remembering what a hot little piece she was, I doubt it will be too difficult.”
Chantel sighed as a clash of lightning struck outside the cabin.
“Arriane will fry your ass before it’s over with,” she warned him.
His smile was more a sneer. “She is welcome to try. Until then, we need to get this little show on the road and stop bitching and moaning over the price we may or may not pay. I grow tired of the debate.”
Shane clenched his fists, wondering how he had managed not to kill the other man through the years. Someone needed to knock a bit of that arrogance out of him before his gentle little wife was found and forced to pay for whatever sins he laid at her feet. To be honest, Shane didn’t blame her for that blade she sank in the other man’s chest. He had deserved it more than most.
Chapter Thirty
“I can see Joshau is being his normally polite self
.” Ariel’s mocking voice had them all turning to the doorway that led into the bedroom.
She was a vision. Dressed in the soft, supple leathers Kanna had packed for her. Leather boots were laced to her knees, the silver wristbands that had been locked to her sword now encircled her wrists. On her upper arm, a twisting dragon wrapped around the muscle, its snarling mouth pointed to the outside of her arm.
Defense. The armband had been given to her by her father, the sorcerer Galen, before she fought in her first battle. Each adornment had been decoratively locked to the hilt of her sword, until the day she could release them.
The weapon was now strapped to her back on the open-faced sheath that would allow her to free it quickly. A quick twist of her wrist would whip the sword from its protective covering through the simple means of dislodging it through the open front.
She had strapped her dagger to her thigh, and looked like a warrior princess with her violet eyes glowing with strength and with purpose. She was an angel of vengeance now on a mission, and Shane wondered if anything could be more arousing than the sight that stood before him now.
“You should be resting.” Shane frowned at the lines of weariness beneath her eyes.
She glanced at him, and for a moment, he was lost in her gaze, and in her memories. He flinched at the pain he saw there and for the first time since finding her, feared that he would lose her from his own machinations, rather than Jonar’s.
“We need to leave soon.” She didn’t break the look, but neither did he see a hint of her feelings either. “I know where she is.”
That declaration spurred everyone into action. Swords were jerked from their resting places, guns strapped on, daggers prepared and placed in easy reach.
Shane was thankful that he had already armed himself and was now ready to go. It gave him time to watch Ariel, to let the full effect of who his woman was seep into his soul.
“Where?” Derek’s voice was rough, filled with longing as he waited close to the door.
So many centuries of waiting, Shane thought. To have been given such bright, glorious love, for such a very short time, only to have it snatched away so brutally that the memories could draw blood from the soul. A thousand years had been too long to wait to set aright the wrongs done then.
“Not far from here.” She paced into the living room, and in her movements he saw the confidence of the warrior she had been. She held her body loosely, relaxed, prepared for whatever was coming. “Jonar’s already moving in, which is the reason for the storm. But there seems to be another threat. One she can’t detect.”
“I’ve felt it as well, thought I can’t locate the cause.” Chantel nodded as she checked the loaded clips of the compact machine gun she carried. The Mistress of the Earth couldn’t handle a sword if her life depended it. And Shane was afraid it might.
“Jonar is only a minor threat.” Ariel glanced at her sister then, pausing. “When this is over, Chantel, we need to talk. I do not approve of the decision you made in your past death. I’m really quite pissed over it.”
Chantel had the nerve to smile. A true, joyous smile that spread from her lips to her eyes.
“I look forward to it, sister.” She inclined her head a bit mockingly. “Though if I remember correctly, you could never stay angry with any of us for long.”
Ariel snorted rudely. “We’ll see.”
Shane stood back, not approaching her, giving her the space he was certain she needed. He had forced her into this, and though he knew beyond any shadow of doubt that he had no choice, he vowed he would push her no further now.
He was ready for battle. Had been since she had dropped off to sleep. Dressed in the lightweight black mission pants and sleeveless shirt. His sword was strapped on his back, dagger on his lower leg. He refused to carry a gun. The powerful little gun could wound and delay Jonar’s warriors, but only the swords could truly kill them.
“Don’t try to stand in front of me.” Ariel’s furious voice, directed at him, had him stilling before her.
He lifted his brow mockingly. “Would I do such a thing?”
Her eyes narrowed warningly. “I’m not pleased with you, Savage, and you know it,” she snapped. “You could have told me what was coming. You could have warned me. And yes, you would do such a thing. Try it this time, and I’ll cut your heart out myself.”
He winced. At the moment, he wouldn’t put it past her. He had a feeling that his battle with Ariel was only beginning.
“Where is she, Ariel?” Derek waited by the door, his expression dark, forbidding.
She flashed the other man a cold look. There was little mercy in her gaze for the Wizard or the memories she had of him.
“And you think I’m just going to tell you, and allow you to jump right in and snatch her away?” she snapped. “Caitlin is holding her own for now. We’ll arrive in time.”
Shane watched as she tilted her head, then he felt it himself. The air was speaking to her, bringing to her whispers, secrets. He could stand and watch her like this for hours, that peculiar expression of excitement, of satisfaction that flitted across her face. The pride and confidence that filled her body. Finally, she was who and what she was meant to be.
“The Primes are in position to protect her should Jonar arrive before we do. But we can’t expect much help from them. They’re here to hold back whoever or whatever attacked last night, because it wasn’t Jonar.”
Surprise, surprise, Shane thought, a rough snarl building in his chest.
“Ariel, we can’t hear what the winds tell you,” Chantel said then. “You’ll have to help us.”
Ariel gave her a surprised look. “You can hear everything I do, Chantel,” she said carefully. “You’re just not listening to it. But you will. We need to move out.”
“Ariel.” Devlin stepped in front of her then, tall, dark, a power more fierce than any of the warriors controlled, building around him. “Where is she?”
A smile tilted her lips.
“Ask your wife,” she said softly, moving around him and heading for the door. “She knows.”
Chapter Thirty-One
The storm was brutal in its intensity. The winds, following her commands, whipped through the mountains, surrounding the cabin Caitlin had been living in for the past year. Rain fell in sheets, tinged with either the salt off the ocean, or her tears, Ariel wasn’t certain which. The other woman was fighting well, using nature and the strength of her sisters to hold back the dark evil moving steadily closer as she fought to complete the mission she had set for herself here.
It was impossible not to know what she was doing. The winds were screaming in warning, violently protesting the coming attack, as well as Caitlin’s own stubbornness. She wouldn’t be taken easily, not by Jonar, and most especially not by Derek. Ariel could feel the power charging within the Water Crystal, feel it whipping through the air around them.
Caitlin was reaching the fullest potential possible without Derek’s powers to back her. She was also hedging her own bets though. Caitlin had no intention of relying on Derek for anything, especially her own power.
“Ariel, we can’t allow her to do this,” Chantel snapped through the comm link as they moved along the protective barrier fence that ran around the stately mansion.
“The dogs are sleeping.” Derek’s voice was a self-satisfied murmur through the receiver at her ear. “Rottweillers are just too easy.”
“Remind me to buy a Shepherd,” Ariel grunted, sensing Derek’s mocking amusement as they found the breech Caitlin had used to enter the house.
“Does she even know who the fuck she’s stealing from?” Shane cursed as he wedged himself through the small opening of the iron fence.
Caitlin had somehow managed to loosen the iron bars, removing several entirely, to allow for a wide door of escape when she managed to sneak away.
She was a thief.
It was just too damned ironic that the woman who reviled her husband for his stealing, was now stealing herself.
A different kind of stealing, Ariel admitted, but it was stealing all the same.
“What the hell is she after anyway?” Shane asked as they maneuvered through the darkened landscape, heading for the hulking three-story mansion in the center of the mini compound.
“The Sapphire Dagger,” Chantel murmured softly. “It carries a ward of protection from Mother Earth herself, and will not just protect its wearer, but strengthen her as well. It was given to Caitlin at her wedding, though rather than wearing it, she had hid it in her chest for safekeeping. She wasn’t a fighter, she was a Lady. She didn’t believe in carrying weapons.”
“Will it protect her from Jonar?” Devlin’s voice was cold as they drew closer to the house.
Ariel could feel him using his own gifts, whatever the hell they were, to shield them all from the roving red eyes of the cameras mounted along the upper story of the house. Derek was controlling the animals and the guards that moved along the perimeters, while Joshua brought up the rear, providing reinforcement to the other two men.
“I don’t know how protective it is,” Chantel answered, her voice transmitting to everyone in the group. “It was a gift from the Mother. She never truly explained its powers to me.”
“So why don’t you have a dagger?” Joshua suddenly asked. “If the other three possessed one, surely you did as well?”
“Devlin is my dagger.” Ariel could hear the shrug in her voice. “The Mother brought three daggers the night before the four of you arrived at the castle. Wedding gifts for the others. My gift was less material, but just as special all the same.”
Ariel remembered it then. The power she had felt in the dagger that was now strapped to her thigh had nearly had her tossing it out the castle window when it was first given to her.